Gathering Resources from this Discussion

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Subject: [PD 3402] Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Dlhargrove at aol.com Dlhargrove at aol.com
Date: Tue Jun 16 08:21:02 EDT 2009

Hi all,
I've been reading the digests of our current discussion with great interest. As an Online Professional Developer in Florida, I'm also responsible for the gathering and dissemination of online resources for Teachers and Administrators. As a member of the AALPD Board, one of my jobs is to host an online resource wiki where we all can share online tools that might help us work smarter.

The YouTube videos clips are a GREAT resource that can be used as an introductory activity/ice-breaker for an online PD course. I placed both Melinda's and Gina's You Tube links into the AALPD Resource Wiki at:

_http://aalpdresources.pbworks.com/_ (http://aalpdresources.pbworks.com/)

Under "Sharing Presentations and AV Resources". Please help me gather more YouTube videos that we can add to the Wiki. It's free to use, and anyone with a PB Wiki account can post.

Happy Tuesday,
Deb Hargrove
Florida TechNet

Subject: [PD 3428] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Lobaccaro Gina (DOC) Gina.Lobaccaro at state.de.us
Date: Tue Jun 16 10:13:11 EDT 2009

Great Idea Deb.
I created a PBWiki to go along with my ABE Online Course that I will be teaching in the fall, so I am already a member.... I am going to direct my students to the ALE Wiki for one week's activity - and then have them gather sources they find that they believe to be valuable for their class, their students, their own professional development, etc - and post it on to the course's Wiki..... just to give them a little more Wiki experience. Now I just have to go figure out where I put my password information!

)

Gina

Subject: [PD 3434] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Melinda Hefner mhefner at cccti.edu
Date: Tue Jun 16 12:24:17 EDT 2009

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Did You Know? 2.0

Academia 2.0

If you would like more, just let me know.

Melinda

Melinda M. Hefner
Director, Literacy Support Services

Basic Skills Department
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Hudson, North Carolina

Subject: [PD 3443] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Susan Hershey SHershey at NSCAP.org
Date: Wed Jun 17 09:30:52 EDT 2009

Melinda -

Thanks for the stunning UTube piece "Did You Know?" Being a visual learner myself, this meant more to me than all of the many interesting and informative emails that have been appearing on my computer screen for the past two weeks!

My name is Susan Hershey and I run a pilot Transition-to-College program in Peabody, Massachusetts. We just completed our first semester with at least 11 of our original 20 participants going on to take college courses. Students studied two on-line courses, one a self-directed math course, the other a Health Science course with an online teacher. Both courses were very successful and courses were firsts for me. I must admit I was dragged kicking and screaming to the concept, being a strong believer in face to face teaching with dialogue being an important part of the teaching process. I am slowly beginning to understand the importance of learning the new ways! Thanks for this discussion. It is helping me to formulate new ideas about teaching.


Susan

Always reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you will fall among the stars.

Susan Hershey

Project Pathways, Program Coordinator
North Shore Community Action Programs
Peabody, Massachusetts

Subject: [PD 3450] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Bonnie Odiorne bonniesophia at sbcglobal.net
Date: Wed Jun 17 11:42:48 EDT 2009

Melinda, Thanks for the resources. And here I thought I was integrated into technology and have been since the 1980s. How little I know. The challenge, within the online medium of course design, is to capitalize on the media that are a click away. The trick is to find it. Can anyone share search strategies for locating media in YouTube, podcasts...wherever? More, please. 

Bonnie Odiorne, Ph.D. Director, Writing Center Adjunct Professor of English, French, First Year Transitions, Day Division and ADP

Post University, Waterbury, CT

Subject: [PD 3458] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Katrina Hinson khinson at almanid.com
Date: Wed Jun 17 13:17:30 EDT 2009

Bonnie,

I use videos (whether youtube or ones I find elsewhere on the web) in my F2F lectures all the time and in my online courses. When I'm looking for something, I start with the basics - up to and including the topic I'm teaching. For instance, when I teach either my Composition course, Writing About Literature or the world lit class and I'm looking for a specific piece related to a writer, I'll search for "Edgar Allan Poe". There is a great YouTube video of Vincent Price reading the "The Raven." My students have completely enjoyed it each time I've shown it. I wanted lessons related to 'grammar' so I searched for "English Grammar" and there were a ton of videos. These are sometimes great to embed into a power point that a teacher has already created. They're also good to show different view points or different ways of doing something. I use YouTube to show relevant movie clips related to lit pieces we may have read in class; I also use simple audio files. One of my favorites is an audio file of Lucille Clifton's "Homage to My Hips." To hear the poet recite her own poem is far more powerful than just simply reading it and provides a great segue for talking about the words she stressed compared to words we may have stressed differently when we read it as a class.

