Thanks Steve! Webinars for Free Published 2009-07-13 under collaboration, professional+development, tools, webinar

Steve Hargadon has lead me to another wonderful tool for educators.

Steve Hargadon - of EduBloggerCon and Classroom 2.0 fame - has been busy. Perhaps you saw him at NECC this year - NECC UnPlugged - or maybe you attened one the many PBS Teachers free webinars ("PBS Teachers LIVE!") or you just know him as the "Open Source Guy". He certainly gets around.

In addition to being a really nice guy, Steve has (and continues to be) a great source for new technologies and innovative uses of technology within education. Some of the "gems" that I discovered through Steve include Ning, UStream, and CoMapping. His most recent "gem" is a program that allows teachers to host webinars in Elluminate - for FREE. Steve has worked out a deal that gives you the opportunity host your own "public meetings" or online seminars in LearnCentral's Elluminate Room. There are few "rules" and restrictions including that the topic focus on education, it be available to everyone (for free), and that your are OK with it being recorded. This service usually costs lots of $$$'s and thanks to Steve and Ellumniate, you can get it for free. You can read more about it on the LearnCentral site and in Steve's blog.

But what if you are looking to use something like Elluminate to meet online with a just one or two folks - in a more private setting? Again, Steve (and LearnCentral) has a solution. If you join LearnCentral (free), you can use their vRoom feature to host a private Elluminate meeting with one or two others. Think collaborative teaching, online tutoring or virtual parent conferences. (some vRoom stories).

We have been using GotoMeeting's online meeting service for a number of years now - and paying around $50 a month for the privallege. While GotoMeeting lies somewhere between the "open to all - free" model and the "private - one or two participant" vRoom model, it is good to know that there are other options out there.

Thanks Steve and keep up the good work!

Oh - I remember YackPack Published 2009-06-30 under collaboration, conferences, tools

Another look at a fun/interesting/useful tool - YackPack

With all the cool technology out there, how do you keep up with it all?

The answers is you don't. You only keep up with that technology that you use. The phrase "Use it or loose it" really applies here.

Back in 2007, I gave a presentation at the CUE conference and just before going into the session, I ran into a woman from YackPack. I did not have too much time to hear the YackPack story, but she was willing to give me one of their really cool t-shirts after I promised to include in in the give-aways at my session. (I think the t-shirt was more popular than my presentation). I did, however, learn more about YackPack when I got home and was really impressed. You can read my post about incorporating YackPack into PBWiki PBworks.

So... what's the point? Despite the uses of YackPack, I never incorporated them into my teaching or training. I didn't use it, so I lost it.

Jump forward to NECC 2009. Since I was not able to go to D.C. :-( I have been following the conference virtually. One participant in particular, elkanj, has bookmarked several interesting links on Delicious from NECC, and YackPack was one of them.

"Oh, YackPack. Let's have another look." [imagine a little bubble with this thought above my head]

I am so glad that I did. In general - YackPack is a web-based asynchronous conference calling application. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Let me try and answer with some scenerios

• You are a language teacher who is looking for a way to get your students to practice conversations
  yackpack: create a group with all your students and have them converse. They send other students (you can assign pairs if you want) voice "messages" in the foreign language and the recipients respond.
• You have always wanted to schedule individual conferences with your students to review their progress but found coordinating meeting times was very difficult.
  yackpack: create a group with all your students and record a review for each student individually. Students login and hear your review and respond. You don't have to be at school. You do it on your time. The students do it on their time. All of the conversations are saved. And it is private.
• You have tried blogging with your students as a way to engage them in out-of-class discussions, and you have had some success. But the kids with who don't write as well as the others feel intimidated.
  yackpack: create a group with all your students and record discussion prompts aimed at the whole group. Each student responds to the group and a conversation begins. This gives the students a chance to articulate their thoughts verbally. As an alternative, you could ask each student to respond directly to you to gauge their level of understanding on a topic.
• You have a few friends who are experts in their fields and are really interesting. You would love to have them come to your class and share their experiences with the kids, but you can't afford the class time.
  yackpack: create a group with all your students and invite your friends to join where they record a short talk on their experiences. Your students can then engage them in discussions.

YackPack has more information about using their technology in the classroom here. To get started, watch this video preview of YackPack.

If you have never heard of YackPack or are like me and have not Yacked in a while, check it out. There are lots of interesting uses for this technology.

Developing Your Delicious Network Published 2009-03-19 under collaboration, conferences, tools

Social networks are wonderful, but how do you develop one? This post looks at ideas for adding to your network of Delicious users - you will be surprised what you find.

Do you have a Delicious Network? You know, a network of Delicious users that you follow to see what wonderful things they are bookmarking. What? You don't! Well - you are in for a treat.

