This is the end?

This exercise has not been particularly hard, just time consuming. I had a few ahha moments with some of the exercises, but for the most part being an older student, I have learned these skills long ago.  This projects is great for younger students, or people that don't have an idea about what or where they need to look for things.  For older students, maybe there should be prizes for the people who meet certain milestones. Free regular coffee would work for me.  This type of exercise would be helpful for classroom use if there needed to be a set and measurable unit.  The teacher can take some of the tools they find useful and incorporate them into the classroom.  As far as I am concerned, I will keep all of the blogs I signed up for and plan to keep up with technology that way.  Technology is moving so fast, I can hardly wait to see what the future brings.

Thing 23 - CC is ok with me.

The original 23 things 

Here is the link to the original 23 things.  The APSU 23 things is based loosely on this one, which is based loosely on the 43 things website.  The creative commons license is a pretty interesting concept, and it can be used in the classroom to share music and videos as well as documents.   

Thing 22 In a binder!

I used this thing as a trial to see if I could create meaningful binders that I could possibly use.  I created three binders and names them Special Education, Gifted and IEP's.  Each on is a collection of TTP's (Tips, tricks and practices) that can be used either in the classroom for enrichment, or to help young teachers and parents know about IEP's.  I actually kind of like these binders, they really only contain what you want in them, nothing more nothing less.  With these binders, there are many applications that they could be used for in the classroom.  WebQuests, making a specialty book for a particular subject or even just using it to collect ideas for art classes.

My Binders

Thing 19 there's more than Facebook?

I knew that there were other social networks out there, no seriously.  I started this Thing by going to Teacherpop.  The sign up was easy, then you wait a day to get approved and finally you can do things on the website.  I read most of the blogs and comments about the issues with posting the badge in this blog.  I tried it a few times, then just moved on to one of the other activities.

I am a member of many social networks, everything from a popular radio show's message board to Goodreads and military community social networks.  Each of the networks addresses a particular segment of my life.  The one I have been on the longest is the radio show network.  I first joined that group in 2000 when I came back to the United States from Germany.  Many of us have never met in person, but send cards, post pictures and watch our children grow up together.  It is my online family.

Of the social network links provided, I find that I usually gravitate to the cooking related ones.  I always love to find good recipes for amazing food.  Other networks that are not listed that I would be interested in would be for outdoor activities, assorted hobbies and of course teaching specific ones for my field.

 

Cruising Iraq - Thing 21

Cruising Iraq


Animoto is a very easy to use program to make 30 second clips.  It was incredibly easy and the program allowed you to upload your own pictures, or use theirs as well as adding music to the presentation. It will automatically adjust how fast the pictures go, by the number of pictures you upload.  While all of this is really cool, the down fall is paying for a service that comes standard on Windows 7 and Macs.  This one might be a little easier, but it also costs more than the programs that come standard. Bottom line, its fun, but if you need to make longer video presentations, look elsewhere.  

Thing 20 can you Youtube?

Youtube is such a cool website.  You can view everything from old television shows to the latest music video. This is the video equivalent to Facebook, and can be utilized to do classwork, spread propaganda or post a video about social justice.  I did a search on Youtube about funny education videos, and this video was a winner.  I have been discussing this topic with fellow prospective teachers and all of us wondered what we would be expected to know in the classroom that we didn't learn in college. This video puts kind of a funny spin on the entire  subject. I really like this website, mainly because you can find pretty much everything you want to.  What I really dislike about this website is the addictiveness of it.  One video leads you to another, then another and then 3 hours has gone by.  I find myself using it for different music groups, and I'll play song playlists as background music.  Youtube has become the gold standard of all video sharing websites.

Thing #18 Social Networking or snooping on people?

Facebook is my friend, but not just any friend, it's my BFF.  Not like that Tom fella at Myspace that dropped off the net when the going got rough.  I was very hesitant to get a Facebook account at first, but the Army sent me to South Korea for an extended period of time, and I needed a way to talk to people.  I used yahoo messenger to communicate with my family that was 14 hours behind in Kentucky.  My friends and I chatted back and forth on Facebook, sending pictures of bygone days in some forsaken part of the world that we occupied together.  I guess you could say that part of my Facebook is a virtual VFW for Military buddies.  I am overly cautious about who I accept friend requests from, and my page and pictures are set to private.  I never used to do this, but I found someone was copying pictures of my military career and using them as their own.  A sad but true fact of the digital world.

Knowing all about networking is a way to digitally monitor what is going on around you and your class.  There have been numerous news stories about teachers, administrators and parents intercepting messages pertaining to cyber bullying or cheating or in some cases inappropriate behavior.  This knowledge can also keep you out of trouble.  The rule I tend to stick with is not to friend any students, nothing personal, just keeping myself above reproach. 

Facebook has many practical applications for classroom use.  I have several class pages that I follow, and the teacher uses the page to post homework, start discussions and most importantly keep the parents informed.  Like any tool, if you use social networking correctly, it will work well for you.  On the other hand misuse could cause injury.  Something to think about.