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My classmate Michelle Plank does a great job of explaining how to leverage Go Animate in the classroom. I can see how this would be a really rewarding tool, particularly for younger students who can sometimes be discouraged by trying to draw things realistically. Check out her post here!

BP10_2010053_Comment on blog

I’m a huge fan of google docs--use it for everything, from balancing family finances to tracking computer equipment at work to getting homework done for this and other classes. My buddy Dan put together a great, entertaining one minute video on how google docs can be a fit for younger students too. Check it out!

BP9_2010053_Web2.0 T3-todo.ly

What educator doesn’t have a to-do list a mile long? Who doesn’t find themselves switching between different computers, paper lists, phone apps, trying to just keep track of everything that needs to get done?

Todo.ly allows you to keep all of these important tasks online in the cloud for anywhere access. As described on the site,Todo.ly is an intuitive and easy to use online Todo list, and Task Manager. It helps you to get organized, simplify your life, and to get things done. Create todo lists, and manage them online from anywhere.

Todo.ly could be a great learning tool for older students working in groups on long-term projects. It allows you to group individual tasks into projects, so students could begin to address things like workflow and delegation.

I’ve been a list maker for a long time, and tried many different solutions. I’ve only been using Todo.ly for a few days, but it has some really nice features. First of all, having your list stored online brings a lot of convenience. There are other features though, like the ability to drag and drop tasks from one project to another that make Todo.ly really functional. You can also create filters for your tasks. This means you can easily discern tasks that are personal, work-related, family-related, etc. There’s even a pre-created category for your shopping list!

This may not work for everyone, but I think it’s definitely worth a two week trial to see if it could simplify your hectic life!

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BP7_2010052_CommentLink_ErikH

My classmate Erik and I both agree---there are other great online video service out there besides YouTube! In fact, we both use Vimeo as our site of choice. Check out his post here. As noted in my comment, Vimeo's paid service offers some nice options around viewing restriction that can provide a great solution for K12 classrooms where there is often policy around children appearing on camera online.

BP6_2010052_CommentLink_JessicaK

My classmate Jessica just did a great post on mindmapping. The timing was perfect as I'd recently just done some reading around what new devices like the iPad are bringing to this very versatile learning tool.

Check out Jessica's post and my comment here

BP5_2010052_Web2.0ToolT2_Wordpress

So I know it may seem too easy to choose the first tool listed on the 100 Essential Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers but it is a tool I've used for years now and it is so scaleable and versatile I thought it deserved a post.

While I don't teach in a traditional classroom setting, I have used WordPress to power blogs that I've managed for both my kids for years now. Considering myself very much a "digital mom" I wasn't attracted to more traditional, scrapbook based methods of documenting their childhood. As the blogs have evolved, they've begun to become digital portfolios for both of my kids. Artwork that comes home in backpacks and that is often relegated to a week of display time on the fridge is now either scanned or photographed, tagged with info on school year and topic, and posted to the respective child's blog. I've developed a nice, efficient system over time that includes keywords and categories that make searching each child's life milestones, educational experiences and interests very easy.

Because Wordpress is open source (free) and highly customizeable, it is a great resource for teachers to chronicle the work happening in their classroom. I think my kids blogs are a great illustration of how blogging can be used even in the early elementary school years. The community using Wordpress is constantly developing free plugins and add-ons that can help even the less-experienced web publishers change the look of their site, even create security setting to require viewers to authenticate.

I couldn’t be happier that I set up blogs for both of my kids (using their first and last name as a domain) at birth. It has become not only a great way to keep family and friends up to date, but what I believe will be a really amazing tool for them to reference during their own growth and development.

BP4_2010051_Web2.0Tools

There is an undeniable trend toward cloud computing these days. An array of devices that lack features like optical drives and standard USB ports point toward a future where our crucial information resides in the cloud instead of hard drives and device-specific storage modules.

For our Web 2.0 tool evaluation, I chose CloudApp. As the website so succinctly describes it, CloudApp allows you to share images, links, music, videos and files. You simply choose a file, drag it to your menubar and let Cloud App take care of the rest. You are then provided with a short link that is copied to your computer’s clipboard and can be shared with others.

As an avid google doc user, I was skeptical that CloudApp would offer me much more than what is already available from other collaborative and cloud computing tools. I’ve got to say that I’ve only been using CloudApp for a couple of days, and I’m blown away with the simplicity and ease of use. Being able to upload literally any file I would create (it even supports zip files and URL bookmarking) and share with a short URL makes so much sense. As more of us get through our work weeks using multiple computers and devices, it is going to become more and more crucial to have mission critical data all in one place and accessible anywhere.

