Thing #23

As Charles Dickens stated, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom..." That pretty much sums up my experience with completing 23 Things. At times I wanted to give up, but I saw this as a challenge. It took me endless hours to complete, but when I was successful at a task, I felt empowered. My eyes have been opened to a new world. Isn't that the goal of learning? Isn't that what we want for our students? I know I will go back to my blogs and add more comments to them.

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

I enjoyed de.licio.us. because it allowed me find out out more about social bookmarking. It will allow me to use organize my bookmarks which is a huge time saver.
Also, I enjoyed making my own blog. It was fun doing the process, and it gave me a voice on the web which allows people worldwide to read and respond to what I have written. I even had a fellow blogger from the UK respond to one of my blogs!
Watching Teacher Tube will be a helpful resource throughout the school year. Teacher Tube is a great information resource to see other teachers' perspectives on various topics.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

Doing 23 Things helped me become up-to-date on what is available on the web. I feel I have only touched the surface. I am ready, confident,but a little nervous to venture deeper.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

Throughout this summer adventure, I soon realized that I had no clue how much I didn't know about the web. I didn't know how much I didn't know! My first experience with computers happened when I was already teaching in the 1980's. There was this "box" (probably the size of a small car) that made life easier, and it was delivered into every classroom.To say that "it has come a long way, baby" is an understatement!

4.What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

Since I was "green" in my computer skills when I took on this project, I found some directions somewhat vague. I had to "Google it" in order for me to understand certain procedures. I wish I could give specifics, but they escape me now.

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
Yes, I am up to the challenge!


6.How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?

I mentioned it in the beginning of this blog, but it needs repeating......

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom."

Thing #22

In my opinion, what Facebook and My Space have done for some,Ning has done for others.I like the idea that Ning is a supportive community for whatever is someone's fancy.Also, it uses technology to discover connections between people and content. I found two Nings that are related to education... http://www.classroom20.com and http://teacherlingo.com
However the latter is a bit limited. I was looking for more.
On a positve note...How impressed my students will be when I use a specific Ning for a lesson in class!

Thing # 21

I hope this can be shown because I am very proud of myself! It is my very first photo story, and if I can say so myself,it is good!

Thing # 20

On a more serious note........

Thing #19

I chose the following sites based primarily on user-friendly organization.Usability, social aspects, and content quality also were my considerations. Here is my list:

http://magic.pen.fizzlebot.com/
http://del.icio.us/
http://www.snapfish.com/
http://earth.google.com/
http://www.myspace.com/
http://www.lulu.com/
http://www.docstoc.com/
http://www.myheritage.com/
http://pbwiki.com/
http://istats.com.au/
http://farecast.live.com/
http://www.kayak.com/

According to http://www.seomoz.org/ the web sites on the award list are all nominated according to several categories ( content, leveraging of popular trends, inclusion of emerging web technologies) To win the awards, they must be voted on by the best bloggers and business people.
Also, http://knowledge.computing.co.uk/2008/05/new-web-20-awar.html is an interesting site to read to find out what is happening in the UK about the Web 2.0 awards.
As I was reading blogs about the Web2.0 awards, I stumbled across http://www.seoco.co.uk/blog/2008/06/12/web-20-awards/ Evidently, these awards were dropped from Google Results. Many bloggers had their own opinions why this has happened.

Thing #18

I found a useful video by You Tube explaining how to use GoogeDocs. I haven't quite figured out how to upload a video to my blog, but give me time. http://googledocs.com/. So in the meantime, please note the address http://doc.google.com/support.
I learned that using Google Docs will save time and energy with mailing attachments to several people for example. Google Docs can also be worked on from a mobile phone too. I plan to use Google Docs in the fall when school starts. One advantage to using Google Docs is that I am not tied to my computer if I am working on a word document. I can save it to my Google Docs and edit my document from any computer. I was hoping I would find a tool that allows this.

FYI....In order to upload a video into my blog, I must register with You Tube.

Thing #17

I see the benefits of Rollyo, but again I had to sign up to use it. It was abit confusing at first.With so many user names and passwords I have had to come up, it can be overwhelming. I do try and stick to the same user name and password as much as I can. I have lost count on many websites I have had to join so far. In Rollyo I typed in "travel." It did give me a list of several websites I was not even aware of were out there. At first I had trouble finding my searchrolls. I went through the steps, but I could not find it in order for me to transfer it into this blog. I have concluded that it is easier for me just to type in my favorite websites as I use them. Rollyo is a time saver maybe for other people.

