"23 Things" Reflection

In the beginning of the "23 Things" program, we were prompted to think about what it means to be a lifelong learner and how we feel about the concept of lifelong learning. Now that I've come to the end of my 23 Things journey, I've discovered a wealth of information, services, applications, and resources that I never knew existed. I am certain that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

We must be lifelong learners - there's so much out there for us to discover...more than could ever be discovered in a lifetime. Every moment we use to gain knowledge, every experience we obtain, gives us the opportunity to become better and more well-rounded people.

There were times when I was frustrated in completing the "23 Things" program. Time is limited, and some of the programs just didn't seem to fit into my lifestyle or my vocation. This happens in life - not everything we do, not everything we encounter, is going to serve us in the way we'd like it to. There were other times, however, when I was glad that I was completing the program because it pushed me to work outside of what I know to get a flavor of "things" I had never before tasted. I like that!

I'd have to say my two favorite and most useful "things" would be Zoho Writer and YouTube. These applications were fun for me to discover and useful for me to implement in the classroom. Zoho Writer allows me to create and share documents with the parents of my students in a more effective way; YouTube keeps me informed of what my kids expose themselves to when they aren't with me. I also believe that these tools could be quite useful for the library in informing and staying informed of the public's interests.

Would I complete a program like this again? Maybe. Would I consider it? Definitely. Why? Well, though it came with its frustrations, it also expanded my arsenal of tricks and opened me up to searching more on my own to discover what's out there rather than settling with the tools I already have that are quickly becoming more outdated and, therefore, less useful.

Ironic as it may seem, to be a teacher is to be a lifelong learner. And I am a teacher.

Overdrive

I have used the library's Overdrive service in the past when I was searching for an Edgar Allan Poe audio book to use in the classroom when teaching some of Poe's short stories. I found the service to be useful and easy to use. I had no problem creating an account and searching to find what I was looking for. And, in the process, I found serveral other materials that I may be interested in using in the future. Downloading the appropriate software was also quite easy to do. I think this is a great service for the library to offer because so much of the public is leaning more and more toward doing acquiring information via technology from the comfort of their own homes. This gives people the option of acquiring the materials they need...or want...on their own time and at their own convenience. I look forward to seeing what other options we can offer to the public in the future.

Podcasts

I like podcasts because they offer a new world information and an innovative way of receiving it, especially for auditory learners. There are elements of interest for anyone and everyone, items that serve a wide array of purposes. It seems that podcasts can serve to teach, entertain, and even do both simultaneously.

I chose to look for a podcast to serve more of the entertainment purposes for this activity, something to get me out of the vocational route I've been taking for so many of these exercises. I found an interesting podcast that contains episodes of old time radio shows. It may seem odd for someone my age to find that interesting, but I do! I love watching old movies and TV shows, and I think listening to the radio programs of the 40s and 50s is fascinating! I look forward to listening to several of the old time radio episodes, as well as finding numerous other podcasts that I can listen to in the future, whether it's to pass the time on a rainy Saturday afternoon or to locate information for a grad class...or even to teach my own class! I've never explored this avenue of technology before, but I'm excited to learn more about it.

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMFtVb04HRg

The link I've attached above goes to a humorous clip from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I love to laugh and also love words, so when Jay does his humorous bits with the funny headlines, it cracks me up. After setting up my own YouTube account, I perused through several categories of videos and discovered this one. Cracked me up!

I'm glad I had a chance to visit YouTube. My students use this site a lot outside of school, but I had never taken the initiative to visit it. It's entertaining for me, but can also be educational because it will help me be more aware of what my kids are watching. I plan to visit this site again and hope that, through further exploration, I will discover videos that serve to do more than merely entertain.

Web 2.0

The site I decided to explore was craigslist because I've heard people talk about it before, but had never actually visited it myself. I thought it might provide a lot of useful tools to offer answers and assitance on a wide array of information. Although I believe it has the potential to do that, I did not particularly like the site. This surprised me, seeing as how it was the 1st place winner in the 2007 Web 2.0 Awards. The look of the site was distasteful to me from the start. It just looked like bunches of information jumbled together, an attempt to fit as much on the screen as was possible without as much thought about the overall appearance. It made me not want to search throught he various services craigslist has to offer. I did, however, peruse through several links because I do believe the site has the potential to be helpful in the library setting. It does provide a great deal of information that librarians may use to answer patrons questions - it's like a jumbled virtual newspaper that also allows for interaction amongst is users. Unfortunately, I just didn't feel like it was as user-friendly as I would have liked.

