Web 2.0 The Final Frontier

Signs of Spring
Melting snow
Ducks and Canada geese arriving
Robin sightings
Ice break up on the lakes
Last assignment due for EDES 544

Successes and Failures
We have finally made it to the end and have come so far since the beginning of January. In the middle of winter, many of us were beginners when it came to web 2.0 tools. Three months later I feel like a member of an exclusive club. I pass on websites to fellow staff members and district colleagues. I ask our district tech guys to unblocked websites like VoiceThread and educational blogs. I talk about using web 2.0 like I almost know what I'm doing with colleagues at our technology meeting. I go to my iGoogle page to check on updates to the blogs I follow after I have read comments on Facebook and Twitter. And yet I know that this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to social networking sites on the Internet. I worry that once this course is done I will once again be out of the loop and not know what is happening in the world of technology.

How will I make sure that I don't lose this new found knowledge and window into this world of web 2.0?

Out of all the new and interesting things we learned this term, learning to post a podcast had to have been the most frustrating. It was time consuming and I never did get it posted to my blog the way I wanted. I think podcasting has a lot of value and I can see students enjoying using this tool but more time is needed in perfecting my skills. Will Richardson says "the key to turning your or your student recordings into podcasts is to publish them. That's what the Read/Write Web is all about: being able to share what you create with others." (p. 115) This tells me more time is needed to become comfortable and knowledgeable in the area of publishing podcasts otherwise I probably won't use it.

VoiceThread may also be an alternative to using podcasts if the side of publishing proved to cumbersome. Or if your district is using ePearl, podcasts could be posted there as part of their portfolio. I read today about a site called Gabcast where you can make a podcast and post it to your blog. You make the podcast using your phone or VoIP and this sounds like it may be a simpler method than the one I tried.

I think the highlight of this course was learning to blog. I knew it was part of the course when I started but I was really nervous about the whole idea. I spent the first two weeks doing everything to get ready for the course except set up my blog. The idea of having everyone read my writing was a little disconcerting but through this whole process I have learned a lot and my writing is improving. I have come to enjoy doing our posts each week as we learn more about web 2.0 and I have enjoyed watching my blog improve as I added more tools, pictures or videos. This has been a wonderful learning experience.

The time constraint of one week to get a handle on each of these tools did not give me enough time to become adequetely familiar with them. To give these tools the opportunity they deserve, I need to spend more time with each one, becoming comfortable enough to share them with staff and students.

So where do I go from here?

As this course draws to an end, I have been thinking alot about the question of where do I go from here. Now that I feel I have an edge on learning about technology, I don't want to lose that. How do I maintain my learning and interest without the support of my professor and classmates? That is the joy of this class - we have been left with the tools and skills to now dialogue with others who share our interest online. I liked what Rob had to say on his post about the use of our learning. "I hope to take my knowledge of Web2 and apply it to second language learning, which is what I love to discuss. I feel confident that I will have success with using the tools when I take more time to create accounts that reflect my true self, take more time to follow people with the same interests as myself, and post work that I have created so others can take it and use it to inspire and encourage." We have been given the tools, now it is our job to take what we have learned and go and use them in our classrooms, libraries or where ever it is that we work and play. I will continue to follow educational blogs, adding and deleting as I go, add sites of interest to Diigo, and follow educational leaders on Twitter. I will try to actively participate in the TLNing and learn from other teacher-librarians. This course has made the job of teacher-librarian less isolating. There is a world of other teacher-librarians out there, just waiting to be contacted, with similar concerns and questions.


How Do I Integrate My Learning Into the Classroom/Library
In reading the article "Old School" Meet School Library 2.0, I had some revelations when it comes to web 2.0 learning and how I run my library. Brooks describes web 2.0 as an attitude, not a technology. In my school, part of the stumbling block to getting teachers to move forward is that they think what they are doing now is good enough. Why change something that isn't broken? But often the tools they are using are the tools of yesterday, not the tools of today. we can't stay still. We need to go where our students are if we want students engaged and interested in learning. "It is no secret that students who are excited about coming to class and are engaged in class will perform better. Technology in and of itself does not create engaged students, but using web applications that allow students to create new content does engage students in learning." (Byrne, 2009) I have shared some of the tools I have learned about this term with other staff. I showed off my VoiceThread and Animoto slide show to the technology support teacher and another grade four teacher. I often share links to webpages with classroom teachers when relevant to curriculum and interest. In this way I hope to create the sense that I am someone who is involved and up to date on new technology.

Brooks comments that, "as media specialists, we're never done learning technology. We can't truly learn in isolation and we're not ever settled in our roles as collaborator and teacher. Selecting literature and managing collections is an "old school" role. Just like language evolves, just like the town grange has evolved from a listserv, forum, to a wiki, we must too evolve to meet the 21st century needs of both our students and colleagues. We must know how to select, adopt, and promote new technologies to bump our media programs to a place of prominence as innovative models for teaching and learning in our schools." (Brooks, 2008)

Although I disagree with her statement about selecting literature and managing collections is "old school", I do feel that we need to add the technology piece on so we are not left behind and become obsolete. "We will become the most innovative resource in the 2.0 school." (Brooks, 2008)

We need to remind ourselves that the old adage “What was good enough for me is good enough for ‘your’ children.” is no longer true. (Warlick, 2010) It's not good enough any longer and it is through courses like this one, that we strive to bring our skills forward to meet the needs of our students.

Tools to Share with Others
From this course I would like to take my learning and share it with my staff. I would like to do some after school workshops on social bookmarking, blogging, wikis, flickr, and podcasts just to introduce teachers to some of these tools. I need to create excitement and interest in web 2.0 and give teachers the opportunity to see the value that web 2.0 has to offer.