Thing # 16

I am amazed with wikis and how much they can do. I found a web site that made it very easy to understand. http://pbwiki.com/pdfs/education/pbwiki-education-1.pdf I read how wikis can be used in the classroom as an online collaboration tool. Educational wikis are free which is always a great price! At this website, it allows users to insert plug-ins such as widgets. How amazing to insert videos, slideshows, calendars, and voice chats. There are educational specific materials available at the above website too. Blogs are useful, but they are a one-to-many communication tool. Wikis are used as an online collaboration tool which is great for editing student papers. All the students become involved with the writing process. Anyone can add content, but it needs to be tightly monitored for vandalism.Nevertheless, what a valuable learning tool for them if done properly ! As educators we are trying to engage all of our students. I would like to see a wiki developed at my school for each grade level and within each department. I feel it would help with communication between teachers and administors. Let's face it, word of mouth as the information filters down does have a tendency to get distorted. Hence, rumors begin and take on a mind of their own. Wikis would help with collaboration, so everyone feels he/she has a say and feels as a team.

Thing #15

I enjoyed the video. As the video panned around a typical college classroom, I had the impression that this setting for learning is becoming so "old school." It seems as if most of the learning occurs in college when a student plugs in his/her computer. Or should I say, when the student takes his/her wireless computer to Starbucks. My eyes were further opened when one of the college students made reference that she will read only eight books this year, but she will read over 2300 webpages! That is how far the web has come in a relatively short time.Reading web pages has replaced searching through books. Also on the video,I found it comical when the professor was writing on the chalkboard, and up popped this statement: "Writing on the chalkboard forces the teacher to move."Did anyone else find the humor in that?
I read most of the perspectives on Library 2.0. One interesting remark came from the article on "iceburgs." In it, there was mention of the current environment ( libraries) had to find ways to bring services to patrons rather than insisting that they come to us (librarianship). I don't know about you, but I used to love and still love visiting the library. There is something about about searching for a particular book, locating it on the shelf, and putting my hands around it. I could see how worn it had become from so many other people's hands turning the pages. Call me "old school."

Thing #14

I found Technorati to be very overwhelming to me. Its home page has so many "things"crammed onto one page. I became distrasted by the various advertisments. It will take me hours to get a handle on it. I went to Technorati and typed in the keyword "school library learning 2.0." Then I found a blog site called Boing Boing. There is an endless supply of blogs available if I had the time to look at them all.
The tags lead me into other directions.After reading a blog, one tag was entitled "interesting." I clicked on that link, and I saw other topics that didn't pertain to my original search.
Later, I ended up on TechCrunch because it has over 2700 fans. I wanted to read what all those people thought were interesting.
I still have the same opinion about Technorati. It is still overwhelming to me. It is like a spider web which branches out in all directions with some overlapping each other. I can't help but think about my college days. I remember going to the university library to write a research paper which included perusing the wooden card catalogue, searching the shelves for the needed books and hoping they were not checked out already.I would also use the microfilm machine for more information.Hours and hours later with all my needed information on note cards, I was ready to type my paper on the typewriter!
Fast forward to 2008...what an endless supply of knowledge is just at my fingertips! How exciting!

Thing #13

OMG! I searched through del.icio.us and it was fascinating!. I found so much information which I did not know existed. I typed in the keyword Italy. From there, I found so many social bookmarks. Searching for all of my interests would have taken so much time before finding out about del.icio.us, but it was now all at my fingertips. I came upon a social bookmark for an Italian magazine. In the magazine was a category named "property for sale." (I can dream, can't I?) I perused the apartments and villas throughout the Piedmont region. Many daydreaming minutes later, I came back to reality. However, I still have my favorite Italian apartment in my mind!
As a teacher, social bookmarking would become an important part of research for the students to utilize. If the students are assigned to research a specific author for example, del.icio.us could become their first attempt at finding information. The students could use it as a springboard to start their research.

