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.

Thing 16 -- Using Google Docs

I had heard of Google Docs before but had never used it before. I updated the spreadsheet and then played around creating a document, a spreadsheet, and a presentation. The format of Google Docs is similar to older versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, so they aren't too hard to figure out. I discovered that even though I didn't actually save (or didn't think I did), my document saved three versions by the time I hit the save button.

I'm not sure how I could use GoogleDocs with my students. Perhaps I could it as a way of doing group editing or maybe just partner editing. I currently teach them how to use Office 2007, so the formatting/layout of Google Docs is a step backward from the new organization and style of Office 2007. Students could access Google Docs online, but they would need an email first, which is true of many of the Web 2.0 applications. One way to do this would be to set up monitored student emails such as I have done in the past using Gaggle.

I can see using Google Docs as a way to share preliminary copies of documents I create and share with other teachers in my department so that we could all collaborate on it. That's the best use I see for this application right now. I'd be interested to know if others have ideas on how to use Google Docs with their students.

Thing 15 -- Revisiting RSS and Subscribing to a Tag Feed in Delicious

I really like RSS. As soon as I learned how to do it I added all kinds of sites. I added more over the past few days, too, as I have come across other sites. Having one spot to check my favorite sites makes it easier, more convenient and certainly less time-consuming to stay updated.

I did eliminate a couple of sites, but since I've only been doing this for a few days, I'll have to decide later on if I want to keep the sites I've added. The biggest problem I see for myself is that I may add too many sites. I check my feeds at least once or twice a day and think it's both informational and FUN!

I also added a couple of tag feeds in Delicious. It will take a couple of days checking back to see if the tags I chose are helpful.

Thing 14 -- Using Delicious

My Delicious user name is lorsborn. Once I get used to using Delicious, I think social bookmarking will be very helpful in organizing the websites I find. It can also be a great tool to discover what others have found useful.

I discovered quickly that it can be hard to come up with appropriate tags, particularly when I was trying to search for what others had saved. This is going to take me some practice to get good at it. I plan to go back later and upload my favorites into Delicious. Hopefully it will work OK.

Thing 13 -- Using Tags

Tagging could be very useful for organizing digital resources because you could assign a variety of keywords to a website so that you could save the sites to fit a variety of topics. I have lot of favorites currently bookmarked on my computer, but it's hard to find a specific website when I need it. Honestly, I've bookmarked so many sites that I tend not to look at them much because it's overwhelming and time-consuming to dig through them to find a particular site I remember saving. I do have my favorites organized by folder, but that is only somewhat helpful. By tagging websites and storing them online, I could give each site several tags and then quickly find the site to fit the topic for any subject I teach or area I'm interested in, especially if the website has overlapping content that fits in with many topics. Right now, I have to go to one folder and hope I find the site I'm trying to find or save the site in more than one folder.

Sharing the tags with others has both good and bad points. The advantage is that you get to see what others have found useful on the same topic. You may discover wonderful sites that you weren't aware of. On the other hand, others may not tag sites the same way you do, or their idea of a "good" site may differ greatly from yours; so you would have to again look through the sites tagged by others to find those relevant to you. Overall, though, I think the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

Before I begin the process of tagging sites online, I will need to think carefully about what tags to use. I want to make sure I pick tags that are descriptive that I will remember and that will make sense. I also want to make sure I pick tags that are both broad enough and narrow enough for me to find websites later when I want to use them.

Thing 12 -- Adding Widgets

Adding widgets is fun, and it's easy to spend a lot of time playing with them. I added two widgets using two different methods. I tried to create an avatar, but it didn't work.

First, I added a stock market update from around the world using the categories given under Add a Gadget. Since I teach a finance and investing class, this would be a useful one to add to a school blog.

Second, I added a scientific calculator widget. It took a little experimentation and looking at the stock market widget code to realize that I needed to choose Text as the gadget type. Then I named it and pasted in the code, and it worked. The only thing I wish I knew how to do was to resize the calculator so it isn't so big and to move it to the side (it won't move there because it's too wide). I'm getting much more comfortable adding code. It's really quite easy once you know how.

