Sunday, October 12, 2008
Summary
What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey? My favorite exercises through this time of learning would have to be the video and picture creation activities. I am a big photo/video person and love creating different things to go with my pictures. I really enjoyed the other activities as well (there wasn't one I didn't enjoy), but those two were my favorite.
How has this program affected your lifelong learning goals?
I have always thought of myself as a lifelong learner, but these activities have challenged me to step it up a notch and step out into trying more new things. There were so many things I had never heard of, and that means there are still a ton of new adventures waiting to be explored! I hope to continue learning for as long as I can!
Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I really found that I became more interested in some of the applications than I thought I would. When I first read the topics, I was sort of dreading some of the Things, but I really enjoyed each of them. I really didn't expect to see so much that I would really want to incorporate into my every day classroom life. There are so many applications that can be used in the classroom, and I want to begin using those as soon as I can.
What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I really enjoyed the concept. I'm not sure of what could be done to improve the format. One of the only things I can think of is pacing - give a little more time to explore the Things. It seems like we did them at such a fast pace that we couldn't really get into them. The other thing is to maybe go a little more in depth with a few of the more complex topics. I would really like to have seem more that I could do with some of the different things, but I didn't know where to go beyond the basics. Maybe if there is something that is beyond the basics that would beneficial, we could go a little deeper into the tool and discover more. Although, I guess that's what lifelong learning is about...how can I learn it if I don't go back and try it again? :)
How will what you have learned influence your practice as a teacher?
I hope to incorporate many of these things into my classroom and instruction. I believe this experience has made me more open to trying things I have been more reluctant to step out and try. It will also make me more willing to try new strategies in the classroom and activities with my students.
How do you plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0? Recommend a way that you have found to be useful.
I plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0 by using my RSS feed to check in on blogs that update about what's going on.
How has this program affected your lifelong learning goals?
I have always thought of myself as a lifelong learner, but these activities have challenged me to step it up a notch and step out into trying more new things. There were so many things I had never heard of, and that means there are still a ton of new adventures waiting to be explored! I hope to continue learning for as long as I can!
Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I really found that I became more interested in some of the applications than I thought I would. When I first read the topics, I was sort of dreading some of the Things, but I really enjoyed each of them. I really didn't expect to see so much that I would really want to incorporate into my every day classroom life. There are so many applications that can be used in the classroom, and I want to begin using those as soon as I can.
What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I really enjoyed the concept. I'm not sure of what could be done to improve the format. One of the only things I can think of is pacing - give a little more time to explore the Things. It seems like we did them at such a fast pace that we couldn't really get into them. The other thing is to maybe go a little more in depth with a few of the more complex topics. I would really like to have seem more that I could do with some of the different things, but I didn't know where to go beyond the basics. Maybe if there is something that is beyond the basics that would beneficial, we could go a little deeper into the tool and discover more. Although, I guess that's what lifelong learning is about...how can I learn it if I don't go back and try it again? :)
How will what you have learned influence your practice as a teacher?
I hope to incorporate many of these things into my classroom and instruction. I believe this experience has made me more open to trying things I have been more reluctant to step out and try. It will also make me more willing to try new strategies in the classroom and activities with my students.
How do you plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0? Recommend a way that you have found to be useful.
I plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0 by using my RSS feed to check in on blogs that update about what's going on.
Thing #23
2 places on the APSU 23 Things website where another person's work is cited:
1. In the credits on the bottom right corner of the site, it is state that Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based the program for the Mesquite Independent School District. It goes on to give further information about the designer and how it was adapted for others.
2. On the About page, information is given to tell more about where the Learning 2.0-23 Things for Teacher program came from. It even goes into telling about how designer's program was loosely based on Stephen Abram's article about the 43 Things.
1. In the credits on the bottom right corner of the site, it is state that Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based the program for the Mesquite Independent School District. It goes on to give further information about the designer and how it was adapted for others.
2. On the About page, information is given to tell more about where the Learning 2.0-23 Things for Teacher program came from. It even goes into telling about how designer's program was loosely based on Stephen Abram's article about the 43 Things.
Thing #22
I really enjoy listening to podcasts. I found several that I enjoyed listening to, but I think some that I liked the most were ones that I thought, "Oh, my kids would love that!" There are a few podcasts (like the ones from Willowdale Elementary) that I thought would be interesting for my students to listen to. All of the podcasts I listened to by the kids at Willowdale were educational and would be very informative for my students. They shared things they were learning, and I thought that was a really neat way to use podcasting. There are other podcasts by elementary schools/students, but WillowWeb was my favorite.
