Blogger Notice!

Teachers, have you tried to edit your students' blogs, but realized you cannot click on their posts? Don't panic, we have a fix for you! When students add their teachers as authors to their blogs, they are defaulted as Authors. This means that they can create and delete their own posts on the blog, but not the posts of the student. In order for teachers to be able to edit their students' blog posts, they need to have their students go back to the Permissions settings and change the teachers from Authors to Admin.

Here is how you do it:
Under Settings > Basic - in the section called Permissions, set the Permission for the teacher's account from "Author" to "Admin".

Don't know what I'm talking about? Then please check out this post on our revamped Knowledge Base of the Help Desk!

Happy Blogging!

The Hidden Object Game: Old faces, new problems.

The latter two days were focused on actual game design aspect of the curriculum. This was also the time that the returning educators joined the fray. Flash design and programming was a new concept to the new educators. The returning educators had experience programming in Flash after going through their first year, but they had to work on a Hidden Object game, a new addition to the curriculum this year. So, ultimately everyone was on the same page as far as the project goes!

The new educators working on their games.

The new educators did a great job in the short period that they used Flash! The games weren’t perfect (what game is, really?), but they had some really wonderful ideas in the scope of a Hidden Object game. There were games about literature, game about history, and some about science. All of them were great! It was especially nice to see the educators grow more confident with Flash (quite literally) overnight! A lot of them surprised themselves on how much they understood about the program after a few hours of tinkering and experimenting with the features and with the curriculum. Future educators, please note: You can do it too!

The returning educators working on their games.

Watching the returning educators tackle the Hidden Object game was very encouraging to me. They really showed what a difference a year of experience can make. The returners were in the same shoes as the newcomers last year, so seeing them so confident with Flash after about a year of use was nice to see. Once again, future educators: You can do it too!

Overall, everyone did a great job! Kudos to all of the educators!

Comments on Blogs with Templates Installed

A number of you have been having trouble with the comments feature on your student's blogs being disabled once students install templates from the internet.

Matticus, a student in Liz Daigle's class at Greenbrier East High School, has used his masterful tinkering skills to solve this problem and drafted a step-by-step guide for the Globaloria community:

1. After signing in, choose the layout option

2. Click the Edit HTML tab

3. Scroll to the bottom of the window

4. Click Revert widget templates to default

5. A pop-up window will appear, click OK

6. The layout should save and the problem should be solved (I recommend checking this to be 100% sure)

Hope that helps you all! Please contact comment or e-mail me at rachel@worldwideworkshop.org if you need more help!

Your GB,
Rachel

Blogging as a Medium

Greetings fellow bloggers!

Though we often talk about using our blogs as a tool, another way we could describe blogs is as a "medium." According to Merriam-Webster Online, a medium can be defined in the following ways: a publication or broadcast that carries advertising; a mode of artistic expression or communication; something (as a magnetic disk) on which information may be stored.

Mediums have changed and grown over time. Telegrams offered a medium for messages and lead the way to telephones allowing communication in real time. Then there was radio, which carried voices over great distances and to great numbers of people. Television followed shortly adding visuals to the audio. Not too long ago we added the internet as a medium which brought information in both visual and auditory formats to a greater depth and breadth than anything before it.

Most of the modern mediums have fallen short in one aspect; they are one-way methods of communication. Blogs are the answer to that lack. In blogs we can not only produce a "broadcast" to advertise ourselves, we can also connect to other blogs and their authors. With all of the different arrangements and images we can use it gives even the least visually talented of us a means of artistic expression. Even the information we value above all else can be forever stored in a location untouched by time or the elements. And best of all, the world can talk back to us. People in countries far away can pat us on the back, offer differing viewpoints, thank us for our insight, and offer more of their own.

I am usually not this long winded but that is another beauty of the blog, limitless digital storage. What moved me to write this post was a couple of our bloggers' recent blogs. Vicky posted a blog that not only shared a bit of insight, it also linked to several sites designed to show students more about themselves. When I first read her posting, my first thought was how fully she was using this medium. She was using this to not just give an assignment but to offer insight from other sources to her students. The other blogger was Jim who posted two blogs that not only showed off the skills of his students and their work but also himself and his kids. In that way, he also showed us the full depth this medium allows. Now, we can all see him as a teacher, father, learner, and inspiration.

