As many have already mentioned, Thing 22 answers many of the prompts listed here.
I will say that I have made this exploration much more stressful by enjoying my June and July so much that I made little progress on the 23 Things. I do far better with a pace set out before me...I'm pretty conscientious when I feel accountable on a weekly basis.
One challenge I set out in my evaluation is whether a general interest/general public 23 Things could be developed that would appeal to a broader audience? Only minor changes would be necessary to shift some of the explorations away from a strictly library focus. Otherwise the tools are the same!
My short conclusion...23 Things on a Stick is a mind-boggling exploration! Thanks.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Thing 22
I plan to keep up by USING the tools in my everyday classroom experience. I think many of the tools that were introduced will become more or less important as I attempt to use them. I will have to find out whether Stickie Notes are really helpful over the long term. Do I really need all of the RSS feeds that looked interesting in the summer? I'm sure that more committees will be attempting to use various collaborative tools such as wikis and googledocs.
I am looking forward to using some of the tools that have application in a primary classroom. The image generators seem to have some promise of fun and motivation. Some of the Flickr extras from Bighugelabs look really fun.
The best way for me to keep up is to give myself permission to take 10-15 minutes regularly to continue the exploration. The most powerful will be to reflect on the most useful things learned when I sit down NEXT SUMMER and think about the year just passed. Wow!
I am looking forward to using some of the tools that have application in a primary classroom. The image generators seem to have some promise of fun and motivation. Some of the Flickr extras from Bighugelabs look really fun.
The best way for me to keep up is to give myself permission to take 10-15 minutes regularly to continue the exploration. The most powerful will be to reflect on the most useful things learned when I sit down NEXT SUMMER and think about the year just passed. Wow!
Thing 21
Up until now I have not been a big social networker...with a large family and young children I have plenty of other things to do. I am a member of 21st Century Teacher as well as a Scholastic Book network that was by invitation. I often feel I don't have enough time to keep up with even these two sites...social networking sites by definition are a place to spend time...and I don't have a lot extra. "Gather" looked like an interesting place for older adults...maybe I'll have the time next summer, or when I retire!
Thing 20
I have been a Facebook member for a few years, but it was for a utilitarian reason. My son was overseas in Australia, China, and Mongolia for nearly six months. He was posting photos of his experience on Facebook, so I joined in order to view them. It worked to an extent, but I would now probably recommend some other photo sharing sites such as Flickr as a better alternative.
I can see that young adults really enjoy Facebook, including my own older children. The different ways that you can develop your profile seems to be a real attraction. I will have to say that the template for Facebook is far superior and much more attractive than for MySpace.
I can see that young adults really enjoy Facebook, including my own older children. The different ways that you can develop your profile seems to be a real attraction. I will have to say that the template for Facebook is far superior and much more attractive than for MySpace.
Thing 19
Even though I appreciated what the podcast directories were trying to do, I had difficulty making everything work correctly.
When I tried to reach NPR through the local podcast directory for NPR, I could not stream the podcast without first searching for a player online to use, or saving it to my computer. Yet when I went to NPR through podcast.net I was able to stream it right from the website. The variety of formats as well as the different programs on the particular computer being used is still a thorn in the side of these directories working smoothly. I did listen to a broadcast of the Anniversary of the 35W bridge collapse.
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=93162524&m=93162506
My most common use of podcasts is when they are available on the news or sports websites that I enjoy following. I don't particularly feel the need to create a podcast myself.
When I tried to reach NPR through the local podcast directory for NPR, I could not stream the podcast without first searching for a player online to use, or saving it to my computer. Yet when I went to NPR through podcast.net I was able to stream it right from the website. The variety of formats as well as the different programs on the particular computer being used is still a thorn in the side of these directories working smoothly. I did listen to a broadcast of the Anniversary of the 35W bridge collapse.
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=93162524&m=93162506
My most common use of podcasts is when they are available on the news or sports websites that I enjoy following. I don't particularly feel the need to create a podcast myself.
Thing 18
You Tube is a reflection of the entire Internet...a mixture of useful and trite, appropriate and inappropriate, uplifting and discouraging, humorous and vulgar. Very few of the videos would be appropriate to show in my classroom. Personally I tend to enjoy the humorous, though I am finding that there is wonderful content on the site as well.
