Week 10 Thing #23

Cannot believe I have reached the end and am summing up my thoughts....there is always a sense of deja vu at the end of things enjoyed.....Classroom Learning 2.0 is right up there!
I roughed it out through patches of CL, groping in the dark...a few exercises took me forever to get a hold of such as RSS,delicious and technorati.I delighted to learn about creative commons, had lots of fun(and continue to) at Library thing,twitter....loved exploring how wikis and podcasts are being used in the classroom. And joined a whole bunch of networking sites.....bet I do not rem'ber half of the passwords created;-)
Learning with a time line can be stress inducing esp if u r running behind schedule,although there was nobody but myself giving me a mental rap for it(txs!). It was really tough esp when I found myself skimming the surface with some explorations...I just needed to strike them off the ever growing list.Some instantly struck gold with me...and I found the extra time(with no complaining) to read and explore further.Reinforced, "if u r having fun...learning can be a breeze."
Some of the tasks left me puzzling over Qs like, will I ever use this?How will I use this in my class?What if something new and better comes along(am I back at square one)?
Once I stopped thinking about each task microscopically....I realized it will come in handy if not IN the class I teach..then in another aspect of my life....or I can suggest a useful web 2.0 tool to my family and friends to use.
I will be a life long student of classroom learning....there is always something new to learn, or an old issue to revisit....whether through 2.0 or otherwise.I have been recommending this course to anyone who cares to listen.....its good to plough through these various tasks....we might find something which suits us right here....or the branching off in our searches will give us the turn/s in our own teaching pedagogy.
I DID START A BLOG,FINALLY...and intend to keep it going:)
AM pleased with myself and hope u all are too!!Congratulations....hope we open the bubbly when we meet for the wrap up session!!(Hint!HINT!)

Week 9 Thing#22

This is so amazing...I whopp-ied to see the original text and illustrations of Lewis Carroll and have the book read to me...:) I am sure everyone else has been as delighted.This is at the Virtual Library of British Council. And there are lots more ebooks there.

After reading about the Gutenberg project...I am more convinced that ever that a lot of things happen serendipitously.The books available here are free of charge and free, as in freedom-so u can do a lot of things with it...audio versions,new print versions,dramatic adaptations and even spamming!Very little u cannot do.However, this has to be in accordance with the copyright laws of the land(S'pore in our case).There is a lot of info about which books can be a part of this endeavour and how copyrights change not only by author changes but published changes too!All in all,it was very informative reading about the Gutenberg Project.
Interestingly enough,one can volunteer to proof-read pages of text which are being digitized.

I know about bookcrossing, where real books are available for free...but there are so many other sources for free books...it was mind-boggling...and exciting.
I do plan to get my students and friends to explore these sites.....

I have been quite impressed with the growing number of audio books at NLB.....not only is this a boon for the visually impaired but also for those ridden by nostalgia for those 'old days of bed time stories'. I wonder thought...doesn't listening to a book take away the visual element one associates with book reading? And can one focus as well on the storyline?Needless to say,I am a audiobook novice!

Week 9 Thing#21

Podcasts-the word is not new but the 'how-to' definitely is.
Something I am learning and want to definitely try, especially with assignments..so students can have an explanation for the correct answers.I wonder if I can use a podcast to explain the answers for an online test at MeL? It might be such a help to students who cannot be bothered to READ the additional explanation but might(!!) want to hear it...sounds lame,huh?!!



I found both the sites suggested @ Classroom Learning 2.0 blog to be quite helpful, on how to podcast and beginner's guide to podcasting( the above screen capture is from this site).

Wish me luck;-)

Week 9 Thing#20c

I have been using online videos at MeL and in the classroom...youtube leads the pack, but I also found photobucket has a good collection of things I was looking for.
And facebook allows easy upload of videos too..done a couple..so can talk of some experience there!
Almost every student visits these video sites...but I wonder if they know how to upload stuff?My guess is yes.....
Interestingly there is a community guidelines page at youtube, which tells u the can's and cannot's....they have a 24 hour surveillance of the videos uploaded....not a job I would want:).They have a handbook guiding u- camera angles, lighting techniques, sounds and so on and so forth.No longer amateur, is it?
I think Film making course should have the prerequisite that an aspiring student should have atleast 3 videos made by them uploaded on an online video site and should discuss them during their interview.Any takers for this?!!
Sorry I have exhausted my time at YouTube...anyone has any insights into the others?Please do let me know..many thanks:-)

Week 9 Thing#20b

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Week 9 Thing#20a

A new course ware at MIT OpenCourseWare is Anthropology of Sound...antrhopology of sound?I wondered.
And it turns of to be quite a course....talking about perception of sound...the cultural and economic aspects to it,copyright and technical details too!No,not my cuppa!!
At Weblogg-ed(Will Richardson's page) I saw information about educon 2.1, an educational conference coming up in a few weeks time.

Is this what education will look like?
A picture does speak a thousand words:)

Week 8 Thing#19

I enjoyed this 'thing' immensely:)
I found Library Thing a great place...I use shelfari and virtual bookshelf at fb.Each comes with its own likable features:)
Library thing shows me who else has read the same book; shows reviews and conversations about the book-all these alongside the book...very nice.There are conversations on about books,great!
Added the widget...hope it stays there!