Zoho Writer

I love Zoho Writer! This is probably my favorite of the various programs I've discovered so far in completing the "23 Things" activities. This could be quite useful with my career in teaching, and I am excited to discover the advantages of this program.

Whenever I assign a major project for my classes...which is at least once a quarter...I e-mail the parents with an attached copy of the assignment sheet. It hasn't happened often, but occasionally, there are parents who do not have Microsoft Word on their computers and, therefore, can not open the documents I send them. Most parents like receiving the assignment sheets for major projects because it keeps them more aware of what their children are doing in my class; it also permits them to have a more active role in their childrens' education.

With the Zoho Writer program, I will be able to import documents (such as the speech assignmentI've posted below) and share them with parents in that manner. The one drawback I see at this point is that I don't believe there is a way to save e-mail addresses within the program. This could cause a problem for me because there are so many parents whom I e-mail simultaneously. I have not yet played with it, however, and am curious if I would be able to e-mail the shared document to my work account and then forward that e-mail to all of the parents that way. This definitely has potential!

End-of-Yr Speech

Name: _______________________________

Date: __________________________

Class: _______________________________

End-of-Year Speech

Due Date: ________________________________

Throughout the school year, you have surely grown and changed as a person. You have met new people and learned new things. You have lived through unique experiences both in and out of school. You have had happy times, sorrowful times, exciting times, stressful times.

As the end of the year approaches, now is the time to reflect back on your 7^th grade experiences to discover how those times and the people involved with them have affected you. You might be surprised at just how much you’ve learned and grown in the past nine months!

You will present a 3-5 minute speech in which you share with the class who and what has influenced you this past year. You must answer the following questions in your speech:

1. How do you believe you have changed from the beginning of 7^th grade?

2. Who are the people who have been with you the most throughout the year?

3. What are some things you learned in each of your classes?

4. What are some lessons you learned outside of class/outside of school?

5. Who was the most influential person to you during the year? Why? How?

6. What is your most memorable moment in school this year? Describe.

7. What is your most memorable moment outside of school this year? Describe.

8. What did you like most about 7^th grade? Why?

9. What did you like least about 7^th grade? Why?

10. Any other thoughts, stories, etc you wish to share with the class.

You may organize your speech in any way you wish – you do not need to answer the questions in the order they are given above, but each question should be addressed.

You will use 3x5 inch note cards for your speech. You may only use key words and phrases on your cards – NO COMPLETE SENTENCES! You must use ink, but you may write in print.

You do not need to have a visual aid for your speech, but one is STRONGLY recommended. You could create a poster, bring in mementos and other items that go along with the stories and experiences you’re sharing, etc. You may also bring in a treat for your audience if you wish.

Sandbox Wiki

Posting my blog was easy to do. There were only a few already posted - I'm OCDesque and just have to work ahead - but I thought it was neat that I could look through the postings already there to see what other people think about all of the applications we're learning through this program. I'm constantly amazed at the amount of information out there just waiting to be discovered. And just when I thought I knew it all..........

Wikis

After looking through some wiki sites and reading about their various options, I think this is a great thing for the public, as well as librarians within the system. I've been a fan of wikipedia and its wealth of knowledge made available to everyone who has internet access. Wikis, of course, can be a dangerous place to go for research because the information provided is not always reliable. However, under the right controls, these sites can be quite useful. For libraries specifically, wikis can be used to inform the public about the catalogue and can link to a variety of sites online to provide additional information patrons need whether they are in the library or not. For librarians within the system, wikis can be a great place for research as well as linking information that systems around the globe and share and implement into their own libraries. If used properly, I see this being a great tool for any business.

Learning 2.0

I found the information people had blogged about Learning 2.0 to be intriguing. I think it's great that there are people out there willing to accept that the library needs to change drastically if it wants to survive.

