Social Media Tool for today: Yahoo for Teachers

Social Media Tool for today: Yahoo for Teachers

by Tia Carr Williams -
Number of replies: 8

Learn to use 21st century skills in the classroom

Yahoo! will be offering educators free workshops to get the most from the new Yahoo! Teachers.

Discover how to bring Yahoo! Teachers and the Gobbler into your classroom. Yahoo! Teachers is free for all teachers, administrators, and education specialists. On the top right you will see the powerpoint from slideshare to help you.

Given the stats on internet usage:

  • 72% adults
  • 93% high schoolers
  • 98% college students (with margin of error could be 100%)

Broadband has reached almost 50% homes in U.S.

  • 55% of online teens have created their own profile
  • 51% of young adult internet users have uploaded photos to the internet
  • 26% teens remix stuff they find on the web as posts, blogs, etc.
  • 9% of adults

Yahoo is preparing to launch a key teaching collaborative. An integral part of the idea behind Yahoo! Teachers was a tool that could be used on any web site to gobble content.

Based on this original idea Bill Scott created a rapid prototype of the gobbler over a weekend, refined it for a week or so and launched it initially to the first Yahoo! Teachers of Merit workshop at the Yahoo! Sunnyvale campus.

Gobbler is a widget that you can popup on any web page and just grab text, images and links from the page and drag and drop them into your Y!Teachers projects. (You can also bookmark the site as well).

Its a bit like Google Notebook, bluemark, clipmarks and other clipping services but has unique properties. First, you can simply tear things off the page with drag and drop. Second, when you drop things from the page into the gobbler you are dropping them directly into your projects within Yahoo! Teachers. They get immediately saved there. Third, the assets you drop are thus brushed with meta data from the project itself (like grade level, subject, state standards). Fourth, the projects (and the assets) are then shared with any teacher anywhere in the world that is part of Yahoo! Teachers.

The combination of gather (gobbler), organize (projects) and share (teacher network) creates a powerful combination.

http://teachers.yahoo.com/peer_network

In reply to Tia Carr Williams

Re: Social Media Tool for today: Yahoo for Teachers

by Tia Carr Williams -

Blogging teachers get kudos for the communication channel they’ve opened with students. Posting their experiences with the class helps develop their relationship with students and provides a space for them to post assignments, reminders and other details. The blog replaces the blackboard and is a retrievable resource to which students can refer as often as needed. In addition, students can post their questions for the benefit of the entire class.

Some interesting education blogs:

http://bloggingteachers.blogspot.com/

Red Space Rocket Cool Cat Teacher Blog This Week In Education Thoughts On Teaching Principal Viewpoint C’ville School News

UMR launched the Name Change Conversations blog as part of an effort to provide UMR alumni, students, faculty, staff and others with another opportunity to provide input on a proposed name change. In addition to providing a forum for discussion, this blog also serves as a means for the university to provide information about the name change proposal and process to those interested.
http://namechange.umr.edu/

In reply to Tia Carr Williams

Re: Social Media Tool for today: Yahoo for Teachers

by Tia Carr Williams -

What is PBS Teachers?
PBS Teachers is PBS' central web destination for all PBS resources for preK-12 educators.

How will PBS Teachers help me stay up-to-date with educational technology and media integration?
PBS Teachers hosts two blogs, learning.now and Media Infusion, both dedicated to new thinking in education. Learning.now, hosted by edtech expert Andy Carvin, focuses on how new technology and Internet culture affect how educators teach and children learn. Media Infusion is a monthly discussion of how to integrate media into your planning and courses. It is hosted by guest experts on media and education.


What sort of teaching resources do you provide?
PBS Teachers provides thousands of lesson plans, interactive games and simulations, maps, photos, essays and more on all major educational topics. The PBS Teachers site includes PBS TeacherLine, a special service offering more than 100 high-quality online professional development courses. Through PBS Shop for Teachers, we offer PBS video products especially for educators.


http://www.pbs.org/teachers/
In reply to Tia Carr Williams

Re: Social Media Tool for today: Yahoo for Teachers

by Therese Weel -

  1. Yahoo! Teachers

  2. Blogging Teachers

  3. Media Infusion | PBS

  4. PBS Teachers . learning.now | PBS

Thank you for these links Tia.

