My Journey Through the Jungle of Technology

This truly has been a long and winding road (thank you John, Paul, George, and Ringo) as I journeyed through the technological jungle. Along the way I’ve shown myself that you can teach an old teacher new tricks. While some of the tools I’ve explored would be useful, some interesting, and some no so much, the trick now is to remember which is which and determine what I’m going to do with all of this new-found knowledge and experience.

I ended my last post by commenting that the “jungle of technology is still sometimes dark and scary, the path sometimes fraught with danger at every turn, and yet, I can’t turn back. I need to travel deeper into the technology jungle before I’m totally convinced one way or the other. I guess it’s the thrill of the hunt.” And so, my journey does not end here, but will continue, with many twists and turns, much backtracking, and, I’m sure, forays off the beaten path, as I continue to explore and use 21st century web tools. So, where do I go from here? Which technologies will I take into my classroom next week, which will I need to explore a little more first, and which will I cast by the side of the path , like a stray candy wrapper, as I move on to something else?

Of the many tools and resources I’ve explored there are several that I will definitely bring into my classroom right from the start. These include some of the YouTube videos I’ve found (and embedding them in a blog or Wiki so that my students and I can access them more easily), Bubbl.us  for brainstorming – definitely for project teams, and GeoGebra for easy access dynamic geometry and graphing tools, along with Creative Commons and Flickr for myself and student access to appropriate images for projects and the like. I’m also thinking that I might be able to use some of the images to add some dimension to the pre-algebra review text that I wrote last year and the college algebra and/or applied math texts I’m thinking of starting for next year or the following (basically whenever it gets done.)

I am trying to make it a habit to check my Google Reader with some semblance of regularity, even if that means 5 AM every Saturday morning – which reminds me, I need to clean out my Web 1.0 inbox before the new school year starts. I also need to check my Diigo bookmarks and Classroom 2.0 on a regular basis as well. I don’t want to ‘forget’ about them as I did last year. I really want to take advantage of Diigo so that I don’t have to remember which computer I was on when I bookmarked a particular site, since I now use three different computers – my desktop at school, my laptop at home, and my Netbook going back and forth or while on the road (don’t worry, my husband drives!) I’d also like to check out sites for student projects and share those bookmarks, along with ‘sticky notes,’ highlighting and comments. Actually, as I write this, I should set my engineering teams up with Diigo access so that they can share resources easily while they are working on their projects. Good idea, if I do say so myself.

I still need to get comfortable with Podcasting and take the time to look for appropriate Podcasts before I try to use them for my own professional development or for use with my students. While I would love to use LibraryThing for my personal collection as well as my professional collection, I know that will not happen any time soon. As for the rest, I still need to develop a comfort level with some of the other tools I’d like to use before I bring them into the classroom, and some, like PageFlakes, I will definitely pass on.

Yes, the path may sometimes be fraught with danger at every turn, but that thrill of the hunt, the exhilaration of a successful accomplishment, and the fact that I am continuing to learn and grow as a human technologist (a term the president of my alma mater once coined to reference the new – then late 20th century – qualities an engineer would need to possess.) Armed with this desire and my mouse, I continue on this journey. Who knows where it will take me next? Wherever it may be, I’ll be the better for it.

I’ve been a member of the Classroom 2.0 Ning community for over a year, but, like many of the other Web 2.0 tools, I haven’t been as diligent about participating in the community nor do I visit on a regular basis. I do, however, receive regular emails regarding their wide variety of Webinars. It’s just too bad that many of them originate in Australia and, so, take place in the middle of the night. I really do need to explore recordings of some of the more interesting ones. I feel like Ning has a lot to offer and would be an excellent way to keep abreast of what’s happening in educational technology in general and uses of technology in math in particular. I just need to find the time to explore on a more regular basis.

Twitter, on the other hand, really held no interest for me. Perhaps I’m just an old fuddy-duddy, or one of those skeptics I’ve been reading about, or simply, I don’t have the time to continually browse tweets and response and ‘follow’ (or is it ‘friend’ – no, wait, that’s Facebook.) I guess it really comes down to how many tools can I realistically use and why would I/should I use them?

The fact is, I need to assess how I spend my time, whether productively or not, and determine how much time I can and want to spend wading through the myriad of technology tools at my disposal. With many, there is a learning curve. I’m finding that now as I work with Moodle to set up my courses for the coming year. Features I thought would be simple to use are not always what they seem. As I review my Google reader, there are times when I feel as if I need a virtual machete to find my way through the influx of new posts.  Using any of these tools with my students implies that I, myself, am at least reasonably knowledgeable about them. I don’t want to fall into the trap of using technology for the sake of technology, even if it’s not the right choice.

But, pessimism aside, I’ve taken the first step, and a few more, on the road becoming a 21st century teacher. The jungle of technology is still sometimes dark and scary, the path sometimes fraught with danger at entry turn, and yet, I can’t turn back. I need to travel deeper into the technology jungle before I’m totally convinced one way or the other. I guess it’s the thrill of the hunt.

