Thing #23

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!! YEA ME!!!!!

I have learned so much over these past couple of weeks. My favorite activities had to do with the digital graphics pieces. I love digital graphics and just had a blast using the various sites that were included. This program has increased my learning goals by teaching me so many new things that I wasn't even aware of. I was also able to learn new things about the areas that I was already familiar with. I feel that I can now share this new learning with others, or participate in conversations that I was not able to before this program.

What surprised me the most about this program is how many of the "things" introduced items that I could implement immediately in my daily life at school. I feel that my department and the students will benefit from Nings, Wikis, the image generators, etc.

I found the program to be very user friendly. There were a couple of videos that were very dry though. I did however like the "...in plain English" videos. These truly helped me understand each of the topics quickly and easily.

Please let me know when there is another program like this in the future. I would JUMP at the chance to participate and learn new "things".

So, to sum up my summer experience with the "23 Things" I would have to say that this has been truly one of the best trainings I have had. Almost everything that I learned was incredibly relevant to me as a school improvement specialist in math and in my personal life.

McGruff...signing out!

Thing #22

I think that Nings would be effective for classroom discussions outside of the classroom. I like how this would create a strong sense of community amongst the students in the class. I also think that the shy and not students would respond more to classroom discussions on Ning than in class. They would have time to prepare their answer and with the privacy of being alone at a computer, not as intimidating. I think that this type of classroom community and their conversations will be incredibly benefical for the students of today.

Thing #21

I never knew that creating a Photostory was so easy! I used to do a powerpoint presentation to show students pictures of symmetry in real life, but this was just a breeze compared to that(and the music adds a nice touch). Students are always asking "when are we ever going to use this" and I think that Photostory could help students see the real life uses of all subjects.

Thing #20

I love that there are so many videos at my fingertips. When I was in school we rarely saw videos in a math class. When I did a search for math there were hundreds of videos to wade through. Then I did a more concentrated search, such as money management and I found the following video. I think this would be a fantastic way to introduce a unit on money management to students attention and interest. Whether you use these videos before, during, or after a lesson you will capture your students attention!

Thing #19

I just explored Lulu.com. This is a self publishing site for books, cd's, dvd's, calendars, cookbooks, and photo books. When I searched what it would cost to bind one 100 page paper back book it was only $5.30. I am shocked. I thought it would be much more expensive than that. I can see using this at school for a collection of essays. The art teachers could use this site to publish a book of student art work, perhaps a coffee table book. These could be sold for a fundraiser for the art department. There would be many uses for this site. Personally, I am thinking of using this to create a cookbook for family Christmas presents. My grandmother is 92 years old and recently moved into an assisted living community. My mother received her entire recipe box full of all of the family recipes that we have enjoyed over the years. I just love that I learned something new that can pay tribute to one of the best cooks that I have ever known!

Thing #18

I think that both Open Office and GoogleDocs are great options for people that do not have Microsoft Word. However, what if your internet goes down? We have all had those unfortunate times when we have been without internet for awhile, and I would hate to not have access to my document/s. I'm a creature of habit, and since I have Microsoft Word I will be sticking with it.

Thing #17

I want to first say a big thank to Bruce Goodner for the video on how to use Rollyo. This made creating my own customized search a breeze.

I see many great uses for this in all classrooms. I can't tell you how many times I have had to write web addresses on the board for the students to follow. Inevitably someone would always type in the address incorrectly. This is going to save everyone a lot of time. Here is the search I created for math games. http://rollyo.com/housera/housera/

Thing #16

I love the idea of Wiki's. I really like how this is collaborative, and we don't necessarily need to spend a lot of face time with one another to accomplish a task. I know that teachers have more and more meetings that they are required to attend, and this would allow us to have a conversation without actually having to get together. I do have two questions that I would love for someone to answer...

First question: What is the difference between a Wiki and a GoogleDoc?

Second question: Where does somebody start a Wiki? Are there websites out there that you can use to start a Wiki? For example, is this one of those sites? http://pbwikicentral.pbworks.com/

Thing #15

I thought the video was very thought provoking. What fascinates me the most is how much training K-12 teachers receive on differentiating instruction, use of manipulatives, the art of questioning, etc. and then college professors teach the same way they have for ages. I mean no offense to college professors, but a lot of them are more concerned with research than teaching. We have all heard news reports that today's students are not ready for college. Well, maybe colleges aren't ready for today's students. I know that K-12 education still has a long way to go to reach all students, but I think that colleges need to change as well. But I digress, since this was not what I was supposed to be talking about.