I chose this video about a male kindergarten teacher because it is a very positive news segment that really gets to heart of why men would choose to teach young children. I was so surprised that the teacher seemed so anonymous in the titling of the video...all teachers are heroes and deserve to be recognized by name.
I chose this video about a male kindergarten teacher because it is a very positive news segment that really gets to heart of why men would choose to teach young children. I was so surprised that the teacher seemed so anonymous in the titling of the video...all teachers are heroes and deserve to be recognized by name.
Thing 17
I agree with many of the other posts that the ELM system is an amazing amount of resources available online. When I worked on my master's thesis in 1999 I felt really fortunate that online resources were becoming more available. I used Proquest quite frequently, but now I can see that ELM is like an explosion of similar research material easily available online.
The tools in ELM are much too academic for my primary student, but they have a lot to look forward to as their academic careers continue through high school and college.
The tools in ELM are much too academic for my primary student, but they have a lot to look forward to as their academic careers continue through high school and college.
Thing 16
I am pretty impressed with these two calculators. I really appreciate the way each one lays out the needed steps for the project, then links resources to help with each step of the project.
The assignment calculator has a daily step-by step process whereas the RPC takes things in larger time steps. The teacher's guide also has additional resources, ready to help when needed.
As soon as I saw the tools I showed my wife and we both agreed that our high school/college students would really benefit from the websites. These calculators represent the most practical Thing yet.
The assignment calculator has a daily step-by step process whereas the RPC takes things in larger time steps. The teacher's guide also has additional resources, ready to help when needed.
As soon as I saw the tools I showed my wife and we both agreed that our high school/college students would really benefit from the websites. These calculators represent the most practical Thing yet.
Thing 15
I chose Second Life for this gaming Thing. The sign-up process was pretty straight-forward and easy to get going.
My avatar's name is Eon Michigan. Upon entering the virtual world, it takes a lot of exploring to figure out the basic skills for the avatar. The tutorials are a great idea...to learn and practice as you begin. I do not have much video game experience, so the learning curve is even steeper.
I found smooth movement was a challenge.
Second life looks like a very rich environment. In the intro I read that you can visit a variety of places in other regions, and even create new things. Maybe I have not gotten into the game far enough, but I question the role of the game in the library. It is fun and thought-provoking, but could certainly use of a lot of time.
My avatar's name is Eon Michigan. Upon entering the virtual world, it takes a lot of exploring to figure out the basic skills for the avatar. The tutorials are a great idea...to learn and practice as you begin. I do not have much video game experience, so the learning curve is even steeper.
I found smooth movement was a challenge.
Second life looks like a very rich environment. In the intro I read that you can visit a variety of places in other regions, and even create new things. Maybe I have not gotten into the game far enough, but I question the role of the game in the library. It is fun and thought-provoking, but could certainly use of a lot of time.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thing 14
Library Thing could be a very useful tool for my instruction. It seems I am always forgetting a great book that ties in with the literacy theme we are studying. Or I may have a Big Book that ties in as well. This tool may be a way to GET ORGANIZED and not lose track of them. Using tags for the ten language arts themes would certainly be of help.
The site was very easy to use. Apparently the books I chose to had to my shelf were pretty popular, as many others had the same book.
The site was very easy to use. Apparently the books I chose to had to my shelf were pretty popular, as many others had the same book.
Thing 13
Wow! This Thing really puts me on overload! Almost everyone of these tools requires and account and a log-in. My head is now empty of things to do and other important dates, but now filled with user names and passwords that I keep getting scrambled! Because of this overload I tend to look for one site/tool that can integrate what I need all in one place.
For now I've chosen Yahoo as my integrated start page. I like the look and flexibility, even though Google probably has more small things that I use regularly.
Of all of the smaller productivity tools I like Zamzar a lot because there is still such a need to convert file formats. The PDF converter is interesting for the same reason. I also am curious about the My Stickies concept...I don't think it will replace bookmarks as the web page boasts, but I do want to try using it and seeing if it is worth the effort.
For now I've chosen Yahoo as my integrated start page. I like the look and flexibility, even though Google probably has more small things that I use regularly.
Of all of the smaller productivity tools I like Zamzar a lot because there is still such a need to convert file formats. The PDF converter is interesting for the same reason. I also am curious about the My Stickies concept...I don't think it will replace bookmarks as the web page boasts, but I do want to try using it and seeing if it is worth the effort.
