TecReflect

Skyping

2009-03-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

The other week, I was able to skype with a professor to discuss the role of a peer coach.

The technology involved were things I already owned - my lap top included a built in camera and microphone.

Skype software is free and easy to download. This particular session utilized Illuminate.

Notes on the coaching aspect are here.

Managing storage space when adding video to a central site

2009-02-22T18:50:00.000-08:00

Solution: upload video to your own web space and link to it.

A colleague of mine is an advanced user of Drupal. It's a system that can allow novices (such as myself) to build more complex web sites. However, it can also manage very simple ones. Drupal is a little daunting to novices. So a personal mentor or taking a class may be a better way to learn it than solo. You don't have to know html, but it certainly helps. Drupal is a more advanced 2.0 tool. Drupal's advanced purpose is for users to create their own interactive web sites.

GoogleDocs: updating docs shared with specific collaborators only

2009-02-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

If a Googledoc is not shared to all to read/write, then updated material must be "republished" under the share menu. Otherwise, the only people who can see the updates are those who are specifically invited as collaborators. The doc's URL remains the same.

I e-mailed a group presentation doc to a supervisor. All group members were able to continue updating links and other content to the doc without having to e-mail the supervisor updates. The supervisor's access to the doc was read only, while the presentors could read/write as collaborators of the doc.

Web 2.0 Policies

2009-01-30T10:25:00.000-08:00

Our district does not allow students to use any 2.0 tools. Teachers may use them with written permission.

Myself and other media specialists volunteered to do an inservice for our district-wide staff development day. Prior to offering the inservice, we explained that the 2.0 tools presented would be for professional development only, not for use with students. Recently, another district staff memeber contacted me, concerned about introducing blogs, googledocs, delicious, and agregators. However, after confirming, again, that it will be made clear that the 2.0 tools are for professional development only, our inservice is in the clear again . . . as soon as it is cleared with the technology dept. Stay tuned.

Collaboration can take the edge out of technophobia

2009-01-30T10:17:00.000-08:00

Collaborative teaching and planning is built into my schedule as a media specialist. I noticed a willingness to try new things in the lately & several colleagues mention how nice it is to have someone else in the lab to do the troubleshooting. I can't say that technology will ever be these individuals' favorite format of learning, but the collaborative teaching sure has given their students a wider variety of experiences rather than multiple choice/fill in the blank type software.

Blog Tips to Gain Readers

2009-01-30T10:09:00.000-08:00

1. Change the title to match the URL, this blog fits this criteria.
2. Add labels that are subject specific (help on labels).
3. Post to other wikis and blogs of similar content and link your blog to theirs.
4. E-mail your blog to individuals who may be interested & ask them to do the same.

Innovation in Education

2009-01-11T16:54:00.000-08:00

A number of recent sources have been discussing the role of education in preparing individuals for today's work force:
http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=344
http://www.claytonchristensen.com/
http://www.danpink.com/wnm.html

The links above discuss the need for today's workforce to be innovative problem solvers. As the web invites networking between people that are oceans apart, employers can choose any one in the world to perform entry level to executive positions within their companies and not forfeit close communication.

Today’s industries are looking for people who can ask themselves what should be developed next to meet the demands of tomorrow's market. The workforce must predict and infer.

So why do we integrate technology into our K-12 curriculum? Because the workforce expects us to.

Google Tools - November Class Presentation

2009-01-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

GoogleDocs has been a great way to collaboratively create Reading Lists, but our e2t2 class looked at a variety of Google tools.

Many people use Google Maps for driving directions. Google Earth is just as easy to use. Google Sky allows users to view the entire universe. Science teachers could use this to view planets or constellations.

On the top of Google's homepage, there is a link to "More" and "Even More" for news, organization tools, discussion groups, custom searches and more.

Passpack.com and Practicalities

2009-01-07T08:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I had the best of intentions to organize the many Web 2.0 tools and the many passwords in my new Passpack account. However, the truth is that Passpack is so secure, that my password for passpack cannot be retrieved in any way. If my memory fails, which it did, the only solution is to start up a new account.

Furthermore, the password must be a very difficult to guess. So . . . non-alpha or numeric symbols, not short, not . . . practical for this phase in my learning curve yet.

Empasis on yet! If I accessed Passpack everyday, like I do my email, I could ingrain it in my physical memory! But since the password has to be so long and unique, I would have to write it down to remember it.

I'm going to try Passpack again this summer after I clear my head in the BWCA for a week. In the meantime, I do have my accounts organized in my email folders.

October - Practical Web 2.0 Tools

2008-11-02T14:44:00.001-08:00

Wow! I have more user names and passwords that letters in the alphabet - well almost. Here are my favorite tools and why:

Passpack.com stores all of your accounts online - User names and passwords that you thought you'd remember. Ha! I'd set this one up first.

delicious.com stores your favorite websites. It's your online USB drive for Internet bookmarks. Ever find yourself at work looking under your favorites for a site only to realize that it was saved at home? Store 'em online & you can leave home without them. Also, you can add subject headings, called tags, to each of your favorite web sites.

commoncraft.com Explainations of Web 2.0 Tools in plain English & in 5 minutes or less.

twitter.com OK, actually a lot of other people said they like it. I can see why, but it doesn't meet my needs at the time. Twitter is a blog that allows you to post about 80 characters at a time. So while I could log a date and topic, that would be the end of my post. Most people use Twitter to connect with family and friends who want to know what they are doing at any given moment. Literally, the topic of each post is "what are you doing right now?". The post is very brief.

LibraryThing.com - As a Library Media Specialist, I'm dying to dive into this one. However, my current reading lists were given to me as Word documents. So Google Docs made more sense this time.

September - The purpose of technology in education.

2008-11-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

The most influental media, to me, that day was Did You Know. As discussion concluded, the most important curriculum connection is the importance of integrating technology into existing curricula. Teaching technology for technology sake is almost de-values technology. Today and tomorrow's workforce will be transitioning into jobs that do not even exist today. As technology advances, so will our workforce. Shift Happens.

I could have emailed these reading lists to my colleages, but that would not make this compilation colleagial. I hope others come up with some great additions for these resources.