Lessons from an Aggie

One Last Thing

2009-07-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this class. It did take a lot of time, but it was time well spend and definitely well worth it. My favorite parts of 23 Things were creating a blog, discovering Google Docs, and having my eyes opened to many incredible Web 2.0 tools. This program has helped me see the importance of life long learning and keeping up with technology. I have always thought technology was cool, but it was not until this class that I realized the importance of keeping up with technology.

This program has changed my outlook on technology and using it in the classroom. I would definitely participate in other classes like thyis one because I feel like it changed my mindset so much for the better and gave me a better perspective on why technology is so important. I have already found myself wanting to start a blog for my extended family so that everyone could post, comment, share, and post pictures and videos. It would be like an interactive scrapbook. We all know how important it is to document our lives through picture, videos, scrapbooks, and letters. How much more beneficial and enjoyable could it be to have an interactive documentation of your family's lives?

I have many greate ideas on how to use technology in my classroom this year, and I can't wait to try them! I have also fond myself saying, "I ned to share this with everyone at my campus!" I think that it would be good for a speaker to come and spend a whole day of staff development presenting a few key components of Web 2.0 and how it could be implemented in the classroom. Can you imagin if every teacher on campus was Web 2.0 savvy? What if every teaching team had a blog? a wiki? was a part of social networks? That is what would make a campus really stand out and push students to be successful.

Technology, along with our students, are always changing. If we don't change along with the times, we will lose our effectiveness as educators.

Thing #23- Other Social Networks

2009-07-17T15:11:00.000-07:00

I thought Classroom 2.0 was a great social network that could be extremely beneficial to educators. It connects teachers from all over the globe to share, motivate, collaborate, inspire, and offer ideas. I think this would be a great tool for me to use to get ideas from other experienced teachers.

I really liked the "groups" section. I can join a group that interests me, such as DigiSkills, which is another resource I could use, among many I have learned in 23 Things to implement technology in the classroom. I could get ideas from people all over the world on technology applications that work for different age groups and different subjects.

Social Networking is a great resource because it is not information or news that comes from the media, but it comes from real life experiences of real people that you can connect with. You can post messages in the group and people can respond with activities, procedures, projects, technology, and/or strategies that they have actually tried or seen others try. It is a way to get useful information coming from someone you connect with. That is cool.

Thing #22- Social Networking

2009-07-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

I have been a user of Facebook for 5 years. When I first became a Facebook user, it was for college students to keep in touch with their friends from high school. You also had to have a college email address to get on Facebook. Soon after that, the Facebook creaters opened it up to anyone, which was a great idea. It allowed me to stay in contact with many other people besides the small group of friends whom I graduated with and also happened to go to college. It now allows me to stay in contact with and look at pictures, profiles, and status of many people (now including my mom, thanks to 23 Things!). See my Facebook Profile

Social Netwroking is a great way to keep up with others. Also, you must know that your students can see anything you have on your profile!!! Take home message- don't take pictures you wouldn't want your students to see!

I really do like that Facebook has connected people. It's neat to hear my mom talk about how she has connected with people since she got a Facebook account. It's also funny that she said, "It can be addicting!" It really can be addicting when you start to look at pictures of your friends, read their profiles, look at videos they have posted, and read their status. Moderation is a good thing.

I think a very useful application added to Facebook since it's creation is the News Feed on the Home Page. This is basically a Reader that sends you any status updates and changes made on the profiles of your "friends." This was you don't have to go to their profile to see updates. It's just like us using Goodle Reader for 23 Things.

Facebook is awesome.

Thing #7b

2009-07-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

I came across something very interesting today as I was reading some postings on blogs that I follow, and it directly pertains to this class. While reading Technology & Teaching on David Warlick's blog, I started thinking, once again, about how important technology is in education (also the reason for 23 Things).

He posted a couple of questions he asked people about technology and teaching. The first question was asking if a teacher could still be a good teacher if they don't use technology, and many answered "Yes" but when asked the question if a teacher is actually doing his/her job if they aren't useing technology, most people answered "NO!"

