Level Up! With 11 Things on a Jeepney

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Final SURVEY

This is it! The LAST requirement for the program. Thanks for sticking with it. As we say in yoga, give yourself a "deep inner bow" (or a handshake, pat on the back, etc.) for taking the time to focus on your own professional learning. Please complete this survey and then go have a cookie! Or a Pinkberry, hamburger, or whatever means "reward" to you. Thanks again for participating in Level Up! With 11 Things on a Jeepney!

Teach It!

The final major requirement for the Level Up! With 11 Things on a Jeepney program is to teach one tool to a group of colleagues. You can teach the tool to your department or grade level group, or to a few friends, or to anyone with whom you feel comfortable sharing. I'm defining "group" as two or more people.

Choose any of the 11 tools (or classes of tools) that we've covered in the program. Choose your favorite, or one that you think would be most useful to others. Find some time to meet and then demonstrate how your tool works. You could show them a screencast you made, walk them through the steps, or have them set up an account for themselves (or all of the above). Explain when and why you would use this tool.

TO COMPLETE THE FINAL REQUIREMENT:

Choose a tool.
Arrange to meet with two or more colleagues.
Explain what the tool is used for, when and why they might use it, etc.
Demonstrate how the tool works, possibly having them set up their own accounts to try it out.
In your "Teach It!" post, reflect on your experience. Who did you teach? Did you feel confident teaching the tool to others? How did they respond? Do you think they might use it in their own practice?

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Thing 11: Choose Your Own Adventure

This is the LAST "Thing!"

You've made it. Congratulations for sticking with the program, for challenging yourself to step out of your comfort zone, and for being willing to try new things. After this post, there will be a final post requirement in which you describe teaching a tool to a group of colleagues; a final survey to complete; and then you will have officially completed the program!

For the final Thing, you have the freedom of choice. What kind of tool is missing from your arsenal? Have you seen an iPad app that looks intriguing but that you haven't had a chance to explore? A web tool that someone was using but you haven't yet tried? This is your chance to dive into something that piques your interest, and then teach the rest of us about that tool.

Here are a few resources to explore:

EdTechTeacher- Tech Tools by Subject and Skills
Free Technology for Teachers
A List of All the Best iPad Apps Teachers Need
ES IT Coordinator Steve McCallum suggests using Pinterest as an educational resource
MS Technology Integrator Darren Sturgeon suggests Google Earth Tour Builder and cartoon generators PowToon and ToonDoo
HS IT Coordinator Brandon Hoover suggests to-do list tools such as Wunderlist and Any.do
HSMC Director Alicia Duell suggests classroom discussion/backchannel tool TodaysMeet and also encourages everyone to join social reading site Goodreads (add me as a friend!)

TO COMPLETE THING 11:

Explore a variety of web tools or iPad apps and choose one that you are interested in learning how to use.
Create a screencast tutorial (for a web tool) or step-by-step instructions (for iPad apps) for your tool/app.
Add your screencast or instructions to your Thing 11 post.
In your "Thing 11: Choose Your THING" post, reflect on your experience. Why did you choose this tool/app? Do you think you will use your chosen tool/app in the future? Who else do you think might be interested in learning about this tool/app?

Friday, June 6, 2014

Thing 10: Google+

Congratulations on making it to the penultimate "Thing!"

Google+ is a social network and integrated platform for creating and sharing online content. You can post links, pictures, video and comments, join and create communities, and create circles based on interest. You can also participate in "Hangouts", which are multi-person video chats that even have the ability to be recorded and streamed to YouTube (call Hangouts 'On Air'). All ISM faculty and staff with official email accounts automatically have a Google+ account.

Here is a screencast I made about Google+ BASICS (I'm a relative newbie myself):

Ideas for using G+ in education:

Create a G+ community for your department, grade level, office, admin team, etc.

Share links, pictures, video
Discuss upcoming units, meetings, events
Remote meetings via Hangouts

Create a G+ community for your students (High School only)

Post homework
Host experts via Hangouts
Extend class discussions beyond the school day
Create a community for students taking the same class with different teachers/blocks

Create a G+ community for your club, teams or activities (High School only)

Post pictures and video
Make announcements, schedule changes, etc.
Discuss upcoming events, meets, etc.

