Communication & Collaboration

            I chose three articles that dealt with three different aspects of online collaboration. I viewed several articles very carefully choosing the ones that sparked my curiosity in my professional field and those that related to my own experiences as a graduate student.

            An article published in Knowledge Quest, “Making It Real Online” discussed what was necessary for a distance learning environment to be successful for high school students.  Library Specialists and instructors came together to review how online high school courses should be constructed. The article breaks down the components of online learning, which are the features, role of facilitator and characteristics that the online environment should exhibit. The features and design are very similar to the distance learning format many university distance learning courses utilize. The courses are divided into chunks of information for students to review. A variety of supplemental materials are offered for students to gain a better understanding of the concepts through videos and downloadable materials. The facilitators create comfortable learning environments for the students to collaborate with one another through forums, discussion boards, and Wimba Voice (voice messaging system) and Elluminate (interactive tool to communicate with teacher and classmates). Students may have group space to meet with group members, do projects or share documents.

            Another component relates to the role of the facilitator or teacher. The article mentions some very good points related to the characteristics of professionals who become coaches or teachers for online environments for high school distance learning high school courses, but I think they apply to all teaching and all levels of distance learning courses. A list of characteristics is given in regards to whether or not an individual is cut out to be an online instructor.  For example, distance learning instructors should have the ability to prepare comprehensive course plans, be flexible, be willing to work with new methods and have the ability and willingness to learn new technology. Many of the characteristics that apply to educators apply to students as well.  Many of the characteristics for success in a distance learning environment are similar to those demonstrated in a traditional classroom, but some skills require a higher level of emphasis such as, level of organization, ability to prioritize,  competency in computer skills, and self-motivation.

            Overall the group of Library Specialists and educators has taken into consideration relevant factors in developing a distance learning environment for high school students. They want to provide a great learning environment for all students where communication and learning is evident in meeting the needs of their learners by providing experiences, resources and guidance.

            I experienced being a mentor for high school distance learning courses in a traditional high school setting.  The students took courses that were not offered at the school as a college prerequisite or were a part of a credit recovery program.  The distance learning program included several concepts that were mentioned in this article to collaborate with students such as Elluminate, and discussion boards.  My role was to walk them through the orientations of their courses, answer questions, and help students who had trouble submitting assignments or needed to contact their instructors.  It worked great for students who needed specific elective courses to prepare them for college and students who failed a course needed for graduation. Students are able to follow a syllabus or schedule much like college, but have some control over their work pace. They can communicate with their instructors, classmates and a local mentor.  Experiencing distance learning environments at the high school level can prepare students for collaborating and learning at the post secondary level in various settings.

            The second article I reviewed, “Using Synchronous Communication to Facilitate Graduate Students’ Online Collaboration” is a study that addressed the next level of distance learning environments, the university level.  The study was conducted to examine how 30 graduate students collaborated with others using synchronous communication such as instant messenger, discussion boards an email. The participants lived in different states, various cultural backgrounds and professions. Twenty-three of the participants had no online learning experience.

            The results of the study showed that the participants enjoyed using various forms of the online learning environment for various reasons from it being easy to use; it’s convenience and to gaining a sense of community. The study revealed that many of the graduate students were more willing to share ideas, provide feedback and challenge one another in synchronous discussions. The conductors of this study contribute students’ responses to a level of comfort they may have behind a computer compared to face to face interactions. The participants are able to express their true personalities without the feelings of being judged, which has had a positive impact on their productivity and collaboration.

            I can relate to the participants of this study due to the fact that I had never taken online learning courses before enrolling in graduate school. I had my reservations the first semester taking traditional and distance learning courses at the same time. Based on my schedule, I too found the distance learning courses to be more convenient at times.  I had to take advantage of the support my instructors and classmates offered via email and campus hours. The collaboration between classmates through online courses is great for people who are not as comfortable expressing their ideas, or easily intimidated by others.  As an educator, I can see how I can include lessons that involve online collaboration for group projects or even extracurricular activities.  I would need to put more thought into how to assign identification numbers or usernames to students so that they are not identified by their peers, considering they are still in traditional classes. I want to include a level of online collaboration to get honest productive communication and participation from classmates that may not be willing to work together in a traditional classroom setting.

