I Should Be Marking

A couple of things in one this morning.

Over the weekend I put quite a lot of time into making a World Book Day Quiz using Wordle, Prezi and Google Forms. You use Prezi to view 15 word clouds based on the text from some popular books – you have to guess the title and author of each one and enter it into the Google Form so that I can collate (and examine the data with my Y9 as part of their database unit).

The other thing is that I’ve started a more school-friendly blog on the local WPMU installation. The aim there is to model an example blog for the pupils and also to share some of the appropriate ICT links and resources I stumble across. So I’m currently actively involved with 3 forums, 2 blogs, Twitter, Facebook and a weekly Flashmeeting with EdTechRoundup. Thank God I don’t have a full time job or kids, otherwise I’d never manage it all!

The Quiz

My school blog

I was about to post about edtechroundup, but I’m going to leave it for a day or two now and write this instead.

When I first got into blogs I signed up to a load of RSS feeds, then some podcasts, then Facebook, now Twitter and so it goes on. You see the same names, faces and avatars and it can be quite intimidating. People seem to have ideas that you don’t quite understand, talk about things you;re not familiar with and there can be a real pressure to catch up. And trying to make sure you follow or sign up to the right sites (not missing anyone important out) can be exhausting.

Except that there isnt really any pressure – it’s all imaginary.

It reminds me of being back at school and feeling I had to keep up with my mates’ CD collections and following the latest bands (and the ‘right’ bands at that). Actually I’m much better off liking what I like and being done with it.

And that’s what all these social networking innovations should be. There shouldn’t be a pressure to use them all, or any specific one, or even ANY of them at all. And you shouldn’t be intimidated by people who’ve been doing it for longer than you. In my experience they are, without fail, the nicest and most welcoming people imaginable.

Yes, it can sometimes be like going to the pub with a new friend and all his old mates with back-stories and past histories, but it all sorts itself out quite quickly and if people do talk over your head then they are very willing to explain if you point that fact out.

I’ve been talking about Twitter since I signed up (less than a week ago and I’m already dependant on it) both on here and on the TES and I know that some people feel obliged to take it up and they’re not being professional if they don’t force themselves to try and follow this stuff. Now I would encourage the willing to give it a go, and for me the benefits are enormous, but no-one should feel they have to, and if that is your main motivation then I doubt you’ll stick around long or get the full use out of it.

So if you see this blog, and you think it’s another one of those teachers in that social networking clique then PLEASE try not to. I’m also a human being – lazy, forgetful, perpetually behind with marking – just like you! And I’m going to try to avoid being cliquey in my posts. Promise.

As bizarre as it sounds and as cliched as I know it makes me, I’m really getting into Twitter.

There’s lots of talk on the TV apparently (although I’ve heard about it all second hand) and now I have a small but effective group of followees (people whose posts I get to see) I’m picking up on all sorts of new technolgies, software and websites. I’m blanning on adding some to my sidebar.

I can’t recommend it enough, and Tweetdeck even picks up my system proxy so I can continue to follow the goings on at work (this may turn out to be a very, very bad thing). I’ve already discovered Tikatok and Kerpoof amongst other things (including an amazing stop-motion video – the platform game and fall in the middle was brilliantly done IMO).

If you do decide to join (or are already a Tweeter) then make sure to say hello.

Well, it finally happened – I was pestered into signing up for Twitter.

It took me a couple of days to get into it, but I have already picked up some useful links. The problem is this – I subscribe to a number of RSS feeds (including blogs and del.icio.us accounts), use Facebook, several forums and now Twitter (via Tweetdeck which I heartily recommend, having never used an alternative). Oh, and I run this blog and several in school as well.

It’s starting to sound a lot like work. I have decide what information to post here (longish thoughts and reflections), on Facebook (daily or bi-daily personal goings on mostly) and what to put on twitter (at the minute I’m still unsure as to the balance between hourly minutiae and daily things that are interesting).

My del.icio.us account has fallen by the wayside and I’m not even getting started on the likes of Flickr.

The point? There isn’t one really – I’m reflecting here! I need to make sure I’m doing what I want to do (at the minute that’s anything other than my Y9 reports) and that it’s useful in both a long term sense (making contacts, discussing technologies and being up on the latest trends) and in the short term (actually enjoying myself).

And besides, this wouldn’t fit under the Twitter character limit…

Whilst reading John @ Sandaig Primary I came across this site with a league table of educational tools. Needless to say I don’t agree with or require the use of every tool and I certainly wouldn’t put them in that exact order myself – but there are plenty of ideas on there.

One in particular is Zoho which I’ve been playing with today. As well as a basic office suite there are all manner of other uses and existing Yahoo and Google users can sign in instantly with the new OpenID.

Seeing as I’m up, I’m having a look through some of my RSS feeds and finding new blogs. One in particular has had me in stitches for the best part of an hour, topped off by the following post which had me shoving my fist into my mouth in an attempt to not wake the rest of the house.