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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Week 5 - Photo Editing, Wiki Page



NOTE: For Your Information:  How to download or embed a Church Video


1) Go to www.lds.org/

2) Go to Gospel Library and on the left side of the page find Media Formats - http://lds.org/videos/0,20069,6635-1,00.html

3) Click on Video

4) Select the video you want to download to your computer

5) View these presentations by clicking on the video icons listed in the table below.

6) To download the file to your computer, right-click on the video icon and save the file to your computer. The videos are available in three formats:
Windows Media 9  Windows Media Player content in WMV format
QuickTime  QuickTime video content in MP4 format


Photo Editing


The learner will edit a photo, using Picnik or other photo editing software and post the picture on his/her personal blog and/or on kiribati-lds-pioneer.wikispace.com






                                                                 Picnik photo editing


                                                               Picnik Basic Editing

It appears that Picnik will no longer be available after mid April, 2012. 
Other Photo Editing sites most are free:






Thursday, December 8, 2011

Week 2 - Teaching Blogs

The Learner Will:
  • Learn about the tools available in developing blog sites
  • Create a personal Blog
    • Utilize blog tools to down load photos and Videos

    •         OR

  • Create a Teaching Blog site
    • Place course syllabus, class rules, assignments, and other pertinent information about the course on the teaching blog
    • Download additional pertinent information from the web and/or other sources
    • Place educational or subject related pictures and videos on the teaching blog
      • Again make sure to follow Church media and video guidelines
To learn how to create a teaching blog click on the links and videos which follow: 

http://www.2createawebsite.com/traffic/create-free-blog.html

Other possible blog sites you could use in creating a teacher or personal blog site are described in the link that follows:

http://www.blogger.com/

http://education.weebly.com/


Engaging Parents with a Teaching Blog

http://www.youtube.com/simplek12team#p/u/20/TPzy5Rcga04

The following is a YouTube instructional video on creating a blog site:

                                                             Creating a Blogspace site

:
How to insert a video from a computer to a blog
                                                                                         


                                   How to insert video into PowerPoint or Blog using KeepVid


How to Download video to PowerPoint for Dummies



Download video with Real Player



                                                                                        Download YouTube video to blog

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Week 3 - Create a Teaching or Personal Blog site

The Learner Will:
  • Learn about the tools available in developing blog sites
  • Create a personal Blog
    • Utilize blog tools to down load photos and Videos

    •         OR

  • Create a Teaching Blog site
    • Place course syllabus, class rules, assignments, and other pertinent information about the course on the teaching blog
    • Download additional pertinent information from the web and/or other sources
    • Place educational or subject related pictures and videos on the teaching blog
      • Again make sure to follow Church media and video guidelines
To learn how to create a teaching blog click on the links and videos which follow: 

http://www.2createawebsite.com/traffic/create-free-blog.html

Other possible blog sites you could use in creating a teacher or personal blog site are described in the link that follows:

http://www.blogger.com/

http://education.weebly.com/


The following is a YouTube instructional video on creating a blog site:

                                                             Creating a Blogspace site

:
How to insert a video from a computer to a blog
                                                                                         


                                   How to insert video into PowerPoint or Blog using KeepVid


How to Download video to PowerPoint for Dummies



Download video with Real Player



                                                                                        Download YouTube video to blog

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Web 2.0, Internet Safety/Child Protection


