RWLD #7 - Flat Classroom and Final Project

As we come to a close for the semester, there remain two projects that need to be completed, the Flat Classroom and the Final Project.

The Flat Classroom Project

The Flat Classroom is a project that has been running for weeks.  The class members have been "Expert Advisors" to the scores of students who have been involved in the Flat Classroom Project.  We have had varied success in interacting with the students. Some of you have had students reply to you and some of you haven't.   This seems to be part of the project.  

Once the written part of the Flat Classroom Project has been completed, the video portion of the project begins.  Students have been working on building collaborative videos addressing their specific part of the specific topic that they have selected.  This means that there are dozens of videos to judge.

The judging process actually begins during the week of December 6. This is an ongoing process where educators will be asked to review a collection of videos and evaluate them.  Here is the process you will need to follow to get involved in the judging process.

How to Become a Flat Classroom Project Judge: (We will be judging for the 10-B wiki)

1. Visit the Judges Overview page.
2. Read all of the material on the Overview page.
3. *****Complete the Online Sign-up Form under the How do I Sign Up to Judge? section. (there are two links in step 1.  They go to the same webpage. You only have to complete 1 of them.)*****
4. You don't have to join the wiki because you have all already done that.
5. You should also already be a member of the Expert Advisors and Judges ning.
6. Review the Timeline Overview
7. Watch the Judges Meeting which is a recording of an online meeting for judges held on 12/5/10  (only 20 minutes).  It MAY be a little confusing. If it is, note your questions and send them to me through eLearning email.
8. Dr. Z has already assigned each of you to a topic.  Click on your topic and it should take you to the Video Artifacts section of the topic.  If you end up on a page that also has their wiki writings, then look for the section at the top that says "Video Artifacts" and click on the link in that section. It will take you to a page that has a number of links to videos.

 How to Judge Videos 

1. You will need to go through these videos and judge each of them using the multimedia rubric.  This rubric has 4 parts to it.  Read it through and become familiar with each of the parts.
2. Now go through and watch each of the videos.  Some of them will "jump out at you" while others are obviously not videos that you would consider for an award (based upon the criteria listed in the rubric.)
3. Once you have identified the top half of the videos. Use the rubric to specifically watch each of the videos and evaluate them using the criteria.  You will want to be accurate in your evaluation so you will want to either complete the rubric on the screen or print them out and complete them.
4. After you have evaluated all of the videos, you need to select the top 4 videos. 
5. You will be sent links to survey forms through email, they are NOT on the website.  This is done for security reasons.
6. You must complete a survey for each of the top 4 videos.
7. You may select one of the videos as your personal favorite. This will be listed in the survey.
8. After you have completed your judging, complete the Flat Classroom Assignment below.

Flat Classroom Project Assignment page 
As a summation of the Flat Classroom Project, please complete the Flat Classroom Assignment. This asks you to reflect on the experience. I know that you may not have had too much interaction with the students in the writing phase, but please talk about this. 

Flat Classroom Project Assignment Page

RWLD #6 - Learning Opportunities

Learning opportunities are made available through new tools, but more importantly, new ideas.  This Module will look at some tools and ideas that can provide additional learning possibilities.

Building Your Personal Learning Network

Back in Module 3 you were introduced to a Personal Learning Network (PLN). At that time you created your own PLN by subscribing to your classmates and some professional blogs. The world of RSS has provided a system for subscribing to things around the world as they occur. New ideas are posted on blogs; new articles are run in newspapers; new journal articles appear addressing specific topics; the latest comics can appear in your PLN instead of requiring you to run all over the world (wide web) looking for what you desire.  

Here are a few videos that explain how you can subscribe to some of these resources:

• Subscribing to News (using Gadgets)
• Subscribing to Research Databases

 Now that you know how to subscribe to various resources for your PLN, it is time to expand your PLN. This is your opportunity to expand your horizons. Dr. Z would love to see what you are doing, but the iGoogle PLN is quite private and there is no way to share it with others.

What you need is some way to create a video tour of your PLN to share with others.  You will have just the tool to create such a video (called a screencast) in a tool called Jing.  Jing is a tool that will record activity on your screen (up to 5 minutes) and then allow you to save it on a server to share with others.