A Globaloria Growth Spurt

Good day fellow bloggers! I just want to say how wonderful it is to see the Globaloria classes growing. They aren't growing in number necessarily but in the strength of the message. I am seeing so much evidence of this strength from so many different angles.

In Kevin's latest blog, he praises his class, saying how great his kids held it together despite everything that went wrong for him. I've had those kind of days and feel for him.

Denise is having great success with her students. Even when she talks about the two steps forward, one step back that our kids sometimes encounter, it's clear how hard they are working her with questions and on task requirements trying to be successful. That kind of effort in a class is priceless.

We also have very creative students. Jeremy posted a quick blog encouraging us to visit his students blogs. Having creative kids is good--having creative and focused kids is great!

Perhaps the best thing, Vicky and Angie are having their students check out other school's blogs. The benefit I have already seen from this is that two new friends have commented on my blog and opened communication--from another school no less. One is asking for advice on blogging and another shares my love of all things X-Men and the importance of blogging. Way to go ladies!

This is what Globaloria is all about: students becoming empowered in their learning. We should all be very proud!

Until next time the soap box is yours.

-Bill

GO GO Blogging Gadgets

Despite the rather dated reference to Inspector Gadget in the title of this post, I am blogging about innovation in blogs shown by our very own educators. I have been exploring the expanded world of gadgets on blogger and have been amazed with what I have found. There are gadgets to add information on stock market tips, environmental issues, and much more. I myself just recently added the Earth Tip of the Day gadget to my own blog. If there is an idea you want to include on your blog, there is probably a gadget that will work for you.


Here are some examples from our educators wikis. Check out Jim's blog, he has included a voki character and a grooveshark music player. Jeremy has added a gadget showing of a Space Invaders game. Ingrida added a motivational quotes gadget fo her and her students. Dionne also has a voki and Aaron has also added grooveshark.

There are even more out there in our community adding other great personal touches. Just remember that we should be having fun making our blogs a model for our students.

Until I talk to you next time, the soap box is yours.

Bill

Links and Features for Your Blog

Greetings Globaloria Educators!

In addition to being sure you and your students have all the blogs in your classroom added to your blogrolls (see Ingrida's blog for a great example), I want to remind you to search the internet for blogs that you may want you and your students to follow to add to your blog as well.

"Cogs for Blogs" is a blog written by an educator who uses Web 2.0 tools in his classroom. He updates with links and tutorials to enhance his and his students' blogs. Better yet, from finding his blog, I was led to a Wiki he has created called Web 2.0: Cool Tools for Schools with amazing tips for enhancing classroom Wikis.

Below is an example of one Blog feature "Cogs for Blogs" brought to my attention called VoiceThread. Check out what I made below! I'm sure you can all think of great ways to leverage this tool in your classroom.

(If you can't see/hear the VoiceThread below, go here)

Tutorial on Embedding Your .swf Files in Blogger

Greetings Globaloria educators! Today I have a special guest post for you all from Matt Payne on embedding .swf files in blogger. This is a great way to highlight your student's work, or encourage them to share some of their files. Thanks Matt for all your help! Take it away:

Hey there bloggers! This is Matt aka Banditt from Southern WVCTC. Here's a quick “How To” I made on posting your flash flies in blogger:

Step 1: Log in to your wiki and upload your file. Once you have uploaded it you should arrive at a screen similar to this.


Step 2: Now you have 2 choices. You can click the link I have highlighted in the above picture and load your swf and get the url or right click the link and copy the link address (this may vary depending on the browser you use). If you don’t know what I’m talking about just click the link and load your flash file.

Step 3: Highlight and copy all of the text that is in the address bar on your browser. I’ve highlighted mine in the below pic.


Step 4: Log in to Blogger and begin a new post.

Step 5: Use the embed tag to place the swf file on your blog post just as I have done in the picture.

<embed src="http://myglife.org/usa/wvwiki/images/2/27/Finaldemoninjas.swf"></embed>



Step 6: Preview your post to see if it works, then go ahead and click “Publish”.

Step 7: If you forget to close an html tag in Blogger, it gets all feisty and starts throwing error codes because it doesn’t like what you’ve written. Most of the time you can just check the box to stop show errors and everything will work fine. Other times you may need to go back and correct yourself.


If you have done it correctly you should be rewarded with a small version of your swf embedded within your Blogger post.


Why did it not show it at the full size you ask? Blogger automatically sizes it to fit in the small table area it creates just for your post.

