What a class! As a self-proclaimed "tech geek," I never thought that I would get to take an entire class dedicated to enhancing my geek skills. I really enjoyed learning more about the Web 2.0 tools that are out there. In particular, I believe that my new-found knowledge of VoiceThread and Prezi will come in handy as I strive to become a better educator.
I only wish that I had an opportunity to use and review more tools. On a personal note, I plan to continue to use Penzu as my online journal, particularly when traveling as a way to capture my thoughts and preserve the experience.
I plan to work on submitting my final research proposal to my fellow educators in the department and determine if they are interested in pursuing the project. I personally think it would be worthwhile, and hope that they think so too. I was also particularly interested in one of my classmate's proposed research studies on using Scoop.It to post updates from journals.
I really enjoyed this class, and I hope that you two go on to teach it for years to come! Thank you so much. Susan
Please
select the one, primary category for this tool: Productivity Tool
Please
describe this tool in your own words in about 150-250 words.
Evernote is an amazing productivity application that allow
you to create notes within separate notebooks that you organize. You can create notes by typing or
speaking. You can also take photos, clip
information you find on the web, make to do check boxes, and create
charts. You can access your notes from
the web, from your computer, or via mobile devices including smartphones and
tablets. If you want to share your
notes, you can email them or post to Twitter or Facebook. You can also get a URL for sharing your notes. You also have the option of sharing your
notes with anyone. Evernote is an
incredible way to stay organized and access your information on the go.
What
do you need to know before using this tool? (What skills do you need to have?)
All
you really need to know is how to use a computer, access the internet, and if
desired, how to download an application to your computer.
What
do you need to have before using this tool? (Resources)
You
need a computer with internet access. If
you have mobile devices, those will be great with this application.
How
do you use this tool? (Write the basic steps using a numbered list)
2.Click on “create account” in the upper
right-hand corner
The Evernote Account Creation Page
3.You will now see your Evernote account
a.Your Notebooks are in the left-hand column
b.In the middle column, you will see your list of
notes
c.In the left-hand column you will see the details
of each note’s contents
4.Click on “New Note”
a.Give your ntoe a title
b.Pick the notebook where you want to store your
note
c.Create your note
5.Explore the other cool options Evernote has to
offer
a.Upgrade to Evernote Premium for lots of
additional features
b.Visit the Evernote trunk to find additional
applications to enhance your Evernote experience, for example, the web clipping
tool
c.Download the Evernote app for your iPhone, iPad,
or Android Tablet to access Evernote on the go
d.Download Evernote to your computer desktop
i.If
you are using a windows-based pc, this will also give you an add-on for
Microsoft Outlook that allows you to store your emails in your Evernote account
e.Share your notes with friends or
collaborators
Here,
is an example of a note I used to store a survey that a colleague and I were
working on.
I
want to send it to my colleague so that she can review it and make any edits
necessary.
When I click "start sharing," I am given two options. I can send her an
email or I can make the note public.
Here is a Jing tutorial on using Evernote to archieve and organize your email in Outlook.
Please
describe a scenario of how you might use this tool in a teaching environment
(150-250 words).
Evernote
would be an ideal tool to use in education for collaboration. In fact, Evernote has a specific option for
educators that allow them to open a Premium account with a 50% discount for
groups of 3 or more. In an educational
setting, I can easily see Evernote being used by students to share research or
notes or by teachers to collaborate on lesson plans or presentations. One of the ways that I use it with my
residents is that I save relevant articles of interest in a specific notebook
that I then share with the residents so that the journal articles will be
available to them whenever they might need to access them.
What
are the advantages and disadvantages of using this tool in a teaching
environment?
Advantages
are the ease of use and the ability to access notes on the go, whether it be
over the web or on mobile devices. The
disadvantages are the fact that you must pay for a premium account (though they
are really inexpensive all things considered) and the fact that there are not
as many options with regard to formatting and note design as I would like. I also do not like the fact that I have to
use somewhat odd naming conventions for my notebooks to make uploading notes
easier.
Would
you recommend this Web 2.0 tool to others, or suggest that they explore a
different tool?
Overall, I think that Evernote is an incredible program that
is an integral part of my daily life. If
you are looking for a simple, yet powerful way to get and stay organized, I don’t
think you will be disappointed.
Please select the one, primary category
for this tool: Communication Tool
Please describe this tool in your own
words in about 150-250 words.
ipadio is a tool that
can be used to podcast directly onto the web from your phone. Once you sign up, you are given your own
“channel” where you control your broadcasts. You simply call the toll free number from your registered phone number, enter your pin, and start recording. If you want to call and record from a number other than the one you registered, you can either enter the registered phone number or you can go online and enter a second phone number to register. This makes it really east to record from anywhere. Once you make your recording, it shows up in your channel on the web. From here, you can edit all the information about your phonecast and chose who and how it can be shared. One of the options you have with ipadio is to follow the channels of other users who may be phonecasting things you are interested in. Another really cool feature is the ability to post your phonecasts directly to many social media locations, such as Twitter, Facebook, blogger, etc.
