Thing #23 - We raise the final curtain, well not quite...

Before I even begin this entry, I've got to actually go back and review our activities. It seemed that each time I learned something totally new and cool that 'just couldn't be topped', well, it was topped by something else that came down the pipeline. This statement in itself is indicative of the myriad of Things we learned and how easy is it to focus on what is currently on your plate and forget what else we sampled. One of my greatest senses of accomplishment for the experience is that I was able to figure out most of the Things by myself. Sometimes, more than a few errors with the trials, but mission accomplished in the end.
1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
Thank goodness, you're not asking us to singularize a favorite because it has got to be plural here. For specific classroom application favorites, I think the variety of options at Big Huge Labs and Image Chef will appeal greatly to elementary students. Some options are quick and immediately provide gratification (keeping the kids engaged), others may look deceptively simple (magazine covers), but there are many teachable aspects hidden in a seemingly inoccuous activity. One of my most favorite discoveries was elementary classroom blogs, something of which I was not even aware. Seeing videos of, and reading their blog was great. Implementation and maintenance isn't such a daunting task.

Sidebar discovery...I was able to determine the html coding to fix my widget (gadget?) so my wonderful 'popsicle bio' appeared in full upon the screen. How cool is that?
2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
I did some fairly obvious things - set goals and maintained discipline to finish the task (and here I am!). It would be so easy to start and without the regimen of a sitting in a tech lab, slowly fade away from the tasks and not finish. This program completely opened my eyes about web technology. Prior to starting the course, I felt a bit techno-superior to many of my fellow faculty members, fashioning myself as a bit of a 'techie on the spot' at times. Now, I'm a bit humbled and realize that even with the empowerment of the 23 Things, that I've got a long way to go. I will use this as a springboard for further 'tech-xploration', but will find specific areas to focus and become a bit more proficient. Better to master one concept that be fairly/barely proficient in many?
3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
1. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of 'elementary student' applications. When I signed-up, I really expected many of the benefits to be for me, the teacher, and then middle and high school levels. Not so. Podcasts really intrigue me, especially the way the Common Craft does their podcasts - simple presentations with clarity. How easy would that be for elementary kids to make in the classroom?! So many curricular options....

2. I was able to decipher some of the html coding to take care of small issues on my blog layout. Neat!
4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
If the program were segmented into three separate sessions and designed to focus more specifically on the elementary level applications, middle and high school apps, and library needs. It could be a great opportunity for participants to refine skills in particular areas (already learned on 23 Things) and to have a common platform for an idea sharing forum.

One issue that was fairly pervasive for me was file types. It would be nice to have simple clarification on all the varied file types (wmv, ram, mp3, mpg, etc.) maybe a nice Common Craft inspired vidcast?
5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
Most likely, yes. Staff development on my couch, at my own pace, on my hours is FANtastic!
6. How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?
one word - Incredible
one sentence - 23 Things opened techno-doors that I never knew existed, but which are totally applicable in the elementary classroom.
7. Now go and comment on some of the other Players' blogs.
In doing this activity, randomly working through the current players listing, it is disheartening to see how many folks probably won't finish. If you're on Thing #8 at the end of July, and you haven't worked on Things since June, you're pretty much out of it. On the other hand, the folks who did finish, have very different viewpoints on the application of these concepts. Isn't it great that we have such a very diverse teaching community?

Thing #22 Ning-a-ling

Hey, just goes to show, books aren't always judged best by their covers. The 23 Things introduction to Nings made me go "Oh great, bleepin' Facebook for teachers!" Why would I even want to socially network over the internet? Being the dork that I am, I actually did go to the Ning for Teachers and absolutely loved it! There are some good blogs for discussion, some are a bit 'gripey', others are right on with my philosophy. (Dealing with special needs students, it can be very lonely being the (sometimes one and only) advocate for that child.) However, there are many many blogs that are completely inactive. It looks as if the 23 Things (or something similar) trainings hit hard and heavy, requiring one blog entry and once fulfilled, the blogs went inactive. As luck would have it, the one blog that truly called out to me, was no longer accepting comments. Bummer, I would have congratulated them and validated their posting.
There were also some lesson plans that were practical and totally applicable.
I have already marked the site in Favorites and even if I don't set up an account, I will monitor the activity, especially with regard to lesson plans.

