Welcome back to school for the fall semester! Reflection  is an important part of learning. You will be using your blog to share some of your learning throughout the semester or school year.

What is a blog? A blog may be described as a conversation…

A blog is short for “weblog” and can be many things, from an online diary, a site for entertainment or news, a business may use it to gain feedback from customers, or a blogger may wish to communicate with a larger audience through their blog. But, what makes a blog different from a traditional website? While a traditional website seeks to provide the reader with information, a blog is essentially an online conversation about that information. In the age of texts, tweets, Instagram, Facebook, Vine and other sites, people don’t want to simply consume information they wants to talk about it.

A blog is composed of a list of “posts,” typically organized in reverse-chronological order (the newest post being at the top of the page) allowing readers to provide feedback by contributing “comments” to the post. Other readers might provide feedback to the original post or to comments made by other readers – this is the conversation that makes a blog what it is.

Blogs have become a popular teaching tool at colleges/universities where intellectual exchanges inside the classroom can now continue into the digital realm. Blogs, however, aren’t just a tool for the classroom. Admissions departments across many universities use blogs to engage incoming students, allowing them to form virtual communities before they step foot on campus. Speaking of blogging software, while there are many great options for blogging platforms on the internet, Edublogs has become one of the most respected throughout the educational community.

You will be creating your  own blog! You will be able to personalize it with some guidelines about respecting privacy as well as instruction about what it means to create academic posts. Follow the information here at Edublogs to create your own and give me the address so that I can link the class using a “blog roll.”

Let’s get started!

Welcome back!

Second semester students have created their blogs using Edublogs, specifically designed for educational purposes and they are linked to a blog roll of students on the Taft Library home page using the link Learning 2.0. Edublogs offers basic blogs for free and also Pro accounts that are paid. Edublogs has been created with opportunities to learn about many features throughout the semester as you are exploring Web 2.0 tools and learning.

This week you will be creating Avatars to personalize your blogs including a talking Voki. All of the lesson is included as Week 3: Avatars. Remember when you post to title each section such as “Activity 1, 2, etc.”

Remember to review Blogging Guidelines before making your post public. Jane Lofton, Teacher Librarian at Mira Costa High School curated several videos focusing on digital citizenship especially Online Safety and Privacy for you to understand the importance of sharing online. The importance of creating a positive digital footprint will be discussed as well as reminders to not share anything too personal including photos of friends or relatives without their permission. The school district Responsible Use Policy BUL 999.11 adopted in August 2015 will also be reviewed.

The final work will be due on Friday, January 16, 2016 including your reflection which is Activity 3.

During part of this spring semester you will have the opportunity to learn about blogging in addition to many Web 2.0 tools for learning. Teen Learning 2.0 was designed by the California School Library Association and includes “10 Things” or lessons/activities that can be completed on this discovery learning journey. The tutorial will introduce you to lessons in Digital Citizenship, copyright, Creative Commons, evaluation of information sources and other information literacy skills supporting the California Model School Library Standards.

Welcome to Learning 2.0—enjoy your 2.0 discovery learning journey. This week you will be creating your blog using Edublogs.org and I will add your blog to the “blogroll” of other students in this course. I also have additional students linked to use as exemplars for various assignments during the semester. Review the blogging guidelines and learn to navigate your dashboard. 

I look forward to your growth as responsible online digital citizens. 

Activity 1: There are several websites – Shelfari, http://www.shelfari.com , Goodreads, http://www.goodreads.com and Librarything, http://www.librarything.com  – that allow you to find information about books, keep track of the books you have read or want to read, add comments and/or reviews, and exchange ideas about what you’re reading. All three of these options also let you display a “shelf” of your books on your blog. The sites all require that you sign up for a free account. Set up a free account, then add some favorite books to your shelf and embed the shelf on your blog.

Activity 2: Now, write a blog posting about which site you explored and how you think you could use this software for school projects or for fun. Make sure you added your shelf to your blog.

Activity 3: Sync, http://www.audiobooksync.com/,  offers two free YA audio books all summer each week from May 15-August 20, 2014. You can download and install the Overdrive Media Console on a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Librivox, http://www.librivox.org, free public domain audiobooks  for your computer, iPod, other mobile device or to burn onto a CD. Use the search tools and find something you would like to read. Write a blog post about using either Sync or Librivox.  Discuss what you learned and how these Web 2.0 tools might help today’s readers.

Activity 4: Project Gutenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org , offers over 45,000 free e-books including ePub or Kindle to read online or download them. Write a post about how you used Project Gutenberg. What did you learn? How might you use this free ebook site?

Topic 7: Creating Animations and Videos and Screencasting

In addition to still images, there are lots of great Web 2.0 tools for creating your own videos.

Activity 1: Animoto lets you upload or select images and music, then generates a video for you with stunning transitions. To give credit to the images and/or music you upload, you can add an image file with urls for these items. You will need an account to create an Animoto video. Your Teacher librarian or teacher can set one up for you.

Use Goanimate ,  http://goanimate4schools.com/public_index, to create a video with simple do-it-yourself tools. Select a theme based on its visual style. You can create using a free student account. Create your characters or use the stock characters. Think of something you have learned this year and maybe use that as your inspiration for your video.

Wideo.co, http://wideo.co/,  is another tool where you can start from scratch or use their templates to create! Use the how to make a video – getting started video (YouTube) to learn the basics.

Touchcast.com, http://www.touchcast.com where you can annotate  documents, the web, or even video through Touchcast! This is a mobile app to make great looking videos on the iPad. The App is free and seems easy to edit and easy to share. Photos, maps, “touch” any of the video apps on the screen and include in your video Touchcast! You can embed any file—images, documents and other videos, along with quizzes, polls and surveys.

Activity 2 : Screen casting tools to try. Choose one and learn how it works. Write a blog post about what you created, how it works, and give specific examples to application for your school work.

Screen-cast-o-matic, free version software allows you to create an online screencast to teach someone using screen shots.  I will download and install the application. Create a screencast teaching someone how to use an online database, OPAC or e-reference book for this assignment.

Jing, http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html, another free downloadable tool  to share images and short videos on the computer screen. The assignment is the same as listed under Screen-cast-o-matic.

Activity 3: Now, write a blog posting about what site(s) you explored and how you think you could use this software for school projects or for fun. In your posting, link to or embed what you have created to share it.

Teen Learning 2.0 was developed by the California School Library Association so that you can learn to use some of the new Web 2.0 tools both for your schoolwork and just for fun!

In addition to creating your own blog this week, we will also be participating in Digital Learning Day 2014. National Digital Learning Day is on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 to celebrate innovative teaching that makes learning more engaging and encourages exploration of digital learning. You will be exploring a “day in my digital life” using Poll Everywhere, Edublogs, and Google forms.

This tutorial was first designed for teachers and it was organized around “23 things.”  You will explore several topics during the semester.  A due date will be set for each topic which includes multiple activities and new tools to learn.

The most important thing you will do is post to your blog about your learning.

During part of this semester you will have the opportunity to learn about blogging in addition to many Web 2.0 tools for learning.

My second semester students will complete all of the components of this learning experience based on the California School Library Association Teen Learning modules.

I look forward to your growth as responsible online digital learners.

Activity 1: You may already be familiar with office applications like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, but there are also online Web 2.0 tools that let you create documents, spreadsheets, and presentation files. When you use these Web 2.0 tools, you can access your files from any computer, and you can easily share them with other people.

One options that we have been using this semester is  Google Apps in Education. Here is another to try, Zoho. Both of these require that you sign up for a free account. Our school already has an established account with Google apps in Education.  You should ask your parents if they are willing to set up a family account for you to use.

Did you already try Glogster? Dropbox enables you to use and computer to find your stuff such as videos, photos, files accessible anywhere even a PC or MAC. If you you lose something Dropbox will have your work so it simplifies your life.

What about diigo? Collect and organize anything using Diigo. Bookmark, highlight, notes, screenshots and pictures are all possible using Diigo. You can access and share anywhere and anytime either in Android, iPhone, iPad, PC or MAC.

Choose two of the above Web 2.0 tools to learn to use from the five linked above. 

Hers are two more that you could learn to use. Padlet, formerly called Wallwisher, makes posting things on the Internet just like creating a bulletin board. Using a blank canvas, you can create your wall by dragging and dropping documents or images from your desktop. You can even just type the website URL or just type notes on your page. After you have completed your page you will be able to collaborate with others with the unique URL that’s created.

Workflowy is an organizer/outliner that can also become your to-do list.  After you open your page and start typing everything becomes part of your to-do list. This might be a great way to organize your assignments or your next group project!

Activity 2: Now, write a blog posting sharing what you created with the two new tools and telling about what you explored and how you think you could use these software for school projects or for fun. Each blog post should be 150-200 words in length using good grammar and correct spelling.

Activity 3: The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) annually evaluates websites for teaching & learning and awards twenty five of the best on that are announced at the annual conference each year.

Choose two to explore and discover. Write  a post describing your learning with 150-200 words or more sharing ways you might use this new tool for a school project or for fun. Extra credit if you create and share your work in your blog post!

Media Sharing: Standards for the 21st-Century Learners:

3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use and assess.

3.3.4 Create products that apply to authentic, real-world context.

Pinterest allows you to make connections and encourages collaboration. It could be used to share mutual interests through Pinterest pin boards. Upload or “pin” images or videos from websites, blogs, your own computer, smartphone, or tablet to create a board. These can be private not public. All “pins” can be repinned and linked back to their source.

Design flyers and newsletters easily using Smore . You can choose from many templates and embed images, links, audio, video and pictures! Your design can be published to share your message quickly. Remember to find images that have a Creative Commons license for your Smore.

easel.ly includes a library of elements to create infographics and share visual ideas online. Easel.ly includes pre-formatted infographics or start new and create your own. It includes drag-and-drop features and menus.

Many Web 2.0 tools exist that will help you create images that you can upload to your blog. When you rearrange images and text they are called mash-ups or remixing. Using the following links you will create your own images.

Activity 1:

Visit one or more of these sites and learn how to create an image. Make sure to add your creation to your blog.

Image Chef: This site lets you customize signs and pictures with your own text. These images make fun additions to reports, cards, your blog, and anywhere.

Big Huge Labs: This site lets you mash images into magazine covers, movie posters, puzzles, CD covers, trading cards and more!

Wordle: Generate a word cloud from text that you provide. We have used this site to tell book reviews. Choose different fonts, colors and layouts to tell a story. Maybe create a Wordle for Teen Tech Week!

Tagxedo: Another word cloud generator to try!

Aviary: This site lets you draw and edit images as well as audio. You will have to set up an account first.

Make Beliefs Comix: Create your own comix strip even writing in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Latin or Italian! Maybe create a comix about yourself!

Dvolver: This site lets you create simple movies with bubble text using a set of characters and backgrounds you select on the site. You don’t need an account, but you will need to create and save your video in one session; you cannot return later to edit it.

Animoto:  You can upload or select images and music, then generates a video with stunning transitions. To give credit to the images and/or music you upload, you can add an image file with URLs for these items. You will need an account to create an Animoto video. I have an educator account that you can use if you’d like to try it!

Glogster: Create a poster using images, music, video and text to express yourself. Take a tour of the best glogs and how students have used them to tell a visual story.

Capzles: Social storytelling to go with your slide and it creates the audio

HelloSlide: Give voice to your presentations. Just type the speech for each slide and the audio narration will come to life in twenty languages.

Activity 2: Write a blog post describing your experience or learning in creating images or video with your chosen tool in Activity 1.

Activity 3: Now, write a blog posting about what site(s) you explored and how you think you could use this software for school projects or for fun. In your posting, link to or embed what you have created to share it.

Activity 1: Now that you have a blog, you are a publisher.

Before you begin searching for and adding images and other items to your blog, you need to learn about copyright, public domain, fair use, and Creative Commons, so you make sure that you are only publishing material you are legally entitled to. As you watch this video you will learn about copyrighted images and licensing options.  You will find a number of copyrighted images that are used in a fair use way. You will see a short commercial before the video begins.

Activity 2: Creative Commons is a new option that has become available to make finding and publishing other people’s material – and sharing what you create yourself – easier.  Learn more about Creative Commons licensing by viewing this video.

Activity 3: Find Photos & Images

Flickr is a website used primarily for storing and sharing photos. You can use this site to find pictures on any topic. It includes photos taken by individuals as well as from important museums and archives like the Library of Congress. If you open an account, you can also use this site to upload pictures you’ve taken and then you can share them with your family your friends or the whole world.

Flickr includes many Creative Commons images, as well as many that are copyrighted. If you want to publish an image you find at Flickr on your blog, be sure to search for images with Creative Commons licenses. Hint: To find images with Creative Commons licenses, go to Google image, enter your search term and then select the drop down Advanced Search screen, then check usage rights, free to use or share would be  images with Creative Commons-licensed content. Free to use, share or modify gives the user the opportunity to remix the image with attribution or credit. Always read the type of Creative Commons license that the creator intended.

Flickr also has an option to search on their Flickrcc site, which searches just Creative Commons-licensed images.