Summary

I really enjoyed this class and learned so many new things! I would definitely take another class with more Things! Some of my favorites were the Voicethread, Library Thing, Animoto, and of course, the Avatars! Because I work in the Information Technology department, I don't think this class has changed my lifelong learning - I have always been a lifelong learner and we learn new things there everyday. And due to that it also didn't really give me any huge surprises, but it has definitely increased my storehouse of information. I also really liked the format of the class - especially being able to take the class at my own pace. I enjoyed having a little information about each thing, doing some discovery and then some actual hands on. I learn by doing, so it really increased my retention by being required to actually use those skills.

There are several of these Things that I hope to take to my campuses and begin showing teachers how to use them to collaborate with teachers and students. Last year I started showing teachers how to create a blog using the MISD blog site but many teachers did not seem to know what to do with them once they are created. I think the more resources I can show them and the more skills they can teach their students, the more they will enjoy using their blogs.

The 2 ways I will keep up with new developments in Web 2.0 are through my RSS Readers (finding new information) and through my Del.icio.us account (to store the information I've found). And the best way for me to retain the information is to teach others and to keep them informed through my blog.

Thanks for a really awesome class and some great new skills! Librarians ROCK!

Thing #23

Wow - I spent a lot of time on Ning and Classroom 2.0! There is an incredible amount of information here. I definitely think the tip about skimming and looking for useful information applies! I really liked the different groups - it seemed to narrow down the topics for me a bit more. I found a discussion on School 2.0 that debated the Smartboard vs. slates and some vs. the ActivBoards (Promethean). I was pretty surprised that more people liked the Smartboard because Promethean has so many more resources that are free. I also found a pretty interesting video on Classroom 2.0 about privacy issues on Facebook and how they are actually selling information from profiles to different groups (government, interest) to see how certain groups think or which movies/music they like best. It definitely made me think. I posted it to my Delicious account if anyone is interested - might make a good teach piece later in the year.

I think everyone can find items of interest personally or professionally on Ning. I like the idea that you can create your own social network - might be an alternative to Facebook in schools. I also noticed that many of them are private and require an invitation to join, so this may be a way of protecting our students. Groups concerning literally any subject can be created and students from other campuses, districts, or even countries can collaborate and create their own learning community.

Thing #22

I have had a Facebook account for about 4 years - since my oldest son went away to college. It became an easy way to see what he was doing without always having to ask - and probably things he would not have told me, anyway. :-) After his first year he settled down, and I really never used it again until about a year ago when my college friends suddenly started finding each other. It was so much fun - people I haven't seen in 25 years (maybe I shouldn't date myself) were suddenly contacting me and each other. Some of us even got together because of it! Then my high school friends caught on and it's been a continuous reunion. I am also "friends" with my younger son and am able to see who his friends are and what they are doing. I think it is very important for parents to monitor their children's sites as well as educate them as to the dangers. Sometimes I play what I secretly call the "Who is this and how do you know them" game to make sure they really do know the people that are friends with them. The privacy tools are important and kids (and adults) should know how to use these, as well. Not everyone should have equal access to all information.

I feel that it is very important as teachers for us to know the tools our students are using. It is another way for us to connect with our students. I have had some previous students I taught become my friends (although there are a few that I have not allowed some access to information). We need to meet them where they are and show them that we are interested. I do not think Facebook is for younger students (there is even an age limit) but I don't know of any of my son's high school friends that do not already have one. Within the classroom there may be better tools to use as far as curriculum but social networking through various clubs and groups might benefit from Facebook. (Although Facebook is currently blocked with our district filter).

One thing I have found through Facebook that I do not like is that when someone posts new pics with others tagged, you then have access to their pictures without being their friend. This seems to be sort of a back door into people's photos. It has probably kept me from tagging anyone in pics after I figured out that I had access to others' photos that I didn't even know. I think there are always ways for evil people to access information that they want to get if they try hard enough, though. We can't protect our kids from everything - but we must keep them educated and aware.