I thought this was very interesting because a teacher's job is to educate a student so that he can be prepared for and successful in later stages of life. In this day and age, not using technology is not preparing students for the future!

Thing #21- Google's not just for searching anymore

2009-07-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Google has done a great job about creating tools that are user friendly and VERY helpful! There are a ton of different tools, that serve many different purposes, and can make your life much easier.

I am usually pretty bad at keeping a calendar, but through this Thing, I created a Google calendar. I am very excited about this! I think it will help me be much more organized, and I can access my calendar wherever I can access the internet. My calendars in the past have always been on paper, so I had to carry the calendar wherever I was... which resulted in my forgetting to bring it. By having a Goolgle Calendar, I can keep all of my events in one place that is easy to access. This could be a great addition in my classes by posting a calendar online so that parents can see when assignments and projects are due, when tests and quizzes are, and any other important event that i publish.

I also looked into Google Sites. I have been wanting to create a website or blog for my classes so that students can access assignments, notes, study tips, videos, announcements, and pictures that pertain to my class on a website from home. This would also allow parents to get involved and feel like they are a part of their child's education. Google Sites might be the perfect tool for me to create this website!!!

Thing #20- Google Docs

2009-07-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! I can't believe I have been missing out on Google Docs! It is easy and very practical! There are so many ways I can not only use this in the classroom, but also in my daily life. I created 2 Docs: one was a word document asking people to list their favorite movies and the other was a Science Pop Quiz I created by using a form.

I will definitely use this this coming year in my classroom. I am going to create some pop quizzes for the students to take at home by creating a Form in Google Docs. It will be SO easy to grade because it will send it to me in a spreadsheet format! I can't wait.

Another way I can use it is to ask other teachers to collaborate to create a parent letter to send home. By sharing a Word Document with other teachers on my team, we will be able to create a parent letter in a fraction of the time.

Another way I can use Forms at school is to quickly take a poll from my students to see what they would rather do as an extra credit projecteach six weeks. This would allow them to have input for their extra credit and make it very easy for me to see the results from the poll with a click of a button!

I love Google Docs!

Thing #19- Voicethread

2009-07-15T10:14:00.001-07:00

Voicethread was really interesting. I don't think I have ever thought about having a picture, group of pictures, or slideshow and have the ability to leave auditory comments and draw or write on the pictures. There are and endless niumber of ways to implement this program in the classroom!!

In Math, there could be a problem posted and the students could add comments on how to solve the problem. In English, students could discuss various parts of the book such as the setting. In science, students could comment on functions of different part of an of an organism or cell. There are so many possibilities!

I really liked Voicethread and hope that I will be able to use it my classroom.

Thing #18- YouTube and TeacherTube

2009-07-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

FINALLY!!! Something I am familiar with! I love YouTube. I first used YouTube in college to watch some goofy videos my friends emailed me. And, as many of you know, it can become very enjoyable but quite addicting. I would go to watch one video, and end up getting off the computer 2 hours later, after being completely entertained the whole time.

I would love to be able to use YouTube in the classroom because the students have used it, enjoy it, and are very familiar with it. Students are very tech savvy and like to make videos as projects. Some of my students videos last year were pretty impressive and were definitely YouTube worthy. They could also get a lot of ideas for projects from YouTube.

Another way that I would like to incorporate YouTube is to have video of math problems being worked out and posted so students could use them as a tutoring tool. In Solving Algebra Problems a teacher walks through an algebra problem step-by-step. This would be a very helpful tool for struggling students while they are at home.

Here is one of the many YouTube videos I thought was interesting. See if you pass the awareness test.

And here is a video I thought was really cool. Before viewing this video, I had never seen anyone play the guitar like this.

And I NEVER get tired of this video with some of the MISD Celebrities!

ENJOY!

Thing #17- Podcasts

2009-07-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

Podcasts are fantastic! It allows me to subscribe to a talk show, music, or speaking series of some kind. I have used iTunes Podcasts in the past and have really enjoyed them. I like to download sermons and listen to them in my truck when I travel long distances.

