One Last Thing

This has been one of the biggest learning experiences I have had. To top that it is"things" I can use. I have been spreading the word about this course to everyone I can. There are so many "things" I learned it is hard to identify my favorite. I want to incorporate voicethreads and online slide shows with students or for students so I guess I could say those are my favorites.
Learning how to create a Wiki was the most difficult thing, but I felt so accomplished when I completed the task. I still haven't been able to figure out Flickr letters, but I will!!!! The instructions on how to do everything we easy to follow so I shouldn't have had any problems. Sometimes it takes me experimenting with stuff to get it. I just need to experiment more.
I feel more comfortable with this technology and have even shown a couple of my teammates what I have learned. I'm hoping that since I can apply the things I've learned that I will want to keep up with any new developments.
Once again, I want to say I have learned so so much and I have told so many people about this class. They are excited about the course and that is just from what I have told them.
Thanks for an educational journey!

Thing #23

After browsing the Discussion Forum in Classroom 2.0 I discovered there are a lot of people out there that want to share or have questions. I did come across a couple of cool sites that I hopefully can use Interactive Quiz and Phixr for online photo editing. The problem with the discussion forum is there are too many interesting topics. I kept finding things I wanted to bookmark or comment on. I even ordered a book from Amazon based on one of the groups' discussions. Several of the discussions covered questions I had or hadn't thought of but was interested in.
I joined the TeacherLibrarianNing. Of course it was created by Dr. Joyce Valenza so it was full of useful discussions. I also joined Texas School Librarians. The thought of communicating with fellow librarians at all levels is an exciting concept for me. This being my first year I want to have as much input to make the library program at my school the best it can be. Connecting with people who have been where I am will save me time and mistakes.

Thing #22

I created a Facebook account in response to my sister requesting me as a friend. That is all it took. Before you knew it there were others requesting me as their friend. Most of the requests I'm sure are from extended friends. To be honest I don't really check it that often. Most of the postings I get are for results to polls such as what television mom are you? Other posts are people stating what they did over the weekend or what they are going to do. I appreciate their sharing but I don't take the time to keep up with it. It's just one more thing to add to my to do list. I don't know when these people find the time. The information isn't directed at only me though so I don't feel so bad.

I do think it would be a good place to keep in touch with relatives and to share photos. Which I usually do through email. I understand the importance though of being aware of this type of communication and my ability to work with it.

Here is my Facebook!

Thing #7b

I love reading what Dr. Joyce Valenza writes about. There is always something that interests me. this time she wrote about the presentation she did at the National Educational Computing Conference called Library Tools Smackdown. I'm going to link directly to one of the Wikis that was created for that presentation. Since a group of us were just talking about how to promote books and reading I found this timely. Many of the things used we have learned about in the class. However, this wiki gave me a site to use to create those talking drawings used in the kids booktalks. Only problem it's a software program I would have to purchase. I will work with the trial version and see if it is easy and worth it.

Thing #21

I am learning so much! I have explored some of the features that Google offers in the past, but was not aware of all the features. I started my search with Google earth. I didn’t know that I could create a tour of places and then share it. SketchUp on Google Earth was for the more advanced user, maybe a graphic designer or architect. As far as the maps go, I could see the use of some of the them for students to monitor topics covered in science. Weather, earthquakes, marine life, and landforms are just a few.
Google Calendar is something I have used at work. I used it mainly to remind me of places or things I had to be at or do. The popup feature is a saving aspect of the calendar for me. The calendar could be used for more than my personal schedule. A list of due dates, activites, or holiday for school could be published. Just like all other aspects of Google, if you have Internet access you have access to the calendar.
Another feature of Google I explored was Google Alerts. I have several interests and it was difficult which ones I wanted to be notified about. I liked the idea of the topics being narrowed down for me. I didn't have to search for what I was interested in. Students could use this for getting information on a particular topic they are studying. Since the posts are put up all day long the information would be current. Students could track statistics of sports team without the "paper." I'm sure students would rather use the Internet versus a newspaper.
My one concern with the alerts is the bias of articles. If a contributor supports a particular political party his/her entry may not be totally objective, as in newspapers.

