One Last Thing - Summary

I have ALREADY tagged Learning 2.1 in Delicious. That is a whole new learning piece. Wow.

1. LEARNING ACTIVITY FEEDBACK:

1. Favorite discoveries--I don't know which one is the most favorite. I learned so many. Delicious will probably be the most beneficial. Flickr will be a definite beneficial. Learning how to insert links will be very beneficial. The list goes on and on.
2. Affect on lifelong learning goals--never ending. Technology is there use it!
3. There were many surprises--I call them Ah Ha moments.
4. The program is great. I have been known to take classes a second time for a refresher and/or to acquire more than I acquired the first time.
5. Another discovery course in the future--sure!
6. Influence as a teacher or school librarian--not applicable. Other ways in education--for starters, I plan to make a Spreadsheet to track activity in my office.
7. Plan to keep up--tag in delicious and check frequently and/or RSS feed.

2. LEARNING ACTIVITY WHERE TO GO FROM HERE:

1. Resolution to use and keep up--journal will be one idea. Webinar--the first time I ever heard the word I was signing up to take one, but at the same time I had everyone on campus trying to help me find out what it was. I will be doing more Webinar sessions.
2. Blog would be a consideration.
3. Class notes--I never throw away notes. They make great reference material.
4. As I mentioned earlier Learning 2.1 is already on my radar.

Thanks for a job well done.

Thing #23 - Beyond MySpace: Other Social Networks

Brain Overload.....

Gather was not being nice. It wouldn't let me in.

Ning was not being nice either until I got into

Classroom 2.0

Wikipedia list of social network sites

These are the two I found most intriguing.

In Classroom 2.0 I found what I would call a higher education type of social networking. I was pretty impressed.

In Wikipedia the list was way more than I ever knew to be on the web. Wikipedia's explanation of Ning was interesting. I am usually very hot on the trail of unusual names trying to find their origin and/or purpose.

There were several groups that I will go back to and explore from time to time. I plan to be a bit more active in the group I belong to on Facebook.

As I browsed through links I was surprised to find things that someone had sent me before in random emails. I always wondered where they found all this stuff. Now I know.

Thing #22 - Explore Social Networking

I have a FacebookAccount, a Linkedin Account, and a Plaxo account.

I just got the Linkedin account and I have not explored it much. I have found friends on Plaxo that I had lost track of.

As for Facebook, I find that I can connect with my grandchildren through Facebook faster than I can through traditional email.

1. Educators need to be current so we are aware of the student's activities--good and bad.
2. Insights--"Kids say the darndest things" Kids post anything without thought or preamble to possible consequences.
3. Like or dislike--See #2.
4. Most useful features--Facebook seems to be the leader of the pack.
5. Educational application--the jury is still out on that one.

I am very guarded when I talk with the grandchildren. I try to write very carefully and very professionally. I do not want to write anything that could harm them in anyway.

I am even a member of a group that has informative features.

Thing #7b (7c) - Google Reader Revisited

One of the things that caught my eye was on CoolCatTeacher. The title of the blog was "She Dreamed a Dream: Modern Day Inspiration Susan Boyle." There was a challenge at the end of the blog "May we Never be too old nor too timid to live our dreams." I guess that caught my eye because I always told my children and my students something similar. One of the interesting things in the story of Susan Boyle is the fact that Simon Cowell lost some of his cynical, costic and as the article said acerbic attitude. He was speechless.

And of course I always gravitate to Flickr and their nature pictures and what could be more precious than Need I Say More!.

The nature pictures are superb. I could dwell there all day.

Thing #21 - Google's not just for searching anymore

I am already using Google Calendar - I prefer not to share since it has personal and family information. I set up one for today only if you want to see it.

I have my spring break pictures in Picasa Web Albums - I shared them with the people who went on the trip. There was a disclaimer that went with them - They are totally unabridged (sideways, not cropped, not lightened, no straightened, not corrected in anyway, some need to be tossed)--toooooooooo busy with 23 Things. I am not sure you would be interested. If you REALLY want to see them under those conditions I don't mind sharing.

Other things I explored look interesting and possibilities for the future--Google Alerts, iGoogle, Google Notebook.

Obviously the sky is the limit and I will have all my class notes for use when this class is over.

Thing #20 - Google Docs

Initial Experience - Elementary.

I use Word, Excel, Power Point, FileMaker Pro EXTENSIVELY. They are so much more advanced and detailed and I am so much more comfortable with using them. The bells and whistles are in a different location.

HOWEVER...

I can see the advantage of using Google Docs: (1) sharing capability--if nothing else between all MY computers rather than trying to remember which is the latest version of a document--GUILTY. (2) it would be tremendous in collaboration use--rather than emailing a document back and forth with both of you adding, deleting, correcting--GUILTY. (3) great for tracking progress as with the spreadsheet for 23 Things. I haven't had a need for this yet. However, I think I just had a brain storm for a possibility.

OOPS...

I guess I should spend some more time exploring the advantages and locating all the bells and whistles.

Thing #19 - Voicethread

After listening to the Voice Thread video. I could think of several good uses.

One definitely would be in the classroom when making a group project.

The one that came to my mind first was use with family when one or more members are separated from others by a great distance. This would be a great opportunity to share pictures with sound. When our very large family gets together the table talk/conversations range from serious to slap-stick. This would be difficult to share in written form, with those who are missing. WOW, Voicethread would be a great solution.

