Thing 23: Congratulations!

• What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

  My new favorite thing is Delicious.  This is going to be so helpful as I go between school, work and home computers!  I also like Photostory a lot.  Just wish I was able to upload my story to the blog :(

• How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals? 

I have learned so much from the 23 things project.  These are things that will help me in my teaching, in my pursuit as a librarian, and in my personal life.  This may be the end of 23 things, but this is just the beginning of my journey to become technologically savvy.  

• Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

My husband is a computer science major, and he is always talking about new developments in technology so I thought I already knew a lot.  I learned so much more than I expected from 23 Things.  

• What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

I wish I could have taken this class during a longer semester.  It would have been fun to learn about these tools and then apply them in real time with students.

• If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?

Yes, 23 Things forced me to do things and use tools that I don't think I would have tried on my own.

• How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?

EXPERIMENTAL

Thing 22: Your Turn

One thing that we have not talked about in 23 Things is Google+.  It is something that I have recently started using, but have had great successes with it.  It is very similar to Facebook, but I feel like it is geared more to adults because the content is more professional.  You can follow people like on Twitter so you can see things they post, but they won't see your stuff unless they follow you.  My family and I especially like using Hangouts which is similar to skype.  We "hangout" without my in-laws at least once a week so they can see Grant in action.  Since Google+ is linked with my gmail account, I like that everything is tied in to one account.  This makes it easy to access all sorts of web tools.  Google really has it going on!!  I think Google+ is going to be the next popular social media site as more people join and see how much it has to offer.

Thing 21: Online Image Generators

The first thing I tried to play with was a logo maker, but unfortunately it would never show up and I would get an error message.  I like the idea of it, but there were also a lot of advertisements on the page so I don't think it would be something to use with elementary students.

I had way too much fun with the comic strip generator!  It was super easy to upload a picture and then I had lots of bubbles to choose from.  The hardest part was placing the bubble in the right spot.  This is going to be such a great tool when I teach dialogue in writing.

This is how I felt earlier! I was having connection problems all night!

Thing 20: Recess

Who doesn't like recess?  It's funny that our students don't realize teachers like recess just as much as children do.

As I looked through Live Binders, the tab I looked at most were the Apps.  Teachers will be issued the Dell Tablets this month, and I've wondering about the Apps we would be given or what we could get.  This list in the Live Binder is a good place to start as I begin looking for effective materials.  Eventually all the students will also be issued tablets, and if used correctly they will be such a great resource.

Thing 19: Mashups

I learned that Mashups are mixtures of different applications.

BigHugeLabs offers a lot of cool stuff you can do with photos!!  Endless possibilities and so many things that can be used at school...Movie Posters, Jigsaw Puzzles, Trading Cards.  I'm definitely adding BigHugeLabs to Delicious!!

I had fun playing with Mosaic Maker.  This is from our first family camping trip in May.

Thing 18: Shelfari

Shelfari is very similar to Goodreads.  I do have an account with Goodreads, but I have not been active on it.  Since I have a Kindle and purchase my books from Amazon, I can see myself using Shelfari more. It will be nice that it's all together within one account.  

The books I chose to put on my shelf are books I have used with my 4th grade class.  These are some of my favorite books! They are excellent for read aloud because students really get into the stories and find connections to the characters.

Thing 17: Ning

I explored the Texas Librarian Ning and Ning for Teachers.  What an awesome way to connect to professionals all around the world! The Nings serve as a great tool that allows you to communicate through groups, forums, and blogs.  I enjoyed looking through the videos and photos people have shared.  Texas Librarian Ning will be another helpful resource that I can depend on as I continue my pursuit to becoming a librarian.

Thing 16; Video Sharing

What can't you find on Youtube or Teachertube?  There are infinite videos regarding education and technology that are so informative.  Technology can be a scary and overwhelming.   That is why teachers are hesitant to try Web 2.0 tools.  For those that are willing to experiment, I found a great Youtube clip that recommends 5 tools to try.

