CFF - CDWG Professional Development Training - 11/17/08

Good morning!

It's been a while since posting to my virtual space.

I've thought often about how I would "keep this blog alive" and came up with tying in some of the things I'm learning during my Classrooms For the Future Coach Training.

The project for this morning is to domonstrate adding features to a blog post.

These include adding digital audio files, adding clipart, adding digital photographs, including hypertext links and sharing and tracking changes.

What a great opportunity to revisit my own learning. And away we go....

First - adding digital audio files

When I did my first search - for digital audio files, I came up with a link to a file convertor. After checking with my trusted companion, Zamzar is recommended.

http://www.zamzar.com/

Zamzar offers free file conversion for Document formats, Image formats, Music formats, Video formats, and Compressed formats.

The offer a FAQ page that lists the most common questions when using the service.

We just had an interesting conversation about if Zamzar could violate copyright?
I'd love to hear what you think.
jane

Week 9: Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio #23 Final discovery exercise on Copyright and Creative Commons

For this final discovery exercise, we are asked to explore Creative Commons.

The closest thing I could find to a simple definition of what Creative Commons is all about is found on the History page:

Creative Commons’ first project, in December 2002, was the release of a set of copyright licenses free for public use. Creative Commons developed a Web application that helps people dedicate their creative works to the public domain — or retain their copyright while licensing them as free for certain uses, on certain conditions. Creative Commons licenses are designed for several kinds of creative works: websites, scholarship, music, film, photography, literature, courseware, etc.

The first step is to choose from several conditions you would like applied to your work.

The choice begins with the amount of attribution you allow regarding copying, distributing, displaying, and/or performing your copyrighted work. Choices include deciding if your work can be "tweaked" and redistributed for commercial and/or non-commercial uses with appropriate credit to the original work. the range of choices include from the "most accommodating" to the creation of derivative works to the "most restrictive" meaning simply allowing redistribution of the original, intact, with credit. Once decided, select a license and place the appropriate icon or link with your work to convey your intention.

Creative Commons has developed a flyer that describes the process. Other useful links can be found on the Documentation page.

Creative Commons is recognized globally. Licencing agreements are broken down into three levels: Commons Deed (written in understandable language), Legal Code (for lawyers) and the Digital Code (metadata). The Legal Code portion can change depending on the country of origin.

I must admit that this is such a worthy project that provides a necessary component to the evolution of web2.0 capabilities. It offers a chance for true global collaboration...grass roots development regardless of geographic location, while still offering some level of protection to the original work.

At the header of this PA Online Web 2.o it reads:

"Learning 2.0 is a discovery learning program created by Helene Blowers. Content
and style for School Library Learning 2.0 and Classroom Learning 2.0 have been
borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License".

In addition, on a sidebar of the California site it reads:

"Learning 2.0 is a discovery learning program created by Helene Blowers. Content and style for School Library Learning 2.0 and Classroom Learning 2.0 have been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License".

A general search for Helene Blowers led me here to the original 23 thing site and here to a 2007 article in Library Journal online promoting Helene's open access attitude.

It's hard to believe I've finally reached the end of this discovery journey (nearly...).

The true power of this is in the experience. What I'd love to do is bring this back to my learning community and share this...get more people to walk the walk. These ideas are meant to be passed on, used from different perspectives, rise in different ways.

And, based on the language of the Creative Commons License associated with this project...I can. How great is that!

One more thing to go...a least for today : ).

I'd like to leave you with this thought...jane

Week 9: Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio #22 eBooks and Audio eBooks

Hi all,
I actually deviated from the directions a bit for this exercise.

I am an audio book person at heart.

For the last many years, between commuting to college, waiting for appointments, walking, or just needing to occasionally cook or clean...listening to an audio book has become a regular part of my daily routines. So when I saw the link for AudioBooksForFree.com, I had to check this out.

First, let's talk about the things I do like. The interface is fairly clean, the organizational structure of the content, and details about the particular titles are nicely formatted on the page. It's easy find a favorite genre. All titles list how long the piece is as well as info about the author and narrator. Tabs across the top section link to content by fiction, non-fiction, children's stories, and music.

What seems to be the case is that depending on the amount of files you'd like to download...it could very well end up not being free. Also, certain titles do not seem to be available unless "bought". It appears some authors actually have money deposited into paypal accounts for access to their work.

