Module 7
I liked the voice over presentation a bit more than the picture only version. While I think that the picture only version is strong, the narration adds to it. While I think that yes the images convey a strong message, I think that the voice over that is added to it provides some context and history behind each image. This program could be a good benefit to students working on PowerPoint presentations. The share functions that Slideboom has make it very easy to publish a presentation to any number of social networking sites. I especially like the way that it will encode it into a video format as well. The fact that it does this for free is a huge benefit. Usually a third party program that cost money is required to do this. I think that this exercise will help me in the future better focus on what goes into my presentations as well as help me focus on context for placing images on my presentations.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Thing #18
Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace really dominate when it comes to the social network community. I started my social networking journy on MySpace and quickly became addicted. But, I think that MySpace was a victim of its own success and lost focus on what it was. As the ads piled up and viruses and phishing attempts grew, I stayed away. Facebook quickly replaced it. The interface is much cleaner and I think that it is a bit easier to communicate with Facebook. There are several aspects that are useful, especially in the case of educational communities. I know in the school that I work at, the different classes have Facebook pages setup that they use to share information and advice. Facebook and MySpace would both be great applications to get information out to students as well as educators.
Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace really dominate when it comes to the social network community. I started my social networking journy on MySpace and quickly became addicted. But, I think that MySpace was a victim of its own success and lost focus on what it was. As the ads piled up and viruses and phishing attempts grew, I stayed away. Facebook quickly replaced it. The interface is much cleaner and I think that it is a bit easier to communicate with Facebook. There are several aspects that are useful, especially in the case of educational communities. I know in the school that I work at, the different classes have Facebook pages setup that they use to share information and advice. Facebook and MySpace would both be great applications to get information out to students as well as educators.
Thing #17
Del.icio.us is one of those tools that I have heard about, just never got involved with it. Now that I know more about it I cannot wait to add it to my toolbox. I like the way that I will be able to add custom tags to sites that I will find useful for whatever project that I am working on. The browser buttons are also handy for quick access to features. While Google has a similar feature where you can bookmark sites and reach them from the Google toolbar, the tagging function and the ability to build on these sites from other users will allow users to get more information. There is not enough time in the day to search for all websites that have relevant information. By allowing other to build on what is tagged, it creates a community of searchers that are all looking for the same information.
Del.icio.us is one of those tools that I have heard about, just never got involved with it. Now that I know more about it I cannot wait to add it to my toolbox. I like the way that I will be able to add custom tags to sites that I will find useful for whatever project that I am working on. The browser buttons are also handy for quick access to features. While Google has a similar feature where you can bookmark sites and reach them from the Google toolbar, the tagging function and the ability to build on these sites from other users will allow users to get more information. There is not enough time in the day to search for all websites that have relevant information. By allowing other to build on what is tagged, it creates a community of searchers that are all looking for the same information.
Thing #16
Only productivity tools are something that I use everyday. I briefly spoke about iGoogle in a previous posting and it truly is a great tool. On my iGoogle page I have my Google Calendar, Google Reader, Google news alert and my Gmail all in one quick access place. The Google Calendar especially gets a workout. It is used in my workplace so we can keep track of time off, hardware and software upgrades and other community events. Ubernote is another online tool that I use for project management as well as keeping track of monthly assignments. Ubernote is also versatile because I can update it from my iPhone as well as from my iGoogle page.
Only productivity tools are something that I use everyday. I briefly spoke about iGoogle in a previous posting and it truly is a great tool. On my iGoogle page I have my Google Calendar, Google Reader, Google news alert and my Gmail all in one quick access place. The Google Calendar especially gets a workout. It is used in my workplace so we can keep track of time off, hardware and software upgrades and other community events. Ubernote is another online tool that I use for project management as well as keeping track of monthly assignments. Ubernote is also versatile because I can update it from my iPhone as well as from my iGoogle page.
