Just launched my wiki to host Assignment 2. If you are interested you can watch my progress at

http://portraitsforhistory.westminsterunder.wikispaces.net/

Please direct any comments to me via email, rather than through the site.

Thanks,

Frances 

Hi Sue

I was hoping you could help me.

I have gone round and round in the style of edublog that we are using trying to add face book and other links(other than the widgets). I can get all the widgets and name new areas but can not find how i make links under that. Is it possible to talk on skype. I have just spent about 5 hours going in circles and it is now 1:30 in the morning and if I don't write this letter to you I will be hear till school starts.

I have worked my way round lots of areas but I am now well and truly stuck and want to use edublogger in this style particularly with my students....but I am meeting a few walls. I would love to talk to you on skype to sort this out if you are willing. Taa Anne Maree

To use an RSS term this article has been syndicated by the Age from  the New York Times  here is the original article. It is difficult to read the article below side ways so you might want to try the NYT version which is the same.

Hi everybody! 

I just got through looking at Twitter this afternoon.

So between blogs and emails and wikis, I can write a personal comment about my life in between these activities.

So here is what may be my first and last Twitter  entry (limited to 140 characters to keep it short.)

"I just had a cup of tea. It was black and had no sugar. But it was too hot so I cooled it down. "

I was going to write something with a bit more punch but realised it would probably be too agro, so I left to to just plain boring.

Is this the way we are really headed? Dear God!

Down off my soapbox.

 PS Just corrected the link for Ten Top Tools for Web 2.0

Regards, Bill Oldham 

Hi Ted

After re-reading the assignment 2, I was wondering I've set up this assignment for my students to complete. Is this ok? Rather than other students in this class doing it?

As I really want to use the Mac Lab at school to do it and see how the teaching of Podcasts goes?

Thanks

Matt 

Hey Ted

There seems to be a few less people in this class than when it started. What's happened to them?

Cheers

Matt

INTERESTING FOR A QUICK VISIT: 

http://edublogs.org/10-ways-to-use-your-edublog-to-teach/

I had to post this on the Blog as a seperate comment.

Please note these comments are not directed at Sue, I just had to voice my opinion about the closing comments on the video which is featured on her blog. 

Sue has posted a video outlining virtual worlds and the closing comment mentions "Virtual worlds are connecting people in a disconnected world". I personally believe one of the reasons why people are so disconnected with the "real world" is that they don't have to be connected. People do not communicate and organise themselves these days. If people are running late for a meeting (which they left to leave at the last minute), they just pick up their mobiles and say they are running late (rather than being organised and leaving to allow enough time). Go out in the real world and take note how many people are out having coffee with friends and spend their time smsing people or talking on their mobile and not actually communicating with the person on the other side of the table, it's quite frightening to say the least. It is one reason why I have become ANTIMOBLE! Walk into my classroom and see how many students are focused on their mobiles, iPods and breaking proxies to go to Myspace or Facebook and I am talking about the good nice kids, not the bad kids.

We live in a very frighting world.

Last week's Green Guide (The Age) featured an article about Blogs and the stress that professional bloggers (yes there are such people) are experiencing due to the responsibility of maintaining them and to keep the posts coming.

I'll scan the article tomorrow and post it. 

Another interesting site to visit is about why introverts can love social software - I don't say I agree with it:

http://12frogs.com/12/archives/2006/08/why-social-software-is-good-for-introverts/

Cheers

Matt

Hi guys

After a false start with EduBlogs, I have returned to Blogger. My new Blog address is http://bensnewblog.blogspot.com/.

Ted, could you please change my link in the LMS? Cheers.

In addition, if I have not invited you to Ben's Wiki, please leave me your email address and I'll send out an invitation.

Kind regards

Hi All

Elluminate Live! is a “live” interactive virtual environment for communication, presentation, interaction and instruction.
Elluminate Live! uses a strong communication platform, rich in features, that focuses on collaboration and communication.   The Elluminate Live! interface provides a unique learning and teaching school, capturing the essence of a “face-to-face” session.

Well what do you all think of Elluminate?

I actually love it and find it an excellent tool to communicatewith others  ..eg if you want to demonstrate soemthing with your uni buddy. However I also appreciate how frustrating it is if you can not get into the session and you are stuck on the outside wondering what is going on.It is worthwhile trying again even if you try out the free session for 3 people and get on with friends.

I particularly like the programs ability to allow you to demonstrate what is going on ,on your desktop,....to take people through a 'how to.'.... sort of like using Camtasia which can be stored. I think it is valuable when working with a partner on a project  eg Jenny and i and our students can demonstrate to each other ideas for project whilst at our own schools /home.

I also like the whiteboard and marvell at the interctive nature.There are unlimited uses for this but at present I just like to play.

The added 'voice' component is great! I really need the voice...it is one of my needed 'multiple intellegence tools' for optimum learning. It too however has it's problems. Last week there was quite a delay from when you speak to when you could hear it get to audience (other people in site) and they had often statred to speak so it sounds like you were interupting their discussion/contribution. Also some idiot (that would be me) had left theire telly on in the background and this was making life difficult for some.

It takes a while of playing before you realise how to turn on and off the mic....(sometimes I think I have handed it back only to trealise I still have the mic open)  however thank God there is also a chat window(written) that helpful people can say...close the mic. Despite its difficulties I think it provides great opportunities within a classrrom environment.

The symbols also offer another way to respond to participants.As demonstrtaed by Sue there are some great support resources to help you use the program ...hope to meet you in there one day.

Hi all

Have added some thoughts to my blog/s and discussion board. Based around the Learning Federation objects from Australian and New Zealand Governments

Here is a slidesahre link on why Learning objects are not dead yet. Stephen Downes also has another similiar ppt on why they are good.

Slideshare link

Ooops  Ted just went in to read the notes about building learning objects and saw your slideshare from Stephen Downes!!!

Good afternoon, everyone! (Collingwood by 73 points. How good is that?)

Here is a web site that has a PowerPoint presentation with definitions and examples.

Have a look and let me know what you think.

Top Ten tools for Web 2.0

Regards, Bill Oldham 

April, 25, 2008]

I find that I am using more of the Google connections-Flickr for photos, Blogger for comments and saving student work, Google Earth maps for the first time, and the Google blog search tool which turned up this site of interest to me: http://jiminica.edublogs.org/2008/04/19/creating-a-social-software-based-learning-environment/

It is giving me a starting point for Assignment Two. I like the part about playing in the sandpit for learning new programs and how they can be applied to ICT.

Regards, Bill Oldham 

I have made  powerpoint presentation about Demonstrating Elluminate - it is located in the pages of my blog. However I will attempt to post a link here. Iwould like to present it on Elluminate and have a go at using some of the suggested features.

Cheers sue

I provide a link to a clip called Learning about Learning Objects (also in the discussion board) Simple and basic but quite good.

Cheers Sue