Now, I honestly don't have a problem with paying for this service (as I would if I decided to purchase a print book). But the site title is a smidge misleading. I couldn't come up with a better one...but finding out it wasn't really free after all was disappointing.

Also, under "size vs. sound quality...well 8kps is free. OK...I'm not sure what a kbps is yet, but free is associated with a "bearable quality.
For $5 USD, I can get "tolerable quality". But $8 USD will buy me "very good quality".

My intention is not to knock this service. It is convenient. They do seem to have their bases covered with things like:

• List of Download Managers.
  List of Multimedia Players.
  Is your portable mp3 player suited to play audiobooks?
  FAQ, HELP, Potential Problems, Support
  

And, the selection is decent.

But for this girl who watches her pennies...my local library is still the best deal in town...no matter what medium I'm looking for.

As for eBooks. I read all the time online. But, everything I read though is fairly short though.

If I need to read something that requires extra concentration or something of length regardless of the purpose...I usually prefer paper if that's possible. My eyes are grateful too.

I wouldn't discourage anyone from accessing the vast amount of resources available from sites like World EBook Fair' site. To have this resources at your fingertips is truly magnificent. It's just not for everybody all the time.

jane

Week 9: Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio #21 Podcasts (You don’t need an iPod!)

Hi all,
I'd like to start with a definition from the PA Online Web 2.0 site.

"The word podcast is used to refer to a non-musical audio or video broadcast that is distributed over the Internet. What differentiates a podcast from regular streaming audio or video is that the delivery method for podcasts is often done automatically through RSS."

You can use an application like iTunes as a directory to locate mostly pop culture items...TV, movies, music to load onto an iPod or MP3 player.

I found a video on YouTube that did a decent job of explaining the mechanics of how podcasts work. The video is entitled "What is a podcast?" Summary details: "Jason Rhode (Northern Illinois University) provides a brief introduction to the technology of podcasting and mentions a few of the instructional benefits and considerations for using this new medium for information
delivery."

For this exercise, we were asked to subscribe to a podcast in our blog reader using the RSS feed. The blog reader I use is Bloglines. I selected NPR: Radio Diaries Podcast to be delivered to my feed. I don't have a mobile device to listen to podcasts yet, but I think this would be a worthwhile investment. I could easily see listening to the NPR podcast (or any other of interest) while exercising or anytime you are "waiting". What a convenient way to stay "in touch".

Even though this discovery exercise doesn't require that we create podcasts, I plan to venture into this territory. I've checked out the How to Podcast tutorial posted on the School Library Learning 2.0 site. This seems like a good place to start...now to just make the time.

It's amazing, the creativity tools at our fingertips...
jane

Week 9: Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio #20 Discover YouTube and a few sites that allow users to upload and share videos

I know...I know...
This is getting out of hand.

This one I will have to use one day for a professional development session.

Too, too funny!



Thanks to ZrednaZ who reposted this February 21, 2007 with the summary:
"A.k.a. Medieval Helpdesk. This video makes fun of moderns newbie computer users by illustrating - in a way fully understandable to them - how silly some of their questions are by creating a similar problem in the Middle Ages.

It's from a show called Øystein & Meg (Øystein & I) produced by the Norwegian Broadcasting television channel (NRK) in 2001. The spoken language is Norwegian. It's written by Knut Nærum and performed by Øystein Bache and Rune Gokstad.

NEWS: NRK have uploaded an official version of this video themselves - also with Eng subtitles. It is located at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHX-S..."

Week 9: Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio #20 Discover YouTube and a few sites that allow users to upload and share videos

And finally...The Librarian from the Black Lagoon trailer
Added by BigfottStudios on 8/28/08. The summary says, "A trailer for the Scholastic/Weston Woods film "The Librarian from the Black Lagoon", based on the book by Mike Thaler and Jared Lee. Directed by Galen Fott. Voiced by Alexander Gould and Diana Canova. Animation by Bigfott Studios."

Something we can all aspire to be...

Week 9: Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio #20 Discover YouTube and a few sites that allow users to upload and share videos

Should I be having this much fun learning?? Tee-hee...

Star Trek was one of my favorite Friday night shows as a kid. Hmmm...maybe this is what influenced me to choose my present career path...



Added to YouTube by "herrissyvoo" on 12/17/2007. The summary is as follows: "Captain Kirk wishes he had decided to become a librarian in the TAS episode "Bem". Spock, as always, responds by speaking the truth."