For this thing, I listened to The Tech Teachers, The Math Factor Podcast, and Why? The Science Show for Kinds. I found some of these very interesting and actually subscribed to the Why? The Science Show for Kids. I think this will be a great place to look for conversations to start debates in my AT Science classroom next year. I think podcasts are a great way to get a variety of perspectives from both professionals and amatures about any topic you can imagine. It can be a form of research, if it is coming from a credible source, or an interesting series of facts to spark conversation.

Students could also get many ideas for projects and presentations through podcasts. They could be inspired to present a project by a podcast that grasped their attention.

Thing #16- Library Thing

2009-07-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

This was a really interesting "thing." I am not a huge reader, but I found this website to be extremely convenient to find books that I would want to read. Searching by tag is a great way to find a book that is perfect for me. Many members of my family read, some read love stories, some read biographies, some read fictional stories based on war stories, and many others.

Searching by tag, I was able to type in two words and find a book that I think I would love to read. Then, I can read all the comments and reviews that readers have posted to see whether or not I do really want to read the book.

This would be GREAT for an English class. One assignment could be "choice" read, requiring students to find a book about a topic that interests them. LibraryThing could help students find a perfect book to read.

Thing #15- Wiki Sandbox

2009-07-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

I loved the wiki! There are a number of incredible activities, assignments, projects, and presentations that could me done through or planned through a wiki. It was very easy to use and pretty quick also.

I did find the Cheat Sheet to be VERY helpful, even though the instructions very very easy and straight forward. The part I had the hardest time figuring out was how to embed my slideshow that I created in Thing #10. I was finally able to get everything put in there that needed to get into my sandbox wiki.

I would like to introduce wiki's in my classroom and have by students work on projects and assignments using this Web2.0 "thing."

Thing #14- What in the world is a wiki?

2009-07-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

The past two "things" have really started to get my attention. As I read some articles about wikis, watched a couple of videos, read some blogs, and actually looks at some wikis, I realized how beneficial they can be to teachers and students. The video, "Wiki's in Plain English," hit it right on the head when it showed how emails are not always the most effective way to organize something.

A wiki that really got my attention when I was reading Wiki WikiTeaching was Study Hall, a wiki created by 10th grade students to help them study for tests in different classes. This one got my attention because the students seemed to run with the idea that wikis can be helpful. They learned it for a simple project, then ran with it to create a collaboration headquarters for their own benefit! These kids got it going on!

Another wiki that I enjoyed was the Holocaust Wiki Project. This wiki grabbed my attention first, because it looked just like Wikipedia (which I often use to get quick information about random tangents my brain follows throughout the course of a day). It also grabbed my attention because of how many organized links there were, how the teacher fully described the project while linking to other websites and helpful links, and how informative the information was that was written by the students.

I also enjoyed was Code Blue because it was easy to use, extremely informative, and it gace many links to other websites that would be very informative while doing research for the human body.

I would probably use wikis in my classroom for class projects so that the students could learn how to collaborate via internet and also to introduce them to a tool they can use in the future to help them be more efficient at planning and studying. I think it would be a great way to get students engages. I really think they would enjoy it, learn a lot, and apply it to other areas in their lives.

Thing #13- Social bookmarking and tagging with Delicious

2009-07-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

WOW!! I never knew anything like social bookmarking existed! It is not only great to be able to store all your favorite websites in one, easy to use, location, but it is INCREDIBLE that you can share that with other people. Delicious is a great resource for anyone.

As I began to search different topics that interest me, I realized how helpful tagging is if done properly. It is extremely contemporary compared to the traditional forms of organization (in file cabinets, folders on computers, in notebooks, etc). Traditionally, organization is putting everything in it's "place," which often consists of one a specific folder, in one section, within one specific category, but tagging has revolutionized organization. It allows pictures, documents, songs, websites, videos, and many other digital creations to be categorized in many different places at once.