What do you need to know before using
this tool? (What skills do you need to have?) I think that it is important to understand the concept of podcasting. However, you really only need basic computer skills and the ability to dial the phone.
What do you need to have before using
this tool? (Resources)
You need to have a
computer, internet access, and a phone.
Preferably, you will also have something to say.
How do you use this tool? (Write the
basic steps using a numbered list)
4.Once you get the email confirming your
registration, then you can go back to the home page and click login.
5.Once you login, you just dial the
number and follow the phone instructions.
6.Your phonecast then appears in your
channel.
7.Once your phonecast is present, you can
edit, delete or download it.
Please see the Snagit images below for
more details:
Here is an example of the tool being used to provide an update on English School Championships. I chose it for it's length and the speaker's great accent.
Please describe a scenario of how you
might use this tool in a teaching environment (150-250 words).
I honestly think that it would be hard to use phonecasting in my teaching environment. The one thing I thought of was the possibility of using this tool to record conferences or group discussions that do not depend on visual presentation materials like PowerPoint. One big downside is the fact that while you can prevent your phonecast from being public, I can't figure out (even from the help section) whether or not you can restrict access to your phonecasts. That would be important if you were recording sensitive information that you wanted to control access to, so this might make it hard to use educationally in medicine. I did email tech support with the question, but have not yet heard back.
What are the advantages
and disadvantages of using this tool in a teaching environment?
It is possible to allow comments to be made on your phonecast which I think would be necessary in an educational environment, if only to ensure that the learners actually listened to your phonecast. This could create some interesting dialogue. As the educator, you can receive email notifications when someone comments which would help you keep up with your students. Also of note, your channel can be followed in an RSS feed, so even remote learners could know whenever you posted a new recording just by following your channel.
Would you recommend this Web 2.0 tool
to others, or suggest that they explore a different tool?
I think overall I would recommend this tool to others given it's ease of use with the dial in option and the ability to share via social media. I remain a little concerned about the security option, but that is not a deal breaker.
The first part of my review can be seen here in this slide rocket presentation.
Check out this example of how to navigate your journal entry...
Some final thoughts about Penzu:
Please describe a scenario of how you might use
this tool in a teaching environment (150-250 words).
From time to time when I have
residents that struggle with professionalism issues, I ask them to write a
personal reflective essay and turn it in to me.
I read their submission and I provide them with feedback. I think that encouraging these residents to
journal would be a better way to promote regular reflection, and I could then
require the submission of one entry per week to me through the share
feature. Using penzu, I could then
comment on the residents journal entry.
What are the advantages
and disadvantages of using this tool in a teaching environment?
The advantage of using this
tool in a teaching environment is that it is free and very user friendly. Also, it is highly accessible since all you
need is a computer. The disadvantage of
using this tool in a teaching environment is that journaling tends to be a
highly personal experience, and many learners may not feel comfortable
journaling and then sharing that experience with others. It may be difficult to separate journal in
the educational setting with journaling for personal growth and
development. That being said, I was asked
to keep journals in college when we would go on trips and turn them in for
grading. I still have those journals
today, and consider them a wonderful memento of my college educational
experiences.
Would you recommend this Web 2.0 tool to others,
or suggest that they explore a different tool?
I think that if you are
looking for an online journaling tool, penzu is an excellent program. I plan to keep on using it, particularly when
I travel.
My group collaborated in a number of ways on this
project. We started out by using email
to develop a plan. We discussed our
question and exactly what subtopics we would address. We then each picked a subtopic. Finally, also via email, we decided that we
would use Google Presentation in a shared format to create and review our
slides. We then moved our Google
Presentation to VoiceThread and added our comments. My group worked exceptionally well together
and every member of the group contributed equally. It may have been one of the best group work
experiences I have had.
Uploading the presentation to VoiceThread is a snap. It only took a few minutes. I
provided comments on the slides in two ways, by typing and by recording using a
microphone. I did not chose to use the
webcam, but not because I thought it would be anymore difficult. Both methods of commenting
we very easy, and I was pleased with the results. It was also easy to delete the recorded
comments and start again. Overall, my
experience with VoiceThread was very positive, and I think that I will want to
use it again.
