The Moss-Free Stone

Thanks to all who participated in my sessions/workshop today at the area TCEA conference. As promised, here are the links to the resources that were shared and a few more. Let me know if I can provide anything else! Also, if you attended either my own session on Voicethread or another on the tool, please add your implementation ideas to the Voicethread Wallwisher wall below. Thanks again!

Workshop: Collaborative Storytelling with Voicethread

• Voicethread
• Voicethread Education

Image collections

• Flickr Creative Commons
• Pics4learning
• PicFindr
• PicApp
• PhotoExpress

Not Again! Presentation Tools That Aren’t Just Another PowerPoint

PowerPoint sharing/collaboration/tools

• Slideshare
• Slideboom
• Authorstream
• Google Presenter
• iSpring Free

Alternatives to PowerPoint

• SlideRocket
• Voicethread
• Animoto
• PhotoPeach
• Scrapblog
• Glogster
• Yodio
• Smilebox
• Vuvox
• GoAnimate
• Preezo
• Prezi (Prezi presentation used today)
• xTimeline

Spread the Word: Generating School or Classroom Buzz with Web 2.0

Microblogging

• Twitter
• Edmodo
• Twingr
• Tumblr

Social Networks

• Facebook
• Ning
• MySpace

Video Sites for Creating Your Own Channel

• YouTube
• TeacherTube
• Schooltube
• Vodpod

Streaming Video Channels

• Ustream
• Twitcam
• Livestream

Examples

• Birdville HS on Twitter
• Haltom HS on Twitter
• Richland HS on Twitter
• Birdville ISD on Twitter
• Birdville HS on Facebook
• BISDTV on YouTube
• Binion Elementary on YouTube
• Birdville HS on YouTube
• Teacher Josh Grizzelle on YouTube
• Birdville HS on Ustream
• Birdville HS Football on Ustream
• Webster City Schools on Schooltube

21st Century Skills Resources

• ISTE National Educational Technology Standards
• Partnership for 21st Century Skills

One concern I have heard expressed by teachers with regard to the use of video sites such as YouTube, TeacherTube, etc. in the classroom is that students tend to waste a lot of time searching for relevant (or irrelevant) content. One solution is to create a personalized channel that contains the videos which the teacher wishes to focus upon as resources. The two resources described below allow teachers to create lists of favorite videos, customize the look of the channel, and more. When working on a project or conducting research, students need only to visit the teacher’s channel to find a previewed list of useful resources to get them started.

YouTube channels offer users a wide range of tools. Visitors can view videos uploaded by the channel owner, favorited videos, or channels being followed by the owner. They can also view the owner’s profile information, “friend” the channel (if they have a YouTube account), leave comments on the channel, view recent activity, and more. To create a personalized channel, a YouTube membership is required. New accounts automatically have their own channel. The following video provides a great explanation of the general tools for customizing a YouTube channel. More information may be found on the YouTube support site.

Below is an image of my own site. The large, featured video displays my most recent upload. to the right is a list of other uploads and favorites. By clicking on the Favorites link, students can view a complete list of all of my favorite videos, the ones I want them to focus on.

http://www.youtube.com/fishbraintx

YouTube is a fantastic resource for teaching and learning. However, the obvious reality is that many schools’ filtering policies do not allow students to view YouTube videos while at school. Sites such as TeacherTube, SchoolTube, and Edublogs.tv offer alternatives that are usually unrestricted. A site I just discovered that offers the ability to create a video channel using mutliple sources is Vodpod. Vodpod allows users to create customized lists of favorite videos from a multitude of sites (I successfully tried YouTube, TeacherTube, and Edublogs.tv.) as well as uploading and sharing their own videos. The interface is extremely simple, using a toolbar button to add a video from the site where it is housed. Users can tag their videos, add descriptions, and choose from six templates to customize their display. The image below is from my own new channel.

http://mossfreestone.vodspot.tv/

Vodpod is a powerful tool on several levels. First of all, it is an extremely easy-to-use tool for creating a database of your favorite videos. Secondly, it creates a channel that is clean and easy to navigate. It also opens videos in a popup window, rather than simply linking to the host site, meaning students are less likely to be distracted and have their attention wander. The customized site comes complete with its own, custom URL, making navigating to the site easy for students. Finally, its compatibility with school-friendly video sites makes it much more practical to many educators.

