Forrest Gump said that life is like a box of chocolates because you never know what you're going to get, and I think that searching for widgets is also similarly unpredictable, or at least similarly varied. Some of the widgets I looked at were fantastic - I could easily see how they could enrich the content on someone's page, especially if the blog had a specific focus.
On the Project Term blog for our biking trip, for example, we added a weather widget, so that visitors to the page could see what we were doing in Virginia and know instantly what kind of weather we were enjoying (and believe me, we were enjoying it). I think there's a great opportunity for people keeping more personal blogs to use some of the picture widgets to stream photos from Flickr or Picassa so that they don't need to update and add individual images all the time. A music blog would be made more interesting and interactive if a musical widget were added; the multimedia addition could provide real examples of the content that would otherwise be just talked about. On my own blog, I chose the comments widget because I love seeing all the ways that people post, and I like that now I don't have to navigate to individual posts to see the messages and questions other people have left. It's a good time saver.
However, I did see that a lot of the widgets that are out there are just plain stupid. Sure, it's cute to have little fish swimming in a tank on your page, but so what? I don't want to limit anyone's creativity, but I don't get the point of it. Why link to games from your page? Don't you want your visitors to stay and read what you've posted? Maybe I'm being a little persnickety, or maybe I just have a different purpose in blogging than others do, but the sillier widgets seem just distracting - they don't add much value to the blog. I feel like the other projects we've undertaken in the 23 Things have conditioned us to give preference to efficient and concise blogs, those that really embody the "less is more" spirit, and tons of the widgets I saw fly in the face of that.
19 April 2010
Thing 15: Screencast-O-Matic
Screencasts are useful and fun, and ridiculously easy to make. I really couldn't believe how easy it was. I can see immediately how awesome these would be for computer and technology teachers who are constantly having to explain where to navigate a mouse or to open a folder inside a folder inside a folder...
I'm not actually overwhelmed though by the possibilities they have in my classroom. As a literature teacher, I tend to be much more interested in the products that are created on the web than I am in how they're created; screencasts seem like great ways to show a process, but I'm struggling to think of instances in which the process a student completes on her computer would be of interest for me. I'll keep thinking about that one...
Still, I do think that the application is a good one - and I was impressed by how simple it was to make my screencast. Here it is:
I'm not actually overwhelmed though by the possibilities they have in my classroom. As a literature teacher, I tend to be much more interested in the products that are created on the web than I am in how they're created; screencasts seem like great ways to show a process, but I'm struggling to think of instances in which the process a student completes on her computer would be of interest for me. I'll keep thinking about that one...
Still, I do think that the application is a good one - and I was impressed by how simple it was to make my screencast. Here it is:
04 April 2010
Thing 14: Wow
Voicethread is pretty sweet. My mind is racing with ways I can use this in class. Off the top of my head, I like it for topics I want to make sure students look at, but that aren't nearly important enough for class discussions, or when class ends on a Friday afternoon and I want students to weigh in on something quickly because I know they'll forget what they were thinking about by Monday morning. I love it as a way to deal with students who might have to deal with absences (especially extended ones) or unexpected snow days if there's something that an email alone might not cover. I love that it's interactive. I love that different organizations and museums can create their own tutorials about things in their collections. Did you see the New York Public Library's voicethread? I also found a librarian's series of book talks. The possibilities are endless...
I also really like that this might give teachers a way to reach students with different learning styles, who are more auditory than visual, and a great option for dealing with absences or school closings. If a student misses a class, I usually just send her a copy of the Powerpoint (if one was used for notes or to guide discussions) and tell her to read it and check a classmate's notes if there's anything unclear. I'm not sure that really works for everyone. Honestly, I suspect a lot of students rely more heavily on the notes from a peer instead of the file anyway. But if instead I uploaded individual slides and commented on them, to call attention to the extra important ideas, or to share some of the significant responses to questions, that could be a lot more useful.
I will say I had some technical trouble hearing my playback and embedding the file. I was prompted at one point to make sure that no more than two tabs were open in my browser and thought that was a little annoying (who's ever online with only two tabs open?), but overall, my problems were minimal and the site seems pretty user-friendly. I'll definitely be thinking more about how to integrate it in the future.
Without further ado, my first Voicethread:
I also really like that this might give teachers a way to reach students with different learning styles, who are more auditory than visual, and a great option for dealing with absences or school closings. If a student misses a class, I usually just send her a copy of the Powerpoint (if one was used for notes or to guide discussions) and tell her to read it and check a classmate's notes if there's anything unclear. I'm not sure that really works for everyone. Honestly, I suspect a lot of students rely more heavily on the notes from a peer instead of the file anyway. But if instead I uploaded individual slides and commented on them, to call attention to the extra important ideas, or to share some of the significant responses to questions, that could be a lot more useful.
I will say I had some technical trouble hearing my playback and embedding the file. I was prompted at one point to make sure that no more than two tabs were open in my browser and thought that was a little annoying (who's ever online with only two tabs open?), but overall, my problems were minimal and the site seems pretty user-friendly. I'll definitely be thinking more about how to integrate it in the future.
