Social Bookmarking - A New Adventure

Overhead the canopy of the jungle is lush, its vastness seems to go on forever. Even though the canopy blocks out some of the sun’s rays I can still see the path that leads me through this mystifying land. This week’s journey continues down the jungle trail that I procured last week. This time social bookmarking is my technological adversary. But just like I will find my way out of the jungle I will conquer another Web 2.0 tool. My confidence continues to grow even though I wonder where I will travel on this journey.

Reflections of the process of learning about the tool:

Last May I sat in a school professional development session about Smartboards. We were asked by the instructor if we had a Delicious account. I did not know what that was. After a very brief and confusing five minute lecture (it was all mumble jumble to me), I followed her instructions to set up the account. I put in my personal information and a password and was able to register for Delicious. I felt very relieved that the process was easy! When she told us to add Learn Alberta to our bookmarks I was unable to do so, as the internet went down in our school. I never went back to add it to my account because I didn’t see any importance in doing it. I thought Delicious was just a fancy favorites section like on my computer. I did not see how it would benefit me. By the time that day was over I had a splitting headache as I usually get when I spend a fast paced day learning technology. I often ask myself why the tech trainers go so fast for us technologically impaired people that our heads spin. So I never looked at the account again until we had to explore social bookmarking in this course.
I followed this week’s Trailfire and watched Social Bookmarking in Plain English. The Plain English videos are becoming my favorite way to understand how to use Web 2.0 tools. I found watching the video and reading Will Richardson’s book to be the most helpful for me to understand what social bookmarking was about. I realized that I misunderstood the social aspect of using a site like Delicious. When Will Richardson (2009) states, “what these services do that’s social is take all of the entries that are tagged the same way and connect them, and then connect all of the people who posted those links in the first place” (p.890), I recognized the value this could have for me. I added the Delicious button to my computer which took a little bit of time but I could figure it out without being frustrated. Then I started adding sites to my Delicious account. I liked having the tags come up under each new entry as it helped me to be consistent in the tags I used. I felt comfortable in leaving my bookmarked sites public. Now, I just need to remember to add every site I want to keep to Delicious. I still sometimes forget it is there.

Discussion of the tool in terms of my own personal learning:

Using a social bookmarking site like Delicious will have an impact on me personally both as a learner and as part of a social group. I will be able to connect with others that share some of my hobbies. In the past I have searched scrapbooking sites but have never tried to connect with others via the internet with the same passion. I will be able to find more valuable sights that others use as we collectively search. Hopefully I will engage in social networking about scrapbooking. I will be able to do this through Delicious. I am enjoying learning about the Web 2.0 tools but find that I lack the time at the moment to delve deeper into the social aspect of these tools.
As for me as a parent, I have shown my son how to use Delicious. He loves it because he uses different computers at school, has access to two computers at home and also uses his Ipod Touch. He is now bookmarking his favorite sites and I feel that I have made his life easier. He showed some of his friends how to use it too. They had a project on the environment in science and were able to share some sights they found. My daughter will get the lesson next.

Discussion of the tool in terms of teaching and learning:

I have learned that “Social bookmarking sites provide a means for individuals to save their bookmarks and share them with a community of others. The advantage in using social bookmarking sites is the human collaboration involved in the searching framework” (McGraw Hill Companies,2009). It will make searching for sites for research or school activities much easier. The tags will help to led me to other sites that I may not have found by just googling them. I may even start to network with others that have tagged similar sites as me but I have not gone that far into social bookmarking yet. I can see myself connecting with other Kindergarten teachers who use technology daily in their classrooms. I showed my colleagues the Lee Kolbert Youtube video,Social Bookmarking -Delicious Part Two. Not one teacher I showed this video to had used their Delicious account since signing up last May. Like me, they hadn’t understood what it was about. So far, three teachers have started using their Delicious account and are quite excited about it. I am trying to teach them that social bookmarking “ can provide the resources to facilitate a scholarly approach to teaching where teachers concerned with developing research – based practices can collectively assemble, annotate, recommend, and share scholarly resources such as books, journal articles, websites, and contacts” (Greenhow, 2009). Together we could share resources to enhance our teaching. I feel that if I teach and support the teachers of older students they will use it with their classes.
I am not using Delicious in my classroom for social networking with my Kindergarten class as the entire concept is above their capabilities.
The pros for using social bookmarking in schools would be that students and teachers could collaborate on teaching, researching, or having discussions on line. They would be able to find others that have similar interests or could use sites that have already been bookmarked and tagged for their topic. Teachers could use Diigo and actually make comments on the sites that their students could follow as they read the sites they needed to. The negative aspects of using social bookmarking for my students are that they are too little. For older students you could end up with sites being added that are not appropriate to what they are supposed to be studying. All in all using social bookmarking sites for educational purposes would benefit teachers and students alike.


