One More Thing

On my first post I said I would share a picture of the Grand Canyon if I learned how to do it.  Here is a picture of the bottom of the Grand Canyon at Lees Ferry.

One Last Thing

Thank You!  When I signed up for this as a favor for a friend, I thought, " Why not?  I need to update myself on some computer info."  Ha! If I had only known ( maybe not because then I may have not signed up).  When I saw the 23 list of things I began to wonder what I had signed up for.  At the beginning, I thought about dropping out, more because I would get frustrated with myself when things didn't work out. But I am not a quitter.   I thought that there should have been more help available.  BUT then I would tell myself, this is by design...it is so I can begin to explore what is available to me.  Slowly, I did begin to do that and I realized something at the end.  I wrote about in the beginning how I was afraid to push any buttons because I did not know what would happen.  I found out through this class that it is through pushing those buttons that I am learning.  Much like in life, by pushing ourselves we begin to open our minds more.  While it was frustrating and brain overload at times, I do think this class is well worth taking and set up well.  You have given me a wealth of information and I am looking forward to implementing some of these techniques when school starts. I have taken wiki classes before but in short demonstrations and I walked away more confused than when I walked in.  I feel like I know what I am doing now, or at least enough, to get started...which is always the first step.  I may turn my blog into a travel blog now and share my travels with friends & families.  So...one last thing...the Adventures are only beginning.

Thing #19

I was not familiar with Voicethread and I left it for last because I thought I was going to need a lot of time to understand it.  The introduction videos really helped to explain what Voicethread  is and how it can be used.  When exploring the videos I can see how useful it would be in the classroom as a feedback tool.  Students can submit their critiques & thoughts on a variety of topics.  I also liked the A to Z book made by the kindergarten class.  That is a good introduction into computer literacy for little ones.  I can see how this would also be a good discussion thread for required English readings.  I also think this could be used in ESL classes.  You could post different pictures and have students interpret the pictures.

Thing #18

Thing #17

I had no idea what podcasting was  and was a little afraid of it.  My nephew is a techie and works in the film industry so he tries to explain all this to us every Christmas.  After listening to the podcasts I understand what they are now.  I listened to Tech Teachers, Radio Willowweb, Why? The Science show for Kids Podcast and Dansmathcast.  I preferred the latter two.  I thought the science podcast was interesting because he takes the children's questions and then answers them.  His voice is a bit animated so I thought it would keep the children engaged.  Dansmathcast had a video which I think would help students in understanding math computations & vocabulary a little better.  I don't know how I would use podcasting in the counseling center but I think it is a wonderful tool in the classroom.

Thing #23

Browsing through Classroom 2.0 on Ning was almost like attending a conference.  There were so many subject areas to browse through I didn't know which one not to pick.  I started in the forums and read through some of the comments.  I noticed they have hosts that will offer suggestions.  I also read through some blogs but soon realized there were numerous pages so I read a few on several pages.  One was from a biology teacher from Lake Jackson.  It appeared she had taken her students on a field trip.  She used Animoto to make a slideshow.  I also found a video on Voicethread.  I have still not done #19 so I watched it for more information.  Watching the video helped me not be too afraid of approaching it now.  I certainly was not aware of how much was on this site. I did not join but will consider joining later because I do think this is an excellent resource.

Thing #15

Delicious was not a very appetizing activity for me.  I had a very difficult time logging in and getting the tabs to show ( bookmarks & extension buttons).  I think I finally got it but I didn't know how much of this is how my husband has the computer set up.  I am reluctant about some stuff but he is 10 times worse.  Suffice it to say that I have had to enable cookies and allow restrictions to be lifted just so I can download everything for the class.  I did find the site useful and can see where it could really be an efficient way to find career & educational information when advising students. 

Thing # 22

I already have a Facebook page primarily because it was an effective way to keep up with my kids, nieces, and nephews.  For this assignment I did go in and add some pictures.  I like Facebook and the features it has.  I am not sure I am real comfortable with how quickly it knows who I know.  That is not within my comfort zone.  I do think it is important for educators to know more about social networking and how it works.  This is the way our students communicate ( at least in high school). Social networking is beneficial for educators because it allows for an exchange of information and knowledge between us,thus, creating more resources and perspectives to be at one's fingertips. It is a wonderful way to keep in touch with friends & family that live too far away to visit often.  Also, although I am not too comfortable with this, my children have asked for recommendations for movers &  places to hold parties. Facebook's features are easy to maneuver and are pretty self explanatory...even for me.  Originally on my 23Things contract I had said I would make a CTE page.  After speaking with my daughter she has recommended I make a Facebook page for my CTE class.  So I will change my contract to make a wikipage for the Counseling center.

