Updates Galore

Here are updates on recent posts and issues for your reading and research pleasure!

Change on Filter/Blocks Survey

I’d chalk it up to a rookie mistake, but there’s really no excuse for my K-12, US-centric approach to my survey when I initially created it. I was called out on it multiple times and have made appropriate changes so EVERYONE can participate in the survey. There are now (optional) fields for admins, tech admins, and non-K12 people to designate their role, as well as a field for non-US educators to indicate location. This allows the survey to accurately non-scientifically represent the situation in K-12 schools while also showing the situation abroad.

If you haven’t yet, please take 30 seconds (or less) and take the survey: Blocked Web Applications

What I’m Reading…..

A few things here:

I’ve added a new feature in my sidebar - a feed of my shared items in Google Reader. (Hint: it’s in a blue frame!) I love this because it allows me to share my favorite posts and articles outside of my Reader network. I saw this on Dean Shareski’s blog and HAD to have my own! You can also subscribe to my shared feed using your own aggregator. You can read Sue’s post for great tips on getting the most out of Google Reader.

In addition, I’m now using Shelfari to share the books I’m reading and Diigo for sharing resources. Please feel free to add me to your network(s), I’d love to be your friend :-) Don’t worry, I’m not replacing del.icio.us with Diigo - I’m cross-posting all of my links so that my del.icio.us feeds will be still be updated. For a great screencast on Diigo, check out Liz Davis’ post.

 Blog + Wiki Project

I posted 3 times about this project and then never followed up - just wanted to share that I did end up taking a break from it due to time constraints and the realization that the way I was approaching it wasn’t meeting the objectives of our course. I’m picking it up again with a different focus and this week the students have been learning how to make hyperlinks in MS Word and I emailed Wikispaces to get another 20 student accounts created. My new focus is on teaching the skills involved in creating content on the web - I have eliminated the blogging component, again due to time. We only have 2 days to accomplish this, so my hope is that the students are at least able to add some links to their individual pages on our wiki. In the next group, starting next week, I’m hoping to have the students add links, pictures, and videos. My challenge is including this (because I think the skills are desperately needed and the students aren’t learning it anywhere else) without taking too much time away from keyboarding, which is the main course content.

Right now I’m still struggling with how best to implement the project, so suggestions are welcome! I have 10 days of 50 minutes each day - 30 minutes each day need to be devoted to drill and practice keyboarding. Is this project even doable? Reasonable? Worth it? I’d like to think so……..

I think you’re updated on everything now - carry on!

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