tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22127728646438068212024-03-21T21:22:36.816-04:00HTTP://MASONThe purpose of this blog is to share the experiences of the participants of the High Tech Teacher Pilot oat Mason City Schools.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-52679299101299076272014-08-28T22:11:00.003-04:002014-08-28T22:11:48.615-04:00Posting through my Google Apps AccountI created a Google Apps account and shared my blog.<br />
Just testing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-35321315513854400852014-07-18T17:02:00.000-04:002014-07-18T17:02:04.472-04:00Diigo<a href="https://www.diigo.com/index" target="_blank">Diigo</a> is a mutli-tool for knowledge management on-line. Diigo allow you to bookmark and organize websites, images and notes which you can then share with others. Students and Teachers can create group pages to collaborate. Here is an overview:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="331" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/12687333" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Learn even more <a href="https://www.diigo.com/about" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Create an account on www.diigo.com - you can create one with your Google ID if you prefer.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Then upgrade your to a free educator account at <a href="https://www.diigo.com/teacher_entry/educationupgrades">https://www.diigo.com/teacher_entry/educationupgrades</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Then go to my page at <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/doughmanr">www.diigo.com/user/doughmanr</a> and follow me. I will invite all that follow me to join a class and we will investigate the group features.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Next, log into chrome browser and search the store for the Diigo Web App and the Diigo Web Collector browser extension. Install each. Use the Web Collector extension to bookmark some sites.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We will build from there.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Enjoy!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-77913870915390529192014-07-17T12:44:00.003-04:002014-07-17T12:44:45.233-04:00Google DocumentNow lets compare a Google Document to the Office 365 document. The tasks will be similar, but the objective is to get a quick comparison between the two platforms.<br />
This document is available for editing by anyone with the link:<br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FlqP77f9pvI1lhkByNJl3od6_49K_3y68JCowch35WA/edit?usp=sharing">https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FlqP77f9pvI1lhkByNJl3od6_49K_3y68JCowch35WA/edit?usp=sharing</a><br />
<br />
I need your email address in order to give you direct access. I updated the Google form "<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VPpygMQ_9WQE3_5JY--dG-ywWNKhGgw1_BYTKMvhxhI/viewform?usp=send_form" target="_blank">Enter Blog URL Here</a>" to include a field for your email.<br />
<br />
Once I give you permission - the document will appear in your Google Drive (<a href="http://drive.google.com/">drive.google.com</a>). Open the document and edit away.<br />
<br />
Hopefully this will start a conversation (comment below and on the document) about the pros and cons of each.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-50171975844011818512014-07-14T16:05:00.000-04:002014-07-14T16:05:02.758-04:00Office 365Lets learn more about office 365 through a bit of a scavenger hunt.<br />
<br />
Open this <a href="https://mycometsorg-my.sharepoint.com/personal/admin_mycomets_org/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?guestaccesstoken=kyMW2vWB20sQYd5CukuAb7NQK0YmcTA%2bUXLbcWTR7Co%3d&docid=0f42b3deaf96d477cb68f009285e4d650" target="_blank">Public View Only Document.</a> It is an online Word Document that you will first view, then be able to open another link that allows you to edit and comment on the document.<br />
When you have completed those tasks, return to this post for directions to open a document that shared to the test student accounts. The accounts are accessed through <a href="http://mail.mycomets.org/">mail.mycomets.org</a> and the usernames are studentXt@mycomets.org (X is any number from 1 to 25) and the password in Mason123. Access an account and open the link contained in the email from the Administrator that says he has shared a document with you. Follow the directions on that document.<br />
Enjoy!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-11292337826787407902014-05-29T10:12:00.001-04:002014-06-02T11:51:51.925-04:00ChromeBook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlKoc6NrD7D_Ekd411tNRZOIImNJG-BMXiJAZla5jaa8jPcjQD5D5bTjZa12wNofhGB-qXZSnZCZ7qCpl2D3Vd1seRqI_jjiq7dg64C0zeE9wwLDttPjqiyPRcg7lCqzPTH0Yv4-WDQWJ/s1600/chromebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlKoc6NrD7D_Ekd411tNRZOIImNJG-BMXiJAZla5jaa8jPcjQD5D5bTjZa12wNofhGB-qXZSnZCZ7qCpl2D3Vd1seRqI_jjiq7dg64C0zeE9wwLDttPjqiyPRcg7lCqzPTH0Yv4-WDQWJ/s1600/chromebook.jpg" height="295" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The ChromeBook is
the next step in <a href="http://www.google.com/about/" target="_blank">Google</a>'s attempt to
organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
First, Google began
introducing applications such as gmail, Google Calendar, Sites and then
combined access to all these application through one single sign on - a <a href="https://accounts.google.com/signup?service=mail" target="_blank">Google Account</a>.
