Tread Lightly: Leaving a Thoughtful Digital Footprint

Path in the Woods by Jiri Hodan

“Leave no trace” was the motto used by staff at Strathcona Outdoor Camp as they guided my students and I on a back-packing excursion into the beautiful forests of BC. Everything we brought along on our journey was meant to return with us. After we left, the land was meant to appear as though we’d never been there. However, in the online world it is almost impossible not to leave a trace and, in fact, it can be very beneficial to leave a digital footprint. “Tread Lightly” seems like an appropriate motto of how to do this in an active, thoughtful, and responsible manner.

Each one of us, whether we intend it or not, has a digital dossier. As suggested by Digital Tattoo,  I used Personas and Spezify to search what my digital footprint looks likes. According to these tools, I don’t exist! However, a Google search resulted in a bit more information, particularly related to the sites I have signed up for during LIBE 477 (Pinterest, Blogger, Google Reader, Diigo, Prezi, Goodreads). As I am in the early phases of creating a digital footprint, I can be active rather than passive about creating my “digital reputation”. I was intrigued by Lisa Nielsen’s comment in her blog post about helping students manage their digital footprints: “I decided that I wanted to be the number one topic that came up whenever someone searched for "educating innovatively." Nielsen is a woman in control of her digital reputation. Nielsen suggests having students Google themselves to see what already exists about them and pose the following questions: 

What do they like?

Is there anything they are proud of?

Is there anything they are embarrassed about?

What might they want to change?

What might they do to more effectively represent how they want to be viewed by others?

Educators have a role to play in helping students develop positive digital footprints. Jim Steyer in his article “Curriculum teaches digital literacy and citizenship” writes: “Today's kids may be tech savvy, but they still need guidance from adults to understand how to use this media in ways that are responsible and enriching as well as safe.” When it comes to web publishing, I like the idea presented in Will Richardson’s Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other powerful Web Tools for the Classroom ,“…to take the middle ground by having students use just first names when publishing” (Richardson, 2010, p.14). In terms of online behavior, I like Anne Collier’s suggestion to“…be very clear that there's no distinction between online and offline behavior.” At the school I teach at, we already have very high expectations of student behavior; it makes logical sense to extend this to how students interact online. Finally, it is the job of parents, teachers and TL’s to help kids understand that what they post has long-term effects. I like the notion of using videos such as “Digital Dossier” by DigitalNatives or “Two Questions” by Daniel Pink as starting points for a conversation on digital footprints. Common Sense Media also provides quality videos on various web related topics such as this one: 

 

Terms like carbon footprint and forest footprint remind us that damage to our environment caused by humans is often irreversible. Erasing negative digital footprints, although possible to some extent, is not easy to do and can cause damage that can't be undone. As educators, it is our job to teach students that they can and should be active creators of their online reputation; selecting carefully what they choose to share and how they choose to participate.

Question: What other strategies do you use to help students manage their digital footprints?


Works Cited:

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts. and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Navigating the Google Universe

The Google universe is vast and abundant. The school I currently work at uses Google Apps for Education and I wanted to learn more about these tools and how to maximize their full potential. As I began this journey, I was shocked to discover how many free tools Google offers through the Education Edition Plan. The main categories of products include: Mail, Groups, Docs, Calendar, and Sites. But there are so many other tools available through Google including video tools, blog platforms, photo editing tools, 3-D model creators, mapping tools, readers, eBooks, virtual galleries, and more. I have only begun to scratch the surface of what the Google world has to offer, but I think Google might become my new best friend!

In his article "Why Schools are Turning to Google Apps", Greg Ferguson provides three main reasons school are using this tool including cost effectiveness (free for schools), improved student motivation & performance, and students preparation for the real world. Google itself offers Ten Reasons to Choose Apps. The free factor and variety of what is offered really do make Google Apps for Education an excellent resource for schools. Let's take a closer look at a few of the options offered.

Gmail is a web-based email program hosted by Google which exists within the school domain. My school uses this system with standardized email addresses that consist of a staff member's first initial and last name, followed by the school domain (@vancouverchristian.org). This is a very efficient from of inter-staff communication that also allows all-staff emails to be sent out and has an effective search feature.

