That's all folks....

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
Yikes- I can't believe I did it! Victory at last! Not to sound dramatic, but this was a roller coaster ride of learning thrills. My favorite things include creating the blog, maintaining it, discovering all google has to offer, image generators, social networking, widgets:)and gadgets:), and I could name more. I have a whole new vocabulary file in my brain.

How has this program affected your lifelong learning goals?
My lifelong learning goals were more than met in this course. I did not know I had it in me to do so much discovering and learning through technology. It was really trying at times, but I never wanted to give up. I was always drawn back in because I know this knowledge is the future.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I now feel like somewhat of a techno-geek! I never thought I'd say that! I surprised myself with my risk-taking and exploring. I found patience deep within myself (ok, summer helped).

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I don't know that you could improve on the format or concept. It is what it is- overwhelming, challenging, and wonderful!!

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
I would because I am now a believer in forcing myself to figure out new tools.

How will what you have learned influence your practice as a teacher or school librarian?
What I have learned will influence me tremendously. It already has. I will communicate with my students and parents in all new ways. My students will be given the power to create, share and develop highly technical assignments. I won't shy away as in the past because I've supported my knowledge by learning much more.

How do you plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0? Recommend a way that you have found to be useful.
Blogging will be the main way I try to stay up. My new memberships to 23thingsters and Teacher 2.0 will also be informative. I resolve to keeping up with my blog, even if I re-purpose it, to use as a reflection tool at least two times a week.

Thing #23

I joined Teachers 2.0/Ning and found it to be a resourceful site. I never knew about these other social networks. It is great to know we can socialize with like-minded educators all over the world with the click of a mouse! Ning, particularly teachers 2.0, was easy to navigate and had some interesting topics of discussion going on. I can see how this site could inform me of great conferences that will be held and speakers that may be traveling my way. I found a more private site for passionate teachers. It was a neat and informal way for teachers to share their ideas and help one another.
I have to think more on ideas for using social networking of this caliber professionally or in the classroom. I guess I could start a network for a book club or something of that nature where the kids could sound off about characters and plot twists, etc. Overall, these sites are extremely valuable for their efficiency. Teachers can approach them at times which are convenient instead of trying to gather thoughts quickly at an afterschool committee meeting. I'm so happy to branch out into these other realms.

Thing #22

Oh dear, facebook. I have literally lost hours of my life there-too fun. I recently was talked into getting an FB account so I finally started one on spring break. I use it more than my My Space account that my sister set up for me years back. Since I was already familiar with FB somewhat, I decided to search schools and join groups as the task suggested. I found alumni's for all my schools and joined those-too funny! I also found one for the NMHS Flag Corp and Big Blue! I also added some former students (recent grads) as well as former teachers of mine.
I think it is important for us educators to be familiar with these social networks, even though I was unsure at first. I think we should know how our students communicate and be able to reach them in those ways. I like that Fb is pretty safe and you only talk to who you want. Mine is set to "private" and invite only. I dislike the fact that people can put pics of you and everyone sees them. But, that's one of the things I enjoy is looking at pics of everyone, so go figure. I guess I can see an educational app for the Farm game thingy. Everyone I know is into buying land, crops, etc. I also think if a group joins a site collectively, they can bounce ideas off one another...all in one place at their own pace. Ultimately, it has been a great way to keep in touch with people since our lives are too busy to connect another way.

Thing #7b

Moving at the speed of creativity is a blog I follow on my Google Reader. Beth Still wrote a blog as a guest recently and it was pretty powerful. It was about finding balance between career and family. Who doesn't struggle with that? She teaches as well as conducts online classes so she is constantly connected to the world outside her home. She is on Twitter, email, chatting or something most of the time. Recently, she did an experiment and turned off her laptop, phone and blackberry to watch a movie with her husband only to realize she hadn't been disconnected in so long. She decided she must find balance in her life so her family time will not suffer.
I didn't find much else appealing on my reader today. The Flickr photos are always really cool for a little mindless break. I think I will change up the blogs I follow because some people haven't blogged in months and I would like to follow something more current.

