Wednesday, June 10, 2009
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About Me
- drhinarded614
- Born in Port Jervis, New York, I am the oldest of 3 children. My sister is a chemist for Dow Corning, and my brother is nuclear engineer who left running the Nuclear Evacuation Program for Orange County, NY to be the MIS Director for the county.
I learned a quick way to check readability levels for articles using Microsoft Word 2007. After you copy and paste the document into Word, you can run spell check to determine readability statistics. First you have to go into Word Options >> Proofing and check the “Show readability statistics”. Then when you spell check documents it tells you the reading level for the document according to a Flesch-Kincaid Grade level. It actually calculates the level mathematically based on things like the number of words in a sentence and number of syllables in a word.
ReplyDeleteWhy do this? It can help us determine when students might need some assistance with a reading, and where they might be lacking in comprehension.
There are several disadvantages of blogging that I have found interfere with a collaborative effort, a major drawback being the issue of timing. It is most helpful in team efforts to have concurrent communication. The can be very difficult in blogging as it prohibits real-time, conversational communication which is most effective in resolving conflicts and developing conclusions. As those who post online are generally not online simultaneously, conversation can be disjointed, with participants being forced to start from scratch each time they re-enter the discussion.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, blogging is best used as a collaboration tool for people who must work over long distances.
Blogging is great way to collaborate. The fact that it can be asynchronous makes it a collaboration method that can work for anyone.
ReplyDeleteOne problem, is that the collaboration has to be coordinated, so everyone is on the same page. Then it is simply a matter of checking in when you can, reading the posts that have been added, and then making a contribution yourself.
All contributions can be synthesized into into a collaborative response for the group.
EVALUATING A WEBSITE
ReplyDeleteEvaluator's Name:
Title of Website:
Address or URL:
Credibility
•The author is given.
•The author's organization or institution is given.
•The author can be contacted.
•Check for spelling or grammar mistakes.
•Accuracy
•The date that the webpage was last updated is given.
•The information is up-to-date.
•The information is complete.
•Reasonableness
•The author is fair and objective.
•Support
•The author provides support for the information.
•The sources are listed.
•Another resource can be found with similar information.
•List the second resource.
•Design & Technology
•The pictures are relevant and clear.
•The pages are easy to move around.
•The colors are appealing.
•All of the the links work.
•The pages load relatively quickly. (About 30 seconds.)
•Overall - How does the website rate?
October 24, 2009 5:01 AM
WEB PROJECT RUBRIC
ReplyDeleteUniversity of Wisconsin-Stout
(http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/webpagerubric.html)
THIS RUBRIC JUSDGES WEBSITES BASED ON:
Content
Writing
Process
Development
Process
Web Skill
Layout
Images
Group Work
I had wanted to use Blogging in my Partial Hosptalization class, with staff being able to "look over their shoulder to evaluate their problems and behaviors based on their discussions.
ReplyDeleteIt is sometimes hard for the students to express their feelings, and I thought that the "seemingly" anonymity of writing their thoughts on a topic via the computer, would give them a sense of safety.
Pocono Mountain has Blog sites blocked. I have been told that you can Blog on E-school Builder, but this year, many of the PMSD sites are not available to the IU staff.
Six Basic Principles of Web Page Design
ReplyDeleteTable of Contents
Title Page
Introduction to HCI
Principles of Web Site Design
WWW Page Design
Well organized and structured web pages are easier for others to use. Listed below are six main principles for effective web page design which can help add structure to your site.
1. Include essential elements on each page.
2. Use appropriate navigational aids.
3. Keep page lengths short.
4. Use appropriate text fonts and styles.
5. Use color appropriately.
6. Keep graphics small.
1.Any Web page may be accessed directly from another Web site, therefore each Web page needs to contain essential information which allows it to act as an independent document. This essential information is usually placed into one of three main parts of the Web page; the header , the body, or the footer (Lynch, 1997).
Indicate the main topic of the particular Web page. The title of the document, and navigational aids which link to other pages within the Web site.
The body contains the main textual content of the document, as well as hypertext links to other related Web sites.
The footer is used to verify the origin and authorship of the Web page. Therefore, the footer should contain the author or contact person of the site, as well as the institution with which the author is affiliated.
2. Use appropriate navigational aids.
Good navigational aids are essential to good Web page design:"next page" links on each page. Navigational links be located both at the beginning and end of the page layout so they are easily accessible to the viewer of the Web page. Provide a link to a menu or table of contents of the Web site on each Web page.
3. Keep page lengths short.
It is usually recommended that Web page lengths not exceed two or three screens worth of information (Lynch, 1995). In order to keep Web pages short, longer topics can be subdivided into logical chunks of information on separate Web pages. Individual Web pages should include only relevant, yet complete, information on a single topic.
4. Use appropriate text fonts and styles.
Reducing header sizes in general allows more information to be displayed on the screen at one time.
5. Use color appropriately.
Marcus (1990), McFarland (1995), and others point out that color should be used sparingly and only to highlight key elements of the page or to indicate specific functions.
Black is traditionally used on Web pages for the main body of text because of its legibility on a light background. Red is often used to signify danger or warning, and thus should be used sparingly to convey such meaning. Blue is traditionally used to indicate hypertext links to other Web pages, and a shade of purple to indicate links which have already been accessed by the current user.
6. Keep graphics small.Graphics can effectively be used to add interest to a web page, but the amount and size of graphics should be kept to a minimum (Zimmerman, 1997). Too many graphics, or a single large graphic, can take a long time to download. Usually, using several smaller graphics, as opposed to one large one, can create a better impression for visitors to your site.
I really like the idea of writing a story section by section on a blog with other readers making comments about what has been written and what is to be written.
ReplyDeleteContinuing this idea how about writing the same story from two different points of view, each point of view on its own blog. Seudents could do this in pairs and with very good planning and discussion to enable this to happen effectively.
Any topic that must be written chronologically,lends itself to being a series of posts on a blog. How about the journey of a river as a chronological report from source to mouth? Hyperlinks in this text would really extend the experience for the reader.
Even the chronology of a story lends itself to expression on a blog. There are many possibilities, and the regular contribution of one's peers, helps to add richness and direction for a student's writing.
I would work with students first discussing the implications of writing on the web, and have them develop a Blogging Code of Rules (much like Hammurabi's Code of Laws). An example of their rules might be:
1.Do not include your name - use your
student number or class code.
2.Do not include the name or address of our
school.
3.Check your post for spelling errors, grammar
errors, etc. Paste your post into WORD and
run spell check.
4.Do not write about anyone else in your blog
without his or her permission -- No Names!
5.Use appropriate language.
6.Do not write anything that could hurt
someone's feelings.
7.Never touch anyone elses blog entry.
8.NOTE: You cannot leave comments for someone
else unless you are logged in. Comments
should be kind.
I think blogging is a great tool, although I think it is a technology that will be lef behind as more interactive mediums evolve. Simulation and gaming technologies seem to be emerging and offer a greater range of interaction. But, if you simply want to post information and share a comment or two, blogs and wikis are still valid methods.
ReplyDeleteCheck out this link, it talks about a rationale to move away from text-based strategies like blogs.
http://www.techteachers.com/keynotes1.htm
Deb,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the readability tool within Word, I didn't know about that.
Here is a recent (2008) article entitled "To Blog or not to Blog". I found it through the Wilkes online library so I am not sure if you will be able to get to the link. Let me know if any of you were able to access it.
http://emmerson.csc.wilkes.edu:2053/ehost/pdf?vid=4&hid=9&sid=aa6b3733-f7c0-4987-aca3-a693e2d42bb7%40sessionmgr10
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteI posted some things to the Rubric in Google docs. Feedback is always welcome.
I liked Dawn’s suggestion about blogging a story. It reminds me of how some stories were published years ago. The author would post one chapter in a periodical, and then the next chapter in the next issue. Some of Charles Dicken’s works were published this way, and only published in one bound volume only after his death.
ReplyDeleteI think it might be interesting as a writing tool for students; perhaps they could write a collaborative piece in turns, each adding to the work of another student. I used to do something like this through a game of “musical chairs storytelling” where students would work on a story until the music stops and then switch to the next computer. At the end of the activity, each student is returned to their starting computer to see the direction their story took.
Unfortunately, this now violates our Acceptable Use Policy so I can’t do it that way anymore, but I might be able to set up a series of blogs that would accomplish something similar, though not as much fun.
I don’t read any personal blogs on a regular basis, but I do read blogs related to advances in new technologies, especially regarding computer hardware and software. Being a business and technology teacher, I feel that it is important for me to keep up with technological advances and share them with my students.
ReplyDeleteOne set of bloggers I read regularly is the staff at Ziff Davis. I have been reading their online reports since I worked in the technology field years ago. Originally, the Website reports were considered an online magazine. The articles are called blogs now, but the format is essentially the same; the articles are posted and readers can respond with comments.
Here are a couple examples. The first is a very short blog on the new Ubuntu package: http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=5145&tag=nl.e589. This one is a much more in-depth article on the cloud computing industry.
