Blogs, Blogging for PD and RSS

Learning Process

I’ve Got the Whole World (WideWeb) in My Hands…


I officially entered the blogosphere…wait, is this a new sphere of the earth? I suppose in some ways it is. Anyway, I officially entered into this sphere a mere 12 weeks ago. What a strange place. People are blogging like crazy here. Everywhere I look. How could I not have discovered this place sooner?

This new sphere has had a profound influence on me. It has led me to really kick into gear and activate my life long learning. Through reading the blogs of my classmates and other teacher-librarians and professionals, I have really developed professionally…and of course that’s why they call it Professional Development.
Having all of this information at my fingertips was overwhelming at first. I felt like I was consuming so much info that my brain would burst. Then a few weeks went by and somewhere along the way something happened. I wasn't sure if my brain expanded or what but I started becoming more comfortable in the blogosphere. I realize now that my new friend, RSS, was the one to thank. I decided it wasn't such a strange place to be after all. I could live here.

Wikipedia defines the blogosphere as being "made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community (or as a collection of connected communities) or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions."

I am lucky enough to be a member of this community. And my friend RSS ensures that I stay connected with my other community members.
If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting RSS, let me introduce you.
Here is a basic tutorial introduction to RSS feeds and aggregators.

Initially I chose to use Bloglines as my RSS feed but then I started using iGoogle and liked the accessibility of Google Reader. I decided to keep both so that I could try them and see which works better for me. I found that Bloglines is better for selecting your feeds with their Top 1000 feeds option and recommendations (see my sidebar for my blogroll). However, once you have an idea of which feeds you want, Google Reader can be accessed directly on your iGoogle page.

I have assumed you already know what a blog is since you are reading one right now. But just in case check out Blogs in Plain English. Let's also turn to one of our favourite bloggers for his thoughts on this. Will Richardson's book "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms", defines a weB LOG (blog) as "an easily created, easily updateable Website that allows an author (or authors) to publish instantly to the Internet from any Internet connection... They are comprised of reflections and conversations... Blogs engage readers with ideas and questions and links. They ask readers to think and respond. They demand interaction" (p. 17-18).
Oh Will, you have a way with words.
One day I will be just as well-spoken...yes, one day.



Personal Learning

In his post Blogging for Personal Learning, Tony Karrer points out that "regular blogging encourages reflective practice--you're more likely to actively engage with what you're reading and experiencing as fodder for blog posts, which increases your own understanding and improves your thinking on what you're learning."

I think this is why my growth as a learner has developed so much through this process. Not only am I reading the wealth of information coming through Google Reader, trailfires, articles, etc., but I am sythesizing my knowledge. I am thinking about what I read and responding to it. I find that I have mostly been reading other blogs for professional learning. However, I really enjoy reading everything about Web 2.0 and this knowledge has enhanced my personal learning as well.

I really value what my blog has done for my personal learning. I have been trying to develop a stronger blog voice and make my blog more appealing. Wouldn't want to lose you now! I know I still have a ways to go and this is a progression I want to continue. Suggestions welcome.

I did turn to some other writers for their ideas on this. Some of their articles include:

101 Steps to Becoming a Better Blogger (LifeHack.org)

10 ways to become a better blogger (Deb Shinder)

Are You Getting Off Track With Your Readers? (James Chartrand)

The Oscar the Grouch Guide to Building a More Remarkable Blog (Sonia Simone)
Apparently if most successful bloggers were a Sesame Street character, they’d be Oscar the Grouch. He does his own thing, he lives the way he wants to live, and he’s not particularly interested in what anyone else has to say about it. Guess I'm too nice.


What else has blogging done for me? According to research that Richardson studied, blogs:
- promote critical and analytical thinking
- are a powerful promoter of creative, intuitive, and associational thinking to promote analogical thinking
- are a powerful medium for increasing access and exposure to quality information
- combine the best of solitary reflection and social interaction
(p. 20)

Best of all, my mom follows my blog. Now we have more to talk about in our mother-daughter chats. Also she reads about the tools I have been learning about and wants me to teach her some of them. Her favourite so far has been Animoto.


I have been able to utilize my RSS feeds for some personal and social reasons:

I am an avid reader of books and now I have instant access to book news, reviews and author interviews at guardian.co.uk

I also have the National Geographic News site fed to me daily which my stepson loves. Almost everyday I am asked a "Did you know...?" question.

As you can see, iTunes Top Songs is also on my blog list. As we speak, my partner is downloading songs onto my mp4 player using this list.

Dictionary.com's Word of the Day is another. My favourite word of the month so far is hoi polloi (which means the common people or the masses) mostly because I like the sound of it. I think the hoi polloi can benefit from blogging!

Getting instant weather and news updates also comes in handy.




Professional Development (PD)

Throughout this process of blogging I have been able to display my learning in a whole new way. It's nice to be able to look back at postings and have them all together in one place.
Having my Google Reader subscriptions flowing in each day has also been valuable to me. Let me reminisce...



A few of the fabulous things I've learned from other bloggers:

Being a librarian entering into this digital realm, I have wondered whether books will be a thing of the past. Stephen Abram's Will Books Survive? cleared this up. It helped me realize the both real books and e-books will co-exist together happily.

Stephen also eased my mind by pointing out the ways technology actually boosts our social lives rather than making us anti-social.

Will Richardson has taught me so many things. A smorgasbord of information. Some of these things include how to best implement many Web 2.0 tools (eg. #Gr8t Tweets), the importance of life long learning(eg. Teachers as Learners), curriculum/policy development (eg. Don’t, Don’t, Don’t vs. Do, Do, Do) and assessment practices (eg. On Common Standards).

Several bloggers have allowed me to see that the world is changing and that teachers and librarians need to adapt their teaching to account for this shift toward digital literacy.

They've also highlighted great articles (eg. Who Owns Your Lesson Plans? Blue Skunk Blog), videos (Where There's a Widget There's a Way, The Unquiet Librarian), and podcasts (Open Libraries, Stephen's Lighthouse). Lots to think about.
These bloggers have helped me to see the importance of web-based learning and have inspired me to consider best teaching practices (eg. Qualities of an Effective Teacher, 2 Cents Worth.)



PROS OF BLOGS

- Blogs enable educators to have Personal Learning Networks.

- Provides a venue for communication with students, parents, colleagues, administration, other classrooms and the community.

