Tech Tool Tuesday (T3) #15 – Transition to Distance Education

Now that my Ed Tech doctoral course is over, I’m getting ready to teach Distance Learning beginning May 16. So, for the next couple of months, T3 will focus on e-learning: distance education, online learning, and mobile learning. So here we go …

Pulling in the Twitterverse

From a website

One of the best ways to learn more about what’s happening in e-learning is to tap into Twitter. To take this initial step, you don’t have to be a Twitter user. Simply search for topics, people, and terms using the Twitter Search engine.

You’ll see a list of Tweets on your topic that actually will continue to stream in, so keep the page open. The number of new posts will appear in parentheses on the Twitter Search browser tab. The screen shot below shows there have been an additional 29 posts to my elearning search in the last 5 minutes.

Click on the tab, refresh the page, and read through the new posts.

In addition to having a continuous stream of Tweets, you can also scroll through older posts. Go to the bottom of the page and click on Newer.

Notice that within 8 hours there were 16 pages of Tweets – 15 Tweets to a page … so that’s … where’s my calculator? That’s 240 Tweets. As I said earlier, Twitter is a great way to see what’s going on in e-learning.

With RSS

If you are already a Twitter user, have an account, or are getting ready to open one, you can use a third-party software program (client) to aggregate (pull in) Twitter feeds. (Here’s a post that explains RSS-Really Simple Subscription). To get connected to the Twitterverse, I suggest you use TweetDeck. It runs on your desktop in the background and makes it very easy to follow people and topics.

What I like best about TweetDeck is the column set-up. You can create columns for each feed that look something like this.

It will automatically provide a column for All Friends, Mentions, and Direct Messages. Then you can create columns for the hashtags you want to follow. Hashtags – tags for short – are categories of Tweets (posts in Twitter) composed of words or phrases, beginning with the pound sign (#) that are added to the Tweet. You can follow these tags online (as described above) or with a Twitter client like TweetDeck. This screen shot is TweetDeck on my desktop. Notice the columns and titles of the feeds.

Notice some say, Search: #nameoftag. There are two ways that I know of to start pulling in information from a specific tag:

1. When you see someone Tweet with a tag that you’re interested in, click on that tag and a new column will be created. This is especially helpful with conferences when tags are temporary. When you’re finished following the tag, click on the Twitter icon and delete the column.
2. If you already know the tag that you want to follow, click on the + (shown below), type the tag into the text box, and you’ll have a new column that feeds you every Tweet with that tag.

Notifications

I also like that I can change the settings to hear (or not hear) an audio signal that a new Tweet has been posted. In addition, I can change the location of the pop-ups of new posts. I choose the lower left corner of my desktop – it seems to be the least intrusive … and the most easily ignored. Here’s what the pop-up looks like:

It indicates where the new Tweets are from and how many there are; e.g., in this screen shot you can see that there are 38 new Tweets from people I follow. Clicking on the pop-up takes you directly to that column in TweetDeck.

That’s my intro to TweetDeck. Try it out for yourself. If you don’t like the interface, I’ve listed some other Twitter clients, as well as some other Twitter search tools and application resources.

Other Twitter clients

• TweetGrid
• Twhirl
• Seesmic

Other Twitter search tools

• Twemes
• IceRocket
• TweetScan

Resources

• TweetDeck tutorials: http://bit.ly/b52TBs
• Robin Broitman’s Secrets of Twitter Hashtags (For Those Still Unsure) – http://bit.ly/drmjD6

Pushing yourself into the Twitterverse

Start out by getting familiar with the way Twitter works – enjoy getting connected with others in the network and learn to sift through all the information you’ll see flying through TweetDeck. To make the shift to contributor and pusher of information, start by reTweeting (RT) someone’s interesting Tweet. Then sit back and have fun as your followers RTs your RT (see Ripple Effect). Keep expanding your PLN (see 3-tool PLN) and start thinking about ways to use Twitter in your classroom (see Tech Tool Tuesday #11).

You might be wondering how to find people to follow. Open your Twitter account, log in, and then go to my Twitter profile. Look at who I follow (Following) and at my Followers. Read through the profiles – each will have a short description the person has provided. Once you find someone you’re interested in following, click Follow and whenever they Tweet you’ll see it in your TweetDeck. To continue building your Twitter network, you can go to people you’re following and see who they follow. Also, once you begin to follow certain hashtags you’ll see people that you want to follow. Simply click on their names in TweetDeck and their profiles will come up in a new column – click Follow.

Enjoy and Tweet out how you’re doing.

Tech Tool Tuesday #14

Word Clouds

Enter text or a URL and a word cloud generator and create a visual representation – the larger the word in the cloud, the more times it appears in the original text or website. Here’s an example.

Dea Birkett, of The Guardian, shares U.K. children’s ideas of a perfect school in The School I’d Like: here is what you wanted. It’s a quick and very encouraging read. I’ve taken the highlights of the article and created a word cloud with Wordle.

Right click on the image and open it in a new tab or window so you can see the small text better. This word cloud is not straight from the text of the article, I manipulated it to make certain words larger. I made sure that the phrases that I wanted to appear the largest were repeated several times in the Wordle text box – Children’s Manifesto (5 times), The Perfect School (3), descriptors (2), long phrases (1). If word or phrase is entered more than 4 or 5 times, the other text will appear even smaller than what you see in this word cloud.

I also made sure that the words stayed together in the phrases by taking out the spaces and adding a tilde (~) between words. So, Children’s Manifesto was written Children’s~Manifesto. Also, Wordle is case-sensitive, so if you want capitals be sure to put them in.

Important Note:

Before you click Go (in Wordle – but different in the other tools) copy your text. There is no going back and retrieving what you’ve pasted into the text box once you’ve generated the word cloud.

Now click Go. Once the word cloud is generated, you can choose the color palette or create your own – although the word colors are random – pick the layout and the font. You can remove words by right clicking and choosing Remove. Be sure that you the font and colors enable easy reading in the devices that your students will be using.

As soon as I was happy with the word cloud, I used Jing (screen captures coming soon to Cycling Through Ed Tech) to create a digital image, saved to my hard drive, and then uploaded here. You can save Wordles to the public gallery or print them – create a PDF through the print function.

That should get you started with Wordle.

Other word cloud generators:

• WordItOut
• Tagxedo
• WordSift
• ABCYa
• Tagul

Ideas for using word clouds for learning and teaching:

• Peter Pappas’ post Build Literacy Skills with Wordle
• Tom Barrett’s collaborative Google Presentation 51 Interesting Ways to use Wordle in the Classroom
• Jennifer Wagner’s Guess the Wordle

Remember …

put the technology in the students’ hands – have them create the word clouds too … don’t keep all the fun to yourself.

Tech Tool Tuesday #13

Backchanneling

What is backchanneling you ask? According to Toledo and Peters (2010) “Backchannels, forms of instant message conversations, take place during synchronous learning sessions.” In our article, Sharon and I shared a variety of backchannel uses that teachers in North America reported. It’s a great start to get some ideas on how you could use this engaging activity.

Many of us have participated in backchannels. We’ve typed our messages in the chat room during a synchronous Elluminate session or used our phones to chat during a conference presentation. As we’ve found, backchanneling is an excellent way to engage students in the conversation, check for understanding, and provide a venue for questions and brainstorming. Here are some tools to use for backchanneling.

Skype – One of my favorites. Can be used in tandem with any presentation tool. Create a group session by pulling everyone into the conversation, and then you’ll be able to archive the chat. Download the app for your smart phone.

Chatzy – This tool has been around for quite a while and works great. Easy to set up a room and invite participants. Use a browser to access on your smart phone.

TodaysMeet – Very simple with a clean interface. It’s easy to set up a session – name the room, decide how long to save the data, and share the link with attendees. You can also create a Twitter hashtag – posts will be pulled into the room. Works on smart phones through a browser.

GoogleDocs – Now that Google has brought back the chat feature, you can have your students posting reflections, questions, and responses in the chat during a presentation or collaborative session. If you want to use a Google tool for cellphone backchannel, download Google Talk.

HootCourse – Categorizes messages, separates questions. Log in with Twitter or Facebook, give participants a tag to use, and HootCourse will pull them into your HootCourse channel. Access through a browser window on your smart phone.

Twitter – Excellent tool for short messages (140 characters), but very public. Works on computers and smart phones. There are a variety of apps for cellphones.

NeatChat – Very simple to create: name it and send out the URL. The website also provides instructions to enable the chat in Facebook. This would work great if you’re using Facebook for your course website. It works on my smart phone – fairly good interface.

Important Note

Some of the tools above will archive the chat, others will not. Make sure to download the chat archive or copy the text and paste it into a document. You could even post it in a Google Doc and have students continue the conversation – or you could address some of the questions that weren’t answered during the session.

Please leave a comment sharing your ideas and experiences.

Web Tool Tuesday #3

Your audience is ready

Credit: J. R. Eyerman

Over the years I’ve used a variety of tools to put my presentations online. Here are some of those tools … in no particular order. Try a couple out and see what you think.

SlideShare – This is one of my favorite tools. Create your PowerPoint and upload it. You can also sync an audio file to a SlideShare presentation – referred to as SlideCasts. Richard Sanders’ instructions on creating a SlideCast are great. SlideShare is also a great place to network – so many great people to follow and presentations to learn from.

VoiceThread – Probably my favorite of favorites. This tool has so many applications: presentations, discussions, portfolios, and more. It’s great for any age group. There are several types of accounts: free, K-12, Higher Ed, and Pro. The Professional version is only $59 and worth it!

Diigo – If you have a Diigo account, check out how to create a Diigo Slide Show. Very helpful when you want students or participants to go to a particular set of websites. There they can leave sticky notes and highlight.

Zentation – Combine video and PowerPoint for a prezentation. Interesting tool that I will be using for my online courses and I might even try this one out on bad weather days when some students can’t get to class. Here’s an overview. The free version requires using a YouTube video. But you’re still able to sync the video with the PPT.

Prezi – Tired of PPT type presentations? Want something really cool and non-linear? Try Prezi. While the learning curve is a little steeper than the other tools, it’s worth the time. Spend some time on the Prezi size looking at the different types of presentations that you can do. I think we’ll see more tools like this in the near future.

There are many other tools. Check out my Diigo list of presentation tools. You can search for more by using terms such as online presentation tools, Web 2.0 presentation tools.

Have any other tools? Leave a comment and provide the URLs for us.

Have fun!

Wordle Quiz

While we were working our way through Piaget and Vygotsky, I gave a quiz to help my students identify the concepts and vocabulary associated with these theorists. The difference with this quiz was the use of Wordle. This free web tool creates a word cloud – the more times a word is used the larger the text size. I took the textbook instructor notes, removed the name of the theorist and other identifying words, copied and pasted into the Wordle text box, clicked Go, and poof!

Your turn. Piaget or Vygotsky? If it’s Piaget, identify the stage. Click on the picture to view a larger image. The answers are below the images (no peeking).

1. Piaget or Vygotsky?

2. Piaget or Vygotsky?

3. Piaget or Vygotsky?

4. Piaget or Vygotsky?

5. Piaget or Vygotsky?

6. Piaget or Vygotsky?

ANSWERS

1. Piaget – Concrete operational stage
2. Piaget – Sensorimotor stage
3. Vygotsky
4. Piaget – Formal operational stage
5. Piaget – Preoperational stage
6. Vygotsky

How did you do? My students did well. This exercise solidified their learning and, at the same time, showed them a user-friendly participatory web tool that they can use with their students.

Are you enjoying the ride?

Believe it or not, I’m not a roller coaster nut. Oh, I’ve been on my share – in fact, on one visit to Magic Mountain my friends and I rode the Revolution 9 times. I think it was before lunch …

Now I’m on a different ride … and there’s no admission tickets to buy … join me at the digital fun park. If you know anything about me, you know that I have a long history of play … I was a playground rat (we didn’t have gyms in California elementary schools) … a high school athlete … a college athlete and PE major … a high school coach … and a college coach. So play is a big part of my life – I’m the rowdy one in the group classes at my gym. I get as much as I can out of my workout/play experiences and want to share that enthusiasm with others.

The same goes with my ventures into ed tech. The picture above was the result of playing with PhotoBooth. This roller coaster background was actually moving, so I had to keep going with the changing angles. Fun! I’ve had more time this semester to play with the tools and it’s resulted in some creative applications to my teaching. My students are benefiting from my play.

So are you having fun with the technology? Are you enabling your students to have fun?

I’m also seeing some big changes occurring in my department. Over the past couple of years we have hired 12 new tenure-track faculty. They now make up 1/3 of our full-time faculty. The new folks come with an wide array of technology experiences and they’re raising the bar for all of us. Also, the uses of technology are much more in the forefront. As a result, there’s more curiosity and desire to learn about ed tech – the what, when, where, and how of using the tools. I was approached yesterday and today with a barrage of questions – more than normal. So I decided to pull together some of my colleagues and provide a workshop for all who are interested.

