Happy Harping

Thing 11.5

2009-08-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

Evaluation

1. Favorite discoveries. There were many! My all time favorite was the Voki! I have already turned several people on to them. Wordle, wordsift and bookr are all things I will use in my class. Skype- LOVE IT!! Jing, I'm looking for a microphone and anxious to try. And of course as soon as school starts I'm ordering an itouch. Really can't wait for that one. There were lots of "things" in this program that I really hooked on to.
2. How has this class affected my lifelong learning goal. Well, I went to the petting zoo class last week because I was motivated to continue my quest to learn about technology. My teenage children are so involved in it and I don't want to have my head in the sand, besides, it's really fun! I look forward to more exploration on my computer. I still don't consider myself very good with technology but I feel more confident and more motivated to continue learningand using technology. I'm not a dinosaur yet!
3. Any surprises? Yes- Second life was one. I still have my reservations but see the advantages and opportunities it has. I also see how it brings digital citizenship into play. I was walking around a make believe place but so were all kinds of other kids at the same time and I could see them and chat with them if I wanted to. This gave me much to think about. New perspective.
4. Improvements or differences? I liked the number of things this time. It was much more manageable. I think I'll have lots of fun new "things" to start the year with. This was a great set of new things. I look forward to the next one. Thanks!

Thing 11

2009-08-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

This one was rather interesting and made me think about the BIG picture. I did not know what digital citizenship was and It took a little reading for me to get the idea. I frind it rather interesting to consider myself and my students as worldwide citizens with others on the web. Being an elementary teacher of special needs children, I think the year should begin with some tech training (even though most of our lessons are guided by me). Verifying and having several sources for information is key. Being respectful of others that we encounter is key as well. I think each computer lesson as we go along should come with some ettiquete right from the start. I have a totally new perspective on our "citizenship" in the great world ( it gets smaller all the time) of the web, and as my training continues so does my responsibility.

Thing 10

2009-07-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

OK, this thing was one that really puzzled me. I have mixed emotions about this one. I read a lot of the blogs, introductions and links about the second life and it really kind of scared me a bit. First off, I am a little fearful of being online with other people"live". I was a bit concerned about the whole Linden dollar stuff. I am always a bit skeptical of spending money for a game. I DO see how it can be educational, I read about the space, planet study, book clubs, money management, social skills, ect. So, I decided to take an easy route, and I signed up for one of the kids places. I got on and it was intimidating at first but really fun! It took me awhile to figure out how to move and go to the different places and it was rather fun to see other avatars and know they were live on the game as well. Maybe I'll get up the courage to get on second life. I signed up, we'll see if I can get on and move around. Let's just step out of that comfort zone, shall we?

Thing 9

2009-07-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

Video slide production is pretty cool but I really had to work at this one. I made a small slide show about the uses of the flip camera in the classroom. I put a video of a student in there and so I had to make the use Private. The link is below. This would be a great tool to have teaching powerpoints available to many. Once again I am thinking about my special needs kids that need repetition and again, here is another cool way to offer that. I used slideshare and it was fairly easy, even though I had to enlist a lttle help from my teenage daughter. I read the reviews on the others, slideboom, 280 slides ( I signed up for) and Authorstream. They all looked interesting but slideshare seemed most user friendly to a newbie at this! This would be another "thing" that I'll dig deeper into next year!
http://www.slideshare.net/secret/onob4EhQ19BcS

Thing 8

2009-07-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

After downloading Jing and Goview I realized I did not have a microphone. So My big planned production will have to wait a few weeks until I get into the library at school and get a microphone. I just learned last week about photo story and I made one. I was planning to make one and describe how to do it. I would love to see my students able to make a photostory and this would be perfect. They could have a screencast tutorial on how to make it. I think they would love it. I felt like Jing and Goview looked the most user friendly. I love the idea of being able to watch a tutorial with each computer screen. Those are MY favorites. I really feel like I can watch at my own pace and really understand the material. I'm looking forward to my "Photostory Guide" when school gets going.