I hadn't seen the Yahoo for teachers site it intrigues me - it seems to cross reference grade level and American state education standards with the content. Very handy - and a great tool for teachers in American schools. I'd love to see a truly public, self constructing version of this - the environment seems a little regimented to me.

I hadn't seen the media infusion site from PBS - nice. An opportunity to showcase a teacher who is using media in the classroom.

I've reposted the links for the PBS sites- the original links went to somewhere in 404 neverland - I hope these work better


In reply to Tia Carr Williams

Re: Social Media Tool for today: Yahoo for Teachers

by Cristina Costa -
Hi Tia,
it seems a very interesting project.
I have had yahoo!mail and used yahoo!groups for a long time and I reallly enjoy their tools. I was wondering where they would launch something like that to face the competition with Google.

I watched the videos and think this is going to be big for education.
I just wonder if Yahoo!teachers is only going to be offered for US teachers or will it be offered at a larger scale, and across the educational system?
Thank you so much for sharing it.
I truly believe that the more tools and approaches we are offered, the easier it will be to get more people involved, simply because it is coming to a stage where teachers can no longer ignore the fact that technology is playing, and will carry on playing, an important role in everyone's learning. And more important than that, there will come a time when most educators will agreed that it is not the technology that matters, but what we can do with it to motivate students to learn, and how its use make us be more independent and supported (and supportive of) in our (and others') learning.


In reply to Cristina Costa

Re: Social Media Tool for today: Wiziq

by Tia Carr Williams -
 

What is WiZiQ?
WiZiQ is a platform for anyone and everyone who wants to teach or learn live, online. With a virtual classroom, educational content and a session scheduler, WiZiQ works best for anyone’s online teaching and learning needs. Try it out, it’s all free!

Does it cost anything to teachers?
WiZiQ is absolutely FREE. We do not charge anything from teachers for using WiZiQ for online teaching. In future, we will offer certain advanced features on WiZiQ for a monthly subscription fee. However, basic features on WiZiQ will always be free.

Do the students have to pay anything?
WiZiQ is FREE for students too. Students can search for teachers and learn online from them. They may seek online help for homework or assignment queries. They can use WiZiQ’s virtual classroom to hold live discussions or sessions.

How can I get learners?
If you upgrade as a teacher, WiZiQ adds your profile to its teachers’ directory to let students search and contact you. We suggest you enter as much of your details as you can in the profile to make it more searchable.

How would my learners contact me?
The learners would contact you through messages routed through WiZiQ. We deliver these messages at your email address you used to sign up on WiZiQ.
Additionally, you can choose to make your email address show up to your contacts to make learners approach you directly.

How will I know if any learner has viewed my profile?
Once you update your teacher’s profile, it gets searched and listed for your teaching skills and expertise. Currently, the system does not expose the member’s name and details who have viewed your profile.

I am interested in more information about the use of WiZiQ for instruction. How to start on WiZiQ?  
Getting started on WiZiQ is easy and simple.

  1. Invite your contacts to join WiZiQ or search for members who share your subjects on WiZiQ to invite them. After they register, they exist as your contacts.
  2. Schedule online sessions with them.
  3. Meet in the virtual classroom to share and exchange knowledge live and online.

How is WiZiQ different from other learning tools out there?
WiZiQ puts learners and teachers together regardless of the boundaries and enables live, online teaching for absolutely no cost to the teacher or the student. Learning live in a virtual classroom from a teacher of your choice, we believe, is the next best alternative to face-to-face teaching. Further, with all the “digital” benefits that computers offer us, teachers can explain concepts using 'learning assets' such as images, videos, PowerPoint presentations, documents etc. Unlike face-to-face classes, sessions get recorded so that teachers and students can revisit and even search for a certain topic. Real time interaction in the virtual classroom allows for live feedback from the students making WiZiQ a valuable tool for teachers. Another advantage of WiZiQ is that it is a discovery platform to find good teachers and high quality free educational content that is rated by the learning community.
 
http://www.homeschool-teachers.com/
Wiziq YouTube Presentation:
 
WiZiQ offers the following features:

