Shakepeare

I am glad you all had plans for your spring break. Last week we had a very bad snowstorm and this week the weather is very warm. I think we went from Winter to summer and forgot spring. I added a picture of my house in the winter.

A little birdie told me you are interested in Shakepeare. I have found a great site for you to check out. http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=588 It is the Floger Shakepeare Library. This also has scripts http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=2142 Perhaps we can put on a play.

Tell me something you know about Shakepeare. Keep up the good comments.

I'm back - Thanks for the Comments

I liked all your comments. I was at a high school library, the one in the picture. It was a big library with computers in the middle and the books around the edges.

I taught 7th graders how to make a works cited for a research paper. I also made a video for a social studies class. I am glad to be back. Hope you all behave and keep up the good work.

What do you plan on doing when you don't have school next week?

Mrs. Laramie

Hi All,

I am going to be away until March 26th. Hope all goes well. If you would like to send me a note; click on comment below and type me a note. I will check and respond back to you. See you soon.



Mrs. Laramie

Reflection on blogging

Blogs, in general, are informative and a 21st century way to allow other people into your thought processes. By keeping a blog, individuals can create entries that can be shared and commented on by others. The internet has opened up so many possibilities it should be our goal to learn these new technologies and share them with our students.

My IST611 blog (very uncreative name as I look back on it) was my first attempt at creating a blog. Overall, it was a positive and fun, learning experience. The initial setup of the blog was relatively easy. For both segments, podcasting and digital storytelling, learning about the new technology and finding relevant links took up the first few blog entries. During this I learned quite a bit about the technology. But then, I had a little trouble thinking up new and different discussion points about the same topic. If I had to do it again, I would plan out how many total blog entries I needed, and then I would create a “lesson plan” to follow. That way each week I wouldn’t have to try and remember what I had already written while simultaneously coming up with creative explanations about the same topic.

When I first started I was a little taken aback with the html language in the blog template. But after getting my courage up, perusing through the html document, and reading the help; I decided I could change a few things within it. I created links on the side of my blog and changed a heading. I was also able to create a pop up window for the comments to appear in. For my last entry I attempted to import a picture and was successful on my first try.

As I ponder the rest of the assignment, I liked how we had to comment on the blogs created by our fellow students. This allowed us to learn about different technologies from a spectator point of view. It also gave us experience commenting on another blog. One week, when I was commenting on another blog I noticed the comments were not appearing. I became concerned and notified the blog owner to find out why. She informed me there was an option that allowed her to screen comments. I instantly realized this would be a great option to use in the educational setting. Wonderful ideas began formulating about this fabulous tool and how it could be used in the library media center. Students could comment on the main topic of the week but the Library Media Specialist, as blog owner, could screen the comments. Any unnecessary or inappropriate comments could be eliminated before they appeared on the page. If used in the high school setting I could see educating a student screener in this process.

Providing us with roles to assume, such as instructional partner, when commenting; helped create a mental picture of the role I was undertaking. It also made me think about how that technology could be implemented in the educational setting.

I am happy with my progress. My technology comfort level has increased dramatically; I am no longer afraid of html and am not intimidated about creating bigger technological headaches than I started with.

Dyslexia, audio and podcast

Just found Read Regular that advertises using different typeface for people with dyslexia. It was very revealing to see how people with dyslexia see the written word. There are so many new and exciting technologies to assist people that have problems. I wonder if changing the typeface will work. Could it be such a simple fix? I think it is wonderful if it is.

There are sites that offer assistive technologies for visually impaired. Assistive Media is a non profit organization that creates audio versions of the written word. Some of the articles come from the New Yorker. The extensive list can be individually downloaded to an ipod. Soundportriats.org is another great site with radio shows available for your listening pleasure all from National Public Radio (NPR). I am considering purchasing an iPod to listen to all these great programs.

The Assitive Technology Podcast can be subscribed to. It discusses all the latest assistive technologies available. There is so much available online if only you take the time to explore and verify your sites. Everyone has something to share.

