Monday, October 8, 2007

New web 2.0 workshop from Atomic Learning provides step-by-step instruction on using web 2.0 tools

Atomic Learning, award-winning provider of Web-based technology training, has released a new online workshop focusing on Web 2.0 tools.

The Web 2.0 workshop is a series of one- to four-minute tutorial movies that explain what Web 2.0 means and also teaches learners how to use Web 2.0 tools, such as blogs, wikis, social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, etc.), RSS feeds and more. Read more at eSchool News online

Check out the courses at: http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/web20

OIT has an account with Atomic Learning. If you'd like the login information, email me: jmcdermott@schools.nyc.gov

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Post the Skype-cast here

For today's session, let's start a Skype-cast. Don't know what that is? It's a new Conference 2.0 phenomenon where participants start a group Skype chat session and share thoughts about the conference as it's going on. Participants put thoughts that have them thinking, opinions, share-outs, and other topic-relevant ideas that can add to a written history of a session.

When the session is done, the Skypecast will be posted here.

Writer's Block? Here are some great ideas of what you can write about in a blog

Now that the iLead Summer Institute is over, I've used some of the best blogs to come up with a list of types of blog entries you can make. Your new blogs can revolutionize communication in your school but they have to remain active. If you're stuck and not sure what to write, check out the examples below. Remember you can add authors to your blog to ensure that a regular posting is made: assistant principals, coaches, parent coordinators, etc...

Announcements / Calendar of Events / Reminders:

Informal education / Best Practices:

Article reflections:

Soliciting feedback:

Communicating expectations:

How tos:

Public acknowledgment:

Great video on what a wiki is

Great video on what a Wiki is

Video tutorials for iGoogle and Blogger

Below are links to video tutorials for topics we learned in this workshop. These are narrated video directions that you can pause, rewind, and replay to help you remember how to work with RSS and blogs.

iGoogle

Accessing your iGoogle account from anywhere
Moving and deleting content
Adding content by catalogue and search
Adding content by URL

Blogger

Access your Blogger account
Making a new post
Dealing with security
Things you should change to make your blog work better

What's your blog address?

Do you have a blog? If not, after today's workshop you will! Post your blog's address in here so we can create a community of instructional technology specialists!

Resources

Web 2.0 background information

Definition: Web 2.0: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.05
Web 2.0 Time Savers for educators: http://techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196604480
Partnership for 21st Century Skills: http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/
Online communities transform teacher development: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryRSS.cfm?ArticleID=7165

Web 2.0 Tools for today's focus

Blogger: http://www.blogger.com
iGoogle: http://www.igoogle.com
Google Docs: http://docs.google.com
Google Earth: http://earth.google.com
Google for Educators: http://www.google.com/educators/activities.html
Juicy Geography: http://www.juicygeography.co.uk/googleearth.htm

More Web 2.0 things that I wish I had time to show you: (maybe extended activities depending on how you behave)

Technorati: http://www.technorati.com
Delicious: http://del.icio.us
Skype: http://www.skype.com
Ning: http://www.ning.com
Wikispaces: http://www.wikispaces.com


Education Technology Blogs

Jim McDermott: http://www.techomnivore.com
Maria DeSimone: http://theirworldyours.blogspot.com
Winnie Bracco: http://leadingtheway-wb.blogspot.com
Will Richardson: http://www.weblogg-ed.com
Learn Me Good: http://learnmegood2.blogspot.com/
Teacher Magazine: Best Blogs: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/blogboard/
OIT Ning: http://nycoit.ning.com
Classroom 2.0 Ning: http://classroom20.ning.com/
Ms. Amerosa's Blog: http://msamerosa.blogspot.com/

Know of any more education technology blogs or networks? Recommend them by responding to this entry!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Welcome and Agenda

Hi All --

This blog is for the iCoach: Google Apps workshop. Here's the description from Protraxx:

This course provides participants with a hands open opportunity to explore Google applications which allow them to search, communicate, show and share in an instructional environment. Prior to class participants must set up Google gmail accounts and download Google Earth.



AGENDA:

30 minutes: Introduction to Web 2.0 tools

Introduction:
-- Icebreaker
-- Taking notes on skype-cast
-- Workshop protocol
-- Agenda and resources
-- What we're going to learn today: Overview and Insight versus What you should be walking away with. (I am going to show you... Watch as I...)
-- Location of bathrooms and other signs
-- DOE Helpdesk: 718-935-5100

Overview: Web 2.0 tools
-- What is Web 2.0 and how can it be the engine for a 21st century school? Visions of collaboration, communication, and relevance
-- 2.0 Tools at a Bird's eye view: Skype, Del.icio.us, Ning, Wikispaces
-- Google Apps: Banking on platform independence (PS -- Live Workspaces)

80 minutes: Aggregators: Create our own RSS homepage to be a portal to news sites, blogs, and other syndicated material
-- Creating an account on a web-based RSS Aggregator: iGoogle
-- Moving content and deleting content
-- Adding content: from the catalogue, through the search, and by URL
-- Finding RSS feeds for blog sites

20 minutes: Break / Individual assistance

80 minutes: Blogs: Create our own weblog to communicate to our learning communities
-- Best Practices: Education technology blogs, specialist blogs, teacher blogs
-- Understanding the importance of knowing your audience, posting with consistency, developing blog writing tone, and wrapping the blog in its purpose
-- Creating a blog account for ourselves on Blogger.com
-- Writing our first post: audience, tone, purpose
-- Types of blog entries: article spotlights, interviews, professional thoughts, opinions, investigative
-- Dealing with security: settings, comment moderation, permissions and levels
-- Things you should change: blog description, time zone, who can comment
-- Email assitance: enabling comment notification, enabling posting via email

60 minutes: Lunch / Make sure your computer has Google Earth on it!

40 minutes: Google Docs

-- Sit by Prong
-- Using your google account to access Google Docs
-- Google Docs, Spreadsheet, and Presentation
-- Saving and Publishing documents via email and on your blog
-- Sharing and Collaborating with documents
-- Activity: Gathering Perspectives
-- Review of resources for educators: http://www.google.com/educators/activities.html
-- Share out on Skype-cast

10 minutes: Break / stretch

40 minutes: Google Earth

-- The Modern Day Classroom Globe
-- Using Google Earth in the classroom: technical issues
-- Locating places on the earth: Virtual Trips
-- Creating maps and signs that teach
-- Activity: Making a map of our world
-- Review of resources for educators: http://www.juicygeography.co.uk/googleearth.htm
-- Share out on Skype-cast

15 minutes: Summing it up

-- What did you learn today // what you can do with this knowledge
-- Workshop Evaluation (link on right)