Although this was optional, I decided to veer off the beaten path to check out PageFlakes and the other similar products, Netvibes and Protopage. I actually tinkered a bit with all three of them, but didn’t really see a use for these in my classroom. Moodle will probably suffice for my needs and I am just about ready to go for the fall semester as far as Moodle goes, so I can’t visualize myself adding another option.

Back to the beaten path.

As a die hard MS Office fanatic – if it can be done, I’ve done it – Google Docs is not my first choice for word processing. I’ll admit, it’s come a long way. For example, you can actually add equations now – something that made me shy away from using it for my math classes unless it was really necessary, but many of the features are still cumbersome to say the least. I’m used to  splitting and merging cells in tables, putting pictures and images wherever I need them, and having many more formatting options than currently available.

I also found out recently, much to my dismay, that protected WORD docs with fill in options upload as static docs instead, so they can be viewed, but not editted. Instead, collaborators will need to download the doc, make necessary changes and upload again. Might as well just send back and forth via email.

I’m not saying the Google Docs don’t have their place. I’ve used them with cooperative group performance tasks in my classes. That way students can still work on the final product without having to send docs back and forth or all being together. In class, they can use one of my laptops to work while outside of class they can easily contribute to the document on their schedule. By sharing the document with me, we can be environmentally friendly.

I am, hoping though, that the document I created for this post – a brainstorming activity for my engineering students – will also provide a collaborative use for Google Docs in my classroom, although, I must admit, I could probably accomplish the same thing using a Wiki page.

Have I waded through all of the options for Google Docs? Probably not. Do I feel mired in the murky depths? Perhaps I do.

Being away for 10 days with limited Internet access, then coming home and trying to get caught up on EVERYTHING, one of the things that got lost in the shuffle was checking my Google Reader. As a result, when I finally did get to it, I had 175 new posts to wade through! This is where the skim and scan technique really paid off. I noticed that some titles appeared more than once (interesting) and many of the titles didn’t really look interesting or worth my limited time, at least not at that moment. One new article from Edutopia, however, really caught my attention, so I thought I’d share.

Titled Project Learning: Expeditions in Portland, Maine, this entry is really a very intriguing video with the simple caption, “Project learning combined with 1-to-1 laptops creates a rich and rigorous environment for learning at a middle school and a high school in Portland, Maine.” The video highlights King Middle School, where 54% of the student population receive free or reduced lunches, and 26% of the students have one of 25 different languages as their first language, yet “King students score above the state and district averages in every curriculum area at every grade level.” All I can say is WOW! They are doing some pretty amazing things. Anyone interested in PBL or 1-to-1 laptops models should check this out.

Exploring YouTube in always fun. As required, I found the four requisite videos. Just for kicks, I’m including them all here.

The first was a “Just for Fun” content-related video, That’s Mathematics, by Tom Lehrer. I think that Tom is Canadian, since he uses the term “maths” and spells using “-ise” instead of “-ize.” This is just a fun song to answer the question, “When will I ever use this?”

The two content related videos I thought might be interesting include one on limits (my precalc students always have a hard time with this concept) by TeacherWalt:

and this one by MathTV on solving trig identities, another concept these girls have trouble with.

By making tutorial videos available, I can offer additional explanation for those students who need it. Sometimes hearing things in a different way, or from a different person cam make a difference, and just seeing different examples will be helpful.

As for the how-to video, I thought that this one on paper airplanes was pretty cool.

There was actually a better one, but it had an ad in the beginning and could not be embedded. Here is the link if you are interested in taking a look:  How to Make Dangerous Looking Airplanes by VideoJug.

I also checked out TeacherTube, and I definitely agree with the comment that the advertising is ANNOYING, so I thought I’d see what happens when I embed a TeacherTube video, like this Abbott and Costello classic:

Interesting. At least the intro commercial goes away. Good to know.

Overall, either YouTube or Teachertube might be useful tools for additional explanation and practice on difficult concepts. The key is finding good videos that aren’t too boring and are short enough that the students will sit through them. I really like the idea of embedding them into a blog or wiki (I’d like to try embedding them in Moodle) to avoid having students go to YouTube where they are exposed to so many other videos as well. It is also easier to show them is class without all of the other nonsense cluttering up the screen, even with the safety feature on.

Off to explore more videos.

Exploring podcasts was one thing, creating my own was another. I checked out Tony Vincent’s Learning in Hand how-to on creating podcasts, and followed the instructions, picking a topic, writing a script (you can see my script here,) and recording all of the sections with Microsoft Sound Recorder. I was feeling great until I noticed that the files created by Sound Recorder were WMA (Windows Media Audio) files and not WAV. Undaunted I moved on to iTunes which I already had installed. After uploading the files and having them converted to AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)  format. Back to the original Thing 18 directions. I updated my preferences and tried again. Success.

Then I went to The Freesound Project to look for some sound effects. Since I talked about roller coasters in my podcast, I looked for roller coaster sounds and found one I liked. I downloaded the MP3 file and noted the proper citation. Good to go. After some trial and error at Podbean, I went back to Tony Vincent’s guide and downloaded Audacity. After more fits and starts, I figured out how to combine all of the pieces of my podcast into one, reasonably coherent file, which I could then upload to Podbean.

