Nov 22 2009
I’m giving a presentation on this topic in just over a week. So I thought I’d get prepared, but also have this ready so teachers can refer to it again later, if they want to. It’s just an intro – it was hard to decide what to leave in, and what to leave out!
Nov 21 2009
I have asked my good friends on Twitter what Web 2.0 photo tools they recommend, in preparation for a CPD session I’m giving in a week or two on the use of ICT in RE teaching. Here are their (and my) recommendations:
Flickr – I think the number one choice of most. Worth paying for. Which reminds me, I need to pay for the next year. Anyway, I think it’s well worth it. It’s about the only web tool I don’t even hesitate to think about paying for. It’s about £12 a year. I use it constantly, and have about 5000 photos stored there at the moment. I think. (Supported by tweets such as @creativetallis, @davefoord)
Compfight – Strange name, great way to browse Creative Commons Flickr photos.
Flickrstorm – Another way to browse Creative Commons Flickr photos (thanks to @mtechman).
Photo Sharing Web Tools – A whole list of good Web 2.0 tools for photos. (@mtechman)
Gazopa – A way to search for similar looking photos (and, I think, videos). (@mtechman)
Cool Iris – “The fastest way to browse photos and videos”. (@victoriaellis has been going on about this for ages!)
Big Huge Labs tools – A variety of fun things to do with your photos (@victoriaellis)
ImageChef – Customise photos and clip art (thanks to @dominic_mcg).
Tag Galaxy – Visual way of honing in on just the photo you are looking for by gradually being more specific in the tags used (thanks to @dawnhallybone)
It’s amazing how many more photo and image opportunities, tools, applications etc there are now compared with two years ago. There are still many of the sites that I thought were fantastic when I first found them, but I think as I have become busier, and the amount of time I have to spend online has decreased, I have become more particular with which sites I use. It is good to have a reason to find out what I might be missing out on in the wider world of Web 2.0, and it makes a huge difference that I now have Twitter to help get more precise and focused recommendations. It’s also good to see that Flickr continues to be popular!
If I have missed out your favourite photo tool here, please leave a comment and I will update this at some point!
Oct 18 2009
There is a very interesting article in the Guardian Weekend about the changes made in technology over the past decade. It got me thinking about the websites and applications that had most changed the way I do things using ICT. First of all, here is the Guardian list:
1. Google – I would 100% agree. I don’t think I really used search engines before Google came along.
2. Wikipedia – This is now so useful that it is often my first port of call, nevermind my pupils’.
3. Twitter – I believe this is the best source of CPD that I’ve had over this past year. Although it’s probably stopped me blogging so much!
4. Comment is Free – A particularly Guardian inclusion which I’m not sure I’ve ever used.
5. BBC iPlayer – I don’t use it that often, but when I do, it’s great – and its existence would encourage me to get rid of the TV at some point in the future.
6. iPhone – I don’t have one, but I know many people who do, and it did start that whole era of touchscreen phones. I’ve just got a BlackBerry, and I can see that being a big change. In fact, I’m typing this post on it now.
7. Craigslist – Never used it.
8. Facebook – Of course I’m on it! But I don’t use it so much these days. However, I still use it to keep in touch with old friends.
9. iTunes U – Need to look into this one.
10. Spotify – I think I’ve signed up to this but I’m not so much into listening to music. Don’t get me wrong – I like music, I’ve grown up playing the violin and I love to dance. But my husband is the DJ round here so I pretty much let him get on with it! A pretty eclectic mix anyway!
So, that was the Guardian’s top ten. What about mine? Of course, there’s bound to be an overlap!
1. Twitter – I’ve ‘met’ so many members of the education technology world through this, and they have shared so much in terms of resources and ideas. I can’t imagine trying to find out so much on my own. Definitely best CPD this year.
2. YouTube – Couldn’t believe it when I read that YouTube was founded AFTER the Indonesian tsunami. That is an event that I remember clearly because my husband and I were on an amazing Italian winter holiday. Surely YouTube must have existed before that holiday?! But it didn’t.
3. Google – The homepage on many computers I’ve worked on! Also the standard search button at school. I use Google at school and at home to find quick images and basic facts.
4. Wikipedia – First source of information. Normally the first item that pops up on Google as well!
5. Flickr – I love Flickr. Almost all my photos are up there. One of the few Web 2.0 apps that I pay for – I’ve had a Pro account for a couple of years. Still remember the first time I heard of Flickr – from a stranger who was taking pictures of the same smouldering warehouse as me – and now I’m shocked when other people haven’t heard of it. My favourite site to search for Creative Commons Flickr photos is www.compfight.com.
