Creating a Folder on Blogger

              So one of the challenges that I encountered this week in my Instructional Applications of the Internet course was figuring out how to create a folder within my blog. Since I am new to the blogging world, the only thing I really knew how to do up to this point was how to create posts. I invested a significant chunk of time searching, and finally found the information I needed from a teacher's YouTube tutorial dedicated to the topic. The man who created the video that I found was using Microsoft's Sky Drive to upload files that could then be opened through Blogger, so I decided to create my own tutorial showing how to do it using Blogger and Google Drive. I am a Google Girl, after all.

          This was yet another melding of ideas moment, which was the main point of my initial blog post. I took what I learned from Lance Yoder (who, by the way, has a whole bunch of technology-related tutorials you can check out at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_J4hDeeO9cSWaVKyxg3SYg) and produced a screencast with that newly obtained knowledge like the ones made by one of the professors I have right now. I was interested in trying out Screencast-O-Matic since the start of the semester, and this gave me a reason for doing so. I like that I now will be able to refer back to my own tutorial as a reference, and that the video might prove to be useful for others out there who find themselves feeling very clueless in creating folders within a blog.

           Here is the link to my screencast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq1lePxqDys&feature=youtu.be. If you have any additional questions after viewing the tutorial, feel free to comment below and I will do my best to respond back with an answer. Until next time...

Podcasts, Vodcasts, and Screencasts...Oh My!

         My head is quite full right now of a variety of technology-related terms, but this week had a particular focus on the different types of "casts," hence the title of today's blog post. In my Instructional Applications of the Internet course, we have been asked to begin developing our own audio podcasts and the assignment has got me thinking about my personal podcast favorites. The topic of podcasts has also put me on a bit of a walk down memory lane, reminding me of the radio shows I used to create with my sister as a kid. I can't help but to smile at the technology we had to use, and to think about how pronounced the changes have been in the past few decades.

         When I was reading the chapter on podcasts in Will Richardson's book: "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Webtools for Classrooms," I came across a part that describes the program created by students at Willowdale Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska. Their online radio show covers topics of the students' choosing, such as poetry and jokes. This was where I had my flashback moment. I could instantly remember being in my sister's childhood bedroom, brainstorming what the segments were going to be for our radio show. For instance, I recall a time where we made up a pretend interview with my sister's oversized stuffed cow, who we named Clara. She told "our listeners" what life was like on the farm. So, what was our recording device? Have a look: 

           This was one of my favorite toys of all time. It provided hours of entertainment and was the perfect device for our radio shows. It is hard to believe that kids today don't even know what a cassette player is! The neat thing, however, is that although our tools for doing it might be quite different, the creation of radio shows in contemporary times is just as fulfilling and engaging for children as it was when I was growing up.

              Alright, back to the present, Marty. Here in 2015, we find ourselves with the ability to not only easily create our own radio show podcasts via the computer, but we have the ability to get those radio shows out to a larger audience. The fact that we can do it all for free is an added bonus. My two favorite podcasts of all time are This American Life and Serial. If you haven't listened to them, I strongly encourage you to.

               This American Life puts out weekly podcasts (which you can download or listen to live on NPR) on a wide variety of topics. For instance, one episode (the first to get me hooked, in fact) was about a young woman from Cleveland, Ohio who moved to San Francisco and started her own business. So, you might be wondering, what makes that so interesting? Well, I neglected to mention that this woman's business is a coffee shop called: "Trouble," and the only items they serve there are coffee, cinnamon toast, coconuts, and grapefruit juice. It sounds strange, but when you learn the story around it, you find it truly fascinating. The woman who opened the business struggles with psychiatric issues and has found safety and solitude in her business. This is just one example of the kind of information that you might get from a This American Life episode. 

   
            

          Now, Serial, on the other hand, is a podcast that was made to resemble a recurring television drama. Each week a new episode builds upon a storyline. In Season One, the show follows the story of an interesting murder trial from the late 1990's. A man was arrested for the death of his ex-girlfriend. That may not sound very intriguing at first, but when you begin to learn about all of the idiosyncrasies of the case and trial, along with the many questions surrounding what really happened, it is impossible to want to stop listening.

               My point in describing these podcasts is that they are the combined inspiration behind the one I will create. I hope for my podcast to be comprised of several episodes that will each cover a different book considered to be a front-runner for the coveted Newbery award (like This American Life), and that the episodes will lead up to the announcement of the award recipient early next year (kind of like Serial). Excited to see where the podcasting journey will lead. Until next time...
           

The Power of an Idea

We have all had the experience of coming up with an idea. In fact, this common experience is one we encounter on a routine basis. Sometimes the idea that finds its way into our heads is life-changing, the whole 'lightbulb going off' phenomenon, while other times the idea is an utter failure. As I enter my second week of graduate studies in Instructional Technology, I am reflecting on the limitless possibilities that stem from our thoughts and ideas. Consider this: what would our world look like today if Steve Jobs had never pursued the idea of Apple Computer? Or what if Alexander Graham Bell had not pursued the idea of the telephone? Suffice it to say that without ideas, our world would be boring, static, and mundane. 

I have had the desire to create a blog for a while now, but am only just coming to act on that desire as part of a course requirement. The class is called Instructional Applications of the Internet, so it is fitting that students should begin to explore the world of weblogs as part of the course syllabus, if they have not already. My hope is to use this space as a means to reflect on what I am learning about, but to also take the new knowledge I have gained and use it as a springboard into future posts on concepts related to education. I aspire to continue to explore my thoughts: those that come spontaneously and those that are inspired by others. 

So, what made me start to think about the power of ideas? The answer: one of the first course assignments. We were asked to contribute to a list of Web 2.0 technology resources on a class wiki and check out what our classmates shared. Blendspace is one of the online resources that was included in the list. I had no idea how it worked, which led me to explore it further. The website is beneficial in that it allows users to create dynamic presentations that include any variety of videos, photos, links, and files: free of charge. Right away, instructional ideas starting flowing. I thought it was a great resource that I would put on the back burner for now. As a full time graduate student currently, I could see its potential for when I move back into the classroom in the future. However...

Another one of the courses I am enrolled in right now happened to have an assignment due last week that asked students to evaluate five instructional images and to determine their design principles. We could use any medium to present the information. That metaphoric lightbulb went right off as I realized that I could take the idea from one class (Blendspace) and combine it with what I needed to accomplish for the other class. I was able to use Blendspace to upload my images and to describe them. It was a HALLELUJAH moment! If you have any interest in checking out the final product, just visit: 
https://www.blendspace.com/lessons/kUZrbiVrXIIxkA/visual-literacy.

I will end my post with a brief exercise in idea exploration, both because it's fun and because I think it's important for educators of any capacity to practice. Check out this Swiss toy called a Bilibo:

Can you think of some different ideas for how this toy could be used in either practical, play, or educational scenarios? I've got some thoughts (salad bowl?!), but would love to see what others think, too! Feel free to comment and share below. 

However hair-brained and outrageous your ideas might initially seem, consider the possibility of exploring them. Until next time...