Thing # 16 Get Organized With Web 2.0 Tools

I have always been very organized, and I believe this has helped me both personally and academically.  My hub of organization is the journal/planner that is always with me.  In this I keep track of assignment due dates, test dates, events, appointments etc.  I use this to visualize my upcoming weeks and what they involve.  I am also huge on to do lists, sticky notes, etc.  Hence, my organizational strategy is a hodgepodge of planner/notes/tags/lists/etc.  This works for me because I am very tactile.  Using online tools is another route.  Everything that I do using a bound planner/post-its/endless sheets of paper can also be done on my computer.  Examples are personalized home pages, virtual calenders, and to do lists.   

To try these tools out, I first created a personalized home page using iGoogle:

My page includes local weather, a to do list, a link to my Google Reader, an NPR news feed, and other fun gadgets like Art of the Day, Artist of the Day, How to of the Day, Recipe of the Day, etc.  This is a great home site that offers quick and easy access to the things that I check regularly on the internet.  It is now my homepage and the starting point to my web sessions.  

I also created an online calender.  I chose Google Calender because it was free and I already had a Google account. This was simple and had a clean easy to read layout.  It could be viewed by the day, week, or month.  This calender could also be shared with other users, a useful tool if you require your schedule to be synced with someone else's.  While this is a great tool, I will always prefer my moleskin planner.  

Next I made a virtual to do list on Remember the Milk:

Also easy to use, this would be a good tool for those who wish to go paperless and keep everything digital.  For some, this is a good tool because it can be accessed anywhere (with internet).  For me, I prefer keeping tactile lists.  These are more convenient to me because I do not have to get on the computer to view/update them.  I prefer the action of physically crossing something off my list.  

While all of these tools are useful, just how useful they can be to you depends on your preference.  iGoogle works for me because it is something I would be accessing anyway (your homepage is the first thing you see when you log onto the internet).  Online calenders and to do lists are less helpful to me because I prefer to keep them on paper.  As a teacher, I might be more prone to use a digital calender if I need to sync my calender to someone else's.  However, I do not see myself ever really using digital to do lists.  

Thing # 15 Wikis

Wikis can be used to share and edit information.  A great example was found in the Wikis in Plain English video where a group of friends who are planning a camping trip start a collaborative wiki page in lieu of planning through email.  The campers were able to edit the content of the page to update a list of supplies that was needed and even add links to other pages concerning the trip (in this case, adding a link to suggestive locations).  

Wikipedia is the most popular example of a wiki: this is a giant encyclopedia that is constantly updated.  Educators can also make their own wikis to share information (ranging from how to to best practices wikis).  

After exploring wikis, we were asked to edit content on the 23 Things Sandbox Wiki (the sandbox is usually the play area of the wiki).  I found this wiki to be extremely cluttered and confusing.  There were overwhelming amounts of unorganized information on the page.  I was not able to edit the content (it was currently being used and locked).   Trying to orient myself on the site, I saw a sidebar under "Recent Activity" that showed a "New Page 2011" had just been created.  This new page was a breath of fresh air (completely blank) and I decided it would be the appropriate place to add my content.  I pulled some stuff from my blog about flowcharts and mind maps and created a section titled "Uses for Flowcharts and Mind Maps in the Art Classroom."  

I understand that this particular wiki was a bit cluttered and unorganized simply because it was created as a learning tool for us to explore editing content.  In looking at other wikis, like "Library Success: a best practices wiki," I see that they can be very useful for accessing information that is constantly up to date and added to.  Having a classroom wiki is another good idea.  This could include a calender, note, projects, discussion, that could be accessed and added to by students.    

Thing # 14 Flowcharts and Mind Maps

I have to begin by saying that I love flowcharts and mind maps and I was so excited to find these tools for creating them online.  First I created a flowchart at Gliffy.com.  This was very simple with easy to use to shapes and connectors, colors and fonts.  When I was done creating my flowchart, I was given the chance to to publish it on my blog or open it up for collaboration.  I chose to publish it to my blog but then realized I would have to sign up for a 30 day trial.  I would prefer to save my free trial for a later date when I will get more use out of the sight, but I did want you guys to see my creation.  I cheated a bit and took a screenshot of my flowchart:

I made this simple chart to map out the transitions in Western art history.  I could greatly enhance this chart by adding pictures and examples of the work from each era.  I could also further divide up the topics (for example, "The Twentieth Century" could be divided into Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, etc.).  This is a great starting point for my students who will need to understand these transitions.  

I also worked on a mind map at Bubbl.us  Here is a screenshot of my creation:

This map will be useful to students who are studying art history and learning to understand different artworks.  The chart maps out different questions that they should think about when encountering an artwork.  The site was fairly easy to navigate and I had a lot of fun creating this map.  Both flowcharts and mind maps will be great resources  that I can use to visually lay out information.   These will really help students understand the continuity and transitions between topics and ideas.  Students would also benefit from creating their own flowchart or mind map.  This would be a great way for them to map out concepts for themselves.  It would also let me know that they understand transition and relevance between successive topics.  

Thing # 13 Web Based Applications

This morning I explored Zoho Writer.  I was very excited that that this site offers a free word processor (Microsoft Office is expensive!).  I also found it ingenious that the tool allows you both share a project without having to email it and to work collaboratively on it online.  I played around on Zoho and created a sample document and then tried to upload it to my blog.  This is where I ran into problems.  I clicked on "Share" - "Post to Blog" and then typed in my username and password and hit "Get my blogs."  Zoho told me that I "need to be in https mode to use this feature." I have no idea what that means, so I searched around the site to find an answer.  I went under "Help" - "FAQ" - "How do I post a Blog from Zoho Writer?"  This did not give me an answer to my "https problem" but rather told me how to post to my blog once my account had been smoothly pulled up.  Oh well, I am sure that upon deeper investigation I could tackle this problem.  But for now, I have already invested my $100+ into the Microsoft Office Suite and will continue to use it (without having to put very much time and energy into learning a new system).  
Next I explored Google Docs and jumped at the chance to explore their drawing tool.