***Read your PLN Assignment to see how you can put these two opportunities together.***

Collaborative Tools
Collaboration is important in today's world.  This isn't limited to a group of learners sitting at a table and working together.  In today's global world we MUST have tools that will allow us to work together regardless of location or time.

Google Docs - One of the most popular collaborative tools is Google Docs. Google Docs is an online tool that will enable you to work with others in a fashion that is less frantic and confusing than emailing copies of projects back and forth between authors.  Here is a short video that does a wonderful job of explaining how Google Docs works.

Here are some instructions for how you can use Google Docs to collaborate with a classmate or friend in being creative:   Getting Started with Google Docs

Wikispaces:

Another collaborative tool that is used widely throughout the world is the wiki.  The largest reference resource in the world is a wiki, Wikispaces. They are easy to create and even easier to use while working with others.

You have already entered information in our course wiki.  This wiki has been set so that anyone can make changes if they want. It can also be controlled so that only members who sign-in can make changes to it.

You some videos for using wikis in education:

• Teaching with WIKI (1:12 video)
• Using Wikis in the Classroom (3:00 video)
• Wikis in the Classroom at UW-Green Bay (2:48 video) - Higher Education

RWLD #5 - Learning in a Virtual World

This will be an opportunity to meet, greet and talk with people through virtual means. Review these materials, enroll in Second Life (SL), and explore Second Life.

 
After you sign-up for SL, remember to post your Second Life name on our Student Contact page.
We will visit the Iowa Island in Second Life. Read the materials and watch the videos below to get an idea of what SL involves. Can you find any materials on the web that you would like to add to our collection?

7 Things You Should Know about Virtual Worlds. A virtual world is an immersive online environment whose "residents" are avatars representing individuals who participate through the Internet. Many institutions are experimenting with virtual worlds for educational purposes. They may foster constructivist learning by placing students in a context that challenges them to learn without explicit learning objectives and assessment.
 

Using Second Life for Immersive Learning podcast
(Educause Connect Podcast) 14-minute podcast with Dr. Cynthia Calongne, Professor of Computer Science at Colorado Technical University. Discusses how she uses Second Life to provide real-life laboratories for her students.
 

Educational Uses of Second Life
Interesting 7-minute video introduction to the educational possibilities of Second Life.
 

Dr. Z's Intro to Second Life Wiki
A series of YouTube videos that Dr. Z found to introduce you to Second Life.

Virtual Social Worlds And the Future of Learning
Learning in Three Dimensions: Experiencing the Sensibilties Imagining the Possibilities of virtual worlds in education.

Dr. Z Explains Making Landmark Notecards in Second Life
A tutorial that Dr. Z created using his avatar in Second Life. It explains how to create notecards that can be used to help direct people around SL.

====================

Assignment (Doing)

Complete the Second Life Education Tool where you will be find 10 or more resources in Second Life and then you will create a landmark card as well as a blog posting where you will share those resources.

Support Videos for the Assignment

Here are some videos that will help you learn how to create the Landmark Tour card and the blog posting for this assignment.

Creating a SL Educational Tool Tutorial - Part 1

Provides an example of the Landmark Notecard and then covers the first part of the process you will use to create this notecard. You will begin by identifying a topic; use the SL search engine to find places dealing with that topic; visit these places; and landmark each of these sites.

Creating a SL Educational Tool Tutorial - Part 2

Demonstrates how to create a new notecard; list the SL sites you will be including in your Tour; drag the landmarks from your inventory to your card; and save the card. Finally, you will see how to submit your card to the dropbox in Second Life.

Creating a SL Educational Tool Tutorial - Part 3

Demonstrates how to create your blog posting that includes the SLurls for each of your Second Life sites. You will copy these SLurls from SL and then use them as links on your blog page.

I hope that these are useful for you to create your virtual world tours.

Module 4: Global Education

Global Education is HERE!!

We have the tools to communicate with our neighbors who live down the street, across the state, across the nation and around the world. We live in the digital world where the world is "flattening."  

