Although several of the 23 Things frustrated me overall I am glad that I had the experience. I now at least have a working knowledge of what is available. I know I will use some of the 23 things like photostory and some of the other photo options. I'm still not a blogger or a blog reader by nature, but I will consider further uses of my blog.
The best thing about the program was that you could do it at your own pace. Some things I'd seen or used so they took me less time. The use of a blog was a great way to enter our insights and problems. It was interesting to see others comments.
I must say I'm glad I'm finished since I'm squeeking in at the last second! Thanks to all the coaches who put this program together. I hope that there will be other offerings in the future.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Thing #21
I really enjoy using photostory. This past school year I used it for the first time with my students. They loved it. They created a photostory of a famous Texan. Hearing their voice on the video was probably what they loved most. Later in the year I offered it as a presentation option and many groups chose to use it. This was the first time I had actually created a whole story myself. It was fun to do it. I'm not sure how often I will make photostories for my class since I'll be working on making flips for the new active boards. However, I will definitely teach my students how to use it. I think that it's a great presentation tool. Here's my photostory on the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. The sound is a little low so you may need to turn up your speakers. Enjoy.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thing #22
Yes, I'm out of order! I decided to look at Nings first. I've used photostory and love it, but right now I can't think of anything to create a podcast on so I'm still thinking.
I like the idea of smaller social networks. I've never gotten into facebook or my space. My husband uses it to connect with his friends, but for whatever reason (perhaps I'm too old) I never got into it. Partly I think I didn't want to be connected to all those people. But creating a social network that's smaller sounds great. In my neighborhood we have a coffee group of women that meets once a month. Setting up a ning might be a great way to stay connected during the rest of the month. A few of the women have blogs so they could be there too.
In school we could have a class ning. I haven't decided if I want to do this or not. I'll be away on maternity leave for part of the year. Would this be a good way to stay connected or too much to leave someone else? I'm still pondering that. I also think that it might be useful for students to be able to connect with each other about homework and studying. Maybe even have book clubs this way. Endless possibilities.
I also subscribed to Teacher Lingo. I liked that it had blog offerings (and remember I don't read blogs) and lesson plans. This will be one more place to look for great ideas.
I've got to continue pondering the use of nings, but I will say I like the idea.
I like the idea of smaller social networks. I've never gotten into facebook or my space. My husband uses it to connect with his friends, but for whatever reason (perhaps I'm too old) I never got into it. Partly I think I didn't want to be connected to all those people. But creating a social network that's smaller sounds great. In my neighborhood we have a coffee group of women that meets once a month. Setting up a ning might be a great way to stay connected during the rest of the month. A few of the women have blogs so they could be there too.
In school we could have a class ning. I haven't decided if I want to do this or not. I'll be away on maternity leave for part of the year. Would this be a good way to stay connected or too much to leave someone else? I'm still pondering that. I also think that it might be useful for students to be able to connect with each other about homework and studying. Maybe even have book clubs this way. Endless possibilities.
I also subscribed to Teacher Lingo. I liked that it had blog offerings (and remember I don't read blogs) and lesson plans. This will be one more place to look for great ideas.
I've got to continue pondering the use of nings, but I will say I like the idea.
Thing #20
At the Arboretum we often use YouTube videos during class. So many people make videos of their expereinces with nature that it's easy for us to find what we need. A very interesting one we viewed this summer is Battle at Kruger. It's an amature video shot by a woman on safari. It's so amazing that National Geographic wanted it!
I also found some useful videos on TeacherTube. Since TeacherTube is accessible while in SBISD it's a great place to find videos for class. I like the shorter video clips that can be used to get students' attention and get them ready for a topic. Here are two videos I found about the relationship between the moon and the Earth. They include former astronauts talking about walking on the moon.
This video is a rap about long division. Many students struggle with the steps to long division, this could be a fun way to help them remember. It's a video of kids rapping and the only problem is sometimes they go too fast, but it's worth a look.
It's wonderful to have access to so many video options. We've used United Streaming for awhile, but sometimes you just need quick videos. TeacherTube and YouTube offer many short videos that may help enhance your lessons.
I also found some useful videos on TeacherTube. Since TeacherTube is accessible while in SBISD it's a great place to find videos for class. I like the shorter video clips that can be used to get students' attention and get them ready for a topic. Here are two videos I found about the relationship between the moon and the Earth. They include former astronauts talking about walking on the moon.
This video is a rap about long division. Many students struggle with the steps to long division, this could be a fun way to help them remember. It's a video of kids rapping and the only problem is sometimes they go too fast, but it's worth a look.
