VoiceThread Implementation Plan

Very Last Thing

Dear Raven Web 2.0 Team,

Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to complete this journey. I have learned a great deal and used what I have learned to make a difference in the way that I teach. Your thoughtful comments have been helpful and encouraging and I have recommended this online credit course to many of my colleagues. At the beginning of this adventure I had no idea there were so many educational Web 2.o tools that I could use to enhance curriculum and now that my journey is nearly over, I am a little saddened that it is all coming to an end. This course has really reignited the spark within me to show my students that I too am a lifelong learner.

My sincere Thanks,
Joni

Week 9: "Thing 23" Continued...

I like that Creative Commons provides an easy way for anyone to safeguard work and/or allow others to use what has been created; the copyright power is put into the hands of the creator and because the website is user-friendly, obtaining a copyright license is no longer a daunting or cumbersome task.

I thought the You Tube video A Fair(y) Use Tale was very clever, plus I love Disney so it was fun to watch. It also served as a good reminder about how easily copyright laws are broken and how important it is for everyone to join the cause and respect copyright laws. I have to admit though, I found myself thinking more about the Disney movies a couple of times than the copyright message. Can you blame me? It was a fun walk down memory lane.

Week 9: "Thing 23"

I was first introduced to the concept of Creative Commons in a one credit class entitled 21st Century Tools for 21st Century Schools taught by Martina Henke. She played the following Teacher Tube video for us...

Week 9: "Thing 22"

I explored the World eBook Fair site and I found the collection to be severely outdated. I spent quite a bit of time in the children's collection and I knew some of the title's such as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Rabbit, and Bambi. However, I could not see myself or my students putting this resource to good use unless it is updated and offers more recent titles and authors.

An eBook option that is available to educators that I put to good use is Tumblebooks! My students love it!

This is not a free site but I think it is well worth the money to buy a school subscription. Some of the features I love most about the site are:
-the eBooks target childrens' interests
-the eBooks can be read aloud to the student
-the eBooks are recent and by popular authors
-there are eBooks for ELL students (French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Russian)
-after listening to an eBook a student can take a comprehension quiz
-there is a pre-made template to help students when writing a book report
-there are educational games and puzzles that are extensions of the eBooks
-the eBooks are leveled to target the students' reading ability
-book reviews are available for each eBook
-accelerated reader information is available for each eBook
-there is an excellent educator's resource section and lesson plans that accompany some eBooks
-students and/or teachers can create a favorites list and a playlist

The image below shows a variety of Tumble options available to students.
The following image (click to enlarge) displays the useful tools that accompany an eBook.

Week 9: "Thing 21" Continued...

Some podcasts that I am interested in after searching...

http://www.podquiz.com/rss.php
(I need to get better at answering random quiz questions correctly - I know the 'king of trivia' and he rubs in the fact that I have a severe deficiency in this area. I added this one to my RSS Feed.)

http://alaska.org/podcast/
(What a great way to track the 'last great race' with your class!)

http://www.discovery.com/radio/podcasts.html
(I especially am interested in the Shark Week and Dirty Jobs podcasts)

As I mentioned below, I am new to podcasts but excited to start taking advantage of them and their convenience.

Week 9: "Thing 21"

The video embedded below entitled Podcasting in Plain English was very helpful in explaining what exactly a podcast is. The 411 on podcasting is an interest of mine as of late because I am required to create a podcast with my Kincaid TTL 6 team to report the findings of our grant results.

Week 9: "Thing 20" Continued...

I have had a Teacher Tube account for over a year now but I have not made good use of it. After spending some time searching the site a little I have a better idea of how to use it. I could...
-play a video linked to curriculum we are studying to grab my students attention and get them to engage
-embed video on my class blog to educate parents
-enhance curriculum and make it come to life by playing video that touches on the topic we are learning about
-revisit the site often to get fresh ideas on how to infuse technology into my daily lesson plans in an enriching way

I chose to embed the video entitled Did You Know? on my blog to serve as a constant reminder to me that there is a shift occurring in education due to the rapid evolution of technology and as a teacher I must embrace this and prepare my students for the future.

Week 9: "Thing 20"

Week 8: "Thing 19.1"

I was introduced to the Alaska Digital Pipeline last year at ASDSA when I began my training process as a TTL grant participant. It looked like a great tool at that time but I did not have much of an opportunity to check it out.