Until the end of the semester, you will be involved in the Flat Classroom Project as advisors and judges.  This is a program that is based on the work of Thomas Friedman.  It is described in his "The World is Flat" book.

REMEMBER: READ Web 2.0: pgs. 45 - 97 for this module.

Watch Friedman's Lecture: To get the necessary background, you could read his 400-page book (and you really should do that over Winter Vacation), but you can get the idea by watching Thomas Friedman's 75-minute lecture at MIT on "The World is Flat."   Pay attention to what he says about the Flatteners and how they have changed the world.  These flatteners are the basis of the Flat Classroom Project.

The Flat Classroom Project was originated by Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay. They are high school business teacher.  Vicki teaches in Camilla, Georgia, USA and Julie Lindsay teaches at an international school in Bejing, China.  The story is an interesting one.  Please read their article call the Flat Classroom in Learning and Leading Through Technology.  Yes, this is a 2007 article and things have changed a good deal since then, but it shows the premise for the program.

Our involvement with the Flat Classroom Project will be to work as Expert/Advisors and ultimately, Judges.  This means that we will be reviewing the written work that students are doing and provide feedback through the discussion groups on their wiki pages.

1. First, you will have to go to the website and join the Ning.  Here is a video that will tell you how to do that:    Flat Classroom Intro and Joining the Ning
2. Once you have joined the Ning, I would like you to familiarize yourself with it and add information to your profile. You will also want to add a comment to the posting on my blog there.  Here is a video that explains that as well:  Familiarizing Yourself with the FCP Ning
3. Then you need to come back to the FCP wiki and sign up there so that you can sign up for an Expert/Advisor job.  *****You will be asked to join the Main FCP wiki first and then the Experts/Advisors wiki. It appears that you become an immediate member when you sign up for the Main FCP wiki. 
4. When you ask to become a member of the Experts/Advisors wiki, you will have to wait for permission because you are asking to make changes on the wiki.  This may take a while because you have to sign up to be a member of the wiki and then wait to be admitted (probably 24 - 48 hours).  Then you return to the wiki when you get notification that you have been added and enter your name in the group where you want to work. Here is a video that describes that:  Signing Up for Expert Advisor 
5. KEEP A JOURNAL - As you go through the Flat Classroom experience, please keep a journal of what is happening.  You can do this as part of your blog or a private journal.  You will be expected to review your work in this journal as part of the final writeup for the Flat Classroom Project.

Flat Classroom Conferences

Every 2 years, the FCP group like to get together to talk and share their FCP experiences. This is an opportunity for teachers and students from around the world to meet and learn from each other.

The first conference was based upon the question of "What happens if we empower students with the ability to design an educational project that will address a global social issue and allow them access to any and all community online networking tools?"

Here is a video that covers the first Flat Classroom Conference:

Flat Classroom Conference in Qatar, 2009

Flat Classroom Conference in Bejing, Feb 25-27, 2011

There will be a world-wide Flat Classroom Project conference in Bejing in Feb, 2011.  

We have been invited to attend as Instructional Design consultants and presenters. We will work with the other attendees to create global instructional project.  Dr. Z will take 12 students (8 Masters and 4 Minor students) to Bejing.

All Instructional Technology Masters and Educational Technology Minor students are eligible to attend the conference. There are a few requirements. Masters students must have successfully completed the Instructional Development course by the end of the Fall 2010 semester.  Ed Tech Minor students must have successfully complete the Media Planning and Production course by the end of Fall 2010.

For more information, please review our Bejing Introduction and Requirements Sheet.

Building Collaboration Through VoiceThread

VoiceThread - Ever look for a way that you can have learners virtually gather around a video or document and then discuss it?  VoiceThread will allow you to be able to do this. 

Your assignment (should you decide to accept it) is to:

1) Go to VoiceThread and sign up for an account.

2) Go to the VoiceThread discussion site that is linked right here. 

3) Click on my photo on the left so that you can hear the instructions.

4) Watch the video, Learning to Change-Changing to Learn.

Yes, you will see the responses of students from last semester.  That is one of the beauties of this form of collaborative technology. You can build upon others' work.