Create a G+ community for your ES/MS/HS division

Share links, pictures, video
Conduct online PD via Hangouts
Discuss upcoming events
Book discussions

I found several great articles about using Google+ in education, but you've got to join our Level Up! With 11 Things on a Jeepney Google+ community in order to see them!: https://plus.google.com/u/1/communities/114630739101712447504

TO COMPLETE THING 10:

Enable your Google+ account if you haven't already done so
Join the Level Up! With 11 Things on a Jeepney Google+ community
Read the articles about Google+ in education (I posted them in the Jeepney G+ community)
Make at least ONE post to the Jeepney G+ community
Make some circles and add people to them
In your "Thing 10: Google+" post, reflect on your experience. Have you already been using G+? If so, do you use it? If this is your first experience with it, what do you think? Can you see using it with colleagues? With students (HS)? *The HS is going to make a big push in SY '14-'15 towards using G+ with students!

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Thing 9: Twitter

Welcome to Thing 9!

I debated about whether or not to include Twitter among the "Things" in the program. I believe so strongly in Twitter's professional educational value, however, that I feel like I would be remiss not to include it! If you are skeptical, all I ask is that you set aside those feelings, and approach Twitter with an open mind. You may not be convinced by the end of this "Thing", but hopefully you'll have learned a little bit more about this tool that is considered by many educators (myself included) to be one of the most powerful and effective professional development and networking tools out there. After all, according to the recent article "Educators Dominate the Twitter Sphere", over 4 million tweets related to education are posted every day!

First, a cool video from an Illinois school district which encourages Twitter use among its teachers:

Next, I created a series of four "All About Twitter" videos that will provide more detailed information about how Twitter works.

Video 1: "Intro to Twitter"

Video 2: "Anatomy of a Tweet"

Video 3: "Hashtags"

Video 4: "Managing Twitter With Apps"

Finally, a few more articles about Twitter and education:

TO COMPLETE THING 9:

If you are new to Twitter, watch the videos posted above. If you already use Twitter, watch at least the first TWO videos ("Twitter in D123" and "Intro to Twitter")
Browse the articles posted above. The first four are especially helpful.
If you are new to Twitter, sign up for a free account. (***You can sign up for Twitter even if you do not want to tweet. You can make your account completely anonymous if you prefer by choosing a name and "handle" that do not use your real name. Having an account will allow you to explore hashtags, find other users, and see how people are using Twitter professionally.)
Set up and personalize your profile. Include a picture and short statement about yourself. (***Recommended, but not required.)
Follow at least 10 people. (@aliciaduell, @ISManilaHS, @LearningES, @LearningCoISM are a few suggestions!) Here are some more ideas: http://www.teachthought.com/social-media/10-educators-on-twitter-you-should-follow/, http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/top-15-educators-on-twitter.shtml (***Recommended, but not required.)
Explore some hashtags. See the "Hashtag" video above! http://www.teachthought.com/twitter-hashtags-for-teacher/, http://www.cybraryman.com/edhashtags.html
Try tweeting, re-tweeting, favoriting, labeling a tweet with a hashtag, mentioning someone in a tweet, etc. (***Recommended, but not required.)
Optional: Create a TweetDeck or HootSuite account.
In your "Thing 9: Twitter" blog post, reflect on your experience with Twitter. If you have a Twitter account that you wish to share, include your Twitter "handle" in your post. What are your thoughts about using Twitter professionally? Did you use it prior to the program? Did you try out TweetDeck or HootSuite? Do you think you'll continue to use Twitter professionally?

Monday, May 5, 2014

Thing 8: Digital Storytelling

Welcome to Thing 8!

One of technology's greatest benefits is the way it opens up the range of assessment and assignment options. If you've ever wanted students to tell a story, explain a concept, persuade an audience, etc. but craved an alternate to an essay/PowerPoint/poster, then digital storytelling is here to save the day!

According to digital storytelling guru Alan Levin, digital storytelling "is a multi-segment narrative that uses more than one type of media (images + text, audio + images, etc) that are assembled on the web, and can be presented on the web or embedded into other web sites."

Here is my first attempt at a digital story. I loved it, and feel like the possibilities of digital storytelling are endless!