6. Facebook – I think I was one of the first of my friends and colleagues to be on Facebook (after much prompting from @victoriaellis!). The novelty has worn off – I don’t send people flowers any more! – but it’s still great for keeping in touch.
7. Blogs – To think I’d never heard of them three years ago. I enjoy writing them (when I have the time) and have learnt loads from reading them.
8. Online banking – I was probably one of the first to use phone banking, as I worked for Direct Banking when I was at uni, but it took until about 4 years ago to finally sign up for Online banking. And it’s so useful. I love being able to see my transactions, and being able to transfer my money when I want to without having to discuss it with anyone.
9. WiFi – I’m so glad the days of plugging in to dial up are long gone! And I can talk to someone on the phone and be online at the same time! Bliss.
10. BlackBerry – I’ve only had it a week, so I suppose it’s too early to say what sort of impact it will have on my life. But it’s already got me blogging again – this post has been typed on my BlackBerry – and I can send emails and texts on the tube and it sends them when it has a signal! Fantastic.
So, that’s my top ten. Now, what’s yours?
Note: You can also read @janeinjava’s post here.
Apr 05 2009
I have been using Twitter to try to find some new resources that could help my students revise. I’ll need to make a revision post on my school blog later, but let’s concentrate here first!
First of all, I could make – or ask my students to make – a video … perhaps a conversation between two people with different points of view discussing one of the evaluation statements that crop up all the time in their exam papers? But, videos so often seem to take so much time … Well, fear not, because my good friend Victoria on Geogtastic has pointed me in the direction of Xtranormal. Their tagline – if you can type, you can make movies. And it’s true. Check it out. (Although I have had some difficulties recently making movies. Not sure if it’s them or me. Hope it fixes itself soon. It is in Beta, so maybe I ought to drop them a line.)
On the other hand, some of our students really like revision cards, and some enjoy trading cards. So how about they make their own trading revision cards? BigHugeLabs have such a trading card maker. And results can then be shared on Flickr, or elsewhere, or printed out to be used as revision cards.
Finally, for now, a new YouTube type site, where you can make your own school based site. The privacy levels on Fliggo can, I think, be made stronger than those on YouTube – for example, you can moderate comments before they are posted. You can visit my new STM RE Fliggo site here. I presume I can upload any relevant video here, not only my own? Would be a good place to store all the useful and relevant videos I find in such places as TrueTube and GodTube. I think. If that’s allowed. Any advice?
And now, over to you. What one piece of advice would you give a GCSE student that would help them with their revision? Thank you!
Mar 29 2009
I am busily trying to produce resources that I can upload to Fronter. Here is a Wordle for Matthew 5:17 – 7:5.
title="Wordle: Matthew 5:17 - 7:5 NIV">
alt="Wordle: Matthew 5:17 - 7:5 NIV"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">
As well as producing visual images such as these, I have been using CompFight (bizarre name, great tool) to find Flickr images that are Creative Commons, then I have used SimplyBox to quickly store them so I can access them whenever I want. I have also made some of my own images, which I have saved in my own Flickr resource set. Later, I shall save some of these presentations (which I am making using Keynote) to Slideshare.
Mar 09 2009
I’ve been trying to keep off the computer a bit more, and do other important things instead. However, while trying to find a great Flickr mashup website that I can’t remember the name of and am having trouble finding, I have found another very interesting site – The Multicolr Search Lab. Click on one or more colours, and this site will find photos from Flickr that contain that colour. I’ve tried a particular gold shade, and simply looking at the choice of images cheers me up! What is also great news is that they have looked at about 10 million Creative Commons images, so I can feel free to use and attribute the images I find. Do have a look!
Also, I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this one before – CompFight – another Flickr mashup tool. It’s fantastic – I’ve been using it loads. I’m trying to make my presentations more visual, and it’s important for me, particularly as an RE teacher!, that I use Creative Commons images. These days, there are so many tools to make it easy to do that that there’s no excuse not to. (Although I do admit, I am struggling to find one or two images that I think would be just right …). Anyway, this is great. Try it. Just remember to set the Creative Commons indicator to “only”, or else you will still need to check if you are allowed to use them.
Dec 19 2008
It’s the end of the year, the time when people reflect on their past year and set resolutions for the new year. So here are the reflections. Resolutions may – or may not! – follow.
January – Made a snowman! Will that feat be repeated this Christmas? Saw Doris Lessing at the Southbank Centre.
