Done

My favorite discovery exercises were Flickr Mashups and Animoto because they both had to do with pictures. Pictures are a big part of my life and those two tools make the experience fun. I'm glad I have been exposed to a variety of tools and programs out there that I can utilize either personally or in my classroom, especially the ones that will keep me organized. I think 23 Things is a lot to do and it takes away from some of the discoveries that could use more emphasis. Maybe leave the 23 Things and let people choose which ones they want to explore.


I have learned that there are a lot of resources available that should be utilized in a classroom. Unfortunately, it was the first time several of them have been brought to my attention, such as the various applications Google has, and I don't want that to be the case for my students. I will inform them as much as possible about all the great tools that are out there.


I'm going to stay up to date with a variety of Web 2.0 sites. It's easy to stay current on social networking sites, but I'm going to keep on reading some of the blogs that I joined (Cool Cat Teacher). I'm also going to keep on using iGoogle and all the gadgets I added on there and Big Huge Labs.

Thing #22 - Podcasts

I have heard of podcasts before, but didn't get to make my own until this class. I like podcasts for a couple of reasons.

1. allows you to be creative.
2. it's not boring.

With the assignment we had, creating our own podcast, I got to see some other podcasts, but there were a lot that I didn't like. They seemed boring and useless. I think educational podcasts should serve a purpose and make whatever lesson more interesting and educational. Today's students need that hook and podcasts can definitely accomplish that when used properly. I've been thinking about how I would use a podcasting in my class and came up with an idea that might work if the students were enthusiastic enough. When doing the section on poems I would have my students:

1. create their own poem or obtain an already written one
2. have them read it
3. add music

Or take it to the next level and put a bunch of poems that each student reads and put it on a CD. Each student reads 10 and then make a CD. It's very similar to the podcast I did for this class. I took a poem about 9/11, read it, and added music from the movie Gladiator. It made the poem that more intense and powerful. Then my students could see the impact the poems are suppose to have.

I did explore the directories and didn't really like any of them. I'm the type of person who wants it to be easy to locate and quick. I had to keep clicking and clicking before I go the actual podcast. I like the website http://www.epnweb.org/index.php?request_id=344&openpod=4#anchor4

because it lists everything on the left, I click it, and then listen. That's exactly what I want. By the time I was done with the other websites I had lost interest in what I was doing and became frustrated. I don't want my students to feel that way because than they'll miss out.

There isn't a podcast that I would subscribe to (at least not yet). To be honest, it more about time than anything else. I really don't have the time to sit in front of the computer and listen to someone. Maybe if there was a great podcast I came across that really captured my attention, but until than I don't see myself subscribing to one.

Thing #23 - Creative Commons

23 Things for Teachers is based off of Learning 2.0 - 23 Things by Mesquite ISD's Learning 2.0 - 23 Things which was based off of the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers, Technology Director at the Charlotte Mecklenburg County Public Library system, with the support and assistance of several staff. Helene's program was loosely based upon Stephen Abram's article, 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006) and the website 43Things.

Our class has talked about copyrights before, but it's never really been discussed in any class I have ever taken. I know not to plagiarize other people's work and I know that I need to pay for music, but the thought has never really crossed my mind when dealing with Internet things. I always figured since it was out there I could use it. I would still attribute the work to the creator, but sometimes it's been used so much that I can't tell who the original owner was.

It's sad that at 24 I'm just learning about Creative Commons or copyrights regarding the various things on the Internet. I will make sure that when I am a teacher I introduce all of my students to Creative Commons, the advance search on Google, and copyright laws. People put so much time and effort into things they create, no one should be able to steal it and take that away the hard work from the original creator.

Thing #21- Animoto

My BA is in Communication and one of the aspects of my major was creating and editing videos. This is something that I love to do in my spare time. I was unaware that there was a program out there like this. One of the major differences that separates this from other programs is the way this streams the pictures together, it's unique and it's great. I had fun choosing my pictures and music. I think upgrading and buying the other version of Animoto would be a great investment for me since I do stuff like this all the time.

Animoto is extremely user friendly, easy, and quick to use. I could definitely implement this in one of my classes, especially if it's a creative writing class because something like this is very inspirational. It also would break up the monotony of a regular class lesson. I'm very excited about Animoto.