Without further ado, my first Voicethread:
Thing 13: My Very Good Friend, YouTube
Why did I start my post with this video? Two reasons. First, because I think it's pretty much the coolest thing on YouTube; and second, because it's a prime example of how I typically use YouTube - for things that are goofy and entertaining. I suppose in this particular instance, I could make the argument that were I a science teacher or robotics coach or something like that, this could have all kinds of practical and professional applications, but the truth is, in my English classes, it really doesn't. Most of the time I search visit YouTube, it's because I'm looking for a funny video or following a link that my brother or sister sent me. I don't think I'm alone on this one. I mean, haven't we all laughed at that kid coming home from the dentist? And the reel of sports mascots' bloopers? That's good stuff.
But I do see the possibilities for the classroom, and I take advantage whenever I can. Just last week, I used a clip of a documentary about Louis Armstrong in my introduction to my Harlem Renaissance unit. There are a lot of great videos that can fit into literature and history lessons available online. I also like that so many students who've been assigned video projects post them to YouTube, and when they're good, I like to share them with students. Sometimes I even share them when they're bad - it can be a great exercise to have students identify the factual errors in bad presentations. This project, however, is a good one:
TeacherTube and SchoolTube are new to me, but they look like great resources. I already lost a good half hour just checking some stuff out on it, and bookmarked them so I remember to return later on. I'm very excited about some of that, but need to stay focused!
03 April 2010
Thing 12: A Few Reviews
Tada-list? Seriously? Lame. I'm a listmaker, so I had to check this one out, but I'm totally unimpressed. If I'm using it personally, without sharing it with anyone (and I'll get to that in a second), then I see zero advantage to having that list live on the web as opposed to on my desktop as a post-it note, or in my cell phone or even (gasp) on a piece of paper in my pocket, both of which are far more portable. And sharing a personal to do list with others is just a silly idea. I understand that the sharing feature is probably intended more for group projects between co-workers, classmates or teammates, but my sense is that if you're doing that level of online collaboration, then you probably want a site or application that allows for you to do more than just build and check-off a to do list; you want a site that would allow you to share documents and alter files and whatnot, like PBworks or Google Docs. Tada-list would be sadly insufficient. It might be kind of cool if there were ways to search other lists - like, for example, if I was going to visit Boston, and could search for lists of "Best Museums in Boston" or "Best Lobster Rolls in Boston" - but you can't, and anyway, I'd probably have more success using those titles as a bigger google search anyway.
Timetoast, on the other hand, is a-MAZ-ing. I love it. What a great, user-friendly way to create a visual representation of things. I had fun browsing through other users' timelines and searching for things that other people created, and instantly started thinking of potential classroom applications:
Weebly? It's fine, I guess, if you want to create a more individualized blog. Personally, I'm pretty happy with the blogger, and not yet at a point where I feel like I need to be playing with my blog on that level. That said, if I do one day get to that point, it seemed like Weebly was pretty easy to use.
Wordle was interesting. The idea of word webs that are created via an application is neat. It might be a fresh way for students to review their own (and each others') essays. I'm not sure I see tons of really interpretive, critical work that could be done on the site, but it is fun. I uploaded the personal statement I wrote when I applied to my master's program and here's what it spit out:
Pretty cool, huh? It might be challenging to think of really meaningful ways to integrate it in the classroom (instead of fluffier ones), but it's different, and certainly does hold some good possibilities. Look at this one - I entered the text from the first chapter of The Great Gatsby. Seeing which words figure prominently in the chart could help clue students in to ideas and characters that might be important, if I shared this before they began reading. Hmm... I like that.
That's all for now - I want to check out more of the recommended sites, but I need to keep moving on my Things!
ADDENDUM: I was really proud of myself for that Gatsby idea, I'm not gonna lie. So I feel, in the interest of full disclosure, that tonight, while I was searching the English Companion Ning, I found a post from someone who'd already created wordles for all nine of the chapters. I still think the idea is good, but apparently, not all that original...
Timetoast, on the other hand, is a-MAZ-ing. I love it. What a great, user-friendly way to create a visual representation of things. I had fun browsing through other users' timelines and searching for things that other people created, and instantly started thinking of potential classroom applications:
- I could create timelines that represent the eras depicted in literature we're studying to provide historical context.
- Students could create personal timelines instead of typical personal essays.
- Students could create timelines to summarize and highlight important events from stories we read.
Weebly? It's fine, I guess, if you want to create a more individualized blog. Personally, I'm pretty happy with the blogger, and not yet at a point where I feel like I need to be playing with my blog on that level. That said, if I do one day get to that point, it seemed like Weebly was pretty easy to use.
