Thing 17: Googledocs

Many people use email and attached documents to share various versions of a project. This may work, but there are several obstacles to smooth exchange and editing. Attachments may not open or you or your collaborators may not have the same software program or the right version to open and edit a document. It is easy to lose track of which is the current version with all the changes.

Web 2.0 tools make collaborating on creating a document or other publication easier. Documents are online and available from any computer with Internet access. Edits are easy to make and save. The program saves a document’s history with all changes made and indicates who made the changes. A full set of word processing tools makes formatting simple. Click the toolbar buttons to bold, underline, indent, change font or number format, change cell background color and so on.

Get the idea from Googledocs in Plain English (our favorite videos for learning!).

In this Thing, edit a famous document using these two collaboration tools. Both are free. You don’t need an account to edit these public documents. To create and share documents, you must sign up for an account.

Use Google Docs to create basic word processing documents, presentations, or spreadsheets from scratch or you can upload your existing files. Google Docs accepts most popular file formats, including DOC, XLS, ODT, ODS, RTF, CSV, PPT, etc. You can share documents with a select group or make the document public.

Discovery Exercise

1. Watch Googledocs in Plain English (our favorite videos for learning!).
2. Look at this public document in Google Docs.
3. Send an email to SWC023@gmail.com and we will invite you as a collaborator.Make as many edits and changes to the documents as you wish, using the various editing tools available.
4. Read some Collaborative Learning classroom applications from techlearning.

Blog Prompts

• Which of these tools is easier for you to use?
• How do the features of each compare? Does one have features that would make you choose it over the other?
• How can I use this for/with our students?
• What would the Founding Fathers think?

Challenge (optional)

1. Sign in to your Google Account.

2. Create and share another type of document using other Google tools—Sheet (spreadsheet), Show (presentation tool), Notebook, or Wiki.

3. Publish the document (Public) and post the link on your blog for others to view and/or edit.

4. Blog about the tools' ease of use, potential in the school, and other thoughts.

Other Resources

Slideshare is self-proclaimed as " the best way to share your presentations with the world. Let your ideas reach a broad audience. Share publicly or privately. Add audio to create a webinar."

Thing 16: Project Calculator

The University of Minnesota Assignment Calculator is a tool from the University Libraries for undergraduate students. Students put in dates for the beginning and end dates of an assignment and its subject area and this Web 2.0 tool generates a 12-step research guide and timeline for the project and recommends resources and strategies. The Assignment Calculator is widely used and adapted by academic libraries across the country. It is a great interactive resource for students in any class.
The Research Project Calculator (RPC) is based on the Assignment Calculator and was created to help secondary students plan for and navigate the research process in an ethical manner, using reliable resources. This five step process includes deadlines and (optional) email reminders. The tool also offers hints, worksheets, and guides for various types of projects. The RPC and Assignment Calculator are aimed at schools and universities. Link it on a teen or student page, use the bookmarks to inform students and parents about their existence, and encourage students to use it as part of their research planning.

The Teacher Guide to the Research Project Calculator (RPC) assists teachers in planning, managing, and teaching the often daunting research process by providing them with resources and step-by-step instructions, based on the five-step process outlined in the RPC. The site begins with an "About the RPC" section that provides an overview of the calculator, describes the role of the teacher in detail, and explains the resources included in the tool. There is even a streamlined version called "No Time?" for busy teachers. (Is there any other kind?) Also check out the Resources for Teachers.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Look at the RPC and the Assignment Calculator. Don’t try to cover every aspect of the tools, but rather browse the steps and consider how you could encourage students to use this product.
2. Look at the supporting materials in the Teacher Guide and Resources for Teachers. Are any appropriate for class or can you find other resources to supplement what you do for students?
3. Blog about your experience.

Blog Prompt Ideas
How might the RPC and the Teacher Guide help you help students plan and manage research projects?
Which resources did you find to be especially helpful?

Thing 15: Choose Your Own Adventure (Part 3)

Choose Your Own Adventure: Part Three: Online telephone and/or Cell Phone Serendipity

We are breaths away from MEA week here in Minnesota, so this week is packed FULL of things that are just a lot of fun... but, fear not brave warriors, there is (almost) always a possible link to education and your classroom!

Online Telephony

Cell Phone Serendipity

Enjoy!!

Thing 14: Choose Your Own Adventure (Part 2)

Choose Your Own Adventure: Part Two: Digitial Storytelling and/or Musical Fun

It's almost MEA week in this great state of Minnesota, so this week is packed FULL of things that are just a lot of fun… but, fear not brave warriors, there is (almost) always a possible link to education and your classroom!

So, for Part Two, here's your menu:

Digital Storytelling

Musical Fun

Thing 13: Choose Your Own Adventure! (Part 1)

Choose Your Own Adventure: Part One: Funnies, Pictures and/or Mindmaps

It's almost MEA week in this great state of Minnesota, so in order to combat the "too-many-5-day-weeks-burnout", this week is packed FULL of things that are just a lot of fun… but, fear not brave warriors, there is (almost) always a possible link to education and your classroom!
So make your choice, but choose well!

