Immersed in the Blogosphere

I have spent the past few weeks "surfing the blogosphere" as some may call it, reading blog posting by different writers, professional educators, and my own EIT colleagues. I haven't really gotten too deeply into the swing of posting yet, mostly because I am so busy this semester, but the blogs I've been reading have certainly gotten me more interested in the process.

Tonight in our EIT web conference on Adobe Connect, we were sharing our reactions about using social networking tools. Almost everyone has heard of or has used Facebook, and that social network was not featured in our class discussion, but we did compare the functions of Twitter and Blogger. Both of these Web 2.0 applications are used for social networking and communication, in that users can share information, thoughts and opinions with others who may be interested in the same topics. In our conversation about using both Twitter and Blogger over the past few weeks (and I came out favoring Twitter), I started to think about how these applications and their design/sharing style might appeal to some more than others.

I remember when I first joined Twitter. Nobody followed me for the first month, except for a few pity "follows" because I started following them. I didn't really understand the function of Twitter until I started talking to a couple of my friends about it. I have a good friend, Mr. Derek Grote (Twitter handle @mrgeduventures) who explained that he used Twitter to make connections in areas of professional development. He explained hashtags to me, and I thought "okay, I'm an aspiring English teacher, I'll search things like 'writing' 'education' 'technology' 'schools'" and started to make some connections there. By the time I got to EIT this fall, I was pretty familiar with the uses of Twitter. Or so I thought.

Twitter is a timeline, a record of thoughts, conversations, utterances, and shares that is always moving. Keeping posts under 140 characters, though some may grumble about it, actually makes the sharing easier. I prefer using Twitter to share links, thoughts and ideas because I am spontaneous, and I like to get my thoughts out quickly, before they jump away from me. With a single Tweet, I can share ideas with my followers, and with hashtags, I can share them with others too. Because Twitter moves so quickly, I have been introduced to TONS of new information, all rather concise and to the point (those 140 characters'll getcha). I prefer viewing my Twitterfeed on Tweetdeck rather than searching the net for blogs.

Don't get me wrong, obviously I appreciate and support the unique web application that is blogging, and I love my little Bloggy (though I neglect her sometimes). Blogger gives the opportunity to share thoughts and opinions about anything with anyone, and that's pretty cool. I mean, I don't necessarily know if anyone reads my blog regularly, but it's nice to know that I can blog regardless of whether I have 10 followers or 10,000. Blogging takes time though, because one is writing for a public post, and I am more likely to take time to organize my thoughts, and turn into a super-perfectionist, and that often slows me down. A favorite English professor of mine once told me to turn down the brightness on my computer monitor to black so I couldn't see what I wrote. "That way, you'll write the truth." I think he meant what's actually inside my head, instead of a neatly tied bundle of ideas. So sometimes I find Blogger harder to express myself on, because I feel less candid and more inclined to edit, edit, edit. Which is good, and you should edit anything you're placing in the public domain. But that doesn't really help me express myself on the go.

I think it would be interesting to offer use of either (or both) of these social networking applications to students in my classes, with the assumption that they would be approved by the administration and parents of course. Some teachers are using Twitter to engage students and keep them accountable, as in the case of these high schoolers at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, MN. 

Other teachers are using blogs, wikis, and other platforms to allow students to share ideas and thoughts, as well as comment and question, on topics being discussed within the classroom. My sister's AP English class did this last year, using Googlesites to talk about different pieces of classic literature. Nate Pruett, an English teacher at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, uses the Google Blogger to share updates with his AP class, as well as receive questions, comments, and other feedback. Check out Mr. Pruett's AP Blog

So I wonder which students would prefer? Sharing thoughts via Twitter, or Blogger? Would some students prefer the spontaneity of Twitter, being about to Tweet a thought or question now and then, with hashtags to alert the teacher and the rest of the class? Or would some rather use Blogger, and organize their thoughts into a longer, more detailed blog post? Would a lot of little Tweets equate to one  complete blog post? I hope the district I get hired in will allow students access to both of these tools, because I am anxious to see how my students would react.