Wordle was interesting. The idea of word webs that are created via an application is neat. It might be a fresh way for students to review their own (and each others') essays. I'm not sure I see tons of really interpretive, critical work that could be done on the site, but it is fun. I uploaded the personal statement I wrote when I applied to my master's program and here's what it spit out:
Pretty cool, huh? It might be challenging to think of really meaningful ways to integrate it in the classroom (instead of fluffier ones), but it's different, and certainly does hold some good possibilities. Look at this one - I entered the text from the first chapter of The Great Gatsby. Seeing which words figure prominently in the chart could help clue students in to ideas and characters that might be important, if I shared this before they began reading. Hmm... I like that.
That's all for now - I want to check out more of the recommended sites, but I need to keep moving on my Things!
ADDENDUM: I was really proud of myself for that Gatsby idea, I'm not gonna lie. So I feel, in the interest of full disclosure, that tonight, while I was searching the English Companion Ning, I found a post from someone who'd already created wordles for all nine of the chapters. I still think the idea is good, but apparently, not all that original...
Thing 11: Social Bookmarking
What I love about Delicious is that it makes it easy to save and organize bookmarks so they're accessible from any computer. I can tag different sites by course or text, and I like that things can be easily cross-referenced, as opposed to placed in just one folder.
The sharing/social dimension of Delicious is great too, at least in theory. I like the potential for a community of people with similar interests to collaborate in building a list of useful resources. It might be a great way for students to assist each other in finding resources that help them make sense of units or texts we're covering in class (although as soon as I write that, I'm imagining all the sites they'd bookmark that I don't want them even looking at, like Sparknotes and Clifs Notes, etc.). And it could certainly help me share info with colleagues as we're planning units.
But what I find extremely frustrating about the site is that it's hard to find that community without a lot of trial and error. The public profiles don't provide a whole lot of information, so it's impossible to search "high school English teachers" and find people that way. When I do come across a site that others have tagged, I don't know whether the users are students looking for essay ideas or teachers who think the material on the site is good for lesson planning. I can start figuring out how reliable or credible I consider other users by looking at the whole list of their bookmarks, but I really wish that process was streamlined a bit.
Furthermore, and it might make me seem like a nitpicker, but I hate that Delicious doesn't automatically open links in a new window. If you're doing a search for something, and you get a big list of things that might be relevant, isn't it common sense that you're going to check out more than one of the sites? I think having to use the back button is annoying, and that it's logical and useful in this context to facilitate easy comparison of sites by opening them in new windows. I recognize users do ultimately have control of this - I know to use the control button when I click on the link to arrange this for myself, but I think that should be the default.
So I like the bookmarking, but think the whole social part of the sharing is only mediocre.
The sharing/social dimension of Delicious is great too, at least in theory. I like the potential for a community of people with similar interests to collaborate in building a list of useful resources. It might be a great way for students to assist each other in finding resources that help them make sense of units or texts we're covering in class (although as soon as I write that, I'm imagining all the sites they'd bookmark that I don't want them even looking at, like Sparknotes and Clifs Notes, etc.). And it could certainly help me share info with colleagues as we're planning units.
But what I find extremely frustrating about the site is that it's hard to find that community without a lot of trial and error. The public profiles don't provide a whole lot of information, so it's impossible to search "high school English teachers" and find people that way. When I do come across a site that others have tagged, I don't know whether the users are students looking for essay ideas or teachers who think the material on the site is good for lesson planning. I can start figuring out how reliable or credible I consider other users by looking at the whole list of their bookmarks, but I really wish that process was streamlined a bit.
Furthermore, and it might make me seem like a nitpicker, but I hate that Delicious doesn't automatically open links in a new window. If you're doing a search for something, and you get a big list of things that might be relevant, isn't it common sense that you're going to check out more than one of the sites? I think having to use the back button is annoying, and that it's logical and useful in this context to facilitate easy comparison of sites by opening them in new windows. I recognize users do ultimately have control of this - I know to use the control button when I click on the link to arrange this for myself, but I think that should be the default.
So I like the bookmarking, but think the whole social part of the sharing is only mediocre.
02 April 2010
Thing 10: Mashups Are...
I like mashups. It's neat to see how different applications can talk to each other and combine forces to make something fun or useful. I really liked this spelling one - it would be a fun way to create interesting titles or headings for posts or on e-invitations. I was also kind of hypnotized by the Color Fields tool and spent a lot of time just looking at the images that showed up as I scrolled through different colors.
I think that one of my favorite websites is a mashup. I use MapMyRun as a training tool to log my exercise and runs. It allows me to map the routes around my neighborhood that I run regularly (or even just once) and not only does it give me a precise distance, it calculates my average rate of speed and calories burned if I enter how long it took me. The mapping tool is really easy to use - it relies on MapQuest. It's also able to import data from the Nike+ site that I use when I'm wearing my shoe sensor. There's a calendar on which I can enter my runs as well as trips to the gym or days I play tennis. It seems like this multi-functionality makes it a mashup. And a darn good one at that.
Those are my thoughts on mashups, but I'm not quite done with this post. The English teacher in me can't ignore something - the guy from zdnet in the video misspelled the word Internet when he wrote it on the board! (He forgot the second e.) I recognize it was probably an oversight rather than an actual ignorance of the word's spelling, but I think that's kind of ridiculous. Jeez.
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