As I mentioned we are on term break but as always there is a lot that needs to be done for the second semester.
The other day I did some learning materials planning with a colleague over Skype and we started to share a document through Google Docs and though I really like the formatting that is allowed in Google Docs it doesn't allow for both people to edit the one document at the same time (synchronised). My colleague recommended we use EtherPad instead.
EtherPad allows multiple users to edit the one document at the same time.
EtherPad isn't fancy but it has great import and export features, all people can edit at the same time and chat. It saves time by not having to take notes or wait until someone gets an email reads it changes it and returns it.
One of the great features is to upload a document that has already been started and then changing as it is being discussed. Each users has a different colour highlighting the text they are changing or creating and so you can see who is doing what.
I think it is a great way of catching all discussion points and then all people can download the document instantaneously and have a record of what was going on and what needs to be worked on in the future.
The planning documents created will end up back in Google Docs for working on asynchronicity as this project is ongoing and only beginning.
Anyway check out EtherPad if you have any planning to do and don't want to leave the house / office especially in the middle of winter.
1. Because you want to record something, because it’s free and it is easy to use.
The something could be anything.
2. You may want to record a vocabulary list with the terms in a sentence for a test or explain an important concept you want students to remember
3. You may want students to: answer each other’s questions verbally, tell a story do a verbal presentation collaborate on a student radio show…
4. You may want to make a screencast but also have the ability to record the audio at a different time and so you have more editing control.
5. You may want to record your band or make your own advertisement.
Like I said anything……. You might want to put the classroom rules on a podcast to give to a student who may have forgotten them,,,,,,,,
6. It makes wav or mp3 files
Equipment: Any type of microphone, even an inbuilt one ☺
From what I can tell an A$250 Microphone would get you top recording quality but for everyday use with students and if you aren’t planning on broadcasting to the world or even if you are a headset or any tested microphone should be just as great to use.
Like most things until you use it you won’t know how to – or unless you have a reason to set up a microphone and check your settings press the record button start speaking, press the stop button to stop recording press the rewind button or drag the cursor to the start and press play to listen to what you have recorded you won’t be able to get the real feel of the software.
Note for making MP3s It’s pretty easy and the hardest part is if you want to convert your file to an mp3 when you need to find the relevant addon (lame.dll) for your type of operating system. You only need to do this once.
But Free music samples can be found that can be imported into a Audio project in Audacity. I also have garageband and I seem to mix using the two together as I like to use sound effects and I like the make a podcast episode in Garageband but I find Audacity much easier to work in for editing vocals and getting rid of unwanted noise. Some Hints in making Audio Recordings
As I might have mentioned my hobby is making music and from doing that and now creating audio for my students there are some hints that you might like to know or might even already know • Save Copies of versions (this helps if you accidently delete something you might want later) • Work in projects and make sure you take all files and folders if you are going to work on a different machine. • Script what you are going to say • Stop straight away when you have made a mistake or repeat it until you get it right, press pause and note the time so you know where to go back to edit • Edit as you go saves time in the long term • As you get more confident of recording your voice you will find it is the editing that takes the most time • Think about your audiences ability to concentrate and limit the length of the recording accordingly • Start with short recordings • Plan how you want to use it if you are going to use it with students or for students • Set out any presentation first and practise what you are going to say and write it down. • Give your self space and time to take a couple of breaths and talk reasonably slow • If you make a mistake mid sentence it is better to record the whole sentence again than trying to edit half way through • Have fun and try and engage your audience
Tutorials on using Audacity Here is some tutorials from Audacity
I am quite sorry about not having done an entry for a while. I guess there are two reasons - my normal work and report writing getting in the way and the second is because I have to do real work sometimes I haven't been looking at the different web tools to use and so I haven't felt I have had anything decent to say.
I am currently on term break which is giving me a little time to think of the web tools I will be using in the courses I am developing over the next term and so I will probably go over the ones that I have discovered over the last 12 months and how I am planning to use them in my teaching in my next few Entries starting with Audacity today.
Towards the end of term I presented some of the work I have been doing with another staff member to some Victorian Specialist Science Centres and even though our time had been wittered away we came across enthuseasitic and the tools we showed really encouraged these Centres as a way to engage students from across the state to be able to tap into their resources.
We showed them:
2 different ways to conduct an online chat based lesson
2 different ways to blog with students
1 type of podcasting
Our schools involvement in Skoolaborate
We didn't get to show our LMS or use of google maps........
What I found interesting on reflection of this presentation is that we hadn't done anything with any wizz bang sites or facililties. That students don't really mind what the software or site looks like to use them and that they are being engaged in learning.
We have been using some pretty old school type of blogging platform in the LMS with our students, using Chatzy as a place to do online lessons at night with senior students who have had access to an information blog in Blogger and will be using a Ning for the rest of the year. We also showed the Ning we have set up for the group involved in our online science project....
So I have decided it doesn't really matter what you use as long as you are using it to direct students to learn and engage with each other.
I am interesting in knowing what people would like me to blog about.
Whether you want to know the tools I have used or how I am using them with my general excitement of finding something new. Please leave a comment I would really appreciate it.
The last couple of weeks my school has really engaged with the different technologies available for teaching.
