Thing 24: THE END!!

I am not going to pretend that these 23 things have been all fun and games.  However, I did gain some very valuable knowledge about resources that I would have never even known existed.  Some of my favorites were:  Flickr, GoogleCalendar, Remember the Milk to-do lists, Animoto, GoogleDocs, and LiveBinder.  These sites are ones that I can definitely see myself continuing to use throughout my college and teaching career.

I don't know that this exercise has changed my life-long goals, but maybe it has made me more organized (if that is possible) and shown me resources to keep me entertained and to use in the classroom.  I really wasn't expecting to find anything that I would take with me from this activity.  However, I really like Flickr and will definitely use it for future presentations.  I also really like Animoto and might also use it for an assignment.  LiveBinder was my absolute favorite site because it has so many resources all in one place!  I will definitely be creating binders for every class and compiling lessons and activities for my students.

I think the 23 things are a good way to learn about Web 2.0 tools because it is so interactive.  It is better than simply reading articles and responding to them.  Most people learn better with hands-on activities, and I think this exercise is the best way to address these topics.  I can't think of anyway to improve it, except maybe to reduce it? Ha, that's probably just because I'm super busy and finding time to blog was hard.

I will use many of these resources in my future classroom, and I feel that simply completing this exercise has made me more technology savvy and more willing to explore new things.  Before, I would have never even tried many of these websites, and now I love going to Google and finding new things to discover that could be beneficial in the classroom.  And I think that was the object of this assignment.

I will probably subscribe to an RSS feed of a Web 2.0 blog or website or something so when I am in the classroom I can keep up with ever-changing technology.  Lord knows that by the time I become a teacher, some of these things may be obsolete!

With love,
KBearden:]

Thing 23: Creative Commons

Okay, I'm not going to lie.  I have never even thought about the fact that the picture I download from Google Images into my powerpoint could be copyrighted.  That thought never even crossed my mind until this class.  I guess I thought since it was on the internet, it was fair game.  Looks like I was wrong.  I'm not going to say that this knowledge of copyrights and Creative Commons is going to stop me from using pictures or videos without permission, but I might think twice about it.  I will try to consciously choose to use websites that I know are not copyrighted, like ones specifically for teachers that we talked about in class.  

This 23 Things activity was not created at Austin Peay.  It was actually created for librarians, but since they have a Creative Commons license, anyone can take the idea and modify to fit their curriculum.

I think Creative Commons is a good idea, because if someone wants to share their own work, why shouldn't they be able to?  Restricting what a person can do with their own work is almost as bad as stealing it from them.  I think it is important to teach students the significance of plagiarism and copyrights and make an intervention at a young age.  Plagiarism easily can become a habit, so it is up to us as teachers to take a stand and make a difference.  Plagiarism helps no one, especially not the student.

KBearden:]

Thing 22: LiveBinder

WHERE WAS THIS WHEN I WAS CREATING MY UNIT PLAN???  Seriously, I created a binder called Social Studies Lessons and there was an option to automatically fill the binder by a Google search.  So I decided to click on it just to see what it would turn up.  I didn't really expect much, because you never know what you're going to get with Google.  So I typed in "2nd grade social studies lessons" in the search box and clicked create binder.  It came up with 8, did you see that? 8 tabs of GREAT websites of social studies lessons.  Instantly.  I seriously stared at the page in amazement for about 30 seconds.  Because whenever I was trying to create my unit plan for 3070, I tried to use Google, but usually came up empty-handed.  So I don't know if LiveBinder and Google have a special arrangement or what, but I really wish I had known about this wonderful resource about three weeks ago.  I guess that's what I get for procrastinating.  Ha!  Here is my wonderful binder of resources that I will definitely be using in creating my lesson plans:

Social Studies Lessons

For my other binders, I decided to be more creative and choose something fun.  I named my second binder, Games for Students.  Again, I used the Google search, because in two seconds it can find more websites than I could probably find in two hours and all of them are good.  I simply typed "educational games 2nd grade" in the search box and found 7 websites with fun educational games for students.  Every now and then, its nice to break up the monotony of instruction and get the students involved with a game.  They won't even realize they're learning.

Games for Students

For my third binder, I decided to research current educational "hot topics".  We have to have a folder in my 3070 class that includes articles about educational trends, so I figured I would kill two birds with one stone.  This will also help me in my classroom because it is important to be knowledgeable about what is going on with the teaching profession. 

Educational Hot Topics

This website is one of my favorites that we have covered in these discovery activities.  I will definitely continue to use this website during my college career and also when I enter into the classroom.  This would be a great way to bundle websites together that are acceptable for students to use for research.  Or you could have each student create a binder of their personal work throughout the year.  The possibilities are endless and I really wish I had known about this invaluable resource earlier.

KBearden:] 

Thing 21: Animoto

Animoto was really really easy to use.  I didn't think I was going to like making a video, because I am probably the least creative person you will ever meet, but it was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.  It literally only took me 5 minutes.  I picked a theme from the list and then downloaded my 12 pictures straight from my Facebook page (which is where I store all of my pictures), picked a song from my iTunes library, started the song in the middle, and then clicked save and it made the video for me.  Easy as pie!

I made this video as a collage of me and my boyfriend.  We have been dating for three years, and I just love him more everyday.  He is my best friend and I don't know what I would do without him.


Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.


This website could be a valuable resource for a classroom.  If students were doing a presentation, instead of making a powerpoint, they could find interesting pictures that related to their subject and make a video.  This would eliminate the need for text, thus eliminating the student reading directly from the powerpoint which makes for a very boring presentation.  Using Animoto would give students the chance to be a little more creative and actually have to plan their presentation to go along with the video.  This was a fun assignment, and I know students would enjoy making their own videos and not even realize they were learning.


KBearden:]

Thing 20: YouTube

I love love love watching funny YouTube videos.  After I clicked on the link for the Frozen Grand Central Station, I watched Improv Everywhere videos and laughed so hard.




I picked this video because even though it is silly, everyone needs a pick-me-up now and then, and this might be the highlight of their day.  I thought this video was inspiring and made me feel better that people actually care and try to brighten people's day.

I like Youtube because it is really easy to find a video that interests you by just typing in a keyword.  I also like that once you watch a video, the site will give you suggestions for other videos based on that video.  I don't like that it can be hard to find a specific video if you don't know what it is called.  Also, if you aren't careful, you can easily wind up somewhere you don't want to be.  Overall though, I think Youtube is a fun site.  It could be used in the classroom a number of ways.  If a student is assigned a powerpoint or presentation, they could add a relatable video about their subject and add flair and interest to the presentation.  I think as long as use of the site is monitored to make sure students stay on task and don't end up somewhere they shouldn't be, Youtube can be used as a teaching tool.

KBearden:]

Thing 19: There Are Other Social Networking Sites?

Who knew there were other social networking sites other than Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter?  I sure didn't.  I had never even heard of any of the other sites listed.  I joined the Ning network, TeacherPop and the book sharing network, What's On My Bookshelf? 


I tried to put my badge from my TeacherPop on my blog, but I could not figure out how to do it and all I could get to transfer was:

Visit TeacherPop

(Actually, the badge did pop up twice, which I figured out when I viewed my blog.  I have no idea how I did that.)

I did download one of my pictures from Facebook onto my page as my profile picture.  I am not sure how you find people to be friends with, and I can't really figure out how to customize my page. I like the idea of TeacherPop as a social network for teachers and preservice teachers, but I don't think I will ever use it.  I already have too many profiles to keep up with now.  

I like the book sharing website, because I loooooove books! Have I mentioned that before? Ha!  It is sad that this site is about to become obsolete with the advent of the E-book (yes, I do love my Kindle too!)  However, I think it would still be fun to trade books with someone all the way across the country.  The whole points system that they have set up is kind of confusing to me.  But I'm sure once I played around with it, I would get used to it.  I also don't know how reliable the site is, like if you actually receive the books you request or if you send someone a book if you can guarantee that you would get it back.  

These sites are interesting suggestions, but I think I'll stick to my trusty old Facebook.


KBearden:]

Thing 18: What's Social About a Computer?

If you had told someone 50 years ago that in the year 2011 the most widely used way of communicating would not be letters, actual face-to-face interaction, or even talking on the telephone, they would have looked at you like you were crazy.  Even 20 years ago, when I was born, no one could have predicted the way the Internet has changed every aspect of human society.  I remember when MySpace first came out.  It was the rage in middle school.  I would check mine every day to see if anyone had left me a comment.  It was so exciting!  Then MySpace was slowly pushed out by Facebook and Twitter.  Does anyone even have a MySpace anymore? :] Now, I practically live on Facebook.  Otherwise, how would I know what all my friends were up to or when anyone's birthday was? Ha!  This activity was pretty easy because I have had a Facebook page since junior year of high school.  I am not as big a fan of Twitter, but I did create an account in this class for another assignment.  I like Facebook because it is really easy to use (but that might just be because I am so used to it).  I don't like how easy it is for others to view your pictures and profile.  You can set privacy settings, but if you aren't really careful, things can leak out.  I like Twitter because there is more diversity in the postings.  You can have access to celebrities, intellectuals, anyone you want.  Facebook is more personal because users have to actually accept you as their friend.  I don't like Twitter because I don't really understand how to use it.  A lot of the tweets I have access to don't interest me.  I'm sure with more use and me playing around with it, I will start to enjoy Twitter more.

It is important that educators know about social networking because it isn't going to go away.  It is only going to become more prevalent in our students' lives.  Pretty soon, if not already, young elementary school children will have access to these sites.  I never thought about Facebook or Twitter being educational sites before now, but there are ways they could be used in the classroom.  It could be fun for a teacher to set a class "fan page" on Facebook.  It could be a closed group, and the teacher could invite only students and parents.  Then she could post important dates, students' best work, any number of things.  In this day and age, Facebook is becoming the easiest way to get ahold of parents.  People usually only check their email once or twice a day, but everyone I know who has Facebook is on it throughout the day.  Twitter is a good site because you can follow educators who provide links to educational websites and trends.

I'm glad that educators are finally starting to jump on the social networking trend, because I love Facebook!  :]

KBearden:]