Connect

image by [|herzogbr]

Creating spaces that allow connection to authentic audiences.

__**Big Ideas**__
 * Gain ownership of content and writing
 * Build audience and community
 * Personalization through imagery and design
 * Understanding Creative Commons
 * Collaborative learning space for notes, content creation, construction of meaning and sharing ideas

__**Key Skills**__
 * Use wikis and [|Pirate Pad] as collaborative workspaces
 * Find dynamic Creative Commons images
 * Basic Photo editing and design

__**Suggested Task**__
 * Create a custom header to personalize your wikipage.

__**Suggested Tool**__
 * [|Picnik]
 * [|Flickr]
 * [|Creative Commons >]
 * About Creative Commons here
 * Creative Commons search tool
 * Some good videos to see on this: "Steal This Film"; "Good Copy, Bad Copy"; TED Talk by Tim Berners (2009)

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__**Suggested Resources**__

Kim Cofino's Blogging Guidelines

__**Reflections**__ How can creation and customization of a shared space could be useful in creating community and authentic audiences for student writers and content creators?

Your Thoughts

Session 1 - Connect
 * Blogging share
 * digital portfolio
 * exemplars
 * Creating a culture of blogging
 * Safe place to share and write
 * Personalization //(// // Making it yours (from Student Rep) is important) //
 * Creating a culture of connections and then providing the students with the tools to find what interests them.
 * Blogs help students make emotional connections with their learning.
 * I find it very interesting that blogging has the potential to recreate traditional notions of structure, format, template, etc. (your run of the mill 5P essay per se) and adding notions of colour theme and other aspects
 * I agree. In reality when do we have to write 5 paragraph essays in the real world? Though organization and structure are important, "free form" seems to be taking over. We do opine on issues and concepts, both personal and professional in whatever ways work best for us as indivduals.
 * I agree that the traditional 5P essay is not really something that meets real word needs as and end in itself, however, as a tool toward establishing critical thinking models and helping students organize ideas there is still some validity there. In conjunction with blogging, perhaps the 5P essay could get a makeover for the 21 Century?

**Questions** -
 * Which is easier to set up / maintain / follow / organize: Blogger or WordPress blogs?
 * Is the idea of Creative Commons new?

iPads and Language Arts and History Classrooms - Melinda Alford Wordpress 101 - Introduction to Wordpress and Blogging - Paulo Valenzo and Toni Barton How to: Develop a Blogging Portal for Teachers and Students - Kim Cofino Wikis for the Collaborative Classroom - Julie Lindsay Brand New You - Building a Personal Brand - Kevin Honeycutt Wrangling Web2.0 - Jess McCulloch Design Still Matters - Darren K Creating Portfolios using Wordpress - George Couros Dynamic Design - Jabiz Raisdana
 * __Recommended Workshops__**