References:

Greenhow, Christine. (2009). Tapping the Wealth of Social Networks for Professional Development. Retrieved September 28, 2009, from Learning and Leading with Technology vol:36 iss:8 pg:10-11 http://web.ebscohost.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.

Kolbert,Lee.(2008). Social Bookmarking -Delicious Part Two. Retrieved September 27,2009 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P-S9msNbR0

McGraw Hill Companies. (2009). How to Article - Social Bookmarking. Retrieved September 28, 2009, from Teaching Today http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/howtoarticles/social-bookmarking

Richardson, W., (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. United States: Corwin.

The Journey into YouTube and TeacherTube

As my journey into the world of web 2.0 tools began, I felt like I was abandoned in the middle of the jungle. Not knowing where I was or where I was going there seemed to be obstacles everywhere I turned. I felt like I was going in circles with everything looking the same. I would follow link after link and see no end in sight. And then, I started to read and follow the trailfires and slowly I could see a path emerging for me to follow. I’m still in the jungle but feel that I’m slowly finding my way and understanding more. Will I ever make my way out and feel like I have the knowledge to use web 2.0 tools effectively? Where will my journey take me next?


Reflections on the process of learning about the tool:

My previous experience with YouTube has been,”Mom, come and see this.” Which means one of my children called me to view the latest music video or Hannah Montana TV episode. At school, I’ve watched a couple of technology videos downloaded by our administrators to show us at meetings. I also watched Susan Boyle sing her heart out and shock the audience. Other than those few occurrences I have never used Youtube myself.
When I first read Will Richardson’s section on YouTube I wasn’t excited about learning about this tool as he mainly talked about students producing their own videos and we are not allowed to do this at our school. I didn’t want to produce my own video to share with the world and don’t have the equipment to do so. I felt this week was going to be a waste of time for me both educationally and personally. While following the Trailfire that was set out for us I began to understand some of YouTube’s merits. I enjoyed watching how the videos were made to showcase library activities. I started to feel excited by thinking up ideas on how we could exhibit events at our school. Only to feel disappointment when I though of our privacy policy. I started to question our division’s web policy and I actually talked about it with our technology representative at school. Then I read Julia Davis and Guy Merchant’s explanation of YouTube and my outlook changed. I felt empowered by the fact that I could use YouTube in my lessons while respecting our school rules. I started to explore the site, searching topics that I am teaching right now. I found the site easy to navigate, but it definitely took time to sort through and find exactly what you want. I will be using YouTube and TeacherTube to enhance my lessons.

Discussion of the tool in terms of my own personal learning:

As far as videosharing is concerned I am far behind the times. I feel that I need to spend more time exploring YouTube and try to put a video on the website. I am not ready to do so for a couple of reasons. One, being that I don’t have any up to date video equipment but when I get some, I will use the tutorial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKduR9oymlk) to help me. The other reason is that I am not comfortable enough with this technology to share my videos with the world. In terms of me as a parent, beginning to understand YouTube has been beneficial, as my daughter loves viewing YouTube. At this time she only looks at videos that interest her but what happens when she starts to explore more and comes across material that is unsuitable for her? Now that I have become more familiar with this site I see the importance of teaching my children to “keep safe personal information, keep away from Internet strangers, and keep telling adults about everything they see on the Internet. (Panter, 2009). Sooner or later they will wander across things they should not see. I want them to know what to do when it happens.
No one in my family uses YouTube to publish videos. At this time I am not prepared to convince them otherwise. As I continue to learn more I know that I will try to make a video that doesn’t really identify my family that I can upload and share with other family members. I just tried to upload a sample video I made on Animoto a few months ago to YouTube but this can not be done, so I put it on Facebook instead.
For me, YouTube is not really a two way social participation tool yet. I enjoy reading and contemplating the comments which I have never done until this week.

