BP9_Links to RILS Posts

Follow this link to my comments on Stephanie Waldner's RILS:

Comments for Stephanie W.

And follow this link to my comments on David Middlebrook's RILS:

Comments for David M.

BP8_RILS Final Project

Hello, everyone.

I finally got a hold on how to get videos from Viddler to my blog.  Thanks, FSO Support!

Here is what I have for my Final Project:



Here is what the scenario will be when I present this at my school:

Enjoy the reading!

Brief Overview:

The users will be able to configure their iGoogle home page to the point where it meets their specific needs.

1.)  Target audience:

My target audience will be a class of approximately 20 sixth grade students.

2.)  Materials:

·      Access to a computer with Internet access

·      A notebook for taking notes of the process

3.)  Objectives:

·      Students will create their own unique iGoogle home page using the options available through the Google software.

·      Students will apply the knowledge of Web 2.0 software that they can use for their specific purposes and add them to their iGoogle home page.

·      Students will understand the importance of iGoogle and how they can use iGoogle as a “pathway” to their unique Internet needs.

4.)  Procedure:

                                  i.         All students will need to access the Google home page.

                                ii.         Once students access the Google home page, all students will be required to create their own Google e-mail address [this is a requirement if they are to use iGoogle].

                               iii.         Students will then log onto iGoogle using their newly created usernames and passwords.

                               iv.         Students will be shown how to configure iGoogle through the “Settings” options.  Students will be shown what options they can use to configure their home page (e.g. how to add “boxes of links,” reconfigure their different linked pages, create different pages with the same iGoogle account).

                                v.         Once students are finished, students will “test” their pages to see if their links are fully functional.

5.)  Web 2.0 tool:

The Web 2.0 tool is iGoogle.  iGoogle is essentially a home page replacement which allows the user to access many areas of the Internet through their one home page.

http://www.google.com/ig

6.)  Social Participation:

·      Students will work in collaboration to configure their iGoogle pages in order for them to be unique for their own use.

·      Students will need to identify what they would like to have on their home pages first.

·      Students will first learn about the widgets and search the widgets they will need to put in their home pages.

·      Students will be shown how to configure the home page itself (add, delete, and edit widgets, choose their unique theme, etc.).

·      Students will work together to “test” their home pages to see if their links are operational (e.g. write blogs to each other from the iGoogle page, write e-mails from the iGoogle page).

7.)  Making Connections:

·      Students will first write what they would like to access (e.g. access to Facebook, access to their e-mail)

·      Students should decide what is important for them to access since their iGoogle will be unique for them (e.g. a need for an online dictionary, a need for an online encyclopedia, a need for access to social media).

·      Students will decide what links will allow them to communicate with others.  Students must also realize that others will be able to see their page when others access their page.

8.)  Create/Produce:

All students will have a fully unique and functional iGoogle home page.

9.)  Assessment:

Students will work in collaboration by checking the iGoogle home page of a partner; this collaboration will be between two students.  Students will “test” the home page of another student.  Things that should be checked are (1) working links, (2) aesthetics (e.g. how it looks [too much information on page, not enough information on page]), (3) relevant use for what a student needs (e.g. are pages appropriate for a sixth grade student, will student make use of information on page).  There will be an online assessment created that student will use to “grade” the page of another student.

10.) Reflection:

a.)   The reflection for the student should be written and placed online.  This way, students can practice both their writing skills and practice using one of their Web 2.0 tools to reflect what they learned (e.g. write on a blog so others could hear, create a concept map of what they learned).

b.)  Because I will be the person implementing the RILS, I would write my reflection online for others to see; when I mean “others,” I mean my fellow teachers and possibly other students who may have access to my blog (which is where I plan to write my reflection).

PE5_iGoogle

Wow, this video has been a pain to download.  What can I say, the technology is rebelling against me this month.

Anyway, here's my video on iGoogle:

I know it's not the best video in the world, but I believe it is a good introduction into what iGoogle is.  I know I probably missed some critical parts of the software, but this much I can say.  If you want to make iGoogle the most effective piece of software out there, you have to be patient and configure it to your specific needs.  It will take some trial and error, but it can work.

I plan to introduce this to the teachers this coming school year, along with my students.  Seeing how we are becoming a more "technological" school, we need to catch up and not fall behind.  And I have a feeling that Google is going to play a huge part of that.

Try not to be too harsh.  I actually used more of iMovie's functions, like the embedding of the sound and actually adding my voice through iMovie (I used to embed my voice through Screenflow).

Enjoy!

PE4_iGoogle

For my next post and for my RILS assignment, I'm going to be introducing iGoogle.  From what we have been working so far here at Full Sail University, iGoogle has been something that has become somewhat paramount for all of us.  I know that I have pretty much replaced my home page with iGoogle.  Here's what my iGoogle home page looks like:

What you see is the view of both the "top" and the "bottom" of the page, since I didn't want to put the whole page on on slide.

One of the things I like about iGoogle is that you can configure the home page and add quite a number of links and "gadgets" which allow you to see a whole lot of what the Internet had to offer.  The "settings" option also allows you to configure the tabs that you could use on the home page.  In essence, you could have a number of "landing pages" on your single home page.  It's actually a good option; you could configure iGoogle, for example, to work for home, school, and work, all on one single page:

I'm still working on what is available and what my target audience could use.

I'll end this for now.  The next post should be the video on how you could configure iGoogle with some of the different options it has.

BP7_OMM

Hey, everybody.

I'm writing this part because mostly because of some really bad timing, so let me explain.

I was having way too much trouble downloading from Viddler to Blogger.  I don't know why, I wish I knew.  So I had to go another route in order to download my video to my blog.  For those of you that remember last month, I'm still having trouble with the technology.  I guess it's not user-friendly with me right now.

I'll be honest, I don't know how the video will be when you all see it.

And I'll be even MORE brutally honest when I say that this has not been my best work as of yet.  In fact, I'm rather unhappy with it.  I know I could have done better.  Hey, no excuses from my part.  I guess everyone has a course where for some reason the stars don't align and everything seems to be going a bit wrong.

I apologize to you, Professor, and everyone that reads this.  I really don't mean to vent, and I don't know what kind of grade I'll be getting for this assignment, but it's kind of how I'm feeling right about now.

Just -- try not to be so harsh, OK?  This class has been the most difficult for me so far, but I'm doing my best to say afloat and keep in line with everything that needs to be done.

Thanks, everyone, for understanding (I hope).

(There.....I feel a whole lot better).

BP6_Link to Stephanie's Searching for a Science Eye

Here is a link to Stephanie's blog:

To Stephanie's blog

Thanks!!!!

BP5_Link to Stephanie's Designing My Educational Future

Follow this link to my comments on Stephanie's blog:

To Stephanie's Blog comments

Thank you.