If I had to come up with steps:

1) Start with a simple topic; Start with what you know. Be careful not to make it too broad or too narrow.
2) Weed through the results.
3) Realize you may have to look at several horrid examples before you find one good one or one great one that works for you. Don't stop with the first one you find.
4) The databases are always changing - so if you don't find something today, check again later.

You go find videos on YouTube and Google Video. A simple google search for video and audio files will also turn up a host of data. It comes back to the time you allow yourself to search for something like this...and to perhaps not get frustrated if the first search string you attempt doesn't produce the results you want. Just don't give up. Also, another option, is if you don't find what you're looking for - make that a project - you create the video up and upload it. Most likely someone else has been looking for it too and you've then created something not only for yourself/ your class/ your colleagues but for others - people like all of us on this discussion board!

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Katrina

Subject: [PD 3472] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Holly Dilatush holly at dilatush.com
Date: Wed Jun 17 15:38:47 EDT 2009

Bonnie asked: The trick is to find it. Can anyone share search strategies for locating media in YouTube, podcasts...wherever? More, please.

I would add:

Twitter! Find and follow folks who explore what you want to learn more about, and check the links they share.

Search Larry Ferlazzo's http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/ site and if you don't see it, contact him and see if he'll explore it for you!

Keep your eye out for info on Google's upcoming Wave [1]; I am excited by this upcoming launch, and rather hope it will be what the NIFL listservs migrate to...

and I hope others will respond; I'm curious to learn more about how those of us interested in this listserv discussion do find resources.

Holly

-- Holly (Dilatush)
Charlottesville, VA USA

Subject: [PD 3474] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Susy Oldham SOldham at efcts.us
Date: Wed Jun 17 16:18:51 EDT 2009

I am fascinated with learning styles. There are ever so important to take into account with students and teachers, as well. I am not an auditory learner. For this reason I find staff meetings incredibly difficult. I must take copious notes. I am currently a graduate student at an online university. Being a visual and kinesthetic learner this mode of learning satisfies both for me. So, taking the poem into consideration... Simply hearing it means little to me, but watching it (as in a dramatic rendition) makes the poem come alive.

Just as with all teaching, all the learning styles must be utilized. The learning needs to be informative, creative, and enjoyable. One style will not work for all.

Thank you,
Susy Oldham
ESOL Instructor
GED Orientation Instructor

Subect: [PD 3481] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Katrina Hinson KHinson at almanid.com
Date: Wed Jun 17 18:31:09 EDT 2009

DimDim (Web Conferencing Software)

Audience: Educators, Facilitators, and students

Objective: Synchronous and Asynchronous communication; Web Conference with up to 20 people in the 'free' version of the product; share your desktop with those in attendance; share files and powerpoints etc.

Context: Online learning

Implications for PD: It 's also a way for an online teacher who doesn't usually meet his or her students at one time to create an avenue for them talk about common problems. Likewise, this can be used by those creating online PD opportunities for the same reason and to do so with a workable group size. Presentations can be recorded and archived for review and download after the fact as well so that if someone can't make the online chat, they still have access to the online content.

Subject: [PD 3483] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Kimberly A. Johnson kjohnson60 at gw.hamline.edu
Date: Wed Jun 17 23:47:21 EDT 2009

I've got to jump in here to say that not being able to interact and hear a discussion is the worst thing about online learning for me. I struggle in an online environment and miss the opportunity to talk through things with others. Shoot, even my spouse has learned that I need to hear myself in our discussions as a way to process and work through stuff!

Point is - one style will not work for all, just as Susy has said.
Kimberly Johnson
Hamline University, St Paul, MN

Subject: [PD 3496] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Melinda Hefner mhefner at cccti.edu
Date: Thu Jun 18 11:02:54 EDT 2009

I think you bring up a valid concern. There are several technical solutions to your concern, i.e. web conferencing, Voicethreads, instant messaging some of which have audio and video capabilities, etc. Hope this helps!