I can see a definite place for VoiceThread in my day-to-day
work life. My colleagues and I are based
at different hospital sites, and this can, at times, make collaboration
difficult. Using a tool like VoiceThread,
particularly when we are working on joint presentations would really simplify
things and obviate the need to be in the same location. I am going to introduce VoiceThread to some
of my work partners and see if they are interested in giving it a try. I also have considered that this would be a really neat way to engage the medical students and residents in learning core concepts in Obstetrics and Gynecology. I could post a presentation with my comments and then allow them to add additional comments which would give me the opportunity to evaluate their comprehension of the materials.
Review Part 1: Downloading and saving reference materials to Zotero
Review Part 2: Using Zotero to insert citations in Microsoft Word
Zotero Review: Script for Screenr
Part I: The name of the tool I am reviewing is Zotero. You can find Zotero by opening your Firefox browser and typing www.zotero.org. This tool can be used with Chrome and Safari, but that would be considered an advanced usage and is beyond the scope of this tutorial. Novice users need to utilize Firefox as their browser.
The primary category for this tool is productivity. Zotero is what I would refer to as a reference manager. It is a free plug-in to your Firefox browser that allows you to store, organize and utilize your references. It is particularly useful since it allows you to store information in a variety of formats including web pages, PDF documents, photos, and videos. Though there are many additional uses for Zotero, it’s most powerful function for me is as a reference manager and citation tool as I write scientific and legal scholarly works. Zotero allows me to insert references in the proper format at the touch of a button. For anyone who has every asked themselves, “Which paper am I supposed to cite here?” Zotero will change your life.
Before using this tool, you need to have basic computer skills. You will require a computer with the Firefox web browser and an internet connection.
First, you need to visit www.zotero.org, and click the giant red Download now button. You will then be taken to the Zotero 3.0 page where you will need to scroll down about ¼ of the way until you see Zotero 3.0.7 for Firefox. Click the blue hyperlink. You may receive a pop up message from Firefox asking you for permission to download the add on. If you see this message, click accept. You will see a message informing you that the add on is downloading. You will then be asked if it is okay to install the add on. Click install now. Once the install is complete, you are left on the Zotero 3.0 page.
If you are new to Firefox and add ons, I recommend going to your menu tool bar and clicking on “tools” then “add-ons.” Once there, you will see an option on the left for “extensions.” If you click on extensions, you will see Zotero listed and you should see a message that Zotero will be updated after your restart Firefox. You should click on “restart now” so that Zotero will become activated. While there are other ways of restarting Firefox, including simply exiting the browser and reopening it, this is one way of becoming more comfortable working with add ons in your browser. After you restart your browser, you will see that Zotero has updated to the latest version and is ready for use. Note that you have options in this area including the option to disable or remove your add in, something you may want to do in the future.
Go ahead and click on the “x” of the add on tab to close the window. You are now back on your Zotero home page. Now we have the opportunity to try out Zotero. I am going to start by going to Pub Med. Since I am working on developing a residency program in obstetrics and gynecology in Liberia, I am going to search for a friend of mine’s article by putting in “Tita Africa.” I see the article of interest, so I click on the hyperlink. I am taken to the abstract on the. Note at the top of the screen in the address bar, there is what looks like a piece of paper. If I hover over it, it says, “Save to Zotero.” If I click it, you will see a red notification box in the lower right had corner that informs us the page is being saved. If you then click on the word Zotero in the bottom right hand corner of your window, the Zotero screen will come up and you will see your saved reference. If you click on the reference, you will see a great deal of additional information about the journal article saved in the right-sided window. You will also notice that you have the ability to make notes about the reference you have saved in the window. You can also create tags for your references, and ultimately to connect related references making it much easier to find and use your resources.
The next video will demonstrate how you can use Zotero to create citations in a word document.
Part II: So now I have used Zotero to save an article about use of evidence based medicine in obstetrics in Africa. I now want to demonstrate how I would use that saved reference as I write my scholarly article on Post-graduate training in OB/Gyn in Africa.
First, I return to the Zotero home page at www.zotero.org. Then I click on “documentation” and scroll down to where it says, “Generating Bibliographies, Citations and Reports.” From here, I can then click on “word processor integration.” On this page, click on “installation.” Next pick the download that is appropriate for your operating system. In my case, I will select “word for mac plugin 3.5.4.” You will likely get a message from Firefox asking you if you are sure you wish to download this plugin. Click allow. The plugin will then be downloaded, and you will need to click, “install now.” You will get another message from Firefox informing you that you need to restart Firefox before the plugin will be available. Click “restart now.”
Open a word document. You will see a menu that floats in the upper left hand corner. If you hover the mouse over any of these buttons, it will tell you what they are used for. Click on the icon that is located second from the right. This opens your document preferences. I am going to select endnotes in the Chicago Manual of Style format. Then I will close the window.