Thing #12

After reading, I am going to remember that it would be better if I use a my real name when blogging. Maybe not my full first name, but just my initials. That would be appropriate for friendly blogs between friends, or blogging for my rodeo committee, or blooging for educational purposes. My initials would be generic enough for privacy.Secondly, when blogging I need to remember to ask questions in my blog if I want others to respond. Having a dialogue going is important because I would get strangers' opinions about what I posted.
I read a blog about the teenage girl who delivered a baby in her school. The school nurse and her parents did not know she was pregnant. This blogger was writing that it was the nurses's responsibility to know she was pregnant by asking her when was her last cycle. I responded that it is not the job of the nurse alone to ask such questions. It was the girl's parents who should have noticed that their daughter's appearance was changing over the months. hence, I did not get a reply.

Thing #10

I enjoyed this activity. I had a little trouble uploading this image to my blog. But with patience, I achieved it! I found it fun navigating around comic generator. This would be great fun for the students to do. One possible post- reading assignment would be for the students to write a quotation said by one of the characters in the book, and decide on a comic strip character. The students will then explain why they chose that comic strip character for the book's character. What attributes do they have in common for example.

Thing #11

I found this to be very fun and easy. I made the bookshelf too large,but I haven't figured out how to decrease yet. When my students read novels throughout the school yeaar, they can have their very own shelf!

Thing #9

I found Topix easy to navigate. It was layed out very clearly under specific categories. It was very clear-cut,and I was follow to understand the layout quickly.
On the other hand, Atomic Learning seemed more involved and challenging to me. I am sure it is a very useful tool to use. I just need more time to unwrap its potential. At least I know it is out there. I can see myself using the Atomic Learning as I collaborate with the science teacher at my school. If she is teaching a specific unit in her science class, I can utilize Atomic Learning in my Language Arts class also for a different perspective.

Thing # 8

I think if I use the RSS more often, it would be very helpful.I have never noticed the orange symbol on the computer before either. I know that seems simple to most computer savy users, but I signed up to do 23 Things this summer to expose myself to what was out there on the web. Some people, who grew up in the computer age, may see me as very novice. I am fine with that. I am not insulted.I am learning such an amount of information at an alarming warp speed that my head is swimming. Ok, back to what I found out reading about RSS. I wrote in my key words of interest, such as, finance, Italy, new gadgets, and food. Each one is in a separate folder for easy use. It's amazing how much information is out there under my new gadgets category!
I set up a Google Reader account. It is nice to be able to keep up with the news of interest and education. Also I found the RSS Feeds Share All About Books at http://www.google.com/reader/shared/04440787436975147776

Thing #7

I enjoyed Google Alert and Google Earth. Both can be used in the classroom. When reading a nonfiction book, the students can investigate the setting of the book. They can really lock onto a real destination.
Google Alert can be used when the class has come up with a list of favorite teams, concerts,etc. It helps with current events.
Also, I am glad to see another web album tool such as Picasa. It seems easy and user friendly. Coming from a generation where pictures were actually glued into photo albums, Picasa is very refreshing. No more yellowed picture edges in the album.

Thing #6

I loved the trading cards. I can think of so many reasons to use it. It would be a creative way to introduce yourself on parent night. Also, when the students have finished reading a novel, they could make make a trading card of one of the book's characters. I made my own personal trading card to keep on my computer. The card is my favorite picture of my mom and me. I wrote a description below the picture.
Great invention!
I found www.programmableweb.com/mashups and loved it. I went to photo mashups and found Tuscany. I spent a lot of time remembering my summer trip to Italy!

Thing #5

I selected this picture for a couple of reasons. For starters, I liked the picture. It is very calming to me. Also, my 7th grade students could use it for a good writing activity. What feeling do you get from looking at the picture? What does it remind you of? What do the clouds remind you of?

Thing#3

Well, I made an avator and pasted it into my blog. I am feeling a little more confident, but I am not ready to dance the victory dance yet! More challenges ahead.

Thing#2

From the 7 1/2 habits viewed, my hardest habit to do includes viewing problems as challenges. Problems are seen as negative, but challenges are positive. So whenever I have a problem with technology for example, I will try to see it as a learning experience. It is all about my mind-set and my perception of things.
My easiest habit I think is accepting responsibility for learning. My parents installed in me as a child to keep learning. College was always a certainity in my house. They always said to finish high school and finish college first. No one can ever take away your education. Good advice!