What I Learned from Twitter

Who would have thought that when Twitter started several years ago,  it would evolve into what it is today.  I never used Twitter until last year.  I tend to resist using new technology until I have no choice but to embrace it!  Once I get over the fear of trying out a new piece of software and or technology, I usually end up loving it and can’t imagine why I did not start using it earlier.  Twitter was one of those things, I should have been tweeting!  One thing I did decide, I would only be using it for professional purposes.  What I found was a plethora of information from other professionals in higher education.  You are tweeting with people you do not know but are willing to share ideas, best practices and share professional wisdom and advice with you.  The resources that you can tap into from others across the country are amazing.  Using Twitter as a method of professional development is beneficial to educators and their students.  The objective of Twitter is to get enough people to follow you and reply to tweets.   If you are using this as a teaching method for a lesson with your students the outcome/purpose of Twitter is going to be different.  There will be safety concerns and privacy of information to be aware of with students.  I am using it for professional development purposes so my search is only for people in higher education with an academic background. 

Below are two good short (2.5 minutes) video on “how to get more people to follow you” and “how to get more leads on Twitter”.  These are good if you are getting started and want more followers to your account.  I found them helpful to get the Twitter process started.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wwJrYlcwTHI

A Campus Tour Using Animoto

When I first started to think about this project I did not know how I was going to create an Animoto relevant to my professional area. Working with college students as an advisor, I meet with prospective students to educate and inform them about Goodwin College.   Not being in the classroom and trying to keep with the theme of the project, creating something I could use to educate students with I came up with the idea of a tour of the campus. 

My Animoto will be a tool that I can use to give students a visual view of the many features available on campus.  This Animoto can be incorporated into my daily advising sessions for students who might possibly inquire about the library, computer labs, where the student lounge is located and what floor are the sciences labs located on.  The college will become a student’s second home and we want them to feel comfortable navigating the campus. I enjoyed learning how to use this piece of technology and creating a project with it.  Animoto is a great teaching tool that can be used to educate students incorporating technology.  I think students would enjoy creating their own Animotos for many different class projects.  I have plans to use it for my travel pictures and an upcoming family reunion gathering.

Safe Blogging

We all know that blogging is a very popular mode of communication today.   Many of us use it as an academic tool with students.   Blogging has become a great way for our students to share information.  It provides us the opportunity to have someone respond to what we blogged about.  Personally, I like hearing people’s feedback about my posts.  Online safety is something that we must be concerned and aware of with our students at any level.  Richardson talks a lot in Chapter One about online safety measures that are important to implement before going online with a class project.  Working with college students, the safety precautions can vary from those for elementary school students.  Across the board, protecting the privacy of students and not sharing any personal information is key for students at any level of education.  As the administrator of a student blog, I would always review student responses/posts before publishing them.  I am happy to report that I never had an issue with not being able to post something that a student wrote. Talking about online safety measures and proper netiquette was part of the introduction of the blog project with the students.  Blogging is a great technology teaching tool but the safety of our students is most important.

What safety precautions do you implement as the administrator with your student blogs and do you have discussions about the importance of online safely? 

Blogging about blogs

Everybody today is blogging about something.  Any topic you search there is a blog about that particular topic.   People globally have information to share on a blog.  That is one of the benefits of blogging; you can connect with someone to share and obtain information about a topic of interest.  I have never participated in a blog until I took EDUC 536.  We were blogging as a class, with a section of EDCU 584 and I was administering a blog for my class project with a group of College Experience students from my college.  By the end of the semester I was very interested in blogging especially how it could assist me professionally.  My experience blogging with the College Experience students was great.  I must admit in the beginning I was skeptical, but their participation in the project was great.  As the administrator I enjoyed reading thought out responses and posting my comments.  The topics we blogged about were Cyber bulling and Digital Footprints.  I feel that blogging on those topics was a learning experience for both the students and myself.  My positive blogging experiences shared with the College Experience students has kept my interest in viewing higher education blogs.  I frequently look at blogs to see what other higher education professionals are doing in my area.  One particular blog (entitled: “Confessions of a Community College Dean”) is written by an anonymous dean at a northeastern community college.  His blog covers various topics trending in higher education today.  Two posts that I really enjoyed reading are: “Googling the Job Candidates” and “Peeling the Onion.  The link for the blog is below if anyone is interested in reading any of the posts.  “Googling the Job Candidates” is a good post for anyone interested in the importance of leaving a good digital footprint.

 I believe blogging is a positive teaching tool.  How has blogging impacted or affected your students academically?

https://suburbdad.blogspot.com/

The process of wiki information online

After reading about Wikipedia and its resources, I have changed my opinions about the site.  In my courses professors tell you that you cannot use Wikipedia as a reference for any research.  One site I often go to for information is Wikipedia.  Once I realized that they were not a reputable site for research I stopped referring to them.  After completing the reading in Richardson's text I now have a better understanding of how Wikipedia works and the features and benefits that it provides.   One of the best examples of how Wikipedia works was described in the text by using the tsunami in Asia several years ago.  People added to that particular wiki by providing factual information, pictures, data or their personal accounts of what happened based on their experiences.  This site provides collaborative opportunities for people globally to create wiki's.  Wikipedia could be a good sight for students to create a wiki project.  What do your students use Wikipedia for? has it ever been incorporated into a project to share or create information?

Using Prezi to create a resume

What a great way to utilize Prezi!  I would have never thought to use it as a marketing/interviewing tool.  As someone who reviews resumes I was impressed and it kept my attention.  At the end of the presentation you also had the option of reviewing his traditional resume format.  This would be great tool that Career Services Departments in colleges could use to integrate technology into resume writing classes or workshops with  students.  It would be interesting to know if employers would welcome this type of format.  It is different but creative.  I would certainly remember this applicants name when selecting candidates for the interview process.  Has anyone ever had a student use Prezi for this purpose and what was the feedback from employers   Could this be a new trend in a job search?

Attached for all of you Mac Book and I Pad users take a look at this quick YouTube video.  It highlights how easy it is to create a resume on Prezi.  This might become the new trend.  What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APpQph75NBg

Animoto Blog Post

 I have never used Animoto before.  I am really amazed at the possibilities everytime I am introduced  to a new technology program.  After pre-viewing two in class and one today (The Life Cycle of A Pumpkin) I am looking forward to creating my own Animoto.   I would like to create one with my favorite travel location and one that is work related that I can use at the college to benifit students with online registration.  The topic: Life Cycle of a Pumpkin  did not directly relate to higher education but the process of showing how a pumpkin grows is relatable.  What I took away from this Animoto was I can create one that will show students through a series of steps/pictures of how to register for class with our online system.  It would benefit students who are not familiar with how to use the system and it would intergrate current technology into the advising process.http://rhouse1204.blogspot.com/search/label/Animoto