It May Be Delicious, But It's Hard To Digest

Diigo wins! Hands down! It was easier to sign up, easier to manuver, and easier to add information.

Diigo took all of about two seconds to create an account where as Delicious gave me the run-around, I had to turn off my pop-up blocker, and it wanted to import information from my Google Account to the Yahoo server. I guess this is because it is powered by Yahoo so they want my information as well.

I played around with Diigo for awhile and added 9 pictures, two bookmarks, and a note within ten minutes. I really enjoyed using this application and I believe that I will continue to use it. I love the fact that I can find sites for school at home, put them on my Diigo account, and then access them at school. Right now, the only bookmarking that I do is on my Favorites bar in Mozilla and Explorer.

I might not have played around enough, but I didn't find any other features offered through Delicious. Whereas, Diigo allows you to also upload pictures and create notes. Overall, Diigo is great and I will continue to use it.

Check out my Diigo account picture... :)

Second Life....What is wrong with the first one?

This is my second experience with Second Life. I am personally not a fan. I think it is a pointless application that wastes time and pulls children even further from reality. Now, I know if you look back through my posts they have all been pretty negative. :( I feel bad about this, but I am speaking from personal experience and with my students in mind.

I do not see a reason to use this application in my classroom. With that being said, I do believe that there is a place for the virtual world in the classroom. As long as it is a completely educational based program, I would love for my students to be involved.

A year ago, I signed up for Second Life when I had to do the same type of assignment for a different class. The graphics are better and seem to run smoother than a year ago. It is also easier to fly and walk without interuptions. With that being said, I do like going to the "Real" destination such as Africa and the Eiffel Tower. I also like the fact that songs are piped into each destination that match. I am not a fan of the chat feature and the people are a little....well lets just say they are a little different. In Africa, I ran into a guy who was wearing a tail and vampire fangs and was chilling in the middle of the watering hole (yes, underwater). I walked into the pond because I could see his little name in the middle of the water and I just had to check it out. He he! I just chuckled (to myself, not virtually) and walked away. Even though I'm on the other side of my computer, some of those people still give me the willies! :)


On a side note, does anyone out there watch The Office? Second Life reminds me of the episode that Dwight uses Second Life. I believe he says, "A year ago, my life was so great that I wanted to create a second one. In my Second Life I am also a paper salesman and my name is Dwight." Bahhhhhh! Ok, so I feel that Second Life is a silly thing and all I can think about is Dwight.

Here is my picture of my Avatar standing on the Friendship Tower in Selmo Park. Enjoy.

APP-rehensive

As I began my research on Android and IPhones, I realized that there is a lot of information to wade through.  Most of the information that I found was written by people that have personally used the devices. Since I am a poor teacher, I unfortunately cannot afford such technologies and therefore have to rely on the expertise of others.  Here is what I found about the different handheld devices.

Limitations

-Wifi connectivity for certain downloading and streaming capabilities

-Expenses (to purchase and to maintain services)

-Running multiple apps greatly slows processing speeds

-Portable devices also need to be plugged in and may eventually need replacement batteries

-More likely to be damaged because of the amount of handling

Pros/Cons

Android		IPhone
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
Hot Spot Capabilities	Limited Multi-Tasking Capabilities	200,00 + Apps in the Marketplace	Have to subscribe to Apple
Excellent Integration with Google Apps	Memory Limitations	Combines all email accounts into one	No Hot Spot Capabilities
Large Market for Accessories	Limited Apps in the Marketplace	GPS with Flash Player capabilities	Some Apps can access your contacts and send to outside services (when Apps are found to have this problem, they are taken off of the market)
Some phones have physical keyboards and all phones have a removable battery	No Syncing Features between phone and PC	Nice looking	Can only upload Apple Apps (closed environment)

I really had fun looking at all of the different Apps that each brand had to offer. It really made me jealous and I wanted to run out and buy a Smartphone even though I just finished researching all of their flaws. In the Android marketplace I found three really great educational Apps. The first is called FrostWire. This is a file sharing App that allows you to browse and share files and chat with others in the FrostWire cloud. I think this would be a great App for students if they have done a research project and they would like to share what they have learned with their classmates. It is also a great way to complete group work. The second App that I found in the Android market is Nook for Android. Obviously, I would use this in the classroom just the way that you would use it at home. Students can download and read age appropriate books. Finally, I found a fun App called PlinkArt. This App allows you to take a picture of a piece of art and upload it to the App. It then gives you instant identification and information on the work of art. I can see unlimited capabilities with this App. I think students would be more apt to learn about famous works of art and their relevancy to history if they had this App. This would be great for a trip to the local art museum or to help students with research papers.