WEB 2.0


Readings: on Web 2.0
An umbrella term for the second wave of the World Wide Web, which was coined in a conference on the subject in 2004 by O'Reilly Media and CMP Media (later taking its parent name of United Business Media). Sometimes called the "New Internet" as well as "Internet 2.0," Web 2.0 is not a specific technology; rather, it refers to two major paradigm shifts. The one most often touted is "user-generated content," which relates more to individuals. The second, which is equally significant, but more related to business, is "cloud computing."
#1 - The User Rules!
User-generated content, comprising blogs, wikis and social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, lets everyone have their say on anything and publish it to the world at large. As Web applications become more sophisticated, people can easily develop elaborate personal Web pages, create a blog, and upload their own opinions, audio and video. Users are augmenting the news by reporting current events sometimes faster and with details often overlooked or ignored by the professional news media. 
Although millions of opinions and videos, often very amateurish, only add to our information overload, a significant advantage to user-generated content is that truly talented authors, artists, musicians and moviemakers can gain an audience much more easily than they could in the past. Word-of-mouth via the Internet is worth a fortune in promotion. Web 2.0 is leveling the playing field in all arenas just as the PC leveled the playing field in business. See Mobile 2.0, hot topics and trends, blog, wiki, social networking site, user reviews, YouTube and paradigm.
#2 - Cloud Computing
In cloud computing, data and applications are stored on Web servers, and a user has access from any computer via a Web browser. Cloud computing turns the Web into a gigantic application server that may eventually supplant a large number of locally installed office and other applications. Many believe this particular aspect of cloud computing is the ultimate manifestation of Web 2.0. Another aspect of cloud computing relates to developers and Web publishers (see cloud computing).
In time, this could have significant impact on the type of personal computers users choose. As more software is executed from scripts embedded in Web pages, the CPU chips and operating systems become less relevant. Browsers interpret scripts the same regardless of the hardware and software environment they reside in (most of the time, that is!). For example, in 2007, Google combined several of its office applications into Standard and Premium Editions, the latter a paid service with tech support. Because of Google's influence, this was a watershed event for cloud computing (see Google Apps). See ASP, Web application, thin client and Enterprise 2.0.
What Caused Web 2.0?
Bandwidth and power. Faster than the very costly T1 lines used in the enterprise, cable and DSL hookups have extended high-speed connections to individuals and small businesses. Browsing Web pages full of images and video as well as downloading multimedia files have become routine.
In addition, entry-level computers became powerful enough to execute scripts in an HTML page without noticeable delays. Combined with refinements in Web programming (see AJAX), the Web has become a transparent extension of an individual's PC just as local area networks (LANs) extended the user's computing resources inside the enterprise in the 1980s and 1990s.
Web Evolution
In the mid-1990s, the Web began (Web 1.0) as a repository of information and static content. Within a couple years, a huge amount of content was dynamic, returning custom results to users. By the turn of the century, the Web became much more interactive (call it Web 1.5), allowing users to play, stop, rewind and fast forward through audio and video content. Web 2.0 makes Web-based applications feel like and run as smoothly as local applications. See Web 3.0.
*****************************************************************

II. Readings on Child Protection

As most people know the internet can be an amazing resource and provide hours of fun for kids, but there is a side to the internet that can be worrying for any parent.