Duffy and Axel (2006) outline some other educational uses of blogs:

- Staff Collaboration:

• reflection on teaching experiences and teaching resources

• technology-related tips for other colleagues

- Organization:

• keep track of dates, events, assignments, questions/answers and resources

- Pedagogy:

• comments based on literature readings and student responses

• a collaborative space for students to critique and discuss

• an online gallery space for review of works, writings, etc. in progress, making use especially of the commenting feature

• teachers commenting on their students’ blogs to encourage reactions, reflections and ideas

• acts as a portfolio of student work

Will Richardson suggests using blogs to teach journalism and are great for dealing with the issues of plagiarism, fair use and copyright.

If you are convinced and want to start blogging with your students, here are some resources:

- Introduce this video to show staff how students can benefit from blogging: Why Let Our Students Blog?

- Using Blogs With Students

- Reading and Writing with Blogs - includes Six Instructional
Characteristics of a Blog, Literary Activities, and Blogs in the Classroom



PROS OF RSS

- Keep track of favourite websites by having them all in one convenient place.

- Allows educators to have needed materials sent to them consistently. No more weeding through the internet for a particular topic or revisiting sites over and over.

- Students can be notified of updates from websites that are relevant to their assignments or research topics.

- Teachers are instantly updated with all of the new postings from student blogs. Saves time and energy. Similarly, students can subscribe to the feeds of their teacher and their peers. Just like we have done in this course. I find it so much easier to comment on the blogs of my fellow classmates when I can see them all in my feed.

- The article RSS: The Next Killer App For Education gives examples of how RSS can be useful for teachers.


CONS OF BLOGS/RSS

- Privacy concerns - to get around this ensure that only first names of students are used on blogs.

- Accessibility - not all schools have efficient computer access. Also some have many restricted or blocked sites.




As long as you are cautious about privacy and have accessibility, why on Earth would you not consider blogging with your students? Bring them into this new sphere!

Twitter

PROCESS OF LEARNING ABOUT TWITTER

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet! Remember that old Rockin Robin song?
Well I searched for it and someone else has made a Twitter version, shucks.
Why not listen to it as you read my post:





Why should I Twitter? It seems like a cheesy tool where people tell each other what they are doing every minute of the day.
Is that not a waste of time?

My Twitter account is fairly new to me. Well I suppose it is new to most people as it was only invented 3 years ago. As I said in my last blog posting, it is the #3 site for social networking…3 years to make it to #3 ain’t bad.

If you want to follow me, I am loriwilliams77. I signed up to Twitter for the purposes of this course. To be honest, I'm not sure I will use it much after this course but I appreciate being introduced to it. I will be able to say I've tried it and can relate to my students who use it. Before I make a decision, though, I should give it a fair chance…

Twitter is a popular microblogging tool or form of communication in which users can describe their current status in short instant messages via mobile phones, email or the Web.
Our course trailfire this week, comprised of 14 different sources (articles, blogs, wikis, videos), provided me with a great overview of Twitter and how it can be used. I particularly liked the conciseness of Mack D. Male’s slideshare Twitter 101. Mack happened to be the 985th person in the world on Twitter. Can you beat that?
Like many others, he uses the Tweetdeck application to put contacts into groups for easier management. He suggests that newbies get familiar with the lingo of Twitter. I am now familiar with many of the terms, and was blown away by the number of Twitter words there are. Here are some of the words Mack suggested people learn and how I would define them:

tweet: the post of 140 words or less that you make on Twitter.

retweet: to post a message again.

twoosh: a perfect post of 140 words - “swoosh!”

hashtags: topic with a hash symbol (”#”) at the start to identify it. (eg. #edchat). For more info, check out How to get the most out of hashtags.

tweetups: meet-ups between Twitter users (yes, it's true.)

I also became familiar with Twitter for Beginners and The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter.
Okay, so maybe it’s not a COMPLETE waste of time…

From following some brilliant people like David Warlick and Joyce Valenza, I have noticed that they aren’t usually tweeting about what they are doing. Instead of telling the world they are eating lunch or brushing their teeth, they are usually sharing what is on their mind or providing links to great sites. This led me to think that instead of asking the question, “What are you doing?,” the little box where you type your update should ask the question, “What are you thinking?” or “What has your attention?”

In the article Why we twitter: understanding microblogging usage and communities, the authors discuss that "people use microblogging to talk about their daily activities and to seek or share information."

Now that we know what all the tweet is about, let's take a look at the implications it has for us personally and professionally.







PERSONAL USES


The words of Mack Male rang in my ears: "Follow local people."

Research led me to Twellow, the Twitter Yellow Pages. Then, as Mastermaq suggested, I began my search for local people.
I’m now following some local educators and Web 2.0 tool enthusiasts as well as the City of Nanaimo which tweets about upcoming local events and other local info. I am also a follower of our local newspaper, the Nanaimo Daily News, which gives regular local news updates.


Who knows, I may even end up at a tweetup one day. Ok, so that is probably not going to happen. But, you never know.

Then I uncovered a little Twitter nugget called Twiggit. Twiggit is "an automated service that lets your friends on twitter know what articles you digg." I picked up on the strange spelling of 'dig' and pursued this. I signed up at the Digg site. Here, I can search for articles by topic. If I find one that I like and want others to see, I can click ‘share’ and the link to the article is posted as a tweet. Cool!
My first attempt at this I found this article that I dugg and shared it:
Twitter Marriage Proposal: Bloggers In Love: http://digg.com/d3hY6g?t
Now this Twitter tool I like. A lot.
Usually other people are telling me what the latest news is. Now I can tell them. And I don't even have to turn on the TV.

There still is a little voice in the back of my head though saying be careful. I think Twitter has to be used with some degree of moderation. It is easy to get sucked into the world of having a constant flow of messages coming through your phone, email and wherever else you are connected. Personally I'm not going to connect Twitter to my phone. I think that would be too much for me. I do own a Blackberry, yes, but don't want to be sucked into the Blackberry world that some people are in. I go out for dinner and see people texting everywhere. I want to enjoy the person's company that I'm with without my phone going off constantly. So I will tweet wisely.
Also I have noticed that many people go through periods of time when they are always tweeting and then they just stop. Just like that. How long will I keep tweeting? Maybe I will stop after this course. Only time will tell. First, though, I want to know if it would ever be useful to use as a teacher or librarian.






PROFESSIONAL USES

Steve Wheeler provides a list of ways for teachers to use Twitter in the classroom in his post Teaching with Twitter. Some of these ways include tweeting in a foreign language, in role as a character or person from the past or with penpals from around the world. Also following a famous person for current events, collaborative story writing, notifications, and having students write precise summaries of chapters or articles (in 140 characters or less of course) are all great ways to use Twitter.

I like the idea of holding an opinion poll with the class where votes and ideas can instantly be gathered. Teachers could also use it to point out interesting things happening in their classroom, pose a question to the group or explain what’s coming next…tweet, tweet, tweet.

