Ms Professor B

Every year I think, "this will be the year I finish my novel." I've been saying this since I started my novel over 10 years ago. In fact, I think it's been so long that someone else has probably written my novel already. Perhaps it's time to start anew. But I find I need inspiration and a goal.

Last year, I took a non-fiction writing class and found myself writing constantly. For one, I had to for the class, but I was also inspired to write. After the class ended, writing regularly fizzled out. Why? The desire hadn't died, but the goal of what to write & how much had faded. Of course, like every year, August was supposed to be my month of writing, but that month was hijacked by cancer, so it had to be another month. It happens to be November. Why November?

I had forgotten this, but last year, I signed up with a writing organization and on October 23rd, I received this odd email from "nanowrimo.org." "Who the heck is that?" I thought as I clicked on the e-mail. It was a reminder that November is national novel writing month! So, I'm participating in the challenge to write 50,000 words during the month of  November. I am also challenging my students to do the same. For me, it's a novel. For my students, it can be whatever they like. I'm also offering extra credit for anyone who completes the challenge. Check it out! You might just get inspired, too: http://www.nanowrimo.org/.

Copying @KarlBimshas, I am also posting a Word Cloud of my first 2,137 pages all written on November 1st. Create your own word cloud using wordle.net.

Now go write!

OK, so I realize it's been awhile since I've posted a blog. The truth is...I think this blog title is cursed. Let me explain...

In choosing my blog title, I focused on what my students call me. They call me "Professor B." However, that name was taken. Interestingly enough, Professor B has not blogged since 2003 after she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I didn't take it as a sign; I simply chose "MS. Professor B" for my title. Well, perhaps I should have taken the title as a sign.

Ironically enough, on June 4th, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My prognosis is positive. Surgery went well, and although it had metastasized, it hadn't gone beyond one lymph node. After recovering from surgery, I took a short break from treatment for my wedding and my honeymoon (yippee!!). Upon my return in August, I began chemotherapy. Warned that it would be rough, I convinced my supervisor to allow me to remain off campus Mondays & Fridays. Since three of the five classes I teach are online, being on campus is not a concern. Being available, however, is. Therefore, I had to devise a way to remain accessible to all of my students from off campus.

Granted, I check email in and out of the LMS about 5 times a day and read discussions at least once a day. I also make chat available for my students, and they have used it from time-to-time; however, for my on-campus students, this wasn't enough. That's when I started using Elluminate Live.

First of all, I created a link in Blackboard. My office hours are posted in the Syllabus, and during those hours, I click on the link & Elluminate loads. I also make individual appointments. Students follow the same process to visit me live online. (For a video demonstration, visit their website.)


When the "Office Hours" link is clicked, Java uploads and a new window opens. Once open, I can write on the whiteboard, share files, demonstrate websites, display videos, chat with students, and share audio. I can even record the sessions for students to play back later. If students have a webcam and a microphone, they can share videos & speak live as well.

The window looks like this (notice the interactive tools):



The most effective session I have had yet was actually with my on-campus class. I was having a particularly rough week fighting an infection. It was important to stay away from crowds for fear of contracting more germs and getting sicker. I was also miserable, but I didn't want to take another sick day. Instead, my class joined me online. They logged on to my online office hours, and although they did not have webcams or microphones, they followed along with my short lecture, asked questions via chat, and voted "yes" or "no" to my questions. I also asked some quiz questions and they typed in their responses. I hooked up my webcam, too, so they could see me.

Student comments were positive. Comments included, "This is cool, but we miss you!" That warmed my heart. Elluminate may not be a permanent solution for conducting a live class, but it's a powerful tool for days I just can't make it to campus. I can also see many other uses including telecourses, recording lectures during class, conducting reviews or Q & A sessions, and many more.

* Of course, I use Elluminate in conjunction with Blackboard 9; however, an online version outside of an LMS is available. Check it out!

My students insist on using the Citation Tool in Word 2007; however, they assume that if they simply enter the material, it will be correct. However, the citation tool works just like spell-check: it doesn't fix everything and you still have to know what you're doing. The following video should help demonstrate to students how to correct the mistakes of the Citation Tool while still allowing them to use the tool. Hopefully, they'll get the message. Let me know what you think!

My first Prezi Presentation. Presented at WyDEC 2010 in Sheridan, Wyoming at Sheridan College. A great conference!


