Tech Snapshots

11 Tools #11- Self Evaluation

2011-08-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

My favorite tools are all of them. I think they are fabulous! This year I will use the trading cards and wordles again. I start out the year with a wordle with their learning buddies as a get to know you activity. This year I want to keep up with creating library rings--creating a trading card for each book we read in class. Also allow kids to make recommendations to their classmates and create a trading card to add to our library rings.
I am excited to use Skype in the classroom this year. This will be new--kind of scary to jump into but I'm excited for the chance to expand my classroom beyond the classroom walls.
Since I have been fortunate to have some technology hardware and the passion for learning about new technology I think I have done a good job already fostering 21 century learning in my classroom. I look forward to continuing this learning, not only for my students but for my self as well.
I did not have any surprising outcomes through the 11 tools. I enjoyed learning about some new websites, apps and finding new blogs to follow. I am thankful that my school was able to do this during the summer. It consumes more than 9 hours of your time. In order to really learn and understand each tool a person needs to spend time to explore and understand each tool. I'm thankful that I was able spend that time on it during the summer vs. having to juggle school in full force in addition to the 11 tools class.
Excited to say I'M DONE!!! Now I can start planning how to expand on what I have already done in my classroom.

11 Tools #10- Digital Citizenship

2011-06-11T12:55:00.000-05:00

I want my students to understand and keep the following in mind when using technology:

Always use kind words and treat others how you wish to be treated
Don't email, write down, or post anything that you don't want everyone to see/read. (from the words of my father "If you wouldn't want it on the front page of the paper then don't share/write it down")
If you aren't sure about something being appropriate it probably isn't, if it is a question about a website always ask a teacher or parent before clicking!
Don't ever give out your personal information!

I would use the videos and quizzes on BrainPop to help teach digital citizenship. They are short and to the point. Many of these can be worked into different subject areas as well. The videos on Internet research and on plagiarism will be good to use when starting our research projects. The ones on Cyberbullying can be worked into our Character Education lessons. There are also ways to differentiate the instruction on BrainPop with the various follow up activities.

The best way to teach anything is through modeling and also being aware of what the students are doing. As they gain more knowledge they gain more responsibility and flexibility. The only way to teach them is through doing. There is so much out there now for the kids, many are wonderful resources, however there is so much that is very inappropriate for them as well. I do believe that the only way is to teach them the responsibility that is needed. They can't fully understand that if everything is blocked to them. There also needs to be some common expectations at school AND at home. This will make the expectations more clear and easily understandable to the student.

I always begin the year with clear expectations for the students. I share these expectations with the parents during open house and also in a handout in case a parent doesn't make it to open house. This year I'm going to use the video Too Much Information that I found through my Librarian's blog to begin my digital Citizenship and expectations to the parents.

11 Tools #9- Incorporating Devices as Learning Tools

2011-06-11T12:16:00.000-05:00

I thought the video about schools changing to meet students needs was very interesting. The statement about ADD/ADHD being "fictitious" was eye opening to me. It was also interesting to see that as the amount of testing has risen so has the amount of kids diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. So why are we still insisting on more and more testing each year if this is not helping our students? In my years of teaching I have had many students come through my classroom that had been tested by doctors that were "diagnosed" with this and some were medicated, some were not, some where on strict diets to help, etc. However all the children in my class they were more engaged when there were different elements to the lesson besides sitting and listening to a "lecture". Luckily I am not a lecture type person in the way I teach. Now when I go to classes for myself I prefer a lecture format with time to explore on my own. This however was the way I was taught and it is most comfortable for myself. I liked how he illustrated the way our outside environment has evolved but our schools have not necessarily evolved to fit our outside environment. I'm so glad that I already use--small groups, individual assignments, large group and many other forms of teaching all in one lesson. I feel like I'm on the right track. Collaborative learning is something these kids will need to know how to do when they get out of school. As teachers we have to collaborate with each other, it is only common sense for us to model this for the students now so they know how to collaborate effectively when they graduate and are working.

I have been very fortunate to have 2 iTouches for my classroom the last 2 years. These have been great devices to use during my Literacy Daily 5 Sessions and during our Math Tub time. I am excited about having additional devices because this opens up more options for my students. During Literacy time they use the iTouch to practice sight words, vocabulary, and for listening to audio books. At this time I used the 2 iTouches for apps and then had 3 personal CD players that played books on CD. This next year I will use some of the iTouches as the listening station to replace one of the personal CD players that is at the end of its life. Since my listening sessions are so popular, using the iTouches in this manner is very useful because it allows more children to participate during each session.
I like that I will be syncing all of my devices. This allows me more flexibility to set up the devices to benefit my students better. I also used a recording journal to track the apps and time each student used the device so I had a record of their work. I would like to do more menu activities to have a greater accountability for the students. These simple menus were used during the math time however they focused on the apps that were applicable to math instead of language arts. I also had a few students that had these devices at home and were very good at trouble shooting, remember passwords, etc. I called them my Tech Gurus and they were the go to person if there was a problem if a student needed help.

