Thing #23 Summerizing the program

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

I enjoyed learning about many of the Web 2.0 tools that I had heard of but never used. Taking each tool and working with it helped me understand that so many of the tools are user friendly and can be used successfully in educational settings.

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

This program made me acutely aware that keeping up with the digital world is imperative for all of us as educators.

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

I cannot say that I had any surprises other than the fact that I was able to manage so many different tools without a tremendous amount of difficulty. I felt challenged, but the tools are not too difficult to understand. I will take away the knowledge to use and share the tools with teachers and students.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?

I truly enjoyed being able to work at my own pace, especially since I had such a late start. Each "Thing" was so well explained that working alone from home was not impossible. I will say that I wish I had started earlier so I could have attended the workshops that were offered. I look at other blogs and I realize that I have some shaping up to do. I have "Things" I would like to include in my blog, but will go back after I finish the course to do so. I would participate next year if the course is offered. I will start sooner.


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?

A truly valuable learning experience...

Thank you so very much to our Kickball Captains for creating and hosting this workshop. I have truly enjoyed my adventure with Web 2.0. I am already going back through the elements for more discovery about the tools. I look forward to the next Library2Play event.

Thing #21 Podcasts/Photostory

The pictures for this Photostory were imported from Discovery Education, a school subscription database. I created information statements for each slide in the story. I do not have a mic at home. The citation information for the photos:

Biomes. Paul Fuqua. 2003.
Discovery Education. 3 August 2009

Commentary:

Biome-One of the Earth's large ecosystems, with its own kind of climate, soil, plants, and animals.

Desert-A desert is a rocky or sandy biome with little precipitation and plant life.

Tropical rain forest-A tropical rain forest is a hot, humid biome near the equator that experiences much rain.

Grasslands-A grassland is a biome where grasses, not trees, are the main plant life.
Alpine biome-Alpine biomes are usually found between an altitude of about 10,000 feet and the place where the snow line of a mountain begins. Alpine and arctic biomes together cover approximately 16% of the earth's surface.

Coastal biome-A coastal marsh ecosystem offers special challenges to plant life. Plants must adapt to salt or brackish water and to large fluctuations in water level.

Thing #22 NINGS

Connectivity and community are two important features of Web 2.0 Ning certainly represents these features. Facebook and MySpace do not have a gridlock on social networking. Ning allows anyone the opportunity to create a social network. From an academic point of view, Nings allow teachers to create assignments in an environment very familiar to students. Nings can be established for student projects, as well. Nings can build community among students and teachers. However, the major issue in school districts is that social networking is blocked, but maybe not forever. Two aspects stand out regarding the Nings we accessed for this assignment: organization and management. Both elements require time and dedication of the creator and participants. But, the idea of being able to create a social network is powerful.

Thing #20 Teacher Tube and YouTube

Ready to go video is awesome, especially TeacherTube, now allowed in our district. Of course, we have all enjoyed YouTube and the oh, so funny videos that have been created. Now with the advent of videos for teachers and students the tool is kicked up a notch. Finding video of quality for the classroom is most important. We do not want to use a video that is not up to standard, just to save time. But the tool has value for instructing teachers and students. There is a 26 minute video on literature circles I plan to view when I finish Thing #23. I am getting close.

Thing #19 Web 2.0 Awards List

Docstoc

This education Web 2.0 winner is amazing. I explored high school English and am very impressed with its many instructional documents that are available for free downloads. I can hardly wait to share this site with our teachers. There are instructional PowerPoint presentations on many useful topics. Many subject areas are included. I know this site has much more to offer and I plan to spend more time with it in the near future. I can certainly understand why it is a winner. I know that Wikispaces and PBworks will be popular this year and will be used by teachers as they become familiar with it. Wikispaces is wonderful for me as I use it to publish my library newsletter. I could also use it with students to create book talks and I have seen some wikis used for this purpose. The Web 2.0 awards winner list is a great resource because it is a handy list to see what is out there that is truly "good" among the hundreds of tools available on the Web.

Thing #18 Online Prodictivity Tools

There are many advantages to online productivity tools. The first and most important is that students and teachers have access to productivity tools that are free. Many of our students cannot afford expensive software for creating assignments. OpenOffice.org and GoogleDocs provide productivity tools for students to create projects and assignments from home. The same for teachers. I like GoogleDocs because it allows choosing the type of document from templates. Though OpenOffice requires only one download, our school computers are blocked from downloads without contacting the tech specialist. I like the fact that GoogleDocs allows document sharing, eliminating the email nightmare. This is great for projects and groups.

D Allen & News
This is a personal interest news searchroll. I plan to create a library news searchroll at a later date. I will probably find some I can edit. Rollyo certainly has its place in education. Students and teachers can create searchrolls for research and assignments, as well as for fun. What a great way to introduce interests of individual in a classroom. But on the academic side, creating searcholls for assignments has wonderful possibilities. Oh, how I had to resist shopping. If I had started on that search I would never finish my 23 Things. When I arrive back at school I plan to make a searchroll with my bookmarks.