There are several ways I could use social bookmarking in my professional practice. One of the BEST ways social bookmarking can be used is for collaboration. Last year, all the 8th grade science teachers would plan together and share ideas. We often emailed each other links to great websites we found and collaborated when creating assignments, but it would have been incredibly helpful to all of us to be able to look at websites the other teachers often went to. All it takes is a click of a button to add that website for your personal use and to share with others who access your Delicious.

Here is a link to some of the websites that I follow. My Websites

Thing #7a- Google Reader revisited

2009-07-03T12:59:00.001-07:00

I came across an interesting article today that got my attention. The article Should Schools Require Students to Purchase Specific Technology? By David Andrade, Andrade discusses how some schools are requiring students to purchase certain kinds of technology.

He states that some schools require students to purchace devices such as a iPhone or iPod Touches. He is all for advances in technology, but very against requiring specific brands or systems to use. I personally haven't heard of schools having these requirements.

I would definitely agree that a school should not require a blanket system or tachnology for all students. When I was in college, I had several friends whose preferences of technology differed GREATLY. Some liked Macs, some liked PC's. Some had iPhones, some had Blackberrys. Some used Facebook, some hated Facebook. Some used AT&T, some used Sprint. I thnk it would be unfair to require everyone to use the same technology.

Thing #12- Discovering Web 2.0

2009-07-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

I found a really neat Web 2.o tool in the discovery portion of Thing #12. I used an online study tool called Quizlet. It allowes you to insert words and definitions as a tool to study for tests. It sets up flashcards, matching games, quizzes, tests, and it keeps track of everything you get correct and incorrect. This would be a GREAT tool to use at any level for any information. It can be used for any subject and can be shared with whomever you wish.

I created a set on Quizlet that consists of 5 science vocabulary terms. This would be a great pre-test or post-test for any subject where you could track student knowledge and see what content can be touched on briefly and what content needs to be retaught.

Here is a link to my set of Science Vocabulary words. See how well you do on the test after using the practice tools!

Thing #11- Online Image Generators

2009-07-03T08:56:00.001-07:00

Thing #11 was awesome! I really enjoy playing around with images like this. I have been on websites or seen images and wondered how people make those. Just with a few clicks, you can have custom images that are fun to make and fun for people to look at. This will be one of the "Things" that I think I will use the most from this class.

Im my classroom I can use these in lessons, for signs in my classroom, for note cards, name tags, introductions to lessons, and I can even have my students create their own to display on projects, newsletters, and assignments. The possibilities are limitless.

In my personal life, I will most likely post images from image generators on my blog, Facebook page, thank you cards, send funny one's to friends via email, and definitely give these websites to my family and friends so they can play around with the image generators.

I really did enjoy it. Here are a few of the images that I created:

Created with "Texas Liscense Plate" on Image Chef

I think you might get a kick out of this next one. It was a funny picture taken of my in college when we had to wear a costume. Being on a limited budget, I came up with this masterpiece of a costume. To put the dialouge bubble on this awesome picture, I went to Comic Strip Generator, which sent me to Fototrix where I could make my comic.

If you can't read the dialouge bubble, it says "This is my 'Get away from my outhouse!' look. I've been workin on it. I ain't gonna have them kids settin' my porty-potty on fire no more!"

I just thought it was funny.

And another REALLY REALLY easy website I used was Spelling with Flickr. This was fun.

Enjoy!

Thing #10- Create a Slideshow

2009-07-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Creating a slideshow proved to be really easy. I used RockYou! to create my slideshow about storms and entered some captions that would prompt student thought and engagement. This could be a great way to create a lesson or have students create a project. Here is my slideshow:

Photo Credits:
1. The Barn in the Storm by Stuck in Customs
2. Freaky Storm by tysonA
3. Thunderstorm 12 by Shivavanamahohm
4. How to remember a Storm by Irargerich
5. After the Storm by Steve took it

I would also like to challenge my readers to take a slideshow and put it two different pieces of music on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. Create a slideshow and put it to a "happy" feeling song, then use the same slideshow with a "dark" feeling song. See if it conveys any different messages.

