The World is Flat so I'm told

First thought is that I have to read The World is Flat now...http://tinyurl.com/y9kdsml. Been putting it off, but it seems like the time. Will give it to my husband for Christmas and then read it when he is finished. It has apparently been updated in 2007, so it will be relatively current (if that's possible anymore.)

And so, I have been saving Chapter 9, "What it all means" for a time when I can pay attention and think about it. Savor it, so to speak. Can Will Richardson hear my Amen from the back of the room? Amen, I say. What I like about Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts is its applicability and good sense. Web 2.0 has changed the way people interact, this affects education...in many diverse ways. Richardson allows that the affect is a challenge for classroom teachers, which it is, physically and psychologically. However, as with any kind of change, using a thoughtful approach and a willingness to try and possibly fail at first, there is quite a lot to be gained. The role the teacher plays will change but will not be diminished in any regard. Richardson states beautifully the ways in which education and teachers will have to change...personally, I'm ok with that. Yet I have posted things on Facebook and Twitter that I have felt to be truly inspiring (and doable!) and have received some (veiled) negative comments from otherwise brilliant teachers, yet when they hear or see the word "technology" they become defensive. There is not just a big physical shift that is necessary, but an attitudinal shift.

I am really excited about the possibilities, and I can tell that Richardson is as well. He is a great model and leader. I would love to hear him speak. But I wish that I could spread some of the enthusiasm without eliciting the fear and anxiety that comes with his message. Having said that, I am willing to try.

Good course. Time well spent. I wish I had had even more time, but to quote the overquoted, it is what it is. Looking forward to more. Thanks.

Visual Vocabulary

Working backwards, I have finally finished the first project assigned. I was a little sullen about having to use Powerpoint, spoiled brat that I am. So I put it off and uploaded something that I had already done. While, technically it could apply because it was a vocabulary of the solar system, it wasn't right. I also was using the useless, frustrating Nokia at the time and had a devil of a time getting images that I could use. Still can't get over the 2 cameras conundrum. And I had started out with a much larger idea for a school project about classrooms and school personnel in Spanish. I had to really scale back, and this is what I finally came up with. I like it now. Again, though, I just feel as though I haven't had enough time to do any of my projects justice and that makes me sad. Anyway, here it is from Slideshare, sans transitions (which really enhance this presentation in my opinion, but what can I do?) I really should try to figure out the optimum size for presentations for this blog because everything I have posted from Slideshare and YouTube get cut off. Ugh.

Los Colores

View more presentations from anniebrider.

Book

Well, I'm not sure I captured my book in pictures, but the approach I used for this one was more deliberate and thoughtful. I tried to incorporate excerpts that catch the spirit of the book, and I tried to create images that really went well with the text. None of this is easy and requires planning moreso than is evident in the final piece which I think is a valuable lesson to learn when planning to do digital stories with kids. It is a challenge on many levels.

How -to video

Here's my "how-to video" on making coconut almond macaroons. Thanks Mary and Rory...especially Rory, who's a big ham (and secretly doesn't like coconut...can you tell?)

How to create and comment on a Voicethread

Ann Rider's Podcast

Hi everyone, I posted a new episode to my podcast, Ann Riders Podcast. Please click the link below to view it. http://anniebrider.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-12-06T17_36_35-08_00 See you there! - Ann

Shel Silverstein Poems

Ann Rider's Podcast

Playing catch-up...putting it all together

I am playing catch-up for sure. It's been a crazy 2+ weeks of being sick, kids being sick, having relatives come for days (with all the requisite shopping and cooking) and then a long weekend in Philadelphia at an Irish Dance competition (which required several extra practices since October.) It really set me back even farther than I was. I took a lot on this Fall and am not sure that I have been able to do any of it truly well. I will not make that same mistake next semester.

I have been able to think about many of the topics addressed in this class, but not write about them. This post will begin to remedy that, hopefully.

First of all...the Nokia. Ugh. I couldn't get past the frustration. I had such a problem switching between cameras. I took it to the Turtle Back Zoo but missed a lot of shots because I was switching between cameras. I just can't figure out why there were two cameras in that thing. Redundant and confusing. How many times do you need to take a picture of yourself? Seriously. And I had to use the stylus because I couldn't get the touch screen to reliably work for me, I guess I didn't have "the touch." This is ironic to me, because I can use the touch screen fine on my iPod Touch. So I just failed miserably at getting the Nokia to work for me. I just didn't persevere enough. Not intuitive at all.

Next. The Will Richardson book, Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts. I really, really like this guy. I like what he has to say about the future of education. I like how he doesn't treat Web 2.0 tools as "educational technology." It's just education. I like how he's not scared of the future and is making attempts to manage the direction that education and the role that technology plays in education. I follow him on Twitter and very frequently read what he tweets and pass it along or save it for future reference, (using Diigo, which he so succinctly describes in Chapter 6, the Social Web. I have previously posted about my success in sharing about using iPod Touches using Diigo with my colleagues. I felt very smart. Thanks, Will.) Did I mention that I love him?

I did read his comments on Wikis and blogs. I had already been using a Wiki for the World Languages Department in my School District, with mixed results. It's been good for me a few other teachers who are willing to use it, but there was little (useful) training or explanation of use/benefits for my colleagues last year for them to use it with any regularity. And I didn't have the time to proselytize as it was my first year there. Can't be too pushy right out of the gate, kwim? I have found the wiki to be super useful in some respects, as I have gotten some good ideas/comments/resources from the willing colleagues. A fifth grade teacher at my school uses a wiki for her book groups and reading responses with great results. There are uses for a Wiki.

One thing that I will continue to do outside of this class is blog. I like it. I have my son doing a blog for his reading/language arts class. He was thrilled the first time he got a comment from his teacher and wrote right back to her. There you go, writing for an audience! An authentic audience! We have been changing his backrounds with pyzam.com and are on our third holiday template. Although I am not a blogger in the true sense of the word, as there is no real "focus" yet to my posts other than my experiences in using technology in the classroom and beyond, I follow people on Twitter who are prolific and true bloggers. Blogging is a valid and useful resource.

I am looking forward to reading Chapter 9 What it All Means. But right now, I will peruse the podcasting chapter as I have just posted a podcast on podomatic.com. In Garageband, there are so many controls, I don't know what the hell does what. The audio sounds a little tinny and volume levels are inconsistent because I did 5 different poems. I had the best time putting the little Stingers in as transitions. I hope to complete my book excerpt tonight, from Little House in the Big Woods, but the kids are running around making all kinds of noise, which is not the most conducive environment for recording. And man, does your mouth get dry or what when you're reading these long passages? Ok, now I'm going to figure out how to post from Podomatic onto this blog.