Thing 7

2009-07-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this one. I watched the video for Creative Commons Liscensing and it looks like we are pretty free most of the time, Yippee. I found several things that I really love and will mark as favorites on my computer.
1. National Archives- I found some fun articles and did some searches for Amelia Earhart, she was a favorite of several of my students. I found some clips of documentaries that I know the kids could use. Did you know this sumeer is the anniversary of her birth and they are restoring her house ? She would be 103 I believe. The mystery of her dissappearance continues. I also saw a trailer for a movie coming out about her, Fun!
2. Blinx- Too cool, once again , Amelia was a search and I found several things I'd use. This one I think I like better. Loads there.
3. TotLol- My personal favorite. I signed up and am in love with it. Even my older kids would get a kick out of it, I think. I have some SpEd kids with huge comprehension issues and the video of the duck returning to the lemonade stand looking for grapes every day might be a hit! The story was sung, the words rhymed and I know the kids would remember more , stay engaged and increase comprehension. I'm all over that one!
4. Hulu- OK, but I like the others a bit better.
5. PBS Kids- I really like that one as well and another favorite on the list! Lots to choose from.
Thanks for some new favorites!

Revisit Thing 4

2009-07-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the short video I made with the flip camera. A short visit to the Alamo was wonderful and a great learning experience with a flip!!

Thing 6

2009-07-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

Now I am really looking forward to getting an itouch for my classroom. I know where my money will go this year! There were so many apps I liked , it is difficult to know where to begin. Games- they had lots of free games that I could see using with the kids. Word games, similar to boggle, were a plenty. Toobz was another game that you had to fit the tubes together to make a maze. Good thinking skills would work on this game. I went into the education section and was overwhelmed, sight word flashcards, reading and number games a plenty. I can see a few of my students glued to the itouch and doing a "READING" activity. Cool. There was also one that you punch in the restaurant, pull up the menu, choose an item and it brings up the calories and nutritional value. I think it is very important for our kids to be aware of what they are eating. Good nutrition is a big factor in good education, there's my soapbox for the day! I also liked the free app for time around the world, it would tell you what time it was anywhere in the world, how fun to think about when you are studying different parts of the globe. On that note google earth was an app that was fun to see. If I'm studying the Boston Tea Party, I could punch in the place and get an arial view of where it really happened. Let's just make learning a little more personal, a little more real. I could get into that! Look out itouch, a few more weeks to go and you are MINE!!

Thing 5

2009-07-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

Facebook. I signed up for that in late spring because a co-workers daughter was ill and this was the main way of recieving information about her. I did not do much with it until I saw it on the list here. I began to play more with it while I was out of town and visiting family. I looked up a lomg lost wonderful college roommate and found her. We met for coffee while I was in Ohio. I am also keeping up with family and co workers. I have to now say, I am hooked. I keep thinking of people to look up. We are all talking my dad ( he's 87) into getting a facebook as well.
Twitter. I signed up and have enjoyed looking around. I am not proficient yet but slowly working up to it. I think these two are things you need to work on a regular basis to get the feel for them and learn the uses. I am getting there. I think it would be a great way to keep posted on your students. Developing a personal relationship with students and understanding them is to learn how to reach, teach them. I look forward to plenty of time on facebook. More to come!

Thing 4

2009-07-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

I really like this one,,,well,,,I like them all. I have a flip video camera and I made a short movie of the Alamo last week when I was there. I loaded it on Utube and it was so easy. I know the kids could make a video and share without any trouble. They could do a video project and post it. The rest of the class could then watch and post a comment. The teacher could then easily watch and view comments of the other students and even grade. There could be so many things to do video projects with. Current events, history events, book reports, live math problems and solutions, social circumstances, and on and on..I think it would be fun to see a group of class videos. They could even do plays of certain historical events, then the kids could watch them all and use it as a live study guide..Ready...Set.....Action!!

thing 3

2009-06-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

Oh Skype!! I love it. My father who is 87 is my tech hero! He is on the computer and always interested in technology. I sent him an itunes gift card for his 87th birthday! He sent me a webcam for Christmas. My parents are in Ohio so we "skype" every Sunday and I get to "see" them and what they are doing. My only request from them is to make the conference calls for video. The family can all get on and talk but we can't see each other. You just gotta love it!

