One Last Thing

This has been an amazing journey - one of frustration at times, but definitely worthwhile.

*What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I loved learning how to blog and set-up a wiki which I used during our research unit. I love Google docs and my reader, and playing around with some of the fun tools such as flickr.

*How has this program affected your life long learning goals? I love taking classes and never want to stop learning. This class took me out of my comfort zone and has boosted my confidence in the area of technology.

*Were there any take-a-way or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I must say, I never imagined the amount of information out there for teachers professionally or for use in the classroom. I never, never thought that I would ever be on Facebook, and fell in love with it.

*Would could you do differently to improve upon the program's format or concept? I can't think of anything. Your timeline was great - I just needed to follow it a little better; the "how to" videos were great, and your comments and encouragement were great. You definitely need to take it with someone - collaboration makes it fun.

*If you offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate? Absolutely.

*How will what you have learned influence your practice as a teacher?
There are many things that I will use in my classroom. This year, we set up a Wiki and blogs for our research unit on the Civil War. I want to include more computer time in the classroom - not just once a week in the computer lab.

*How do you plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0? I plan to subscribe to some additional feeds to my reader and visit it often.

*Where do you go from here?

Next year, I plan to set-up a classroom blog. I will use the wiki and blogs for research. I will continue to follow articles from my reader, incorporate youtube in the classroom - the resources are limitless and I am excited to explore them further.

It has been a great experience.

Thing #23

I found 2.0 overwhelming. I joined it because I found some useful articles and some videos that I could use in the classroom. I need to spend more time browsing to fully understand it. I liked Teacher-Librarian Ning better. I like the book reviews and someone offered several links to search for books that could be used in the classroom. I am confused about Ning and thought it was a difficult to navigate. I think that it would be a good way to set up a private network between students, parents, and teachers. I still like blogging better - baby steps!


Visit 23 Thingsters

Thing #22

Ok - I said that I would never do Facebook or MySpace. Never say never. I am now on Facebook and love it. It was so much fun finding friends and friends of friends. I connected with a teacher that I used to work with. It was also fun seeing what my grown children were doing on line. I think that it is a great way to stay connected to people when our time is so limited. However, now I must find the time to visit the site. I only explored Facebook. I have heard that Facebook is more family oriented than Myspace and most everyone I know is on Facebook. I understand the importance of knowing about social networking but I'm not sure how to use it in my classroom with my 5th grade students. I would rather have a class blog and communicate with my students that way. I have several students that loved blogging with me when we were studying the Civil War. They could communicate with me after school and then would remind me to look at the blog and comment on what they said. I know that it is important to communicate outside the classroom with our students but I'm just not sure that Facebook is the way to go for 5th grade. I love it for me.

7b

While browsing through my Google Reader, I came across an article about differentiating instruction. We all know that we need to differentiate for our students but it is not always easy. It was interesting though that the article discussed using technology in the classroom to enhance differentiated instruction and not going to the computer lab once a week. In addition, it had ideas for differentiated instruction and links. It is well worth reading.

Thing #21

I love the Google tools. Google Alerts was very easy to use. I set an alert for TAKS (since we are testing this week). It delivered articles about TAKS as well as practice tests, workbooks, and flashcards - very cool. I also love Google Book Search. You can read excerpts from books and it then gives you options for where to purchase the book. I wasn't sure about children's books. When I searched for them it took me to Borders so I will need to examine it further. It was great for me personally. I also looked at the Google Timeline and it would be a great, quick, and easy way to keep up with current news.

Thing #20

I love Google Docs and can see many ways to use it. I think that it could be used to organize assignments and put due dates for parents to use. I think it would also be a good way to manage parent conferences. Grade levels could use it to communicate in between meetings on things such as field trips, etc. It would also be a good way to collaborate on lesson plans, especially on research units. I see it as a great time saver. While talking to my daughter who is working on her masters, we also decided that it would be a great way for groups to collaborate on group presentations without having to meet every time. I could not think of something to create for this "thing" so I did a vacation check list and sent it to everyone. Each one was assigned things to bring and I then shared it with them. They can edit as necessary. I love this sharing of documents.

