PC Maintenance and Security

The irony of this lesson is that I actually own Apple products, so a lot of this was lost on me.  That said, this limited my options down to those that were immediately relevant.

I chose to learn about Roboform because I've been signing up for a lot of websites lately, and I've been struggling to keep track of all the passwords.  Roboform not only keeps track of all your passwords for you, it can also password protect access to your passwords on the off  chance anyone else is using your computer.  I signed up immediately and realized how useful it was when I couldn't even remember all the passwords to all the sites I wanted it to remember.

I also watched a video on HiJack This! This is a tool which allows you to copy the code from your virus and paste it on a website for techies to try to help you with.  It's a last resort, but useful to know about in case of emergency. I was surprised to know that people were just sitting around waiting to help others with viruses.

Finally, I saw how to show hidden file extensions.  This is useful if you download random things from the internet that may look like documents, but are actually viruses in disguise.

It also shows you how to hide file extensions by, for example, changing .exe to .doc  Useful to know if you want to hide something incriminating from your parents/significant other/children. I don't think this was the purpose of the video, but it's what I took away from it.

Careful surfing to all!

Social Networks

In class this week we had to create maps of our social networks called PLN (personal learning networks).  Until this assignment, I'd never really given deep thought to who I learned from or how I learned. That is to say, I knew I was learning, but I'd never seen all the information together in one space. 

The main surprise for me was how many people formed this community.  I had old (and new) professors, other teachers, friends, relatives and students.  In retrospect, I should have added my own experiences as a student which have often taught me more than any theory class ever could.

The last question we were asked was how we expected our network to change with time.  As I was dwelling on this thought, one of the other students in the class started following me on Twitter.  I started to realized that this class outside of teaching me a lot about teaching would also help me connect to other teachers who I would (hopefully) remain in touch with long after the class ended.  I really look forward to learning as much as I can from the other teachers, who seem to have a lot to offer. 

In addition,joining LinkedIn put me back in touch with a lot of people I'd fallen out of touch with.  Old professors emailed asking how I'd been.  Friends from high school sent wedding photos and baby stories.  Aside from being professionally valuable, I can see these networks helping me to keep in touch with friends old and new, something which can be difficult when you live overseas.  

I'm not sure yet how my students will benefit.  They've already all joined Facebook and (constantly) send us messages.  My favorites still send me messages from abroad about their adventures and studies.  After talking with my professor this weekend I've been mulling over how to get my students in touch with other college age students in America.  They have so many questions, and it seems the world is waiting to answer.

Getting Things Done

If you're not familiar with GTD, your life is about to change!! Ok, maybe not, but there's a distinct possibility you'll find something useful in there.  At first, it just looks like list-writing, but the theory behind it is what sold me.  I listened to a speech that the creator, David Allen, gave at Google.  He explains how your brain can get taken over by things you have to do.  Instead, if you create lists, you can free your brain for more important (and less stressful things).

I started out organizing my process by using the free app Evernote on my Ipad, home computer, and work computer.  However, I got annoyed at having to sign into my account every time I thought of something.  Instead, I decided to use my bus trip to work as time to organize.  I got a small notebook and started writing notes for each day of the upcoming week.  I also made three lists of “Before Going to Bed,” Before Leaving Home,” and “Before Leaving Work,” and posted them around my house and work.  They’ve been surprisingly helpful in getting me out the door because I’m not longer running around trying to remember if there’s anything I’ve forgotten.

Going through the process for the first time was incredibly relaxing.  I’m a disorganized person who loves organization, so this process is perfectly suited to me. In addition, I have a tendency to throw things away if I haven’t used them recently.  I do this because I hate clutter, but it drives my husband crazy.  Now, I’ve organized everything into boxes with labels like “important papers,” “old clothes,” etc.

I think the process will definitely help me. I’ve been a list-maker all my life and this has taught me a better way to do what I already do.  Some changes needed to be made in my routine to accommodate for this new system. For example, I’ve set aside my bus ride in the morning – when I usually mark papers – for making my task list.  The result, of course, is that the first thing on my list is “mark papers.” Still, with a bit of schedule reshuffling, this system will definitely make a huge change in my organization.

I will most certainly continue this process.  I’ll probably move back to the software after I get a bit more used to planning out a week.  Once I can do that, I’ll move on to planning for next month, next year, etc. My major problem right now is figuring out a way to do the tasks I don’t want to do.  No matter how organized I am, there’s still the procrastinator in me that moves the task off to the next day.  Please tell me when they make an app for that :)

I want it! I want it! I want it!

was my first response upon seeing voicethred.  It allows you to put up a picture, text, or video and invite people to comment on it.  People can comment with text, audio files, video files, writing on the picture, and one more thing I can't remember because those four are cool enough!  This would be perfect for our speaking classes especially since it synchs up to Moodle.  The only (major) impediment is price.  $100 for one teacher and $700 for our whole department for a year.  I'm working with our director now to figure out a low cost way to do this.  I'll keep you updated!

Personal Growth Plan

As I've mentioned before, I'm taking a class in educational technology at MSU, and one of the requirements is to write a personal growth plan.  I know this sounds a bit hokey, but all it has you do is set specific goals that you'd like to accomplish by the end of the course.  This is a brilliant idea for any class for two reasons.  First, as my wonderful teacher told us, "If you aim for nothing, you're sure to reach it."  Without a goal, it's very easy to lose motivation or get lost in the details.  A goal keeps you motivated and on task.  Secondly, it helps the teacher understand their students better and, if possible, tailor the lessons to suit their needs.  I'll spare you reading my whole growth plan and just give you the highlights.