As I explored the Digital Pipeline this time, I found it somewhat hard to navigate but I realize that I am still learning how to best put it to use.

I found it easy to create an EBSCO account, do a search (I searched the iditarod), and save some of the articles to my folder.

I had trouble creating a search alert and a journal alert, even after examining the EBSCO support link provided.

As I searched the database for professional journals I found many that I recognized such as NEA Today, Education Canada, and Education Digest.

As I looked at the differences between the Kids, Middle, and High School Interfaces I found:
-all three interfaces had a facts for learning link
-all three interfaces had some sort of search option
-all three interfaces had a NoveList
-all three interfaces had live homework help

However as I searched the three interfaces I noticed that they incrementally offered more choices as the grade level increased which makes sense as older students are able to critique information found on the internet in more appropriate and safe ways.

When I explored the Consumer Health Pamphlets I did a search on picky eaters as I have a 19 month old daughter who just happens to fit that description and the following three resources were offered. When I have more time to dedicated to this task I am hoping these resources will help me better understand my daughter's eating habits.
When I checked out the Consumer Health Images and Diagrams I found an awesome diagram of the eye. I think this link could be of great use to the health teachers within the Anchorage School District. I will definitely be passing it on to our school health teacher.
When I explored the Consumer Health Videos and Animations I discovered a video called Helping Overweight Children.

After watching the Flash Movie explaining the upcoming changes to the EBSCO Host interface I am excited about the following upcoming features and changes to the site...
-the simplified search screen
-the breadcrumb trail
-being able to limit searches by date
-images related to searches being offered
-the ability to quickly preview related images

Lastly, I had to check out the small engine repair category. Now the next time I talk with my brother who lives in Canada and works at a John Deere factory I can "WOW!!!" him with my knowledge of how to repair a John Deere 1050 engine and clutch system.

(Displayed above (click to enlarge): Page 1 of 9 of the light reading I recently required on how to fix a John Deere 1050 engine and clutch system. Yeah... I will get right on that!)

Week 8: "Thing 19"

I loved LibraryThing. It was easy to sign up for a free account and get started searching for some of my all time favorite books to read aloud to my students.

On my blog library shelf you will see...

Charlotte's Web - I love to read this book aloud to my class. It is a book of true friendship, life lessons that can be hard to swallow, and fun times on the farm.

Frindle - I have not read this book aloud to my first grade students but I remember it being one of my favorites to listen to. I love the way this book shows students just how powerful words can be.

Julia Donaldson's (my newest favorite author) books...

Gruffalo- a fun book about a tricky mouse who outsmarts three woodland creatures, and one not-so-imaginery Gruffalo, who want to gobble him up.

Gruffalo's Child- a book to follow the one listed above with a little twist, this time the Gruffalo is not the big and bad one, instead the mouse fills those shoes.

The Snail and the Whale- a book about a snail who feels small and insignificant in relation to the rest of the world but finds out he is capable of making a very big impact.

The Fish Who Cried Wolf- a fun story about a little fish who tells big tales and one day finds himself in over his head without help because of the tales he spins.

Room on the Broom- an enjoyable story where a witch and her animal friends help one another and find that true friends stick together through good times and bad.

The Spiffiest Giant in Town- a heartwarming story that shows children if you are kind to others kindness will come back to you.

I can't wait to add this Web 2.0 tool to my class blog. I think it would be a powerful way to keep parents up to date as to what we are reading aloud as a class and then parents could check them out of the library and provide these familiar books to their child to read at home. We could also use our library shelf on our class blog as a way to display our top ten favorite class read alouds!

Week 8: "Thing 18" My First Zoho Experience

My First Zoho Experience

This is my first time using Zoho.com.  Please pardon the extreme formating - I am having fun playing with Zoho's features!  I have heard a great deal about online word processors in the tech circles that I dabble in as of late, especially Google Docs, however I have not yet had time to satisfactorily explore these web 2.0 tools.

I am excited to be working in Zoho for the first time; it is extremely user-friendly and has a nice amount of formatting options.  I am creating this document as a requirement of an online course that I am a taking called "Raven About Web 2.o Tools."  I have found this class to be extremely beneficial in introducing me to a number of useful Web 2.0 tools that I can use as a teacher to enhance my students' learning experiences.