Google established itself as a rising star when it purchased <a href="http://www.youtube.com/">YouTube</a> in 2006 for a whopping $1.65 Billion!
In a nutshell, you can now log into YouTube using your Google account
information.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The next step toward
world dominance was to create Google's own browsing experience - enter <a href="http://www.google.com/chrome" target="_blank">Google Chrome</a>. Chrome can be installed on any device and
when logged in with a Google account, settings, favorites, search history
(etc.) are shared among those devices. Once logged into Google Chrome, the user is also logged
into any Google application that they access through the browser. Along with Google Chrome, came the <a href="http://chrome.google.com/webstore" target="_blank">Chrome Web Store</a>. The Chrome Web
Store, similar to Apple's App Store, offers Applications (Web Links) and
Extensions (small downloads that usually add a button to the Google Address
Bar). The primary advantage to the applications (along with a richer user
interface) is single sign on, meaning the user can sign up for these apps using
their Google account information. So
once signed into Google Chrome, the user can gain immediate access to the
applications - and many of the applications allow the user to store associated
files right into their <a href="http://drive.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Drive</a>
(online storage).</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The latest portion
of the takeover bid is the Google <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/">ChromeBook</a>. The
ChromeBook is basically a device that allows user access to the Chrome
Browser. While there are a limited
number of Google programs that can be installed and accessed while offline, the
primary function of the device is through the Chrome browser with internet
access. <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/features/" target="_blank">Learn more</a>
about all of the ChromeBook features. Single sign on is again the primary
benefit. While the user could choose to
use the ChromeBook in Guest mode and log in individually to the Chrome browser
or individual application - it is best to Log into the ChromeBook itself, which
automatically logs them into the Chrome Browser and all Google (and 3rd Party)
applications.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I suggest logging
into ChromeBook with your personal Google account and buy (most are free) some web
apps (get some ideas <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/doughmanr/chrome" target="_blank">here</a>).
Try out Google Drive, YouTube, Blogger and some of the items listed in the
Epic BYOD Toolchest. Also access <a href="http://mail.mycomets.org/" target="_blank">mail.mycomets.org</a> and try out the online
Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote) by logging in with
your test Office 365 Account. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Please add your
Comments and Questions about Chrome and ChromeBooks.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-33978776301019827922014-05-27T09:33:00.002-04:002014-05-27T09:42:04.236-04:00Which Tools work best for BYOD?I think the biggest challenge ahead of us is deciding first what it is we would like to accomplish in our classrooms and how the increased access to technology can aid our endeavors. The next decision is to choose which of the many available tools work best in the BYOD environment here at Mason.<br />
<br />
Let's start with many of the interactive technology applications that we have investigated and implemented over the past few years. Blogging, Shared Documents, Presentations, Shared Websites, Formative and Summative Assessments, Screencasting and Electronic Note Taking are some of those applications. The primary tools are offered through Office 365 (accounts given to students - faculty accounts coming in the fall) and Google (I suggest creating personal accounts). There are several 3rd party apps that we can investigate - and some allow you to create accounts using your Google (or Microsoft) Identity.<br />
<br />
Along the way, we will determine the best way for teachers to share their insights and discoveries about these tools and applications. For now, lets use my blog and the comment stream below. As we move forward we can choose more sophisticated methods of sharing. I also believe that much of the work we will do in this pilot will be online - flexing our work time should aid in the efficiency of this project.<br />
<br />
Back to the discussion. Please Read the following article and reflect upon the tools that you have already used in your personal life or with your colleagues and students.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-epic-byod-toolchest-vicki-davis" target="_blank">The Epic BYOD Toolchest - Vicki Davis</a><br />
<br />
Please start commenting below. The first person to comment will label their post according the particular grouping of Apps (Formative Assessment, Screencasting, Content Sharing, etc). Others wishing to comment within that category should reply to the first persons post.<br />
<br />
Thanks for your input!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-89235415088831070392013-08-09T14:40:00.002-04:002014-05-29T10:58:32.332-04:00Create a BlogPlease create a blog for the HTTP Teacher Pilot.<br />
