Thing 23 ...My Plan of ATTACK!

Where do I begin...I have personally learned so much through this Web 2.0-- 23 things course. I thought that I knew lots of information and was comfortable with my computer skills until I dove more into this course. I am thrilled with the amount of learning that I have endured this summer. It is interesting to me to reach the end of this course and feel overwhelmed with more knowledge and excited to use better technology with my students, colleagues, and in my personal life. I have set of goal with myself to continue monitoring the bloglines to try to stay current with the latest information. I am going to check out more information on the Michigan Learnport to explore more PD at home.

I will continue to update my wikispace with hopes that the parents in my classroom will buy into seeking it out for information about my class. I also intend on creating a Web page with information to help students and parents with upcoming events in my classroom. It would be awesome if all of my parents have access and use readily a computer and have some knowledge of exploring webpages/ wikispaces, etc. If they aren't familiar with these sorts of technology, I will try to put something together for Open house so that parents can see my excitement for technology and hopefully learn how to open my websites for classroom information.

I am looking for ways to get my second graders involved in an easy way to explore more of what the internet has to offer them. I feel they are a little to young for lots of what I learned in this course, however, I will try to simplify some of this information for them so they can learn something new.

To get the rest of of the staff involved would be awesome!! It will be difficult because people have different comfort levels with the internet and almost fear it. I would love to keep learning more about it myself so that I can bridge that gap for teachers in my building and help make it easier for them to explore new learning. The more I learn, the more I can teach, and I will continue learning more everyday. I have been involved in many leadership opportunities within my district and I am confident that I can help lead others into trying out some of these new technology avenues.

Lately, I have found myself opening my internet browser and exploring 21st century learning. I am interested in figuring out all that I can to help myself learn so that I can be a better teacher. In the upcoming school year I will be working with new technology in my classroom. A 3M annotation system was installed in my classroom this summer. Therefore, I thought that if I took this Web 2.0 course it would help me become more tech literate and give me more knowledge of sites that would be good to use with my students with the new system. I still have a lot to learn. I plan on continuing my learning and expanding the "PLN" with others in my school building and my district. It will be easy to connect with people by keeping up with my blog and commentating as needed. So.... now that you got me talking....it will be hard to shut me up... Thanks for opening the technology doors to me!! I appreciate everyone that commented on my blog!!

Thing 22

I would definitely take another course online! I really enjoyed the ability to relax and learn at home. I was able to involve myself when the time was good for me without having to drive to a school somewhere to listen and learn. I see many plus sides to online learning. The only downfall that I really see is the personal one to one contact that I am used to. Also, when I was confused about something...I could go on the help forum, but then wait for someone to get back with me. In that respect..I would rather be able to call someone to get an immediate response to my questions.

I signed up for the course "Integrating technology in the classroom" on the Michigan Learnport site. I changed my mind about this when I saw the pop up in red print saying it was going to cost $cash...but now I can't figure out how to delete the course. I signed up because on the cost line it said "free". So... if anyone could help me..that would be great! I also think that some of the information in the course will be a repeat of what I learned in Web 2.0. I was looking more for something that was geared towards how to get my 2nd graders more involved in learning with technology.

I appreciate all of the tutorials and websites that I discovered on Mr. Dornberg's Ed Tech site. I know that I will definitely use lots of them in the near future.

There are so many neat PD offerings to choose from, at this time I can't think of what else I would like to see offered. Maybe one on time management...;o) I could use that to try to be more effective with my time in my classroom.

My experience with this class has been good, but sometimes overwhelming. There has been so much to read and explore. I sometimes found myself on brain overload with information that I didn't really know what to do with yet. I have been keeping lots of notes and copying lots of URL websites to a word document so I wouldn't forget them. That way I could refer back to important sites often. I also bookmarked lots of things on the delicious site. I don't think I did a very good job commenting on other peoples blogs. I find myself now becoming more at ease and interested in what others have been saying. I have gone back and started really reading more thoroughly and thinking about what others have said. I just need to make the connection more vivid by commenting back. I will continue to try to do so even after this course is finished.

I am wondering if I'll be able to get back into the class site to refer back to some of the tutorials if I need a refresher. Will that be possible?? I sure hope so.

I am pleased with what I have learned through this course. I have been inspired to become more invested with many new avenues of technology. I look forward to reading wiki spaces and blogs...I never thought I would say that... Thank you Jim for this great opportunity. Thank you Otto for being the greatest blog reader!!

Thing 21

Below are a few You Tube videos that I discovered that I enjoyed watching and learning from. I would like to try using vidoes more in my classroom. I will try using zamzar, vixy, and keepvid when I get back into my classroom. I don't want to open that stuff here on my home computer. I foresee using more videos from You Tube, Teacher Tube, National Geographic, and PBS American Field Guide to enhance lessons this year. In the past I used United Streaming often. I really thought that was something...until now...I have a wealth of possibilities to use at my fingertips and look forward to sharing these with my students more.






3 steps to 21st century learning



Pay Attention!

Thing 21

Downloading videos:


Funniest Leadership Speech

Thing 20

What podcasts have you discovered that are of benefit to you PERSONALLY or PROFESSIONALLY (again, provide links if possible)?


I think students would enjoy podcasting if they were listening to other children. If the podcasts are brief, kids would be able to focus on them for the short amount of time. I think they would rather use "vodcasting" instead.

I know students would LOVE to create podcasts!! Second graders love to talk and be heard. Therefore, if I can find ways for them to get their voice out there for others to listen to, they would love it!! One way I would have them get involved with podcasting would be to read aloud stories so that others could listen to them. It would also provide me with a sample of their reading so that I could critique it further to do running records.

The podcasts that I have found beneficial for me personally are as follows:

428. Pizza box of the future - BestofYouTube.com 0:58 5/9/2009 Pizza box of the future


Bloomberg-- Taking Stock
Patty Edwards Discusses Retail, Lowry’s Knudsen on Stocks 32:46 8/6/2009 Aug. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Patty Edwards, a retail analyst and
founder of Storehouse Partners LLC in Bellevue, Washington,
talks to Bloomberg's Pimm Fox about U.S. consumer spending, the
upcoming fall retail season and the economy. Tracy Knudsen,
seni



The podcasts that would help me professionally are as follows:

I am currently still discovering what might be useful.

Thing 20

Here are five ways that I would like to use podcasting in my classroom.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

Thing 19

Here a few podcasts that I listened to.

Think like a leader
http://cdn4.libsyn.com/nctpcast/ep28_lucycarolanne_part1.m4a?nvb=20090810200837&nva=20090811201837&t=0453736f5844aa45672db

President Obama's Weekly Radio Address (08.08.09) 6:00 8/8/2009 The weekly address to the nation by President Barack Obama, anchored by George Stephanopoulos.


The Stuff of Genius: The Toaster 2:20 8/7/2009 Although toast itself dates back into prehistory, the toaster is a very recent -- and convenient -- invention. Learn how Charles Strite's Stuff of Genius became a fixture of the modern kitchen in this video podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

The Stuff of Genius: The Computer Mouse 1:32 7/31/2009 Before Douglas Engelbart invented the mouse, computers received input through typed commands -- but that all changed once this handy pointer hit the scene. Learn more about Engelbart's Stuff of Genius in this video podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

The Stuff of Genius: Liquid Paper 2:44 7/24/2009 Dallas secretary Bette Nesmith Graham hated typos, because erasing an error left smears and smudges. Luckily, she decided to tackle the problem with paint rather than erasers. Learn about her Stuff of Genius in this video podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

The Stuff of Genius: TV Remotes 2:06 7/17/2009 Modern TV viewers use remote controls to channel surf from the comfort of their seat -- but it wasn't always this easy. Learn more about the convenience -- and consequence -- of Robert Adler's Stuff of Genius in this video podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

The Stuff of Genius: Windshield Wipers 2:00 7/10/2009 When Mary Anderson traveled to New York, she noticed that traffic jammed as drivers stopped to wipe their windshields in snowy weather. Learn how her Stuff of Genius made roads safer -- and windshields cleaner -- in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

The Stuff of Genius: Refined Sugar 1:57 7/3/2009 Before Norbert Rillieux's sugar evaporator, slaves across the New World risked severe -- and often fatal -- injury while refining sugar. Learn how this Stuff of Genius saved hundreds of lives and modernized sugar in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
The Stuff of Genius: Long-Range Radio 1:48 6/26/2009 Before Ernst Alexanderson designed the high-frequency alternators that transmitted radio broadcasts in a continuous wave, radio was not usable over long distances. Tune in and learn more Stuff of Genius in this video podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

The Stuff of Genius: The QWERTY Keyboard 1:34 6/19/2009 Although the keys on the original typewriter keyboard were alphabetized, consumers quickly realized the swift taps of typists would inevitably jam the machine. Learn how Christopher Sholes saved the keyboard in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

The Stuff of Genius: Flexible Straw 1:27 6/12/2009 Joseph Friedman took beverage technology to a whole new level with the invention of the flexible drinking straw. Find out how Friedman came up with his bendy creation in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
The Stuff of Genius: Watches 1:58 6/5/2009 Nowadays, wristwatches aren't anything to write home about... but this wasn't always the case. Learn how locksmiths like Peter Henlein miniaturized the dubious clocks of the day to create portable timepieces in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
The Stuff of Genius: Video Games 1:45 5/29/2009 Ralph Baer was working for a U.S. defense company when he invented the world's first video game system. Luckily, this Stuff of Genius was too fun to remain locked away from the public. Learn more about video games in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
The Stuff of Genius: Aspirin 1:37 5/22/2009 When chemist Felix Hoffman attempted to lessen his father's chronic stomach pain, he discovered aspirin. Learn more about Hoffman's astonishing career in this podcast by HowStuffWorks.com.
The Stuff of Genius: Junk Food 1:35 5/15/2009 During World War II, William Mitchell made a discovery that led to the emergence of junk food for the masses. Learn how tapioca led to pop rocks in this video podcast from HowStuffWorks.com
The Stuff of Genius: Television 1:41 5/8/2009 When Philo Farnsworth was just fourteen years old, he had an epiphany that changed his life -- and ours. Tune in and learn how this former sharecropper created the modern television in The Stuff of Genius, a video podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
The Stuff of Genius: Super Wheat 1:18 4/24/2009 Norman Borlaug spent most of his life fighting world hunger and led the effort to grow more productive, disease-resistant wheat strains. Learn more about The Stuff of Genius in this video podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
The Stuff of Genius: Velcro 1:21 4/24/2009 When George de Mestral and his dog set out on a leisurely mountain stroll, they returned covered in burrs. Learn how an afternoon walk inspired the creation of Velcro in this video podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.




I personally prefer to watch and listen to information. I don't prefer podcasting. I am a visual learner and for me to just sit and listen to someone talk is difficult for me. I feel my students would have a difficult time staying on task listening to a podcast. Therefore, Vodcasts would be better for me and my second grade students. I don't think I would use very many podcasts in my classroom unless they were very short.

Thing 18

Thing 17

How is a wiki different from a blog?

1. What is a wiki?
With a wiki you can create simple web pages that groups, friends, and families
can edit and work on together.
2. What can I use a wiki for?
A wiki is great for any kind of group website. It's for families, classrooms,
sports teams, community groups and more.

1. What is a blog?
A blog is like an online journal that I can go to and read what others have blogged on topics that I am interested in. I can then blog and share information, knowledge, or even debate about the topic with others.

2. I would use a blog when I am wanting to research information or check out applications that others have tried and commented on.

I think that a wiki can be more useful to teachers in middle school or high school. I think it was easier to create a wiki. I am hoping that parents are familiar with wiki and want to explore the site that I created for my second grade classroom.

I would use a wiki with my colleagues when working in committees or working on school improvement. I think that if we use google doc and wikis to collaborate on information and edit information prior to meeting time, then time would be more useful when we gather to discuss the information. Whereas, blogging would be more of an avenue to get our opinion out there about topics prior to working on the wiki site of information to be edited.

Some problems that I foresee working with wikis are as follows:
**my students are young 7 & 8
**not all my students have computer available at home
**there is such a giant curriculum full of GLCE's to be taught I'm not sure how to incorporate these technologies effectively due to time constraints


I think that Alan Fischer did a great job working on the GLCE's site for his wiki page! Check it out! http://glcelinks.wikispaces.com/

Here is a link to check out my wiki page:
http://dylcarri.wikispaces.com/

Thing 13

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dylcarri/3802110911/

Super "Cool" Snowman...this one would really be a big hit at family gatherings!!

I really like this!! I have many photos that I will attempt to use this on.

I am curious at how I could use this in my classroom. I would probably start by taking individual photos of all of my students then possibly throughout the year...have the students make changes to each of their own photos for different holiday projects.

Thing 12

Photo sharing is cool! I will definitely use it in my private life. In my classroom, I envision using it to share photos taken in my classroom with the office staff for newsletters in my building and at the district level also. I think that it would be a great way to share with students real pictures of something or a place where they are interested in traveling to. Sometimes kids really don't realize how different other places in the world are...and if we can show them pictures that are taken by other people around the world...that could make a huge impact on their learning. I fear that it would be difficult to regulate inappropriate pictures if I didn't do a search ahead of time for the kids. I don't know what kids of security blockages could be put into place to help prevent kids from seeing inappropriate things.

Thing 11

Why Leadership

View more documents from mhdbadr.

I LOVE THIS!! Leadership is the key!!

Thing 11

Photo The Best

View more presentations from Ivanšek Renata.

I really love this slideshare of photos! I love photography and I envy the chance to get out there and take photos like these. My nick name is "the poparatcy" because I always am at sporting events taking pictures of all the kids doing amazing things!! I love to share with the kids exciting moments that they have had with the use of photos.


I am not sure how I would have my second grade students use this. It would be great if we had a buddy class in a different state or country that we could share powerpoint presentations with. I will check into doing that!! It would be fun!

