techgoddess23things

Thing 11.5 of 11.5 Evaluation

2009-07-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

Interestly, this summer was both more rewarding and more frustrating than last summer's 23 Things. It was frustrating to keep turning the SBVPN off to access You Tube and knowing that we cannot access it from school. But, some of the things in the 11.5 Things were amazing and I am so glad I was able to explore them.

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I loved Wordle, Glogster, and Bookr and will definitely use them. My other favorite was the Screen Cast.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
The 11.5 Things has "forced" me to explore things I never would have attempted on my own. Some things I will use, some I will not, but at least now I know about them.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
Again, I am just overwhelmed by the things available and wish there was time to collaborate and plan lessons for the new tools we have seen.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I would not really suggest any changes. Although there were some things that I really didn't care for, those same Things may have been someone else's favorite!

Thing 11 of 11.5 Digital Citizenship

2009-07-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

I found a definition of digital citizenship that I like: "Living, safely, civilly, and effectively in our increasingly digital world". A citizen works FOR and benefits FROM a larger society. To me the first issue is always personally safety. We need to stress over and over that you can pretend to be ANYONE of ANY AGE on the computer. The second most important element is determining the validity of information found. Most of us (including me) like to just stop once we have found what we are looking for and not spend much time verifying the information on multiple sources. Below is a list of what Digital Citizenship encompasses.
Digital Access
Digital Commerce
Digital Communication
Digital Literacy
Digital Etiquette
Digital Rights and Responsibilities
Digital Health and Welfare
Digital Security

Thing 10 of 11.5 Virtual Worlds

2009-07-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

I think Virtual Worlds such as Second Life are rather creepy. I don't see the advantage of creating an alter ego and living life through it in a make believe world. Also, since I am at an elementary school, even the Teen Life (ages 13-17) will not be appropriate. Also, according to high school age and young adults, Second Life is on its way out of vogue.

Thing 9 of 11.5 Things SlideShare

2009-07-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

How does anyone keep up with all of the new things we can use?? It is overwhelming sometimes. I like SlideShare. It is free, portable, doesn't rely on server access and is a great resource. The students can create slideshows from either free software or PowerPoint from anywhere they have web access. They can then upload the slideshow and access it a school or anywhere later!

Thing 8 of 11.5 Screen Cast

2009-07-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

This is AMAZING. I can think of so many ways to use it. Instead of using Word and Screen Shots to send instructions out to the campus, I can make a video. Only downsize..I hate to hear myself!

Thing 7 of 11.5 Video Resources

2009-07-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Teaching with video has been around for a LONG time (even when I went to school, we occasionally watched a video). It is such a valuable tool. We use United Streaming frequently to introduce or enhance a lesson.

Thing 6 of 11.5 iTouch Apps

2009-07-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Research is a great use for the iTouch. There are also several app I have read about at IEAR (evaluates apps for education). Here a few I liked for elementary: (1) Brain Quest is a fun way to review grade level curricular area material. (2) Just Fractions allows students to add, subtract, and find the least common denominators for fractions. They also plan to add the capability to show each step to successfully solve the problems. (3) The translate app also looked interesting for our students whose first language is not English.

Thing 5 of 11.5 Microblogging

2009-07-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

Before today, I never had a Facebook or Twitter account. It is a little weird to have a Facebook due to the fact that my children and all of their friends have accounts. I think I will probably delete my account...but who knows, I may decide I like it. I am not really fond of Twitter (I really prefer NOT to know what everyone is doing every minute of their day), but again, I may be surprised by Twitter. Without talking to others, I'm really not sure of the role of microblogging in the elementary setting, but if any of you have some great ideas, please share! Backchanneling would be a good tool in the secondary setting; instant feedback on lectures, etc.

