Thing 22

Social networking has become a major force in the lives of our children. Sites like Facebook have become a key link for students to organize, connect, and communicate school and extra-curricular activites on a daily basis. Since networking has become an established way of life for our students,the use of a social networking site like Ning, would be a very comforable educational tool for them to use. Networks could be set up for classes, clubs, and special events.

Thing 21

I like Pageflakes as a personalized information gathering site. I'm sure that I will use it much more than my standard RSS feed. It could also work well as a technology resource page for my tech students or as a classroom resources page.

Thing 20

Google docs is a great tool for sharing information and for collaborative work. I have been using it for a while, beginning with a collaborative project with the 4th grade classes. I created a spreadsheet for the students to share between the classes so that they could collect data in their classrooms about spring break destinations. Then, as each class came to the technology lab, I simple pulled up their spreadsheet and the students where able to use the data to create graphs representing the results. I have also use google docs to share information and collaborate on a project with other staff members. Google docs will be very useful for any project involving sharing, from writing stories and poems, to sharing notes and data.

Thing 19

I have found that YouTube has a wealth of videos for education. I have already used it for instruction (there are some excellent videos about robotics). My students have used some YouTube videos in their Movie Maker projects (I donwloaded and converted them to avi files for them.) Of course, YouTube can also be fun! Here is one of my favorite episodes of "I Love Lucy!"

Thing 18

Some thoughts about podcasting...

Thing 16

Goal setting in a public way would not necessarily be beneficial for me. I am self-motivated and usually don't need coaxing and cheering from others to achieve something. If I do need encouraging, the most helpful way for this to happen would be from my family and friends and not from random people on the internet. I can see a use for this site in the classroom to help a team of students collaborate and encourage each other to accomplish a task or group effort/performance/event, etc.

Thing 15

I think that the Library Thing is very cool, not only for me personally, but for my family of voracious readers. After exploring the site, I emailed the link to one of my daughters. She is an English major, I'm sure that she will love it! She infact responded, "you have found the dork in me."

Thing 14

The challenge for me to use delicious as a website organization tool will be to break my habit of bookmarking websites. I am very practical and task oriented. My time is short. My bookmarks are organized and I can get my work done quickly. I will have to reorganize my stuff to effectively use delicious. http://del.icio.us/zottnick

Think 13

So many tools, so little time! It seems that almost daily there are new, cool tools on the web. I chose to play with the comicbook maker, http://www.toondoo.com/. It is very creative and fun . My students have created comicbooks with Word on the American Revolution. This web tool may be a way to update the assignment. It would also provide the students with the ability to publish and share their work.

Thing 12

Technology advances geometrically. This is evident with the speed of the developments in the internet since 2003. The interent used to be just a means to tie computers together - sure we could email and look up information but that was it. Now the whole concept of the internet is different, and consequently the mindset for the use of technology in the classroom has shifted. It has shifted from being merely a tool in the classroom to, as Lani Ritter Hall suggests in “Classroom 2.0 or You Live Where?”, to an integral part of a studio ffull of creativity, networking, connecting, and collaboration.

Thing 11

I had so much fun putting together a wildflower slideshow for my wiki! I'm sure that I will be using these tools to add a multimedia punch to my tech lessons. Click here to see my wildflowers slideshow.

Thing 10

I am excited about the possibility of using Flickr in my technology classes. I challenge my students to create multimedia presentations that communicate an idea or tell a story in a way that is original, compelling, and complete. Flickr will be an image resource that can provide pictures to inspire my students and fuel their creativity.

Thing 9

The concept of "Creative Commons" is intriguing . I have found that students today do not comprehend or fully appreciate the concept of copyright and/or value the creative works of individuals. The understanding of this concept is complicated by the fact that educators have slightly relaxed rules under the Educational Fair Use Act, and compounded by the reality that creative materials are so readily available and easy to copy.

Thing 7

I have heard a lot of buzz about Wikis for several years. My initial introduction to Wikis was not positive. During a conference on Wikis, my session visited a "model" wiki only to be surprised by the inappropriate material that had been placed on it overnight. There were no controls! "Yikes!" was my reply, and caution was my response. As I revisit to the concept of Wikis in education, and especially the PBWikis, I am encouraged to try them. They seem to have evolved into tools that address some of my concerns. I like the organizational functions as well as the access and edit controls. For my classes, I have an web page for information and Moodle for assignments. I think that with a class Wiki, I could combine both of these functions. I like the layouts that list the class assignments as well as lists of resources. I may even create a voki!

Computers and Motivation

Computers can motivate students to learn. I have seen many students who didn't like to write, but who were motivated to do so with the ease of a word processoring programs. I have seen many students who didn't not like to read, but who were motivated to do so with the multimedia elements that online books can provide. I have seen digitally literate students who didin't like to study using classic textbooks, but who were motivated to do so using online textbooks. Although, computers should not be perceived as the cure for all motivation issues, they certainly have become a very useful tool in educators' toolboxes.

Thing 3 - PowerPoint Reform

Some educators think that PowerPoint is passe', but I disagree - I think its uses need to be updated and that it should be used properly. I agree with the article about PowerPoint reform written by Joyce Valenze where she lists ways to update this communcation tool so that students will learn, listen, and share information. As a technology educator, I teach my students to use PowerPoint as a platform to combine and deliver several different visual/auditory elements that belong under the umbrella of multimedia. When the PowerPoint project is a stand alone project, the communication of the message is greatly enhanced when students think outside the box (as suggested by Joyce Valenze). When the PowerPoint is part of a student's presentation, communication is enhanced when students understand that their PowerPoints should not be the presentation, but rather should augment the presentation.

Thing 2 - Web 2.0

I teach technology and have been involved in the use of the Internet with my students for a long time. The use of these new Internet tools will allow students to actively communicate, participate, and discuss - and this is a good thing. These are educational tools to enhance the education of students. I will proceed with caution, however, because I know that the average student is doesn't appreciate that the Internet is a very public arena.

Thing 1 - Play

Play is probably the most challenging habit of a lifelong learner for me. I am a mother (of 5), I teach, and I volunteer. I don't have much time to play. In fact, by the time I finish completing everything that I need to do in the course of a day, I don't want to play on the computer, I want to rest!