Note: if you are new to Delicious and social bookmarking, read my earlier post: What is Delicious?

Delicious - the social bookmarking site - has a feature called your Network where you select other Delicious users to follow. When you go to your Network page on Delicious.com you will see a list of the most recent bookmarks created by folks in your network. Remember, really smart people surround themselves with even smarter people. Your Delicious Network is a place where you can piggyback on the smarts of others.

Here is my network. These folks represent learners that I respect and I can't tell you how many ideas and resources that I have gotten from the bookmarks created by my network. Someone recently asked how I keep up to date on some much that is on the web. My Delicious Network!

During my presentation on use of Delicious as a tool for educators at the 2009 CUE Conference, I was asked how I developed my Delicious Network. The short answer is that I don't really remember how I got started (it was a while ago). But this got me thinking: how does one develop a social network?

Here are a few ideas that I can share (one actually is not mine) and I would love to hear of your ideas.

• From Blogs As you read your favorite blogs, look for the author's Delicious user name. For example, Vicki Davis - aka CoolCatTeacher is known as brightideasguru. (see image to right)
• Referrals Take a look at who other Delicious users have in their network. If you look at Will Richardson's network, you will have a list of hundreds of folks to follow. (Actually, he only has 55 in his network)
• Explore - Look for Fans As mentioned, Will follows 55 folks in his network. But there are over 1000 others that are fans of Will. These are delicious users who have added Will to their network. Clicking on their name will give you a list of their bookmarks. If you find someone interesting - that is someone that bookmarks regularly and has similar tastes in topics - add him/her to your network.
• Reverse Engineer Go to Delicious and search for a topic of interest - say "calculus visualization". Be sure to select "search everyone's bookmarks", and you will get not only a list of some interesting sites/resources, you will also see who has included them in their bookmarks. On the right will be a number. This is the total number of other Delicious users who have bookmarked that same link. Click on the number and you can see each of their Delicious screen (user) names. What is even better - you can also see the comments that they included when the bookmarked the site. Good commentators can make for good folks to add to your network.
• delicious4teachers During my presentation, someone (sorry - forgot your name) turned me onto delicious4teachers, a PBwiki PBworks wiki where you can find teachers using Delicious by subject and because it is a wiki, add your name to your areas of interest.
• Ask! Finally, ask those that you think are continually looking to improve themselves. Ask them if they have a Delicious account. If they do, great - add them to your network. If not, talk them into creating one. I have encouraged several colleagues to join Delicious and they are part of my network.

Don't forget, I would love to include you in my network. Just drop me a line via rob [at] digiwalks [dot] org.

What is Delicious? Published 2009-03-09 under collaboration, conferences, tools

A primer on social bookmarking - in case you want to "get on board".

At the CUE conference this year I presented Delicious: Innovation in Education. Rachel, one of the attendees, offered a very interesting comment: "I love Delicious and have been trying to get other teachers to use it for years. But no one seems to know about it [Delicious or social bookmarking ]." I suggested the presentation thinking most folks know of Delicious and are using some form of social bookmarking. Goes to show - you should always test your assumptions!

With this comment fresh in my mind, I offer this primer on Delicious and social bookmarking. Actually, this is more of a resource for finding out more about this very useful (and for me - indispensable) tool.

• Before you do anything, check out the Common Craft video on social networking. It is a great introduction and like all of their videos - entertaining.
• Next, go to Educause and check out 7 Things You Should Know About Social Networking. Educause's "7 Things You Should Know" series is a great place to get information on most Web 2.0 technologies from an educators standpoint.
• Of course, Wikipedia has an entry on Social Bookmarking for those that want even more information.
• OK, now you are sold. Time to get started with a Delicious account. Delicious has a Getting Started guide that walks you through the process.
• If you want to read more, check out "Delicious in Education" by Gabriela Grosseck. It is not light reading but offers a some good ideas.
• Finally, you can see all of my links relating to Delicious and social bookmarking here. Yes, it is a link to Delicious - all of my bookmarks tagged with "del.icio.us".
• In a future post, I will be talking more about using Delicious to develop a professional learning network. [link to post coming here]

NECC: Intel - Best of Show Published 2008-07-02 under conferences, creativity, tools

My pick for "Best of the Show" - Intel's FREE thinking tools.

Exhibit halls at conferences don't usually excite me. They are noisy, crowded, and with every vendor designing their booth to capture your attention, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Despite my feelings (and my better judgment) I venture into the hall every conference and usually leave with very little. This was the case yesterday at NECC. I did have a nice conversation with the folks at Adobe, met a friend of a friend at TI and was amused by the varied and creative methods being employed to grab ones attention. But, as usual, when I turned to leave, I had nothing to show for my time. Or, that as until I happened by the Intel booth on the way out.