I can't wait to have the netbooks in my classroom. So many of my students this year enjoyed taking their books to a full publication by typing and formatting their work into books that they could then illustrate and and place in our classroom library. This will give them the option to do research for their nonfiction books, access their Google Docs, and also be able to produce their work through some of the tools I learned about in lesson #5--like Storybird or Storyjumper.

This summer I plan to work on Menus for my class for our various units in LA, SS, Sci, and Math. These menus will incorporate technology and other non technology assignments. This will give the student freedom to choose activities he/she is interested in but give me the tools I need to see how far this child's knowledge reaches. Since these menus are still in the beginning stages of being created I unfortunately don't have any examples to share. When I do I will update.
I liked the matrix--Luckily I feel that my classroom fell mostly in the Infusion columns. There is still so much for me to improve on though.
I can't wait to get the devices to get them set up and ready for student use! They have proven to be great resources for my students the last 2 years and I look forward to the additional devices to take my classroom and my teaching from Infusion to Transformation!

11 Tools #8-Devices in the classroom

2011-06-11T01:56:00.001-05:00

I will be receiving iTouches and Netbooks for my classroom. I really do wish that 2nd grade would also be receiving an iPad or two. I think these would have been very useful for additional apps that are exclusive to iPad, to use as research stations, etc. I hope that as new materials are purchased in the future this is considered for the primary grades.

That being said--I have been fortunate to have had 2 iTouches the last two years in my classroom.
I also was able to use the netbooks in the library for a whole class lesson.
Since I am familiar with devices I'm ready to go!

11 Tools #7-Online Digital Projects

2011-06-11T00:54:00.000-05:00

This year I plan to use Skype to bring more experts in to share their knowledge with my class. I hope to implement this early on in the year by beginning with Skyping with other classrooms within my school to set up practice time. This will help to model the expectations I have for the students before we get to our bird project the 4th 9 weeks.
For the final collaborative project my class will Skype with another classroom about their Bird Projects.
They will begin with using Google Docs to collect their research notes, write their rough draft, submit to me and then complete their Final Report.
After their Bird Presentations they will Skype with another classroom about their bird. I think that the format a teammate of mine used this year was a great way to organize the discussions. She and the other teacher grouped students by types of birds--birds of prey, song birds, etc. Then each group had a time to discuss their birds with the other class.
I look forward to developing this lesson over the year and finding a classroom outside of my school that would like to participate with us.

11 Tools #6-Web Tools to Promote Classroom Discussion

2011-06-11T00:05:00.001-05:00

This year I already used a few of these tools in my classroom: Google Docs, Wallwisher, and Blogger.
I used Google Docs to share and receive files from teammates and students. I used Wallwisher earlier in the year but only once to ask the kids a question about a book we were reading. I also tried using a classroom blog this year. Since this was my first year blogging I did not use it to its full potential. I have over the course of the year learned more about Blogger and have mapped out a plan for this to be a more successful way to communicate with parents and students.

Here is a Wallwisher I just created and sent the link to my classroom parents. I hope to hear some great responses from my students

Click on the picture to go to my wall on WallWisher

Here is my classroom blog:

This school year I will continue to use Blogger, Google Docs, and Wall Wisher.

I will add these new tools this year to my classroom:

Todays Meet--this would have been great to use during the Webinar we did with NASA earlier this year. I can't wait to use this during presentations and hopeful during other webinars we participate in.

Skype- to communicate with other classrooms and promote discussion. I had a Skype account already so I was excited that I could use the same account to create a Skype in the classroom account. I like that you can view lessons and ideas from other teachers and can connect to other classrooms through these communication requests. I can't wait to use this in the classroom this next year.

11 Tools #5- Web 2.0 Tools

2011-06-09T23:33:00.000-05:00

I have been using web 2.0 in my classroom since learning about them through the classes 23 Things and 11.5 Things.
The kids really enjoy them and ask to use them all the time.
Wordles--
-Get to know you: pairs made a wordle with their names and things they had in common with each other
-Language Arts: describes story elements of a book
-Any subject: beginning of a lesson-what we know, end the lesson-what we learned
My class really enjoyed the taste off that we did this year. The kids decided that we needed a wordle to show our favorite fruits and one for our favorite vegetables. Here are the finished products:

We also used the Trading Card creator through Big Huge Labs. Each student created a trading card about the bird they researched for the 4th 9 week project. Then after they gave their presentation they gave everyone a trading card. At the end of the presentations each student had a ring of cards about birds.
We also created trading cards about our favorite books. Each student also recieved a trading card of everyone's favorite book. They could then use these card rings to look up books in the library and read the books recomended to them by their peers. Here are examples of each:

We also used Animoto this year. The students made a Holiday greeting for their parents and emailed it to them. Including pictures and a short video greeting into the animoto. It was a hit the last two years that I did this.
I also used Animoto to help me create an end of the year movie for the kids. In the past I only used iMovie with the pictures taken throughout the year. This year a fellow teacher figured out that the animotos could be exported and then dropped into iMovie to create a movie that spanned the entire school year.
Here is one of my videos:

Next year I plan to also use the following tools:
Glogster-this would also be a great addition to the bird project as well as our research during our heros unit.
Storybird or Storyjumper- Being able to take their writing into a online publishing format that can be emailed to their parents will be so meaningful and such a great incentive to go through the publishing process. Storybird seems easier to use however I like that Storyjumper gives you the option to upload your own images, truly making the work all their own.
Comix.com- with the many comics that the kids love to read this would also be a great way for them to publish their own comic strips.

11 Tools #4- Up to the Clouds

2011-06-09T22:26:00.001-05:00

I enjoyed using Google Docs this year with my students. I first tried it in a class by practicing creating, sharing and commenting on documents. I then used Google Docs with some of the blogs I follow since some of the bloggers have shared docs on their blogs. This has proven to be a valuable resource.
At the end of the year I shared a report outline and expectations for a project with all of my students through the SBISD Google Apps. The students received the file, saved it to their document files, did their research, and wrote the report. I was able to comment on their work through out this process. This cute down on a lot of extra paper and tedious rewriting during the editing process.
My students this year also used the presentation feature in Google Docs to create a timeline presentation instead of using a generic poster board as their presentation display.
I look forward to using this more this next school year. I plan uploading the homework pages each week to be shared with the students. This will also be useful in sharing documents with team members. I'm sure I will think of other ways once the year gets started. Can't wait to create and share!

In case anyone is a list maker like myself here is a cute To Do List that was shared with me:

11 Tools #3- Video and Image Resources

2011-06-09T18:03:00.000-05:00

I have used YouTube, TeacherTube, and SchoolTube in my classroom the last few years. There are many great videos on all. I do search for the videos before hand -especially on YouTube to make sure the content is appropriate before showing the students. I had not used KidTube before, I can see this being a great resource for our students that enjoy making movies and wanting a safe place to upload and share their work.
I've sent links to videos to help parents when they have asked me for explainations on how to help their child at home for example this video on subtraction with regrouping:

Traditional News Sources have resources have great up to date information. Just like this short clip about the new "My Plate" that is taking the place of the food pyramid.

I love Discovery Education because it is really easy to search for videos, clips and images not only by topic but also narrowing down the search by age/grade making sure the information is appropriate for my 2nd graders. Also you are able to download/view an entire video or can download only the clip that is relevant to what I'm teaching. This saves me time since I don't have to cut the video myself or spend time fast forwarding the video.

I have used Picasa Web Albums and Photobucket for my Technology lessons the past two years to search for images. As well as used Picasa Web Albums for my personal photos. Discovery Ed. also has great still images.

It is important for the students to understand the importance of Copyright and Fair Use.
Because of the information and resources you can find on the web this is more and more important to understand what this means. This is sometimes difficult to get 2nd graders to understand what it means and why it is important to site your resources. I explained to my students that if they wrote or created something they wouldn't want someone to take it without their permission. I asked them why they wrote their name on all of their work. The answers of course included- "so you know it is mine", "Because I wrote it", etc. Exactly! This is why you should always site your sources and respect the copyrights of others. I think it made a little more sense to them when I had them think about their own work.

11 Tools #2 Building Community in Online Environment

2011-06-07T11:01:00.003-05:00

I am so glad that I have use blogger for the last few years and have subscribed to many educational blogs. The educators I met through these blogs have been an invaluable resource these last few years. I have not only been able to receive information and ideas from them but have also been able to share my ideas with others through this online community.
I included a blog list on this blog to show a few of my favorite educator blogs that I visit and comment on regularly. I hope this list will be helpful to others.
At first I was nervous about commenting on others blogs, however once I began I realized that I was able to learn so much more with others than trying to reinvent the wheel by myself.

11 Tools Blog

2011-06-06T10:27:00.000-05:00

Luckily creating the 11 tools blog was easy for me. This year I used a blog to communicate classroom news to my parents. I still have a lot to learn about blogging though. I had not used Voki before, which was fun to create.

11.5 Thing 11.5-Evaluation

2009-08-10T18:11:00.002-05:00

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I really enjoyed learning about the iTouch applications. Since this isn't a piece of equipment that I own I had never used/explored it before.
I also really love the screencast. This is something I will absolutely be using this year. Being able to give my students a visual they can watch will be so beneficial to them!