Thing # 7b

I found Historypin on Derek's blog and found it very interesting.  First I think this would make a great tool in a history class where students could compare the past with current pictures.  They could write comaprisons and see what the site looked like in years past.  I also think this would be fun if one was doing any genealogy with their family history.  You could print the photos as they once were and then current ones to provide more information.

Thing #21

I have an iphone so I already have google earth, igoogle on my phone and home computer.  My husband uses google earth  a lot exploring various locations we have visited.  I like the igoogle page because it brings up my google mail right up on the page.  Other information such as a calendar, weather, and latest headlines are also given.  I have heard of picasa web pages but have never logged into them until now.  I think I like the ease of using this site. I think I would like to see how well it organizes my pictures.

Thing #14

I explored several of the sites listed such as the calendar, jigsaw, and a picture editing site.  The one I really like was the mixbook site.  Since my daughter recently got married the idea of being able to put the pictures into a book digitally was much more appealing than trying to scrapbook all 1,000 photos!!  Most of the sites I visited had sharing capabilities.  Obviously, this would be a personal use.  One site that I think could be used in the education arena is the letterpop.  This site had templates in which you could just drop your picture in and write your text.  It appeared it would be minimal time commitment to create a newsletter for your group, club, or classroom.

Thing #16

Boy, what I wouldn't have given to have had a site like this when I was in school!!  I can see using this site personally when I am looking for suggestions. If I was in the classroom I think the challenge would be a fun project for the students.  Also as Pre-K teacher I bought my own books and this would have been a wonderful way of keeping up with what I already had purchased. I like the Name that Book category, too.  I am reaching a stage where I am forgetting quite a bit so a little help is great when I am trying to remember a title.

Thing #13

                                       

Thing # 20

I am a little familiar with the Google docs.  We use the spreadsheet option to list our students' scholarships, keep up with SAT fee waivers, and list the scholarships available.  We moved to this last year after keeping up with it at our individual desks.  It was very inconvenient to continually go into each other's offices and ask for the databases. We also used this on a personal note when we were creating a family cookbook and trying to decide what we were going to include in the cookbook.  We have family in Austin so it was a great way to communicate and every stay on the same page.

Thing # 7a

So I read Derek's Blog today in my reader.  It appears he attended an Internet Summit in New York City this past June.  I read through one of the power point presentation by Mary Meeker, who is with the investment bank of Morgan Stanley.  Her presentation concerned mobile devices and their impact on the internet in the future.  Her presentation compiled a lot of data but one slide in particular caught my eye.  It showed the various devices: Nintendo Wii, Ipad, Iphone, and Ipod and others and the amount of days it took to sell 1 million units.  Interesting that that it took the Ipod  360 days, Iphone took 74 , Wii took -13, and Ipad took 28!    I think the Ipod was the groundbreaker with all capabilities and by the time the others came around we were all on the bandwagon.  If I remember correctly, I believe the Nintendo Wii came out around Christmas which may account for the high volume of sales. Anyway, I though those stats were very interesting.

Thing #12

Thing #11

Exploring Flickr was  fun.  I have to admit I am still a bit skitish when downloading.  Sometimes after repeating an activity (because I did it wrong) I realize I am making some of this harder than it is.  So many of the sites have the links or tabs to help the process along.  For instance, I saved the images but then noticed that little magnifying glass in the corner that said "all sizes".  When I clicked on it I realized that was the way I was supposed to be downloading! Aha moments are coming pretty frequent lately.  I chose my theme of Jaguars, our mascot.  I thought we could use them in student presentations, particularly seniors, since I chose a cub (freshman) and then adult jaguars ( seniors).  Here is one of my chosen images:

Isn't he gorgeous?


                                                              







http://www.flickr.com/photos/tambako/480467788/

#10

I had no idea a site such as Creative Commons existed so if I ever saw a logo I probably didn't pay attention to it.  I think a site such as this is invaluable to students.  It allows them to be creative and explore, yet become more knowledgeable regarding copyright laws.  As much as we think that everyone student has a computer I am aware of students who still do not have access to one.  Teachers who could have this available for students to use in their classrooms could close the gap with students in those situations.  I am not in the classroom anymore but we do make presentations for the students and ask a student to post new information on the web for us.  I can see using some music or images to enhance our presentations.  I will admit that I typically do not use images for fear of infringing on the copyright laws.  I am sure there are cons to using Creative commons, however, other than stripping the creativity from the student I am not sure what they would be.

