One Last Thing

One of my favorite Things was learning how to set up my blog. I can't tell you how proud I was of myself that I had a blog and an avatar and gadgets and then pictures. Wow! I can't believe all the things I put into/onto my blog.

Another favorite was Library Thing because of the different ways to search for books, the recommendations of other readers, and the ability to see what other great readers enjoy. I haven't cataloged my personal books yet. That may be a summer job.

I've always considered myself a lifelong learner, but now there seems to be so much more to learn and so many ways to learn: wikis, nings, teacher tube, Google tools, edublogs, etc. I know I haven't even scratched the surface so I know I will never get bored!!!

I have found new resources for teaching, lesson plans, technology uses in the classroom such as class blogs and/or wikis, and tools for creating interesting lessons.

As much as I have enjoyed this class, I know I am not ready for the next 23 Things yet. I need to make the 1st 23 Things a real part of my routine and explore more uses for them before I dig deeper into new Things.

To keep up with new Web 2.0 applications I will keep checking into Classroom 2.0 and read the forums. I already read a few that I didn't know about and am curious about: diigo and animoto. I'll check those out this summer. I will also keep up with Google Reader. That was another favorite. I loved having all that info coming to me instead of me having to dig for it. COOL!

I like the idea of keeping my blog focused on "Learning New Things". I've enjoyed the blogging experience and I always like to feel I have gained new knowledge or skills each day. I have learned so much! Thank you Mary and Debbie for leading the way!!!

Thing 23

Classroom 2.0 is an absolutely wonderful resource for educators. You can search topics and see other members suggestion, or you can ask a question of the members and get tons of feedback for your problem or situation. There are tons of videos to learn how to teach/do things, or to show to a class to enhance learning of almost any subject.

Special Ed in the 21st Century is a Ning network that I thought would be useful in my position, and I still think it might be at some point in the future. My experience here showed me that these social/collaborative sites rely on the members for the quality and quantity of the content. From what I can tell, the site is less than a year old and needs time to build up content.

The 23 Thingsters Ning is fun. I liked seeing colleagues I've worked with or taken other classes with. Thanks for putting all the helpful Common Craft Videos in one place.

I could see using a Ning group in school to comment with the teacher and fellow students about current learning, viewing or reviewing videos, etc. I don't see myself using a Ning site daily but I will know how to find answers to technology or education questions.

Thing 22

This was the scariest of all the Things for me. I do not want to get in touch with everyone I went to high school or college with, and if I want to talk to a co worker I can talk to them at work or pick up the phone or shoot an email. You may ask, "Why don't you want to get in touch with people from high school or college?" I really don't want to get sucked into wasting hours on Facebook. I also don't want to feel obligated to correspond with people I haven't seen or spoken to in 20 years.

Some things I did while on Facebook: I searched by name, school, and workplace and found many people I know. I was honestly surprised at some of the people who were on Facebook. Once I found a friend I looked through their friends and found more people I know. Some people choose not to display their friends.

I'm not sure about educational uses for social networking. Perhaps setting up a class or organization page might have some usefulness, but I think a blog or wiki would serve that purpose just as well and pose less risk. Social networking can be useful for career building/job hunting.

I'm glad I know more about social networking, but I'm just not comfortable with it and don't desire to spend time on it. I have deactivated my account, but if I need to find someone I will know how.

Thing 7b

I'd like to share 2 items of interest that I discovered through the TechLearning blog. The first is Quizlet. It is an online program where teachers can plug in the information to be learned and the website makes an online quiz and printable flashcards. Looks like a fun way to learn some not so exciting data - definitions, states and capitals, etc.

I also liked from TechLearning The Writing Teacher. It had a great power point on teaching rules for commas and had worksheets available to print. This is great for me, because I need practical ways to teach the rules. My learning disabled students don't internalize the mechanics of grammar and punctuation very well and need practical rules to use. I'm looking forward to finding many more useful items at The Writing Teacher.

I found a cute Mother's Day lesson at Suite101. Based on a poem, the students learn that mothers are people too.

Thing 20

Google Docs is incredibly useful for several reasons. First, its safe from computer crashes. It will always be there - at least that's what we're told. Second, it can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection. So whether I'm at school, home, or out of town, I can access important documents and allow others access to those same documents. Third, I can get advice and input from others without the hassle of emailing back and forth. And last for me, although I'm sure we could think of more advantages, I have a record of all the revisions that I can go back to without fear of losing them or having to save multiple copies.

