Derek E. Baird :: Barking Robot

Twitter Cheat Sheet

Twitter Cheat Sheet

SocialText: 6 Steps to Drive Social Software Adoption

Companies are deploying social software solutions – Web 2.0 technologies such as microblogging, social networking, wikis, and internal blogs – because they can dramatically improve decision cycle times and organizational effectiveness. But social software only produces these results to the extent it is adopted by users. 6 Steps to Drive Social Software Adoption

Weekly Wrap: Hello Kitty Death Watch, University Ditches Kindle, Facebook Community Pages, Disney Tweets, Social Media ROI, Digital Parenting & More!

For Many Blacks, Twitter Enables a Vibrant Social Life: Some researchers have surmised that African-Americans might use Twitter more heavily because they use it in a more conversational way than other groups.

Twitter's "trending topics" - popular subjects on a given day - often center on issues African-American users are tweeting about. [NewsObserver]

Instead of Banning Your Kids from Social Networks, Consider Teaching Responsible Usage: I’m glad my parents didn’t ban me from them. I’m glad that my parents taught me basic principles to live my life by, principles that have served me both online and offline.

They weren’t particularly tech savvy. They didn’t hover over me at all moments. The family computer wasn’t locked down and it didn’t have any monitoring software. But, they taught me how to be safe as a kid. [ManagingCommunities.com]

More Cyberbullying on Facebook Than Rest of the Web: Thirty-two percent of online teens have experienced some form of harassment via the Internet, a problem also known as "cyberbullying."

According to recent data, 15% of online teens have had private material forwarded without permission, 13% have received threatening messages and 6% have had embarrassing photos posted without permission. [NYT]

Facebook Privacy Research: There is significant concern about the exposure of personal data to facebook’s advertising partners and to external sites, often governed by the decision of friends rather than the personal subject of the data. [Frances Bell]

Hello Kitty Death Watch: Hello Kitty fatigue is hitting Japan first, and hard, the company indicated. Analysts say part of the problem is that Sanrio has oversold Hello Kitty, which appears on products as various as T-shirts, toilet paper and toasters. [NYT]

How Facebook’s ‘Community Pages’ and Privacy Changes Impact Brands: While there’s been plenty of coverage about user privacy concerns, attention on Facebook’s changes on brands hasn’t been adequately covered, this analysis is intended to unravel what’s at stake –and what brands should do.  I’ve spoken to a handful of brands and their representatives to learn what’s eating at them. [Web Strategy]

Tweets From Disneyland: Our weekly roundup of some of the best--and the worst--tweets from the park that's only sometimes the happiest place on earth. [OC Weekly]

Business School Ditches Kindle DX: The Kindle isn't doing as well in academic environments as Amazon—and educators—had originally hoped. The Darden Business School at the University of Virginia is near the end of its Kindle "experiment," already concluding that students are not into the Kindle when it comes to classroom learning. They are, however, fans of the Kindle when it comes to using it as a personal reading device. [Ars Technia]

The Real ROI of Social Media: If you're asking the ROI question about social media and expecting to be able to show it all on a spreadsheet, you're still looking at social media as a channel, most likely for just one or two business functions, such as marketing or recruiting.

While it's true that social media can be used in that way, it has become something else entirely: an essential communication utility. What's the ROI of the telephone? Or email? It's a ridiculous question, right? [American Express OPEN]

Introduction to Using Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to making it easier for people to share and build upon the work of others, consistent with the rules of copyright.

The Commons provides free licenses and other legal tools to mark creative work with the freedom the creator wants it to carry, so others can share, remix, use commercially, or any combination thereof.

This printable guide provides an overview of how to use Creative Commons along with additional information regarding technical implementation on the Web. Introduction to Using Creative Commons

Additional Resources

• Creative Commons
• Flickr + Creative Commons
• Yahoo! Search + Creative Commons 
• Support Creative Commons

Eight Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom

Tom Barrett (@tombarrett) has put together an excellent presentation called "Eight Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom." Here's a summary of the things he listed, but be sure to check the slides out for more detail.

1. Gather Real World Data
2. GeoTag the Buzzwords
3. Summarize topics or POV as Tweets
4. Create a "TweetStory"
5. Collate Classroom Views
6. Inform parents
7. Find out where people are
8. Use it as a digital storytelling tool

Thanks Tom!