I just finished watching the You Tube video on the new collaboration tool that Google is going to launch called WAVE. It is really cool!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSee the video at:
http://wave.google.com/help/wave/about.html#video
I think you will like it too:)
I think that it is a shame how we over-do the protection issues. I feel that if students are taught the proper uses along with the drawbacks, they will be educated on how to use the internet correctly. There will always be dangers - in life and on the internet, but to be educated is our best weapon for safety.
ReplyDeleteYou can try to lock up the cigarettes, but there is always someone who will smoke. The same goes for alcohol abuse.
Education and role-modeling of appropriate uses are the best tools we have to raise technologically-aware students. If you consider all of the positive learning experiences that internet use can bring, we should not thwart these efforts unnecessarily. Some parents enroll their children in the cyberschools, where their learning and creativity can blossom in an unrestricted atmosphere.
Out on the Zoomerang site, you will find a 5 page pdf entitled:
ReplyDelete10 Tips for Creating an Educational Survey
It is a great resource to use when planning to create a survey. The URL is:
http://zoomerang.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1404/kw/10%20Tips%20to%20Improve%20Your%20Education%20Surveys%20pdf/r_id/132385
Dawn,
ReplyDeleteDawn, I have to agree that Google Wave looks awesome. I can't wait to get my hands on it.
Thanks for the Zoomerang link, I'll check it out.
I have to admit that I am becoming more of a blogging fan. The conversations are good, and I'm seeing blogs as an easy place to store multiple data forms. I had to create a blog for another class, and since then I've posted video content from the web, my own video and pictures, and a podcast. All that stuff in one place makes it easy for students to gather a lot of info. Here's by blog link:
http://deanstib.blogspot.com/
I like the blogging, but find it a little awkward in this format. I am more comfortable keeping my own blog, and then commenting on my partners’ posts. They way we are set up here feels a bit “off” because we’re adding comments on Dawn’s original post, but we’re not actually commenting on it.
ReplyDeleteDean: Thank you for sharing your podcast. What software did you use to create it? Are you using a microphone or a headset? It sounds very clear.
ReplyDeleteI’m going to try that ZoomIt software on my computer at work. It will be very helpful. Right now, I switch my screen resolution to 800x600 every time I want to zoom the screen; this looks easier and a lot more functional.
I started a personal blog once when I first started blogging for the doctorate program but I never kept up with it because I just have too much else to do. Every new thing I add to my life costs me something, as I already have 70 minutes worth of activity to fill every hour of my day. If only I could go without sleep...
To Deb's point: A different title should be set up for the Blog,but for now it's too late.
ReplyDeleteThoughts to solve problem:
Title your post
On the next line, write a post that relates to your title.
Future posts by anyone, should use the TITLE of the post to which they are commenting. It should NOT be everyone responding to my post. We should all respond to the different "titled" posts by anyone in the group, in a way similar to how we titled our posts for class.
This way we can respond to whatever post we want. The main change I would make when doing a Blog again, would be to focus on a category, and Title all comments pertaining to that category.
I really think if we title our posts now, and title use the same title before we start a post - it will make our current blog more organized and easier to read.
Dawn: Thank you for sharing that wave video. What fun! I’m thinking how cool it could be keeping in touch with my daughter when she is away at college using a tool like this. In the classroom, the possibilities are endless. It would be such an effective way for students to work on a WebQuest or other collaborative project. Unfortunately, we know in reality PM students probably won’t be able to use it.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, I could join in a discussion with students, and send message to all, only one, or only a few of the students in the group. I really like that feature. Another useful feature to me as a teacher is that I can see who did what in a project … making it impossible for someone to get away with “taking a ride” on a group project because the teacher can see exactly what each participant is contributing.
I think what I like best about this product is how well it works across multiple platforms.
Hi Dawn~
ReplyDeleteI think you are right in your suggesting of titling posts accordingly so we can respond to older posts, even if someone has started a new topic. I have no had a lot of experience with blogging. I have only used it for one other class at Wilkes and the guidelines were very specific and I thought it was a bit easier to follow. For example, I would like to comment on many earlier posts but it doesn’t seem I can reply solely to the one post. I do like the format on Moodle for discussions a bit better. That way you can specifically comment on one post or even a reply to a post. I’m sure to more I use this type of blog format the more familiar I will become with it.
Dean~
ReplyDeleteYour Podcast was great! Thanks for sharing! I too am interested in what software you used to create it. I have never heard of PlayList or ZoomIt before. Looks like you have become quite a pro at using it as you were zipping through the PodCast using it. Since you talked about PlayList first, (and I didn’t know what ZoomIt was before I watched), I was wondering how you were zooming into the different parts of the screen while taking about PlayList. Very cool, thanks for sharing! As for PlayList, do you use it just to listen to music when you are away from your home computer? Do you find practical uses for it in the classroom or do you access it mostly for personal use?