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| Two Chinese coins together in a gourd shape. |
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The Cloud and Ethics
In all our efforts to access different products and sharing and collaborating, it has grown on me that there must be ethical situations involving intellectual property rights. Teachers I work with consistently use online graphics and text in their lessons. At what point does sharing become theft? Yes, there are Fair Use Laws and use of someone else's property is permissible for educational purposes but with limits. An fine example of 'use of' without legalities is A Fair(y) Use Tale by Eric Faden. With so much freedom of highlighting, sharing, snipping, capturing, and collaborating, have there been studies correlating the rise of Cloud users with plagiarism? If everything is so accessible and available, the temptation or ignorance of the fact that information belongs to someone might be an issue.
Just my 2 cents ....
Monday, September 10, 2012
Diigo for Gourdheads
Diigo is a unique online, cloud, tool for personal research, collaborative efforts, and social networking. The research component allows a person to search and annotate information pertaining to topics of personal interests. Because Diigo enables sharing of bookmarked sources of information, groups can work together on a project by sharing findings and notes that can be seen by all. Taking this activity further into social networking, a person's bookmarked and annotated library of interests can be sharing with the Diigo community at large to locate like-minded folk of the same curious ilk. It can also be used in a classroom setting for students researching personal interests within a larger topic.
As a social networking tool (2.0), Diigo goes beyond previous concoctions of online social skills by combining the online force of connecting with others with connecting the background information that fuels others' interests. It is a scholarly way to meet & greet others, encourage reading, and provide avenues for displaying critical thinking. It is an advantage to have strength in numbers--the more the merrier! With many people converging on a similar interest, more information from as many varied sources can be located and shared. The diversity of viewpoints that generate such varied sources lead to broader understandings and thinking. Sometimes all that's needed is a different point of view to open new interests and further action, you know?
It's like a patch of gourds growing in a field: one plant can use the nutrients available for growth. A moth visits in the evening, pollinates, and hopefully the plant produces 8 to 10 worthwhile, useful gourds that continue on to some purposeful end product once dehydrated and crafted. BUT, grow lots of gourd plants in the same patch, sharing nutrients and flowering widely together, and the many white flowers in the dimming evening light attract lots of moths and YeeHa! a boatload of pollination happens producing more fruit than would have happened otherwise! It's a gourd day!
In the classroom, this same wide sweep of pollination of ideas can happen as students join together and get more out of a lesson of learning that they would have individually. Working with a central topic, students research their personal interests surrounding that topic. Since no one person could ever cover all aspects of an idea, social bookmarking allows students to see different aspects of a project by reading others' notes and highlights. Discussing differences and similarities crystallizes the lesson and makes learning personal.
All the ISTE NETS T standards loop around for student benefit but #1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning is the standard social bookmarking targets. Getting the students engaged and collaborating is the core issue. By learning in ways that reflect daily life, students incorporate personal connections with personal learning. They are encouraged to see many points of view, reflect upon different sources of information, and collaborate using digital tools. Of course, this presupposes the students have access to this kind of technology. Until my own school system invests in the equipment to support such student engagement, Diigo would have to be left to the realm of a teacher collaborative tool (thus enacting #5 standard: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership...specifically to improve professional practices by participating in learning communities).
Browsers. It is my understanding a browser is the searching mechanism that allows online access to websites, blogs, images....information. Add ons are specific tools that are tacked on to a browser to do targeted duties, much like a pollination cap on a gourd plant. The plant accesses and carries the nutrients, water, and ground minerals to the fruit but the pollination cap is the add on that has the targeted job of capturing pollen from one flower to another. Right now I use Google Chrome as a browser with the Diigo add on when I'm at home. My machine can accept newer technology, although I seem to be far behind the needs of this class at times. At school I am woefully behind the times. Recently we even lost Microsoft Word and now use OpenOffice. One of the schools has loaded Chrome onto a machine for me, but add ons are blocked. But, add ons at home seem to work o.k. once the learning curve evens out....even then I am, at times, unclear about where or how things happens since there tends to be a fair about of bouncing going on where images or pages move without reason or warning.