Google claims that their translator option allows you to translate letters to or from parents in a number of different languages. I tested this option, as I often receive emails in Spanish. The process was easy enough, but the translation, as I suspected and as is the case with most online translating tools, was grossly inaccurate. I do not recommend people use this feature.

My school has also moved to using Google Calendar to document meetings, school-wide events, field trips and more. We even receive reminders of staff member's birthdays as part of our staff birthday buddy program. The month of March is pictured below.

The calendar is easily accessible from my Gmail homepage and is simple to edit. In schools, the calendar feature could also be used as a way to sign-out equipment or special use rooms. A calendar could be used with students in class to map-out mini-deadlines for large projects or document upcoming class events on a class portal. Currently, the middle school staff at my school, in attempts to avoid over-loading students, manually document major projects in various subject areas on a template which is distributed to students and parents. I am going to suggest we move to using the Google Calendar feature for ease and convenience. As a TL, I could easily use Google Calendars to create a library schedule.

Google Docs allows one to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings for a variety of reasons such as assessment, teacher or student observation, tracking homework, documenting discipline referrals, as survey tools, and more. As a middle school staff, we use a Google form to track student lates, which allows us to easily notice patterns in students habitually arriving late as they travel from teacher to teacher.

 

There are many pros to using Google Docs, including the ability for fellow teachers to work on the same document in real-time, the auto-save feature, the advantages of cloud-based retrieval, ready made templates, and the ability to use the chat feature while editing.

Other examples of using Google Docs with teachers include:

• Collaborative Lesson Planning
• Sharing lessons in a Doc list
• Taking Staff Meeting notes
• Sign-up Sheets for events
• Conducting surveys for Collection Evaluations

Other applications of Google Docs with students include:

• Writing with students (drafting, peer editing, teacher editing, publishing)
• Journaling with students (all to a common Google Doc)
• Having students keep Reading Records or Music Practice Sheets using Google Docs
• Teacher monitoring of student research
• Creating Science Lab Reports
• Using the Flash Card Center 
• Using Bibliography Templates 
• Writing Quizzes or Tests

Google Sites can be used to create classroom and school websites, student e-portfolios, for curriculum sharing, and as a form for students to present their learning. Blogger is a free web-publishing tool offered through Google and is the tool I used to create this very blog which documents my learning of applications for technology in education!

Described above are some of the basic features offered through Google Apps for Education. I became intrigued by some of the more "exciting" apps such as Picasa, an online tool that allows you to organize, edit, and share photos. Picasa was easy to install and expediently loaded all the pictures from my files. Downloading the program now allows me the option to edit any photo in Picassa when I right click the image. Here is an example of some of the editing features available (the photo I edited is of my three beautiful kids).

HDR

Sepia Tone

Neon

Two-Tone

Polaroid

Pencil Sketch

Picassa is a tool I will most definitely continue using as an art educator. I also discovered Art Project powered by Google which allows the viewer to explore 17 museums from around the world and view artworks in high resolution. This tool also allows you to create and share your own collections. I plan to experiment with Art Project and with Google Sketch-up, a 3-D modelling program, more this week.

For more information on how to use Google Apps for Education visit their Online Training Center or subscribe to the Google Apps Blog. Google also offers a wealth of Lesson Plans on how to incorporate Google Apps into your curriculum.

Question: What Google Apps for Education do you recommend?

Exploring Literacy in Cyberspace

 

How does reading online differ from reading print? Prior to taking LIBE 477, I had not given much thought to this. However, this week's group discussion has really helped me formulate some ideas about how we read online, along with how we write and think online.

Reading online

The move from “print-centric texts” to “sreen-based reading” certainly requires the adoption of some new reading strategies. Here are three that I think are key:

To begin with, reading online is less linear- with texts embedded with hyperlinks one has to develop a sense of when to follow links and where to stop before becoming lost. Prior to taking this course, I was very much a linear reader. I am now more efficient at selecting links to follow and being able to navigate back to the original. Following these links can be of great value; I have discovered some amazing professional development resources by doing so. Through following a link, I recently discovered the work of Sir Ken Robinson, an educational leader with very intriguing ideas about creativity and the need to revolutionize education.