Then there is the lecture/conference/traiing with feed back that we are already beginning to see in the professional world.

Thing #18 - You too can YouTube

History of YouTube

Part 1: YouTube Scavenger Hunt
Education:
Blogs in Plain English--Earlier in this class
Wikis in Plain English--Earlier in this class

Educational Technology:
Shift happens: Educational (Technology) Reform - had seen it in Faculty Meetings and earlier in this class

How To tie a tie: The Full Windsor--First thing that poped up...

Just for Fun - I chose trains. Trains are a major fascination in our family.

Part 2: Explore Teacher Tube
Math Fairy - wouldn't work
The Origin of Slavery - Interesting
Learning with Technology - Didn't work
Encouraging Team Work - Good
Paper Planes and Aerodynamics - lacking

I could not get anything to link and/or embed. I tried several times. I even watched one YouTube on how to do that. So.

Also, I am not sure why we were suppossed to Include Thing 19 in our post! I am assuming that is a typo. If I need to fix something then please let me know.

Thing #17 - Podcasts: No iPod Needed!

Potential!
I listened to:
The Tech Teachers - interesting, answered some of my questions about Twitter
Teachers Teaching Teachers - unimpressed
The Math Factor Podcast - unimpressed
Dragonfly TV Podcast - unimpressed
http://historyonair.com/ - Life in Barcelona in 1908 - different; Conversation with History - Comical presentation of some facts.
I can see the potential in podcasting, but it would need to be well planned to be for value, in my opinion.

Thing #16 - Library Thing: Where Books Meet Web 2.0

Zeitgeist - more information than I knew what to do with

Groups - Not appealing to me

Search for Group - Much more appealing

50-Book Challenge - Interesting

Local - Interesting. I checked to see if they were correct. I didn't know that Balch Springs had a library. Learned something new.

Library Thing - I created one and I will be adding more books. Once again I have been keeping up with the books I have read and the books I want to read on a spreadsheet. This is better.

Thing #15 - Social Bookmarking and Tagging with Delicious

I am sure that all of us from time to time attempt to use something to the best of our knowledge and then one day we take a class and learn how to use it more efficiently, easier, etc. Then there is the AhHa moment when we really learn how to do it!

Well that is me and Delicious. I was keeping a copy of web sites in a spreadsheet because I had lost favorites before when my computer went south. A friend (a former 23 Thinger) mentioned Delicious. I sort of put it on the back burner, then my daughter mentioned Delicious that she had learned about for one of her classes in another school district. So I decided to try it out. My friend helped me to get started in a basic manner--it was great. Now as I take this class and learn more things I have had my AhHa moment and I am ready to take off running.

I chose to add some web sites that I have learned about in this class, and to re-tag some I already had. I finally got Firefox Tool Bar to work like it is supposed to do. Now I know how to add sites efficiently--I was going all around the house and then in the back door, now I just go in the front door with the greatest of ease.

Here is my delicious link: Delicious Class Link

Thing #7a - Google Reader revisited

Trying to get caught up with my Google Reader--lots of scanning found some interesting thing.
CoolCatTeacher seems to always be on top of everything--she says whether or not we admit it or not the classroom, students, parents are changing--itouch, iphone, etc.
CoolCatTeacher says there are four kinds of people--movers, disapprovers, provers, improvers. So the question is How do you roll?
In E-Learning Across my Desk Weekly by Julie Lindsay writes on How to create Survey Docs. She also writes about Technology. Both were very interesting.
There were several articles on Flat classroom: How we Roll. I need to chew on this for awhile longer.
Flikr has posted some very interesting and beautiful pictures. One was a hand holding a light bulb and written on the lightbulb was "Bright Ideas" Clever! One was a sunrise that appeared to be bursting the skys over an airport. There were several spring pictures--birds, animals, insects, flowers. There were many sunrises and sunsets--my favorites
Google news was talking about the North Texas fires, Somali Pirates, Italy Earthquake along with Hannah Montana's new movie. Hot items.
Infinite Thinking Machines had Friday Tools for Teachers. One Friday tool caught my attention. The title was Finding Ada (Role Model of Women in Tech). Ada (not me) Lovelace wrote the world's first computer program. Interesting!
Catching up on the "Blogs I'm following-WOW-some smart people in this class.

Thing #14 - Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

Fun Stuff! That could consume more fun time at a computer than I can spare.

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This was fun! Extremely fascinating!

Several of these tools could be considered in the social realm. I thought of family trees and family activities when I looked at TimeGlider. LetterPop would be a quick and easy way to share activities--family or school project. would be a great planner and reference for what needs to be done, what order, and by whom.

I just sort of gave up on all of them when I found JigZone, and zeroed in on JigZone. I chose to publish one of my pictures from my spring break trip. I chose 35-piece JigZone. When that puzzle came up I thought now the fun begins. This could be addictive.

There are so many ways this could be incorporated in classroom--contest, extra learning enrichment, eye-hand coordination, shapes, and list goes on.

Well maybe my Sandbox Wiki can just read my blog--I have to go back to my puzzles.

Thing #13 - Online Image Generators

I think I will have to sign up for tutoring. I could not make any of them work.

Thanks for the link (tutoring).

I have tagged it in Delicious for future use.

I created several images, but since I was not sure where some of the pictures came from I am only publishing those I took with my camera while on spring break.

I used Big Huge Labs

This like many THINGS I have learned can become addictive.