I am aslo in the middle of taking a class entitled "Digital Media and 21st Century Students, Creating Engaged Learners."  During our next class session we will be exploring Google Docs and one of the class projects will require that we collaborate and create a Google Doc with a number of other class participants.

I have enjoyed using Zoho and after this fun and easy experience, I will definitely use it again, as well as promote its use to other educators!   (Translation: I have enjoyed using Zoho and after this fun and easy experience, I will definitely use it again, as well as promote its use to other educators!)

Until next time,
Joni Matthews

Week 7: "Thing 17"

I am so glad that one of the discovery exercises for this class was to explore the Learning 2.0 Sandbox.

I found it to be an extremely useful resource as it is a place to go for cutting edge ideas I can use in my classrooom, collaboration with other tech savvy educators, and professional development to continue my journey as a life long learner.

I added my own personal experiences with Blogger in the blogging section of the sandbox. I felt it was important to pass on my experiences with Blogger as it has dramatically affected student motivation and parent communication in my classroom this year.

Week 7: "Thing 16"

Before this Discovery Exercise I knew very little about wiki's.
My first attempt to view a wiki resulted in the below image.

I was a little confused as to how peanut butter and jelly sandwiches connected to the wiki world but I came to the conclusion that the above image was just a global wiki update alert. A quick google search helped me to understand that "PeanutButterWiki or PBwiki is a commercial wiki farm started by three graduates of Stanford University: David Weekly, Ramit Sethi, and Nathan Schmidt." However it is still a mystery to me as to why the three graduate students chose to create a wiki farm named after a popular type of sandwich enjoyed by small children (maybe it was the only thing they had to eat as once poor college students).

After visiting the BookLoversWiki I found out that "The term Wiki comes from the Hawaiian word wiki wiki which means quick. A wiki is a kind of website that is written collaboratively and that multiple people can edit easily and quickly."

The website entitled Library Successdefined a wiki as a collaborative catalyst and stated...
"A wiki allows a group of people to collaboratively develop a Web site with no knowledge of HTML or other markup languages. Anyone can add to or edit pages in a wiki -- it is completely egalitarian. Anyone can create new wiki pages simply by creating a new link with the name of the page. Pages are connected not hierarchically, but by hyperlinks between pages.

According to the creator of Wiki, Ward Cunningham, wikis can be identified by the following characteristics:

* "A wiki invites all users to edit any page or to create new pages within the wiki Web site, using only a plain-vanilla Web browser without any extra add-ons."
* "Wiki promotes meaningful topic associations between different pages by making page link creation almost intuitively easy and by showing whether an intended target page exists or not."
* "A wiki is not a carefully crafted site for casual visitors. Instead, it seeks to involve the visitor in an ongoing process of creation and collaboration that constantly changes the Web site landscape."

I found the above definition helpful because with all of the Web 2.0 tools I have been exploring as a requirement of this class, it is my goal to identify the specific purpose of each tool and then learn how to use it in collaboartion with the other Web 2.0 tools I have already learned about.

I am currently addicted to Blogger and maintain a class blog for my first grade students and parents in an attempt to motivate students to do their best work, as well as keep parents well-informed. As I explored the usefulness of wiki's, I could quite easily brainstorm curriculum connections for using a wiki with my students and linking it to my class blog.

For example:
* Idea #1: A collaborative project on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln - In honor of President's Day our class has been studying the lives of Washington and Lincoln. Every student could add something that they learned about each former President to our class wiki.
* Idea #2: Create a "Top 10" List - Our class could brainstorm and come up with a list of our favorite "Top 10" books to read aloud and post it to our wiki. We could update the list as it changed throughout the school year.
* Idea #3: Mission Trading Cards - Each student in my class could create a trading card from Big Huge Labs at the beginning of the school year, upload it to the class wiki, and then share it with their peers in order to get to know one another better and build community and foster friendships within the classroom.

Week 6: "Thing 15"

After reading the articles, Away From Icebergs and To a Temporary Place in Time, I must agree that the days of cuddling up with a good book in front of a big library window are over. Instead, these days you see people at the book store sipping on specialty coffees and typing furiously on their laptops.