I don't belong to any online communities right now. I used to belong to some scrapbooking groups, and when I was actively involved in the groups it was fun to talk to people from all over and share ideas with them. I don't have a Myspace or Facebook account. I guess kids like social networking sites for the same reason I liked my scrapbooking groups: it allows them to talk about things they are interested in with others in a comfortable, easy, non-threatening way. Kids are used to using the computer/phone to communicate so it seems natural to them to communicate this way. In addition, they can meet "friends" from all over the world.

Thing 11 -- Leaving Comments

I found it frustrating to leave comments because I had to search through people's blogs to find something to comment on. While I enjoyed reading what others had to say, I wanted to make sure that when I left a comment that it followed the guidelines in the two articles. Simply agreeing with someone or telling them I liked the picture they chose or the image they created seemed a waste of time (theirs and mine). Several times when I found something I wanted to comment on, I saw that one or two people had already left comments, so I guess they beat me to the punch! Anyway, I did leave four comments and hope the readers appreciate (or at least don't mind) what I had to say. One note: the first time I left a comment, it said it needed approval, so I posted a second time only to get the same message. Then it dawned on me that this blogger must have his/her settings set to approve comments before having them posted. I hope this person doesn't mind getting my comment twice.
I haven't received a comment yet, probably because I just started working on 23 Things two days ago and it is a holiday weekend. I'm looking forward to my first.

If I were using blogs in the classroom, it would be easier to leave comments because I'd be an integral part of the process and involved in it from start to end, rather than sort of jumping in near the end and trying to look through people's blogs to find something to comment on.

I think that comments are important in an online community because that is really the only way to communicate. The comment process allows people to "talk" to each other, to offer feedback, ask questions, or just validate the other person's ideas. What would be the point, really, of having an online "community" where there were no ability to actually communicate?

I think that students might take more time and leave more careful, reasoned responses if they realize that others in their blogging community will be reading their blog and commenting on what they have to say. This ability would open up a way for students to share and interact with each other such as they are used to doing on a regular basis using texting, IM'ing, etc. It won't be as instantaneous and synchronous, but it will be as close as you can get through a classroom community that isn't communicating face-to-face.

Thing 10 -- Using and Uploading Videos

I found a really cool video in YouTube on Web 2.0.



It's four and a half minutes long but it is fascinating to watch. It is by Dr. Michael Wesch from Kansas University. I copied and pasted the html code as shown on the 23 Things website.

For this next video, I did a search on teaching to see what would come up. I decided to download this video about how to use six Power Teaching techniques to keep students focused and engaged. It's called "Introduction to Power Teaching" by Chris Biffle. It took me two tries to get the video to save, mainly because I didn't realize the first time that I had to wait for it to both download and process before I could save the post. It took more than 10 minutes to actually save the video properly the second time.



I'm going to check out the website information the video mentions to get more information and maybe try this in my classroom. Hopefully, it'll work and my students won't think I'm crazy.

Thing 9 -- Explore Online Video Sharing Sites

I use YouTube all the time and I already had an account, but this is the first time I've ever posted a comment. I use TeacherTube, also, but I didn't realize SchoolTube was available, so I checked it out. I signed up for the video of the day so that I can see the type of videos students are creating. It might be fun to try this with my students (once I get the equipment).

YouTube is blocked to students at our school, but teachers can access it. I've shown videos from both YouTube and TeacherTube on search tools, boolean operators (that's where I left my comment a few minutes ago), computer components, and others. It's a great resource in the classroom, especially since new videos are added frequently and the videos are usually fairly short. This is important to keep students' attention.

I also use YouTube personally to listen to my favorite songs during my planning period. I don't have an ipod, so I just load videos of songs so that I can hear the songs while I'm working (and basically ignore the videos).

Thing 8 -- Use Flickr Mashups and Other Online Image Generators

I tried every link that was listed. I had seen the speller before and think it's fun. I can't see the point of the Flickr Color Pickr or Montager. Cool, but what do I do with it? I tried several different things on Big Huge Labs and found it was fun. I made a bead image of my son and solarized an image of the ceiling of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. This image turned out very different from what I expected and it's kind of cool.

Kids would enjoy being able to edit their images this way. I know that my 15-year old son loves to do this on my camera whenever he gets the chance, especially the cooler looking effects.

