Thing #23 Summarize Your Thoughts about This Program

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

Blogging is completely new to me. I found just learning how to do that was taking the mystery out of it for me. I have several friends who blog and 1 who brought it into her curriculum this past year to give the students writing practice. I am considering doing the same in my classes this year.

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

I have been complacent the last couple of years in bringing anything new into my classes. Almost everything I learned in 23 Things is relevant to my classes (computer applications) and I will certainly be using some of the Web 2.0 applications in my classes.

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

I had no idea how time-consuming this course would be. I spent much more time on this than the 18 hours of professional credit I will receive.

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

The format and concept worked for me!

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?

Definitely!

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?

Eye-Opening

Thing #22: Nings

Whew, almost there. I viewed 2 of the Educator Nings and then went off on my own to hunt for Gardening Nings. Wow, I found such a neat video on no-dig gardening. A process that I will try this next week before going back to work.

Thing #21: Podcasts and Videocasts

My VideoCast highlights a trip to the zoo with my only grandson. This was great practice. I just happened to have these photos handy.

An amendment -- when I first posted this video, it was working fine and I came back the next day and all I am seeing is a white box. I tried adding the video again and it is still not working! Urgh! I deleted it and uploaded it again. Still not working. I have a witness -- Charlotte Charles of 'Take a Deep Breath and Go' commented on my video.

Thing #20: Explore YouTube And TeacherTube

The following video came from YouTube and I thought it was very apropos for my computer classes:



I was surprised to find many very educational jewels out there that I could use in my classes.

Thing #19: Web 2.0 Awards List

Write a blog post for Thing #19 about your findings. Consider these questions when organizing your thoughts. What is special about the tool? What are its useful parts, especially with regards to Libraries and school? How might you use this tool in your own setting?

I was drawn to CareerBuilder.com because I am a CTE (Career and Technology Education)teacher. I was impressed with the filtering capabilities of the site. Students are able to filter to categories of careers that interest them in the city they live in, by the companies who have job listings. Job descriptions are given and many times the pay scale is also noted. Students can get an idea of what pay scale is offered in the fields they are interested in and the demand for that career at this time in the city they want to live and work.

Thing #18: Online Productivity Tools

I just got an e-mail from Lisa S. (a colleague of mine) today regarding Google docs and Open Office. She said:

"I did Google training this week at Summer U, and we have some major changes about to happen regarding that. I'll fill you in next week -- even Jim didn't know about all this yet when I emailed him. Basically everything is going to be Google docs based and the student SAN folders are going away - kids will use Google docs or Open Office instead of Office (not in our classes, of course, but in the core classes and libraries). Students will all have a "@mysbisd.com" gmail account. Interesting ... and a substantial learning curve ahead."

I am worried about cheating. It seems anything on-line could be easier for fellow students to access and thereby use to cheat. On the other hand, these on-line tools will be available to all students at home or at school regardless of their ability to pay for expensive software.

Thing #17: Rollyo

I created a rollyo titled Houston Gardening so I could have sites handy as I continue working to create a backyard year-round vegetable garden. The link is:

http://rollyo.com/search.html?q=Houston+Gardening&sid=639246

Thing #16: Wikis

I used the sbisd library sandbox. Wikis seem very easy to use. My mind is racing with ideas on how to use this technology in my computer lab. I love this thing! Wikis seem to be an answer to a lot of ideas but I didn't know exactly how to set them up. Collaboration with colleagues, student team collaboration, check for understanding.

How does this sound:

1. After a lesson, students use the course Wiki to list things they learned from that lesson
2. I could use their 'check for understanding' input to create a quiz/test
3. Students could go back to the Wiki and use their own input to review for the test

All electronic -- no handouts.

Thing #15: Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the Future of Libraries

I just spent a luxurious week reading 3 novels and felt thoroughly entertained and psyched out! The television was forgotten, the house was quiet and peaceful. I ate when I was hungry, allowed only essential interruptions, and feasted on my fictional delights. The Internet was down at my house and I couldn't work on this until Comcast got to us. I feel like I finally got my vacation. The Thing 15 articles had me imagining libraries without walls, students accessing library content with laptops and cell phones. This seems to be the direction we are going, however, I treasure my week without Internet or television and fully intend to do it again -- my vacation with books.