Thing #15
Wikipedia could be one of the best sites on the web. Wiki's are supplementing the blog experience by allowing anyone to contribute to a posting. I have been using Wikipedia for a few years now and am now starting to take notice of more specialized content wiki's. This would be a great tool especially in the field of instructional technology. This could be a great clearing house for users to share knowledge across the spectrum of this subject. By having a venue where multiple users can contribute to one subject, many different viewpoints and experience levels can increase the knowledge of the group.
Wikipedia could be one of the best sites on the web. Wiki's are supplementing the blog experience by allowing anyone to contribute to a posting. I have been using Wikipedia for a few years now and am now starting to take notice of more specialized content wiki's. This would be a great tool especially in the field of instructional technology. This could be a great clearing house for users to share knowledge across the spectrum of this subject. By having a venue where multiple users can contribute to one subject, many different viewpoints and experience levels can increase the knowledge of the group.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Thing #14
This exercise led me to use the bubbl.us application and the Gliffy application. Of the two I think that I would get more use out of Gliffy. The flowchart idea works better for me than the brainstorming idea. bubbl.us was much more user friendly than Mindmeister. The interface was much nicer and was not as complicated to get started. Gliffy was heads and shoulders better than flowchart.com. I was able to get a flowchart going in a matter of seconds. I like the templets and icons that are ready to go as soon as you login to use the site. I can see my self using this a lot in my job by mapping out how to use various pieces of equipment. I was even able to post a thumbnail image to my blog of my first go around with this application.
This exercise led me to use the bubbl.us application and the Gliffy application. Of the two I think that I would get more use out of Gliffy. The flowchart idea works better for me than the brainstorming idea. bubbl.us was much more user friendly than Mindmeister. The interface was much nicer and was not as complicated to get started. Gliffy was heads and shoulders better than flowchart.com. I was able to get a flowchart going in a matter of seconds. I like the templets and icons that are ready to go as soon as you login to use the site. I can see my self using this a lot in my job by mapping out how to use various pieces of equipment. I was even able to post a thumbnail image to my blog of my first go around with this application.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Thing #13
I really like this app! Most of my impressions can be seen below in my 1st Zoho Document. I love that this too can be signed into using my Google account. This made getting started that much easier and keeps me from having to remember another user name and password. I can see how Zoho can be beneficial to many students. If they are working on a project at school and need to save it back to be worked on at home, this app would be perfect for that. Again, the collaboration that is offered in the share function really sells me on this app.
I really like this app! Most of my impressions can be seen below in my 1st Zoho Document. I love that this too can be signed into using my Google account. This made getting started that much easier and keeps me from having to remember another user name and password. I can see how Zoho can be beneficial to many students. If they are working on a project at school and need to save it back to be worked on at home, this app would be perfect for that. Again, the collaboration that is offered in the share function really sells me on this app.
1st Zoho Document
So, here I am sitting looking at Zoho writer. It seems to have most of the same basic word processing functions that Word or Pages has. Nice looking interface. with a adequate set of fonts. These are the more than enough for writing papers and reports. One good function of this application is that it is free, can be logged into through Google and did I mention that it is free. I like the collaboration function that that Shared Docs will allow for. While I think that this is a great app, one major drawback is that it is online only. If you are in a place where there is no web access and you do not have any other word processing programs, you are out of luck. However the online only feature does have one great attribute. If your hard drive decides to check out, then you have a back up of your documents ready to go!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Thing #12
I truly believe that it is only a short amount of time until Google takes over the world. There are so many great tools that they offer for free. The iGoogle pages are one of the best tools that I have. Instead of having to have to open different pages to access all my info, it is all collected on one page. My Twitter feeds, Google reader info, Gmail, etc. is all there for me to see. The other item that gets plenty of use is the Google calendar. This is actually a work application that we use to keep track of days off, upcoming staff events and upcoming system upgrades. Here is a partial shot of some of the items on my iGoogle page.