Thing #21 - SwitchPod wants me to ditch....?

Create your own message at BlingyBlob.com
The SwitchPod site will not let me register. Their tech peeps are working on it (?) to the tune of one email response to mine per day. If I miss the 23 Things deadline next week because of one little Thing (well, okay, it's a major Thing at this point...) I'm going to be extremely emotional. (I feel a waterproof mascara situation arising.)

Good heavens!!!!
Alternate Plan B isn't working. First SwitchPod, now PhotoStory. Conspiracy? Sabotage?
Now I'm getting an error message when attempting the uploading of my PhotoStory project. Sucks to be me, all that hard work.... It's July 31st, I've only got 5 days.... Darn, dang, dag-nab-it!

(Note to self...Error message details to report
Blog Id:3680203309499262971
Video Id:1008808027de37b5)

OMG! OMG! OMG! and BTW let's throw in a LOL for kicks. It worked! It worked! Trial, error, trial, error, error, trial, error, error, error, error, trial, sucess (or something to that effect).
Another BTW, ...the video (PhotoStory3) is just my first production, please be kind, I was just trying to finish the course at this point.

Thing #20 Come to the light, Carol Ann, Come to the light....

This is SO cool AND it is Thing #20! Wooo hooo, almost finished, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Wait! What was the Discovery Activity? I've been going all A.D.D.'ing on YouTube and TeacherTubes all morning and lost focus. Ooops. (Maybe there is value in adult Ritalin?)
Value? Limited only by my own imagination. The opportunity to bring infinite (okay, may not that many) resources into the classroom is fantastic. The search engine was actually pretty okay for general topics. Fractions, reading comprehension, welcome back to school, and several more basic elementary topics are there. I can benefit as a teacher, improving my own professional toolkit, but also give the students broader exposure to other teachers. How cool is that!?
One of the neatest things would be to enable the students to make a video. Talk about ownership of their own learning!

Thing #19 - Proof that Computer Geeks are alive and well!

Good Gravy! (That one's for Courtney)
There are 500 more things for Web 2.0! These people need to get a life!
Here are some of my discoveries...
Docstoc - browsed and browsed. Found only one thing of interest, a bizarre manuscript for a book on mind-control and hypnosis. Take my word, I didn't find it (or anything on the site - including the 'education' section, which I found to be quite lacking) worthy to download. Bizarre.
ColorBlender was kinda' cool. I loved the pre-made color palette page and the opportunity to blend custom colors (which supposedly can then be taken to the paint store (albeit in formula format) for reproduction). Embedded within that site are many links to remodeling and home decorating, which I am personally interested in attempting.
Lulu - with the 'publishing' aspect and a bit of a cash infusion, it would be awesome to create a classroom book. Opportunities are boundless (pun intended).
Mango Languages and SpanishPod - both offer introductory lessons but then require subscriptions. Worth it?
Wufoo - Take it? Leave it? Leave it.
Craig's List - have used it for school - getting donations for our elementary science classrooms. It's a great site, just don't use it when you're up against a deadline.
DonorsChoose - first learned about this last spring and thought it was too good to be true. What's the catch? There doesn't seem to be any. Well, of course, except that you may not get what you ask for. I think the key is to write a really awesome request.
Campus Reader - sounded interesting, but it was on vacation! (?) Wonder where it went? Hopefully someplace really fun.
Visual Complexity - too complex.
Okay, I'm not finding much (with my totally random search) of the chart of award winners. It actually seems that the Library 2 Play has highlighted the most applicable tools for us at schools. Sure, My Genealogy might be fun, but in elementary and considering the confidentiality issues... Looking at the chart of award winners, I find that I'm actually disappointed with my findings for school applications. Maybe Campus Reader is 'the one'. I'll try again when they get back in town.

