Blog that I commented this week 3

Popscreen.com

This is an amazing and relatively new web 2.0 tool that allows the user to bookmark online video, viral video and to be able to collect and share them across the web. KillerStartups.com gave this site a high rating as it is very interactive with other social networking sites. I chose this site because it probably isn't something that I would "go-to" as a first choice for a classroom of high school or college students, but I would go with it after they had learned other social networking technologies. I could also see used outside of the classroom between family and friends as they kept in touch with each other. Media has grown through the web and hand held devices to be a lot more about entertainment and a lot less about the news. Opinion pieces and editorials delivered through all media assets abound. And, why not? People are looking for a way to connect that isn't confrontational. It's best to keep it llight and therefore news and entertainment have gotten all mixed up. Popscreen appeals to this type of user, but as stated, I think it could be used for more serious purposes other than "have you see the latest?" It is after all in the final analysis a cultural commentary of our times, our tastes and ideals. I would use it primarily as a bookmarking service as students would be able to collect videos and use them for class projects through screensaver and other tools. I think it would be a worthwhile bookmarking service to subscribe and it's free!
Below is a screenshot of the website.

BP13_2009103_ReflectiveAsset2

BP12_2009103_Web2.0_Zotero

Zotero is an excellent tool that can outcome with great benefits for students. Is a free and easy to use application that is designed to work as an extension for the Firefox browser. This option can allow students to access, college and manage information. In addition, students and users can use this application to cite research sources. Zoho is a cross platform tool. With this, students can access information that they store in a computer and work it in other computer with a different operating system. The time of using external hard drives or portable discs to share information within computers is being in some situations substituted for new options like Zotero. This web 2.0 tools are accessible and very beneficial since the cite application can serve as a review of citation formats. As much of the web 2.0 tools, zotero can also be access from different computers and can outcome as an advantageous application for students.

This is a video that briefly explain Zotero's concepts and it benefits.

BP11_2009103_Web2.0_Zoho

Image Representing www.zoho.com

Zoho is an ideal web 2.0 tool. The great options to have everything organized for group or individual projects, documents, presentations, file sharing, meetings, discussions, chats and planning are available in this tool. Sometimes being structured and organized become really hard when we need so many applications to do the work and stay in track of every assignment and due dates. I will promote the use of Zoho since provide the options all in one tool. This application provides also an email. For business purpose, Zoho counts with other applications related to the business industry. It is a manageable site with free options for students and instructors. There is no need to install basic software’s and can be accessed from every computer.

BP10_2009103_Web2.0_Evernote

While looking through the web for 2.0 tools that can work in a classroom for instructors and teachers, Evernote appeared to be a good option. After the sign in process, downloading the application and playing with this tool, I found that Evernote can definitely be considered as a tool to be used in a future for me and students. With this application you can capture text, audio, web and video clips. Also, you can retrieve the information whenever you need it or wherever you go. It can be accessed from any computer or inclusively for mobile devices. The program can be installed in your computer and work with various operating systems. You can write the note, save it or share it, or you can copy and paste images to the note. The program also makes screen captures for a basic selection or full screen. This tool can benefit students since they do not need to have everything is post it notes and did not have the risk to loose valuable information.

Image from Evernote site

BP9_2009103_Flickr

After having the interaction with flickr, a web 2.0 tool, part of the findings for this program in education is that provide the option to communicate and facilitate image searching through the web. Flickr can be considered as an archive center. The great benefit is that users can upload pictures or videos from a computer or a mobile phone. Also, adding a brief description and tagging the image to associated concepts to assist in the search process. With this option users can type keywords to find the most related matches.

This Web 2.0 tool provides teachers the benefit to implement this method as a research option. Students that usually need to buy magazines or books with picture to find images for their classes and assignments can use Flickr as an alternative way to find the image that is related with their topics. For example, in a History class students need to find pictures of historic places in a specific town, and they can use this program to find those pictures using keywords to find the tags. Also, students from an architecture class can demonstrate examples of buildings in different parts of the world.

