Thing #23 - The End

Wow! I made it! It only took 2 tries, but here I am with over 2 weeks to go. YAHOO! Yet, my learning is going to continue forever.

I have loved learning about so many things that are out there. I have thought so much (and continue to think) about how the education world needs to catch up to the digital world - quickly before we lose students who don't see the relevance to school. I recently went to a credit recovery conference, and the biggest thing is companies putting courses online to reach students. If computer programs can replace instruction now, where will we be in a few years if things don't change?

I loved the video for this last thing. I sent the link (alternate - not the YouTube link due to it being blocked at school) to the Director of Technology and the Technology Committee Chair to see if they have seen it, if the committee members have seen it, and if maybe the whole district should see it. It really makes you think about the disconnect.

Thank you for this experience. It has been invaluable.

Thing #22 - Video

I've used YouTube often - to show Sesame Street videos to my son, to catch up on TV shows that I missed, and to laugh at the "angry teacher" videos. Plus, there are good videos about the future of education. Unfortunately, it is banned in my school district, so I have not really thought much about using it for teaching and learning. I do think that teachers could save videos and then show them at school, but it would take more work outside of school. Overall, all of the other sites - TeacherTube, SchoolTube, and TED are great tools, but they don't have even close to as many videos as YouTube. I wish that school districts could block certain videos but not the whole thing. There are great things out there that are censored for no good reason except paranoia.

Thing #21 - Twitter

I am so happy that we did not have to sign up with Twitter! While I think it is a fun idea, I don't really feel comfortable with sharing my everyday experiences. This is why I delete any posts on my wall on facebook. I don't want that intrusion.

I did like searching on Twitter for people and places that I know. It could be fun for kids to use on their phones so they don't talk during a test if they get done before other kids. Other than that, I don't really see that I would want to connect it to my PLN. Yet, I may be the odd one here, since many people are on Twitter. Hmm...

Thing #20 - del.icio.us

Hey! It is "juliareynolds" here. I had fun playing with del.icio.us, and I can see how I could spend hours trying to update my bookmarks and find others! This could help with productivity by being able to find my bookmarks anywhere, plus I could find more ideas. This is great!

Thing #19 - Tag

I just saw a "tag cloud" the other day when I went to Daniel Pink's website (www.danpink.com) and he did that for Obama's inaugural speech. So, now I know what it is - but he called it a Wordle or "word cloud." I think it is pretty much the same thing - but I really love the Wordle website (http://www.wordle.net/) too!

I think that tagging could be very useful to organize things. I am looking at the long list of bookmarks that I have on this computer and I am laughing at how much easier it would be if I had them on a bookmarking site with tags. Oh, but why would I want to make my life easier?

I do see the point of being careful about your tags since others could see them. I tend to be private, so I might try to not have my tags be public for awhile. Yet, if I see the usefulness in others' tags, I might change my mind. The fact that you can edit a tag makes things much less stressful that you might mess up someone else's tags.

Thing #18 - PLN

I now get it why I am part of this group - on Ning - that I really had no idea how it worked but I figured it was good because it was affiliated with the Michigan Council of Teachers of English. Oh! I received an e-mail to join, but I did not really get the purpose. It reminded me of Facebook, but with a professional connection. After reading through this thing and looking at other PLNs, I understand it much more.

I think there could be many opportunities for PLNs in my district - where teachers could collaborate online, post things, discuss issues, etc. The biggest issue would be confidentiality - not naming students, not getting too personal, etc. I'm not sure how to avoid the PUBLIC nature of posting your thoughts so everyone (at least those in the group) can read them. Yet, would that be the reason to limit the possibilities?

Thing #17 - Winner

Okay, I have to admit that I chose a winner for personal reasons. I chose MothersClick (and I'm glad that they also have FathersClick) to network with other working mommies who have 3-year-old boys. Wow! There are more of us out there! And we need to talk and ask each other for advice. I loved this!

For education, there are so many possibilities to link students with others who have similar interests. It could also build literacy skills (reading and writing) without students realizing what they are doing. Ha! Plus, it opens up the world for them. Teachers could also use this for networking and lesson ideas.

Thing #16 - Digital

Oh, watching the students made me so sad, since I know that higher education is so far behind when it comes to technology. I can't believe how much of the teaching and learning is traditional, especially when the students are more-and-more are digital natives. I was lucky that I taught at a college that was pretty up on technology - with blogs, Moodle, and great websites. Yet, when I was in graduate school, the larger university was archaic in the technology that was available for me to teach.

