Well, I kind of cheated here. I looked at Rollyo and didn't exactly get it. I did play around with it bit I couldn't get the point (some of the searches I tried didn't work and I'm not sure why). Playing around with this site though did serve to remind me of why I am taking this class. There are quite a few things that we are looking at that I have known about but never really bothered to learn much about (or to look at to be completely honest.) So now I am finally taking the time to at least look.
Rollyo really didn't make much sense to me until I looked at Del.icio.us. This is a site I've heard a lot about but have never really looked at....partly lack of interest and partly those darn filters again. Having now taken a look at it I can definitely see how something like del.icio.us could be a very useful tool although I'm not sure it is the best thing for an elementary school.
By aggregating various pre-screened websites under common use tags, students are given one location where they can still perform the necessary searches for sites that should provide them with the information that they are looking for. The bonus of the tags is that students will be able to use "their" words as opposed to trying to figure out what the "proper" subject heading is. On the other hand, having all those tags listed down the sidebar also helps because then the students could also just cruise the tags until they find one that suits their needs.
I haven't created a Rollyo list yet because I'm really not sure what I want to create a list of. This will take me a little more time and consideration but I will get to it.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Week 5 Thing 10
2.0 award winners. I checked out a few....some I just didn't get. I took a look at LibraryThing and I guess I was a little intimidated. I'm really not quite as well read as some of them seem to be (I'm secretly addicted to YA). I did notice that quite a lot of what I have read did show up on the most popular and most talked about lists so I guess I'm not too far out of the loop. The site really isn't difficult to understand or navigate. I think I would prefer to use it as an occasional reference tool as opposed to joining.
I went on to explore further and found last.fm. This got me excited as I never seem to be able to find anything that I want/like to listen to. All I have to do is type in an artist and I get a comparative list of other artists. Hmm...sounds like a "If you love...then you'll like...". Oddly enough this site is exactly what I HAVE been looking for. Added bonus that I can listen to the music at the same time.
Um.....unfortunately I got off topic and of course had to settle on a site that really shouldn't be used in school. On the other hand, when I was still a high school librarian I did have a teacher who had students do studies of contemporary music/musicians. This site would be a good way to locate artists, their music and their contemporaries.
I went on to explore further and found last.fm. This got me excited as I never seem to be able to find anything that I want/like to listen to. All I have to do is type in an artist and I get a comparative list of other artists. Hmm...sounds like a "If you love...then you'll like...". Oddly enough this site is exactly what I HAVE been looking for. Added bonus that I can listen to the music at the same time.
Um.....unfortunately I got off topic and of course had to settle on a site that really shouldn't be used in school. On the other hand, when I was still a high school librarian I did have a teacher who had students do studies of contemporary music/musicians. This site would be a good way to locate artists, their music and their contemporaries.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Week 5 Thing 10
Play time...whoo-hoo.
Okay..to be honest I had trouble using the generator to do what I needed them to do. I probably need more time to really sit and play. Even though I did take some time to play I probably didn't give it quite the time I should have.
On the other hand, I am very proud of my flowers. Not exactly an original though but the sentiment is heartfelt. Plus, these ones should be much harder to kill than the ones that are supposed to be growing in my garden.
Comic strip generator was also fun.
I had fun playing but again didn't really have the time to go too far into it.
The image generators are definitely something I will want to get back to at a later date. I am envisaging some very interesting SmartBoard lessons.
Okay..to be honest I had trouble using the generator to do what I needed them to do. I probably need more time to really sit and play. Even though I did take some time to play I probably didn't give it quite the time I should have.
On the other hand, I am very proud of my flowers. Not exactly an original though but the sentiment is heartfelt. Plus, these ones should be much harder to kill than the ones that are supposed to be growing in my garden.
Comic strip generator was also fun.
I had fun playing but again didn't really have the time to go too far into it.
The image generators are definitely something I will want to get back to at a later date. I am envisaging some very interesting SmartBoard lessons.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Week 4 Thing 9
Okay, feed search tools.
Feedster....3 tries, no load..not impressed one bit.
Topix.net....took a moment to realize that it was giving me interesting articles to read and then from there could decide whether of not to subscribe to that news feed. A lot if interesting stories highlighted. Got a little lost in reading various article. Wouldn't necessarily want to subscribe to the feed though. I could see myself spending a lot of time just cruising Topix.net just to see what's going on.