Thing 10

While discovering new ways of creating, saving, and editing documents, I found it very exciting. The reason I am excited is because now I have a way of creating documents at home that I would like to use with my classroom full of students, other staff members, and my student teacher. Knowing that lots of us work at home on projects for school, we can now upload documents, spreadsheets, etc and save them and make changes if needed to them before even entering the school building. I know that I will make use of this tool especially with my student teacher.

I think with my students I will try creating documents that they can manipulate during writing activities. If we take some of their stories and add technology to them...I know they'll love it!! I bet they will do great at it too!!

I think that there are many advantages in working in the "cloud". I know that I am more at ease now in searching the web for many new things to use in my classroom. I never realized how easy it could be to find information that would benefit lessons that I would be teaching. The disadvantage that I foresee is that I hope that I am not the only one in my building that will be trying out some of these new technological avenues. I can only get better at doing all this neat stuff if others send and share information. I guess that makes me a hands on learner. Hopefully others will follow or are already there... :O)

Thing 9

Please check out the survey that I created using the following link. Thanks for participating!

Thing 8

AWESOME!!! I love this! I am hoping that I can get some other second grade teachers into this or at least find some teachers already social bookmarking so that I am share info and use valuable info already discovered!! I can't wait to have more time to really explore other people's discoveries of technology sites.

Thing 6 and 7

Well, I did it.. I survived Thing 6 creating the Bloglines and fiddled with RSS. I don't know how anyone else feels...but that was a little confusing for a little while. However, I did finally figure it out! I never knew that getting into this course would make me so curious to become more creative with technology.

I'm moving on to Thing 8!! Yeah!!

Thing 5

After reviewing the videos and reading the information provided in Thing 4, I began thinking about the way that I look at things and approach life. The 7 1/2 habits of Life Long Learning was a big help to me in my thinking. Habit number one is something I don't do very well. It stated,"Begin with the end in mind." I look at the big picture often, but I know I don't always look at all the small details to things that may be necessary to set up to help me reach the end goal. I know that I set lessons up in my classroom following this habit, but in my life I don't think I spend time on this habit enough. I am currently working to better myself at Habit number 6 in trying to use technology to my advantage. The other habits I will continue to work on as well. Stopping and really taking a look at myself and my own learning will have a great impact on my students.

Web 2.0 is exactly what I needed. I didn't really know how interested I would be in all that Web 2.0 has to offer. I guess I feel a little neglectful that I did not pursue this information sooner. I am excited to experience and learn what it has to offer and more. In this fast pace society, I feel it is important for all teachers to dive into the technology that is changing so quickly. In thinking about the 10 trends of Future education, I feel overwhelmed. I go with the flow pretty easily, and I felt pretty knowledgeable about technology, until now. I feel that I am back at the beginning stages of my learning back in high school sitting at a Mac computer trying to figure it out. I want to be Collaborating, Contributing, and Creating things that are useful for my students and colleagues.

I am not sure what questions I have at this time.....

While thinking about Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century I completely agree with the statistics that I read. I see it in the students that have recently graduated and are working in my area. I see the lack of critical thinking. I also see the difference in how kids these days have a very lazy work ethic. I remember when I was going to EMU that I worked three jobs, took a 12-16 credits per semester and did well. Today, if I ask kids about working...they say, "no...there will be plenty of time for that when I graduate." I hope that is true for them. I hope that they get great jobs and are willing to put forth effort to do their best. I have recently been trying to express to my son the importance of written communication. He is a high school student and doesn't think that elaborating on details is very important. Hopefully, he'll come around and realize that details are important in verbal and written communication so that he can be successful in the career he chooses.

Overall, I was very intrigued with what I saw and read. I am definitely thinking in a different more technical way. Mostly, I look forward to learning more so that I can increase my knowledge of all this new technology in our changing society.

Thing 3

Have you blogged before? Have you read blogs before? How does it feel to share your thoughts so publicly? What are your fears or concerns about blogging?


Well.....
Blogging is a new experience for me. I find it very interesting that so many people are into this. I not really sure how I feel about expressing thoughts so publicly. I guess I feel apprehensive about sharing information with people that I don't know. This is a bit scary for me. However, I do find it fascinating to be able to read thoughts and concerns from others that may have the same views on things as I do.

Upper Penisula

Well, I finally made it to the U.P. It was great!! We took the boys to see lots of amazing things on our family vacation. It was a really cool adventure. We hiked around and saw T. Falls, fed a baby bear at Oswald's Bear Ranch, watched ship go in and out at the Soo Locks, climbed Castle Rock, froze our toes in Lake Superior, shopped around, and enjoyed the view everywhere!! I was thrilled that we got to share this experience with the kids.