Michael Walker's 23 Things on a Stick

Thing 33: Travel 2.0

2009-06-18T13:01:00.006-05:00

The timing of this thing is perfect as we finalize our trip to the Southwest this summer.
I started by looking at the Notes from the Road blog, Eric Gauger's images and travels around the country. The image to the right is one he took in Arizona. Next I used the Virtual Tourist site to look up hotels in Glenwood Springs, Colorado as we start making our way back. Finally, I checked out Hotspotr, to find out locations for wireless access on our trip. I'm going to have a hard time around the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and in the Black Hills! Guess I'll be off the grid!

Thing 32: Google Maps and Mashups

2009-06-18T08:26:00.003-05:00

For this thing I created a map in Google Maps for our trip to the Washington, DC. I have explored this a bit in the past, and have also implemented a Google Earth project in a similar fashion for the French Immersion students at Valley View.

View Washington, DC Trip in a larger map

Thing 31: More Twitter

2009-06-17T07:09:00.007-05:00

I have been using Twitter pretty heavily now for the past year, texting sms messages to 40404 from my phone, using Tweetdeck from my desktop, or gadgets from my Netvibes page to post.
For this thing, I chose to use two free services, Ping.fm and SpinVox. Ping is a site that allows you to post to all of the popular social networks from one location. Rather than logging in to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc individually, you can do so once on Ping, and post to all. There is a similar feature with Tweetdeck, which allows you to post either to Twitter, Facebook or both.
By adding the SpinVox feature, I will be able to call 1-202-684-7653 from my phone, and speak my message. Spinvox converts the voice message to text and will post it to Twitter. It also will add the voice comment if you want it to! This will come in handy while I'm driving across the country in the next couple of weeks on vacation!
I'll have to speak more clearly though, as I really said, "I'm testing out Ping and SpinVox from my Phone!"

Thing 30: More Ways to Use RSS and Delicious

2009-06-10T10:49:00.004-05:00

In the last few months, I've really gotten away from using RSS, and have been teathered to my Twitter PLN! I like using Netvibes for RSS as opposed to Google Reader or Bloglines because of the ability to have a public side to the feeds. So for this thing, I looked for something new that I hadn't looked at before and focussed on Spreed! Spreed is a aggregator site that takes specific feeds from different categories and allows you to read the articles at a certain speed!
The tool allows you to view the text starting at 240 wpm and increase it up to 1500 wpm! Apparently as you get used to the dark background and light text, you can increase your speed.
I topped out at around 450 wpm.
Not sure I would use this.

Thing 29: Google Tools

2009-06-07T15:12:00.000-05:00

In this thing, I explored some of the Google Tools I hadn't used yet.

I started by taking a look at the SearchWiki feature in Google.

Since I have been using Diigo for bookmarking, I wasn't sure if I would ever use some of these features, like favoriting. If I like a site, I'm not going to search for it each time, I'll just bookmark it and go there. For those that want to always exist in Google, perhaps that would be a good option...I tend to agree with Michael Arrington's assessment, that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. At the same time, if a company stagnates, they will lose out to the latest and greatest...

One option I have liked recently is the addition of "More Options" on Google searches. This allows you to see related searches, videos, forums, trends, and something new, "The Wonder Wheel!"

I searched for Barack Obama to see what the Wonder Wheel would give me...Here is the result:

I think it's interesting that John Edwards showed up along with Hillary Clinton. The fact that the word "president" didn't show up but "muslim" did is telling, though perhaps it's due to the speech he gave on Friday, and not certain people's perception of his religious affiliation!

Thing 28: Customized Home Pages

2009-06-06T22:15:00.000-05:00

I have been using both iGoogle and Netvibes for awhile.
I agree totally with Web Worker's Head to Head assessment: Netvibes wins by a mile!
Here are my reasons:

The public and private side (My 23 Things portals are on the public side)
The easy ability to add feeds and customize the pages.

Now they have many layout formats too.

Thing 27: Twitter

2009-06-06T15:54:00.000-05:00

I started using Twitter in November, 2007. For the longest time I just didn't get it. Then I started following experts in Educational Technology, and learning with and from them. After about 5 months, I "got it!"
Now I use Tweetdeck and stay connected to my Personal Learning Network and teach others how to do the same!
For this thing, I added a background to my page, and thougth I'd add this slideshow:

Thing 26: Join the 23 Things Ning

2009-06-06T13:32:00.000-05:00

I had actually joined the 23 Things Ning back in thing 20, so this time, I added the badge and updated my profile page, then commented on a few others, and added a reply to the More Things...How far along are you? Thread.

I like Ning a lot, and am a member of about 6 different groups. Unfortunately, Ning is blocked ino our district, so it isn't convenient to access.

Thing 25: Blogger's Tool-Kit

2009-06-05T14:35:00.000-05:00

When I first read over Thing 25: The Blogger's Tool-Kit, I was a bit overwhelmed. There looked like too much to do! Then I decided to break it down, and it wasn't so bad (For the most part)...

In the '>20 Usability Tips for Bloggers article, I was a bit troubled by number 12. For those of you with a Diigo account, you will be able to view my comment!
After reading the article, I decided to plug away at the task of trying 4 of the gadgets listed.

First I added Odiogo, a tool that allows users to listen to the post. I thought this would be a great way to add Universal Access to blogs, though most people with vision problems would be using another tool.
Under Comment Tools, I chose to add Disqus. Disqus allows you to make commenting on your blog easier and more interactive, I'll have to see if anyone comments on this to gather it's value.
Since I had used ClusterMaps and Google Analytics before, I decided to try gVisit. By first pasting some script into my page, and then clicking on this link, I can track viewers to my page to see where they are from. Again, with time, I'll see how successful this is.
For the Photos and Photo Tools feature, I chose to try FlickrCC, a site that allows you to search for Creative Commons Licensed photos. I found the one below, taken by Doug Wallick. Within FlickrCC was the option to edit the photo in Picnik, a free Web 2.0 editiing tool. So I modified it a bit based on the license that said it could be modified.

Overall, I spent over an hour and a half completing this thing...Too much time I think. I wish it had been broken down into smaller things. Luckily for me, the next two things are almost done!

Thing 24: Refresh Your Blog

2009-06-05T13:42:00.000-05:00

For this activity, I changed my blog theme, and then worked on developing an avatar.
After trying the Yahoo Avatar creator, I decided to try the South Park version. I also played around with the Simpson's version. I'll let you decide which version looks best:

After doing that, I played around with the look of the site. I copied a template from Pyzam.com and followed their directions. Not sure I like the look....

Since finishing 23 Things on a Stick last summer, I have worked on my EdinaTech blog, and have commented a lot on other people's blogs. I have also cultivated my Personal Learning Network on Twitter, and as of today have 1583 updates, follow 251 people and have 323 followers! On to the next thing...

Welcome Back to the Things!

2009-06-05T09:13:00.000-05:00

Last summer, I facilitated a great group of educators participating in 23 Things on a Stick. From the Web site:

23 Things On a Stick is the Minnesota twist on the Library Learning 2.0 program
developed by Helene Blowers at the Public Library of Charlotte &
Mecklenberg County and adopted or adapted by many other libraries and organizations since then.
23 Things On a Stick was developed by the seven multitype multicounty library
systems as part of the staff development the multitypes offer in their regions.

It's an opportunity for educators to explore Web 2.0 tools, to extend their learning and the learning of their students. Participants will create a blog to share their learning and comment on each other's experiences.

This year, I'm facilitating Round 2, including some folks who are "gluttons for punishment", and are continuing to add to their learning by trying "More Things on a Stick!" I look forward to learning with them!

Thing 23: The End!

2008-06-11T09:37:00.000-05:00

I completed the survey, and now am officially done with 23 Things. I'm ready to start working with staff here in Edina.
Click here to view the Edina 2008 23 Things on a Stick homepage.

Thing 22: What did I learn today?

2008-06-11T09:06:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that I had used many of the tools for the 23 Things on a Stick project, I learned a lot!
I hope that while continuing to explore these tools that I will be able to help the staff that I work with sort to find the wheat from the chaff and utilize these tools with their students.
Now that I see this site, I've got my work cut out for me this summer!

Thing 21: Other Social Networking sites-NING

2008-06-11T08:35:00.000-05:00

I had joined Ning earlier in the year, but hadn't logged in much. For this thing, I joined the 23 Things on a Stick group on Ning.
I added a couple of comments on people's pages, and updated my profile page to include some photos and the sound file I created for my podcasts.
Next school year I will try to utilize Ning more as I look to expand my network.