Discussion of the tool in terms of teaching and learning:

YouTube and TeacherTube definitely have a place in the school even when you can not produce your own videos. I found it easy to search for videos that I could use in my grade 2 science class. Some of the pros to using these videos included seeing my students eager to see what I was going to show them. (http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=6647&title=Room_11_Building_Boats) They were very motivated to get started in collecting their own boat building materials and wanted to build right away. These samples gave them a visual to work from that I could not have explained. (http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=94701&title=BOAT_RACES) We then discussed the video and how their boat design needed to float. Everyone was so excited to build the fastest boat so they could race theirs like in the video. Using TeacherTube and YouTube videos helps to cover more multiple intelligences and engage more learners. As Everhart(2009) states, “ YouTube is a great way to add interest, depth, and student ownership to elementary science”. Also I had two students away that day and was able to show them the video when they came back, while everyone else was working on their boat. This caused minimal distraction and everyone was able to work at their own pace. Some of the disadvantages were that I did not embed my video the first time and then had a problem with my Smartboard. I couldn’t show the video the first time I planned to. You need to have it embedded in your lesson. Of course the biggest obstacle right now for full YouTube use in our school is the policy prohibiting students to be in the video. I was thinking maybe we could video something without their faces on it, but I still need special permission to make the video. I am sharing my lessons with staff members. I have also been emailing my principal with a link to every Technology and 21st Century Learner video I have come across. She is sharing one of them at a Parent Council Meeting. I am already searching for videos for my Kindergarten class to watch and have found (http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=1261&title=Farmer_Brown__The_fastest_farmer_in_the_world) to help us discuss farms. And what about all the professional development videos such as one I shared with a new teacher on differentiated instruction? The list could go on and on and on.

References:
Davis,J. , & Merchant, G. (2009). Web 2.0 for Schools Learning and Social Participation. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

Everhart, Jerry. "YouTube in the science classroom: tips on incorporating this popular video file-sharing website into your science lessons." Science and Children. 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2009 from accessmylibrary: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-202014708/youtube-science-classroom-tips.html

Panter, S. “Teaching Elementary Kids to be Safe on the Internet.” Library Media Connection. 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2009 from http://login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=40101671&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site


Richardson, W., (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. United States: Corwin.

Photosharing - The Journey Continues

Reflections on the process of learning about photosharing:

Every week I spend reading and exploring the required web 2.0 tool I feel a kind of apprehension and excitement. This was true for this week’s tool, photosharing. I assumed that it meant that I share my photos with the world. I never had the desire to share my photos with people I did not know. After watching the video, Photosharing in Plain English, (http://www.commoncraft.com/photosharing) I began to understand there is so much more to this tool. While reading Will Richardson’s book, I decided to explore Flickr. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to join Flickr and follow all the directions. I still have an underlying fear of having my children’s faces on the web. I chose to upload some photos where my family is not in the pictures. I did make these pictures public which is a big step for me.

Discussion of photosharing in terms of my own personal learning:

I am beginning to realize, I am underestimating the impact web 2.0 tools could have on my life. My photos of my children are my most prized possessions. I would hate to lose them. In discovering Flickr’s many attributes the most appealing to me as a parent is the back up feature. I would never have to worry about my photos again. I could upload all my photos and choose which ones are family viewed and which ones could be made public. I could easily share entire holiday photo collections with family and friends who I have persuaded to use Flickr.
After uploading some of my photos I began to explore other people’s work. I got caught up in looking at their albums. The breathtaking photography made me want to do more with scenery, because most of my photos over the last thirteen years have been about my kids and telling their life story. As the fall colors immerge, I am going to take my camera out and try to capture some of Nature’s beauty.
I could learn more about photography by viewing and engaging in comments. I would enjoy the social participation that this would give me. Given more time, I can easily see myself becoming an active member of the public photosharing world.

