Greg English

Student Tutorials Update

2008-10-31T05:12:00.000-07:00

This week in class students have been busy creating screencast tutorials about how to use blogs. As a class we've really enjoyed seeing so many views from people checking out how to use their new blogs which is great because a lot of hard work has been put in by students to share what they have learnt. Here is the playlist highlighting some of the tutorials created by the students. We are still looking for a way to record higher quality/ resolution screencasts (file size current issue) and welcome any suggestions.

Creating Surveys with Google Docs

2008-10-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

At a recent conference i was introduced to Google Docs to survey course attendees on their current use (if any) of e-Portfolios. Although the course itself didn't delve too deeply into the in's and out's of Google docs it prompted me to get to know the service a little better.
What impresses me the most about Google docs is the ability to quickly upload or create a document online and then save it as a webpage allowing others to view it online. Permissions can be set to view only or authors can invite others to collaborate on texts.
Using my class blog as an example we have been able to post a link to our latest Homework Grid and also a copy of the Student Blogging Contract should students misplace their hard copy.
Currently in class students are creating posts on their blogs linking through to a piece of writing hosted in a class Google account. Students also have the facility to log into google docs with their Blogger/ Google account.

The survey option is really a great tool. All users need to know is the questions they wish to ask. This linked tutorial explains all the steps clearly. All of the data is processed for you so their is no hassle with data analysis. By just refreshing the page you can view any updated Survey information. Great for use in the classroom. Here is an example survey created on a tutorial blog for my class.

*One step that may have changed due to an update of Google Docs is opening a new survey form. To do this click on the Form tab on the top menu and select Create a Form.

Student Created Tutorials - Example

2008-10-23T03:24:00.001-07:00

How to Change the Design of Your Blog

This is a tutorial about how to change the design of your blog.
Today in class students discussed what features of setting up a blog would be important to new users (in particular other students). The children then got into groups and listed step by step instructions for their screencasts. Once students had reviewed their written tutorials/plans by following the instructions themselves they created a screencast using Cam Studio. The children were highly motivated and working cooperatively to pool their knowledge together and complete their tutorial. More can be seen at our class blog here.

Student Created Tutorials

2008-10-22T03:20:00.000-07:00

One of the key learning experiences it is hoped the students will benefit from is the opportunity to collaborate with other and contribute/ share their new learning and understandings. A large chunk of what the students are now using (blogs, Web 2.0 tools) is unfamiliar to them. It is this however that has given us as a class a real opportunity to share our new understandings with others. At this stage we hope to share our blogs within our own school community as other teachers and students become involved and with some right connections other students and teachers around the country/ world.

In class we have begun using screencasting as a way in which we can share our new learning with others. Students are being given a choice as to which elements of setting up a blog and beginning to use the tools they would like to base a tutorial on.

Click here to see an example screencast created by a group of students on how to add a clustrmap gadget to a blog. The students were highly motivated during the activity and really liked the fact that others were going to watch their work and benefit from it. Some excellent interaction was happening as students decided on the movements they would need to record on screen, the dialogue they would narrate to go with the video and the final editing options such as adding subtitles and theme music.

To create the screencasts students used Camstudio, a free open source program. It easily saves the videos into avi files that can be edited and worked on.

Students in my class begun by recording the movements and then copying the avi file into imovie. The next step was to record the narration and finally add an introduction using the build in camera.

I am aware of other tools available to screencast as well but have yet to find something as easy to learn and use. If you have any suggestions for other tools or questions feel free to leave a comment below.

My students can't wait to jump in the drivers seat and be the ones teaching.

Adding a ClustrMap to you Blog

2008-10-21T03:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a tutorial created by students from Taradale Intermediate sharing how to add a clustrmap (visitor tracker) to a blog.

The tutorial was created with camstudio, a free screen casting tool used to record all the action on screen.

Student Contracts

2008-10-20T00:39:00.000-07:00

In order to ensure students are using the blogging space respectfully and that any parental concerns are addressed and discussed a student contract was set up. Parents and students alike need to agree to the conditions set out in order to take part in the project.

At this stage students in my class have already begun working on their blogs as the permissions are set to private. Once students and parents have signed the contract student blogs will be open to all viewers.

A colleague passed onto me a sample contract which can also be viewed/ downloaded from here and customized to fit.

How to Create a WordCloud

2008-10-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

*click on the above image for a larger size*

The above WordCloud (created using text on this page) was created using wordle.net, a free web2.0 tool. Wordle lets you copy a body of text or insert the address of a blog to create a WordCloud. The resulting image reflects the body of text/ blog by showing words that appear more frequently in increasing size. Now you can analyze a page visually and find out what's really being said.

