Final thoughts on Digital Media course

Just finishing up our collaborative paper on Google Docs, which I was not a fan of at first, with all the different formatting, etc. but now I love it. How cool that we all wrote a paper and didn't even need to meet up face to face? I think my students would dig that and I'm thinking of a way to have them do a collaborative assignment this next semester. I also shared my Football reunion weekend Ning with some friends and they thought it was really cool. I hope that I continue blogging, even though I don't have to for this class. I think I will, just because I like to write and I also like things that are saved and printed out etc. So my thoughts on this class are that it was well worth the time, effort and money! I really was overwhelmed at first, but now feel like I've at least got my feet wet and now I can show my colleagues at school. I've also been helping my husband who is at the Milwaukee Digital Media Conference this week doing pretty much what we've been doing. The conference has a wiki and they have to upload photos and videos and he only has 4 days to do it all and without a lot of guidance. I think Louis really helped us or at least was willing to and he is available via skype and all that 24/7 it seems like. If anyone reads this, it was fun having you in class, I'll see some of you in the fall possibly in Dennis land, and yeah, I only have one more class till I get my 902 professional, now I just need to get into a library...
sarrah

Ningin it

The latest things we've learned in class, pod and vcasting will actually be very useful to me at Hartford High school. We just had our entire TV studio (40 years in the making) dismantled and it was heartbreaking not only to see two staff members cut, but the equipment and space gone too. Well, the space will now be a study center. But the pod and vcasting will be things I can use in my speech classes in place of the video taped projects I had students do, so at least there is that. All this is assuming my school unblocks gcast and the other Web 2. o tools. I know our new librarian is privy to these things, so she should be supporting. As for Ning, at first I was using Ning in Education and it wasn't as user friendly. I love Ning and once I figured out an actual use for it, I have great ideas. Like Mark, my friends and I have an annual event, it's sort of a college reunion/Badger football weekend that has been going on for 5 years. This year I am using the Ning to organize it and then when I get more pictures/videos after the event I can upload them. I really think it will be fun to do and hopefully people will catch on and log in. As for Facebook, some of my friends have also logged on that. I ran into a student (in person) and told him I had Facebook and then I was worried students would find me, but there really isn't anything I'm ashamed of on my profile, but I really don't want to accept too many students as my friends, only a choice few of graduates possibly. Overall, I think social networking rocks and that is something that I'm glad I was forced to learn about in this class.

Fun with Web 2.0

This video was amusing only because now I finally know what some of the things the song is talking about are. In a few weeks of this course, I know more tech jargon than my head can hold.
Check it out at You Tube

Book Club links

Hey, for all you in book clubs, I found a "social" network for keeping track of books, book club meetings, etc. It's called Book movements http://www.bookmovement.com/
check it out. I am going to try to use it to organize my book club, instead of plain old email. This has lists of possible books by category, with star ratings and comments. Love it. We spend more time trying to decide on the next book rather than discussing the current one. Anyway, I'm trying to catch up with all the social networking for digital media class. I'm on twitter, ning, facebook, the wiki, blogspot, google reader, bloglines and many others. Hard to keep track of everything, especiall the passwords. Met with our group (face to face) yesterday at Alterra and it's good to get feedback and see things, since I'm a visual learner.
sarrah

Facebook why did I wait so long?

Okay, so I have to admit I didn't ever want to join Myspace or Facebook, I guess hearing all my teen students discuss it, I just felt like it was part of their world and it would be way uncool for a teacher to have those accounts. Anyway, I was forced to join Facebook as a part of this class and I have to say I have had a great experience so far. I hooked up with my old camp where I was a camper and then staff member for 6 years, it's awesome! There are old picture, links, friends, campers, it's great. So I guess you can't knock something until you've tried it. I also signed up for Twitter, but besides Louis, no one I know is on it yet, but I invited a few people. I guess we'll see if I can convert a few.

Whirlwind or stuff

Okay, so I just finished my paper and I've gotta say, Google docs rocks, but only if you have internet access! I started the paper a few days ago and then after the storm Monday, my internet has been out for three days. So I had to go old school and type it on Word and then go to the public library get on a computer and transfer it, so yeah, I'm not one for excuses, but it did make it more inconvenient in my case to have to do it on Google docs. For the other stuff, I really struggled with getting my R.S.S. feeds made public and then onto my blog, I'm hoping Louis can show us that tonight. I really need to see stuff done (especially with techie stuff) to figure it out. I read the information in the book and still cannot figure out how to get feeds onto my blog, although I did get a blog roll on finally. I love Flickr and now just need time to play and to add all the 1000s of photos of my kids, which no one but me and my family will enjoy, but anyway I love pictures and keeping them all in a safe place. I think I can also use Flickr for creative writing assignments and just as discussion starters. I also need to really get my wiki going, I hope we have more time to do that as I have to find all my files from school and then transfer them on there. Overall, I've been overwhelmed and not having a working computer really slowed me down, so I have to catch up! See you later.
sarrah

More on helping lower income students

I just came across this story on NPR about the one laptop per child program. It's short so have a listen...NPR Story
It kind of relates to my last post on the digital divide. I am concerned with the students who might not have the same access as others and the 1 laptop program tries to address that concern, but like the story suggests, it's not a panacea. It just seems like there is so much out there and the definition of literacy is even changing. The gap is widening and I've seen it even where I work, there is a socio-economic factor that needs to be addressed by educators. I can't really make using the wiki page required unless I know that every student has computer access or I have to provide time during the school day for them to use it (assuming I'm even allowed). I guess I'm just struggling with the idea that technology can "save" us, I sometimes am nostalgic for the good-old-days...you know card catalogs, musty, dusty hardcover books and honest to god hard core researching with bib cards j/k
sarrah

Digital Divide?

So, I saw an article http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22818 about the digital divide and how it's not what was previously thought. Lower income children do have access to the internet more so now and are using it a lot for social networking. I guess the article caught my attention because I've been feeling a little tech-inadequate you could say. For example, I have a computer (an 8 year old desktop) but everyone in my study team has a fancy laptop. And the worst part is my computer at home is not in a convenient location, so I hardly can get on it. We've solved that problem, now I have more access to it, but I still feel like with all the new stuff out there I really need to suck it up and by a new computer - get a nice flat screen or a lap top or at least something with tons of memory for my videos and photos and then I can catch up and not be behind the times. But relating this to our students, I think there is going to be a disadvantage for students whose families either don't have a computer at home, or who don't have the latest and greatest. Feeling un connected here in Tosa...

Book club need a read for summer

So our book club discussed Augusten Burrough's memoir Wolf at the Table and we all decided that it almost seems like he's writing about the same stuff over and over. We all really enjoyed his first book, Running with Scissors and maybe because it was so novel and shocking. Anyway the book gives a little insight into his father and it's pretty dark and disturbing, not a "light" fun read. We are trying to find a fun summer chick-lit (but not cheesy) sort of book, let me know if there are any suggestions

Shelfari

Before I forget, this is a cool site called Shelfari that allows you to br0wse books and also do book reviews.

Digital Media Class reaction

So the class I am in, Digital Media or Web 2.0 is really eye-opening. We are learning about all the free resources available, like wikis, blogs, podcasts and Google docs. Our class wiki is utilizing wetpaint, CEDU 534, and it where we keep track of everything for the class. I will also be making a wiki and am not sure which class I will use it for, possibly Advanced Public Speaking. I really think blogging is quite intriguing and wish I had more time and access to keep it up. I am planning on using my blog to have discussions with my book club group and then also to possibly have my students keep track of the book buzz, assuming my school gives us access to do so.

Blogache!

I just started reading blogs and can see how you can get sucked into the blogosphere...wow. My students who are already easily distracted could waste countless hours, but I do realize there is good stuff out there. I like that you can check out the blogs on Technorati and other places to make sure they are okay. As for use of blogs in my teaching, I would love it for book talking and creating lists of high interest reads recommended by teens. We are already able to do this kind of on our Destiny library catalog, but that is just to post reviews. Another use I see is creating a speaking and evaluating blog or wiki where students can respond to each other's speeches and give comments and I can post you tube or other speeches for them to watch and analyze. This future blog could come in handy in the fall when the election is going on because that creates engagement for some of my students and I have them do an election issue speech. Any way by the next blog post, I should have some links, I found a few articles and a few cool literary blogs to update my reading lists. As of now, this blog doesn't really have much of a purpose or identity and just so you all know, my baby sleeps in our "office/nursery" so I'm sitting in the dark doing this trying not to disturb his slumber...Oh the joys of parenthood. He'll probably be blogging by age 2!

Summer Reading

A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs
If you think this will be as entertaining as Running with Scissors, you'll be disappointed but it will be as disturbing, if not more, and will explain a lot about the missing piece in RWS (what is up with his dad?). I've not only read most of Burroughs books, but also Look me in the Eye by John Elder (Augusten's brother who has Aspbergers)
Still Summer by Jaquelyn Mitchard
I've read a few things by Mitchard (including her column) and all the books have some interesting twists and are pretty suspenseful, this one delivers with the adventure and suspense. It is about some old friends taking a sailing trip in the Caribbean and then there are some major mishaps and tragedies and they are left fighting for their survival. A compelling read.
Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbot
Non-fiction about prostitution in Chicago at the turn of the century. Haven't read yet, but we'll be reading for book club. I loved Devil in the White City and hope this is somewhat like this.
Love The One You're With by Emily Griffin
Major chick-lit (so if you like Sex in the City...read this)! She also wrote Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Babyproof which are all easy, fun reads that are kind of a series but can be read independently.
So get started on some educational (and mostly just entertaining escapism)!