23 Things Summary

Wow!! I can't believe how much I have learned over the past weeks. I had heard of most of the tools we explored in 23 Things, but I never imagined actually working with them all (and more) in such a short amount of time.

Although I really enjoyed working with the photos and image generators, I think my favorite discovery of all was learning about all Google has to offer.

I look forward to revisiting the Learning 2.0 23 Things website often to go back over the Web 2.0 tools. I feel like I've learned alot, but I have a sinking suspicion we've just scratched the surface.

The neat thing about these 23 Things is that I don't have to tackle them all at once. I can pick one and work on it for a while, share it with colleagues and show them how their students can use it. The sites are so user friendly, I know that I'll be able to get a couple of teachers to "bite.

I really enjoyed the experience, as I get closer to my deadline I realize that I've had plenty of time to complete all of the tasks outlined. I spent more time than necessary on some of the tools, but that is just a testament to how much fun I was having. I can't imagine how I would have managed 23 Things during the school year, though. I would definitely take another discovery program like this again. I appreciate how it has been more than just an online class, it has really been a series of experiences.
Until then, I'll just keep revisiting Learning 2.0 - 23 Things and listening to the podcasts I have subscribed to via RSS.

Dear Mary & Debbie,

Thanks you guys, I know it has been a lot of work on you, but I feel like I have learned so much and I am truly grateful that you have offered this class. You are the best, and we are fortunate to have you here in Mesquite ISD!!

Thing #23 Creative Commons

This statement is taken from http://misd23things.blogspot.com/2008/05/about-learning-20-23-things.html. 

"The Learning 2.0 - 23 Things program is based on the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers, Technology Director at the Charlotte Mecklenburg County Public Library system, with the support and assitance of several staff. Helene's program was loosely based upon Stephen Abram's article, 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006) and the website 43Things."

As an Elementary Technology Facilitator I regularly see teachers struggle with what they can and can't do material they find online. I can encourage them to look for the Creative Commons symbols when they are selecting media files for classroom use. More importantly though, I can help them to understand what the symbols mean and to clarify some of the confusion surrounding copyright and the Public Domain. 

Thing #22 Podcasts: no iPod needed!

The podcast I chose to post about came from the The Educational Podcast Network. I like this directory because I new I wouldn't have to browse through a lot of random titles to find ones related to elementary schools. I recognized many of the podcasters but was also glad to see several I had not heard of before. The one criticism I have is that the episode titles are not specific nor do they give the length of time. I'm not a fan of long podcasts.
The one I chose to listen to was "ACE Kids". This podcast is produced by 5/6 year students from Ballina, Australia. They added sound effects and soundtracks to make the episodes more appealing. I added its RSS feed to my Google Reader. I look forward to hearing any new episodes from this school, there teacher is moving on, so they are not sure if they will still podcast next year.
The Educational Podcast Network is definitely a directory I will return to often and who knows, maybe one day you'll see podcasts from me on there!

Thing #21 Animoto

Before I even signed up for Animoto, I thought, "Now this is going to be fun!" I immediately started thinking of this as a way to showcase a photos from a field trip, or science investigation.

An idea to wrap up "23 Things"  came to mind so I sought out logos from the sites we have visited. I ended up with 22 images, some of them were corrupted, so instead of worrying about that I just used the remaining images. Well, that didn't work, there was apparently problems with my image files and I got a message that they will contact me via email if my video short can be produced. Okay, so on to plan B. Here's a video short using Flickr images of GiGi. By the way, it is recommended by Animoto that you retrieve images from an online photo management site rather than upload them from your own desktop files because images in Flickr are already formatted and compressed and all that jazz and are ready for Animoto to use.

Thing #20 You Too can You Tube

After spending waaaaaaay too much time searching for a good video to post, I finally chose this interview with author Betsy Byars. I chose it because I enjoyed watching it. One thing I found as I watched videos on YouTube is that I became very bored and didn't watch most of them in their entirety. I used the search feature on YouTube for several different topics. I found this video in the related video pane while watching another author video. 

I love that there are so many videos to preview. I also like that they are made by just regular people. I think it would be good to gather a few videos made by children to demonstrate to a class how they too can create and post videos. The problem is finding just the right videos. The rating stars didn't really mean anything, some videos I previewed had 5 stars, but they just weren't pleasurable to watch. 

All-in-all I appreciate what YouTube has to offer, but the experience of searching for a video to post was not too fun for me.

GiGi

Find more photos like this on 23 Thingsters

Thing #19 Beyond MySpace: other social networks

This was one huge thing!!! I enjoyed exploring the many social networks sites presented. I had no idea there were so many. I joined the Ning network Mary set up for us and added pictures to my page. I also created a badge and posted it to my blog, along with the photo slideshow widget. All of these tasks were very easy to do in Ning. I also posted the slideshow widget to MySpace. 

After reading Jim Louderback's article, "My Guide to Social Networks" I felt personally challenged to join Pownce. I have found a new friends and am just waiting to see if they will accept me:) I know I have a long way to go, but maybe one day I'll be allowed to hang out with the "Super-cool Web 2.0 kids."

So, my adventure with Thing #19 made me a member of the 23Thingsters and Pownce. I also Twitter and have MySpace and Facebook pages with a couple of friends:) Oh, I also have a Nike+ account that I visit regularly to log runs and talk smack.

I like how simple Ning is to navigate and manipulate. I really think I will try to set up a social network for the teachers in my schools. These social network sites are so user friendly, or have I just become more Web 2.0 friendly?