Thing # 23 - Thoughts about This Program

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
Favorite discovery was the Comic Strip generator. I think that I could most easily incorporate this into my English classroom. My favorite exercise would be the blogging experience in general. I started out so nervous and unsure of what to expect and it turned out to be a really worthwhile experience--time consuming, but worth the effort.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
After completing all of the things, I feel more confident in my ability to use technology and very much empowered. As I've gotten older, I see the gap growing between myself and my students and the biggest reason is technology. This makes me feel more connected to the ever changing world we live in.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I was surprised at how easy most of the things were to use. I seriously have always feared technology because I just didn't get it. Now, I do still struggle with uploading and downloading stuff, but I learned a great deal of useful knowledge and stuff that I would greatly try to implement into my classroom.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I think it worked well the way it is set up. The directions were clear and easy to follow. I only once wanted to throw my computer to the ground, so format wise it was good. The concept is fantastic. I wish that more online professional development opportunities were offered. This has been the best I've had in my 10 years of teaching.

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
Absolutely! Just give me a warning on how time consuming it would be...this was a little more time consuming than I anticipated.

6. 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?
Best professional development I've had in 10 years!!!

Thing # 22 - Ning

I searched Ning for Teachers. It was useful and interesting. I got caught up in several blog postings about handling parent behaviors. I also enjoyed looking at lessons. I liked how you could enter your specific grade and subject matter (didn't have to search through a bunch of stuff that doesn't apply to my grade/subject, which is usually the case when you search for lessons). There weren't a whole lot to look at, but there are also Tags that you can click on that relate to the topic you've searched. I also love Message Boards (looking, not posting), so those were fun to browse through.

Thing # 21 - Podcasts and Audio Books

Okay, so to be honest, this is probably my least favorite thing. I had a lot of trouble downloading the Photostory; it kept saying that I needed some other program. When it finally downloaded, I realized that it would take a lot of time to upload pictures, then if you wanted to do a narration, that would be more time spent. I got a little sick of it. I did a really simple picture story using pictures of my own kids and then I parked it in Switchpod, which was fairly easy to use. Still not 100% sure about it though.

However, I do see a great deal of potential in using this in the classroom, especially the idea of having students do book talks. I love the idea of it, but honestly the practicality of it did not appeal to me. At the same time, I know the kids would love it.

Thing # 20 - Explore YouTube And TeacherTube

I had a lot of fun looking at videos on You Tube and Teacher Tube...I did find it a little disturbing at what can get posted on the internet for all to see! I posted a high school English teacher's video about what he sees as needing to change in the classroom. Pretty interesting views. I think overall having videos like this at our disposal is a great teaching and learning tool (as evidenced in their use during the Library2Play activities).

Thing # 19 - Web 2.0 Awards List

So many to choose from! I felt proud of myself for actually recognizing and knowing what several of them were! I like the way it is broken down and it gives the top 3 so you know which ones are the best to use. I got lost in the MotherClick. Surprise! I'm not sure how to link this to student use, but I definitely see ways that I could use it for educational purposes and personal. I think that it would be useful for library use in terms of having a specific category to search under.

Thing # 18 - Online Productivity Tools

Hate to complain, but it took forever to download Open Office. I am familiar with Google Docs, so I wanted to try the other. It is a great alternative to MS Office, but I really dread changing from something I'm familiar with. Google Docs is a great way to share handouts, PowerPoint, etc. One of my coworkers has been using it this summer and sharing documents with me through email. It's worked out well. I also like the little email that they send you when someone wants to share a document.

Thing # 17 - Rollyo

http://rollyo.com/mooseyface/my_news/
This one took me awhile to figure out. I was nervous about downloading Firefox (but I had to in order to create my own rollyo search). I'm still a little confused about how it works and it took me forever to customize my search. The one I created is really basic, verging on embarrassing, so please, no one feel obligated to visit.

Thing # 16 - Wikis

This is great. I liked searching the teacher Wikis. I found some wonderful ideas and ways to use these in the classroom. I visited the sandbox. It was interesting to see what others had to say about their experience thus far. I found good teaching tools and I love the idea for the English class connection. I think the students would enjoy it, as would I.

Thing # 15 - Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the Future of Libraries

The video made me sad...but it also was the same way that I felt in college. The difference, I was in my last year when the internet and cellphones began to become popular and more advantageous. So, I cannot identify with having a laptop in class and searching Facebook or MySpace. I probably would have failed out of college if I'd had access to those things. Sadly, I know that library use is different then what it was even just 10 years ago...when I take my students to the library it is usually to use the computer to search for information. Few kids want to take the time to search a book for information.

