ok, so web20classroom on twitter has some pretty awsome tweets these days. In his latest tweet he references a blog about how to use Skype in the classroom (http://bit.ly/93vQ8r). Skype is a program that is free to download online. Once downloaded you can search for people by name. After you add contacts to your skpye, you can call that person up (if they are online), and being to chatt face to face. They can not only hear you(like a cell phone), but they can also see you. It is real time, and instantaneous. For example, you could be in Spain talking and seeing someone in the United States. This particular article focuses on the many ways that skype can be used in teaching/the classroom/etc: Here are some of my favorite suggestions for teachers, espcially English and Language Arts:Visit teachingdegree.org or the above link to view all the suggestions:
1Chat with an author of a book read in class via Skype
2)Virtual fieldtrips:
3)Interviews
4)Guest Lectures
I had never before thought about using Skype within the classroom until I read this blog. Currently I use skype to connect with family and friends across the United States while in college, but I think there is so much more to this software than that. Can you imagine what this type of technology would have been like when you were in highschool. I would have loved to chat with my favorite author face to face. I would have loved to visit places vis. vitural tours that I knew I wouldn't be able to get to. I think the wave of this type of technology has finally started to filtar into the classroom, and I can't imagine what's next. Who knows, but maybe in 10 years students will be doing far more advanced things with technology than we every dreamed.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Blog on Keeping Technology from Taking You Over
In a recent blog posted by Lori Deschene called, "7 Tips to Keep Techology from taking over your life" @ http://bit.ly/9IpDCN (posted on twitter by Web20@classroom), several tips are given for ways to keep technology under control. Below are some of the tips she gave that I really wanted to share with you bloggers:
1. "Make deliberate choices about time." Lori gives the example of email and that instead of spending hours and hours answering tons of emails that people send you, focus on the really impotant ones. Sometimes it can take so much time to respond to all the emails that are sent to us. We should make smart choices in regards to the time we spend with this type of technology as it tends to consume alot of our time if we are not careful. She goes on to mention that we get a surge of pleasure in our brain when we see we have new messages in our inbox. Instead of resorting to this type of pleasure we should do other things to enjoy life.
2. "Box out time to put technology away." We should always space out time for other things besides technology, whether it be fun outdoor activites or simply choosing some other form of entertainment.
3. "Remember: the most precious thing you can give someone is your presence."
Developing actual relationships can never be replaced with bloggins, facebooking, tweeting, or any other form of online communication. Real one on one contact just seems better in all forms. I really agree with this statement. While I do think alot of these online communcation tools are really positive, I do think balance is very important in life.
4. "Be mindful of your reasons for connecting to technology." We should be aware of why we are using certain programs. Is it for "stimulation, confirmation, connection, to avoid anxiety, excape, etc"
5. "Get the most important things done and let go of the rest." She argues that its ok to leave some pieces of technology alone at the end of the day, to leave emails in the inbox, etc. We don't have to fee anxiety over finishing certain activities online, as there are more important things to do.
6. "Make minimal commitments to yourself for a clear mental space." Lori suggests setting specific days/times to be involved with technology. In my opinion, we should not feel like we are enslaved to it but rather its purpose is to supplement our lives, not overtake our daily actions.
7. "Track your day’s presence in battery life." She explains that if you charge your computer,cell phone, etc multiple times a day this may be a sign that you spend way to much time with technology. Everything in moderation is the key, and we have to become aware of hour much time we are devoting to our daily activies in order to keep this balance.
In conclusion, I agree with alot of what Lori says. My only concern is that many people depend on technology, especially internet related items for their jobs, home life, all storage, entertainment, etc. I wonder if it is 100% possible to designate certain days/times to technology at this age in time. It seems like we as a culture are always on the move, and the integration of technology goes everywhere with us. I leave you with the following question:
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE CELL PHONE AND INTERNET WERE TAKING AWAY FROM US NOW? IT ALMOST SEEMS CAVELIKE TO IMAGINE, but it was only a short time ago that the cell phone and computer were only things that the government and elites were using...what do you think?
1. "Make deliberate choices about time." Lori gives the example of email and that instead of spending hours and hours answering tons of emails that people send you, focus on the really impotant ones. Sometimes it can take so much time to respond to all the emails that are sent to us. We should make smart choices in regards to the time we spend with this type of technology as it tends to consume alot of our time if we are not careful. She goes on to mention that we get a surge of pleasure in our brain when we see we have new messages in our inbox. Instead of resorting to this type of pleasure we should do other things to enjoy life.
2. "Box out time to put technology away." We should always space out time for other things besides technology, whether it be fun outdoor activites or simply choosing some other form of entertainment.
3. "Remember: the most precious thing you can give someone is your presence."
Developing actual relationships can never be replaced with bloggins, facebooking, tweeting, or any other form of online communication. Real one on one contact just seems better in all forms. I really agree with this statement. While I do think alot of these online communcation tools are really positive, I do think balance is very important in life.
4. "Be mindful of your reasons for connecting to technology." We should be aware of why we are using certain programs. Is it for "stimulation, confirmation, connection, to avoid anxiety, excape, etc"
5. "Get the most important things done and let go of the rest." She argues that its ok to leave some pieces of technology alone at the end of the day, to leave emails in the inbox, etc. We don't have to fee anxiety over finishing certain activities online, as there are more important things to do.
6. "Make minimal commitments to yourself for a clear mental space." Lori suggests setting specific days/times to be involved with technology. In my opinion, we should not feel like we are enslaved to it but rather its purpose is to supplement our lives, not overtake our daily actions.
7. "Track your day’s presence in battery life." She explains that if you charge your computer,cell phone, etc multiple times a day this may be a sign that you spend way to much time with technology. Everything in moderation is the key, and we have to become aware of hour much time we are devoting to our daily activies in order to keep this balance.
In conclusion, I agree with alot of what Lori says. My only concern is that many people depend on technology, especially internet related items for their jobs, home life, all storage, entertainment, etc. I wonder if it is 100% possible to designate certain days/times to technology at this age in time. It seems like we as a culture are always on the move, and the integration of technology goes everywhere with us. I leave you with the following question:
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE CELL PHONE AND INTERNET WERE TAKING AWAY FROM US NOW? IT ALMOST SEEMS CAVELIKE TO IMAGINE, but it was only a short time ago that the cell phone and computer were only things that the government and elites were using...what do you think?
Website Creation!
Over the past couple of weeks I have been anticipating learning how to create my own website. I am super excited because I think that having your own website can be a great way to represent yourself, show your skill with technology, communication with students/faculty/friends/staff, etc. I really like the way that links, posts, blogs, reference materials, pictures, graphics, logos, etc can all be easily manipulated and posted on this website. I also like the way that it all seems again, "user-friendly." Being user-friendly is not just about being simple. Its about having software that allows the user to perform specific actions easily without alot of previous knowledge,reading, or experience. All icons, removal tools, editing tools, etc are right there for easy reference. Over the past few years I have had numerous experiences with certain website programs that were not particularly this way. You had to search in ramdom folders to find what you were looking for, and ask questions in the help menu every 5 minutes. This website that we have learned to create through google was not only helpful but also FREE, AND FREE IS GOOD. In this particular website we will be putting a bio about ourselves, references to our resume and other information, resources and info about technology projects, curriculum resources, etc. I look forward to finishing my website and publishing it for everyone to see. I hope to be able to reference this website in future interviews, with students, as well as all other contacts in my English Department. YEAH FOR WEBSITES. 2 THUMBS UP!
Google documents!
As I continue to acquire new knowledge about googledocs, I realize that there is so much more you can do with these programs then I every deemed possible. My most favorite aspect about these free online tools is that they are a safe place to access wherever and whenever you want. Powerpoint presentations, spreadsheets, word documents, pictures, etc can be easily uploaded to googledocs and viewed again with only internet access required. In addition, you can share these documents easily with whoever you desire and not share other documents when not desired. This semester in our technology 486 class we have uploaded everything from spreadsheets, digital movies, inspiration maps, business cards, resume, etc. I have really learned how to navigate these programs, but the best part is that google is so “user friendly.” There are no hard to manage icons, no secret buttons, or confusing messages. I give praise to the googledocs creators, and I’m finally glad there is something out there that acts like an online storage unit, because I know I tend to lose all my documents, whether it be saved in my flash drive or just regular computer. Googledocs seems to be virtually “idiot proof”, and accidental deletion seems to be a thing of the past
New Found interest in Vooks!
Hello All!
So this blog and technology class continues to inspire me to continue my quest of new technology to use within the classroom. It just so happened that a few weeks ago in one of my educational graduate classes we were required to read this new type of young adult novel called "the vook." By definition a vook is a book that requires internet. What I mean is that some parts of the novel actually come in movie-like form that you have to have a secret code to access to get into online. These movies clip references telling you to get online come on any random page of the book, and the only way to understand the entire plot of what is going on it to access these clips. For example, the book "Skeleton Creek" is an excellent example of a vook. As you begin to read the novel(physical copy), everything resembles a typical young adult novel in terms of plot, character development, etc. But as you come across a certain page, lets say page 14 for example, there will be a sentence saying, "Please logon to website X to continue to view the story." The reader is then given a secret code to enter on the website which allows the movie to be viewed. Once the viewer is done watching the short clip, they then return to the novel to read on until another note in the novel says to refer again to the online movie clip.
What I found interesting about the "vook" genre is that this technology actaully acts NOT as a supplement, but rather as an important part of the novel that helps the reader understand exactly what is going on in the plot. The movie acts like a continuation of the story, and without internet access to these clips, the reader would not understand the whole story.
In conclusion, this type of technology could be very useful in my high school English classroom, especially for students who tend to get easily distracted or those very interested in technology. Sometimes its hard for students to sit down and read alot of pages in one sitting, but with the vook, "the student can take a break from reading, go watch the short movie clip, then come back to the reading." I think its an awsome invention that will change the way some learners begin and continue to read. Not only does it reach out to struggling students, but it also lends itself to students who learn by different methods, wether it be auditory or visual.
PS...I LOVE THE VOOK...........GO TECHNOLOGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So this blog and technology class continues to inspire me to continue my quest of new technology to use within the classroom. It just so happened that a few weeks ago in one of my educational graduate classes we were required to read this new type of young adult novel called "the vook." By definition a vook is a book that requires internet. What I mean is that some parts of the novel actually come in movie-like form that you have to have a secret code to access to get into online. These movies clip references telling you to get online come on any random page of the book, and the only way to understand the entire plot of what is going on it to access these clips. For example, the book "Skeleton Creek" is an excellent example of a vook. As you begin to read the novel(physical copy), everything resembles a typical young adult novel in terms of plot, character development, etc. But as you come across a certain page, lets say page 14 for example, there will be a sentence saying, "Please logon to website X to continue to view the story." The reader is then given a secret code to enter on the website which allows the movie to be viewed. Once the viewer is done watching the short clip, they then return to the novel to read on until another note in the novel says to refer again to the online movie clip.
What I found interesting about the "vook" genre is that this technology actaully acts NOT as a supplement, but rather as an important part of the novel that helps the reader understand exactly what is going on in the plot. The movie acts like a continuation of the story, and without internet access to these clips, the reader would not understand the whole story.
In conclusion, this type of technology could be very useful in my high school English classroom, especially for students who tend to get easily distracted or those very interested in technology. Sometimes its hard for students to sit down and read alot of pages in one sitting, but with the vook, "the student can take a break from reading, go watch the short movie clip, then come back to the reading." I think its an awsome invention that will change the way some learners begin and continue to read. Not only does it reach out to struggling students, but it also lends itself to students who learn by different methods, wether it be auditory or visual.
PS...I LOVE THE VOOK...........GO TECHNOLOGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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