Summary

This was a great class. At first I thought it was going to be overwhelming. After I settled in, I realized how fun it was going to be. I learned so many new things and gained a lot of self confidence in using technology in the classroom. My favorite thing was Google Docs. I had used it before, but through this experience, I realized many more uses for it. I am looking forward to doing some collaborative lesson planning using Google Docs. I also really liked the "creative" applications we learned, like the letter pictures on Flickr and the Mosaic maker.

I plan to continue to explore ways that Web 2.0 can be used in the classroom. It will also be helpful for my children on their school projects. I intend to continue to use the Classroom 2.0 Ning site. That has great information on it. And so many resources.

As for the format of the class, I think it was great. I liked the online aspect because it allowed me to complete the tasks when I had time, but still had deadlines that I had to follow. i could work at my own pace. The facilitators were very easy to get in touch with if you needed help. I will take a class like this again. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you for comments and encouragement on this class. I hope that there will be further offerings like this class.

Thing #23

Visit 23 Thingsters


Wow!! The last Thing! I had no idea that these resources were out there. I love that there are teachers that are willing to share good ideas and resources with the rest of the world. I was told that a good teacher "steals" ideas and implements them into her own classroom. I think this is true. This is why teachers plan together, to get and give insight into lessons.

There was so much information on the ning site. It would be hard to not find something useful. Any time you are having a problem, you can make a comment and get advice from people who have already been there. Teaching is a hard enough profession without having to completely reinvent the wheel. If someone has an idea or advice on how to solve a problem, teach a lesson better or better engage the students, then it should be shared. After all the purpose of teaching is to educate the future of our country. We need to all be together in that endeavor.

Thing #22

Finally, something I know about. I have been using Facebook for about a year.

It is important for educators to know about social networking sites because the students use them so much. So much of student communication goes on through social networking sites. I am not a fan of teachers friending students on these sites. I think that teachers personnel lives should be kept separate from students. But I know many teachers that do friend their students. It does allow for communication with the students.

Social networking sites give teachers an insight into trends, fashion and cultural, that students are participating in. It allows the teacher to be aware of what students are doing outside the classroom.

I like Facebook better than MySpace. I felt that MySpace was geared for younger people. I have even heard students say that Facebook is MySpace for old people! I like to be able to easily share pictures with family and friends as well as share what is going on in my life. Facebook has reconnected me with many of my old high school friends. It has been fun to catch up with them.

I am not sure that there is an educational use for social networking. This is primarily because I do not feel that teachers and students should be friends on them. I think this blurs the line between the teacher and student professional relationship. There are other ways to communicate with students outside the classroom.

Thing #7B

Google Reader. Love and hate it!! So much information and I am bad about checking it. I have got to get in a better habit.

I just read an article about ebooks out selling print versions. According to Amazon it has sold 143 Kindle books to 100 print books. Kindle is the Amazon electronic reader. I think this is interesting. I have a Nook, which is Barnes and Noble electronic reader. I really like it, but still love a hard copy of a book. The electronic reader has some benefits over a hard copy. You can get a book at any time of the day. You do not have to wait for a store or library to be open. Also, ebooks often are a little less expensive than print books. There is an environmental benefit as well. All the paper and production is not needed. People who have trouble seeing will enjoy the ebooks, because they can adjust the size of the font.

I can see why people do not want to switch to an electronic reader. but I agree with the article in that books are changing. People I have spoken to say they like the feel of a print book, the weight of it in their hands. But as with everything else that is changing, electronics is the way to go. Soon more people will own the e-reader and purchase the e-books. I feel that we will never completely replace the print version of books. After all, the ebooks don't look so good on the shelf as all the print books.

Thing #21

I had no idea that you could do so much with Google. Very impressive. I spent time with the calendar. That is fantastic. You can use it to keep your home life and school life totally organized. I check my email a couple of times each day so it would be easy to use an online calendar. And I always forget when I have scheduled things for. I think I will begin to utilize this.

And of course as a geography teacher I have used Google earth before. I love all the things you can do on it. There are so many things you can do on it. Through Google Earth you can visit sites and buildings in there exact location. Students can see historical maps that show what an area was like. Students can see things that have past and things that are going on now. You have the ability to see the South African Soccer Stadiums. There are many uses for Google Earth in the classroom.

Thing #20

Google Docs is awesome. I was on the UIL Academic Competition planning committee at NMHS this past spring. We did almost all of our planning and scheduling through Google Docs. It made it so easy. We started by sending out a survey to find out what shifts people would prefer to work. We then were able to complete a spreadsheet that had all the competition names and how many people were needed to run it. We then took the information from the survey and plugged in the names. All people who were on the committee shared the documents, allowing us to fix and change things as they came to our attention. We were able to complete several lists of supplies and items that were needed for the tournament. It was great. Our principal could check how things were going at any time.

Google Docs can be used for scheduling purposes as we did for the UIL competition. You could also use Google Doc to collaborate with other teachers on lesson planning. Create a lesson, share it with the other teachers and they can make changes and revisions. It would cut out the need to find a time when everyone could get together to plan. Also, students could use Google Docs for group projects. All members of the group would have access to the document and be able to make changes and add additional information. There are countless uses for Google Docs. It allows input from a variety of people to ensure the best final product.

Thing #17

Podcasts.I have not used them in my class. I am not sure if I will begin to use them or not. There is much good information available by podcast. You can find stuff that will help in your classroom as well as stuff that is just interesting to you. I watched/listened to a few podcasts on Stuff You Missed in History Class. I loved it. Two women set you straight on some of the more obscure items in history that you may not be aware of. Right up my alley. I also watched a few podcasts about craft brews. Very intersting. I used itunes to search for podcasts. I like the way that it categorizes the podcast, making searching for what you are looking for easy. Again I am not sure that I will use podcasts in my class. I will have to continue to search to see if I can find things that will enhance my lessons.

Thing #19

I like Voicethread. I had not thought about using it in class before. But while I was exploring the suggested Voicethreads I had an idea of how I could use it. It would be neat to have the student create a dictionary of geography vocabulary. The slides could be illustrations or pictures of the words and the students could give a verbal definition. I have had the students create the dictionary before, all done on paper. They do not like the project. I think they would get more from the Voicethread assignment. I also have had my student create a scrapbook of a country. This would be a good project to create using Voicethread. The scrapbook includes history, cultural traditions, economy, physical geography among other things. It would be great to have a small group complete this on the computer and narrate the scrapbook.
I found this voicethread about different cultures from around the world. I would be able to use this in my geography class. It would allow students to compare and contrast different cultures around the world with our own culture. It would allow students to have an insight to some of the everyday ordinary things people do indifferent culture.

Thing #18

I have been using Youtube videos to supplement teaching in my class for a couple of years. I like to find video footage of events so that the students have a visual to go along with the lecture. I used a clip from the movie Far and Away with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman to show what a land rush was when we were learning about the Homestead Act. It was fantastic because it really allowed the students to visualize what a land rush was and they remembered the Homestead Act easier. When reviewing for the TAKS test, they brought that clip up several times.

Youtube contains videos to supplement just about anything you are teaching. Or just really cool videos that show the students a variety of things they many not have ever seen before. There is a great video of a Rube Goldberg machine that I have shared with students before. They may not have known what a Rube Goldberg machine was before but they did after watching the video. And they loved it!!

I plan to continue to use Youtube and Teachertube to supplement my teaching. I love having access to videos that allow the students to experience an historical event. It is better when students can have visual and audio of something to make them better understand and remember it.

Thing #16

Library Thing is pretty cool. I am always searching for a good read and this puts me in touch with people who can recommend the types of books I like. As a very avid reader, Library Thing will help me choose new books to read. In the classroom, Library Thing can help you organize the books you have (I have many and could use some organization). It would also be useful when you are encouraging students to read. You could help them search for books that interest them. Many students do not read because they do not know how to go about finding books that they would enjoy. Library Thing could help them narrow the search.

Thing #15

Delicious. Sounds like it should be an activity about food. Really, this may be one of the most helpful things we have done so far. I can not tell you how many times I have found a website that has great information on it and then forget where I wrote it done or what it was bookmarked as. This will be very helpful in keeping me organized. I love to pull stuff off the internet for lessons. Especially when I can find video or pictures that enhance a lesson I am teaching.

Tagging was easier than I thought it would be. My only problem was trying to be specific enough so that I would remember what I had tagged it as. I love that you can include a description of the site to trigger your memory of what it contains. Oftentimes, you will use a site but not have to go back to it for a year, until you are ready to teach that lesson again. I feel like this will be a tool that I am able to use both professionally and personally.

http://delicious/elizabeth_frith

Thing #9

I somehow missed writing the blog for this "thing". I completed the sandbox early last week. I liked creating my wiki page. At first I was a little frustrated (as my son can attest to!) But once I figured it out I sailed right through it. It was fun to complete the tasks for the sandbox. I particularly liked getting the pictures for the page. I was frustrated by the difficulty in getting the pictures on the page where I thought they should be. I wanted to be able to "click and drag" the pictures.

Thing #7a

So, I have been very bad about checking my Google reader. I had over 500 items to search through.
I found an article about a man that moved and renovated an historic house in Cambodia. The article was in the New York Times. The man, Darryl Collins, found the house on a remote island and had it moved 200 miles to Siem Reap, where he planned to retire. Mr. Collins had to pay the family that owned the house $6400. The family had been planning to sell off the house in bits and pieces. People in Cambodia are not very interested in renovating old properties. The desire is to live in modern western style homes. After moving the dwelling, Mr. Collins renovated it. He added another wing to the original 1600 square foot house to include a kitchen, bathrooms and a guest room. The entire move and renovation cost $90,000. It also saved a type of house that has lost popularity in Cambodia for future generations to enjoy.

Thing #14

Many of these were very fun. I played on the jigzone for a long time. I love puzzles and think this site could be great for my geography and US history classes. The puzzles can be done in the shape of the United States. This would make the students have to learn the states. So many of the students do not know them. I also enjoyed the quizlet website. That has a ton of information already created for students to use to study. I looked at the geography flashcards. They have all the vocabulary that I spend the first six weeks getting my students to learn. Because this is a website, I could easily use it to review students for exams. We could play a game by projecting the site onto the front board and dividing the class into teams. Students could also access the website at home to review on their own. I am always encouraging students to use flashcards to learn vocabulary. I also really liked Wordle. This one could be used to make really neat and informative posters for the classroom. You could create a world wall using this website. I loved the one that was created using the US Constitution.

Thing #13

The custom image generators are very cool. I am very excited about them. The mosaic generator is great. I can create posters of images from all the regions of the world we study. My sister in law teachers life skills to elementary students. I told her about all of these website. She was very excited as well. There are a ton of ways she can use them to help teach the students in her class.

I created several mosaics. Here is one of my son's division championship game from football last year. I created it with Mosaic Maker. I created another of our trip to the great city of New Orleans in December of last year. I also spelled with Flickr. I really like this one. You can do so many neat things.

Thing #12

Train Tracks
by Bogdan Migulski
Entrance Sign by Luminere
Barracks by Luminere
Suitcases by Emmanuel Dyan
Shoes by Rodrigo Galindez

Toilet Facilities by
Luminere
Ovens by Emmanuel Dyan

My slide show is about the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. It shows images from the entrance to what turned out to be the end for more than six million Jews.

Thing #11

Wow!! I had not spent anytime on Flickr before this assignment. You could spend an entire day on it and not get bored. I love the map feature. As I have stated before, I teach geography. I love that you can see pictures from a specific place on the map. I really like that the pictures were taken by people who have been there, so you get a much bigger variety of pictures than you usually see. The same pictures of an historic site or area tend to be printed over and over.

The theme I chose was Auschwitz. Not the most uplifting theme but one that never fails to capture the studen'ts interest. The pictures on Flickr were fantastic. I have not had the chance to visit Auschwitz yet, but the images on Flickr make you feel as if you have been there. I saw aspects of the concentration camp that I had not seen before.

Flickr can enhance the social studies classroom. I think that having a large number if images helps the students better understand the concepts taught in a geography class. They can see the different standards of living around the world, festivals and celebrations from around the world as well as historical sites. I am looking forward to bringing so many pictures into my lessons.

Mappr is a great tool for the social studies classroom. Again, it will help students understand the physical and cultural geography of a place. These are things that are often difficult for students to understand. They think that all people live like they do. Having a variety of images from around the world will help them have a better understanding of other people and cultures. And in a world that is getting smaller everyday, it is extremely important that people know and understand different cultures.

Thing #10

I had no idea about Creative Common. I was well aware of copyright laws and the difficulty with being able to use some things in the classroom. I had no idea that people were creating things that they wanted others to use in the classroom or for other reasons. I think it is fantastic and opens up a world of possibilities to teachers.

I have never posted anything on the web for people to use. I use many things in the classroom that have been designed by the district for my classes as well as many things that my fellow teachers and I have created for instruction. We have not posted any of them on the internet. Images and videos that we have used fall under the fair use policy.

I plan to use the OER Commons as I plan lessons for next year. They are many things available that could enhance my lessons. I like that it tells exactly how the creator wants to share his product. This will be very useful in the classroom.

Thing #8 Stretch

I have always been a fan of Wikipedia. I have been hesitant to allow students to use Wikipedia as a resource because it can be edited. I always like them to be able to confirm the information using another source. I think Wikipedia has good information. I had never bothered to look at the discussion before. That is very interesting. I looked up the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (what can I say, I am a history dork!!!). The information was very complete and accurate. The discussion was lively, as many discussion about history often are.

Thing #8

Here we go with wiki's. I was very excited at first but am now feeling a bit overwhelmed. I am not sure why I am. I just am not really understanding the way that this could be incorporated into my class. I have one computer in my classroom and many of my students do not have computer/internet access at home. I see the appeal of a wiki, just not sure how I could use it.

I really liked the wiki Discovery Utopias. I loved the concept of creating Utopian societies. I liked the way the wiki was set up with the students expectations spelled out at the very beginning. No one has to search to find what the students are to do. I like the link to failed Utopias. The students have access to good information right at their fingertips.

I loved the Thousand Project wiki. What a great way for students to have insight from sources outside the classroom. What a fun way for students to learn. The concept was great, asking questions and getting answers from around the world. The information gathered in a wiki like this could be used in a variety of subjects in the classroom. The information could be used to teach math, geography, history, literature as well as ethics, morals, sharing, caring and a whole host of others. It is a fantastic way to gather information and disseminate it into exciting lessons. As a geography teacher my favorite question was October. What fun you could have locating those places on a map and to tie in math, you could create a bar graph or figure statistics on favorite places chosen.

Another wiki that I liked was the Room 15 Wiki. I really liked the set up of this one. It was very easy to navigate. The side bar allows the reader to easily access the information he wants. A reader can easily see what is available. The information presented in the wiki is great. I love the book reviews and the Help! Room. Great additions to a class wiki.

I plan to continue to work on wikis and see if I can incorporate one into my classroom. There are technology hurdles that have to be overcome.

Thing #6

I am enjoying Google reader. There is a lot of information that comes through the reader, but being able to scan the headlines and have them marked as read makes it very easy to choose the ones you want to read. I also like that I have chosen the pages I want and Google readers pulls all of the information together for me. It makes getting the news very easy.

I read an article in the New York Times about a low performing school in Los Angeles that was taken over by a charter. The charter had spent $15 million to restructure the school. The school has seen improvement in state testing after just a short time. The concern is the amount of money that was spent to restructure the school. The school had an enrollment of 3200 students. The charter created academies that divided the school into smaller populations. They have to have more staff and better resources to meet the needs to the students. Of course this is going to cost more money. How is it that money needed for things like war can always be found? But when we need to spend money on students in underprivileged areas people question if that is the right thing to do. All students deserve to have the best education they can get, not just the students who are fortunate enough to reside in high income areas. I will wager that the school in Los Angeles will continue to see improvements. And as the school improves, so will the neighborhood that feeds to school. Good things happening at the school will transfer to home!

Thing #7

Okay, I love posting comments. I have been a "lurker" for a long time, but have never posted comments on any of the things I have read. I guess I thought it was going to be difficult or involve a lot of passwords, etc. It is great to be able to add to the conversation of a blog. I am able to express my opinions, agree or disagree or even add a new viewpoint.

Posting comments is important to both the writer and the readers of the blog. As I stated earlier, it contributes to the conversation of the blog. Blogs tend to be more informal than news articles and the writer is looking for input from the readers.

Now that I understand the ins and outs of commenting on a blog, bloggers beware. I love to express my opinions!

Thing #5

I can see the advantage of using Google Reader. It makes navigating the Internet much easier. A person will be able to preselect the websites that interest him and then filter the information by quickly scanning the headlines.