Thing 12
I personally don't see these social media sites as important as some of the other tools we have been learning about. Each of the sites remind me of a RSS feed with the added dimension of organizing articles by those most popular or those most read. This seems to be more of a superficial use of the power of Web 2.0 tools. With that comment in mind I do not see them as productivity tools but more time wasters.
It reminds me a bit of what a local radio station is attempting to do to replicate the voting aspect that is evident in these websites. They have one story that is repeated more frequently that becomes a highlight story because the listeners vote on their choice for top story. I know all of these techniques are meant to draw upon the concept of human behavior that says we are more motivated to continue following the story if we have a say. American Idol and other voting shows rely on this as well. My interest level for this is pretty low.
To respond to the final question, I usually will read/browse articles based on my level of interest. Good old-fashioned skill in writing headlines is probably the thing that draws me in.
It reminds me a bit of what a local radio station is attempting to do to replicate the voting aspect that is evident in these websites. They have one story that is repeated more frequently that becomes a highlight story because the listeners vote on their choice for top story. I know all of these techniques are meant to draw upon the concept of human behavior that says we are more motivated to continue following the story if we have a say. American Idol and other voting shows rely on this as well. My interest level for this is pretty low.
To respond to the final question, I usually will read/browse articles based on my level of interest. Good old-fashioned skill in writing headlines is probably the thing that draws me in.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Thing 11
A social bookmarking site like del.icio.us is a basic tool for classroom teachers. As a teacher who teaches younger, primary children a bookmarking site puts all the tools a students needs to be somewhat independent, even if s/he is an emergent reader. For many years I used another site called "I keep bookmarks" as a way to organize safe websites for student use in summer school. This site was the first I had heard of years ago, and it has been wonderful year after year. You can look at the site at this link: www.ikeepbookmarks.com/gardavidson
The emphasis on tagging has sky-rocketed since I began using the bookmark site. It is definitely a more flexible management format than merely using folders. I did sign up for the del.icio.us account, but I do not have an active bar on the browser. Too many specialized bars clutter the browser. (a personal peeve of mine}
I followed a bookmark called "99remarkable Photos." and unfortunately the comments quite often had to do with wasting time to enjoy the site.
The emphasis on tagging has sky-rocketed since I began using the bookmark site. It is definitely a more flexible management format than merely using folders. I did sign up for the del.icio.us account, but I do not have an active bar on the browser. Too many specialized bars clutter the browser. (a personal peeve of mine}
I followed a bookmark called "99remarkable Photos." and unfortunately the comments quite often had to do with wasting time to enjoy the site.
Thing 10
I really like the Wiki concept because it seems so flexible and simple in terms of sharing/collaborating on projects. I edited the 23 Things wiki for Thing 10 with this entry:
"I agree...there is more information than I can process right now! Wikis do have numerous both serious and light applications. In my district we used a wiki to set up a shared lunch for a staff development day. It was very practical, just as the Common Craft example of campers assembling a "what to bring" list. Gary 7/30/08"
Regarding the issue of using Wikipedia for students, this Web 2.0 tool does challenge the concept of the authority of references. It may be that wikis must be handled at first on an individual basis. Some wikis have broad participation and a powerful authority where the history of contributions show that it is dependable. Others have a much smaller circle of contributors and the use of inappropriate language and incorrect spelling and grammar undermines its authority.
"I agree...there is more information than I can process right now! Wikis do have numerous both serious and light applications. In my district we used a wiki to set up a shared lunch for a staff development day. It was very practical, just as the Common Craft example of campers assembling a "what to bring" list. Gary 7/30/08"
Regarding the issue of using Wikipedia for students, this Web 2.0 tool does challenge the concept of the authority of references. It may be that wikis must be handled at first on an individual basis. Some wikis have broad participation and a powerful authority where the history of contributions show that it is dependable. Others have a much smaller circle of contributors and the use of inappropriate language and incorrect spelling and grammar undermines its authority.
Thing 9
This thing isn't working for me. I believe I would need to be invited by sending the emails to minn23, but I am not sure. During the previous school year I was invited to edit an googledoc but it did not work well either. It seems like it would be a useful tool for collaborating with other teachers, especially on committee work.
