Two for Tuesday 12-11-07

1. Twittory-The Darkness Inside


Just after writing my "Found Twittery" poetry, I discovered a different meaning for the term. "Twittory" is a word coined by Cameron Reilly, a blogger and podcaster in Australia. A Twitory is a story written 140 characters at a time by 140 contributors from around the world submitted through Twitter. You can read about how Cameron came up with the idea here. I signed up to be one of the contributors and am eagerly waiting for my turn - I'm number 51. We are being slowed down a bit by time zones.

I've added a bunch of the people on the list of contributors to my Twitter network. Many of these people live in Australia and most are not Ed Tech people. It has been interesting to follow their tweets. My network is becoming much more diverse. I'm hoping it will lead me to new and intriguing resources.

Cameron is using Wikispaces to post the Twittory. You can follow the story here. I think this could be a great class project even without using Twitter. Why not use a Wiki and have the kids contribute in a round to a story. That could be a lot of fun.

2. Google Street View

You can now see photographs of many streets using Google Maps by clicking on Street View. If a street is highlighted in blue, that indicates that a street view photograph is available. This could be a great tool to help you find your way using landmarks. Students could also use the street view to explore different locations around the world.

Found Twittery - Micro-blogging goes Macro...

In the spirit of found poetry (and due to some writer's block), I thought it might be interesting to go back over my recent Twitter posts and turn my micro-blogging into micro-poetry. Here is my "found twittery..."

Thanks for the Learning

Feeling like I have
blogger's block!
I know I've got to get
something
out there -
don't yet know
what it will be.

Back on Twitter
catching up on Tweets.
Amazing resources here -

Lately, I'm a taker, not a giver.
I really appreciate all of your gifts!

Comments on my blog -
I have never gotten so many.
It is great to know
I'm not
talking to myself.

Good night all -
It got late when I wasn't looking.

Thanks for the learning.

Two For Tuesday: 12-04-07

1. Test Your Information Literacy Skills: November Learning, an organization "dedicated toward supporting and challenging teachers and students to expand the boundaries of learning," has a number of very useful resources for becoming more information literate. You can test your own information literacy skills and/or have your students take the quiz. The quiz includes an answer key and follow up activities.

2. Vote for your favorite education blog: Every year people nominate their favorite educational blogs for an edublog award called the Eddies. This is a great resource for finding interesting and useful blogs to add to your aggregator. Voting concludes on the 6th of December, so there is still time to pick your favorite.

Two For Tuesday: 11-27-07

Thanks again to my Twitter network for these two great resources!

Jott and Jing...
1. Think it. Jott it. Do it: "Jott™ is a revolutionary new service that automatically converts your voice into e-mail and text messages—anytime, anywhere, with any cell phone. Jott™" I've tried it and it really works. Call Jott from your phone, leave yourself (or someone else) a message, Jott transcribes your words into text and does an amazingly good job. You can tell Jott to send you a reminder at a particular time. Students can use Jott to speak their ideas for a paper or answer a homework assignment. I even "jotted" a blog entry this week. This is a really useful tool and it is free - give it a try.

2. Video capture and share images and video on your computer: "The concept of Jing is the always-ready program that instantly captures and shares images and video…from your computer to anywhere." You can use this application to record a class presentation and then post it Online so that students can reference it later. I also use it to create "how to" videos to teach people how to use different applications.

*Are you using either of these two tools in a different way? Please share your ideas here!
*Do you have a suggestion for a future "Two for Tuesday" tip or tool? Please let me know.

I'm phoning this in,...

I'm phoning this in, this blog and I'm just interested to see how it works. I'm using Jott, a tool I discovered recently through my Twitter network and I think it has a great potential if people can call in their thoughts and have it transcribed into words. Then, the writing process changes entirely. You could actually compose your ideas and speak them aloud as opposed to writing them down. listen

Powered by Jott

Technology Evangalists: Are We Too Righteous?

I feel very strongly about the integration of Web 2.0 technologies into the classroom. I love learning about new technology tools and applications. I hunger for interesting and thought provoking blog posts. I somewhat obsessively (according to my husband) check my Twitter feeds, my aggregator and my e-mail. I wait, not so patiently, for the next Ustream feed and jump into the conversation head first. And, I try to bring everyone else on board, sometimes very passionately.

Fortunately, it is my job to convince people of the power and importance of using technology in the classroom. Unfortunately, sometimes my zeal pushes people away, instead of pulling them on board. It is hard to find the balance. Teachers work really hard. We don't like to listen to people tell us we aren't doing enough. There is already too much to do. To many, what I say just seems like more work, especially in a district where kids are doing really well academically.

I'm really struggling with my impatience. I know that Web 2.0 can transform you as an educator and a learner. Writing this blog has done more for my intellectual growth than anything else I have ever done professionally. I only want to share my enthusiasm - for others to feel the way I do and grow the way I have. How can I do that without seeming too preachy and righteous? (Even though I know I'm right;)

Two For Tuesday 11-20-2007

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the U.S.!
I would like to start this post by thanking everyone in my Twitter network who gave me suggestions for todays links. These are the two that I chose for this week. I've tagged a bunch more for future Tuesdays.

I've recently added lots of people to my Twitter network. I'm following 173 people (111 are following me). The more people I add to my network, the more useful it has become. I'm learning so much. It is really exciting.

I've written about Twitter before, but it is hard to describe. Give it a try, look at the people I'm following and follow them too. You will be able to create an amazing real time resource of Ed Tech people from around the world who share resources and can help you out instantly. Warning - it can become a little addictive.

Thanks to Ewan McIntosh (ewanmcintosh on Twitter)for the Lingro tip! I can't remember who shared the Free Rice Website - I also heard about it on NPR.

1. Practice your vocabulary and help feed the world: The Free Rice Website features a vocabulary game - for each word you get right, they will donate 10 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger. In the spirit of the holidays, give it a try and spread the word.

2. Define and/or translate any word on any website: Lingro is a multilingual dictionary and language learning site. Plug in a Web address, it opens that page, click on any word on the page and you will see a definition of the word you can also translate the word into French, Spanish, Italian, German or Polish (or the other way around).