Posts later than this date are for personal edification, SEE ABOVE!!!

Posts before this date are for a class. SEE Below.
Thing 4 revisited; AKA thing 25:

Just when I thought I was done with the THINGS, I remembered I forgot my 2 outside blogs.
So here they are; 2 blogs that keep me updated on a mission team that we sponsor through our church. They are a young family with a toddler and recently born twins living in a flat in NYC.
A challenging life style for sure.
SBS

Thing 24

Animoto was my favorite activity in the 23 Things assignment. The entire journey has been a real eye opener. It has given me many tools to utilize in the classroom and on a personal basis.
I was disappointed to realize that after I completed the 23rd thing that there was actually a thing 24 - truth in advertising issues here. I would recommend eliminating Thing 16 which seemed to have repetative portions of an earlier exercise. Then re-number and have the 23rd thing be this thing.
That way when you reach the 23rd thing completion - you are DONE!
I feel that the most significant contirbution to my teaching has been in realizing the amount of on-line resoures that are available. In particular, I feel that the Blog and Podcast scenarios could be an asset to help students who miss class or need extra help. It gives me a way to reach students outside of class and also gives there parents access as well.
It has been a long journey down the path of the 24 Things. Now that this part of my journey is over, I begin the journey of continuing to make my blog and other resources relevant to my continuing journey in being a lifelong learner.

Thing 23 Thing 23 Thing 23

The credit at the bottom of our 23rd thing gives credit:
Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based on Learning 2.0 - 23 Things, a staff development program for the Mesquite Independent School District. That program was based on the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers and adapted by the California School Library Association and others. Content and style for Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers has been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License.
The main page for 23 Things credits: *Note: 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).

I do have ideas of my own that I will consider copywriting someday at Creative Commons when I am a sane person :-) Sidenote on the Not-Disney video: It was a great idea and I love the animation of "the company," but man it was hard to follow the cohesive intent of the instruction.
SBS

Thing 22

Aesop's Fables was the podcast that I chose from Learn out Loud.
Honestly, while I had heard of Aesop's Fables, I am not sure that I ever actually heard Aesop's Fables. It was quite educational for me. Alot of these online tools would have application for students who miss school. I could make a podcast of the daily lessons if a student were out for some length of time. That way they could get connected to what went on in class while they were away. The possibilities are endless. The only constraint is time!!!
SBS

Life goes on... Thing 21

This activity was the bomb!

Thing 20

Do you have a flag?
(Warning: one explicitive!)
I find this site as a great escape for a good laugh. Laughter is good after a long day on the computer or in the books. I sit way too much, but this is a good change of pace!
My oldest daughter showed me this particular video a couple of years ago. Because I am a history buff, the comedy of how ridiculous the colonizing times were amuses me because we had such absurd attitudes. There is always something to laugh about on YouTube!

Thing 19

I hope that joining TeacherPop will be a beneficial experience for me. I feel I will be able to benefit from reading what other educators have to say and perhaps gets some questions answered when they may arise. I think that originating such a site was a wonderful counter to the balance to the other social networks that may not enhance a person's reputation.
SBS

Thing 18

I enjoyed learning about MySpace and Facebook. I do feel it is important for teachers and parents to be familiar with these social networks in particular since they are so popular with our students. I know that for students grades 6-12, the drama of such networking is what keeps them so occupied with the internet. I feel that with the knowledge of these sites, teachers may be able to understand more of how the students interact with each other outside of class. I am not sure if a classroom application would work well with these particular sites. There seems to be too much other information available with so many students having their own accounts. I think setting up a "ning" of your own makes more sense.
SBS

Thing 17

I think this tool would make organizing a class using the internet much easier and more organized. If I as a teacher take the time before class to bookmark the sites where I want my students to go, that would save time. It is all about maximizing the instruction time and I feel this tool would be a great asset. I like the simiplity of the bookmarking process. Keeping it simple is important to me. I was able to access the Furl tutorial, however the actual links to Furl and Ma.gnolia seemed to be under administration changes.
SRS

Thing 16

I chose iGoogle, as my start page. It had a cool back ground - I am all about bright colors. I set up my interests as weather, CNN, The Tennessean, Utube and more. The Goggle brand of items comes highly recommended by tech wizardess, Dr. Wall. :-) I used a Goggle calendar that conveniently notifies me when my entry is coming up. At this point in my life, an online "to do" list does not fit my needs. I think the most pratical for me of all these tools is the calendar, which sort of seconds as my to do list. I check my email each day, so when my calendar accesses my email - it is sort of keeping track of me. I like that! There are tons of applications for using these tools in my life as a teacher. I look forward to continuing their use.SRS

Thing wiki (15)

Well I went to the "sandbox" and played for awhile. I went to the photos and images page and saw all the comments. But what the heck, the wiki experience is collaborative input so I edited. Having never done that before, I left my initials. Then when I saved I saw it labeled me as last editor. So I've had my first true wiki online experience. My heart is beating a little faster.

I think setting up a wiki would be a good classroom project. In math, the students could contribute their thoughts on vocab or input different problems that the teacher might put out as a challenge. There are alot of possibilites.
SBS

Thing 14

Here is my Gliffy chart. (LEFT) I decided to make a symmetry challenge for middle school math students. "Find how many lines of symmetry each object has. One is demonstrated by the black line." I realize this is not probably the traditional use of a flow chart, but it worked for me.

I also had a fun time creating a word chart (TOP RIGHT) with math definitions at bubble.us! This would be a good way to train math students to create their own vocabulary tools.
SBS

Thing 13

Well I decided to share my grocery shopping list. I hear some of you giggling or wondering why in the world she has done this. I have found, since I only do two major shopping trips each month, that it helps if I have a list template. This way I have everything that I usually buy and either check that I need it or leave it blank if I don't. It keeps me sane and might help some others as well. Of course you can adapt it to your own purchase list. My original had columns, but I couldn't find that option in ZOHO. If you know where the column option is, let me know and I will change the format.

Happy shopping - SKYBLUESUE