Thing 2 Again

2009-06-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Oh, I just couldn't resist. I think I see Amelia Earhart on the Voki screen! What fun we could have making our famous person and making them speak. I think the kids would know their famous person after designing them and giving them speech! I love it! I see some famous people coming my way!!

Thing 2

2009-06-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

OK, I am really hooked. Wordle...I am a special ed teacher so I am always looking for different ways to present things. One way I could use it.. Have the student type in some sight words they are struggling with. It displays the words in all directions which separated them in different ways, it also makes the words different colors. It would be a great way for the student to play and manipulate the words, become familiar with them, and see them repeatedly in different positions. Loved it. Wordsift...Again, thinking of the special needs of my students, I pasted in some info on a bird (we have a bird unit) I think this format will give greater understanding and create more interaction for the student and the information. Sometimes the information itself becomes overwhelming for the student. Pesented in small bits in wordsift might keep them engaged for longer periods of time and learning more about their topic. Finally, Bookr...Great way to present information. I'm thinking about a "What I did this summer" book with some summer pictures of places, people and things, maybe even a graduation book for the recent graduate. So many uses...so little time. I didn't even choose these first two. I just looked at them to see what they were and immediatly got hooked and saw how I could use them. I'll have to get back to the others.

Thing 1 next series 11.5 things

2009-06-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

This movie was quite interesting. First of all, the format of showing the pictures and telling a story over them would be a great use for project presentation using the Flip cameras. This would be something great for my special needs students. So, on to the actual content of the video. First of all, I love the idea of the teacher being the facilitator for student led research. It really puts a total new role and picture of the teacher. It changes the face of the teacher, which will be an interesting transition. The teacher will go from the lecture, educator to guiding the self propelled student. It is going to be fun to see the change, I just hope it is quickly embraced. I know at my school our librarian is a great technology resource so it would be appropriate for her to lead the charge in this student led technology research. I am sure the students will eagerly follow! I know I would!

Thing (yippee) 23

2008-03-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo !! This was a great program.
1. some of my favorites! Fuzzmail, it's just fun! I also enjoyed youtube and teachertube. I'll be back to those to spend a little more time! I also liked the library thing. I just finished another book and added it to my list. I'll be anxious to show the summer book group that one.
2. Lifelong learning goals. definately in high gear for this program. I feel like I can somewhat communicate with my kids now. I may not be proficient, but I can have a good conversation. I think I am ready to do some exploring on my own.
3. Surprises? Many! I thought I would have a really hard time writing in a blog, But I really had some fun. I found some neat special education vidoes and ideas that I was totally not expecting.
4.How to improve? 23 things might be a little too many. For a first time tech explorer it was a little daunting. I think it might have been easier to do a few short groups. Maybe 6-10 things. Then It would be easy to move to the next group. But, this is the special ed teacher in me that breaks a task into smaller , more manageable chunks to help the learner feel like they have accomplished something and they don't become overwhelmed or frustrated.
5. I would very happily participate in another adventure like this one.
6.FUN!

Thanks for doing this. It was a great experience. I will be continuing to use the library2play webpage as a guide to continue surfing some of the cool spots I have discovered. It was a lot of work but well done!

Thing 22

2008-03-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

In surfing around the websites I found a pretty cool song "The Librarian" It really is great. My resource room is right in the library at our school. I am there in a cormer room and we see all the library happenings and this song was pretty fun. I was very impressed by the postings and the "ning" sites. I saw VWB listed as well as Barry Bishop! There is a lot of informatin on those web sites. Coming from a beginner in the technology world and a special ed person, I have a lot to learn and those web sites would be great for ME to learn. I know we are supposed to be focused on our students but I feel like I need to learn a lot more before i get the students involved. Becoming more aware of what is happening comes first. I was very impressed with all three recommended sites. Things are beginning to settle a little for me and i'm thinking of some applications for the special needs students.
1. book reports on video
2. projects on a podcast instead of written
3. Post a comment on a blog about a specific subject
For students not able to do classwork and testing or evaluation in a conventional way, I am beginning to see some new ways to show that learning is happening. The wheels are beginning to spin and these 3 web sites will be future reference for me! Thanks

Thing 21

2008-03-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

This thing was a little bit over my head. I didn't have the right equipment for a podcast, so my sweet 16 year old helped me make a video with her camera. I can see how this would be very useful for many ways in the classroom. Our second grade students have made podcasts with book reviews. This was a difficult thing that I could not have done without help from an experienced computer person. Although I could not do a podcast, I was very happy to tell you about the book Twilight. Check out that great website, and enjoy my book review video!