Reading online also requires visual literacy. “Visual literacy should be included of we truly want to prepare students for this new kind of reading” (Kist, 2010, p.25). As an art teacher, I really appreciate this and feel this is a skill that society has tended to undervalue; reading images effectively requires knowledge of the elements and principles of design. Teaching Visual Literacy: Using Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Anime, Cartoons, and More to Develop Comprehension and Thinking Skills byNancy Frey and Douglas fisher is a great resource.

Reading online effectively also requires the ability to “skim” over vast amounts of information and determine which readings to pursue in greater detail. I have always had the ability to skim read, but this is a skill foreign to my husband. I take it for granted that I learned how to do this at some point, and as educators, we must overtly teach students this skill in order to help them manage the vast amounts of information available on the web effectively. I have benefited tremendously from setting up my Google Reader. Prior to doing so, I would spend hours searching the web for articles relevant to my course studies. Now, I simply check my reader everyday which is filled with amazing resources and save those that I wish to revisit in greater detail. Signing up for Diigo has also made saving resources that I come across while reading online exceptionally easy. I am creating my very own personalized library of professional resources with very little effort.

Writing Online

William Kist in the Socially Networked Classroom says many interesting things about writing in the online world. I was especially impacted by his definition of "text" which explodes the hierarchy of text that exists by including film, music, visual art, texting, tweeting and more in his definition. Multi-genre writing online results in hybrid texts. I love this about writing online. As an artist, I am a visual person and love that I can easily include images and embed videos to accompany my blog posts.

I also appreciate the effects that writing for an expanded online audience can have on writing. Will Richardson states the "relevance for student work no longer ends at the classroom door..." (Richardson, 2010, p. 26). I believe this increased sense of purpose engages students and motivates them to produce better work. But more than this, writing online becomes a communal act. "[W]e write not just to communicate but to connect with others who can potentially teach us more" (Richardson, 2010, p.28). Writing online is meant to be a conversation which results in more writing.

In general, writing and reading online are more interactive and communal than print-centric reading, and such practices are beginning to shape the way we think. Watch this presentation on "computational thinking" that questions what thinking skills students require in this new technological age.

 

Computing, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Problem solving, and Collaboration are listed as key thinking skills students must have to succeed in a Web based future.

readwritethink sponsored by the International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English, and Thinkfinity provides many quality free resources for teaching online literacy.

Question: What other skills do you feel students need in order to read, write and think successfully in the Web 2.0 world?              

Works Cited:

 Kist, W. (2010). The Socially Networked Classroom: Teaching in the New Media Age. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

 Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts. and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

                                                                          

Multiple Intelligences: Multiple Presentation Tools

We can actually provide software, we can provide materials, we can provide resources that present material to a child in a way in which the child will find interesting and will be able to use his or her intelligences productively and, to the extent that the technology is interactive, the child will actually be able to show his or her understanding in a way that's comfortable to the child. (Howard Gardener, 1997)

I was first introduced to Howard Gardener's Theory of Multiple Intelligences during my PDP year at UBC. It was a theory that I quickly bought into and has impacted my teaching practice dramatically over the years both in the ways I present lessons and in the choices I offer students to present their learning. There are a vast number of Web 2.0 tools that can offer even more ways for teachers to present their lessons and students to present their learning. Many of these are free, offer educator accounts, and allow for multiple intelligences to flourish. I have chosen to highlight 4 of these tools: Prezi, Voice Thread, Animoto and Glogster. 

Prezi

I was first introduced to Prezi during LIBE 461. A classmate chose to present her final reflection in this format and I quickly became intrigued. After some initial research on the Prezi site, I came to understand that the name Prezi refers to this tool's zoom function. This tool allows for the presentation of information in a non-linear and multi-layered manner. Text can actually be "hidden" in an image, waiting to be zoomed in on when the presenter requires it.

Prezi offers a EduEnjoy education plan that is easy to sign up for and is free for active students and teachers. Unlike other presentation tools such as PowerPoint or Slide Rocket, you don't work on individual slides but on a blank canvas. It helps to watch the Learn Prezi tutorials as the editing tools, such as the Prezi Transformation Zebra which allows you to manipulate objects on the canvas, can be a bit tricky to use. Prezi allows you to upload your own images (as I did the example below) or work from provided templates. You are also able to add links and upload video. It took quite some time to create this Prezi for my Community Analysis Assignment during LIBE 467, but the final product was worth the work.