Syndi8.com...takes forever to load. Like the set up for locating feeds that interest you...country, random feeds, most popular feeds etc. Took a little while to realize that I had to click on the URL provided in the..um snapshot?..about the feed in order to actually see the feed. Still takes a long time to load though.
Found BoingBoing and Wired News through Syndic8. They seem to be my kind of thing with a little bit of all sorts included in their feeds . Figure I'll give them a shot and see what happens.
Feedster....3 tries, no load..not impressed one bit.
Topix.net....took a moment to realize that it was giving me interesting articles to read and then from there could decide whether of not to subscribe to that news feed. A lot if interesting stories highlighted. Got a little lost in reading various article. Wouldn't necessarily want to subscribe to the feed though. I could see myself spending a lot of time just cruising Topix.net just to see what's going on.
Syndi8.com...takes forever to load. Like the set up for locating feeds that interest you...country, random feeds, most popular feeds etc. Took a little while to realize that I had to click on the URL provided in the..um snapshot?..about the feed in order to actually see the feed. Still takes a long time to load though.
Found BoingBoing and Wired News through Syndic8. They seem to be my kind of thing with a little bit of all sorts included in their feeds . Figure I'll give them a shot and see what happens.
Week 4 Thing 8
Okay...not too thrilled with RSS. Not because it isn't a great thing but I am not the most news savvy person out there. It was actually a trial to try to figure out what to subscribe to...more than a 1/2 hour for 5 sites and I took 2 of them off the suggestion list. Sheesh. Then there is also the fact that most of these feeds will be blocked by my school's filters and who has time at home?
On the other hand, I can see this being very useful for someone like my husband who is running to the computer 40 times a day to check the news. It could also be very useful for classroom teachers when doing current events. Sign up to a couple of different news feeds and see what comes rolling in. Comparisons between portrayal of information on the same stories and also the types of news featured by different feeds...what are the foci, same? different?
On the other hand, I can see this being very useful for someone like my husband who is running to the computer 40 times a day to check the news. It could also be very useful for classroom teachers when doing current events. Sign up to a couple of different news feeds and see what comes rolling in. Comparisons between portrayal of information on the same stories and also the types of news featured by different feeds...what are the foci, same? different?
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Week 3 Thing 7
We are slowly working on becoming wireless in my home. With the recent acquisition of a new Mac something or another we now have an airport so as to connect everything wirelessly. The down side being that while my poor PC is wireless capable I need some USB "thing" (this part got lost in the technobabble) that should cost about $20. Is this enough to go into Circuit City with and get what I am looking for? Who knows, but I am going to try. If it doesn't work for me I am going to get my brother..the technobabbler..to do it for me. I really do miss being able to right click...I NEED MY PC.....it's the whole right click thing. It's pretty sad that the Mac and the (12-15 year old) stereo can communicate and I CAN'T.
I does amaze me though that so much ( if you have the money) can be done without hardwiring. It really wouldn't surprise me if sooner..rather than later..we will all be living in houses where holographic safari animals are capable of mauling us to death (totally forgot the name of the story/movie but it still occasionally comes up in nightmares)
I does amaze me though that so much ( if you have the money) can be done without hardwiring. It really wouldn't surprise me if sooner..rather than later..we will all be living in houses where holographic safari animals are capable of mauling us to death (totally forgot the name of the story/movie but it still occasionally comes up in nightmares)
Week 3 Thing 6
The flicker mashups are definitely fun and now of course I find myself going "How can I get this unblocked?"
The color picker is great..use it to show how things that have absolutely nothing in common can be grouped together. Could also be used to show the varied use of color.
Montagr is way cool. I love things like that...many pictures used together to create another picture. With this you can choose the "original" image and everything used in the montage has some sort of a relationship to it. I could see very interesting things coming out of art class from something like this.
And, last but not least...create my own trading cards? Magazine covers? and who knows what else...way too much fun. I read the curriculum connections...what a great way to jazz up reports and even just regular instruction.
I couldn't resist the trading cards. My son will be over the moon.
