DIIGO

Social bookmarking is a great tool to employ to share and create knowledge using the power of the internet.  We were asked to watch a short informative film  and read this brief article . 

The film recommended and described 3 steps.

Step 1: Tag & List.  You can highlight &annotate Pages on the web with ease.  You can highlight content on a page, add a comment, and bookmark the page for later.  You can view your bookmarks in a list also in the sidebar.

Step 2: Connect & Engage – bookmarks, tags, & annotations.  I can see my bookmarks, as well as what my friends are bookmarking and tagging.   You can join various groups.  Groups can collaborate their bookmarks or you can message or share bookmarks with friends not in groups.

Step 3: Get Personalized Content Recommendations – you can see recommended bookmarks and see bookmarks by people like you.

Web 2.0 associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. A Web 2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue as creators of user-generated content in a virtual community.  By increasing what was already possible in "Web 1.0", they provide the user with more user-interface, software and storage facilities, all through their browser.

Social bookmarking is a method for Internet users to organize, store, manage and search for bookmarks of resources online.  Social bookmarking is advantageous compared to traditional storage and retrieval websites because social bookmarking can be useful as a way to access a consolidated set of bookmarks from various computers, organize large numbers of bookmarks, and share bookmarks with contacts. A social bookmarking system has several advantages over traditional automated resource location and classification software, such as search engine spiders. All tag-based classification of Internet resources is done by human beings, who understand the content of the resource, as opposed to software, which algorithmically attempts to determine the meaning of a resource. Also, people can find and bookmark web pages that have not yet been noticed or indexed by web spiders.  Additionally, a social bookmarking system can rank a resource based on how many times it has been bookmarked by users, which may be a more useful metric for end-users than systems that rank resources based on the number of external links pointing to it.

So, I registered for DIIGO .  I wasn’t sure how to do it as an educator, but I have an account.  I updated and messed around with my profile, to make myself more recognizable.  I found a place where I could put education as my industry.

 My DIIGO Library

Then, I installed the Diigolet for my web browser.   I added it at work on my laptop first, then added it to my home laptop once I got home.  At work I have Google Chrome so it was easy, just had to make the bookmarks bar visible and drag the little Diigolet button up there.  No installation or downloading or anything.  Turns out that Firefox, which I use on my personal laptop at home, works the same way was Google Chrome. 

This image shows my set-up instructions as well as that my Diigolet button is installed on my bookmarks toolbar.  Also, just to see what it does, I highlighted and sticky noted my instructions and privately bookmarked it to myself. Neat.

Next up was to build my library, so I started looking for news or scholarly links that could be used in math teaching or in educational technology research.  I added one private bookmark and one public bookmark.  I’ll keep a lookout for new links as the semester continues.  I looked at the professors Diigo for some examples and direction in how to acquire, archive, tag, and share resources.  My Diigo URL is http://www.diigo.com/user/kbland.  I added this URL to my Link List to the left of my blog also.

I also joined a group: Diigo In Education

This image shows my browser, Firefox, with my Diigolett button on my bookmarks toolbar as well as an Add-on of the Diigo Toolbar!  I also highlighted, in my library, what a bookmarked item looks like, as well as a post-it.

ISTE Nets T Standard 5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership:  participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning. 

Self Portrait

In this assignment we were asked to create a self portrait in the style of Pablo Picasso.  I went to the Picassohead website and began to create.  I usually find myself to be fairly creative, but I felt like my creativity was being lessened due to the fact that there weren’t very many options.  In spite of the lack of piece and color options, I pressed on.  I looked up Picasso style, as I do not remember exactly what Picasso was all about and what his pieces looked like. 

Picasso Style:  In this style, the outlines are profiles, but the features are seen frontally too, which is impossible in real circumstances. This dual angle of vision had been familiar in Picasso's art since the 1920s. It occurred in figure portrayals that combined the dissociative and the figurative principles.