Thing 20: Social Networking sites

2008-06-10T15:35:00.000-05:00

Thing 20 asks you to join Facebook or Myspace and add some friends and then write on a few walls.
I joined Facebook earlier this year, and now have around 15 friends. I also figured out how to connect my Twitter tweets to my Facebook posts, which has made things much less complicated. I like Twitter as a networking tool, because it forces you to get to the point, in 140 characters or less! At first I didn't get it, but once you start following people, like Will Richardson or Steve Dembo, or things, like the Mars Phoenix lander, it's pretty cool!

I've also created a Ning account this year, but have yet to really use it much.

Thing 19: Podcasts

2008-06-10T15:24:00.000-05:00

For this thing, I explored some of the Minnesota Public Radio podcasts, my favorites being the 89.3 the Current Song of the Day and Mike Mulcahy's Policast.
This year I have created several podcasts of tech tips, and also assisted staff with student podcasts. I think it is a great way to create authentic learning opportunities for students.

Thing 18: Youtube

2008-06-10T15:18:00.000-05:00

I found this video that makes me realize how much I will miss our current president.

I struggle with Youtube as an educational tool, as there are many good applications. Unfortunately, Teachertube is too unreliable, with limited content, and Schooltube, which I signed up for over a week ago, has not given me access!

Thing 17: ELM Productivity Tools

2008-06-10T14:52:00.001-05:00

I had never accessed the Electronic Library for Minnesota. Wow! What a great resource, and free to all Minnesotans!
Several databases that I have used before now available for free!
I searched the consumer guide and was able to access articles from Consumer Reports for free!

Thing 16:Student Research Tools

2008-06-10T14:27:00.000-05:00

The University of Minnesota Assignment calculator is a great tool for students conducting research to organize their time. It allows you to put in the date the project is assigned and when it's due, and the subject matter and then it generates a step-by-step guide for completion.

I think I like the format of the "Research Project Calculator" better.
Here is a video project that I put info in. It includes more detail.
Both allow you to have e-mail reminders for each step sent to you. NICE! I can see teachers using this to create timelines for big student projects.

Thing 15: Online Games in Education and Libraries

2008-06-10T12:43:00.000-05:00

For this "Thing" I started by downloading and playing "Puzzle Pirates, an interactive game that requires software installation that may destroy your hard drive ;-), and 8 minutes of data downloads prior to play. As the father of a 9 1/2 year old, I thought this would be an interactive environment that he might enjoy trying this summer (As long as he doesn't see the "Buy Puzzle Pirate cards at Target" banner!).
After creating your pirate, in my case "Boogleyboo", you're ready to learn how to pillage!
I liken it to "Second Life meets Webkins" but with a pirate theme! It seemed very well developed and if given more time, might be a good learning tool.

I also logged in to Second Life and checked out Info Island. I have been using Second Life for about 3 months, and have found some resources that have me wondering how best to incorporate SL into 6-12 education.

Thing 14: Library Thing

2008-06-10T12:03:00.000-05:00

Library Thing is a great social networking site for people who read books. It allows you to enter the books you are reading (up to 200 per year for free) and connect with people who are reading similar books. They also allow you to put your bookshelf on your blog, as I have done here.

Thing 13: Productivity Tools

2008-06-10T11:20:00.000-05:00

This thing was an opportunity to explore several online productivity tools, such as calendars and countdown clocks!
Here's one I added for how much time Edina teachers have to complete their 23 Things on a stick!

Created by OnePlusYou

For this thing, I updated my Google Calendar page so now it will sync with both my phone and my Outlook Calendar!

I also checked out the "Top 25 Web 2.0 Apps to Improve a Student's or Professor's Productivity, Online Education Database". Many are sites that I've tried, or as in the case with the grading sites, do not apply to staff here in Edina, because we use Edline/Gradequick and Moodle.

Thing 12:Do You Digg?

2008-06-10T10:05:00.000-05:00

While I have seen Digg and Reddit before I had never done much with the sites.
For this "Thing" I decided to visit Digg and sign up for Newsvine, as I am an admitted wonk when it comes to news on politics and sports.
On Digg, I read a few of the posts on the front page, took a poll on who would win the election and learned that "Man likes woman so much, he marries her!". It's in the Onion, it's got to be true!