I am excited about the changes for the libraries of the future. I love how libraries are going towards more of a collaborative place, where the needs of the user will be more important then just a collection of print materials. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE books. There is something so satisfying about holding a book in my hands, and I would hate to see that taken away (especially for our young children that are beginning to read). I just honestly can't remember the last time I was in a library, besides the one at school. When I was in school the librarian seemed put out when I needed help with my research and then when I did find information it was incredibly outdated. Consequently I used the library for only a quiet place to study. I think the changes in the future are going to bring about the same excitement for the older students that the younger students feel about going to the library. I think it will be amazing to walk into a library and see groups of students working on projects with zest and ethusiasm, using video editing equipment, blogging with people from around the world, even working with group mates that are not there over the computer. Here's to an exciting future!

Thing #14

I just have to say that I had no idea that all of these cool sites actually existed out there. I feel that I must have been under a rock!

I did a search for the video The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics. I can't believe that I found that! It is based on the book by Norton Juster and was made into a cartoon by Chuck Jones. I have wanted to show this to students for years, but always forget to look it...that is until now. I'm so excited!!!!

I'm must admit that I am beginning to have a hard time keeping up all the websites I am now registered for and the passwords. I am also overwhelmed with the amount of information that is out there in the world. I no longer have an excuse that I can't find the answer to something I don't know...RATS!!! LOL!

Thing #13

I have to begin by saying that I did not care for the tutorial video for Delicious. That woman was very boring and monotone. Ok, now that I got that out of the way...
I really like the Delicious site. I can't believe that I have been saving bookmarks in several different places just so I had access to them on different computers. I have started adding bookmarks to the Delicious site already and will use this immediately next year. This will be incredibly handy for the people in the math department. I am always trying to share new ideas and websites with teachers, so this is going to make sharing so much easier. I also like the fact that we can all communicate with each other through the networks that I have built into the site. Once again you have shown me something that I was completley unaware of that is going to be of great use for me in the future. Thank you!

Thing #12

I think that asking questions, being open ended and remembering the power of words are incredibly important aspects to making your blog successful. These ideas brought to mind what makes a successful lesson. These points are so critical in making sure that your point gets heard, and that you can have a discussion where all parties involved can learn something and feel heard.
Initially have to admit that it felt strange commenting on other people's blogs, but soon it felt very natural.

I then went and commented at a site about Cairn Terriers. My dog has had numerous staph infections, and I wanted to see if this was common for this particular breed of dog. http://www.aboutcairnterriers.com/dog_staph_infection.shtml

The next blog I went to was one about the Grand Tetons. I'm planning a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and wanted to see some pictures to wet my whistle for the trip. I'm in for a great trip! http://journeyforjess.blogspot.com/2009/08/grand-teton-yellowstone.html

Thing #11

Ok, this is WONDERFUL (say this with a sing song voice)!!!!! My life is going to be so much easier. I am a book-a-holic, but have dificulty remembering all of the books that I have read. I used to keep a book diary in the drawer of my nightstand, but somehow I lost it. As soon as I finish this blog I'm going to send a link to all of my friends who love books as much as I do so they can be organized and share book ideas with me.

I loved the 50 book challenge group. However, with work I definitely don't have enough time to read 50 books in a year (I usually read around 25), but luckily you just set a goal for yourself and blog about the books you have read. I think I am going to sign up for that one!

I also like the group on YA literature. Even though I teach math, I like to be aware of what my students are reading. I feel that it is just one way to make that personal connection with a student. I absolutely love when they can make a recommendation to me of what to read and then I have a book talk with them after class. So much fun!

Thing #10

I made the above picture at imagechef.com using the word mosiac feature. I like how you can show vocabulary words in an interesting way. I would like to add my own shapes instead of using the stock ones that were provided on the site. I could have also gone to wordle.net and done something similar. I played around with both, but liked this picture best.

