Week 12:

Idea One:
I got an idea when doing the readings on podcasting  (which I found very interesting)  the idea was this:  The readings shared many of the ways in which podcasting is a great tool, from the ability to learn and share a new language, to being able to listen in portable media players.  However, in one of the stories, an undergraduate is using her portable media player to re-listen to a podcast she thought she had missed a detail in.  That got me thinking:  Why not have the podcasts automatically transcribed, so if you miss something, you don't have to search for information in an audio file?  This idea made me wonder if it was commonplace, or if there are currently tools to use to accomplish automatic podcast transcription.  After searching the nets, I think I have found an idea that is taking shape in theory and technology, but is likely a few years off.  I found some subscription services that will do it for you for a price, and some search engine's that were attempting to accomplish it, but no free services for the end user.  I'm guessing five years will change this.  I look forward to a time when I can choose to have text read to me, and to have audio transcribed for me, according to my taste or environment.

#2: Right to Copy?
This article re-enforced the importance of creating a whole policy about school copyright.  Administrators, Educators and students all need to be educated.  Policies have to be drawn.  Punishment for violation have to be standardized.  This week really had educated me on how I need to help with this function at school.  However, to be honest, this is not one of the aspects of the job that I look forward to.

Week 11

This week I learned about using Google in the classroom.  I happen to use Google's array of tools in the classroom, but I found many of the ideas to integrate more skills into one assignment.  For example, one of the sample lessons had students researching using multiple Google tools, like docs, places, maps, and more, to build a multi-media project, even incorporating creative writing.

I also learned about creating custom Google searches, a topic I feel I need to explore further.  I believe many more digital experiences will be customized in the future, including our search algorithms.  I liked how there were examples of how creating custom searches could assist students who were in grade school, and showed how a curated list of sites could build their early search skills.  Also, I really liked the idea of limiting the search results to articles that were written in language the students would understand.  I wonder if this could be automated, by having algorithms to identify the level of writing in search results.  Or, the process could also be assisted by tags, or by mapping which users are using a source, to determine it's vocabulary or syntax sophistication by application of user histories.

The Berger reading on using digital mapping was great.  I will definitely use some of the ideas, like making a "virtual trip"  and exploring the many layers of Google Earth.  I love how images and Wikipedia articles can be geo-tagged.  Even Buffalo has many Wikipedia tags when the Wikipedia layer is turned on.

Week 10

The first major idea I took away from this week's readings was from the http://checkitoutonetime.blogspot.com/2009/12/different-ways-to-use-blog-and-wiki.html article.  This article included an idea about aggregating student responses to questions on a blog, so the teacher or reader could see all the different reactions to a reading all in one place.  I like that idea, the ability to quickly see multiple viewpoints.

Also dabbled for awhile at budtheteacher's growing wiki.  I love how this wiki includes acceptable use policies, to use for students who are going to be blogging or posting online.  I have to admit, I will be taking them to my boss, as we currently have students posting online, with no acceptable use policies, which now seems imprudent.

I also enjoyed the "Avoiding The Five Most Common Mistakes In Using Blogs With Students" article.  The article even gave me ideas for all of my lesson plans.  When the author speaks of "Illusive grading practices"  I think this applies to all writing.  If we are to be grading the students, there must be clear definitions of what is expected.  I think I will prefer to keep my student's blog posts more reflective, to avoid the hassle of applying formal writing rules, in favor of candid responses.

Kinda odd how classes sometimes make you see the wisdom of your teacher's choices.  :)