Check out Steven Anderson's favourite Tools for the Twittering Teacher.

There are also many ways that librarians can use Twitter. “For example, a library could share all kinds of news that patrons want. Short messages can tell people about events such as readings, lectures, and book sales; newly available resources; or changes in the building hours. One message a day or one a week could share a tip on finding or accessing information online or in the building. Twitter posts can link to interesting news stories about literacy or about libraries. When appropriate, the posts can link to a library's own website and blog for more in-depth information.” (Milstein 2009)

In the article 20 Ways for Librarians To Use Twitter (Cole 2009), there are even more ways outlined. The most useful of these 20 in my opinion are:

- To announce and recommend new books
- Post a book of the day
- Share studies of interest
- Link to the library’s website and to book talks
- Make connections with other librarians


If teachers want to find other educators on Twitter to follow, there is a Twitter4Teachers Wiki that lists teachers Twitter names and grades/content areas they teach. There is a page with hundreds of librarians that are currently using Twitter.

In his book, Will Richardson discusses how "following other educators on Twitter creates a 'network at my fingertips' phenomenon where people ask questions and get answers, link to great blog posts or resources, or share ideas for projects as they go through the day."

Teachers can also follow the hashtag #educhat to discuss a new educational topic each week. Read more about this on The Cool Cat Teacher Blog. Also watch the video #Edchat: Join the Movement which discusses this conversation between educators who want to connect and make a difference. Every Tuesday from 12-7 pm (ET), you can participate in the discussion by adding “#edchat” to the end of your tweet! There's a new conversation topic each week. I found a few educators from the edchat conversation and am now following them.


As always let's battle out the pros and cons and see which one wins...

CONS

- Security becomes a problem when users post shortened URLs in their posts. Because Twitter only allows 140 characters in a post, URLs pose problems for users, so they often use URL shortening services. "When you see [a shortened URL] you don't know where it's going to take you," says Ben-Itzhak in the article 'Maltweets' Pose Threat to Web 2.0 Users. Users may be directed to a site infected with malware, viruses, and other dangerous downloads. Make sure your security software is up-to-date.

- “Twitter IS a massive time drain. It IS yet another way to procrastinate, to make the hours fly by without getting work done, to battle for online status and massage your own ego. But it's also a brilliant channel for breaking news, asking questions, and attaining one step of separation from public figures you admire. No other communications channel can match its capacity for real-time, person-to-person broadcasting.” - David Pogue

- Carol Cooper-Taylor outlines some of the other “Negatives People Will Throw At You.”


PROS

- If you want to defend Twitter, Carol Cooper-Taylor's blog gives you “Some Positives to Throw Back” at the nay-sayers:

1. Easy to organize meetups.
2. Great for running an opinion poll.
3. Captures students' attention and gives them a focus.
4. Builds an instant “backchannel” in the classroom.
5. Provides news updates faster and more often than other sources.
6. Allows users to see what status messaging can do for an organization.
7. Great for collaboration and giving daily opportunities for learning.
8. Useful for professional development.
9. Easy way to connect with parents for feedback purposes.


- Mack Male hails Twitter for: being easy to make new connections, having a wealth of information posted every second, being the best source for breaking news and for allowing people to make a difference.

- Michael Hyatt gives us 12 Reasons to Start Twittering.

As you can see, there are actually many ways to use Twitter in the classroom. Who knew?
Better go tweet about this...
Stay tuned for next week when I will post my blog about blogs!



Articles:

Cole, S. 20 Ways for Librarians To Use Twitter. Library Journal (1976) v. 134 no. 11 (June 15 2009) p. 25

Milstein, S. Twitter FOR Libraries (and Librarians). Computers in Libraries, 10417915, May2009, Vol. 29, Issue 5

Social Networking

The Process of My Learning

Let's take a look at how social networking has entered into the timeline of my life...

1977: I was born
1989: The internet was invented
1992-1995: The internet became widespread
2007: I signed up for Facebook
2009: I signed up for Twitter and Ning

As you can see, it has only been a part of my life for the past two years. The recent success of social networking sites (SNS) have led to an evolution of social interaction among people. More and more of these interactions are taking place online.

The Social Media Revolution video puts things into perspective. It is amazing that Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months!

Are you connected? - The Latecomers' guide to Social Networking - discusses the basics of Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Twitter and Second Life. I had never heard of Second Life before reading this article. Turns out it is a site for adults where your avatar (for which you "can choose everything from the size of your nose to the colour of your nails" by the way) is interacting with other avatars. In this world there are malls, clubs, theatres, universities and more. I went to the main page where I was invited to shop, play, learn, explore, dance, or love. Wow, there really is a whole virtual world out there.

Still not sure what social networking is exactly? Do not fret. An in-depth definition of social networking can be found at What is Social Networking. Also check out Getting Started with Social Media – A Guide and Resource List. Wikipedia's List of Social Networking Websites has descriptions of each site, the number of registered users, and registration type (open, invite-only, age restrictions).
According to Social Media Optimization's Top Twenty Five Social Networking Sites (Feb 2009), the top 3 sites are Facebook, My Space and Twitter.

I found a couple of social network related videos that are good for a chuckle. In this Social Networking Blues video, Mike stays up all night singing about the dozens of social networking sites he surfed.
My favourite though is the very humorous Facebook Song video:


Love that tune. It's even more funny the second time you watch it.



Personal Social Networking

I am currently a member of the Facebook and Twitter social networks. I also have a social bookmarking account with Delicious as well as a Shelfari account.

My Facebook account has always been set so that only my friends can see my wall, pictures, etc. Because I have 215 "friends," I am careful what I post. The only personal information I have on there is my name and birthday. Don't see a need for people to have addresses and phone numbers, especially considering that they are giving Facebook the rights to this information. I have used Facebook regularly for the past two years. It has allowed me to keep in touch with family and friends from around the world. Most of my friends are from high school and university and I like being able to see what is happening with them. It is an easy way to send a message or show and share pictures. I have also recently started using the live chat option to catch up with people. Yes, I have been captivated by Facebook fever.

Facebook Manners and You outlines 5 Facebook Relationship Rules in a funny clip. I have a few more rules to add:

1) Don't allow inappropriate or embarrassing pictures of you to get into the Facebook world...you never know who is a friend of a friend.

2) Don't post any information of a personal nature on other people's walls.

3) Don't leave your privacy settings to default. Change them so that only friends can see your profile, personal information, status updates, and photos that you are tagged in. Allow anyone to be able to locate you in a search though.

4) Have an appropriate profile picture as this will be what everyone can see.

As for Twitter, I will be delving into that world in my next blog...stay tuned!


Professional Social Networking

TeacherLibrarianNing is an online community build for teacher-librarians and educators by Joyce Valenza. I am now a member of the Ning network.

In the blog Social Networking: The Ning’s the Thing, there is a discussion around how teachers can use a Ning to connect with students in a private social network. Some of these ways include:

• Discussion forums with literature circles or peer writing groups
• Set up student book clubs
• Create digital book reports
• Writing of journals and reading logs
• Sharing information with students and parents

Also check out the Reasons You Must Use Ning. And if that doesn't sell you, talk to David Deubelbeiss.

Facebook can also be used for professional reasons. I am a 'fan' of our District Resource Centre's Facebook page, DRC 68. Their goal is "to serve educators in SD68 by finding the resources, support and information they need to make success for each child a reality." I use it to see what new teaching resources we have available and to find out about professional learning opportunities.

Librarian's will want to consider how they may implement this tool in their library. Here are some ways: Ten Social Networking Tips for Libraries.

In a study by Christine Greenhow, she finds that social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook have more educational potential than you might think. The kind of skills students are developing on social networking sites, says Greenhow, "are the very same 21st century skills that educators have identified as important for the next generation of knowledge workers — empathy, appreciation for diversity of viewpoints, and an ability to multitask and collaborate with peers on complex projects."
In the article Old Communication, New Literacies: Social Network Sites as Social Learning Resources by Christine Greenhow and Beth Robelia, they further discuss these benefits: “SNSs facilitated emotional support, helped maintain relationships, and provided a platform for self-presentation. Second, students used their online social network to fulfill essential social learning functions. Third, within their SNS, students engaged in a complex array of communicative and creative endeavors. In several instances, students' use of social network sites demonstrated the new literacy practices currently being discussed within education reform efforts.”
Will Richardson also agrees that social networks have a positive influence on learning.


PROS: Why use social network sites?

- An easy way of communicating with your friends, family, or colleagues.

- Instead of planning to meet in a certain place contacts can meet online.

- Builds community among people connected together by common interests and purposes.

- Can share links to websites of interest

- Allows users to become more involved in the Web 2.0 world.
As Stephen Abram wrote in Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and Librarian 2.0: Preparing for a 2.0 World, "Web 2.0 is about the more human aspects of interactivity. It’s about conversations, interpersonal networking, personalization, and individualism."


CONS: Why not?

- Privacy issues i.e. identity theft and fraud - be weary of how much personal information you are putting out there. Set your profiles to private.

- The video Privacy on Social Networks from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada discusses the risk of social network sites trading our personal information for monetary value. Read the regulations of the SNS site so you are aware what personal info you are giving them the right to.

- Some people believe the sites are unsafe and are to blame for problems such as bullying. Some even go as far to say that they promote sexual solicitation and harassment. However, I would strongly disagree.
There have been many studies done, including
How Risky Are Social Networking Sites? A Comparison of Places Online Where Youth Sexual Solicitation and Harassment Occurs. The conclusions of these studies usually find that SNS's are not to blame: "Broad claims of victimization risk, at least defined as unwanted sexual solicitation or harassment, associated with social networking sites do not seem justified. Prevention efforts may have a greater impact if they focus on the psychosocial problems of youth instead of a specific Internet application, including funding for online youth outreach programs, school antibullying programs, and online mental health services."

I do have a 12-year old who is not yet allowed to have his own Facebook account because we believe he is too young. Facebook does have an age restriction of 13 and up, although many children just don't type in the year they were born. For children who are too young to use Facebook, there are alternatives. Will Richardson's blog Social Networking for Kids…Young Kids led me to a USA Today article called Safer Cyber-Playrooms which discusses kid-friendly social networking sites such as Neopets, Club Penguin, Webkinz World, Disney and Nickelodeon.

Also there have been issues with other students in our son's school being bullied on Facebook. However, I am not blaming the site for the bullying. The bully needs to take responsibility for that. That child should be the one who is not allowed on there as he or she is obviously not mature enough for this type of social interaction.
We need to be educating our children and students how to use the sites safely and respectfully before they begin using them. We need to improve their awareness and help them establish acceptable vs. unacceptable behaviour.

























comic courtesy of the
University of Calgary wiki - click the link for Facebook history, statistics, information, and comparison to MySpace.



Doesn't it make more sense to educate rather than confiscate?



“Social media is here to stay. Now we just have to evolve with it.” - Danah Boyd

Multimedia Sharing AKA Social Media Mashups

Reflections on the Process of Learning about Mashups
Mashups?! Hmmm…
On Halloween? That brings to mind…the Monster Mash!




Here is my mashup song. Sing it to the tune of the Monster Mash:
(For catchy lyric purposes, mashup has been shortened to mash)

She made a mash
She made a VoiceThread mash
The VoiceThread mash
It was a web-based smash
She made a mash
It caught on in a flash
She made a mash
She made a VoiceThread mash


What is a Mashup? Here is an introductory video.
My good friend Wikipedia gave me these answers:
• Mashup (digital), a digital media file containing any or all of text, graphics, audio, video, and animation, which recombines and modifies existing digital works to create a derivative work.
• Mashup (web application hybrid), a web application that combines data and/or functionality from more than one source
There are also music and video mashups defined.

So haven't we been using mashups basically since we started this Web 2.0 course? Ahh connections! How I love you.

Further enlightenment came via Trailfire…

Social Media in Plain English - An introduction to Social Media via a story about a small town with many flavors of ice cream. So this is where the social and sharing aspects fit in.

ANIMOTO

Using Animoto you can create 30 second videos (about 15 pictures worth) for free. For longer videos in low resolution it will cost $3.00. The upgrade to high res will cost you another $5.00. If you are an avid user, there are packages available.
Animoto is an application that will allow you to input pictures and music, and create a custom slideshow from the result.
Animoto is so good it won a 2009 Webby Award. The Judges’ Choice and the People’s Voice awards for ‘Best Service & Application’ category to be exact. Here is the animoto blog celebrating their win. Some other positive reviews about Animoto were done by Joel Spolsky, Kim Hjortholm , AppApeal, Karthik Shankrila and The Tech Mag Blog.
I had already discovered Animoto while working on my videosharing blog. This was my original Animoto video:



I had so much fun making this one that I just made another! This video shows highlights of my trip to Whistler last month:



I clicked the '1-click remix' button three times to see what it would come up with. I was happy with this one.


VOICE THREAD

The video Whats a Voice Thread anyway? shows how to use voice thread with examples.
With a voice thread you can upload images into a media presentation with audio, video and text. You can even doodle right on there and it's interactive.
Now I'm excited to try out this threading of my voice!