After I finished perusing the Android market, I jumped on over to the IPhone marketplace. Wow! What a difference! The sheer volume of Apps is astounding. But, it was very easy to search in the App Store. The first App that I found was for my students’ favorite website, Brain POP. My students love to watch the videos on Brain POP and (for some strange reason) take the quizzes that are offered after each video. I am pretty sure it is obvious what we could do with this App. The children could watch their desired videos and take the quizzes. The second App that I found was called Math Cards. This App allowed you to choose a specific grade level and math topic. Then, it would produce 25 flashcards. It also saves the players scores and tells you what areas that you may need to study more. I really like this App because many of my 5^th graders really stink at multiplication. It is a core skill and they really, REALLY have a hard time learning their times tables. This is a fun way that they students could quiz themselves or friends when they have spare or down time during the day. Finally, I found another flashcard App called Kaplan Vocabulary.  This App lets the user search for vocabulary words or quizzes the user. It gives definitions, parts of speech, and example sentences. This is an App that students could use to help them create their own personal dictionaries. This is something that we do in my classroom every year. Each student has a writing journal and in the back the students will create their own personal dictionary. If they come upon a word that they are not familiar with, they follow a process of finding out the word, its definition, and how to use it in a sentence. They write it down and then try to incorporate it into their everyday speech. This App would make students actually want to learn new vocabulary words.

My phone is a touchscreen, but not a Smartphone. I do not have internet access on it and therefore it is basically used for calling, texting, and it rocks at taking pictures. I do not have any other portable devices that I could use in the classroom, which makes me sad. One type of portable device that I would love to get is CRS (Classroom Response System) clickers and a Mobi for my SmartBoard. I know that these devices cannot download Apps or sync with phones, but they still rock in the way of streamlining classroom technology and creating an environment where technology is used every day. Hopefully, sometime soon, I will make the shift to a Smartphone and my eyes will be opened to the wide world of distracting (and sometimes educational) Apps.

Ashley

Technology Smackdown! Blackboard vs. Moodle

Ding! Ding! Ding! Blackboard is the winner by TKO!!!!
I have now worked with BB and Moodle from both sides; teacher and student.
Blackboard is the clear winner. Yes, there are many buttons on Blackboard but they are uniform throughout the entire class pages. Moodle is all over the place. From the student side, Moodle has so many places to get lost in. Your home screen has five thousand things to look at and it seems like the teacher side is the same.
My favorite feature of the Teacher BB is seeing the grading system. I really enjoy seeing how others/other programs are run. My school currently uses SIS, which I believe many other schools use. I think online grade books are great because I can work from home work school. BB also lays it out very clean and simple. I think that when you are working with people that have many different levels of technological understanding, the simpler the better. Moodle confuses me, and I think myself to be technologically proficient.
Go Team Blackboard!
Ashley

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! (Theme of the last few weeks)

This was awful... I have cried, laughed, screamed, and totally gave up this week. I have hated the last two weeks of homework with a passion. I would never, never, never, EVER use Camstudio or Camtasia again. I LOVED Jing! Jing was such an easy upload process. I hope that any future students do not have to deal with these programs again.
Here is the HD Video that took me two full days to upload!

Worst Experience Ever!

I thought I hated Evernote...I was wrong. I HATE CamStudio. You may have noticed that my blog is late... well that is because I have spent the last few nights trying to get this thing to upload. Tonight, after 4 hours, it finally uploaded!! I really hope that Camtasia works better because I am very frustrated.
On a side note, I really enjoyed working with Slide.com. It was easy and produced a nice result. I think it is a great way to show classroom pictures and videos.

