Searching in 3D, App #13--SpaceTime

SpaceTime: http://www.spacetime.com/

(This is a Web Search engine that utilizes Google,YouTube, images, and Wikipedia. The difference is that it does it in a 3D fashion to help visual learners.)


Synopsis: This app does not reinvent the wheel; however, it does give it a facelift. Instead of using Google or Bing as the Web Search engine, users can use SpaceTime. For instance, I searched for "Google Privacy Settings" in light of the changes Google has made to their settings. Instead of showing the results as a list, it shows them as separate windows that move in a 3D fashion.

Using the scroll bar across the bottom, users can click to the next result. All results are numbered and give the entire window shot (as opposed to the typical abstract showing in Google and Bing). Similarly, users can click on the images, YouTube, Google, or Wikipedia tabs across the top (just like you do in Google) and SpaceTime will search for your keyword within those selections. Images and all other results are shown in windows rather than in lists. The Web address of the site/picture/video is shown in the bottom right. To select the result, simply click on the result. That's it! Again, it is a simple app, but does give a common tool a facelift.

Integration: Rather than using Google or Bing, SpaceTime is a great alternative for younger audiences and learners with special needs. With the full window display, viewers can better see the result. And, with the 3D movement, it is also more eye-appealing. SpaceTime should be shown as an alternative to the more common search engines. It searches similar sites, but gives the results in a new look. Check it out and share it with your students!

Step up to the line to end bullying, App#12--MTV's A Thin Line

A Thin Line: http://www.athinline.org/

(This is an interactive site that is filled with quizzes and videos for students and educators about when the "line" has crossed into bullying. If you want more resources on cyberbullying and digital citizenship, go to the Cool Tools page where you will find a series of tools and links.)

Synopsis: In light of the recent movie, Bully, (bullyproject.com) I think it is even more crucial to shed light on some resources that MUST be used in the classroom. We try to install basic rules in children, but do we show how those rules apply to the Web? And, as evident by the film, bullying is a problem even when it is seen in the public eye. So, what about what we don't see, what is hidden within texts, phone calls, Facebook posts, and other online communication? MTV offers a site at the Thin Line. When viewers first access it, they may sign a "Draw the line" pledge in which they pledge the following:

• I HAVE THE RIGHT TO...
  
  • Live without pressure or abuse.
  • Step in and help if I see someone getting harassed.
  • End unhealthy relationships.
  • Take control of my decisions.
  • Disconnect whenever I want.

This is called the Digital Rights project. Students are asked to give their first name, zip code, and a digital right they think all should be entitled to. This becomes part of a living list of rights. Students can also post their "action" for drawing their line in exchange for dailyfeats points. These points can be redeemed for rewards. Within the "get facts" and "take control" tabs, there are a series of resources for students seeking help and seeking for information about bullying resources. Under the "Your Stories" tab, students can select "over the line?" and enter in their stories of when they or someone else stepped over the line with bullying. Students can rate which ones they felt were over the line and discuss where that line is drawn. Under that same tab, students can take a quiz about "drawing the line":

The Website is an online collaborative space that is continually changing. Students may join the network and talk with peers about digital citizenship, digital rights, and cyberbullying. It gives a voice to those who may have not had a say before.

Integration: This Website is a more interactive tool that should be blended with other tools in the classroom. Digital citizenship and rights should be priority subjects in the classroom and should be integrated within the curriculum, specifically character education. Though this Website is not a stand-alone resource, it is a great tool to combine with others. With its sponsor (MTV) and collaborative space, it targets a younger audience and lures them into bullying discussions. However, before showing any of the interactive tools, the background and facts on digital rights should be shown. Before entering thoughts on bullying, students must have a discussion of what qualifies as appropriate talk online. Luckily, this Website provides all of those resources as well.

For more information on bullying or to see the new film, Bully, go to http://thebullyproject.com/ . This site will be updated with resources in the future. In the meantime, it contains a reading guide for the movie as well as resources for getting help and learning about "the line" between bullying and friendly banter.

YouTube phenomenon has girls asking: Am I Pretty?

YouTube phenomenon has girls asking: Am I Pretty?

After my recent viewing of Bully (bullyproject.org), this article sheds even more light on the need for digital citizenship teachings and cyberbullying education.