Educational Podcast

Spreading the Gospel of Information Literacy - How Do We Get the Kids to Care? Podcast by Joyce Kazman Valenza

Joyce Kasman Valenza’s podcast focuses on the necessity for students to have information literacy skills when leaving high school. She equates the way students search now with search engines to the “fast food” of the internet. They grab the first two hits on Google and call it adequate. She proclaims the need for students to acquire these skills in high school by incorporating the whole school in the process of teaching information literacy skills. With a vested interest students will become better searchers and it will benefit them throughout their lives.

Her webpage is fabulous with many resources for lessons. She also has a blog "Joyce Valenza's Neverending Search" Great resources from a passionate Library Media Specialist.

Blog about podcasting

John Furrier has a relevant blog posting about podcasting. He states only 10% of adults know about podcasts. Really? Probably true. I say podcast and people generally say, what is that. I then respond with, it is like radio on demand.

He also speaks about advertisers missing markets because of blogs and podcasts and dvrs, to name a few of the new technologies. I will have to argue against that. My children tend to watch TV or listen to radio for the ads and then have conversations about the ads and how funny they are or aren't. I don't know if they influence us that much anyway. Do you think over time you become deadened to the constant media ads flashed before you?

Weekly high school podcast

Here's an example of a school with a daily podcast. Park School in Baltimore creates a podcast on wednesday of the week in review. It is inspiring to see schools embracing new technology instead of baning kids from using it. Technolgy is here to stay the faster we finds ways to incorporate it in our education system the better off our students will be. Hats off to Park School.

Safe internet sites for a fee

I found this article in the online San Fransico Chronicle. "Safe spot for kids to surf the web child-friendly sites wipe out porn predators" by Benjamin Pimentel. I was interested because it stated two moms were coming up with ideas to keep kids safe on the web. Strange but they both cost money. $9.95 a month for safe searching with nettrekker and $5 a month for Imbee.com which is the equivalent of Myspace for the 8 to 14 year olds. Does paying money make parents feel safer when their children are on the web? There are so many free search engines like Yahooligans and Ask.com geared for children I am not sure I understand why you would pay for the service.

Supervision is the key. As a society we need to stop throwing money at problems hoping they go away. We need to take responsiblility and time to solve these problems. Sitting with your child while they are on the internet would be the solution instead paying money for a service that probably dosen't even work. I am sure kids would find a way around it. It is like the filters at school. If the kids really want to, they find a way around the filters. Supervision, supervision, supervision (a little foot stomping was done there).

I liked the quote towards the bottom of the article that states ""With a little bit of skill, often just by having a chat with a librarian, you can find these resources for free," Price said. At least someone appreciates us. I would like your thoughts on this article.

Oh, there is also a podcast available (top of article).

Dictionary on iPod

I wanted to share this link to an article. For anyone with an iPod this is a great new tool.


The article from Applelinks.com tells how iPod and Merriam Webster have created a downloadable dictionary for the iPod. "Unlike audio versions of classical literature, iPREPpress provides text and graphics hyperlinks that bring highly readable text and easy navigation to the iPod, turning it into a PDA-like experience." stated Charles Moore.

The ideas that stem from technology can be intriguing. I wonder who thought of putting a dictionary on an Music playing device. I guess anything is possible.

Educational podcasts

I am interested in using this technology. I looked at the Apple ibook that I have from school but it does not have garageband on it. It must be the newer ibooks that have it because I know students were on it. So that experiment will have to wait until next week since I am on Spring break.

There is alot of information on the internet if you truly want to make your own podcast. I found a site that has podcasts from last year that should be listened to before an attempt is made to create your own. There are definitely a lot of don't if you want other people to listen to it. The Educational Mac has podcasts that pertain to education but they are poor. If you listen it is hard to hear what is being said and the guys voice is rather monotone. Practicing would be a definite must before creating.

Another search engine

I liked Rabecca's comment and had to investigate the search engine she sent me. Kartoo is a different kind of search engine. I am still not sure how to use it. As an educational tool I can see uses for kids understanding how terms are generated based on the term searched. I tried searching for podcast as usual and came up with a wide variety of terms associated with various websites. I can see the potential for kids in educational settings with this tool. At our last staff meeting the reading teachers were stressing graphic organizer. this looks like a tool that could be used to facilitate that process. That genie is a colorful addition.