Community Analysis VCS on Prezi

 

A colleague of mine used Prezi with his students. Having some experience with the tool, I was able to help his students. Like myself, the students found the zoom function a bit difficult to work with, as it is easy to "lose" the miniaturized text on the canvas. I found it helpful to determine obvious and specific areas to conceal text in (such as the trees leaves in my example above), in order to be able to retrieve it more easily. The pathway function allows you to order the information your presenting; creating linear organization in a non-linear, visually engaging presentation format. Students can also work on Prezis in groups using the Create Together function. Although it is not the easiest tool to use, I would recommend it for use with students.

Voice Thread

My first attempt at Voice Thread was for this course, LIBE 477. I wanted a creative to present my Autobiography of a Technology User illustrated with original comic drawings.

This tool was incredibly easy to use. After scanning and uploading my drawings to my computer, I followed the easy 3 step Create process: Upload, Comment, Share. I uploaded my images from my computer to Voice Thread, commented on them using the built in microphone in my lap top, then shared my my presentation with my class! It was honestly just this easy.

You can sign up as a Single Educator or through a School Subscription which provides accounts to students and teachers within a secure collaborative network. I can see this tool working very well as an alternate way to present student work. In fact, there are many great examples of this on the Browse page of the Voice Thread site. Included is Art & Weather, a collection of student poems illustrated and read by the students, Letters from the Internment Camp, historical fictional letters by fourth grades, One Busy Day, a whole class written choose your own adventure story, and book reviews by students. There are over 130 examples to inspire you! As an art educator, I hope to use this tool to have students present their art and accompanying artist statements. The comment function allows others to comment on the work, which would serve wonderfully as another means of conducting an art critique. The interactive nature of the tool is definitely a plus. One function I wish to explore further is the doodle feature which enables you to draw on the media you are creating as you comment. All in all, this is a fantastic tool which allows educators and students a creative, multi-sensory, interactive way to present their work.

Animoto

The TL from our sister High School taught her principal how to create an Animoto which he presented at the AGM last spring to showcase a student field trip. This tool allows you to turn photos, video clips and music into a video. I was inspired to use this tool to present my student's art and used this assignment as a chance to experiment and explore. I produced the Art Animoto below for free and in very little time.

 

Like Voice Thread, I found this tool remarkably easy to use. I began by selecting a template from a number of free examples. I then chose a song from a bank of music provided on the site; you are also able to upload your own. I then uploaded images of my student's art work which I have been documenting all year. The presentation will stop when the images run out or when the song stops. Finally, I added text. This feature limits you to 22 characters for the Header and 30 for the Text, so it really is meant more as captions for the images. I then clicked on Produce Video and waited for Animoto to send me the final product via email. I have posted the Animoto to the VCS Art Blog and plan to show it at the school's Spring Concert. This was an excellent tool that could easily be used  by students to present their work, by teachers to showcase student pieces, or to create video presentation of school trips or special events. I will definitely use this tool again.

Glogster 

Glogster, the last online presentation tool I explored, allows users to create interactive online multi-media posters one can embed with hyperlinks, videos, music and more. The concept of the tool is intriguing and I see the potential for use with students- offering an interactive online alternative to the traditional poster project option. The school premium account is almost free at $2, however, I used the free trial. This option may have not been the best choice, as I found it was limited in the features I could use. For example, I was not able to draw on my poster, add data, or embed it onto my blog. I created this Art Styles Glog which provides examples of styles from art history with web links that explain more about each style. In terms of application, I could embed this Glog onto my Art Blog as a resource for students or use it as a visual while I lecture in class.


Compared to Animoto or Voicethread, I found this tool much trickier to use. You begin by choosing a background Wall design from a large selection of choices. Then you are able to add Graphics, Text, Images, Video, Sound, Data or Draw on your wall. Glog uses a drag and drop interface which in theory is easy to use (they claim even a four year-old can use it) but I found this method quite finicky. It took quite a while to upload my images, retrieve them once I had, and even more time to format the poster just the way I wanted it to look with links to appropriate sites. I do not think the final product was worth the hours of work I put into it and question whether using such a tool would be a "time-sucker" for students. I like that this tool allows for a multi-media presentation with the potential to link to good web resources resulting in an interactive product. However, I question whether the platform of "poster" is the most creative way students can present their learning and also feel a lesson on lay-out and composition would be essential to student's producing successful Glogs. I don't think I will use this tool again to create teaching aids, but would offer it as an alternative choice for students to present their own learning.