Thing 15: Podcast and Videocasts

I had never used Photostory so I was excited to try it out.  Of course I had to create a Photostory using our pics from Disney.  Photostory was really easy to use, and I think elementary students would love creating a story using this tool.  I'm so glad I was able to try Photostory.  This is a fun and easy tool.  I will definitely be using this personally and professionally.

More pics from our Disney vacay... COMING SOON!

I can't get it to upload to the blog.  Will try again later.

  

Thing 14: More Online Applications and Tools

The TIS on our campus introduced some Web 2.0 Tools during a campus professional development.  One of the tools he talked about was Prezi.  I had to do a couple presentations for my Children's Literacy course and decided to try Prezi.  It was fairly easy to use, but I had to experiment with it.  I had some trials and errors, but was happy with my final product.



On one of the projects, I worked with a partner and it was easy to share the link with her.  We were both able to work on the Prezi at our convenience and the changes were immediate.  We didn't have to worry about emailing a Powerpoint back and forth.

Take a look at our creation.  

Thing 13: Online Applications and Tools

My district had offered a professional development on using Google Drive so I've been using it for about a year to create documents and spreadsheets. I've heard the district will be pushing employees to use Google Drive because they are running out of drive space.  I have not yet played with the Presentation or the Form applications.  My husband has created a file using Draw which he has shared with me and it seemed easy to use.  The TIS at my professional development described Google Drive as a generic version of Microsoft Office.  It will do the essentials, but it might be missing the fluffy stuff that makes it pretty.   

My experience with Google Docs has been great! I actually use it more now than I use Microsoft Word.  I like the easy accessibility to my files.  If I do need something it Word or if I have a old file I want to use, it is quick and easy to convert into Word Documents and vice versa.  Sometimes there are minor spacing issues, but nothing unmanageable.  If I start a Document on my school computer I no longer have to save and email it to myself.  All I have to do is log back into Google.  I can also share files easily with others.  No more emailing and then saving.  My husband and I share things all the time.  Once he shares, something with me it appears right in my drive.  I can also access Google Drive from my phone.  It's awesome!!

The sharing ability can so useful when you want to share things with coworkers.  How many times have you gotten the email with "Updated" document or document with "Corrections"?  I don't know about you, but with all these emails I get confused which version I should use.  When you share something on Goole Docs and need to make changes, it occurs on the original document and you don't have to worry about resharing.  I hope the district will do more pushing and encouraging employees to use Google Drive.  People are scared of trying new things, but once they realize how easy it is, I'm sure more people will be willing to try. 

Thing 12: Microblogging

Tweet me @themamaglenda
My husband signed me up for twitter around the time our son was, but I didn't have time to learn something new when I had a newborn.  I never used it and didn't even know my password.  Looking at my following list, I was surprised to see some people on my list...Ashton Kutcher, Snoop Dogg??   Really?? My husband surely did that.  Also not sure why my user name is "the"mamaglenda.  Maybe it verify that I'm the real deal.  HA! All my husband's doing.  I only have one follower and that is my friend/coworker.  Not even sure how she found me or how she knew I had a twitter account. 

I found a twitter account for my school, but not sure if anyone is still keeping up with it because the last tweet was done in 2009.  I still followed it anyways.  I also started following the Freeman Library and Helen Hall Library.  They continually post throughout the day about library happenings.  I was unable to find a twitter account our school library or for any of the high schools in the district.  In the elementary level, I can see this being useful for parent and librarian communication.  At the intermediate and high school level, I think this will be very useful to reach out to students as well. 

Thing 11: Play in the Sandbox

I've put my feet in the sandbox and joined the Pasadena ISD librarian's 23 Things Project Sandbox wiki on Project Share.  I tried to look at blogs from other contributors (besides my classmates) but some blogs were no longer available or some required permission.  Even though I was unable to look at the other blogs, I can see how this wiki can be very helpful.  It's sad that I have a Project Share account and didn't even know it this whole time.  Hopefully soon I will be able to play and experiment with it more.