Thing #21

It doesn't surprise me that Google is the most popular search engine as I use it frequently. Using it as a verb is funny, too. I just thought people said, "let's google it..." for fun. I set up a Google Alert and, since I share the computer with my husband, I thought I would choose the Dallas Cowboys. We are both big football fans so receive alerts on the "boys" will be fun for both of us. If it gets annoying I hope I can figure out how to stop it. I think the alerts can be helpful in education, too. I could set up alerts about anything from recycling efforts to schools in the news. I might do this on my school computer when I go back in the fall. Google Calendar was what I explored next. I set up a calendar with summer classes and will add personal events as well. I think this would be great to use for parent conferences, student/faculty birthdays, PTA meetings and I could go on and on. Sharing it with students/parents might be cool, unless they would have access to my account. I like that it is on my computer and not another thing to handle on my desk. Picasa Web albums were neat, too. I already had photos in mine, which I could not figure out. Maybe it's connected to my Kodak program somehow? Anyway, I like this as another option to Flickr, although most of my photos are with Flickr already. I could store school photos on Picasa and personal ones on Flickr in the future. I did not know Google had so many cool things to offer!

Thing # 20

The concept of Google Docs is great. I like that Google improved upon the overuse of attaching documents to emails. This seems so much more efficient. Three ideas I have for using Google Docs is for class collaborations, example assignments and completion sheets. I like the completion sheet for this class, as an example. I could use the spreadsheet to keep up with each student and what they are reading during SSR time. I use email daily to communicate with my parents. I like the fact that I could email them an example of an assignment I'm giving. Another idea would be to work on a diagram as a class where kids to collaborate and add their own details to the assignment. The presentation format could come in handy for class groups to add information to for showing other classmates. I could also use the presentation format to teach skills with my tutoring group, like a warm-up activity.

Thing # 19

Now that I've seen some Voicethreads, I realized that I've already used some in my masters class. My professor would put his lectures on these and it was great because I could listen, rewind, move forward and refer to later. Which takes me to my next point of how I could use them professionally. The ways are endless. For instance, I think of the snow day we had. Students could access a voicethread from me to get a content review or other information from home. I love the family heirloom pictures in the example. It would be cool to do this with your family and let them reminisce about the pictures by making comments. Voice threads are a great way to archive information to use and reuse. I could make some each year and build on the lessons. It doesn't seem too hard to use or create. I like that it uses still pictures. Can it use video? If so, I didn't see any. Maybe I just missed it somehow. Thanks for the new learning!

Thing # 18

Welcome to the time vacuum that is YouTube! Wow! I could literally spend a day on that thing! I was bookmarking like crazy using Delicious (which was a great idea-thanks for the suggestion of bookmarking them).
Because I'm not going to be in a general ed classroom setting next year, I had to think about what topics I should search. I searched dyslexia programs such as MTA and low and behold there it was! A YouTube video from MISD had been posted describing how the dyslexia program has changed lives-too cool! I also found one on famous dyslexics which was really touching and inspiring! It is really simplistic with pictures set to a Beatles's song. On Teacher Tube I found the funniest video of a teacher going over his class rules. I posted it below.
My experience on these video hosting sites has been a fun one. I'm very glad to know there is a safe way to search on YouTube. Last year, one of my fourth graders frequently got on YouTube and it worried me. I always told him to let his dad know what videos he was watching. However, I see so many wonderful uses for these sites if used in the right context for learning. I think it could bring such fun and humor to the forefront of any lesson or subject.
Here's the link to the Teacher Tube. I could not get it to post as a visible icon.
Classroom Rules