Why would I stop at the Intel booth? Don't get me wrong - I like Intel and their products. I just have never looked to Intel for educational tools or resources. Well, that has now changed. I am so excited about Intel's Education Initiative and their tools for K-12 teachers.

The tools are divided into two categories - "Thinking Tools" and "Productivity Tools". Right there, you got to get excited by the title "Thinking Tools". Within this first category, there are three tools: "Visual Ranking Tool", "Seeing Reason Tool", and "Showing Evidence Tool". Again, just from the names, you can get a feel for how these tools might be used for challenging your students with higher learning skills.

The Visual Ranking Tool is the one that Vanessa (an educator from Austin in the day, Intel Education Leader at night) demonstrated for me and the tool that got me so excited. The tool is quite simple. Teachers setup a list of items and students (working in teams or individually) rank order the items based on some criteria. For example, you could list factors/events leading to WWII and have your students rank order them in terms of their relative importance in causing the war. You could list various reasons why an author killed off a character in a book the class is reading then have your students rank order them based on their plausibility. The tool need not be limited to open-ended type questions. The Ranking Tool could be used to put things in chronological order. In Mathematics, students could be asked to put the steps necessary to solve a problem in their correct order testing their understanding of the concepts and terminology rather than just whether they can perform the math.

Simple ranking is of no use unless students are required to backup their decisions with some rational. The tool provides a place for students to justify their rankings and then when they are done, they can see how other teams/students ranked the items. This gives the kids a chance to reflect on their ranking and discuss if they should make any changes. It also provides for a good class discussion as students defend their ranking.

The Visual Ranking Tools alone is a powerful learning tool. And the other tools provided compliment and even extend its ability to get students thinking at a higher level. With all of the fancy tools and technology offered for educators, these relatively simple tools are my pick for the best of the show. They give quality educators the power to get their students thinking!

Tech Tags: digiwalks necc necc08 intel thinking tools

I Feel Excited Published 2007-10-19 under conferences, digital storytelling, tools

I was treated to the (personal) discovery of the We Feel Fine project that has been online for two years scanning the blogisphere for posts with the word "fine". This tool not only aggregates blogs but exposes stories within them. It is a discovery engine that can be used to catch feelings and the stories behind them.

Jonathan Harris, one of the designers of We Feel Fine spoke at Pop!Tech today and talked about finding stories. This idea of discovering stories in different ways interests me and it was his demonstration how technology can be used to expose stories within stories that really excited me. To learn more about Jonathan Harris and his stories, check out his TED Talk. (Note: his Pop!Tech talk hopefully will be available soon too. Watch for the pop!cast.

It is especially interesting to view Jonathan Harris in view of an earlier presentation by Daniel Pink. Frequent readers will know that I really embrace the ideas expressed by Pink in A Whole New Mind, especially the idea that we need to celebrate both the right and left side brain activities. Jonathan Harris exemplifies this new professional, blending elements of computer science, anthropology, visual art and storytelling. His creative/innovative ideas of visualizing information and extracting meaning/stories from the information make him a hero.

Tech Tags: pop!tech jonathan harris feelings stories

Mashups for Everyone Published 2007-08-09 under collaboration, creativity, tools

Thanks for a del.icio.us bookmark from Bud Hunt (aka Bud the Teacher), I found a very interesting article from Wired discussing the problem with social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. In summary, these services allow users to put information into their pages but do not provide a open architecture (an API) that allows the information to flow out of the page.

I am a big fan (if you did not already know) of open systems and APIs that allow the sharing of information between services. Admittedly, I am not a Facebook or MySpace user so I just assumed these Web2.0 pillars of social networking provided a means for sharing information outside their own platform. For my money, a defining characteristic of a Web2.0 service is the ability to share information with other services (the availability of an API). Shame on sites that shun APIs.

The article included a side bar link to an article on how to "Replace Facebook Using Open Social Tools". This is definitely worth a read as it is a great summary of the open services that we can mashup to form interesting new sites.

If you have never tried creating a mashup or have never used an API, use this article as a guide to get your feet wet with Open Social Tools. You will marvel how easy it is to create a sophisticated page that draws information from a number of sources. When you are done, share your work with me. I'd love to see what you create.

Tech Tags: wired mashup api facebook myspace

Popfly is SO cool! Published 2007-05-21 under collaboration, creativity, gadgets, tools

This morning I came across a service/website created by Microsoft called Popfly. From the website, "Popfly is the fun, easy way to build and share mashups, gadgets, Web pages, and applications." Popfly consists online visual tools for building mashups without programming experience.