            After brainstorming about how to incorporate different forms of technology into the classroom I was pleased to read “Capitalizing on Emerging Technologies:  Case Study of Classroom Blogging”. The study focused on introducing blogging to high school teachers’ classrooms, following specific criteria. The criteria was based on the blogs being maintained by the high school teacher, frequently updated, high level of student involvement, and publicly accessible.  The researchers decided to focus on the blog of a mathematics teacher, Mr. K. He implemented the blog in his classroom following all of the criteria presented to him with the participation of his students the blog page became a great source of collaboration and learning for not just his students but everyone who viewed their blog page. His students took pride in knowing that their blog page could be accessed by people all over the world and a way to connect to the global community. The researchers share some of the benefits of blogging such as, motivating students to do their best work, allowing interactions beyond the classroom, allowing students to teach one another, and capitalize on cultural literacy. They do acknowledge that incorporating a blog into your classroom takes a lot of time and may require some flexibility and clear direction from the teacher.         

            There are definite benefits to blogging, even though it can be time consuming. Introducing a blog page to students or parents just as an informational source could be a good starting point.  Teachers can include updating assignments, schedules, important dates and weekly reminders on the blog page. Students could insert specific posts related to class assignments or activities to help their classmates or inform parents in the beginning stages.  Overall, the articles provided good insight on how different forms of technology impact the learning environments educators create.  Technology is now introduced to younger students and will provide them with the skills they will need to explore different learning environments at the secondary and post secondary levels.

Kachel, D., Henry, N., Keller, C. (2005). Making it real online: Distance learning for high school students. Knowledge Quest, 34(1), 14-17.

 MacBride, R., Lachman, A. (2008). Capitalizing on emerging technologies: A case study of classroom blogging. School Science & Mathematics, 108(50), 173-17-83.

Maushak, N., & Ou, C. (2007, Summer). Using synchronous communication to facilitate graduate students’ online collaboration. Quarterly Review of, 8(2), 161-169. Retrieved March 17, 2014, from Academic Search Complete database.

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Theory

            Recently I read a book for a class I am taking related to helping students with disabilities transition to college, employment and independent living, it examined several aspects of self determination and how it relates to positive outcomes for students with disabilities.  Therefore, I was driven to read more about Self Determination Theory as it relates to all individuals for this assignment. Working in the education field I have had my struggles with students who lack motivation in various aspects of their lives.  We try to get to the root of some students’ issues to help them move forward and accomplish goals, but it seems like it is not enough at times.  After reviewing the theory I chose I could see the full circle of how motivation is developed and how it impacts an individual’s quality of life.

            Self determination theory (SDT) is a theory  of motivation and personality developed by two psychologists, Edward Deci and Richard Ryan.  This theory encompasses intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors that impact an individual’s psychological needs and behaviors.   Intrinsic motivation relates to an individual’s natural drive to seek out challenges and possibilities because of internal factors.  Extrinsic motivation relates to an individual’s drive to do something because of external forces. SDT explains how individuals’ motivation relates to goal- direction and various aspects of their lives.  The theory recognizes three innate needs for psychological growth: autonomy, competence and relatedness.

            Various definitions of autonomy, competence and relatedness can be very extensive but when it comes to motivation they are simply defined and one can see the role they play in intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and well being of individuals.  Autonomy is defined as the freedom of choice.  Competence is the ability to perform well in an activity or experience mastery.  Relatedness is the desire to interact with others or share an experience.  Each of these components may impact the well-being of an individual differently depending on culture, experience and time.

            Considering Self-determination Theory is such a broad theory it is broken down into mini-theories to better explain the different aspects of how motivation impacts an individual’s psychological needs and well-being.  Cognitive Evaluation Theory is based on the intrinsic motivation, the ability to do something for your own self.  Organism Integration Theory is based on extrinsic motivation and how an individual internalizes extrinsic factors.  Causality Orientation Theory is based on individual differences.  Basic Psychological Theory is based on the fact that people need all three components of Self Determination Theory: autonomy, competence and relatedness for the development of their psychological health and well-being.   Goal Contents Theory breaks down intrinsic and extrinsic goals and how they serve different purposes in an individual’s well being.  One can see how each of these mini-theories impact a n individual’s overall motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic, which will in turn impact an individual’s goal-direction and decision making.