I then start a new document and type whatever I want into my new scholarly essay. I am now ready to use my saved reference. I click on the first icon in the Zotero Word Plug In that is entitled “Zotero Insert Citation.” I do not personally like having to search for my article, so click the arrow next to the Z and choose classic view that will shows me all of my references. Select the appropriate reference and then indicate the page number in the box below and hit okay. Your reference should then be visible.
All of my residents have to produce a scholarly work before they graduate. This includes not only presenting a research project to the department, but also writing a paper suitable for publication in a journal. Many of the residents have never written journal articles before, and most have not written papers since college. They are busy professionals, and use of Zotero would allow them to be systematic and organized in their research and writing. I suspect that this would also be a significant time saver for them. Most importantly, it would prevent what happens almost every year when a resident accidentally disposes of or loses all of their research in a freak accident. What’s that you say? What if the resident’s computer hard drive crashes? Aren’t they in the same boat? That’s the best news…Zotero allows syncing of your library to their server. Thus, you can access your research on any computer with an internet connection. Brilliant.
The advantages of using this tool in a teaching environment are that almost everyone in a teaching environment has the need to perform, save, manage, and utilize research. It’s widely applicable and can be a real time saver.
The disadvantage of using this tool in a teaching environment is that all technology has the opportunity to be glitchy and Zotero is no different. I used it when I wrote my Master’s thesis, and there were times that it would not format the citations correctly. Sometimes it would not insert citations at all. If you are under a deadline, this can be extremely frustrating.
Overall, Zotero is a useful and powerful research management tool that I would recommend.
Please select the one, primary category for this tool: Communication Tool, Collaboration Tool, Productivity Tool, Creativity Tool, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving Tool, Reflection Tool, Feedback Tool, Networking/Social Tool, Presentation Tool
Please describe this tool in your own words in about 150-250 words: Smilebox is a free program downloadable from the internet that allows you to create slideshows, scrapbooks, photo albums or collages to share in multiple formats (email, Facebook, blog). If you opt to obtain a subscription to Club Smilebox for $39.99 per year, you can also print your creation or save it to DVD. Smilebox is a nice alternative to simply pulling up your digital photos on your laptop or TV and flipping through them while your friends and family watch. The real benefit would be in sharing a fantastic pictorial experience (such as travel) or pictures of the grandchildren over long distances with friends and family out of town. It also makes looking at pictures fun! You can add music, control the number of pictures on a page, and even add text. The best part is that the memories are preserved in a fun format that can be enjoyed for years to come. Of course, no web tool is complete these days without an iPhone app, and Smilebox delivers. You can download the free iPhone app which lets you create Smilebox content on your phone. I would recommend learning the computer tools first as the iPhone version is not as robust or as easy to use.
Try using the Tool (you may need to sign up for a free or trial account) so that you will learn how it works and what its capabilities are - and so that you will be able to answer the following questions.
What do you need to know before using this tool? (What skills do you need to have?) Basic computer skills are a must. Previous experience working with photos in a drag-and-drop format is a plus, but not a requirement.
What do you need to have before using this tool? (Resources) A computer with internet access. Photos. Friends and family to share with.
If applicable, please create an example with this tool and either embed in your blog or submit the URL.
10. Please describe a scenario of how you might use this tool in a teaching environment (150-250 words)
My demonstration scrapbook is a good example of how this tool can be used in a teaching environment. I made this scrapbook to educate obstetrics and gynecology residents about a rural healthcare facility in Tanzania where they will be working for the next year. Neither of these individuals have visited the facility, but i was there last week and took photos. The two physicians don't live in Houston and I needed an efficient way to share this information with them across distance. The purpose of this scrapbook was really just to share information with these physicians, but i can also imagine using this type of scrapbook to teach US residents about healthcare in low resource settings. The majority of US physicians will never have the opportunity to visit rural Africa, and this would be an ideal means of introducing them to those healthcare environments.
11. What are the advantages of using this tool in a teaching environment?
The advantage of this tool in a teaching environment is that it is fun and interesting. It would certainly hold someone's attention more than a block of text might. It is also appealing to those individuals who are visual learners.
12. What are the disadvantages of using this tool in a teaching environment?
The disadvantage would be that the tool is relatively simple and there is a lack of control over some features that would improve it's use in education. For instance, there are limits to the number of photos that can be uploaded, the speed of the slideshows, and limits on the amount of text that can be included.
9. How do you use this tool? (Write the basic steps using a numbered list.)
Before you can use Smilebox, you need to go to the website and download the software to your computer. then open the software from your computer and follow the steps below.
You will see this screen after you pick personalize. Be patient...
class! As a self-proclaimed "tech geek," I never thought that I would get to take an entire class dedicated to enhancing my geek skills. I really enjoyed learning more about the Web 2.0 tools that are out there. In particular, I believe that my new-found knowledge of VoiceThread and Prezi will come in handy as I strive to become a better educator.
