Thing 23...I made it!

What a fun, engaging adventure! I can't believe how many valuable tools and resources I have acquired over the course of a few weeks. I went into this thinking it would be a lot of review of things I already know. Boy, was I ever wrong.

With each Thing I found myself becoming more and more confident in my technological abilities. Now I know who to navigate around these sites instead of just knowing the sites by name. Playing around on Web 2.0 has peaked my interested and I hope to learn even more, which will in turn help my students learn more effectively.

I am so eager to try some of these new things in my class. My students are going to love online videos, playing around with pictures, and maybe even creating a classroom book via a wiki! I have already been sharing these resources with my cousin, a second grade teacher. I will be encouraging her, along with others, to use this easy to use technology in their rooms. What a wonderful way to engage and enhance students learning!

Thing 22

To be honest, I really don't have any experience with You Tube. Our internet connection at home is slow so I've never really bothered. However, I have used various video clips, from the web, in my classroom. My kindergarten class was doing a unit on weather so we watched various tornadoes, thunderstorms and blizzards. The students took it all in....it was a very engaging learning experience.

After digging around on TeacherTube I know I definitely will utilize this site. I liked the fact that the site contained more than just video clips, but documents and photos. I printed out a few of the documents that related to skip counting and other ways to teach math concepts. I plan to use those this fall. I also feel that using SchoolTube will be a more efficient way to find video clips for various science and history lessons. I love to incorporate a variety of learning styles into each lesson. I think that watching video clips really meets the needs of my visual and auditory learners when appropriate. If I am brave enough I might enough attempt posting a video of my own students learning to read (with parent permission). I guess I will need to find out if our school allows YouTube.

Thing 21

I'm not sure what I think about Twitter. Most of my friends are on Facebook these days. However, doing a few searches on Twitter today and watching the video has definitely peaked my interest. I like that I can see what my friends are doing on my personal page and the fact that it is quick and easy updates. On the other hand, I don't have a phone with internet and our internet at home is not high speed. Not sure how that would play into how much Twitter would be used. It seems that Twitter is something that would be most beneficial/interesting if you could check it frequently.

So, I've been brainstorming how Twitter might help at school. I can see myself posting something if I needed help with an activity, project or wanting a new lesson idea. Hopefully colleagues would be checking their "Tweets" and would be able to respond. I also see that I can type in a project title in the Twitter Search bar and get a variety of results. Some results were different websites....which I definately might add PLN.

Thing 20

This was my first experience with Delicious. I think that it is going to come in VERY handy as I am constantly forgetting URLs when I need them. My user name is candi_ski. I haven't had the chance to add other people's bookmarks to my account, but I did do some searches on educational sites and parenting sites. I found quite a few that were interesting that I plan to go back and save......my daughter was demanding my attention tonight :)

I can think of a few ways I might use this in my teaching. First, and most of all, sharing sites with parents. I have recently been communicating with parents via email....so letters and notes don't get lost on the bus. Every once and awhile a parent asks what resources/educational games are on the web so that their child might play at home. This would be a perfect way to share those sites with all of the parents in my classroom! Not only could I offer educational games, but homework resources, as well as extension activities on what we are learning in the classroom.

The second way I would use this site is for my own advantage. What a great resource for me, both as a parent and as an educator. I am also looking for new interactive lessons for my students. As a mom, I love to keep up on the latest info on my young toddler...discipline, health, and growth!

Thing 19

I REALLY like the site delicious.com. What a great way to organize my bookmarks so that I can view them at any location via any computer. Too often I want to look up a site and can't remember the URL. This won't be a problem anymore. I also like the idea of tagging. This is something I have done on Facebook, but that's the extent of my tagging abilities. I like that I can enter a keyword in the search bar and the appropriate site will pop up!

Another advantage is that I can share my bookmarks. I have some great educational sites to use in the classroom and I can never seem to remember them at school. Now I have them at my fingertips at home or at school and can share them with my colleagues. No more writing them down on paper and losing the paper before I get to school. :)

The only disadvantage I can see about tags is not being specific enough. Have numerous specific keywords is definitely an advantage to finding the URL desired. If you fail to be specific your organizational skills will not be so grand. So I guess before assigning tags I will really need to think of 3-4 words to describe the site to help keep myself organized.

Thing 18

I am thinking that I love Ning (I used the Elementary Teacher's Network). What a great way to communicate with other teachers in my grade level area of expertise. I was able to get insight into different lesson ideas, resources to use in/out of the classroom, and even get some different classroom management ideas. In the district I previously worked in there were no teaching partners for the kindergarten teacher. This site would be an excellent tool for me to reach out to others and seek advice and help when needed. I also love that I can share my own ideas and thoughts. Often I have taught a lesson that really works and engages students. Ning offers a way for me share my thoughts with other elementary teachers.

Thing 17

This list is truly amazing. I had no idea there were so many fun and interesting sites on the web. Guess I need to search and play more often, however I am familiar with a few of these winners.

I enjoy facebook for a variety of reasons. I like being able to stay in touch with friends and family that don't live close by. Its fun to see their pictures and just get a small glimpse as to what is going on in their lives. I also use it to keep in touch with our babysitters. I find it much easier to facebook a high schooler or college student then tracking them down by phone.

My sister-in-law using Picasa. I love that I can view and print her pictures. I have thought about joining this site to edit and share my own prints, but I am most familiar with Shutterfly and Snapfish. After exploring Picasa, maybe I will have to branch out.

Another site I explored was lulu.com. I think this would be a great classroom too. How proud the students would be to see their work published. It would give them ownership of their learning. Since there is a cost involved I could see myself using this site to create a classbook. Each student would write, edit and publish one page for the book. In the end I would publish and incorporate it into our classroom libraries. I would definitely send a letter home to parents for those interested in purchasing a copy. On a personal level I love the photobooks and calendars. I have made many of these on Shutterfly. I might have to try a new site this year.