This is how my self portrait turned out - Ms. Bland by Ms. B: Picassohead

I found that the more I messed around with it, the more creative I got.  I actually made a previous Picasso head prior to this one that I didn’t like once I completed it.  Then I created this one and forgot to hit save and had to remake it again, adding some more details.   I ended up keeping with the Picasso style and using a profile as well as frontal facing features.  As you can tell from my self portrait, I like the color pink and want to be a math teacher.  Also I have brown hair and sometimes my eyes look blue and sometimes they look green.  

ISTE Nets T Standards 1A, 1C, & 3A.  This assignment promoted creativity while allowing for self reflection.  It also provided the opportunity for us to demonstrate our ability to apply past knowledge with a new concept or digital tool.

Revisit Resume

For a previous assignment, I created my resume in Google Docs. 

For this assignment we are asked to find a free service or use RezScore to evaluate our resumes.

Here is my score (snipped with Snipping Tool!) :

I’ve never scored a resume before, it’s a good idea.  It is like someone proofreading it before you use it.   I scored “good” on my resume.  Some suggestions that the website had for me was to make it longer, remove objective & replace with a professional header, and to capitalize PowerPoint correctly.  I plan on at least correcting the second two things.  When it comes to making it longer, I think I will just have to wait on more experiences and things to come into my life so that I can add them to my resume.  

I went back in after completing this assignment to Google Docs and corrected the issues.  I removed the objective and placed a heading, fixed PowerPoint capitalization, and added a couple more employment highlights.  I have yet to re-score my resume, but plan to before I turn it in to someone as I feel this is a beneficial service.

 ISTE Nets T -  standard 3 section.  I used past knowledge and applied it to a new technology in order to modify my resume.

Snipping Tool

I have always “snipped” images by using CTRL + “print screen” to copy the screen into “paint it” then cropped and edited what piece of the screen I wanted, then resaved that image in paint it for future use.  I never knew that Microsoft Windows had a “Snipping Tool” utility.

First, I had to find snipping tool on my computer.  I used the “search” function on my start menu and simply typed in “Snipping Tool”.
 

This is a “snip” image I made using my prior version of CTRL + “print screen” & paint it.  It shows me searching for the tool and my computer found it.  It also gave me the option to add it to my QuickLaunch Bar.

 I then made a desktop short cut of the “Snipping Tool” because using this took is so much easier than my previous way of snipping images!  I plan on using this thing very often!  How cool?!

This image shows the Snipping Tool, both pinned to my desktop and added to my QuickLaunch menu.

The Snipping tool is so amazing!  I’ve been “snipping” all day!  You can save a snip as HTMl, PNG, GIF, or JPEG.  Plus they are automatically copied to the Clipboard so you can quickly paste it into a program.  The snips can be free-form, rectangular, window, or full screen – so you can snip as little or as much as you actually need.  This snipping tool will be helpful in blogging, so that I can visually show my blog readers examples of what is on my screen.   I have been using snips but not by the snipping tool, this made my life easier!

One way it could be used practically, in education, is say I were getting ready to teach a lesson on graphing parabolas and I give my lessons in PowerPoint form.  In order to give examples of various parabolas, I could simply Google images of parabolas and use the snipping tool to snip ones that I would like to use and I could either directly paste them into my PowerPoint presentation or I could save them and upload them to it.

Below are some snips of parabolas:

Free-form, added ink (writing) & highlighted the one that is concave down

Rectangular snip, highlighted the parabolas

Window snip (also changed the ink to black and selected not to show the ink after snipping - see snip at end of post), this could show the student how to Google images of parabolas

You could also snap the full screen of your computer, but you get the idea.  Once you have the snips you can copy them and paste them, you can save them, or you can send them as an email or email attachment.

These are my Snipping Tool settings, which you find under options.  Notice where I have my in color set to black and I unselected to show in after captures.

ISTE Nets T -  standard 3a, 1a, and 1c. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning:
collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.  We need to give students the tools they need to succeed in today's high tech world.  Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments  (a) design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity (c) customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies and abilities using digital tools and resources.

Resume

For this assignment we were asked to upload or create a resume.  As I am unfamiliar with Google Docs, I decided to recreate a resume, rather than use one I already have.  It probably could have used some updating anyway.  How cool is it that there are applications like this that allow publishing things to the web that are just like desktop applications that you pay loads of money for?!  