Thing #20 - YouTube

I have heard of YouTube and have gone on there a handful of times. I usually look for something when someone tells me there's something funny on there. When I was a sophomore one of my sorority sisters sent out an email with a video link to YouTube of a heavy set guy singing a song ("Numa Numa"). It was hilarious. I still have it saved to my computer and watch it whenever I'm having a bad day or need a pick me up. For the most part, I only use YouTube to find funny things and whenever I hear someone talking about the site it's usually in regards to something funny. However, I do know that there is some serious footage on there. For example, I searched 9/11 and there are comments an new videos that have been posted. Nine years later and people still care. That means something to me for 2 reasons. The first being I lived right outside of NYC, you can see the skyline from my streets. That day was awful in every way possible and has made an everlasting impact on the country, but specifically the states directly effected and the surrounding areas. The second reason is because my husband is an active duty soldier who is getting ready for his second deployment (his first to Afghanistan). That's significant because I believe that is the place that is linked to 9/11. He will be fighting our freedom, for people he's never met, and for a country I feel as forgotten him and the hundred of thousands of soldiers who are still fighting, who are getting ready to fight for the first time to the ninth time, and for the soldiers who paid the ultimate price. Seeing the footage and the comments gives me a renewal of strength that I so desperately need.

I like YouTube because there are thousands of videos that are at my fingertips. If you can think of something that you want to see it's probably on there. The site is simple to navigate so it makes it a pleasure to go on there. I know I had the option to put a video up there, but I don't have anything worth sharing and I wouldn't feel comfortable putting something up there of my family. I have already thought about taking my photos off of facebook because you never know what people are going to do to them and once it's up there there's nothing you can do about it. Who knows who has a picture of me or my family, it's very unsettling.

I can see this site being utilized in the classroom or my library site because there are more than just funny videos up there. There's News and Politics, Education, Science and Technology, and Travel and Events. All of these things can be brought to good use in an educational setting.

Thing #19 - Let's Be Social

This thing was not difficult or time consuming so that made me very happy. I joined TeacherPop and added photos of my dogs (Bella and Storm) and I commented on Jaclynn's page about her two dogs (who are adorable). I think being a member of that network will come in handy once I'm in the classroom. It's always a nice feeling to know you have support behind you and that there are resources to utilize. It may just be me, but it makes me feel better that I'm not doing it alone.

The other social network that I joined was FilmCrave. I'm very excited about this network because it's all about movies. My husband and I joke about it all the time, but I am more than happy to sit and watch movies all day/night. There's just something about getting lost in it all that I find so appealing. Then I took a few movie classes in my undergrad and now instead of just watching and enjoying I look for certain things and I feel like I become apart of it. Even during the Great Depression when people and very little money they could go and escape to the movies. It helped them forget their troubles and just be for a little while. I can defiantly see how and why people would do that. For me, there's a calming effect when I watch a movie. I'm in a trans and there's nothing that can get me out of it. My husband can have an entire conversation with me and I won't hear a word of it. Our collection is well over 500 movies and growing. So when I saw this network on there I jumped on it. I have explored it (not to the fullest); there is a discussion board (which I like because I can see what others think about a movie), watch trailers, view the top 100 movies, AND I can create my own list. I totally stoked about this. I love things where I can be involved and voice my opinion!

Thing #18 - Social Networking

I already have a Facebook account and to be honest I think it's one of the most evil, yet useful tools. It's an easy way to share photos and It's nice to be able to keep in touch with my family and friends back home and my friends from college, not to mention the friends I make along the way, but it's addicting and can be very distracting. My friends from college are the ones who convinced my to join and I do like to use it, but I don't think I would use it in a classroom setting. I just don't see how it could be beneficial in that type of setting.

I do not have a My Space account, mainly because I never wanted a Facebook account and I didn't see the point in having both. I did not know all the things My Space could do. I just assumed it was similar to Facebook. After reading the articles about My Space it seems like a better social network than Facebook because you have more creative freedom. I like that you can add music, video, and other cool editing features. My B.A is in Writing and Communication and I mainly focused on video editing so I find My Space appealing in that aspect. I definitely think it allows you to be more of yourself and express what you think and feel. As I said with Facebook, I just think these sites are distracting. I could see see benefits of using this in a classroom setting because there are more ways to use it than Facebook. I don't think I would use it in a traditional classroom such as Math or Science, but maybe in a TV Production or Journalism class.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=24706205&ref=profile