One Last Thing...

Yay! I'm almost done.  I feel really accomplished in completing the 23 Things.  My favorite exercises and discoveries during my 23 Things experience are Animoto, YouTube, del.cio.us and iGoogle.  This program has affected my lifelong goals by proving to myself and to everyone else that I can actually reach lifelong goals, just as I have reached my goal of completing 23 Things successfully.  I know that no matter what goal I make, I know that I can reach it if I remain disciplined and focused.  Just as I have done with 23 Things.  I am really surprised that I was able to reach my goals.  I thought this was going to be the hardest class ever when I began because I am so computer illiterate.  I thought I was never going to get the hang of blogging or whatever.  23 Things has certainly been the hardest project I have ever done.  So an important take-away from this has been I have gained knowledge about computers and I have proven that I can use a computer in a useful, smart way.  I believe that format and concept are great with 23 Things. However, I hated having to open so many accounts.  If you could alter the websites and maybe find some websites that don't require us to create an account that would be great.  I have been introduced to a wide world of technology and now I can't go back.  I will always use technology in ways to advance learning in my classroom.  And technology is going to be an ever-increasing phenomena in the classroom.   I plan to use the knowledge gleaned from 23 Things to stay up-to-date with changes in technology and education. I plan to keep up with web 2.0 by keeping up with all the websites we have used.  Some of which are very useful.  Like iGoogle and School 2.0.  Also, I find it useful when I see some new piece of technology that has something to do with the Web I research it.  For instance, I wanted to learn more about the iPad 2 so I googled it.  And now I'm caught up with this new piece of technology that connects to the Internet.  If you ever have questions about Web 2.0 and its new developments, just google it.  

Thing 23

I found a note posted at the bottom of the 23 Things home page that says:  This project is loosely based upon the website 43Things (which allows you to set and track personal goals) and the Stephen Abram article titled 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year(Information Outlook - Feb 2006). So I am assuming this is the basis of our 23 Things and this note is attributing to the original person who came up with "things."  


I did not realize how big a deal it is to use other people's work or pictures or videos or ideas without permission until I studied Creative Commons.  As a teacher, I will need ideas for the classroom, for classroom management, teaching strategies, all that.  So I will certainly be looking for ideas on the Internet.  But now I am much wiser about copyright laws so I will always look for the CC or C so that I know whether or not I can use the idea or whatever I may find.  I have never intentionally stolen anyone else's ideas or pictures from the Internet.  I just thought before that since it was on the Internet anyone can use it, but now I know better.  I will always check Creative Commons before I take something from the Internet for use in the classroom.

Thing 22

The titles of my binders are Understanding Setting, Understanding Character, and Understanding Plot.  I chose these 3 elements of Literature because my ideal teaching situation is 2nd Grade Reading.   I am having trouble embedding my binder, Understanding Setting, onto my post.  Once I figure it out, I will create a separate post with my binder on it.

I think Live Binders are a great organizational tool for the classroom.  Teachers can use them for things like  specific History topics that are very broad, Reading topics like what I did, or English literature stories or plays like Hamlet or Macbeth.  The teacher can create multiple tabs that relate to the main topic and keep everything organized under one topic or heading all in one binder.  I also think Live Binders are a great way to organize a student presentation.  So many classrooms now have overhead projectors so the students' Live Binders can be displayed for the class to see.  And the presenter can use the Binder as their guidelines or notes for speaking.  I think the possibilities are endless when using Live Binders.

Last Summer- Thing 21

Last Summer

This is the video I created using animoto. I really enjoyed this project. It was very easy to use and fun to create. My video is about what I did on July 3rd. I went to a family picnic and then played at this really cool community event held in my town. Animoto is a great way to make short videos of anything! I wish the free videos weren't so short though. However, if I wanted to make a longer video, I could purchase it and even get a DVD made and sent to me. This would be great gifts for parents, grandparents, or anyone special.

Thing 20

I am really excited to share this with everyone.  This is a video of the band I was in last year.  This was at a bluegrass competition that we placed 2nd in.
I like YouTube because you can freely express yourself through videos.  They can be serious or goofy or whatever.  The great thing is that anyone, including me, can use it to post and share videos.  I like that it's very easy to find what I'm looking for.
I could make an account with YouTube so that I could have unrestricted access to any videos.  That could be valuable when searching for class materials.  Also, the personalized video recommendations make it easy to find exactly what you're looking for and even great things you didn't expect to find.  All in all YouTube is a great video-sharing website.