The Away From Icebergs (written by Rick Anderson) article was surprisingly interesting and upbeat; the article title lead me to believe that the content would be a little bit more "icy" and undesirable. The message that I received after considering Rick Anderson's viewpoint though was not that libraries will soon be extinct but rather that libraries and librarians still have a place in this world, there are just some changes that need to be made.

Anderson explains that there a three main icebergs that libraries and librarians need to stay away from in order to remain afloat.

Iceberg 1 - there is no longer a need for the "just in case" collection. Anderson explains that "It no longer makes sense to collect information products as if they were hard to get. They aren’t. In fact, it may no longer make sense to “collect” in the traditional sense at all. In my library, we’ve seen a 55 percent drop in circulation rates over the past twelve years, making it harder and harder to justify the continued buildup of a large “just in case” print collection. As a Web 2.0 reality continues to emerge and develop, our patrons will expect access to everything – digital collections of journals, books, blogs, podcasts, etc. You think they can’t have everything? Think again. This may be our great opportunity."

Iceberg 2 - library success is reliant on user education. Anderson says that "Libraries are poorly equipped and insufficiently staffed for teaching. Ask yourself what your patron-to-librarian ratio is (at the University of Nevada it’s about 680 to 1) and then ask yourself how you’re going to train all those patrons. We need to focus our efforts not on teaching research skills but on eliminating the barriers that exist between patrons and the information they need, so they can spend as little time as possible wrestling with lousy search interfaces and as much time as possible actually reading and learning."

Iceberg 3 - the "come to us" model of library service must change. Anderson suggests that "There was a time, not very long ago, when libraries exercised something close to monopoly power in the information marketplace. During the print era, if you wanted access to pricey indexes or a collection of scholarly journals, you had no choice but to make a trip to the library. It wasn’t a good system, but it worked. Sort of. That is to say, it worked moderately well for those privileged with access to a good library. In the post-print era, libraries no longer have the monopoly power that they had in the days before the Internet. We have to be a bit more humble in the current environment, and find new ways to bring our services to patrons rather than insisting that they come to us—whether physically or virtually."

I agree with Anderson and the viewpoint he expresses in his article. I think that the life span of the traditional library is almost up but that libraries can remain strong and prosperous, it is just a matter of changing the way things have been done in the past to better fit the needs of the future reader.

The article entitled To A Temporary Place in Time (written by Dr. Wendy Schultz) was helpful as it provided a basic definition for the traditional library but also went on to explain how the library has changed as the world wide web have evolved.

I found it interesting to reflect on the ways Dr. Wendy Schultz explained the value of the library as well as its life stages...

Dr. Schultz proposes "Libraries are not just collections of documents and books, they are conversations, they are convocations of people, ideas, and artifacts in dynamic exchange. Libraries are not merely in communities, they are communities: they preserve and promote community memories; they provide mentors not only for the exploration of stored memory, but also for the creation of new artifacts of memory." As well as that "Librarians today are not just inventory management biobots: they are people with a unique understanding of the documents they compile and catalog, and the relationships among those documents."

Stage 1: Traditional Library
Dr. Schultz asks "What was the library of the past? A symbol of a society that cared about its attainments, that treasured ideas, that looked ahead multiple generations. Librarians were stewards, trainers, intimate with the knowledge base and the minds who produced it."

Stage 2: Library 1.0 - Commodity
Dr. Schultz maintains that in the beginning libraries were just a source of commodity, for example, "The library from Alexandria to the industrial era: Books are commodities, collected, inventoried, categorised and warehoused within libraries. Libraries represent a resource base, contributing to educating the labour force, to supporting innovation processes fueling growth, and to informing the present and the future—whether in the neighborhood, in academia, or in business."

Stage 3: Library 2.0 - Product
Dr. Schultz believes that commodity then leads to product distribution and that librarians need to consider "How should the library package its commodity—books—as products in an environment which disintermediates, dematerialises, and decentralises? Chad and Miller’s essay, and the debates and conversations around it, raise this question and answer it with the characteristics of our emerging information infrastructure: the library is everywhere, barrier-free, and participatory."

