Thing #23

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

My favorite discoveries were the tools that explained everything so well. I'd seen Wiki's Made Easy but did not know that there were so many other tech learning tools available. I am also glad to know how to use my computer to make and edit videos with audio. I'm looking forward to using that very soon. The Web 2.0 Awards, blogging,

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

I will continue coming back to this blog and reviewing some of the many tools I've learned to use. I know that I will be able to utilize more of them when I can use them at my leisure (is there really such a thing?). :) I will look for the entire list of 43 Things to see what are some of the other things that were not included. Don't misunderstand me, 23 Things are quite enough -- I'm just inquisitive!

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

I was only surprised by how time quickly flew by (the summer). Here I am at the eleventh hour rushing to complete the last assignment. Content wise, I must say I have come away with a greater appreciation for the vast number of new technological innovations that are available.

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

Nothing immediately comes to mind. I felt that I needed a little hand-holding but you already had made that available, I just could not come at the times offered.

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

In the future, I'm sure I will participate in another discovery program like this. With this one behind me, it will be easier. I no longer have the fear that I will not be able to understand what to do. Also, there are so many links to online help and demonstrations that failure is not likely.

1. 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?

Success is assured because every 'Thing' is introduced with several examples and demonstration videos.

Thing #22

Social networks are extremely popular among the younger generation. Therefore, for a teacher to bring in the ability to create a social network among the class is teaching the way they learn. Since learning to work as a team is one of the skills that the business community is calling for, Ning could help facilitate it. A good example of appropriate use in elementary school is for a teacher to set up a social network that requires students to practice all types of writing through interactions with each other. For instance, if the teacher has taught expository writing, the students need to practice in a post to another student. The advantage is that, unlike unmonitored social networking, the teacher's Ning would require conventional spelling, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, etc.

Thing #21

Using videocasts and podcasts allow us to use a medium that capture the attention of students. Programs like Photostory and Audicity are designed to be easy-to-use, which allows most teachers to be tech savvy enough to utilize the technology. The following Photostory was made with photos taken at Housman's Career Day:

Thing #20

One of the best practices in education is establishing Professional Learning Communities. In order to have team member buy-in for this idea, the team needs a good understanding of what a PLC is and how it works. This video is a good example of how a Teacher Tube video can be used and it will also answer the questions listed above...

Thing #19

When thinking about what is special about the tool, the site says it best when describing what it does, "After scouring the web for Web 2.0 sites both new and old, we developed a "short list" of over three-hundred sites in forty-one categories. From there, we had some of the web's best bloggers, entrepreneurs and business people vote on winners, narrowing the field to 174 place-getters and Honorable Mentions."

There are sooo many web sites, web tools, web helps, etc. out there that it's impossible for one person or group to informed and accurate about them all. That's what makes this site so valuable. It seems that they've included everything! I was pleased to see that most of the things in this program are highly rated by the awards committee. We're learning to use the best!
I will use this site a lot. Whenever I'm considering using the web with students, a valuable part of my research will be to check this site.

Thing #18

Yes! yes! for online productivity tools! I was introduced to Open Office some years ago. Of course, my first celebration was because of the money I saved. Now, however, I also applaud the online productivity tools because they allow accessibility from any location. No longer is it necessary to have MS Office loaded on the computer. With flash drives being so inexpensive and in abundance, a document can be saved on the portable drive and edited or completed on any computer with Internet access. Hooray!!!

Thing #17

WOW!!! This 'thing' has become one of the easiest because of Bruce's video. It is sooo detailed and easy to follow. He took the right amount of time and detail because I could understand it immediately. I can see Rollyo as being extremely valuable to classroom teachers and librarians. Whenever students are searching for information, the available websites need to be limited.