One Last Thing...

DONE!!!!!  APSU's 23 things is quite an assignment to say the least.  I can't say that I would like to do them again, but all-in-all I have learned a lot and become MUCH more comfortable with many neat 2.0 tools.  At times, I wanted to scream because it felt like there was SO much to be done.  But now, looking back, I have gained so much from this activity.  My favorite thing would have to be either Thing 20 or Thing 21.  Creating my own Animoto Short was so much fun!  I didn't even know there were tools like the one I used to create my Short.  And of course, who wouldn't like to explore YouTube.  I feel that the 23 things have drastically increased my desire for lifelong learning goals in the technology realm.  Before this assignment, I was content with where I was as far as my knowledge and understanding of Learning 2.0 tools.  This assignment has introduced me to many new tools.  I have also seen that these tools are ever expanding!  They are constantly creating new ones!  I was surprised to have actually enjoyed some of the "things."  In the beginning, I thought the 23 things were going to be a complete waste of time and I actually dreaded doing them.  It actually surprised me that I ended up enjoying some of the discovery exercises.  

To improve the 23 things, I would say the only thing I would change would be to make some of the signing up for different things optional.  Some of the things in which I had to sign up for and wait for confirmation I found to be a waste if I wasn't truly "into" it.  I would have rather explored the site and seen what others had done with it before "committing" to it by creating an account.  As a teacher, I plan on using more 2.0 tools in my classroom.  The 23 things have influenced me to use these tools and to have my students use them as well.  To keep up with new 2.0 tools, I plan to keep using them!  One good way to keep up with them would be to subscribe to a feed that talks about new learning 2.0 tools.  

From here, I plan on keeping up with some of the things I have learned throughout the course of this assignment by using them.  I plan on maintaining some of my accounts I have started and incorporating them into my future classroom.  My resolution is to spend at least 10 minutes a day looking back over the tools and accounts I have used and created.  This is my resolution in writing!  I must stick with it!  I plan to continue using these tools and new ones and recording them in blogs or something like it so I don't forget what I have learned!       

These are my thoughts on the 23 things and how they have affected me as a future teacher.  I hope you have enjoyed following/reading my blog!

Thing #23

APSU's 23 Things was created loosely based on the website called "43Things."  This website is a place for people to set and track personal goals.  These goals are a lot like some people's "New Year's Resolutions."  APSU modified this work into the 23 "things" for students to work through to become more comfortable with technology, especially for use in the classroom setting.  The 23 Things assignment is under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. 

Creative Commons is a good thing!  Before taking this class, I had never even heard of Creative Commons.  It is important to credit people for the work that they have created.  In my future classroom, I will use Creative Commons licenses on my work.  Also, I will go about using other people's work in the appropriate way according to the Creative Commons license they have on their work! 

Thing #22

The podcast I chose to listen to was called "Santa Fe Chili."  I chose to listen to this one because I am very interested in cooking.  The podcast teaches you how to make Santa Fe Chili.  This enticed me.  The podcast tells you what ingredients you need to create this dish and what steps to take to prepare it.  It sounded so quick, easy, and yummy that I just may make some for dinner later!  I didn't link it to my blog because I figured I would be the only one interested in it.  The podcast directory I used to find this podcast was Podcastdirectory.com.  It was the easiest to use in my opinion.  All I did was typed in keywords in the search box and it listed all of the podcasts related to the keywords that I typed in.  It was very easy and quick.  And the podcasts didn't take long to load either.  This "thing" hasn't necessarily inspired me to create podcasts all the time, but it has shown me the usefulness of one.  I will probably use a podcast with my students at some point.  I didn't find a podcast that I want to subscribe to and listen to regularly, but if I explore Podcastdirectory.com some more, I'm sure I will!  

Thing #21

Creating my Animoto Short was so easy!  I figured it would take all day to upload the photos and actually put the video together, but it was done in less that five minutes!  Embedding it into this blog was also very easy.  I was very impressed with Animoto.  This is one site I will definitely be using again.  I picked twelve pictures to upload.  I picked my own color scheme,template, and music.  It created it for me just like that!  I put pictures from a recent Camp I worked at in this video.  This would be a great end of year project to create for my students before they leave.  I look forward to making more videos on Animoto!       



Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Thing #20

I chose this video because it was so cute.  This little boy, David, is on his way home from getting stitches at the dentist.  He still has the medicine in his system so he is a little out of it.  It's cute, you should watch it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs

I have used YouTube many times before.  I think it is one of the greatest things on the web.  For entertainment purposes, there is so much out there.  It does have its share of pointless videos, but beyond that, you can find just about anything you are looking for.  If you are in the mood for a laugh, there are funny videos posted.  If you need something educational for your class, there are plenty of those out there as well.  YouTube is a great tool for teachers to use.  The downfall with teachers using YouTube in the classroom is that most schools block sites like these.  I don't know if there is a way to get around those blocked sites, but if there is I would use YouTube occasionally to teach my students something. One thing I like about YouTube is that you don't have to type in the exact title of the video.  You can type in a keyword or something about a video and you can probably find the one you are looking for.  Also, when the video you are watching is over, it gives you links to videos that are similar or that it thinks you might like.  It is really a neat site.  I would recommend others to explore it.  I can see YouTube applied to the library website we discussed earlier.  Much can be found on this site that would be of educational value in the library and school setting.  

Thing #19

I chose to explore Gather.  Gather is a social network for adults.  It is almost identical to Facebook and MySpace.  You can post pictures, videos, comments, and statuses.  You can add friends and join groups.  You can send personal e-mails or post a comment on someone's wall for all to see.  You can add tags and list your interests.  To me, if you have one of these social networking sites, you have them all.  I see no point in having more than one.  I am already a member of Facebook, so I don't find any of these sites particularly appealing.  I do, however, think TeacherPop could be a useful social networking site once I'm out in the field teaching.  I can see myself using this site in the future getting ideas for my own classroom.  I think it would be a great way to seek out advice from others in the field that have had your specific problem or may offer solutions for it.  I signed up for a TeacherPop account and joined APSU's group.  It took awhile for the Administrator to approve my membership so that was frustrating, but it is good that they do not accept just anyone.  TeacherPop really is a neat social networking site.  It is basically a "MySpace" for teachers.  I like it because it isn't just everyone you've ever met in life on the site.  There are just future or current teachers on the site wanting to collaborate with you!  I put a picture on my page and commented on a fellow classmate's page.  Her name is Amanda.  I really like TeacherPop and found it most interesting.  This is something that could be useful for me when I am out in the field teaching.  

Here is the link to my page:

http://teacherpop.ning.com/profile/AmberDuncan 

Thing #18

I created MySpace and Facebook accounts years ago, so I am quite comfortable using these social networking sites.  I haven't been on MySpace in a few months so I will talk about Facebook in this blog.  It is a really neat site with many applications.  I would highly recommend people to set one up.  What I like most about Facebook is that you can keep up with friends from all over the world.  You can access your site from all over the world, too.  It is a great way to keep in touch with family and old friends that have moved away or that you just don't see that often.  You can post videos, pictures, and statuses that keep your friends and family up to date with what is going on in your life.  You can add schools to your profile as well.  I have APSU added as one of my schools and the high school I attended as another one of my schools.  To find friends and family, you type their name into the search box and look through the list of people with that same name.  You send them a request to become your friend on the site.  They have the choice to either accept or deny your friend request.  I have my profile set to private meaning only those who are friends with me can view my full profile.        


http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=534130550


I think it is important for teachers to know how social networking works because they need to know what is going on.  Their students and co-workers will be using sites like these so it is a good idea for them to understand how they work and why people use them.  I didn't really learn anything new from exploring Facebook simply because I have had an account for a few years.  The only thing I dislike about Facebook is that the privacy settings aren't that strict.  They are in the sense that no one can view your full profile if you so choose.  But I don't want anyone viewing even my profile picture and status who is not my friend.  I think Facebook has the most useful features, but MySpace is adapting and adding features as of late.  I think it is good for students and teachers to have these social networking sites, but I would not want to use them in my classroom.  You could try using them in the classroom, but I think more students would be talking to their friends online than actually doing what you wanted them to.