1. Web 2.0 is the popular term used to describe a new generation of Web services and applications with an increasing emphasis on the contribution of the average, unskilled user, and it refers to a sort of second generation of the Internet, where the move is away from static webpages to social media and shareable content.
2. I signed up to do 4shared, but since my new Macbook arrived this weekend, I actually ended up using Dropbox to transfer my files I need for classes.
Dropbox is an online storage space for files and photos and other documents that people use a lot, and want to be able to access on any computer. As long as you have Dropbox installed on the computer you’re using, you can access anything from your other computers that you’ve put into your Dropbox folder. You can also share folders with other people, and share files with them that way.
Increasing productivity:
o Students could use this to collaborate on projects with each other, and share their folder with me so I can check their progress.
o We can use this for group work. I shared a folder with some of my content group, and we plan to share our lesson plans this way when we’re student teaching.
3. Dabbleboard: This is an online, collaborative whiteboard.
Increasing productivity:
o We can use this for our worksamples to make concept maps and flow charts.
o We can make flowcharts with each other for presentations this way, and chat about them, while not even being in the same place.
o Oftentimes, students in language arts classes use concept maps to brainstorm for papers, and map parts of literature, and this could be a good way to get them involved collaboratively.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Google Sheets
Our tool was Google Spreadsheets, which I picked because I've never been very good with Excel, so I figured I should learn about Spreadsheets to make up for this deficiency in my life. It’s essentially the same as Excel, except that it’s free and part of Google Docs online, so it’s automatically better. Also, it can be shared and edited by multiple users at the same time, though if all the users attempt to edit at the same time, chaos ensues. Another little tidbit is that you can plug in Gadgets to your spreadsheet, which other people from the web have coded, though you can code your own Gadget if you have the ability, and add it to the list that people can pull from and embed into their own Sheets.
Increasing productivity and/or enhancing teaching and learning:
o The chat feature enables group members to chat from the comfort of their own homes, increasing their productivity because they don’t have to arrange a time to meet someplace, and don’t have to spend time going anywhere else to work.
o The group can each see for themselves how things work, and chat with each other about how to do different steps, asking for advice if they screw anything up really badly, and being able to go back in the document history to fix major issues.
o In a class, the teacher could show the students how to change something, and they could watch it change right in front of their eyes, and attempt to duplicate the teacher’s action, all in real time, with instant chat feedback from the teacher.
o In planning for events or meetings, each person could insert their idea into the sheet, and people could put their comments in by each idea, so that a sign-up list wouldn’t have to go around, and people wouldn’t have to sit around a table for hours discussing each item and what they think.
My learning curve was not really steep, but it was fairly steep early on when I watched Marta change things around, and then attempted to make changes to our graphs and insert Gadgets myself. Some parts we never figured out, but it really helped to have another group member on when I was trying things, and as we both searched for the way to merge cells together. I contributed to the group in adding ideas about what we could use the Spreadsheet for in terms of meetings and group projects in business, and I also figured out with Marta how to use Gadgets, as well as fixing some parts of our graphs, and figuring out how to merge cells.
Our final project can be found here.
Increasing productivity and/or enhancing teaching and learning:
o The chat feature enables group members to chat from the comfort of their own homes, increasing their productivity because they don’t have to arrange a time to meet someplace, and don’t have to spend time going anywhere else to work.
o The group can each see for themselves how things work, and chat with each other about how to do different steps, asking for advice if they screw anything up really badly, and being able to go back in the document history to fix major issues.
o In a class, the teacher could show the students how to change something, and they could watch it change right in front of their eyes, and attempt to duplicate the teacher’s action, all in real time, with instant chat feedback from the teacher.
o In planning for events or meetings, each person could insert their idea into the sheet, and people could put their comments in by each idea, so that a sign-up list wouldn’t have to go around, and people wouldn’t have to sit around a table for hours discussing each item and what they think.
My learning curve was not really steep, but it was fairly steep early on when I watched Marta change things around, and then attempted to make changes to our graphs and insert Gadgets myself. Some parts we never figured out, but it really helped to have another group member on when I was trying things, and as we both searched for the way to merge cells together. I contributed to the group in adding ideas about what we could use the Spreadsheet for in terms of meetings and group projects in business, and I also figured out with Marta how to use Gadgets, as well as fixing some parts of our graphs, and figuring out how to merge cells.
Our final project can be found here.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Try #2 for classroom blogging
As an English and Language Arts teacher, my entire content area is about writing, analyzing, and discussing, which I think is what blogging is all about. The idea of a classroom blog is exciting to me, because I like the idea of fostering a respectful community for discussion outside the classroom as well as in it, which would perhaps also provide a better outlet for students who grow up learning to type faster than they can write. A classroom blog or forum would be perfect for the students who are like I was in high school, shy about speaking up in class, and afraid of everyone’s scorn when I seemed too smart by answering the teacher’s questions. If the students don’t have to actually speak up in front of each other, they might be able to think more in depth, and answer more in depth about a text or discussion topic. I could also remind students about their assignments, and field questions outside of school in a group setting via the class blog.