For fun I went to dumpr.com and created this pencil sketch from an old picture of mine. I'm having a little too much fun here!!! :-)

Finally, I went to comicstripgenerator.com to create this cartoon. I use pictures like this in my classroom to give to students for doing a good job. Unfortunately I have been doing this the hard way for years now. This was an absolute breeze to create!!!!

I could very easily become addicted to creating pictures and cartoons from these sites. Thank you for sharing them!!!

Thing #9

I absolutely love Atomic Learning. I just discovered this at the end of the last school year. I found so many useful techology integrated lessons on that site that I couldn't wait to share them everyone. Unfortunately I have forgotten the password...BOO! I was hoping to play around some and find some beginning of the year activities to share with my math teachers. Can anyone help me with the log in and password? I just know that I am going to seriously be using this a lot during the upcoming school year.

I did not care for the edublogs awards winners site. This site didn't have a search area (maybe I missed it). I want to be able to type in exactly what I want to read about, example: teaching mathematics, and see what pops up. I had to do a lot of hunting for exactly what I wanted. Frankly, I don't have time for that.

Thing #8

I honestly didn't have a clue about RSS and readers. I didn't even notice the little orange symbol before. I had friends personal blogs bookmarked and would check them frequently. I like that I don't have to waste time pulling up their sites. Google Reader is fantastic! I'm just going to save so much time...FANTASTIC!!!!!

Professionally I think that I will be able to branch out of my little coccoon of my own school and district and be able to spread my wings to catch up with the latest news from other schools and districts.

Thing #7

I have heard people talk about Google Docs, but never knew what was so special about this. I already have plans for the use of this next year. I get so tired of sending the same document back and forth between several different people for opinions and editing purposes. I had no idea that there was actually a site that would "house" the document and we could then have access to. I see this helpful for teachers that plan together. I can't tell you how many times emails have flown back and forth with changes, and then I would accidentally print an earlier version of the document. I also think this would be fantastic for students to use for class projects. Students will no longer have to actually meet with each other to work on the project.

I also think that I am going to use Google Calendar. I have struggled with a way to let everyone, co-workers and family, know my schedule. I like that I can sinc this with Outlook and have everything in one spot. I am going to begin using this when school starts. Hopefully this will help me stay better organized!

Thing #6

This is so cool! I spent a lot of time playing with the mosaic feature and the trading card feature at bighugelabs.com I see huge possibilities for using this not only for my personal life (Christmas presents here I come), but also to display pictures around the classroom and school. This is a truly fun tool that I will be using often in the future!

Thing #5

I love Flickr. I have used this in the past for my own personal photos, but I honestly didn't know all of the wonderful photos that I had at my fingertips for my classroom. I found one picture that I absolutely loved, but it was unfortunately in the general collection section. BOO!!! I spent quite a bit of time looking for that picture in the other groups and didn't find it anywhere. So, I'm going to just quote the picture..."Math is like love, A simple idea but it can get complicated. " I just love that!!! I'm going to post that in my room!!!

I found a lot of photos with examples of math errors in them. I think pictures like this one would be fun to share with the students.

Thing #3

Setting up the blog page was incredibly easy!!!! I think the hardest part was picking what page style that I wanted to use.

I have created avatars before for yahoo messenger, so I just had fun with backgrounds, clothes and accessories. This totally reminds me of the paper dolls and fashion plates that I had as a little girl. I did have trouble having the darn thing showing up on my page. I saved it as a jpeg and was able to get my avatar to show!!!

I have yet to explore other's blogs, but I'm looking forward to it.

Later!

Thing #2

This is the first time that I have ever tried blogging, so this is going to be interesting. I could never keep up with a diary/journal, so I don't know what makes me think that I'm actually going to be able to keep up with this, but I want to learn all of these new technologies so I'm going to have to focus!!! This actually leads me in to the discussion on the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Effective Lifelong Learners.

While learning about the 7 1/2 habits I realized that some are easier for me to attain than others. The easiest habit is the first one: Begin with the end in mind. I am able to focus more clearly when I know exactly what I want for the end result. The one that is the hardest for me is #4: Have confidence in yourself. This is truly not an easy task for me. I'm incredibly hard on myself, and I am constantly have to remind myself to be positive.

Well, this wasn't too painful!!! Until next time.