My goals for myself:
- to learn more about the what resources are available to teachers
- to implement these technologies in a way that benefits both teacher and students (ie not just using technology for the sake of using it)
- to add all this to my resume (selfish but oh so true!)

My goals for helping others:
- to accommodate for my students different learning styles by adding more audio, visual, tactile, linguistic, etc. resources for them to use
- to expose my students to resources that they can continue using after they stop attending my school
- to help the other teachers at my school to find useful, simple ways to integrate technology into their classrooms

I feel like my goals for myself aren't very specific, but it's hard to make plans before I know what's out there.  Wish me luck!

Becoming Part of the Blogging Community

"What if I don't have anything to say?" was my first concern when I created this blog.  Since then, I've started reading other blogs and discovered that I have too much to say!

As I said in my last post, I love teachpaperless.com.!! Their ideas are innovative, fun and most importantly practical!  For example, one teacher posted an example of a paperless final exam, another blogged about how he uses Jing to give his writing students feedback.  I'm already thinking about making our grammar tests paperless - no more grading!!  I liked the idea of using Jing for feedback. However, I still had some questions, so I commented asking how he got around Jing's five minute limit and whether it really was a time saver.  

Another blog, techlearning.com also had some great ideas.  One teacher was looking for others to help her develop a series of online textbooks by compiling all sorts of resources - including student work!!  I commented telling her how much I liked the idea of having students in on the making of a textbook. In fact, our school is working now on making textbooks.  I think I'll suggest having some of the students come in to add their ideas to the books.

While blogs are an excellent source of information, it's important to keep up with the news too!  I'm especially lazy about education news since I live abroad.  Lately, however, I've been thinking about moving back home. Yet, each time I think about it, I read another article about teacher evaluations or the problems the teacher's union is having, and I decide to stay abroad a bit longer.

As you may have read in my first post, I believe that blogs, unlike websites, are constantly changing and developing.  I've only been following these blogs for a week, so I haven't noticed many major differences, yet.  I did, however, see that some blogs update more frequently than others and that they are mainly written by multiply authors.  Looking back all the blogs, I realized that writers tend to included details from their personal lives which helps to build the community around the blog.  It was this sense of community which drew me to finally post my own comments.

I hope you enjoy my blog and feel free to post comments! Thanks!

Netvibes

I have a love-hate relationship with professional development. On one hand, I always feel like I learn a lot and that I improve as a teacher. However, it's hard to find time to read articles or go to seminars. You're on your own for the seminars, but RSS feeds are an easy way to keep up with education news. For those of you who don't know, RSS feeds collect new articles from all of your favorite sites and gather them all on one page. This saves you a ton of time!

In the past, I've used Google Reader. However, I decided to try something new and sign up for a site on Netvibes.com. At first, I hated it. There are only two viewing options. The widget (read blocky) view was a bit overwhelming as it showed all of the feeds together. However, when I switched to the reader view, my NPR newsfeed took all the top positions, and it took a lot of scrolling to find what I wanted. A few minutes of googling later, however, I discovered that you can create different pages such as "News" for your news sites or favorites for the ones you like best.

If you'd like to see the end result, click here!

Jinging the Day Away

I've recently (thanks to my awesome program at MSU) discovered Jing.  It allows you to take screenshots or videos and share them with you friends, family, colleagues, students, etc.  As a teacher who uses a lot of technology, this is a dream come true.  No more standing in front of the room trying to get the students to pay attention to me and the computer at the same time.  No more confusion about using online resources!  Instead, I'm creating short (the non-pro version only allows 5 minutes) videos showing the students how to use Word, Powerpoint, Moodle, etc. You can also add audio, or mute it if like me, you hate the sound of your voice.  The students can pause and play the video as they like, so everyone can work at their own pace. Jing is free to download and comes with "try it yourself" tutorials that let you practice before you download.

If you'd like to see the final result, click here to see me showing my grammar students how to upload recordings:http://www.screencast.com/users/EmilyReba/folders/Jing/media/e6df89bd-e25a-42a7-bb67-8075daeb1e31

The Difference Between a Web Page and a Blog

Thinking of starting your first website but don't know the difference between a blog and a web page?  You're hardly alone.  Many people are unsure of the differences, and hopefully this post will help you understand!!! The first difference is in the focus of the pages.  A blog changes and evolves with the person who is writing it.  It is unique to its writer and the topics can change with the writers' interests.  In contrast, a web page is usually focused around one topic and is updated only infrequently.  The second difference is in the audiences. that the audience in a blog is usually the friends and family of the writer.  Even if many people start following the blog, they begin to form a community and often interact with each other similar to a group of friends.  A web page, on the other hand, is mainly informative and doesn't invite the same amount of interaction amongst its readers. Thirdly, the purpose is different. Blogs are built to share ideas, opinions and experiences.  Blogs rarely try to be  unbiased as they  represent the voice of the writer.    Web pages, however, are built to inform and don't invite sharing. Many will try to appear unbiased or present their opinions as though they are fact. Thus, we can see that their are benefits to both websites depending on your goals. If you'd like to build a static page to disseminate information a web page is the best choice for you.  On the other hand, if you want to share your opinions and experiences with your friends and family, you should start with a blog.  I hope this helps!!