So, how would I leverage CloudApp in the education space? I think the specific uses for it are as obvious and varied as the work that people do. Almost everyone has a need to access data easily and share it with others in an efficient way. What I think is more interesting to ask, it what are the implications of this cloud computing trend to education? Because of my own career, I’d like to focus specifically on higher education.

I found two great Educause reviews that take a look at cloud computing in higher education. The discussion here goes way beyond the desktop user experience of easily accessing personal files anywhere and instead looks at the impact of providing open course materials and content aggregation. The dialogue can get pretty esoteric and even delves into the threat that this kind of cloud-based aggregation of educational content could have on the brick and mortar research institution model that has existed for centuries.

Charles Vest, president emeritus at MIT asserts that: “We are seeing the early emergence of a meta-university — a transcendent, accessible, empowering, dynamic, communally constructed framework of open materials and platforms on which much of higher education worldwide can be constructed or enhanced” (Wheeler, 2009). I believe it is a bit lofty (pun intended) to believe that CloudApp will be the catalyst to create the modern day “Meta-University” I do think it is a great tool that illustrates just how powerful this trend could be in education.

References

Golden, B. (2009). Cloud Computing: "Be Prepared". Educause Review, 44(4), 64-65. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Wheeler, B., & Waggener, S. (2009). Above Campus Services: Shaping the Promise of Cloud Computing for Higher Education. Educause Review, 44(6), 52-66. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

CloudApp screenshot from http://www.getcloudapp.com

BP2_2010052_Educational/ProfessionalUsesForBlogs

Since I currently work in technology sales and specialize in the higher education market, most of my exposure to blogs comes from using them as a tool to help me familiarize myself with my customers.

Blogging in higher ed

I typically find that many instances of blogging in higher education fall in to a few categories. Faculty will often use blogs as a forum for documenting their research and teaching efforts. Many degree programs use blogs as an electronic portfolio tool for their students. Others, like the Reynolds Journalism Institute Blog serve a pure public relations function and tout the work the institution is doing.

At my alma mater, The Missouri School of Journalism, aspiring journalists use blogs to examine the dynamics of grassroots journalism. A great example of this can be found in MyMissourian.com. MyMissourian is citizen journalism at its purest, allowing anyone in the community to post news stories and take the role of editor.

Blogging as a corporate employee

While my customers in higher education leverage blogs to meet a variety of communication and archiving needs, as a businessperson, my peers and I are sometimes challenged when it comes to utilizing the blogosphere for our own professional forums. Many large companies have strict policies around employee blogging, especially if blog topics and themes align closely with the company's business or products. A quick search reveals dozens of corporate blogging policies. While some are more strict than others, it is easy to see how many corporate employees might feel it best to err on the side of caution, and avoid blogging about their professional endeavors entirely.

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References

Mclellan, M. (2010) RJI blog: seeking sustainability: the business of nonprofit

news. Retrieved April 6, 2010 from http://rjiblog.org/2010/04/26/

seeking-sustainability-the-business-of-nonprofit-news/

My missourian. (2010) Retrieved April 6, 2010 from

http://mymissourian.com/a-guide-to-submissions/

The New PR Wiki. (2010) Retrieved April 6, 2010 from http://bit.ly/smpolicies

BP3_2010051_SettingUpGoogleReader

As a technology salesperson working in the higher education realm, it is crucial that I'm up to date on technology and trending higher education topics. To get started with Google Reader, I've chosen to subscribe to the following feeds.

Wired News

It is always important to be aware of competitors' products, trending stories and product critiques. I don't think you can find a better source than Wired for this type of coverage.

The Chronicle of Higher Education

This site is a great way for me to ensure I can hold a conversation with my customers and seem well-versed in the topics important to this community.

TED Talks

This site's tagline is "Ideas Worth Spreading," and that really sums it up. I could spend hours watching TED Talks and hope Google Reader will be a good tool for helping me keep up.

Malcom Gladwell

As one of the most sought after speakers and writers of the past few years, Gladwell is a mind you want to stay caught up on.

37Signals

This design and usability blog belongs to a software development company. The ideas covered on this site often go well beyond discussions of user interface and often challenge conventional ideas around business, education and modern life.

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