Thing #21

It was a lot of fun to make the video. I was limited with my photos but managed to put together something. However, I was unable to hear the voice over that I did. Maybe the reason is that I am on my laptop. I need to work out the sound. I have had a lot of trouble uploading this video. I will try this again later.

Thing #20

I really liked the TeacherTube. There were learning videos and Podcasts such as the one on the Smart Board. These are very informative videos and I look forward to exploring this further.

Thing #19

Google Docs is a whole different way of doing things. I liked the team component. It sounds like it is similar to instant messaging as all team members can collaborate on a project together. I am typing this in documents and hope to paste it to my blog. The tool bar is the same and easy to use.

Thing #17

Rollar Bookmarklet will allow me to narrow a search for my students and not have to worry about what they are finding. I did find it on the Library Resources Page but I am wondering how I am able to use this on computers without Firefox when district computers won't allow us to create custom search rolls without Firefox. Any ideas? I looked for sites, copied the address of each and pasted the site onto Rollyo. It was simple to do and will be great to have this information altogether.

Thing #16

So far, 23 Things has been more time consuming than I imagined when beginning this journey. Having said that, I feel like I am so much more informed in today's high-tech world. I really am glad that I took the opportunity to have an interactive experience like this one.
I love the Wiki! I think it is a great avenue to share and collect information. It seems there are many ways the Wiki can be used in the classroom. At this time, I don't know the mechanics of setting up Wikis for my students. I can see where each student, or perhaps teams of students, would have to have their own password and passwords in order to be protected. The students could then create their own understanding of a given topic. Students could create a Wiki about famous scientists and their discoveries in the field of chemistry. I would like to do that.

Thing #15

Wow! I had a professor once who said we should not hold our students to our (way of) learning. I must say that the video pointed out that there are too many educators still teaching the way they were taught. Most educators are comfortable with what they are familiar with. (Hey, we got to the moon with good old fashioned teaching. It worked for me, for them, why not forever?) I tend to believe that we shouldn't "throw out the baby with the bath water". There still needs to be a person to respond. I think that a lot of educators can remember the small town library, mine was a square red brick building, downtown, with one middle-aged librarian on staff. This is the LIbrary 1.0 that I read about today. It seems transitioning to 2.0 is where we are today. There are many people that are comfortable with the 1.0 model. and moving into the 2.0 , the Product, is somewhat intimidating. Does anyone have this contrast in their family? I have two relatives who are 89 years old. One has a computer and sends e-mails, looks up information on the internet. The other wouldn't come near a computer much less own one. People are different at any age. At some future time will there be "internet police" that will raid the local library and force them into compliance?
This course has really made me realize the complexity and depth of the internet. Yes, I have heard of things like blogs, avatars, but never ventured into that. This is only the tip of the iceburg. How long do you think it will take to get to 4.0? The year 2525 comes to mind (Ha!). However, when I think of the advancement from the horse and buggy to the landing on the moon, it shouldn't take us long.

Thing #13

Using Del.icio.us was easy to make bookmarks and store them. Looking for topics I would be interested in was time consuming. I will move my bookmarks to this and have them available no matter what computer I am on. My students will be able to use tags as they research certain topics. It could be very helpful and expedite the process.

Thing #14

This has been interesting to explore Technorati. I am continually amazed at how much is being shared in a world I never really understood before. I do fear that I will spend way too much time at this, however. It is like pulling a thread on a sweater and the sweater is soon gone. I begin to read these blogs and before long, all of my time is gone. I can see that I need discipline and I need to focus only on what I want to know and not allow myself to get sidetracked by other related topics. That is not always a good thing. I love the show clips. The articles I found are not that long but the number of comments are fascinating, yet time consuming to read.

Thing #12

This activity is very helpful to really using and enjoying my blog. I understand more about the use of comments and how it connects me to other bloggers who may have similar interests. In "How to Comment Like a King (orQueen), I gained insight into writing a meaningful comment. By showing the blog author that you are actually influenced by what they have written, it will encourage them to write more about the topic. Another interesting point to me is that if I receive a comment, then I can reply to it. It may encourage more of a dialogue. I also believe that the more I comment, the easier it will be to do. I certainly don't want to be a "lurker"!

Thing #11

What an incredible opportunity to share books and get ideas on books that other people have enjoyed. It was so easy to use. Setting up the library was literally a "click of the mouse"! It is also interesting to see how many others share my taste in books.

Thing #10 Revisited

I couldn't get the Comic Strip Generator to cooperate. Very frustrating. It would not download. So, I went to Quick Toons which is minimal cartoon creating site, still in Beta format, but it worked fairly easily to make a fun cartoon strip. I found Quick Toons through the site http://www.web20links.net. If you scroll down to Comix 2.0, you will find a list cartoon making and comic sites. If you want to see my comic strip, or create one of your own, here is the link:
http://www.quicktoons.com/818201/



Maybe I could use some "Braino" to open up the thought processes. This image came from the Custom Sign Generator under Wacky Packages. This was a fun place to visit.

Thing #10

I used the Image Chef under the Discovery Resources. It was fun to make and students can make creative images to display their thoughts or information about a topic.
ImageChef.com Flower Text

Thing #9

I find that the easiest method to use in finding RSS feeds is to use an RSS Directory, such as RSSMountain.com or Feedage.com. By using this method, there was no confusion. The easiest way to find an RSS Directory is searching with Yahoo or Google. I found many feeds for GT Education. Basically, I found the best way to locate news feeds was using Yahoo or Google to find the RSS Directories.

Thing #8

This is amazing! I learned about Google Reader and created an account. I am linked to the Houston Chronicle's Leon Hale, Dwight Silvermans Techno News, and others. It will keep me informed of the latest technology and up to minute news stories. I fear it will take up time reading information from these instead of doing other things I need to do. I hope to incorporate some of the information into my curriculum. At least I will not be so "clueless" about important events and changes in my world. It will all be at a click of the mouse. Librarians could link to state and national organizations that determine the latest changes in library science.

Thing #7

Google Tools-

Tool #1: I have created a Google Alert that will tell me when a volcano erupts in the United States.
Tool #2: I enjoyed setting up my Google Notebook and adding links to it that will assist me in my curriculum development. This is not public in that it is a resource to me and I didn't want to involve copyright law requirements at this time.

Thing #6.2

I created this puzzle using Puzzle Maker. This is an easy way to change a plain photo into a fun, learning tool.

Thing #6

How much fun it was to create a Trading Card. This will be great with my students. They could create their own cards using information in a particular unit of study. The periodic tables would be one avenue. They could also choose from places in the world or people who have contributed to the fields of science or math.

Thing #5

This is a beautiful picture of the bald eagle. I saw many of these in Alaska last summer but never got this close to one. I found this image on Flickr. This has been a fun adventure to find out about all the interesting things people have taken pictures of. I love it!

Thing #4

I have successfully registered my blog and I am ready to begin play.

Thing #2

The easiest habit for me is bo begin with the end in mind. I know where I want to go and it helps keep my focus. The hardest habit is to have the time to play.

Thing #3

What a trip! I could have gone on for hours changing outfits and backgrounds! It was fun!

New Beginnings

Never visited a blog before and now I am creating one. WaHoo!!!!

Don't know where this will lead but I am feeling adventurous. Meanwhile, I will be thinking of something interesting to post and hopefully, this will be a positive experience for all involved.