Thing #20

Google Docs. Here is an example of how I would like to use Google Docs. This is a schedule another teacher and I made up for how to share a site license for SuccessMaker. Instead of tracking each other down around the campus and waiting for that one 45 block of time we're each available during the day, we could simply each access the document from Google Docs when we each had the time. I also think this would be fantastic for grade level notes home. One teacher could type the note. The others could edit and revise the note from their own classrooms. Our bilingual teacher would have it at her fingertips to translate for her students' parents. I spent some time playing around with the presentation feature in Google Docs. I like to make slide shows or Promethean flipcharts for different lessons in my class. Then I often share them with the other members of my team. They could pull the presentation off of Google Docs to use in their own classrooms or edit ad add to the slideshow. Wouldn't that just be awesome? I found Google Docs extremely easy to use and not just because I have used it before. I would hope the other members of my grade level would be willing to try and use the website. I really didn't see that there was anything difficult about it.

Thing #7A

Google Sky. On Google Reader I came across an article for Google Sky. I have used Google Earth, but hadn't even heard of Google Sky. Google Sky can be accessed by downloading Google Earth 4.3 or straight from your web browser at sky.google.com. I used it straight from the website instead of trying to reload Google Earth on my computer. Google Sky offers an interactive panoramic view of several parts of the sky: the planets, the constellations, the galaxies, a hubble showcase feature, a Chandra-X showcase feature, and podcasts. I really enjoyed the information about the moon. You can look at the surface features of the moon, track the different landing places and mission objectives from the Apollo landings, look at the surface using an elevation map, and watch videos from the Apollo missions. I also spent some time playing with the constellation feature. I can never see those things in the sky, but Google Sky shows their location on the panoramic view of the sky and traces them out. I can definitely see many educational uses for Google Sky. I am going to introduce it to one of our fifth grade teachers.

Summarizing

Wow! Was that only 23 things? It seemed like I got more out of this than just 23. What a mind-boggling journey of technological experiences! I'm exhausted! I looked back over the 23 things to decide which ones were my favorites, and I made quite a long list! I know I will be getting pictures off Flickr for use in my classroom. I like the slideshow capabilities of Pikistrips and Rockyou to add an element of fun to classroom learning. I added the latest resources rss from Promethean Planet to my Google Reader account. Now when new resources are added to the Promethean website, I will know more readily. One of the favorite things I came across during this exploration was the organization Teachers Without Borders. This came across my Google Reader account from a link to Infinite Learning. I encourage you to visit their website and learn about this extraordinary group of educators.

Thing #23

I thought Classroom 2.0 was a little difficult to maneuver around on. It took me a few minutes longer than I wanted to find my way around. I did join a group of teachers with smart boards and a group of Mac users. I didn't see much merit to the videos on the website, except that it is a place for me to upload podcasts that my students have made. Maybe I need to search around some more. I think blogging with other teachers about ideas to use in the classroom is the obvious and most beneficial part of classroom 2.0.

The 23Thingsters group of Ning is a good way for techies in our district to communicate and share good ideas--especially uses for the sites we've visited on our 23 thing journey.

Thing #22

Facebook. I joined Facebook about two years ago when our librarian, Elizabeth, was taking 23 Things. She thought the website was so much fun, and she wanted me to get on and explore it also. Since then I am an avid fan of Facebook. I have over 200 Facebook friends, and I have been able to connect with quite a few friends from high school and college. I am totally addicted and spend way too much time on Facebook everyday. During the summer I was on Facebook more than I was off. Most of the teachers at our school are on Facebook. We talk back and forth all evening.

I'm not sure there are any real educational aspects to Facebook. I don't think any of my current students have Facebook accounts. I don't let former students who are not out of high school friend me on Facebook. I don't think friending my students on Facebook would be appropriate.

I also have a MySpace account, but I never use it. I think Facebook is geared more toward older people. People who want to keep a certain amount of dignity to their social websites.