Melinda

Melinda M. Hefner
Director, Literacy Support Services
Basic Skills Department
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
2855 Hickory Blvd.
Hudson, North Carolina 28638

Subject: [PD 3491] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Melinda Hefner mhefner at cccti.edu
Date: Thu Jun 18 08:56:23 EDT 2009

I had forgotten all about DimDim. I don't have any experience with it so I'd be very interested in hearing your "review". Strenghts? Weaknesses?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Melinda

Melinda M. Hefner
Director, Literacy Support Services

Basic Skills Department
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Hudson, North Carolina

Subject: [PD 3492] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Barter, Ann Marie AnnMarie.Barter at maine.gov
Date: Thu Jun 18 09:53:59 EDT 2009

Amen to that, Katrina. I agree that technology is the tool, not the teacher and accessibility is a huge issue, especially in a rural state like Maine. There are people in my professional and personal lives who wish to be better connected and can't be by virtue of their financial or geographic situations and others who opt out intentionally. After reading a post yesterday about a young person under the age of 16 who has never emailed, I quizzed my almost 15 yo nephew about his tech usage. No email, facebook, twitter, texting or IM for him by choice! My parents (70ish) also choose not to own a computer although they have the means both financial and geographic. Some days I bemoan all that they miss out on and other days I envy the simplicity of their daily lives! What they do with all the time they do not spend on the computer is read - real books, both my nephew and my parents. Oh, and they also talk to people - f2f, not on the cell! We can't put the genie back in the bottle, but one size definitely does not fit all and this discussion has brought up a myriad of ideas, each of which could have its own week-long discussion thread dedicated to it. Thank you all, Ann Marie

Ann Marie Barter
Professional Development Consultant
Maine Department of Education
Adult Education Team
Augusta, ME

Subject: [PD 3507] Re: Gathering Resources from this Discussion
From: Eunice Snay ESnay at qcc.mass.edu
Date: Thu Jun 18 13:45:15 EDT 2009

I have used many Web conferencing tools mentioned.

I’ve got the most use out of a tool available to us thru UMASS online called Wimba. It can be pieced with WebCT/Blackboard and perhaps Moodle too. We use it as a standalone product for webinars that we’ve held for the last 2 years. Our first year we used it for technology training on a specific task i.e. adding graphics to a Word doc., Excel summary sheets etc. These were 1 hrs T [ea] times that we held monthly. This year to branch out to other participants we held webinars called Distinguished Speaker series, where we invited speakers from all corners of the states to speak on topics in their area of expertise.

Benefits: Using Wimba has different ways to participate, by PC/Internet using a headset/microphone, or by phone [toll call] where you can also call into the webinar. It’s built in so it’s not separate, using PowerPoint a presentation can be viewed while the presenter is talking through their presentation. Participants can ask questions also using text chat for their questions. The tool can show application from a presenters PC’s. Participants can show applications from their PC’s. The whole experience can be archived with the link posted on a website. It’s multi platform. It’s easy to use. It has a wizard that walks participants thru components needed to join a session. We hold Wimba Orientations for participants to reduce any problems participant might have.

Drawbacks: I don’t know what it cost because it’s part of our institutions match to our grant. Sometimes components needed can’t be installed [JAVA] or adjusted [Pop-up need to be allowed] by users where their connecting thru firewalls or AOL. But most that join from home have little difficulty. The PC/MAC you use needs to be a current model. Older PC’s seems to have difficulties. Not specific to Wimba but all Web Conferencing workshops participants sign up and forget to show up because other life happenings are going on at the same time vs. when you go to a workshop your away from those happenings.

I’ve used Yugma, which is not that expensive, it depends on your level of need as to the cost. Our Tech Team applied for and got a 1 year grant to test this out. We’ve used it for meetings, technical assistance and training. It’s an easy install from their website.

Benefits: the cost is reasonable, They have 2 installations – View only and Interactive. The installation is fairly straight forward [but see drawbacks], Presenters can share their PC applications with participants.