5) Comment on the video using the prompts below.  You can comment through audio, video, text.  Whatever you want.

    a)  Your comment should include your ideas about what is said in the video about education.  

    b) Integrate what you have read so far in our class.

    c) React to what at least one of your classmates has commented so far. If you are the first commentor, you can make a general statement that addresses the World's perspective on this topic.

Learn more about VoiceThread through watching this video and this blog posting on MPB Reflections

Photo: Flat Classroom Project

Module 3 - Social Networking in Education

Getting Into the Blog-o-sphere

You have already entered the blog-o-sphere by beginning to follow some bloggers.  What did you learn?  What comments did you leave on the bloggers' postings?  Did you get any responses back from anyone? 

Now that you have reviewed the postings of accomplished bloggers, what do you think?  Was it useful? How could you make blogging useful to you?

It is time for you to create your own blog-o-sphere identity. You will begin by creating a blog and then begin to share your ideas, experiences and resources. In the past we have said that blogging involves Reading, Commenting, and Writing/Creating.  You have already had the opportunity to read and comment.  Let's hope that you continue with this enthusiasm as you embark on your blog writing/creating experience.

Remember to read Disrupting Class: pp. 43 - 86

Writing/Creating 

Writing is the key to it all. This is where you can share your ideas with world. It is where you have to confront your thoughts. I once had a professor (Dr. David Moursund) who told me that he didn't know how he felt about a topic until he had written about it. Writing requires you to organize your ideas so that you can express them in a clear and cogent manner.

1. First thing you must do is create a blog. We use Google's Blogger as the standard because it is quick and easy, but you can use whichever blog you would like. Just remember that it needs to be accessible to the world.

Here is a 2-minute video on how you can create your first Blogger account. 

2. Your blog will be enhanced if you add a few gadgets to it. I would suggest that you add: 1) Subscribe to (allows others to subscribe to your blog); 2) Labels (lists the labels you have added to your postings); and 3) Stats (shows how frequently people visit your website.)  Here is a video that will show you how to add these three gadgets to your blog.  



3) Now that you have the easel, it is time for you to share your ideas.  This is where you get to reflect upon the blogs you have been reading for the past couple of weeks.  Here are some things that I want you to review:

• Review the names of the blogs you have been reading.
• Explain what each of them discuss?  
• Have you found them to be as interesting as you expected?  Why?
• Have you found a common theme between them?  Is there a general reason why you selected them?
• What have you found to be the attributes of these blogs that have been effective in making them interesting and useful?

REMEMBER!!!  This is NOT in an enclosed eLearning discussion group that ONLY Dr. Z will read.  It is in the public. All of your classmates will be reading it. People in the public may read it.  DON'T write it like you are answering this writing prompts on a test.  Write it in a manner that will interest your colleagues.
You MUST read all of your classmates' postings and thoughtfully respond to them by the end of the module. 
 

Here are some hints for making effective postings.  You may have found some other ideas about what makes a posting interesting.

• Begin with an active title. (i.e., Making Your Blog Postings More Interesting; 5 Ways to Extend Your Summer Vacation; How Blogs Changed the Writing Process in my 10th Grade English Class; or ????)
• Include an image or photo of some sort.  You can find a wealth of photos you can use (as long as you cite them as I have done below) at Flickr/CreativeCommons  (www.flickr.com/creativecommons)
• Always include at least 2 links to something relevant on the web. This means that when you discuss the Dr. Z Reflects and Clif's Notes blogs, you must have links to those websites so that your reader can examine them.  It is similar to the APA citations you have to do in your research papers, only it is MUCH easier to include.
• Your postings must have depth and that is more than can be captured on the single page.  Writing a post can be a small research project that will provide readers a deeper understanding of the topic.  This depth is provided by the additional links you provide your readers.
• End your postings with questions to elicit responses from your readers.

So how do you see yourself using blogs in your future teaching/training careers?

Twitter and TweetDeck 
Twitter is an important form of communication.  It seems to be used more in the professional world (Facebook fills that person niche for social networking.) Instead of making this page unduly long, I have created a Blogger Page and dedicated it to Twittering. This is a new capability of Blogger. The nice thing about this is that I don't have to deal with it as a dynamic blog post.  It is also available for linking from anywhere on the Web in case you want to use it in another form.  Only limitation is that you can only have 10 of these pages per blog.

