Thing 23

Working on 23 things has been very time consuming. The projects were not overly challenging, but they did introduce me to some things that I was unaware of. My views on the Internet and its educational applications is unchanged. I have been using technology throughout the year and am well aware that technology is a useful tool that will fuel education. I plan on using some of the tools to provide my classes with supplemental information and access to information presented in class. My big “take away” from this experience is students need to be introduced to the educational aspects of the Internet. They are well versed in social networking, but they are not aware of any educationally relevant aspects, due to the fact that they're not fun. We should start the year by introducing students and their families to the technologies we will be using throughout the year.

Thing 22

Using a wiki could be a useful tool in my classroom. I'd like to make a year long running wiki that information is added to throughout the year. It would proved an educational time line from September to June. Students could always reference previous information and relate it to current lessons. Wiki's are different from a blog in that a wiki can be edited by all members, whereas a blog can only be commented on. I think a blog is more appropriate when you are providing information that should not be changed. A wiki is more appropriate when a group or class is creating something.

Thing 21

I found the Survey of Literature Course - 9th grade course site to be a great idea. I want to create a site that incorporates my classroom rules with our lab safety procedures. The ability to reference online and to document the viewing is a great way to create accountability. The only problem I can see in using a wiki is students not having access to technology at their home. I know we have computer labs available, but it still hurts the students who cant afford a computer. Academically or emotionally. We are quickly approaching an educational society that would provide all students with access to technology at their homes. This is absolutely worth the fight.

Thing 20

Include in your post the name of at least one podcast to which you subscribed. Describe your experience using the various search tools. Which do you prefer and why? I found all the different methods of searching for and subscribing to podcasts to be user friendly. I prefer itunes, but only becaue I can download the software onto my computer, and it serves multiple purposes. I subscribed to a weekly tech update. The podcasts cover various forms of new technology, which considering this project, is fitting and very useful. ">

Thing 19

I searched through many blogs provided by RESA and other sources. I finally decided on the podcasts created by Dave Bydlowski. He is the science consultant for Resa and provides many ideas for lessons and informational podcasts. I think the most useful cast was the one concerning 6th grade science curriculum. We are currently reworking the science curriculum this year and Dave's casts provide a deeper understanding of the glcs and how they work together. This would have been helpful six months ago when all this started. I plan on reviewing them with my team and integrating the new information into the rest of the year and adding on to the things we've already changed.

Thing 18

Autism Spectrum Disorders

View another webinar from Brent Daigle, Ph.D.

The presentation I embedded is a great introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder. Its a misunderstood disorder and this gives people a good general history and symptoms of autism. Being able to upload and share presentations is a great way to share them with coworkers and classmates without the annoyance of sharing USB's or emails. This also eliminates the problem of transferring presentations that have a large amount of data. My students could also have easy access to presentations shown in class, without having to print off a hundred copies at a time.

Thing 17

I used the 30 boxes website. Its a great site that is easy to use. I've been looking for a good online calendar and this one fits my needs. I didn't allow it to access my Facebook account or any of my other information, but I can see people using that, even though Facebook notifies people. I think having an online calendar that can notify me of upcoming events without me logging in will help keep me on track in my business life. My personal life functions on a less strict schedule.

Thing 16

The google doc that I'm supposed to open is not in my docs. Help.

Thing 15

RSS is easy to understand. I particularly like the ability to allow other people to research topics for me using the tagging method. I plan on using it to gather information for my masters classes. I don't remember to check them on a regular basis, but now that I have a definite purpose, checking them will become a regular activity.

Thing 14

Delicious username: lvanvalk Social bookmarking would be a great tool for my students to be able to access websites that are educationally relevant to the current curriculum. I could also share my websites with my coworkers to cut down on emailing websites and titles. I don't think this could improve my productivity right now. I do most of my work at school and home, both of which have my usual websites on file, but it could be useful in the future.

Thing 13

I've only used tags for photographs in Facebook. Tagging is a very useful way to organize digital resources, for the same reason we put things in labeled files and put post-its on important things to do. Social bookmarking is a great way to access my information from any location. The only disadvantage to social bookmarking is the social aspect of it. I have no problem sharing my preferred websites with coworkers and the like, but what if I don't want people knowing where I get my best information from, or if I don't want people to know my political party. The most obvious advantage is cutting down on the amount of time spent searching for your own information and the ability to locate it from any device. I would like to have some sort of organizational plan in mind to correspond to my tags and bookmarks and ensure i only bookmark social information.

Thing 12

Embedding code is a fairly simple process. I have a twitter and Facebook account, which I rarely use for any type of communication. Relationships formed online is an oxymoron. With an actual face-to-face encounter its nothing more than communicating to a random person. Social networking sites are popular with kids because they provide instant and easy communication with their peers. Its also hard for parents to police.