It's wonderful to have access to so many video options. We've used United Streaming for awhile, but sometimes you just need quick videos. TeacherTube and YouTube offer many short videos that may help enhance your lessons.
Thing #19
The list of 2.0 awards winners is a good place to start when looking for a reputable site for whatever you are doing. I searched a few sites, but didn't find many (other than the ones we have already played with) that would be useful to my classroom. However, I did register for .docstoc. I'm not sure how much I will use this resource, but it does offer some ideas. I searched for elementary writing and found some interesting documents on different types of writing.
For fun I also looked at Im cooked since I love to cook. What a fun site. It shows videos of people cooking their food. And if you join you can post your videos. It's the next food network star! I immediately thought of a friend of mine who is pretty well terrified of cooking. I've given her the easiest cookbooks in the world and still fear reigns. I'm sending this one on to her. Perhaps seeing a cook in action will help her.
For fun I also looked at Im cooked since I love to cook. What a fun site. It shows videos of people cooking their food. And if you join you can post your videos. It's the next food network star! I immediately thought of a friend of mine who is pretty well terrified of cooking. I've given her the easiest cookbooks in the world and still fear reigns. I'm sending this one on to her. Perhaps seeing a cook in action will help her.
Thing #18
I've actually used Google Documents. I didn't remember doing it but we used it when I was trying to work at home and then send something that was too big for the email. It was a great way to open documents on different computers. It's also great for sharing documents. It doesn't bog down the email system.
I tried downloading the Open Office, but it was taking way too long. Plus I've added so much extra stuff to my computer I wasn't that willing to keep adding.
Google Documents and from what I understand Open Office are just as easy to use as the Microsoft programs. The benefit to Google documents I think comes in the easy availablility on several computers and the ability to share documents. Open Office the major advantage is the cost. My computer came with all the programs so for me I have what I need.
I would think that many institutions would be looking to moving to Open Office. With the high cost of everything this would be one place to save.
I tried downloading the Open Office, but it was taking way too long. Plus I've added so much extra stuff to my computer I wasn't that willing to keep adding.
Google Documents and from what I understand Open Office are just as easy to use as the Microsoft programs. The benefit to Google documents I think comes in the easy availablility on several computers and the ability to share documents. Open Office the major advantage is the cost. My computer came with all the programs so for me I have what I need.
I would think that many institutions would be looking to moving to Open Office. With the high cost of everything this would be one place to save.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Thing #17
Wow, another site I actually find useful. That's two in a row.
It's true that when you send kids to research they often spend way too much time sifting through all the stuff they get. My fourth graders love to try to type in whatever they are looking for plus .com in the hopes that there will be a website. Or they go to ask.com and type in a long question. Using rollyo will make using a search ending more useful. When we do Texas History research for famous Texans and towns, rather than giving them a list of websites we can create a searchroll to be used by the entire fourth grade. I love it!
As a teacher I'll need to have the sites up front, but once I've got them how much more helpful to the students than yahoo or ask.
I created a searchroll for Texas history.
Then I decided to search for the Fredonian Revolt just for fun.
It's true that when you send kids to research they often spend way too much time sifting through all the stuff they get. My fourth graders love to try to type in whatever they are looking for plus .com in the hopes that there will be a website. Or they go to ask.com and type in a long question. Using rollyo will make using a search ending more useful. When we do Texas History research for famous Texans and towns, rather than giving them a list of websites we can create a searchroll to be used by the entire fourth grade. I love it!
As a teacher I'll need to have the sites up front, but once I've got them how much more helpful to the students than yahoo or ask.
I created a searchroll for Texas history.
Then I decided to search for the Fredonian Revolt just for fun.
Thing #16
I have a new appreciation for wikis especially after watching the Commoncraft video. My only experience with a wiki was wikipedia. I always remind students that anyone can add to the site so they need to make sure they verify their information. Having watched the video I can now see how a wiki could be very valuable for group work. I haven't figured out all the details or how I will implement this, but I think that it would be a great way for book groups to share their information. The 10th grade example that was shown gave me some ideas, but I'll need to tweak it for fourth grade. This is definitely something I will consider for the upcoming school year.
Adding to the library wiki was very easy. I'm sure my fourth graders would be even more adept than I am.