Linked to a Google Site: https://sites.google.com/site/wydec2010/

I believe that students at the college level should be able to identify a properly formatted Works Cited page just by looking. Now, I'm not saying that they should be able to know if the source is from a journal, newspaper, or a database, etc.; rather, students should know what a proper Works Cited page looks like. Is it double spaced? Does it have hanging indentation? Do the entries end in periods? Those types of concerns.

So, it's the last 2 weeks of class; I've been going through the proper set-up for a Works Cited page all semester, and now it's time for the assessment. Of course, there's the final essay; however, these won't be graded until after the class ends and the feedback won't be useful for most students. If I can assess them on the final exam, then they can get the feedback before their final essay is due and use the feedback to at least create a visually correct Works Cited page.

In the past, I had students create a Works Cited page from scratch using select resources. This backfired when I spent too much time grading every minute detail. This year, I've devised a different type of test--one that incorporates multiple choice and some basic knowledge. Check it out.



Even though the page might be blurred, a person the least bit familiar with MLA formatting should be able to identify the correct Works Cited page. "Identify" is the key word...not knit-pick or analyze, but simply identify in 30 seconds or less. Can you?

Following the multiple choice question, students can then explain their thinking and it takes the test to the next level.

The Logistics

It was simple enough to create these images of Works Cited pages. I simply did a screen capture of three student Works Cited pages and inserted them in the test document. I made sure to choose essays from former students, deleted their names in the header, and I chose two pages that represent the most common mistakes made on Works Cited pages. Of course, one of them is correct, but I'm afraid I can't tell you. My students might be watching! If you really want to know what a proper Works Cited page looks like, you can see a sample essay here.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has done something like this. Have you? Care to share? What were your results?

Happy finals, everyone!

As many of you know, I am working on my EdD in Instructional Technology. Typically, these courses are online, a perfect learning environment since I'm an online instructor. What better way to learn about online instruction than to be a student learning about online instruction?! It's fascinating seeing how other instructors organize and design their courses. What I have found is that many online instructors fail to understand a student's perspective when designing an effective online course.

After having approximately 15 online graduate credits under my belt, I thought I'd let you in on some secrets about online learning from a student's perspective

1) Always provide clear expectations. This message may seem obvious, but it isn't. In the classroom, when you explain an assignment, you can see the confused looks on students' faces and then try to explain it a different way; however, online you can't and you have to rely on your understanding of "clear expectations." Therefore, it's important to assume nothing.

• Provide an assignment sheet that is very clear.
A very detailed assignment sheet will yield clear expectations. (You might be amazed how many instructors don't provide an assignment sheet such as this one.)

• Placing the assignment sheet in a folder titled "Assignments" from the main menu also helps.


• An FAQ section with questions such as "Where can I find the assignments?" or "What are your expectations for the assignments?" also help. Assignments need to be found quickly and left available for multiple views throughout the semester. If they're buried in weekly or unit files, students will get lost.

2) Always provide prompt feedback. I have to admit that sometimes my feedback is slow. Just like my students, I'm busy, but I usually have large written projects back within 10 days. I think this is reasonable, but a study conducted by Patricia Webb Boyd in 2008 demonstrates that students expect immediate feedback while instructors had a different view (often 24-72 hours or more, depending on the assignment). This makes sense when considering most students are used to instantaneous communication; however, as we all know, grading takes time. Students don't always consider the amount of time it takes to grade an assignment. They want to know their score right away, and they're nervous about it. Therefore, refer back to rule #1 and let students know how long it usually takes you to provide feedback. In fact, it's a good idea to include it in your FAQ.

• Of course, sometimes life happens, and we don't get grading done when expected. If this happens, inform students early and let them know when they can expect feedback and perhaps why it's taking so long. They're likely to understand and they can plan ahead, which leads to point #3.

3) Allow students to see the reading and assignment schedule several weeks in advance. As an instructor, sometimes I barely stay ahead of my students, especially with a new course. However, as a student, I plan at least one month in advance. If I can, I'll plan the entire semester's homework around my teaching schedule. Like I said before, I'm busy, and it's nice to know when a large project is due so I can plan for large chunks of time to complete it. When an assignment isn't available until just before it's due, planning ahead is impossible. Many students have jobs, children, ailing family members, and other personal issues that demand their time. If they can plan ahead, then they can avoid some conflicts. We may think students procrastinate because they're goofing off, but many are simply trying to balance life, work, and education. The least we can do is have some compassion and that compassion comes in the form of a well-planned course in advance. (Try Google Calendar for online planning.)