Song Credit: "Connected", Luke Dick
Flickr CC-licensed Photo Credits:
https://flic.kr/p/2bux9E
https://flic.kr/p/5Zs2FS
https://flic.kr/p/aFy1dF
https://flic.kr/p/aiDHHS
https://flic.kr/p/dH159r
https://flic.kr/p/2uKyU

Wendy D. also created some great examples of digital storytelling, which she has posted on her blog. She made one for class (the story of Macbeth as original rap!) and one that is more personal. Both have great potential to be used with students as well!

Another great place to see some powerful digital stories is at StoryCenter.org. Many of these are very moving stories of place, family, and identity.

One of the best resources for digital storytelling examples and ideas is from the DS106 massive open online course (MOOC). The course originally started as a traditional university course-- Digital Storytelling 106, but then the instructor wondered what it would be like to put the entire thing online, allowing anyone, anywhere, to participate. For free!

The DS106 site also has an extensive assignment bank, in which I found the idea for the Acrostic Photo digital story that I posted above.
There were so many great ideas, and I chose a bunch that I thought were really cool:
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/seven-deadly-sins-barbie-style/
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/acrostic-pictures/
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/replay-value/
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/love-in-three-frames/
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/picturing-prufrock/
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/movie-scenes-that-changed-our-lives/
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/video-essay/
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/text-diagram-into-a-movie/
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/sports-team-pump-up-video/
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/a-day-in-your-life-make-it-constanza-decent/
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/30-second-documentary/
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/backyard-photo-safari/
http://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/adventure-in-a-day/

Another fantastic resource for digital storytelling is Alan Levine's 50+ Web Ways to Tell a Story.
He breaks the process of creating a digital story into 3 components:
Story Ideas
Story Media
Story Tools
Finally, Levine created 50 different digital versions of the same story about his dog Dominoe

Once you have collected your media (if you use someone else's pictures/video, make sure to use copyright-friendly material-- Create Commons Image Search is a good source).

If you use video clips, YouTube has a great video editor which will allow you to attach videos to one another, make enhancements, add music, etc. https://www.youtube.com/editor

TO COMPLETE THING 8:

View some examples of digital storytelling. StoryCenter.org and the DS106 Assignment Bank have lot of examples (StoryCenter.org's are particularly moving and powerful).
Create a digital story. Your story should use at least 2 types of media (eg. images, video, text, audio, etc.) Use one of the assignment suggestions above, explore the D106 Assignment Bank, look through Alan Levine's Story Ideas, or come up with your own "assignment."
Embed your digital story into your Thing 8 blog post.
In your "Thing 8: Digital Storytelling" post, reflect on your experience. Did you enjoy the process? What, if anything, did you find challenging? How could you use this in your professional work and/or personal life?

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Thing 7: Infographics

Welcome to Thing 7!

You've probably seen a lot of really cool infographics being shared on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere on the web. According to InfographicsFactory.com, Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge created with the intention of presenting complex information quickly and clearly. You may have seen infographics explaining everything from what your preferred coffee says about your personality to what happens to plastics in the ocean to how much data is being posted online everyday.
This was my first experience creating an infographic, so I evaluated several different infographics generators and decided to go with infogr.am, although worthy contenders included Visual.ly and Piktochart. I chose infogr.am because the free version includes the ability to add pictures, video, and many different types of charts.

Here is my first effort, using the following website as my info source: http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/50695-100-days-since-yolanda-numbers

Typhoon haiyan | Create Infographics

Infographics seem to have so much potential for educators, who need to present information in a variety of ways to a variety of audiences. They also have so much potential for students, who need to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways. I mean, really, does the world need another PowerPoint?!

Here is a tutorial I created:

Here are some other resources to get you going:

TO COMPLETE THING 7:

Sign up for an account with infogr.am (feel free to try one of the other infographics programs if you'd prefer, but do try one that you have NOT used before).
Create an infographic about anything. Your infographic should have at least 3 different components (eg. graph, chart, video, image, number, facts + figures).
Embed your infographic into your Thing 7 blog post.
In your "Thing 7: Infographics" blog post, reflect on your experience. How did you find the experience of creating an infographic? How could you use this with students (either to explain something to them or to have them create an infographic to demonstrate their learning)? Do you think you will create more infographics in the future?