Reflecting on "21 Things"

"21 Things" has changed my perception of technology. Before the course, I envisioned technology as a vast ocean. My perception of my own skill level was akin to floating in my dinghy (ha) and managing to navigate close to the shore. I dared not venture into deep water, because it was filled with nameless monsters. After "21 Things" I envision technology as an infinite universe. I've been shown how to navigate away from safe harbor and gently prodded into testing these skills that seem so unnatural to me. I'm excited to go on - exploring and learning.
Personally, this course has stretched my knowledge well beyond anything else in the past few years. I could not have set goals, because I honestly did not know what was possible.
My favorite things . . . how about everything?? I'm still not sure about Twitter (ha). I loved Picasa - that's where my family photos live now. Animoto allowed me to create something that greatly touched several people I love dearly. Diigo is forever on my tool bar, and I am making plans to replace hard copies of sources with Diigo for my students. Google Reader is forever a daily part of my life. I know I can incorporate blogging and Google Reader into the curriculum - again, the problem is computer access.
I absolutely loved working at my own pace in my own time. That's the only way that I could take advantage of the instruction. I equally enjoyed the face-to-face option. I always felt encouraged by just being with you all for a few minutes.
Because I don't know what's "out there," I can't possibly suggest components for a future course. I trust you, Cindy, to take us where we need to go - even if it's "where no man has gone before." (I know, corny!!)
"21 Things" has given me the ability to really explore the possibilities. You introduced us to them, guided us through them, and taught us in a truly authentic manner. Thank you!!

Wordle and Quarkbase and Writeboard, Oh my!!!

First of all . . . thank you, Cindy, for the assignment!! So far, I've spent close to six hours (over several days) exploring. I know I'm strange, but the graphic by Mindomo is one of my favorite things. I can see myself referring to that as I make my plans for second semester. If I plan well ahead of time maybe I can get some quality time for my students with computers that doesn't involve word processing!
Over the course of those hours of exploring, I've planned a Wordle, opened a Writeboard, answered several questions on Ask 500 people, explored free stuff on Teacher Tap (FREE STUFF!!!), and started a couple of Google Forms. The tool I've employed in a truly authentic manner is Quarkbase. My junior English classes are writing research papers on their chosen topics having to do with the conflict in Vietnam. That's a tough one when you consider Newsbank, EBSCO, or Gale. So we venture into the scary world of Google. The advanced search option allows us to choose the domain, but even then, some topics have very few sources. So we go to the .com, .net, and .org sites. Quarkbase allows me to take a look at a site's publication data, sponsors, internet use, etc. at a quick glance. It may not tell me all I need to know, but I feel better about allowing the use of data from sites that are frequently used and known enough to be tweeted or blogged about. Does that make sense?
The timeliness of finding Quarkbase makes me smile. I have a new tool that allows me to make a smarter judgement about the validity of an online source, and I am modeling caution and good sense in internet use, AND I am giving my students another tool for their arsenals.

Skype!

I have used Skype personally and professionally for over a year. We use Skype to visit with our son and his family in Texas. It's great to see and hear our grandsons!!
I have used Skype to "attend" meetings of the Leadership Team of Ozarks Writing Project. That saved me a drive to and from Springfield, but I still was present at the meetings. AMAZING to me as a learner in the wonderful world of technology!!
I'm thinking that the same concept would be great in the classroom - attend meetings and lectures without the cost of travel. Co-teaching (sharing expertise) via Skype would benefit our students. Giving instruction via Skype to other remote areas would allow students to "attend" class. The difficulty of homeschooling students at the high school level would decrease for students and teachers with the use of Skype. I think I could go on for an hour or more.
My students attended a live talk and question session with the author Tim O'Brien via webcast last year. It was a big deal involving the auditorium and special attention from our incredible tech, Mike Gones. It was unexpectedly an amazing eye opener for most of the students and a great motivator for the novel we were studying. With Skype, this could be a regular event without all the woo hoo!
Looking at the site Cindy provided for us listing authors who Skype, I am encouraged that this could actually happen in our classroom THIS YEAR!!!!!!

Facebook and Twitter

I have both - Facebook, since Jenny insisted I create a page at least five years ago. I love it. I have friends and family all over the country and sometimes the world. I love hearing from them and seeing them as often as I like. I'm not a rabid Facebook follower - these days only once or twice a week. I have "friended" students for several years. I find it invaluable in some cases - the tough ones - and a definite personal link to others. We discuss English, books, movies, class, homework, and Student Council issues. We also have a page for our classroom. (We thought of this public solution to Missouri's Senate Bill that prohibited technology access by teachers to students.)
- Twitter, since I was a fellow at Ozark Writing Project Summer Invitational Institute in 2008. I have spurts of appreciating it and not appreciating it. I think I was really put off by being around two people who could not communicate with those around them for tweeting. That really bothered me! I like to tweet on my computer - not my phone - and I find it would be really time consuming if I allowed it to be. After reading the articles Cindy gave us, I am amazed at how Shelly Blake-Plock uses Twitter in the classroom. I cannot see that happening at BHS this year, but maybe I'll try to get it going next year. Can anyone think of a better way to study grammar????? WOW!!!

