Update to Training Page: IM/Chat

Here's what I did while my family was watching "The Dark Knight": I added a lot more to the training page about instant messaging. I put in directions for Google Talk Gadget and for using iChat on the Mac; will keep working on Google Talk for Windows. I wanted to put in directions for AIM Express (which is the web-based version of AOl Instant Messenger) but it wouldn't let me get in for some reason. Google Talk Gadget really doesn't let you do much customization and furthermore, the "search" isn't really a search; if you enter a name into the window, it immediately sends an email to thatname@gmail.com if such a user exists, which is how I sent an email to someone that I am not sure I know. Oops. I put a warning about that in the tutorial. This is one of the prices we pay for jumping into Web 2.0 (potentially annoying other people without meaning to).

ParkArts progress

The FACA report looks fabulous, Elliott and Samira. You did a really wonderful job.

We're continuing to develop and use the ParkArts pages. I worked with Doug and Adele at the end of last week, and they're off and running with pbwiki. It's clear that the learning curve on this one is accessible enough for most teachers to be comfortable pretty quickly. Adele and Doug are making their entire text on the site, US Music Theory Workbook, and they are going to give their FACA presentation in the keyboard lab Friday, using the wiki. Music students will have page-level privileges for the workbooks but not to the rest of the site. One problem we're encountering is that we can't add more than one calendar and we'd like to solve that. Doug needs one for students to sign up for the recording studio, but we also want a department calendar that we can keep up to date.

I thought I'd have more time to finish my parts of the 9 things before tomorrow, but maybe not. The Lincoln Center institute is pretty intense and then I got all sidetracked by the ParkArts wiki. I will do my best to get them done tonight, but if not please apologize for me at the presentation - it WILL be complete before school starts.

I'll be thinking of you tomorrow! Break a leg, Elliott.

Age Restrictions and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

Although I am still very enthusiastic about Ning, it is not something that can be used by students younger than 13. This is because in order to use it, students must have their own Ning accounts, and the folks who run Ning do not want to risk violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) which is intended to protect children under 13 from disclosing certain kinds of personal information without verifiable parental consent. Frankly, although I have always been very careful to teach my students about protecting their privacy and I was aware of COPPA, it hadn't occurred to me that it would create a problem in this situation because I have never used this sort of online account with my students. I suppose I could go back to the people who are in charge of Ning accounts and find out what they would need in the way of parental consent to allow my younger students to use Ning if I can't find a more appropriate alternative (which I think I can).

Word editing tutorial done

That's pretty much it--take a look at it and offer any comments, if you have a chance.

Overall Tech Tips

I'll create a page for general tech tips to help people avoid making big mistakes, like sending a flawed survey out to a lot of people, or to help them organize and prioritize the sites.

SurveyMonkey!

Oops! We left off SurveyMonkey from our list of 9 things! That will be remedied...

Impact on homework load, student access considerations...

I have added another part to this area in order to discuss student access and homework load. Most of our students have enough access outside of class time to do writing and such on computers, but a good, fast, reliable Internet connection may be another matter entirely. For one thing, external factors such as the family's ISP's service going down, parental concerns or restrictions on their children, speed of the family's Internet connection, and having to share the Internet computer with other family members are issues that come up. I have had students in the Middle School whose primary computer for doing schoolwork is not connected to the Internet, for example. These factors can make it legitimately difficult for students to complete an online assignment due the day after it's given. I'm also concerned about the potential for adding even more homework to our student's already overflowing plates, frankly. I'm excited about being able to set up a wiki or a Ning for a weekly HW assignment on emerging technology for my students...but this a new HW assignment that is an add-on since I have rarely assigned tech hw in the past.

Structure for FACA Report

- Products--training, tutorials
- Summary--how easy we think it'll be for people, directory of choices and what programs--should this be the printable part? Should we put the text from major pages into Word docs attached to the page?
- TechTraining wiki as appendix
- Excerpts from Blog to describe process? Or just leave blog as is?
- parktech.pbwiki.com is frontpage for products--describe how it will continue to evolve
- Link to diigo group links
- Frontpage--inspiration/introduction to FACA--take from proposal

To-Do
Fix tags from things
Clean up Survey Monkey summary
Clean up blog a little
Put Wiki links into Diigo
Port over ParkTech to ParkTechFACA2008

Google Sites

I spent a little time this morning looking at Google Sites. It's not better than pbwiki, but it does allow you to set up a course page alternative fairly easily. You have some control over layout of page elements, colors and themes. You can define several different kinds of pages, including one called "File Cabinet," which works very well for uploading Word documents. You can change the hierarchy of pages relative to one another and a site map is automatically generated. You can make the site private or public, and further make it read-only or editable by all members.

Elliott's To-Do

- Work with Digication
- Familiarize with ning
- Clear misc. (google talk, cookies) off science dept. laptop
- Write Word reviewing tutorial
- Email Mike about meeting time
- Learn about porting from PBwiki 1.0 to 2.0 (for science dept. recommendations--better visuals, somewhat more expensive, requires students to create account, no more name fraud, tag/folders)--test on Huntsman

Budget

Carolyn - $104 for Art Dept. wiki
Samira - $20 for Wiimote expenses
Elliott - $40 for SurveyMonkey
Elliott - $16/mo. for Tech Training wiki
Carolyn - $15 for 72photos

Implementation Plans

Go to divisional meetings--email principals (intro to the training page)
- Intro to the website
- schedule of trainings
- 30m
- Explain comment system
- If enough demand, actual training session during meeting time?
- available for training

Talk to Keith about integrating with Support page on parkschool staff page

Email direct link to all faculty

In-person training sessions for the 9 things
- get on calendar
- sign-up (RSVP for interest)
- available for grade-level/department meetings
- available for one-on-one help

Create list of people who've passed the training
- page on wiki
- email merit badges for sites

Recruit other power users as other helpers
- Dorrie, Anand, Matt, Josh Wolf (?), Peter Warren (?), Doug, ML people, Rob Piper, (ask Matt about LS teachers), Bruce Bryant
- invite to be a writer on techtraining wiki
- mid-year reminder/invitation for people to add their names to the resource list

Create Park Diigo list--add to tutorial how to join group

Solicit cool things people are doing for "model projects" page

Tech newsletter--tips
- w/the 9
- interesting links
- run a blog?

Updates to Training Wiki

Whew...I mostly finished the sections on setting up a Ning network and using Google Reader to subscribe to RSS feeds.

Working from Home

Working from home is usually great, and once I had my gmail and chat programs set up it seemed to work fine. I don't know how well chat would work for me in a real-life situation. It seems easier to email or talk on the phone, but I imagine I'd get used to it over time.