CEP180: Toogle: SIG Annotated List of Resources

Explanation of Focus and Key Resources made Available through Diigo

If you travel to the following web address, http://groups.diigo.com/group/toogle, you will find the Toogle Group’s list of resources, and also a short annotated description to go with each resource. The Toogle Group is one which is focused on the research and implementation of various google based applications within the context of a classroom. Our focus has been changed to better meet the parameters of this assignment, based on email and telephone conferencing with our instructor, Dr. Plair.  The three main focus areas are Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets, and Mail Merge. Our goal is to improve efficiency in teacher to class/parent communication by using Google Docs and Mail together.

Thoughtful Guide for Understanding our Diigo Listed Resources

There are  several resources provided to you by the Toogle Group. Please follow the direction below to access those resources:

1. Go to the following web address: http://groups.diigo.com/group/toogle
2. Search for the appropriate category (Docs, Spreadsheet, Earth or Mail Merge)
1. Docs: Submitted by John Hertel
2. Spreadsheet: Submitted by Bob Carl and Joe Schmidt
3. Earth: Submitted by Joe Schmidt
4. Mail Merge: Submitted by Bob Carl
3. To get a quick idea about what each source is about, read the tags. The tags or words or combinations of words groups together in a box just below the title and location of each source.
4. If you want more details, read the written description below each resource. They should be contained in boxes as look as if they are thought bubbles coming from the authors picture. These writings should help you to understand why the Toogle group feels the source is important.
5. If you find a source that compels you, simply click on the blue hyperlink!

*NOTE: group focus has shifted from using Google Spreadsheet, Docs, and Earth for instruction towards using Spreadsheet, Docs, and Mail Merge together to enhance communication.

Google Mail Merge

I have worked with Microsoft mail-merge in the past and I think it is one of the greatest productivity tools to use.  Now, Google has the option to merge data also with its documents.

Merging contact lists when sending out email allows me to personalize my communication to the parents and guardians of my students.  Here is a link on how to create a mail merge with g-mail and Google Docs.  Here is another link explaining the steps involved.  Here is also one other article on this topic from LifeHacker.com.

Lesson plans are another way to utilize mail merge.  Enter in your lesson plans and then merge the data into usable forms and templates required by administration, your students and yourself.  This allows quick modification of the layout without having to retype the information numerous times for each application.  Here is a you-tube video that explains this process.

Now that I have mentioned both merging contact lists with email and lesson plans, here is a great article combining both subjects together.  This is a great way to personalize lesson plans with your students, making it look like you spent hours working for them when in reality you simply merged data in a more personalized way.

How about collecting data from your students or parents and then being able to use the data in a mail-merge to personalize and simply your communications?  Here is an article on that!

Spreadsheets are a great way to collect and store data, but they do not do the best when it comes to sharing the data in a aesthetically pleasing format.  This is where mail merge comes in again.  Merge the data into documents, presentation software or other medium for great looking presentations.  Here is a great article on this.

Looking for still other ways to utilize this powerful tool in Google?  Here is an article on other ideas to utilize the power of Google Mail Merge!

CEP 810: Learning Styles Lab

I believe that I am a visual learner.  I always like to look at something to help me understand.  Even if someone is reading something to me, I still like to see and read it myself, even if it is while the other person is reading it to me at the same time.  I would have to say I am also a sequential learner in that I like to take learning in steps and be able to understand the logical chunks of information so that I can put it together and see the big picture in my head.  I am also a sensing learner, where I have difficulty digesting abstract and theoretical material, but I do well with memorizing, details and hands on work.  Like most people, there are multiple styles of learning that I utilize in my learning.     
    

            Less effective learning styles for me included verbal, active and intuitive.  Verbal learning has always been difficult for me.  I always like to see something to help me absorb the material.  If someone is reading something, I would like to follow along with them.  I would much rather to email someone than talk on the phone.  I also work better on my own than in groups.  I am somewhat an active learner in that I like to learn hands-on, however, active learners also enjoy group work which I would rather work alone.  I would also say that I am not much of an intuitive learner in that I do not work quickly and I am also not always the fastest at grasping new concepts and relationships.

            Everyone has their own learning styles that work best for them.  There is no way that we can incorporate all of these learning styles in every lesson, as some of them are directly opposite of other learning styles.  However, we can try to utilize as many as we can to help get our lessons across.  Another way to look at these learning styles is to give our students a learning styles quiz at the beginning of the school year so we, as teachers, know what works best for each student.  As we gain instructional material for each lesson, we can coordinate those lessons with the students learning styles.  For example:  Visual learners could maybe get digital flash cards to work with while maybe global learners could use a map of the relationships of the terms being used in the lesson.  With all of the technological learning aids we have available to us, it would be a shame not to try to incorporate these into our curriculum to help our students learn.

CEP 810: Creative Commons Lab

Photo Attribution:

Original Image:  "A light bulb but no (good) ideas"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8047705@N02/5366637592/#/photos/8047705@N02/5366637592/lightbox/
Image by:  Lifesupercharger

Released under an Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC by 2.0) License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

I like to use images throughout my classroom.  Inspirational messages such as the one above are great to hang on the wall as a reminder to all that anything is possible with effort.  Images are also great to use in presentations such as PowerPoint or handouts.  Visual aids assist most learners in understanding what you are trying to teach.  This is especially useful when teaching technology step by step and showing screen shots of what the user can expect to see.

