I have been blogging for quite some time now. It seems I go in “fits and spells” and I know the lack of continuity is not a good thing. I havealso stopped blogging as much now that I use twitter (@mwaiksnis). However, blogging allows you to use much more than 140 characters, so it is nice to continue to blog. It just seems the exchange of information occurs much more frequently on twitter. I am wondering if my fellow edubloggers are finding the same thing.
1. Are you blogging as much as you had in the past? If not, why do you think this is so?
2. Is twitter effecting your blogging? How?
I guess what I am hoping for is a way to continue to use both blogging and tweeting in my quest to be a true life long learner. I do not want to abandon either platform, but I wonder if splitting the time is detrimental. PLN - Let me hear your thoughts.
A colleague of mine and I will be presenting a session on using technology to increase your professional and personal productivity to a large group of principals at the SCASA middle level conference in a few weeks. I am a “heavy” user of technology and know how beneficial it has been to me over the past few years.
The group will have a very wide range of technological backgrounds. Some of the principals are proficient in many technologies and some have very limited experience. I want to somehow appeal t each and everyone n the audience. The presentation will be about two hours.
What should we include in our presentation? I know I would like to start off with a poll everywhere demonstration. Here are some ideas we have so far:
poll everywhere
twitter - for developing a PLN and for school communication
podcasting
What do you think we should include?
Has Anything Changed?
I was going to post this entry 2 years ago. I put it together and saved it without ever publishing it. I was sorting through my admin. panel this evening and happened upon it. It was an article about cell phones from Jan. 2008. Clearly, we know there are many advantages to using cell phones in the classroom. However, I wonder if we have come very far in actual implementation over the past 2 years?
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Many schools are forced to spend a lot of time on cell phones. Here is an article out of N.Y. Maybe if there was a more widespread use of cell phones as learning tools, they would be more accepted at school.
Confusion Over New York
Cellphone Ban in Schools
From - http://www.cellular-news.com/story/28376.php
Students returning to school this week in New York face a dilemma over what to do with their mobile phones when they enter the school property. Under a City Council law passed last September, pupils are allowed to carry phones with them on their journey to school - but not to then carry the phone into the school, causing confusion at the school gates. Plans by some schools to set up secure lockers for the mobile phones have been delayed by at least a year.
“It doesn’t make any sense at all,” Lashea Suggs, a pupil at the Young Women’s Leadership School told the local New York Post. “How can you bring your phone to school and have nowhere to put it when you get to school?”
City mayor, Michael Bloomberg imposed a ban in 2006 after he introduced metal detectors at some schools to help cut down on knife crime - and mobile phones were amongst the items confiscated. Responding to parent pressure who said that mobile phones were essential for safety reasons, the city council passed the new law which was aimed at forcing the Department of Education to find a solution to allowing children to be near their phone, without disrupting school lessons.
Enterprising local retailers have seized the opportunity caused by the confusion and for a charge will store a students mobile phone for them during the day - allowing them to collect the phone when they are heading home again.
There is a legal challenge to the ban - but it wont be heard until next month at the earliest.
Posted to the site on 3rd January 2008
I recently received a request about how I do my principals podcast. I would love to share this info with you. I do not claim to be an expert in podcasting, but what I do works for me. I create a podcast that I call Principal’s Podcast. It is geared toward the parents of my school. The podcasts contain a variety of information about the happenings around campus. I plan on stepping it up a bit this year, both in quality and variety.
Currently, all of the podcasts I have done are audio only. I am planning on creating some vodcasts. I would also like to interview various stakeholders on the “show”. I will review the steps I use to create a podcast. Once it is created, I simply post it on a blog. This blog is dedicated to my school and again, is aimed at the parents. It includes both podcasts and written entries. Here is the link (it is also linked from our school website):
http://sullivanms.edublogs.org/
I have also recently used google docs to conduct a survey on the blog.
In order to podcast you only need a minimal amount of tools:
Computer, of course!
Some type of microphone. I have a headset with earphones and an attached microphone. I think I purchased it at Best Buy for around $15.