Thing #19

I love voicethread and can see several ways to use it in the classroom. The pictures that are already there would be great to use for creative writing. Students could create their own pictures and stories in groups or as a class. In addition, students could use voicethread to create final projects after a novel study. They could then comment on each others. I like the idea of using it for writing prompts at the beginning of class. This would enable them to have many stories started and they could expand on them at a later date. Pictures based on what they are studying at the time could also be used for writing and making connections. While browsing, I searched and found a voicethread that would be great for introducing the book Sign of the Beaver. The teacher introduced the book and had them make predictions using the voicethread. I thought that this was a great way to have a class discussion about what we are reading outside of the class. I enjoyed this and will probably use it. I did not spend much time on the "how to" so I hope that it is user friendly.

Thing #18

Youtube and TeacherTube are amazing. They have a wealth of information, some more interesting than others. I had a difficult time finding things that I could use for reading but probably need to refine my search. I did find several videos on the Civil War, the War of 1812, and the 1775 American Revolution.
I also found a video explaining the Continental Drift that I really liked. The how to video that I decided to use was How to Surf. I have always wanted to learn. It is a step by step video beginning with how to swim on the board - pretty basic. The best part was finding the video of Susan Boyle from Britains Got Talent. If it had not been for YouTube, I would not have heard her and what an outstanding voice.

Thing #17

Podcasts could be addicting. I spent hours looking at several of them. I had a hard time finding specific subjects that I was interested in but I will keep working on it. I did look at Just One More Book which I loved. It was fairly easy to navigate and I could use it to introduce a book or use the picture books to introduce a lesson such as visualization. It also had a great list of poems that could be used in a poetry unit. I think my students would enjoy listening to someone other than myself reading. I also looked at Education Podcast Network but I need to spend more time searching around this. I could not find much that I could use in 5th grade. I also really liked the Our City Podcast. I think that students would like listening to other students talk about their homes and learning about different regions. Podcasting could be used as a project for students after research or a novel study to show their understanding of the content.

Thing #16

I really like Library Thing. I see many uses for this and plan on using it in the future, not only with students, but for myself. Several uses for the classroom include: a place for suggested reading so students can read reviews and add their own comments. It could be used in book club and have group discussions when we are not meeting once a week. I stumbled upon a novel that we use in our Civil War literature circles and decided that it would also be a good way to review books prior to using them in the classroom. I like the idea of group discussions for me - it would be like a huge book club. I will definitely return to Library Thing and use it for many things.

Thing #15

I understand the concept of Delicious but found it very difficult to navigate and therefore, very frustrating. Hopefully, it will become easier with practice. I liked searching through Delicious and was excited to find great websites for research that we do in 5th grade. When using Google, these sites did not come up. In addition, I found lesson plans for a novel study that we do at the beginning of the year. It could be a great way to organize research material. I did have a problem when I searched the American Civil War. There was one tag on the site that was inappropriate which made me think that students could not use this website. I see it as a way for me to organize information to use in the classroom. The link to my Delicious account is http://delicious/vkuykendall

Thing #7a

I think Google Reader is great. It is a little overwhelming because I want to READ everything and then decide if it is something to keep. I need to learn the art of skimming. The article I decided to comment on fits in with what we are doing. It is "Ten ways to get beyond the Powerpoint" and gives ideas on other ways to teach using technology. To me, that is what this class is all about - how to use technology in the classroom.

Thing #14

I enjoyed most of the tools that I viewed. However, I found some to be cumbersome and probably would not use. I did like the timeglider. I see it as a great way to study socials studies using time lines, especially for the Civil War. The time line could be generated with the most important battles highlighted. I also saw a way of using polldaddy to find out how students feel about things. This could be posted in blogs for them. I like the idea of polling students about their favorite books. My favorite tool that I looked at was quizlet. This would be a great way to study vocabulary in social studies, math, and science using the flash cards and taking the quiz. I played around with a lesson plan that was already in place to study the U.S. state capitals. It had the flashcards, a quiz, and a game and was fun. We could us it in the computer lab to review vocabulary.

Thing 13

Ok - this is probably the easiest "thing" that I have done yet. It was also fun. I probably should have placed my kids names in a horizontal manner instead of vertical...next time. I could see using spell with flickr to play with when reviewing for spelling tests. Also, the trading cards could be used to to make up what we think characters in a book would look like and their character traits. This was fun.