Stage 4: Library 3.0 - Web 3D to Library 3D - Service
Dr. Schultz explains that we wil "arrive at virtual collections in the 3D world, where books themselves may have avatars and online personalities. But the avalanche of material available will put a premium on service, on tailoring information to needs, and on developing participatory relationships with customers. So while books may get in your 3D face all by themselves, people will prefer personal introductions—they will want a VR info coach. Who’s the best librarian avatar? How many Amazon stars has your avatar collected from satisfied customers? This could create librarian “superstars” based on buzz and customer ratings. People will collect librarians rather than books—the ability not just to organise, but also to annotate and compare books and other information sources, from a variety of useful perspectives."

Stage 5: Library 4.0 - The Neo Library - Experience
Dr. Schultz then predicts that this stage "will be the library for the aesthetic economy, the dream society, which will need libraries as mind gyms; libraries as idea labs; libraries as art salons. But let’s be clear: Library 4.0 will not replace Libraries 1.0 through 3.0; it will absorb them. The library as aesthetic experience will have space for all the library’s incarnations: storage (archives, treasures); data retrieval (networks—reference rooms); and commentary and annotation (salon). Available as physical places in the library “storefront,” they will also be mobile, as AR overlays we can view (via glasses, contacts, projections) anywhere. Both virtual and augmented 3D reality will enable us to manipulate data via immersive, visual, metaphorical, sculptural, holographic information theatres: the research and analytic experience will merge with drawing, dance and drama."

I found the detailed descriptions that this article offered explaining the ways in which traditional libraries have already morphed as technology has evolved within our society to be interesting and accurate. I appreciated Dr. Schultz's predictions for the future of the library and now feel motivated to keep up to date on this topic in order to best be able to meet the needs of students in the future of education.

As Dr. Schultz wraps up her article she ends with an invitation, "I'll meet you there." I have always loved the library (as a small child and even now as an adult) and I am excited for the changes that will occur. I look forward to many rewarding library experiences as the world continues to change throughout my lifetime.

Week 6: "Thing 14"

Technorati was not as user-friendly or helpful as I had hoped. After an ample amount of exploration time at the site I grew a little frustrated and a lot disappointed.

The first thing I did on the Technorati site was create an account. I was immediately put off because I had to create a member name that would be different than the standard username I try to maintain for simplicity purposes, it has an underscore and Technorati policy will only allow a username made up of letters and numbers.

The second thing I attempted to do was claim my blog. However, I kept getting the following error message...
Click the above image to enlarge it; the message is somewhat comical. "Backend issues" sounds like a personal problem.

After three failed attempts at claiming my blog, I decided to search for a blog on one of my failed passions... knitting (so many things change after you have a baby). I thought finding an interesting knitting blog might help me be bitten by the knitting bug again. However, after searching and scrolling between at least five pages of results, I didn't find much that caught my eye. The experience was not a total loss though as I did manage to find a few knitting blogs of interest. I am guilty of juding a blog by its name and the ones mentioned below I found enticing...
1. Too Many Scarves (this blog had really interesting crafting ideas)
2. Yarn Harlot (this is a blog one of my good friends follows and now I can enjoy it too)
3. Knitting Pirate (the author of this blog is witty and I enjoy her sarcasm)

In closing, I have decided that I will give Technorati a second chance to display its usefulness to me and attempt to claim my blog once more.

Week 6: "Thing 13"

The social bookmarking site De.licio.us came into my life just at the right time... my firefox bookmark toolbar and sidebar were completely full and I was getting pretty annoyed with scrolling through and attempting to find the link I desired.

Three days ago while attending a technology conference, I overheard two teachers talking about De.licio.us and after about a half an hour of exploring (I admit it - I was totally off task during the tech conference presentation), I was hooked.

I created an account and I even figured out how to add tags to my bookmarks and bundle my tags into tag clouds!

Just to show off I am including a screen shot of my beautifully organized Del.icio.us toolbar.

Thank you Del.icio.us; you help me keep my O.C.D tendencies in check.


Click on the screen shot to enlarge it and view the beauty of pure and honest organization.