Thing #20

Google Docs is wonderful! The ability for students or teachers to collaborate on work/projects is one of the best features. Students could create a document, presentation, or spreadsheet and have others help to complete it. The work could be done from any computer. That is another of the best features. Students no longer have to worry about losing their work, carrying it home with them, or having to schedule a time to meet with others who are helping them. They could all access it from their own computers; whether at school or at home. Teachers could also follow along to ensure students are on the right track or that all of them are participating.
I created a spreadsheet for scheduling library checkout times using GoogleDocs. I could easily send this out to the campus for the teachers to schedule their times. As long as no one changed anybody else's time. Last year I completed a survey for the library using SurveyMonkey, but this would be better because it is free.
Teachers could share documents or forms they created with other grade levels or campuses. The possibilties for its use are multiple. The best thing I think about GoogleDocs, and I stated this above, is not having to save to a zip-drive or print the document out. As long as you have access to the Internet you have the document with you.

Thing #19

I think VoiceThreads adds to the teacher's repertoire of ways for students to present information. Students jump at the chance to use technology. The more technology that is integrated into their learning the more they are going to enjoy that learning. If a student posts their work on a VoiceThread other students could respond to their work. There were several ideas I got for using VoiceThreads. Collaboration on projects, book reviews, and student or teacher demonstrations are just some of the ways I saw VoiceThreads being used.

Some of my favorite VoiceThreads were Science Fair. I could use this to demonstrate to the students what their projects should like. I thought Sarah Marie did a great job on Geometry. Gives me ideas for ways to use this.

Thing #18

I put in the key words "earth science" and the first video I came up with had a couple of heated comments. Continental Drift & Plate Tectonics (clip) It was interesting reading the discussion. Most of the time all I read is just feedback on the video and it is usually very positive. This one had me thinking about the video a little more. Why Earth Science, posted below, would be good to introduce the Earth Science Unit. The idea that it is only about 6 minutes long is great.

Another video I viewed was off the TeacherTube titled: Book Review: Ms. Todd is Odd. It was created with an animated paper cutout. Glog Book Review: One Potato Two Potato was yet another video with a book review using the same type animation. I had seen this before and want to know how to do it.

There were several videos that I watched just for fun. I embeded one of my favorites in my Wiki.

Thing #17

I previewed several of the podcasts. I wanted to see the different ways the teachers and students were using podcasts. The Jamestown Elementary Podcast Project was good because it included work from all the grade levels. It was interesting to see all the different applications. Just One More Book!! was terrific. They included a list of additional titles that related to the podcast title and also shared the suggested reading level and topics the book covered. This would be useful if you weren’t familiar with the book and needed a quick reference. I watched the Rock Stars of Reading video/podcast and really enjoyed seeing or hearing authors in their own environment. The creators of the podcast were acquaintances of the authors so they were really laid back interviews.
Another podcast that was entertaining and informative was Geek!Ed! I listened to one of the podcasts on Technology in Education. The reason I say one is that the podcasts averaged 40 minutes. I subscribed to this podcast through my Google Reader and iTunes. I don’t really have the patience to sit and listen to something for that long but while I’m driving or walking I can listen on my iPod.
I feel that podcasts could be used for learning a new language, students sharing their work or reviews, or students who need to hear information more than once. I had a fellow teacher who recorded her spelling words so students could “ hear” them all during the week. Another idea would have students record their multiplication facts to listen to later.

Thing #16

One use I could see for LibraryThing is for reviews or reflections on books. A group could be created for a certain book and members could share their opinions or views on the piece. I could also see LibraryThing being used for cataloging a classroom library. The initial work might take awhile but in the long run it would pay off. Being able to add a tag to the book and then having it put into a group would be wonderful. I have my classroom library divided up by author, subject, and series. Having this done for me would be great.
I found an interesting group discussing banned books. The discussion included a list of the American Booksellers Foundation “Banned Books.” The list contained the school district that wanted the books banned and the reasons behind the banning request. Pretty fascinating read! I was surprised at some of the books on the list. The Giver by Lois Lowry and Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya were just two. The controversy over Bless Me Ultima was really surprising. All it made me want to do was read the books!
I created a LibraryThing account in hopes that maybe I will use it for my classroom catalog.