Use Blogger to create your blog. Use <a href="https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/1623800?hl=en&ref_topic=3339243" target="_blank">Blogger Help</a> and/or follow the directions in this video:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rKVQKQxxUlk?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Please enter your name and the URL of your blog:</span></b><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="400" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VPpygMQ_9WQE3_5JY--dG-ywWNKhGgw1_BYTKMvhxhI/viewform?embedded=true" width="480">Loading...</iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-55683679855289141062009-02-22T17:44:00.003-05:002011-12-19T14:04:44.537-05:00Make the Most of Discovery Streaming<a href="http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/">Discovery Streaming</a> is available to Mason teachers from grades K-8. Search for content by grade and subject as well as curriculum standards. Videos are divided into segments which can be played directly or downloaded. Organize your favorite videos into folders within 'My Content' and share your video selections with others in our school or district.<br />
But, videos are only a portion of the available resources. Images, clip art, sound effects, lesson plans, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pre</span>-made assignments and quizzes can be accessed as part of the basic search. Create your own assignments, quizzes or writing prompts related to the videos. The students do not require a log-in of their own, they simply access these resources through a generated URL.<br />
Discovery is rapidly adding more features. The latest feature is Media Share. You can upload your own videos, images or documents and share with others or embed into <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">powerpoint</span> presentations or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">wikis</span>. Media Share can be purchased as an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">add</span>-on the Discovery Streaming, but teachers that become a <a href="http://community.discoveryeducation.com/star/index.html">Star Educator</a> are given free access to the feature.<br />
See more on my <a href="https://techtactics.wikispaces.com/Discovery+Streaming">presentation wiki</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-16935674726254178292009-01-28T14:20:00.005-05:002009-01-28T14:29:41.418-05:00Lesson ideas for using Smart Notebook<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://smartboards.typepad.com/.a/6a00e3933b5f19883400e552bd19048833-320pi"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 152px;" src="http://smartboards.typepad.com/.a/6a00e3933b5f19883400e552bd19048833-320pi" alt="" border="0" /></a>Are you looking for more ideas for making better use of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Smart</span> Notebook software? <a href="http://smartboards.typepad.com/smartboard/2008/06/smartboards-and-teaching-with-smartboard-video-podcast.html">Teachers Love <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Smartboards</span></a> and <a href="http://pdtogo.com/smart/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Smartboard</span> Lessons Podcast</a> are two blogs written by teachers about using the software in their lessons. Most lessons only require the Smart Notebook, which is available to all teachers in our district.<br />The primary idea of the Notebook, is to create more interactive lessons for the students. I have linked many more interactive sites here on my <a href="http://delicious.com/doughmanr/smartboard+interactive">delicious bookmarks</a>.<br /><img src="file:///C:/Users/Randy/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-5.jpg" alt="" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-66911613737767555232009-01-28T14:06:00.003-05:002009-01-28T14:30:16.457-05:00Interactive Science WebsitesI recently came across <a href="http://www.medtropolis.com/VBody.asp">The Virtual Body</a> which is a free interactive program that allows you to explore the human brain, heart, digestive tract and skeleton. The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Internet</span> is full of free sites like these for students and teachers. Sites range from interactive period tables, virtual chemistry experiments, microscopic views of cells and telescopic views of the solar system. I also have a link to an autopsy site. These sites and many others can be found in my <a href="http://delicious.com/doughmanr/science+interactive">delicious bookmarks</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-33964488546088828072009-01-24T18:12:00.005-05:002009-01-28T14:18:39.426-05:00Educational Video Collections on You TubeThe collection of valuable YouTube videos is growing at a tremendous pace. Please take the time to preview some of these sites: <a href="http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/100-best-youtube-videos-for-teachers/">100 Best YouTube Videos for Teachers</a> and <a href="http://www.oculture.com/2008/03/youtubesmartvideos.html">YouTube Education: 80 Intelligent Video Collections</a>. Many universities, such as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/mit">MIT</a>, are placing significant content on YouTube through the <a href="http://www.ocwconsortium.org/">OpenCourseware</a> initiative. Many of these sites are also easily accessed through <a href="http://www.apple.com/education/guidedtours/itunesu.html">iTunes U</a>. It doesn't end there. The <a href="http://www.youtube.com/househub">House</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/senatehub">Senate</a> have YouTube sites. And, believe it or not, even the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/vatican">Pope</a> has a channel!