Go to the Twitter Page and then come back here to see what needs to be done.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Create these columns in TweetDeck:

1. Create a column that will follow our list of class twitter-ers: eitf2010
2. Create a column that will follow the hashtag: #UNI_IT
3. CHALLENGE: Create a column that will follow tweets about a specific area of interest to you. I am not going to tell you how to do this. You need to search the web or twitter or YouTube to find out how to do this.

RSS and Your Personal Learning Network

Another problem with seemingly endless amount of information on the web is trying to get to it.  Each time you want to read the blogs you have selected, you have to click on the bookmark you have created and then go to the blog to see if there are any new postings. Sometimes there aren't.  WHAT A PAIN!!!!!

Wouldn't it be easier if we could just subscribe to these blogs so that they would come to us like a magazine in the mail?  Well folks, we CAN!!!!  We use the magic of RSS.  RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication (RSS).

Wondering about RSS?

Read What the Heck IS RSS?  - (a 2-page description on CopyBlogger)

Watch RSS in Plain English - (a 3-minute video on YouTube)

RSS allows us to be connected to the world. Think how this could change the structure of education. Here is video explaining how a teacher and students used RSS to create a student-centric learning environment.

The Networked Student -  a video that tells a true story about how a student used a Personal Learning Network (PLN) to develop a network of resources for his learning.

Beginning Your iGoogle/Personal Learning Network

Now that you have seen what's possible with a well-developed personal learning network, it's time for you to create your own. There are many programs used to collect resources through RSS.  These are called aggregators because they aggregate RSS feeds.

Teachers create PLNs to organize resources for themselves and ultimately their students. Art Titzel, an 8th grade Amarican Cultures teacher, explains in his blog how he created and maintains his PLN. How I Built My Personal Learning Network (PLN)

For this class, we will use iGoogle.  iGoogle is available to anyone who has a Google account. Below is an introduction to creating your own iGoogle-based PLN.

The iGoogle Online Tutorial Part 1 - a 9-minute introduction to setting up your iGoogle account. Watch this and then set up your iGoogle account.  Use this video to begin creating your own iGoogle page.

Begin Creating Your Own PLN - a short video that describes how you can create a tab on your iGoogle page completely dedicated to your classmates' blogs.This process can be used to create an RSS link to other blogs and resources throughout the web.

Blogs You Need to Subscribe to:

1. Classmates' Blogs - Go to our Student Contact wiki and find the links to your classmates' blog. Use the subscribe buttons on their blogs to subscribe to them through iGoogle.  These blogs need to be in the blog tab that you just created.
2. Professional Blogs - You have been following blogs. Link to them so that you can keep up on them.

Read the Blogs:

1. Read Your Classmates' Blogs - You are expected to read ALL of your classmates' and comment on them. Check your PLN every day. Keep up on this.
2. Read the Professional Blogs - Keep up on these blogs as well. You will expand your connections as you comment and reply to these bloggers.

TweetDeck and iGoogle are personal systems that only you can review.  This doesn't mean that you shouldn't complete this assignment.  You WILL be held accountable.

In the next module you will be asked to use Jing (same free software that I use to create the quick tutorials that i have been using in this RWLD) to create a video tour of your resources.The specifics will be included in Module 4.

photo: flickr.com/roland

Module 2 - Exploring Distributed Learning Communities

Distributed Learning Communities

You are entering a distributed learning community. Distributed learning environments are often separated by distance.  More importantly, the dynamics of a successful distributed learning community will be on the students. It will emphasize building a community of learners where individuals work collaboratively with their group members rather than competitively. Students can be experts and are acknowledged as such. It is a community where individuals work for the betterment of the group.

A learning community is a group of learners who actively demonstrate 4 characteristics:

    1. Diversity of expertise; 

    2. Shared objective of advancing the collective knowledge;

    3. Learning how to learn; and 

    4. Mechanisms for sharing what is learned.

Dr. Christopher Dede of Harvard University wrote about how distributed learning communities can be supported/enhanced through emerging technologies. Read the following two articles and consider how this model relates to your past and present educational experiences: 

• Dede, C. (2004) Enabling distributed learning communities via emerging technologies - part 1 (.pdf)
• Dede, C. (2004) Enabling distributed learning communities via emerging technologies - part 2 (.pdf)

Web 2.0 Tools  
The interactive nature of Web 2.0 tools facilitates interaction between people. The Internet has flattened the playing field between people and nations of the world. No longer is geography a limiting factor for human and professional interaction. X-rays taken in Bangor, Maine, can be read by a doctor in San Diego, California. A customer support call from Las Crusas, New Mexico, is answered by a specialist in Manila, Philippines. 

The educational opportunities have been expanded as well. Ninth grade Spanish students in Pleasant Plains, Illinois will practice the language as they Skype with high school English students in Aguas Dulches, Uruguay. A third grade student in Des Moines can work weekly with a tutor in Bangador, India. Our ethnocentric world will never be the same.

Solomon and Schrum discuss how the world is different and how this affects the learners in our schools.  Read pages 1 - 44 in the Web 2.0 book. While you are reading, consider these following points. You will use this as the basis for the reflecting you will do in the Discussion section of this module:

• Compare this with the Disrupting Class reading you did last week. How will they work together?
• How are these scenarios different from your present/past educational experience.  
• Will these learning environments fit your learning needs?  How about those of your present/future students?
• Consider specific instances that would demonstrate your ideas.  

Collaborative Class Wiki:

One of the most important premises of a distributed learning community is recognizing diversity of expertise. We won't know "who specializes in what" unless you tell us.  I have created some wiki pages that correspond with the learning community experiences for this semester.  Please go to the class wiki and enter your pertinent information in the Specialist Corner and the Student Contact Information page.  This is information is something that you will need to continue to update as things change throughout the semester.

Here are some videos that I created (using a screencasting tool, Jing) to introduce you to our wiki and how to edit it. Review these to see if they will assist you in your quest.

Videos:

• An Introduction to Using a Wiki
• How to Edit a Wiki (use this to complete the assignment)

Blogging

Blogging is the tool that has done a great deal to democratize information and communication. No longer do we need to have our own printing press to share our ideas with others. It is as easy as 1-2-3 (see Blogger) to hang out your publishing shingle and get into the business of writing for the public.

Let's see what a blog is and what it can be:

• Blogging in Plain English
• How to Create Your Own Subject or Classroom Blog
• Creating a Blog for Your Business

Before you can blog, you need to know what composes a blog. You need to have background in reading blogs in your area of interest. You need to see how postings are usually more interesting if they have been well researched and provide a variety of links that will help the reader explore further into the topic. You need to become an active member of the Blogosphere. You will be reading blogs this module and begin to write your own blog in module 3.

Working with blogs during this course will involve Reading, Commenting, and Writing/Creating. 
 
Reading

1. Read ALL of your classmates' blogs ALL of the time.  It is important to keep up on what they are saying. It will also give them a reason to write. Blogging has little meaning if no one is reading it. Besides, it will mean that someone will be reading yours as well.

You will find links to your classmates' blogs in the right-hand column of this RWLD.  See them over there?

2. Follow at least 4 of these professional blogs over the rest of the semester.

• Dr. Z Reflects (Leigh Zeitz) ***** - Explores ideas, gadgets and opportunities for using technology to support learning.
• Social Media in Learning (Jane Hart) - Deals with both business and K-12 learning.
• Cool Cat Teacher Blog (Vicki Davis) - Ranked #1 education blog. Written by a high school business teacher with an amazing global perspective.
• 2 Cents Worth (David Warlick) - Leader in using Web 2.0 tools in education.
• Dangerously Irrelevant (Scott McLeod) - Technology, Leadership and the Future of Education 
• ClifNotes (Clif Mims) - Wide variety of ideas and reflections. Explore his whole website to find a wonderful collection of ingenuity.
• Langwitches Blog (Silvia Tolisano) - Elementary school teacher with a global vision. Avid user of Skpe.
• Angela Maiers' Blog - K-12 ideas and experiences. Good blog for classroom teachers and those who want to know about integrating Web 2.0 into the classroom. 

3. Read at least 2 blogs in a personal area of interest.  Use the Google Blog Search (blogsearch.google.com) to find someone who writes about what you enjoy. This search will provide you with postings, but usually the blogs that hold the postings are in your area of interest.

Commenting 

Commenting is important if you are going to be an involved part of the Blogosphere. Your comments give a blogger an indication that someone is reading her/his work. That gives a sense of mission. Interestingly enough, bloggers will often respond to your comments either directly or in an future posting.

Useful comments are much more than just a quick reaction to a posting. They can build the basis for an ongoing discussion. They can add additional content to the discussion. They can  . . . tell you what, I don't want to make a huge list here. Why don't you jump over the Vicki Davis's CoolCatTeacher blog and read her posting, How to Comment like a King (or Queen).  Comment on her blog using her guidelines. Say something about being in our EIT class. We will be working with her later on in the semester.

Emerging Instructional Technology Twittering:

Another thing that we will be doing this week is signing up for Twitter.   This will be a way that we can follow each other as well as follow any comments that apply specifically to our Emerging Instructional Technologies (EIT - I will use the EIT to refer to our class.)

Twitter in Plain English video

User Name Advice: 
Before you sign up for Twitter, consider this when selecting your screen name. Twitter is usually used for more professional activities. You should use a username that you will use for ALL of your places on the social media network.  This should be a professional name that will easily identify you.  

• DON'T use one with long numbers or cute sayings: jbrown714456 or funnyguy3933
• DO use something with your name if possible  zeitz, leighzeitz, leigh.zeitz, vvrotny

1. Join Twitter.  Go to the Twitter homepage and sign up (http://twitter.com).
2. Follow Dr. Z. Once you are signed in, go to http://twitter.com/zeitz   Click on the Follow button so that you can follow my tweets. I will automatically follow you back, so you will know that you have at least one follower
3. Get a Twitter App. Download TweetDeck from http://tweetdeck.com This is a program that you can run from your computer to check your twitter account. I suggest this because it makes it easy to organize the tweets from your friends.
4. Tell us Your Username. Go to our NamePage where you will post your twitter name. 

Read about Guy Kawasaki's 10 Steps to Terrific Twittering by Lauren McKay.  Consider how you could use this in your professional life.  You don't need to just use it with your students. Twitter can be a powerful personal professional development tool that will open you to the world. (Optional Reading: the Edutopia posting, Twittering, Not Frittering: Professional Development in 140 Characters)

We will use a few different ways to follow each other:

• Hashtags (#UNI_EIT)
• Lists
• TweetDeck columns

I will provide more information on how to use these in the next module.

Review (don't have to read) these 6 Sources for Using Twitter in Education 

Twitter Spoofs for a little fun.

Have fun,

Z

photo: flickr.com/cekrypton2

RWLD #1 - The Introduction

Begin by completing the ILS questionnaire below and then entering your personal information into the following surveys.

Surveys to Complete:

• Index of Learning Styles (ILS) Questionnaire
  Learn which learning styles are your strengths. PRINT your results.
• Learning Styles Survey using the information you just learned from the ILS Questionnaire.
• Technical Skills Survey I will use this information to begin to create groups.

Watch these videos. They will hopefully provide some interesting perspectives on emerging technology throughout the ages.

• Introducing Le Book - depicts the process that a support person might have used when books were first introduced.
• Web 2.0 . . . The Machine is Us/ing Us - How has/is life changing in the digital age. Prof. Wesch explains this in this video. Learn what Prof. Wesch is learning about the digital age at Kansas State University.
• The Sixth Sense - Dr. Pattie Maes shares her research into creating a wearable device that "enables new interactions between the real world and the world of data." This video is on the TED website. These are short presentations by some of the greatest minds in the world. You will enjoy exploring the TED Talks website. It will definitely replace the time you spend watching TV.

Remember to read pages 1 - 44 in the Disrupting Class book.

photo:flickr.com/GypsyFae