Thing 20

2008-03-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

well, my kids and I have always enjoyed youtube. We have always gone for the funny videos. My daughter and I would sit together and sift through some pretty good ones. I had no idea there were so many educational ones and I did not know about the teacher tube! I really liked the blinkx search. I found some good ones there. I did a special education inclusion search and came up with a neat inclusion video. I am anxious to get back after spring break and show my co worker. It could even be used in a presentation. The other one I found was a lecture about fairness with special needs kids. I loved it and can't wait to show that one as well. Here they are !!!

Thing 19

2008-03-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, This "thing" was pretty cool. I had more fun than find educational ideas on this one. I really enjoyed http://www.judysbook/ .com . It was pretty neat to surf around in and find some cool things. I always love a good bargain and they had a place to get coupons from wherever you might want to go! Not only is it fun, but on a teacher salary I'll always look for ways to save. This was it. You could click on the store and it pulled up the coupons and the store web site. I've already got some coupons for the next shopping trip out this weekend! They had deals on everything from Travel to Wal-Mart. When you chose a category it pulled up the results with pictures and a description. It was easy, simple and quick to find what you might be looking for. It was easy to just browse around!

The second and really fun thing I found was www.fuzzmail.org You really must check it out. You type and send an email, the sender recieves a link to get the note. When you open the link it types up your email just as you have typed it up and at the same speed you typed as well. I have gotten the whole family "fuzzed up" My 16 year old was having fun typing me notes and watching how fast she could type and seeing how many errors she had made. I couldn't read as fast as she could type. I suppose it might be a fun tool for students to send emails and watch how fast they type monitor their speed and accuracy. I even sent my husband a love note and he replied.! Amazing! I'm feeling fuzzy!

Thing 18

2008-03-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

Well, This one I am a bit unsure about. I'm not sure I have too many opinions on either. I use microsoft word a little at school but not as often as the general ed. teachers. So I don't see that this particular tool will benefit me too much. I read some of the other blogs to see what the others thought about it and didn't get much insight into the real benefit of them. I do like the google tool for general writing better than the microsoft word just because....once again, it seems less cluttered, easier to find the tool I want and less harsh on the eye. As I get older and into the high tech world, ease is very important to me. It just felt easier to use. I found my way around a lot easier for just beginning. I had to have classes on microsoft! I also was able to do more with the spreadsheet than on microsoft. My partner teacher has to do all the spreadsheets because I can not do them. With the google tool, I began to figure it out on my own. There's hope for me after all! So I guess thing 18 is OK !

Thing 17

2008-03-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

Yippee!!! This one was not too difficult for me and I finished in less than a few hours ! I enjoyed reading the additions to the sandbox! I liked the comment about putting faculty meeting items on a wiki. We often have trouble meeting as a special ed team since we don't have the same planning time or lunch. This makes it difficult sometimes to meet as a team for information. Our team leader might be able to put the notes on a wiki and we access them. I'll look forward to the next thing!

Thing 16

2008-03-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

I think I get the idea about what a wiki is now. It took a few articles for me to clue in. Again, I love the youtube videa explaining the wiki. I'm a visual learner. I also found that the term wiki came from Hawaii, from the term "Quick". That was fun. I especially like A Library By any other name. It was very friendly reading, not too overwhelming. Some of the blogs and web sites have too much stuff crammed in a small space. I am not sure at this time I see a reason for a wiki for me. I think all this technology will have to sit awhile for me to come up with real practical uses. The more i work with it and research it, the more uses I'm sure will appear. I have one up on my 16 year old, she doesn't know about wiki's.