<br />But wait there is more. I realize that YouTube may not be available for all, so here is a link to <a href="http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2008/11/23-alternatives-to-youtube.html">20+ educational alternatives to YouTube</a>. One more bit of advice, some featured videos and comments that appear alongside videos, may not be appropriate for the classroom. To limit that exposure, here is a video that shows you how to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hChq5drjQl4">embed a YouTube video</a> into a PowerPoint.<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hChq5drjQl4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hChq5drjQl4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-52462326511114687372008-03-14T08:35:00.004-04:002008-03-14T08:54:21.355-04:00What is a blog?What is a blog really? When asked this question, I direct people to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CommonCraft</span> web site for this video:<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NN2I1pWXjXI&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NN2I1pWXjXI&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Blogs clearly show the creation of the read/write web (or web 2.0). No longer do we simply gather information from the web, now we interact. Just take a look at the <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/">USA Today</a>. Every <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">article</span> is now a blog, just scroll to the end of the article and post your comment. Think about it, a political leader or sports figure (or anyone) is no longer at the mercy of the newspaper writer. We can debate comments and dispute observations. Right there on the front Page!<br />Educators can learn from other experts in their field and share activities and educational theories. Go to <a href="http://education.alltop.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">alltop</span>.com</a> to see an extensive list of blogs from educators (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">RSS</span> feeds from educational publications).<br />Blogging offers many other opportunities for teachers to deliver content or for students to share their work. I will <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">gladly</span> help anyone that desires to investigate publishing their own blog. I create my blog through <a href="http://www.blogger.com/home">Blogger</a>, and I would also recommend <a href="http://www.21classes.com/">21 Classes</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-28478869875406537072008-03-08T14:17:00.005-05:002008-03-08T14:53:30.085-05:00Ideas for a Web2.0 BeginnerAs I pondered a post with ideas for teachers to utilize technology either for their own benefit or for that of their students, I came across this post from a blog that I follow. <a href="http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/">Cool Cat Teacher</a> is Vicki Davis, chairman of the Computing and Technology Department at Westwood Schools in Camilla Georgia. She is one of many bloggers that I follow and some of them are linked on this page.<br />Her most recent post, <a href="http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2008/03/baby-steps-for-beginners-part-1.html">Baby Steps for Beginners Part #1</a>, is a wonderful resource for teachers interested in taking better advantage of the resources available on the Net. She has a catalogue of websites that demonstrate best practices of teachers and administrators. She organized these sites through her <a href="http://del.icio.us/">del.icio.us</a> account, which is social bookmarking site. Social bookmarking is the next step up from the Google Bookmarks that I described in a previous post. <a href="http://personal.strath.ac.uk/d.d.muir/Delicious1_2.pdf">Set up a del.icio.us</a> account to quickly save (complete with notes about each website) your favorite sites and access them from any computer. You can easily share your bookmarks, and you can access the shared bookmarks from experts within your field of research. You can even use the site create a network of teachers within your content area. You can view <a href="http://del.icio.us/doughmanr">my bookmarks</a> and <a href="http://del.icio.us/brightideasguru">Cool Cat Teacher's bookmarks</a> and add both to your network.<br />Please check my companion wiki for more directions for creating your del.icio.us account (soon to be posted).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-41539120290645955562008-03-02T15:07:00.000-05:002008-03-05T15:00:29.209-05:00Google Toolbar and BookmarksWe are all most likely familiar with the idea of marking internet websites as favorites. This is a feature contained within your web browser. The problem I used to encounter so often, is that I work on many different computers. I now have 2 home computers. I have a work computer, but there are many times when I am working on a computer that is not my own. Since I have converted to using Google Bookmarks, I now have access to those favorites on any computer. If the computer has the Google Toolbar loaded, those favorites are immediately accessible (although I can still get to them through my start page on computers without the toolbar).<br />First, lets change our terminology from favorites to bookmarks, and then we can set up our bookmarks through Google.