Thing #18 - Increase Productivity to 25-8

I don't think I'm that 'sold' on Open Office. Is it just another way for workaholics to justify working wherever they are? Let's get 25 hours of productivity out of any given day....
Yes, there could be advantages for students' use, the entire class will be assured to be on the same version of the package with no file conversion processes (gambles?). BUT, since few of my Title I students have home computers they are allowed to access, the benefits for my particular campus are dubious. As for myself, professionally or personally, I'm not sure it is such a hassle to carry my USB around if it means my documents are secure. Having my files accessible on the web isn't an obstacle that I've had to hurdle, and I really don't see it in the near future.
As for the software itself, it seems to have many of the same bells and whistles as WORD, POWERPOINT, and EXCEL (I don't use ACCESS.), but I would assume that the macros and formulas are slightly different. As for reliability and tech-support, is there any? Track record? At least we know where we stand with Microsoft - at their mercy, but still confident in the product. It may be a little too much to ask of one over-worked teacher to learn Open Office when Microsoft-Office works just fine.

Thing #17 (At long last...)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stignygaard/
(Okay, so I hope I'm giving 'attributes' correctly, I promise this photo was okay to use. No sense in going to Blog Prison over a copyrighted photograph.)

Rule of thumb...complete staff development PRIOR to vacation in Florida Keys.
Okay, #17, The Rollyo almost 'Roll-Me'. It seemed like I just couldn't finish, get the tiny details in order, and link the darn thing to my blog.
First, for what topic do I want to establish a search? After making it way too hard, curriculum, educational research, yada yada yada, I made it easy, vacations.
Second, the small details seemed to run right through my brain, and I didn't want to use one of their standard searches. Anyway, the finished product eluded me UNTIL I watched BGood's video. Awesome, simply awesome. It gave me the visual walk through that clarified the process. If we were awarding trophies to 'best player', 'best blog', 'most improved', etc. I think that BGood needs one for 'best in tune to the needs of the audience'. The post I made on his blog gave just due accolades for the video and mentioned some of the actual curriculum applications (yep, August is just around the corner), especially in 5th grade social studies, because that's where my mind happens to be right now.

Thing #16 -

Wikis are totally cool. There are so many possibilities. At the staff level - it would be a great tool to keep everybody on the same page, or at least in the same chapter, okay maybe just hope for the same book. At the kid level... The engagement because of the high interest is probably boundless. The ability to secure aspects is especially appealing. Now, if only more of my students had access to computers at home. Beyond that, what about an after-school Wiki club? Wiki Wednesdays? Too bad that's faculty meeting day....

Thing #15 - Iceberg ahead

Sobering reading. Not news. Just a validation. Printed text libraries as they exist today will one day be featured as oddities on the history channel. Barnes & Noble and 1/2 Price Books may not exist at all in 25 years. As the paper made today contains acids which slowly erodes the paper, books we read today have no opportunity to become antiques. The cost of maintaining the printed shelves balanced against the cost to stay abreast of the ever-expanding technological realm leaves little or no room for the printed inventory. Will children two generations from now know what it feels like to curl up beside their parents with a good read-aloud picture book? What will happen to the bookmark industry? What about Itty Bitty Book Lights? Will the Holy Bible still be available as a printed text? Or will people carry a small piece of technology from which to read the testaments? I'm just not sure I can get snuggly with my laptop.

Thing #14 - Tech-NO-rati

Okay, I must not be a Techno-ficianado - I just can't learn to like Technorati. I get that tagging is critical, and the ping back tool is cool. If I can come up with a blog topic for my 3rd grade kids - we will set up a classroom blog. In the meantime, tags will help make the kids' research on the net more concise (if the net can ever be accused of being concise) and more enclosed within research boundaries. Unless I can overcome my block about Technorati, I'll use del.icio.us for my blogging searches, at least for now.

Thing #13 - tag this tag that

'We are experiencing technical difficulties, the fault does not lie with your television set...'The FURL and Ma.gnolia sites would not open. Don't know why.

Since Del.icio.us opened, that's where I set up my account. I found several watercolor techniques blogs and tagged them. Thinking about classroom applications... this could be an excellent tool to help keep students within the boundaries of an investigation and assist in the maintenance of those boundaries. There is also a time-saving factor for the students, pointing them in the direction they need to go, without actually spoon feeding.