Thing #15

Oh my gosh!!! I had a problem understanding the instructions right off the get go. I am a visual learner and I think a little (well maybe a lot) attention deficit. Thank goodness for the Wikispaces Cheat Sheet. However, reading and applying the directions still took me awhile. Once I got going though it was smooth sailing with only a few hitches. I figured the hitches out and I was proud of some of the "stuff" I included. I know that to a pro it isn't too fancy but to someone who has never done anything like this before I did okay.
I don't think I would have students create Wikis, at least not with my teaching them, but I think I could create one for a class or group to use.
I still want to learn how to do some of the "stuff" I saw on other Wiki pages. Selena's was awesome! And I still can't figure out the flickr letters that Angie used on her Wiki. I will not give up on figuring it out.

The link to my personal sandbox page is What a Wiki!

Thing #14 Stretch

My students were familiar with Wikipedia; however, the only thing I knew about it was anyone could make an entry or change information that was already there. I told my students they could not take everything they read on Wikipedia as factual.
I typed in Harley Davidson and was led to the history of the HD motorcycle. I wasn't that knowledgeable about the topic so I wouldn't know if the information was accurate. There were several citations made in the article so I guess the info could be easily checked out.
Then I went to the discussion page and discovered others had issues with some of the material. There was an entry discussing the status of the HD article in regards to Good Article status. The HD article had fallen out of favor in its ranking as a "good article." I skimmed down and most of the problem was with citing of information. When I went to the "editing" page I didn't quite understand if the edits had been made or if this was the page I could edit. I clicked on some of the edits and didn't get it. The "history" button actually took me to where people had made the edits.
There are a lot of people out there that know or think they know about different subjects. I guess I will keep verifying any information through a variety of sources.

Thing #14

The use of wikis to have students collaborate is a great idea. A 4th grade writing class could use a wiki to respond to each others writing. Instead of trading your paper with a fellow student for revision ideas the students could do it online. The use of technology in this sense would motivate several of the unmotivated students to write.
I just completed the Essentials Online Intel class where we used a wiki. It was basic compared to some of the wikis I previewed. After reading some of the student entries and seeing the interaction I feel I shorted my students last year. How much they (and I) would have enjoyed doing this! After creating a wiki for a class/group, I want to further pursue the use of photographs, charts, timelines by the students in the wiki. I was impressed with Go West and the third graders work. This site included all of the extras I want to try. It appeared each student could create using a tool(s) of their choice. (time-line, journal entry) This would address the learning needs of all students.
Another Wiki I liked was Welcome to Room 15. This demonstrated the interaction and collaboration between students and with the teacher. The wiki had several categories that students could contribute. A couple of these were the Classroom Journal and The Newsroom. I think this would allow students of varying abilities to be able to participate. The wiki also encouraged students and parents to edit work, so it was not limited just to the classroom.
The final wiki I want to comment on is the primary one Kindergarten Counting Book and Primary Math. How awesome to know that even the youngest of students can participate with technology. Most of my experience has been with primary students just working with software that was preloaded on a computer. It didn't allow for much creativity or imagination. I realize the kids had a lot of assistance but the opportunity for them to experience this is great. Hopefully, the rest of the primary grades would continues to use wikis to build on the students' knowledge. It will help the intermediate teachers to transition the kids to more advanced use of technology.

Thing #13

The best thing about Delicious is being able to search others bookmarks. This allowed me to address my specific need by typing a key work. Then I was able to look at what others had already found. I didn’t have to do all the work.
I also like the fact I can categorize my bookmarks with tags. I went to my Yahoo Bookmarks and discovered I could do the same but there were several other amenities that weren’t offered. Yahoo wouldn’t allow me to share my bookmarks or to see others’ bookmarks. Delicious not only allowed me to share my bookmarks, but I was able to determine how and to whom they were to be shared with. I could group the bookmarks in a variety of ways.
I could use this when I wanted to have students view specific resources.

The link to my Delicious is http://delicious.com/babybiker.

Thing #7a

First, I keep adding to my Google Reader. I found a blog written by a librarian and her first year, which linked me to a blog by another librarian, which linked me to yet another librarian blog and so on and so on. Hours spent reading! Of course I had to subscribe to most of them. The one I found today that was interesting was from a blog titled Hey Jude. She had written about a site that offered videos that had been screened by teachers and covered most subjects. neoK12 was the video site. Pretty cool!