Please click and wait to see the video on how to use slide.com. (You will have to wait a minute...sorry!)

Web 2.0hhhh NO!!!!

What do I say about Web 2.0 Tools…. Well, some are amazing and some are junk!! I think that there are some amazing sites out there that are catered to student and teacher usage. Conversely, there are many out there that are ridiculous and are very hard to use. To begin my rant, I did not like using Ever Note. For one, I don’t really see how I could use it inside the classroom. Maybe, I have not expanded my mind enough to understand its capabilities, but I do not see how I could use it in my 5th grade classroom. If I would have been working with Ever Note for a personal reason, I would have given up on it long before I figured out how to make it public.
Ok, moving on. I didn’t realize the amount of Web 2.0 Tools that are free or relativity inexpensive that are available to use inside the classroom. Through this process I also realized that some sites that I am currently using are considered Web 2.0 Tools. I really like the Friendly Letter Generator tool that can be found at ReadWriteThink! It is a great resource to help my students understand letter formatting, which is an important skill for the MAP Test.
Finally, another great Web 2.0 Tool that I have in my Communication Arts toolbox is called Into the Book. This site is amazing for teaching Reading Strategies and I usually work this into my teaching at the very beginning of the year. This is a very important tool for students to use because they can work interactively online and they can also print off any created or preexisting story.
For the most part, I enjoyed my experience with Web 2.0 Tools and will definitely incorporate many of them into my every day teaching. Unfortunately, I will never use Ever Note again and loathed every moment that I had to work with the software.

Bitstrips and Jing!

Wow!! Well I always seem to start off really strong when working with these new programs, but then I get to the part where I need to embed and it all goes downhill. Oh well.
I really enjoyed working with this program and it was really easy! The hardest part of the program was sending it to ScreenCast and embedding.

Some other great Web 2.0 programs that I found are:

Wordle: Fun way to work with Vocab!

Google Sites: That is the program that I used to create my classroom website.

Glogster: Great way to do character studies in Reading!

I will be using this program again!

P.S.- I changed the size of the video to fit onto the white space, but then you couldn't see it! Sorry that it runs off the page.

Pulling Information From Thin Air!!!

Ok... What is Cloud Computing? Here is the quick and dirty explaination.
-Idea that not everyone will need specific software to engage in networking
-Mega-platform for all computing
-Independent from all other platforms or physical hardware other than a P.C.
-Ability to retreive information from a remote server and not worry about where it is coming from or who owns it
-Movement where all computers will be online all the time and connected through the cloud
-Area in which desktop/laptops and mobile devices connect and retrieve infomation.

Beyond this information, I'll still very confused. I guess that I already see our systems as retrieving information from random places and we don't know where it came from. I already thought that I shoot a command to through my computer and BAM! there is my information.
I guess my limited understanding could be explained in this senario...

Four people are having an online meeting, one person is using Logitech online chat, one is using Skype, ect. but they are all able to view each other through remote server systems without having the same software.

Comments??? Am I on the right track!??? Please explain this infinate space, zero platform, hunky dorey, everyone share everything cloud computing system!

Ashley

PhotoStory and Animoto

Animoto: I really liked working with this program. But, it took 30 minutes for my pictures to load. Then, I had to create the show five different times because it would cut off my end slides. I finally figured out that your slides can not exceed the length of the song. I'm also not a fan of the words having to be on a separate page than the pictures. There was a lot more explaining that I could have done if I could have put text on the picture. Other than that, I love the result!



PhotoStory: This program was really simple to download and easy to follow. Many of the commands are the same as Microsoft Word which made it really easy to navigate. I didn't like the simplicity of this software. It needs some spice!!! I think that my end result was rather boring! But, I loved the fact that I could put text on the pictures.

All in all, I'd use Animoto over PhotoStory any day. I have also already recommended Animoto to a colleague!

Literary News...the Podcast Version!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

My first experience with podcasting was exciting and frustrating! I hope I injected just a little humor into your day. Enjoy!

P.S. Thanks to Jason Shaw @ www.audionautix.com for the awesome FREE music!

To Use or Not to Use?...That is the Copyright Question!

We have all heard the terms copyright and fair use before, but Creative Commons was new. Here is a brief overview of these three terms and their definitions.

According to WorldNetWeb copyright is "a document granting exclusive rights to publish and sell literary, musical, or artistic works." (2011) To tell if something is copyrighted we will normally see a small letter c enclosed by a circle after the name of the company or title.
WorldNetWeb also states that fair use is "the conditions under which you can use material that is copyrighted by someone else without paying royalties." (2011)
Lastly, Creative Commons is a company, established in 2002, that "develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and innovation." In simpler terms, it offers people more freedoms that traditional copyright. Creative Commons licenses are noted by CC after company names or titles.

The world of copyright, fair use, and Creative Commons can be very tricky. Most of the time, you can find information on a company's use policy under the "Terms of Use" tab usually located at the bottom of a website. To give an example, the Creative Commons website offers 19 areas of information under their terms of use section, as with most other websites. If you can weave your way through the jargon, you can usually find what you are looking for as in if you can use information.
IF there are any doubts or you do not know where to find copyright information just ask!!! Companies want to get their names and products out into the world and people are the gateway. If you would like to use someone's music that they have posted just email them and ask. Most of the time there is a "Contact Us" tab located right next to the terms of use tab. They wouldn't put it there if they didn't want you to use it! Example... Disney movies say that you can not show any movies to a public audience. Email Disney and tell them why you want to use the video. Such as.. I want to show Fantasia to my students because we are studying the Fantasy genre. 9 times out of 10 people will let you use their material especially for educational purposed.

Copyright can be down right scary, but if you do your research and as the proprietor (and get it in writing) then there are no worries!

Ashley

RSS-Decoded

Ashley Goodpasture
INST 5330
30 January 2011

RSS readers or Really Simple Syndication  or Rich Site Summary; these amazing sites have many different names according to Dictionary.com. Essentially these readers are a main forum where all types of web-based information is gathered and displayed. An individual can set up an RSS site, whether it be a downloaded program or an online reader. Then the individual can subscribe to news feeds, public or private blogs, or other information sites. When one of these sites posts something new, the information is automatically sent to the subscribers RSS reader. The reader no longer needs to spend countless hours checking each page that they would like to read. They can sit back and let the information come to them.

    Working with RSS readers is a new world for me. First, I set up my Google Reader site. I have worked with Google on other accounts to create my classroom website and to create shared documents. I have to say that it was very, very easy to set up and maneuver. I really enjoy working with Google Reader, which I have found is directly linked to Google Blogger. Google Blogger actually has an RSS feed on your personal blog page where you can subscribe to others. Next, I downloaded RSS Owl which was a fairly painless process as far as downloading goes. The program downloaded and installed without a problem. What I didn’t like about RSS Owl is that I couldn’t necessarily search for others on the web. I had to know the exact address of the blog. It is also not a very visually appealing program. It is basically the raw information sorted out into folders. I know that aesthetics is not always necessary, but with 20somethings it counts. I also do not like the fact that I cannot travel to another computer and pick up my RSS Owl information. With Google Reader I can log in and read my blogs subscriptions anywhere that I choose.
    Based on my own experiences with these RSS Readers I can honestly say that I feel students, teacher, and administration would benefit from this technology on an educational level. Younger students might have a hard time setting up and subscribing to others blogs, but they could do it with help. In my 5th grade classroom, I could make this a unique lesson about blogging. Teachers with limited technological abilities might have a problem setting up a blog and subscribing to the feeds, but after some minimal training they would be off and running. The same goes for administration.
    I believe that RSS readers combined with personal blogs would be a great asset to a technology based classroom. Some ways that I, as the teacher, could use RSS readers in the classroom would be to subscribe to educational and educational technology blogs. This would allow me to stay up-to-date with what my technology teaching peers are doing in their classrooms. I could then incorporate the technology ideas that I like into my classroom. I could also subscribe to some student friendly news sites and display interesting news stories for my students to read and respond to in their morning work journals.
    Students could use RSS readers and personal blogs inside the classrooms in many ways. One way that I would like to see students use these technologies is to create their own blog where they could post writing assignments, morning work, and personal thoughts. Other students in the class could subscribe to each others blogs through a simple RSS reader. Teachers and administration could monitor the students blogs and comments through their own RSS readers. Teachers and administration could also set up classroom blogs and tell about the important things that are going on in the classroom or important experiences shared. Parents could subscribe and correspond through the blog. Eduscapes.com suggests that students use RSS feeds to watch informational pod casts, get step-by-step directions, subscribe to book reviews, and connect to nationally-ranked newspapers. They state that even though a student may not think to pick up and read a newspaper everyday, they will log on to the Internet and read each day.
    Some great educational technology blogs that I have found are Artichoke located at http://artichoke.typepad.com/artichoke/atom.xml. This blog owner is definitely opinionated and isn’t afraid to share. Some of the information presented doesn’t really have to do with technology or education, but more often than not they present some great articles. Another interesting education blog is Cool Cat Teacher Blog  which is located at http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default. This blog used humor along with interesting teacher tips to pass along insight and important teaching information. One of Cool Cat’s recent posts is titled, “Hey! I’m Not Messing Up-I’m Learning!”
    Over all, I believe that RSS readers are great tools to use on a personal and educational level. I admit that I do not stay up on national news, but with tools like RSS readers at my fingertips, I may just learn to love reading the news!

Resources

Anonymous. (2010). RSS. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/RSS.
Lamb, A. and Johnson, L. (2007). Information Avalanche Rescue: Rss Feeds in the classroom.         Retrieved from http://eduscapes.com/sessions/rss/.

Open Source

After several vague and fruitless Google searches I finally figured out what Open Source was. Here it is for those of us who like to use technology, but don't necessarily know how it works.
Source codes are the software written for computers. It includes operating systems, client software, and server programs. Many of these, like Microsoft Office, we must purchase for our computers. These source codes are locked and not available to the public.
Open Source is when those codes are unlocked and the information is made free and open to the public. It is sort of like a "No Purchase Necessary" situation. In fact Google (an open source) states that Open Source is "software that can be used, redistributed, or rewritten free of charges." Google also states that Open Source programs are publicly shared intellectual property.

Some examples of Open Source software are:
Operating Systems- Lixus
Server- Moodle
Client Server- Mozilla FireFox

Hello World!

Hello!
My name is Ashley and I am in my second year of teaching. I teach 5th grade Communication Arts and Social Studies. I love my 5th graders even though they are taller than I am. :) I have a BSE in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. I currently take eMINTS classes through my school district which is why I decided to jump right into my Master's after finishing my BSE. I am hoping to graduate with my Master's in May, but I'll have to finish up in the summer.

I am newly engaged and knee-deep in planning! Shane, my fiance, and I will be getting hitched on November 12th of this year. I enjoy cooking, reading, and running 5k races.

The last book that I finished was "Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris. It is the most recent in the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Yes, I was sucked into the supe world of books. I love them. The current book that I am reading is "Plum Pudding Murder" by Joanne Fluke. It is the thirteenth in her Hannah Swensen series. If you enjoy murder mysteries with a touch of humor and romance then you should read this series. I received a Nook for Christmas and I am in love with it! I am from a small town and do not get out to get new books very often therefore the Nook is AMAZING! I am also reading the hardback book "L is for Lawless" by Sue Grafton. Yes, I have also read A, B, C though K in the series and plan on finishing out the alphabet. I have to disagree with Steve Jobs. I love to read and obviously read several book simultaniously! In fact, my fiance and I love to read so much that books will be the centerpieces on our reception tables.

P.S. I also have over 700 titles available in hard and paperback versions for my students to check out from our classroom library. I also subscribe to six different magazines!

Dead in the Family
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Family-Sookie-Stackhouse-Book/dp/0441018645

Check out all of Hannah Swensen's crazy adventures and recipes at
http://www.murdershebaked.com/

Sue Grafton's Alphabet Murder books can be reviewed at
http://www.suegrafton.com/