Thing 15

2008-03-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

I have many thoughts about the future of libraries. I kept my 3 daughters in mind as I read all the commentaries. Just a few weeks ago I told my middle college daughter to head to the library to study. Well, that is definitely not how or where they study now. The library for my 20 and 16 year olds is strictly for finding a fun book to read or renting a DVD for the weekend. I have watched and participated in helping both daughters and all their information, research , and tools are primarily from the internet. It is interesting to watch all three. The ages of the girls are 24, soon to be 21 and 16. Without a doubt the computer skills increase as you go down the line . My 16 year old is better and faster than both of them. I really feel like a dinosaur!
I agree with Rick Anderson that education is key. We are beginning with young children in elementary school and working our way up , but those of us that are finished with school still need that education and as the systems change and rapidly advance, continuing education will be key. My 24 year old daughter in graduate school has told me that she feels like she is not keeping up with current trends and capabilities. She sees her little sister passing her up so quickly in skill level on the computer and with technology. WoW! If she feels behind, where does that leave me. I worry that the changes are happening so fast, people like me will not be able to keep up. So, my job then becomes to do my best to stay connected to programs like this that keep me involved in the current of worldwide information. I am trying to share my information with my 86 year old father who likes to be on the computer, has a digital camera and an ipod. Continuing to motivate and educate all ages is a recipe for success.

Thing 14

2008-03-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, this one was good. I spent way too much time searching for different things. I really like Technorati. It is easy on the eye. It is not too crowded and seems easy to maneuver around. I looked into entertainment and finally looked up the library things. I found some neat blogs from California doing the same 23 things program . It was fun to read what they thought about discovering new things on the web. I guess I need to do more work on tagging because after I surfed around I couldn't find my way back to the blog I like the best. It had a cute video about a singing prank in the library. I think By this point in the 23 thing discovery I am beginning to see things a bit differently. Maybe I'm not quite as fearfull of all these things on the web. Maybe now that I have a few new tools in my computer toolbox I'll be able to do more exploration.

Thing 13

2008-03-04T19:09:00.000-08:00

This thing will have to be used for awhile. I signed up on del.icio.us and have tagged a few things. It looks like a personal way to make a favorites list. I seem to have so many things on my favorite list that I have to search awhile to find the one I want. I think the proof in this one will come with time and repeated use to discover if this is better than the old way for me. I placed the del.icio.us tag on my tool bar and will begin using it on a more regular basis. Time will tell!!

Thing 12

2008-03-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

Rollyo was not a keeper for me. I much prefer the old way of doing a google search. When I used the Rollyo search it was hard to read the results of the search. It was a smaller section of the page and just not as eye friendly for me. I did make a search for cz jewelry since a friend of mine and I were looking at some fun stuff recently. Even when doing a search for this, I still preferred the old way. Sorry, no taker on this one.

Thing 11

2008-02-18T15:07:00.000-08:00

This one is pretty good. I tend to do a lot more reading in the summer and I could never remember what I had read the summer before. This past summer I jumped into a reading group and we would share what we were reading and talk about the books. Someone would take notes on all the books and email it out. But..WOW this way is so much more effiicient. I began writing down in a notebook the list of books I had read so I would not forget and again, this is a lot more efficient. It is going to be great when I finish my current book and hop on the library thing to see what the others have read. I know my reading group will love it. I entered my last several books read and look forward to entering more. YaY!!

Thing 10

2008-02-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

This one I needed my teenage daughter to help a bit. She again helped me figure out where our pictures were on our computer. She also helped a bit getting the smiley face valentine on the blog. I think I have it now! I'm ready to fly solo! I used the happy face generator site to make my happy Valentine here on the blog. I also took a family picture and put it on the trading card with dates, names and places listed. It is really cool. I'll send it to my family members. This one took me the most time to figure out so far. I was on for quite awhile trying to get what I wanted. I am so lucky to have my 16 year old available to help when I get stuck. Even if she has never done it before, she figures it out pretty quick!