Thing #12

I explored every tool and spent way too much time doing it. Some of the tools were just fun. Blabberize and Picnik are two. I "played" with these two tools for quite a while. I hope my family appreciates what I did to their pictures. I also started a photo album/scrapbook of my son with MixBook. Though I "played" with those tools for my personal use several of the others would be useful in the classroom setting. I liked the use of Writeboard for students to share their writing and for peer response/input. The Quizlet would be great for just about any subject. The idea of getting immediate feedback after completing a test is helpful. I knew right then if I had selected the correct answer. I tried the Weebly, but I guess I didn't spend enough time exploring it. No technical expertise was needed to create a website but you had to know what and how all the drag-and-drop features were used. I didn't! TimeGlider and Ta-da List would be good for a students or teacher to create a project checklist or due dates. Students would be able to check when certain tasks were to be completed. The last tool I will mention is the LetterPop. This could be used for final products on a students project or as a student or teacher created classroom newsletter.

Thing #11

This collage of my nieces was created using Mosaic Maker. I wish I had more portraits of them to use. My sister enjoyed it though. I also rotated the pictures so they would all be the same but I noticed that one didn't appear as I had it saved. Hmm! I will work
on that. I could use this for a posting of students work or them in working on a project.

The picture depicts how I felt before I started this class and sometimes during the class. I made this using Famous People's Custom Quotes on Comic Strip Generator. I shared this with my son and know he has made several for himself. This would be fun to use as a motivator. Create cartoons with the kids favortie characters giving them directions.

I tried creating at least one thing using the others so I could get the practice. The sign at the top of my blog and the heart on the side were created using Image Chef. I am still working on using Spell with Flickr. I will figure it out! I know when I figure out Flickr I will have hundreds of ideas for its use!!!

Thing #10

This was fun and not as difficult as I thought it would be. I did have trouble with someone else's slide show posting to my blog. They were very nice pictures of her family and friends. Don't ask me how I resolved it. I tried too many things. The only other problem I had was the amount of time I took trying out all the different effects. I think I exhausted all of them. When I get through with this post I am going to create a slide show with my personal pictures of my nieces.

Photographs are attributed to:
Good Day Sunshine by fangleman
Sunshine Daisies by tassiesim
Summer Suns by Bitterroot
Sweet Sunshine and Endless Sky by Chad Johnson
The Sun Watches by amcdaniel183
Bring Me Sunshine by stuant63

Thing #9

The CBS Sunday Morning show uses unique suns to represent the stories they report on. I think I watch just so I can see the creative designs that are used and secretly would like to have a collection of my own. I selected this picture for my blog to inspire me and because suns seem so . . . sunny!

This was one of the most fun and frustrating "things" so far. I spent more than the suggested time searching Flickr and even more time trying to figure out how to do "stuff" with some of the pictures. I found some wonderful pictures and ideas for future use and even a couple of blogs that I subscribed to. The wide variety of pictures available for use will allow me to enhance my presentations.

I discovered I needed to think about how I searched for a topic. Ceramic sun also gave me "laying ceramic tile in the sun room." I got better as I went on. The only problem I had was trying to download the letters that were used on the 23 Things page. I am usually good at figuring things out, but no matter what I did I couldn't get it to work like I wanted. I will get it though!

Thing #8

Creative Commons could affect me professionally and/or personally if I need or want to publish something. Having the "cc" logo would make it easier to identify material that I could use freely. It would also allow me to decide how exactly I wanted my creations to be used by others.

The only problem is I haven't ever seen, or recall seeing, this logo on any websites I have visited. I attempted a search of websites that would require some type of permission for use and only found the copyright logo. I will keep looking.

If students were creating a product that would be put on the school website, a web-page, or blog, this would be beneficial in helping them stay within the appropriate use of resources. Some students and adults tend to copy and paste without much consideration for the legality of use. I have used digital images, audio and video from the web in production of material I wanted to present to the students. I have assisted the students in the use of these resources for use in their work. This will make me stop and take a closer look at what I am doing and allowing the students to use.

Thing #7

When I'm interested in what is being written I have no problem commenting. I usually find something in the blog that I agree with and go from there. If I have a question about something I don't understand or need more explanation I don't have a problem with that either.

I sometimes feel as a technology novice I am not as well spoken as others. When the blog involves discussion about technology I tend to be more conservative in my comments. As I gain confidence in my knowledge and abilities I figure I'll express my myself more.