An option to use Flickr in a future classroom is having this tool as an expression or exhibition center. My principal interest is audiovisual projects. Flickr can serve as a portfolio for photography students or production students since this program also allow the option of video upload.

• Example of an image added by me in flickr: In this picture my niece is next to one of the most important walls constructed by Spanish people when they were in possession of Puerto Rico island back in the 1500's. (This also can serve as one of the example mentioned before for architecture or history students)

Blogged that I commented on:

BP6_2009102 Web 2.0 Tools – FreeScreenCasts.com

The first tool I reviewed, TypingWeb, was something I could use easily with little implementation overhead, and could be used immediately. The second tool I evaluated was FreeScreenCast from freescreencast.com.

This tool is both a web sharing service, like many that are available, but also is a software solution to interface and provide an easy method of sharing recorded screen casts both to students and individuals that may benefit from the screen cast.

Before I go into more details, I have to point out that this service is only for the Windows operating system at this time. The software that must be downloaded to provide both screen captures and the ability to upload will only run on Windows PC’s.That being said, this is still a very useful Web 2.0 tool.

The software works similar to most screen recording applications, in that you can choose the specific window to record, or record the entire screen. While recording, an attached microphone will allow audio captures to accompany the video of what is occurring on screen.

Once recording has been completed, you may save your recording to your local hard drive, and also upload the video to the freescreencast.com site. Before uploading, a descriptive title is attached to the file, and once uploaded, the uploaded FLV (Flash video) file is displayed on the freescreencast.com web page with the needed HTML code and URL needed to either bookmark for later viewing and sharing, or the code may be embedded in web pages or blog sites for embedded viewing of the movie.

A search, not available at this time, if it were available on the main web site would make finding videos specific to any subject area much easier. The library is not very massive at this time, but the site seems to be well laid out and easy to access and will certainly grow as the number of users increases.

The video below is an example of embedded video directly from the site.

BP8_2009102_Use of Blogger

One of the popular methods that I will use is blogger. The main purpose of blogger will be to deliver information or instructions for homework. Also, students will be able to find video, tutorials and special assignments in this blogger application. Here they can make interactions with other classmates, post some assignments and comment on other students projects. With an easy to use application were they can add media and personalize their own page at their own taste will create a comfortable setting with their own Personal Learning Environment.

BP7_2009102_Use of Viviti

Viviti is a website builder easy to use. This application can serve in the development of the website that can be used for the class. Students can have access to it from their home. This application allows to create an interactive environment with a professional look . This site can be set up for free, with some limited options. Viviti can serve as a delivery site were we can add blogs, music, videos and other type of materials.

BP6_2009102_Use of CamTweet

With the use of camtweet tool students can share video on twitter. One of the main uses of this tool in my future classroom is to deliver video lessons created at the end of the day with the material provided in class. They will benefit since this material can serve as a review for assignments or tests from topics discussed in class. Also, with Camtweet you can have access directly from the twitter account. Here, basically tweeter in conjunction with Justintv allows to broadcast live using any webcam or just share your video.

BP5_2009102_Media Asset

BP4_2009102_Social_Bookmarking

The 21^st century has being promised the development of new tools for education. In the past years, specifically around 15 years ago the vision of schools full of books were the order of those times. Most of the students needed to look into books for information to accomplish their homework’s or probably visit other friend’s house to review in other books to share words. While the network start raising more options for research and material are becoming available. Now we have the options with web tools for make research, archive our findings or even share with others.

A common technique to save our search is bookmark a website or source in our computer in folders or as individual in order to have them archived. Making this process let us review or find those websites from our computer but did not provide the benefit that if we are in other computer, for example using our schools computer we are not going to be able to access the links that we have in our personal computers. In other hand, a tool that we can use to access our archived materials from other places is social bookmarking.