Here is my resume that I created! - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xaWibziBj8988ziMMynzSnqFP1VSkPb5cpcB2R01OoI/edit

 

One thing that I really like is that Google Doc auto-saves, which is a good thing because my laptop isn’t the most reliable computer.  It has battery issues and tends to shut off unexpectedly.  Another thing that was nice about Google docs is that once you create it you can go in and edit it whenever you have time.  This would be good for short term or long term.   I began my resume before lunch, it auto saved, and I continued when I got back and had time for it.   If I ever needed to update it a few months, or even years down the road, it will be just as easy to go in and edit.  Another benefit of Google docs is that it has lots of storage and that you can open any of the documents you have created anywhere that there is internet access.  This also means you can edit documents both on computers and on mobile devices, such as Ipads! This is very exciting news to me because I have an Ipad2 on order for my birthday February 3^rd and was wondering how I might be able to create documents on it,  I thought that I was going to have to buy Microsoft Office for it separately. 

Those are just the skills and interesting things that I learned by making my resume.  I plan on continuing using Google Docs a lot in the future.   Because I was intrigued, I “googled”: “What can I do with Google Docs?” and here is a neat website that I found - http://enterprisefeatures.com/2011/01/huge-list-of-amazing-things-you-didn%E2%80%99t-know-google-docs-could-do/ .  If you are unfamiliar with Google Docs you should check it out! 

Just to try it out I decided to try to upload a resume I had saved in Microsoft Word. Here is what happened when it went into Google Doc, it changed my formatting.  Editing was an option.  I also tried uploading it without changing the format to be compatible with Google Docs, this is what happened that time. *  However, in order to edit this one, which looks just like the original resume in Microsoft Word, Google Docs had to reformat it to be compatible, which made it look like the first one.  In my opinion, it seems easier and much more conveinent to create the document directly in  Google Docs rather than do all of the converting. *Found out that you can not share a document on GoogleDocs unless you "edit" it and save it. - the text highlighted blue above was hyper linked to what the resume looked like, but I couldn-t properly share it without editing and once I edited to save - it looked just like the first one.

ISTE Nets T - standard 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning- communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence, also known as, Emotional Quotient –is the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups.

The first step to our assignment was to take an Emotional Intelligence test.  The site stated that this emotional intelligence test will evaluate several aspects of your emotional intelligence and will suggest ways to improve it. The emotional intelligence test we were assigned to take consists of two parts; a self-report portion and an ability portion. The test assesses your capacity to: recognize your own emotions and those of others; understand how best to motivate yourself; become close to others; and manage your own feelings and those of others.

My results of the EI test:
The test was long, with a hundred and forty some questions.  Below is a snapshot report of my scores and a brief explanation:

I chose not to “review the results below” to see what areas needed improvement because it cost money and I am a broke college student.  However, the score I received is somewhat what I expected.  I am not far from the median score, making me reasonably skilled when it comes to perceiving and expressing my own emotions and those of others.  I feel that I could deal with my emotions a bit better, taking more time to think about decisions and to calm myself down in times of stress.  I tend to get stressed easily over things that do not matter and to keep that stress in until I break down.  Learning to reduce my stress a bit and connecting more to my emotions would be beneficial in raising my EQ.  I could also have a bit more confidence and self- assurance when it comes to defusing conflicts.

Is EQ immutable or can it change over time?

The skills of emotional intelligence can be developed throughout life. You can boost your own “EQ” by learning how to rapidly reduce stress, connect to your emotions, communicate nonverbally, use humor and play to deal with challenges, and defuse conflicts with confidence and self-assurance.  I feel as though mine has gotten much higher with age and with grade level school wise.  If I would have taken this same exact EQ test when I was in middle school my score would have been much lower.

What, if any, role do educators have in facilitating change in EQ? Cite examples supported by links to references.

There has been amplified consideration, lately, to the role emotional aptitude has in educational success. Our emotional state often times has great influence over our thinking. For example, students learn and perform more successfully when they feel secure, happy, and excited about the subject matter.  Teachers should be aware of and reflect on “emotional intelligence.” There are various strategies to help teachers and students alike become aware of their emotions and manage them better. 