Thing # 17

I previewed the podcasts Just One More Book and Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips. I decided to subscribe to both. On the quick and dirty tips website, I actually found a feed on nutrition that I'm subscribing to for simply personal interest. I love both podcasts above. Just One More Book frequently highlights fantastic children's books so I know I will enjoy someone seeking out the books for me and sharing them. Grammar Girl is such a hoot! I'm one of those rare nerds who enjoys grammar so it's a good thing I taught 4th grade writing for ten years! I love the simplicity of it and the fact that it's not my voice I hear spouting grammar rules. Podcasts can definitely be an important asset to a classroom lesson. Infact, they can be the focus activity leading into a great lesson. I could also have a podcast center set up that kids could rotate to and listen to predetermined podcasts pertaining to the content area chosen. I've used iTunes for a while now, so I'm pretty familiar with iPod podcast listening. It's funny because I didn't think of iTunes as a hub for podcasts until now. It is nice to understand these terms now that I'm am learning so much about web 2.o. I feel like I'm finally in the "know", however I know that technology is constantly changing. Maybe now I won't be too intimidated to keep up!

Thing # 16

Library Thing is amazing! It is definitely a book lover's dream. I'm already thinking about the friends of mine I will be introducing this to. I searched by author, book title and even the local tab to check out some venues in the area. I have not joined yet, although I think I will. I like that it let me search without joining. I tried to read some of the reviews of a particular book by Heather B. Armstrong, but they wouldn't pull up. I can think of numerous educational and collaborative uses for Library Thing. Especially if you can catalog all your picks to refer to at later times for various topics. Of course, the fact that this site has social aspects is also very helpful. I'm always checking ratings and reviews as a consumer and this site is no different from ones I find useful. It has so many great things to offer and it is extremely easy to use-which I appreciate!

Thing # 15

My sandbox page is http://misd23things.wikispaces.com/Starfish. I really enjoyed this once I got going. The only hang up was the table of contents. I found a code tool, but it wasn't creating the box I wanted, where I wanted so I deleted it. Oh well, I'm sure with some navigating I will figure it out. The discovery exercise was overwhelming and took a couple of hours for me to even get started. I'm hoping I did every task that was expected the correct way. This was yet another part of the learning curve I've been experience on this journey. After each task I do feel victorious, yet tired. Playing in the sandbox was fun once I figured out the tools. When I was embedding a YouTube video, I wasn't sure it was working until I took a chance and saved a blurry pic and it worked! Much about learning 2.0 is about taking chances and risks. Once I accepted that, things have gone a little more smoothly.

p.s.- I just figured out the Table of Contents!!

Thing 14 -Stretch

Being the coffee addict that I am, I thought I would search to find Starbucks on Wikipedia. The content did seem valid and complete, but I know otherwise. I know enough to know that the source may not be valid. I'm wary about uses of Wikipedia for that reason. I guess it's like reading any other report in that it is only as good as it's source. Even a story in a newspaper may not be completely valid. Anyway, I read about the origin of the company, marketing strategies and controversy surrounding it's fair trade policies. Under the discussion tab there were several comments and suggestions for changes. I think some people have a lot of time on their hands! There was more than I care to know about Starbucks! There were several revisions, too. I wonder why these people choose to spend their time on this one little area of Wikipedia? I guess the word is passionate.

Thing #14

The video of Wikis in Plain English was really helpful because I didn't quite have a grasp on wikis until now. I've heard about them and have visited Wikipedia, but that was the extent of my experience. After reading Wiki Wiki Teaching, I do think there will be wikis in my future. I'm already thinking of a way I could use one for my fall masters class. We will be doing a leadership task, so a wiki would be a great way to communicate with the team with which I'll be working. Ms. Davis' experience with wikis was amazing. The way she incorporated one to get two of her classes to collaborate on an assignment was remarkable. The study guides were really resourceful. After reading her comments, I realized it was from 2005! I'm so behind the times!
I explored several of the suggested wikis because I just couldn't stop. Some were pretty complicated, but one of my favorite was Salute to Seuss. I love the idea of the students book sharing, read alouds, and highlights from the Seuss books. I will share this idea with my 4th grade colleague who is also working towards her library certification. The Code Blue wiki was so innovative and fun! I'm amazed at what kids can do when given high expectations to run with. What kid wouldn't want to learn anatomy this way! Go West was also neat and simple enough to follow. I like how it was set up for navigation and the web created by Janie was really cool and I could see the uses easily applied to many subject areas.

