bp18_reflective_20091115

After viewing so many Web 2.0 tools that my head is spinning there are some that stand out from the crowd, I found Aviary to be one of those tools. It offers something that speaks to the creative and collaborative that students find interesting and engaging. It sparks the intrinsic motivations that need to be present for students to embrace life long learning.

Take a look at the short video I have prepared and see if there is something in Aviary for you.

bp16_post_20091115_Aviary

Welcome to Aviary.

I use the Adobe Master Collection in my classroom, often the students are so taken with what they can achieve they want to have the same software to use at home. WOW, do they get sticker shock when they realize how much the software costs.

Aviary offers a great deal of tools for students to use that comes with a zero pricetag. A wonderful Web 2.0 tool that allows students to do some of what they would do in Photoshop, some of what they would do in Soundbooth, Illustrator, well you get the idea. According to the marketing hype or help, Aviary provides a suite of powerful applications that are used from the web browser. There is a short YouTube @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBCtC5dUOUM

Visit Aviary.com

This is an excellent solution for students that are learning the tools and want to practice using some of the tools without paying for the full suite. It is also a real creative suite that allows students to manipulate the media and develop their own expressions prior to publication.

Aviary also offers a screen capture that is quite capable. Visit the site and try the tools, please share your thoughts. I have my students use this site, especially when they want to work at home on projects.

bp15_post_20091115_Moodle

http://www.moodle.com/

Welcome to the world of moodle, take a look:

also available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvCIv5KCbeE

Moodle is an open source Course Management System. It is a rather dynamic tool that will allow you to develop instruction or teach online. The moodle site offers a demonstration site where you can log in as an administrator, teacher or student and see what the system can do. It is important to play with this, the more you do, the more there is to do.

I first heard of Moodle from some of the people in the technology initiative in our district. The comments were all extremely positive and I decided to take a closer look, I am still playing with Moodle and have not figured out all of the ins and outs but I have recognized that it has a place in my classroom.

Now for the downside, this is not truly a Web 2.0 tool, it falls under that category but in reality it is open source software, it does require a web host or computer to support it. Unlike the Course Management System mentioned in an earlier blog.

bp14_review3_20091115_YacaPaca and Course Management Tools

There are quite a few Web 2.0 tools that deal with course management. Yaca Paca does a really good job and has an easy to use interface. As I was reading some of my classmates blogs, this is the post that brought me to the Yaca Paca site.

originally posted on:

Monday, November 2, 2009

BP4 20091102 - Researching and Blogging about Web 2.0 Tools

Researching and Blogging about Web 2.0 Tools

So I decided to research the Web 2.0 tool "Yaca Paca!" This is basically a course management system. It is entirely free, and allows you to form your own lessons and quizzes.

Here is the marketing copy from their website.

"Create quizzes, surveys, tests, eportfolios and more

Discover modify and share assessments

Set work for the whole class with a few mouseclicks

Mark automatically

Analyse with tools that improve your teaching"

http://yacapaca.com/

I was very impressed at the ease of use for this site. I was able to create a quiz in mere moments as well as build a lesson for my class. I am very excited to see what my students think of the site and the lessons/quizzes.

2 comments:

Coleen said...

Ben,

This looks like a very inclusive course management system and the price fits my "college student" budget. The user-friendly interface allows an instructor with minimal experience in media and technology to quickly feel more at ease. I am surprised that there are not more educators taking advantage of the tool. Great tool!

November 11, 2009 9:42 PM

ks reyes said...

I was extremely interested in the courses and content from other countries, I was really excited when I actually found some things for Computer Science. A great site that needs some more play time before I commit. But it looks good, another course management tool that you might want to check out is Moodle.

November 15, 2009 9:26 AM

bp13_review2_20091115_GradeBookTools

I found this on my journey to seek out the best of the web 2.0 tools that I would use in my classroom, please read about Engrade and see if it might be something you too can use.

Originally posted:

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Web 2.0 Tool Engrade

Web 2.0 Tools
Engrade

For lack of a better description, Engrade is an all in one teacher’s record keeping Web 2.0 tool. Engrade shows great promise because parents and students can track academic progress from any computer that is on the Internet. Parents and students can access the program allowing them to keep abreast of assignments, attendance and grades. The student/parent access element is especially appealing to me for a number of reasons but the main one is that students need accountability and there is no greater accountability partner than a parent or parents. Without exception when parent-teacher conferences are held I always see the parents of the students who are doing well in my classes and rarely, if ever, see the parents of the students who are doing poorly. Parent involvement is of the utmost importance and, if used correctly, Engrade can encourage more parents to keep up with student progress and play a vital role in mentoring and encouraging their child’s academic world.
Some other great features that come with Engrade are the classroom schedule element and the attendance record keeping, all of which are also accessible to parents and students on personal computers. The class schedule feature is especially well thought out with a printable calendar of all the assignments, tests and important school dates of the current school calendar. Imagine the possibilities of this feature if you will, how many times have you asked a child if they have any homework tonight? With the classroom schedule accessible to parents any homework assignments that need to be completed on a given night can always be confirmed. Still another great asset in the scheduling part of Engrade is that parents can help students study for upcoming tests. Finally, if a child becomes ill all a parent has to do is look at the calendar for upcoming assignments so the student can keep pace with the class and assignments and the parent does not have to spend time trying to contact each teacher for work that can be done at home. The attendance feature is also valuable in that the parent can always be kept informed about absenteeism and the effect that it is having on a student’s academic progress.
Engrade is a free program and is compatible with both Windows and Apple based operating systems. Engrade is powerful, easy to use and secure.



References

Engrade, (2008) Retrieved November 8, 2009, from website: http://www.engrade.com


(2008). [Engrade logo] Retrieved November 8, 2009, from quark base website:

http://www.quarkbase.com/engrade.com

1 comments:

ks reyes said...

I am so glad that you posted this, Engrade was one of the tools I was looking at, it was great to see what you had to say about it. This actually seems like a tool that I would use since our district doesn't have a way for students to view their grades online and no plans for that. It is important for students and parents to know where a student stands during the marking period, not just when the report cards come out.

November 15, 2009 9:10 AM

bp12_Review1_20091115_Plotbot Screenwriting Tool

Below is a blog that I came across that deserves your attention:

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Plotbot Collaborative Screenwriting

Web 2.0 Tools
Plotbot

Plotbot is a powerful full-featured Web 2.0 tool for script writing. The reviews on Plotbot were extremely positive, emphasizing Plotbot as a very good script-writing tool for both beginners and experienced writers.
First of all, Plotbot is a stand-alone script-writing tool that formats scripts into industry standards. Plotbot can also take scripts written in word processing programs like Microsoft Word to convert and format scripts into industry standard scripts.
Plotbot is also a collaboration site where screenwriters can invite other screenwriters to edit, write or even add ideas to an existing script, which to my knowledge is the only scriptwriting software that offers this feature. Changes made in the script are tracked with a color-coding system that assigns a color to each of the invited screenwriter’s changes. Changes in the script can always be undone using the revert tab changing the script back to it’s original state.
There are a couple of really brief overviews or tutorials on Youtube but Plot is a very straightforward program that is as simple as using a word processor. Signing up for Plotbot is easy, all you need is a screen name, an email account and a password. When you get your Plotbot account you have the choice of diving into your project or use the option of taking a basic step-by-step tutorial.
Plotbot is all based on the Internet and there is no downloading to your computer. The site is free to use and with the ability to collaborate with others this could be a powerful tool for students working together to develop a script. Plotbot is a Web 2.0 tool for student screenwriters and filmmakers that want to share and work collaboratively.


Reference:

Plotbot, (2009) Retrieved November 14, 2009, from website: http://www.plotbot.com/

Phillips, C (2006) Plotbot collaborative screenwriting, Retrieved November 14, 2009, from

website: http://underdog.typepad.com/wandering_outloud_/2006/06/plotbot_collabo.html

(2009) [Plotbot logo] Retrieved November 14, 2009, from Plotbot website:

http://www.plotbot.com/

1 comments:

ks reyes said...

Thanks for the insight into Plotbot, I am working on developing a spring screening for my students, they will need to develop their own scripts and have them reviewed before beginning their filming. This might be a great tool for that, thanks for putting it out there. With so many to choose from having one that has in-depth insights helps shorten the list.

November 15, 2009 8:43 AM

bp11_podcast_200911_This Weeks Blog Pod features Diigo

Well, I wrote the blog about Delicious as the social bookmarking tool but

Diigo offers some great advantages.

bp10_20091108_Social Bookmarking for Educators with Diigo

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Social Bookmarking for Educators with Diigo

View more presentations from jstearns.

bp9_post_20091108_Social Bookmarking: Delicious

Before getting started on what social bookmarking is and how it can be used in Education, I believe it is important to understand some basics. The first is bookmarking, often this is as simple as saving a favorite address of a website or url. While this may seem simple enough even bookmarking can have its problems. I've listed some of the most common issues I've encountered below:

• depending on how many bookmarks you have, it can often be simpler to just relocate the site using a search engine.
• sometimes the site can be used as a resource for multiple areas and naming is difficult

• bookmarking really only works on one computer, if you have multiple computers that you use the bookmarks will be different on each one.

Social bookmarking allows the user to save their bookmarks to a public website and tag them with keywords.
Tagging is simply labeling the information with search-able keywords, it is a way to index material you have located or would like to locate.
Folksonomy is a tagging system that is created by a user or a community of users, these are informal organizational structures.
How does it work?
Social bookmarking allows the visitor to search the sites for potential resources based on the tags or keywords that have been used, it is also most powerful in helping the researcher to see how others have tagged the site, allowing the researcher to try these keywords in their own search.
It also allows the researcher to tell how many people have visited and then tagged the site for use.

What are some of the social bookmarking tools?

• Digg.com
• StumbleUpon.com
• reddit.com
• clipmarks.com
• Diigo.com
• Delicious.com

While these all are social bookmarking sites, be sure to browse through them then choose the one that is right for you.

The Pros & Cons of social bookmarking
Pros

• It allows users to express their perspective on the resource through the folksonomies & tagging
• Users can find others that have been researching similar information, the potential then exists to create a link with others and possibly create a new learning community.
• Users of social bookmarking can take advantage of others insights to research topics. While some connections may be obvious there may be other related connections that someone is exploring that may provide additional connections.
• Provides a free way to organize websites, podcasts, wikis, blogs, images, and media content.
• Offers both public access and complete privacy.
• Supports learning 24/7.
  

Cons

• Tagging is done by amateurs, these can often be inconsistent.
• No one oversees the tagging process or changes how they have been organized and tagged.
• This is just one more thing that requires maintenance, it requires updating.

Educational Uses
Students often spend their time researching using a variety of different computers. This will allow them to create a series of bookmarks they can pull up from anywhere and continue their research or writing. It will also empower students to follow the tags, expanding their research while allowing them to contribute to the process. Students can view others tags and learn from the collective intelligence they provide. It also encourages students to think critically about the site content as they make sense of the tags and annotations. It creates a collaborative environment where students can share and build their own personal levels of confidence. Tagging provides a different way for students to connect with information. It is not the same search process that would occur in a library.

References
Berger, P. & Trexler, S. Social bookmarking:Locate, tag and collaborate. Information Searcher 17.3, p.2-5.

Educause Learning Initiative (2005). 7 things you should know about social bookmarking. Retrieved November 5, 2009 from Educause Learning Initiative http://www.educause.edu.ir/library/pdf/ELI7001.pdf

Terdiman, D. (2005). Tagging gives web a human meaning. Retrieved November 5, 2009 from CNET News http://news.com.com/Tagging+gives+Web+a+human+meaning/2009-1025_3-5944502.html

bp8_post_20091108_Bojam: Web 2.0 is for Musicians too

Bojam is still running a Beta site but the concepts it offers are what is exciting about this Web 2.0 tool, The idea that musicians will have the freedom to join other musicians without having to travel or worry about geographical boundaries. Musicians can search for other musicians, you can search music and discover some great talent. Musicians can connect, collaborate, and radically change the industry.

The musician only needs to have the hardware (instrument) and all of the recording software is provided by the site.

Check out this youTube video of their launch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZoyD13w64

The power of this comes from its ability to connect the professional with the amateur. There are often amatuers that would not become professionals because of the time or networking that is required. This will help those individuals begin to build their social and professional network.

bp7_20091105_Follow that Blog...

In pursuit of finding some great Web 2.0 tools I stumbled upon one of my classmates Blogs (http://rockinweb20/blogspot.com) Classrooms are Not Just for Squares. The tool being highlighted was Middlespot. See for your self it looks like a wonderful tool for students doing research to see what they have and what they need.

I left my comments below,

"What a great concept, I was not real sure what a mashup was, but you did a great job of breaking it all down and the example you used was terrific."

Please visit the site and let me know if you agree.

bp6_20091107_Flickr

Flicker has been around for a while (2004), there are some interesting lesson plans that have been created based on the use of Flickr.

Some of the lessons use the site as material for writing promts, an introduction to social networks, a way to introduce folksonomies and tagging concepts.

Well the list goes on but while I was able to find several interesting lesson, I doubt that I would use any of these in my classroom, however it did prompt me to consider some of my own lesson and consider how I would use Flickr. I teach concepts of photography, camera angles and shots, basics of cinematography. Flickr would be a great way for students to practice photo recognition, to search for a variety of types of camera shots and angles. It would be a wonderful way for students to reinforce the definitions of these terms with examples. The search process would realy allow students to view multiple images allowing them to start the process of comparing styles and help to develop their own critical eye.

bp5_post_20091102_Web 2.0 Tools to Use: edu.glogster

Well, if you have tried glogster and want to use it in your classroom, now is your chance. Take a look at the newest educational support that provides a great creative as well as interactive tool.

Student accounts can be created (up to 200) and you can monitor the accounts. Best of all, while our district has filtered out Glogster, the edu.Glogster is available. It is a super easy way to develop a unit plan or even a skills test. I am developing one for my Computer Apps class that will help them with their career planning, resume building, and personal statement. While the information is a little dry, this should keep the interest and motivation going. It will have information areas, skill challenges, questions with responses, you get the idea.

There are several good tutorials linked to the site that will walk you through a step by step process but also help you do some additional things like add this to your blog or wiki. If you have a blog or wiki for the class then you can integrate several different ones by sharing the different url's that are created for each Glogster you create. Our district recently purchased Discovery/Education and the media from their site drops in beautifully. I think this is one of the tools that should make it into every classroom.
Ready to try your own? Go to http://edu.glogster.com/ and sign up.

bp4_post_20091102_Blogging to support learning in the 21st century

Blogging is a good way to develop your personal voice, to defend your theories, discuss with others and find a way to write for peer understanding. It can require a great deal of work before the publish post takes place. Using blogging as a tool for the classroom often means that there should be discussions around what is appropriate for the educational environment versus your own personal blog. There are several secondary pieces that need to be taught to support blogging in the classroom.

I found that there are several support articles and teaching tools. The listing below provides some good resources for incorporating blogging into your classroom.

Take a look at this Blog Basics that McGraw-Hill has created:

http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/howtoarticles/blog-basics /

Doug Caldwell created a nice site that provides some excellent examples of blogs in action:

http://my-ecoach.com/online/webresourcelist.php?rlid=4992

Whether you choose to start your own blog, use it as a parent communication tool,

or in your classroom, blogging may be just what you have been looking for.

bp3_post_20091101_Google Reader

As a part of getting my iGoogle set up it was also necessary to set up my Google Reader account. The idea behind the Google Reader is simple, I choose what I want to follow, when new posts are made they come into my reader for me to read or watch.

I included several RSS feeds, five were required for the set up of my page, but I found that there were several other feeds that I wanted to follow. I have chosen 21st century learning, Ted (both the video feed and blogs), Educause, as well as Dilbert. I am also following the CSTA (Computer Science Teachers Association). The reasoning behind most if fairly obvious, I am an educator that is interested in the integration of media and 21st century learning. The comic is for me, I think it is important to have a moment of laughter each and every day.

bp2_post_20091101_It's a work in progress

Well, some things are never quite finished. This is complete as far as the original assignment goes but it is obvious that there are still some areas that will need some more work. Take a look,

bp1_post_20091101_Getting Started

This is the first blog, but not my submission blog. I am trying to become familiar with all of the tools that I have just added to the page. Based on the overall instructions, this has been a rather interesting task.