I chose these four/five tools because a) they're not blocked (with the exception of Flickr') b) they are the easiest to use (with the exception of posting a podcast) and c) they give the best bang for your buck.

Flickr - I am including Flickr because there is great access to pictures that are under the Creative Commons signature and it allows us as teacher-librarians to talk about copyright and give an alternate route to finding copyright free photographs.

Social bookmarking
Social bookmarking sites such as Delicious or Diigo make me want to have a coming out social so I can introduce them to all my colleagues. Diigo has since become a good friend. Being able to highlight and write comments about the sites you mark make this an invaluable tool. The ability to share sites with teachers is like having a sharing session after school.

Blogging
Like I said before, blogging has been one of the best tools I experienced within this class. If it can improve my confidence with my writing, it can improve my students. Richardson suggests starting out small - use it to communicate with parents or post daily homework assignments. Post a question about the week's work and have students respond. This will give them the oportunity to get a feel for what it is like to communicate on a blog. I would have to say blogs are now my favourite tool. They give staff and students a wonderful opportunity to put a voice to their writing and the ability to share with others. As well, for teachers to gain professional development without leaving their home community, blogs provide a broad range of information.
Wikis
Wikis are a tool to be shared because of their simplicity of use. They take no time to set up and are a simple tool to share with others. This year I used a wiki with a grade four teacher to post research links on famous Canadians. She has since set up her own wiki to use with her class. I would like to try using a wiki for I-Love-to-Read month like Karen B. suggested. I wonder whether teachers will be willing to try it out but I think it would be worth the try. Even if it is only to attach links where teachers could find other ideas of activities they could do with their class, it would allow them to see a purpose for this tool.

Podcasts
I chose podcasts because here is a tool that the students would enjoy using. Although this tool gave me the most difficulty, it would be worthwhile to figure out the problems and become adept at using it. I have watched students make podcasts before, and they get a thrill out of hearing their own voices. and then to be able to share their final work with their peers, friends and family make their work that much more worthwhile. Here is a tool that is under utilized for sure.
Animoto
And if I was to choose a tool for the pure fun of it, it would be Animoto. I can see students having a real blast with something like this.

As I look back at each of these tools and how I would use them with students and teachers, I see how they all can be utilized in a different way.

Key Things I Have Learned From Others in My Class
As we all struggled with finding our voice for our blog, there were some who just seemed to have it right away. I think everyone enjoyed reading Brandi's blog. Her sense of humour and way with words stood out form the crowd from day one. Brandi does not appear to be afraid to think outside the box. One day we will all be saying "I know that famous person!" Keep on blogging Brandi girl.

I liked Mel's message (March 25) that "everyone's voice (whether weak, improving or strong) has value and the fact that we are all sharing our struggles, successes, and thoughts is something to celebrate and encourage." I thought this was really important as we struggled to find our voices and at times felt very unsure of oursleves and whether we had anything pertinent to say.

I think one of the best things about this course were our numerous conversations where we were quite open about our lack of skills and confidence in using web 2.0. When Lois shared about her timid venture into Twitter, (and survived to tell about it), this caused a conversation to occur which gave me the courage to finally make my first tweet.

Rob says (Jan. 28) "I am thankful for everyone who is feeling the same thing as myself, and are assertive enough, and articulate enough to find the 'right' words to express themselves. When I read your posts I am encouraged and inspired to break out of my shell and find voice for my own ideas." I think that summed it up for a lot of us. As I reflect on the past three months, in many ways it felt like a first year undergraduate course. Many of us were unsure of what we knew. We were timid in our first steps into the world of web 2.0. Because many of us are older learners, we are perhaps more willing to share our concerns and hesitations which saved us all in the end.

I appreciate Brad's total immersion into the web 2.0 world and his apparently easy way with a world that is very foreign to me. Checking out his blog is like walking downtown in New York at lunchtime. If you have ever experienced this, you will know what I mean. It is a whirlwind of activity and no matter where you look, something is happening. Brad's blog is like that. There is always a surprise - a new video or comic strip, always something to catch the eye. He is not afraid to delve head first into this world. While many of us are running scared of Second Life, Brad makes himself at home and designs himself a "new crib". I envy him this level of comfort I am sure I will never have. Always after checking out Brad's blog, I always feel a little more compelled to add that video or to find something of interest to add to my blog.

The excellent discussions allowed us to push our walls back and look at ideas from different perspectives. My ideas broadened and I continued to grow as a thinker and learner. I am proud to say you can teach an old dog new tricks. I admire all of my classmates, who, dispite many personal and family challenges, made it through. We have all grown in leaps and bounds. Nancy, how you did it all is beyond me - congratualtions.

Conclusion
I love this quote taken from the blog Technology Without Borders: "Sometimes the invention that makes the biggest impact on our daily lives isn't an invention at all, but the convergence of existing technologies, processes, and ideas."

When I first began this journey three months ago, I was very leary. I was looking forward to the learning but I was also hesitant in immersing myself in things like Facebook and a blog. I compared it to learning a second language (as I am presently learning Spanish) and I have since discovered that that is a good analogy. I have been immersed, I have used the tools, I have taken risks and I would now describe myself as being much less reluctant and can see real benefits to many of the new tools that we used. I am now a web 2.0 learner.








Sources
Byrne, R.. (2009). The Effect of Web 2.0 on Teaching and Learning. Teacher Librarian, 37(2), 50,52-53. Retrieved from ProQuest Education Journals.

Cunningham, J., & Gonzalez, L.. (2009). Collaboration: the library media center and educational technology. Teacher Librarian, 36(5), 33-35. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals.

DiBlasi, H. (2010). Tools for schools: What's new with web 2.0?. Retrieved from http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/MiddleGround/Articles/February2010/Article2/tabid/2120/Default.aspx
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.