Newsvine allows you to create an account (Plan on waiting a half hour for the confirmation e-mail):

The moment you register for your free Newsvine account, you are automatically given your own column and your own web address (e.g. "yourname.newsvine.com") where you can write articles, seed links, collect friends, and a host of other things. You're free to put anything you'd like in your column as long as it follows the Code of Honor (e.g. no hate speech, no advertising, etc.). Here's a sample column. The Newsvine community loves investigative reporting, opinion pieces, and just about everything else considered newsworthy and in good taste. Newsvine also sells advertising around all content on the site and returns 90% of the advertising revenue from your content right back to you (based on page views).

Cool, now I'm a reporter, and can take on the Star Tribune, and get paid!! Katherine Kersten will be shaking in her boots!

Now to come up with content...

Thing 11:Tagging

2008-06-09T16:02:00.000-05:00

Tag-You're it!
Tagging allows your posts to show up in others searches. I have used tagging in my blog posts,and in fact had people I wrote about comment on the post.
I've also used Del.icio.us for bookmarking, but have fallen in love with Diigo, and it's ability to highlight and post comments on Web pages, along with social-bookmarking.
For this thing, I signed up for and tried Pagekeeper.
They allow teachers to create resource pages for students. While this is an easy way for a staff member to create pages of links, they could easily do this on a Web page for their class, and it is not as easy to create groups of links because...there are no tags!

Thing 10:Wiki

2008-06-09T09:02:00.000-05:00

I've had ample opportunity this year to create wiki's using wikispaces, pbwiki and wetpaint this year. I've used them to help staff integrate technology into their curriculum and to plan a holiday party!

However, I had never logged in and updated a site such as Wikipedia or another "official" wiki until today.
The Minnesota Historical Society set up a wiki for the Susquecentenial titled: MN 150
On the site there are the top 150 topics answering this question:

"What person, place, thing, or event originating in Minnesota do you think has transformed our state, our country, or the world?"

I chose to edit the page on Cass Gilbert, archetect of the State Capitol. I added a link to my photos on Flickr of Statehood Day 2008, and included my photo of the capitol in the images.

I also added this information to the 23 Things on a Stick wiki.
I believe that the collaborative nature of wiki's is a perfect fit for education, from student created textbooks and study guides to authentic editing of wikis used in the "real world".

Thing 8 and 9: Share Your creations

2008-06-04T14:36:00.000-05:00

Thing 8 is to use different tools to share photos and other information on your blog.
On the left side of this blog, I had already added the Flickr badge, and this gave me an opportunity to try a few others.
Zoho Show 2.0 allows you to import PowerPoint files and make them available online, as I did here with my LINKS PowerPoint.

While it was nice to be able to share the presentation, none of the links are available to either Web content or the files I linked to.

Picturetrail allows you to upload photos from your computer or with the URL of the photo and create cool "Flicks" with them, such as the Photocube of my pictures from New York.

The piece I didn't like about this was that you couldn't import directly from sites like Flickr or Picassa, but the special effects were built in and kind of cool!

Both of these tools were a nice way to share my content easily on the blog. I will try to use these to make more interesting content on my blog.

Thing 7: Communication Tools

2008-05-28T11:54:00.000-05:00

This segment of 23 Things focuses on Communication.
I set an account with Google Groups to explore the 23 things group there, and I also signed up for the Educational Technology Group.
In the last few months, I've really been active with Twitter, following many Educational Technology "Gurus" and have gained many cool insights from what I now consider my "Personal Learning Network."

I also started texting more with my phone, though mostly to my wife! As my kids move toward adolescence, I'll probably start doing that more, so I better practice now!
I would like to look at a comparison of Google Talk vs. Skype and other communication tools, such as AIM.
I also want to look at using other appliances to Tweet, such as my
phone, but haven't done that yet.

Thing 6: Online Image Generators

2008-05-28T10:55:00.000-05:00

Big Huge Labs image generators as mentioned in the previous post, are really easy to use. Here is our puppy on the day we got her, in trading card form.

This would be a great way for kids to create cards on people, places or topics that they are studying. Then they could be printed out for study guides.

Another image generating site is Imagechef. Imagechef requires a login and verification that you are over 13. There are hundreds of templates, including license plates:

Some of the templates are just fun, but others could definitely be used for powerful imagery.

Thing 5: Fun with Flickr

2008-05-27T14:32:00.000-05:00

At the risk of getting really lost in all the cool things you can do on "Big Huge Labs: Flickr" site, here is the poster I created.