Thing 12

Snorkeling thanks to Margheoo
Surfs up thanks to Andre Pipa
Sunset thanks to canbalci
Could it get...thanks to inversolephilippines


I used the Rock You which is really neat. Actually, they all are. I can see many uses for this in the classroom. It would be a fun way to introduce a novel study. In addition, have students finds photos and make a slide show to illustrate their understanding of poems in a poetry unit. Students would really love making cartoons since so many are into the graphic novels. I think that it would be fun to use the slide show when families are together to show vacation pictures.

Thing 11

I could spend forever on Flickr looking at all the pictures and planning vacations for the next 20 years. However, I did have a few ideas on how to use it in the classroom. I searched maps and found several that could be used for the study of geography. In addition, the enormous amount of pictures would be great for creating stories or used for every day writing prompts. In addition, I found a lesson plan that could be used for teaching vocabulary. I searched caribbean beaches on places we had already visited and places that are on my wish list to visit.

by: Margheoo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielebefera/1496114817/

Thing #10 Stretch

I played around in OER Commons- what an enormous amount of information. I found one website that would be fun to do when studying geography. It is called Where is You Favorite Place? I look forward to spending more time there.

Thing #10

I have never noticed the "cc" on documents. Copyright is a little daunting at times for me. As an educator, it is difficult NOT to overlook copyright when funds are not always available for each student to have their own copy of something. I like the idea of Creative Commons. It promotes sharing, expanding on ideas, and collaboration. Isn't that what we do now in education? It now has a name and makes it what we have been doing legal.

Thing #9

I found that setting up a wiki is very difficult and frustrating. I hope, with practice, it gets easier. I finally broke down and asked Jennifer Echols to help me - thanks Jennifer. As mentioned in a previous blog, Teresa Wells helped me set up a wiki to use in research to study the Civil War. Our students have learned to post to the wiki as well as to blog about what they had learned. It has been a very frustrating but rewarding experience. They loved it and did an outstanding job. They learned to link and insert pictures to the wiki and blogs. Some of them even responded to my comments and then wanted to see my blog. We have had fun. My wiki page in the sand box is vannkuykendall. One last thing, I FINALLY figured out how to change my background. I have been working on this for weeks!!!!

Thing #8

My first experience with a Wiki was signing up for our library time and I found it very confusing. My second experience was setting one up with our wonderful and patient, librarian, Mrs. Wells to use for research on the Civil War.

I explored every Wiki but there were ones that I liked more than others. I liked the organization of Code Blue where 6th graders were learning about the human body. It was easy to follow and navigate through. It offered many links that would be helpful for the students in their research. I also liked Discovery Utopias. It had "discovery blogging rules" posted by the teacher as well as consequences of any infractions. The rules included safety measures for the students as well as his expectations of the writing. In addition, there were several rules about being "nice" when blogging. The tasks were explained and it was easy to follow. This Wiki had links, suggested books, movies, etc. The students work was creative. I loved the Go West posted by third graders. I liked the way it was set up as well. Each student had an area to research and presented it their way. I could not find what the expectations of the teacher were though. Some students had more pictures and maps while others had drawings. In the other Wikis, the tasks were posted first.

I think that Wikis are a great way to organize research and use as literature circles. I can also see how it can be used with a novel study as in Turn Homeward, Hannalee. I look forward to using it in many ways.

Thing #7

I discovered that I am a lurker. I like to read the information but don't feel the need to post a comment on everything. For some reason, I was nervous posting a comment when I did not personally know the person. I agree with 10 Techniques to Get More Comments on your Blog about not leaving a comment if I must log in. It is not about being lazy, but how uncomfortable I am as it is with my name and password "out there". However, after reading 10 Techniques..., I do realize the importance of commenting and the possibilities of learning more by commenting and receiving the feedback to my comments.