The blog that I was most interested in was Students 2.0. It was insightful to get opinions of high school students on a variety of topics. I especially like this one. I think in the world today, everyone has to be the "best". No one can just be average. As a result, we push students to do all kinds of things that we were not expected to do 25 years ago. Kids are expected to volunteer, create, produce and excel at a rate that is far beyond what I was expected to do when I was in high school. Why does everyone have to be the smartest, best, most productive and the greatest? Doesn't the world need some average people? What does being the smartest and brightest really get you? Only a small portion of the world can be professional athletes, Hollywood actors or Albert Einsteins. I have several people in my life who have been told they were the best from the moment they came into the world. They were expected to excel in everything they did. And they did. That was great until the reached about 35 years old and discovered they were completely burned out. They had always done everything that was expected of them and today they do not hold a job. This person gave all he had when he was younger and has nothing left. But it is great that he can say he was the smartest!!

I think it is important for all people to work to their potential. I think it is also important to teach the joy of playing the game and not just the joy of winning. I think it is important for children to be told that it is okay to fail as long as you give it your best. Find joy in what you do. Play a sport for the love of it not because you are the best on the field. My oldest son decided as an eighth grader that he wanted to play football. He had never played, but thought it would be fun. He made the "C" team at his junior high. The only time he was on the field was during the "pre" quarter the district had in place for the "C" team. But, you know what? He had a blast. He loved being a part of something bigger than himself. He cheered on his teammates and wore his jersey to school with pride! He made me so proud to be his parent.

Students today have so much pressure put on them. I love that Hannah Feldmen feels the same way I do. Students should be able to spend their time doing what they want. And if what they want to do is build a water tower in Costa Rica then more power to them. But if they want to knit and read and bake, more power to them for that. They have all of their adult lives to do things that will look good on an application!

Thing #4

Reading blogs is much different than reading a book for pleasure or even a textbook for knowledge. A blog will allow a reader to have insight into a persons feelings on a topic. The format of a blog tends to be more casual, almost as if the blogger is engaged in a conversation with the reader. People will read blogs for a variety if reasons. The end result will still be the same as other types of reading, the reader gaining knowledge. The blogger has imparted the reader with something he wanted the reader to know. As with anything you read, the responsibility of the validity of the information presented in a blog is up to the reader. Just because something is printed (or presented on the internet) does not mean that it is 100% completely true or correct. It is the responsibility of the reader to determine the truth and correctness of the material presented.

In a blog, the opportunity to comment and read comments posted by other readers allows the reader to get a variety of opinions, thoughts and perspectives on a topic. This allows the reader to form his own thoughts, opinions and perspectives and share them with other readers who will be able to express their feelings on the readers thoughts. It is opening up a conversation about the topic. Blogging will allow a person to engage in conversation with people about a topic of interest that he may not otherwise ever meet.

Blogging tends to be faster and shorter than printed material. Blogging will create a group of people who are accustomed to reading short, direct and to the point information. As a result, written word will become shorter and more to the point. People want information quick.

Blogging can facilitate learning. A person may begin reading a blog on fishing. The reader may encounter comments about a different type of fishing than he usually does. Curiosity will make the reader do a search on the new type of fishing and soon the reader has gained new knowledge (learning) on a new topic. Blogging has he ability to introduce readers to new and different information.

Thoughts on Web 2.0

As a social studies teacher, I would love to be able to have my students have access to digital maps. This would make for easy discussion about population density and geographical factors affecting population density. Having students be able to up to date information about the countries of he world would allow for them to have a better understanding of the increasingly smaller world we live in. Students need to be able to understand the cultures of the world because with technology moving the way that it is, students will have more encounters with people from different cultures. Having knowledge of the different cultures will enable to students to better function. Also having students be able to post on a blog reactions to various topics in class would be great. Students are often shy to discuss in class but would feel better be able to put it in written word. Also, having access to a blog would allow students compile thoughts and then express them.

Teachers today are in competition with electronics for students attention in the classroom. Anything that can gain student interest would be an asset.

Reflections on Lifelong Learning

The habit that will be hardest for me to employ will be the learning toolbox. I am very bad about just jumping into something and not making sure I have all that I need before I get started. I am a very organized person in most aspects but like to just get started when trying something new.

The habit that will be easiest for me will to be viewing problems as challenges. I am very good about visualizing the end of something and getting there despite the challenges along the way. Setting small goals and achieving them and then setting another is usually how I can work beyond challenges to overcome them.

The habit that will be most important to me during this course will be the last one, 7.5 playing. Being able to practice the technology and gain confidence in using it will be most beneficial for me.