            As an Intervention Specialist , self determination is a huge factor that impact’s many facets of students’ lives as I prepare them for transitioning into adulthood and post secondary institutions.  Educators are now taking time to incorporate self determination lessons into their weekly plans to increase students’ levels of independence.  Many of the activities evolve around the use of technology. Many students with disabilities preparing for post secondary options have an adequate level of computer skills.  Students are utilizing the accommodations computer applications offer to independently research, complete assignments and collaborate with classmates.  Having the option to use technology to present information, take online classes or investigate ideas provides students with a sense of control over what they are doing and developing.  Students are motivated by what they are able to produce, which is not impacted by their disability or viewed differently.  Knowing that self determination impacts so many aspects of a person’s well-being, having a high level of independence using technology will definitely impact a student’s motivation on various levels, whether it’s related to academic achievement or becoming socially connected to others.

Deci, E., & Ryan, R.M. (2008). Self-determination theory. Handbook of theories of social psychology. 416.

Hartnett, M., St. George, A., & Dron, J. (2011).  Examining motivation in online distance 

            learning environments: Complex, multifaceted, and situation-dependent, 12 (6).  The

            International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. Retrieved from 

            http://www.irrodl.org

 Walsh, A. (2011) Self-Determination Theory: A Key to Motivation.  Retrieved  from

          http://ideafit.com/fitness-library/self-determination-theory-a-key-to-motivation

Social Networking

Social Networking

            New Media Consortium’s 2011 Horizon Report mentions that Personal Learning Environments (PLE) would encourage students to approach learning in new ways best suited to their individual needs. These environments would give students opportunities to have control over their education. I think the overview of PLEs in that report did not see the overall picture of how teachers could utilize PLEs in traditional education environment, only foreseeing PLEs as a learning system for those who were taking alternate routes in receiving their education such as home schooling, virtual schools or distance learning settings.

            In 2014 I can definitely see the benefits of PLEs now known as social networking websites. I do agree with the 2011 report that educators should guide students when using PLEs. I think only if students are guided by educators with specific goals in mind then students will see how social network sites can benefit their learning. Those students will make connections when utilizing this form of collaboration not only for personal socialization but academic learning as well. If students are utilizing PLEs in traditional learning environments it is necessary that teachers develop appropriate ways to integrate these forms of technology to benefit their students learning, considering the rise of virtual and distance learning institutions at the primary and secondary levels. PLEs refer to what most people know as social networking websites.

            Social networking sites have great benefits in the classroom when communicating with students and professionals in other states or countries regarding specific academic content. As with any use of technology there should be a level of understanding that all students have when social networking is incorporated into lessons, clear ramifications if not followed and parental support. Social networking can offer countless opportunities to expand knowledge of global diversity and awareness related to education. Social networking in the classroom takes time to review, research, and plan as with any other supplemental activity in a traditional lesson. Educators should always try out or join a specific network before introducing it to students.  Michelle Davis discusses in an article in Education Week how banning social networking would be an injustice for students and borderline irresponsible because educators are to provide the best educational experiences. Over 80% of Educators utilize social networking sites on a monthly basis according to the MMS Education 2012 Survey and has possibly increased since that time. Knowing how beneficial the sites are to us as educators why not find social networking sites to incorporate in our lesson? 

            There are always considerations…Drawbacks to utilizing social networking sites in lessons may be related to not having enough devices for your students to successfully accomplish the tasks teachers’ desire. Introducing social networking in the classroom will definitely inspire students to join other social networking sites, which are issues to consider especially with lower grade levels. The increase in cyber bullying and cyberstalking is an issue to consider. Educators need to become knowledgeable about these issues when introducing students to social networking. School districts should be equipped with the proper privacy systems to block certain content, certain personal sharing information and do what they can to monitor student’s networking activity in the school if they are requiring participation in social networking sites. Jayme Waddington mentions in her article Social Networking: The Unharnessed Educational Tool, that schools and schools districts have the option of educating safe media usage as well as incorporating digital media into the classroom experience, thus preparing students for the literacy they will encounter in the future. Educators can no longer use the excuse that they lack resources if they have access to computers.