Thing 4 of 11.5 YouTube, TeacherTube, and SchoolTube

2009-07-09T11:36:00.001-07:00

Teacher tube is an excellent resource that provides and online community for sharing instructional videos. As always, it just takes time to find the ones that are useful. As far as uploading student created videos, it is something I want to consider for next year and I plan to start searching for ways other elementary schools have used it.
Below is my YouTube video:

Thing 3 of 11.5 Skype

2009-07-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

I can see Skype being useful in the classroom for our students to communicate and collaborate with others from many different places. We will need to buy some web cams in order to fully use it. I wonder if the new student Dell laptops have built in video cameras??

11.5 Thing 2

2009-06-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

Wordle - Loved it. Could use it a couple of ways (1) create one with character traits, save it and use it in PhotoStory or another product (2) Copy a newspaper article in the box and see what words are most often used. Did it surprise you?

Glogster - This could be my new favorite thing (sorry PhotoStory). It is so easy to integrate pictures, video, text, etc.

VOKI - I have used this and I like it, but I don't see as much classroom potential as the other items.

Bookr - This something I will definitely use. Do we need to worry about inappropriate pictures on flickr??

Thing 1 of 11.5

2009-06-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

This video is where we all wish to be. Getting there is the problem. It is possible, but it will take time to teach students the skills they will need to practice connectivism. Without proper instruction I believe it would be overwhelming to a high school student to attempt to practice what is seen in the video. But, as was once said, every great journey begins with baby steps! Are we ready to begin??

Thing 23

2008-07-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

W ow, there were times I thought this moment would never come! But it did and I am so glad I participated in 23 Things.

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

Doing things I never would have done on my own, such as creating an Avatar (that was really fun), posting my own blogs, and learning what that "RSS" thing meant on websites.

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

It has affirmed that we are NEVER too old to learn new thing!

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

I discovered many new tools, some of which were: Google Notebook (really liked that and want to use it soon), del.icio.us, and technorati.

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

Nothing really, except maybe offer some face to face times. There were times, I needed to talk through some of the activities with "It's All Relative" to make everything work as it should.

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

YES!

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?

It made me feel as though I can keep up with my children in technology!

Thing 22

2008-07-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

Nings... I looked at the Ning for Teachers. I found it somewhat interesting. I looked at the lesson plans and unfortunately, I found very little for integrating technology. I read several of the postings on the home page and found most of them to be interesting. I'm not sure how much I will use the site, but I know I will visit it again.

Thing 21

2008-07-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

I used Photostory 3 to create my vidcast. It was a lot of fun. We started using Photostory 3 last year with our students. They mastered it quickly! Here is the link to my vidcast. http://media.switchpod.com//users/techgoddess118/acadia.wmv

Thing 20

2008-07-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

This video is great! We need to move (gently shove) our fellow teachers to enter the digital age with their lessons.

Thing 19

2008-07-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

I am a map junkie, so Google Maps has been a favorite for a long time. I probably use it a least once a week to find houses, offices, schools, and stores. It really helped me last spring when we were trying to find the high school softball fields where my daughter was playing. I could type the school's address and then using the satellite view, could find the exact field location and nearest parking lot!! I also like the hair swap site where you can put your face in different hair styles.. really fun.

Thing 18

2008-07-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

I used Google Docs. It was very easy to use. This would be most useful for people who do not have access to a laptop. With laptops, it is easier to access any documents that I have created, so I don't know how much I will use Google Docs.

Thing 17

2008-07-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

Rollyo is something that I had never heard of, much less used. I'm not sure how much I will use it. I created a news search. Here is the link: http://rollyo.com/search.html?q=election&sid=408430&url=rollyo.com&rollbar=1

Thing 16

2008-07-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

Have you messed with anyone's wiki today? Maybe I'm just a warped individual, but I believe there are people out there with nothing better to do than post bogus fact/entries on wikis. That being said, I can see they would be useful. The ease of collaboration is the most beneficial aspect. With each group member being able to add their "part", it is much easier to manage than emailing using the "reply all" button. Does anyone know if a wiki can be edited by two users simultaneously??