Our team's vision is to democratize development by making it approachable to an entire class of people that want to "create" without necessarily having to write code. We believe that if you can send an email, you should be able to build and personalize your own website, mashup, social networking site, or blog.

This project is still in an Alpha release, but it is really cool and offers wonderful opportunities for educators. The downside, it only runs on IE (6.0 +) and Firefox (2.0 +). Nonetheless, check out the Popfly screencast. You will be amazed.

Technorati Tags: Popfly Silverlight Microsoft gagets web tools

Go Ahead and Yack on Your PBwiki Published 2007-04-13 under collaboration, tools

Yesterday evening, I attended a news conference of sorts held by Ramit Sethi, co-founder of PBwiki and BJ Fogg, co-founder of YackPack.  This conference was for educators and was to answer questions regarding the integration of YackPack's WalkieTalkie widget into PBWiki.  Now you can add voice chat capabilities to any wiki page allowing those viewing that page to talk with each other.  Its easy, its fun and its free.  ( link to video demonstration )

I praised YackPack back in a December post in which I focused on asynchronous communications - the ability to leave voice messages to one or all of a group of collaborators.  But the WalkieTalkie widget is for synchronous - real time - communications.  This is such a cool tool.  It adds a whole new dimension to a web page.  As I write this post, I have a tab open to the YackPack home page which (of course) has a WalkieTalkie widget on it.  It is fun to hear the  tentative comments of folks who are browsing the YackPack site and want to give the widget a try.  I can image browsing for a book on Amazon and hearing the author ask if I have any questions about the book before purchasing.  It's a bit scary... and really cool.

I will admit that when I first heard of the integration of the WalkieTalkie widget into PBwiki, I was a bit underwhelmed.  But the more I think about it, the more ideas of how this tool can be used to help extend the classroom.  Here are just a few ideas, most of which were discussed at yesterday's news conference.

• Teacher posts a set of review questions for an upcoming test on her PBwiki site and then holds "office hours" during which time, students can come to the page and ask the teacher a question (or just listen to the questions from other students).  I know of a couple of teachers that do this but use IM for communications.  For me, I would find being able to explain an answer to a complex question verbally easier than using text messaging.
• Teacher sets up several discussion pages on his PBwiki site and on each a different topic is presented.  A group of students visit a page and discuss the topic using the WalkieTalkie widget and then write up a summary of their discussion right there on the wiki page.  Optionally, the conversation can be recorded and then edited by the students.  This conversation can then be added as part of the wiki page (and be part of a podcast).  [note: at this time, you need a third-party application to record the conversation, but BJ (of YackPack) was interested in the possibility that recording become a feature of the widget in the future.]
• A group of students from various schools (and even countries) use PBWiki to create a textbook or AP review site.  Using the WalkieTalkie widget, they can meet regularly to discuss issues that have come up while creating the wiki.
• Teacher sets up a conference with a noted author, scientist, or public figure and uses the WalkieTalkie widget allow students to hear from and ask questions of this expert.  This conversation can even take place in the classroom where the students talk turns asking questions.  Again, students can summerize the conversation on the wiki page.
  

Mixing the power of voice communication with that of visual media (text and images) is a really powerful learning tool.  I congratulate the folks at YackPack for making such a great and easy to use widget and those at PBwiki for the insight to make it really easy to include the widget on any wiki page.

By the way, the news conference was held on a PBwiki page using the WalkieTalkie widget.  Just another use PBwiki and YackPack's WalkieTalkie widget.


Tags: pbwiki yackpack collaboration wiki

Your Favorite Google Tool? Published 2007-03-12 under conferences, tools

The mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. (source) It began with an idea for a search engine and has grown to include a whole host of tools. It has the power to transform our language. Google is part of our lives!

As an educator, what is your favorite Google tool or your favorite way to use Google? This was the question that I asked a Google rep at this year's CUE Conference (hear her response) and pass on to you.

BTW

Google has setup an area for educators, Google Education, that has information and description how to use its tools to "empower students and expand the frontiers of human knowledge". If you have never visited this resource, check it out.

Tags: Google cue2007 cue07

Quizlet - A Natives Answer to Vocab Quizzes Published 2007-03-06 under tools

I am no fan of the drill and practice method of teaching but doggone it, there are times when flashcards do come in handy. It would be great if we could all go to each of the state capitals and develop a personal experience with each city that would help us remember them all. Back in reality, we need to rely on memorization.

Andrew Sutherland decided to go all Web 2.0 over the simple task of drill and practice. He has created a site called Quizlet that lets you create online flashcards, review them, and finally test yourself. Let's say you want to study the top 100 SAT words. You would sign up on Quizlet and then create a "set" where you would type in the 100 words and their definitions. If you had the list in a text file, you could import your set. And best of all, if someone else has created a set similar to yours (and has made it public), you can use their set as is the case with the top 100 SAT words.

What makes Quizlet so cool is Andrew's attention to detail. It is very slick, very user friendly, very useful. There are three modes in which you can use a set of words/definitions: Familiarize, Learn, and Test. This correspond with how you might start by familiarizing yourself with the terms by looking at flashcards. You would then ask a friend to quiz you and finally you would take a test with different types of questions (fill-in-the-blank, matching, multiple choice, and true/false).

The site is well designed and very professional. And it is FREE! Oh, did I mention that Andrew is a high school student. He made this to help him with his French vocab. Because the site was born from a need to learn about French words, it provides a cool tool for inserting accented letters into the word.

As a web programmer, I am amazed at the quality of the site. I am also in admiration of the commitment Andrew has to the project. I know that this must have taken many many hours. He could have used that time to study his French vocab and I am sure he would be a master at the language by now. But instead, he has an real world example of his talent. What college (or employer) would not be impressed!

Well done Andrew, thank you, and best of luck!

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Day 8 - ZohoShow for Digital Storyboarding Published 2006-12-21 under 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, digital storytelling, tools

This post is not about the educational benefits of digital storytelling. Much has been written about this by such experts in the field as Joe Lambert and Bernajean Porter. My focus is on the storyboarding process and more specifically how to record this process.

Digital Storytelling is not about the end product - the video - as much as it is about the story, the planning, and the collaboration. From a teacher's prospective, insight into the storyboarding process provides a richer assessment of the students work than the actual digital media that results from the project. From Wikipedia: "[This] process of visual thinking and planning allows a group of people to brainstorm together, placing their ideas on storyboards and then arranging the storyboards on the wall. This fosters more ideas and generates consensus inside the group."

I am a big fan of storyboarding with the following offering some ideas why.

For some, storyboarding may seem like a hassle, or a tedious extra step in the process of digital storytelling. This is not true. Storyboarding is a valuable step in digital storytelling. It allows the user to organize images, text, motion, interviews, and music before they begin making their digital story. It allows the user to visualize how the story will be put together and what holes exist so that they can be filled. Storyboarding also inspires new ideas for the user’s digital story because the user sees all of the pieces of the story laid out in front of them.
From "Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling"

There are many ways to produce a storyboard online. One option would to use a service like Google Docs and put the storyboard in a word processing like document. Another idea is to use a wiki putting each cell of the storyboard in a separate page.

I would like to suggest trying ZohoShow, an online presentation creating service where you can create, share, view, and publish PowerPoint like presentations. As with the other solutions that I have mentioned, your work is stored online making it available to everyone in the group wherever there is an Internet connection. With ZohoShow, it is very easy to create storyboard cells with the requisite information. Like PowerPoint, ZohoShow allows you to create slides from a template but you can always add additional elements like text blocks, images, or graphical symbols. The information that you require your students to include in each cell (slide) of their storyboard will vary but it will probably include the narration, description of the image, animation, and audio effects.

What I like most about using a presentation type of approach to storyboarding is the ease by which you can move cells around in the story as well as move elements within a cell around. The drag-and-drop approach provides an intuitive (as well as easy) way of reorganizing your story.

The biggest drawbacks to ZohoShow are lack of an RSS feed, versioning, and concurrent editing. As I will explore tomorrow, RSS feeds help teachers keep track of work being done on a project. By not saving versions of the storyboard (presentation), ZohoShow makes it difficult to see just how the board was developed and who did what. Finally, ZohoShow does not allow multiple users to work on a presentation at the same time, though might not be a critical issue. (Writeboard does not offer concurrent editing but I have found it to be one of my most valuable tools for collaboration.)

ZohoShow is still in beta, so who knows what features will be available in the future. For simple presentations (and storyboards) it works well. It does not have all of the bells and whistles of PowerPoint, but I see that as a plus, after-all we want our students to focus on the storyboard and not the page transition effects.

Tags: digiwalks, 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, ZohoShow

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Day 7 - Google Docs and Wikis for Science Lab Write-ups Published 2006-12-20 under 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, tools

In my last post, I spoke of the great advantages of using Google Docs over the traditional word processing application. When creating a collaborative document, it is a great asset to have that document available for all group members to edit anytime, anywhere and even at the same time.

A feature that I did not mention about Google Docs on my last post is its flexibility of publishing the final document. Once you have finished editing a document, you can use the "Save As..." feature to save the document in HTML, RTF, Word, OpenOffice, or PDF format. I really like the option to save the document in PDF format and which allows me to add it to a web site for others to view.