This is a drawing that I created on top of an uploaded photo that I had on my computer of cows at my aunt's farm.  This would be suitable for younger students who are learning addition.  My drawing can be found at https://docs.google.com/drawings/pub?id=1nMaL5pXdUWPV6FTn3ZOHyL4RHT8c3vsCapqHVFvEeHg&w=960&h=720
As far as other applications offered on Google Docs (word processor, spreadsheets, and presentations), they are pretty similar to those on Zoho.  These tools would be great for students who are working together on a project outside of class time.  They could email projects back and forth with their additions/edits without having to physically meet up and view the same computer screen.  I could definitely see my students playing around with a collaborative drawing or creating a slide based presentation together.  

Thing # 12 Google Does It All

Google offers a lot more than a search engine.  My interest was sparked when I learned about Google Alerts.  This tool e-mails alerts pertaining to your chosen topic when it is referenced in the new or on the web.  For example, I have been interested in current (or should I say ongoing) discussion of NPR funding cuts.  I typed this "npr funding cut" into the search engine and was told that my query was registered and I would begin receiving e-mails.  Sure enough, minutes later a concise message was sent to my inbox outlining current news on the topic.  These messages will be sent daily or less often, depending on how much news pops up on the topic.  What a great way to keep up to date with individual issues!  I could see a busy teacher using this to keep up to date with personal or professional interests.

I had a lot of fun with iGoogle, which gives you a customizable home page.  In essence, this is like setting your home page to Google (remember my last post where I mentioned that I Google everything?) and then glorifying it with links, news feeds, and gadgets.  My home page now features a to do list, a calender, a link to my Google Reader, an NPR news feed, local weather updates, and many other fun gadgets that show an artwork of the day, and artist a day, a word of the day, recipe of the day, how to of the day, etc. etc.  There are so many gadgets offered with this tool that I am sure everybody will be able to find (probably too many) fun and useful things to include on their homepage.  You can also customize the look of your page to incorporate various colors and background images.  iGoogle is another great tool for the busy, tech savvy teacher who wishes to keep up with various modes of information.  It is a great starting point to your day: catch up on your choice of news, check your birthday updater to make sure you are not forgetting anyone's special day, and then check out the how to of the day wiki.  What a fun, convenient, and resourceful tool! 

I could see myself using iGoogle to create a homepage for our class computer(s).  On top of featuring the handy Google search engine, our home page would include useful links, relevant news feeds, and fun gadgets (such as the Artwork of the day, or even the cute little penguins that you can employ to waddle around your page).  

Thing # 11 Finding Good Feeds

Because I typically Google search everything that I wish to find out about, I began looking for feeds via Google Blog Search.  I entered "art education" in the search engine which yielded lots of great articles.  At Huffington Post I read about a Principal Dancer in NYC's Ballet and her take on the importance of arts education.  (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ashley-bouder/arts-education-preservati_b_826311.html)  I also learned about a national exhibition sponsored by VSA, the Organization for Arts and Disabilities out of California.  This article was about a little girl who was selected to participate from California.  (http://www.prlog.org/11335479-stardust-arts-student-is-selected-to-represent-california-in-vsa-nationals.html)
While these (and several others) were great articles, they did not seem to be part of a continuum that could be subscribed to in an  RSS reader.  I searched the entire post along with entering back into the greater website to find a way to subscribe to them as a feed.  These two examples seem to have come from a larger hodgepodge that would be presented to me upon searching for "art education" rather than picking out blogs exclusive to the topic.  For example, the first article from Huffington Post (which contains articles on a plethora of subjects) was probably chosen for me out of the masses because of its relevance to my search.  I would not, however, wish to subscribe to the Huffington Post because it would simply send me too many (unrelated) articles.   I began to get frustrated that I would not find any good feed to subscribe to concerning art education.  
Then I stumbled upon The Carrot Revolution: an art education weblog and a resource page for art educators, art students, and artists in the digital age.  (http://carrotrevolution.blogspot.com/2011/02/comic-artists-do-perspective-better.html)  The first post that popped up pertained to a refreshing new book that is out on teaching perspective.  An earlier post introduced me to the Google Art Project (http://www.googleartproject.com/) where you can take a virtual walk through several art galleries and even zoom in really close on some of the paintings.  As a future art teacher, the Carrot Blog is a great feed to subscribe to.  The feed will deliver lots of valuable information right to my RSS reader.  

Thing # 10 RSS Readers

I actually signed up for an RSS reader when we were exploring blogs in the first part of the project.  At the time I added a few blogs that I was interested in following.  Since then, I have accessed my reader nearly every day.  It is an easy, compact, fast way to keep up with everything.  I will definitely always use this tool for following blogs that pertain to both my personal and professional life.  This technology is suitable for anybody who wishes to follow an RSS feed, teacher or otherwise.  It is great for somebody with a busy schedule who does not have time to click on and off of various websites.  Plus it ensures that you never miss anything.  You can access your reader and view the new posts at your own convenience.  It is a treat to log into a full reader that is teeming with new information : )  I would definitely recommend setting one up.