Just have to sign up for Voice Thread - check
Take the tutorial - check
And start threading!

I loved how user-friendly this site was. Especially how easy it was to re-record each voice clip. Once I had all my clips recorded and saved I listened to the whole voice thread together...
What's this? Is that really me talking? Uh-oh. My voice sounds fake, like I'm reading a script or something. Yikes!
No need to panic. Voice Thread gave me the option to upload pictures from another voicethread. Perfect. No need to sift through the 2000 pictures again.
I deleted my initial attempt by clicking the little trash can icon on each picture.

Before I recorded for my second attempt, I told myself to just pretend I was showing pictures to a friend. Ok, that helped. Much closer to my real voice.



I like how Voice Thread gives the user the option to add multiple identities. This is useful for using with a group of students for example. Also I can have different photos for personal and professional voice thread identities.
I decided to change my identity photo but couldn't figure out how to do this so I turned to the help section. I found out that when adding multiple identities users are given the option to edit all identities. So I clicked on my photo icon and clicked 'create another identity.' From there I was able to edit my existing photo. Voila!
I also found that I can only create up to 3 voice threads for free. After that I will have to pay about $60 for either the Pro package or a year of the class subscription in the K-12 package.



Mashups for Professional Use

VOICE THREAD

The VoiceThread for Education wiki has information and examples of voicethreads created in educational contexts.

I found this voicethread of Web 2.0 Tools for the Classroom, which could use more comments and sites from Web 2.0 students...will have to get back to this.

I like this idea of using a voicethread for Literature Circles. This one is done by seventh and eighth grade students at a middle school:



I came across the K-7 Mathcasts 500 Project. The goal of this project is to create a library of 500+ mathcasts for K-7 math using many student & educator voices on voice thread. I added them up and it looks like they have met their goal – there are currently 514 mathcasts!

There are so many ways I am inspired to use voice threads professionally. Literature circles, story readings, projects, show and tell, math concepts, introducing any concept in any subject really...the list is endless.
I have several friends that are teaching overseas. I think it would be fun to have students use this tool to reach out to children from around the globe, showing and telling them what it is like here and vice versa.
I think my staff would be impressed with this tool and I would like to introduce it at meetings or professional development days.

Potential problems/risks?

Inappropriate comments - We need to ensure that we are teaching students how to comment on others work and how to accept comments on their work.

Students struggling with using formal language - One class worked on a novel study project using VoiceThread and "although the students were comfortable creating online content, they struggled to create content with an academic focus and tone appropriate for an academic task. The informality was particularly a problem when they recorded the narrative. The same students who regularly engaged in formal class presentations in other media struggled to record scholary presentations in VoiceThread." (Bomar, S. A Pre-Reading VoiceThread: Death Comes for the Archbishop. Knowledge Quest, Mar/Apr2009, Vol. 37 Issue 4, p26-27). - It is important to practice the proper use of the tool, especially considering voice, within the classroom.

Privacy - the same concerns here as with most other Web 2.0 tools I have blogged about. I would use cartoon faces instead of real photographs for student identities. Also first names only.

ANIMOTO

There is an Animoto for Education site where teachers can "bring (their) lessons to life."
Some bloggers are anti-Animoto as far as its educational value goes. However, one of our fave PhD bloggers, Joyce Valenza, disagrees. “Animoto is a magically-easy way to grab attention, produce professional-looking public relations products, archive an event, visually showcase our best, and create new visual contexts.” Go Joyce!
I concur. Also I think the 30 second time limit could be a good thing. Teaching students to keep it short with main ideas and only using what’s important is a valuable skill. One I am working on myself!

"For teachers and librarians who are looking to introduce instructional units, showcase ideas, or frame concepts with a musical element, Animoto will easily allow even the "technologically-challenged" to create high-tech productions that will amaze." (Brisco, S. Animoto. School Library Journal, Jul2008, Vol. 54 Issue 7, p64-64)

Lance Rougeux, the director of Discovery Education, is another fan of Animoto as an educational tool: “Animoto is one of the marvels of Web 2.0. It is a wonderful initiative and a true benefit to teachers and students.”

I can see using this for field trip photos, showing off books, viewing historic events, school-wide project or bulletin board displays, etc.

After browsing through multiple multimedia sites, I realized they all have some things in common. They all either allow for or ask for feedback from viewers. Viewers can leave comments or give a rating. What a great way for people to get feedback on their work.
Another thing these sites have in common is they all help to tell a story. Whether it be a slide show, music video, poster, timeline, scrapbook, online presentation or a comic strip. They all have a story to tell. And who doesn't love a good story?

Here are some of the sites to create your story:

Kerpoof Studio - make movies, cards, stories, etc.
Historic Tale Construction Kit - create a story with text and pictures, similar to a comic strip.
GoAnimate and Domo Animate - create your story with cartoons
PicLits - picture writing
Glogster - poster creating
Scrapblog - scrapbooking
Slide Rocket and Zentation - online presentations
PixelFish, YouTube and Animoto - videos
Xtimeline - timelines
Bit Strips,Mai'Nada comics sketch, Toondoo , Make Beliefs Comix , Strip Generator and Comiqs - creating comic strips

While searching for sites I stumbled across CogDogRoo. Here there is a list of more than 50 web-based story tools! Ok so much for my list - this one is better!
Check out Great Book Stories - educators using Voice Threads to introduce stories...great book stories in fact.


Mashups for Personal Use

My computer is jam packed full of my personal pictures and videos. I find that I no longer get my photos printed off. Just the other day my mom was asking to see my pictures from Whistler last month but I had nothing to show her. Any minute now my mom will be opening up her email to find not just pictures of my trip, oh no, but an animoto video of pictures! She will be so impressed at my creatively produced video...do you think I should tell her how easy it was to make it?
I've decided I will tell her to check out the site because I know she will love it. She's always making Windows Movie Maker slideshows and emailing pictures to people but now she can look really professional. Thanks to Animoto!
I also plan to show my best friend. She's a fashion designer - check out her website - and she is the most creative person I know. I just know she will come up with a way to use this tool, whether it be showing off designs on her website or in emails to contacts to grab their attention.

Voice thread will be a great tool for me also. I am also going to send my voicethread link to some of my friends and relatives overseas. This way they can not only see the pictures from my trip but hear my voice describe each one. Kind of like me being there in person showing them my pics. Very cool!



Now when I hear the word Mashup, there will be a lot more in my brain than thoughts of mashed potatoes or the lyrics to the Monster Mash.

Wikis

My Learning Process

In this cartoon, Crawford has a kite but no string for his kite. He collaborates with Harriet who provides the string. Just like this cartoon, with a wiki everyone brings something to the table to collaborate and make it work.



