Slideshare

From a teacher/education perspective Slideshare is a very valuable resource. Not only does it provide access to a wide array of subject material but it also functions as an interactive mechanism where ideas and information can be shared by individuals and a wide array of institutions.

Of course it can also function as a depository system to store material on a more personal basis. Well worth signing up for what is a really useful and free resource.

Using Images

I found this part of Cam23 really useful in clarifying the issue of copyright and in how/where to identify images that can be located and used from Flickr. I particularly like this picture I found called “The Library” by Here’s Kate which I have included. Those who know me will be able to make a judgement whether this reflects my style or not.

Flickr

Flickr is a really useful resource for finding and locating an array of different images. The thing I personally like about Flickr is that it is mainly compiled by people who have decided to store/share their pictures with the world. I often find these type of images have a more interesting element than those that are professionally produced.

Tag Along

Making use of Tags reminds of the first time I discovered hyperlinks. Being able to find my way around by transferring from one web document to the next seemed revolutionary at the time (indeed it was). I then discovered that I could make these links myself and also that they could be used within other applications such as Word or Excel. From an information finding perspective they were great to use within teaching.

Tagging is very much in the same category. It definitely gives order to locating information. Without doubt part of the foreseeable future for Learning Resource Centres.

Tweet Tweet

Tweets here, tweets there, tweet tweets everywhere. It’s hard to believe that Twitter has only been around for a few years and yet here we all are microblogging. Whoever would have thought that this collection of peoples quips would become so popular.

According to Wikipedia “In the first quarter of 2010, 4 billion tweets per quarter were posted”. Astounding! I have set up a Twitter account for my 23 Things Cambridge at https://twitter.com/jjbarnes56

Google Calendar

I have used systems similar to Google Calendar before so am familiar with their application. They are even more useful now that they are incorporated into mobile apps. Gone are the days of having scraps of paper with bits and pieces written on them. Or are they? I suppose it depends on whether you are aware of the software/hardware and keep up-to-date with technological developments.

Doodle

Doodle seems to be straight forward to use. I can see how it would be very useful for liaising with colleagues who work in different departments or areas to organise meetings or other events.

Exploring Cam 23 blogs

After looking through all of the blogs I decided to follow a few which seemed to be representative of the wide variety of skill levels existing at this time, while also leaving a comment or two along the way. The situation is a bit strange for me as I am not directly involved with the library services within the University (brown-bag lunch?) and apart from the time in July when I will be at Pembroke College again I will be completing all of my input from Staffordshire. However, this is the very nature of implementing and engaging with the technology and I look forward to participating within 23 Things Cambridge over the following weeks.

Have a look here at what one 23 Cam blogger has compiled on our behalf.

RSS feed

I can remember when it was only at set times in the day that we could access up-to-date news stories. This was certainly true before I started to engage with Internet technology around the mid 1990’s. Even then it was rather sporadic and mainly American based. However, RSS feeds have contributed to changing this scenario with access to all sorts of information being fed through to wherever we set up retrieval points.

iGoogle

Google has vastly advanced since I started using it purely for search engine purposes many years ago. When it first emerged many users of the Internet were employing Yahoo as their first choice search engine. With advancements such as iGoogle one can only speculate where this technology is moving to. One advancement that I believe has increased its popularity is its user friendly functionality . Long gone are the days where only those skilled in HTML could really interact with layout or design. We are now participators and not just observers.

Cam 23 - Introduction

I am a former student of the University (Wolfson, 1992) and am presently involved in a Teacher Study visit at Pembroke College. Within this time I have been in liaison with Dr Patrick Carmichael at CARET through whom my CamTools account was generated. As such, when I received information regarding the 23 Things self-directed course and its focus on Web 2.0 technologies it immediately grabbed my attention. The theme of my own study is "An exploration of educational issues in relation to the onset of e-learning mechanisms within the pedagogical medium".

I see the opportunity to take part in Cam 23 as partly being a refresher to engage with Web 2.0 and social media from past experience and also the chance to participate in the gaining of new skills through a structured format. I am looking forward to engaging with the course over future weeks.