Adding to the library wiki was very easy. I'm sure my fourth graders would be even more adept than I am.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Thing #15
This exercise depressed me. I realize that libraries like everything else much change and evolve. I know that technology is also ever changing and improving. But it makes me sad to think that there may be fewer and fewer actual books out there. I don't spend hours on the computer. I don't like to read from the computer screen. I will often print things because it is easier for me to read. I want to smell the pages of the books. New books are fresh and inviting. Old books are musty and mysterious. And I'm not even a librarian. I'm just someone who loves to turn the pages of a good book. As I write this my unborn child is kicking me and I wonder will he or she want to read books? Certainly I will read books to my child, but when he gets older will there be books available or will they just be some silly collection that Mom has? I certainly hope not.
Yes, libraries do need to be a source of information. Yes, libraries do need to help people access that information. Yes, changing the model of service so that more people can access the library is a good thing. But please may we keep a few books for those of us who still like to turn the pages?
Yes, libraries do need to be a source of information. Yes, libraries do need to help people access that information. Yes, changing the model of service so that more people can access the library is a good thing. But please may we keep a few books for those of us who still like to turn the pages?
Thing #14
Technorati seems like a useful tool. As with most things on the web it has so much stuff that for me it is too much. However, I did find it a useful way to search blogs. The searches in blogs versus in tags gave different results. When I searched School Library Learning 2.0 in tags it showed much more useful information than when I did it just in blogs. I also found this to be true when I searched a topic of interest to me -- nature education. I can see where tags can be a helpful tool in finding the information you want.
I will admit that I am still not an avid blog reader. However, I like the lists that technorati provides. It gives places to start if I do want to look for more blogs. I am used to googling when I want to find information. Technorati offers another way to search for this information. Especially if what you are wanting isn't so much fact as ideas. I am beginning to see the draw to blogs, just not completely ready to submit.
I will admit that I am still not an avid blog reader. However, I like the lists that technorati provides. It gives places to start if I do want to look for more blogs. I am used to googling when I want to find information. Technorati offers another way to search for this information. Especially if what you are wanting isn't so much fact as ideas. I am beginning to see the draw to blogs, just not completely ready to submit.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Thing #13
I liked the del.icio.us website. It is easy to use and seems like a good way to keep all your research in one place. I usually prefer to do my work on my home computer so I do have the problem of having to bookmark on favorites on several computers. Del.icio.us solves this problem. I also like the social aspect of this site. It can be frustrating to be looking for something but just not be able to find it. By looking at others favorite sites perhaps you'll find what you need. I think it would be great for a grade level team to have a tag so that we could all share the same sites. It could make planning that much easier.
I intend to keep using this site.
I intend to keep using this site.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Thing #12
What interested me most about these articles was how much they were basically reminding people to be decent human beings. So much on the internet can become removed from humanity when people are able to be anonymous or simply never really meet each other. I've viewed blogging negatively in that it allowed people to comment without knowing each other or perhaps caring about others. Knowing that there is etiquette involved makes me feel better. I'm glad to know that bloggers believe that others should still be respectful no matter their anonymity.
The one blog I was familiar with before I began the 23 things was a friend who uses her blog to basically rant. To me it was just her outlet, I never considered that as a writer she really does want to have comments.
I'm not sure that I will ever be a blogger or even ever be someone who reads many blogs, my RSS has remained unread; however, now I can see more of the benefits of blogs. I'm going to try again to find a blog on a topic that interests me. There's bound to be one out there!
I read and commented on some blogs from fellow players. I was mainly looking at what people said about Thing #12. There were some who had successfully used Google blog search so I gave it a go. As with most Google searchs there were so many options that I was a tad overwhelmed. Nothing just hit me as what I wanted. Then I asked a friend if he knew any good blogs. He sugggested searching the Chronicle because the columnists have blogs. I happen to love reading Leon Hale, but usually don't because I don't have a subscription and forget to look on-line. Now I have him on my Google Reader. Perhaps I'll use it after all! I also searched the npr website I was hoping to find a blog from the Car Talk guys, but haven't yet. I did find a gardening one though so I am hopeful. I have yet to comment on either of these blogs, but I intend to when I actually have something to say.
The one blog I was familiar with before I began the 23 things was a friend who uses her blog to basically rant. To me it was just her outlet, I never considered that as a writer she really does want to have comments.
I'm not sure that I will ever be a blogger or even ever be someone who reads many blogs, my RSS has remained unread; however, now I can see more of the benefits of blogs. I'm going to try again to find a blog on a topic that interests me. There's bound to be one out there!
I read and commented on some blogs from fellow players. I was mainly looking at what people said about Thing #12. There were some who had successfully used Google blog search so I gave it a go. As with most Google searchs there were so many options that I was a tad overwhelmed. Nothing just hit me as what I wanted. Then I asked a friend if he knew any good blogs. He sugggested searching the Chronicle because the columnists have blogs. I happen to love reading Leon Hale, but usually don't because I don't have a subscription and forget to look on-line. Now I have him on my Google Reader. Perhaps I'll use it after all! I also searched the npr website I was hoping to find a blog from the Car Talk guys, but haven't yet. I did find a gardening one though so I am hopeful. I have yet to comment on either of these blogs, but I intend to when I actually have something to say.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Thing #11
The Library Thing is an interesting tool. It is very easy to use. I like the information you could get about local events. The groups could be a great way to have a book club even if everyone didn't live in the same area. And it's fun to see that there are other people out there with your same tastes.
I am already a part of the GoodReads site. I like it because you get book recommendations from people you know. Some of my friends have way more time than I do to update their lists, but it is fun to see what they are reading. You can add read books and currently reading books to your shelves on this site.
Both sites are a fun way to stay connected to other book lovers.
I am already a part of the GoodReads site. I like it because you get book recommendations from people you know. Some of my friends have way more time than I do to update their lists, but it is fun to see what they are reading. You can add read books and currently reading books to your shelves on this site.
Both sites are a fun way to stay connected to other book lovers.
Thing #10
Wow, the image generators were a lot of fun. I can see using these for presents and cards and all sorts of things. It would be a fun way to do signage in the classroom too. My husband just got me a puzzle made from one of our wedding pictures. Now I know how to do that too!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Thing #9
Still not a believer in the RSS. I used the technorati and the bloglines searches and still didn't find anything that really interested me. I did like the cool cat teacher blog about finding a circle of the wise. It sounds like a wonderful idea and it's true some of the people blogging will be the "great ones" of our time. However, I still don't want to spend my spare moments on the computer. I'm a believer in the outdoors. I want to spend my moments outside watching the birds and the squirrels. Or planting flowers. Or taking a walk. In the heat of the day it's great to have something else to do inside, hence taking this online class, but when it cools down I'm ready to be out again. Even when it's hot I'd rather watch from my window than sit at a screen.
Someday I may find a blog I'm really interested in -- perhaps something about someone's nature trips. When I hit that wonderful orange button it puts it in my internet explore favorites. Then I can read the blogs I want when I want instead of having all the new stuff bombard me. For me all those pages are serious sensory overload. Once again I'm sure there are scores of you out there who will disagree with me. You are welcome to try to convince me, but for now I'm headed outside.
Someday I may find a blog I'm really interested in -- perhaps something about someone's nature trips. When I hit that wonderful orange button it puts it in my internet explore favorites. Then I can read the blogs I want when I want instead of having all the new stuff bombard me. For me all those pages are serious sensory overload. Once again I'm sure there are scores of you out there who will disagree with me. You are welcome to try to convince me, but for now I'm headed outside.
Thing #8
I was very frustrated setting up my Google reader. I would try to subscribe, but the add button did nothing. I ended up pasting the addresses and was able to subscribe, but then reading all that came in was less than fun. As I have not been a blog reader in the past I tried searching for blogs I might find interesting. I found a few that sounded interesting but then weren't really. One wasn't at all what it said it was and I have been unable as yet to delete it from my list. I guess I've never really been a news junkie anyway. I enjoy the ability to look something up on the internet at a moments notice, but I also have the patience to wait until I can get home or get to a library. My husband would probably love the RSS because he wants to know things right the minute he wonders them. He's the type who has the cell phone with internet capability. I really don't want to sit at a computer all day and read a bunch of useless stuff to find a kernel that is intersting. I honestly don't see any reason why I would need or use an RSS. I don't see that it would be useful to me in teaching or in my daily life. I'm sure someone -- probably many -- will disagree with me and that's just fine.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Thing # 7
To be honest I wasn't all that impressed with most of the Google things. It's not that they didn't do useful things it was just that in some cases they were more complicated than I presonally need. For instance I set up a calendar and it took longer than the paper one I now have that works quite well for me. I do see the benefit of the google calendar if you wanted to share your calendar. For me the white board family calenar works much better!
However, I did find some Google tools that could be useful. I did like the notebook option for saving research. Once I got the hang of it that worked very well. I was able to save the crib information I had researched and send it to my husband. It would be useful for doing research for the classroom as well. However, I was under the impression that we were not supposed to be using Google with the students. It would be a great tool for them to learn as well, but I understand the filtering system isn't as kid friendly.
Google Earth is always a fun tool. I really like the way it "flies" to another location. It would be great for searching out locations. You could start at your school's address and fly to the new place. The way the Earth turns really gives a great visual.
I was very interested in the scholar search. This would have been a great tool when I was in graduate school! It would also be very useful to older students. I think that most of the research would be above my fourth graders level. However, a useful tool for teachers looking up certain topics.
Lastly, the Google alert tool could be very helpful if a class is tracking a particular current event topic. However, once again I'm unsure about the districts policy on using Google with the students. I guess that alerts would be set up to my personal email address as it is a gmail address and then I could share the information with students. It would be really neat if you could set up a class email account and then students could be assigned to check the alerts each day. It would really get them involved in the information gathering.
The burning question remains how much of Google can we use with students -- how much can we allow them to do?
However, I did find some Google tools that could be useful. I did like the notebook option for saving research. Once I got the hang of it that worked very well. I was able to save the crib information I had researched and send it to my husband. It would be useful for doing research for the classroom as well. However, I was under the impression that we were not supposed to be using Google with the students. It would be a great tool for them to learn as well, but I understand the filtering system isn't as kid friendly.
Google Earth is always a fun tool. I really like the way it "flies" to another location. It would be great for searching out locations. You could start at your school's address and fly to the new place. The way the Earth turns really gives a great visual.
I was very interested in the scholar search. This would have been a great tool when I was in graduate school! It would also be very useful to older students. I think that most of the research would be above my fourth graders level. However, a useful tool for teachers looking up certain topics.
Lastly, the Google alert tool could be very helpful if a class is tracking a particular current event topic. However, once again I'm unsure about the districts policy on using Google with the students. I guess that alerts would be set up to my personal email address as it is a gmail address and then I could share the information with students. It would be really neat if you could set up a class email account and then students could be assigned to check the alerts each day. It would really get them involved in the information gathering.
The burning question remains how much of Google can we use with students -- how much can we allow them to do?
Monday, June 16, 2008
Thing #6
There are so many interesting ideas that I would have never thought of doing. It sure makes it easier when someone else invents the wheel!
I liked the idea of the magazine cover. It might be fun to use with our famous Texans project or with any biography project. You could also incoporate it into many group projects. Last year we did a project on different types of energy resources. The magazine cover would be a great way for students to put their headlines into a fun format.
The trading cards also were fun. I made the one shown here since I'm thinking first anniversary. Maybe this will be my husband's paper anniversary gift! Trading cards could also be used for many different projects. You could do predator and prey cards and even create a game with them. Perhaps something al la Yu-Gi-Oh with battles between predator and prey.
The mashups definitely gave me some other creative ideas for project presenations.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Thing #5
I've actually used the flickr website before though never explored it. My husband posted our wedding and honeymoon pictures on the flickr last year. So if anyone wants to see a ton of pictures of someone else's wedding search debus galbraith wedding and there I'll be! It was a great way to send all those pictures to family and friends.
It was interesting how you could search through different groups. I'm teaching summer camp at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center and next week we are studying predators. I did a search for predators and found I needed to narrow my search. I got a bunch of pictures of the airplane called the predator. When I added animals to the search I had much better results. Here are some of my favorite pictures. The kingfisher with the lizard is by far the best!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Thing #3
Setting up the blog was amazingly easy. Now it's on to the avatar thing -- we'll see how that goes. Eeek!!!
Thing #2
The 7 1/2 habits was an intersting presentation. The habits that I come by easily are play and teach/mentor others. Despite all the things we must accomplish in a school year I try to add play to our activities. It has been my experience that people, especially children, learn well while playing. I love teaching about nature. I spend my summers teaching at the Houston Arboretum. We incorporate play into most every day. Today at camp we played an adaptation of red light, green light that helped the children learn the four basic need of living things. Play I can do!
The habit that is the hardest for me is probably beginning with the end in mind. It isn't that I don't think of a goal, but rather that my goal is so lofty that it sometimes overwhelming to begin. What I have to do is make sure that I have broken down the goal so that I can indeed achieve it. It may also be that I give myself an unattainable timeline. I often pile way too much on my plate and have to step back and rethink my goals and how soon I need to get there!
The habit that is the hardest for me is probably beginning with the end in mind. It isn't that I don't think of a goal, but rather that my goal is so lofty that it sometimes overwhelming to begin. What I have to do is make sure that I have broken down the goal so that I can indeed achieve it. It may also be that I give myself an unattainable timeline. I often pile way too much on my plate and have to step back and rethink my goals and how soon I need to get there!
Thing #1
I've read and listened to everything for things #1-3. Let's hope I've set up this blog correctly. It was rather easy to get started which sort of makes me nervous, but I'll get!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