Thing #12 - contribute 2¢ or 5¢

What's important about commenting?
first- interact with comments left on your blog. I was so excited to get a comment on one of my 'Thing' postings (and it wasn't even written by a member of my family...)! What I did was to 'pay it forward' and made comments on other SBISD summer blogs. What I should have done (and will take care of) is respond to the blogger, even with a simple 'thank you' for taking the time to read my assignment.
second - as it pertains to students, (and maybe adults) 'teach commenting'. Model, model, model, and guide the practice. Great persuasive writing, even for elementary kids.
Two blogs of personal interest...
my first choice
http://www.treasurehunting.com/
I LOVE the whole finding treasure thing. I don't dive, don't care to learn, don't even want to go on a cruise, I don't like 'big water'. But, there is just something about the archeology and history and treasure beyond imagination in a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean.... We're heading to the Florida Keys this week on vacation and I'm hoping the Mel Fischer Museum down there will make the itinerary.
my second choice
http://paulagreene.blogspot.com/
I'm learning to watercolor and never realized there are blogging sites.... Who knows maybe I will pick up some tips (hopefully not drips).

Thing #11 - organize my life

-Dang! I LOVE this site. Setting up the account was sooo easy.
-I looked at some of the groups and found many to have just ONE member, call me simplistic, but it doesn't actually qualify as a group now does it? Its kinda like hosting a party and you're the only one to show up. Anyway (random travels...), I'm tagged to watch a Children's Literature group.
How will this site be useful?
-For several years, I've been meaning to catalogue my children's literature books (title, genre, teaching elements...) and this would be a great way to get that accomplished. Especially since I'm constantly trying to remember which books are great for main idea, or figurative language, or yada yada yada.... I can use the tags to take care of that aspect. Guess I'll have to fork over some bucks when I get to that 201st book.
-I'm going to sign up for the Early Reviewers (sometimes I need to read grown-up books and not just children's literature or professional books), what a great way to have even more books to catalogue and keep reading.

Thing #10 - light bulbs

http://www.imagechef.com/

Just in the nick of time....Back to my cup-of-tea, lots of visual stimulation. I browsed the comic strip generator sites, but Image Chef is more fun for a quick image and seems more user friendly. If I had more personal photos on on Flikr (or even on a flash drive) at this time, I could have a blast with Image Chef.

This application will be a little more engaging for elementary (probably 3rd (?) grade, maybe 4th grade and up). Even keeping the kids away from the Simpsons, there is enough variety for just about any student. Right off the bat, the kids could use the greeting card generator (easily applied to any subject). The 'wanted' poster could be a blast, science - wanted butterfly, social studies - wanted conductors for underground railroad, math - wanted polygons, language arts - wanted verbs, reading - wanted bad guy from the story. The posibilities for exposure to technology is fantastic.

Thing #9 - getting tougher (or not as engaging?)

Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use?
-I grabbed The Cool Cat Teacher Blog and used that as a springboard to browse. Maybe because it's summer, (?) but it appears difficult to have a burning topic for which to search the blogs for professional reasons.
However, personal interests are another topic altogether. I like the Lonestartimes (on-line newspaper) because of the political angles. It is created exclusively by bloggers with the same conservative political views I share. I can read the articles, but also click on the blogs and dig further. Using Vicki Davis's advice from Cool Cat - start with someone/thing you already respect and use them as a source from which to branch.
Which Search tool was the easiest for you?
-I guess I'm just a Google-r, it's my favorite. I feel more at ease with the Google Blog Search than any of the others. The format is familiar and I'm comfortable finding the 'right vocab' to get search results.
-The Topix and Technorati each have a feature that makes them okay. Topix has an easy to read layout on the main tab. Technorati has the topic directory that saves a little bit of time and keeps me on-task. Reminder... I'm ADD and I get lost in my searches, birdwalking off to other areas.
Which was more confusing?
-The Edublog site was a mess (at least for me) - couldn't find anything on the topic I tried (I can't believe nobody is blogging on 'schools within schools' and 'fine arts integration'. Oh well, I'm over it.)
What kind of useful feeds did you find in your travels? Or what kind of unusual ones did you find?
At this point, everything is unusual to me. And everything (well, almost) is interesting.
What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds?
- I'll use the online 'newspaper' (Lonestartimes) to connect to blogs and AP and API backed news stories.

