Summary

Although this program has been a lot of work and I have spent a lot of time on it I have enjoyed learning about all these new technologies. I have learned so much during this semester and the majority of it has come from doing the 23 things activity. I was surprised at the amount of educational tools that I was able to find and use on the Internet. I used many tools that I had no prior knowledge of and was successful at using them. I plan to stay on top of the technology curve by staying active on the web. Keeping up with groups such as Diigo, Teacher Pop and blogs will help me to do so. I plan on using the tools that I have learned in order for me to be productive in the classroom. Time management is a big key inside the classroom and there is no doubt that many of the tools from 23 things will help me in that area. My favorite activities were the Animoto video maker and learning about Igoogle. I plan to use these two tools for some time to come. Overall this semester long activity was a great hands on experience.

Thing #23 Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a great informal website that can help both teachers and students. Beyond that it could help anyone in any field. I feel like copyright law is something that we should all know. I plan to use creative commons in my classroom as part of my syllabus. That way students will know that I take copyright serious and that it is something that I expect them to learn and know. It will also give them hard copy material that they can look over when they do not have access to a computer. When using information they can always refer back to creative commons when needed.

Thing #22 Podcasts

When looking through the different podcast directories I chose the Education Podcast Network. It is a great library of podcast and very simple to use. It broke the podcast down by subject matter and grade level. There were podcast on every subject, even classes such as dance education and career development. I listened to a podcast on the history of Jamestown. It taught where and why the colony was created along with the general history. It was very informal and educational. As a teacher you can put your podcast on The Education Podcast Network for your students or others to hear. This is a great tool for teachers as some students learn better through audio. Although I did like the site and the podcast I am not sure yet if I will use podcast in my classroom. The jury is still out on this one.

Thing #21 Animato

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Animoto is a video tool that is incredibly easy to use. I uploaded around ten pictures form an album previously saved on my computer. Then I selected a song out of the Animoto library to play with the pictures. I then clicked create and it made my video within a short amount time. It was a really neat tool that took five minutes of time to complete. You could use Animoto to make educational videos in the classroom. As I have stated before I like simplicity and this tool is as simple as it gets.

Thing #20 YouTube

I chose to look up videos on the Great Depression since that is what my standard covers for my 3040 project. This video is informal and one that I could show my students in the classroom when covering this era. I personally am a huge fan of YouTube and find myself visiting the site several times a day to kill time between classes. I find it to be such an easy and helpful site where you can find videos on just about anything. You can also create an account where you can upload your own videos and store videos that you like. I love YouTube but there are some bad things on the site and therefore it would need to be monitored closely in the classroom.

Great Depression Video

Thing #19 Other Social Networks

After completing Thing #19 I am now a member of Teacher Pop to go along with my facebook membership. Out of the additional social networks listed I really liked GoodReads. I enjoy reading and read quite a few books and therefore found this network helpful. You can read reviews or get recommendations on books to read. You can also setup or join an online book club if you would like. I also enjoy famous quotes and you can save them on this network. I could see myself using Teacher Pop as a resource when teaching. It is comforting to know that I can network with people down the road whom I already know. It would serve as a great way to help out each other when we go our separate ways and become teachers.

Thing #18 Social Networking

My Facebook

I found this exercise to be one of the easiest for me because I am a daily user of social networking online. I have had both myspace and facebook accounts but currently only use the facebook account. I prefer facebook because of it more simplistic layout, fewer incidences of spam and completely random and inappropriate people trying to add me as a friend. It is important for teachers to know how to social network because they can reach more students and stay connected to other professionals in the field. I prefer facebook out of the two and could see a school or classroom application being helpful. It would serve as another way to share announcements, dates, assignments and ideas. I feel like it would be great for a classroom under strict monitoring to keep it safe and appropriate.