As I was looking on another blog, Communication, I thought to myself, "I bet this slideshow could be interpreted completely different with "dark" music." It could even convey a completely different message ti viewers. Who knows!?

Thing #9- Photosharing with Flickr

2009-07-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

I really liked Thing #9. I have used Flickr to upload pictures, but I never really used it just to search other people's pictures. There are some AWESOME pictures that people have posted on here!

A topic that has always fascinated me is storms. I love seeing pictures of different kinds of storms and it never dawned on me to look for storm pictures on Flickr. Here is a picture that I really liked:

This photo was uploaded onto Flickr by Steve took it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewall/189456199/

I also found several other images of storms that I really liked.

I read a few other blogs written by educators that found great ways to implement photosharing in their classroom. It gave me some great ideas on how to use photos to teach vocabulary, experience virtual field trips, and create projects tying education to the real world.

All of these ideas can drastically enhance the educational engagement and experience for students in the classroom.

Thing #8- Creative Commons

2009-07-01T09:04:00.001-07:00

Before watching these videos, I have never heard of Creative Commons. What a great way for teachers to share, reuse, and remix! After spending only one year in the classroom, I found that standing on the shoulders of others really does help you reach new heights. As I was reading Thing #8 on B's Babble, another 23 Thingster's blog (my mom), I really loved the quote she used about Issac Newton- "If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants."

I found that collaborating with others makes me a much better teachers. Like the old adage, "Two heads is better than one," Creative Commons allows you to have a limitless "number of heads" as you create and piggy back off others. Even though Creative Commons has been around for over seven years, it must still be a secret as many people do not know about it. If people will learn how to use Creative Commons, I think there will be not only more technological advances, but also a sense of partnership among many people who don't even know each other.

"Thing #7 - Creating Community Through Commenting

2009-06-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have enjoyed Thing #7. I think commenting a an extremely important part of the blogging community. It really does begin to connect people. It reminded me of a recent string of comments that I read and actually got really fired up over. Many of you may have already read this article and all the comments and felt the same way I did.

Read the article Mesquite middle school students clash in mock Civil War battle, then read all the comments at the bottom starting with the OLDEST first.

I found the commenting more interesting that the actual article. One day toward the end of school, I spent my 45 minute conference period reading the article and all the comments. You will quickly notice that it's the comments that stir your emotions and connection to students, other teachers, and MISD than the story did.

I just thought this was a perfect example of how commenting builds community.

Thing #6- Feed your reader

2009-06-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

This was actually a little challenging for me at first. I wanted to find sites and blogs that would actually help me that just fluff news or magazine material. A feed that I found that I really want to keep up with is a page on the DIY (Do It Yourself) website about Interior home improvement. Recently, my wife and I have been looking at houses and found one that we are (hopefully) going to purchase. It does need a LOT of work on the inside. We have been watching the DIY channel quite a bit lately and are wanting to fix up this house on our own.

One of the postings that came up on my reader, Keep Your Money in your Pocket, talks about how preventative maintenance will save you money in the long run. As we look at the house we are trying to buy, we realize that a lot of the work that neds to be done on it is because the people who lived there before did not do regualr maintenance. This feed is really good for us and hopefully will lead to several improvements we make on our house.

Thing #5- Getting Started with RSS

2009-06-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

Before this "Thing" I have never even heard of an RSS. I didn't know what a reader was, and I didn't know how to follow News like this. It really is pretty cool. This will be a MUCH more effective way to get the news I want in a fraction of the time!! I think it will take me a little while to get used to, though.

One of the news stories I read through on my reader, "Google Earth- We Need Our Earth," was a posting about 4th graders getting a petition signed to get Google Earth updated and increase time in school accessing Google Earth. Personally, I am a HUGE fan of Goolge Maps and Google Earth. I have spent a great deal of times looking at both of these for directions to different places, to see what is around the place where I am going, and even using the street view so I know exactly where to turn in to get to where I'm going. It has been very helpful to me.

A frustrating part about Google Earth is that some places are SEVERAL years behind. Developments where houses have been for 5+ years appear to be just fields on Google Earth. I would sign the petition for these 4th graders. I think that Google Earth could be very students at any grade level.

