Wha’ppen?

Although I do forsee practical applications for “educators and social networking”, at this point the social side of it escapes me. In viewing the Classroom 2.0 site, I did find several subject areas of discussion tagged for interest, particularly for geography and in the Ning-based, The Global Education Collaborative looked interesting. It’s a good thing we are only skimming at this point, because of all the Web 2.0 sites we have visited the “Social Networking” themed ones seemed to have more connections than the others. It was really overwhelming at this point, but perhaps that is also a reflection of being at the end of ’23 Things” and ready to move on. I included the “Thumbs Up” as a shout-out to Creative Commons, because with their support, instruction, and reflection each task seemed easier to take in.

I check my Google Reader feed updates almost daily, and in anticipation of National Geography Awareness Week for the past few weeks I have been looking for an interesting site to share with my students in the field of map making. While certainly not technologically gimmicky, and definitely not profound, I just had to smile at Hand Drawn Map Association. I encourage you to thumb through a few of these maps created by people like you and me!

What an effective tool Pageflakes has proven to be! I have created a Pageflakes account, and have added the site to my class wiki, under the heading “Are You Aware?” In using Pageflakes I have subscribed to a dozen or so feeds which feature news from around the world. Since my classes have started creating weekly podcasts featuring current events, I find Pageflakes a very realiable and accessible resource to which my students can be directed.

I have just discovered a creative inventive way to communicate with my colleagues, my students, and my friends. Google Docs is user-friendly, it is clean and concise, and most importantly, it is easily accessible to everyone (who has a computer). Although I rarely send out send out emails in which I ask (or expect) m friends to respond in a collaborative measure, I can envision using this feature sometime, perhaps as I plan a social gathering, or am trying to build a list of supplies and materials needed to go on a trip.

More importantly, I can see using Google Docs for many educational purposes. I can send out a link to an educational article, and post a document in which I ask my fellow social studies colleagues to post their responses or interpretations of the article. I could do the same for students, in which I am asking (for a homework assignment) their views on a topic. As the social studies department head I could use the Google Docs spreadsheet to set up a sign up sheet for colleagues to register for the date, time, and class they would like me to visit and to observe their academic presentations. I would also like to send a document to my grade level subject colleague, and ask her to add or delete to a list of vocabulary words and concepts I am putting together for students to review in preparation for their exams.

One of the basic principles on which we begin our class discussions on global issues is “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” as presented by the United Nations.  We’ve often discussed this statement by examining the document, so it was to my surprise that I discovered such a moving, creative, and useful clip on YouTube.  In addition, as I was setting this clip up for embedding, I had not been aware that I could check the settings to include searches that were school (and young adult) appropriate only.  Another tip:  check the Customize button (looks kinda like a gear) and click.  You will find the option to embed your video with a colorized border and (more importantly) you can embed a video without including any of the related videos.  Be careful when you do your searches, and you don’t make this selection.  After the video has finished playing there is an option to view videos that have some sort of (tenuous) relationship with your selected video.  Oftentimes these additional “related videos” are not age-appropropriate nor do they have much to do with your selected video.

On occasion I will search out TeacherTube, but overall I have not been impressed in the educational content value of the videos there, nor have I thought that the production quality (sight and sound) was very good. 

As I stated on my previous post, I have been experimenting with podcast for my classes, ad centered around a current events theme.  Since I wanted to model this podcast, using my instructions on resesearch, reading, scripting, citing, and podcast logistics, I decided to use Garage Band. 

I never knew that the term “podcast” stands for Portable On-Demand Broadcast.  With that admission also comes the fact that I never understood that audio files published to the web did not qualify as a podcast.  I am currently in the steps of getting my classes prepared to create and submit (to the class wiki) a weekly podcast covering topical current events.  So, because my experience with podcasts is very limited, I am extremely interested in podcasts and their RSS feeds, particularly the ones having to do with national and international events.  For that reason I previewed (and subscribed to via iTunes) three podcasts:  CNN Students News, PRI’s The World: Geo Quiz, and PRI’s The World: Global Hits, and PRI: The Changing World. Not only will these be useful in class intstruction, but they can be further used to illustrate examples for the students in their qust to make their own podcasts.

Oh boy- another Social thing with a Web 2.0 theme!  I understand that some users may have a need or desire to participate in a social network as it applies to their choice of books to read.  Many of my friends participate in book clubs, and that’s fine as well.  On a personal level, that is not attractive to me.  I don’t want to read books online and I don’t want to read about books online.  (Well, sometimes I do read book reviews on The New York Times).  I think it would be a bit creepy to find people with similar tastes in books as myself.  Regardless, that’s what libraries and bookstores are for!  Professionally, I see a greater need and a more desirable use of LibraryThing.  What appeals to me is the cataloging with Amazon, the Library of Congress, and other world libraries.  I have attempted searches before on books of curricular interest, and have (usually) come up short.  LibraryThing will certainly come in handy next time I am looking for books with sustainablility themes, or young adult fiction with global issues at the center of the story line.

Okay, I have registered with Delicious, and I understand the concept and benefits of social bookmarking.  Honestly, though, at this time I find no great use for Delicious in my technological world.  I have two computers in use in my life – one at school and one at home (and access on my iPhone).  I don’t have copious amounts of websites bookmarked, so it is no big deal having the same saved websites on school/home computers.  When I travel, I usually take one of these computers along. So, the organization aspect of Delicious?  I just don’t need it.  So what about the “social” aspect? 

The fact is, I do not want to make public my saved websites.  At this point I see not reason to “share” what I personally find of interest.  Okay, let me backtrack – perhaps my grade level colleague might find a website or two of interest, but when that happens I just shoot her an email with the information.  My department members might find a few websites worthy of their perusal, but that’s if they have the time and inclination.  One question about the task ….. if I am to post the del.icio.us link in the post (http://del.icio.us/USERNAME) would that not negate the fact that I want my selections to remain private?

Do I see any benefit to a Delicious account?  Yes, when I want to seek out some resources used by others who have the same curricular interests as myself.  Yes, when I want to use Delicious as an alternative to a Google search.  Perhaps, when I want to share with students bookmarks that I have put together for a class project.  When that time comes along, I will revisit Delicious.