            Until recent recently I only searched the web for resources and read blogs written by other educators, but now I actually take time to comment. Joining social networking sites can actually be a new fashion of professional development rather than going to the library, sitting in workshops and conferences. There is so much information that specific networks can offer that you can have access to at your leisure. I joined several networking groups associated with Diigo related to Transition in Special Education and Special Education and Technology, which are topics that will benefit me professionally and the services I provide to students. Joining these groups allows me access to specific information only related to the topics that are of interest to me and I can collaborate with other professionals within the group.

Social Networking Is Not Just For the Young

            Considering, the increase in educators utilizing social networks teachers are on the right path to incorporating various methods of learning in their classrooms for the benefit of the students. Educators are collaborating with other educators through social networks. The MMS Education 2012 Survey also mentioned there is a discrepancy between educators who are over 55 years old and educators who are younger that utilize social networks. This discrepancy in age is not unusual when it comes to the use of technology, whether its computer usage or cellular phones people of certain age participation are lower. Children born in the 90s, now teenagers and young adults grew up with in this digital age, computers and cellular phones are natural for them to utilize like people in the 80s tuned in for the 6 o’clock news and read the daily newspaper before work. Technology will mature and evolve just as they will and they will never fall behind, just as car drivers have evolved with the improvements of the automobile. The automobile has been around since 1900s. An 80 year old person, unless he or she has never driven any type of four wheeled transportation vehicle will get behind the wheel of a car, learn the new features and put the pedal to the medal as they say. 

            The survey completed for 2012 focused on educators and those in the related professions. Even though there are not as many educators of a certain age joining social networking sites there are some very popular social networking sites that attract people over 55 that may benefit many aspects of their lives in my opinion. Many people retire, have children move out for college, and as they get even older they experience life changing events like becoming grandparents or becoming a widower. All of these changes have an impact on their quality of life and there are social networking sites that offer means of collaboration for any person in any situation. The power of the internet! Social networks such as classmates.com, librarything.com, or lifeknot.com can help close that discrepancy gap between people over 55 and those younger. These networks allow people to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Of course anyone seeking social networking sites with specific criteria can search for them but some people need to ease their way in. 

            I can admit that I have spent hours touring WebMDs website and blogs trying to diagnose my own symptoms, find remedies to ease migraines and tween issues but there are countless issues that arise with age and social networking sites such as dailystrength.com and patientslikeme.com can really help people going through ailment and afflictions I cannot imagine.  All people no matter their age need to be cautious and protect themselves when using social networking sites. If someone does not feel comfortable diving into the world of social media or joining a network they should ask for help. Periodically libraries offer computer courses for “seniors”. Adding information related to social media and networking would be a great start making sure people of all ages are utilizing their resources to its maximum potential. 

References

Davis, M. R. (2010, June 14). Social Networking Goes to School. Education Week. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from www.edweek.org

Horizon report 2010 K-12 edition. (2010). Austin, TX: New Media Consortium.

Survey of K-12 Educators on Social Networking, Online Communities, & Web 2.0 Tools (Rep.). (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2014, from MMS Education website.

Waddington, J. (2011). Social Networking: The Unharnessed Educational Tool. Undergraduate Research Journal at UCCS, 4(1), 12-18. Retrieved February 14, 2014.

Gaming

What do I think About Gaming in the Classroom?

            The concept of Gaming in the classroom is relatively new for me to a certain level.  I’ve utilized learning games in the classroom as practice work and pastimes between transitions, but not really on a level of incorporating the games into my lesson or using it to truly teach skills. The 2011 Horizon Report mentions children born since the early 90s have never lived in a world without global networks, which is absolutely true and something to consider when teaching them. I am the one who has watched technology evolve and now become what it is.  I am the one who is often timid and have a hard time embracing every aspect of technology, simply because it is new for me and I have to act as a student to learn how everything works.  My students are using these various systems every day and are motivated by games and what they entail.

            According to The New Media Consortium’s Horizon Report (2): 2011, educators need to forget about the negative connotations related to games, which is a great suggestion.  We have negative connotations are things we are unfamiliar with, just like students “the fear of the unknown.”  Similar to handheld games used to promote literacy skills in toddlers and learning television shows over the years producers and manufacturers try to make their product better based on the customers and results.  The Horizon Report (Johnson et al., 2011) also discusses how early studies in the last decade were made to help identify specific aspects of the games to get to where they are now.