As a social networking tool (2.0), Diigo goes beyond previous concoctions of online social skills by combining the online force of connecting with others with connecting the background information that fuels others' interests. It is a scholarly way to meet & greet others, encourage reading, and provide avenues for displaying critical thinking. It is an advantage to have strength in numbers--the more the merrier! With many people converging on a similar interest, more information from as many varied sources can be located and shared. The diversity of viewpoints that generate such varied sources lead to broader understandings and thinking. Sometimes all that's needed is a different point of view to open new interests and further action, you know?
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| Gourd blossoms at night. |
In the classroom, this same wide sweep of pollination of ideas can happen as students join together and get more out of a lesson of learning that they would have individually. Working with a central topic, students research their personal interests surrounding that topic. Since no one person could ever cover all aspects of an idea, social bookmarking allows students to see different aspects of a project by reading others' notes and highlights. Discussing differences and similarities crystallizes the lesson and makes learning personal.
All the ISTE NETS T standards loop around for student benefit but #1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning is the standard social bookmarking targets. Getting the students engaged and collaborating is the core issue. By learning in ways that reflect daily life, students incorporate personal connections with personal learning. They are encouraged to see many points of view, reflect upon different sources of information, and collaborate using digital tools. Of course, this presupposes the students have access to this kind of technology. Until my own school system invests in the equipment to support such student engagement, Diigo would have to be left to the realm of a teacher collaborative tool (thus enacting #5 standard: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership...specifically to improve professional practices by participating in learning communities).
Browsers. It is my understanding a browser is the searching mechanism that allows online access to websites, blogs, images....information. Add ons are specific tools that are tacked on to a browser to do targeted duties, much like a pollination cap on a gourd plant. The plant accesses and carries the nutrients, water, and ground minerals to the fruit but the pollination cap is the add on that has the targeted job of capturing pollen from one flower to another. Right now I use Google Chrome as a browser with the Diigo add on when I'm at home. My machine can accept newer technology, although I seem to be far behind the needs of this class at times. At school I am woefully behind the times. Recently we even lost Microsoft Word and now use OpenOffice. One of the schools has loaded Chrome onto a machine for me, but add ons are blocked. But, add ons at home seem to work o.k. once the learning curve evens out....even then I am, at times, unclear about where or how things happens since there tends to be a fair about of bouncing going on where images or pages move without reason or warning.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Picasso Head
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| Me with Earrings |
Artists of course would appreciate the creativity that can be unleashed, but I can envision school counselors using this for students needing to express themselves (a venting outlet actually) in ways traditional drawing processes may not allow. In guidance, students will shut down, saying they can't draw and not be willing to try; this is especially true of gifted learners. 'Playing' on a computer might be more accommodating to emotionally strapped students -- those students unwilling to admit something is bothering them.
Tenet G of the VA Tech. Standards speaks about being able to implement strategies that integrate technology to meet the diverse needs. Surely this is an example of that....I plan to show it to one of my school's counseling team. I bet they'll love it!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Resume Redo
I just have to laugh! In the previous post I mentioned how the Word document of my resume got a B- and the translated Google Doc with the same information got an F. Today, I could not recreate the F to get the snipped shot of the scores. Little did I realize that with Google Docs, a document cannot be corrected and then Saved As another document. No WAY! When I made my corrections on Google Docs, they were saved and the old version **phfss* vanished. Who knew?! Not me apparently.
So I went with the B- scores and made corrections as suggested:
I needed to use impact-ful language and vivid wording to wow employers> I I needed to refrain from using first person language (no I, me, my). This surprised me since I had not used first person words, and had purposely used dynamic action words when describing my activities. However, I made corrections and beefed up the wording..making a strong statement of action and activity. I deleted two experiences that did not impact the overall view and checked that no first person words existed. This is what the resume got the next time through the scoring program:
Go figure? This time however, there were Brevity, Impact, and Depth boxes that imply I had the depth now, but was too wordy. I reworded, edited, cut, and make some improvements to be more concise but still maintain the depth. This is what I got next:
The Brevity score decreased, but the Depth stayed strong. I still get the first person comment, although there are no I, me, or my-s in the writing. Certainly this is an issue to be revisited at another time when I can spend time taking it apart and doing a more extensive comparison.
For now I can see how online tools might be helpful or not depending on how they are used. When I demonstrate online writing tools such as thesis editing programs, it will be important to stress that online programs run with algorithms that do not make the human judgements that personal attention can produce. They still have value as a guideline to prompt review and reconsideration, but they are still machines made useful by the minds that build them. As a technology instructor, teaching discernment and critical thinking when working with electronic sources is a vital part of imparting 21st century skills.
So I went with the B- scores and made corrections as suggested:
I needed to use impact-ful language and vivid wording to wow employers> I I needed to refrain from using first person language (no I, me, my). This surprised me since I had not used first person words, and had purposely used dynamic action words when describing my activities. However, I made corrections and beefed up the wording..making a strong statement of action and activity. I deleted two experiences that did not impact the overall view and checked that no first person words existed. This is what the resume got the next time through the scoring program:
Go figure? This time however, there were Brevity, Impact, and Depth boxes that imply I had the depth now, but was too wordy. I reworded, edited, cut, and make some improvements to be more concise but still maintain the depth. This is what I got next:
The Brevity score decreased, but the Depth stayed strong. I still get the first person comment, although there are no I, me, or my-s in the writing. Certainly this is an issue to be revisited at another time when I can spend time taking it apart and doing a more extensive comparison.
For now I can see how online tools might be helpful or not depending on how they are used. When I demonstrate online writing tools such as thesis editing programs, it will be important to stress that online programs run with algorithms that do not make the human judgements that personal attention can produce. They still have value as a guideline to prompt review and reconsideration, but they are still machines made useful by the minds that build them. As a technology instructor, teaching discernment and critical thinking when working with electronic sources is a vital part of imparting 21st century skills.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Resume Duality
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| Dipper gourd hanging free and growing natural. |
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| Jim Widess' gourd grown in a portrait mold--contorting its shape to accommodate the mold. |
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Snipping Along, Singing a Song
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| Gourdhead Rock Band |
This snip identifies the Alien Gourdhead done by one of the youngest members (age 13). Another snip points out how individual artisans handled eyes. What not to love with this tool? It speaks to step-by-step instruction that would be especially valuable with visual learners. Being able to break out a piece of a whole, then pinpoint the area of discussion, allows teachers to get specific beyond the use of language.
However, along with these wonderful attributes comes a moment of caution: plagiarism. Another VA Tech Standard that comes into play is H--demonstrating knowledge of ethical and legal issues.... . Just snipping something I like walks all over someone else's copyright and intellectual property. These pictures of the Gourdhead Rock Band are mine. I own the images, I direct the organization they come from, I have permission from the member who created the parts of it to use it appropriately. But, what of grabbing images from Bing or other sources? That's where careful demonstration of citing is in order. For my students, this would be included in the Plagiarism Packet.
Google Docs
Google Docs has been entered and seemingly addressed (though my learning curve has been sorely tested this weekend--my apologies to anyone who dared view my blog in recent days!). In previous posts, I tested translating a resume I already had as a Word document into a Google document and then used a Google Doc template to reproduce a recipe for a newsletter. Both have been uploaded.
The translation did produce some minor alterations with typefaces and leading, but they were easily remedied to be very near the original document. Using an exisitnig Gooogle Doc template streamlined a designing process that usually takes time and creative thought. In either case, having access to these documents in various places, and shared with others without emailing everyone individually, is time saver. Concern about privacy was an ever-present issue that I am still trying to resolve.