I truly believe that the traditional teaching is going to clash with the digital brains of students. Plus, the work of Daniel Pink (http://www.danpink.com/) relates to the need for creativity in the world of abundance. Someone needs to think of a new look for a toilet plunger or a new use for a typewriter - or new items of these types will not be purchased when people already own them - or don't need them. (How many typewriter planters have you seen? Where could you even purchase a typewriter anymore? Are they typewriter-makers out of business?)

Thing #15 - More Podcasting

For my own college teaching, I never really thought about this. Yet, it could make so much sense, especially when the classes are a week apart. Plus, it is so simple to do. I don't think it needs to be fancy - even a video - as long as it helps students review the information.

I want teachers in my district to use podcasts - especially if it can be related to a learning target so students have a focus. The video/audio would reinforce the learning target, and the teacher could use the podcast for review for summative assessments. I think the only worry would be to keep students out of the videos for safety and security concerns. Yet, if the focus is on the teaching lesson, that would be simple to do.

Thing #14 - Podcasting

The idea of podcasts keep coming up in my life! I have been in conversations with many teachers who want to start using these for their lessons so students (absent or struggling) can play them after it is over. This is so exciting! Plus, I love the idea of the MP3 player so students can listen/watch anywhere!

The two I looked at are ones specifically for students, since that is what is coming up in my life:
Mr. Langhorst - 8th grade History
http://www.liberty.k12.mo.us/%7Eelanghorst/blog
This has lessons, STUDYCASTS for students to review materials, a blog, etc. The STUDYCASTS are for students to listen to the teacher, Mr. Langhorst, as he talks about the unit.

Another fun one is Grammar Girl
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/
This has audio (with transcripts) of answers to grammar questions. This is a great way for students to learn the grammar "rules" over and over. YAHOO!

Thing #13 - Slide

Every time that I work on a new thing, I am completely amazed at how much is out there - especially FOR FREE - for people to use technology to make their personal and professional lives easier. I was really excited about the slideshow tools, and I decided to try Slide with some pictures of my son from birth to about 5 months old. (I easily found that I could spend HOURS putting something together.) The best part is that I could e-mail the link to others, I could post the link in places, and I could open it for sharing. It makes communication so easy to do!

**NOTE - the Thumbstacks link did not work. :(

Thing #12 - LibraryThing

Ooh - I love this! I liked previewing all of the options, but the most exciting was finding LibraryThing! I immediately set up an account and starting building my own library. This can become such a great way to learn about new books (I did find an upcoming title that I went and ordered from Amazon right away) and to discuss books with others. It was very easy to do, and I did not even get close to all of the ways I could use it - yet...

Using this for a classroom could be a powerful way to get students in touch with others who are reading similar things. The groups on LibraryThing can help find others, plus each book that is chosen can be linked to other members. Students could use this to build their own libraries based on what they are reading in class and beyond.

I could also see the literacy coaches in my district (and maybe the county) using this took to share resources. They would enjoy the continual contact beyond their bi-monthly meetings. Plus, they would love hearing what others know about good professional resources.

Thing #11 - Google Docs

The idea of Google Docs keeps coming up in my life through many different conversations. I am so happy that I was able to watch the short video to learn more about it. It makes so much sense - having ONE place to work on something instead of having everyone do their own thing.

The biggest thing is that you would not need to wait until you are at your own computer to access something. You could find it from any computer with internet access. It could really free up space on computers with so many files. (How much space does Google have? This could get HUGE!)

I think I'm going to try this with a grant application that a few of us want to write. We have a meeting early next week and I want to explain it to them. It was save us from sending so many versions of the application back and forth.

I don't know enough about it to know if it will be a "threat" to MS Office. Hmm... Wouldn't MS Office need to exist as the original platform? I have so much more to learn...

Thing #10 - My Own Wiki

I did it! I created a wiki on PB Wiki for my graduate class that I am teaching this semester - http://aqen610.pbwiki.com - and the students are starting to post things! WOW!

I think this is a great way to bring technology alive by making it part of a class. The goal is not technology, but it is a tool to build the community of the course. I am so excited to see how it goes this semester.

Thing #9 - Wiki Wiki

I don't have much experience with wikis, but I am so glad that this is the topic right now because I want to use a wiki with a course I am teaching this semester. Overall, my experience is with pbwiki through KISD and a few groups. I have not posted, but I have enjoyed seeing what others put on the wiki.

For all three of wikis that I am part of right now (LCN, Leadership, Power Standards), the format is similar since they are all related to KISD and they all use pbwiki. I also use WikiPedia often when I am trying to find information that is more popular culture than academic. I even accidentally got into a wiki that relates to my college, and I had fun reading about the athletes and the Greek system. (It is amazing to me to consider how anyone can participate in the creation of this information source. Wow.)

I am going to try to set up my coursefor my Thing #10. I can't wait to see how it goes with the students having an online community instead of meeting face-to-face each week. The possibilities...