We will focus on 3 themes:

Tools for

developing PLNs (personal learning networks)
personal productivity
enhancing student engagement and learning

What does this have to do with play? Everything! We are going to provide a playground experience for them – teach them how to use the swings, the batting tee, the backboard, and the rings – and then let them experiment and play. How fun is that? I’ll let you know. In fact, when we’re introducing PLNs I may be Skyping or Twittering you to be a part – come share your productivity and student tools.

Join us at the Digital Fun Park!

CC: Pavel Sigarteu

Have I told you recently … ?

Have I told you recently how amazed I am with what we can do with our participatory technologies? Well, I’m still in awe and want to share a short story.

Yesterday I was sitting in a group, waiting for a meeting to start, when one of my colleagues started talking about her upcoming trip to India … actually it was the next day! I asked if she was ready and she said, “Somewhat, but I haven’t even started packing. I’m not really sure what to take.” Well, as always, I had my laptop with me so I checked to see who was on Skype. Lo and behold, there’s Julie Lyndsay, of Flat Classroom fame, world traveler, currently living in Qatar. I Skyped Julie and asked her advice. She suggested buying clothes at the shops near the hotel and try to fit in with how the locals dressed.

I am a seasoned traveler … having traveled extensively throughout Asia (China, Japan, Korea, and the Phillippines) and Great Britain … and even the old USA … BUT … I am still tickled how easy the technologies make connecting with someone 1/2 way around the world. I don’t want to ever take for granted all we have at our fingertips.

What a thrill!

Joyce Valenza and the Super Heroes at BLC

Joyce Valenza just posted her man/woman-on-the-street … actually at the Building Learning Communities conference … interviews. She asked folks “Which super power would be most useful in your classroom?”

Here’s the video: http://tinyurl.com/5nxnup

I noticed a few themes – here are some of my thoughts – add yours too.

There was an overall dominance by the idea of empowerment and independent learning. Eight of the twenty who Joyce recorded referred in some way to students, teachers, and/or administrators being able teach themselves.

Several responders talked in terms of being many places at the same time – cloning even came up. In that light, some talked about the need for more time – too much to do and learn and share.

Last, there were references to courage and bravery. Teachers and students who will take the challenge and move past their fears can learn so much more.

All of these ideas fit together – all of them contribute to the development of learning environments where students are given opportunities for creative expression and the development of skills to help them become independent learners.

Thanks Joyce, this was fun to see and hear. Empowering our students, colleagues, and administrators by sharing our knowledge of 21st Century skills and learning environments results in more and more Super Heroes. Share the power!

Are you a da Vinci?

I’m reading this book right now and am both surprised and challenged by the first couple of chapters. Gelb has identified seven da Vinci principles:

• an insatiable curiosity and quest for continuous learning
• a willingness to learn from mistakes as we test our knowledge
• a refinement of our senses
• a willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty
• the development of whole brain thinking
• the cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness, and poise
• a recognition of/appreciation for the interconnectedness of everything – embracing systems thinking

I was surprised to find that I am applying several of these principles every day … and challenged to apply the remaining ones.

If I could choose one of these principles that would have a huge impact on education, I would focus on the fourth (embracing ambiguity), and let the others flow out and around it. As many of us work at helping our students and colleagues accept and use 21st Century skills, including computer skills, it is not uncommon to run up against people who will not change. This mindset is not age-dependent – my students are just as resistant to change as their instructors. It takes a great deal of intestinal fortitude to give up the known – to take occasional treks into the wilderness – to become adventurers and explorers.

So here’s my challenge to you … choose one behavior, attitude, belief, or action that you hold onto with a tight grip. Loosen your fingers a little and do some experimentation. Try to enjoy the free-fall feeling – you can always go back to the way it was – but, you may not want to.

Take a chance – embrace the uncertainty!

Collaboration is so cool!

Sharon Peters and I just finished our proposal for NECC 2008. We’re in the midst of designing a study to look at how and why chatcasting (thanks David Jakes)/backchanneling is being used in presentations and lecture-based classrooms. It’s really Instant Messaging for learning.

It was so fun – and will continue to be as we run the study – and the collaboration will continue also! It’s really amazing to work with someone on the same wave length … two former English teachers taking turns word smithing.