I found a podcast dedicated to video games. What a kid treasury. Dream station has the latest video game playing strategies and more. This is unique. Unitl next time...

a new search engine

I found a new search engine that I am finding kind of exciting. It is kid friendly and not supposed to find any adult content sites. RedZee is similar to google in looks but has quite a few neat features. It shows the time it took to search and also shows pictures of the webpages. I am partial to pictures. Another intriguing feature is the redzeepedia which gives a brief description of the terms searched. I typed in podcasts and learned quite a bit just reading the redzeepedia content which appears at the top of the page.

I found iTunes in my search which I haven't discussed yet in this blog. The site that started the podcasting business. It offers free podcasts and the ability to upload your podcast if you so desire. By going to the online music store you can find what you are looking for. Give it a try.

A little more about Podcasting

About.com has alot of articles and resources that pertain to Podcasting on one page. This new way to create audio seems very popular. It is easy to find information on the subject just by doing a simple search. I can see students very interested in using this in the classroom. The only problem I see is teachers feeling comfortable enough to use technology on a daily basis. As the technology in schools grow I foresee teachers using it more frequently. The possibilities are endless. Also this is a great gap for Library Media Specialist's to fill. The more technology we can use the better situated we will be. In my school I am the tech person people come to. Keeping abreast of tehnology is great job security.

Examples of Educational Podcasts

In my recent search for knowledge about podcasting. I have come across a site that answers Susan's question. She asked if there was an index of podcasts and lo and behold I found one.

Education Podcast Network has created a site that indexes educational podcasts. I don't think there are a lot of them but there enough to get an idea of what is being done in the schools. On the right hand side of the page it is broken down by school such as elementary, and middle, high. Then there are examples from each school. I notice that quicktime is used each time I listen to these podcasts.

The creator of this site is David Warlick. He also has The Landmark Project website which is very interesting. He is the citation machine creator. Take a look.

Creating a podcast

I have found some interesting links to help a amateur podcaster get started.

If you have Garageband 2.0 podcasting is possible. Read the article at macworld.com. All you need is a Mac with Garageband 2.0, microphone, headphones and you are in business. Don't forget the editing software to create a great broadcast.

If you have Garageband 3.0 then podcasting can be a snap. Check out this article with screen shots from creativemac.com

If you are an advanced podcaster this is the site for you. It is a tutorial created by podcast.com that details the equipment needed along with how to operate it.

Listening to a blog as a Podcast

I have found a site that "converts text only blogs into PodCasts". Talkr is a free service if you want to listen to the blogs they subscribe to plus 3 others.

From what I understand you need 3 things to make this work.

1. A Podcasting server (Talkr)
2. A podcasting client (Juice)
3. An MP3 player

The podcasting client Juice is an open source software that is free to download. (Just like Rabecca was discussing earlier)

I listened to a few blogs the voice was a touch computerish and roboty sounding but not bad. This would be intriguing to try...

Teaching yourself.

Rabecca asked an interesting question. How do you incorporate a technology into the classroom when you don't know how to use it? My knowledge of how schools and training works. Basically you teach yourself. They do offer classes but they are not that great. The best way to implement new tools in the classroom is figure it out by yourself and test it. If it dosen't work you are back to the drawing board. Possibly find someone who does know it and have them teach you.

Another example of podcasts from an elementary school http://bobsprankle.com/blog/

Podcast articles

I came across an interesting article http://www.thejournal.com/articles/18040_4 from The Journal comments on how education is using iPods to create podcasts . I know I went to a technology show a month ago and the Apple representative was showing iPods and telling all the ways they could be used in the classroom. It is amazing the technology available in all facets of life.

I have also found the Podcasting News http://www.podcastingnews.com/ commenting on new innovations in the podcasting world. Quick little reads that delve into the podcasters world. On this site I learned a new term, vlogger (video blogger).

Podcasting with a Mac

The link is a superb resource for creating a podcast with a Mac. It shows a simple step by step process to create a podcast. It uses garageband which normally comes on an apple and then a few other free downloads. I can see this as being used in the school setting where apples are the norm. Click the link below.