Making Time to build Your PLN.

When we are starting out to build a PLN the idea and task can be a little daunting.  It did to me at the beginning.  And really I still am at the beginning!  It does take time, but it doesn't need to be a lot of time.

In the most recent Edublogs PLN challenge Sarah Poling mentions the idea of spending 15 minutes a day, which will over a period of time make you very competent at what you are learning. For myself I then take this and say well I will spend some time most days.  Sometimes it will be more and sometimes less.

photo © 2010 Eric Lockheart | more info (via: Wylio)
I started out in a small way and joined the classroom Edublogs blogging challenges run by Sue Wyatt, for the last few years.  I didn't realise at the time that I was beginning to build a PLN.  I thought I was just getting into the world of classroom blogging and it was away to connect with other teachers and classes. My eyes were opened to the learning going on in other classrooms and I wanted that for my class too.  At this time I was introduced to the use of Google reader, firstly to follow blogs in the challenge, then my student blogs and finally I now use it to follow teachers who I want to learn along with.

Earlier this year I joined the Edublogs Teacher blogging challenge and through that I found more teachers, learned along with them, or was amazed at what some of them were doing far beyond where I was.  Through that I became aware of some of the webinars that were available from such sources as Techtalk Tuesdays and I have joined in occasionally with those.  Recently I could not be at the live webinar but I connected in later to listen to an Evernote webinar.  Afterwards I spent some time setting up Evernote to track my students, as I had seen suggested my Richard Lambert on his blog.  He had presented a webinar on Digital Storytelling, I attended that, have since bought his book and want to start out on that particular journey.

During the Teacher Blogging challenge I decided to join Twitter.  This came as a result of seeing how teachers in the blogging challenge were using it.  I have started very small.  I usually link into it quickly a couple of times per day.  I am still learning the conventions of Twitter.  I was working with a student recently, and was having to remind her about putting in full stops.  During our last session she said, "Right now I put in a full stop." Then  had to be reminded again later.  I thought to myself why can't she do this all the time.  However I was reminded of that little thought later in the evening when I sent off a tweet without the hash-tags it needed. I had used them properly in another tweet, but forgot again.  I then understood where we both were in our learning steps!  It helped me be far more compassionate towards both of us.  Today I have been learning about the Structured Overview of Learning Outcomes (SOLO) and the experience made even more sense to me.

As you may be able to see, I think I am building a PLN in a way that is particular to me.  I am finding that as I  participate in something I am meeting up with people I have met up before so I am deepening links with some people.  It is then leading to something new, joining up with something new.  And so the journey goes on.  One thing leads to another. I want quality rather than quantity. So my goals for building my PLN are:

1.   Spend some time on it each day.
2.   Comment on people's blogs that I follow.
3.   Spend a little time surfing through the latest updates on Twitter.
4.   Click on links that interest me in a tweet.
5.   Connect with others on Twitter as I see the opportunity.
6.   Each day spend time with one idea gleaned.  Explore it and decide it I am going to depth it.
7.   Recognise when I have a sense of fullness, small bites will be enough.
9.   Track how gradually my PLN and my own skills and knowledge is growing.
      (For example my New Zealand contacts have grown as I have consciously set about to develop this.)

photo © 2010 Hartwig HKD | more info (via: Wylio)

So what about actual time?  Sometimes in the morning I spend a little time glancing at my Google reader or Twitter. In the afternoon/evening  I might read on Twitter or engage in blogging. The weekend sometimes gives me some time as does school holidays as well. However I have less time for reading, watching TV, chores, and in person people time. It’s rather like budgeting with money, if you buy this then you can’t buy that..

To some extent what I choose is governed by what is going on around me or within me.  However I find that whatever I am passionate about time isn't a big factor.  I just need to remember I can't have it all.  We are time bound creatures!  However we have the gift of choice.   

I Deleted my PLN!

photo © 2009 Sarah | more info (via: Wylio)
With one swipe of my finger (accidental you understand) I deleted a number of blogs that I follow.  These blogs I discovered while doing the Teacher Blogging Challenge earlier in the year.  All I intended to do was some tidying up, as I begin a new challenge about PLN's.  Memo to self, do not use my ipad2 to work on my blog. I can end up doing something I don't want!!

However it isn't as bad as it seems. You see I have other links to a number of these educators.  I have some of them in my Google Reader, where I quickly can see there latest posts.  On my iGoogle home page I have some more.  And my final port of call will be Twitter.  Well, actually there is one more.  I can go to the Edublogs Teacher Challenges and pick up some there.  So all is not lost.  I can probably restore the ones I want to keep over the weekend.  However one swipe of my finger on the ipad2 will take a little more time restoring on my laptop.

I want to continue developing my PLN.  I like the idea of small is good.  I find if I get too large I can't interact.  How does  a busy teacher get the time to follow what's happening on Twitter?  There is so much excellent material being shared.  I think this is a place I need to work on.  I still haven't got a handle on the hashtags so that needs to be mastered.  I don't use Tweetdeck and I am not sure that it would be of extra value to me.  However I am prepared to be open about that.  I don't use a mobile phone much. However soon I will need to upgrade because I have quite an old phone.  I am thinking maybe wait to the iphone5 comes out. That may keep me more connected.