February – Loved Sweeney Todd the Barber with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter. Earthquake. Had an excellent FairTrade Fortnight Sixth Form RE Conference, which involved baking, football, FairTrade prizes and taste tests, as well educational input from different departments.
March – Enjoyed a lovely Holy Week and Easter Triduum. Discovered the National Gallery. Led some blogging inset at the Marist School – hope everyone is getting on with their blogging! Summarised some of the many excellent teacher and student blogs out there.
April – Collected my marked dissertation. Heard the sad news that Steve Sinnott had died. It snowed in London. Fiona, a friend from home, visited, and had fun being tourists in London, visiting the British Museum, Tower Bridge, Tate Modern and others. Samson and I watched the London Marathon. My friend Bridget got married. Appeared, with my Year 7 class, on Teachers’ TV.
May – The weather improved dramatically. Saw Chris Rock at the O2. Found the Awesome Highlighter website (which I haven’t really used, so I’m posting this here to remind me!). Spent ages surfing the net and writing about the applications I found there. Enjoyed meeting up with the TTP second cohort to talk about my experiences of Web 2.0. Started some classes on Web 2.0 for teachers at school. Took my Year 9s to the National Gallery as part of a Learning Outside the Classroom project.
June – Discovered Wordle! Presented a session on blogging at the Sixth Form Conference. Visited the Thames Barrier. Went to the Anthony Clark’s ordination as a deacon.
July – Samson’s book, The Jive Talker, was published! Read the reviews here, and buy a copy from Amazon here! The second cohort of the Transformation Teachers’ Programme had a lovely meal. I graduated with my Masters (MA in Education: Teaching and Learning) from Middlesex University. Weather was still very hot and humid. Enjoyed the Doctor Who Prom. Started making videos of clouds, taken using my camera and a tripod. Enjoyed lots of balmy evening walks during the summer holidays. Went paddling at the V&A pool. Bliss. Visited Westminster Cathedral to take photos for the department. Finished the month with the launch of the Jive Talker at Rivington Place.
August – The Jive Talker was published in North America (and can be bought on Amazon here). Discovered the Thames Cruiser. Went to a wedding reception. Enjoyed the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony, and then fulltime coverage, all day, every day! Went to Brighton for the day. Went back home to Scotland for a holiday. Met my little Canadian cousin for the first time. One particularly good day was when we travelled through Fife, visiting the Deer Centre, and my old university town of St Andrews.
September – Celebrated my birthday. Back to school! Very busy, but in a good way. We attended the launch of the New Art Exchange, where Samson was taking part in the opening exhibition, Next We Change Earth.
October – The term did not get any quieter! I became Acting Head of Department, so even more work! Visited East Dulwich for the first time, with a family friend. Visited the Saatchi Gallery. Enjoyed teaching my Year 7 Integrated (Humanities) Curriculum about China. Saw Toni Morrison at the Southbank Centre.
November – Went to the Diocesan Heads of RE Conference. Found PhotoBox and Fotonauts. Went to Martin Creed’s flat/exhibition in Brick Lane. Enjoyed Quantum of Solace. Collected together a lot of different Advent resources. Very excited about the election of Barack Obama, as were all the pupils at school.
December – Have enjoyed meeting up with friends, and look forward to meeting up with more friends and family over the next few weeks. We had a lovely carol service today at school, and I am delighted to finally be on holiday! My camera has pretty much given up over the past few months, so I’m hoping to get a new one to record many of the exciting and interesting events that I expect to experience throughout 2009 – starting with the birth of my first niece or nephew!
Thank you for visiting my blog, whether for the first time today, or regularly over the past year, and I hope to be able to share some of my further adventures in teaching and learning, particularly involving Web 2.0, over the next 12 months. I wish you all a very peaceful and joyful Christmas and a happy New Year!
Aug 04 2008
http://www.pimpampum.net/phrasr/?id=13051
I wonder how this will show up … another Flickr mashup from PimPamPum.
Aug 04 2008
This is an experiment in making a book using my Flickr photographs. However, I have also had a bit of a bizarre experience. When I clicked on PimPamPum, I was greeted by a song in Chichewa! Zikomo kwambiri, Mulungu … I then clicked on who, and PimPamPum, which has links to a variety of Flickr mashups, consists of two Barcelonians, so it’s a bit of a bizarre coincidence, but a nice one anyway!
NOTE: I suppose I should really take the above paragraph out, but it has really made me laugh, so instead I’ll update it. I have since discovered that the Chichewa singing was not coming from a Spanish website at all, but my friend Victor’s blog, which I had open at the same time! Since he is Malawian, that makes much more sense!!