Chat rooms have been a main cause of concern for years, with adults posing as young children and chatting to unsuspecting kids, and in extreme cases trying to organise secret meetings with the child. Things are changing slowly and a lot of chat rooms are starting to monitor their sites more closely, but unfortunately not everyone is following suit. Websites with explicit images are another problem that children may be exposed to, a few of these websites have a warning on their homepage alerting the user to the fact that the site contains this sort of material, but unfortunately not all of them. 
Another major worry for a parent is spam email containing explicit images, most of this type of spam gets sent from countries where any type of law is not easily enforced and therefore the culprits can go on sending, hopefully one day we will see the end of this type of marketing but unfortunately at the moment it is here to stay.  There are things that can be done to protect your children from this type of exposure on the internet, and below we will cover a few of these include Chat rooms Chat rooms have long been a favourite pastime on the internet for kids. They can be great fun and the children can make some great new friends online. The problem with chat rooms is that they are generally anonymous, so the person that they are chatting to may not be who they say they are.  Unless you supervise your children whenever they are in a chat room then controlling who they chat too can be a problem, although, there are some general guidelines that your children can follow to make their online chatting safer:
  • Stay anonymous
  • they should use a nickname while online, and never reveal their real name.
  • Never
  • tell anyone where they live, not even if they have been chatting to the person for years.
  • Never
  • tell anyone what school they go to.
  • Never
  • agree to meet someone without a parent present, and ensure the person they are going to meet knows a parent will be accompanying them.
  • Tell an adult
  • if anything strange happens or anything is said to them that makes them feel uncomfortable.
  • Introduce yourself
  • in the chat room to their online friends, especially if your child wants to meet them.
Although these guidelines may seem fairly obvious, by ensuring that your children follow them they can help remove some of the dangers. This can be fairly simple to guard against, there is software available which can prevent your children from going to websites with this sort of content. Also when they are searching the internet another measure is for them to use the safe search facility available on most good search engine. 
Spam email is one of the most annoying problems on the internet and with no real solution in sight it will remain a problem for some time to come.  A lot of email providers offer spam protection, but unfortunately most are not 100% reliable, one of the best defences against this type of email is by using specialised software that restricts access to certain types of email, and by restricting any images that may be unsuitable for your child. There are a few programs out there that can help keep the internet a safe, usable resource for your children, as with most types of filters some work and some don't. 
 ************************ 
Sample Student Internet Usage Agreement 
Access to the Internet is a wonderful opportunity to interact with the world at large. The opportunity brings with it a number of responsibilities. In order to use the internet services available in the Hannibal School District, you must read the following information and sign the computer/internet agreement that follows.
  • The use of any Hannibal School District computer which provides access to the Internet is a privilege which may be revoked by instructors, staff, or administrators at any time for abusive or inappropriate conduct. Such conduct would include, but is not limited to, the placing of unlawful information on or through the computer, system, accessing another person's files or e-mail, and the use of obscene, abusive, or otherwise objectionable language or images in either public or private files or messages. 
  • Because of the potentially large number of individuals who might need to use the computers for Internet as well as personal productivity, student access may be limited to a specified time, as provided by the instructor(s) and/or administration.
  • The district reserves the right to inspect any material stored in files to which users have access and will edit or remove any material which the district staff, in its sole discretion, believes may be objectionable. Users of the computers/Internet will not use their account to obtain, view, download, or otherwise gain access to potentially objectionable materials. This includes text materials, video images, or sound files that may be considered objectionable.   
  • The district's Internet access is provided primarily for educational purposes under the direction of district staff. Non-educational use may be limited at any time by district staff.
  • Information services and features contained on the Hannibal School District network are intended for the private use of its patrons. Any commercial or other unauthorized use of those materials, in any form, is expressly forbidden.  
  • COMPUTER/INTERNET USAGE AGREEMENT 
  • I have read the Hannibal School District Computer/Internet Usage Agreement, understand it, and agree to adhere to the principles and procedures listed within. I also understand that additional rules and regulations may be added from time to time and that they become a part of this agreement. Should I break this agreement, I understand that I may lose all computer/Internet privileges. I also understand that inappropriate or illegal use of computer facilities could result in civil or criminal lawsuits. Parents and/or guardians may be held accountable for inappropriate use by their child.

  • The district does not warrant that the functions of the system will meet any specific requirements you may have, or that it will be error-free or interrupted; nor shall it be liable for any direct or indirect, incidental, or consequential damages (including lost data, information, or profits) sustained or incurred in connection with the use, operation, or inability to use the system.

  • Rules and regulations of system usage will be added and posted from time to time by the faculty/administrators of the district and/or the network. Users of computers/Internet are subject to these rules and regulations.

  • The Hannibal School District's computers/network is intended for the exclusive use of its registered users. As a user, you are responsible for the use of your password and account. Any problems which arise from the use of a user's account are the responsibility of the account holder. Any misuse will result in suspension of the account privileges.

  • Deletion, examination, copying, or modification of files and/or data belonging to other users without their prior consent is prohibited.

  • Commercial software is placed on the computer for the use and convenience of students and staff. Any unlawful use such as the copying of copyrighted material without the express written permission of the owner or the proper license is prohibited.

  • Any unauthorized, deliberate action which damages or disrupts a computing system (including the willful introduction of computer "viruses" or other disruptive/destructive programs), alters its normal performance, or causes it to malfunction is prohibited. Intentional attempts to "crash" network systems or programs are punishable disciplinary offenses.