Thing #8

What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?
The RSS and newsreaders have the capability of being real timesavers. I'm just not sure I'll quit going to my favorite news website - miss all those visual images that draw me in. I guess I'm just not pressed for time yet to the point that I need to be able to read 600 feeds in a morning.
As for the blog side...I will actually be able keep more in touch with things that interest me because they will be 'right there' and I won't have to find time to go searching (which I never seem to find time to go searching....)
How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life?
The school aspect for elementary gets a bit trickier. You have to be so aware of the students' exposure on the web...I would not recommend blog sites but more news sites for superficial type awareness of state or national happenings.
Personally, I set up a travel newsreader and will enjoy reading and who knows, traveling.
How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?
A school librarian and classroom teacher could collaborate and set up newsreaders and blogs on a given topic prior to allowing the students to jump in. That way staff can be more aware of and have more control over what students are exposed to on the web. They can also have more confidence that what the students are learning is from a trusted source.

Thing #7

Things are getting a bit tougher. I was able to successfully set up an iGoogle page, but unable to figure out how to link it to my blog.
part one: I did enjoy setting up the iGoogle page. I placed Houston area weather information, Dopplar radar images and the daily weather stats on the Home tab. I also set up Google Maps, Things To Do, and fun stuff like Optical Illusions on the same tab. The iGoogle site can be a student resource for basic expository learning, reading maps, understanding weather situations, post important notices (and homework) on the To Do list. I also set up a 'Games' tab which can be used to set up 'kid friendly' games and games that support curriculum. Few of my students have access to home computers so most students will need to use the site within the school/classroom setting.
part two: Google Notebook can be a useful tool for writing and sharing lesson plans with team members. The same can be said for Google Docs. Not sure which is the better tool.

Thing #6

Wow, there are lots of classroom possibilities for mash-ups and 3rd party sites. I especially like the applications from Big Huge Labs. The Magazine Cover would be a neat back-to-school activity for 3rd grade and higher. It would be a way for kids to investigate expository text (i.e. actual published magazine covers and even newspaper headlines) and apply the concepts in an autobiographical fashion. Conversation Bubbles is another concept which can be easily applied to the classroom. Mappr can be a fantastic tool to demonstrate concepts of community at multiple grade levels. Beginning with the concept of the Spring Branch Community, branching out to the Greater Houston area, Texas and beyond. Students can even contribute photographs from their own travels (even though many of my students do not travel far from Houston) to bring more meaning to the unit of study.
Personally, for starters I'm already planning to use the Mosaic Maker for an off-to-college announcement for my daughter.

Thing #4

Oops, got out of order. I already registered my blog with the Kickball Captains.... And recv'd their acknowledgement.

Thing #5

This is getting easier and even more interesting. The only problem with Flikr is that I am a 'visual' person and I get lost in the search. Also, it seems that the absolute BEST entries are copyright materials. I did ask permission from one photographer but didn't want to wait any longer to finish my assignment, so I found an entry from the Commons.

Still Life

Still Life
Originally uploaded by _joshuaBENTLEY

The play on light and the use of negative space is cool.

Thing #3

Thing 1 Thing 2 (sounds like The Cat in the Hat) completed with only a bit of challenge.
Thing 3 took some time and patience. Creating the blog was actually pretty easy, the step-by-step screens were awesome. Creating the avatar gave me a chuckle or two. So many options, so many possibilities. (Sigmund F. could have a field-day with this stuff.) Again, the step-by-step was helpful. It was the exportation to the blog that proved the challenge. I wanted to import a picture. When in actuality, I was importing an HTML. After a few rereads of the nicely detailed instructions for importing, I deduced my error, and voila' the avatar appears. It will be much easier the next time.

Thing #2 - Trudging across the tundra

screen after screen to Saint Alfonso's pancake breakfast...

Down to business. I find it hardest to begin with the end in mind. It seems I frequently reset the 'end', at times making it elusive. I find it easiest to teach and mentor others (probably because it helps my own skills and my ego(?).)

Dang!

Testing 1 2 3