T H I N G 23

R E F L E C T

The applications that are available on the Internet are unlimited; the technology changing daily. The 23 THINGS activities helped me to become familiar with the possibilities that are available. Some I find useful; some too cumbersome and time consuming to use. I would definitely use a Custom Homepage, Flicker, Embedded Videos, Talking Widgets and Screencasting.

The Commoncraft.com videos were get and helped me to better understanding of some of the applications. I'm glad that the web 2.o will be available for future use.

Thanks Joan and Maureen for offering this workshop!

THING 22
WIKIS


LIVVY--Wikis can be used to encourage the exchange of ideas and opinions on comments made by other students about a topic or idea. When my own daughters took online courses, part of their weekly assignments were the exchange of ideas between students in the class. Since everyone could see all the comments, I would assume a Wiki was being used.
The only problem I see with many of these forms of new technology is the getting away from personal interaction. So much of our communication is now done via the Internet, texting etc. we are losing our people skills.

THING 21

WIKIS

Nice idea again. I don't really understand the difference between "Cloud" tools and Google Doc but I can see uses for a Wiki. A group of my friends and I just put together a list of Birthdays and Anniversary dates. We did it using e-mail and one person had to put all the dates into one document. A Wiki would have made it much easier.

THING 20
E-BOOKS

Interesting way to access books without leaving your home. My first experience with e-books was when I purchased an e-book textbook for my daughter. The only good thing about the purchase was that it was immediate, but for study purposes it still had to be printed so the purchase proved to be very expensive.

My second experience was on the beach. My girlfriend was reading an e-book with that latest tech reader. I do have to admit it made her look very tech-savvy. This is a wonderful way to get books instantly. I'm justnot too sure about reading a whole book from a computer screen. But again, all the various technological advancements have a place.

THING 19

THING 19
SCREENCASTING

Well after a lot of viewing, trying, viewing again, and some other things inbetween. . . I think I finally created a screencast. Actually, if it works, it was pretty easy. The video instructions left out a few steps, but let's see if my screencast works. See you tomorrow Joan!

I tried it again with a full screen and this is the result!

THING 7 AND 8

OK, I think I final got this YOUTUBE to play. I think these are the cutest commercials.

THING 18

Podcasting

Wow, this workshop is full of surprises--Podcasting. There are so many applications on the web that it boggles the mind. Some of the applications I think are generational--I like to read the newspaper; adults with less years behind them prefer I Pods or the Internet to keep current. I definitely think Podcasting can be used for certain classroom situations especially demonstrations.

THING 17

Presentaton Tools

There are so many tools that are available on the web that are similar to programs I alreaady use. They are all great appl;ications and helpful to know that they are available on line for future use.

THING 16

Time to Explore

OK, I had time to explore but not to use any sites to keep me orderly. I checked out Remember the Milk, but it required keying in plans for a periood of time, etc. I am a paper and pencil lister or Post-it keeper. I can check-off my list or throw the Post-it away when the task has been completed. Computers and technology have made many applications easier, but sometimes the old fashion way still works best!

THING 15

"Cloud" Tools

This is a phenomenal idea especially for those documents that have to be revised by several people. It would be great to be able to access the same document from several paces to modify and know that the changes are being done on the same documents. I have had my problems with saving a document multiple times with numerous changes. I usually use e-mail between home and school. I definitely can see myself using this application.

THING 14

Social Networking

Well, I must confess I did join Facebook. I don't have anything on it other than a pic of me and my daughters. It is a great way to share information, keep in touch with friends, meet new people and find old friends!

THING 13

Delicious

As I mentioned in THING 12, I think I could find social bookmarking useful. I'm not ready to extend the process to Diigo, but could find Delicious ueful personally and for classroom materials.

Now off to work on my bookmarking and to de-stress!

THING 12
Tagging and Social Bookmarking

Another great idea! I have always saved sites to favorites, tagged by category. But, since they are only on one specific computer, I'm lost if I'm using another computer. The Social Bookmarking and Tagging that I'll start to use for convenience and to expand my ability to visit other sites.

THING 11
WIDGETS

Ok, I'm getting the hand of it. I finally got my talking VOKI embedded in this blog. This was one of my favorite sections. It adds a little personal touch to blogging!

THING 10

Twitter

Twitter is a good social network, but not for me. There is too much going on in the sites; too many choices; too many THINGS! I did open an account and posted my one and only tweet. I started to look through the THE BEST of 2008, but became overwhelmed with the number of sites and some of the sites themselves. (Maybe because I still have correcting to do for tomorrow!) As I said earlier my blog, social networking sites have a place, just not for me.

THING 9

Copyright and Creative Commons

Being in education I have always been familiar with copyright laws regarding copies used in the classroom. Today, however, there are so many easy ways to copy someone's work that it is even more important to be current on use rules. This topic would make a great workshop for classroom applications.

THINGS 7 AND 8
YOUTUBE

I would periodlically view YOUTUBE for commercials or previously aired spots on TV. My favorite commercials are the ETrade Babies. That is the YOUTUBE video I have been trying to embed in this blog. But after considerable amounts of frustraton, I've decided to come back to this THING at a later date.

I find these activities to be very interesting, but at times difficult without one-on-one explanations.

THING 5 FLICKER

I looked at the FLICKER site but never really considered saving pictures on the Internet. However, it does have its considerations. I would always know where the pics are especially if I organize them into categories. I'm still a little concerned about security. Hey, someone may see a picture and decide to stalk me or my family. LOL

THING 6 FLICKER FUN

Well, I started to save some pictures to FLICKER by groups. I was excited about saving the pictures in an organized manner. I loaded pictures that were already saved to my computer. It was actually pretty easy. My biggest issue is all the pictures I have of my kids when they were younger that are not on a disk to save to the site. Does anyone have the KODAK PHOTO SCANNER that lets you continuously scanner pictures quickly?

I

THING 4

Today I previewed homepages. I liked the idea of having all the sites I visit linked to one page. Now I have the sites that I used often under favorites and specific topics. I started setting up two start pages. They take time and one site is a little more user friendly. But, I now know what a widget i!

When I first looked at this workshop, I had no idea what some of the topics consisted of. Every lesson is interesting, sometimes challenging, often frustrating but still a learning experience.

THING 3 was an interesting assignment. It gave me the opportunity to view various blogs--the informtion they contain, the layouts, links, etc. Would I blog after this assignment---I don't think so. NHS has the capabilities for teachers to set up web pages to get information out to the students and their parents. I guess that would be similiar to a blog.

Now to change my blog settings.

January 19, 2010

THING 1 AND 2
WEB 2.0
BLOGS

Today is my first blogging day. I'm really not into sharing my every thought and move with people, but this is a learning experience (THING 2) that is kind of fun. I considered myself pretty tech literate, but the 23 THINGS that I have to do for this program will be very interesting. Thanks Joan for encouraging me to complete these THINGS!