Thing #6 - iTouch Apps

When my library received its 12 iTouches last December, it was my first exposure to this Web 3.0 mobile device. They are so cool! As is often the case, many of my students already knew how to use them and were familiar with several of the apps I have loaded. So far, I've only downloaded free apps, but there are so many of those, it's quite sufficient for starters. Downloading was very easy and I've even mastered the syncing process, which I do about once a week to keep the selection on every iTouch consistent and to delete the "extra" apps that students seem to be able to sneak on! Aside from all the fun "game" apps, there are many educational opportunities for using iTouches at school. The iTouch is definitely a cross-curricular tool as it has great apps in all areas - science, social studies, math, language arts, music, fine arts, etc. It can be used for research purposes, for note-taking, for watching videos, listening to and creating original music, creating podcasts, a quick reference source, tutorials/flashcards, micro-blogging, and much more. Here's a link to a comprehensive list of ways to use your iTouch for educational purposes:

http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/story.php?itemID=16472

One of my continuing concerns about using iTouches with classes though is how to prevent theft. I've already had one "stolen" although fortunately, I noticed it was missing right away and was able to work with the classroom teacher and administration to recover it within 30 minutes (even though he had managed to peel off all labels and barcodes, my little thief neglected to notice that the name "Spring Branch ISD" was engraved on the back of the iTouch!!). While I fully understand we want the new technology to be available, visible and in use at all times, there's no way I can be engaged in teaching and at the same time have my eyes on all 12 iTouches. Any suggestions for monitoring ideas would be appreciated.

Thing #5 - Micro-Blogging and Backchannleing

I've had a Facebook account for about a year now, but I must admit, I rarely post anything to it (my life is too boring!). I'm also leery of getting too involved in something that can consume precious hours out of every day like it has for many of my friends and co-workers. I'm not sure what application Facebook could have to elementary schools due to age restrictions (I've heard you have to be 13 to participate) and due to concerns about safety and privacy issues.

I have yet to jump into the world of Twitter. Before reading all the interesting links about Twitter in 11.5 Things, I thought Twitter was just an avenue for people to write totally mundane things about what they were doing at a particular point in time (i.e. I'm taking out the trash now :-( ). Unfortunately, some Twitter users still do this, but more and more it seems that Twitter is being used for sharing valuable information in real time. In my 11.5 Things research, I've learned that libraries can use Twitter to send out short messages to tell patrons about special events, new books, or changes in schedules. It was also suggested that librarians could send out a tweet-a-day on the latest tip for accessing information or a new application of technology. It can also be a great way to share ideas and request instant feedback from trusted followers. These all sound like worthwhile applications of Twitter and are going on my "to-do" list to follow up on.

Back-channeling is something that I was very impressed with when I saw it in action at a couple of training classes I attended. I particularly like the "TinyChat" version as it is easy to set up and provides more security by deleting all the chat data once the session is over. Back-channeling allows for participant interaction as a presentation is happening. Participants can share questions, compare reactions and express ideas without having to speak out loud or interrupt the presenter. There is the risk of participants getting off task, but the advantage of engaging everyone outweighs that risk in my opinion.

Thing #4 - YouTube

Both YouTube and TeacherTube are loaded with really useful teaching resources. Both YouTube and TeacherTube are loaded with junk - therein lies the problem! The hard part is finding the time to look through all of them to sort the wheat from the chaff. I have spent hours previewing videos and have found both good and bad examples of the use of this tool. Another problem is getting past the firewalls that block a lot of these resources. YouTube and TeacherTube are great ways to share ideas and resources and showcase your students' work. Another caution is to make sure you have authorization to use your students' photographs online. If all the planets are aligned, this Web 2.0 tool can be a real motivator for the students to bring out their creativity and build their self-esteem. I downloaded an Animoto I posted on YouTube as my first attempt at "going public"! I hope it works!

Thing #3 - Skype

Skype is basically an online video conferencing tool that allows parties to make audio and video connections over long distances for free! It would be a real money saver for coordinating author visits or setting up "web" pals for students to share their unique cultural differences with students in other states or even countries (as long as the time zones aligned!). I've used Skype once already to facilitate a book study between one of my 3rd grade bilingual classes and a comparable class at another Srping Branch school. It was great and the kids really enjoyed it - they said they felt like they were on TV! Both classes had read the same book and prepared comprehension questions in advance of the Skype call to ask each other. Each student got a chance to be on-screen to ask their question and then students from the other class got to pick someone to answer the question. Skype helps the students work on their verbal skills as well as boosts their confidence as a "presenter".

Thing #2c - Bookr

Bookr worked great! It's a fast, easy way for students to create simple online books for sharing with others. The built-in feature for importing pictures from Creative Commons ensures students won't be violating any copyright laws when they create their products.

Thing #2b - Wordle

Wordle is a fun way to graphically display a group of words. I've used it with elementary students to supplement reports on animals (where they write the name of their animal several times to make it the biggest word on the wordle and then type in words to describe all its characteristics). Another possible academic use of Wordle is to identify main ideas or recurring themes in a short story by copying and pasting the text of the story into a Wordle and seeing which words are the biggest (i.e. repeated most often in the text). Students enjoy the opportunity to use their artistic talents to modify the layouts and color schemes. I just wish we had color printers to publish their final products!

Here's a Wordle I made of the text to Green Eggs and Ham (there are only 50 unique words in the whole book!)

Thing #2a - Glogster

Glogster is a cool online poster tool that allows users to add photos, videos, sound, hyper links and text. It can be embedded in a wiki and viewers can leave comments on others' glogs. I think this would be a refreshing option for student to use in place of the traditional tag board poster reports.

Well, I made a glog about Valentine's Day and included a video from YouTube. Unfortunately, I spent over 30 minutes (with the help of a fellow librarian) and I still couldn't get my glog to embed in my blog. I'll have to revisit this later - it's very frustrating!

Well I tried again - and now it works! Hooray! I'm making progress!