Lab work in a science class is a great opportunity for students to collaborate. Lab partners work on the experiment together, record their observations, and summarize their results. Using Google Docs, lab groups can store their results in an online speadsheet (see below). Like Google's word processing application, more than one person can be adding data to a spreadsheet at the same time. Care must be taken to avoid putting data in the same cell, but I am impressed at the speed with which the application refreshes and shows changes made by other users.

The lab write-up can be done in a Google Docs word processing document and both the data and write-up can be saved as PDF documents. These PDFs can then be uploaded to a class wiki on a page setup for the lab assignment allowing other students to review your results and conclusions. At the end of the year, each of the labs in the course will have a separate page with data and write-ups from each of the lab groups. By documenting each lab in this way, you and your students can review the results and discuss reasons for discrepancies.

Google Docs offers a variety of features that makes collaboration much easier and convenient. I hope you have a chance to explore all that Google has to offer.

Tags: digiwalks, 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, google

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Day 6 - Google Docs for Creative Writing Published 2006-12-19 under 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, tools

Collaborative writing assignments have always been limited by the problem of merging the contributions of multiple authors. One approach has been for a document to be passed among authors, each making their corrections and additions. This method of collaboration required those authors without the document to be idle making the whole process a bit inefficient as well as frustrating.

Google Documents approaches word processing from a different paradigm, one where documents are not exclusive to a single editor or computer but instead can be edited by two or more authors at the same time on different machines. Google (which purchased Writely, the originators of this idea) allows authors to create documents which reside online and thus can be accessed from anywhere there is an Internet connection. Authors can then invite others to collaborate on the document. At the bottom of each document is a status bar showing who is currently editing the document.

As other authors open the shared document, you are told of their presence, and as they make changes to the document, their changes show up on your screen - automatically!.

Google Docs has a "revisions" feature that allows you to clearly see the edits made by other contributors as well as a revision history which allows you to view past versions of the document and even revert to one of these past states.

Google Docs is a great tool for any group project that includes a write-up as it provides a central location for the document that any member of the group can access and edit at any time he/she wants. It is especially useful in collaborative writing assignments where two or more people are working on a document simultaneously.

However, my favorite feature stresses the collaborative relationship between teacher and student. Using Google Docs' Revision feature, a teacher can step through the creation of a document gaining insight into the student's writing process. Teachers can give feedback (using the comments feature) directly on the document making it easier for the student to follow-up with further revisions.

At a party the other day, I overheard a mother of four mention how much they hate group projects. Of course my curiosity was peaked and I quickly joined the conversation to find out what about group projects she found distasteful. One of her biggest complaints was the effort required to find time for groups to meet in person to work on their projects. I describe Google Docs to her and a look of "wow, that's what we need" came over her.

Google Docs is not the answer to all collaboration problems, but if you require your students to turn-in written work (usually produced on a word processor), I would highly recommend that you have them use Google Docs. When you are added as a collaborator, you can offer feedback directly on the document and gain a better insight into the students writing process. Finally, by having the student store the document online, issues of corrupt disks, jammed printers, or failed emails are no longer relevant.

Tags: digiwalks, 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, google

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Day 4 - Wiki Review Sheets Published 2006-12-17 under 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, tools

I have tried a number of approaches to preparing students for an exam. I have created review sheets, chapter outlines, and practice exams. But it always struck me that I was doing all of the work. The students should be the ones creating these review documents.

I ran into logistical problems whenever I asked students to come up with practice problems or review material. By the time I had put all of their work together, there was little time for the students to review their cumulative work.

Wikis to the rescue. If you have never used a wiki, it is a type of website where viewers (with permission) can edit the content on each page and even create their own pages. Wikopedida is, perhaps, the most famous wiki in production.

I use PBWiki to create a wiki site for a class, and have students record the concepts presented in class. As an example, each chapter might be placed on a separate page with an overall description or summary of the topics/concepts discussed during that chapter. Subsequent pages are developed from this chapter page detailing each of the topics/concepts. Each chapter in the wiki is created while that chapter is being discussed so that its content can not only be used for a final exam but also for a chapter test.

The class as a whole is responsible for ensuring that all material is accurately covered. Because you as the teacher can review individual edits to the wiki, it is possible to assess each students contribution to the project. Furthermore, this wiki comes to represent the class' knowledge and is a good tool for you to assess any areas of confusion or weakness PRIOR to a test or exam.

Another example of using wikis for review can be seen from the work of Darren Kuropatwa's classes that create solutions manuals. As will be seen in a later "12 Days..." post, Darren's classes are doing some excellent work in collaboration. You can check out some of their wiki examples:

• AP Calculus AB Solutions Manual Wiki: http://apcalc.pbwiki.com
• Pre-Cal 40S (Winter '06) Solutions Manual Wiki: http://pc40s.pbwiki.com
• Applied Math 40S Solutions Manual Wiki: http://am40s.pbwiki.com

Tags: digiwalks, 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, wikis, pbwiki

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Day 3 - YackPack Your Point of View Published 2006-12-16 under 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, tools

One of the valuable aspects of classroom discussion that is missing from most online learning environments is the opportunity to verbally articulate a point of view. Blogs, wikis, discussion forums, and email allow students the opportunity to gain valuable practice communicating ideas through writing. An equally important skill in communication is the spoken word.

YackPack is a new service that allows groups of students to communicate verbally. As a member of the group, you can choose to send a "voice message" to one or all of the group members by simply selecting the recipients and talking into your computer's microphone. There is no software to install other than the Flash Player which most browsers already have.

These asynchronous conversations can be used in small groups to discuss ideas or in full classes to continue a conversation that began in class. As an example, a controversial subject might arise in your class that captures the interest of your students but for which you just don't have time to address in detail. You might ask your students to express their thoughts on the subject in your YackPack when they go home. They can then listen to their classmates comments and continue the conversation with a response. As the YackPack administrator you can review all messages and even provide feedback to individuals or the whole class.

Another use of the YackPack is to provide a forum for students to ask questions. You or (preferably) your students can provide the answers thus producing a collaborative help service for your class.

If you teach a foreign language or are an ESL teacher, YackPack is a great tool for students to practice speaking in their new language. Students can carry on conversations while you "monitor" them, providing feedback as necessary.

I discovered YackPack quite by accident at a conference in Monterey this past November. Since then, I have had the chance to play around with the service and am continually thinking of new ways it can be used in education and in my personal life.

For Information: video for educators

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Day 2 - Brainstorming with Your Writeboard Published 2006-12-15 under 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, tools

Writeboard is a (free) service from 37 Signals that provides groups with a webpage that can be used for developing ideas, documenting discussions, and just brainstorming. The system is very simple - a characteristic of all 37 Signals services. Yet the result is an extremely useful tool for collaboration.

After you create your password protected Writeboard, you are given a blank workarea. The first thing you notice is that Writeboard does not employ a WYSIWYG editor. At first, this may appear to be a downside of the application, but I would argue that it is actually an asset. Instead of worrying about formatting, the simple editor allows us to concentrate on content. There are some formatting styles that you can use, but the beauty of the system is its simplicity.

The most powerful feature (from a collaboration standpoint) is Writeboard's versioning capability. Every time a change is made and saved, a new version of the document is automatically created. This allows groups to proceed in one direction with the knowledge that they can always return to a previously saved version of the document. For technologically challenged users, the comfort of knowing that any mistakes they make will not permanently effect the document provides them greater confidence to use the system. I have worked on a number of projects where some of the group members were initially intimidated with the idea of using the Writeboard for fear that they would "mess up what someone else had done." Once they understood the idea of versioning and that we could always revert back to a prior version, they became much more liberated to use the system.

As a teacher, the versioning feature gives you insight into the process by which ideas are developed in your project groups. For example, you have assigned your biology class to become plant doctors. The project requires students working in groups to brainstorm ideas on:

1. How to identify and describe "problem plants" (unhealthy plants)
2. Develop tests to identify possible cause of the problem(s)

While the final deliverable would be a document addressing these two items, of equal interest is the way the student reached their conclusions. Documenting the collaboration process on a Writeboard will give you valuable insight and a better ability to assess students' contribution to the process as well as understanding of key topics.

I use a Writeboard for all of my projects and have found that it is invaluable for documenting the process. Also, requiring people to write their ideas down forces them to really think about them and have a certain level of "buy-in" to the idea. It is one thing to sit in a group and throw out ideas; it is a completely different thing for you to write these ideas out.

Tags: digiwalks, 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, writeboard

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Day 1 - Del.icio.us Online Research Published 2006-12-14 under 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, tools

In a recent project with which I was involved, participants in a U.S. History workshop developed an annotated list of websites relating to American History. There are over 100 sites reviewed providing teachers and students a wonderful place to find a site that might relate to a topic with which they are interested.

The problem with the resource is that the only option for viewing the list is to see all sites in alphabetic order. If your needs are specific, such as looking for a site on the Civil War, you need to go through each site and read the description to find one that might relate to your particular interest.

A similar problem exists when you bookmark a site on your browser - the site is just added to a long list of other sites. As the list of bookmarks grows, the more difficult it is to find a particular site. Browsers have helped users organize their favorite sites by allowing bookmarks to be placed in a directory structure. Thus, a site relating to the Civil War might be placed in the "Civil War" folder within the "US History" folder. This certainly makes it easier to find a particular bookmark.