I do believe libraries are moving into survival mode. As a 7th grade teacher of reading and writing, I know that many young people do not enjoy libraries; in fact, many of them may never have visited one. They don't like to read books, but computers offer an entirely different option. They don't mind reading lengthy pieces of information if it's on a computer screen, but print it on actual pages and bind them together...torture.

I know that libraries are important, but that fact seems to be turning into more of an opinion for so many people. We need to give the people what they want how they want it, and do so as quickly as possible. This means major changes, just as the people who wrote the Learning 2.0 blogs suggested. Change is scary, but losing our libraries is even scarier.

Technorati

After visiting the technorati website and beginning to discover the wide array of topics to reserach, I am impressed with the wealth of information. This is a site that could be used for both recreation and professional purposes. I found it interesting that there are blogs in various different languages - a reminder that using the internet can open us up to the world. I also was intrigued by how many people seem to use this site, along with the variety of opinions that are being voiced. In a way, it's sad that so many people rely on technology to speak for themselves, but I do find it somewhat encouraging that there are so many people out there who have opinions on a wide variety of topics and wish for those opinions to be heard.

del.icio.us

I created my own account for del.icio.us and began tagging some of the websites I visit frequently...both personally and professionally. I think this site has some interesting and useful purposes; however, I don't care for the look of it. Having just begun to discover what del.icio.us has to offer, I'm sure there are aspects to this site about which I do not yet know. Even so, I think it has the potential to be a helpful timesaver, especially when I am creating lessons and tweaking units.

Rollyo

Although I find Rollyo to be a unique site with the potential for helping people in research, I was not overly impressed by it. I found it somewhat dull and not so useful for my purposes. With teaching as my primary job, I do a good amount of research when I am working on units, looking for lesson ideas, etc. I, however, find that Google offers me a lot of useful sites, and I like that it offers me sites I am not always familiar with. To use Rollyo, you must already know the sites that you put into your roll. I did create a reference-related roll that may be useful when I need information while planning lessons, but I have my doubts that I will use it much...if at all.

Library Thing

Library Thing is a great resource! What a fun way to keep track of what you've already read, as well as what you would like to read. I love that you can read and offer reviews of books. I also like how easy it is to search using the author's name to find books that you may not know that person has out. It has so many great features, such as recommending books to people and setting up groups, that can open you up to new and fascinating books...and the people who enjoy them. And it's so easy to use! This is great!

Avatar

This is the avatar I created for myself. Short brown hair, green eyes, nice outfit, happy, hanging out at home. It's me! I thought this was not only fun, but also a great way to express yourself to others via your blog, as well as the many other places in which avatars are used. Fun and a little educational...what could be better than that?!

MERLIN

I found Merlin to be an interesting and effective site for doing searches and sharing information within the library systems. I think it's great that there are places to go online that provide such focused and detailed information that can launch new and innovative programs in our libraries. Too often, the library is deemed old and outdated; with these programs and applications available, perhaps the library can establish a new reputation of being fresh and in touch with the 21st century. Now librarians can brainstorm together and help each other grow.

Bloglines

The following is my blogline URL: http://www.bloglines.com/public/kelly

I find bloglines quite useful because they give you access to a lot of information in a short amount of time. It takes only minutes to learn how to use this service, and I'm sure there are many features of which I am yet unaware. I'm sure this could be useful in aspects of my teaching career, especially when I am teaching non-fiction because I will have quick access to current news stories that I can use in the classroom. It also provides a way for me to keep up on my interests without having to read through a lot of pop-up ads, spam, etc. I never knew this existed on the web, and I'm sure it will only improve as time goes on. The one drawback is that not all sites have RSS capability; however, I am sure that, as this becomes more popular, more and more sites will offer this feature.

Technology

Technology is great - I find it especially helpful for teaching. Now that I know a little more about some of the programs out there, such as Flickr, I have more tools readily available to help me plan lessons and activities that will hopefully be more intriguing for the students...especially since they range in age from 12-14 years old. Technology is their life!

I found the Flickr site where you could make calendars, magazine covers, CD jackets, etc. to be interesting, entertaining, and useful. It's fun to play with this, especially using your own pictures. It could also be used for unique gifts, projects in my classroom, library programs, etc. I decided to create a magazine cover using a picture of my cousin's three daughters - Katilyn, Megan, and Sarah. These are my girls! How can you not love that little face in the middle?!