I used Google Docs to make my Sub plans. Next time I'm out I can simply edit the note/schedule with the new assignments. Cool! I could also in a pinch invite a coworker to view/edit/print from Google Docs. I could see teachers working on creating a test/worksheet Collaborating on Google Docs. Students could edit a study page on Google Docs, similar to what we saw being done on a wiki.

I used the spreadsheet to make a chart for my kids chores at home. I can edit as needed without having multiple copies floating around on my computer. Teachers could make class charts/checklists and other teachers could respond or add data as needed.

Google Docs is way cool!

Thing 21

I had no idea that Google had so many tools and products! I explored several: Google Earth, Google Maps, iGoogle, and Google alerts. I tried to explore the Notebook because I thought that would be very useful, but it is not allowing new users to sign up. It is only continuing with current users.

I fed my Twilight appetite on Google Earth and Maps and located Forks, Port Angeles, and La Push - for my daughter of course. : ) I could see these tools being great for Social Studies/Geography lessons. I could spend hours looking up locations and taking the tours that are available. Teachers could create their own tours to keep the students focused, too.

I also used my Google alerts to get Twilight news. There are some cool fan made trailers for New Moon that I would never have seen without the alert. Fun! The alerts could be used in the classroom in a variety of ways such as following current events or getting info on a specific topic (astronomy, natural disasters, political leaders, etc.)

The iGoogle page is quite useful since it is customized to my wants and needs. I have local and national news, weather, movies, jokes, email, Sudoku, and more. I like having it all in one location and I will continue to use this application regularly.

One feature I would like to explore more is Google SketchUp. I'm not sure exactly what I would use it for, but it looks like a lot of fun. I'm going to introduce my 13 year old to it. I think he'd have a ball with it!

Thing 19

I had never heard of Voicethread before. It has some cool uses! I enjoyed the Math lesson on functions. I could see planning a lesson for when I have a sub and the students would just watch the Voicethread on the computer. I could also see having students comment on a picture, reading passage, video, etc. The students would enjoy reading or listening to each other's comments.

On a personal note, it would be fun to post old or new family photos and have members of the family comment on the photo, family history, funny stories, etc. It would be a great way to share memories even when Grandma or Aunt Sue live hundreds of miles away.

Thing 18

I've looked at YouTube many times, but I hadn't really thought of the educational uses for it. I found some great videos about learning disabilities and reading difficulties. One was Reading Comprehension SpEd #2. It illustrates how learning disabilities feel and how they affect students. I think I've seen this clip at a staff development. Another video was The Power of Dyslexia-Famous Dyslexics. This video made me want to cry. It tells what teachers and other adults said about these very successful adults while they were in school. It should make all educators stop and think about the potential in every student.

TeacherTube is fun, too. I found an MISD video which I had seen before. Quite funny! I found videos for the 50 states and capitals, how to dribble a basketball, the science of sound and instruments, and a funny Top Ten Things You Do Not Learn About Teaching in College.

I can see using educational videos in class to enhance learning and aid in memory. Students are more likely to remember a video than a lecture or reading from a textbook.

I used YouTube to review how to embed a video into a blog. You can view that below. Watching the video was much more helpful than reading printed directions because I could see what it looked like and where it was located on the screen.

I'm always amazed at what is out there on the web!

How to Embed a Video on a Blog

Thing 17

Podcasts can be very interesting, educational, and entertaining. I previewed a few podcasts and was not impressed with the quality - some had poor microphones, some featured students or adults who rambled on and on. I don't have the time or patience to sit through this type of podcast.

I have found several good ones. One new one I found through the Learn Out Loud directory is Discover Spanish Podcasts. They are about 15 minutes and teach conversational Spanish. I plan to do this with my kids this summer. I also found the Princeton Review Vocab Minute. It teaches vocabulary through catchy tunes and makes learning new words fun. I'm thinking next year I may do one per week with my classes.

Thing 16

Library Thing was much more than I anticipated! I loved the ability to search for books by their tags. I searched "tweens" to find something new for my daughter and found many new possibilities. Looking up one suggestion on the tween list led to more recommendations, and soon much time had passed, and I'm still not exactly sure what path led me to all my discoveries. All I know is that I found books that I wouldn't have otherwise. I had trouble with the Unsuggester. Maybe it was the books I searched. or it wasn't working properly that day.

As far as for school uses, it's a great tool to use for "if you liked _____, you'll probably like ____." I liked the 50 books idea and you could use any number you wanted to fit your needs. Being able to search topics/tags would be great for designing thematic units. And of course, being able to catalog your classroom library and have it all online would be a great benefit, and it seems so easy to do. Great thing!