_______________________________ ______________________________
Student Signature Parent Signature

________________________________   ____
Sponsoring Teacher                                   Date
_____________________________



**********************************

Readings on Copyright

Copyright Infringement -                                  The Dark Side of Web 2.0

Dealing With Web 2.0 Copyright Issues

From , former About.com Guide

See More About:
The emergence of web 2.0 has brought with it collaboration on a global scale, which has been a really great thing that has led to sites like Wikipedia, but it also has a dark side: copyright infringement.
One issue with web 2.0 copyright infringement is that most of the offenders do not even realize what they are doing or that it is wrong. The popularity of blogging and the ease at which articles and images can be passed around have made it very simple to inadvertently commit copyright infringement.
Many new bloggers do not even realize that articles and pictures found on the Internet are often protected by copyright. And they often struggle with the proper etiquette for using an article or picture.Web 2.0 CopyrightThe question is: How do we deal with Web 2.0 copyright? Luckily, the social web has an answer for us. Creative Commons is a popular alternative to the "all rights reserved" copyright license that we are all familiar with.
Creative Commons allows the copyright holder to choose from multiple licenses that describe what rights are being offered in very simple language that is easy to understand. The copyright holder can choose to offer rights for any use, or just non-commercial uses, and they can even offer the right to modify the work to suit the needs of those using it.It's important to note that Creative Commons is not an alternative to copyright. Those who have chosen to use Creative Commons still own the copyright to their work, they are simply licensing its use through the Creative Commons.Web 2.0 Etiquette for Using an Article or PictureWhile Creative Commons is a great solution, it doesn't quite solve all of the Web 2.0 copyright issues. Many people still do not understand or use Creative Commons, so finding an article or blog entry licensed under Creative Commons is still not exactly common.
Web 2.0 is all about sharing information, so how do we share information if not everyone is using the Creative Commons? Luckily, there is some basic etiquette guidelines that can be followed.For articles, only use a small part of the text and then link to the rest of the article. In this way, it falls under "fair use", and most writers are happy to have the linkback. Using a tool like Clipmarks is also usually okay since it provides a link back to the original article, though some feel that Clipmarks allows too much of the original article to be 'clipped'.
Also, when possible, use a trackback. Not only does this notify them that you are using something from their entry, but it is also good for your blog because it may drive a little traffic your way.For images, always check to see what sort of copyright restrictions or Creative Commons license is being used for the image. When in doubt, attribute the image with a link back to the original and let the copyright owner know that you have linked the work so that they can speak up if they have any objections.
Most important of all, if you are contacted by the copyright owner of an article quote or image and they ask for it to be taken down, then by all means, take it down.How To Find Images For Your BlogIt can sometimes be tough to balance between respecting copyright and making sure that your blog is visually appealing. Many times, just asking for permission to use an image will do the trick. But, there are alternatives to using copyrighted images. You can search for images that are free to use or images that the owner simply wants a link back with proper attribution.Here are a few places to look for images:
  • Creative Commons Search
  • . In addition to providing an easy way license work, they also have a handy search utility.
  • Flickr
  • . The search form allows you to search for images licensed through Creative Commons.
 

Week 4 - Creating a Wiki Site and Wiki Pages

Digital Immigrant
Digital Native


Creating a Wiki Page


The Learner will:

1. Learn how to create their own classroom wiki page

2. Working with your assigned group -- add a written and/or video account 

 of an Early Kiribati Church Pioneer to the Kiribati LDS Pioneer Wiki site 


OR

EDITING AND ADDING INFORMATION TO AN EXISTING WIKI SITE
  1. Add your personal history to the blog site:                                                        http://kiribati-lds-pioneers.wikispaces.com/                                                            Information on yourself could include:                                                                               
    1. Name of your mother and father 
    2. Place and year of birth
    3. Memories of early youth and 
    4. Elementary and secondary school attended & memories.  
    5. If you attended AKAS, Moroni Community School, or Moroni High School some of your memories of teachers and others who had a positive impact on your lives.  
    6. Include your conversion and testimony if appropriate
    7. Your Church callings and information about Church in Kiribati
    8. Church and/or School role models
    9. Information and perhaps faith promoting stories about your time as a teacher or Church employee at Moroni High
    10. Any other thoughts or insights into life in Kiribati

(One of the purposes of the Wiki Site is to provide a history of Church Pioneers in Kiribati.  As a Church employee or teacher - - you are a pioneer and each of you have an inspiring story to tell future generations.


Joining the Wiki Site

Each of you should have received an email from me several weeks ago, all you have to do is hit reply and send it back to me.  By doing this you will have access to write, edit, make comments and suggestions to the Wikispace site.