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
I always have a technology goal each year. Using these tools will be able to help me reach those goals more efficiently. I also have more ideas through microblogging to engage parents as well into our daily classroom.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I had never heard of the Virtual Worlds....the creativity of those worlds surprised me.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program's format or concept?
I really enjoy the set up and format of the program. Being able to do this online is helpful. Also the required blogging to "turn in" assignments is great. Before last summer I had never blogged, really even read a blog, and couldn't imagine myself as a blogger. Now however it seems second nature. I would have liked more of these "Things" to apply to elementary. Sometimes it is hard to find great ideas to do with younger elementary kids. They are absolutely capable of digital learning! They love it when they are able to create and complete assignments using digital components.

Thanks for creating Library2Play2. I really enjoyed all of my digital learning this summer!

11.5 Thing 11

2009-08-10T18:00:00.003-05:00

Digital Citizenship is so important. Our Librarian does a wonderful job teaching digital citizenship. It is my job as the classroom teacher to continue to model and teach upon what she has taught.
I loved the diagram of the 4 areas (Literacy, Safety, Learning Strategies, and Etiquette) with the student in the middle. It really makes clear what digital citizenship includes. A great visual for parents if they are worried about their child being on the computer. Being able to show them that this is what we teach your child about the computer and digital citizenship would be so helpful.
I also liked the site that had the 9 Themes of Digital Citizenship with the definitions. It helped a lot to organize my thoughts on what I have taught my students in the past and what I need to continue with or add to.
In our school, all the grade levels have a computer lab time, PreK-5th. As the students move up, their work on the computer increases. Since I'm on the Technology Committee at my school, I tend to try more new ideas with my students. This way I'm able to report back to my team with ideas for their computer lab time. I can also give them tips that I found useful when I presented the lesson to my students.
The beginning of the year is spent on Digital Citizenship-learning about the computer (Digital Literacy) and what the proper conduct for technology use is (Digital Etiquette). It is very important for me to begin with these two areas and to continue on reviewing them as the year continues. Digital Citizenship is not something that is taught only at the beginning of the year, but through out the entire year. It is not something that is taught in 1st grade and then assumed they remember it in 2nd, but retaught year after year. It is important to do so. Not only as a review, but also because technology changes so quickly there is always something new to learn!

11.5 Thing 10

2009-08-10T17:56:00.002-05:00

I spent days on this assignment. It is really easy to get lost checking everything out. Even though I had fun learning about the Virtual Worlds I'm having difficulty trying to adapt it to fit into my classroom. I don't think it is appropriate for the Elementary level, especially my 1st graders. I can see the potential for Secondary grade levels. I will continue to learn and work through the Virtual Worlds, maybe an idea will come to me on how to use this in the elementary classroom. Right now though, Virtual Worlds won't be something I focus on at the moment.

11.5 Thing 9

2009-08-10T14:34:00.002-05:00

Powerpoint is used a lot in our school. It is nice to have another option. Especially for those students that might not have access to powerpoint at home.
I really liked that you can add a podcast to it and create a slide show with the student's own voice.
I could use this almost in the same way I plan to use the screen cast.

11.5 Thing 8

2009-08-10T14:25:00.002-05:00

I love this new resource! And I love that they are FREE!
I had some problems creating one because my computer is acting up and something is apparently wrong with my JAVA. I'm trying to fix it and will hopefully have a screencast posted soon.
How I am going to use this in my classroom this year....
In 1st grade it is the first time many of the students are learning to save to their San Folder without the full help of a parent helper or teacher. Most of my students had this concept mastered before leaving first grade, however a few still needed a bit of help. The first few months of school I spent a lot of time helping each student by talking them through the steps as they saved their work. By creating a Screen Cast-I can capture the screen shots, talk them through it and beable to play it back on the computer connected to the projector in the computer lab. This would allow all the students to have a visual of the screen they should be seeing and also be able to hear the verbal directions. All the while freeing me to help individual students with other questions or help those that need more one-one help with these directions.
Another use will be when we have our 5th grade learning buddies helping with a project. I can use the screen shots and my verbal directions to help the 5th graders know my expectations for the project. Allowing them the chance to better guide the 1st grader in the project.
I can't wait to put this to use this year!

11.5 Thing 7

2009-08-10T14:17:00.002-05:00

This took up a lot of time...but only because I kept searching for new videos. I liked learning more about the copywrite. As teachers we hear so much about what we can and can't do according to the copywrite laws that it can be confusing at times. It is important to start the students learning about copywrite now.
I loved that I found videos of interview with authors. This would be great when we introduce a new author, began an author study, or to learn a little bit before we have an author visit. It allows access to authors' thoughts even though your school might not be fortunate enough to have author visits. This ties in nicely to my belief that everyone is an author and has a story to tell. It provides a visual for the students to see that yes, they can be an author too!
TOTLOL was great for videos for basic concepts. It is wonderful for the younger grades and for those students that need a little more help in their basic concepts. There were many videos about letters, numbers, letter sounds, etc. This would also be useful to the ELL students. Especially the students that come into our school with out any previous English instruction or knowledge.
Hulu had some great resources for 1st grades science units.
I love having more resources for videos--it is something that catches students attention. I liked that most of the videos I found had small clips so that I could show only what is relevant and also not use up too much classtime finding the specific clip of the video I wanted to show.