Week 3 Thing 5
Flickr has been a very interesting experience. I usually use Snapfish to upload and order prints but I can see Flickr as being an interesting alternative to reaching my international family. I guess I would be a little concerned about privacy but having the ability to restrict viewer takes a load off that worry.
Flickr does seem top be a little overwhelming but some of the navigation tools that it provides definitely makes things easier. I like being able to click on a topic that interests me and find pictures that corelate to that topic. Unfortunately, I can also see why this is one of the sites that is blocked by my school's filters. The kids would be on all day everyday just cruising whats new and checking out old pics that they missed. In looking for a pic to blab about I kept changing my mind...birds?..cats?...funky?..wierd?
I settled for http://www.flickr.com/photos/melodramababs/2316943577/in/photostream/ (although I don't know if settled is the right word)
I thought this picture was really cool. It is almost as though you can see the Sculpture? flapping in the breeze. Is it a birds wing? A slashed sleeve fluttering in the wind? A tongue of decorative flame? Very interesting.
Flickr does seem top be a little overwhelming but some of the navigation tools that it provides definitely makes things easier. I like being able to click on a topic that interests me and find pictures that corelate to that topic. Unfortunately, I can also see why this is one of the sites that is blocked by my school's filters. The kids would be on all day everyday just cruising whats new and checking out old pics that they missed. In looking for a pic to blab about I kept changing my mind...birds?..cats?...funky?..wierd?
I settled for http://www.flickr.com/photos/melodramababs/2316943577/in/photostream/ (although I don't know if settled is the right word)
I thought this picture was really cool. It is almost as though you can see the Sculpture? flapping in the breeze. Is it a birds wing? A slashed sleeve fluttering in the wind? A tongue of decorative flame? Very interesting.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Week 1 Thing 2
After looking at a few other blogs, I think the backward thing is kind of contagious. Seriously though, it IS more fun to create an avatar than self-reflect (still contemplating purple hair, I miss it).
So, onto the self-reflection (mirror, mirror).
I think one of my biggest issues is in not being able to see problems and obstacles as learning opportunities (the BIGGEST problem being time management). I tend to get overwhelmed and/or frustrated which can lead to mini meltdowns. I get so wrapped up in trying to get things (everything) done that I forget to prioritize. Then there are things out of my control (such as little people who don't want to go to bed) and I don't get to do what I need/want to do. I know I am able to get things done and eventually I do manage but I hit a lot of bumps along the way.
Something I enjoy and am good at is teaching other teachers. I love being able to share what I know and help others become more proficient. Despite the fact that filters block us from using so much stuff that is online, I am in a very technology focused district. I love taking the scare factor out of the technology that we do use. We have to keep looking forward if we want to move forward.
So, onto the self-reflection (mirror, mirror).
I think one of my biggest issues is in not being able to see problems and obstacles as learning opportunities (the BIGGEST problem being time management). I tend to get overwhelmed and/or frustrated which can lead to mini meltdowns. I get so wrapped up in trying to get things (everything) done that I forget to prioritize. Then there are things out of my control (such as little people who don't want to go to bed) and I don't get to do what I need/want to do. I know I am able to get things done and eventually I do manage but I hit a lot of bumps along the way.
Something I enjoy and am good at is teaching other teachers. I love being able to share what I know and help others become more proficient. Despite the fact that filters block us from using so much stuff that is online, I am in a very technology focused district. I love taking the scare factor out of the technology that we do use. We have to keep looking forward if we want to move forward.
Week 2 Thing 3
Well, this is definitely easier to use than 21Classes (the school approved blog). I decided to use Blogspot instead because I can't access ANY blogs (very annoying) from school except 21Classes anyway. So if I'm going to be doing this from home I may as well use what I want.
I do have to say that exporting the avatar was an adventure in and of itself. I finally imported it as a JPEG to iPhoto and then imported to here from the desktop. Who new something so simple could be such a nudge?
Maybe it's the whole MAC vs PC thing. I really hate not being able to right click at home.
C'est la vie.
I do have to say that exporting the avatar was an adventure in and of itself. I finally imported it as a JPEG to iPhoto and then imported to here from the desktop. Who new something so simple could be such a nudge?
Maybe it's the whole MAC vs PC thing. I really hate not being able to right click at home.
C'est la vie.
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