<br />Click on Settings within the <a href="http://toolbar.google.com/">Google Toolbar</a>, and click Options (You may have to sign in first). Place a check in the box next to bookmarks and click OK. Now Bookmarks appears in the toolbar with a blue star beside it. When I am on a website that I wish to save, I simply click the blue button. But wait there is more. A second click (on the now filled in yellow) blue star allows me to label (or TAG) the website. I can create many different labels to help me organize my bookmarks. It is kind of like folders but better - each website can have more than 1 label (or TAG), meaning it can reside in many different "folders". To access my bookmarked sites, I simply click Bookmarks, highlight the desired label and then highlight and click the desired page.<br />If Ido not have access to the Google Toolbar on a particular computer, I added <a href="http://www.google.com/bookmarks">Bookmarks</a> to my start page. This requires some copying and pasting, but I am still able to capture and recall websites from any computer.<br />Please check my companion wiki for resources and step by step instructives for many Google features.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-55969865188150138862008-02-28T17:44:00.000-05:002008-03-05T14:59:46.385-05:00Google Reader and RSSTo me, the beauty of the read/write web, is that it is much easier for most anyone to publish what they know to the internet. Although we will continue to gain information through traditional means, like books, research papers, reputable web sites..., we now have immediate access to articles written by knowledgable people within our fields of research (Although we should address methods to validate this information). These articles could come from newspapers, magazines, journals, blogs or wikis. Many of these sites are set up to send out, in the form of an RSS feed, any new articles as soon as they are posted. We no longer have to go out and check the sites for new information, instead we subscribe to these feeds using an RSS feed reader (See, the terminology is not so difficult to follow). There are several readers out there, but I prefer the Google Reader.<br /><br />What is Google Reader? <a href="http://www.google.com/help/reader/tour.html">Google Reader</a> gathers automatic (RSS) feeds from sites that I have subscribed. New articles or postings are automatically fed to me. Using the reader, I can read as much or as little from the article as you please. I can choose to only read the headline, read the first paragraph or read the entire article. The reader also allows me to "star" items that I deem valuable and/or share these articles with others. I can also keep every article sent to me (forever?) and my reader allows me to easily search them for information I wish to recall. I can also tag the articles which allows for better organization.<br />For more information about RSS, watch this video from Commoncraft:<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0klgLsSxGsU&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0klgLsSxGsU&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Follow this link to set up your <a href="http://www.google.com/reader">Google Reader </a>(Remember to use your existing Google Account). Please check my companion wiki for step by step instructions for creating a Google Reader account as well as directions for subscribing to RSS feeds.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2212772864643806821.post-66533470821719383772008-02-27T19:43:00.000-05:002008-03-02T15:38:16.974-05:00Google has so much to offerOver the next several posts, I will discuss many of the tools available free through Google. Although Google Gmail is not required to utilize these tools, Gmail will enhance your ability to take advantage of all extensions of the tools. If you are not interested in giving up your current email service, Gmail offers a couple of options. You can forward your Gmail to your current inbox, or make use of your current email with the Gmail account.<br />Follow this link to set up your <a href="http://mail.google.com/">Gmail</a> account. If you are sharing this with students, this is a good time to let them know that email addresses are in the form of lastname.firstname are preferred over soccerstar98, etc. Note that our Acceptable Use Policy permits the use of email for educational purposes. Encourage students to keep an email that they use only for school.<br />Once you have set up your Gmail account. I suggest you set up an <a href="http://www.google.com/ig">iGoogle</a> start page. You can get to it from any computer (and many handheld devices) with Internet access. My homepage includes a view of my <a href="http://www.google.com/calendar">Google Calendar</a>, my email, my Google Reader (I address the Google Reader in a separate post), the local weather forecast, quotes of the day, the latest sports scores and blogs about my favorite teams. Add features to your start page by clicking on the <a href="http://www.google.com/ig/directory?hl=en&root=/ig&dpos=top">Add Stuff </a>link. You can quickly access your start page by clicking the Google icon in the Google Toolbar (and signing in).<br />This is also a good time to download the Google toolbar at home. I will discuss this feature in yet another post. The Google Toolbar is loaded on all of the computers in our district, and allows quick access to information held within your Google tools.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10598870963134884066noreply@blogger.com0