            I chose Gaming websites that I could utilized when working with the population of students I work with on a daily basis.  The majority of those students have cognitive disabilities and learning difficulties that affect various areas of learning.  The first gaming site I chose was PBS Kids.  This website was ideal for me to reinforce functional and daily living skills.  I was pleased that the characters associated with the games I chose were not “kiddie” characters.  Many students with special needs at the middle and secondary level need low level materials that are not visually designed for younger children.  The game titled Fresh Pick provided very enthusiastic interactive characters with appropriate auditory directions along with close caption options.  The game was divided into several “challenges”.  All challenges related to Fresh Pick were related to nutrition and healthy foods.  Each challenge game reinforced specific skills such as navigation, following directions, adding and subtracting prices, decision making, learning new terms associated with cooking and or shopping, differentiating between coins and choosing appropriate prices surrounding the underlying topics of nutrition and healthy foods.  The more tasks a person completes correctly the more complex the next task will become.  This gaming website would be a great resource for reinforcing skills taught in class and gathering information to assess comprehension of specific skills while improving fine motor skills, time on task and ability to navigate the keyboard.

http://pbskids.org/lunchlab/#/games/fresh-pick

            Another gaming program I chose to review was Logicity.  The Logicity game was created to increase public awareness regarding Climate Change.  Logicity is a 3D virtual city with specific tasks that a player must fulfill to decrease pollution and carbon footprints that cause climate change.  Every player’s mission is to reduce the emissions of new greenhouse gases before it is too late and the people of the city will not survive.   Players have the ability to compete with other registered participants and earn scores.  Including this interactive game during lessons related to pollution, greenhouse effect, global warming, and or energy efficiency would be appropriate for students at the secondary grade levels.  Follow up discussions and possible a question and answer sessions would be ideal for an educator who chooses to utilize this game to reinforce concepts taught in class.

http://www.logicity.co.uk/

            The game 3^rd World Farmer started out as an assigned project for group of college students in 2005. After feedback and development it has evolved into the game it is today.  This game is not fun and exciting like most games that attract students while practicing skills.  This game sheds light on factual events and situations 3^rd world counties are faced with.  3rd World Farmer creates a platform for students to learn about challenges and decisions people make on a daily basis to survive.  There are several subject areas such as, Social Studies, Geography, Economics, and or Literature that can benefit from what this game entails.  The players of the game are required to manage an African farm while random challenges arise such as corrupt officials, raids and thieves, market prices fluctuate, and or unpredicted weather. The topics of disease, drought, wars and economic hardship will be unavoidable when participating in this game.  Educators who chose 3^rd World Farmers for their students should take time to provide introductory and follow up lessons when incorporating the game into their lessons.  If used appropriately this game could be a good representation and supplement to chapter readings.

http://www.3rdworldfarmer.com/

            According to Johnson et al. (2011) teachers should take gaming seriously and incorporate them into lessons.  The U.S. Secretary of Education, Anne Duncan suggested that gaming is an ideal method to assess students’ comprehension and a means of providing immediate feedback.  As I reviewed the several gaming websites and videos I was pleased to see the variety of games available that cover so many academic areas because educators are responsible for presenting information in ways to accommodate all learning styles.  Along with including innovative ways to help students remember skills that they may use a lifetime.  One can see tremendous advancements in the technology that assists professionals in almost every career from equipment in stores, medical equipment to military advancements.

            Edutopia’s video, School Use Games for Learning and Assessment demonstrates students in several U.S schools utilizing gaming and technology as their primary method of teaching. David Williamson-Shaffer, Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison pointed out, people in the U.S. do not live in an industrial economy any longer but a knowledge economy therefore, educators have to think about learning in fundamentally different ways beyond basic facts and skills.            

         Gaming will only become more sophisticated and challenging.  Therefore, it is my responsibility to add this means of computer technology to my toolkit of resources not only to keep students busy during break times but reinforce lessons and skills.  Students can now gain skills utilizing simulating and interactive games monitored in school that can prepare them for their future careers.

 

2011 Horizon Report K-12. (n.d.). 2011 Horizon Report K-12. Retrieved January 31, 2014, from http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2011-Horizon-Report-K12.pdf

 

Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., & Haywood, K. (2011). The 2011 Horizon Report.  Austin, Texas:  The New Media Consortium. 