Thing 8
Each of the tools seems to have valuable aspects that make sharing photos fun. Picture Trail caught my eye, as well as the one I used, Mosaic Maker from Bighugelabs. I found Mosaic Maker to be very easy to use and understand. It gave me a wide variety of display formats, so I chose the concept of looking out the window to see three panoramic views of Lake Superior. I used pictures from Flickr.
http://bighugelabs.com/photos/d6fb0d6879166ab186c96f733c8e5fe4/mosaic6327727
http://bighugelabs.com/photos/d6fb0d6879166ab186c96f733c8e5fe4/mosaic6327727
Thing 7
Of all of the Things that we have explored thus far, I feel I am most familiar with this area of Web 2.0 communication tools. Though I've used nearly all of the tools at some time in the past, many are not ones that I use in an ongoing way.
Regarding e-mail, teachers in our district lean more and more on this tool. I find it great for communicating with parents, because it allows me to respond to parent emails without the immediacy of a one-on -one conversation. It also helps me formulate a careful answer, and allows a paper trail when needed for tracking an ongoing issue or concern. Another advantage is that you can quickly send an email to an entire group at once. There are times where I do prefer a phone call, as it can be quicker for certain types of communication.
I am not a big user of other tools such as IM and text messaging. Though many think it is so wonderful, I find it much more time consuming than a phone call. A text message can have an advantage of communicating without a substantial interruption, and my daughter claims that there are just some times when a short text is all you want/need to say to a person!
I attended the Minitex webinar called "Proquest Newsstand Complete." I thought it had great info for introducing the Proquest database. I had used this resource when I was working on a Master's thesis, and I would have benefited from some of this info. I found the indexing at the right side was very helpful, as it allows you to move quickly to the next section if you feel comfortable with the info you are watching.
Regarding e-mail, teachers in our district lean more and more on this tool. I find it great for communicating with parents, because it allows me to respond to parent emails without the immediacy of a one-on -one conversation. It also helps me formulate a careful answer, and allows a paper trail when needed for tracking an ongoing issue or concern. Another advantage is that you can quickly send an email to an entire group at once. There are times where I do prefer a phone call, as it can be quicker for certain types of communication.
I am not a big user of other tools such as IM and text messaging. Though many think it is so wonderful, I find it much more time consuming than a phone call. A text message can have an advantage of communicating without a substantial interruption, and my daughter claims that there are just some times when a short text is all you want/need to say to a person!
I attended the Minitex webinar called "Proquest Newsstand Complete." I thought it had great info for introducing the Proquest database. I had used this resource when I was working on a Master's thesis, and I would have benefited from some of this info. I found the indexing at the right side was very helpful, as it allows you to move quickly to the next section if you feel comfortable with the info you are watching.
Thing 6
The online image generators will probably be a staple for this Kindergarten teacher. These tools use graphics and photos in a fun way that would be very motivating to the children.
I tried a couple of different applications. The trading card was very simple and straight-forward to use. Here is the link: http://bighugelabs.com/photos/d6fb0d6879166ab186c96f733c8e5fe4/deck2372131
The trading card project could easily be used to take a LifeTouch type of classroom photo and turn it into a trading card.
I tried a couple of different applications. The trading card was very simple and straight-forward to use. Here is the link: http://bighugelabs.com/photos/d6fb0d6879166ab186c96f733c8e5fe4/deck2372131
The trading card project could easily be used to take a LifeTouch type of classroom photo and turn it into a trading card.
Thing 5
I really enjoyed some of the great Flickr tools. The Mapmaker from Big Huge Labs caught my eye, as our family is preparing for a Lake Superior circle drive in just a few days. I found the software to be clumsy and very one dimensional, with little flexibility in some areas.
I also discovered Yahoo's trip planner. It is much better but still has difficulties to overcome. One instance was when I added cities we would visit, we were not sure at that time which direction we would travel. I assumed I would be able to organize them after they had been entered. Wrong!! I had to delete some and move things around in order to get the cities in the counter-clockwise order. I also could not find a way to update the scheduled dates to stop at each city.
I experimented with some of the other tags that could be added to the route, but since we were camping along the way, the hotels and some other features were meaningless.
Here is the link. http://travel.yahoo.com/trip-view-1739981-lake_superior_circle_tour;_ylt=AmQW9eAfrPnv2n60drPELWJSfMgF
I also discovered Yahoo's trip planner. It is much better but still has difficulties to overcome. One instance was when I added cities we would visit, we were not sure at that time which direction we would travel. I assumed I would be able to organize them after they had been entered. Wrong!! I had to delete some and move things around in order to get the cities in the counter-clockwise order. I also could not find a way to update the scheduled dates to stop at each city.
