Friday, March 30, 2012

Tool #5: Diigo / Social Bookmarking

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Tool #5: Social Bookmarking with Diigo

Diigo started out as a social bookmarking site, like Delicious.com: a place where you can bookmark your favorite websites so that you can access them from any Internet-connected device. It has grown to include many more functions for the collection and organizing of data of all types. It can also serve as an excellent tool for sharing information with others. To complete this tool, you must:
1.     Start a Diigo account
2.     Watch the Diigo tutorial for version V5 at http://vimeo.com/12687333
3.     Add at least 5 of your existing bookmarks
4.     Tag at least 5 bookmarks
5.  Add Diigo Toolbar to Firefox. You can do this from https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/diigo-web-highlighter-and-stic/ 
6.     Save a note, a picture, highlights from a web page, and (OPTIONAL:) an online pdf document to Diigo
7.     Make a snapshot (or capture a screenshot) of a page or partial page and annotate it with highlights, arrows, etc.This can be done through the Diigo Toolbar.
8.     Share an item with one or more people, including hilgendorfd@district279.org

Additional Diigo videos and tutorials can be found at: http://help.diigo.com/home/get-started

Optional challenge activities:

1.     Install Diigo add-on browser to your most commonly used browser (Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer). Try the features from your toolbar add-on.
2.     Download free Diigo Powernote for Android or the Diigo app for iOS devices for easier access from your mobile devices.
3.     Install Diigo Offline Reader app for iOS devices.

     Second year participant requirements:

  •        Search Diigo for other people's folders that contain websites pertinent to your practice. Move any contents of such folders into your own folders and share with colleagues that might find the sites pertinent.

  •          If you have a class doing a research project - or any project that involves web sources - have them use Diigo to create folders of resources or resources with a specific tag that they share with you. Show them how to take snapshots and annotate sites.
  •      If you do not have a class, create a folder of pertinent sites and share it with colleagues.  Share resources with a specific tag.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Tool #4: Google Forms

Google Forms is used to solicit responses from people. The results of surveys, tests/quizzes, questionnaires, meeting evaluations, or votes are automatically transferred to a Google spreadsheet, which has built-in result summary charts and diagrams.

To complete the requirements for tool #4:
1. Create a Google form with at least 3 questions, preferably of different types. Available question types are: text (for short answers), paragraph text (for longer answers), multiple choice, check boxes, choose from a list, scale (eg. on a scale of 1-5…), and grid.
2. Share the form with hilgendorfd@apps.district279.org
3. Mail the form to at least 3 respondents. If the form is not based on an actual need, please ask other TTT participants to respond. In this case, make your forms short and easy so we don’t overburden the TTT participants.
4. Respond to any live forms that you receive.
5. Respond to the Google form posted on the blog. It’s the entry prior to (below) this one. You can also find it in the Quick Links to the right, or at Tool #4 Google Form to Complete
6. View your Google spreadsheet on your Moodle/Osseo Apps account.
7. View the response summaries.
8. If you haven't been making new posts to your blog, write one about this tool, after you try it out. 
Here is a nearly 13-minute-long screencast showing how to do these things. This can also be viewed on You Tube here.

2nd Year Participant Requirements:
(Optional challenge activities for first year participants)
Try any or all of these, if you want to expand your use of this tool.
  • Try out 4-6 questions types.
  • Prepare a quiz or pre-test for your class. Use something that you would actually be giving the class. If you don’t have a class, send out a different survey that meets a genuine need.
  • Embed the form in your blog (or another web page for which you have editing rights) and direct respondents to the page, rather than send this form out as an e-mail. If you use this technique and you want to know who made which response, you will want to include a question that asks for their name. To embed a form, go to the spreadsheet for the form and select “Embed form in a webpage” from the “Form” menu.
  • When the results are in, use the Snipping Tool (part of the Windows 7 operating system) to copy a chart onto a Google docs Presentation slide (or more slides). Feel free to give them titles and any other information to make it clear what you are sharing and why.
  • Share the Presentation with someone. Feel free to share it with hilgendorfd@district279.org, if there is no genuine need to share the information with someone else.
  • If you have text answers, you may want to try copying the answers from one of your questions and pasting them into Wordle.com to create a visual image of the results. This allows you a quick visual synopsis of the words that respondents used to answer a question, with more frequently used words larger. If you do this, I also recommend randomizing the resulting Wordle until you find one that you especially like.To make a file of the Wordle, you will need to take a screenshot of it, either using the Snipping Tool or Command-Shift-4 on a Macintosh computer.
Recommended Action:
  • On a semi-related note, I recommend that you forward your apps emails to your regular address. This way you don’t have to check both accounts. To do this, 
  • Open your e-mail from Osseo Apps. That’s your @apps.district279.org account. 
  • Click on the little gear icon to the right of your user name at the top right corner of the e-mail page and open “Mail Settings.” 
  • Click on the blue “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” menu. 
  • Under “forwarding,” forward a copy of incoming email to [your regular address] and “mark Osseo Area Schools Mail’s copy as read.”

TTT Google Form: Please complete as part of Tool #4