Works in Flash format and needs no downloads 2-way live audio/video delivery Whiteboard with Math tools Synchronous Content sharing such as PowerPoint (retains animations and transitions), PDF, Flash files and videos Records all sessions to be played back in Flash format (needs no downloads) Share PowerPoint presentations asynchronously even with narrated audio in slides
In reply to Tia Carr Williams

Re: Social Media Tool for today: Wiziq

by Sandy Hirtz -
Coincidentally, Mark Cruthers is demonstrating WIZ!Q today, Wednesday November 14th from 3:30pm to 6:30pm Pacific.
Click here to attend this free live session:
 http://community.bccampus.ca/expo?go=1643929

Here is a link to an article explaining step-by-step, how WiZiQ can be used with Moodle: http://wiziq.typepad.com/wiziqcom/2007/09/using-wiziq-wit.html

Here are other helpful WIZIQ links: http://www.wiziq.com/educational-tutorials/presentation/283-WiZiQ-for-Teachers-and-Learners http://www.wiziq.com/educational-tutorials/presentation/281-What-is-WiZiQ http://wiziq.typepad.com/ http://www.profy.com/2007/05/09/wiziq-beta/ http://mashable.com/2007/04/16/wiziq/

In reply to Tia Carr Williams

Re: Social Media Tool for today: Wiziq

by Deirdre Bonnycastle -
Here is a list of Social Networking sites that I have collected

Black Planet is for people of the African diaspora http://www.blackplanet.com/

Care2 is for networking with green living enthusiasts http://www.care2.com/

Classroom 2.0 is a social networking site for K-12 people who are interested in Web2.0 technology for teaching. http://classroom20.ning.com/

College 2.0 is a social networking site for higher education people who are interested in Web2.0 technology for teaching. http://college2.ning.com/

Daily Strength is a series of support communities for people with medical issues. http://dailystrength.org/

Elgg Spaces allows you to create social networks like MySpace for your school/institution. You decide if the network is private or public. http://elggspaces.com/

FaceSpace is an Online American Community - Find old Friends or Make New Ones @ Face Space http://www.facespace.net/

Friendster is the first social networking site. http://www.friendster.com/

Hi5 is another site for youth. http://www.hi5.com/

Inpowr is the first web platform for self-exploration and discovery that helps you plan, play and progress in every area of life. http://www.inpowr.com/

I am too young for this is a social network for people who are under forty and have cancer http://www.imtooyoungforthis.org/

LiveJournal is an online community, a social network, and a place for self-expression. We strive to create an environment where you can connect with others, share your thoughts, and be yourself. Our core values guide us to protect and cultivate that community. http://www.livejournal.com/

MySpace is a private community where people can share photos, journals and interests with growing network of mutual friends. This is the best known online community. http://www.myspace.com/

Ning is the only online service where you can create, customize, and share your own Social Network for free in seconds. http://www.ning.com/about/about-us.html

Save Our Planet is a social networking site for people interested in reducing global warming. http://saveourplanet.ning.com/

TakingITGlobal is a Canadian online community that connects youth to find inspiration, access information, get involved, and take action in their local and global communities. http://www.takingitglobal.org/home.html

Tapped In is the online workplace of an international community of education professionals. K-12 teachers, librarians, administrators, and professional development staff, as well as university faculty, students, and researchers gather here to learn, collaborate, share, and support one another. http://tappedin.org/tappedin/

Twitter is a global community of friends and strangers answering one simple question: What are you doing? http://twitter.com/

Vox is up to you. Meet new people or keep in touch with friends, start a blog, post photos, watch videos, create a group, or just discover interesting things. Vox is easy to use and has a powerful set of privacy features. http://www.vox.com/

Worldbriges is a community of communities that use 'homegrown webcasting' and other new media technologies to to help people connect, learn, & collaborate. http://www.worldbridges.net/

Zaadz is another change the world network http://www.zaadz.com/

In reply to Deirdre Bonnycastle

Re: Social Media Tool for today: Wiziq

by Ian MacLeod -
And here is the wikipedia page on Social Networking sites- over 200 and counting - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites. It's interesting because it lists the number of subscribers to each site. As you can see a lot of silos.

What we need is a Meebo for social networking sites. Meebo allows users to IM across several IM systems - we need the same for Social networking sites...