Podcasts

As with most of the technology activities we have experimented with in our ITS class over the past five semesters, podcasts were no exception to being grouped with several others that I had heard of, but had very little knowledge about before we actually were forced to dive right in and analyze/create them.  I definitely think I learn more when I am put in a situation where I have to kind of figure things out as I go, rather than reading about how something works.  It was interesting to make a podcast with a classmate this week and I will admit, even a bit FUN.  One thing that I think I could appreciate about them when I compared them to the video assignment we had in the past was that, while we still had to put time and effort into researching our content and composing our script, it was much easier and I think a lot less pressure when it was time to actually record the segment.  Knowing it was only our voices we had to concentrate on, and having the safety net of a script we could actually read from was much more comforting than having to perform in front of a camera. 

It also was easy to come up with a lot of neat ideas for how I could incorporate podcasts into my classroom and lesson plans with my students.  It is a simple enough concept that I think even 6th graders could handle, without having to designate an entire week or more to the project.  My kids love making up little skits, so this would be a way for them to still play with the idea of taking on the acting role if they wanted to, but isn't as complex as having to actually perform in front of a camera and take three days to film the "perfect" scene where no one messes up their lines or makes a goofy face or any other little distraction they let get in the way.  I thought they could take something we read, like a novel and model their podcast after an interview with the author.  They could also pretend to be characters from the story they read and put themselves in their shoes based on what they know about their personalities, setting and plot of the story as they answer questions for the host.  It seems like the possibilities are endless and I think they would LOVE sharing their podcasts with each other as well.  I'm excited to see how I can incorporate this different tool into my classroom. 

Wikis

So I'll admit that when I first heard (not read...heard) the word "Wiki" I was immediately taken back to my childhood when I used to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins in Tampa, Florida at Christmas time.  We used to always to go this silly little theme park called Weeki Wachee Springs which I remember mainly for some brightly colored parrots and the REAL LIVE MERMAID show that I was just obsessed with.  I remember calling this place "Wi-Kee Watchee", so naturally when the word "wiki" first started popping up as it is linked to things like Wikipedia, I couldn't help but have a flashback to the good old days.  But I digress...  As I was tasked with writing about wikis this week, I couldn't help but think about those fun times in Florida almost 30 years ago and wonder what the heck the word "wiki" means and did it have any connection to the name of that crazy park?  After conferring with my buddy, Google, I discovered three things: the word wiki means "fast" in Hawaiian, the park that will forever be engraved in my most fondest of memories is called WEEki Wachee...so there is actually no relation at all, and lastly, it surprisingly still exists today and still boasts of it's famous live mermaid show on it's website! 

So back to the real wiki...I can understand where the computer gurus got the idea for the name considering it is just that....a really fast way to get information shared on the internet.  No one ever said it had to be credible or significant information, but fast information is definitely part of the deal with wikis.  As I learn more about them through the creation of the couple we have in the works for our ITS class, I can definitely see some of the benefits to creating one.  I guess the most important part is making sure you can trust the people you work with to make sure they are doing a good job of putting reliable information that is actually worth sharing up, at least if that is the type of wiki you are going for.  I'm interested to see what our Advocacy, ITSotopia and On the Run Wikis will turn out to look like when they are completed.  It's interesting to see the process of creating them.  To be continued...

http://www.weekiwachee.com/  (for those who are interested! ha!)

 

 

A Blog About Blogs.

Although I'd like to think I'm somewhat up to speed on some of the latest trends in terms of social media and other forms of online communication and interaction with the outside world, I don't necessarily subscribe to a lot of it.  Blogging would be one of those facets of the internet I've never had a huge interest in.  I have come across blogs through Google searches or that others have recommended I take a look at and found some to be somewhat interesting, helpful, and even entertaining.  I even know a few people who have their own blogs and thought they turned out to be pretty neat.  However, that's about as far as I've ever delved into this corner of the cyber world.  This semester of "forced" blogging should be interesting as I explore exactly what this new arena of sharing information, in both a personal and professional sense brings.  I have already learned that people blog for what seems like a million different reasons.  That being said, they all have one thing in common; they have chosen to share their insights with the world (unless the blog happens to be part of a school assignment, through which they did not magically come up with the idea on their own.)  There must be something to blogging if so many people go out of their way to set up an account and give up their precious time (spare or otherwise) to chronicle their thoughts, feelings, discoveries, etc.  With that revelation, I've decided to overlook the fact that I did NOT choose to create my own blog and will try to embrace all of the positive things  I uncover along the way that seem to draw so many millions of people to take part in such a crazy concept!   :)

Caitie Wieland is a teacher at Bull Middle School in Gainesville, Virginia.  In her eight years of teaching she has primarily taught 6th grade language arts as well as 7th grade social studies and language arts.  She graduated from Radford University in 2006 with her Bachelor's Degree in Middle School Education with endorsements in language arts and social studies.  Caitlyn is currently in the final stages of earning her Master's Degree in the Integrating Technology in Schools program at George Mason University.  She hopes to take the tools and lessons she has learned with her as she finds meaningful ways to bring technology and the affordances of the 21st century into her classroom for the benefit of her students as they become lifelong learners. In her spare time, Caitie likes to spend time with her husband, Jonathan, a high school special education teacher and her 10 month old daughter, Skylar.