I suppose it's no secret now that I'm a huge fan of the new "Friends' shared items" feature in Google Reader - a new turn for social networking. Now for one important question and a holiday request:

• Is it taboo to share posts that you have written with others in your Google Reader network?

You know what I mean. You write a blog post, you subscribe to your blog in Google Reader, and then you click the "Share" button on your posts. Good, no good, or does it depend?


Now, if it's not taboo (or at least can be allowed in some circumstances) to indulge in a little self promotion, then here's my holiday request:

• I'd love it if you would please share with me what you consider to be the top two or three items that you've ever contributed to the online world.

Sure, I may have read your stuff before, but there's a lot of great content out there that I've missed - and at times the dreaded "Mark All As Read" syndrome attacks us all.

Happy holidays,

D

Image Source - Me and wiskeydiet

Technorati Tags: googletalk socialnetworking sharing education technology

True or False:

A post's comments can generally be utilized to measure its effectiveness.



Technorati Tags: comments blogosphere education technology

Hello Google,

When I mentioned that I hoped that you took the idea of translation bots one step further, this is pretty much what I had in mind:

Please note:

• I have written in English while Jorge has written in Spanish.
• I have chosen my language using the pull-down menu.
• I can see what language my friend is speaking, but am not troubled with the clutter caused by multiple translations of the same content.
• An optional "View untranslated conversation" button might also be a good addition - both providing an exchange similar to what you currently have in place and limiting the phrases that might be lost in translation, given that a person can read the foreign language but prefers to type in his/her native tongue.

Again, one small step for Google, but one giant leap for mankind - or at least those of us concerned with international communication.

Have a nice holiday season,

Darren

Technorati Tags: google googletalk international edubloggerworld education technology

Wow. Two new additions to Google's arsenal have tremendous potential for educational conversation.

1. Google Reader added the new "Friends' shared items" feature.

Now I'm not only able to see what educators around the world are reading, but I'm also able to discover a number of new-to-me great writers. Here's a list of a few gems I've found via my friends' shared items:

• David Armano - Amazing post about Twitter and Tipping Points (two of my favorite subjects)
• YPulse - Great summary of the newly released PEW study by a blogger that focuses on Generation Y
• Derek Wenmoth - Informative post that details a new addition to Google Talk (see below)

Again, if it weren't for my newly acquired ability to easily view my friends' shared items, I would have missed these (and other) great posts.

What I Want For Christmas That Would Drastically Improve The Experience:

• Inline commenting on my shared items. If I were able to attach a brief comment to each of the items that I share, then further meaningful conversation could easily take place - and in a very non-intrusive way. Simple for Google to implement, here's to the hope that they do.

For those interested in a quick-start guide to this using this feature, I highly recommend John Pederson's well-crafted Google Reader - Because Sharing Is Caring. John's guide will teach you not only how to get up and running, but how to avoid looking like a N00b.

Quick note: If you share with me - I'd love to share with you. Please see the comments for my Google Talk information.

2. Google Talk now includes 23 different language translation 'bots'.

Each of the bots is named using two-letter language abbreviations as "[from language]2[to language]@bot.talk.google.com". The supported language pairs are: ar2en, de2en, de2fr, el2en, en2ar, en2de, en2el, en2es, en2fr, en2it, en2ja, en2ko, en2nl, en2ru, en2zh, es2en, fr2de, fr2en, it2en, ja2en, ko2en, nl2en, ru2en, zh2en. So, for French to German translation, talk to fr2de@bot.talk.google.com. While this addition really only serves as an easy-to-access translation dictionary, the potential for future uses is amazing.

What I Want For Christmas That Would Drastically Improve The Experience:

• I can see it now: Google takes these "translation bots" one step further. You type your message in English and your Chinese-speaking friend reads it in Chinese. Again, this seems like a relatively small step for Google to take that would literally transform the way our world chats. Very exciting!

In conclusion, I'm very pleased with (and thankful for) the new collaborative features that Google has added to the tools that have already revolutionized the way we do things. How about you?

• What do you like about what Google has done and what does your Google Holiday wish-list look like?

