My last thoughts...

Upon signing up for this class, I was a bit intimidated by the course content. I have been a little reluctant to venture out into the world wide web of 21st century skills. But, I can say I made it and am now more confident in using web 2.0 tools.

Some of my favorite parts of this course were learning about voicethreads, creating the slideshows, and setting up Google Reader. I am excited to use the voicethreads with my students. I can see how this will be so beneficial to them when we are reviewing a new concept or instructions for a detailed project. This allows them access to the assignment from anywhere. I can post the voicethreads on my blog and even their parents can access them. I think this idea opens up more lines of communication between me and my students' families.

I really feel as though I didn't know that much about Web 2.0 tools before this class began. I feel like I know more. BUT, there is still sooooooo much more to discover. This Learning 23 Things class has allowed me to get my foot in the door. With the fast pace of the world of technology, I have to keep learning. I can't say, "I learned about that in the summer of 2010" and expect to know everything technology related. In a year, some of this information may no longer be relevant because something new will take over. I have to use what I have learned her as a platform to further discoveries and lifelong learning.

I think being a part of Classroom 2.0 will help me stay up to date on applications and information pertaining to technology. But, if Learning 23 Things, Part 2 is offered (or any other similar course), I will definitely have to enroll. Things within the world of technology are always going to change. So, there will always be a reason to take a class or teach a class.

I have so many ideas filtering through my mind from these recent activities. I would like to get with other teachers from my campus and see what fantastic collaborations we can create to improve our school community and bring others up to speed with technology!

Thing #23

I checked out Classroom 2.0. I like that it is a group for educators and the topics are relevant to teaching. There were so many tips and links to things we have covered in this class! The layout is a little overwhelming, but I'm sure that is because it is new to me. I can see myself using this to search for support on different ideas or to find another way to teach something. There are so many links to so many valuable resources!

I think it would be a cool idea to set up a Ning site for the educators on our campus. It would be a different way to offer support to each other and help one another. I know it is just another thing for teachers to add to their to do lists, but it would be so valuable!

Another thing we could do with this is set up a Ning community for our campus as a way to interact with our parents and the community! I know we have our campus websites, but this could create a parent-educator-student forum.

Thing #22

It is important to know about different social networking sites for a few reasons. You have to know what your students are talking about. It gives you "with-it-ness". Also, it doesn't hurt to be aware so you can protect yourself.

I do not like MySpace at all. I have looked at pages on myspace for certain bands and restaurants. It seems there is too much going on within each page. I see no educational use for myspace at all. I'm sure there is somewhere, but I don't want to explore that further. Not a fan...

However, I am on Facebook. It has been a great tool for connecting with colleagues, old friends and new friends. I don't really see myself using this in the classroom or connecting with students. But, I think there are definite possibilities for connecting with my peers who share similar interests and goals. I do like that I can befriend colleagues, especially new teachers. It is just another support system for us.

Thing #7b

So I checked my reader. It is definitely filling up. I will have to go through and get rid of some things. But, I found one that seems to be surprisingly interesting to me. It is from a podcast I added to my reader. Each of the podcasts are 60-second blurbs about some scientific fact. This one explains how sight is really altered in people who are depressed. It is very interesting. I also like that I am able to easily keep up with my friend who joined the Peace Corp and is stationed in Lesotho. He started a blog for his friends and family to follow.

Thing #21

I have dabbled in some of the tools Google has to offer. I set up my iGoogle page. I like being able to customize my google page with some of my favorite apps and widgets. I like how I can have a direct link to my gmail on my iGoogle page. It is very convenient.

I downloaded Google Earth. I have used that at school before. I like that I can look at different colleges and universities through Google Earth. I spend time with my students discussing their future in college. It would be great for them to have the opportunity to look around the campus this way rather than just viewing the campus website. This program offers a different viewpoint which is more engaging. The spinning of the earth to get to the next location is a little nauseating, though.

I found lesson plans for Google Earth. I plan to go back to those later to find things to do with my classes.

Google Labs is also very interesting. I had no idea that this even existed. I just looked over the first few pages of items in the lab. I will absolutely be going back for more research!

Thing #20

There are so many possibilities for Google Docs. Here are some of my ideas of how I might use this:

• Peer editing: My students could write their paper in Docs and share it with another student. The other student could make suggestions, revisions or corrections using a different font color.
• Teacher committees and planning: We could use Docs to have others sign up for responsibilities on a committee or share ideas. If I had information to share with a group, I could post it on Docs, send it to my colleagues and have them respond.
• Supply list planning: I could set up a supply list/order, share it with another teacher involved in ordering for our department and have them add to the list or change quantities.
• My personal use: If I am typing a paper or proposal, I could type it as a Google Doc and save it. Then, if I was on a different computer, I could easily access it and continue working.

I like the ability to share items this way. It cuts down on the actual time teachers have to spend meeting.

Thing #19

Voicethreads are VERY cool! I would use this to explain a concept. It would be easily accessible for students to review if they needed to look at the example again. I think this would be a great way to give assignments to kids who are missing work from being sick. Also, I want to use this for assignments for sub days! I could have the substitute teacher play this for my classes! I have a teacher friend who made DVDs of the assignments to leave for the subs to play. It worked well for her classes! Voicethreads could do used in the same way!

I like this 5 step writing process from this young man: