Thing 23 -- Reflection on the Journey

First of all, I really enjoyed this course. I know I didn't start it until a week ago, but I still enjoyed "cramming" it in over my Spring Break when I had time to explore. Before I started the course, I had some understanding of Web 2.0, but I was still unclear on much of it. I had done some exploration of Web 2.0 over the summer, but this course gave me the tools to truly understand the technologies and pushed me to actually use them. I believe that educators need to incorporate Web 2.0 tools into their teaching and classroom to keep students more interested. Many kids are very comfortable using Web technologies and collaborative tools. Using them in the classroom whenever possible seems a natural extension.

One of my goalls at the beginning of the school year was to use some Web 2.0 tools in my Computer Applications class. Now that I've finished this class I feel more confident in my ability to do this. I am definitely going to do a wiki within the next couple of weeks. If I have time, I'm also going to try having the students create a blog. I'm hoping over the summer to collaborate with other teachers in my department to figure out ways to update our curriculum to incorporate more Web 2.0 tools.

My biggest "take away" from this course is that I've discovered that most of the Web 2.0 technologies I've used are easier and far simpler to use than I thought, which in turn has given me the confidence to want to use them in my classes. I want to keep learning more about Web 2.0 tools, especially some of the ones I've run across while doing this course. I'm very curious about Second Life and plan to see what videos and information I can find on it. I didn't know what Twitter was, so I read a little on it and actually created an account and posted one thing. I've subscribed to some blogs on technology and hope these can keep me updated on new things.

Thank you so much for offering this course. It has been a wonderful learning experience and I'm looking forward to sharing this knowledge with others.

Thing 22 -- Create a Wiki

I was very excited to create a wiki. I created one to record my family's history. The wiki link is http://caplerhistory.wikispaces.com/. My wiki is called Capler Family History Wiki (Capler is my maiden name). I got the idea after watching the Common Craft video in Thing 21 about wikis. I've always wanted to try to collect the various stories about my deceased parents and stories about my family. I created the wiki and made pages for each of my brothers, sisters, and nieces to add their information. I also made a page for everyone to include stories they remember about my parents. I love the idea that we can all go to one place to add our stories and that everyone can then add to or edit the story. The best part is that it will all be in one spot. I uploaded a picture of each person on his/her page. On the home page I included some instruction on wikis by including a link to the howstuffworks.com article on wikis and a link to the Common Crafts video on wikis. It was fun and pretty easy to create the wiki.

I think a wiki is appropriate for this very type of collaborative thing that I'm doing in my wiki. A blog, on the other hand, is not really collaborative. One person is writing their thoughts and stories. Others can make comments, but they can't edit what the original person wrote in the blog. Wikis, then, are good when you want several users to be able to edit the same document, whereas a blog is best suited for one individual doing the writing and others reading and just commenting on what is written.

Thing 21 -- Learn About Wikis

I've been wanting to use a Wiki for some time now. We use Moodle in our school and it has a Wiki feature, but it didn't make sense to me.

Now that I've explored wikis in more depth, I "get it." I'm not so intimidated and am ready to start my own. I checked out all the wiki links and got to see how wikis can be used for a variety of topics and situations. I can't say that any particular wiki "inspired" me, but the examples did give me a good idea on how easy and--more importantly--how practical using a wiki can be.

I want to try using a wiki in my Computer Applications class, but I'm not sure for what topic. It would take some organizing on my part to create a meaningful wiki assignment. Actually creating the wiki would be the easy part. Giving students a good, solid reason to use the wiki is the harder part. I have thought about perhaps creating a wiki where groups of 3-5 students would be responsible for discussing parts of a the computer. Another thought was to give students, again in groups, a Web 2.0 technology to research and write about in a wiki. They could also provide links and videos in the wiki. These are just a few of the ideas I have for the classroom.

It would definitely take some time and planning on my part, but I think using a wiki is something I still want to do in my Computer Applications classes.

Thing 20 -- Subscribe to Podcasts

I searched for podcasts using a variety of methods. First of all, I searched using both the links to EPN and Podcast Alley. I found both sites fairly easy to use, although I liked Podcast Alley more. I listened to several student podcasts on EPN, but found more (and perhaps less relevant to the classroom) content on Podcast Alley. There were a few podcasts I wanted to subscribe to on Podcast Alley, but I couldn't figure out how to without downloading an additional podcast player.

I downloaded iTunes and subscribed to several podcasts. I subscribed to Mad Money Machine, Mad Money with Jim Cramer and MarketWatch Morning Edition because I think they can provide me with useful updated financial information that I can use in my Finance and Investing class. I also subscribed to Stuff You Should Know because it's fun. I don't like the iTunes site that much because I found it difficult to find the podcasts. Although I was able to sign up for the four I just mentioned, it took me a long time to use this site because it kept freezing on me.

I also did a Google search on podcasts and found two I liked. The first is the NPR Podcast Directory (http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php) which had lots of podcasts organized by channel. I was able to subscribe to a podcast (Grammar Grater) and have it feed right into my iTunes player. That was handy. The other site, podcast.com had a lot of good podcasts, too, but I couldn't figure out how to save them without having to download another podcast player. It was easy to search on this site, too.

Thing 19 -- Learn About Podcasting

I've explored podcasts a little bit before but have never actually used one in the classroom. I listened to parts of a lot of podcasts. Some were better than others in terms of usefulness, sound quality, and quality of information. The podcasts I found the most interesting were the ones done by the students.

Podcasts for Students:
1. Grammar Girl's Quick & Dirty Tips for Better Writing. I liked this entire site. I listened to one podcast and will probably go back to listen to some more.
2. Vocab Minute from The Princeton Review. I listened to several of these. The podcasts use songs to help you remember vocab. Students would probably like studying vocab this way much better.
3. English Idioms and Slang -- the link doesn't work
4. Hopkinton High School Library Booktalks. I thought it would be a description and discussion of the book, but it was just different characters reading the book. I didn't listen long enough to know if they later discussed the book. Great for kids who like to listen to books being read to them.
5. Dan's Mathcast - Mathematics for the Masses. I listened to part of one episode. If you are really into math, then this would be a good podcast.
6. Reading Roundup Podcasts -- given by the librarian to tell elementary school kids of new books that the library has. Good for students because it includes music and the narrator makes the books sound fun to read.

Podcasts by Students:
1. Jamestown Elementary Podcasts. I listened to Jamestown Podcast #67: If I Were President. The podcast showed a picture of each student holding a poster with their voice saying what they would do if they were President. The kids were probably around 2nd or 3rd grade. Very cute.
2. This I Believe by Charlotte High School. I listened to several where students talked about their beliefs and other things. It was interesting and this type of podcast would be great for an English or Speech class. This is one that I think students might enjoy doing and listening to.

I also listened to a couple of Professional Development podcasts. First I listened to Quirks and Quacks on CBC Radio. It was just like listening to a talk radio show. You could even purchase copies of the podcast. It was interesting to me, but I like listening to books on tape. Then I listened to The Tech Pod Zone, 68 Just Moodling Around. Lots of static and dead air space. Lost interest quickly.

Since I like listening to books on tape, I would find many of these podcasts interesting. I’m not sure how I could use any of them in my classroom. I need to search for some that are better suited to what I teach.

Thing 18 -- Using SlideShare

Here is a PowerPoint I found on the Slideshare site about Web 2.0. I liked the visual way it showed the differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0.

What Is Web 2.0

View more presentations from Gotfredsen.

I think I could use Slideshare to upload presentations I have created and have the students access them online. This would be helpful for students who are absent. I could also use presentations by others, when applicable, and link to them or put them into a web page or blog if I create one for next year.

Thing 17 -- Other Online Productivity Tools

I looked at all of the tools listed. I tried to use bubble.us to create a map of my computer apps class, but I had trouble creating it and finally gave up after about 15 minutes. Directions on the site would have been helpful. I uploaded a presentation on computer components that I created last year into Zoho Show. I liked this application and might use it (or SlideShare) in the future. I think it would be easier to create the PowerPoint first and then upload it rather than create it in Zoho Show.

I looked through Remember the Milk, but don't think it's something I would personally use. I can create a simple to do list on my computer desktop that would be easier. I'm not sure I see the point of LibraryThing (except to see what others are reading) and Trailfire. Trailfire seems like a lot of work.

I started a calendar for myself using 30 Boxes. This is something I really like and want to finish (after I finish 23 Things first). I'm terrible at remembering important dates, so this will be extremely helpful for me.

I created a deck of cards at Knowtes (saved under the name Lesnie48 with the tags computer components). It wasn't hard to create the deck, but I'm still unclear as to how students would be able to access them to use them to study. Ideally, I would like to create a link to them from Moodle, or something like that.

I even explored some Web 2.0 tools on my own. There are a lot out there and it takes a lot of time to explore. One new one I like is called Sutree (http://www.sutree.com/) where you can search for how-to and tutorial videos. I don't know that all the content might be appropriate for students, but it definitely is a good place to search for teaching videos. I looked at several videos and there were some good ones (and just OK ones, too).

The wide range of tools available can increase personal productivity and provide more interesting and collaborative ways to share and interact, but the main drawback is the time it takes to learn how to use them well. I wouldn't be comfortable having my students use these tools until I knew how to use them better, and finding the time to do this is always an issue.