As I explored the SJLibraryLearning2 Del.icio.us link I found an interesting article written by Sean P. Aune on a site called Mashable that claims it is 'all that's new on the web'. The title of the article is "35 Tools for Teachers, Tutors, and Students" and it is a wonderful resource for educators; I cannot wait to share it with my colleagues. Out of the 35 tools that Aune listed and described, I am most interested in further exploring...

HotChalk.com a site where I can network with other educators and hopefully attain fresh new lesson plan ideas.

4Teachers.org
a site that has a vast amount of useful teacher tools, including a Family of Tools feature that includes links to Quizstar and Rubistar which are online quiz and rubric generators.

Week 5: "Thing 12"

I did not have to create an account in Voicethread for this discovery exercise; I have had one for the past year now. I find Voicethread to be a powerful teaching tool as it provides my students the opportunity to publish their work, comment on their peers' work, and learn to give as well as receive compliments and constructive criticism. I appreciate that Voicethread offers the option of keeping the students' work private but that parents, grandparents, other extended family, and friends can be invited to view the work and even record comments.

Below is a sample of our first class Voicethread project. The objective of this project was for each student to illustrate a letter of the alphabet in order to create an alphabet book and then I recorded each letter name and sound.



My class and I are currently working on a unit of instruction focusing on Alaskan Animals. It is our goal to complete our research and illustration of each animal, upload the animal photos to Voicethread, and then have each student comment on the animal they studied.

Week 5: "Thing 11" #3

Travel Challenge

Harder Than I Expected

Hopeful 'Vacuous Digressions' Author Skips This Post

His Score Phenomenal

My Score Embarrassing

The Ball Has Been Dropped

Will Update When Achieve Better Score

Don't Hold Your Breath

Week 5: "Thing 11" #2

Since I became a TTL (Technology Teacher Leader) grant participant I have been immersed in professional development opportunities.

I am currently taking a class from my dear friend Martina Henke. I first met her when I was interviewing for my teaching position; she was a member of the hiring committee that brought me on board with Kincaid Elementary School. We taught together for five years before she decided to move onto bigger and better things and is now a professional development provider for the technology department within the Anchorage School District.

The class that I am taking and that Martina is teaching, is entitled '21st Century Tools for 21st Century Learners - Kincaid Technology Class' and as a requirement of the class I am an active member of a Ning (for proof click here).

After attending the Anchorage School District TTL Spring Training Opportunity this week and speaking with many other teachers who are at the K - 2 level within the Anchorage School District, it is my goal to set up a Ning for primary teachers to share ideas and support one another district-wide.

I think I should ask my dear friend Martina to help me with this.

Week 5: "Thing 11" #1

I chose to explore the Web 2.0 tool Hairmixer. I found the tool while searching on the SEOmoz's Web 2.0 Awards List. The site received the second place award in the "fun stuff" category.

My overall feeling? I was looking for fun and I found it. However, the tool was quite difficult to use. Once I had completed my hair mixing and was ready to save my photo, I could not figure out how to start that process and the site did not offer much help. Then once I finally succeeded in saving it (I think), I couldn't find where the photo was saved and therefore I couldn't upload to my blog. I ended up taking screen shots of my favorite photos and then uploading them as pictures through blogger. Another annoying characteristic of the site was that it often timed out or brought up a blank screen message containing the word 'forbidden.'

Regardless of the few frustrating moments, the site provided me with many big belly laughs!

Can you guess the celebrity hairstyle I am sporting? Answers located at the bottom of the post.


P


Answers (from top to bottom): Lindsay Lohan, Taylor Swift, Tyra Banks, Paris Hilton, and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Week 5: "Thing 10" #5

I love imagechef.com! If you haven't bookmarked it yet - do it now!

As you can tell from my other Week 5 posts (#'s 1 through 4) I had an extremely fun time creating images on imagechef.com.

The site was super easy to use, offered a vast amount of choices, and provided an easy step by step process to walk you through transferring the generated image to blogger.

I can't wait to share this online image generator with my friends, students, and colleagues.

Week 5: "Thing 10" #4

I am currently attending the Anchorage School District's TTL (Teacher Technology Leader) Spring Conference so the above image just seemed appropriate.

Week 5: "Thing 10" #3

This image reminds me of my goal as a lifelong learner.

Week 5: "Thing 10" #2

I am not sure the above image needs any explanation. I think it is obvious - I am one proud mom.