11.5 Thing 6

2009-08-10T14:13:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I went to the Apple store and played with the iTouch.....of course now I really want one of my own!
I did find out that the easiest way to search for applications is through the site: appshopper.com
Since I didn't own the iTouch I couldn't download the application but through appshopper it shows you more screens from the application and gives more details.
I found tons of useful applications. It was difficult to find applications that could be used by more than 2 users.
I could see students pairing up to use the flashcard applications, iwrite word slate, name that state, etc. and quizzing each other. Some of the applications were interactive through bluetooth technology which allowed several users to be connected and work together. The possiblilies are endless!

11.5 Thing #5

2009-08-05T19:01:00.005-05:00

I have been on Facebook for a while now and I agree that it has changed the way I communicate with others. I "facebook" more than I email with most of my friends. With elementary age kids I don't see this as an appropriate form of communication between student and teacher. Although between teacher and parent is another story. I have ignored many friend request from parents because it is my personal account. I am thinking about creating a school account for me though. Since so many people use facebook (some I know are on ALL day long it seems) it only creates another avenue for communication between school and home. Also, with facebook mobile being available many people check facebook or get instant text messages to their phone. This would be an easy way to send out reminders-especially last minute reminders to parents.

Twitter makes my head spin a little. I personally don't like twitter all that much. Maybe I'm just not use to it, but so much information is coming at me from all sides I feel a bit overhelmed with Twitter. I'm trying not to be closed minded about it but I still haven't fully embraced it yet.

11.5 Thing 4

2009-08-05T18:55:00.003-05:00

You Tube and Teacher Tube are great! I had never uploaded a video before--it was so easy!
Last year while we were learning about essays my kids did book reviews. I used our school flip camera to record them. These videos are now stored in their server file. This next year I will take it one step further. The parents that grant me permission I'll up load their child's file to Teacher Tube. I didn't find many videos of primary kids giving a book review. How great would it be for another 1st grade class to be able to view a book review by someone their own age? I think it would be more meaningful to them than just hearing from a teacher..."you should read this book"

11.5 Thing #3

2009-08-05T18:51:00.002-05:00

Skype is very interesting. I could see classrooms with in schools around the district connecting to each other through Skype or some other form. Then branching out and even having a "sister classroom" in another state! It would be interesting to do this during our insect unit. My kids could discuss and what their classroom was seeing in the changing of their insects and we could tell them what was happening with our insects! It could be a type of virtual field trip!

11.5 Thing #2

2009-08-05T18:02:00.003-05:00

Well I've had too much fun going through and playing with all the assignments but I haven't kept up with my blogging. I'm spending the next few days to review everything I've done over the summer and blog about it all.

I used Wordle in my classroom this year so I worked on Wordshift. I can see how it can really help ME create a very technology interactive lesson. However, I think it is too much for my 1st graders to use. It give you so much information I believe it will be too overhelming for them. I do think that used in a whole group setting--shown on the active board for all to see can be very beneficial to them.

I think I will stick with the wordles for my first grade class. At the beginning of the year our 5th grade Learning Buddies came to the computer lab with us. The created wordles about themselves using their name and words that described themselves or things that they liked. The 5th graders helped with the typing, taught the 1st graders how to cut and paste from Word to Wordle, the save in Power Point after copying the screen and cropping. Yes!! 1st graders did all that!! :) In class we created wordles by my typing their responses and then I did the cutting and pasting. At the end of the year we had enough wordles that each student was able to take one home.

Here is our wordle after we completed our unit on Insects:

I liked Glogster a lot...again too much for my 1st graders. But I could see my first graders viewing the online posters that their 5th grade learning buddies made. Having the first graders view the posters on the classroom computers during station time on week would be great. Then they can discuss with their learning buddy what they learned from the poster!

I have used animoto in the classroom to make short videos of our field trips, events, and 1st grade play. The kids loved this and loved that I emailed the links home to their parents.
I really liked VoiceThread. This is something that I can see using this year. My kids can tell a story about a picture and then their learning buddy can comment back about the picture. The best thing is that it isn't just between the learning pair...but I can also comment, the student's parents, grandparents, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Booker is very easy for a young child to create a digital book. With some guidance from his/her learning buddy a student can make a book all of his/her own by using the pictures on flicker.

Thing #1 Registration

2009-07-01T11:05:00.003-05:00

I decided to continue with the same blog I had from 23 Things.
I've already emailed my information and registered on PDLC so here we go...

After watching the video I had to take a little while to think how this relates with 1st grade. The reality is this is not a first grade student but what the first grade student will become later in his/her school career. This past school year was my first year teaching first grade after several years of Pre-K. I think I did a good job with integrating technology but made notes throughout the year how I could improve the following year.
Usually most of my students come to school with a very comfortable understanding of computers. There are a few that know how to work the mouse and play a game but do not have the understanding of booting up a computer, proper way to shut down, or how to navigate to the needed program. In order for my students to become a network students they need to first know the basics.
My thoughts from the video made me take a step back and think--in order to become a "Networked Student" what does the student need to learn first? By guiding my first graders through the proper use of computers, basics in learning to operate a computer and adding tools and programs when they are ready will help them become lifelong networked students. Only after building this foundation can they move on to more difficult tasks.

Thing 23!!!

2008-08-05T13:19:00.002-05:00

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I really enjoyed all of the exercises--I like learning how to blog, the mashups, using all of the google tools, and del.icio.ous

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
I learned that even though I am pretty tech savy there is so much that I still don't know and that I need to continue to learn more. Everyday there is something new related to Technology and to keep up with the kids and give them the best education I need to continue to learn all that I can.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
There are so many more tools out there that I didn't know about!
I'm very glad that I took this class and the format was great for a summer class.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I liked the format- I thought it was easy use and very well thought out. Some of the videos were very basic and had monotone audio-that was difficult to get through. Other than that the videos and tutorials were very helpful. I am a very visual person so having the information presented in a video was very helpful!

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
I would choose to participate. Like I said in the second question, it is very important to continue to learn everything you can about technology and the applications/tools that are available.

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?
Wow! Best use of my time for a technology class!

I would offer one suggestion to people though...I started working through each of the activities and then would continue without posting to my blog. I figured I would go back and post a few posts at a time...this is not the best way to do this class. You tend to get wrapped up in the exercises because they are fun to do that going back to blog can be difficult and you can get behind. Blog right after finishing and then continue with the next exercise.
Thank you so much for offering this class!! It was great!!

Thing #22 Nings

2008-08-05T13:01:00.002-05:00

Nings were very interesting to learn about. I like that they can be geared to a specific topic. This would be very useful in a classroom setting especially in High School and College to have discussions outside of class continue. The fact that many kids/students now adays spend so much time on sites like Facebook and Myspace they might find using a Ning for a class more appealing. Like this class this summer. It doesn't feel like "work" it has been fun.

Thing #21

2008-08-05T12:37:00.004-05:00

I love photostory. I had fun putting together a story about my puppy Chase. I could really use this in the classroom. The kids always love seeing themselves on TV. In the past I would play a slide show of the pictures from an activity or special event during our quiet time and they love it. Photostory is really easy to use and I like that you can add audio much easier. Now I just have to find my microphone to my computer to give me even more audio options! Here is my photostory: (trying for the tird time--I think the file was too big at first so I did some editing and resized it.)

Thing #20

2008-08-05T11:08:00.003-05:00

I'm glad that I read ahead on the Library2Play assignments. I have been looking through YouTube and Teacher Tube all week. I knew about both but never really took the time to explore either one. I had better luck usually with YouTube in the fact that the videos seem to load faster. On Teacher Tube the videos paused a lot to buffer. However since Teacher Tub will run in district is a big draw. Especially since I found a lot of useful videos for my science units.
Here is one that I found

It is nice having a resource that has so many videos available for instant viewing.

Thing #19

2008-08-05T10:41:00.002-05:00

I really liked Farecast for searching for Travel-flights, hotels, etc. I can't believe I haven't come across this site before.
I also have had fun playing around with My Heritage. It is really interesting.
I started this assignment a few days ago. I couldn't really decide which one to focus on so I decided I should just give myself a few days to play around with everything that I could. (and I'm still playing!)

Thing #18- Online Productivity Tools

2008-08-05T10:31:00.002-05:00

I did not use the Open Office but did use Google Docs. Since I already had a google account I decided to go that route instead of downloading Open Office.
It was really easy to upload documents that I already had. This will make it easier to access my documents. I like that I can have access from any computer and won't have to remember to bring my zip drive. This will be really helpful at work to add documents that I work on at home. Then I can get to them whenever I need to. Now if I can find time to add everything to Google Docs to get me ready for school that would be great!