Both of these resources offer valuable benefits for the classroom teacher. These include less time off-task, better reliability of resources, and less worry about inappropriate content.

Just released revision of the famous video.

Despite some significant changes to the video, the main idea remains the same: Our world is nothing like the world many of us grew up in, the nature of information has evolved, and the tools and resources we rely on today won’t likely be around in just a few years. So, how do we as educators keep up and remain relevant?

Working on a homework assignment tonight, I had the opportunity to view a short but thought-provoking video featuring Dr. Chris Dede, the Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. In the video, Dr. Dede discussed the meanings of the terms educational technology, instructional technology, and learning technology. Dr. Dede basically described educational technology as the umbrella term for the tools and processes used when technology and teaching/learning meet. Instructional technology was described as a subset of that broader terminology, including the tools/methods used by teachers and administrators. The focus is on the teaching practices and the preferences and styles of the educator. For instance, a teacher who prefers to stand and lecture may favor a PowerPoint presentation as a technological tool for their style of teaching. Learning technologies, on the other hand, focus more on an understanding of the learning process, individual learning styles, and the developmental levels of students. It involves using the tools of technology to meet the unique needs of students and to facilitate their learning processes.

Several questions immediately came to mind. What is my district’s focus? What is the focus of our teachers when it comes to technology? Do we base our decisions on the ultimate goal of meeting the learning needs of students? Is it significant that my own title is “instructional technology specialist?” Should it be changed to “educational technology specialist” or even “learning technology specialist?” It’s probably just a matter of semantics, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded that, ultimately, it isn’t about the coolest new tool or the popular web resource–it’s about meeting the goals we have for student achievement and equipping them to learn and succeed now and in the future. I believe we have been making a significant shift in this direction recently, and it’s something I’m proud to be a small part of.  Our department leadership has worked hard to foster a working relationship with that of our curriculum/instruction group, and we’re asking good questions, such as, “What does research demonstrate is the effect of this on students?” Of course, research isn’t always available, particularly with new technologies, and it takes a risk-taking mentality, at times, to try the latest thing. However, our chances of success doing so go up dramatically when we get past the cool factor and focus on what matters–our kids.

Much of my existence at work at the moment is preoccupied with the implementation of two new tools. The first is a subscription-based school website service, Schoolwires. The second is a new student email service from Microsoft, Live@Edu. Both tools hold a great deal of promise for facilitating and enhancing communication within the district and beyond. The task for my own department at the moment is to provide support and training for the implementation of each and to provide guidance for the most effective use of both tools. I’ll be sharing more about the latter topic in the weeks ahead, undoubtedly.

For those unfamiliar with these tools, a brief synopsis is in order. I’ll begin with Schoolwires, as it has been my primary focus for the past month or so. At its most basic level, Schoolwires is providing our district with an online website-construction platform. Our users can login from any Internet-connected computer and edit their designated sites. The interface is relatively simple to learn, with many of the familiar, Windows-esque icons found in typical Office applications. Teachers can easily add text, links, images, videos, etc. Feedback has been almost universally positive, particularly from a convenience standpoint. In addition to basic content, what has me most excited about the service is that teachers can easily incorporate several Web 2.0 tools in their sites. Schoolwires has a tool for creating blog pages, for instance. This tool is very simple and streamlined, and includes capabilities to moderate discussions or to allow only specific categories of users to view posts (teachers, parents, students, etc.). Additionally, teachers can very quickly and easily add podcasts to a dedicated page, complete with buttons to subscribe via RSS or iTunes. RSS icons appear on other pages, as well, such as assignments pages and class calendars. Using these types of tools has been much more labor-intensive or required using sites outside of the classroom pages previously used in the district, so the potential is there for much greater implementation and impact.

