A-Z of Internet Tools and Techniques: Letter N

So here we are with Letter N of the tools and techniques which you can use to get the most out of the Internet.

N stands for….

Netiquette

Using online resources safely, ethically and responsibly

 

Netiquette

This word was created by joining net and etiquette together. Etiquette is the rules for proper social behavior, while net refers to the internet.  Netiquette is the proper behavior a person should use when communicating online in the form of emails, blogs, chat rooms, and etc. 

Firstly it’s easy to forget that the other person you are chatting to on IM, playing a game with, or posting to their profile is a real person. It’s easier to say and do things online that you might not do in ‘real life’.

Ten tips for email

1: Always include your name

2: Don’t write text in CAPITAL LETTERS, as it looks like you are SHOUTING!

3. Use proper spelling, grammar and capital letters – leave text messaging for your phone

4. Avoid Flaming. If something upsets you – wait a day before replying – and do so calmly and politely

5. Remember emails are not private forms of communication, so be careful what you write

6. Use humour carefully, use emoticoms, 😉 to show that you are joking. 90% of communication happens through body language and the sound (intonation) of your voice – both these are missing from emails.

7. Take time to proofread and correct errors – look out for wrong words that spell checkers may miss.

8. Be careful what you write. If you can’t say it to your great-grandmother then think of another way of saying it.

9. Be kind and polite to others online – they have feelings too!

10. Remember to tell your teacher/parent if you receive any inappropriate communications, or fell harassed.

 

Here’s a great guide to 29 Steps to Internet Safety

Bibliography Scott, Elspeth. (2009). All kinds of e-verything. School Librarian. 57

A-Z of Internet Tools and Techniques: Letter M

So here we are with Letter M of the tools and techniques which you can use to get the most out of the Internet.

M stands for….

Mobile Learning

Possible the most interesting, challenging and exciting change happening in schools right now.

Your average blanket school policy on “No Phones in School” has got to be the most disregarded rule, perhaps ever!

And who can blame them when I love and adore my own mobile device. (iPad)

The trick for schools is to stay ahead of the game (or the students) and have a “Responsible Use” policy rather than an impossible to enforce blanket ban. This debate is currently happening here in TDAc.

 

So what makes me a fan of Mobile Learning?

As phones become another educational tool, it is likely that ‘misuse’ or frivolous use will fall, especially in school.

and there are so many fantastic things that we (yes this does include staff) can use to aid our learning (and our teaching!)

Use the camera to take pictures of notes, the whiteboard, different stages of a piece of art work, design projects, timetables….

They can film roleplays, science experiments, teacher demonstrations, lectures, drama rehearsals, dance practices, sports skills….

Foreign Language students or dyslexic students can use it to record notes which they can re-listen to at their leisure. Or to record their own ideas when they can’t write as fast as they think.

Science, Maths, Technology can use them to record measurements and data logging.

Use Apps like Evernote to collate ideas on a project and keep them all together.

Use JotNot Scanner to scan paper documents and convert to PDFs, or JPEGs.

Use EasyBib to scan in ISBN’s and turn into citations (okay so Harvard isn’t included yet…) but how I’d love to promote this in yet another tool against plagiarism.

Do I need to mention Kindle? or iBooks? or Overdrive (there are plans to link this with our LMS Oliver, so students could borrow ebooks from the MRC – watch this space!)

Plus many of the Apps have authority – that is the information can be trusted and is more reliable than random internet searches. Have a look at Science 360 or The Elements or BBC Bitesize….the list is endless, and talking of revision have a look at Cramberry for creating your own flashcards, or InQuizitor – where testing your knowledge becomes a game!

And all this choice – well that is exactly where the role of your friendly librarian comes in. There is so much to choose from, where do you start? The information is essentially the same – just the media that is a bit different but the skills to organise and find the right information at the right time are the same.

I’d like to start an App Club at the Academy so we can share the latest and the best Apps.

 

I could go on, and I’ve probably gone on too much, but Mobile Learning excites me – all those possibilities…

PS.

QR codes are fab too! Endless uses – but perhaps I ought to save that for the letter Q!

 

Bibliography Scott, Elspeth. (2009). All kinds of e-verything. School Librarian. 57

A-Z of Internet Tools and Techniques: Letter L

So here we are with Letter L of the tools and techniques which you can use to get the most out of the Internet.

L stands for….

Learning Objective

It is really important to think about what the purpose of using the technology is and how it will develop understanding.

Remember eLEARNING not Elearning!