The wiki site is open to the public, so you can start to enter information and it will request you join the site and will ask for an email.  When I receive the email, you will be approved to enter your story on the wiki site.

The videos that follow tells you how to begin your own classroom wiki or to add to the http://kiribati-lds-pioneers.wikispaces.com/ site.

Wiki in a K-12 classroom

Classroom uses of an Educational Wiki 
Wikis have different applications in the K12 classroom, they are used for pedagogical, administrative and social goals. You will find here some examples of the uses of wikis and links to popular wikis and readings about those uses.

Examples of uses of wikis in K-12

  • Science Fair Projects - A wiki could be set up for middle or high school students to brainstorm ideas for and plan science fair projects. Initially it would mostly be brainstorming, posting ideas and information to back them up. As they begin to flesh out the ideas that they are interested in, small groups might form to work on individual projects, but could still contribute ideas to other projects. The teacher can act as a facilitator by offering suggestions and asking probing questions to get students to consider particular aspects in the planning of their projects. The wiki could also be used to record and organize data, and plan eventual papers/presentations.
  • Collaborative Textbooks - From Edutopia (the magazine) for September/October 2004, the article "Crack the Books" (p. 14) describes the California Open Source Textbook Project (COSTP) which is an initiative to create online textbooks using wiki software and then eventually create printed copies. The founder of the project contends that most of the information in K-12 textbooks is in the public domain. The project aims to help California slash its $400 million dollar textbook budget. You can visit the project online at World History Textbook
  • Student Portfolios - A wiki makes an easy shell for electronic portfolios where students can display and discuss their work with others. It would also be an excellent forum for peer editing and peer feedback to help students improve their writing skills.
  • WikiOrganization - I used a local wiki on my computer to organize materials for a paper. I was able to save weblinks, documents, and quotes to the wiki and then just go to that particular page as I was writing. Finally, I linked the final product to the wiki. Wikis are a great organizational tool especially in a time when many of our classroom resources are digital and networked.
  • Collaborative Understanding - If I were to teach middle school music again, I would try to use a Wiki as part of a music history/music study project for students to clarify their understanding of different styles of music. For example, back in the day, I had 2 or 3 classes of "beginners" each year. As we listened to different examples of music and of singing, I tried to help them understand how the different styles were related to each other (i.e., blues and hip hop). Using a Wiki would allow them to also share links to examples of music to support their ideas and opinions. I would then try to incorporate this project into one of our choir concerts to show that learning about music is about more than just singing or playing an instrument. (And this is based on the assumption that we would have access to computers in the school, and that the students would be able to use the computers after school if they did not have a computer at home.)
  • Collaboration Between Teachers - The person I'm doing my consulting project with, after seeing our wiki and learning how they work, suggested using them for teachers to teach collaboratively, which is a use I hadn't thought of originally but could have a lot of potential. They could work together creating lesson plans, track how the lessons are being implemented in their various classrooms, give suggestions - this could be a few teachers in the same middle school doing an interdisciplinary unit, or teachers of the same subject in distant places working on the same unit together.
  • Literature Circles in Elementary School - Elementary students, particularly fourth and fifth grade in our district have Lit Circles. They all read the same book and then are required to answer questions about the material and pose questions. A Wiki would be a perfect way to integrate technology into thier Lit Cirles. Instead of sharing their thoughts on paper, they could post them to the wiki, respond to their peers thoughts or questions and best of all perserve this work for the next class to review at sometime during ther exploration of the same novel. Each of our elementary classrooms has at least two computers. ~Becky Small

Links

Readings

- [Wiki Pedagogy
The website that follows will help you create your own classroom wikispace site
http://www.wikispaces.com/content/for/teachers
The videos that follow provide tutorials to create and edit wikispace pages


How to Set-up and Create a Wikispace page


Wikispace Tour


Wikispace Basic Editing Tools

Creating a Project Website on Wikispace

WikiSpace Slightly More Advanced Editing Tools

Add a YouTube Video to Wikispace
It will take some time to download the video onto the blog, so be patient.  After a few minutes the embedded video will turn dark blue with an arrow in the center of the video or text will appear on the embedded video similar to those shown above.  You next click on PUBLISH POST and then you can view the blog to ensure the video on your blog site is working.