#24 "You're almost finshed, but..."

Just when you thought it was safe to jump into the water.... landshark!  Answering some questions:

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

Definitely my new life love Livebinders!! I plan to add that to my arsenal of online tool toys.  Overall I enjoyed creating the blog itself.  Though I have started blogs before I tend to lose interest before long.

How has this program affected your lifelong learning goals?
Hmm....  I tend to be a learner in general.  I am always looking for more things to try and it was fun trying some of them.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
One thing that surprised me was how difficult it was to get registered for some of these things.  It was definitely an uphill battle.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
Though I enjoyed some things, many others I just found tedious.  I tend to be fairly web savvy and I am always up for a new site or program, but some of them were just more trouble than they would be worth to me.  Also after a while I was overwhelmed with websites.

How will what you have learned influence your practice as a teacher?
The jury is still out on that.  While I can see the value of some of the things, having the time to design and integrate them is not easy to find.

How do you plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0? Recommend a way that you have found to be useful.
I am on the web a lot and get a lot of exposure to the new "things" coming down the pike.  One way that has been interestingly useful for finding new "web 2.0" things has been Pinterest, yes Pinterest. It seems to be a website that I can easily follow and search.  It is also very current.

#23 Creative Commons, or "Can't we all just get along?"

I had noticed at the beginning of these 23 Things that Dr. Wall had credited her web creation of The 23 Things.

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.

I have already begun using Creative Commons for reproducible images.  As an artist I understand the value of retaining ownership of your work, but also wishing to allow use of it but controlling that usage.  

#22 It's Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive binder.

Wow I am in love!!! Livebinders where have you been all my life? I will hold you, and pet you, and love you..... I can see sooo many possibilities.  I began by organizing my physical science bookmarks into binders, so far I have: Physics, Chemistry, and Teacher Tools.

Here is the beginnings of the Physics Binder:

Physics

I could definitely see some use for this in the classroom!  If you had information you wanted the students to read or share you could have a binder for each lesson.  If you wanted to have a webquest without all the webquest program hassle (sorry!) you could easily put it all in a binder!  If you wanted students to produce a model (poster, presentation, etc.), you could put several examples in a binder  for them to reference at their leisure.

I plan to sit down and organize all of my bookmarks, papers, etc. into these binders.  That way I can access ALL of my work from anywhere and it will be in an organized manner that I can understand!!!!

I love you Livebinders!

#21 Domo Arigato Mr. Animoto.

Animoto!!  Very fun!  Check out the clip of some of my paintings.



I enjoyed Animoto, but maybe I'm just missing the point.  I don't know that it is much better than powerpoint presentations and if you want to make something longer than 30 seconds you have to pay.  I probably will not be using it.

#20. Youtubing with POWER!

Check out this great video about making plasma in your microwave with just a grape!!!  Plasma is the most common form of matter, however it's not one we get to see much in person.  This video shows an exciting experiment making plasma at home!

 

Youtube is such a great resource in the classroom.  There are so many cool science videos to show students.  Since we can't always have all the supplies it has become an indispensable tool for me.

 

 

 

Now I will attempt to use the website Magisto!!!! (Echos in my head...)  Let's do this!  BRB!  Huh.  Back so soon you say... For some reason Magistooooooooo would not allow me to create an account.  It looked like a really fun site too. 

 

Next I tried flixlab.  Don't even go there, it's not a live site anymore.  I'm beginning to sense a pattern.

 

 

MeMoov? No.

 

 

Ok.  So I'm pretty web savvy, I use many programs across several genres.  I simply cannot find a live website for video platforms!  Perhaps they couldn't compete with mega giant youtube.com.  So this was a frustrating experience for me.  I had very high hopes for Magisto too.

#19 The Social outcasts.

Ah the joys of social networking.  Of course you have your facebooks and your twitters, but give me good ol' Pinterest any day!  I looooove pinterest!  I use it almost everyday.  I use it for school ideas, chemistry ideas, lab ideas, as well as crafting and recipes.  It appeals to me in a very visceral way that I cannot fully explain.  It has been an excellent platform for sharing ideas and information found around the web. 

I am fascinated by the "Pinterest for Teachers".  I am not sure I had noticed it as it's own entity until this very time!  I am very excited to check it out and use it often!

#18 The Social butterfly.

I have been on twitter Me :) for about 4 years or so now.  I seem to take it in spells.  I think it would be a great way to make class announcements and to keep an eye on the pulse of your students.  As a matter of fact so many of these great programs and sites would be quite useful.  However, there simply are not enough hours in the day to keep up with all of them.  I think perhaps starting with one, and then building as you become accustom to using it and keeping it updated is perhaps the best plan of action.