Great Saturday morning technology for thought

Check out these great resources and articles about technology integration, digital literacy, and digital citizenship that will get your brain going this Saturday morning!

• Ted's City 2.0: http://thecity2.org/splash.php

• Great discussion by Eric Brunsell on blended learning in the classroom: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/blended-learning-research-eric-brunsell?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_content=blog&utm_campaign=blendedlearning
• Digital Citizenship resources: http://mindshift.kqed.org/2012/03/teaching-and-modeling-good-digital-citizenship/
• Story Visit (collaborating while reading books): http://www.scoop.it/t/read-to-me/p/1343379288/story-visit-let-s-read-a-book-together

Google Privacy Settings?

Are going live. So, here are your options:

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Google-Privacy-Policy-Changes-Are-Live-Here-Are-Your-Options-743800/?kc=EWKNLEDP03022012A

You can also browse incognito on Google Chrome. So, I guess this is Google's push to get more to use Chrome. In other browsers, you have to clear your cache. Stay tuned for more.

Anatomy and Art at your fingertips, Apps# 10 and 11: Google Body Browser and Art Project

Google Body Browser: http://www.zygotebody.com/
Google Art Project: http://www.googleartproject.com/

(Both of these applications are still in lab stages; however, it appears that it will stay around longer.)

Google Body Browser:

 Synopsis: First of all, you have to have Chrome installed to use this application. And, with the recent revelations about Google's privacy settings, it's further incentive to use Chrome (you can browse incognito with Chrome). This great tool gives viewers 3D views of the human body. And, viewers can view the body (male or female) as the naked eyes sees the body or with one or all of the following: muscles, veins, heart, brain, and several others. Using the indicators in the bottom of the green toolbar, viewers can select the individual (oval with one dash) view or multiple (oval with multiple dashes) views. Note: the oval is called the slider. It can be selected to lock it in either the individual view mode or the multiple view mode OR it can slide. When a viewer slides the bar up and down (when the individual--one dash--slider is selected), more/less features become visible. The slider can be moved left and right as well when the multiple view--multiple dashes--is select. When the slider is moved to the right, the view is activated. When it is in the left position, that view is hidden. Then, in the green toolbar, users can select a male or female body and the various views (from one view to multiple views). In the top right, viewers can select a specific body part to examine (ex: tibia). Using the mouse or the arrows (on screen), viewers can move the body/organ/bone 360 degrees. Using the plus and minus signs and the scrolling bar on the mouse, users can zoom in and zoom out. When different body parts are clicked on, their name appears along with a pin/thumb tack and an 'x.' If you click on the pin/thumb tack, it will keep the part selected while you search for other features. If you click on the background or the 'x,' it will deselect it.

Tips from Google:

Quick guide ('?' to toggle) 

Navigation

Click+drag with the mouse to rotate, scroll to zoom.

Or use the buttons in the upper left. The Home button resets the view.

Or use the arrow keys and Page Up / Page Down. The Home key resets the view. 

Slider

Use the opacity slider on the left to reveal layers.

Click on the toggle below the slider to control layers individually. 

Selection

Use the searchbox at the upper right to search, or click on entities to select them.

Click on the background or on a label to undo selection.

Ctrl+click on entities or labels to hide entities. (Cmd+click on mac.)

Shift+click on entities or labels (or click on the 'pin' icon in a label) to pin an entity. This will keep it selected while you select more.

Some entities can be expanded by clicking on the 'plus' on a label. 

Models

Use the model button at the top of the slider to switch models (if others available).

Integration: Now, everyone can have 3D interaction with the human anatomy. Students can work one-on-one with the different body part and enable different views. Students can view how the bones connect and interact. This is very useful for visual learners and those needing a hands-on environment. With the use of projectors and interactive white boards in the classroom, teachers can project the site to an entire class and allow students to come up and interact with the human body in a way that was never before available. Unlike the molds that have filled classrooms in the past, these give students and teachers the ability to view multiple shots at ones and for no cost and no additional equipment. With screencasting tools, a teacher can even record the process as he or she goes through the human body. That cast can be uploaded onto a class Website.

Google Art Project: According to Google, "Explore museums from around the world, discover and view hundreds of artworks at incredible zoom levels, and even create and share your own collection of masterpieces."