I have learned that Facebook is a time eater. I have spent lots of time on it this summer - finally had to put it on my list of distractions for this course. There are games (that I haven't been sucked into, yet) and FooPets (which I have been sucked into - and have to feed that guy every day or I feel guilty) and just the interesting things that people are doing this summer. I'm sure when school starts back in full swing my little FooPet will be hungry and thirsty more often, but I will definitely have to fight the urge to keep from checking my Facebook at work.

Thing #7b

The Next Killer App by David Warlick on 2 Cents Worth caught my attention. He began the article by talking about how whenever we want to make changes in education the process is like a puzzle - you have to move one or two tiles before you can move that final tile into place. I see this so much more in the technology department when we are trying to upgrade or incorporate something new into the schools. There are so many campuses and so many computers - and so few of us - and everyone wants it RIGHT then. These take time and manpower and we also have other jobs that we have to do on top of whatever new is happening, and no one seems to realize the steps that must take place, including additional server power, teacher training, etc. Lots of tiles need to be moved when new technology is added.

David continued his article to discuss the growing trend of eportfolios for students and some of the advantages. Students could "carry" these with them to different schools, districts, and even states. They would be working platforms instead of just archives of student work and utilize all different aspects of technology, including web2.0 tools such as social networking and blogging. This would be a huge advantage to students as well as teachers. I think of all the new students I got when I was in the classroom and all I got were old report cards or test scores which did not really tell me a lot about that student. Eportfolios could be a great tool for everyone - but there are lots of puzzle pieces that need to be moved before this can be used effectively. What puzzle pieces do teachers see before this could be implemented?

Thing #21

The Google tools are great! Google Earth is an awesome tool that can be used for all kinds of social studies activties. You can find different locations and calculate the mileage between the two. You can also find different landmarks and make students feel like they are there!

Google SketchUp is pretty fun but will take some getting used to. I think younger students will have more difficulty with this. I enjoy trying to build things with it, but sometimes it takes several tries to get it right. I think this one takes a bit more talent to master. :-) I think there could be some great lessons in geometry here and also some architecture ideas for older kids.

The Google calendar is soooo convenient when sharing a calendar with others. We have shared calendars for staff development days within our office and also for PDC lab schedules so that we can work around things that are scheduled. I created a new calendar for this class and also created one for my husband and some local photographers that he works with so we can all share and schedule studio time without having to call back and forth whenever we're trying to book it. That way we can schedule time with someone wherever we are and not have to contact a customer back. This would be a great asset for campuses - grade level teams could schedule weekly planning meetings, principals could have a shared calendar for school events/meetings. There could also be a classroom calendar where assignments are posted and the calendar is shared with students and parents so everyone would know when and what assignments are due - great parent communication with the stroke of a key!

Thing #20

Google Docs is the next best thing since sliced bread! We have been using them awhile in our office and they have made collaboration soooo much easier! And the best part is that you can access these documents from anywhere. They are fairly easy to use - just like using Word or Excel. We use them to create agendas for our staff meetings. We are all able to add items to the agenda during the week. During the spring we used a shared spreadsheet to confirm technology inventory lists for our campuses. Teachers could share and collaborate on lesson plans during the week to make planning sessions more efficient and less time-consuming.

The form feature is really awesome when it works. We tried to send a form to our teachers to fill out so the inventory would be put directly into a spreadsheet. For some it worked quite well but for others there were problems that did not allow teachers access. We all did exactly the same thing, so we are not quite sure where the problem was. We did wonder if it had something to do with the Mesquite Google domain and not all teachers having accounts, yet. Hopefully this will be fixed next year. :-) I think everyone could benefit from using Google Docs!

Thing #19

Okay, this is really fun! I found a Voicethread that showed how to construct a congruent line segment using the Promethean software. This has so much potential - it is very simple. The alphabet book by the first graders was super cute and I really like having a sample to be able to show teachers how easy it is. Again, students can take ownership. Everyone can give their opinion or instruction on a picture or video. We can use it to create simple instructional videos for teachers using technology. Teachers can use it to create curriculum instruction. This is going to be something that I want to show teachers on my campuses - especially those non-title I campuses that don't get all the "cool stuff." These are the type of tools that only require the computers we have on campuses and that everyone can use! Two thumbs up for Voicethread!

Constructing a Congruent Line Segment by Sandra Goldman