Thing 9 continued

2008-02-11T19:55:00.000-08:00

In searching around edublog I found blip.tv. They had a tutorial on voice threads, Hmmm something I need to think about, It was rather interesting. I also did a search for special education blogs and found a great taped discussion between 4 people about the inclusion classroom.( Ms. Mercer's bog at webcast academy) I sent it to my daughter getting her masters. It was a really good one. I bumped into some good games at game design that I sent myself at school. I also listened to a discusion from a young woman who was dual certified in regular and special education. I did not know there was such a thing. Cool! I'll keep surfing. Tomorrow is another day!

Thing 9

2008-02-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

This one really took some time to search around. It can really be overwhelming especially for someone like me with little technology background. There is so much out there. I found Technorati to be the easiest site for me and I especially liked the tutorial. I do better when I get to hear the directions as well. Many of the blogs I visited were very impressive. It motivates me to continue working at my own pace to catch up a little in the technology game!

Thing 8

2008-02-01T17:43:00.000-08:00

This one I really like but it will really take some more surfing to perfect it for me. I have set up the RSS feed and placed quite a few things on it. Now I think I need to cut it down to fewer things. It can be overwhelming. I really like it a lot and I think I'll set one up for my husband as well. I'll keep playing with this one as I get all my news online.

Thing 7

2008-01-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

This one was less impressive for me personally. I like the google advanced search, My daughter in graduate school has been telling me about these national web sites devoted to special education. I found one from Iowa and can see that I could probably find some cool ones with a little more digging. Google earth was my other interest. In looking at many properties for sale, I know this one will come in handy. I also think the google pictures would help in the classroom. We are always looking for pictures to help show a place or event. It is much easier for our special needs students to learn when they have a visual to go along with it. The ideas become more real if they have a picture in their head. My second graders will be doing an insect report in the spring and I'm sure I'll be getting some good bug pictures!

Thing 6

2008-01-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

This one I love ! Mashups will take me a little longer to work out but my husband will love using them with his real estate dealings. I'm looking forward to much more research on that one. I know I'll get him involved in that as well. I have already made a trading card with my daughter's picture and a sweet sixteen message and invitation for her friends. I love it. How about a graduation trading card, or an anniversary card. My mind is going ! P.S. I have already called family and we're getting a Flickr group going !

Thing 5

2008-01-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

I love Flickr. I just put some pictures on . I am sending my family an email. We could be a group and all share the photos from the Holiday cruise. I live far away from everyone and we have been trying to pass a few pictures around. This is the perfect solution!! I am so excited.

Thing 4

2008-01-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

My blog is set up and I'm getting going. I think I need to post an idea about education.
1. I would love to have some feedback from other teachers about accomodations that work well in the classroom for Special education inclusion students.
2. My teachers book club could post what they have been reading and make comments on the blog.
3. I have a sewing buddies group. We could also post projects we are working on, communicate with each other and set up dates and times, and keep in contact with the members who have moved out of town.

I would most like to have some feedback about accomodations. I think it would be cool to have a source of ideas for the inclusive classroom.

Thing 3

2008-01-21T13:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, this was definately the hardest part for me, but lots of fun. It was neat to look at and create the avatar. My family just returned from a holiday cruise, 16 of us went to celebrate my parents 60th wedding anniversary so I was thinking about the beach in designing my person. My youngest daughter even got involved. Fun, quality time with the kids! She picked the picture. Back to some blog investigating!

Thing 2

2008-01-21T11:12:00.001-08:00

I enjoyed reading about lifelong learners and hope that I will continue to be one. In reviewing the 7 1/2 habits of highly effective people I quickly picked out the easy and difficult habits for me. The most difficult would be the first one. I struggle to pinpoint exactly what I'm trying to do or to identify my exact goal. I can be kind of general in making goals. The easiest for me was 7 1/2. I love to play. I have no trouble finding something fun to do, someone to socialize with, a project to start or just to listen or play some great music. I teach because I'm just a kid at heart. I love to play!

Thing 1

2008-01-17T20:07:00.000-08:00

I am a special education teacher and a novice on the computer, this whole thing was a stretch for me, but I'm anxious to learn more. I would love to get feedback from other SpEd teachers about accomodations that work well in the classroom. I am also a Harpist and Love my music, hence my title, Happy harping !