As far as being active in the blogosphere, as well as the Twitter feed, these past few weeks, I have got to say that, although I felt overwhelmed at first (there are SO many things I could click and read!), I've gotten my PLN on iGoogle established and am breezing through the blogs. I think blogging can also be a very reflective tool, because I have come to understand myself better as a writer and an educator through doing my posts.

I'd love to continue waxing on the joys of social networking tools, but it is 9:30pm, and I've got a tutoring lesson left to perfect, some audio to clip, and 5 chapters of Class Warfare: Besieged Schools, Bewildered Parents, Betrayed Kids, and the Attack on Excellence by J. Martin Rochester left to read tonight. So I'll be going now, but please, share your thoughts on Twitter vs. Blogger. Who will be victorious?

Glogster: A New View on Blogging

This is my second blog post of the new school year, and I'd like to bring to attention some new Web 2.0 tools I've been exploring recently. I often enjoy Googling in the random 20-30 minutes I find myself not occupied (which is often because I was an idiot when scheduling this semester, so I have a lot of wasted time during the day, but not enough to get any substantial homework done). Today I spent about 2 hours exploring the different applications and Web 2.0 tools I discovered through the Discovery Education webpage. There are so many to try out, I couldn't decide where to start! So I did what I always do when I need to make a hasty decision. *Close eyes, jumble options, and point*

Lo and behold! I discovered Glogster, a social network that utilizes interactive multimedia. Images, text, music and video, can come together on one platform to create a "glog" or graphical blog. Essentially, a glog is like a virtual posterboard. Users can post images, photos, videos, music files, text and numerous other multimedia to create a unique page all their own. I made one as an example, and you can view it here.

As a future secondary education teacher, I know how important the digital world is to these "digital natives." And, from what I have seen, sometimes text-only is not enough to express what somebody has to say. So glogs provide additional forms of expression, allowing alternative media to be compiled and displayed in one easy-to-access space. What's more, the controls allow you to customize color, background, font, and artwork, as well as music and video, so anyone can make a glog entirely their own.

This might sound like a bunch of flashy, fancy fluff, and you might prefer a regular blog format, but I see a lot of potential for these glogs, especially for students who are visually driven learners. There is even a Glogster EDU, entirely devoted to use in the classroom. Glogs could be used in presentations, as a way for students to make a special page devoted to a subject, a person, or anything else they might think of. My example blog is all about me, but students could make a glog about, say, Shakespeare (come on, I'm an English teacher, of course I'm going to mention him), or the scientific method, or, you name it!

Basic Glogster for teachers is free, and it allows you to do a lot with graphical blogs within your own classroom, and beyond. Students also have the opportunity to save their glogs after a project is done, go back and modify, and improve them and share with others online! Here is a video that gives you a little glimpse of what Glogster can do:

Ok, so that soundtrack might be questionable, but Glogster really IS awesome! I think it has the potential to be very useful in the classroom, if students are led through a tutorial by their teacher. Like my Literacy Education professor Dr. Tidwell always said, "Students are more likely to take the lesson seriously if YOU are going through the steps for instruction with them, instead of just listing them on the whiteboard or projector." So, have your students do as you do, and make a glog as a class first!

Mr. Greer's junior British literature students at Whitehall High School in Whitehall, Pennsylvania are using Glogster to make visual accompaniments for a graduation-required oral presentation. Take a look at what they're doing.

After looking at Glogster, what do you think? Does it have a lot to offer as a presentation tool, or does it seem like more of a frivolous time-waster, with pretty backgrounds and music players, more of a distraction for students than an enrichment tool? What areas of education would Glogster be most appropriate for? What grade levels? Tell me, when and why would YOU use Glogster? Don't be shy, comment!