 

No Gamer Left Behind: Virtual Learning Goes to the Next Level. (n.d.). YouTube. Retrieved February 4, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Open Content & E-Books

OPEN CONTENT

As an educator I have utilized open content material without truly understanding its definition and evolvement. Educators like myself often attend workshops, collaborate with colleagues and search the web for innovative ways to teach lessons. Before reading the Horizon Report 2011, I did not grasp how cost effective this means of collaboration really was. David Wiley’s vision for Open Content defined with the 4Rs, reuse, revise, remix and redistribute is now crystal clear. It was not until I reviewed the Creative Commons website that I understood the symbols related to copyrights and licenses. The Wikipedia page on free content provides a list of symbols related to copyrights that are useful when reviewing information that you may want to customize. Offering materials to customize and adapt without copyright infringements and fees is one of the best things that has happened in the world of technology for Educators. There are several innovations and concepts related to Open Content that really caught my attention.

The benefits of Open Content for all people not only in the United States are great. I’ve traveled to South Africa during my undergraduate years and was honored to travel with a reputable company that donated supplies and textbooks to several schools there. At that time receiving outdated textbooks was a tremendous blessing for those students. Now with open content materials I’m pleased to know that countries such as South Africa utilize these materials without the hassle of regulations and fees.

Big industry companies and government establishments taking part in the world of Open Content is a great step for citizens to have access to information that once was not available. I was please to watch the YouTube video of Mayor Newsom speaking with the woman that now has employment because of the growing program utilizing Open Content at the San Francisco Public Libraries. Karen Coyle’s article, Going Open mentioned that one library alone was releasing approximately 3 million bibliographical records using Creative Commons licenses. Government meetings and events available on the Internet shows the creditability and advancement of Open Content since 1998. It is now evident to many more corporations and governments just how useful Open Source is for daily operations.  The more people who have access the better for all of us.

E-Books

The availability of eBooks is related to just about every subject imaginable is a great tool to utilize for personal and professional needs.  As a graduate student, educator and mother E-books are great to add to my toolkit of resources in all of my endeavors. Mike Solomon mentioned several key aspects in utilizing E-books during his podcast interview. As a professor and authur he decided to use Flat World Knowledge, a publisher of textbooks. He decided to create E-books for the courses he taught because they would be accessible for students all around the world. He was able to customize the textbook based on his teaching style and order of his choice unlike a traditional textbook having to add supplemental materials. The cost is free for his students to download online and he actually earns revenue based on the amount of people who utilize his package. I do not teach at a collegiate level but advantages of E-books are very clear for professional.

As a mother I’ve noticed that younger children often are entertained by learning games and hand held systems for entertainment while, tweens and teens visit social media sites and games not associated with learning. E-books are great to download for reasonable prices in an effort to capture the attention of children through “old fashion” literature presented in a new format that does not require a special book reading devices.

Having a background in Special education e-books are great for accommodating people with special needs due to the fact that the book are downloaded on the devices accessible for them. Whether it’s an android smart phone, tablet or personal computer e-books can be dictated, magnified or reviewed with the accommodating software a person with disabilities have on their system. There are several websites that are dedicated to provide eBooks for not only students for disabilities but eBooks that provide valuable information for parents of children with disabilities. Not all parents have access or time to visit traditional books and are often overwhelmed by the multitude of books on disabilities. E-books created by specific councils and companies listed on their websites are great for parents to read summaries and find information that is specific to their needs. The National Center of Learning Disabilities, a site I use periodically to find resources for parents offer E-Books related to Response to Intervention, parents guides to understanding IDEA, Individualized Education Plans, tips related to specific disabilities and variety of other topics. Smart Planet offers E-books to service students with disabilities and free access to technology due to an award they received from the U.S. Department of Education Special Education Programs, which provides service for over 100,000 students with disabilities.

