Emerging+Trend

Lulu and Scribd & Example of a document uploaded to Scribd media type="custom" key="5419517" width="260" height="260" **Description of Assignment: **  The assignment was to sign-up for an emerging trend on our EDT 6020 PBWorks page. All of the choices are Web 2.0 tools, which means they are focused on people interacting with one another. Some examples of choices in emerging trends currently are Delicious, Facebook, Bubbl.us, Skype, Second Life, Jing, Scribd and Lulu. After signing-up, we needed to start researching our topic. To complete this assignment, I researched Scribd and Lulu and then created a presentation on VoiceThread to reveal my findings in a teacher-friendly format. I had previously created an account with Scribd, but needed to create one for VoiceThread. This was an assignment not only based on the content, but also the presentation, the media used, how it was produced, and whether the sources were sited. Not only did I read and research my emerging trends, Lulu and Scribd, but I also learned how to use the application VoiceThread to create my presentation. All of my research was completed online, mainly on the sites themselves.

 **Process: **  I chose a topic that I had a brief experience with in EDT 6010, which was Scribd, but I wanted to learn more. In order to learn more about both Lulu.com and Scribd.com, I did some research on both of their homepages first. There I was able to collect some facts about how the site was started, by whom, and what they were each all about. Both Lulu and Scribd are social publishing sites. They give people an opportunity to publish their own work and have member feedback in a social community. I watched demo videos and read the About Us pages. After I gained most of the information I needed to create my VoiceThread, I searched Wikipedia for more facts about the history of the companies. Finally, after merging all of my content on a PowerPoint, I added it to VoiceThread and began learning how to create my presentation by adding comments and organizing pages. I found that Scribd would be a great way to upload documents for students to print or edit. Lulu would be a great place to upload podcasts to teach and learn. I think it would be really beneficial for students to have to go through the steps of writing and editing on Lulu and then have to actually publish it. Who knows, someone might actually buy it (what a great real-life experience). As for VoiceThread, I can see students creating their own presentations and sharing them with classmates, in a regular classroom or a virtual one!  [|Lulu & Scribd]

I like that each member of the class prepared a different topic, so that way we are able to learn about various technologies in a visually-friendly way. Just looking at each presentation sparks new ideas not only on how to use VoiceThread, but also each technology in our classroom.
 * Reflection**: I found this to be a very informative, beneficial assignment. I of course started with a creation of a PowerPoint, which is something I feel very comfortable with. I love learning new technology, but it is helpful for me to begin with something I know how to use well. In this assignment, I tried many new pieces of technology. I was forced to find all of my information online, which was a first. I also learned about three different "emerging trends" (Scribd, Lulu, and VoiceThread) and decided practical ideas for use in the classroom. I found that of those three, Scribd is something I would use for uploading different documents for students, but also for teachers. Lulu has a lot of potential for teachers in a virtual classroom, but for me as a regular classroom teacher, I don't think I'll be using it. As for VoiceThread, I really want to use this in my classroom. I am still trying to figure out how.