Shelfari, Big Huge Labs, and Jing

Happy Halloween!!
I know I'm slow, but I'm surely taking time to enjoy everything! I explored and played with all three of the sites. Shelfari is by far my favorite! I would like to add friends and really get into the discussions. It's like a book club that meets any time I want it to! It will take me many more hours before I consider myself proficient. I see myself using Shelfari on a regular basis. The other two I'm not so sure. It's close enough to Christmas for me to see the possibilities of creating something with Big Huge Labs. I have Jing's sun on my computer screen - now we'll just see how much light it sheds on my internet use :>)

PicasaWeb, Animoto, and PhotoPeach

All three of these amazing tools are completely new to me. I feel like a child. I am so proud of my new creations! I am currently moving my digital photos to PicasaWeb. With so much of our family in other states, I think this will be our new way of sharing photos.
Animoto was just fun. I can imagine students using Animoto for multigenre projects. I am anxious to continue to explore the feasibility of instructing students and allowing them access at school.
The quiz on PhotoPeach was hard for me to complete, because my mind kept wandering with the possibilities. How refreshing would it be for students to take a photo quiz? I can envision actual scenes from The Crucible as the background for multiple choice questions OR writing prompts.
Oh!! My brain hurts from all the possibilities!!

Name That Restaurant - PhotoPeach Quiz

What can I say?? We love to eat!! And I love PhotoPeach! It was so easy to create the quiz. The hardest part was downloading photos and chosing a topic-and that wasn't difficult at all!

Life Is Just Too Short . . .

Life Is Just Too Short . . . was so easy to put together. The perfect song just "fell into my lap."



Animoto!!!! What a fabulous site for creating memories - for personal use or for the classroom. How would my students react to an Animoto introduction to a unit in Literature & Film?? How appropriate is that? I'll let you know! I am in the process of collecting Student Council photos for an animated album of this year's events for our seniors. I'm sure that will be a huge hit if I can come up with the perfect song.

Retirement??

Ahhh - warm sun, palm trees, and soft breezes!! When I chose this photo to experiment with Picnik, I began to dream of what I might be doing during this season in a few years. A hammock in a tropical climate sounds like a great idea. However, as I think about the tools we're learning to use in this course, I know I'm not ready to "sit down" yet. It will take me a few more years in the classroom to reach the point where I'm ready to say, "I've given my best, and it's time to rest."

Pieces of My Heart

To get to know me, or anyone, it is important to take a peek at what is in the heart. These people are my heart and my home - Stan, our children (born to us and married to us), and our grandsons. Welcome!!

Google Reader

I've had access to Google Reader now for over a week, and I'm having trouble making it a habit.  I can't get as excited about Google Reader as I am about Diigo.  I think my problem is that it's not an automatic "go-to" yet. It is obvious to me what the benefits are.  I can see, at little more than a glance, new posts that are specifically chosen by me to fit my needs.  However, I'm having trouble transitioning from my old "hard" source habits. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at this point.  Remember, I will always be a learner in the world of technology.  Many of you are natives - you don't recall a time when there were no computers, cell phones, etc. ("Oh, waaa, waaa," I say to myself.)
I envision myself involved with a massive learning curve. It is exciting, and I find myself getting lost and losing hours in blissful cyberspace.  The problem is that there are so many new things, when I miss a day and come back to that blissful place, it seems foreign again. I feel I'm sliding down the back side of that learning curve at incredible speed headed for Lord knows what!! I need more practice time!!
Back to Google Reader - are you using it constantly?  Does it take the place of other internet habits for you?

Diigo

I've been "playing" with Diigo for two weeks now - I got carried away!!  I find that it makes for much more efficient use of my internet time. I have bookmarked several sites that have to do with instruction - two of which I projected on the big screen in my classroom and used directly with the students.

My seniors continue their research projects tomorrow (Friday) with further instruction in the use of Diigo :>) What a great way to save paper - there's no need to print sources when they're right there in Diigo.  My students will also be able to access the sources easily from any location, so I hope they will use more sources and look a little deeper for information.

I'll keep you updated on how it goes!

Diigo!!!!

Absolutely fabulous!!! I'm stoked!! Do I sound like a high school student? Well, I'm that excited about the possibilities of Diigo.  We just started senior research projects - I will study and practice so that next semester's seniors will have the opportunity to enhance  this process with Diigo.  Thank you, Cindy!!!

Student Engagement

I just discovered this article and blog.  Great advice and soooo do-able (is that a word??)
http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-teaching-strategies

Why should MY students blog?

My "gut" reaction to that question is "DUH!!!"  I work with high school students - blogging, posting, social networking, texting is what they do. That's how the vast majority of them communicate with friends, parents, teachers, etc. If my communication arts class is to be viewed as relevant, it must contain one of the above - the most acceptable, and the only "legal" of the above (during the school day) is blogging.

I have used blogging intermittently for the past few years (access to computers is extremely limited) in the context of response to literature.  The difference in task completion rates in preparation for the blogging conversation does not compare to the rate in preparation for class discussion or testing. Not only did more students prepare, but the energy, excitement, and effort in preparation resulted in, of course, better understanding. So, I have personally observed blogging to be an effective tool.

I should be blogging - and proficient in blogging - as I lead my students through the experience.  I make it a point to write with my students, so I should do the same with technology expectations. 
So I am venturing into the site http://hipteacher.typepad.com/.  Although the posts on the site are two years old or older, there are "Schoolish Links" to blogs that are current. They have fabulous ideas and many of them make me laugh. There are also a couple of professional writers' links.
When I "grow up" as a blogger, I want to be Jim Burke.  He is a prolific writer, and his blog is refreshing, creative, and inspiring. http://jimburke.typepad.com/