Thing 23: Final Thoughts and Reflections

It's been quite a journey with many great discoveries! While at times the many technology tools and options can be overwhelming, we are lucky to have so many helpful websites just a click away. There seems to be a tool for EVERYTHING!
Web 2.0 is successful because it is collaboration, and I think this quote illustrates it best:

"If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples, then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas." - George Bernard Shaw

I've learned about so many tools in my quest that I am anxious to try for both personal use and in the classroom. I have really enjoyed creating this project through a blog. I'm amazed, looking back, at how much I've experienced and how much I've written. This could definitely be a great tool for reluctant writers, or even just to give more interest to writing. The writing aspect is still there, and in addition, there's consideration of format, and inserting in pictures and videos and links to more resources. Each post I felt like I was really reflecting on the assignment, and I think I took this more personally than a paper because it becomes by journal--even though the content is still academic. I can't wait to try blogs in my classroom! Some of my other favorites are Facebook (personal), Google Docs (personal and classroom), Glogster (I can't wait for the kids to try it with a research/presentation assignment), and podcasts (now that I know what they are, I definitely see educational benefits in both watching and creating).

Thing 22: Discover Web 2.0 Yourself

A few more tools as we end our 23 things experiement:

GLOGSTER http://www.glogster.com/ : A website that allows you to create a "poster" with interactive features: text, images, videos, links and more. This has great potential for the classroom. Imagine a class project in which students need to present information about a researched topic. They can incorporate all of these different types of info (videos, texts, pictures). Then they can either present on a Promethean or Smart board, or even better, kids could participate in a "gallery walk" and get a chance to interact and play with other group's projects. And there's even a Glogster Education section http://edu.glogster.com/ .

PICASA http://picasa.google.com/ : Google tool that is similar to Flickr; gives you the ability to upload and share pictures, organize photo albums, and even edit and print your pictures. And it's all free. I think the editing tool gives it an edge over Flickr.

Thing 21: Online Productivity Tools

A few online productivity tools I think could come in handy:

DROPBOX http://www.dropbox.com/ : This tool is a way to store documents, photos, and other files online and access them anywhere. When you update a file on one computer, it updates on all other computers and online. It makes it easy to share and take your important files with you!

LASTFM http://www.last.fm/ : This tool allows you to access music and information about music online. You can listen to music based on radio station or your favorite bands FOR FREE! It even gives you suggestions of new music based on what you listen to already.

SKYPE www.skype.com : This tool is a free web-conferencing tool. All you need is a web-cam and mic and you're all set. The program is easy to use (similar to instant messaging), and you can conference with anyone who has a free account. I've used it a few times to talk to family members who lived out of town. Last year, I used it for the first time with my students. We read Sadako and The Thousand Paper Cranes, and then my students were able to use SKYPE to interview Dr. Komaki, an atomic bomb survivor, oncologist at M.D. Anderson, and childhood friends with Sadako from the story. Now Skype has a page just for teachers! Check out Skype in the Classroom http://education.skype.com/ to get lesson ideas AND connect with over 13,000 teachers that are interested in connecting their classroom to yours for projects and collaboration.

Thing 20: Podcasts

After searching through podcasts, this is one I found interesting. My husband and I, both teachers, love to use the summers to travel, and this podcast has episodes about traveling to different places around the world and episodes on different topics associated with traveling, like food, photography, mode (air, train, car), etc.
Check it out here: Amateur Traveler http://amateurtraveler.com/

As far as this particular podcast, I found that it seemed to stay on topic, both within the episode itself, and throughout the many episodes. This may be because it is a general topic--travel--that lends itself to many subtopics to discuss. The hosts vary by episode, but repeat throughout the podcasts.
Limitations to podcasting:
When creating a podcast, the quality can only be as good as your equipment and experience.
When watching, most are fairly short, possibly limiting the depth of the information.

Thing 19: YouTube

Check out this YouTube video on Social Networking--Social Networking in Plain English!


Then here is another video, from the same people, that has another interesting informative video--this one slightly more humorous...Zombies in Plain English. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVnfyradCPY&feature=grec_index.

YouTube has user friendly search and browse tools, has a wide variety of category and topics, and has videos that fit many different needs. YouTube works for entertainment: funny clips and home clip (now everyone can be a star). But it also can be informative; you can look up how-to clips, or videos like the ones I posted (Topics in Plain English).YouTube is another way to share information, and like all other Web 2.0 tools, depending on the nature of that information, can be simply for entertainment or can be of educational value. Evaluation is needed before sharing any clips to check if they are appropriate, accurate, and follow copyright laws.

Thing 18:Twitter

Tweet, Tweet! I just opened my very first Twitter account.

I had heard of Twitter before--it's everywhere!--but never really thought about adding that to my plate of social networking. For some reason, I always thought it was more complicated than it is. So far, I've found it's similar to status updates on Facebook, with the option to tag people and topics in your posts. Right now I am following two people, my husband and Elvis Presley (well Elvis's website). My only follower so far is my husband...hmmm...my next mission will be to find more of my friends! So far, I think Twitter will take some time to get used to, but I can see the potential. And now I finally understand a little more of what they are talking about when people tell you to follow them on Twitter. Just added KHOU to my list!

As far as the article (The End of the Email Era http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203803904574431151489408372.html) goes, I don't think e-mail has become completely obsolete. Instead, I think that whereas email was THE option for online communication before, now you can choose the medium that best fits your communication needs. Sometimes an email works perfect for professional communication at work or weekly updates to your mother-in-law, while tweeting informs large amounts of people about your latest ideas, adventures, and pet-peeves in one 140 character announcement. Determining which communication tool to use can boil down to how personal/private the message is, how professionally it needs to be delivered, how quickly you need a response, and the amount and depth of information that needs to be sent (length, attachments, etc.).
Vascellaro, J. (2009). Why email no longer rules. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203803904574431151489408372.html

Thing 17: Social Networking FACEBOOK

I LOVE FACEBOOK!

Facebook is my current social networking tool. It's a place where I'm connected to friends, family and co-workers. I use it to upload pictures, update my status, chat and message with friends, and just feel connected to people I don't get to see or talk to often enough other than on Facebook. I like the status update feed, and although there are sometimes issues with "post-aholics," I like that I can see what's going on and what's new in my friends' and families' lives. I also like that I can tag people in my photo albums, so when I go on a family trip I can quickly share pictures with the people that I traveled with. Facebook is a living-yearbook, constant class and family reunion, and life documentary all in one site.