Also, looking at Google maps frequently could help students understand how to apply cardinal directions. I believe this is a skill that is never learned my many people. It is much easier for me to understand " from I-635, exit I-30 East" much more than "go right on I-30." Relative direction are often confusing. Google Earth and Google Maps could help these elementary students learn how to apply map reading skills, learn cardinal directions, use clues and follow directions to get to specific landmarks, and many other educational applications.

Thing #4- Blogging Begins with Reading

2009-06-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

In the few blogs that I visited this evening, I quickly came to realize how important blogs are to our society today. Before the news was mainstream only, but today, we benefit from more than just the facts that the media chooses to share with us. We get the good stuff! So what is considered to be "the good stuff?" The good stuff is the personal connection one makes with a given environment, situation, circumstance, stimuli, story, comment, webpage, relationship, song, or anything else imaginable. The good stuff can be found by anyone and everyone SOMEWHERE on the internet and definitely in blogs.

Admittedly, I have previously not been a blog reader, but even just scratching the surface of this Web 2.0 class I have begun to realize that the good stuff lies a click away in a blog written about the experiences someone had that day, a thought that crossed their mind, a story that they told, a song that played as I open their blog, a picture that is worth more than a thousand words, an article posted on the sidebar, or the simple, comforting affirmation of a comment on your blog stating "I completely agree," which makes you believe that your thoughts were significant to someone, even if it was just one person. That's the good stuff. As we comment and question and dig and read, we have the ability immerse ourselves in a world where we can connect.

Blogs have revolutionized the "news" because it is now no longer regulated by the few who thought they held the information we needed to know. Everyone has a story or thought or picture or song or prayer or comment that IS significant to someone. There are millions of blogs out there. The good stuff is at the click of a mouse.

Thing #2- Web 2.0

2009-06-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

I thought the video’s in Thing #2 were really good. The videos were very factual but in a way extremely artistic. Some of the statistics blew my mind! (Such as that the largest English speaking country in the world in 2016 will be China, and 100% of College Graduates in India speak English). I did learn some good information in these videos, but most of all, they allowed me to see teaching from a new perspective.

I haven't really thought about teaching in the 21st century being very much different than before. I have used technology in my classroom, but I now have a better understanding of how MUCH I need to be using technology and teaching students how to become lifelong learners.

The article, “A Day in the Life of Web 2.0” showed me that teachers can effectively use technology in the classroom in order to further engage students, stimulate higher level thinking, and preparing them for the lifelong use of technology in the 21st century.

I am excited to use technology that I learn in 23 Things in my classroom. The important part for me will be making sure that I take responsibility for my own learning (Habit #2). I can use contacts I make through this class to help if I get stuck trying to use technology that is also new to me. This class will not only give me the tools I need to apply in the classroom, I will also leave with a list of people I can contact as resources for tech support.

Thing #1- 7 1/2 Habits

2009-06-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

As I began watching the video talking about lifelong learning, I thought to myself, "Are these not things that most people try to do?" As I thought about it more, things that often come naturally to me, and to many of us as teachers, do not always come naturally to our students and their families.

Through this Web 2.0 based class, I really hope that I come out of this with a better perspective of life long learning and application of technology. I also hope that this well help me show my students and others how important life long learning and how to use technology to help their everyday lives.

Of the 7 1/2 Habits, the most challenging to me will be Habit #5, creating my learning tool box. I use technology on a daily basis, but there are many aspects of technology that I can't afford at this point or simply haven't put the time into using.

The easiest habit for me will be Habit #3, viewing problems as challenges. I constantly do this in my life. I love a challenge!! I am pretty competitive and I am always looking to make myself better. i also love to problem solve, so viewing problems as challenges is something I do everyday.

The most important habit for me as an educator is Habit #2, to accept responsibility for my own learning. It is going to be my responsibility that I say caught up with the times and use the newest and best techniques in the classroom. I must be a life long learner in order to teach others how do effectively be life long learners.