I enjoy learning from teachers around the globe.  I can learn things that otherwise may never cross my path. I am a person who gets easily lulled to a state of boredom attending professional development that is not engaging for me.  Yes I do attend engaging PD as well, but not all the time.  What I like about a PLN is that I can engage with the ideas and learning that are relevant to me at the time. I may not know I want to learn about it until I see someone share about it.  I love that I don't have to 'leave home' to do it.  No travel!  Now that's a bonus.  I am presented with a lot of quality information, guidance, and good practice.  It makes me want to strive to lift my teaching practice, it opens up doors and possibilities.  Through the blogging challenge I began to keep an eye out for webinars that might give me new ways of seeing things.

So, blogging, Twitter, Google reader and iGoogle have been my main ways of developing my PLN.  I look forward to this challenge as a way of becoming more active within it.  I need to be realistic.  I only have a little time and so I want to build the most effective PLN for me.  I am also aware that I need to make time to contribute as well as learn.

Attribution:
Image from the Daring Librarian.
Image: 'PLN_DimSum' 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43666171@N07/4806404770

An Ipad2 Initiation.

Recently I received my Ipad2 that I ordered a few weeks back.  I am not sure if I really needed it, but I did want one!  I already have a Kindle and Kobo ereader and the Kindle3 is a great ereader and I would go no further than it.  So I didn't need the ipad as an ereader.

However in the last year I have started to get The Reading Teacher magazine online and downloading articles as PDFs. I like the idea more, not so many magazines piled up on the bookcase!  I have bought the PDF Pro Reader Editon app and this is perfect for reading these articles, the screen is not too bright and I can highlight etc.  Possibly a little expensive as an app, but now that I have become skilled at using it I don't regret it.  To show how green I am with an ipad I spent about 12 hours wondering how I could enlarge the print.  The penny then dropped and I remembered how to make it larger.  The downside of this, is now I am touching and swiping and expecting my Kindle ereader to act in the same way!  Of course it doesn't!!

A free app that I have downloaded is Flipboard.  That makes blog reading and other favourite places like flipping through a magazine.  Fun.  I have had a go at logging onto Twitter with the ipad.  I found myself a little at sea there, finding myself doing things I just don't want.  My favourite quote has accidentally changed and I have been in danger of retweeting tweets I didn't want to do.

To see what an upmarket magazine looks like on the ipad2 I tried the most recent Austalian Women's Weekly.  Interesting but don't think I will repeat.  It took awhile to download, and while the photos were sharp, there wasn't that much reading really in it for me.

I have noticed the finger marks quickly build up and the dust, even though I do have a cover. However all in all I know that I am going to build up my use of this interesting piece of technology.

As a teacher I will be wanting to know what apps are really good for education.  I hope to be able to use it in class with a link to my projector.  If you read this post and have used the ipad2 in education, please let me know what has worked well (or not!) for you.

Sype with author Rob Buyea - author of 'because of mr terupt'

Over the last number of weeks I have been reading to my class, "because of mr terupt". The story is about some fifth graders and their teacher. A very special teacher. My class and I were enthralled by this book, each time I ended they would groan. I always seemed to end just at a place where we wanted to know what was going to happen! I didn't do that on purpose, I was reading the book for the first time along with the students. The book is written from the viewpoints of  seven students, and it is only when each character's voice is heard that the reader builds up the story. This is just one very clever aspect of this book.

Where did I hear about this book? I live in New Zealand and this book is not published in New Zealand or sold here. This is where the beauty of the internet comes into play. I read about it on The Two Writing Teacher's Blog. That post and its links made me want to read the book. My next decision was would I buy it on Kindle, or as a hold in your hand book. As I know that students often want to read the book for themselves after I have read it to them, I chose the hardback version. Great choice!

Then today we were able to meet Rob Buyea, the author of this outstanding book.  For a whole hour we were able to share with him our thoughts about the book and ask him questions.  It was a magical hour, and a great end to our first term for 2011.  I finished the day on a high. I owe my thanks to the Two Writing Teachers and also a teacher on Goodreads, who said he was open to skyping with classes.

To those of you who have had a skype with an author, I hope you share my excitement in our ability to do so these days, even if they live thousands of miles away, to those of you who haven't, do it, it is a wonderful experience. Hopefully it will switch my students into reading and writing even more than they are already.

Technicalities.
I did have some heart stopping moments as I am sure many of you identify with.  Our internet was working at lower capacity and slower than normal.  After sharing my anxieties with the Principal, we set up with his notebook, which linked with cable, rather than my wireless laptop.  The video reception was not perfect, we could see Rob well although there was some breaking up of the picture from time to time.  I had linked our computer to speakers so there was no trouble with sound!

