Ok, I'm having a go at the first part of the RSS activity... as I'm typing this!
A few things I've noticed before I started this activity...
First, I'd used a "feeds" thingo (groovy-looking little orange button) before in Internet Explorer (I've somehow managed to get a new version of Internet Explorer which is a pain in the neck to use!) which I haven't found all that useful. It takes a bit of 'getting to' to see if anything new has arrived on any of the sites I've subscribed to through it.. so I'm going to stop using it and am hoping the Google reader one will be better - so far so good!
I had a look at the youtube video of 'how to use Google reader'.... it was ok for the first few minutes but then I started to get a bit lost with it all - there's lots to take in from a 9 minute video! I found I had to go back and look at parts of it again to get a quick refresher on how to do different things but it gives a good explanation.
I've also 'subscribed' to the other blogs from Learning 2.0 as well as a few others (not all that hard to do) and was a little concerned that it showed all previous posts as being 'unread' and so Google reader saw them as new content. I thought I'd have to 'look at' them all again but noticed the 'mark all items as read' button... what a nifty idea that is! :-)
I've also started a shared items page... there's not much there at the moment (Kendall Kids posts are just there as a test! The fact that the one post featuring "Uncle Robert" is on there is pure coincidence) but hopefully there will be in the future.
And... ta dah!!! I figured out how to put my shared items on my blog! It doesn't link directly to the shared items page of Google reader but instead takes you to the original blog. It's still kinda neat, though. Feeling very clever indeed! :-)
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Flickr Functions...
I've spent some time tonight looking around Flickr with particular interest in how it was being used by schools or how it may be used. It seems lots of the schools that I've seen using Flickr are simply posting images of different events etc. as a way for others to view their photos - almost like a yearbook - which is a great idea! Having spent several years working in a senior high school R.E department and going on countless retreats/reflection days/excursions etc. I can see the value in having a place on the net to post these images. It would save the endless requests by kids: "Miss! Can we please get copies of your photos?"
I can also imagine using Flickr to expand on a creative writing task I use to use both in class and as a reflection activity on retreats. The students were given a selection of photos and asked to choose one that was significant to them. It may have been an image associated with a unit of work we were studying or something more abstract. They then wrote a story/reflection based around this image. Previously, I'd used a selection of about fifty images I'd gathered and had printed and laminated on A4 sheets. Using Flickr, however, the selection of images would be somewhat increased! The biggest challenge this may pose is for the kids to actually choose an image: "Miss! I can't decide which one to use!! There are too many to choose from!!!". While looking around at the incredible number of applications and other things available, I found one that might be useful for this task. It's called Findr and can be found at http://www.forestandthetrees.com/findr/ It finds images relating to specific tags.
There are so many different things out there - from images to programs to video etc. etc. etc! It's just not physically possible to see it all let alone have the time to see how it all works, making it even more necessary than ever to work collaboratively with colleagues - continuing to share ideas and possibilities is vital to make the most of all that is available.
I can also imagine using Flickr to expand on a creative writing task I use to use both in class and as a reflection activity on retreats. The students were given a selection of photos and asked to choose one that was significant to them. It may have been an image associated with a unit of work we were studying or something more abstract. They then wrote a story/reflection based around this image. Previously, I'd used a selection of about fifty images I'd gathered and had printed and laminated on A4 sheets. Using Flickr, however, the selection of images would be somewhat increased! The biggest challenge this may pose is for the kids to actually choose an image: "Miss! I can't decide which one to use!! There are too many to choose from!!!". While looking around at the incredible number of applications and other things available, I found one that might be useful for this task. It's called Findr and can be found at http://www.forestandthetrees.com/findr/ It finds images relating to specific tags.
There are so many different things out there - from images to programs to video etc. etc. etc! It's just not physically possible to see it all let alone have the time to see how it all works, making it even more necessary than ever to work collaboratively with colleagues - continuing to share ideas and possibilities is vital to make the most of all that is available.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Lorna's little hand
fingers
Originally uploaded by judyvk.
I figured it out (it took a while)... but hopefully this will appear on my blog? This is a photo of my neice's hand a few days after she was born (approx 3 months prem.). The 'big' finger is her mum (my sister).
I don't think I need to say anymore. This image speaks for itself.
Happy birthday, Ali!
butterfly birthday cake
Originally uploaded by AS500.
Before I try putting a photo of my own up on flickr and then posting it on the blog, I thought I'd try just getting one from flickr...
So.... with the huge array of possible tags/groups etc. to look through, I thought I'd go for something practical! Alison (my daughter) turns 2 in a few weeks and I'm planning on making her a 'butterfly' birthday cake.. so, after typing "butterfly birthday cake" into the neat little "search" box, this was one that came up (of over 250!). I might have a look through a few more to get some more ideas.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
My friend??
I see the next blog activity has us looking at Flickr... which I haven't done yet but will.
I'm just wondering why when I hear "Flickr" I seem to have these weird flash-backs to a show that use to be on tv... "My Friend Flicker"?? Something about a boy and a horse???
Perhaps I just imagined it... Sleep-deprivation will do that to you!
Also playing a bit more with blogger to see what other things I can add to make this all 'look' a bit more interesting...
Anyway, I'll have a look at Flickr sometime and write some more....
I'm just wondering why when I hear "Flickr" I seem to have these weird flash-backs to a show that use to be on tv... "My Friend Flicker"?? Something about a boy and a horse???
Perhaps I just imagined it... Sleep-deprivation will do that to you!
Also playing a bit more with blogger to see what other things I can add to make this all 'look' a bit more interesting...
Anyway, I'll have a look at Flickr sometime and write some more....
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Where's my Walkman?!?
A conversation I had with my husband recently went something like this:
Me: “hey, do you know where my old walkman got to?” (note: for those of you born after 1985, a ‘walkman’ is a device used to play cassettes, usually music…)
Him: “no… I haven’t seen that thing in ages… what did you want it for?”
Me: “oh, I was thinking I might start exercising again – you know, in the morning before the kids are up, just go for a 20 minute walk. It would be good to have some music to listen to while I get some exercise…”
Him: (laughing) “are you kidding?”
Me: “what’s so funny about me going for a walk in the morning?”
Him: “I’m not laughing at you wanting to exercise. It’s the walkman that’s funny…”
Me: (not amused) “what’s wrong with wanting to listen to music?”
Him: “again – nothing. But did you know that walkmans have been somewhat superseded by other things?”
Me: “yes…”
Him: “so why don’t you just go get an mp3 player? They aren’t that expensive these days and you can put heaps of music on them”
Me: “because…. I like my walkman!”
Him: “but that thing is so big and chunky to carry around.. and it only plays cassettes! Most of that music is so old – who’d listen to it? Do they even make cassettes anymore?!?”
Me: (somewhat indignant) “I’ve still got my cassettes…. and I happen to like listening to them…”
Sometimes it’s easier to be lazy – to just ‘go with what you know’. Why spend time and energy trying to figure out some new gadget/method for doing something when you could have what you wanted to accomplish completed using a device/method you are already familiar with??
So… the hardest of the lifelong learning habbits for me? That’s easy – “using technology to your advantage”…
While I’m fairly competent with lots of ‘technology’ (this is my second blog attempt but I’m probably one of the few people in the world who have never used an mp3 player!), there’s still lots out there I have no idea about. I became the proud owner of my very own data projector several years ago and made much use of it in the classroom when I was teaching (beware: the ‘powerpointless presentation’!!) but by the time I go back to teaching, I’m fairly confident that ‘powerpoint’ and the like will be somewhat obsolete!
Learning to use technology takes time – it’s a very rare and valuable commodity in my life – and having the time to just sit and learn about something purely for the sake of it is very difficult. Unless the ‘technology’ is something that is going to be immediately useful/necessary for me, I don’t have time. So big challenge #1 is to somehow make the time.
The easiest habit was also an easy one to pick – “accept responsibility for your own learning”. Since resigning from my full-time teaching job to be full-time ‘Mum’ to two kids (I will go back – I’m missing it too much!), I’ve made it a goal to spend the time I have off from teaching to be learning! Apart from the obvious and very steep learning curve I encountered with having children (i.e. how to encourage a toddler not to hone her artistic skills on the walls with crayon or how to convince a six month old that pumpkin and corn mash is ‘mmmm… yummy! Yummy!’) I’ve recently completed my second post-grad course and have been thinking about starting a third. At the moment, however, I’ve been a bit caught up with the fact that there’s so much in teaching, particularly in the area of technology, that’s evolving. I’ve got a weird premonition of going to a job interview in five years from now and being asked about technology only to enquire sheepishly if my classroom would have access to an overhead projector! I’d like to become as familiar as I can with what’s out there and how it can be used, not just for the sake of using it, but how it can make a real difference to the learning process. The best part is that it’s all so new and different and exciting! I’m looking forward to the challenge of working it all out
p.s. I think I’m getting an mp3 player for mothers day… but I’m still going to find my walkman (I know it’s here somewhere!).
Me: “hey, do you know where my old walkman got to?” (note: for those of you born after 1985, a ‘walkman’ is a device used to play cassettes, usually music…)
Him: “no… I haven’t seen that thing in ages… what did you want it for?”
Me: “oh, I was thinking I might start exercising again – you know, in the morning before the kids are up, just go for a 20 minute walk. It would be good to have some music to listen to while I get some exercise…”
Him: (laughing) “are you kidding?”
Me: “what’s so funny about me going for a walk in the morning?”
Him: “I’m not laughing at you wanting to exercise. It’s the walkman that’s funny…”
Me: (not amused) “what’s wrong with wanting to listen to music?”
Him: “again – nothing. But did you know that walkmans have been somewhat superseded by other things?”
Me: “yes…”
Him: “so why don’t you just go get an mp3 player? They aren’t that expensive these days and you can put heaps of music on them”
Me: “because…. I like my walkman!”
Him: “but that thing is so big and chunky to carry around.. and it only plays cassettes! Most of that music is so old – who’d listen to it? Do they even make cassettes anymore?!?”
Me: (somewhat indignant) “I’ve still got my cassettes…. and I happen to like listening to them…”
Sometimes it’s easier to be lazy – to just ‘go with what you know’. Why spend time and energy trying to figure out some new gadget/method for doing something when you could have what you wanted to accomplish completed using a device/method you are already familiar with??
So… the hardest of the lifelong learning habbits for me? That’s easy – “using technology to your advantage”…
While I’m fairly competent with lots of ‘technology’ (this is my second blog attempt but I’m probably one of the few people in the world who have never used an mp3 player!), there’s still lots out there I have no idea about. I became the proud owner of my very own data projector several years ago and made much use of it in the classroom when I was teaching (beware: the ‘powerpointless presentation’!!) but by the time I go back to teaching, I’m fairly confident that ‘powerpoint’ and the like will be somewhat obsolete!
Learning to use technology takes time – it’s a very rare and valuable commodity in my life – and having the time to just sit and learn about something purely for the sake of it is very difficult. Unless the ‘technology’ is something that is going to be immediately useful/necessary for me, I don’t have time. So big challenge #1 is to somehow make the time.
The easiest habit was also an easy one to pick – “accept responsibility for your own learning”. Since resigning from my full-time teaching job to be full-time ‘Mum’ to two kids (I will go back – I’m missing it too much!), I’ve made it a goal to spend the time I have off from teaching to be learning! Apart from the obvious and very steep learning curve I encountered with having children (i.e. how to encourage a toddler not to hone her artistic skills on the walls with crayon or how to convince a six month old that pumpkin and corn mash is ‘mmmm… yummy! Yummy!’) I’ve recently completed my second post-grad course and have been thinking about starting a third. At the moment, however, I’ve been a bit caught up with the fact that there’s so much in teaching, particularly in the area of technology, that’s evolving. I’ve got a weird premonition of going to a job interview in five years from now and being asked about technology only to enquire sheepishly if my classroom would have access to an overhead projector! I’d like to become as familiar as I can with what’s out there and how it can be used, not just for the sake of using it, but how it can make a real difference to the learning process. The best part is that it’s all so new and different and exciting! I’m looking forward to the challenge of working it all out
p.s. I think I’m getting an mp3 player for mothers day… but I’m still going to find my walkman (I know it’s here somewhere!).
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