Regional Intern on Extension 2.0

I loved the article! I'm working at a high school in the career center, and we're always looking for ways to get our less technically savvy students ready for the "real world". I think that using a Facebook site (as an organization) to demonstrate the things they're working on would be great! They could be in charge of keeping it up to date, and therefore practicing their computer skills, while also promoting the school's career center to other students. And what high school kid wouldn't be excited to be on Facebook during school?! I hope we can get this "okayed" by the administration. Facebook is currently blocked on the school computers.

Linkedin is also blocked by their computers. And, while it wouldn't be as much fun for them as Facebook, it would be a valuable resource for them that could serve as an online portfolio of their experiences. I would like to look more at this site.

Posted by ande9247 at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've enjoyed using Google Docs. I've uploaded documents to Google Docs and have had trouble with the formating, type, and etc. changing. That is the benefit of creating a document in Google Docs. I like that I can access it anywhere, and that it's safe and sound even if my computer isn't. I also enjoy that Google Docs, Zoho, etc. have a lot of different programs all in one place, and all for FREE! The down side I found to Zoho is that it only gives you 1 GB of storage. I don't know what the limit is for Google. It wasn't as clearly advertised as it was on Zoho.

As far as the list making programs, I like Cozi on makinglifebetter.com. I like this program because you can have your list read to you over the phone (by a computer) or you can have it text messaged to you. That means if you have a cell phone, you can get your shopping list, to do list, or etc. sent to you anytime, anywhere... and you don't have to have a fancy phone with expensive email access.

Posted by ande9247 at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I first learned about Wikis a little over 3 years ago. At that time, however, I didn't know that they had multiple uses. I only knew about Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a great resources, but like all resources, it must be trusted with care. This is true of most Wikis. Unless a Wiki is strictly edited and monitored by experts, you must remember that it reflects one person's opinion and knowledge base. Still, resources like Wikipedia can be very valuable. I have found a lot of useful information and informative links on Wikipedia when it was difficult to find elsewhere.

I took a class on Moodle and found Wikis to be an interesting tool in educational settings. They can be used to encourage students to participate in each others' learning, or for a teacher to communicate vocabulary words.

Posted by ande9247 at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I first discovered podcasts when working as a copywriter. Podcasts were my key to getting through my day at a job I didn't really care for. At that point I had stuck to a few podcasts that were off-shoots of radio shows I already listened to on my regular FM radio. Then, after I moved out of the Twin Cities and had more difficulty getting a signal for my favorite radio stations, I began finding more podcasts on itunes. Today I looked around on PodcastAlley and found a number of podcasts on many different topics. It was easy to browse and easy to listen... even without downloading the podcast.

Posted by ande9247 at 7:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Flickr seems to be pretty well set up. I like the idea that you can back up your photos that way, since I'm pretty bad at remembering to do that. However, if you take many (or have many already), it can be cumbersome to upload them all and keep them well organized. It's be easier to start with "today" rather than trying to back up old photos.

In one spot it mentioned "my stream." I wonder if this means you can set someone's account up to stream like you can blogs, or if that just means you're subscribing to receive updates in an email.

I like the business cards, mini cards, mini books, calendars, etc. and would like to try ordering some one of these days. I didn't like, however, that you had to make an account before finding the prices of each item. It would be nice if you could see that on the "tour."

I think the "Mashups" could be very useful in online classrooms, or even a blog.

I also like that you can comment on a photo with the comment becoming visible when you move your mouse over the comment box. It allows you to comment on a specific thing without describing it in too much detail, and it also helps limit the scrolling needed to look at a photo and its comments.

Posted by ande9247 at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The most difficult part of creating a list of feeds, for me, was making sure that everything in the feed (not just one article) pertained to my topic, and figuring out how to "share" it. While this wouldn't be quite as important while creating a feed list for your own personal enjoyment, I choose to do a feeds list that I could utilize on a Moodle class I'm also learning to set up. The Moodle class I'm currently playing around with is an at-home learning component for youth (and their parents) who may or may not participate in an after-school program on energy and energy resources. I created a feed list and posted it to the Moodle site for an additional source of information and optional learning.

Posted by ande9247 at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm looking forward to learning a bit more about each topic that's presented in the class. I have a basic knowledge of many of the topics from independent exploration and from taking an online course, however I appreciate the opportunity to learn about them slightly more formally. I don't have specific expectations for what we'll learn, but am excited to gain more experience working in each online application.

Posted by ande9247 at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)