A New Beginning

So, with the 23 Things behind me, I think the next goal is to transform this blog. I still want to share some of the wonderful things I'm learning here at Austin Peay and I can't think of a better way to do it. Let's start with this quote: "The British are coming! The British are coming!" Now how many of you have heard that line before? I know I have, maybe every year in one history class or another. I hate to break the news to you though. This supposed famous line by Paul Revere is anything but true. In 1775, the people of America still thought they were British. They were just having the beginning ideas of independence. So, the actual quote by Paul Revere was this: "The Regulars are out!" I just finished reading Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer. If any of you are history lovers, you should definitely check this out. Another misconception is that Revere was a solitary midnight rider. Many think he rode through the streets alone to warn hundreds of people about the British invasion. Again, this is not all true. Although Revere was a key factor in warning the people, it was more of a collaborative effort. There were dozens of riders who galloped through the night to warn the surrounding towns of attack. I'm so happy that I know the truth now behind this legendary man. They say that you learn something new every day. So for today, here it is ladies and gentlemen. Enjoy!

One Last Thought

I guess this is the beginning of the end. It's bittersweet to be finishing this project. I have learned so much throughout these past few weeks. I feel a sense of accomplishment and I'm a little sad to say that it's over. There's something that's just so empowering about learning a new skill. One thing is certain...I will be a better teacher because of the work I did on The 23 Things. I'm am looking forward so much to using my new found skills and sharing them with others along the way. I think by taking the tools that I have discovered, I can utilize them by keeping up with new developments in Web 2.0. With my Google Reader, I have already subscribed to quite a few feeds that are based on Web 2.0 practices. I also think by using Del.icio.us I can search for tags on Web 2.0 and keep track of all of the ones that are relevant using the bookmarking tool. These are just a few ideas, but I know that my learning won't end here. The more I know, the better person and educator I become. That's what I'm out to accomplish.
I think my favorite discovery of all was how easy it is to create a blog. I love everything about it and I have had so much working on it. As I said in my very first post about blogging, "I think this is something I will grow to love." There is so much truth in that statement, because I love doing this. I'm learning valuable skills and hopefully inspiring some other people along the way.
Some other favorites of mine were the Google Reader, iGoogle, Animoto, and wikis. Because I have a better understanding of technology and all of the great benefits it offers students and teachers, I feel like my goals are more in focus. I will continue to be a life-long learner, and this project has shown me just how to do it. There is so much more out there waiting to be explored by me, or even by you. The difference now is that I'm ready for the challenge. This is just the boost I needed. I don't think that there's much I would change about this project. The only suggestion I have would be to have each of the students find their own "Thing" dealing with an new Web 2.0 topic or activity. They could write a blog post with a discovery exercise and explanation of their great find. It would give them a chance to explore Web 2.0 a little more and give their classmates another opportunity to add to their knowledge bank.
I hope those of you that were reading enjoyed some of my ideas and opinions. I know I have grown throughout this project, I can feel it as write this last thought. I promise to update this with any new ideas or discoveries I make. It's a great to learn something new and exciting, but what's even better is sharing that knowledge with someone else.

Thing 23

Credits
Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based on Learning 2.0 - 23 Things, a staff development program for the Mesquite Independent School District. That program was based on the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers and adapted by the California School Library Association and others. Content and style for Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers has been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License.

This was taken from the homepage of the 23 Things website. Dr. Wall has it near the bottom of the page under the heading of Credits.

I now have a much better understanding of creative commons. In a way, this entire project has been leading up to this moment. We have learned how much of an impact technology can have on our lives. But more importantly, we have learned how to use it wisely. We have to give credit where credit is due. I don't think there's a better a way of saying it than that. When I have my own classroom, I think it would be a great experience for the students to license something that they have created. This will give them a better look at Creative Commons and what it has to offer. Another idea would be to have the students work on a collaborative project wherein they take already licensed items and create something new (giving credit in the process, of course). As long as students are being exposed to the ideas of copyright, plagiarism, and fair use I think the most important goal is being met. If they can understand what it means to use shared work in the correct way then one of my jobs as an educator is complete.