I found that using PodcastAlley was the easiest way for me to find a podcast I was interested in outside of education. When I was searching for education related podcasts, I really liked using the Educational Podcast Directory. I really liked how I could search for specific topics on PodcastAlley or I could browse by "Podcast Genre." Once the genres were broken down, there were interesting titles to skim through and find something interesting. My fiance listens to a lot of podcasts, but I've always been unsure of how I would like them. I think that, after this assignment, I might be a little more interested and more willing to really try it out. I am more interested, however, in creating podcasts for my class and also allowing them to create podcasts about things they have learned! After listening to WillowWeb, I realized how much my kids would really like this. They would be so much more interested in creating a podcast than simply making a speech or writing a paper. If it is engaging to them, it is well worth it!
I'm not sure I've actually found a podcast to subscribe to just yet. I really liked WillowWeb, but it doesn't appear that they've created anything since the beginning of the year. I plan to continue exploring in order to find more that I am interested in listening to.
I found that using PodcastAlley was the easiest way for me to find a podcast I was interested in outside of education. When I was searching for education related podcasts, I really liked using the Educational Podcast Directory. I really liked how I could search for specific topics on PodcastAlley or I could browse by "Podcast Genre." Once the genres were broken down, there were interesting titles to skim through and find something interesting. My fiance listens to a lot of podcasts, but I've always been unsure of how I would like them. I think that, after this assignment, I might be a little more interested and more willing to really try it out. I am more interested, however, in creating podcasts for my class and also allowing them to create podcasts about things they have learned! After listening to WillowWeb, I realized how much my kids would really like this. They would be so much more interested in creating a podcast than simply making a speech or writing a paper. If it is engaging to them, it is well worth it!
I'm not sure I've actually found a podcast to subscribe to just yet. I really liked WillowWeb, but it doesn't appear that they've created anything since the beginning of the year. I plan to continue exploring in order to find more that I am interested in listening to.
Thing #21
Animoto is SO much fun! I really enjoyed playing around with the different features, and I made a ton of short videos! The site is easy to use and has a lot to offer. I really like that it added little features to the pictures after I uploaded them. There was something unique about the way each picture came up on the screen. Very cool tool! Check it out at www.animoto.com.
Thing #20
I LOVE YouTube! I have used it many times in the past. I use it mostly to check out music videos, but there are so many other things I have found on there! I really like the ease of navigation. Though there is a lot of inappropriate content (most likely the reason it is banned from our schools), it is not hard to stay away from it. If you use search terms that tell what you're looking for, it's not likely to bring up anything inappropriate.
For my video, I chose to include the speech made by 10 year old Dalton Sherman at the Dallas ISD convocation. This video has been circulating through our school system recently, and I thought it might be inspiration to some others as well.
I think this would be good if applied to a library site if the librarian made their own videos to go on YouTube. That way it would directly relate to whatever is going on at the school. There are, however, some other interesting things out there that would be good for kids to see on their website. I saw several videos of children's books being read. That would be a good way of incorporating videos for smaller kids.
For my video, I chose to include the speech made by 10 year old Dalton Sherman at the Dallas ISD convocation. This video has been circulating through our school system recently, and I thought it might be inspiration to some others as well.
I think this would be good if applied to a library site if the librarian made their own videos to go on YouTube. That way it would directly relate to whatever is going on at the school. There are, however, some other interesting things out there that would be good for kids to see on their website. I saw several videos of children's books being read. That would be a good way of incorporating videos for smaller kids.
Thing #19
I tend to be the person who stands back from the group to see what is going on. It is very rare that I will actually jump in on a conversation or other part of an online community. I am, however, an active member of the atozteacherstuff online community. It is a discussion forum where teachers discuss most everything from personal to school to national level topics. I actually started using the forum when I was an undergrad. It was part of a project we had to do for Educ 3040 with Dr. Wall. The ability to connect with teachers from many different places persuaded me to stay and participate. I still use the site frequently today. It is so beneficial to be able to talk about school related issues with teachers who are not a part of my "school life." They are not biased because they do not work with me. It's a great community for teachers.
I found that several of the social networks listed were interesting. My absolute favorite site was BakeSpace. I love to bake and this just turned out to be the best site for me. I really like that I can swap recipes with others and chat about things in the forum. I've bookmarked this site for future exploration! :)
I went ahead and bookmarked all the sites (using Del.icio.us) because I found something interesting on each of them. I will keep the education sites in mind because I'm sure I will go back to them often. I liked Classroom 2.0 because of the variety of topics listed. There are many different things going on and it seems like a neat place to interact and discuss with others.
I found that several of the social networks listed were interesting. My absolute favorite site was BakeSpace. I love to bake and this just turned out to be the best site for me. I really like that I can swap recipes with others and chat about things in the forum. I've bookmarked this site for future exploration! :)
I went ahead and bookmarked all the sites (using Del.icio.us) because I found something interesting on each of them. I will keep the education sites in mind because I'm sure I will go back to them often. I liked Classroom 2.0 because of the variety of topics listed. There are many different things going on and it seems like a neat place to interact and discuss with others.
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