The end!

This was SO interesting! I had no idea there was so much out there-I know I've barely scratched the surface. I took a web 2.0 tools class last summer and came back excited about Voice Thread. I did a fun project this year with it and I'd like to figure out more ways to incorporate it. I think I can learn a few tools and use them in different ways. So here's my to do list:

• Voice Thread
• podcasts
• Flickr
• Delicious
• BigHugeLab-all that photo fun!
• RSS
  
• iGoogle
• keep electronic to do list
• check out Ning network on a regular basis
  
• sign up and try the teachersrecess network
• keep up my Google website
• online scrapbooking (will be taking a class in August)
• Picassa webalums
• Library Thing
• Keep up the 23 Things blog
• Figure out a way to share projects within our school
• Ask someone to help me and keep me going and not giving up

I can't find a Thing 23 for the question prompts. So I'm doing my own thing here!

I was surprised how much STUFF there is and how usually easy it is. And if you have trouble-someone can help you pretty quickly. Obviously the more you do, the easier it gets. It seems to me that more teachers should/could be familiar with the tools that are out there. If we don't try to keep up our students will be so far ahead of that school will feel irrelevant and out of touch with their worlds. With so many choices, teachers have to make choices about what is best for their students.

Thing 22

• Blog about how you plan to keep up with the Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 tools.
• Recommend a way to keep up that you have found useful.

I think we're very lucky at Highlands to have so many tech-savvy people-and so many who have taken 23 Things on a Stick. I think their examples and support will be the biggest thing I look forward to. I would love to meet on a regular basis to talk about what tools people are using and to challenge each other to try something. I will try to check on Ning network and the 23 Things network-I am confident there will be good ideas there. I have book marked netvibes.com/micwalker and will return to it as a familiar place to learn how to do things.

Thing 21

• Are you a member of any online communities?
• Are any of these social networks appealing to you?
• What did you find that was interesting and that you might use later?

I joined Ning-Classroom 2.0 and visited the 23 Things on a Stick site. I noticed some blogging about Everyday Math. I'm sure I will find some interesting things to check out.

Social networking around school topics (will probably join the teachersrecess network) are of interest to me. I am sure there is one about Reggio inspired education-will check with Katie O. at our building. I think I will come back to the Ning-Classroom 2.0 network at another time. All the networks take time and just need to find the time to do them-especially if I can find something that is interesting and helpful. All I need is one good find and I'm sure I'll be back.

Visit 23 Things on a Stick

Thing 20-Facebook

I did not sign up for Facebook, but I viewed all the Expert Village how-to videos about Facebook. I don't know...why does a 60-something grandmother/teacher need to be on Facebook? I set up a Shutterfly share site for my small family-2 kids and my dad. They are really the only ones who want to see my vacation pictures and pictures of the grandchildren. My son has a link to his Flickr site on the share site-so we're all happy. My daughter regularly posts pictures of her kids. Shutterfly notifies all of us when new pictures are downloaded.

I would be very surprised if my son or his wife had a Facebook account. My daughter, who is 32, is an avid Facebooker. She tells me about all the people from elementary school, sports teams etc that she has connected with on Facebook. It is fun to hear about what they are doing. I can see how addicting it is-updating, checking, finding friends etc.

There are lots of opportunities for kids to learn the good, bad, and ugly of online social networking. Sometimes I can't believe how naive/stupid people are about what they say or post online. I don't want my face and activities out there for everyone-parents, students, former students/parents to see. I enjoy my privacy and I'm not quite ready to give it up for the perceived value of social networking!

I did find a teacher network online. It is called teacherrecess (teachersrecess.com) and I seriously thought of joining.Here is a link to the free virtual tour:

Thing 19-Podcasts

This was fun. I listened to a podcast from podcast.com about stuff you should know about altoids. Then I found a podcast from a third grade class in Webster NY that outlined their study of a nearby pond through the year.