Thing 22

I'm a lover of English and anything to do with reading, so it was fairly easy for me to find some podcasts that caught my attention. I used the Education Podcast Directory first and found a couple of podcasts to subscribe to. One of them is An Idiom A Day. I thought immediately that this is something I could play for the students first thing in the morning. It's a fresh thought to start the day and will get everyone's minds working. I also found a web site called StoryNory, which is full of podcasts. The link I provided is to the first chapter of Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. Once you click on the link, there is a side bar where you can search dozens of stories by any theme you choose. I am very excited about this discovery. One of my favorite things in the world is listening to a story. I remember being in elementary school and our teacher brought in a storyteller when I was in fifth grade. I'll never forget what a wonderful experience that was for me. Now with technology, I can easily do the same thing for my students. What a treat it would be to let them listen to a chapter of a book once a day or once a week. They could even vote to pick they story they wanted. I added both of these podcasts to my RSS feed so I can keep up with new stories and content that's been added. I also checked out the Learn Out Loud page to see what they offered. I found quite a few that I think would be beneficial for me to use once I start teaching. There was a Poem of the Day, a President of the Day, and many more. I will have no problem finding something fun and educational for my students and for myself.
I think another great option would be for me to make a podcast of the material we are getting ready to study. I could post it to my class website so both parents and students could have access. Also, I think the students would love working on making their own. We could turn it into a class project. Students could work in pairs or groups. Or we could even work on one as a class. No matter which one we do, I think the students will learn a great deal about using technology to enhance their learning.

Thing 21

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Wow! Animoto is such a neat little site. Making my video was very easy and I had a great time experimenting with the songs and pictures. I didn't have a lot of pictures uploaded to Flickr yet, so I just took some from my computer. Once I add all my pictures to Flickr, this will be a piece of cake! I decided to make a video about my husband's last deployment and his homecoming. It popped into my head as soon as I started reading about Animoto, so I just went with my gut. It turned out really great (although I guess I do have a biased opinion). I think that it would be wonderful for students to use this site to create videos for a project or even just to experiment. I would use this to make classroom videos for my web page. It would be neat for parents to see pictures of their children and the activities that we are doing at school. For example, if we went on a field trip, I could make a video of that and post it for parents to see (with permission of course). It's quick and easy to use, which makes it all the better in my opinion. This is just another tool that I'm going add to my box of knowledge.

Thing 20

YouTube is great site, but as stated time and time again, you have to ignore the negative videos floating around out there. I think it can be very beneficial and it gives people a means of expressing themselves. After searching through many videos, I found one that I thought gave a great message. It's titled "Do you teach or do you educate? I think it brings up many good points, as you'll see when you watch the video. When I become a teacher, or should I say educator, I want to promote lifelong learning. I want my students to succeed throughout their lives, not just in my classroom. I think many teachers have lost sight of the true goal. I just want to make sure that I never forget why I chose this profession. It's important that we all become educators, ones who empower students. I love the message of this video and I hope that you do as well! I definitely think this site could be used both in the classroom and personally. I already had an idea about posting one to the Ning network that I created. Students love to learn visually, so using something from this website could greatly enhance your lesson. I will definitely be using it in the future.

Thing 19

I love the idea of Teacher Pop. It's true that teachers need to have a good reputation on the Internet. People should know who we are because of the good that we do. What better way to do that than to promote higher standards and share learning experiences? I'm very excited about being a member of this. I added the badge to my blog and also found some great ideas from other users on TeacherPop. I actually thought it might be a good idea to start a Ning Network for preservice teachers who are also Army wives. It's called The Life of a Teaching Army Wife. It would be a great way to create bonds and share some of the experiences and trials that go along with these two jobs. I started the network and I'm working on getting some members so it will be up and running. You can find my badge on my blog. If you're an Army wife who is also in the education field, come and check it out!
I also decided to become a member of GoodReads. What a cool site! I had heard of this before, but I never got around to checking it out. I love the idea of keeping a list of books that I have read. Before this, I used to write them all down in my journal. I want to be able to tell my children when they get older which books are must reads. Now, I can keep track of all them and even make a "to read" list as well. It's a great place for book lovers from all over the world.
Classroom 2.0 is such a neat network. It promotes Web 2.0 and social media. There are just so many places to go and not enough time to explore them all! I would definitely use this in the future. I love bouncing ideas around and these kind of applications are the perfect places to do just that.