Various sites give around five different skills involved in emotional intelligence.  These skills include being aware of one’s emotions, managing those emotions, motivating oneself, empathizing, and relating well with others. These five skills can be learned. Educators can help students by modeling, direct instruction, and coaching.  Through teachers students should be able to learn to monitor their own feelings (positive and negative), handle frustrating and difficult situations calmly, without giving up.  They should also be able to find their drive to learn and be able to work well in a group. 

·         Greater self-confidence is linked to students’ ability to be aware of and understand their emotions, since this understanding helps them feel greater control over their inner life.  Educators play a big part in developing self-confidence by helping students learn to identify how they are feeling when they make decisions. 

Here is a lessonplan: - Purpose: To help children recognize and appreciate their growth and success and to increase performance levels.

·         Teachers can use students’ emotional expression as a teachable moment to coach and support them in developing the skills needed to manage their emotions successfully. One way to teach students to manage their emotions effectively is to teach, conflict resolution, anger management, and the skills needed to work cooperatively, with the long-range goal of teaching students to work together in productive, positive ways. 

The term conflict management refers to processes and programs that teach individuals concepts and skills for preventing, managing, and resolving conflicts non-violently. Conflict management programs can teach life skills, "win-win" negotiation strategies, mediation skills, and violence prevention strategies.  The hyperlink attached to “conflict management” above gives the basic principles and some helpful ways to encourage it in the classroom. 

·         Self-motivation, a third area of emotional intelligence, is the ability to generate feelings of confidence, enthusiasm, and persistence, especially during setbacks.  Students who are positive inspire themselves to expect triumphs.

There are many ways of motivating students. Some of the general ways to motivate students include:

o   Give frequent, early, positive feedback that supports students' beliefs that they can do well.

o   Ensure opportunities for students' success by assigning tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult.

o   Help students find personal meaning and value in the material.

o   Create an atmosphere that is open and positive.

o   Help students feel that they are valued members of a learning community.

·         “Empathy” is the ability to recognize other’s emotions and to have compassion when others are emotional.   Teachers can help students develop empathy by providing opportunities to take on different perspectives, put themselves in someone else’s shoes, and to take responsibility for their own actions.  

A short lesson on being empathetic, gives instructions for a discussion that you can have with your classroom as a group in order to help students understand what empathy is and why it is important.  

·         Being aware of emotions, managing emotions, self-motivation, and having empathy for others are involved as we engage in any social relationship. Positive social relationships in school are often associated with positive academic achievement. Teachers can make positive relationships possible by encouraging group interactions.   When a student-group shows commitment to working as a group, values each other’s participation, is caring of others, showing appreciation for all team members, positive relationships are made.

Allowing and encouraging group work is a great way to make positive social relationships possible.  There are quite a few different ways to establish groups.  I found a really need video (26 mins long) about group dynamics.

·         Teachers need to also understand that their emotional intelligence influences the classroom greatly. A teacher should have a positive state of mind and the ability to manage their emotions and relationships productively, because they are a model for their students. Teachers demonstrate how to express emotion and manage relationships when they communicate their feelings to students and show how to build respectful relationships with others.

Even if your school has not instituted a formal program in support of social and emotional learning, there are plenty of activities you can initiate right in your own classroom. To begin, recognize that an emotionally intelligent teacher is the first step to an emotionally intelligent classroom

Some say EQ is more important than IQ, do you agree or disagree?

I agree that some people may have fabulous IQ scores yet still do poorly in life; one could say that they were wasting their potential by thinking, behaving and communicating in a way that hindered their chances to succeed.  One of the major missing parts in the success equation is emotional intelligence.  For various reasons and thanks to a wide range of abilities, people with high emotional intelligence tend to be more successful in life than those with lower EIQ even if their classical IQ is average.

 ISTE Nets T - standard 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity- by doing this survey, you're learning about yourself in a creative manner.  Also, teachers that will participate in an EQ survey and recognize the role of EQ in the learning environment are contributing to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession.