WEEK 4: Activity #13 FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

I have tons of tools in my belt, but no expertise using them still. I'm suuuuuuuuch a slow learner with this that I am hopefully developing more patience for than humility in how my students might feel coming into a reading or writing course with THEIR anxiety!

I do love what I am learning, despite the mental breakdown every few tasks :). Though I do spend time on Facebook, I found that I like tools for the classroom more than social media, though -- this is all just so much to organize and use, and I still doubt if it is more a distractor than a useful educational tool for my students. I guess the only way to know is by trying some of them, maybe two or three a semester. This would not be the first time I have discovered students are more capable than I! In fact, I think I may add some of the programs to my beginning of the year survey to that I have "experts" to teach ME! Let's see!

Otherwise, I am curious to try a socrative.com survey on student media (like phones in class?). Has anyone tried it before????  How is the cheating, or do you rush them as part of a plot not to cheat?

I like the ever-blooming use of Google docs.  Using the Google form to make a quiz was interesting, though I would be curious about cheating, again, unless used more like homework with explanations added?  I am eager to get more responses so I can play with the Fluburoo options.  It is attractive to have formal ways to review data and be able to show students (though typically I could do that by hand with my small classes).

Padlet is intriguing, though somehow not as easy as I thought.  I might put some graphic organizers online with interaction. One such vocabulary tool I use may be useful on Padlet...

Created with Padlet

Web Tools 2.0: Too Cool

The tools from my two classes are crossing over a bit, which is helping to push my skills.  Between planning for classes, cleaning out old paper files, plus using the tools to develop meaningful assessments or introductions or "motivation" during math, learning strategies or English/reading my brain is on overload with all this data.

The favorites so far?  GLOG, ANIMATO, and PREZI (the other class).

All three programs have some serious bugs, but I am nearly positive it is my user error.  Once my two-year old starts napping again and going to daycare peaceably so that I do not have to do work on the odd hours when my husband can control him (that is, when they are both sleeping), I hope to do more. (Though truth be told, just last night my son waved wildly from a seated position during my midnight status check, stating that his father needed to go somewhere else!)

I can see myself using all three, for sure.  I do not like the social media as much as the web tools for projects. I still need to take time to use more Google Apps, though.

WEEK 3: Activity #12 OER

I once used a TED presentation about the problem with education in America (RSA Animate's Changing Education Paradigms - Sir Kevin Robinson) when my students and I were criticizing education within a video segment/argumentation unit.

Now having seen Prezi, I am thinking that MAY have been how it was presented, but I am not sure.  Having tried Prezi, I am even MORE amazed than before.  While I didn't show the whole thing, it brought up good points for discussion.

An audio summary of a book-talk about Chapter 4 from FREAKONOMICS may be useful if I teach a high-end class (no pun intended) or meet students looking for alternative money makers to education... http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/Business/Economics/Steven-Levitt-Analyzes-Crack-Economics/30905 .

A youtube video that I was thinking of segmenting out for Learning Strategies students includes Angela Duckworth's TRUE GRIT.  I would attach her survey (with citations).  I actually connected this to either my livebinder or possibly the weebly, already.  

Another Learning Strategies video maaaaay be this TED video about listening... though I was impatient for the strategies that start at about 5 minutes.

But in checking out Maureen's combo, I saw a site highlighted by Christine Hill that gave more practice than the arithmetic-only connection made with Khan Academy in times before:  https://www.khanacademy.org/exercisedashboard .

A simple and free elementary alebra video (but not so interesting) plus link to more includes...http://hippocampus.org/HippoCampus/Algebra%20%26%20Geometry;jsessionid=10CD09EFE6866CF595AFE0429B12C267.

WEEK 3: Activity #11 Creative Commons

80%, B-, with "Uh -oh" comments.  If I am misreading and misinterpreting the fine print here on the Creative Commons quizzes, how many times have I unintentionally mis-posted pictures or information for students without quoting a source!?  Interestingly, I was wondering what we should be doing on our www.weebly to site pictures... now I know we should, I just am unsure how (the CC talked about three items -- have I EVER seen anyone cite a CC source other than Maureen?).

Now that I took the quiz and wrote that I don't have to have a CC to download a song (that I have paid for from a company), am I tagging myself for future distruction because I misread the question?  AAAAH!  "Big brother" alert: 1984 was not too long ago.  (Do I copyright that use of THAT title now since the author has not been dead under 70 years!!??)

Reading all this was something about which I was curious, but could now easily dissuade me from wanting to work online.  On that note, here is an item that I found on Wiki Creative Commons and edited down to the crime scene tape alone in order to redo/re-edit my Prezi. It seems nebulous on how to appropriately document or how to/if I must upload the new version.  In fact, it makes me MORE nervous now that I am signed online and trying to do everything correctly because I am probably inadvertently tracking myself for some sort of crazy lawsuit later on. (Note second 1984 reference to fractionally-70-years-dead-author Orwell.) At least it seems like the "ed" clause protects most of us (though not enough if the school limists our downloading capabilities for fear of violating it in a big download, eh?)

 Here it goes!

Edited from original by Jim Kuhn [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 

WEEK 3: Activity #10 - Double-dipping

So here's the scoop.  I made this video for my other Web Tools 2.0 class this past week and since my own computer could not view it at home, I did not see it until I was on my husband's computer on vcation.  Check out -- How does a good reader choose a book?  There are BIG bugs to sort out.  It goes by so fast that I should break each section of choosing a book into fours separate videos.  Since I cannot figure out how to edit off a current video and do not have any of the pics (NOW I see the reason for storing things on I-Cloud or Google Docs!), this breakdown will have to wait till home.

Cute formatting though!  I WIIIIIILL use this tool as it was the fav of the three I tried for the other class.


Try our slideshow creator at Animoto.

WEEK 3: Activity #9 Voki

Here is the Voki!

Accidentally deleted the very first Voki I made for Web Tools 2.0 (to introduce myself to students), but this time around it was a lot easier!  Since the VOKI would not post directly, I had to try to embed it and then try making a standard URL below:

http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=8294748&height=267&width=200

I would use this Voki for fun prompts or annoying announcements they would not appreciatie, or I would not appreciate repeating in person.

WEEK 3: Activity #8 Google +

Positives -- Found some old friends on Google+ with all its access erquesting to new emails.
Negatives -- I could not download the plug-ins to my husband's Apple/Google Chrome version the first three or four times I clicked (that does not include the 10-15 apps I loaded yesterday morning).

HMMMMMMMM!

I am able to view Hangouts snd the people avaialable, but will wake for something good to pop up on the Twitter Hangout page... or hope someone invites me so I can learn better through watching them!


Glad I am working out these bugs before the kids and I add this lens to class "discussion"!