Thing 19

As I said in my last post, I am a member of Facebook and Twitter.  And now I am a member of TeacherPop also.  I am still a little confused by the layout of TeacherPop but with some use I will get used to it.  Facebook is my favorite networking site because it is very accommodating and I have used it the longest.  I really like the idea of TeacherPop and Ning because it is very concentrated in what I am interested in.  I still am very unsure about using social networking sites in the work place or work setting because I think it's on the line between professional and unprofessional.  I think I can use TeacherPop during my next two years at Austin Peay to stay in contact with fellow students.  This is a great way to ask questions and talk about Education and our classes in general.

Thing 18

I have both a Facebook and a Twitter account.  It is very important for educators to know about social networking sites because everyone has them.  They can be very valuable to teachers because they are an easy form of communication.  However, they can be very dangerous because there is so much room for error on these sites.  It's easy to post drunken pictures of your weekend or say a curse word in your status.  It's all too common.  Educators can view these no-no's and get you fired for it, too.  I really like Facebook because I understand it and it's easy to use.  I like how easy it is to create groups and find friends, as well.  I really, really hate Twitter though.  I think its used by mainly self-absorbed people who are constantly glued to the computer or their cell phones.  (Sorry! Don't mean to offend anyone!)  The same could be said about Facebook.  I don't usually like to post a status because I'm a pretty introverted person.  I don't like people to know what I'm doing or feeling 24/7.  

As I said before, Facebook and Twitter can be very dangerous.  I would never use either of these anywhere near a classroom setting.  I like to be professional and there are a lot of risks in posting your life on a social networking site.  I know in the county that I am planning to teach in, Facebook and Twitter accounts are frowned upon, if not prohibited in most schools.  I am planning to delete both my Facebook and Twitter accounts within the next year or so.  I don't want there to be any reason not to be hired because of something I said on Facebook.

Thing 17

I love del.icio.us!  I had no idea there were such things as social bookmarking sites, but it is a great idea.  I finally have found a way to keep up with all the sites we have used in 3040.  This tool has great potential in the classroom.  Del.icio.us.  allows users to save and access bookmarks from any computer, not just your own personal one.  This is advantageous for teachers because generally we have a classroom computer and a computer at home.  So if I have to be up late planning a lesson, I can access all the bookmarks I may need  the following day for let's say a powerpoint presentation right at home.  Also, teachers can take advantage of social bookmarking sites because they are public.  Anyone can view my bookmarks.  Therefore, I can search other teachers' bookmarks and hopefully find some really useful websites for my classes.  Bookmarking sites are a really great way to stay organized, especially when the Internet is so broad.  I can keep all my websites in one place, tag them with a familiar name, and that's that.  I like to be organized and this is a great organization tool!

Thing 16

The start page I chose was iGoogle because Google has always been a reliable search engine for me and I thought anything connected with Google must be great.  I am considering making this my start page for a number of reasons.  Most importantly, I can customize my page any way I choose.  They have wonderful background templates that make my start page pretty and interesting to me.  Also, I can access anything I want from the start page, including Facebook accounts, gmail and anything other accounts I have.

Online calendars can be very helpful because I am already online so much anyways.  It would be convenient to check it every day, if I can remember to.  However, I did not like the calendars provided in Thing 16.  You can call me old-fashioned but I prefer to use my trusty APSU planner because its tangible and easier for me to use.

I felt like the to-do lists are too much work because I use my to-do lists when I'm out running errands, not sitting at home on a computer.  Most people don't have cell phones that have access to these online lists either.  Once again, I may be old-fashioned but I like to use pen and paper to create my to-do lists!

The PDF converter can be very useful for teachers looking to print off documents that come from sources other than their own documents.  If I got an email from someone who made it on a PC and I have a Mac, sometimes the printable version of the email isn't available.  This is a wonderful, FREE tool that teachers can use when printing off worksheets from online sources also.  I highly recommend it for anyone, not just teachers.

Thing 15

I created a page on the apsu23thingssandbox wiki called Molly's Page.  I added my blog Thing 13 because I really enjoyed this Thing.  And I thought I did a good job writing about it.  I can use a Wiki to collaborate with other teachers in my grade level or in the entire school.  I thought it was interesting that you can edit other people's pages.  I don't think I like that because people could falsify what I put on my page or anyone else's.  Overall, Wikis could be very dangerous to use.