Thing 23

I'm glad I was a participant in 23 Things. Although I had a slow start, I managed to get through the things. This has definitely changed my perspective on using the web for the classroom. At times I felt a bit rushed or lost and some of the things will have a more immediate impact on my classes. Nevertheless, I will need time to absorb most things until they become more automatic. When I reach a point of ownership, I'll stop fumbling and begin to use these applications in more creative ways. I will be spending time this summer exploring and refining my abilities with web 2.0 applications and make connections to my area of the curriculum so that my classes will be more enjoyable and relevant for my students. Thanks to the folks at RESA for the offering and monitoring of the projects.

Thing 22

I edited the resa wiki by adding the tagteam timeline to the list. I created my own wiki after opening an account on wikispaces. I'd like to spend more time (and I will) editing my wiki and adding different things to it. When I become comfortable working with these, I will be ready to use them in classes. For now, I need to practice more. The wiki will require more planning for me to use it. Unlike the blog, the wiki will be a collaborative effort and others will have the capability to edit it.

Thing 21

As with so many other tools, I will need to continue to explore and experiment with wikis. However, the potential for collaboration and course work is immediately evident. I came across a wiki developed by a middle school class that was studying Ancient Greece. The wiki included instructions, rubrics, graphics and backgrounds that were quite interesting. The teacher/student efforts combined for a very good project. Some of the other wikis I viewed were instructional in nature from the How To wiki site. These are great examples of exchange of information for practical purposes with the contributors adding their expertise.

Thing 20

I've used my ipod for music. I have a lot of music. I always knew there were podcasts, but I didn't want to muddy the waters of my ipod with other things. I was procrastinating. I've subscribed to Grammar Girl and to another vocabulary podcast. Both of these are good and I can use them immediately in my classes. Nevertheless, more exploration is on the horizon and the potential is tremendous. I am very interested in creating podcasts for myself and my students.

Thing 19

This is something that I want to learn more about. There are some interesting podcasts but I'll need to preview more to find those useful for my classes. Here's one on vocabulary and another by my favorite cowboy philosopher, Baxter Black.

Thing 18

Here's a presentation from slideshare.

Joy Of Learning

View more presentations from John Connell.

I thought I'd post something from the education file. Although somewhat lengthy, there are some good ideas in this presentation. Food for thought.

Thing 17

I'll need to do more exploring. I enjoy exploring, when I have the time and when I find a good and useful tool, I'll make the time. I tried a few of the listed tools but was frustrated by some of the catches. Needed an invitation for Knowtes, didn't get it. Needed a confirmation for my email on the 30Boxes calendar, didn't get it; it may be fun to explore this but it may be a redundant tool anyway. I'll check it out, if and when the email confirmation arrives.