For my VCE Biology students a colleague and I held a seminar where we recorded a number of students questions about concepts they wanted to know more about on the iPhone and then proceeded to answer them using a microphone and Audacity and a little bit of Garageband for background music. In all we made 4 podcast episodes. Which we added to teachertube and then embedded into the student's information Blog.
The exam for this unit is on Tuesday so I am hoping they use these to help them and they are all studying right now :-)
The ability to Podcast and Screencast is becoming popular at my school as well as being able to find the best online whiteboard / file sharing / chat place, if you have any ideas for the best place please leave a comment below as I am interesting in finding out as it is really hard finding something that works well on a school network.
Wordle and Quizlet are the next two favourites. As literacy is becoming a whole school focus there is a real focus on the different strategies that can be used. I have used Wordle to help students "Get knowledge Ready" and to either create a similar wordle in MS Word or define some of the key terms that are in the wordle.
I love Wordle and other teachers are now using for all sorts of engagement ideas too.
I placed all the key words and their definintions from Quizlet used in Biology for the semester and created a really interesting Wordle of the key terms.
The ease of Quizlet is great, the ability to create a word list and their definitions in half an hour and then that Word List having endless possibilities for students to use and it all being free is fantastic. It has been taken on by older staff members. If you haven't starting using Quizlet for your students then you are definitely missing out.
I might actually try and make a screencast for that today :-)
So the technologies mentioned today are:
Podcasting - Iphone, Audacity, Microphone, Garageband (or some sample music) Screencasting - Can be done with SnagIT, Jing, Camtastia and probably a million more different types of software Literacy Tools - Wordle and Quizlet.
Social bookmarking is a method for Internet users to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web pages on the Internet with the help of metadata, typically in the form of tags that collectively and/or collaboratively become a folksonomy. Folksonomy is also called social tagging, "the process by which many users add metadata in the form of keywords to shared content".
In a social bookmarking system, users save links to web pages that they want to remember and/or share. These bookmarks are usually public, and can be saved privately, shared only with specified people or groups, shared only inside certain networks, or another combination of public and private domains. The allowed people can usually view these bookmarks chronologically, by category or tags, or via a search engine.
Most social bookmark services encourage users to organize their bookmarks with informal tags instead of the traditional browser-based system of folders, although some services feature categories/folders or a combination of folders and tags. They also enable viewing bookmarks associated with a chosen tag, and include information about the number of users who have bookmarked them. Some social bookmarking services also draw inferences from the relationship of tags to create clusters of tags or bookmarks.
Places to social bookmark
Delicious is a social bookmarking service that allows users to tag, save, manage and share web pages from a centralized source. With emphasis on the power of the community, Delicious greatly improves how people discover, remember and share on the Internet.
StumbleUpon is an intelligent browsing tool for sharing and discovering great websites. As you click Stumble!, you'll get high-quality pages matched to your personal preferences. These pages have been explicitly recommended (rated I like it) by friends and other SU members with similar interests. -Video Tour
Diigo (dee'go) is about Social Annotation. By combining social bookmarking, clippings, in situ annotation, tagging, full-text search, easy sharing and interactions, Diigo offers a powerful personal tool and a rich social platform for knowledge users, and in the process, turns the entire web into a writable, participatory and interactive media.
Classtools.net allows you to create free educational games, activities and diagrams in a Flash! Host them on your own blog, website or intranet! No signup, no passwords, no charge!
Each template can be saved as a stand-alone HTML file or as a Widget that can be embedded into a blog or wiki - as long as it is non-commercial. Please note, however, that downloaded HTML files still need to communicate with the ClassTools server and therefore require a computer to have an internet connection.
I was lucky listen to a key note address and then meet Jason Smith from TeacherTube today and chat to him for a while. He seems like a really genuine guy who has education at the heart of the organisation and himself.
I was really surprised today that teachers had not heard of TeacherTube.
Surprised is not the right term.
I just wish those who posted educational material on YouTube thought of TeacherTube too so more educators know about it.
I like TeacherTube a lot because it is a safe way of being able to share materials with students. It is also a safe way to present student work.
It allows you to share videos url's without having to make the watcher a member of anything, which I believe is an important feature because even I forget all my passwords and logins all the time. http://www.teachertube.com/
How can I use it? I have placed materials on TeacherTube to use in an online class. As we go through the chat I give the students the link they then open the link in a new window watch the short clip and we then use it for the discussion points. Fantastic!
You can then later embed the video clips into you blog /wiki/ ning or provide the link for students to use for revision or if they missed the class.
They are about to launch some new improvements later on this year and they sound like they have a good handle on what 21st century learning can look like.
Here is a clip with Jason Smith talking about TeacherTube
TeacherTube, takes the sharing, production, and community-building aspects of YouTube and offers an educator's version. According to TeacherTube’s founders, "We seek to fill a need for a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners."
Twiddla is a real-time online collaboration tool. Its beauty is in its simplicity and accessibility: no plug-ins or downloads, no need to work around complex firewalls, no advanced scheduling. It’s available 24-7 and the only requirement is a computer with an internet connection and a web browser. It’s browser-agnostic, user friendly, and probably more fun than you're supposed to be having at work.
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