Wiki was sticky but now I'm fine on #9

Wow, it has been a long night !!  I had a little trouble in the sandbox but trial & error finally produced a completed wiki.  This was certainly one time when wiki didn't live up to it's name! All that aside I had fun trying to be creative at 3:00 a..m.  I certainly learned a lot going through the steps and back tracking when I didn't do something correctly.  Answering the burning questions are fun and, again, I put them right on the page then had to go back to put them under the discussion tab.  I really think I want to make a page for our Counseling office.  The potential is unlimited!!  Check out my wiki @
http://misd23sandbox.wikispaces.com/ThinkingInsideTheSandbox

Thing #8 - Wikis

I feel so behind on the times!  I read Westwood School Comp. Science written by Vicki Davis.  Her wiki was very organized which included calendars, schedules, links to resources, and assignments.  Because we have read her blogs I knew she would have an informative wiki.  I don't think there is much I could do to her wiki to improve it.  I also checked out Code Blue.  Although this was a simple wiki, it looked like it was probably a fun project for the students.  It incorporated imaginative personalities and scenarios yet the links to the medical information was thorough.  I did find it difficult to browse through but was to be expected since it was made by younger students.  I may have tried to guide my students a little more with setting it up in order to correct this.  However, there is that fine line of just letting the students do it and allowing the creativity and learning process to take place.  I also browsed the Kindergarten Counting Book.  While I think this is a cute idea I am not sure how effective this really is for the K student.  The pictures, in my opinion, are of low quality and do not represent the reflected number.  Some of the pictures are blurred, some are cut off, and some of the background patterns are distracting.  I think with clearer pictures, maybe a solid background, maybe sound to count with the student could improve this wiki.  I had written in my contract that I would like to make a page for my CTE students.  I think a wiki page could be made by our counseling office for our students.  I can see it having testing information, test prep resources, calendars for registration, credit checks, parent meetings, etc.

Commence to Comment - Thing #7

I have to admit that reading through blogs (before the class) I have often thought of comments but never really wanted to put them out there so I would just read them and close them out.  Once I actually commented it became a little easier to write down my comments.  I don't know why I have been so reluctant to comment because I do enjoy reading them and other people's perspectives.  I understand the etiquette and wish everyone would adhere to it because there are those comments that you read and question the writer's mentality.  I think  Coolcat Teacher's Blog made some valid points.  I agree that a comment should be more than just a "yeah".  It should make a contribution, so to speak, just as if you were having a conversation with the blogger.

Thing 6

I have fed my reader, read through some edublogs, and chosen two blogs to follow from classmates.  I probably have spent way too much time on reading the edublogs!  Although they had a lot of information I have to say my favorite reader was a baking site.  For one, I LOVE to bake but I am also helping my daughter plan her husband's 40th birthday party so.....Party = Cake!!  This site is so cool cos she has such a creative mind.  I loved looking at her creations.

Thing 5...continued

Reader is set up!  And I went back and created my avatar..... note the beach background.  Can you guess where I would rather be?
I read with interest the blogs from students 2oh that were written by juniors and seniors addressing their senior year or the college admissions process.  As a high school counselor guiding juniors and seniors I was curious what their perspective was regarding that matter.  One blog spoke about the "push" to make decisions of what school you want to attend. How daunting it could be.  Another spoke of not wanting to save the world just because it looks good on the applications but rather participating in activities that are meaningful to the individual.  But the one that I really enjoyed was Three Lessons.  Apparently, this was a student who was a good student in middle school but upon entering freshman year he soon became discouraged and uninvolved.  Fortunately, something spoke to him and helped him understand the importance of doing.  So he became involved in extracurricular activities. In doing so he learned some important life lessons. These are lessons he will carry into his adult life. While his statements weren't epiphanies they reinforced what we already know about students becoming involved in school. The human connection is the connection we need as humans throughout our entire lives.  The video says a lot of what we preach to our youth but when they discover it on their own it is so much more meaningful to them!

The 3 R's and a Blog (Thing 4)

So after reading the blogs I think that blogs are somewhat of a river for our thoughts, feelings, and opinions that are channeled through words,  They then become linked to greater bodies of water (the web or followers).  Blog reading is a bit like hearing what a person is thinking, sometimes in snippets.  The writing is short but concise.  Commenting on sites allow for a flow of conversation to take place among a diverse group.  Commenting can run the gamut from approval to a totally different viewpoint.  It certainly can facilitate learning because it allows others to share their knowledge.  As I read the Extreme Biology blog, I thought to myself, "Wow! If I was a student today this is the information I could be exposed to."  I am constantly reminded how far we have come yet how far behind we can quickly become in the realm of technology.  And not just teaching through technology to our students but how to access it.  I joined Facebook just to keep up with my children, nieces, & nephews.  I was at a restaurant the other day and I saw a 4 year old with an IPad !  Certainly there are still children who are not exposed to technology in these terms but sites such as Duck with a blog will allow those students to have some exposure in an educational setting.