One other advantage of a classroom blog would be that I could give each student the same amount of attention while commenting on their post, or their question, which is almost impossible to do in a classroom setting. Depending on the different comfort levels each students has, I could either choose to show the class my responses to each post and make everyone able to comment on each other’s posts and questions, or keep it private for some of the students who don’t want to appear as interested, or desire more privacy from the eyes of their peers when discussing their interests and knowledge.
A good activity that I can imagine assigning each week to my students would be to ask what they think about whichever text we’re working on at that time, and have them post in small groups, and comment on each others posts, which is similar to our activities in our classes during our MAT. Another good group building activity would be for each student to talk about their lives outside of school, and their interests, in the form of a quick write about their families, or about a memory they had growing up. Once they’re more comfortable with each other online, I could ask them to discuss their own personal experiences they’ve had that they feel relate to the text we’re studying, or a topic that we have covered. There are really a lot of ways that I could use a classroom blog. I can only hope that all of my students will have equal access so that I can one day use one.
One other advantage of a classroom blog would be that I could give each student the same amount of attention while commenting on their post, or their question, which is almost impossible to do in a classroom setting. Depending on the different comfort levels each students has, I could either choose to show the class my responses to each post and make everyone able to comment on each other’s posts and questions, or keep it private for some of the students who don’t want to appear as interested, or desire more privacy from the eyes of their peers when discussing their interests and knowledge.
A good activity that I can imagine assigning each week to my students would be to ask what they think about whichever text we’re working on at that time, and have them post in small groups, and comment on each others posts, which is similar to our activities in our classes during our MAT. Another good group building activity would be for each student to talk about their lives outside of school, and their interests, in the form of a quick write about their families, or about a memory they had growing up. Once they’re more comfortable with each other online, I could ask them to discuss their own personal experiences they’ve had that they feel relate to the text we’re studying, or a topic that we have covered. There are really a lot of ways that I could use a classroom blog. I can only hope that all of my students will have equal access so that I can one day use one.
Short biography
My name is Elizabeth Strobel, but I go by Betsy. Elizabeth is what substitute teachers and people who work at the DMV call me, and it always takes me a minute to remember that they mean me. So, call me Betsy.
I graduated from the Oregon State University Honors College with an HBA in English and a minor in Spanish, along with some almost minors in Chemistry and History. I tried to make it in the world for a while as an editor/copy editor, but the print industry started failing, and so I decided to apply for a job at the Legislature for the 2009 session. I made it in as a page in the House of Representatives, which opened my eyes to the inner workings of the political process, which then discouraged me from attempting to involve myself further in politics, but introduced me to a lot of the issues that Oregon and other states face, especially in regards to teachers and the education budget. I then decided that I shouldn’t try for a more selfish career in publishing, and I didn’t think that I would be able to really influence anyone in politics, since everyone pretty much has their minds made up at this point, so I looked to teaching as my way to really change the world for the better. Since I enjoy and sympathize with high schoolers, and I’m so passionate about literature, I decided that teaching high school English would really be a lot of fun. My mother, as an elementary school teacher, made me visit classroom after classroom so I could decide if I really wanted all the stress and pressure, but it still seems like fun, and much more rewarding than any office job could be, ever. I never wanted to be an elementary school teacher, because it’s pretty much impossible to engage elementary age children on the level that I want to communicate knowledge, and I know the most satisfying experience will be helping even a few high school students to think critically, and analyze information that is presented to them.
I’m kind of a nerd, myself. I love books, and I grew up on Star Trek, and I went through college with lots of people who were video game nerds, so I picked up some residual computer gaming habits. I also enjoy music, movies, social dancing, board games, delicious food, and really good conversation. I’ve visited England, Ireland, Scotland, Chile, Mexico, and Canada, and I wish I had the money to travel more. That’s pretty much me in a few paragraphs.
I graduated from the Oregon State University Honors College with an HBA in English and a minor in Spanish, along with some almost minors in Chemistry and History. I tried to make it in the world for a while as an editor/copy editor, but the print industry started failing, and so I decided to apply for a job at the Legislature for the 2009 session. I made it in as a page in the House of Representatives, which opened my eyes to the inner workings of the political process, which then discouraged me from attempting to involve myself further in politics, but introduced me to a lot of the issues that Oregon and other states face, especially in regards to teachers and the education budget. I then decided that I shouldn’t try for a more selfish career in publishing, and I didn’t think that I would be able to really influence anyone in politics, since everyone pretty much has their minds made up at this point, so I looked to teaching as my way to really change the world for the better. Since I enjoy and sympathize with high schoolers, and I’m so passionate about literature, I decided that teaching high school English would really be a lot of fun. My mother, as an elementary school teacher, made me visit classroom after classroom so I could decide if I really wanted all the stress and pressure, but it still seems like fun, and much more rewarding than any office job could be, ever. I never wanted to be an elementary school teacher, because it’s pretty much impossible to engage elementary age children on the level that I want to communicate knowledge, and I know the most satisfying experience will be helping even a few high school students to think critically, and analyze information that is presented to them.
I’m kind of a nerd, myself. I love books, and I grew up on Star Trek, and I went through college with lots of people who were video game nerds, so I picked up some residual computer gaming habits. I also enjoy music, movies, social dancing, board games, delicious food, and really good conversation. I’ve visited England, Ireland, Scotland, Chile, Mexico, and Canada, and I wish I had the money to travel more. That’s pretty much me in a few paragraphs.
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