THING # 12   Google Stuff

Of course, we all know that Google is more than just a search engine. That's what most of us use it for. But Google, like Apple wants to create an entire system of interrelated products. I tried out Google Alerts for the first time. It works amazingly well, considering how simple it is to use. If there is a downside, it is the same as I have said in previous posts - information overload. The search screen only allows you to conduct a limited search, without mush ability to refine the search. The result is that you are going to get more alerts than you can handle and end up shutting it down. If it were possible (maybe through some kind of advanced search) to limit the info coming in, I would be much happier with it.
I also looked at the Google Calendar. With the wealth of smartphones and other scheduling tools, Google is trying to get into a very crowded market. The calendar aspect of this app is nothing new. What is interesting is the ability to share schedules with others. We used a software like this in a company I worked for many years ago. Everyone in the department kept their work schedule, travel plans, meetings, etc. on the software, and whenever we tried to schedule a meeting or training session, we could tell exactly who was available. It could also search for maximum available times.
I can see some limited use for teachers in a school, but normally everyone runs on pretty much the same schedule. The Google Alerts, however, would be an interesting search tool, especially for younger users who might get frustrated at the work involved in an online search. Set up the alert, let Google do the work, and let the kids enjoy the results. I may try it in class.
BTW, there are many other Google tools beyond what was presented in Thing 12. Google Sketchup is a good example of a surprisingly sophisticated 3D drawing program that even a child can use. Of course, it takes some experience to get proficient, but simple drawings are very easy to create. Google Sketchup is free, with good online tutorials, and also offers a for fee professional-level program.

THING #11  Finding Good Feeds

Like with everything else out there, there is just too much information on the web. When I look at some of the blogs and I see a full time teacher, mother, homemaker who shows on her blog a list of blogs that she regularly visits - I assume she uses an RSS feed - and that list shows more than 150 different blogs - I just don't know where she finds the time. She says she reads "snippets" when she has free time. If you're checking feeds from 150 different blogs you'd better have a lot of free time. Quite frankly, I don't have the time to really do a credible search for what I think are good sites, whether they are blogs or information sites.
My impression of the professional sites like Topix and Technorati is that they are more into posting advertising and making a buck than they are about digesting information. I found it difficult to navigate around on those sites, and - admittedly not doing a real comprehensive search - most of what came up from searches was junk. I did a search on education and technology and ended up reading a series of posts from some women who are having an online battle about sharing their husbands and children. Why am I wasting my time?
I know from previous experience with online searches that there is good information out there if you have the discipline to search well. I teach my students the basics of online searches, and we're finding that, the more information there is available online, the harder it is to find it.
To summarize, my search for good feeds - new ones, not the same ones everyone else is using - drew a blank. Maybe when I have more time to devote to it.

THING #10 - RSS Feeds

RSS Feeds is something I have heard about for years, but never really had a reason to use. I suffer from information overload like most everyone these days. I watch the evening news on local channels and cable feeds every day; I listen to the news on the radio when I'm in the car; I browse the news feeds on my MyYahoo site. I didn't really feel that I needed any more input.
After looking at the video and reading some of the info, I realized that I already use an RSS reader - my MyYahoo page. Most of the stuff on the page is RSS reeds. I added a couple of the Education blogs to the site because they interest me, and a couple of the classmates who have posted with me.

I can see a professional use for an RSS feed, once you find sites that have relevance. I know people who just add everything that has a passing interest to their RSS feeds and as a result, have a reader site that is so big it is unmanageable. My MyYahoo is a full screen plus a screen roll down. I have one friend whose screen rolls down about six times it is so full. I suspect she never sees the bottom of the feed!!
I think you have to periodically revisit your RSS homepage and review your content for relevancy. Some of the sites go inactive when their authors get tired.
As for use in the classroom, I could see older grades setting up an RSS feed for a topic of interest and checking it for content every couple of days. It is a project that would have to be monitored for appropriateness and content.
It is certainly appropriate for school - after all, it's easy and it's free. What more could you want?

THING #9 TEXT GENERATORS



Because it's part of Thing #9 about text generators. These seem to be little apps that allow you to combine text and graphics quickly and easily. This one came from Comic Strip Generator at http://www.comicstripgenerator.com/maker.asp
They are really easy to use because all you have to do is select a piece of clip art that you like and change the text. It is so simple that even little kids could do it and make signs or posters for class.
This is from the same site.

I may try this in my technology class when we start using the Internet.

THING #8 - Mashups

We're looking at some of the mashups available that make use of Flikr's API (Application Programming Interface). I think if you are really into FLIKR, having all your photos online and out there for everyone - or no one - to see, then these various combined programs make sense. I explored an app called BUBBLR, developed by someone called PIMPAMPUM. Yeah, I wouldn't use my name either! It is a site that allows you to choose images, arrange them into a comic-strip like arrangement, and attach dialog bubbles to the characters. Kind of cute, the sort of thing you might do if you like scrapbooking or anything like it.
Let's see if I can attach my strip to the blog. Here's the link to the site:  CLICK HERE.

To be honest, I can see an exercise in the classroom where students load pictures of project results, or science experiments, or some such into FLIKR and then use a mashup to do something with it. It would be a fun group exercise, but would have to be very carefully controlled. I'm not sure what educational value I could ascribe to it, however. I believe that technology is a tool and that students should be taught to use computers (and similar technology such as Ipods and Ipads) for productive uses, not for time-wasting exercises such as putting your photos on a website. I may be a grinch and old-school, but I'm not sure whether I would waste valuable class time playing on FLIKR.

Thing #7 - FLIKR

Thing #7, Exploring Flikr.
We're supposed to explore Flikr. Well, I guess I'm just not impressed. It's like a lot of stuff on the Web - when you make it easy ans available to anyone with too much time on their hands, what you get is a lot of junk. I will admit there is a lot of good photography on Flikr - most of it professional. I thought they had in their agreement that you should not post your photos for professional reasons. Everywhere I explored I see copyrighted photos from professional photogs. The stuff that is not professional is amateur (not that that's a problem) and amateurish. It's stuff you wouldn't even bother buying a photo album for. But because it's free, it goes on Flikr.

I went looking for shots of pool and pool players because it is one of my passions. I learned after looking at a lot of swimming pools to search for billiards. Here in the US pocket billiards is called pool. Billiards in the rest of the world means (no pocket) traditional billiards or British Snooker. Anyway, after discarding all the copyrighted shots - the good ones - I found a shot of a snooker table at Trinity College in England that is just the most fantastic pool playing venue I have ever seen. It has some rights reserved - I have no idea what that means, but I was able to get a link for it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trinityunimelb/8031897431/

Well, that didn't work. It's a good URL to look at the picture, but I can't post it to the blog. Maybe it has something to do with "some rights reserved." The share tab on the photo allows you to look at a photo, but not to import it. So I don't know how to upload a photo to my blog!
I just cheated and took a screenshot. Let's see if this works. Credits to Trinity College via Getty Images.

The other thing I found is that, even when you use a tag to search, not all the images posted are related to the tag. My billiards tag stopped being billiards after about five pages and just became random photos.
I don't think I see a real application for Flikr in the classroom. There are lots of sources for images online and weeding through the files for something useable would waste valuable class time.