Thing #23

1. My favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey include Flickr which provided a series of presentation formats to create original work. The trading cards and poster idea looked really useable. The video tools including podcasting, embeding a video, um and creating an online album of pictures. The video tools were fun to use and provided me with some interesting ideas. I've used YouTube before, but I was not aware of Teacher Tube. I was interested to see how the videos could be embeded in other formats and presentations.
2. I have certainly learned more about technology and ways to incorporate it into my teaching, many ways to help students use the technology they know and also actively use technology. This course has given me many opportunities to use and actively be involved with the tools of technology.
3. Unexpected outcomes of this program were to give me opportunities to learn about technology for school an students, but also about technology I could use in my personal, everyday life. I was able to use technology to display my family pictures and stories.
4. I thought that the tutorials were the best way to help me learn as they not only gave examples but also gave me a step by step way to complete my discoveries. I would like to see my step by step videos and directions. Overall, however, this was a fully active program which allowed me to learn through observing models and creating my own products. I know, however, I need more practice to help me hone my newly learned technology skills.
5. This was a very productive program, and I would do another discovery program; however, this is too intense to be accomplished during the school year unless it was offered for fewer hours with fewer parts.
6. 23 Things is a learning experience to reveal many of the new technology tools and how to use them.

Thing #22

I looked in a cursory manner at all of the Nings listed but spent most time traveling through the one titled "Ning f or Teachers". Its features included - blogs,Find Teachers, Lesson Plans, Message Board and Feedback. It was set up to allow an eduational community for teachers at all levels and at all loctions. What I like about the Ning instead of MySpace or FaceBook is that there can be more privacy and creativity with this type of social website. It also allows for more creativity although I am not sure that I am ready for this; however, students should be. I can see this being used in AP classes especially for the Language and Composition exam as it would allow students to focus on a current issue and have an opportunity to blog on this issue, add primary documents found, add podcasts and embeded videos to implement their current issue study. Access would be to all of the AP class on this level at a given school and students could take advantage of the research and work of their classmates. This is also a great preparation for writing about current issues in argumentative papers as well as beginning of synthesis writing.

Thing #21

I liked the podcast that I created. I used the same pictures of my new grandchild as these are the ones I have saved on this computer. They also provide a great story board. I was disappointed that I did not have a microphone in this computer. I guess I'll have to get one if I want to do more podcasts. I can see some applications for this one in the class room for presenting projects for book groups. It would make a good collaborative activity.

Thing #20

The video I have imbed is one from YouTube which I used with my students this year right before they took the AP Test. The idea was passed along to me from one of my collagues who got the idea from another AP teacher. The video is entitleed "40 Inspirational Speeches in Two Minutes" . I attempted to us a video from Teacher Tube; however I was not willing to take the time at this point to get permission to use it. It was entitled "Pay Attention" and was about using technology in the classroom. There were some wonderful statistics to prove the point that students are deeply involved in technology and if we want them to pay attention to us we need to use what they are paying attention to and what the feel is useful and will make them successful in the future.

Thing #19

I checked out Lulu a 1st place tool for books - cfreating selling, connecting and buying books. For every teacher or person who has wanted to be a published writer this site gives you the support and expertise to be able to do this. It not only offers the opportunity to publish your work but the templates for presenting your writing, graphics to included for all types of books from photo books, to cook books and calendars. For educators this 2.0 award winner allows a teacher such as myself to create classroom materials, allows a school to create yearbooks or fund raising ideas such as calendars or photos. One idea is to publish books, e-books, DVDs of your course work -- I don't know that I personally am ready for this but the school district might be ready to use this for publish curriculum, handbooks, etc. This site also gives the opportunity to publish some of these published books as well as already published books. It is an alternative to Amazon or Barnes and Nobles.

THING #18

As far as the online productivity tools are concerned, they do have their advantages especially when it comes to allowing access to documents, spread sheets, and other productivity tools to others without e-mails and attachments. Other advantages included the fact that the platforms are free! That is always a plus. The problem with Microsoft platforms is that there are old and new versions which are not compatible with other platforms. However, in working with OpenOffice.org I could not find a usable tutorial. In working with Google Docs. I did find a tutorial which was useful in explaining how the platforms worked. Also the GoogleDocs. was much easier to use and had a format which was much like the formats we are all used to on the traditional Microsoft platforms. If anyone knows about an OpenOffice tutorial, I would be interested as I could not figure out the Presentation section at all.

THING #17

Another idea with possibilities for my classroom I created a Rollyo account about news http://rollyo.com/mrouse/rouse_news/. This will allow my students to go to the opinion page of news sources and study the rhetoric of opinions. It will also allow AP students to see how persuasive writing is done professionally and also to check out the rhetorical devices. This is a great way to limit searches and also to see how others have used reputable search sources and add them to my Rollyo .