As a teacher coordinating student activities, I can see how Google Docs can be used as a connection nucleus. Sign up sheets, brainstorming sessions, and communal writing projects could be enacted and facilitated. Group work would certainly become more collaborative especially when students work from different locations: homes, classrooms, and as in the case with online courses, different regions. In my nonprofit efforts, Google Docs can eliminate the back-and-forth members do statewide when trying to coordinate VLGS Meet & Greets, regional events, and fund raising efforts. We recently were published in the Eat and Explore Virginia Cookbook. The process of coordinating recipes and pictures would have been far leaner had we come together on one document shared among the team.
As a Gifted Resource Teacher who travels between two schools, I believe my students would gain from using Google Docs. I remember reviewing the Virginia standards on several occasions, along with 21st century skills, at faculty meetings and for earlier courses for my current degree efforts. Use of Google Docs hit many of the tenets for how instructors can access information, collaborate with others about lessons, and initiate discussions of ethical and legal issues of posting to the Internet.
Right now, I believe the VA Technology Standard C would best serve my immediate needs as a GRT. Schools are grouping students in large lumps of all ability levels to accommodate budgets, and the gifted students spend a lot of time waiting idly for others to catch up or for teachers to repeat and review lessons they have previously learned. Being able to apply computer productivity tools for professional use would aid in distance collaboration with teachers in different schools who want to differentiate lessons for the gifted students. Coordinating with teachers could allow these students to work 'together' across classrooms and grade levels, thus keeping them engaged in learning while others are provided instruction they have already passed.
It a chess game trying to coordinate the efforts of many teachers across grade levels and with various teaching styles. A case of gourdheads vs. corkheads. Google Docs may provide a vital link to addressing an ongoing problem for the underfunded Gifted Academic Program.
The translation did produce some minor alterations with typefaces and leading, but they were easily remedied to be very near the original document. Using an exisitnig Gooogle Doc template streamlined a designing process that usually takes time and creative thought. In either case, having access to these documents in various places, and shared with others without emailing everyone individually, is time saver. Concern about privacy was an ever-present issue that I am still trying to resolve.
As a teacher coordinating student activities, I can see how Google Docs can be used as a connection nucleus. Sign up sheets, brainstorming sessions, and communal writing projects could be enacted and facilitated. Group work would certainly become more collaborative especially when students work from different locations: homes, classrooms, and as in the case with online courses, different regions. In my nonprofit efforts, Google Docs can eliminate the back-and-forth members do statewide when trying to coordinate VLGS Meet & Greets, regional events, and fund raising efforts. We recently were published in the Eat and Explore Virginia Cookbook. The process of coordinating recipes and pictures would have been far leaner had we come together on one document shared among the team.
As a Gifted Resource Teacher who travels between two schools, I believe my students would gain from using Google Docs. I remember reviewing the Virginia standards on several occasions, along with 21st century skills, at faculty meetings and for earlier courses for my current degree efforts. Use of Google Docs hit many of the tenets for how instructors can access information, collaborate with others about lessons, and initiate discussions of ethical and legal issues of posting to the Internet.
Right now, I believe the VA Technology Standard C would best serve my immediate needs as a GRT. Schools are grouping students in large lumps of all ability levels to accommodate budgets, and the gifted students spend a lot of time waiting idly for others to catch up or for teachers to repeat and review lessons they have previously learned. Being able to apply computer productivity tools for professional use would aid in distance collaboration with teachers in different schools who want to differentiate lessons for the gifted students. Coordinating with teachers could allow these students to work 'together' across classrooms and grade levels, thus keeping them engaged in learning while others are provided instruction they have already passed.
It a chess game trying to coordinate the efforts of many teachers across grade levels and with various teaching styles. A case of gourdheads vs. corkheads. Google Docs may provide a vital link to addressing an ongoing problem for the underfunded Gifted Academic Program.
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