Microsoft’s Live@Edu is a relatively new, free (yes, free…from Microsoft!) service from the company. Although I referred to it as a student email service, that really sells the product short. In addition to email, Live@Edu provides students with online versions of Office applications, which can be used collaboratively, similar to Google Docs or Zoho. Also, students each have 26 gigs of online storage, eliminating the need for thumb drives or burning work to CDs. Files may be private, public, or shared. These features hold great promise for making learning collaborative and anytime, anywhere experiences. It should be mentioned that Live@Edu works with our existing Microsoft Exchange service, meaning that updating accounts will be faster and easier than with previous tools we’ve tried. We will be continuing to refine our district standards for the use of the tools, and I will share these refinements as they come about. At the moment, we will be focusing on equipping teachers and students to utilize the Live@Edu tools in the most effective ways possible. Suggestions are, as always, very welcome!

We probably take more pictures and record more video during the summer than at any other time of year. Vacations or time spent outdoors in the warm summer sun offer many opportunities for gathering the raw materials of some fantastic multimedia projects. For teachers, it is also a rare opportunity to explore some great tools in a more relaxed atmosphere, free from the demands of lesson planning, grading papers, etc. Below are listed 5 projects, with a couple of examples, that you might consider trying for yourself or using with your own children. This is a great way to encourage writing, storytelling, and creativity, as well as a fantastic way to preserve memories. My 8-year old daughter completed her first summer project just today, and her VoiceThread is shown below.

1. Animoto. One of the easiest ways to create professional-looking slideshows, complete with dramatic animations/transitions, audio, and text. Simply upload your images, add any desired text, and select your music. Animoto does the rest. 30 second videos (12-15 images) are free, and educators can sign up for full-length videos. An example of a 30-second video can be seen below.
2. Glogster. Glogster enables users to create online, virtual “posters.” They can include images, text, audio, video, and hyperlinks. There is a little more to the site, so a slightly greater learning curve does exist, but I have seen Glogster used very effectively with elementary kids, so don’t hesitate to try this for a summer project for your children. Again, educator accounts are available.
3. VoiceThread. Possibly the easiest digital storytelling tool out there, VoiceThread simply requires images be uploaded and comments added, either through text, audio, or webcam. The interface is simple to learn (My daughter took control shortly after we began.), and, perhaps most exciting, comments can take the form of text, scribbles, audio, or video. Here is Reagan’s first try (We wrote out her comments before recording and practiced reading each one.):



4. Tikatok. As a way to encourage young writers, why not have them actually publish (and even sell!) their works. Tikatok has a number of publishing tools for children. They can upload their own images or photographs, use a selection of graphics from the site, write original books, or utilize story starters on the site. When books are finished, they can be purchased fairly reasonably, shared with the world, and even sold to other buyers. A very engaging and motivating site!
5. Photopeach. New to me, this site acts very much like Microsoft PhotoStory. Simply upload images, add any desired text, select from a variety of background music, and publish. There is even a feature which allows users to include quiz questions in their shows. This is a very suitable and easy-to-learn tool that is worth a look.

Father-Daughter Dance on PhotoPeach

These are just a few suggestions. Another idea would be to create a family YouTube channel and have kids create and share videos of the family adventures. There are endless possibilites for combining the fun and adventure of summer with some powerful vehicles for creativity and self-expression. I’ll be posting more as the summer progresses and my children complete new projects. If you have others that need sharing, please do so!

Edit: Another idea that I’m trying with my own daughter, who just finished the 2nd grade, is to use email and a blog to encourage her to write. I’m using Gaggle for both, which allows me to have editorial and administrator rights over what she posts or receives, which is valuable with a new, young user. She is extremely excited about the possibilities of both, and has notified her Nana to be expecting correspondance.