It was quick and painless, and now my photostream is linked to some really fun tools I can use with my Flickr photos, such as:
Maps
Pocket Albums
Jigsaw Puzzles
Badge Makers
Movie Posters
Calendars
Magazine Covers
Wallpaper
Trading Cards
Photo walls
Etc...

Thing 4.5: Blog Post from Flickr

2008-05-27T14:03:00.001-05:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.
Here is the photo that I altered using Picnik. It was quick, easy and painless

Thing 4:Photosharing with Flickr

2008-05-27T13:09:00.000-05:00

I signed up for Flickr back in the fall, and uploaded some photos I took of New York. Then the parent of one of my son's friends sent some pictures of a Lego competition they were in.

I recently posted some photos of Minnesota's Statehood Day, and am hooked! Using the suggestions from 23 Things, I added notes to a few photos. This allows you to enhance images and add interesting facts, a great tool for student projects.

Using the "Blog" tool, you can easily add an image to your blog from Flickr, such as the one below. In Flickr, this photo is tagged, noted and mapped! Then I made some changes to the photo using a 3rd party site called Picnik. Picnik allows you to edit the photo very easily on-line, though some of the more interesting features required a premium account.

Here is the original, and in the post above, you can view the updated photo with Picnik.

Thing 3:RSS

2008-05-19T14:42:00.000-05:00

Really Simple Syndication or RSS is a huge shift and one of the guiding principles of Web 2.0-"Make the information come to you!" I used to go to news sites and others that had information I was interested in, and read, often finding that there had been no updates. Now, I use Netvibes as my aggregator, and organize the sites I read by topic-tabs so I can get right to the information I'm interested in. If there is an update, I roll my mouse over the topic, and view the first few lines of the post. If it interests me, I can click on the post to view it within Netvibes, or click to view the Web site. Another nice feature of Netvibes is that the comments actually show up in the aggregator, unlike other readers where you only see the original post.

For this project, I decided to try Google Reader, as I have not used that aggregator as yet.
My initial response is that it is not as pretty to look at compared to Netvibes.
One nice feature is Google Gears, a browser enhancement that allows you to view up to 2000 posts, while you're offline!

Thing 2:Library 2.0 and What I hope to get out of 23 Things on a Stick

2008-05-19T13:48:00.000-05:00

Response to Library 2.0
As a technology integrationist who has spent the last 9 months immersed in all things Web 2.0, I feel that John Blyberg's post on 11 Reasons Why Library 2.0 Exists and Matters, is spot on.
If Web 1.0 search engines were not enough to give people pause and rethink the Modern Library, then certainly Web 2.0 must.
In Web 2.0, the whole issue of "authority" has been blurred.
Students researching a topic may use Google, and find the notes of other students researching the same topic and take it as fact. It may even happen to "older students!" If Wikipedia has more in-depth entries and is more up-to-date than traditional encyclopedias, should it not be used as a starting point for research? By requiring students to evaluate the information in Wikipedia or other encyclopedias, we are giving them a valuable skill in critical thinking. This is a change from the Library 1.0 world of viewing everything in the Library as factual. This critical thinking is an essential 21st Century skill, and the 23 Things on a Stick project is a great way for librarians and media staff to embrace it!

Why am I completing 23 Things on a Stick?
We learn by doing. We could sign up for a class and sit back and passively listen to an instructor tell us about Web 2.0 tools, but without the hands-on experience, we would not gain the same understanding. The 23 Things on a Stick project is a great way for library staff and other educators to gain experience with Web 2.0 tools in a structured format that will allow them analyze how they may use these tools in their work.
I hope to get further practice with some of the Web 2.0 tools I am familiar with, as well as expand my breadth of knowledge so that I can run a 23 Things course for educators in Edina, Minnesota this summer.

Thing 1:Welcome to my 23 Things on a Stick Blog!

2008-05-15T08:26:00.000-05:00

Hi,
I'm Michael Walker, Secondary Technology Integrationist with Edina Public Schools.
Here I will explore the 23 Things on a Stick, and blog about the experience.
I then hope to use this experience to create a Moodle Course for this summer with my staff, that can then be exported out for use by others in Moodle.
On the left, I added the slideshow feed from my latest Flickr photo set from the "Statehood Day" celebration at the Minnesota capitol.
I can't wait to get started!!