I use the LMS Calendar to show major assignment due dates. This is in addition to a weekly "To Do List" accessed in each week's link.

I have at least the Calendar complete before the course goes live even if I don't have every week or unit complete. Having the Calendar finished also helps me plan my teaching schedule.

4) Follow through and do what you say. Above I stated that if you struggle with getting the grading done early, let students know when you expect to have things graded. After that, keep that date. Make it sacred and do what you have to do to live up to your promise. I have spent many all-nighters grading in order to meet those deadlines. Knowing that you're living up to your word, makes those sleepless nights worth it. Remember that after submitting an assignment, students are anxious about your opinion and they question every stroke of the keyboard until they know what you think about their work. They may also need that feedback before moving on, and if they know you follow through, they can plan ahead to the next project with reduced anxiety.

These are the top four lessons I have learned so far, and as an instructor, I know these are high expectations. However, following these rules will not only make you a better instructor, but it will also help your students be better students.

Have you heard about Digress.it? It used to be Comment Press, but changed its name in April 2009. It's been sitting in my Bookmarks for about that long, and today, I took some time to play with it. My first attempt at incorporating this in my online Literature course begins today. It's a little late...but I tend not to be an early adopter (for example, I am not in line to buy the ipad; I'll wait for a 3G network in my area). However, I'm finally giving digress.it a test run, and I think I'll kick myself for not trying it sooner...it could have saved some past frustration.



The Assignment

I assigned "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway. If you know anything about Hemingway, you know that his stories are rather cryptic and not necessarily ideal for a first-year literature course. However, I taught the story in the past in a traditional classroom and thought I'd give it a try online. I am a glutton for punishment and tend to avoid the easy route when at all possible. Of course, I have several articles and notes about the story and I could have produced a presentation; however, with every attempt, I kept wishing for a document camera where I could point to the line or paragraph I was discussing. Having 1 document camera on campus, it makes it difficult to use. Dusting off my old bookmarks, I turned to digress.it.

The Logistics

Students first read the short story from their textbook or online (see the above link for the complete story). I copied the story to my digress.it account and then posted some comments and questions for some of the key paragraphs.

In Blackboard, I asked students a question that links to the discussion on digress.it and then encouraged them to comment. (This is the exact journal assignment: "Within the blog link on Hemingway's story, post a follow-up comment or question and then thoroughly answer one of the questions posed. Provide at least 100 words.") The students' answers are submitted in the journal component of Blackboard, so they will not be live unless they have questions or responses about the text.


This just came live today, so my students have yet to comment; however, feel free to take a look and let me know what you think.

Although not new, Digress.it has some promise. I'm just not sure how it fits in with current copyright laws. Certainly, we can't post every text here. However, with the new ipad and other book readers, certainly technology like this will become common place. What do you think? Do you use digress.it?

I have been teaching online for a number of years now and have toyed with video grading in the past. I hadn't adopted it because it took so much time. I would read the essay or outline, type up comments, and then record the video. Inevitably, I made some mistakes, so I would end up spending time editing in Camtasia. After a few videos, I gave up and would only record comments for those essays that needed serious help. Now, however, I video grade nearly exclusively. The following are the reasons why:

1. Students love it. I get so many comments from students explaining how they loved the video. They understand my comments and it helps them see what's wrong with the essay and not just read my comments. They are also more likely to view the comments if their in video feedback, and now they're emailing me back to say thank you. I used to never get comments from students after grading (except to complain if they got a low grade); it was shocking when I received my first "thank you for the video" comment. It's positive reinforcement!


2. Jing makes it faster. Jing, free video capture from Techsmith, makes it faster and easier to record and share video. Jing records up to 5 minutes. This forces me to limit my comments to the most important. I open the document through GradeMark® (iParadigm), read through the essay, post a few comments, and then start the video. If there are major problems with the formatting, I'll download the document and as part of the video, I'll demonstrate how to fix the formatting. I could also make a separate recording if I need to, but I try to stick to the 5-minute mark. The recording bar in Jing turns red when there's one minute left, so it's easy to tell if I need to wrap it up.