Thing #13

Delicious is really helpful and I've never heard of such a thing! My Delicious already houses several URLs that I love and used in the classroom at http://delicious.com/hrenemc. I think this site has many beneficial aspects such as someone already doing the searching for you! The categorizing is helpful and the number of visits gives you a clue on the popularity of the sites. This would be a great resource during team planning. Someone could jump on Delicious and pull up a skill site or URL pertaining to a subject area in which you are planning and ta da-instant resources without all the surfing! I intend on importing the sites I've already bookmarked on my browser. I've just got to figure out how to import mine, not my husbands since his are used for work. It's really fun to think of search topics and get so many helpful sites. I just searched for educational sites, but I plan on checking out ones for gardening, photography, house projects and more!

Thing 7a

Infinite Thinking Machine had a article about some new Google Search Lessons for teachers to use with students making a large amount of info available quickly. It makes skillful searching a lesson to help students with all kinds of projects or papers. Every topic has three lessons that build on one another. I like this because it is readily accessible to us as teachers. I'm always looking for direction on lessons when I take my kids to the lab and these are set up and ready to go.
On the blog Moving at the Speed of Creativity, Fryer writes about his kid trying to get on the Internet during a rode trip. She realizes they don't have Internet access. This makes him view his daughter's perception of the Internet. He realizes she thinks it's an invisible resource that is accessible from anywhere or anytime all over the world. Which, it almost is! Anyway, he just thought that her reaction was funny.

Thing # 12

I went to each one of these tools and had a blast! I can totally lose track of time when I'm navigating around these sites. A use of 30 Boxes could be to house my students' birthdays and notify me of upcoming ARD's or conferences. This way my calendar would not get covered up on my desk! Gliffy would be a fantastic tool for students to input information into flow charts or outlines. Fourth graders could use it for their pre-writing for writers' workshop. Blabberize is too funny! What a great way for kids to create a pic to review another student on concepts for a test. I could engage my tutoring students with this tool. I also found timeglider to be unique. I haven't seen anything like this before, but the kids would love to make their time lines on this site verses my sentence strips that I usually give them for social studies. Pikistrips and toondoo would also be great assets to our writers' workshop. We could really have fun creating, working on characters and practicing quotation marks with this tool. Wordle is a cool, easy site to create word webs, picture words and much more that could be used for vocabulary review. I have already used the write board, but will continue to use it to store information I will need in the future. Most of these tools have significant social interactive properties that would engage students and provide high motivation during learning.

Thing # 11

I experimented with the Flickr Letter Pool below. It was fun to create, although it took me a few times to get the letters to paste in order. I finally just did them vertically, which doesn't make much sense :). I also made a mosaic with Mosaic Maker of my niece, Emma. We have so many photos of her so it was easy to create. The photo generators could be so useful in the classroom. You could use the letter pool when working with vocabulary or use them to embellish student autobiographies. The mosaic maker, photo cube, or Warholitzer would be fun for students to use with reports or presentations. They could also use personal photos to share on class blogs. My students would instantly fall in love with these photo generators! I could upload pics from field trips, play day, or other activities and have them use a generator to document our memories.