Drawbacks: It has no audio function built in. They do have a connection with Skype [a VOIP{Voice over Internet Protocol} product] to fill this need. I installed an earlier version before we got the grant, it didn’t work with new versions currently in use, but we uninstalled and reinstalled it worked fine. Updates continue to cause problems they don’t always overwrite previous versions completely

I’ve tested out DimDim with a co-worker only 1 time.

Benefits: It’s free. Again it has no audio component. So you need a phone or VOIP connection for your audio.

Drawbacks: We didn’t think the screens refreshed quickly enough. We were right across the room for each other and could see each other. Using this at a distance would become an issue.

Eunice Snay

Central SABES Regional Technologist
508-854-4514
esnay at qcc.mass.edu
SABES: Training leaders in Adult Basic Education

Subject: [PD 3464] Facilitating Online PD for Distance Educators
From: Melinda Hefner mhefner at cccti.edu
Date: Wed Jun 17 14:38:51 EDT 2009

For those of you who liked the video Did You Know?, you may also be interested in a related blog called The Fischbowl which is maintained by Karl Fisch, the creator of the video. Interestingly, the blog is described as , "A staff development blog for Arapahoe High School teachers exploring constructivism and 21st century learning skills...."

Melinda

Melinda M. Hefner
Director, Literacy Support Services
Basic Skills Department
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Hudson, North Carolina

Subject: [PD 3466] Re: Day 3: Facilitating Online PD for Distance Educators
From: Leslie Petty leslie.lpetty at gmail.com
Date: Wed Jun 17 14:39:14 EDT 2009

I've been impressed with the wide range of tools and technologies that people are using to communicate with students. What's not quite clear to me is whether these are methods that are being used as part of online PD or as a way to work with adult learners at a distance - or both. Can those of you using these various methods (e.g, Pronto, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) clarify the population(s) with which you are using them and possibly provide some specifics about how they're used. I realize that this may move us from the PD part of the discussion to the online education for adult learners part, so this may be a better topic for next week).

Leslie

-- Leslie Petty, Ed.D.
Associate Director
Project IDEAL Support Center
University of Michigan

Subject: [PD 3470] Re: Day 3: Facilitating Online PD for Distance Educators
From: Crystal Hack chack at cait.org
Date: Wed Jun 17 16:02:40 EDT 2009

Hi Leslie,

The GED-i Project through Kathy Tracey's efforts are using Twitter as a part of our PD. We use it send out short updates, prompt thinking, and alert GED-i teacher and admin instructors to hot topics and trainings. We have only been doing this for about 6 months and with a small pilot group. I will have Kathy Tracey respond in more detail on this as she is taking the lead on this piece of our GED-i outreach efforts.

We also use Chat in PD modeling what we would like teachers to do in their use of chat in teaching their students. We have been doing this for several years.

We use YouTube and Delicious in our PD as well. We recently completed a 3 chat series on the use of Web 2.0 with students.

Crystal Hack
GED-i Project Director
-- Center for the Application of Information Technologies

Subject: [PD 3467] * Important *
From: Jackie A. Taylor jackie at jataylor.net
Date: Wed Jun 17 15:31:08 EDT 2009

Dear Colleagues,

Like Leslie, I am fascinated at the realm of tools and resources from which you draw to use technology in teaching! To insure that we get the most from this excellent discussion, I'm going to push us today to make the connections explicit to providing professional development to distance educators.

When you post, as Leslie says, clarify:

  • Audience: Who is the tool/resource for?
  • Objective: What is the purpose for using it?
  • Context: Give us an idea of how you use it
  • Important: Tell us what you think the implications are for

PD.

If you are a distance educator and you use the resource with students, then tell us why the resource is important or what the implications are for PD for distance educators.

Also, as you share these resources, please also add them to the Resources Wiki:

http://aalpdresources.pbworks.com/

This way we can have a printable handout to take away from this discussion on all of the 2.0 tools shared.

Thanks so much ~ :-)

Jackie

Jackie Taylor, PD List Facilitator, jackie at jataylor.net

Subject: [PD 3471] Re: * Important *
From: Melinda Hefner mhefner at cccti.edu
Date: Wed Jun 17 15:59:45 EDT 2009

I'll start with just one tool and may add others as the group desires.

Wimba Pronto
Audience: Any learner enrolled in online course.