Synopsis: This lab project combines the technologies of street view, city tours, and Picasa and blends them into one great project. Now, students and teachers can take virtual field trips to nearly any museum in the world and walk through it (via street view) as if they are actually there. They can look at the paintings as they sit in the actual museums and gather information about each. When you first get to the Website, you have the option to "View Artwork" or "Explore the museum." If you select "View Artwork," you will just see the artwork and the write-ups, but if you choose "Explore the museum," you can walk through it and interact with the art pieces. For instance, you can go to the Palace of Versailles. When you select to explore the museum, you will find the similar viewing options as you do in street view. You can also click on the link to navigate the floor plan (as you would with a map at the museum). You can also use the search bar to type in the specific exhibit you want to see at the museum and it will navigate you to the room and you can view it in street view. When you click on navigate, you can view the specific information on each room. It goes through the history. It also gives the write-ups about each piece of art that you would find at the museum itself. Even better, when you are in the navigation page, you can choose to share the page. So, that page can be sent out to students or teachers. Here is a brief video on its features:



Integration: This lab project is not just for the art classroom. History, English, Science, etc. all have connections to the museums and art within the museums. It's cultural literacy at its finest. And, now, students and teachers can go to the exhibits at no cost and tour it as if they are there. Plus, pages can be shared and embedded within Websites so students can do Webquests at the specific museums. The possibilities continue to grow. Check it out!!

 

PowerPoint brought into the future, App #9: PowerPoint as a movie

PowerPoint as a Movie:

(I am cheating on this application because this is not really a Web 2.0 tool; however, it is useful knowledge for anyone in business or education).

Synopsis: My first year of teaching, I came barreling into the classroom with ideas to use iMovie (before I realized we were not a Mac school) or Movie Maker to turn poetry into a new medium--digital stories. In the process, I discovered how little my students had been exposed to such movie-making technologies, despite being products of eMINTS (click here for more information on Missouri's technology inclusive program). On the other hand, my students were PowerPoint masters. It seems, by that time (circa 2005/2006), PowerPoint was a one trick pony in the classroom. And, as lessons often go, there were several miscommunications, one of which being the medium by which the projects could be created. With a week left, I discovered that many (all were anxious so they took their projects home to dig up photos and audio clips, and other memorabilia) had done their projects on PowerPoint. As a first year teacher, I was frazzled. I did not know how they could move all of their work into Movie Maker in a timely fashion. However, that's when one of the students showed me that PowerPoint slides could be saved as JPEG files. Well, JPEG files can then be imported into Movie Maker, iMovie, or any other movie-making software. That saved a lot of headaches.

Now, PowerPoint has an option so where you can even bypass the saving as JPEG images. Instead, (in PCs) you can simply go to File Save As. In the Save as type drop-down menu, select Windows Media Video and press Save. It will then export it as a Media file that can be opened in Windows Media Player (just like finished Movie Maker projects). In Macs, you have the same options; however, the steps are slightly different. Instead of going to File--Save As, go to File--Save as Movie. And, that's it! When you save it as a movie, all of the transitions and animations are also still in effect. Of course, now PowerPoint can be saved as almost any type of file or exported into almost all of the Office products. It can be imported into Google Docs, with all of its formatting still in tact.

Integration: Personally, I like that existing PowerPoint presentations can be turned into movies, a new medium. These movies can then be imported into Movie Maker or other movie making software to make a combination of PowerPoint movies. This file can now be uploaded into VoiceThread. And with VoiceThread, you can add audio commentary or visual commentary about the presentation. Therefore, a once good PowerPoint presentation can now be a movie with commentary capabilities. It expands on the PowerPoint one-trick pony. PowerPoint now allows for videos, audio clips, and media to be included within each slide. When the PowerPoint is saved as a movie, those same media clips are exported into the movie. Therefore, all original work is kept in-tact. Perhaps the best use of the PowerPoint-as-a-movie option is its ability to be combined with other PowerPoints into longer movies and to act as a video clip when making longer movies. It is also a great file to upload to your Website for students to watch when they need extra help. PowerPoint is just another software that is working towards inclusive platforms, where multiple file types can be integrated into one, larger, more acceptable file type.

Check out this PowerPoint I created that is now saved as a movie (and can now be imported into this blog).