Thing # 10

This task was by far the most difficult for me! I should have read about difficulties that other bloggers had first, but I tried to give it a go on my own. After working on this for several hours, I think I figured it out. I had trouble with Rockyou.com so I switched to Slide.com and I finally got it to work. At least now I can create another slideshow if needed. I really used more photos than I wanted to, but it was just easier to select all of them. I chose to use my Vegas photos and some from Gharbally on Flickr Creative Commons. I'm choosing to look at this task as fun overall even though it was pretty frustrating. I didn't even know who to ask for help since the task is so taylored to our individual needs. In other words, I would need someone literally standing beside me to see what's going on and try to help me to fix the problem.

Thing # 9

What a blast I had with Flickr! I learned how to search out photos in Flickr Creative Commons which is where I found this one uploaded by Mootsie. She is a mother who enjoys photography as a hobby, however, some of her photos have made it into country magazines. I thought it was an appropriate pic for the upcoming 4th of July weekend. It is called "Teaching By Example".

There are so many places for Flickr in education. On one of the websites we visited on assignment, I read the teachers suggested uses. The assignment had students find pictures to illustrate different words for walking. Another teacher posted student products and I got a kick out of one student that created a pizza that would teach trig.! I also want to steal the idea of using pics for writing prompts and I'll be passing that idea along to my team. Being a member will be so helpful in the future. My sister is already on Flickr so now I can access the pictures she took on my wedding day at the beach! I'm sure I will be using those for several projects this summer.

Thing # 8

I'm fascinated by the concept for Creative Commons. The copyright laws have always been vague and unclear for me, yet I'm afraid of infringement. Our kind librarian does a presentation in the fall of each year and I always am comforted by the fair use portion. I, then, go on my merry way in hopes that I do not have to concern myself with it. However, I'm missing out on great educational tools. With cc, I'm able to branch out and explore without worry to enhance lessons for my classroom. I checked out directories and search tool as well. The sight is incredibly easy to navigate through and find what you need. The brains behind this site were right on target and I'm thankful they took the challenge of creating a headquarters with which to share creativity with the world.

Thing # 7

Commenting-it shouldn't be that hard! I usually have something to say all day long, but blogging feels differently. Adding a comment during this point in my lack of experience feels a little forced and awkward. I know I will feel more comfortable at it as I go. I just want to sound genuine, I guess. If the blogger I'm reading is giving information that is new, I can inquire or clarify about the info given. If he/she is sharing feelings or venting, I can offer support or agreement. I see the importance of it: to have continued dialogue, receive informative feedback or just to relate to someone with similar interests. The most difficult times for me to comment was on the blogs from my google reader. I feel really distant from these sites, so I guess it feels a little funny. I'm sure the owner's of the blogs do read the comments and find them helpful from time to time.

Thing # 6

I've been enjoying checking up on sites through Google Reader. It's much more efficient and provides the ease of quick skimming when in a hurry. One of my favorites is Flickr Most Interesting Photos. It's like a little vacation from the business and information overload of other sites. Another feed I read is Moving at the Speed of Creativity. Mr. Fryer just blogged about a hilarious incident where his arm, backpack w/laptop etc. got caught outside the train or Metro! Luckily the door opened and everything worked out okay. Otherwise, I just get updates on NYT health and some of the other educational sites. I'm glad summer school wrapped up yesterday so I can focus on my 23 things with more consistency. I guess you can say I'm looking forward to some summer Internet surfing without interruptions or distractions.

Thing # 5

After reading about Linda in Student 2.0, it made me reflect on my application process for my undergrad. It was so overwhelming and nobody in my family could help me. I was the first to go to college. My parents were there, but we aimlessly went from office to office on a wild goose chase full of paperwork! No one really prepares you for how overwhelmed you'll feel before the classes even start! It also brought back the pressures of choosing a college, choosing a major and how the beginning of the process felt. I appreciate her openness and honesty during this journey in her life.
I'm going to enjoy the updates from RSS. I like the idea of streamlining all that information without all the clicking and visiting of other sites. I'm excited to learn what else is available.

Thing #4

Again I'm amazed at the doors educators are opening for their students through blogging. Blog reading is different from other types of reading because it is so current. We love peaking into the lives of others and blogs give us permission to do that. It is also a type of communication that is efficient and resourceful. I can keep up with my friends when our schedules don't align and I can also stay on top of assignments for classes at the click of my mouse. I love that Mr. Meyer allows his students to explore blogs during SSR in Is this SSR 2.0. My students would love the novelty and I bet every kid would be totally engaged! Better yet they could probably summarize everything they read!
Blogging is different from other types of writing because it can be pretty casual. My favorite sample blog was that of Mrs. Edmison's Class. Being that I was a 4th grade teacher of writing for many years, this one was near and dear to my heart! I can't wait to share it with my colleagues.
What a better way to encourage young kids in their writing journey by talking to a real author and letting her share her struggles/successes!
The feedback blogging provides is incredible. Having conversations in such a way allows for meaningful thought processing. One has time to mull over what he is reading and give feedback on his own time. We all know the importance of wait time and this allows as much as needed. In this way blogging facilitates learning. It can enhance the way we learn and mesh with our different learning styles/interests. Therefore, our learning is customized and much more meaningful.

Thing # 2 Thoughts about Web 2.0

I was amazed and overwhelmed after watching the videos about Web 2.0! It has already had a tremendous effect on my learning as well as my students. In several of my masters classes, we have viewed online videos and pod casts that have enhanced the content of the courses. One particular website called The Futures Channel uses pod casts connected with lessons to teach kids how science and math are connected to real careers.
Students can now have so many more opportunities for learning that are rich and meaningful than I did. They can connect to the real world right from their classroom. Having and providing these opportunities as a teacher gives me that key to engaging students on a much higher level. Motivating students can be so difficult, but using components of Web 2.0 can definitely keep them intrigued and captivated.
In the video of kids K-12 students today, I saw kids of my past that did not get to benefit from technology. I felt guilt as I watched and wondering what I could of done or could be doing to further enhance my students' learning. Once I learn more about wikis, pod casts and creating other online features I can give my students the power to own their learning.
I enjoyed the article by Mr. Warlick. It was overwhelming to think about all the technology practices going on in that school. But, if you just think about one teacher's role, it doesn't seem too bad. That is how I'm choosing to view the challenge in front of me-start small.

Thing #1 Reflections on Lifelong Learning

As I reflect on myself as a lifelong learner, I think of all the new things I learned just this year. I accept that learning is an on-going process no matter what your age. After speaking to a former 23 things student, I'm really excited and encouraged to start this journey. I think I will learn more than I ever have in a PFK class. I will hopefully feel confident enough to coach my colleagues on the new technology I've discovered.
I know this learning curve will not come without it's challenges, however. Finding time to navigate through this course will be very challenging for me. I'm a little discouraged that I'm having a late start, but I'm going to keep truckin' anyway! I guess this means I need to focus on the #1 step: begin with the end in mind. My summer is very full with classwork for my masters program so I will need to stay well-planned and focused on the end result.
I expect the easiest habit for me will be using the technology to my advantage. When I find time to get to the computer, exploring comes naturally to me and I enjoy it. In the past when I've learned something new with technology, I've tried to use it immediately so I will not forget about the skills. Hopefully the same will occur in this course.
There are two of the 7 1/2 steps I find to be important. First is teaching and mentoring others. To me, that is what lifelong learning is all about-sharing. I'm sure that is why MISD is supporting and facilitating a course such as this. The district really encourages collaboration and mentoring, which I think is fantastic and helps us to stand out in the community. I don't know where I'd be after these 10 years of experience had my team not taken me under their wings. It is only right that I return the service to the new teachers on our campus.
The second habit which is very important to me is the aspect of play. What course allows you this much play online? I haven't found another and I'm thrilled to be a part of this one this summer. Play is completely conducive to learning because the excitement that comes from play better prepares the brain to accept new information. Knowing that play is part of my learning experience motivates me to accept the challenges that will come along.