Thing 15

2008-07-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

Library 2.0
Libraries are evolving. Once a place of written facts which were quickly outdated, today it is an up to the minute research facility! What librarians need to teach today is how to EFFECTIVELY research. The information available at our fingergtips in a library can literally fill volumes. We need to teach students to narrow their focus and to verify the information they find. The great thing about research today is that it is available to anyone with an Internet connection! It is particularly exciting for those of us who grew up with our families' outdated set of World Book Encyclopedia.

Thing 14

2008-06-30T16:10:00.001-07:00

Technology can be a great time saver. Technology can be a black hole, devouring our time. Both of the statements are correct. I can see sites such as Technorati consuming a tremendous amount of time. That is not a problem when you have such time to follow key word searches to blogs that lead to who knows where. At this point in my life I only have time for the important, focusing on things of lasting value. Maybe one day (when the kids are gone, and I'm too old to go do things)I will have the time and inclination to chase the threads of others' thoughts.

Thing 13

2008-06-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Del.icio.us is an interesting tool. At first I didn't think it was much different than just creating bookmarks. But, after looking into it in more depth, I discovered that I like it much more than bookmarking. I believe I will start using it to organize all the sites I find.

Thing 12A

2008-06-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, for the first time, I commented on a national forum. It was exciting. I first commented on a recipe I had made, but then I commented on a national news story. Fun! I can't wait to see if someone responds to my comment...

Thing 12

2008-06-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

I believe it is very important the way in which you comment on a posting. As my father always said it's not what you say, but how you say it. Unfortunately, when responding, it is almost impossible to convey "how you are saying it". I also worry that too many people are choosing to connect electronically to people instead of developing the personal relationships that are critical to our emotional well being. That said, the two commandments I like best were 1. Read before you comment: so many times, we want to just "jump right in there" with our opinion. The second commandment I like was 5. Don't be condescending; after all, even idiots are entitled to their opinion...just watch mainstream T.V.

Thing 11

2008-06-27T11:58:00.001-07:00

Library this is extrememly easy to use. Finding the time to enter all my books will be another matter. This is a site I am going to recommend to my friends who are avid readers.

Thing 10

2008-06-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

Thing #9

2008-06-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use?
I went to websites I regularly visit and just added them.

Which Search tool was the easiest for you?
I like the Google Blog Search.

Which was more confusing?
The rest of the sites were very similar.

Thing #8

2008-06-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?
I'm not sure I like it. Does it narrow my view too much??

How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life?
What does this provide that bookmarks don't?

How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?
The RSS should be personalized to each persons interests so I'm not sure how they could/should use it.

Thing #7

2008-06-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

The two items that interested me most was the Google Notebook and the Google Advanced Search. The notebook will be a great tool to organize research. A place to save websites as well as information. The notebook would then be accessible from any computer!! The other nifty tool is the Google Advanced Search. Too many times we recreate the wheel rather than use and modify a wheel created by others (such as PowerPoint presentations and hopefully flipcharts).

Thing #6

2008-06-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! These features are really great. The trading cards could be created for main characters in a book. The mosaic maker could be used for so many things in social studies (land forms, cultures, states reports, etc.).

Thing 5 Flickr

2008-06-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

Flicker will be a great resource for students. The number of photos available is amazing. Here is a picture I saved.

Thing #3

2008-06-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Creating and exporting the Avatar was O.K. I did not find it extremely fun or exciting, but I did it and I guess that's all that really counts!

Thing 2 Life Long Learning

2008-06-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

The easiest of the 7 & 1/2 things for me is to use technology for my advantage. With technology, we have access to endless knowledge! Everything from finding a doctor or restaurant, planning a vacation, guidlines for creating effective PowerPoint presentations, ... the list is endless. The most difficult of the 7 & 12 things would be viewing problems as challenges. I have always viewed them as obstacles. Maybe I can begin to view them as challenges!