Thing #17 Rollyo

2008-08-05T10:18:00.002-05:00

This is a great tool. I do have to admit that I grumbled a bit when I had to register for yet another site....but....I'm glad that I did. This really helps to narrow down the many sites that you could possibly search. There a several sites that I use a lot when I'm looking for recipes and it is nice to search only those sites verses the million that are out there. I'm in the process of making several Rollyo searches but here is the link to my cooking search.
http://rollyo.com/smfoster/recipes/

Thing #16

2008-08-05T09:52:00.002-05:00

I really liked how easy the wiki was to use. Sign in was easy and adding to the wiki was so simple. It would be a great way to collaborate on a topic with out having to meet face to face. Wikis could be used to cut down on the meetings upon meetings that seem to build up during the school year. It seems as though a wiki could be started to begin the discussion so that when a meeting is plan you already have the discussion started. It could be a wonderful way to move a meeting along and increase the productivity during that meeting. Resulting in less face to face meetings but still reaching the your goal.
I also like that it can be used for anything for work to planning a trip with friends. It seems much easier to use than sending tons of emails back and forth to everyone.

Thing #15

2008-08-02T11:14:00.003-05:00

After reading all of the articles, blogs, etc it really made me realize how much things have changed since I was in school. I've learned the new technology and have always been interested in technology so it was as obvious to me how much our lives have changed. I realized it when I was reading about how librarians jobs are changing. That is when I realized that I rarely stepped foot into the actual library in college. I had so many resources that made my research possible with out spending all day in the actual building. As a teacher I use my school library so much more than I ever have before. I think that has to do impart because of our WONDERFUL librarian. She is a graduate of this class and has implemented many of the Web 2.0 resources into our daily life as teachers and staff. It made me really think back to several years ago when I came to the school--our library has changed so much. (In a good way)
I have to wonder though--will the physical library building become a thing of the past since we have moved toward web based resources so much more? It seems odd to think that "going to the library" could take on a whole new meaning for my kids in the future....will they even know what a library like I know it (shelves of books, a library card, librarian to help you find that special book) looks like?

Thing #14

2008-08-02T10:48:00.002-05:00

Working with Technorati was interesting. I was able to find a lot of different blog post. Some even led me to articles in some of the Online Newspaper Websites about events that I hadn't read about.
I'm not really sure though how this can help me in my classroom. The only way that I can think of right now is that it can help me find blogs about classrooms and education. However because blogs are opinions you have to be careful how much credibility you give the posts. It has be interesting reading and the tags make it much easier to find and search for you subject matter.

Thing #13

2008-07-31T17:34:00.002-05:00

I really enjoyed learning about Del.icio.us I have spent the time over the last few days adding more of my web pages to my account. I can't wait to use this more!! I usually have so many great resources on my home computer that I can't always access from school or some place else since they are bookmarked on only my home computer. This site helps solve that problem. I also love the sharing aspect of it. Only problem I'm going to have is I might find myself glued to the computer checking out newly found websites from friends.

Thing #12

2008-07-31T17:29:00.002-05:00

I have enjoyed reading other people's blogs. I found that some people had some of the same opinions as myself as well as discovered new ideas about the discovery activities and how to use them.
I sometimes find it hard to make a "contribution to the conversation" instead of an encouraging "way to go" type comment. Although I enjoy getting the "way to go" comments. I like the encouragement at times.
It is very important though to read before you write and then also reread what you have written before posting. Since you can not tell the inflection from your voice when you type something out it is important to be sure what you type is polite and won't be taken the wrong way.

Thing #11 LibraryThing

2008-07-22T14:14:00.002-05:00

I love LibraryThing....I've had an account since last year. Unfortunately I haven't finished logging my books into my account. It has helped me keep track of the books that I have and since it accessible online I can check it anywhere. Very helpful between home and work. It is also not very expensive to have a lifetime membership and log as many books as you want. Which has been wonderful since I have shelves and shelves of books. It has helped me during lesson planning to quickly see if I alread own a book that I need or if I need to check it out from the library. One of my goals this summer was to finish logging my books...so far I've done well--hopefully I will be finished before school starts!

Thing #10 Online Image Generators

2008-07-22T14:02:00.003-05:00

These have been fun to play around with. Out of the links listed I liked Image chef http://www.imagechef.com/ and Big Huge Labs http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/ the best. They were the easiest to use with the most choices from the one link. I can't wait to use the trading cards with my kids--great way to help the kids get to know their new classmates and teacher.

Also fun to make things for your personal use and scrapbooking.

Thing #9

2008-07-22T13:20:00.002-05:00

Now that I know what to look for (the little icon) it is easy to find out if a site has a feed or not. I did like using Topix...it gave me news stories--even news in Katy. What I did find difficult was sorting through the massive amounts of information. It was overwhelming at times. Also because of the large quantity it makes it harder to sort out and find reputable sites. I found that it was easier to go through sites I had already booked marked and check the icon in my tool bar...if there was a feed then I could click the button to add.