You will need some type of software. I use audacity, mostly because it is free and I was able to figure out how to use it! I am sure there is easier/better software out there for a price.
You will need somewhere to post your podcast. In my case, I post it to the blog mentioned above.
Here are the steps I follow to create a podcast:
Go to audacity.sourceforge.net (first time only)
Click download audacity 1.2.6 (first time only)
Click on audacity installer (first time only)
Click save, follow directions (first time only)
Download LAME MPS Encoder (you need this to convert audacity files to mp3’s)(first time only)
Follow directions for windows (first time only)
Open audacity
Write script for podcast or wing it! I have done both.
Record the podcast – click stop when done
Go to file, click export to mp3
It will be in libmp3lame…..folder
You can use podbean.com for free to host a blog, where you can post your podcasts.
It is really easy to do. The hardest part is finding the time to keep producing the podcasts. I do not know how many parents listen, but I know there is an audience because I usually embed a trivia question for a prize. At least this lets me know someone is listening. As I mentioned earlier, I plan to add video on occasion and conduct interviews as well. I hope these directions are clear, but remember I do not claim to be an expert! However, if you give it a try I think you will be hooked!
Over the past two years I have been exploring Web 2.0 tools. I see the need to create a school environment that is applicable to the lives of our students. They are so connected at home and I am working to make sure they can be connected at school. You have probably heard the saying that kids are required to unplug when they cross the threshold of their school. While this is true in many regards, it is important to infuse as much technology as we can. At the same time, I think it is important not to simply “do” technology. There should be an objective that ties into the curriculum. Fortunately, with so many tools out their it is becoming easier and easier each day.
I want to share with you some of the top tools I see that can make an impact in schools. I will then share with you some of these that I have seen used effectively in schools.
Blogs-I have been writing on this blog for almost two years. It has been a great way for me to express my thoughts and organize my thinking. Of course, I do not post as much as I should, but it is always a work in progress. There are many classroom uses for blogging. Blogs give students an audience while they write. They are no longer just writing for the teacher. This almost always leads to quality writing. One of the biggest benefits of blogging is it allows the shy student to participate. Many students that are hesitant to engage in a classroom discussion find blogging as a way to participate in class. Blogging led me directly into twitter.
I am sure mot of you reading this are on twitter. If you are not, go directly to twitter.com and sign up! I have learned more from my PLN on twitter than almost any other professional development resource. You get to learn and interact with others who are working in your field. I started by following a friend in education and followed the people he followed. It grows from there. I try to share as much as possible with them and they definitely return the favor. I have also created a twitter feed for my school. This is an easy way to send out updates on the happenings of the school. You can see me on twitter at @mwaiksnis. My school’s account is @smfalcons.
Podcasting-This is another way to communicate with your school stakeholders. I have a principal’s podcast. The audience is still growing and I plan on continuing it this year. To gauge the amount of interaction, I always include a trivia question for a small prize. We always get parents calling in, so I know someone is listening. There are many direct uses of podcasts in the classrooms as well. I have seen them used as a culminating activity on a research project. I have seen them used in conjunction with photo story. There are many other uses as well!
It seems like there are an endless array of Web 2.0 tools out there today. Blogging, podcasting and twitter are my favorite. They are all easy to learn. If you are attempting to integrate technology in your school, I would reccomend these as a starting point. I taught a Web 2.0 class at my school and the teachers seemed to love it.
Other tools that I use include:
Google Docs - Tons of possibilities. I recently created surveys using google docs. The best part is the results are sent into a spreadsheet so you can easily sift through your data. This is a great way for a teacher to get to know their students.
Mind meister (online mapping tool)
Glogster
Wikis - We have a staff wiki. It is a great place to store resources. We also post important forms and documents. I used wikispaces when I created the wiki.
Poll Everywhere-you can create polls that students or teachers can use via computer or cell phone. Results are displayed immediately for instant feedback.
Wordle
This list would go on and on, but these are most most used tools. What do you use on a regular basis?