I truly believe that it is only a short amount of time until Google takes over the world. There are so many great tools that they offer for free. The iGoogle pages are one of the best tools that I have. Instead of having to have to open different pages to access all my info, it is all collected on one page. My Twitter feeds, Google reader info, Gmail, etc. is all there for me to see. The other item that gets plenty of use is the Google calendar. This is actually a work application that we use to keep track of days off, upcoming staff events and upcoming system upgrades. Here is a partial shot of some of the items on my iGoogle page.
Thing #11
The first service that I tried was Google Blog Search. I think that I like this service the best. It provided what I believe is the best results. The Bloglines search was a bit too broad while Technorati was a bit more confusing than the rest of the search engine. One of the best that I found while searching was the Educational Technology and Change Journal. This had some helpful information about Twitter that came in hand for a project that I am working on. Overall, the Google Blog Search is the engine that I would recommend.
The first service that I tried was Google Blog Search. I think that I like this service the best. It provided what I believe is the best results. The Bloglines search was a bit too broad while Technorati was a bit more confusing than the rest of the search engine. One of the best that I found while searching was the Educational Technology and Change Journal. This had some helpful information about Twitter that came in hand for a project that I am working on. Overall, the Google Blog Search is the engine that I would recommend.
Thing #10
One of the things that I really like about newsreaders is the simplicity of them. It is like I have custom news service that will deliver only the items that I want. I use Google Reader since I have the ability to add a content area for it on my iGoogle home page. If you do not have an iGoogle homepage I cannot recommend setting one up enough. This would be a fantastic tool for students to be able to keep up to date with a particular subject. Simply enter a key word and you are automatically subscribed to anything that references this subject. Another thing that I really like about this tool is the ability to be able to have items that I am interested in available on one page. This cuts down on the time that I have to spend looking at many different websites for information that I am interested in.
One of the things that I really like about newsreaders is the simplicity of them. It is like I have custom news service that will deliver only the items that I want. I use Google Reader since I have the ability to add a content area for it on my iGoogle home page. If you do not have an iGoogle homepage I cannot recommend setting one up enough. This would be a fantastic tool for students to be able to keep up to date with a particular subject. Simply enter a key word and you are automatically subscribed to anything that references this subject. Another thing that I really like about this tool is the ability to be able to have items that I am interested in available on one page. This cuts down on the time that I have to spend looking at many different websites for information that I am interested in.
Thing #9
For this task, I had some fun with online image generators. These are a fun tool to take some existing photos and add your own spin to them I can see how these would be good to take pictures of historical persons and add their quotes to them, or to do some custom reward cards for your classroom. The last one that I did was just for fun. I have seen these around the net and thought that they were funny.
www.customsigngenerator.com
www.signgenerator.org
www.diy.dispair.com
For this task, I had some fun with online image generators. These are a fun tool to take some existing photos and add your own spin to them I can see how these would be good to take pictures of historical persons and add their quotes to them, or to do some custom reward cards for your classroom. The last one that I did was just for fun. I have seen these around the net and thought that they were funny.
www.customsigngenerator.com
www.signgenerator.org
www.diy.dispair.com
Thing #8
One of the mashup tools that I used was the Yahoo! Trip Planner. This would be a great interactive way to plan a field trip. I planned a hypothetical trip to Washington D.C. This is a great tool since students could use this to help plan what they want to see, with background information on each location. Once the trip is over, students can use Flickr to upload their own photos from the trip to share with the rest of the class.
Washington D.C. Trip
One of the mashup tools that I used was the Yahoo! Trip Planner. This would be a great interactive way to plan a field trip. I planned a hypothetical trip to Washington D.C. This is a great tool since students could use this to help plan what they want to see, with background information on each location. Once the trip is over, students can use Flickr to upload their own photos from the trip to share with the rest of the class.
Washington D.C. Trip
Thing #7
If you want an encyclopedia of photographs, then Flickr.com is the place to go. I investigates The Lou-ah-ville group. This was a fun group to check out since Louisville is my hometown and I am always happy to see happenings from around town. I like the fact that this group has a few different contributing photographers so that more than one perspective is shown. It is a lot of fun to go through the various pages and see all of the different photos that have been uploaded to the group. One photo that stuck out was a photo that was taken during Thunder Over Louisville. This is the kick off to the Derby Festival that leads up to the Kentucky Derby. Thunder is the largest fireworks display in the United States.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chet711/3470486545/in/pool-louisville
Thing #6
The Web 2.0 tool that I chose for this assignment is something that I use on a daily basis, Facebook. While on the outside, it may look like this tool is something that is just used to show pictures and write quirky little updates about what is going on in your life. If you delve deeper into it however, Facebook can be used to communicate with a smaller, more specific group. I know in my day to day use of this tool, there are several groups that I am a member of that I use to keep up with what I am interested in and things that I have been active in in the past. One way that I know that Facebook is useful is that it allows classes to share information with each other. College classes can use the group function to share information on activities and courses that are ongoing.
http://www.facebook.com
This is a free application and all that you need to get started is a email address.
The Web 2.0 tool that I chose for this assignment is something that I use on a daily basis, Facebook. While on the outside, it may look like this tool is something that is just used to show pictures and write quirky little updates about what is going on in your life. If you delve deeper into it however, Facebook can be used to communicate with a smaller, more specific group. I know in my day to day use of this tool, there are several groups that I am a member of that I use to keep up with what I am interested in and things that I have been active in in the past. One way that I know that Facebook is useful is that it allows classes to share information with each other. College classes can use the group function to share information on activities and courses that are ongoing.
http://www.facebook.com
This is a free application and all that you need to get started is a email address.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thing #5
I really liked the video that when through the different applications that enable "Web 2.0" content. The most striking think was the perspective that the users are now the web, not just the sites. When the internet was first created, this is what it was initially developed for, communication. With the new collaboration applications as well as the ability to talk to anyone, anywhere at anytime has truly connected the globe. School 2.o is something that is a bit strange to me. This is my first semester in which I am not in class in a brick and mortar building. At first, it was a bit disconcerting, but I have learned that in this method I have to take more responsibility for my education. Like anything else, what you put into it, you get out of it. I see nothing but great things for the School 2.0 concept. By using the infrastructure that was built with "Web 1.0" and using "Web 2.0" principals and applications, new ways of learning can be employed to keep up with the way students learn today. The other advantage is that students are no longer reliant on a physical location for learning. All that is needed is a laptop, a wireless card and a hot spot and the student can be in class.
I really liked the video that when through the different applications that enable "Web 2.0" content. The most striking think was the perspective that the users are now the web, not just the sites. When the internet was first created, this is what it was initially developed for, communication. With the new collaboration applications as well as the ability to talk to anyone, anywhere at anytime has truly connected the globe. School 2.o is something that is a bit strange to me. This is my first semester in which I am not in class in a brick and mortar building. At first, it was a bit disconcerting, but I have learned that in this method I have to take more responsibility for my education. Like anything else, what you put into it, you get out of it. I see nothing but great things for the School 2.0 concept. By using the infrastructure that was built with "Web 1.0" and using "Web 2.0" principals and applications, new ways of learning can be employed to keep up with the way students learn today. The other advantage is that students are no longer reliant on a physical location for learning. All that is needed is a laptop, a wireless card and a hot spot and the student can be in class.
Thing #4
Ah yes, commenting. This is always something that comes up on some of the sites that I visit on a daily basis. The one routine that I fall into when surfing is that I am reluctant to post a comment, just post something. One thing that I enjoy about reading blogs is the informality that expressed in them. This is a person that is taking some time out of their day to express a thought, emotion, idea, theory or one of a dozen other items. Commenting on a post is a good way to show that you 1. appreciate what the author wrote and 2. shows that you are part of the community of readers that the author is building. Lurking does not do any good to reader or the writer. I really like what Doug Johnson said in the Blue Skunk Blog. Just a simple "thanks" to let the commenter know that you acknowledged the post is fantastic idea. I also like the idea of forming a question in a post as suggested from ProBlogger. There is a wealth of knowledge out there that readers can offer. One of my favorite blogs to read is Engadget. It is an electronics review and preview site. It is a great way to keep up with what is going on in the world of technology.
And one important thing to keep in mind when interacting on blogs: Don't feed the Trolls!
Ah yes, commenting. This is always something that comes up on some of the sites that I visit on a daily basis. The one routine that I fall into when surfing is that I am reluctant to post a comment, just post something. One thing that I enjoy about reading blogs is the informality that expressed in them. This is a person that is taking some time out of their day to express a thought, emotion, idea, theory or one of a dozen other items. Commenting on a post is a good way to show that you 1. appreciate what the author wrote and 2. shows that you are part of the community of readers that the author is building. Lurking does not do any good to reader or the writer. I really like what Doug Johnson said in the Blue Skunk Blog. Just a simple "thanks" to let the commenter know that you acknowledged the post is fantastic idea. I also like the idea of forming a question in a post as suggested from ProBlogger. There is a wealth of knowledge out there that readers can offer. One of my favorite blogs to read is Engadget. It is an electronics review and preview site. It is a great way to keep up with what is going on in the world of technology.
And one important thing to keep in mind when interacting on blogs: Don't feed the Trolls!
Thing #3
Blogs have really exploded from a place where someone would discribe their morning drive, to a viable way to dispense information to students and fellow educators. I think that it would be very useful to use a blog to provide supplemental information to students. It would also be a great way to pass videos and audio clips that support what is being taught. By having these extra avenues to pass on information, it provides students ways to continue information gathering outside of the physical classroom.
Blogs have really exploded from a place where someone would discribe their morning drive, to a viable way to dispense information to students and fellow educators. I think that it would be very useful to use a blog to provide supplemental information to students. It would also be a great way to pass videos and audio clips that support what is being taught. By having these extra avenues to pass on information, it provides students ways to continue information gathering outside of the physical classroom.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Thing #2
It really could not have been any easier to create this blog. Since I have a Google account, it was automatically linked and transferred all of my information over to my new Blogger account.
I decided on "Hatchett's House" for my blog name because I view this as my "home" on the web. The enormity that is the Internet and this is my small (very small) corner of it.
My avatar was fun to create. I like to think that it looks a bit like me albeit skinner. I am always wearing a hat and I can't get the day started without a good, hot cup of Starbucks to get me going. My hair is also starting to turn more and more grey everyday and I am completely OK with it. As long as it does not fall out, the color does not matter to me.
I decided on "Hatchett's House" for my blog name because I view this as my "home" on the web. The enormity that is the Internet and this is my small (very small) corner of it.
My avatar was fun to create. I like to think that it looks a bit like me albeit skinner. I am always wearing a hat and I can't get the day started without a good, hot cup of Starbucks to get me going. My hair is also starting to turn more and more grey everyday and I am completely OK with it. As long as it does not fall out, the color does not matter to me.
Thing #1
During the 7 1/2 Lessons from Lifelong Learners, I discovered that apparently I am not a very good lifelong learner. There are a few of these items that I practice such as using technology (why I am in this class) and accepting responsibility for my learning, but I find that I lack confidence very often. When taking a test or trying to complete an assignment, I always find myself second guessing my every answer. I am also lacking in the play department. Work, home, wife, child and homework leave precious playtime.
During the 7 1/2 Lessons from Lifelong Learners, I discovered that apparently I am not a very good lifelong learner. There are a few of these items that I practice such as using technology (why I am in this class) and accepting responsibility for my learning, but I find that I lack confidence very often. When taking a test or trying to complete an assignment, I always find myself second guessing my every answer. I am also lacking in the play department. Work, home, wife, child and homework leave precious playtime.
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