Thing #8 RSS and News Readers

2008-07-22T12:00:00.002-05:00

I really like the RSS & News Readers. It helped simplify all of the websites I check reguarly for news and info. I like that I can now log in and read the Chronicle, check my favorite cooking website for new recipes, check on my sports teams, and see what is new on one of my magazines all at the same time. I wish I knew about this before! Now I will save more time!
The best thing is that I can check everything at once...personal links like cooking, homesites, and dog sites as well as professional sites that I use for teaching and news. The downside is that it seems addicting! I keep looking for new things to add! :)

Thing #7 Google Tools

2008-06-20T16:52:00.002-05:00

I've used Google calendar for about a year now and have loved it. I love that you can make several different calendars. Some that I have are: personal (dates for outings with friends, dinner plans etc.), birthdays & anniversaries, Work (staff development days, inservice, ect), and school (field trips, important classroom activities). It worked really well since you can set the privacy level of the calendars and share calendars with certain people. The School calendar I shared with my parents in the classroom. It was really easy to add a date for field trips and all of the relevant information for them. They could access the calendar anytime since it was a shared calendar--but since I didn't share my other calendars with them it kept my personal information private. However I could veiw all of the calendars at once (all color coded) and be able to see how busy or how much free time I would have on a day/week.

After looking at all of the tools I chose to further explore notebook, picasa web albums, and google docs.
Love the notebook since you can use it while looking at other web page--great for copying text, ideas from websites and much easier than copying it into a word doc or handwriting it down on paper. The best thing is that I can access it from any computer!
This was the same for google docs--still playing around with this one. Because there is so much that you can do with it I still feel a little overwhelmed by it. I'm going to go back and spend more time on this. But this would be great for working with your grade level team on documents. Especially since everyone can collaborate on the documents. Also a great way to store documents used everyday...always good to have more than one back up.
I went on and picked 3 tools to try out....so my 3rd was Picasa web albums. I use the picasa software to organize my pictures on my computer but haven't tried the web albums until now. It was fairly easy to use...especially since I already had my pictures organized with Picasa on my computer. However I don't think that I will really use it that much. Last November I had a break-in and my computer was stolen, which also meant all of the pictures that I hadn't backed up were lost :( After that happened I began using another website to store my pictures which I think works better for me since I can store them, share, and order the pictures from the site or have them sent to a store for pick up. It would just take too much time to move all of my pictures over to Picasa, but I still think it is great and love the software to download to the computer for organizing my pictures...really easy to use (and it's free!)

Thing #6

2008-06-17T11:24:00.007-05:00

I think I could spend the whole day playing with all of the different mashups and sites. I really like the trading cards. Our librarian showed them to us a few months ago. This would be great to use at the beginning of the year. During the first few days of school take a picture of each child and have them tell the class 3 things they want to share about themselves. Then you could put their name, the classroom, and the 3 things they shared. After the class was finished then you could print them out for all of the kids to get a trading card from each of their new classmates. It would be a fun way to get to know each other.

The motivational posters would be great to use throughout the classroom, especially with pictures of your current students.

The mosaics were really easy to create and would be a great add on to a research project, writing, visuals for your lessons, etc.

I just hope I can remember all of these ideas come August.
I didn't get to play around with all of the programs but will be going back to check out the ones I missed!

Thing #5

2008-06-17T10:26:00.004-05:00

Well, I've spent most of the morning on Flickr. Once I get myself more familiar with the 1st grade curriculum I'll be able to really use this to my advantage. I picked out two photos. This first one is of a daisy...I love daisies. I thought this photo was neat because of the close-up shot of the flower.

The next photo I found was a really beautiful picture of a butterfly. I know that I can use this next year with my class. There were so many different pictures and different views of butterflies. I can't wait to go back and find more pictures to use. My mind is already thinking about how to use the pictures on this site....writing prompts, pictures to go with stories or poems, the possibilities are endless!!

Thing #3

2008-06-13T09:56:00.003-05:00

Well setting up the blog wasn't as difficult as I thought. After playing around and watching the tutorials it seemed pretty easy. I already had an avatar set up through my yahoo account so I just made a few changes to it and figured out how to export. I had never exported the avatar before so that was something new. The hardest part for me was coming up with a name for the blog. I'm not sure why that was so hard, I guess I was over thinking it. I can't wait to get started on the rest of the "Things" and see what I can use in my classroom next year!

Thing #2

2008-06-13T09:43:00.002-05:00

I would have to say the easiest of the 7 1/2 for me would actually be #6 Using technology to your advantage. I enjoy learning about new technology and I use it as a resource for many projects, learning experiences, and just for fun.
There are 2 habits that can be a challenge for me: # 1 Beginning with the end in mind. I don't always start out with a clear goal or end in mind. This is something I hope to be more consistent on in the future. Also # 7 1/2-Play can be a challenge. Being a PreK teacher for the past few years I know the importance of learning through play. However, in my own learning I sometimes forget about what an important resource it can be.