Thing #21

Google Extras. I, like most people, have already used many of the extras that Google has to offer. Several people of my family and friends have Picasa accounts. We share pictures back and forth quite a bit.

I have used Google Earth in class with my students quite a few times. Anytime a city, landmark, or landform comes up in class discussion, we stop and look it up on Google earth. I like to start in Mesquite and then type in the address we're looking for and let the program fly us around the earth to the location we're searching for. The kids get the biggest kick out of looking at their own houses or houses of their family members.

My favorite discovery on Thing #21 is Google books. As proclaimed in an earlier blog, I am a bookophile of the most devoted sort. How great is it to be able to read or preview a book right off the computer. As much as I love books, I don't want to buy a book if I'm not going to end up liking it. On Google books, I can read a book for free or read enough of it to decide if I want to go out and buy the book. And how about the back issues of Life magazine available on Google books. What a great source for pictures and information on historical events! That is just fantastic!

Thing #19

Fieldtrip Voicethread I made a slideshow using voicethread. At first I thought the website was going to be difficult to use. It didn't have a warm, fuzzy look about it. When I got into it, the program wasn't difficult to use at all. I mentioned in an earlier post that I have had some experience with podcasting using Garageband. I thought voicethread was far and away simplier to use than Garageband. My students wouldn't have any trouble using voicethread except that they have to have and email address to access the site. I like that other people can access the slideshows from voicethread and work on them. Overall, I was very pleased with voicethread. I like to take pictures of my students working on different science projects or working with math manipulatives or working cooperatively as a group. I make slideshows with them and play them back for the students when we have a minute or two here and there. I think the slideshows remind the students of what they have learned or experiences in the class. I'm thinking I could sign in to the website and upload the pictures. Then my students could get on and type in or voice in the comments. They would love that!

Thing #18

States of Matter

Simple Graphical Multiplication Trick

Coolest Farm Town Designs

Like most people who are Internet junkies, I have spent a fair amount of time on youtube already. I watch videos of America's Got Talent or American Idol when I miss an interesting episode on television. I watch quite a few of those youtube videos that people sent around on email: ventriloquists, funny pets, cute babies, etc. This summer I learned how to cut a deck of cards with one hand and shuffle like a dealer from videos on youtube. The faculty of my school even has a video on youtube: Range Rocks! The only problem I really have with youtube is that it's difficult to show videos from this website in class. I don't like to override the filter on the district's internet, so I've tried downloading a video and taking it to school on my flashdrive. Doesn't really work all that well.

I had never spent much time on teachertube until tonight. Overall I was disappointed with the quality of the videos that I looked at. Most of them had a very amateurish and home-made quality. I don't think my students would be very interested in watching a teacher stand in front of a dry erase board and explaining a concept. They could just watch me do that. I saw several videos that students had created. If the students read their texts fluently and with expression, the videos might have merit for the listeners. I realize that the students who create the videos are engaged in a worthwhile learning activity, but the videos need to be quality in order to have merit for the audience also. I am interested in doing some more searching around on the pictures on teachertube. Those pictures are all more of an academic nature and are "safe" for the classroom.

Thing #17

Podcasting. I have used podcasting in my classroom for a couple of years now since I took a Pay for Knowledge class on podcasting through our district offerings. My students illustrated and voiced several reader's theater scripts from novels we were reading and read some of their favorite poems on podcasts. I have always had my students use illustrations instead of photographs on their podcasts. We uploaded them to PowerMedia in the past. Now we upload them to my teacher webpage. My next venture in podcasting will be to record videos of my students talking and working through some math strategies (rounding, double-by-double multiplication). These podcasts an be uploaded to the class website for parents to view at night when they're helping their students with their homework.

Besides the time involved in creating podcasts, the only problem I have with them is that so few of my students have computers and Internet access at home. The students and parents who could most benefit from these educational podcasts don't have the means to view them. Alas, nothing is perfect.

