Monday, July 7, 2008

Thing 23---My Thoughts on 23 Things

The end of 23 Things. I have mixed emotions about this, so I will
go straight to the required questions:

1. I enjoyed discovering Picassa, Google Docs (especially the Power
Point like program) and Google Reader. These are all programs
that I never would have found or tried had I not participated in
this program.
2. This program has assisted me in my lifelong learning goals by
challenging me to get out there and see what is new. It has also shown me that I can still learn new tricks.
3. I think the Blogging experience was the most unexpected outcome that surprised me. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I also did not expect to impress my family as much as I did after they read my Blogs. I think that they now see me in a different light---maybe a little cooler than previously.
4. I can't think of any way to improve this program----unless we got more hours for participating. I found that I spent much more than 18 hours completing all of the requirements.
5. If another program like this were to be offered in the future I would definitely participate.
6. How would I describe this program in one word or one sentence? Hmmmm.....I think the above cartoon says it all.
7. Now that I am finished....whew!!!....I feel that I am now qualified to comment on my fellow player's blogs. Watch out Tech Goddess........

Thing 22-Nings



Nings! Nings! Nings are wonderful things! I certainly enjoyed visiting them and seeing th.e pictures of the other members. I really enjoyed the Cat in the Hat video that was created to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday. I can see that Nings could be very helpful in sharing ideas and creations (like the Cat in the Hat video). It's kind of like a WIKI with pictures---a PIKI? Anyway, I can see they are not only fun, but useful in the exchange of ideas. I now know why my kids are hooked on Facebook.

Thing 21-Podcasts

Finally! Something I can do! After Thing 20's embedded video fiasco I am actually looking forward to Photostory. I have created a number of Photostories over the past year. I have used them to create memory dvd's of birthday parties and vacations---and to create lessons. I love Photostory. Be warned, though, that once you start using it you won't be able to stop. It is yet one more program on my computer that I can only do when I have lots of time to play with it. It is addictive! Here is my Photostory presentation that I created for Constitution Week. I showed it on the morning announcements. I will probably create something else this year. Okay!!! I give up! I have successfully embedded my Photostory, but now it says that it is currently unavailable. Maybe it will work for you. I will keep my fingers crossed.......

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Thing 20-YouTube, TeacherTube and Zamzar

YouTube and TeacherTube were not new to me. I have explored them before---YouTube at home since the district blocks it. I love them both. I can waste a lot of time exploring both of these sites, so I try to only visit when I have a specific topic or lots of time to spare. I found several videos that I could use in my teaching. Okay, embedding the video proved to be alot more work than I had expected. I finally managed with a sample video, but not with the TeacherTube video that I had wanted or with the video that I sent to Zamzar. I will work on that some more. In the meantime, I just linked the TeacherTube video. Enjoy........


http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=c44114c473a74b8bdf36


Saturday, July 5, 2008

Thing 19-Web 2.0 Awards List


And the winner is......Microsoft Live Search Maps! I like the way categories can be searched----schools, stores, malls for example and the websites of these different locations can also be accessed. How easy is that? There are different ways to view the areas also. I could see using this with students in map studies. I also checked out the "Collaborative Writing and Word Processing" category and was pleased to see "Google Docs and Spreadsheets" won 1st place among other voters. This was my favorite also when I visited it in an earlier exercise. I also played with Comigs, a site that lets you create and share comics. I'm not quite sure just how I could use this in the school setting---yet. Give me some time and I'm sure that I can think of a way. In the mean time, I sure had fun playing with it.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Thing 18-Online Productivity Tools


Well, I tried them both, but I have to admit that I had more luck with Google Docs. I created a presentation in Google Docs. I was very impressed with the ease of adding videos to the presentation---something that was always challenging with Power Point. I also like the that way that Google Reader and other Google programs can be accessed from the Google Docs page.