I have really come to enjoy using a little web 2.0 tool named Twitter. I have even mentioned it in my Blog before (here, and here). I like it because it lets me connect with people, some of them don't even know. That seems odd, but aren't relationships sometimes about the enjoyment we get out of vicariously experiencing others lives?
I suppose some chose me to be in their Twitter group of people they follow because of where I live, what my job is, or maybe it is completely at random. It does not matter, because I really look forward to hearing what everyone else is doing. One guy who is following me works for the NFL and is at the Super Bowl today. His little bits of insight into that world are fascinating to me.
Sometimes the postings are lame- I don't care, almost all of my postings are lame! I still want to know what is going on with everyone. I think there is a connective power in sharing 140 characters at a time. Thankfully, I am not the only one who thinks like this or it would get boring very quickly. But there are limitations to Twitter- sometimes 140 characters is not all that I want to share.
I am excited to say that there are many tools out there that borrow from the Twitter idea (which was not the first tool of this type) and make a different communication tool, or use Twitter to add to their own tool set.
Jaiku is a similar to Twitter. You can post what you are doing or thinking, but you can also add in your other social RSS feeds such as Twitter, del.icio.us, Flickr, this blog or anything else that has a feed url you can copy and paste. I like this micro-blog but I must stay were my peeps are, and I can keep this one active without visiting it (I really only have one active friend there so I don't think she misses me).
Pownce is very Twitter like, but you can add in links, files and calendar events along with your message which can be longer that 140 characters. You can even import your friends from Twitter.
Plaxo Pulse is interesting because it allows you to have one place to access all of your social services (RSS feeds), email, and more. You can host photos, videos and snyc your calendar. There is a place for notes and tasks and more. It kind of does a little bit of everything. I am only playing with it now. Once I figure everything out it might just be a good starting point of my day...
Viygo is an interactive timeline that you can use to pull in your messages and your friends messages from Twitter. You can create your own timelines and pull in news to the timeline. A different way to see what is going on.
There is a new service called Seesmic which is like Twitter but with video messages. I haven't been able to play with it because I can't get an account set up (still waiting for an invitation code) but it sounds like a cool idea.
Yedda is a social service that revolves not around people, but questions and the answers that people have to the questions. When you sign up, it asks you what subjects you feel that you are an expert in, and then when questions are submitted that are a fit for you, you get a chance to help someone. I like the idea of helping others a lot, but hate the adds on the side. Nothing is perfect, and people do need to make money!
Tweetmeme looks for postings on Titter that link to outside content and then it compares the links it finds to sort out what are the post popular links. Like a Twitter popular links aggregator. Interesting...
Because Twitter uses an open API, things like Tweetmeme are possible. Some smart people have taken the API, and pulled political Tweets and compiled them at Politweets. Candidates are posting to Twitter and so are political reporters and bloggers who are following the primaries. If you are interested in politics- it keeps an up to the minute commentary about what is going on right now in the campaign. I don't think you can be any better informed of what is going on.
Twitter has become a different way of sharing information that is beginning to be taken pretty seriously a valuable tool by many people. But even though it is fun, you do need to know how to behave while using Twitter, or you risk annoying your friends. Of course, we can all be better Twitter users. It does bother me that some people over-think things about Twitter, but I am sure that Twitter is something that is a little different for everyone. It does not worry me any because Twitter will become what people decide that it should be, or they will just move on to the next free social tool...
My Twitter (and Twitter-like) Links -
Twitter
Jaiku
Pownce
Showing posts with label share. Show all posts
Showing posts with label share. Show all posts
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The Grinch
Every year, since I became a kindergarten teacher in 1990, I have shared one of my favorite books of all time just before the winter holiday, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This means I have shared this story for possibly 17 years with a couple thousand children or so.
I think that I became struck with the story when I was a child watching the Chuck Jones adaptation of the story. I love the book because it shows that even if you make a mistake in life there is a chance at redemption. It is also a reminder to me that Christmas really is more than shopping, and getting stuff. It is more about the joy of being with people that you love and showing kindness to those you don't even know- just because it is the right thing to do.
Now that I am a computer resource teacher in an elementary school, I share the story with around 22 classes every year (K-2 grade). I have created a lesson around the Grinch, and I would like to share it.
First, I read the story.
I read this story to a group of kindergartners today. I thought it was appropriate considering where I began this tradition.
