Thing #11: Feed Me, Seymour!

Finding new feeds to read and enjoy was a lot of fun!  The method that allowed me to find what I was looking for most easily was to use precise search terms in Google Blog Search.  While all of the feed search services were able to (eventually) point me toward new and interesting feeds based on my search criteria, Google Blog Search was the easiest to use for me.  Perhaps it was the fact that it is powered by Google's search algorithms, but Google Blog Search seemed to just zero in on exactly what I was looking for, while the others required me to "work-around" the search function, since they always brought up a bunch of irrelevant blogs/posts.  For example, I wanted to find a blog on teaching high school math, so I typed in "teaching high school math," expecting a deluge of unrelated posts.  Instead, the very first blog to appear was Reflections of a High School Math Teacher, a blog created by Illinois high school math teacher Dave Sladkey.  Sladkey's blog is a charming mix of anecdotes, tips, and strategies that illustrate what it's really like to be a high school math teacher, and it is one of my new feeds (unfortunately, there is no RSS feed, you can only subscribe by email).

Check after the jump for more of my feed search results...

Thing #10: Better in (Really Simple) Syndication

For me, this "thing" was an exercise in extremes.   On one hand, it was extremely simple in that I already use Google Reader and had subscribed to a number of blogs, Twitter feeds, and even a couple of webcomics that I follow on a daily basis.  Adding a few more for good measure was not a problem at all.  On the other hand, what was extremely frustrating was that Google Reader failed to load on any computer I tested it from at my house.  This had never happened to me before.  It turns out the problem lay with my internet connection:  the high latency times were causing the connection to be reset.  Once I reset my router, the problem ceased, and I had no trouble completing the assignment.

The convenience of having all my favorite blog, Twitter, and webcomic feeds in one spot is my favorite aspect of RSS and newsreaders.  Rather than clicking through forty or fifty links, I can get all my daily feeds at once.  I already use RSS quite a lot in my personal life, and I can see a lot of potential for using RSS in the classroom.  Creating a public page of RSS feeds that students could use as resources would certainly be viable.  I could also have students create individual blogs that both their classmates and I subscribe to by RSS.

There is an interesting new webapp called Magzinr which I found through the Free Technology for Teachers blog.  It allows you to create a "magazine" of bookmarks that you can instantly share via Twitter.  However, you can also attach tags to the bookmarks, which are then turned into pages that can be subscribed to by RSS.  This could be used as a collaboration tool by students or with fellow teachers.  Check out my Magzinr profile page to see how it works.

Thing #9: (Not So) Randomly Generated Images

While working on the "Thing," I found the image the above on comicstripgenerator.com and was reminded of Vader's iconic line, "I find your lack of faith disturbing."  At the same time, I was reminded of an image I had seen once of Darth Vader as a substitute teacher*.  So, I played with the idea of "What if Darth Vader was a teacher?" and this little comic strip (and the one after the jump) were the results.

Thing #8: All Mashed Up

I have to admit:  The discovery exercise for this "thing" was the most fun I've had so far.  As you can see above, I used Spell with Flickr to create a banner of Flickr images spelling out my blog's title.  I also played with several of the "Flickr toys" at BigHugeLabs and produced several different pieces.  Take a look after the jump!

Thing #7: Fun with Flickr & Photo Sharing

Since this is a technology class, I decided to share a photo of some technology I've been working on lately.  This photo is the rather untidy interior of an HP Pavilion XT914 Desktop Tower.  Although antiquated today, it's Pentium 3 processor clocked at 800MHz, 256 MB PC100 RAM, 30GB Hard Drive, and 3.5" Floppy Disk Drive were state of the art in 2000.  It does still run, and has the original installation of the Windows 98 Second Editon Operating System.

Thing #6: Tools of Web 2.0 - UStream.tv

UStream.tv is a video-broadcast site for everyone. All you need to get started are a webcam and a fast Internet connection. What makes UStream different from, say, Youtube or Vimeo, is that the videos are live streams with integrated user chat and interactivity which can be archived for later viewing. UStream users can watch your public broadcast in real-time or choose to watch your archived footage later. In fact, the best way I can think to describe UStream is that it is like a public TiVo for your live webcasts.

Actually, it might be more effective to just tell you through a UStream webcast:

A placeholder until I embed the UStream webcast.

Thing #5: Perspectives on Web 2.0/School 2.0

After reading the Wikipedia article and the "Web 2.0 is not about versions or betas" article on Read Write Web, I think the key to reconciling all the disparate views on what defines "Web 2.0" is that it is participatory rather than passive.  Nearly all the definitions I read agree on this point.  I like to think of it this way:  In the "Web 1.0" paradigm, the Internet was the world's largest library.  You logged on, could "check out" web pages, but there was "no talking in the library:" interactions with others was kept to a minimum.  In "Web 2.0" the Internet is a high school reunion.  You log on and can catch up with old friends, see what they have been up to, and even meet some people you never knew before.