I tried several apps on ImageGenerator.org but I couldn't seem to get anything to work. I found this site frustrating. Many of the image-editing apps are things that I could definitely use when I do my favorite hobby, scrapbooking.

Thing 7 -- Upload Photos on Flickr

I uploaded several images to Flickr and tagged them all RESA23 and placed them in a set also called RESA23. I don't know how long it takes for images a person has uploaded to appear when you do a search, but I didn't see my images when I searched. I saw almost 500 other photos tagged RESA23 but not mine. Maybe it takes a couple of days.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I think students would find the wealth of photos in Flickr exciting. They could use them in any number of projects. We've done group photos in class and put them into a PowerPoint presentation. We could instead upload them into Flickr, which would give the kids more flexibility in accessing the photos and altering them if they wish. Students could also search for photos or videos to use in the group PowerPoint presentations they create on computers and computer technology. Students in my Finance and Investing class could use the photos when they create newsletters or brochures about various personal finance topics. These are a couple of things that I thought of just off the top of my head. Given more time, I know that I will be able to think of many more ways that students can use Flickr in my classes.

Thing 6 -- Using Flickr

I've heard people talking about Flickr and I knew it was a photo sharing site, but that's all I knew before. I've discovered that it's a great place to get photos and a place I'm going to use to upload my photos. Being able to tags the pictures is especially helpful. The only problem I have is that if I upload my own pictures, I wouldn't want to share them with the world. It's good that Flickr has a privacy option. I'm even going to check out what is costs to actually buy prints.

I think students could definitely use this site to find photos appropriate to a particular topic, particulary since you can find photos from museums, the Library of Congress, etc. The ability to explore photos by date, tags, country of origin, etc., is fabulous. The sheer number of images (and videos) on the site is staggering. You could easily spend hours just searching through the fabulous, interesting photos. Having access to images in the Creative Commons area that are not copyrighted is also helpful for students.

The image I chose to upload is of tulips simply because it is springtime and tulips are my favorite flower.

Thing 5 -- Subscribe to Blogs Using RSS Feeds

The first time I researched RSS (before I started this class) I just didn’t “get” it. I understand it now, but it’s taken me several hours and a lot of false starts trying to get it to work. First of all, I initially created the folders in Bloglines under Playlists and had trouble getting a subscription to work. I finally figured out I did it wrong (after watching the video again) and made the folders again under Feeds. It took me several attempts to finally get a RSS feed to save in the right location. I tried the three ways to save a RSS feed but couldn’t find a subscribe button on Will Richardson’s blog, so I moved on to try the second and third ways, which worked. I then went back and used the Bloglines button to add the Richardson blog. I, too, like the last way to add a blog to my feeds. I discovered that some sites that had a subscribe button didn’t give me the option of choosing Bloglines, so I decided it’s much easier and simpler to use the Bloglines link to subscribe to them. That’s how I subscribed to all the others sites.

I think that using RSS is going to be very helpful for reviewing current content on both school-related and personal websites. I discovered that it’s far too easy to find blogs to subscribe to, so I had to curb my enthusiasm for adding too many sites until I discover the ones that I truly will want to look at often. I guess that will be a process of trial and error as I add and later perhaps delete blogs from my list of feeds. In the meantime, I like the sites I have and plan to go back and add a few that I discovered when I was doing Things 2 and 3. Two cool sites that I discovered that I like mostly for fun are Boing Boing and Cool Tools.

Thing 4 -- Learn About RSS

Before I started this course, there were a couple of blogs I read once in a while. I had to go to the site to see if the content had been updated. Often, there wasn’t anything new, so it was basically a waste of my time. Since I have now added them to my RSS feeds, I’ll know if they’ve been updated automatically. Now that I know there is an easy way to get updates on blogs without having to actually visit each site individually to check for updates, I think I will subscribe to many more blogs.
I didn’t really understand RSS before and am so glad I do now. It’s so very simple and very useful.

As far as how I handle information overload, well, I guess I don’t do a very good job of it. I tend to bookmarks lots of sites that have good, useful information that I think I can use in my classes only to forget I have it because I have so many sites saved. It is so easy to get distracted by all the information that is available on the web. I don’t know how many times I’ve started searching for something or reading something on a website only to end up somewhere completely different on a totally different topic through clicking on hyperlinks. Using RSS feeds will be helpful in keeping me updated and reminded about blog content. I only wish this same option were available for websites, too. It would be so great to have a RSS feed for websites so that I know when the content has been updated. That would be very beneficial.