After the story, I explain to the children how they can use tools in the program Kid Pix to create their own picture of the Grinch, or another character from the story.
The tools in Kid Pix allow the children a chance to be creative in expressing their own vision of the story with some pretty good graphics tools. I have created slide shows in the past of student's pictures and they generally turn out to be pretty good for pictures made by young people with only 15 minutes or so to make one. I will try to add a slide show tomorrow...
It seems like such a small thing to do, but it is my way of sharing something that I truly love with students that I work with at my school. It is a pretty lame Christmas present to get, but it has a lot of meaning for me when I share the Grinch with children. I hope the web enjoys it, too.
Merry Christmas!
:-)
Al
I think that I became struck with the story when I was a child watching the Chuck Jones adaptation of the story. I love the book because it shows that even if you make a mistake in life there is a chance at redemption. It is also a reminder to me that Christmas really is more than shopping, and getting stuff. It is more about the joy of being with people that you love and showing kindness to those you don't even know- just because it is the right thing to do.
Now that I am a computer resource teacher in an elementary school, I share the story with around 22 classes every year (K-2 grade). I have created a lesson around the Grinch, and I would like to share it.
First, I read the story.
I read this story to a group of kindergartners today. I thought it was appropriate considering where I began this tradition.
After the story, I explain to the children how they can use tools in the program Kid Pix to create their own picture of the Grinch, or another character from the story.
The tools in Kid Pix allow the children a chance to be creative in expressing their own vision of the story with some pretty good graphics tools. I have created slide shows in the past of student's pictures and they generally turn out to be pretty good for pictures made by young people with only 15 minutes or so to make one. I will try to add a slide show tomorrow...
It seems like such a small thing to do, but it is my way of sharing something that I truly love with students that I work with at my school. It is a pretty lame Christmas present to get, but it has a lot of meaning for me when I share the Grinch with children. I hope the web enjoys it, too.
Merry Christmas!
:-)
Al
Monday, December 3, 2007
Fun with Technology
Last week I had a meeting with other Computer Resource Specialists (CRSs). We each brought cookies to the meeting and then shared our recipes in a digital story telling kind of way- similar to the Cog Dog Roo -50 ways to tell a story.
I tried a new (to me) web tool. Voicethread.com is kind of like a slide show with running narration. Pretty cool, small glitches though-
1) Mysteriously, the sound did not record on one of my computers. Switched computers and it was fine. the mic was on but no sound. Odd.
2) I tried to import pictures from Flicker, like it said I could, but voicethread went into some kind of crazy loop that used all of my voicethreads up at once. You get three of the stories for free- so I deleted the 3 blank threads and up-loaded the pictures from the computer.
3) After I got my 2nd computer going and recorded myself on all the slides, some of the slides got stuck and wouldn't play my recording. I was a bit annoyed after I had made the 4th or 5th recording for a slide.
Here is the Voicethread that I made. To sum up, interesting tool, and you can't complain too much about something that is free. I would use it again, but I also saw something another CRS made using RockYou.com, I want to do something on that site... wish it was able to go full screen though.
I learned a lot about making cookies through the semi-failure of the baking experience. Unfortunately it won't help this poor batch of sugar cookies. That's ok, they still taste the same. I do have a new respect for those who take to time to make some good looking and good tasting food. It is hard work, and there is definitely a learning curve there!
I tried a new (to me) web tool. Voicethread.com is kind of like a slide show with running narration. Pretty cool, small glitches though-
1) Mysteriously, the sound did not record on one of my computers. Switched computers and it was fine. the mic was on but no sound. Odd.
2) I tried to import pictures from Flicker, like it said I could, but voicethread went into some kind of crazy loop that used all of my voicethreads up at once. You get three of the stories for free- so I deleted the 3 blank threads and up-loaded the pictures from the computer.
3) After I got my 2nd computer going and recorded myself on all the slides, some of the slides got stuck and wouldn't play my recording. I was a bit annoyed after I had made the 4th or 5th recording for a slide.
Here is the Voicethread that I made. To sum up, interesting tool, and you can't complain too much about something that is free. I would use it again, but I also saw something another CRS made using RockYou.com, I want to do something on that site... wish it was able to go full screen though.
I learned a lot about making cookies through the semi-failure of the baking experience. Unfortunately it won't help this poor batch of sugar cookies. That's ok, they still taste the same. I do have a new respect for those who take to time to make some good looking and good tasting food. It is hard work, and there is definitely a learning curve there!
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