(Just kidding. If you don't like your choice, switcheroo!)

Funnies (Comics/Cartoons)
Pictures/Images
Mindmaps

Thing 12: Try out Moodle

As we learned in the last "Thing", Moodle is an exciting educational technology that easily lends itself to creating "hybrid" classes (online and in-classroom). We saw and thought about possible applications from a very broad perspective. In this "Thing", we get to dig a little deeper and take a look at some of the specific things that Moodle has to offer.

*A quick note: One of the Challenge items from our last discovery was to get your own Moodle shell set up. If you're interested in Moodle, It might be worth your time to do that now so that, when you learn about the specifics, you can apply them right away and get playing!

On this discovery journey, you are going to get to log into a Moodle demo course and check out some of the things Moodle has to offer and dream about possibilities for you and your students.

Discovery Exercise

1. Go to the Moodle Demo Course (top one) and create an account.
2. Once your account is created, go back to the Moodle Demo Course and enroll in the course (on the left hand side).
3. Check out 3-5 things in the demo course. They walk you through a pretty easy demonstration of each of the things you could use within Moodle. (If you're at a loss, check out Assignments, Quizzes, Choices, Forums, Wikis and Workshops.)
4. Blog about your experience with Moodle! (If you're at a loss, check out the prompt ideas below.)

Discovery Resources

• Getting Started for Teachers
• Moodle Demo Course
• Teaching Do's
• Teaching Don'ts
• Teaching Good Practices (k-12)
• "2 Minute Moodle " videos (tutorials)

Blog Prompts

• What specific things are especially interesting to you in Moodle?
• What applications that we have already learned about do you see in Moodle?
• What ideas do you have for the use of specific Moodle applications in your area?
• If you were to start with just one thing in Moodle, what would you be sure to do?
• What solutions are there for students who do not have internet access at home? (How do we, as educators, bridge that inequality and still utilize Moodle to its potential?)

Challenge (optional)

• E-mail Gary Blok (if you're a member of district 833) and ask him to set you up with a class in Moodle for one of your classes. And then read this: Getting Started for Teachers
• If you already have a Moodle class, try one new thing that you learned about in the Moodle Demo Course.
• Check out the "Teaching Do's" (like "encourage students to learn together") and "Teaching Don'ts" (like "Don't get overwhelmed by Moodle") .

Thing 11: Whatsa Moodle?

Oodles of Moodles. Moodles of Noodles? Noodles of Oodles? Hm. I'm lost. Are we talking about Ramen, here?


Moodle is an open source (read: free) e-learning software. Here's a video from the Moodle people showing "what Moodle is all about". Schools across the world (from elementary to college) are using Moodle. The only thing one would need to run Moodle is a server that can hold the program. Our district (SWC833) has a Moodle server, so we are set to go!

Many of the things that you have already learned about (wikis, blogs) and things you will soon be learning about (online collaboration, surveys, and more) are integrated into Moodle. If you have ever wished for:
○ Online quizzes (scored automatically)
○ Online activities for students to access anywhere via the internet
○ Online notes/PowerPoint presentations for students to access as study resources
○ Forums for shared student thought/discussions
○ "Paperless" assignments (created online or uploaded by each student) with easy integrated grading

Then you might want to check out Moodle. Moodle is a simple, yet truly robust software that is available to increase web 2.0 usage and efficiency. (In the next "Thing" you'll have a chance to try out a Moodle demo course and also set up your own Moodle shell.)

Discovery Exercise
1. Watch the very short (about 2 minutes) video about "What is Moodle".
2. Watch the video about Moodle in the Classroom, featuring middle school teacher, Molly Tipton.
3. Blog about your thoughts about Moodle thus far. (If you're at a loss, check out some blog prompt ideas below.)

Discovery Resources
• One teacher talks about Moodle and the use in education, the use in his classroom and the "ups and downs".
• His example class of Moodle for you to check out.

Blog Prompts
• What do you think the strengths/weaknesses of using "hybrid" (online and classroom) courses are?
• What ideas do you have for the use of Moodle in your area?
• From what you know so far, If you could implement just one thing in Moodle, what would you be sure to do?

Challenge (optional) (these continue in the next "thing" as well)
• E-mail Gary Blok (if you're a member of district 833) and ask him to set you up with a class in Moodle for one of your classes. And then read this: Getting Started for Teachers
• If you already have a Moodle class, try one new thing that Molly Tipton talked about in the "Moodle in the Classroom" video. Or check out the "tips" in Getting Started for Teachers.
• Check out the "Teaching Do's" (like "encourage students to learn together") and "Teaching Don'ts" (like "Don't get overwhelmed by Moodle") .