Commenting on blogs opens a window for conversation. Usually the bloggers have common interests. Getting feedback or responses to an entry on a blog also makes you feel like what you have to share is worth reading. Hearing from people, whether they agree with you or not, allows an understanding of others views and maybe gives insight into ideas not considered.

Thing #6

The only problem I see with this "thing" is I'll be signing up for an infinite number of feeds. I could easily get carried away with this.

I did find some "useful" not just fun or entertaining sites. My favorite so far is School Library Journal. I have enjoyed reading articles by Joyce Valenza Ph.D. in the past. Now, I will be connected every time she adds an article.

This feed also allows access to other articles and information that School Library Journal has to offer. Book reviews, educational technology, and curriculum connections are just a few of the links. This is a great resource.

Thing #5

On Techlearning I found a blog titled The Ideal School Library. This particular blog was of interest to me because I will be a new librarian this coming school year. I don't think many of the contributors were librarians though, or at least not elementary librarians. The responses were critical of library media specialists. I agree to be called a "media specialist" you must be knowledgeable of technology more than most. However, the resources have to be available and there has to be a buy in of the use of the technology by the whole campus. Thank goodness I am taking this class. I don't want to be one of the librarians people complain about.

Thing #4

The first blog I read was Patrick's Update. He wrote about his hopes and concerns of passing 5th grade. What a great way for kids to share thoughts and feelings about a variety of topics. I feel students would be more motivated to read and respond using this format because it's different, new (to them), and fun (uses technology). The positive feedback that Patrick received could only motivate him to succeed. My concern is allotting time for kids to blog.

I enjoyed reading the blog on Powerpoint Reform: a first chapter. I have taught 4th grade for years and haven't had much opportunity for students to create powerpoints, but as a person who has had to create a few myself this was right on target. The author wrote the blog as an instructional piece and was easy to follow. I will use this blog when instructing students on creating powerpoints and I will refer to it often when I am creating my own!

Another blog that made me rethink my teaching was How to Prevent Another Leonardo da Vinci. It didn't hurt that when you opened the page it had it was nominated for one of the most influential posts for 2007. That piqued my interest! So many times I "decide" where I want my students to go. The blog reminded me of how I need to let go and let my students discover their learning. I highly recommend all teachers read this blog and refer back to it often.

An Environmental Break-Why Can't We Do This? was not my favorite blog to read, but I understand the usefulness. I can see the use of a blog to discuss controversial topics and get responses from people of different opinions. This blog would allow students to see other sides of issues and better form their own ideas on the topic. Allowing students to link sites that support their side could be added to the blog.

The cutest blog was A Duck with a Blog. I loved reading the 2nd graders theories. Where did they come up with those ideas? Allowing the students to write about something as simple as what they saw on their playground gave them the opportunity to use their creative thinking skills to come up with their theories. This is a great way to share their thoughts about the ducks but it also allows them to practice their writing skills. Believe me, coming from the view of a 4th grade teacher, this is very important.

Overall I discovered a variety of uses for blogs and I am excited about using them in this coming school year.

Things #2

The first comment I have about web 2.0 is how great classrooms would be if technology was used like the teachers and students in the article. The students' enthusiasm for learning was powerful. Allowing students to guide their learning makes them more motivated to participate. You would think that communication skills would be diminished by lack of in person conversation, but the article stated just the opposite. The students learned to think critically. Posting where others would be evaluating their writing resulted in being more aware of what and how they wrote.

Integration of other subjects, cross-curricular planning, kids actively involved, motivated learners, the opportunity for parents to be engaged in their child's learning what more could you ask for. Now all I have to do is learn how to do this.

The possibility this technology offers is great. I want to know how to "syndicate" and "aggregate."

Thing #1

The habit I feel will be the most challenging for me, and is why I'm taking this class, is using technology to my advantage. I tend to jump in and go at it, but get sidetracked, a lot! I can spend hours exploring, resulting in several tabs or links being opened. My goal is to find the end of the Internet.

A habit I think will be easiest or a challenge, depending on how you look at it, is the playing. I have no problem with playing around. As I mentioned above I can get sidetracked changing, searching, or trying to figure things out. This is most true when I'm on the computer. I've left typing this blog three times to look up stuff.

Using technology to my advantage is definitely the most important habit for me. I want to learn as much about 23 things as possible. Being able to use this technology in my everyday life and in my teaching can only make everything more interesting and fun. I want to be knowledgable enough to share what I will learn with others.