An example of a picture I may use in my classroom is a picture of a lab within the district.  This could be used to show how the lab is laid out before a class is taken to the lab:   Southeastern Computer Lab

PC Maintenance and Security

For this assignment, we were to view at least three videos on PC Maintenance and Security via Atomic Learning.

The first video I watched was “Typical Problems on Today’s Personal Computers”.  The whole video surprised me because I was thinking it would be about typical hardware fixes, but it was regarding disorganization, malware, spam, loss of privacy and intrusions from outsiders.  This video was pretty vague about “how” to do any of these procedures and indicated it would be covered in other sessions.  According to this video, all of these things are easy to take care of.

The second video was regarding “Active X”.  Active X is a catch-all term given to a variety of programming tools developed by Microsoft.  It was designed to allow web browsers to auto-launch and work with program files over the internet, however, this same tool is what has caused so many security breaches with Windows.  Care really needs to be taken to only use the Active X tools that are needed.

The third video was on how to “Set up search preferences in Google”.  This allows users to blocks web pages containing explicit text and images.  This would be really useful in the classroom setting – especially at elementary level.  I will definitely keep this in mind to teach students and educators to prevent “surprises” during internet searches.  I knew about this feature, but have not used it in quite some time.  It was nice to review this feature again.

Personal Growth Plan

Bob Carl’s Technology Personal Growth Plan

My goal as an educational professional is to help others integrate technology in the classroom.  Technology can help people, not just students; develop more efficient and productive processes while gaining a better understanding of life.  I want to be able to help people with this technology; show them what it can do, how to do it, and how to become more efficient through its use.

To do this, I need to keep up with the technology trends and be able to relate the technology to the needs of the users.  Knowing what technology is available is just part of the job.  How to use the technology and how to relate the technology to the job are also essential in making this whole system work.

I plan on staying current by watching technology releases, trends, and how others are using the technology.  I will need to be vigilant and use progressive thinking to see how emerging technologies can make a difference in the classroom.  I will also need to watch others use this technology and be able to advise them on how to improve their life through this technology.  Only when I see others excel with the use of technology will I know that I am doing my job.

Through my knowledge, I can make a difference in education by teaching others and watching them succeed through educational technology.  It is difficult to say I am going to learn “x” amount per period as technology releases and trends constantly change.  My goal is to stay on top of these developments as they occur.

My skills will need to be top notch if I expect others around me to be successful using technology.  I feel I have a good understanding of technology; however, there are areas that I am not up to speed – such as Web 2.0 applications.  My goal is to be up to date with these technology trends by the end of this year so that I can recommend and assist other users in its use.

Getting Things Done!

“Getting Things Done” is an assignment for CEP810.  This is a very useful assignment – especially since our life seems to be in such disarray since the house fire and theft last fall.  Our normal routines have been disrupted and our systems no longer in place (files, desks, etc.).  For this assignment, I really need to work on several areas to get organized again, but I am choosing to work on mail.

I organized the process by simply sorting out the mail as it was collected each day.  No use of paper and pencil, phone or software.  I simply need to take the time to sort the mail and deal with it as it is collected.  No more throwing the daily mail in a pile on the desk!

It was actually rewarding to know I took care of some projects right away today.  Grabbed the mail, looked at each piece and through away the pieces that we did not need and dealt with the other pieces if they could be taken care of within two minutes, and lastly, put the longer projects in the “to do” stack on the desk.

I think this process will help us in the long run.  We still have a stack of mail on the desk, but at least we now know that it has to be dealt with because it is saved.  No more stacks of junk mail thrown in with the good stuff!

It will be difficult to keep this process going with so many other things happening in our lives, but if we can discipline ourselves to do this process like we used to before the fire, it will help us feel more organized again.  I am glad to have had this assignment.  It made me more aware of really how disorganized we have become and where we need to get to as we will be moving into our new home soon!

Social Networking

This is supposed to be a post about how social networks fit into my professional and personal work flow and how they fit into the lives of my students or peers.  How do I keep from laughing?  I have not used ANY of these social network tools before in my life!  Part of the reason I have not used these is a lack of time.  Another reason has to deal with some family issues I would rather not get into at this point.  As far as professional - well that has been non-existent also.  There is only one person I know who actually uses Facebook.  Most friends and co-workers avoid these tools - just like me; mostly for the lack of time and for the fear of repercussions with student relationships via electronic avenues.  What does this say about me and the people I hang out with?  Hmmm...

Now, how "should" I be using these tools?  That is the question I need to answer.  I have thought about Twitter a lot - but have not had time to act on it.  I can see this being used to update students AND parents of deadlines, tests, etc.  Facebook?  I was actually one of the first users (as far as creating an account), but I never used it since (nor can I remember my login/password).  :-)  I can see some benefit - especially being able to relate to the generations that we are teaching.  Linkedin?  I should have used that YEARS ago.  Maybe I would have a full time teaching job now if I had.  I really do need to get with the times!