Thing #16

LibraryThing I'll admit I was skeptical when i first started reading about Library Thing on the learning 2.0 - 23 Things website. "I get all the information I want on books by searching on Amazon.com," I thought to myself. After searching around for several minutes, I found that my initial assumption about LibraryThing was wrong. I really enjoyed using the website after I worked with it for several minutes. A self-proclaimed bookophile, I couldn't help but get swept away in the many offerings from this website. I typed in the name of a silly little vampire series I'm reading (not the Twilight books--I already read all of those) and was quickly taken to the author's page where all her books were listed with cover pictures. I was also able to see and better understand where two different strands of the vampire series branch off. Yes, I can see all of this on amazon.com, but not as easily. I really have to search through the findings on amazon to find which books is the first, second, etc., in a series. LibraryThings had it all laid out for me. I also liked the recommendations feature. I found several books that I am interested in reading just from the few minutes I spent searching the recommendations list.

I think the recommendations list and author's page would be of particular interest to students. Students, the age I teach, don't think about "reading through an author" like I do. They read one book by an author and think they have to move on to something completely different. I think they would like searching for an author they enjoyed and finding a comprehensive list of other titles by the same author.

Thing #15

Delicious. Visit my delicious account.

I had heard about delicious in the past, but I had never used it myself until tonight. I didn't realize the wealth of information that could be accessed so easily through this site. Being a gardening enthusiast, I started searching for different types of plants I am interested in. I was able to find quite a few really good sites about some more rare flowers by using very little effort.

After playing around with flowers that interest me, I decided to search for some things that would be of more use to me in my job. Reader's theater is a favorite classroom literacy activity of mine. Most of the time, I take a book my class is reading and type up the script myself. I don't have to tell you how long this takes--hours! (I know I should before reader's theater, site after site came right up. I was able to bookmark these and save them for later. How many times have I spent hours and hours searching for something on the web, finally found it, and then promptly forgotten the website? Too many to tell! I can see that delicious is the answer to this weary teacher's endless sorting through google searching looking for that "great website I found a few weeks ago".

Thing #7B

Does this look like the door to the Teachers' Lounge at your school? Do you want it to? Would you like the experience of working in such a facility? Teachers Without Boarders, a Canadian-based teachers' organization, would like to make this door the place where you, a well-educated, highly trained, experienced professional, share your craft with your less-privileged colleagues across the world. According to Sharon Peters on her blog in Infinite Thinking Machine, "we rolled up our sleeves together and shared resources, methodologies and practices" with teachers from South Africa and Kenya. TWB strives to train fellow educators to improve their skills in working with students and teachers as well. Establishing teachers who are confident to deliver professional development among their own peers is a prime goal for this organization so training can continue and spread once the initial TWB team has returned home.

Besides joining Teachers Without Boarders and following your wanderlust to the far-reaches of the globe, you can help with a simple donation. TWB is collecting new or gently used technology (digital cameras, flashdrives, and laptops) to be given to newly trained teachers in poverty-stricken parts of the world. In July and August, Ms. Peters "will be returning to South Africa and Kenya as a team leader of ICT teachers who will facilitate workshops for educators ranging from newly appointed elearning specialists to teachers who have never touched a computer before."

What an outstanding organization! Who wants to go on one of these trips with me?

Thing #14

LetterPop The thing I chose to explore was LetterPop. It's a website for creating newsletters and flyers. It has hundreds of ready-made templates for you to use. It's completely a drag and drop website where you will be able to create very nice publications. I made a flyer to send home with my students showing off some pictures of our recent field trip to the Dallas World Aquarium. I was about to type in some text about our trip when I realized how simple the website was to use. This made me think that my students could easily make their own flyers and write about their experiences on the trip themselves. The flyer would have much more significance for the students if they created it themselves. I think I could put the pictures in my teacher dropbox, and the kids could access them.