The rapid increase in E-books can only benefits people all around the world. E-books have passed the sales of hardcover books for several years now. Some people are not completely convinced that E-books are as great as I think they are according to blog comments on several websites. Some are applauded that anyone who feels they have an idea can print a “book” or what is being written and available of e-book sites are not in good taste or good reads for anyone, even books that were once banned from schools such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Catcher in the Rye, or The Call of the Wild which are available in E-book form. I view searching for E-books the same as visiting the public library or going to the bookstore. You have a choice to view or purchase what you want, that is why every website has a small magnifying glass near a search box. Search for what appeases to you, why worry about the quality of prints you have no desire to read. The Association of American Publishers research shows that over 400 million e-books were sold in 2012. They mentioned that E-book sales have constantly increased in the last three years and will continue this pattern. USA Today mentioned that the number of E-books sold in 2013 was 43% more than the previous year but this trend has slowed down possibly due to the popularity of playing games and watching videos. After reading the Horizon Report 2011 edition I was taken aback that e-books are not as popular with scholars considering the majority of college professors have doctorate degrees in specific fields of study that I consider scholars. One can see the evolution of e-books since 2011 based on the increase of online classes and distance learning opportunities. Scholarly journals are now available in electronic form and means of researching have drastically transformed at the collegiate level down to elementary grades. There is a saying, “the wave of the future” that referred to ideas and products that appeared to be a trend that would inevitably prevail. That saying absolutely applies to Open Content and E-books. Technology does not back peddle but constantly progresses for the betterment of consumers.

E-Books are definitely the wave of the future and any book publishing companies that do not see the benefits of this format are doomed to obscurity. With the advances in technology that allow access to books on smart phones, tablets and computers, there will be many people who will not be interested in any reading material that is not available via E-Book.

In the Clouds with Social Media

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In the Clouds

My Thoughts Are Usually in the Clouds

          After my adventure with Twitter and blogging I found the use of cloud computing to be very clever and a great way to store and utilize information. Now the incorporation of tags was a different story for me. I was thinking “here comes the hard part”! The Wikipedia information pages explained what tags are; how to make them and their purpose seemed self-explanatory until I had to manage creating a tag cloud myself. As mentioned in my previous post, for years I’ve used Google to find everything I ever needed, not really utilizing the new forms of technology that could make my job easier. I think the fact that you can use a cloud server to hold your information without the use of a server at your business or home is great. I definitely see why it is a growing industry for accessing information with reasonable costs. Reviewing the Horizon Report and watching the videos opened up a new wave of information for me. I found many really neat programs and informational websites listed in www.cloudtrip.com.  I chose 3 cloud computing sites that would serve different purposes in my life.

          One was Common Curriculum, which is a plan book and lesson planner for instructors. I chose this program because I thought “what teacher doesn’t want a program or application that will help align lesson plans to the content standards?” It’s a free program for teachers or a very low cost program for an entire school to use. There are only a few steps to join and every step is broken down for you to help create templates, lessons, find standards and ways to communicate lessons with students and parents at home along with sharing with colleagues. The actual website www.commoncurriculum.com provides a video tutorial for those like myself who require additional visual aides to comprehend some of the simplest tasks! You can actually cut and paste lessons from other units or a colleague into your plans. If students were unable to complete an assignment in school it can be sent home with the student. Once a teacher is signed up it may take about 10 minutes to fill in your classes, days and times in to the your schedule. Once that information is in you can proceed to make a template that all of your lessons will automatically populate in. I thought it was great for those who need to print out plans for curriculum coaches and create plans in a color coded format. I plan on trying this program when I have extra time and will let you know how it turns out.

Align Lessons and Standards Faster & Easier!   www.commoncurriculum.com

          Several years ago I acted as an Activities Coordinator for a school I worked for. There were several field trips and activities students participated in that required meeting with parents and creating permission slips. We used a lot of paper for printing permission slips, informational packets and pamphlets for parents. When I noticed www.edtrips.com within the cloud computing sites I eager to see if it would be beneficial for teachers and Activities Coordinators.  This program can be used to not only create permission slips but collect payments and create information for the traveler. Pages created can be customized or one can use templates provided. It’s very simple to add in information you want and edit when necessary. Pages can be created for travelers to sign up and create an account to view and manage their account. I found this really neat for larger class trips to Washington D.C, Chicago or Cincinnati and camp that may require payment plans. Even day trips can be easily explained on web pages created. A teacher can explain what students plan to do on their trip and the lesson or standards connected to the trip and more. Chaperones for trips and activities can sign up when the activity is created, which I think is great. Everything that Edtrips provide is a great way to organize information, save time and communicate with others more efficiently, which is always a great for me as an educator. When I tried to sign up an create a demo trip webpage I had to repeat several steps such as sign in and join a list too many times. Hopefully once you put in all of your information it can be as easy as it appears and the participants on the webpage say! According to the comments on their blog and the webpage, teachers from all over the world use this application for various uses including extracurricular activities, home school programs, and church organizations. If you chose to have Edtrips manage your accounts for payments from participants Edtrips add a 4% fee to the cost of the trip and a 50 cents transaction fee. With that system there is no need for the school, teacher or Activities Coordinator to worry about handling cash or checks. Overall I think it’s worth looking into if a school doesn’t already have a technical system in place.