In an article publish by Educause (2005), describe social bookmarking as “the practice of saving bookmarks to a public website and tagging them with keywords”. You can designate them as public or private for your benefit and security. Using this method, we can organize the information by topics, release dates or by categories of specific criteria’s. This can contribute in learning to teachers and students since can result in an accessible practice to search information. Is very important to use correctly this type of applications. For example, tagging correctly our bookmarks can assist others to find the information they are looking with a more accurate search. If the bookmark is not tagged properly the answers can finish with a poor view. Riddell (2006) described said that “tagging sites allow users to save their favorite links, content, and media to a centrally accessible site, similar to how you save bookmarks to your web browser”.

Other groups that can be beneficiated with social bookmarking are librarians. Like mentioned before social bookmarking can be accessed from anywhere allowing sharing our web findings. For librarians instead of archiving and storing dozens of files in a computer this tool helps them to organize more effective the material for categories. Harris (2009), said “bookmarks stored online are still a digitized version of the classic print index or directory” (p.14).

Some social bookmarking sites that can be used for students or instructors to start navigating and sharing information with peers are mentioned in the article Sites to see: Social bookmarking. Jackson (2009), mentioned some of the most popular sites for this type of sharing. An example is del.icio.us, considered by Jackson (2009) as “one of the largest social bookmarking sites”.

Since the time passes through, new tools will be develop to contribute for the benefit of education and other fields. The combination of methods used in the past with new deliverable systems is part of the 21^st century trends and its technology revolution.

References:

Educause: Learning initiative (2005). Seven things you should know about … Social

Bookmarking. Retrieved on October 10, 2009 from

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7001.pdf

Harris, C. (2009). What's next for social bookmarking?. School Library Journal,

Vol. 55 Issue 2, p14-14. Retrieved on October 10, 2009 from http://search.ebscohost.com

Jackson, L. (2009). Sites to see: Social bookmarking. Retrieved on October

11, 2009 from http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/sites/sites080.shtml

Riddell, R. (2006). Social bookmarking makes its mark in education. Retrieved

on October 10, 2009 from http://www.eschoolnews.com

iGoogle Screenshots

iGoogle FSO Page

ETC Page in iGoogle

iGoogle Home Page (WGO)

BP2_2009101_Anti-Teaching

The actual educational system that we have been living sometimes or probably most of the time is resisted to change. Technology is being in constant modification and transforming education and other fields in a distinctive experience. Unfortunately not all teachers are ready or maybe do not accept the challenge of learning new tools to maintain students attention and improve their knowledge. Students need to be more involved in their education using new tools in their learning environment such as discussion boards, blogs or other virtual spaces to present their questions and received vital information related to their subjects. Most of the students that are assisting today to school are not attracted to the idea of staying sated all day hearing one person talking about a specific topic, instead they can spent hours navigating through a network learning through games or other type of tools. Sometimes a game is not considered educational, but that student needs to learn specific instructions to accomplish the goal and win that game. Every action in our lives involves learning; the difference is how we deliver that information.

Probably creating a basic network where students can find the information in an interactive form such as media assets like audio, video games, simulations in conjunction with discussion boards, chats, post or comments can be more attractive for a student that can learn through an educational / social network at the same time because has the opportunity to interact with other peers.

Diversity is what we see every day in classrooms. Every student has his or her own style of learning. Being able to understand our learners and what is more effective for them as a group can help to impact with our delivery methods our group. We can combine problem solutions based on the Problem Based Instruction theory for example with tools that involved the used of media creation like video, sounds and music using delivery methods like web pages to involved students and at the same time impact our Multiple Intelligences students. With this, students are can brainstorm and research to create the assets and those that are more artistic can be part of this process collaborating in the editing process in their assignments. These virtual environments can be an option to wake that interest for learner in their education. Schools should have the option to a server where they can manage their courses in a safe setting for their students and where they can access this information. Also, having websites that are nexuses or parallel to this sites where they can connect to research information. In cases where are students under age is very important to maintain safe environments, but this sites like iGoogle, My Yahoo, My MSN or others can be used with parents supervision. This will help students to have their own spaced designed at their own taste and used for education. Technology is a new tool for education but the integration from teachers and parents in student’s education is very important since they are the main support for them.

BP3-2009101- Google Reader Picks

Being able to subscribe to news feeds or other type of informational references subscriptions can contribute in our development as professionals. These are some subscriptions that I picked for my RSS in the Google Reader tool:

Curriculum and learning: -- provide information with the latest news in education and also provides information of handling diversity in our schools since show articles with different perspectives in the learning process.

US department of school ? is important to stay informed with the last movements in education by the government. Being familiar with the law and strategies that are used for the government in the schools can be useful in our careers making us to stay in track with daily situations. I am not in one of the 50th states of the United States but my island is a territory of US and these movements in the government for the education can also impact the education system in Puerto Rico.

Elementary and Secondary News: helped to stay in touch with events within schools. This one is in Missouri but can be useful since I can compare the type of educational systems. The most that catch my attention was the new about the FBLA, because I was part of that organization while I was in school and now I can see their proceeds in other state.

Educational Technology ? One of my passions is technology and being up to date with the latest information and their impact in education can serve as a great benefit for my studies and my profession.
International Journal of music education ? I subscribe to this RSS since audio is part of my life and being able to use other methods such as music for education can be stimulated with this type of articles where I can find ideas for this implementation.

BP1_2009101_Blogger- Blog impact in education

As mentioned in a couple of sources that I visited this week Blogs is a tool commonly used in business, news, education etc. In the Blogs in plain English video that can be located in Youtube explain in a briefly way the basic concepts of blogs. For me, blogging is other method to express an idea that probably came to our mind or as a detail explanation of ideas that are created during a research process.

In education blogs are used to deliver information or in some cases to collaborate. Teachers can use this method as a collaborative room with their students to share experiences and create an interaction with them. These types of interactions can help students to develop and polish their skills in writing or communication. As a student, sometimes I was hesitant to talk or communicate and being able to interact with others in chats, forums or discussion boards helped me to increase my communication style. Fortunately, I can communicate much better and being able to research online and write constantly help me in that development process. An example of that is that I am not a native English speaker, and being in constant writing through blogs help me to improve my writing skills because receiving feedbacks from my peers and instructors are a positive use of this posts.

Going back to other benefits for blogging is classroom management. In the website Teaching Today, we can find a section named “How To Articles”, were they explain the Blog Basics. While I was reading this topics and subtopics about blogs helped me to understand much better why this communication method is getting more popular in education. An example is the option of working virtually in our own time and peace at any time. In the case of classroom management, instructors can provide students information, educate them with homework requirements or probably just a place to present questions and answers resulting as a great benefit for all participants, specially for those type of students like me that in some moment of lives are timid and do not like to participate actively in a classroom environment.

In this website also present that blogs can work as virtual or digital portfolios for students, since every entry is archived and the progress of a learner can be appreciated. I have to agree with those words, because we are constantly posting our progress in our Action Research Project (ARP) blog. Now that I mentioned the ARP project, you can visit my blog at http://web.me.com/brendamsoto/Brendas_Web/Blog/Blog.html.

Other impact in education is that Blogging at this time have their own award that is sponsored by Discovery Education. Pierce (2006), mention in his article Panelists: Blogs are chaning education that “the award are indented to celebrate excellence in education blogging”. The ability of easy access and very friendly to use make this tool a powerful opportunity for instructors and students in time where is more popular through the network. The website for this news is eSchool News, Technology news for today’s K-20 educators.

Links you can visit that were referenced in this post: http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/howtoarticles/blog-basics http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm i=36898&CFID=22353018&CFTOKEN=51945522

Welcome to the Action Research Journey

This definitely is not going to be an official first blog post. But I want to use this space as an initial start to welcome you to my blog where you can be part of this process in my actual education and my action research project.