There was some slight problems with accents.  New Zealanders have a very odd way of saying the short 'e' sound. (Don't tell Australians I said that!).  So we had a few laughs later about that.  However we were delighted. I am still on a high!!

11 Things to Know about Commenting and Students.

1.  I have come to know that we need to teach our students the skills needed for commenting.  I have been mainly guided in the last year or so by L Yollis and the work she does.  Last week while attending the webinar run by Tech Talk Tuesday, I realised just how precise we need to be.  If you weren't at it,
I advise you listen to the recording.  The enthusiasm of the teacher and the modelling by the teacher is really important.

2.  As a teacher encourage thoughtful commenting.  How many times have you, on your class blog received a comment?  "Your blog is cool, come and visit our blog."  It's a start but there is no real engagement.  So teach your students that they need to read the post and respond with a positive comment, perhaps a connection or a question, or added information or an opinion with reasons.

3.  Many of your students may see commenting as something similar to comments they send each other by
  texting!  So commenting needs to be taught!  So correct spelling, grammar and punctuation are important.

4.  Students love to receive comments.  Many of mine watch the count and celebrate with a post when they get to 75 or 100.

5.  As a teacher value the adults who leave comments on your class blog or your students' blog.  Email them and thank them.

6.  Especially value other teachers from other classrooms who leave comments on your class blog or your
student blogs.  Students feel very special when they get such comments.  Once I left a comment on a student blog of a student in the USA.  Later an aunt of his ( a teacher) emailed me to thank me, he couldn't believe that something he had written was read and responded to, from so far away.

7.  As well as students loving getting comments from other teachers, as their teacher it thrills me when I see a comment from another teacher coming in for them.  I feel like someone else is helping to develop them. It
seems to be like we are all fostering their writing and web 2.0 skills.  I also love comments that tell a student their post is being used by a teacher in some way. 

8.  Teach students that pingbacks are something to savour as well.  It means someone has valued their post and has linked to them.

9.   Teach students about spam comments.  Examine some together so that they know just to delete them.

10.  Be aware there are various kinds of comments.  Not all comments call for a detailed comment.  Perhaps
 it's just a short one.  For example today on our class blog we got a query asking were we okay, because
of the recent earthquake in Christchurch.  Or it might be a quick comment of some other kind.  There is a time and a place for a variety of comments.

11.  Yes one more, it takes time!  Not all comments are going to be what you quite want, but what counts I think is the evidence that they are improving at commenting.

Memoirs of my Class Blog.

My Class Blog
I began my class blog at the beginning of 2009 with Edublogs. It was a steep learning curve for me. Each evening I poured over Edublog video tutorials and written guides. I signed up for the class Edublogs challenge in March of 2009.  This was a great choice as I learned from what others were doing, and I could ask questions of other people.

In the beginning, I had wanted to blog for two major reasons.  A) To communicate with parents and to share with them some of the things we were doing in the classroom. B) To have a place to publish writing the students were doing.  I signed up the students as users on the blog and they were able to log on from home and draft posts.  I soon found C) To locate resources in a central area, another reason to blog.

As 2009 developed I began to see that blogging was also connecting our class to other classrooms around the globe.  This was still low key, as we built up our skills, but it was great.  I found a few class blogs in New Zealand and I unashamedly scrolled their blogs for ideas and to  find out what we could do.  We tried a little pod-casting as well.  In about October 2009 I set some of the students up with their own blogs.

In 2010 I still had many of the same students in the class, I used the students who had already set up blogs to set up more students with blogs.  Now that meant the class blog changed somewhat.  Its main role became more a place where I alerted students to new tools, I alsol continued to share things so that parents could have a window in.  2010 saw far more interaction with other classes through blogs.  We connected with a class in Israel, which was both interesting and exciting.  We skyped with a class in Australia. We continued to take part in the Edublogs challenges.  I was able to use other class blogs to teach and discuss. A case in point was the commenting video that Mrs Yollis' class made.  As we saw quality work such as this video coming from other classes I wanted to involve students more. I began to develop video making skills with them.

2011 has dawned and again I am in the process of setting up students with their blogs.  I now present homework on  a page on the blog.  This year I want to involve the students in making quality videos, to mainly share with their parents what they are learning.  These will be shared on the class blog.  Students no longer post on the class blog, they have their own.  However I share the best of the week on the class blog. My google reader feed also shows on the class blog showing the latest student posts.  We are taking part in the Edublogs challenge again. I will probably use more polls on my blog this year.  Part of the class blog is that the journey keeps on going, and change happens!

A Digital Class and Teacher!

photo © 2009 Sarah | more info (via: Wylio)

What equipment does a class need to be a digital class?

This was one of the areas of exploration that took place as part of a webinar that Murcha alerted me to last week.  Deciding that I could be brave and join in, I took part.  My first experience of a live webinar.  Of course the bravery came from the fact I felt very secure in the fact that after the teacher blogging challenge I felt comfortable with anything that Murcha would be helping to organise and moderate. I was amazed at the dedication of the teachers who joined from some late time zones.  I loved the interaction of the webinar. As Murcha writes in her post just recently, and why wouldn't students be doing this too?  My mind begins to tick over.

 I already have earmarked the next one, when Linda Yollis will be the guest speaker. Over the last few years through the class and student blogging challenge I have seen the great work she does.  I just know I will learn.

So back to the question about equipment. 

I have 5 desktop computers and 5 laptops in my classroom. They have access to the internet and work of the school server.

I have a set of headphones for each computer.

I have my teacher laptop.  It has a built in microphone.

I have a digital camera for photos and video clips. I am about to add another.

I have one simple free standing microphone.

I have a digital computer over my whiteboard.

3 of the students are trialling using their own ipod touches for classroom use.

This is more than adequate and I am grateful for what I have. (Of course I dream of ipads etc!) Our policy is to have the hardware in the classrooms rather than as a school suite. I am a fan of how we do this.  We are too small, just over 120 students for a dedicated suite and ICT coordinator.

Each year I have grown as a digital class teacher.  The edublogs challenges have largely been resonsible for this.  The other part of the equation is that I have an interest and belief in it. Well, I love it, actually.  It is such a wonderful thing to be able to learn and share with other teachers and students around the globe. All the time new doors are opening.

There is one disadvantage to all this as far as I can see.  I have things to do outside the digital community! Yesterday, being Saturday, I had a NO COMPUTER DAY!  It was great, time to do the shopping and housework. Then time spent with a friend walking and swimming at the beach, with dinner later.  Yes definitely important for me to stay away from it one day a week!

So how about you?  What kind of digital equipment do you have to use as part of your daily teaching? What do you dream of having? What exciting new learnings are opening up for you?  And do you ever factor in no computer days for yourself?!

Add a picture/ link in your side bar.

Recently one of my students, Teegan, intrigued me with a link in the side bar of her blog to our class blog. It had a picture of the blog.  Last Friday she shared with me what she had done.  It also gave me a chance to try out the new Snip It tool I have, since our teacher computers were updated to Windows 7.

1. Step one was to capture a screen shot of the blog. I used the snip it tool, I would suppose you can use any capture tool, or even just a simple screen shot.

2. Place the screen shot into Paint and resize.  Click on pixels. These are the dimensions she used. You will need to experiment and see which size fits your side bar.

3.Save it as a jpeg or some other suitable file.
4.Then upload it into a post in visual editor, before placing it in the post, change the link url to where you want the picture to link to. Then insert it in the post.

5.Change to the HTML editor. And copy the code!
6. Depending on the blogging platform now place it in a text widget if you use Wordpress/Edublogs. If Blogger then into a HTML/Java gadget. And save.

If you then see that the sizing does not fit, change the sizing in the html code, and it should be good.

I like this if there is one or two special blogs you want to link to.  For example on my class blog when the student challenge starts in March this will be the way I will place a link to it.



Encouraging a Reader to Read my Blog.

photo © 2009 Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig | more info (via: Wylio)

Without a doubt every blogger that has a public blog would like people to visit and read their blog, and as well perhaps engage in dialogue through comments.  As others doing the teacher challenge have pointed out, there may be readers even though they don't leave comments.  I notice some of the big blogs don't actually have many commenting, although readership is in the thousands.  I think of Richard Byrne's blog as an example, I read most of his posts and occasionally feel motivated to leave a comment.  So readers and commenters may form two different groups.  It is for each blogger to make their choice and then develop as best they can the kind of reader they would like.

As a teacher beginning out on developing my teacher blog I think I would like to have readers that leave a comment.  At least some of the time.  Why? It's affirming and supportive, encourages me to keep going and also a comment may lead me off on a path I have not thought about.  I recognise that as teachers we are very busy, and reading other teacher blogs at times will not be a high priority.  However I think its part of being part of a learning community, and I intend in 2011 to be active in this. Like Britt Gow, I think it is a PLN that I want to be part of.

The following are tips for myself or for you the reader if you find them helpful.

 # Read and comment on other teacher blogs.

# Post consistently, and persist.

# Make the effort to share with others. Write a post about it.

# Be yourself.  While you may like to have readers it is of little use to twist yourself into somebody you are not just to impress them.

# Join networks such as Twitter.

#Post on Facebook. While I use this mainly for family I do have teacher friends!

# Reply to the comments that you receive.

# Network in person. Go to an IT conference!    I now have Ulearn11 in Christchurch, New Zealand as a possible conference. Thank you to Britt Gow for making me think about this, through the post she wrote.

To conclude I would like to add in this slideshare that I viewed. It was Richard Byrne who posted about it on his blog and I read it and loved it.  It is by Sacha Chua.  I have added her to my Reader. I love this slideshare because I am an introvert and it is in relation to the final tip!

The Shy Connector

View more presentations from Sacha Chua.

P.S I am going back to read all her slideshares. I had never heard of her. She does fabulous work.

Image: 'web2.0 party'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32066106@N06/3431508742

So You Want to Widget?!