3. Perfection is overrated. I still make some mistakes when recording, but I decided that it was okay to make some mistakes...as long as they're not too bad. If they're bad, then I'll simply start over. Otherwise, I don't stress over it. One student commented that he liked some of the "ums" and pauses in my videos. "It shows you get frustrated with technology, too, and that makes me feel better," he said. It's okay to let our students see our human side.


4. Videos create community. Online students often comment that they feel distant from their online instructors. This is understandable when they don't see each other face to face; however, creating an online community is important for student success and retention. Video helps create a connection between the student and instructor by providing a sense of personality through the voice. Video can also demonstrate how you grade, so students understand the process more clearly.


5. It's effective. The old adage of fiction, "Show, don't tell," applies in teaching, too. Students learn better if they are shown how to correct something rather than being told to correct it. If I can demonstrate via video how to correct sentence fragments, citations, or simple document formatting, they are more likely to adopt those corrections in their next essay. Now, I don't have any research evidence on this yet, but I will be conducting an informal study this semester and I will post the results here. However, anecdotally, I am convinced their essays have improved.

Now that you're convinced how video grading helps, I suspect you're asking how to do it. First of all, you need the following:

• Grading tool. I use GradeMark®; however, you can also use the "track changes" method in Word or other word processing programs.


• Microphone. You'll need to hook up a microphone on your computer. I like to use headphones as well because it helps filter out background noise.


• Video screencapture. Jing is one of the best tools out there for educators. It's cheap (free for basic service), easy to use, and fast. Of course, if you have Camtasia or Captivate, then these will work, too. One reason I prefer Jing is because the recording time is limited to 5 minutes. I tend to ramble, so Jing forces me to be brief and focus on the main points.


• Video sharing method. Personally, I use Screencast. Some storage comes with Jing, but you can also purchase your own subscription. There are other video sharing websites out there, like photobucket, shutterfly, dropshots, youtube, and so on...but Screencast won't require the viewer to sign up and it creates a simple URL for viewing. Jing automatically creates a Screencast link as well, so sharing becomes a breeze. I have attempted to upload a video file, but it hasn't worked well for me and it turned into a hassle, so I recommend a video sharing site.

With these resources, you should be ready to begin video grading. Simply read through the essay once and then start the video when you're ready to comment. Once the video is complete, upload it to Screencast.com, email the student the link, and you're ready to go on to the next! It's that easy.

It might take a little bit of time at first, but with practice, you'll find that it's much faster than typing or handwriting, and you'll find your students thanking you for the feedback.

Good luck and let me know how it goes for you!

My first article went live today. Here is a piece of it. Follow the link for the entire article.

eLearning Tools for English Composition
30 New Media Tools and Web Sites for Writing Teachers
By Keri Bjorklund March 30, 2010

I have been using technology to teach since I was a graduate student in 2001. I helped pilot the first hybrid English composition course while earning my MA, and I have been hooked on technology ever since. My goal is to have every English composition course in my district using technology.

I teach hybrid, blended, and online courses, and my students range from beginning college students to non-traditional adult learners.

One of the hurdles to getting faculty and students to use technology in education is introducing them to the right tools for their needs. A number of technologies are indispensible for any online course, but some apply specifically to teaching composition. While I may not use all of these tools every semester, these are the ones I think every online English instructor should explore.

Presenting Online
In an online learning environment, it is more important than ever to provide multimedia presentations. Students cannot simply read lecture notes. It's up to the instructors to provide the necessary resources and information that support student success.

The following tools will help create engaging and interesting presentations, whether used to teach the rules of citation, grammar, or any other writing topic.

Resources listed include those for Presenting Online, Engaging Students Online, Peer Review, Providing Feedback, Online Writing Resources, and Sites for Writing Inspiration

Read the rest of the article here.

The future of technology looks bright, and things are progressing quickly, but sometimes it isn’t moving fast enough for me. A friend once commented that she couldn’t wait to have a computer chip in her brain. She explained, “Imagine downloading a new language in your brain and being fluent in a matter of minutes.” To that extent it’s a bit scary (think Terminator scary), but I understand what she means. It’s when I think of everything I want to do in relationship to everything I need to do that I wish I had more technology to help. At these moments, I need to multitask.

It was today while I had a bad headache and couldn’t focus on the computer screen that I wished the essays would grade themselves or at the very least have them read to me so I could comment on them. This worked well when my mother was here this summer. It wasn’t student papers then, but it was an article I had to read for a class I was taking. My mother and I were driving to Manville for some family research (another story told on another blog), and I was stressed about getting everything done. She read the article to me and I had her highlight some thoughts and had her write notes in the margins. We even discussed the points, which really helped with the essay I had to write eventually.

With this experience in mind, I searched my computer and discovered the speech recognition software already available in Windows Vista. I have been wishing for a program to type what I say so I can compose while I’m cooking (another favorite pass time). Of course, it's been out there for years, but I'm just now figuring out the benefits of speech recognition and multitasking! Of course, it's not perfect and it won't discuss the issues with me, but it can read it to me and make changes at my request while my hands are busy doing something else (like chopping garlic at this moment). I will also have to spend some time editing the mistakes. Is multitasking worth it? I'm not sure. I'll let you know as soon as my pie comes out of the oven. If it tastes bad, then I was too distracted talking into the computer. Multitasking is good, but sometimes it can be a disaster.

Another downfall is that this does not seem to work with GradeMark. The program is not recognized, so at this point it won't help with my grading, but if you use the Track Changes feature in Word, you're in luck (this involves using the speech recognition and the narrator).

If you have Windows Vista, you already have this program. It's under "Accessories" - "Ease of Access" and "Speech Recognition." Narrator is there, too. Mac Speech is available for the Mac. Windows 7 has speech recognition as well. A quick YouTube search reveals several videos demonstrating it. I would hope it's improved in Windows 7, but that will have to wait for me. I have other priorities at the moment (like planning a wedding).

For now, I’m playing with it and will, perhaps, find a way to write my class notes while creating my culinary masterpieces! I hope that I can also blog more often--hands free. The next step is to figure out why it doesn't work with GradeMark. If I can make it work with GradeMark, and make grading essays more fun by using technology, then I’m going to do that. Using Turnitin with GradeMark already helps, but using speech recognition takes it a step further.

If you use speech recognition in teaching or grading, let me know. By the way, the pie was delicious!

It happened one day when a friend sent a tweet that read, "I used crowdsourcing in my Calculus class and it's the best thing I've ever done." I had no idea what she was talking about, so I did a Google search.

Crowdsourcing is a business term similar to outsourcing, but not exactly. It's like letting the customers do the work rather than hiring someone. The customers help create new and interesting ideas. In particular, it seems to work these days in technology by posting a particular problem on the Web and the conversation begins with possible solutions. It's like having the world for collaborators.

Within my search about crowdsourcing, I discovered Cathy Davidson's article about how she is planning to use crowdsourcing in her English course: This is your Brain on the Internet. Her first sentence captured me (just like any good article should): "I loved returning to teaching...except for the grading." Like her, I hate grading. The feedback is the most useful part for students, but the dreaded grade is like a punch in the stomach to the students, and most only look at the grade and don't care about the comments. But the comments are what matter!! It's that part of grading I don't mind. I just wish I didn't have to judge their writing or make an evaluation.

In the past, I tried several ways to prevent this stomach punching: portfolios, allowing continuous revising, etc., but this created more of what I hated: too much paper grading! I ended up not giving the essays as much attention as they deserved. I went back to the old way, then, and just had to "suck it up."

Now I have some hope for the revision process that must be present in all writing, but that all students seem to want to ignore. Davidson's article inspired me. Now, I'm not saying I completely agree with her grading scale: "Do all the work (and there is a lot of work), and you get an A. Don't need an A? Don't have time to do all the work? No problem. You can aim for and earn a B. There will be a chart." This seems simple enough; however, I think that students should be awarded for quality and not just quantity. Besides, I'm not much for making charts.

Instead, I will use a process I already use: peer review. Peer review has its own controversy. I hear it from my students most: "If I don't know what I'm doing, how can I expect my classmates to know? How can they help me?" Of course, they don't really get the point of peer review: getting and receiving feedback while learning about critical reading and thinking, and it must be directed very clearly for it to truly work (That's another blog someday...), but nevertheless, I use it and will continue using it.

So, taking what I know (peer review) with Davidson's slant (crowdsourcing), I have decided on using peer review twice and the drafts will be worth more points than they used to be. For example, 50% of the grade comes from the peers (which they will conduct using a very detailed review process and a rating scale); the other 50% comes from me. The peer review will be conducted using Write Cycle from Turnitin and the essays will be dispersed across several sections and conducted anonymously so students won't be able to make any deals with their friends. Yes, I'm sure there will be ways to know whose paper they have, but the process is random as well, so the chances of friends reading friends' essays are slim (especially when this is dispersed across 2 sections of composition with at least 40 students in all). Will this work? Once again, I'll have to let you know--just like Davidson will--but I have hope.

A colleague commented that Davidson really isn't inventing anything new: it just has a new fancy name. Maybe he's right, but at least she helped point me in a more creative direction than where I was headed.

As I'm taking an online class this summer, I was thinking about new ways to teach research. My students seem to have lost their natural curiosity about life around them, so it's been difficult to get them to find interesting subjects they'd want to research.

In the past I'd ask them to write down at least five questions that they'd always wanted answered or that they were curious about. These turned out some interesting questions, but some of them were just silly (e.g. "Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near," etc.) or unanswerable (e.g. "What is the meaning of life?"). I helped them analyze their questions and asked if it would be something they could research in the library. This helped a bit, but for some it curbed their enthusiasm.

During my class, we've been reading several interesting case studies such as information about where the refrigerator got its hum; when the horse was introduced to Native Americans and how they adapted them to their needs; and why 'Kindergarten' was invented. I thought that these would be interesting questions for students to research. They would be different than the typical topics like abortion, global warming, gun control, yada, yada, yada...

My plan is to create a list of questions such as these and have my students conduct in-class research. I'll have them first work in small groups searching for the information on the Web. They will find that the answers are difficult to find and that some sources have different information than others and they'll need to decide how to resolve it.

This is as far as I've thought about the logistics, but my hope is that it will spark some curiosity in them and they'll really want to find the answers so they'll struggle through the frustrating and interesting research process.

I'll keep you updated!
Ms. B.

I have compiled a list of resources (online and software) for Distance Educators. This is for the Wyoming Distance Education Consortium Conference, which was held in Casper this week. Thank you to Liz for her help in developing these resources.

Resources for Navigating the “Sharky” Waters:
Successful Surfing of the Learner-Centered Wave

Presentation by Keri Bjorklund and Liz Skrabacz Dzabic WyDEC 2009

Web Resources

www.universityreviewsonline.com/2005/10/100-most-inspiring-and-innovative-blogs-for-educators.html A review of the 100 best education sources on the Net.

http://teachingcollegemath.com/ A blog on teaching college math using current technology trends.

http://msprofessorb.blogspot.com/ A blog on teaching composition and literature—keeps track of current technology trends & discussion on instructional technology.

www.sightspeed.com A free video conferencing site by Logitech Inc. similar to Skype.

www.edutopia.org “The George Lucas Educational Foundation.” Free lesson plans and material—advertises for public education, but there is still some useful material here.

www.gabcast.com Free voice recording using toll free numbers. Great for students lacking high tech recording systems and needing to create sound files.

www.polleverywhere.com An answer to the expensive classroom clickers. Students respond to polls, discussion questions, etc. using texting, twittering, and other devices.

www.blogger.com A site to create your own educational blog. It can be an addition to lectures or additional resources or discussion for students…and it can be reused.

http://cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba/policies/Grdg.standards.html A site through California Polytechnic State University that explains what a grade means as a way to fight grade inflation.

Software

http://exelearning.org SCORM creation software.

www.techsmith.com (Jing & Screencast) Jing is a free screen capture software. Created by the makers of Camtasia, it is a stable option for when Camtasia is outside the budget. It does the same thing and a screencast membership comes free with Jing. Screencast is a way to easily store and share screen capture videos and images.

www.skype.com The free long distance phone service using the computer. This can be a way for students to contact their instructors without incurring long distance charges. Can also be used with video and conferencing software.

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Download (Freemind software) Mind mapping software: an option other than Power Point for presentations, and a useful study tool for students.
www.mindomo.com Mind mapping software that is completed online and is not software you download. Has direct online links and set up.

www.twitter.com A social networking site that can be useful to maintain contact with students and for them to communicate with each other while being monitored.

www.simpsonizeme.com Want to stay anonymous, but still want a picture of you on your site? This is a fun way to do it: create a cartoon character of yourself in the Simpsons’ style.

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/11-sites-to-create-cartoon-characters-of-yourself/ Don’t like the Simpsons, but like the idea of creating a cartoon version of you? Visit this blog for a list of free sites to do just that!

www.fix8.com Animating software using this software and a webcam. Be yourself or an alien!

www.visuword.com A visual word dictionary that not only defines words, but connects them to other words.

http://download.cnet.com/windows/ From CNET, this site provides a list of freeware that is useful for professional and personal lives.

http://www.reallusion.com/crazytalk/ $ Face puppet animation software. Turn any still photo into a moving, talking, interactive image

www.sitepal.com $ For a minimum fee, you can create moving, talking avatars—most useful for brief eye-catching announcements.

Insight Media $ Educational and training videos for the classroom: DVDs and other visual media for university and secondary classrooms.

Teaching is often a thankless job, and it's no exception in higher ed. All too often I hear about how people hate English and how they think taking an English class in college is a total waste of time. Often I hear how "boring" the reading is and how the tasks I've assigned are "too hard." Once in a while I hear good news...about how I'm a great teacher and how much they have learned from me. I'm sure I'm not alone, so for all of those teachers, instructors, and professors out there needing a pat on the back, I pass this link on so you can smile with me: From RYS.

Enjoy!
Ms. Professor B.

Will writing some day become obsolete? I have read articles arguing for the end to handwriting instruction and argued against this because handwriting helps brain development and well, we still write checks, to-do lists, and other items by hand, so handwriting is still needed--besides it another tool we should not abandon for the sake of technology! OK, so enough of my soap box.

Something else has challenged handwriting...and even typing: Your Brain on Twitter. Yes, this applies to twittering (If you haven't gotten on board yet, do it! I want to connect my students to me...well under a different account from my personal twitter...but that's a future blog.)

This NPR technology report aired on Friday. Adam Wilson created a brain cap out of an actual "swimming cap that has a series of electrodes" on it and it helps a person type with their brain. The intended audience is for people with certain disabilities, but could it be possible that soon all of us will be typing with a mere thought? Think about it: assign an essay and students think about what they want to say, not even having to verbalize it, and TA-DA! there's an essay in my inbox or whatever. I could probably grade it while reading it without having to type, speak, or drag and drop comments in the essay.

This is both scary and exciting.

Scary because eventually, we will be simply brains in a vat experiencing and learning everything from downloading it. Will that be living?? Yes, we'll know a lot, but for what purpose? Or will it provide more time for living? Could I learn a language on an international flight by downloading it in my brain and then interactive in person with the people? Will it mean that I'll have to have a computer chip in my brain, or can I get away from it? Will everyone be tracked by the government or companies? Will I forever be tethered to a computer, or will I be more free?

This is exciting as well because then perhaps people will not hate English so much and it will save us time! It's also exciting because currently this particular "brain cap" will lead to other technology that will enhance our lives, and perhaps I simply love it for the sake of loving technology. I don't know exactly, but I just know that I almost got in a car accident listening to this on NPR because I was so excited about it. I already want one. What I'd like to do is be typing this will also working on the paper I'm supposed to be writing. Perhaps this is the most exciting: technology such as this will improve multi-tasking!

So carry on Mr. Wilson and hopefully I can live to see the day when typing and writing are obsolete...although it's hard to imagine going through life without my favorite leather journal and mechanical pencil at my side at all times.

Like to know what's going on, but don't always have time to read the news? Check out the new news streaming site http://ohpan.com/. This site has stories streaming across the page. Star and open the ones you want to read, let the others go. You can even set your properties to view categories that only interest you.

You do have to sign-in. Click on "existing user" to see if you can log in using your Facebook and/or Gmail account or sign in as a "guest."

It's worth the sign-up, and for now, it's free!

Enjoy!
Ms. Professor B

This reference page came through our library. It's amazing. On one website, you can see the front page of over 700 newspapers worldwide. The site also contains an educator link that has lesson plans on how to use the front pages in a classroom. It's mostly for K-12, but it's still interesting. It's also an interesting way to see what's going on in many cities and states across the world. What biases are apparent on the front page? What do the editors deem the most important to include on the front page? These are the questions that are interesting to investigate.

The Newseum is an actual museum in Washington, DC and there are several links that convince visitors to take the trip. All-in-all, it's an interesting visit and perhaps a way to keep up on the news...one caveat: if you're interested in reading an entire story that continues on page 2, you'll have to visit the original newspaper site and perhaps purchase the paper or a subscription.

Enjoy!

This is an interesting article from msn.com about what makes a good teacher. Some of the items in the list are rather general, but it's still rather interesting.