Related Resources

• Twitter College Directory
• Directory of Learning Professionals on Twitter
• Tweeting about Twitter
• Using Facebook in the Elementary Classroom

Microsoft Education: Learning Content Development System

Microsoft Education has created a new free tool for teachers and/or instructional designers called the Learning Content Development System (LCDS). The LCDS provides easy to use tools for educators to:

"create high quality, interactive, online courses. Virtually anyone can publish e-learning courses by completing the easy-to-use LCDS forms that seamlessly generate highly customized content, interactive, quizzes, games, and assessments—as well as Silverlight-based animations, demos, and other multimedia."

Looks interesting. Anyone out there given this a whirl?

Related Resources

• Virtual Schools See Strong Growth
• Social Software & Online Learning Design
• Social Media & Digital Learning Styles

Text Messaging Tips for Parents & Educators

CommonSense Media has put together a really good texting 101 video along with some other educational materials for parents. In addition to the video, they have complied a list of useful mobile and texting factoids that every parent should know.

• Texting is the #2 use of cellphones -- after checking the time

• Kids send billions of texts every year -- and it's increasing

• Text messages connect kids instantly -- and privately

• Text messages and images can be spread virally or uploaded

• Texting has a language of its own

• "Sexting" happens: kids send inappropriate images or sexual messages

• The incidence of cheating through texting is on the rise

Whether you're an educator or a parent, this report from CommonSense Media will provide you with valuable insights into why Gen Y love their mobile devices.

In addition, it will arm you with the knowledge you'll need to have a candid discussion with your teen regarding the responsibilities that come with (mobile) technology.

Related Resources

• Cell Phones Discussion Guide
• Demographic Research on Texters
• "Sexting": Nudity & Mobile Phones
• Generation Text: Research on Teens & Mobile Devices
• What's the real story behind "sexting"? (Thanks Anastasia)
• Social Networking Tips for Parents & Educators

PB Wiki Tutorials on Atomic Learning

You already know that PBwiki is the easiest and best wiki platform out there. But did you know that Atomic Learning has FREE tutorials on PBwiki?

These tutorials will help you learn step-by-step how to create a PBwiki. Hurry, the tutorials are only available for a short time!

Related Resources

• PBWiki
• Atomic Learning
• PBWiki +Atomic Learning
• Video: PBWiki+Yackpack
• debaird.net + wiki
• Yahoo! For Teachers + WikiEDU

Technology & Learning's Digital Photo Contest for Kids

"Technology & Learning invites K-12 students to participate in the sixth annual digital photography contest.

The competition, open to all K-12 students, challenges you to capture - and share - your unique vision of the world in a "Digital Diary -Through My Lens."

If you have an artistic side, you also have the option to digitally enhance your photos with your favorite imaging software.

The best digitally enhanced photo wins a special prize from Adobe. Other prizes include a digital camera, Adobe Photoshop Elements, and more!"

More Info

• Adobe Digital Kids Club
• Technology & Learning
• FlickrEdu: Social Networking Goes to School
• Handout: FlickrEDU: Using Flickr in the Classroom

AFT Resources for Teaching Darfur

I recently had the privilege of attending the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) conference in Washington D.C. where my colleague Karon Weber and I had the opportunity to present Yahoo! for Teachers at a workshop being held at the 2007 AFT QuEST Conference.

One thing that really struck me was how progressive the AFT is in their approach to teaching as well as their positions on social issues. There were several booths that centered around what the AFT membership could do to support AIDS Advocacy, Genocide Awareness in Darfur, and Democracy in Africa.

"As men and women of conscience and as educators committed to the dignity and worth of all humanity, we have a responsibility to speak out against injustice on behalf of vulnerable and disenfranchised peoples across the globe." ~ 2006 AFT resolution on Opposition to the Genocide in Darfur

The AFT-Africa AIDS Campaign is a multi-country campaign in partnership with African teacher unions to provide resources to fight the spread of this disease. The impact of AIDS in the teaching community is staggering.