It made me think how I might use a podcast with my first graders. I'd love to listen to podcasts-again it's the time to find them! Perhaps there would be a topic or person that I could follow on podcasts.

I used Gabcast with my students last year. They wrote poems and read them into the phone. Then hopefully parents and other family members listened to them online. I had a link from my class wiki.

The thing I would find the most helpful is to talk to other teachers in my grade levels who use podcasts or Youtube or whatever and find out what they do or talk about how we could integrate the technology into what we do and how we could use it to do what we already do in a new and perhaps more fun way.

I went to gcast.com and signed up for an account-although I think I have one with gabcast (or are they the same?) What I dislike is that they now charge $99 a year to download by telephone. So I will have to learn how to do it another way because $99 is not doable.

Thing18-You-Tube

I think it's pretty funny that people can post home videos on the web and other people spend time watching them! I have to say it is fun to look at them-but can be a huge waste of time.

I looked at a few videos about Alaska-having just taken a 2-week trip there.

Last year I read a book to my class about a woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her Greenbelt Movement (Can't think of her name right now) They loved the book-so I went looking on the web for a picture of her etc. I found a YouTube video of her speaking. We watched just long enough to hear her voice, see how she was dressed and to put a real person with the book.

I took a minute to look at TeacherTube. There was some fun stuff there. I'm not sure I need to post any class videos on the web because I have been able (at least in the past) by trial and error to post some videos on my class wiki. I assume I will be able to do the same on my new Google web page.

As with anything, it takes a lot of time to find appropriate videos to share with students. And then as a first grade teacher I have to weigh its value against all the other things I want students to experience.

Thing 17

I had no idea something like this was out there. Wow! What a resource for students and teachers. It's a little overwhelming. It seems that our students will need, even more than before, the skills to dig through resources to find the information they need. I read Sue and Patty's blogs and found out that Lisa is already hooking students and teachers up to these resources. I thin first graders will start with a book or other simple resource. It's amazing how quickly they branch out-which is probably a good argument for making sure kids learn to read early in their school careers.

Thing 16

• How might the RPC and the Teacher Guide help you help students plan and manage research projects?
• Can you think of any uses for library projects—could you use it to help manage a timeline for a project of your own?

I can see how this would be helpful to people with writing projects etc. I would think as kids start bigger projects in grades 3-5 that making a plan like this would be great. With little kids I do something like this pointing out the steps in writing from prewriting to publication. If kids have experience with this through elementary and middle schools, they should be more competent by high school and college. I guess they can always fall back on the computer generated schedule.

Thing 15-Online Games and Libraries

I guess it's my age-but these seem like a waste of time. I don't really get why people would become involved in a virtual world. I guess the virtual library is an attempt to meet the online virtual world where they are. The pirate games were fun-but I've got too many other things do than play computer games as a pirate. I can sort of see how/why people get "hooked" on the games and virtual worlds. It was odd to see other "pirates" out on the deck.

I don't see any use for these in elementary school. I would certainly discourage kids from getting involved and would support parents who don't want their kids on the computer in virtual worlds.

Thing 14-The Library Thing

I signed up and put in a few books from my shelves-just to see what it was like. It was fun and I can see how I might use it. I usually read books recommended by other people or books that look good at garage sales. Garage sales aren't always the best source-WAY too many romance books. But once in a while there are some good one-and for 50 cents or $1 you can't go wrong.

I had thought of using Shelfari with my second graders last year and then decided it would be more fun for 3rd grade and up. I hope teachers will try it with a little older kids. In grades 1 and 2 (where I spend most of my time) teaching kids to read and getting books for them at their reading level is the key. After that, selecting books and knowing what other kids are reading becomes more fun.

I will definitely check back to my Library Thing account at a later time. I added it to my Delicious account. And... I think I figured out how to access Delicious from my iGoogle homepage.

I wonder how could I use it to share book lists with parents-either for their own reading or for helping fluent readers make book choices?