A New Way to Prepare for Field Trips! www.edtrips.com

 

 

 

              The third cloud computing site I chose to review interested me not only as an educator but a parent. Quipper Quizzes & Trivia, www.quiz.quipper.com is a great website that allows students to practice a wide variety of academic and fun skills through trivia games or quizzes. Some of the categories range from Arts and Entertainment to College Prep. Once you click on a category there are subcategories such as high school test prep, Biology, Geography, Math, and Languages. Once you select a sub category then there are more specific areas. I think this is an awesome website for students to use during transition periods, down time or even used in assessing their knowledge of specific subject areas. Explanations of scores, what Quipper refers to as “bite size” lessons are followed by multiple choice questions, and even suggestions to study and review mistakes. Participants can unlock bonuses based on progress when the quizzes are customized. Teachers can include a quiz along with videos, images and sounds pertaining to their own content. Teachers can assign customized quizzes or those already included as homework practice and monitor the results. One section provides additional resources for educators to utilize and collaborate. Parents can monitor their child’s scores and activities at a glance. A hotline telephone number is included for parents who have questions. I created a demo quiz for myself for a math concept and the steps were very easy to follow. I will definitely use Quipper’s quizzes in the future. I’m glad I chose to review the website from the Cloud Trip site.

Have fun While Learning! www.quipper.com

 

Ready, Get Set, Diigo!

            I really like what Diigo has to offer especially for collaborating with other educators and professionals. I think the tools associated with the program can really help me when gathering research and reading about specific topics that are included in lengthy documents or included with other information that is of no use to me. The ability to highlight, add notes and of course tag (a new thing I just learned from reading about “the clouds) is one great aspect of Diigo that sets it aside from other collaboration networks!” If anyone is “old school” and not as technically savvy as the younger generation like myself their FAVORITES bar is filled with multiple folders and sites. Now it can be bookmarked by Diigo with notes I’ve added. Having the ability to collaborate with others and view their ideas saves a lot of time during research because you know that the information is coming from your specific groups which are composed of members you have chosen to group with. You can even form your own group that consists of those who you want to share information with for specific classes or information if you like, which is again awesome for collaboration.

I chose to join two groups both related to Special Education. One group caught my attention because a member posted information on a topic that I frequent several times throughout the school year regarding special education students. A member of the Special Education Teachers group linked a website related to preparing students for post-secondary options and completing summaries of performance. I thought being able to follow a member of specific groups to be a lot easier for me than Twitter. The other group I joined is titled Special Education Technology Integration. This group contained a lot of pertinent information that coincided with what I’m learning in the ETPT 5550 course I’m taking. As soon as you click into the group there are members who have posted information related to websites on flipped classrooms, technology templates for class use, and tips on how to incorporate technology in the classroom.

 

The Big Picture

I gained a lot of knowledge by reviewing the short videos and tutorials listed for explaining Cloud Computing and Social Bookmarking. Diigo V4:Research: Annotate, archive, organize and Diigo V5:Collect and Highlight, Then Remember! videos were immense in increasing my knowledge of social bookmarking. I was able to process a huge amount of information watching the steps broken down in each video. I am pleased to have learned as much as I did. I can now feel confident in adding these resources to my technical repertoire of research and collaboration techniques to make my job a little easier! It is amazing that the New Media Consortium’s Horizon Report of 2009 mentioned the evolution of cloud computing and now we can see the advancement of cloud computing year after year. These forms of collaboration will continue to evolve as technology advances. One week I am trying to take flight with the little blue bird a.k.a Twitter and now I’m in the clouds! What’s next…..