"This year in South Africa, more than 1,000 teachers will die of AIDS. In Zimbabwe more than 30 percent of the country's teachers carry the HIV virus. Many school age children have lost a parent to the epidemic. Throughout Africa, the statisics tell a similar story--teachers' lives lost and whole education systems endangered (Source: AFT-Africa AIDS Campaign)."

Here are some of the excellent resources complied by the AFT to help teachers educate their students on issues related to Africa, HIV and AIDS.

• Jim Lehrer NewsHour > Sudan
• Connecticut Coalition to Save Darfur > Teaching Resources
• Understanding Sudan
• Choices Program > Darfur Lesson Plans
• Darfur is Dying > Interactive Games

Related Resources

• debaird.net + Africa
• American Federation of Teachers
• AFT AIDS Campaign (pdf)
• Flickr > tag > Darfur

Yahoo! Teachers 2007: Scenes from the Road

I just thought I'd give you an update on what the Yahoo! Teachers team has been up to the last few hectic weeks!

June 17: We held a Yahoo! Teachers workshop for teachers in the San Jose/Evergreen School District. This was a great event and they were really impressed with Yahoo! Teachers and the Gobbler.

June 22: The entire Yahoo! Teachers team headed to Atlanta to attend NECC 2007! This is the largest educational computing conference in the country and we met teachers from all over the country.

Our booth was jammed packed with teachers wanting to see the Gobbler in action! This was a great week and our first big showing of Yahoo! for Teachers!

We had a great time in Atlanta. Bill's edict is that we "eat local" when we travel. One of the highlights of the trip was our team dinner at Gladys Knight Chicken and Waffles. We were a little tired and slap happy, so this made it even more fun.

We had a great bounty of Southern goodness on our table: fried chicken, waffles, collard greens, mac and cheese, fried corn, oh fresh lima beans and of course sweet tea! Being Yahoos, the moment our food arrived we whipped out our cameras so we could Flickr our food before we ate it!

July 2: Off to the windy city! Our Yahoo! Teachers Chicago workshop was held at the University of Chicago. We had a wonderful group of teachers from around Illinois attend the workshop. We also had several teachers from NECC 2007 come to the workshop. We were hoping for an Obama sighting, but sadly we struck out.

One of the most amazing new Yahoo! Teachers drove all the way from Alabama to attend the workshop. Karon and I were floored and honored that she would make that long drive to learn more about Yahoo! for Teachers. Again, we had some terrific projects come out of this workshop.

July 11: The Big Apple welcomed Yahoo! Teachers and we held two workshops at the NYC Yahoo! HQ. This was an amazing cadre of educators from all over the region. Teachers came from Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

We met several educators who are blogging about technology in the classroom and using social media in interesting and innovative ways to support learning in the classroom.

We were also thrilled to have Sue Wright and Greg Crum join us at our NYC workshops. They were great advocates for Yahoo! Teachers and they had a great time meeting colleagues from the other side of the country! Thanks Greg and Sue!

July 13: After a whirlwind couple of days in NYC, Karon and I headed off to Washington D.C. to present Yahoo! for Teachers to the American Federation of Teachers. Our group of teachers hailed from Minnesota, Montana, DC, Virginia and New York.

In fact, we had standing room only and left with a long list of teachers who want to sign up as alpha teachers. We were thrilled to have such a positive reception from the AFT community.

Speaking of the AFT, they have a lot of great resources on their site, including resources to help educators teach about the crisis in Darfur.

July 16: Karon and I headed to San Francisco to attend the YPulse Mashup. This is a conference that focuses around how tweens and teens use technology.

We were thrilled to share Yahoo! Teachers with the Mashup crowd and show how educators can use Yahoo! Teachers to connect with other teachers and gain the skills and confidence they need to use 21st century tools in their classrooms.

We had the honor to meet with Lisa and Pearl from the Schwab Learning Foundation. This is a wonderful organization that provides information and resources to teachers/kids/parents on learning difficulties (LD).

They have a wonderful site, including an online library, full of articles, research and other information to help students with learning difficulties. They have a special site for kids called, SparkTop, where kids with LD can come and connect with other kids

We also presented Ben Wilkoff, a teacher from Denver, Colorado, with the first Yahoo! Teachers/Edutopia Totally Wired Teacher Award. Congrats to Ben!