Here is the finished result:

Talk about a jungle! The options and possibilities for podcasts border on the infinite. I almost didn’t know where to start, so in true fashion, I checked out the suggested options and settled on the following:

For professional use:

Teaching with Smartboard from The Education Podcast Network – I now have a Smartboard and want to learn more about using its features

The Math Dude from Quick and Dirty Tricks – I thought I might find some ideas for my students here. The series provides “clear explanations of math terms and principles … strengthen your fundamental skills [and] help you better understand the language of math…” (The Math Dude)

TedTalks selections such as Math Curriculum Needs a Makeover – I don’t necessarily want everything here but want to pick and choose podcasts rather than simply subscribe.

For personal use:

Diary of a Foodie from Gourmet – I miss my Gourmet magazine so this will give me a bit of a “fix” when I need it.

Food Trip with Todd English from WGBH, Boston – I love anything related to food and this provides some insight into the culture of food beyond America.

The Book Tour Podcast from NPR – This will give me a chance to listen to current authors discussing their newest work and get some ideas of books to add to my collection. I sometimes catch bits and pieces listening to NPR on the way to or from work and enjoy it.

I have been using an iPod Touch for about a year and a half now, but I know that I don’t take advantage of all of the ways in which I can benefit from it. Podcasts are one of those ways. I know from reading the Tech & Learning post A Day in the Life of Web 2.0 that I should be more like the science teacher, Ms. S and make it a habit to scan and listen to a variety of podcasts on the way to work or while grading papers each day (just as I should be scanning my reader each day) but that doesn’t seem to happen. The jungle is teeming with predators trying to distract me, whether they be family, friends or housework, students, colleagues, planning for 4 courses, meetings, or grading, or simply my absolute favorite TV show, finding enough time to fit everything into my day is becoming more and more difficult.

In a perfect world, without the predators seeking my time and energy, I would love to incorporate everything into my classroom. Unfortunately, that world is not here yet. I need to prioritize my options. Would it be great to prepare my own podcasts for students who need to hear an explanation one more time, or who were absent? Sure, but I’m not sure I can fit everything in. As I navigate this technology jungle, I need to chose my path wisely, keeping the end in mind.

Exploring LibraryThing was really quite an extraordinary journey. Being a book lover, I can definitely see adding my personal collection of fiction, cookbooks, and reference books so that I can add tags to help me pinpoint just where to find particular pieces of information. It would also help me to decide what to read next? I often get hung up on an author/series, and then, when I’ve finished the series or all of their works, I don’t always know what direction to head next. Having suggestions and reviews available could certainly help.

Professionally, cataloging my extensive collection of math and other educational resources, tagging them with important info on the contents, or which course this is relevant for (like with my bookmarks) would help to make it easier to find which book had that one activity or explanation I’m trying to find.

I also ‘scouted out’ Shelfari and, while I like the look and feel a little better, I’m not sure it has all of the same capabilities (I didn’t want to open an account to find out.) The one thing I didn’t like about Shelfari, though, was that it contained advertising. I understand why it is monetized, but I’m not fond of the idea.

Both sites, though, do have similar basic features. K12learning20 is right, Shelfari is mighty slick. I think I need to explore each further and test drive them both before I made any final decisions.

After a 2 week hiatus – traveling by plane, train, and automobile rather than the web – I’m back and catching up on all of the exciting activities that I missed. One note on my recent venture: I had to “break down” and purchase internet access at the Swissotel where I was staying. Their wireless network is the ‘iBahn,’ very appropriate I thought.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, catching up on what I missed. Thing15 was all about social bookmarking and using del.icio.us to highlight, tag, and bookmark web sites so that you can access those bookmarks from ANY computer, not just the one at home. I checked it out, set up an account, and found a few math sites that I thought would be of interest. You can check them out by clicking here.

Social bookmarking is a great way to bookmark useful sites. You can share your bookmarks with friends, colleague, even strangers, or you can set up a specific tag which others can use to find the sites you found for a specific purpose. For me, it will be a good way to track the multitude of sites for my math classes: I can tag each site with a reference to the appropriate course or project. I can then share those bookmarks with my students if I want them to search for specific information.

One thing I noticed, though, is that del.icio.us is not as flexible as Diigo, another social bookmarking site that I have used in the past (as you can see by the dates of my bookmarks. In Diigo you can actually add sticky notes with comments that can be viewed by all of the users. This can be useful in a Webquest, for example, if you want students to check something specific on a website, or if you want to leave directions.

Overall, this experience reminded me that I need to be more diligent and actually use the Web 2.0 tools that I discover or learn about and find useful. If only there were 36 hours in a day…

UPDATE: I get weekly emails from Diigo with websites, online articles, blog posts, etc that others in my education group bookmark. I thought that this one, entitled Diigo and Delicious which does a really good job comparing Diigo v.5 and del.icio.us. Unfortunately, even though I planned to attend the webinar on July 31st, I ended up missing it. Perhaps it was recorded and I catch a ‘rerun’.