Let’s get those kites flying!

By working together on a wiki everyone can make a contribution, like the campers that each bring supplies to make the camping trip possible in the Wikis in Plain English video.

My first step in my wiki exploration was to find out the definition of a wiki...

What is a wiki you ask? A wiki is software that allows users to create, edit, and link web pages easily. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites. These wiki websites are often also referred to as wikis. (Wikipedia - the most popular wiki out there)

Another wiki, WebTools4u2use, defines them further: “Wikis allow anyone to create or edit a website or webpages with little or no knowledge of hypertext markup language (html). Wikis and wiki pages can be password protected, however, to control who can edit. Wikis allow for collaboration on projects and promote ideas. A wiki is like a blank webpage you can write on with simple tools--text, photos, graphics, videos, links and more. Wikis store the history of page changes so you can see how a page has changed over time, and can revert to an older version if you'd like. Wikis can contain text, audio, video, photos, links and more. They can be edited by multiple people, making it a great collaborative tool.”
I appreciated how detailed this definition was.
Now I really know what a wiki is...but how do I make one?

There are several free programs to use to set up a wiki including:
PB Works
WikiSpaces
Wet Paint
Wikia

Ok, so now I have the definition and programs and am ready to find out how to start using this tool.
Rachel Boyd’s Slideshare The Wiki Way provided me with a great introduction to wikis.
On YouTube I found a video pb wiki-What Is A Wiki? which discusses what wikis are and their positive uses for education.

On our e-class trailfire was a wonderful resource - The Cool Cat Teacher Blog - for teachers or others wanting to know more about the process of creating a wiki. On the blog there are letters between Vicki and another teacher, Tom Harrison, who asks how to organize a wiki and associated templates: Part 1 , Part 2 and Part 3 .

I wanted to use my new knowledge to create a book review wiki where students can go to post and read reviews about books in our library. I found another site, Children’s Books Wiki, that has a similar focus but is aimed toward parents looking for great books for their children or to read to their children. I wanted my site to be a place for students to go when they can’t find a book or would like to know what has been recommended.

HERE IS A LINK TO MY FIRST WIKI!

After choosing a URL for my wiki and starting to create it, I decided that I didn't like this wiki idea after all. My blog seemed much easier to create. It wasn't for me but I will create this site for the purposes of my EDES 501 class. I was comfortable using my blog so why did I need to be frustrated with something that I wouldn't be using. I created a talking VOKI avatar to introduce the students to our library wiki and tried to insert it as a plug-in but couldn't get it to work. I pasted the code VOKI gave me but at the last step, the 'preview' stage nothing happened. I tried several times to no avail. So I added it here to my blog (see the sidebar) until I can figure out how to get it onto my wiki.


Then I added my links to pages and URL's. That part I liked. And I realized it is great that the students can be a part of editing and adding to a wiki which I also liked. Ok, maybe I was wrong about wikis. I now see that I just needed time to figure out how to use them. Now that I know...watch out!

I chose to use PB Works because not only is it one of the most popular wiki creation sites but my school district has a PB Works wiki called Working Together which has great resources and teaching ideas added by teachers in my district.

Now that I have discovered the potential that wikis have to offer, my thinking has changed. I can see a lot of potential for their use personally and professionally. Most importantly to me, I am excited to implement them in my teaching. It is thrilling to realize the ways that children can display their learning using wikis. I have come to a turning point in transforming the way I teach by customizing learning for each child in the digital realm. Let me expand on this…


Wikis for Professional Learning

I now have a library wiki that students will be posting their book reviews on. This will be a great resource for students who would like book suggestions.

I would also use wikis with novel studies. In the article A Wiki Gives a Worthy Book New Life, Bowllan discusses her experience with using a wiki with the novel The Mzungu Boy: "Ideal for collaborative learning, a wiki allows students to engage the novel beyond the pages of the book... Students can use the wiki to research, outline, draft, and edit a collaborative project on the book. They could also organize articles, site links, video, and other resources there for students locally and even in Kenya!"
Just think of the collaborative potential for students to work with books. Kind of like an extensive, online literature circle!

As a librarian wikis will be useful not only to use with my students but also to use with my colleagues. We have monthly librarian meetings where we have a book share at the start of each meeting. The book share lists, with book titles, ISBN, theme, etc., are written down each meeting and emailed to all of the teacher-librarians. I have emails from the past couple of years in my inbox history which are difficult to find. This got me thinking...why not have a wiki where we can add our book share information and have everything all in one place!?

One of our major school goals for this year is improving writing. I would bring the idea of wikis to the staff as a way for students to enhance not only their writing skills but their communication and critical thinking skills too among others. I would also remind my staff that most kids enjoy being on the computer (at recess we always have a packed computer lab) and this could be a way to reach the reluctant writer.

I found a couple of wikis that will be very handy for me to refer to as a teacher. This wiki, Cool Tools for Schools, has every web 2.0 tool you can imagine that is useful for teachers! My new favourite site.
With Pikiwiki , I can take my pictures and add a story to them as a group (add audio/video captions/pictures/videos/comments). Kind of like a virtual scrapbook. I would use this as a way to collaborate our learnings from pictures taken at a field trip.

Here are some great examples of classroom wikis:

Mr.Boyer's 5th Grade Class Wiki - the most visually appealing wiki I've come across. He used Glogster to create a poster for his front page.

I also found Mrs. Shanahan's Wiki which also uses a Glogster poster as well as a Voki avatar. But the best part of this wiki was the class novel section. One of the novels they studied was The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and they actually received a postcard from Kate DiCamillo which can be seen on thier wiki!

Ward's World Wiki - the organization of this teacher's wiki is unreal!

Mrs. Gay's Science Wiki - great for secondary biology.

I also found some wikis I will use as a librarian:

Teach Library – this wiki has a compilation of lesson plans for Teacher-Librarians.

Welcome to Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. This wiki was created to be a one-stop shop for great ideas and information for all types of librarians.

Teacher-Librarian Wiki - Joyce Valenza suggests: "Let's use this space to SHARE our best wisdom and our best instruction--the new understandings, lessons, units, handouts, rubrics, presentations, images, and teaching tips that have been either rotting in our file cabinets or posted and lonely on our individual sites."

The Slideshare presentation Wikis: Enabling Collaboration in Libraries : Meredith’s Presentations discusses advantages of wikis and how to use them.

Wikis and Libraries: Resources, Articles and Links Compiled by Darlene Fichter


Wikis for My Personal Learning

There are so many ways I will use wikis in my professional life. At first, I didn't think I would use wikis in my personal life though. Then it hit me!

