Thing #12: Google's Not Just for Searching Anymore

First, I explored Picasa Web Albums. I created an account and added a set of pictures with captions. I was not overly impressed with Picasa Web Albums. I think Flickr is more flexible and has more features. I also enjoy Flickr more because of their Creative Commons feature and their virtually unlimited free space. Picasa Web Albums also does not have groups to join, and you are limited in terms of free space. I made a typing error in the description for the group of pictures I added, and I cannot figure out how to edit it. I would hate to think I have to delete it and start the process over. There has to be a way to change it, but I cannot figure it out. It is not quite as user friendly in that regard. For the purpose of educational use, it is more difficult to find Creative Commons pictures, but it can still provide visual experiences for students who search for pictures, just like Flickr.

My Picasa Web Album

I explored Google Labs and ran across my second tool called Google Sets. The tool is very simple and fun to use. You enter 5 like items, and you can chose for Google Sets to generate either a large set or a small set of items related to the initial 5 prompts you provide. Each set is generated in a table. If you click on an item in the table, it performs a Google search for you.

I think this would be a great way for teachers and students to brainstorm ideas. It can pull up topics you might not think of that are related to the material you are covering in class. You could also have students play with Google Sets to illustrate relationships between words. They could analyze what items are included in a set to determine how they are related, if at all. I included a set of prompts and the results to show you the end product.

Google Sets: Prompts - earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, land slides, caves

Google Sets: Results

Thing #11: Finding Good Feeds

I think using the search tool was the easier way to run across science type blogs. It may just be my topic of interest, but I found it somewhat difficult to find relevant blogs. I know they are out there, I just kept pulling up weird blogs that mentioned science, but the average content was not science-based.

Feedster has seen better days??? I clicked on the link in 23 Things, and it did not work. I typed "feedster" into the url bar, and it brought up a site that said Feedster is no longer working??? I could not get much out of Google Blog Search that was relevant to my search terms. Topix.net pulled up too many magazine/advertisement type articles and not very many blogs. Syndic8 was under construction when I tried to access it. I did find that the Technorati Blog Search tool pulled up the most blogs to look through. I actually found 2 blogs that seemed to be pretty interesting on the surface. I added them to my reader. During Thing #10, I found (and added to my reader) several blogs and news sites using the blog roll on a science blog and by doing a Google search for science news websites.

Thing #10: Set Up an RSS Feed and Add Feeds

What I like most about RSS is that you can view your favorite pages from any computer by logging into the RSS service. I used to use bookmarks to keep track of pages I like to visit. From now on, I will use RSS. It is much more practical than bouncing around to all the different sites. I think using RSS is a quick and easy way to scan for pertinent news stories each morning that you can use in your class. Tying in current events to the material you are teaching gives the students a sense of application and relevance.

Thing #9: Online Image Generators

Space Rocket Generator on http://www.signgenerator.org/.




















Left Arrow Sign Generator on http://www.signgenerator.org/.


For both of these signs, I used a sign generator website. The process was very simple. All you have to do to create signs like the ones above is change the text in the fields below the sample sign image. The sign generator automatically inserts your text onto the sign. These signs could be used to add interest to presentations or as classroom decorations (if the print quality is high enough). I saw that you can also make buttons with some of the sign generators. Buttons have resurfaced as a fashion trend. You may could use "prize" buttons as a motivator for students.

Thing #8: Flickr Mashups

Spell with Flickr is so much fun! I love how you can actually change the pictures for each letter. You are not stuck with the randomly generated letters! It seems to be limited to a single word, though. I tried some two word phrases, and when I copied the code over, it took out the space between the two words. There is probably something you can change in the code when you copy it over, but that is a little advanced for me! I did have the idea that you could make two separate images (one for each word) and place them side-by-side to give the illusion of having created a phrase. Spell with Flicker would be a fun way to spice up a teacher's blog or PowerPoint presentations to catch the attention of students

I also really liked retrievr. I thought it was fun to draw a shape in a color to pull up "like" images. I am not sure how you could use this in the classroom, but I really enjoyed it.

Flickr Color Picker was also fun to play with (similar to retriever). I like groups of things that are the same color (part of my collector's heart, I think). When I used this Flickr Mashup, the first thing I thought of was teaching young children the basic colors using this tool to generate cool pictures.

I think sharing photos is a wonderful idea. Flickr can provide students with a great visual experience. If a student would like to visit the Grand Canyon but cannot travel, the student can simply search for Grand Canyon in Flickr to pull up many photographs of what the Grand Canyon looks like. Many of the photographs are high quality and provide a large amount of detail.

I believe it is important to use as many photographs as possible thoughout the teaching process. Photographs provide students with information they can see, which is easier to remember than a list of characteristics in text. It is also much more interesting to students.

Thing #7: Explore Flickr

During my search through Flickr for an interesting photograph, I ran across a photographer (kla4067) who takes digital aerial photographs of cities, stadiums, etc. from airplanes during business trip flights. I found the picture to the left in kla4067's Photostream. It is a picture of the San Juan River in Lake Powell, Utah (northeast of Grand Canyon National Park).

I enjoy Flickr because there is a seemingly endless supply of photographs to look at. You could look for days and days and still not look at all the photographs. The broad range of photographs is also very appealing. Flickr's tag system is a very effective search tool. Using tags, you can easily find a picture of just about anything. I particularly enjoyed the "Last 7 Days" feature.

To view the original source of the photograph to the left, click here.

Thing #6: Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

I chose to review .docstoc under the education category.

I found the website to be a bit cumbersome for the purpose of finding documents. It does not have an advanced search function to narrow down the search criteria. You can search all of the documents for a word or phrase, or you can select a category such as education or science, and then search for a term or phrase within that category. However, I think it would be a great place to upload your documents for the purpose of linking them to your blog or website. .docstoc has a feature called DocShot. DocShot essentially allows you to create a link in your blog or website to a document that is hosted by .docstoc. When the visitor to your blog or website clicks on the link, they can immediately preview the document without leaving your site. The document is pulled from .docstoc. Using DocShot helps prevent visitor system crashes and long wait times to download files.

If you used a blog as part of your teaching strategy, I think .docstoc would be a useful tool for incorporating documents into your blog.

To access .docstoc, click on the following link: http://www.docstoc.com/

Thing #5: Perspectives on Web 2.0

After reading Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators and Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail and Learning 2.0, I feel that "School 2.0" is a shift in focus to a more collaborative, social-based, technology-driven form of learning that extends past the barriers of the school house. I was very impressed by the learning tool developments and educational experiments discussed in the Minds on Fire article. I had no idea that classrooms have actually been developed within the Second Life realm. I knew the technology was out there for gaming purposes, but I did not realize it was being applied to modern classrooms for learning purposes.

The idea of "School 2.0" is very exciting; it almost has a science fiction or futuristic attraction to it. The fact that "School 2.0" ideas are within the capabilities of modern technology is amazing. When I think about my high school educational experience and compare it to the ideas fostered by "School 2.0", it brings back the harsh reality the American K-12 school system is so far behind. To imagine "School 2.0" learning in the school system today seems like a futuristic ambition. For schools in the future to adopt "School 2.0" learning strategies, so many innovations would need to be made in the amount and level of technology equipment in the classroom, the training and preparation of teachers, and the conviction of society (parents) to support such an initiative in education.

However, with that in mind, time passes quickly. I think, before we know it, we will start seeing "School 2.0" ideology creeping into the American school system.