Several issues remain:

• What do you do if a site relates to multiple topics? Do you create the bookmark in each of the requisite folders?
• What if you want a list of all bookmarks within a folder and all sub-folders within that folder? In the example above, what if we wanted not just Civil War sites but also Revolutionary War sites?
• What if we want to share our bookmarks as part of a collaborative project? (After all, this is about collaboration.)

The answer is social bookmarking - "tagging" specifically. The king of online bookmarking and site tagging is Del.icio.us. With Del.icio.us, you can bookmark sites with categories (tags). For example, a particular journal article relating the differences between the presidency of Andrew Jackson and that of John Quincy Adams could be tagged with "us history", "presidents", "jackson", and "adams".

This bookmarking could be part of a bigger project in which students are assigned the task of researching a particular topic in U.S. History. Each online source would be bookmarked in Del.icio.us using appropriate tags. One of the tags would be term designed to identify the bookmark as part of a particular assignment. For example, students would include the tag "MrsSmithsAmHistoryProject06" on each of their bookmarks identifying it as part of Mrs. Smith's American History Project for 2006. Then a student could see all of her bookmarks for this project by clicking on her "MrsSmithsAmHistoryProject06" tag.

The student is not restricted to just viewing her own bookmarks. She could also view all bookmarks on Del.icio.us for a given tag (or set of tags). While each student is working independently, they are forming a collaborative effort by tagging their sources with the project identity tag. At the end of the project, the class will have collaboratively developed a list of resources on U.S. History that not only can be shared within the class but with the whole world (including other U.S. History classes - current and future). Another benefit of this method is that the teacher can monitor the classes progress by occasionally reviewing the "MrsSmithsAmHistoryProject06" tag.

Del.icio.us also allows you to annotate your bookmarks. This space can be used by the students to provide details about the site that will be useful to not only themselves but others viewing the bookmark. By writing a description and/or summary of the site, students are engaging in reflection, enhancing their research process. It also provides a vehicle for formative-assessment whereby other students (and/or teacher) review the annotations providing the student with feedback on their summary.

Summary

Del.icio.us provides a wonderful tool for students and teachers to organize their online resources so that they can be easily accessed and pooled into a collaborative list of resources.

Tags: digiwalks, 12DaysOfCollaboration, collaboration, delicious

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Firebug is Amazing! Published 2006-12-11 under tools

Let me start by confessing that I am a Firefox fan.  I try (with some success) to get all those I work with and for to convert.  Tabbed browsing is my biggest pitch as it reflects how the web should be used - jumping back and forth from one site to another to another.  You read about about something that sparks an interest, so you open a new tab and Google it.  You come across a word that you don't know so you look it up at an online reference site. But with the release of IE 7, tabbed browsing is no longer owned by Firefox.

My true favorite part of Firefox is its extensibility.  Extensions (for those not familiar with Firefox) are small scripts that you can install that allow you to add functionality to your installation of Firefox.  There are hundreds of extensions; in fact you can write your own.  I have the del.icio.us extension installed in all of my systems.  It allows you to quickly tag (and store) the current page in your Del.icio.us bookmarks.  Similarly, my Bloglines Toolkit extension gives me quick access to my Bloglines account as well as a quick way to add a site to my feeds.

But, you may say, there are similar tools for IE.  Why should I switch to Firefox?  The answer is simple - Firebug.  Firebug (v1 beta) is a web developers best friend.  It allows you to "edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML, and JavaScript live in any web page".  This tool is a must for anyone working on the web from developing sites to writing content. Jesse Newland has a great screencast that provides a short introduction into Firebug.

So, if you are a developer, webmaster, content writer, blogger, etc. you need to get Firefox and install Firebug!  Don't take my word for it, check out the buzz behind this extension.

Tags: digiwalks, edtech, webdev, firebug, firefox, tools

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More on APIs - (WARNING: Geeky content within) Published 2006-10-12 under tools

Last month I posted on the importance of APIs.  Today I stumbled on a good source for finding web APIs: ProgrammableWeb.  The site lists almost 300 APIs - everything from the familiar (Google and Amazon) to the obscure (Food Candy - yes it is close to lunch time!). 

For the geeks out there, this service provides some pages with information on the type of service(s) provided by each site with links to documentation.  It also includes sites that are using these APIs to add value - "mashups".  For example, My California Traffic uses the GoogleMaps API to show "the current traffic conditions for all major freeways in California".  There are tons of sites to explore.  Be careful, time can pass you by.

Tags: edtech, api

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