I experimented with some of the other tags that could be added to the route, but since we were camping along the way, the hotels and some other features were meaningless.
Here is the link. http://travel.yahoo.com/trip-view-1739981-lake_superior_circle_tour;_ylt=AmQW9eAfrPnv2n60drPELWJSfMgF
Thing 4
Flickr is a fun program to explore. When watching the Common Craft video, the one thing I had missed is the need to backup photos, with Flickr being one easy way.
I decided to open an account and upload some of my pictures from a Spring 2008 trip to the Minnesota North Shore of Lake Superior. A few pictures show the cabin that we enjoyed, and others showed the terrific view of the lake from just outside the door!
Here is the link to the photo set. Be sure to look at the the Details and Comments tab under the title of the set.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28985755@N06/sets/72157606447952684/
I will say that I ran into many confusing moments, especially when I tried to put this blog and the photos together. The comment area was very confusing, as you could place a comment with the set for add individual photos and comments here in the blog. I figured the above link was one way to see the photo set...I trust you will enjoy it.
I decided to open an account and upload some of my pictures from a Spring 2008 trip to the Minnesota North Shore of Lake Superior. A few pictures show the cabin that we enjoyed, and others showed the terrific view of the lake from just outside the door!
Here is the link to the photo set. Be sure to look at the the Details and Comments tab under the title of the set.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28985755@N06/sets/72157606447952684/
I will say that I ran into many confusing moments, especially when I tried to put this blog and the photos together. The comment area was very confusing, as you could place a comment with the set for add individual photos and comments here in the blog. I figured the above link was one way to see the photo set...I trust you will enjoy it.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thing 3
RSS feeds are a pretty easy way to "push" content to your web browser. The Common Craft video demonstrated just how easy it is to understand RSS. I chose Google Reader since I already had an account at Google.
I started by adding two of the bundles, news and sports, and quickly found myself overwhelmed with the number of items even to glance at!I decided to edit some of the bundles so that it really focused on what I was interested in.
As a teacher an RSS feed can bring together an number of websites that I might normally browse and save a lot of time.
I started by adding two of the bundles, news and sports, and quickly found myself overwhelmed with the number of items even to glance at!I decided to edit some of the bundles so that it really focused on what I was interested in.
As a teacher an RSS feed can bring together an number of websites that I might normally browse and save a lot of time.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Thing 2
I have often discussed with other classroom teachers the pressure we feel to understand the ramifications of Web 2.0 and L2.0. I know our job has become more complex in recent years yet I marvel at the flexibility that media specialists have demonstrated over the same time period! A school media center, and the requisite skills that are required to manage one, have changed so dramatically in recent years.
I especially appreciated the thoughts Stephen Abrams shared regarding finding time to explore these new tools. Each of us has our own "time wasters" just as Abrams had his smoking habit, and we need to challenge ourselves to recover some of that time for real learning.
In "Away from the Icebergs" Rick Anderson is basically saying "Get over it! Get over old habits, practices, and attitudes because the information world has changed and it will not go back to the way that it was before." I'm fifty six years old and I need to jump on board and push ahead with the new tools I'll be discovering in 23 Things.
I especially appreciated the thoughts Stephen Abrams shared regarding finding time to explore these new tools. Each of us has our own "time wasters" just as Abrams had his smoking habit, and we need to challenge ourselves to recover some of that time for real learning.
In "Away from the Icebergs" Rick Anderson is basically saying "Get over it! Get over old habits, practices, and attitudes because the information world has changed and it will not go back to the way that it was before." I'm fifty six years old and I need to jump on board and push ahead with the new tools I'll be discovering in 23 Things.
Thing 1
Wow! Does summer ever move fast. My name is Gary Davidson, and I am a teacher in the Edina Public Schools. I am getting a running start on this online class, hence my blog title "23 minus 12 Midnights on a Stick" It seems evening (late) is my best time for working, but I only have 11 nights to explore before our August 1st class deadline.
We were encouraged to explore the Yahoo Avatars but mine kept morphing into someone pretty weird. They don't have a lot of tools to recreate receding hairlines, so I went with a picture of Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. A few people have mentioned that we look just a little bit similar.
We were encouraged to explore the Yahoo Avatars but mine kept morphing into someone pretty weird. They don't have a lot of tools to recreate receding hairlines, so I went with a picture of Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. A few people have mentioned that we look just a little bit similar.
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