Thing #23

I can say that if this had not been recommended by our librarian, I would not have found it and done it! I can honestly say that this has been one of the most meaningful and exciting staff development experiences in which I have participated in several years. I considered myself pretty tech savy until now -- there are whole new worlds to expore out there and a whole new set of experiences awaiting me which will take the rest of my life to try to keep up with all the new "Things". Yes, I will do the second set of lessons -- when can I begin? I think I most enjoyed the realization that I can create my own blog (and that it was not hard) and that teachers really do participate in a collaborative profession far beyond what is generally realized. I think my only suggestion would be to begin in a classroom setting with other explorers, at least through the blog making process, because I know some folks will look at some of the first lessons and think they cannot do them alone -- but if I can do it so can they -- they might be a dogged about learning things like technology like I am. I would hate to see anyone get discouraged and loose out on this great opportunity because they think technology is too scary or difficult for them working on their own.

Thing #22

I enjoyed seening and reading about all the different sites available as resources and connections for teachers and librarians! Who knew there would be so many and so much to explore! I now have a blog on Teacher Lingo and hope to share and receive ideas that I can immediately implement.

Thing #21

This was fun. I can see using this frequently for pictures and video taken on field studies and during classroom activites. Documenting the processes toward project completion is a way students can note contributions of each group member as they collaborate toward a goal.

Thing #20

I thought I had this right but think I may not have posted my videos correctly. I am still trying.

Thing #20

The availability of videos from YouTube and TeacherTube provides both videos and powerpoint presentations to facilitate lesson preparation and presentation much easier for the teacher and more interesting for students today who have grown up in the visual and electronic world.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UIX-05H9Cw

I found this and love a military band! All those years in band and then in the military and later with my own kids and now grandsons in bands -- they get addictive!

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=26466&title=We_Didnt_Start_The_Fire

Then I found this and have used the song to illustrate what writing should not be -- a list of ideas. I can also see how it will be good as a history review/discussion for a generation that most of these mean nothing. This can be used for cultural literacy!

Thing #19

There are some really amazing free sites for teachers -- and for everyone, for that matter -- on this awards list. It was especially helpful to have someone rate them so I did not spend my time just cruising and clicking! Thinking about next year for teachers and librarians as facilitators, the list makes it easier for facilitators to direct student learning and to create and share information among formats to accelerate success. I believe this list may become a really good friend next year!

Thing #18

Both platfoms have advantages. I really liked the 24/7 access from any computer with Google Docs and the fact that others can improve upon your document without the constant email trail. OpenOffice has its advantages as it looks more user friendly than the Microsoft counterparts -- added to the fact that you can mesh them more seamlessly, it appears. I would have never explored OpenOffice on my laptop if I had not taken this course! Thanks for opening new worlds with each click of the mouse!