Think #6

I have spent hours adding to my reader. I may have added too many. We will see. This is very addictive and I only looked at the ones from what was posted. It was a little overwhelming when trying to decide what to add. I can't wait to review my reader though. One thing that I did add was the Rotten Tomatoes movie reviews. I never can remember what movies are coming out and what I want to see. Maybe this will help refresh my memory. But, when will I have time with ALL the other subscriptions that I now need to read through. In addition, I subscribed to Children's Books Review. I love children's books and am always looking for reviews before I place them in personal library in the classroom. There were many other blogs that I subscribed to that hopefully will enhance my learning about technology and how to apply it in the classroom.

Thing #5

OK - I must admit that the google reader is awesome. I only had trouble with one thing this time. I must be getting better at this tech. stuff! As I scrolled through the reader, what stood out for me came from three lessons from high school. It was posted from a student discussing his high school career. He talked about how "he lost his will succeed" as a freshman. He found himself in trouble and therefore, skipping school and on his way to becoming a dropout. However, he changes his story and graduates from high school as a successful student. One of the things he talked about was how he learned to value relationships not only with his peers, but with his teachers as well. He talked about the importance of respect and if you show your teachers respect, they will help you in all of your endeavors. It was inspiring to see him change his story. I would like to show it in my classroom to show that even when we make poor choices, we can still turn it around.

Thing #4

I could go on and on reading these blogs and linking to others. As I read them, it struck me that some are like a conversation. You can express your thoughts and opinions in an informal way. In addition, you can link with those who have similar interests. I love the idea of connecting with my students. At our school, we have a book club that meets every week. We are in the process of setting up our blogs. We can then discuss our readings outside the meetings. I love the idea of interacting with our students this way.

As I read the different blogs, I connected to "Why I Don't Assign Homework". I struggle with the concept of homework for our students. I know there are parents who request it but I agree with Dan Meyer. Students who are motivated will return their work while those who are not as motivated, will not. Unfortunately, those are the students that need it the most. They are also the ones who have the least amount of parental support. It is my job to figure out how to motivate the students to want to return their homework.

I also liked the blog, SSR, 2.0. He discusses the change of what we are reading. He even admitted to reading everything but books. By reading blogs and searching the internet, reading the news from the internet allows you to cover so much more. I even find myself listening to books on my IPod to save time. My concern though, is that we might not return to reading books for the rich language that we find in them.

I liked his idea of reading blogs during the SSR time. They could comment on what they read during computer lab or at home.

I love the countless links that can take us anywhere. I agree with Pithy Thoughts, I want to become a professional reader as well.

Thing #2 Reflection of 2.0

Wow! As I watched and listened to the videos, I felt like I have not provided my students with what they need. The purpose of learning 2.0 for me was to "catch-up" to where my students are regarding technology. The opportunities are endless for myself as well as my students. I love the idea of connecting to people all over the world. What an opportunity to learn about others.

As I read the article, the first thing that caught my interest was the ease of integration of all subjects. The vast amount of information from the podcasts outweighs the information gleaned from textbooks. It seemed that within minutes, all teachers had the information available to them. In addition, parents knew what their students were learning and students had the opportunity to respond through blogging. I also liked the idea of students being responsible for their learning, i.e., producing their own study guide. It is amazing how promptly everyone knew the content from the teacher, principal, superintendent, parents, and students. It is a new way of teaching, grading, and community involvement in general. It is a little overwhelming when thinking about a completely new look for the classroom.

Thng #1 Reflections on being a Lifelong Learner

I have always believed that we are lifelong learners. When we are no longer learning, what are we doing and thinking? As an educator, it is even more important to continue learning because education is always changing. A perfect example is technology. I decided to take this course because I know that I am not where I should be in regards to technology. My students know more about computers than I do and are not afraid to try new things, unlike me. But here I am, posting my first blog (and a little nervous).

My most challenging habit will be my confidence level. As I stated before, technology makes me nervous. However, I have wonderful team mates that have assured me that they will not abandoned me. As I progress in this class, I am sure that my confidence level will rise.

The easiest habit, for me, will be setting goals. My first goal is to work on my most challenging habit as mentioned above. Goals help me stay focused and on schedule.

Finally, the most important habit is the last one. The best way to learn, and retain, something is to teach it. I can't wait to use what I am learning now, in my classroom later. The opportunities are endless, not only for me, but for my students as well.