Thing 3 -- Explore How Educators Are Using Blogs

I’ve been intrigued by the idea of using a blog in my classroom since I started my own last summer. I’m still not sure, though, how I would actually do this. We use Moodle in our school, and the forum feature allows students to post comments such as you would in a blog. I have used the forum to ask students questions and the responses were somewhat generic and uninspiring. Would a blog be different if used as a classroom tool? Hmm…

I wonder, too, about using a blog as a way of communicating with parents and students. I could see using it as a tool to share assignments, keep students and parents updated, etc., but don’t see it as much different from using a website for the same purpose. I guess the main difference is the ability of others to leave a comment, but then again, I think this very ability could become problematic. If parents have a comment, email seems a better venue because it is more personal and the discussion can center on the needs of an individual student. As far as promoting online discussion among students about topics, posting comments and then reading through the comments doesn’t seem to be the most organized approach. I’m not sure that many students would bother doing more than just posting their required comment or taking the time to leave worthwhile feedback on another’s student’s post. Using a wiki still seems to make more sense to me for a collaborative classroom assignment.

I haven’t given up on the idea yet, but I am not completely convinced yet that it will work for me.

Things 1 and 2 -- Learn About Blogs and Create a Blog

Well, I'm finally getting started with only about a week and a half to go!

I found the article interesting and the "video" (this didn't seem like a video) thought-provoking. First of all, wouldn't it be great if all teachers had the resources available to use technology in the integrated way described by David Warlick.

I'd love to be able to do this--who wouldn't--but let's face reality. At this middle school, EVERY teacher posts to a blog daily/weekly, all classrooms seem to be equipped with computers (one per student?), microphones and other equipment are available to record podcasts, the librarian and "school tech facilitator" assist teachers by mapping and organizing website content to foster collaboration and communication, students have access to a school-facilitated wiki and a school "social bookmark," and students responsibly use their ipods and cells phones for learning (and not for socializing or cheating).

Now let's get to reality. In my high school, each classroom has ONE outdated teacher computer, used mainly for taking attendance and recording grades. A microphone mounted from the ceiling? Are you kidding? And the only school "tech facilitator" we have are the computer techs who spend all of their time troubleshooting problems with our old equipment. Students are not even allowed to have ipods in school and cell phones must be powered off and out-of-site during the day because of the rampant cheating and socializing that happeneded before the school implemented the new policy. I'm at least fortunate that I teach computer applications where I do have one computer per student; however, the computers are old and outdated. This year, they "updated" our 10-year old computers by creating mini workstations of three to five computers networked to one single station sharing 1GB of RAM. While they work somewhat better than the previous single-station computers that had only 128 MB of RAM, they still freeze up and move at a snail's pace. Our school does use Moodle, so we have access to a wiki and some collaborative features, but, again, the system is slow and limited in its capabilities. Furthermore, I only wish we could have a "social bookmark" site for the entire school. Students cannot save favorite sites--not even teachers are given this privilege. It's very frustrating to want to incorporate technology into the curriculum with the realities of the limited equipment, time, and money we have.

Finally, in this utopian world described in the article, where do teachers get the time to use technology and collaborate like they do? The reality is that teachers barely have time to keep up with lesson planning grading, paperwork, administrative duties, contacting parents, etc. I would love to write a daily blog and do all of the things described in the article, but where do I find the time?

I am looking forward to beginning the journey of discovering the possibilities available in Web 2.0. I spent many hours last summer researching Web 2.0 applications in hopes of implementing them in my class. I even created a blog! When school started, however, the reality of limited time, outdated equipment, and lack of support caused me to lose my enthusiasm. Hopefully, my journey through 23 things will encourage and inspire me again and give me PRACTICAL ways to incorporate Web 2.0 tools into my teaching.

I think the idea of using a blog as a way to reflect and share is a great idea. That's why I started my original blog (although I'll admit I haven't updated it in a long time). The one new thing I learned about blogs from the video was that blogs started as a way to share news. I guess I've always just thought about blogs as being like an online diary. I still do, but I can also see how information shared in a blog can also be like a "news" story.