Widgets are fun!  I think they just brighten up your blog.  I remember back to when I put my first widget on my classroom blog. It was a major piece of learning. I think I made it a lot more difficult than it needed to be! My students love to widget.  One of the widgets that caught on with them was changing the cursor to a little animal!

My class blog is with edublogs. It is very easy (now!) to add widgets to an edublog.  Blogger is good as well.  Wordpress is not so easy because it won't take flash type widgets. 

So I am looking around at some other blogs and what they have on the side bar.  Of course there is the danger that you overload it, and your blog becomes too busy!  So a spring clean every so often is a good idea. I think I must suggest that to some of my students.

The first blog I want to share is Teegan's blog. Teegan is a student in my class this year, and from half way through last year. She has a lot on her side bars, possibly too much.  However what I really like is the way she has some blogs and websites put in the side bar with pictures. I love that. I am waiting until we go back to school and she has time to show me how she did it!!

Mrs Yollis has in her class blog a widget that shows her class Twitter news.  Now if you are a Twitter user, that would be a good idea.  I am not sure if I am that in to Twitter yet, but a class Twitter account as opposed to a personal Twitter account is a good idea I think, with the teacher's Twitter posts showing on the widget.

Laurie Fowler, one of the teachers doing this challenge has a personality badge that she has done after doing a test on a web site.  I like that, I have that bookmarked and I intend adding one to my teacher blog!!

Here is a class teacher here in New Zealand who always has a very alive classroom blog, and when I was beginning blogging I used to watch to see what he was doing.  I see while visiting he won a major New Zealand prize for his blog for 2010.  He has a poll in the side bar, another great idea for a widget in a side bar. I will be taking time to think through a poll, to leave on the side bar of my teacher blog and class blog.

The last blog I think I like the best of all the blogs I visited to do this activity.  It is another class blog here in New Zealand that I keep an eye on and drop in to visit every so often.  I like the weather map on this site, in fact I think I will add one to my teacher blog.  I like his world maps that track visitors, he has a number of interesting ones.  While I wouldn't have that many I still like them.  He also has a link to You T ube, Twitter etc. He has also included a picture in the side bar of their digital learning sequence.  That's a great idea too. Yes I definitely like the side bar on this blog!

Lastly I like the idea of making a badge for my blog. However this will go onto the backburner until I have a little more time. Perhaps my students can make one too, and we can all have a go together. They of course will have far better ideas than me, and I will just pick their brains!! As all teachers are geared to do.

Image: 'desktop130306'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/74314314@N00/128057969

Embedding Video in Posts.

Where were we in 2010?
I have used video to embed in my class blog in a low key way so far.  We have a Canon digital camera per class for photo taking and video clips.  It works well and as a low budget option it is very good. I might take clips of an event and choose clips to put together using Windows Moviemaker.  This works reasonably well, and a title, text and music is able to be added. This year I have bought another low budget Canon digital camera as now students are beginning  to include the idea of some simple video making into their reportoire. Here is one example of what some of them did in December.

I have used Photostory to put photos, voice and music together to make a simple video.  Many of my students used Photostory in 2010 to make book trailers. These worked really well.  However getting round some roadblocks slows down the process. We do have a small room the students can use for recording, which is helpful, but using one computer and one mic it takes awhile to process through a class with 30 students.  I still believe it was worthwhile and will do it again. Photostory is a great free piece of software.

Occasionally I embed video that we have not made but is worth embedding. Last year I found an excellent video made at School Tube on using Glogster.  This had been made by another teacher, and was perfect for the purpose.  We watched it together, then students could go back to it as needed.  I have also embedded a video on cardmaking by a teacher in Greece, from You Tube.  We then made some similar cards, organised an animoto with them and alerted her to come and share our success. 

So what of 2011? 
This year it is my main goal to make and embed a variety of video.  Firstly I want to make some video myself to share with parents some of the changes in learning since they were at school.  I have a Canon DSLR that I want to use for this, I just need to learn how to use it properly first! I also intend using some software that gives me a lot more choice in editing.  At this point in time I am veering towards Vegas Movie Studio.

I  also want to include the students in helping me to do this.  Firstly I will include them in sharing Maths learning with parents.  If anyone has seen Mr. Salsich's videos, these are the ones I hold up to myself as a model.  I want the students to prepare these, getting them thought out first, writing scripts and then shooting and editing them.  I am really looking forward to trying it.

That's my starting point!  Who knows where we will end up?

Please fill out the survey. I am very interested.  Also any hints that you have, I would be very interested to hear.

Images

  by  Thomas Hawk 

Images? Images are great to use in a post. I like to use an image to liven it up. I like it to point to something in the post.

When I first started blogging I didn't know anything about creative commons and using photos correctly so I have done my share of using images incorrectly. However through the Edublogs students challenges, I have a far better understanding. When I begin blogging with students now, one of the first sessions will always be about the use of images. Otherwise it is more difficult to break the bad habit of just using what they like.

If you are still unsure about this, Henrietta Miller a teacher from Australia on her blog, Techiebrekkie  has an excellent post on creative commons, and includes wonderful links. There is a lot to explore and learn in this post.  I have spent some time on this post and will be going back for more.
Richard Byrne also has an excellent post.

I keep a list on the side of my class blog of places where the students and I can go to get images we can use. I recently was alerted to Site point , which lists a number of places that include creative commons. Some of the following come from this, and I will be adding them to my class links.
Open Clipart
Animal Photos
Creative Design Elements
Explains Creative Commons
Attribution on Flickr Search
Veezzle

Image Coder is something I had not come across before. I have not explored it very much, but have tried using it for the image at the start of the post. When you put the url for the Flickr photo, it gives you a code with the attribution.  When you then click on the photo it takes you to the actual Flickr photo. Maybe I will use it again!

I know another controversial topic around images is how we use images of students in posts and in blogging. We have a broad policy at our school, we can use student images with parental permission. We just endeavour to ensure that no students name is linked to a photo. Once last year when I was naming some students who had been selected to participate in a district challenge, I put their avatar pictures.

In my classroom last year we used Photostory 2, free software where we were able to place our photos, add voice and music.  It is a very easy piece of software to use for the students, and we made good use of it.  One of the activities we did was to make book trailers.  I won't put the examples here because I think we should have put attributions at the end and we didn't.  It's all a learning curve, and when you do it, you  can then look at what needs to be improved. Following is a short piece of work some students and I put together in October last year. 


You will notice this is on You Tube.  We do have You Tube open at school, to staff and students, however I now use School Tube.


Finally I had a little quick fun on Animoto, which I also use at times in my class, the Education deal is very good! Free!  And you can link a number of students through your account.

Avatars.

Maybe? Maybe Not? I have made a different Avatar made in abi-station. 

I rather like it,  it has slightly messy hair, which mine can become in class, however I will be keeping the avatar that I use around the web.



So what are avatars you ask?  Well they are digital images that depict us, an image of ourselves that we use consistently around the internet when we are commenting on blogs etc.  While some people use their real photos, often people in education use an avatar.  I use such a one because for safety reasons we encourage students to use an avatar.  Besides that its rather fun!  I like them because they're wrinkle free!!  I recognise other peoples avatar if I see them often enough. One such avatar is Miss Wyatt's avatar.  What a funky avatar.  I envisioned her in her 30's.  It wasn't only her avatar but her energy in edublogs challenges that mislead me. I found out just a few weeks ago she has just this year to retirement.

On this blog, the one I use is both my blog avatar and comment avatar.  As far as I can remember I made this in Moeruavatar.  On my class blog it is my comment avatar; I have my actual photo for my blog avatar.  I have used this avatar consistently over the last two years and it feels me!  It shows up on all Edublog's blogs.  Also it links to my email, I registered it somewhere so that if would do so. I am sorry but what I did has sunk into the mists of time!

My students have their own avatars too.  Some of them changed them the second year around, but this year I think I will be encouraging them to keep with what they have, because after awhile I begin to recognise avatars as I do names. My avatar is dressed in yellow because its one of my favourite colours; I drive a yellow car! I wear glasses all the time, even though I sometimes take them off in photos!

My user name around the internet is Mistea, if it hasn't been used when I join up.  Although in commenting generally I use my own first name Kathryn or Miss T, when commenting on student blogs. I drink numerous cups of tea in a day, I have my own teapot at school, because I drink more than one cup in a sitting, hence my username.  Another username I occasionally use is Katenz. That one should be obvious.

RSS Feeds?  I use a Google reader.  I have set it up to feed in all my students posts, and they also show up in a widget from my google reader on our class blog.  I also have other envelopes for some favourite blogs.  I keep it reasonably simple, I don't overload myself.  I also have my iGoogle home page with feeds there.  I keep this for my top blogs, the ones I instantly want to know about when I log on.  So for example at present the Teacher Challenge is sitting there at the top of this page.  It shows the first three posts links on that blog.  Very handly.

Setting up Pages on my Blog.

       "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the staircase." Marting Luther King.

My blog now has two extra pages.  When I began the teacher blogging challenge I had no About Me page, nor did I have a contact form.  I see these two new pages as being obvious ones for any blog.  Now it is going to take me awhile to think of what other pages I need or want to add.  Hence the Martin Luther King quote, in honour of the date yesterday/today!

I did have a brief About Me on the sidebar.  I have done a little spring cleaning to that. I have changed the words About Me, to read Welcome.  I have also shortened what I have placed there.  Instead I now have a full About Me page.  I have chosen a few photos that give a brief overview.  I note to myself that I prefer to be behind a camera, rather than in front of it. This year I think I will make sure that I get some more, so I can put a few of me in the classroom, into my About Me page.

I did some thinking about a Contact Me Form and decided to give it its own page.  To have this somewhere on my blog is important.  Last year I missed a comment from a teacher who was inviting our class to join The Bloggers Cafe. We had skyped earlier in the year, and H Miller was inviting us to some more collaboration through this blog.  I missed the comment of invitation, it went straight to spam and I only found it a few weeks ago.  Fortunately we can join in this year, but I can see that a Contact form is vital.

On my classroom page, pages were made naturally as the need arose, over the last few years.  I think it will be more difficult to decide the other pages on my teacher blog. I have a few ideas, possibly a page on the kinds of tools I have explored in my class.  Another page could contain my goals for 2011 and so on.  I think both those pages would be of benefit because it would either strike a spark for other teachers that they might try something similar.  Or they may have some pertinent advice to give that would save me a lot of mucking around in my learning. Self taught is great, but sometimes not the most economical!

Image: 'El cañon del Antilope, Antelope canyon.'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29059230@N00/4017213798

How I Found Out I Can Set Target Links to Posts!

Since I began the teacher blogging challenge I have been learning some new things.  I have found out it is helpful for your reader to have a window close if I have directed my reader to another blog post on another site.  When the reader has read it, they can just click it away.

How did I learn this, well one of the teachers doing the challenge suggested this helps make an effective post.  I never even dreamed of that one!  It has shown me yet again, that visiting other blogs is a very important part of this challenge.  I learn from it.   Not many mentioned this aspect of a post. It wasn't until I happened in on Mel Cashen that I began to go on this mini exploration!  Thanks Mel.

I have seen that done but I didn't know how to do it. I went on a rather long mission, tried various things suggested by people that didn't work for me. Well then I went to Blogger help.  Of course, I know that should have been first port of call.

I then did some  reading  by Kay McGriff and she has a post on better blogging.  She makes some good points.  And she has her links opening in a window that closes!! Kay has obviously been blogging longer than myself.  Or is just somewhat more savvy! At first I did the link using the link button  but it was rather odd. However I tried it again without the button, just put in the html code and it was great.  I have another new skill.


I wish I could go one step further and show the html for this, but I can't get it to stay in the html coding, it turns itself into text! Anway it can be found at Blogger help. Yes I could have linked but Blogger is being difficult and I am outa here!
Attribution:Image: 'link' http://www.flickr.com/photos/8344872@N05/4116728906

Seven steps to an effective post.

Are you a blogger/teacher that has an idea that just comes and then you write a post and publish it?

Or are you a blogger/teacher that takes some time to think about how your post can be a really effective one?

If you come in the first category then you are like me, a little harried as a teacher and just to get a post published is an achievement!  However like myself you may want to fall more and more into the second category.  Er.... and as a teacher wouldn't you just love to see effective posts from your students on a very regular basis.  I have listed some steps that I want to incorporate into my posts to make them more effective.

Decide on your audience.
We teach our students in their writing to name their audience.  We need to know who we are writing it for as well.  This could be:  
                                              Students
                                              Parents
                                              Other Teachers
                                              The Wider Community

Know the Purpose of Your Post.
Once you have decided on your audience, you are then going to need to make sure you write your post so that the people you write for are either enriched, entertained, or shown how to do something. Then again it might be you are giving them the opportunity to share in an experience that you have had, which may touch them or that they can connect with in some way.  Possibly they may strongly agree or disagree with you.  If you manage to have them disagree with you then that may open up a whole new dialogue. 

As teachers I would like you to know that for many of us we spend much time alone in the classroom and we don't see what other teachers are doing.  So there you have a purpose straight away, there are nosey teachers like me who want to see a little into your experience. It inspires and teaches and possibly you didn't even set out to do that, but it does! 
                                              
Have Something Worth Sharing.
If you value what you want to post about, then it is highly likely in my opinion, that it is worth sharing.  For example on a classroom blog it may be to share something that you know parents will enjoy seeing or will learn from.  From the recent blogs that I have visited some teachers are very generous and share their ideas and resources.  As part of the teacher blogging challenge I visited many blogs that had so much to share.  Here is one, a relief teacher, willing to share his ideas and resources.


Let Your Personal Voice Come Through.
Do you love a piece of writing where you really get to hear the personal voice of the writer?  I can forgive a post that might fail in some of the other areas, but I just love a post with personal voice. I have a student in my class and her posts ooze personal voice.  Each one of us is unique, we each have a perspective that no one else has.  When we express it, healthily and respectfully, we enrich others.  Go for personal voice.  Your reader will connect with you.  Here is a story I connected to with my heart, just yesterday, as I perused posts from the teacher blogging challenge.

Put Some Thought into Layout.
A bunch of text all squashed together is going to put your audience off.  So taking some time to think about how it will be easier for your reader to follow is important.  Included in layout is the heading.  Put some time into a heading that will draw your audience in.  Use bold text for sub-headings. Perhaps a little colour.  Make sure though, if you use colour, use one that is easy to read!  Before you publish take some time to re-read!  Yes out loud!! Take the time to push the preview button.  Yes, teachers need to do that too!

Include a Visual.
A lot of text can be off putting.  I like to include a photo or clip-art when I post where possible.  If you are using someone else's art or photo, just make sure you have the right to do that and show attribution if it is available for your use.  The other thing you can do is include a video.  Perhaps the video is the post. That can be hugely effective in itself.  Here is a post that I find highly effective, its about how to leave quality comments.  Thanks to Mrs Yollis' class, my class and I were able to learn from this very informative post.

Draw your reader into dialogue.
Recognise that your reader will have viewpoints, reactions, questions...... so encourage them in some way to express them in the comments, so that the post can become enriched by them.  One way to do this is to respond to readers comments, that they have taken the time to leave. 

Lastly a question I leave to you my reader.  Do you think there is a place for a teacher post that has the 'self' as audience?  I didn't include that in my list of possible audiences, is there a place for the post that has 'myself' as audience.  Leaving aside of course the fact often many of us only have the self for audience!

Teacher Blogging Challenge 1.

My Life as a Blogger

When did you start blogging?

I began with a classroom blog in 2009.  I started that blog in edublogs and it is one I pay for.  I started this teacher one a little while later, to find out what blogspot was like in relation to edublogs.  I also started a personal blog in wordpress to see how that operated.

What did you learn about the different platforms?

Edublogs is my first preference.  I like the way it operates very much.  I don't spend enough time looking at the ins and outs of blogspot, so I can't say I am any expert in it. It does the basics for me.  The Wordpress one is fine, because edublogs uses wordpress.  What I don't like in wordpress, my one, is that you can't post videos unless you pay, and you can't put in other flash type widgets.  So I found out I had made a very good choice using Edublogs.

Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging because for a number of years I had wanted to publish student work on line.  Eventually I decided blogging would do that for me.  I explored blogging a little and set up an edublog during our summer break in January 2009.

So how did that go?
Well it was a very steep learning curve setting up that blog.  There was no one at my school who blogged, nor anyone that I knew anywhere.  I spent hours reading edublogs tips etc!  Each time I mastered something I felt really good.  When I noticed a challenge in March 2009 I joined it and sort of did it.  I began to learn about widgets etc.  I can remember the first time I tried to put in a pet widget, I spent hours!  Eventually I found a post on a student's blog from Miss W's class that gave the instructions in enough detail for me to be successful.  I blush now to admit how hard it was.  Now my students do it in a blink of an eye.  I began to want to add videos. Again that was a steep learning curve, as I tried out Windows Movie Maker.  I got there. I am someone who perseveres!

What was your most exciting moment?
I am not sure of this one, there were many mini exciting moments!  First of all the pride in mastering each new step.  However as the first challenge went on, it was things such as making contact with teachers in other countries.  Learning from them.  Last year I got a huge buzz out of the fact I could show Mrs Yollis' video on commenting to my class.  While I had started blogging initially to showcase my students' writing, I now realized that blogging opened me and my classroom up to the world.

Any other stand out moments?
We have been able to keep in contact with students who went to Australia, to Washington DC and now one is going to Tonga.  They all went because of Dad's jobs.  These students have kept in contact through the blog and a little skypeing!

What motivates me to blog?
I have a belief in it.  It has come from myself, no one else has said do it.  I like it.  I don't post so often on this my teacher blog. However I intend to remedy that this year.  Up until now much of my time has gone into the classroom blog and student blogging.  Now I have a team of students who can help others so now I am free to pursue my own interests!

So what next?
In 2011 I intend continuing the class blog, and setting up new students with their own blogs.  For this blog I want to track my development of my writing and reading programmes in my classroom.  I also want to make some videos for my classroom blog to share with parents about our learning in Maths, Reading and Writing.  And talking about parents. Well I would really like to try and get them interacting more with the class blog.  I had about 3 interacting last year. I want to up that!

What advice do I have for teachers beginning to blog?
Get in there and do it.  Ask for help.  I would ask around when I began, on other teacher's blogs. Mostly I got answers. Occasionally I didn't.  Learn as you go.  You don't have to do it perfectly.  There are still things I don't get perfectly, but from others you eventually pick it up.  One such instance for me was attribution of pictures.  Thanks Miss W. who did a great job there, educating us.  The other word of advice is read other class blogs. That is another place I learned. Oh, they can do that? So I can too! Be a copy cat!  Kids get so upset when others copy them!  I see it as a way to learn.  Of course I am not talking about out and out copying word for word.  But getting ideas.

What am I most proud of?
My student blogs!  Some of them have taken blogging to a higher level than myself!  I think of Teegan who entered my class after the middle of the year.  She took to blogging like a duck to water, it was a joy to behold.  Some of them haven't got that far!  It's okay.  I am still reflecting on boundaries for my students with blogging.  I want it to be their own, where they make most of the choices.  However I also recognise it is a student blog and they have certain responsibilities and tasks to accomplish.  I am still working on that one.  Also some of them get their blogs so full of bling that it is overkill.  My pet hate on my students' blogs?  Sounds that keep going when you arrive on the blog.  I HATE THAT!
So what is your pet hate?