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As promised last month, let’s discuss how Twitter is being used by educators.  (Click here for “What is Twitter?”) 

Ideas from a variety of sources (see resources below).

1.  Use to summarize topic/content viewpoint,
2.  Tweet dialogue between characters of a novel or historical figures.
3.  Use twitterpoll to collect viewpoints.
4.  Share announcements to your students and parents.
5.  Communicate/follow experts.
6.  Monitor where students are in their learning by tweeting a question/answer.
7.  Combine with Google Earth to receive updates on various regions.
8.  Share resources – send hyperlinks.
9.  Twitter as storytelling.
10.  Professional Development – add to your network/followers creating a strong professional learning network.

For more information:
Laura Walker’s, Nine Great Reasons Teachers Should Use Twitter
21 Ways Teachers are using Twitter and Twitter Reading List

What would be the best way to start using Twitter? 
Begin by creating an account and follow someone in your content area or an educational organization. 
Examples of professional twitter accounts-
http://twitter.com/Britannica
http://twitter.com/voicethread
http://twitter.com/dwarlick
http://twitter.com/pbslearningnow
http://twitter.com/ASCD

How is the library using twitter?
Currently, the BVW library has a twitter account that connects to our web page.  As we update twitter, our web page will show the new post. It is a neat way to make announcements to classes or provide quick links to students while they are working in the library.

http://splashurl.net/ – Want your students to be able to view the web page address from the projector?  Type in the web page address & it will show up in bigger font.

http://www.tinychat.com/  or http://todaysmeet.com/  Create a chat room for your students to communicate. 

http://www.imagechef.com/ic/word_mosaic/ Word Mosaic

http://www.mediacloud.org/ Analyze and visualize data from a variety of news sources.

Shout’em

Want to quickly set up an online discussion with students?  Try Shout’em. Similar to Twitter or an online chat room, students can create online discussions monitored by you.   Jenny Johnson recently had her students use Shout’em as an online class discussion of thesis statements.  The following links show the discussion between her students in Block 1 and Block 3 classes.

http://bvwjohnson1.shoutem.com/

http://bvwjohnson3.shoutem.com/

For more information about Shout’Em – 15 Minute Guide to Microblogging in Education

With new 2.0 tools, there are new ways to visualize text that can possibly enhance understanding and engage students.

Tagcrowd and Wordle provide visual representations of words. 

How can it be used?  Go to SIRS Researcher, Election 2008, and copy-paste the text of the two candidates.  Wordle or Tagcrowd will provide visual representations of the topics or keywords the candidates emphasized.  Want to see the bias of an author?  Copy-paste the text from a journal article into Tagcrowd and again, you can visualize the important concepts stressed by the author. 

Tagcrowd and Wordle can work with any text document accessible through you computer including Word, Powerpoint, and Internet Explorer. 

How-To Video 

iGoogle:  personalized home page with immediate access to your favorite resources

Google recently launched iGoogle.  iGoogle allows users to set up a page with “widget or gadgets” sitting on the page that directly link to favorite sources.  These gadgets deliver content directly to the page.  For example, add a weather gadget and each time you open your iGoogle page, you will see the current weather and three day forecast.

In addition, content from your favorite news sources will be delivered to the page.  Other gadgets include, interactive to-do list, calendar, online dictionary, and word of the day.

How can this be used with students?  Students can create individual iGoogle pages linking to content helpful for your class.  This page can become a meaningful information source for students. 

In addition, you can create a gadget so that your information is “pushed” to the students’ iGoogle pages.
For more information about creating a gadget, see the library newsletter blog (bvwlibrary.edublogs.org). 

iGoogle Gadgets for West:

BVW Passwords:  list of passwords for all library databases

BVW One-Liners:  first lines of books in the library, updated each day

Helpful Resources:  Links to all library databases

To access the gadgets, go to the LMC web page.

LibraryThing is a fun way to enjoy and appreciate literature.  

Users create an online bookshelf of their favorite books.  LibraryThing allows users to choose their favorite book cover and include any notes with each book. 

LibraryThing will also offer suggestions based off of your favorite books. 

To set up a free account, go to librarything.com.

Create a username and password.

Begin adding your favorite books to the list and share with others. 

See the online newsletters for examples of librarything account.

Download Video: Posted by edtecher at TeacherTube.com.

Wiki:  an online tool for collaboration allowing all users to edit a web site – no knowledge of web design needed – it is all about the content.  See the library online newsletter for a great video, Wikis in Plain English or post above.

If you have used Wikipedia, then you have accessed a wiki.  While Wikipedia may be a controversial research tool, the way in which collaboration and connection occur on Wikipedia is amazing.

As a collaboration tool, educators are creating wikis to improve group projects and connect with the world.

For example, in AP Economics, a teacher created a wikiwhere students post notes, comments, and presentations throughout the year.  Before a test, students meet “virtually” to review for the test. 

In technology/computer classes, students from Georgia, Melbournne, and Vienna collaborated on the Horizons Project.

Interested?  Go to www.wikispaces.com or
pbwiki.com to set up an account and learn more.  Need help?  Contact one of the library media specialists.

Examples of Educational Wikis:

goApes Wiki, AP Environment Science
http://goapes.wikispaces.com/

Horizons Project, High School Computer Classes
http://horizonproject.wikispaces.com/

Mr. Lee’s Math,
12th Grade Math
http://acrospire.pbwiki.com/

Welker’s Wikinomics, AP Economics
http://welkerswikinomics.wetpaint.com/

Podcast:  publish audio files to the Internet using a computer and microphone and listeners may subscribe to receive new files automatically.

Many educators are taking advantage of the technology by recording class lectures and discussions.  Interested in trying?  How do you begin?

First, download directions provided (see share folder, Podcasting or Click link Gcast). 

Check out a microphone from the library media center.

Go to www.gcast.com and set up an account (see handout and/or the library media specialists for help). 

After you record your class lecture/discussion, upload your file to the gcast site. 

Neat Features with Gcast:

 Students can subscribe to your account, so as soon as you upload a file, they can get it too.

 Send a message from your phone and all students will receive the message.

 Students do not need an iPod or any fancy device to subscribe.

www.gcast.com