Thing 23

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I loved Photostory and the online image creators that were offered. I think those were the most fun.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
This program has made me aware that there are so many things out there on the web that I had no idea about and it amazes me how many of those are free and make life so much easier. I realize that I need to keep more up to date with technology.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
There were a lot of take-a-ways from this program. I am going to have students start using Google Docs for shared projects. Until now they have been saving their projects on random computers and jump drives, but no one else could come along and work on it.
I did not expect for some of the technology to be as easy as it was.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I think it is an excellent program. All the information that is needed to complete the assignment is there with the "Thing". The Common Craft videos are a great way to simply explain complicated concepts, so I do not feel that anything needs to be changed except for updating when new web technologies that come along.

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
I would love to participate in another program like this. It has really made me aware of some great web tools to use in my professional and personal life. It's a great "one stop" place to be introduced to new things.

How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?
Techno-rific!

Thing 22

As an avid user of Facebook I have become familiar with these types of sites but never knew they were called a Ning. I see great potential in using this type of social networking sites for not only personal use but professional as well. Using a Ning is a great way to find people with common interests and express you ideas and thoughts about what you are doing and are passionate about. It is also a great tool for co-ordinating discussions, gatherings and events because it a notice can be sent out one time to many people. It is a great way of finding new ideas, collaborating and getting answers by posting questions.

Thing 21

I really liked using Photostory. In the past I have used Animoto and it works well but the Animoto logo is seen on all created videos. I like the fact that Photostory is a Microsoft product and it is very easy to use and upload photos. However, Animoto provides various options for music if you do not have your own to use, whereas in Photostory you provide your own, which could also give you more options. Photostory also gives you the option to narrate your video which is an easy way of adding memories to photos or to add a child's voice to make it even more personal.

Students would find this easy to use and could create their own videos with ease. In combination with digital cameras, students could create their own personal projects in any subject. In the library this would be a great tool to use for book trailers or promotion of reading programs.

Thing 20

2009-2010 Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominees



I found a lot of great videos in YouTube and in TeacherTube. Unfortunately in the district that I work in YouTube is blocked from student and employee access so I concentrated most of my searching to TeacherTube. TecaherTube also caters to education so in looking for videos to use in a school setting this would be my first choice anyway. The majority of the videos are created with a specific lesson in mind and by using the proper search criteria it is easy to find videos that relate to the topic that you are teaching.
I found various library videos on how to use the library, the Dewey decimal system and many videos highlighting specific books. I chose this video because it does a great job of showing the covers to all of the Texas Bluebonnet books that were nominated for 2009-2010. It is a great video to introduce the books to the students and it also prompts the requirements of reading five books in the beginning of the video.
Students now days are very visual and this appeals to them. It is a great way to catch their attention while introducing a topic in a short, concise way. By registering for an account you can keep a list of videos to use over time. It is a great tool to use if you com across a video that you want to save for a later time or use again in the future.

Thing 19

Looking at the Web 2.0 Awards I chose Writeboard to explore. Writeboard is very similar to Google Docs in that users can collaborate on a project at the same time. Previous versions of the document are available to look at and members can subscribe to a RSS feed that tells them when changes are made to the document. Students can collaboate on group projects without having one person create all of the computer portion and teachers could also use this tool in the same way. A single document can be worked on by many people at the same time. Librarians can alos collaborate from school to school on similar documents and presentations for students.
The fact that it is free is the best part of it all.

Thing 18

I choose Google Docs to look at and explore. I like the fact that along with a gmail account, your calendar and Google Docs is all right there once you log in. I like all of the different templates that it offers users. You can find anything from calendars to resume templates. The presentation feature is similar to Powerpoint and offers many styles to use. Presentations, spreadsheets, documents and forms are all in one place in Google Docs. Forms offer a template to build a survey which then can be emailed and responses are sent back. Documents can also be shared among users as long as you add their email address. A group of several people can work on a document or presentation at one time instead of having to email one document back and forth and then different versions can be the confused.
Google Docs provides a simple way to create documents and presentations while being able to share them with other users via the internet.

Thing 17

I had a difficult time with Rollyo. I like the idea and the concept behind the site but the issue is getting it to work properly. I received messages such as"did not connect - too many connections" when trying to create my list. I was able to register and add links to my Rollyo account but I was not able to copy a link to my own list. Maybe I am stuck in my ways but personally I like my favorites list for the sites that I visit regularly.
Rollyo would be an excellent source to use in creating a list of web sites for students. A list could be made for research purposes and then students would be allowed to use any of the pre-approved web sites that librarians or teachers set up. The lists could be edited and kept from year to year.