Bibliography Scott, Elspeth. (2009). All kinds of e-verything. School Librarian. 57

A-Z of Internet Tools and Techniques: Letter K

So here we are with Letter K of the tools and techniques which you can use to get the most out of the Internet.

K stands for….

Kineo

Kineo is a commerical elearning company but the FreeThinking section of their website has information and reviews of a wide range of elearning tools and tips, this is useful for VLEs.

There is also a Green Room which has been devised with Learn Direct and has some really good information about designing elearning courses.

 

Bibliography Scott, Elspeth. (2009). All kinds of e-verything. School Librarian. 57

A-Z of Internet Tools and Techniques: Letter J

So here we are with Letter J of the tools and techniques which you can use to get the most out of the Internet.

J stands for….

Jing

Jing

Jing is a screen capture tool that allows you to make a narrated video showing how to do something on a computer. It records your mouse, and everything you click on and show on your screen.

 

Ever had a  conversation over the phone with your parents, trying to explain to them how to open the attachment you sent in your last email? (“Double-click on the attachment icon!” – “There isn’t one!”…): this trick could help you solve this kind of situation and, more importantly, some work-related issues like having to explain over and over again to your students or friends how to do something on the computer.

 

Alternatives are Cam Studio,  Screencast-o-matic,  Camtasia and Lightshot.

Bibliography Scott, Elspeth. (2009). All kinds of e-verything. School Librarian. 57

A-Z of Internet Tools and Techniques: Letter I

So here we are with Letter I of the tools and techniques which you can use to get the most out of the Internet.

I stands for….

Interactivity

Fully interactive, multi-media, broadband enhanced are just a few of the terms that spring to mind when I think of the interactivity of the internet.

Increased form of interactivity leads to greater reader involvement and engagement, two things that every teacher wants to encourage into their classroom.

Interactivity caters for and indeed increases the number of learning styles you can include, visual, written, audio, kinesthetic – all are possible with making use of the best sites on the web or creating your own online resources.

For instance I love using Flash to create interactive learning activities that include both the teaching objectives and information literacy objectives.

 

Bibliography Scott, Elspeth. (2009). All kinds of e-verything. School Librarian. 57

A-Z of Internet Tools and Techniques: Letter H

So here we are with Letter H of the tools and techniques which you can use to get the most out of the Internet.

H stands for….

Hot Potatoes

Hot Potatoes offers a range of applications which you can easily use to build interactive games without the need for extensive programming knowledge.

It is free for educational use an includes includes six applications, enabling you to create interactive multiple-choice, short-answer, jumbled-sentence, crossword, matching/ordering and gap-fill exercises.

I have used it to test students knowledge following a podcast on the FAQ about the MRC, such as opening hours, number of items students can borrow etc.

 

Bibliography Scott, Elspeth. (2009). All kinds of e-verything. School Librarian. 57

A-Z of Internet Tools and Techniques: Letter G

So here we are with Letter G of the tools and techniques which you can use to get the most out of the Internet.

G stands for….

Google

Okay, so I’m not a big fan of Google, yet I use it lots! When doing academic research there are alternatives that I rely on (see other posts) but for general surfing  I often use Google. Used with caution, with a well thought out search strategy it can be useful!

However it is not just a search engine!

There are many options available

 

Bibliography Scott, Elspeth. (2009). All kinds of e-verything. School Librarian. 57

A-Z of Internet Tools and Techniques: Letter F

So here we are with Letter F of the tools and techniques which you can use to get the most out of the Internet.

F stands for….

Flickr

Flickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, and online community that was created in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005.

In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs. In 2011 Yahoo reported in  that Flickr had a total of 51 million registered members and 80 million unique visitors. Photos can be accessed easily but you need to register (for free) and sign up for an account to load up your own photos.

Remember to look for photographs that are licensed for use under Creative Commons so you can safely and legally use them.

Check out my previous post on Creative Commons!

Bibliography Scott, Elspeth. (2009). All kinds of e-verything. School Librarian. 57

A-Z of Internet Tools and Techniques: Letter E

So here we are with Letter E of the tools and techniques which you can use to get the most out of the Internet.

E stands for….

EDUCAUSE?

“EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology.”

You can subscribe to this service but the website has free access to a range of useful resources such as information about initiatives in learning and using technologies, such as cloud computing.

The “7 Things You Should Know About…” series is definitely worth a look! As they provide information on new technologies. Each gives a brief focus on a single technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning.

Bibliography Scott, Elspeth. (2009). All kinds of e-verything. School Librarian. 57