Discussion of photosharing in terms of teaching and learning:

The good old days of collecting pictures from calendars and postcards to use as discussion prompts and picture collections are long gone. Flickr can be integrated into the classroom at any level to do this and so much more. In my Kindergarten class we have started talking about the seasons and were able to use Flickr and the smartboard to make a Venn diagram comparing Fall with other seasons. The students loved all the pictures and were impressed by the slideshow I showed them in the end. I will share this activity with my Kindergarten Action Group at our divisional meeting. I know some of the more technological keeners will try to expand on what I share. In my grade one fine arts class I have planned to integrate Flickr photos into our discussion of line. After exploring photos we will comment on some of them. I am also going to have my students take photos depicting line and we will upload them and follow the comments. The photosharing social implications for this activity will only compound as we continue to add photos for other art elements. Sharing these lessons with my school colleagues will encourage some of them to try Flickr. For some I will need to show them how using Flickr as a public site will help their students become better 21st century learners. They will need to change their way of thinking to embrace this Web 2.0 tool as I am starting to. I agree with Wesley Fryer, “the possibilities of open content in a school setting are truly exciting. But to embrace this concept requires a whole other mind-set on the part of educators.” I know my feelings have certainly changed this week. Again I ask myself, where will this technological journey lead me over the next few days?


Fryer, Wesley. (2006). "In praise of open content.(TECHNOLOGY Up CLOSE)." School Library Journal.. Retrieved September 17, 2009 from accessmylibrary: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-28776234_ITM

Richardson, W., (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. United States: Corwin.

Introductory Blog

A month ago I didn’t even know that the course Web 2.0 for Teaching and Learning existed. I had thought about completing my fifth year of University for a while and on a whim decided I would finish it this year. Now I am up to my hair line in blogs, twitters and passwords and surprisingly enjoying it. I wasn’t sure how University would fit into my schedule being a full time working mother of two. I have always thrived on pressure and pushing myself to go the extra mile whenever I work on something. And I know learning and using Web tools will be no different.

I did not belong to any social networking sites. In fact I had no desire to belong to Facebook or to Twitter. I had very little knowledge of blogging. I don’t even know if that’s the correct term to use. I never email people for pleasure. And I just, let my thirteen year old son have an email account. Why, some of you who are cringing in your seats may ask? To some I must seem old fashioned. I have never really spent any time playing on the internet. I can make a great word document, power point, Smartboard lesson, or a DVD to commemorate the end of the school year. Truly I thought I was doing okay when it came to technology. Boy, have I got a lot to learn!

Web 2.0 for Teaching and Learning has opened my eyes and mind and exposed me to a whole new world that I didn’t know was out there. Yes, I’m still scared to put my name and picture on Facebook and on my blog. I really didn’t want to say where I lived. But I have. I’m okay with it too. It’s about stretching myself as a learner and going out of my comfort zone to learn new things. Isn’t this what we ask of the students we teach each day?

I think about how far I’ve come in a week. What will I know, by this time next week? At the end of the course? I want to explore each of the web tools and hopefully use them in my life, both personally and professionally.
I ask myself:
How will this technological journey assist me to be a better mom, teacher or friend?
How will I incorporate my new knowledge into my teaching and personal life?
What knowledge have I gained that I can share with my colleagues?
How will I expand on what I have learned?

Each week as I reflect on these ideas I invite you to share your own personal journeys and comment on mine.

Where will technology take me in the next day? week?

I am learning about Web Tools that I didn't know existed. I have joined social networking groups that I didn't think I would ever join. Now I am creating my first blog. I will continue to work on this and try to keep my head above water. I might turn out to be a techie yet.