Quick update: Google has granted my second Christmas wish. Albeit much more cluttered than I had hoped for, you actually can type your chat in English and have your Chinese-speaking friend read it in Chinese - all using the Group Chat feature. Here's how I learned about it:


Image Source - John Pederson

Technorati Tags: google reader international education technology

I just finished reading - for the first time - one of my favorite books of all time: No Talking, by Andrew Clements. Even though a juvenile fictional work, this book demonstrates the potential power of student voice. Little more than a few-hour read, I highly recommend it to every principal, teacher, and student, alike. The back cover of the book provides an excellent description:

Okay, here's the deal: a whole day of no talking at school. Not in class, not in the halls, not on the playground, nowhere. No talking at all. And it's a contests - boys against girls. Whichever sides talks less, wins.

As it turns out, Dave Packer and Linsey Burgess were actually able to lead the entire fifth grade at Laketon Elementary, throughout the duration of their heated "no talking" competition and into the hearts of their teachers and principal. In spite of the resistance they had in the beginning - from parents, from teachers, and from the principal - they were able to change the way others thought, in time, and through the manner with which they conducted themselves.

Now, the reasons they were able to effectuate change are simple:

1. They had a unique cause.
2. They learned to think before they spoke.
   
   And Most Important:
   
   
3. They worked together as a large, unified body.

In both limiting their voice and in acting together as a large body of students, these kids truly had a voice.

Enter Students 2.0

The student-contributors of the newly created Students 2.0 blog are similarly concerned with voice. Student voice. Quoting directly from their blog's side-panel:

We are students: the ones who come to school every day, raise our hands with safe questions, and keep our heads down. Except, now we have a voice—a strong voice—to share our ideas through a global network.

Now in spite of my original perceptions, I'm actually quite impressed with most of that which has been written on this newly created edublog phenomenon. On the whole, the student contributors have each chimed in very thoughtfully with well-synthesized posts - often to the praise of many members of the edublogosphere. Unlike most inhabitants of the echo-chamber, however, I can't say that everything about their efforts has been without blemish. They are, after all, kids. Nevertheless, I too was once in their shoes and recall far too many days riddled with blemish - my face, in fact, produced so much oil as a teen that there were definitely no oil shortages in Utah during my high-school years.

As I have commented on a few of their most intriguing posts, I thought it prudent to also include a few of my takes here, combined with a few nuggets of advice. What they choose to do with these words is, of course, their own prerogative.

The Good:

• These kids are talented and very articulate - especially for their ages. Don't believe me? Think about how well you were writing when you were fourteen - then compare it with this.
  
  
  
• Like it or not, these kids are not the norm. Most kids their ages are more worried about zits, new cars, and popularity contests than they are about school improvement. Thus, I tip my hat to each one of them. They are trying their best to make a difference, and should be commended for the effort alone.
• The posts contributed by these students have been surprisingly varying. From student technology leadership to educational hierarchy to learning with networks, these kids have been spot-on in identifying some of the issues that need to be solved in order for real progress to take place.
  

The Bad:

• I've got a real problem with their "About" page. If we've entered "an age where thinking is more important than knowing" and "where thoughts out-do the facts" then I guess my answer is '42'. Can somebody please explain this to me? It's possible that I haven't quite spent enough time masquerading about as Master Chief to clearly understand how "knowing" doesn't encompass "thinking". And do thoughts really out-do the facts? Only if it's 1989 and your name is O.J. Simpson.
  
• While probably only a misinterpretation of their unbridled enthusiasm, these kids (at times) come off as rather arrogant. Yes, I know they're the first of their kind. Yes, I understand that they've got a bone to pick. But still... I'm just sayin': Cockiness does not prove effectiveness.
  

My Advice To The Students - For What It's Worth:

• Do you really want to effectuate change? I mean really? Then never ignore the tough questions. Ken Pruitt, for example, asked several that you've all but ignored. You want to know why changes aren't made in our school systems? Ken's questions lie at the heart of it. Welcome to the real world.
  
• I see that you've steered away from the "new post every six hours" strategy. Very good move. In writing effective posts, I'm learning that quality is far more important than quantity. Don't believe me? Follow Karl Fisch's example - his "Most Influential Blog Post" was one of only two that he wrote in a two-week time span. Again, quality - not quantity.
  
  And Most Important:
  

• Never forget that everything in education is political. Yep: everything. As a result, the number of eyes that see your work will never be important if the right eyes never see it. Legislators, other leaders in government, and ultimately your parents are the people that you will need to inspire. And while your voice might be "strong", it's only one voice. Get millions of your peers to echo your thoughts, with a roar that's impossible to ignore, and you will truly succeed.

Here's to the success that we all hope for Students 2.0. May they succeed where others, perhaps, have failed.

Darren

Image Source - Arthus

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