Is there a way to make it bigger? Yes: you can add to your embed tag the width and height attributes. Example (in red):

<embed src="http://myglife.org/usa/wvwiki/images/2/27/Finaldemoninjas.swf" width="400" height="300"></embed>

And what you end up with is a swf that you can tailor the size to about whatever you would like.


If you want to tailor the embed tag even more (different background colors etc.) visit http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tutorials/embed2.html for a little more help.

Good luck!
-Matt

The 21st Century Learner

I've recently become acquainted with this fabulous web resource, Slideshare.net. It's a site where anyone can upload their PowerPoint to share with others. Some are more specialized than others (associated with a specific organization and so on), but there are many that can be used for general research or inspiration for a project or presentation of your own. I found this gorgeous slideshow on the "21st Century Learner" by Kim Cofino, who writes on these issues at her blog "Always Learning: Teaching Technology Abroad".

The 21st Century Learner

View more presentations from Kim Cofino.

Kim writes on the "About Me" section of her blog:

"I am an enthusiastic, passionate teacher, who truly loves working with children. My goal as a technology teacher is to teach students how to learn, and to ensure that every child that leaves my classroom feels comfortable, confident, and excited about the challenges and rewards that technology has to offer."

Explore Kim's wonderful blog, and her blogroll for more ideas about your own potential as an educator, blogger and tech-savvy 21st century learner!

Your GB,
Rachel

Tales from Texas

The Foundation team had an amazing time working with a new group of educators in Austin, TX at the East Austin College Prep Academy. I didn't have the pleasure to be on board when you all were first learning the program, but based on your stories about it, the TX educators were very much in the "what-have-I-gotten-myself-into?" frame of mind you all talked about. It was a great help to have Ingrida Barker from Sandy River Middle School come along with us and train this new group in Flash. It was only a year ago that Ingrida was learning Flash for the first time, and now she's looked to as an expert by a whole new group of Globaloria participants. Peer educating is a big part of the Globaloria philosophy, and that goes for the teachers as much as the students!

We can't wait to see how you've all when we return to West Virginia in August. Thanks to those of you who have been updating your blogs with such insightful stories and useful links. I encourage all of you to keep reading and commenting on each others' posts and stay on top of your blog! It won't be long before you'll be trying to generate a blogosphere in your own classroom and your personal experience maintaining one yourself will count for a lot.

Your GB,
Rachel

Reports from the Blogosphere

After an eventful 24+ hour trip home (thunder storms in New York, stranded in Washington D.C., oy vey), I'm finally back at the World Wide Workshop headquarters and still feel exhilarated after such an amazing Summer Academy! It was such a pleasure to get to know you all.

I have a lot to share with you, but I thought it would be nice to first put the spotlight on what your reflections have been in the blogosphere since we all parted ways:

Denise writes:

"It is very motivating for me to be in a room with a group of West Virginia teachers who care and are willing to give up your summer time to take training that is so intense. You are willing to learn new curriculum and go out on a limb to offer a new class that you think will benefit your students. It makes me proud to watch everyone work and learn. It inspires me to be a better teacher because I want to keep up with everyone else and what they are doing. In fact I wish my own children could of had all of you as teachers because they would have learned so much."

The RED team honing their skills.

Bill offers a great tip for organizing Flash files, and reflects,

"We didn't do physical labor, break a sweat, or lift a finer for much more than typing and eating the incredible meals over the past three days but we had really worked our brains, imaginations, and our mental limits."

And in his inspiring Global Biology blog (which is now added to my blogroll along the right), Bill challenges us to consider what our legacy will be.

Tracy turns in a late homework assignment (tsk, tsk), but at least has a good excuse:

"I purposefully did not complete the homework assignment for the last day of the academy, because for me one of the most powerful learning moments has occurred in the past few days. I became a teacher because I connect with kids and feel like I have an understanding of how to teach content in a way that they can easily grasp. With the Globaloria program, I will have to completely revamp my teaching style."

The NED team learning Flash.

Great stuff! I look forward to hearing more from you all in the coming months, and please have fun with it! This summer is the perfect time to "tinker" with your blogs, and really get energy generated behind our blogosphere for a more vibrant virtual educator's community than ever before.

Your GB,
Rachel

Gaming and Art

In the May "Blogs of the Round Table" hosted by Man Bytes Blog, participants were asked to imagine what a favorite piece of artwork might look like as a game. You can read all of the responses here, but I'll highlight a few of my favorites below:

ihobo provides a thoughtful response, reflecting on the Impressionist movement, and taking this opportunity to ask "capital Q" questions about the nature of art.

Water Lilies, Monet (1916)

When I go to a gallery, I am seeking an experience beyond the rational – I do not greatly enjoy art that asks me to decode its puzzle, or otherwise rationally interact with it, to anywhere near the same degree that I enjoy a piece of art that transfixes me in a space beyond thought – an experience of emotion or transcendence that is wholly beyond conscious thought. That for me is the essence of great art. This brings me to the second problem: can a game actually access the transcendent experience of what great art means to me? And I suspect, perhaps that it cannot.

...

From the point of view of impressionism as a rebellion against the previously accepted forms, a direction could be found, but any non-game might be claimed to fulfil this goal. Unless I could find a way to capture the essence of the experience of an impressionist painting, I would feel I had failed to successfully make the transition.

Perhaps what this shows for me is that game design as a process is always for me a rational experience, while art for me is at its greatest when it transcends rational experience. And thus, perhaps my problem is not that there cannot be an impressionist game, but rather that an impressionist game is not something that I can personally conceive – it is in some sense beyond me. And that, perhaps, is precisely what I am looking for in art.

Other respondents took the bull by the horns and crafted dramatic plots inspired by art history. GB Games chose Michelangelo's "The Last Judgment" from the Sistine Chapel as his premise.

Click here for a high-res version of this painting

World Maker chose Nighthawks as his game inspiration.

Nighthawks, Edward Hopper (1942)

The Game Critique chose The Great Wave Off Kanagawa to orient the force of nature as the centerpiece of his game.

The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, Hokusai (1832)

I love the idea of this challenge because it causes you to consider gaming as a medium of art--which it absolutely is. Obviously, programming a game requires a math/science aptitude, but the designing and conceptualizing of the game interface and premise is very much an artistic/creative endeavor.

Gaming is an expressive medium like any other art form; and it's an exciting one insofar as it's interactive. In gaming, the audience engages with art on a level of activity that no other medium parallels. This relatively new, technologically enabled, medium (just like photography and film before it) will doubtlessly tap into the talent of "great artists", many of whom remain to be seen. I wonder who the Kubrick (or Michelangelo) of gaming will be...

Learning with Surveys

In response to my introduction post, WV Design Diva (a.k.a. Monica Larson, a new partner from Shepherd University) asked me to share a little more about myself.

After some deliberation, I decided to spare the Globaloria blogosphere my lofty memoir and get down to the nitty-gritty with a survey I made on the free survey creator, Bzoink. You can find out all about me in the graphic below, but more importantly, I'm offering this survey to everyone in the Globaloria community.

Click "Take this Survey" at the bottom of the questionnaire and fill one out for your own blog. After you're done answering the questions, Bzoink will give you a code that you can copy and paste into your blogger composition pad and publish. If you don't have a blog yet, I'll help you get set up at the Globaloria Summer Academy 1.

I can't wait to read all of your answers!

Globaloria Survey Created by rachelwwworkshop and taken 2 times on Bzoink
Basics
What is your full name?:	Rachel Danielle Rosenfelt
What school/organization are you affiliated with?:	World Wide Workshop Foundation
What is your position?:	Assistant Programs Coordinator
How many years have you been working with Globaloria?:	This is my first!
What inspired you to join the Globaloria team?:	My belief in the power of digital media to change the world. This positive change begins with education.
About You
Where are you from originally?:	Albuquerque, New Mexico
Where have you always wanted to go?:	The Amalfi Coast in Italy, Berlin and Buenos Aires
What is your sign?:	I was born on November 22nd, so I'm the border between Sagittarius and Scorpio. I think I'm more of a Scorpio, personally.
What do you like to do in your free time?:	I love to read and write and explore all the amazing communities online.
What are you most proud of?:	Having the courage to travel Central America with nothing but a backpack alone for 4 months when I was 21.
If you could wish for anything, what would it be?:	I'd wish for everyone to have equal opportunities to follow their passions and compete in any field they chose to pursue.
If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and why?:	The Beatles--around 1962, just before they became famous.
Who is your hero?:	My mom. And Madonna.
Favorites
Movie:	The Professional by Luc Besson
Book:	The Collected Fictions, Jorge Luis Borges
TV Show:	The X-Files. Even in reruns, it's television gold.
Actor/Actress:	Leonardo DiCaprio. I was eleven when Titanic came out. Sue me.
Musician/Band:	Sam Cooke, all of Motown, especially the Supremes and Marvin Gaye and Elvis Presley.
Quote:	"Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes." - Walt Whitman
For Fun
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?:	Teleportation. I'd live in a cabin in the New Mexico mountains, pop into work in New York City every morning, grab Mexican food in Oaxaca for lunch, visit friends and family all over the world, sit down to some Thai food for dinner in Bangkok and be beneath the desert stars by nightfall. Plus, it would be really easy to sneak into movies for free.
If you had a time machine, what historical period would you visit?:	Ancient Greece
Do you have a special talent?:	I can make my face look like I'm a cast member in the original Planet of the Apes. It's uncanny.
What talent do you wish you had?:	I wish I was a master cello player.
If you could trade spaces with anyone, who would it be?:	Oprah. She is in a position to influence the world for good, empower women all over the country, create and fund positive initiatives, and do this all without having to hold an official public office.
You've been totally Bzoink*d! Take This Survey | Search Surveys | Create a Survey