Follow these simple steps to create your own WordCloud:

Go to wordle.net and click on Create

If using a body of text copy it

Paste the text into the window or enter the address of the blog you will be using.

Hit Submit and see your WordCloud appear. Try using the randomize button for more options or change the style using the toolbar available.

By pressing Save to Gallery you can copy html code and use it on your blog (for newbies you can copy html code into a blogger post and it will link to and display the object created).

Rinse and repeat as required.

Accepting Your Blogger Invitation

2008-10-17T17:44:00.001-07:00

A short screencast created for students showing them how to get started on their new blogs.

Setting up Class Blogs Pt 2

2008-10-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

What would i do differently?

The first issue encountered was needing an email address for each different student. As I wanted each student to be able to have independent access to their blog it was important for them to have their own blogger account.

One solution to this was to set up a gmail account (gmail.com) such as room17example@gmail.com and use a hack that allows you to set up multiple accounts on the same email.
To do this you simple add a + sign before the @gmail and insert a number or name.
Example: email room17example@gmail.com
room17example+1@gmail.com
room17example+2@gmail.com or
room17example+john@gmail.com

Note this hack works with blogger and may not be applicable on other platforms.

Problem: All students now had the ability to access the blogspot site but as their usernames were all created under the same email address they all therefor log in with the same username and password. IF you goal is to have a collaborative blog where all students are working on the same page this is fine, it did however not meet the needs of individual blogs.

The next step was to try to set up students with a gmail account for the purpose of an individual logon (the reason for all the fuss is that once students have a blog setup for them by a teacher they are sent an invite to their email to contribute to their blog - in this way the teacher still retains administration rights to their blog. If students can't activate the link to accept this role then they have no rights). After setting up about 8 students with gmail accounts as a trial and straining my eyes to enter the word verifications codes i realized this was going to be a very lengthy process. Not a great way to inspire fellow teachers to take up the task. So, gmail wasn't working. Where to now?

Fortunately our school has student email set up through schoolzone. Prior to setting up the blogs this was inactive but after talking to the right people we now have student email accessible. After all the trial and error, what then was the easiest process for setting up blogs for your class? If you are fortunate enough to have student email at school then follow the steps below. If not i would suggest maybe setting up 4-5 blogs for your students (gmail accounts or other) and have them collaborate together. Other sites such a wordpressMu (recommended by Nick Rate) are purpose build for multiple users but need some technical know how to set up on your schools web server.

So here is how i would do it all again:

1)Go to blogspot.com and create your own account. It will then prompt you to create your blog. It's well worth looking through the tutorials and forums.

2)Use the create blog button to make a blog for each of your students (recommend making it easy to remember for ease of use and safety such as student initials, number of class, abbreviated school name: rj12rps.blogspot.com).

3)Go into the settings tab of each blog and the select the permissions link. Here you can add students as authors to their own blogs by sending them an email.

4) Have students log into their email and accept the invitation to start contributing to the blog.

5) Students will not have a blogger account so they will need to create a google account when the new window opens (short process). Once they have created their account it will ask them to create a blog. Do not have them create a blog as you will have already done this for them.

6) Have students go back to their email and accept the invitation again. This time they will be prompted to enter their google account details and accept the invite.

7) Students can then view their blog and begin creating posts.

Recommendations
Have students enter only their first name or better yet their initials.
Ensure students do not fill out the profile on their account and remind them about posting personal details.
Under the Settings tab select Permissions to select the private/ public option for the blog (blogs open to public provide a real audience for students and their contributions to their blogs but need to be managed carefully and have have parental permission).
Visit the Help centre often or google any questions you may have. There is a fantastic community or people more than happy to share their tips and tricks.

Setting up Class Blogs

2008-10-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

After attending the Ulearn08 conference in Christchurch this year i came away inspired and full of new ideas. One such idea was to move the format in which we had been creating our e-Portfolios at school (Published based) to an online format. Nick Rate held a very informative breakout session regarding the use of e-Portfolios in the classroom and a number of various platforms suitable.

After playing around (more like fighting) with Wordpress the decision was made to go with Blogger (or blogspot.com).

The key reasons for this choice were:

1. the ease of use in setting up multiple blogs
2. the ability to set students up as authors or admins on their own blogs
3. student safety and the option to restrict blogs to public/ private
4. the wide variety of multimedia and simplicity of inserting it
5. previous experience setting up a school vodcasting blog - TINTED

Once i started the process of setting up mulitple blogs i found out along the way many ways in which the process could have been managed better or found short cuts.