July 17: Hey Austin! Here we come.......Wendy Heller, Karon and I headed off to Austin to hold a workshop at the University of Texas @ Austin. Wow. Talk about totally wired! The teachers at the Austin workshop were very tech savvy and caught the vision of Yahoo! Teachers in a big, big way.

Then again, everything--including vision--is big in Texas!

All work and no play? No way. While in Austin we checked out the Story of Texas state history museum and tracked down the best BBQ join in Austin. Where? That would be Iron Works. Yum. Yum. Yum.

Where next? That would be San Diego! On Saturday we will be holding our final summer workshop at the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego.

We come off this workshop and conference tour with a new found appreciation for all the wonderful educators out there who are striving every day in the classroom to help their students acquire the knowledge and skills they will need to be contributing members of society.
Stay tuned, we are just getting started.......

Cheers!

Derek, Karon and the entire Yahoo! Teachers team

Related Resources

• Yahoo! Teachers + Flickr
• Yahoo! Teachers > Get an Invite
• Yahoo! Teachers + Upcoming
• Yahoo! Teachers + del.icio.us
• Yahoo! Teachers + Jumpcut

B.J. Fogg on Web Credibility

Related Resources

• BJ Fogg
• Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab
• Overview of Captology
• Yackpack

Teaching Toolbox: del.icio.us

This is a fantastic tutorial on using del.icio.us in the classroom! Social bookmarking tools like del.icio.us are a great and easy way to find those hidden threads of community knowledge. Give it a try--soon you'll wonder how you lived on the web with out it!

Video originally uploaded on YouTube by jutecht on March 8, 2006.

Geographic Literacy

Houston (that's in Texas) we have a problem.

According to the 2006 Geographic Literacy Study, most American young adults between the ages of 18 to 24 have a limited understanding of basic geographic skills.

In fact, of those surveyed, only 54% answered all of the questions correctly. Among the findings:

• 37% could identify Iraq on a map.
• 88% can't find Afghanistan on a map.
• 20% think Sudan is in Asia.
• 48% believe the majority population in India is Muslim.
• 43% can't find Ohio on a map.

To combat this trend, the National Geographic Education Foundation has launched, My Wonderful World, a new literacy campaign designed to give kids the global knowledge they will need to survive in this increasingly "Flat World."

The My Wonderful World web site contains lesson plans, and other activities and resources for teachers, parents, and kids!

The Association of American Geographers (ARGUS) has compiled a myriad of geography teaching materials along with a text which contains 26 case studies that illustrate major geographic concepts, transparency masters, a teacher's guide, and an interactive CD.

Digital Geography is an UK-based website for teachers focused on using ICT and social software resources in the geography curriculum.

Noel Jenkins, the brains behind Digital Geography, uses Google Earth and Flickr, along with his own model curriculum (including animation), to make geography a fun and active learning experience for students.

These are just a few of the many digital resources available on the web that can provide teachers with the building blocks and ideas to integrate geographic knowledge and skills into their curriculum.

Web Resources

• 2006 Geographic Literacy Study
• My Wonderful World
• Digital Geography
• CNN Student News > Geography
• Education World > Teaching Geography
• debaird.net + flat world

FlickrEDU | Social Software Goes to School

Flickr, the popular online photo sharing and social networking community, is popping up in lots of classrooms as teachers find interesting and creative ways to integrate its many features into their curriculum.

Why is Flickr so popular in the classroom?

Perhaps the June 2005 Adaptive Path newsletter said it best:

“Flickr recognized that people wanted a better way to share their photos. They also recognized that people might have myriad ways of doing that. Flickr lets people derive their own value from sharing photos…Instead of attempting to define your experience, they simply provide a sandbox, and give you the means to create a meaningful experience within that.”

Sounds like social constructivism to me.

So how do you use Flickr in your classroom? I've started a Flickr community group where educators can share curriculum ideas, make suggestions, share student Flickr projects, or learn more about using social software in the classroom. So please join the discussion!

And for a more ideas how to use Flickr in your classroom, be sure to look for my article, FlickrEDU in the Nov 2005 issue of TechLearning.

Nov 11 Update: The article has been published. Here's a printable handout you are free to use for professional development workshops.