There are many services online that help to make your blog a diverse, fun and active multimedia platform. I encourage all of you to experiment with quizzes, polls and survey creators on free websites like Bzoink and others.

Your GB,
Rachel

Blogging Globalora Educators

We are so excited about Year 2 here at Globaloria. Our educators have really committed to blogging about their progress and experiences as part of the Globaloria WV program. This increased activity and reflection has really enhanced our community and connected peer educators throughout the state.

Here is a list of our educators' blogs. I have included a link to their profile on their school wiki, a link to their blog where you can read all about their classroom, and a link to the RSS feed that would allow you to subscribe to their blog if you want.

Take a minute to check them out, subscribe to them, and learn about the program, and be sure to leave comments!

Randy Cantrell

Blog: http://randycan77.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://randycan77.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Heidi Fitzpatrick

Blog: http://heidiglobaloriapage.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://heidiglobaloriapage.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Megan McGee

Blog:http://meganmcgee1701.blogspot.com

RSS:http://meganmcgee1701.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Bill Dorsey

Blog: http://capitalhsta.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://capitalhsta.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Angela Cruikshank

Blog: http://cruikshank-globaloria.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://cruikshank-globaloria.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Lisa Dolan

Blog: http://ldolan.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://ldolan.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Vicky Neal

Blog: http://vnealart.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://vnealart.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Bobbi Scofield

Blog: http://my2amthoughts.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://my2amthoughts.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Les Mullins

Blog: http://lmullens.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://lmullens.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Abbie Franks

Blog: http://zippyspage.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://zippyspage.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Jim Allder

Blog: http://jimallder.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://jimallder.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Richard Cowley

Blog: http://cowleycomments.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://cowleycomments.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Natalie Ellis

Blog: http://natalieellis.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://natalieellis.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Patrick Smith

Blog: http://patrickstronsmith.blogspot.com

RSS: http://patrickstronsmith.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Lori Tate

Blog: http://missloriglobaloriaclass.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://missloriglobaloriaclass.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Carl Carpenter

Blog: http://carpsglobaloria.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://carpsglobaloria.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Denise Stalnaker

Blog: http://helpdeniseteach.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://helpdeniseteach.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Ingrida Barker

Blog: http://ingridasblog.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://ingridasblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Jeremy Reed

Blog: http://www.sweetjessereed.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://sweetjessereed.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Sara Garrett

Blog: http://www.blogbymrsg.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://blogbymrsg.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Tonji Bowen

Blog: http://glifeckat.blogspot.com/

RSS: http://glifeckat.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

How to read this blog: Subscribe via Email

This blog now has "Subscribe via Email". It is a feature offered through Feedburner. The idea is to allow you to receive posts from the blog in your in-box. Now, to be honest, I am not a big fan of getting blog posts via email. I would totally recommend that you use Google Reader for a lot of reasons, but if you happen to be someone who really just likes checking your email to get your information, this might be a good option.

It is really easy, just enter your email and click subscribe. You should get the next post sometime between 7pm and 9pm after it has been posted!

21st Century Skills in Action

So, you wonder how this 21st Century Skills "stuff" is really going to happen. Will ask Clay County. One of our students posted to his blog, that the wiki was broken and that it "stinks on ice"! Well to be honest, I told him about the "Stinks on Ice" part. So he blogged about it and we (meaning smarter people then me) fixed the site. The network is starting to have an effect!