Objective: Instant messaging for both educators and learners either between individuals or among individuals in a group chat allowing for sychronous communication. (It has other capabilities as well, but this is how I primarily use it.)

Context: Learners can instant message me with questions about the course, technical issues, help with projects, etc. If working on collaborative projects with other learners, they can have a "group chat" either with or without my presence to discuss the project.

Implications for PD: I supose that I think of online professional development not being vastly different from online instruction for any other learner.

Melinda M. Hefner
Director, Literacy Support Services
Basic Skills Department
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Hudson, North Carolina

Subject: [PD 3477] Re: ProfessionalDevelopment Digest, Vol 45, Issue 40
From: Kristin Kicza kkicza at collaborative.org
Date: Wed Jun 17 16:44:07 EDT 2009

Delcious - a bookmarking storage/ collaborative site allows you to store and tag your best bookmarks (tools). Your able to share with peers or keep them private - however, the main point of it is to share your bookmarks with others. You then search by tags to find other's great bookmarks - I found wonderful resources this way. As with Twitter- you can follow people who have quality stuff :) Oh, and don't leave out your international professionals in the UK and Australia.

Kristin Kicza

Subject: [PD 3482] Powerpoint for AG (After Google) PD Organization tool
From: Michael Tate mtate at sbctc.edu
Date: Wed Jun 17 19:40:30 EDT 2009

Hi all! Here is a Powerpoint PD activity.


  • Audience: Who is the tool/resource for? Multiple Uses. Either for faculty/staff PD or 21st Century organization (composing/outlining/storyboarding/etc) and presentation tool for our students, or having students introduce technology to teachers
  • Objective: What is the purpose for using it? While many of us have used Powerpoint for (usually text-heavy) presentations, either our colleagues or our students could learn to use it to do multimedia (drawings, photos, graphics, video, audio, etc) as a flexible pre-presentation organization and presentation tool. Since it is widely known by both BG and AG groups, it can be a technology that enables digital natives and digital immigrants to work together.
  • Context: Give us an idea of how you use it: "Millennials teach the Boomers" Students and faculty/staff are paired together in 2-4 person teams. Faculty/staff job is to watch, ask questions and learn. Faculty/staff should NOT direct or guide. Students are asked to go out on the Web and collect 10-15 photo, graphic, audio or video clips that they think they can weave together into a non-text "composition" (a whole having at least an attempt at some organizing principle). It's OK to have some text in what they collect, but the point is to create a non-text composition. Spoken words are fine. Students must go to at least 7 different sites, not just raid their Facebook page.
The entire team may work together on moving the slides around to create a "composition". Faculty/staff should be careful not to dominate the creation of a composition.
Report Out: Faculty/staff and students share what they've learned.
Hopefully, Powerpoint's easy slide re-ordering will allow students to learn about organization and processing non-text information, how to do storyboards, imagistic expression and meaning, symbolic thought, ambiguity, etc.. Faculty/staff will hopefully learn new websites, how to cut and paste various kinds of files, get a primer on how to do Powerpoints that will speak to their students. What is learned will be determined by what each individual knows, and by what the group knows and chooses to share.
This activity can also be done just with faculty/staff groups or just student groups.
  • Implications for PD.
I think both groups will increase their analytical and expressive abilities.
If faculty/staff begin to use Powerpoint as something more than projected note cards, and begin to exploit its associative and symbolic possibilities, PD will be advanced enormously. If students learn that it is possible to weave meaning around, or write the "story" in distinct artifacts, they will be well on their way to being the thinking, feeling, dreaming person that is the goal of education.
Both groups get a taste for 21st Century "social education" where meaning is actively made by the group.

Michael Tate

Subject: [PD 3488] Putting the Resources together
From: Davis, Jennifer jennifer.davis at sinclair.edu
Date: Thu Jun 18 08:06:23 EDT 2009

Attached are the handouts on a Web 2.0 Technology session we offered in southwest Ohio. It includes many of the resources that have been shared recently on this discussion. We watched the "The Common Craft Show" short videos on various topics and then discussed their usage. At the end of the day, participants were given time to explore and create something based on what we learned about wikis, blogs, social networking and more. It was great to see the excitement on the faces of teachers creating with technology!

~Jenny

Jennifer Davis

Professional Development Specialist
Southwest ABLE Resource Center

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