Conclusion
One theme I keep coming back to in this course is the notion of technology to better teaching and learning, not technology for technology's sake. What I like about these online presentation tools is that the multi-sensory format of these tools engages multiple intelligences and provides students with alternate outlets for demonstrating their learning. Others of you who appreciate Gardener's work may be interested in his GoodPlay Project which "...explores the ethical character of young people’s activities in the new digital media." He comments on this project in this video.


Question: What online presentation tools have you successfully used with students to enhance teaching and learning?

Works Cited:

Gardner, H. (2006, January 12) Big Thinkers: Howard Gardner on Multiple Intelligences [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-howard-gardner-video

Bringing Students on the Blogging Journey

Blogging with students is becoming more common place. The workshop "Blogging in the Classroom" which I attended at the BCATA Conference and an upcoming one at the annual CTABC Convention "Build a Blog from Scratch" suggest interest on the part of educators to implement this Web 2.0 tool.

It was interesting to hear my husband, also an art educator, share at the blogging workshop last week that since he has begun blogging with his students he has noticed an improvement in the quality of their work. He cited the increased audience of (potentially) the whole world as a motivator which gives the content more relevance. This reminded me of a quote by Will Richardson from Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts. and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classroom: "The idea that the relevance of students work no longer ends at the classroom door can not only be a powerful motivator but can also create a significant was in the way [educators] think about the assignments and work we ask of our students in the first place" (Richardson, 2010, p.27).

Here is a great video by a middle school student created on blogging, that gives insight as to why students enjoy the process.

I also appreciate the following resources on how to blog successfully with your students:
20 Reasons Why Students should Blog
8 Tips for Blogging with Students
14 Steps to Meaningful Student Blogging 
30 Incredible Blogs Written By Students

Question: What tips do you have for Blogging with students?

Works Cited:
 Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts. and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

The Art of Technology

Tweetdeck by Sonny Assu

I was able to attend the BC Art Teachers' Conference in Vancouver last week. It was a wonderful opportunity to continue developing my PLN and to explore the relationship between art and technology- two of my goals for this inquiry project. All four key note speakers were very good and several touched on issues of technology in relationship to art.

 Sonny Assu is a contemporary artist who explores the relationship between the art of his aboriginal heritage and the culture of western society. "He infuses his work with wry humour to open the dialogue towards the use of consumerism, branding and technology as totemic representation. Within this, his work deals with the loss of language, loss of cultural resources and the effects of colonization on the indigenous people of North America" (Assu 2010).  idrum: Consumtion is pictured below.

 

Evan Lee spoke of his alternative photography practice which explored first the use of non-traditional cameras to capture images such as a scanner. And also, his experimentation with alternative means of printing images; particularly, found images from the Web. Forest Fire 5, pictured below, from his Forest Fires Series used a found archived photograph which he printed through an ink jet printer on reversed Kodak paper and "painted" to create the final product. His goal being to create a unique image in a world were digital photography and the internet allow images to be easily reproduced or appropriated.

I also had the opportunity to attend some great workshops, including one on Blogging in the Classroom by Anne Pye, a Media Arts Teacher from Nechako Valley, BC. She showed examples of her own class portal blogs and how she uses blogging with her senior Photography students to have them document their work. She offered many helpful suggestions and inspired me to learn how to add drop-down tabs onto my blog pages. It involves writing html code apparently, but gave the blog a very web page feel.

Question: Do you know of any other artists who explore the relationship between art and technology?

Walking Down the Twitter Path

As a result of this course, I have been exploring Twitter as a tool for professional development. I am not tweeting myself just yet (I think I have a bit of stage fright). But, I have been diligent about reading what the TL's I follow have been saying. I have already found some great resources- including my last current event article Finite Pie and today, a great new blog about learning in an online world called Hey Jude. Check out Judy O'Connel's post on building a PLN. She also linked to a great slide share by Ned Potter on the importance of the role librarians in our technology driven world.

The time for Libraries is NOW

View more PowerPoint from Ned Potter