I don't know how I feel about this. I think it unfortunately and fortunately is the direction that we are headed in, but the thing I don't like about computers is it takes away the personal connection. I don't want to go off on any random tangents here, this just really got my mind working, thinking about how much technology is going to change our daily interactions with students. I think we have just seen the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

Thing # 14 - Technorati and How Tags Work

Another overwhelming feeling...I am most certainly out of my comfort zone with all of this amazing technology! I barely understand one thing and then I am on to barely understanding another. That's okay though. I'm learning something new, and that is a good thing.

Anyhow...when I searched Technorati for School Library Learning 2.0 it first searched the Posts which didn't show a whole lot of matches (there was one on the 1st page...I only searched the first 3 pages), but then when I searched under Blogs, there were a lot more immediate matches.

When I searched Blogger Central/What's Popular, I felt old (and I'm not that old!). The top searches seemed to be done by teens (again showing my lack of technological skills and getting passed by the younger generations)! :) That's okay!

Thing # 13 - Tagging and Discover Del.icio.us

This one made me a little nervous. After reading all the directions and watching the videos, I felt a bit overwhelmed. However, when I clicked on the first site, 'a cloud of...', I felt relief. This is pretty cool; definitely a time saver. I don't know how I feel about the one word tags though. They seem too broad...I need more specific stuff. I think it would be valuable to use in the library and in the classroom; just as a means to show the students all the different connections that can be made with a single word.

Thing #12 - Commenting

I just completed my 5 comments for L2P and my 2 by using Google Blog Search. I have to admit I chose my blogs based on interest of the blogger names. It was fun to comment and see what other people are blogging about.

Thing # 11- Library Thing

Okay, so I added my list of 5 books...they are actually books that I just bought about parenting a spirited 3 year old...aren't they all! This is a great site. I enjoyed going through other people's lists to see what good books are out there. I didn't find any groups on parenting books, so maybe I'll create one!

Thing #10 - Online Image Generator

This is pretty cool. I could definitely use this in my English class by having my students create comics for a character in the book they are reading or even about themselves as a getting to know them at activity at the beginning of the year. I found this generator the easiest to use. I tried the magazine cover one and the swapping body one, but they were too wordy for me to follow.

Thing # 9 - RSS Experience

I like Blogline's Search Tool and Google Blog Search the best. I thought they were the easiest to use because you can search specifically for what you are looking for and it was easy to subscribe to the feeds that I was interested in. I also liked the fact that Blogline let you search through other posts. I found some interesting stuff...like random quotes overheard. Another way that I found to locate news feeds was to go directly to certain news websites and subscribe to their updates and feeds. It is still a little too technical for my comfort level though.

Thing # 8 - RSS

I love that I can get all of the latest updates and news in one spot. I am constantly going to the same couple of websites to look at local news and it does take a lot of extra time to peruse through everything. This makes it a lot more simple. I also like the fact that you can organize the information. I easily made a category for personal interests (such as the local news) and one specifically for school related material (teaching articles, research articles, etc.). I think that our school library could use this information specifically for my content area when it comes to research. It would be nice to have all the most current information in one spot (for student or teacher use).

Thing # 7 - Google

I found Google Advanced Search to be extremely helpful. I did a search on A Raisin in the Sun powerpoints and was amazed at what came up. It was a lot easier than just doing a regular search and having to go through all of results to find the type of file you are wanting to use. I also think that Google Scholar would be useful in my English class; especially if you are wanting to find background information on a specific author. I thought Google Earth was really neat, but I don't know how I would incorporate its use. Google Calendar would be good for setting up team meetings and plans.

Thing # 6 - Mashups

Wow! This is so cool! I have been searching for creative ways to display my digital pictures and I love the Mosaic idea and the fd's Flickr Toys. For my classroom, it would be pretty neat to create my own motivational posters using actual student photographs. I would also enjoy having the students create trading cards for the various characters they encounter in a novel we are reading.

Thing # 5 - Flicker Picture

I love the saying next to this picture on Flicker..."A house without books is like a room without windows."

Thing # 3 - Set Up

I can't believe I did it - I set up a blogging profile and an avatar! I had never even heard of an avatar before now and my husband has been watching over my back wondering what the heck a blog is...I feel so empowered!

Thing # 2 - Easiest

Mentoring is the easiest thing for me. I do it on a daily basis, as a high school teacher, a mother, a friend, and a wife. I also find it to be a rewarding experience--challenging at times, but definitely worth the end result.

Thing # 2 - Hardest

Techonology is definitely at the top of my list for things I need to work on! It took me forever just to make it to this point. After reading the Habits, I realized there are many things that I need to work on to be an effective person. Starting with the end in mind is one area that I could definetly start with. I often just start doing with no end in mind.