Every summer, 8-10 of us girlfriends from high school come together for a girls reunion weekend. Last summer we rented a cabin at Cultus Lake and the year before we stayed up at Mt. Washington. We usually email each other back and forth up to six months before each trip to arrange possible locations, decide on food (we usually each bring a meal to make for the group), costs and what else to bring. We have always had one person in charge of organizing the trip.
However, we have come across problems like everyone wanting to bring a dinner and no one bringing a breakfast meal for example.
Having a wiki for us would make things easier. We could all contribute our ideas for locations, we could have a schedule for breakfasts, lunches and dinners and have everyone sign up for one. We could have a list of what to bring. Last year three people brought the same game, the game of Things, which is a really fun game but we don't need three of them!
We would be able to view everyone's contributions and work as a team rather than one person having to do all of the organizing. This seems like the answer to girl's reunion weekend!

I came across The Wiki Index which has a list of wikis categorized under topics such as lifestyle (including games, entertainment and television) as well as a chronological list of added wikis, including The Pet Wiki and the Gardening Wiki which lead you to other wikis with the same topic. Since I am currently training my puppy, I investigated the Pet Wiki and edited the dog training wiki to include information about teaching your dog the command “OFF.”

As always, we have to consider the pros and cons before we are completely convinced to implement the tool...

Pros

- anyone can edit the page
- emphasis on collaborative learning
- students can act as teacher and learner,
learning from and helping their peers
- consolidates all of the ideas in one location
- get instant access through links
- multi-dimensional form of learning which is more appealing to most students than a piece of paper
- the teacher can see which group members have contributed to the assignment and what their contributions were
- brings students together to communicate
- can be used to make announcements, share information, post assignments, and share useful links with students
- allows students to have input into their learning
- showcases work for others, such as parents, to view
- enhances communication and critical thinking skills
- easy to learn how to use
- simple formatting rules allow for a novice web 2.0 user to contribute
- wikis "could easily become a resource, a showcase for best practices, and an articulation tool as well...(students) could add graphics and links, annotations and reflections." (Richardson 2009 p.61)

In addition, Joyce Valenza has compiled a list of Top Ten Reasons why teachers, students, librarians and administrators should use wikis.


Cons

- anyone can edit the page
- there is no spell checker so students should check their spelling with a peer or adult before they post.
- lack of options for design so not as visually appealing or as much of a focus on presentation as blogs. *Note: I had this on my list of cons before I came across the sites with Glogster posters. Now I can see that wikis can be visually appealing.



As you can see, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. So I will give this new tool my 100% stamp of approval.




I will leave you with a couple of wiki-related quotes to consider.

A community is like a ship: everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.
—Henrik Ibsen

Please, grant me the serenity to accept the pages I cannot edit,
The courage to edit the pages I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference
—The Wiki Prayer

Podcasting

A WHOLE NEW WORLD


Reflections on the Process of Learning About the Tool




At this stage of my digital learning I feel like Jasmine must feel in this part of Aladdin. I have stepped out of the palace and am now seeing the world. There is a whole new web world out there that I did not know existed. My latest magic carpet ride took me to the wonder of podcasting...

For the purpose of testing out this new wonder, and because I am a librarian and reading is one of my favourite past times, I chose to read a story. The picture book is titled You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy? by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt. Before we jump ahead and take a listen, let's define podcasting and look at the process of creating a podcast.

What is a podcast? According to WikiPedia, a podcast is “a web feed of audio files (although increasingly people are applying the term to video and other media) that is placed on the Internet for anyone to download. It's usually possible to download the files directly from the website, just as one would normally do; however, special programs called podcatchers exist that let users subscribe to podcasts in order to automatically download and store the media files for later playback.”

To create my first ever podcast, I first did some research. I followed the course Trailfire including the video Podcasting In Plain English and read Chapter 6 in Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson. Some of the other helpful introductory resources I found were the Podgrunt video , the video Integrating Podcasting into your Classroom and the article How To: Make Your Voice Heard! which all effectively familiarized me with the basics of podcasting. I followed Will Richardson's instructions and first downloaded the program Audacity. Audacity is a cross-platform and open-source software program for recording and editing which is suited for Mac users (PC users can use Garageband) and is ideal for classroom podcasting.

TESTING TESTING 1-2-3

I have always been weirded out by the sound of my own voice on recordings. This experience brought back memories of my 10-year old self recording my voice on my ghetto blaster. This was a completely new experience for me as I usually only hear my recorded voice on answering machines. I felt uncomfortable at first when I was doing my test podcast but after listening to it and trying again my confidence rose. I decided for my first shot at podcasting I would read a story. I recorded my story reading using a small microphone connected to my computer. It was basically as simple as hitting record and then stop. There are options for editing which I tested out with a test podcast and found it really handy to be able to go back and edit rather than re-recording.
I then downloaded LAME for Audacity so that I could export my recording to an MP3 file and saved it to my desktop.
From there I uploaded the file here, to Blogger.
Alternatively I could have uploaded my file to a podcast web server such as Odeo, Podomatic, or Podcast Pickle. My podcast could then be subscribed to using various RSS aggregator cataloguing programs like iTunes, Netvibes, Juice Receiver (formerly IPodder), or Podcast Alley.

I then followed the instructions on the Consuming Experience site for “Blogger: how to upload MP3 files to play in blog posts.” I used this method because I wanted to have an image of the book cover on the screen while my podcast was playing. The picture of the book cover uploaded fine into the video bar. However, when I uploaded the podcast audio file to the audio/music bar, an error message came up saying that my computer did not have the required codec.
Time for a second attempt…In Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Web Tools for Classrooms, Richardson suggests using OurMedia.org so I went there and…the link was broken. I googled “Our Media” and didn’t find a link that worked.
Third attempt…searched “MP3 file hosting” and found http://www.upload-mp3.com . Signed up for an account and it stated that a validation email would be sent to me with instructions. Nothing came. Tried several times but still no email.
Fourth attempt…searched the Help section of Blogger…found a link for adding an MP3 file to your blog which told me to use Google Pages . However when I went there, it said “Google Page Creator is no longer accepting new sign-ups.”
Fifth attempt…Googled “mp3 file hosting" again and found Web File Host. I uploaded my file and was given a quick search ID but could not get it to work.
Sixth attempt…I then tried Wiki Upload but was directed to another website to download the AVS Audio Converter…which leads me to my seventh attempt: I went to File Dropper

FileDropper Free File Hosting

but it resulted in this button that only allows users to download my podcast rather than linking directly to it.
5 hours later...I re-read p.119 in Richardon's book and he states that "if all this seems like too much work, you might want to check out a couple of Web-based podcasting services that make things even easier. Wish I had done this from the start!
So I created an account with Podomatic, clicked "my podcast," "new episode," and "upload media from computer." There was an option to "embed a player on your web page" but it wouldn't work for my file so I just uploaded to the site. I was able to name my podcast and upload an image (the cover of the book) for my podcast. Podomatic saved the day!




Now with all of my patience and the help of Podomatic I feel like I can do anything...I can now not only do it on my own but can teach my students how to podcast...I feel like Super Teacher! Here is my podcast.



Discussion of the Tool in Terms of My Own Personal Learning


Now that I can finally podcast properly I can say it has furthered my growth as a Web 2.0 learner. I have come across some great podcasting sites for my personal use such as the Women of Web 2.0 show. I enjoyed a recent show of theirs discussing what a 21st century library looks like.

I asked my best friend if she has ever heard of podcasting and coincidentally she is in the middle of listening to the Harry Potter books! She also listened to Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth podcast after discovering it on Oprah. I think podcasts would be great for me to listen to on my IPod, maybe while walking my new puppy around our local park.

My stepson's favourite TV show is The Discovery channel so I googled to see if they have any Discovery Channel podcasts and I was in luck! I think he will really enjoy listening to these on his Ipod while we are driving as he usually reads books in the car.



Discussion of the Tool in Terms of Teaching and Learning


Where do I start? There are so many implications for teaching! Here are some of the ways that I might use podcasting in the classroom:

A new way of presenting!

-sharing projects/oral presentations
-literature circles
-student news stories
-reader's theatre or dramatic plays
-poems created and read by students
-Meet the Author: students create to share info about their author
-oral histories

-recording class lectures for students that were away
-art critiques
-audio diaries: students are in role as the character from a novel or famous person in history
-science logs
-reading assessment: students are recorded reading a passage at beginning of each term
-language study
-singing songs
- free audio stories for kids at Storynory
- math podcasts (sorted by topic eg. Intro to probability)at Math Grad
- Writing tips at Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
- educational audio & video content at Kids.LearnOutLoud.com (Kids Audio Books, Free Learning Resources, MP3 Audio Book Downloads, and Podcasts for Kids.)

-book talks




I would also have student book reviews put on the library website. This makes it fun and is great for auditory learners or students who would prefer to listen to rather than read a book review.
I also see great potential for literature circles. Group members could record their thoughts/feelings/ideas which is not only useful for assessment but would also be accessible to interested listeners anywhere.

Here are some examples of classes using podcasting:
One of Will Richardson’s favourite class podcast sites is Radio Willow Web – is no longer found at the website he provided but I was able to track it down here.

Mr. Coley’s Room 34 Website (Coley Cast: The Official Podcast of Room 34)
This site is wonderful – it has podcasts of students sharing what they have learned in science, social studies, literature circle book reviews, special events, etc. There are also “StudyCasts” which are podcasts that assist students with reviewing for tests.

Mabry Middle School
This site has student project podcasts, school news, and teacher and parent podcasts. I like the idea of giving parents a voice (literally) on the school website.


Some great resources for implementing podcasting into your own classroom:

- Podcasting in the Classroom
provides a great overview on introducing and implementing podcasting with students.

- the YouTube video Integrating Podcasting into your Classroom introduces podcasting and explains how it can be used for educational purposes.
I would show this video to my staff to get them interested in using podcasting themselves.

- The Apple Video series Podcasting in Education - Shows how one teacher uses podcasting and how learning can be taken with students anywhere they go with podcasts on Ipods.

- the Slideshow Podcasting: Integration Ideas for the Classroom

- Kidcast: Podcasting in the Classroom Another great introductory site for classroom podcasting.

Some great resources for implementing podcasting in the library:- the article "Podcasting 101 for K-12 Librarians." This article is a great introduction to Podcasting for librarians who wish to implement podcasting in their teaching.
According to this article, “Podcasting supports efforts to differentiate instruction in the library in accordance with No Child Left Behind requirements. The podcast is a viable alternative for delivering research content or lessons to students who need re¬medial or extended support. While auditory learners particularly benefit when podcasts are incorporated into the teaching model, librarians can help all students and staff find ways to creatively use podcasting. Sometimes new formats are the key to igniting interest. While creating podcasts, students learn to research, write, develop vocabulary, speak effectively, manage time, solve problems, and grab attention.”

- the article You're on the Air! Podcasting with Teens at the Library by Nathan Jones (Voice of Youth Advocates 32 no3 200-3 Ag 2009). This article discusses how "podcasting is fun and will attract young patrons, but it can also be a serious learning tool. Podcasters need to research, write, use creativity, and practice presentation skills in order to create an interesting podcast episode.”

-This list of libraries that are currently podcasting and offering selected podcast resources service.

- Library 2.0 Ning’s discussion ‘Anyone Using Podcasts in the Library?’


Other podcast sites for teachers:

- The Education Podcast Network
A directory with student and class podcasts and podcasts listed by subjects.
“The Education Podcast Network is an effort to bring together into one place, the wide range of podcast programming that may be helpful to teachers looking for content to teach with and about, and to explore issues of teaching and learning in the 21st century.”


- Podcast Alley The Podcast Alley website claims to have "the most extensive listing of podcasts on the web." It ranks podcasts based on the number of votes they receive each month.

- Podcasts for Educators, Schools and Colleges – directory of hundreds of searchable podcasts


Why Podcast?

There are many advantages to podcasting. Some of the benefits of using them in the classroom include:
- Makes learning Fun
- They are a form of digital storytelling
- They are accessible/cheap – a microphone is the only piece of equipment required that schools may not have.
- Allows for interactions with a global audience
- Utilizes creativity
- They are an easy form of web publishing
- Shows off learning to others including parents
- Promotes leadership
- Develops reading, writing and speaking skills
- Builds vocab development
- Builds confidence with public speaking
- Enhances communication skills including use of expression and tone while speaking
- Podcasting involves few privacy concerns

I would like to elaborate on this last benefit. When publishing student video clips or photographs, privacy issues arise. However, with podcasting, we can still publish student work to the web but as long as we ensure that the student's full name or other personal information is not given, we dodge these issues. It is a good idea to request parental permission though and only use student's first names in the recordings.

To ensure that all bases are covered, teachers should also be familiar with the
Podcasting Legal Guide from Creative Commons. I noticed that in section 1.2.3., there are Special Rules For Librarians Or Teachers. In general, these rules allow for performance and display of certain copyrighted works in the on-site classroom situation.

After my research and practice with podcasting, I now feel that I am ready to introduce this whole new world to my staff and implement it in my school.