Evaluation

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

I realized over the summer how many wonderful things were available to me digitally. To think that all of these "Things" are at my fingertips is awesome. I think my favorite discoveries throughout my two blog experiences were finding and exploring the numerous Web 2.0 Tools. I love writing engaging lessons. I love mashing things together that seem completely unconnected. The Tools on the web that are accessible have the potential to transform my classroom a real life experience where we directly apply our knowledge to what we have to accomplish with the curriculum. 

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

This program has taught me that in order to take advantage of the abundance of resources out there, I have to not only know where to find them, but also give myself the chance to play around with them. Just like in the classroom, different styles of teaching work better for different concepts. In technology, different applications fill different purposes. Also, I've learned the hard way that I need to know exactly what type of instructions my students need in order to best utilize time and the technology. This program has allowed me to stay current with my students, to accommodate their generation and styles of learning. It has taught me to continue to evolve so that I can do my best to educate my students the way they need.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

Besides the ability to navigate through things and find what I'm looking for easier, nothing was incredibly unexpected. I did find out the usefulness of things like online bookmarking and dropbox. A lot of the things that were in the 16 Things will be useful in both my professional and my personal life. But, having done something very similar before, I wasn't surprised as I worked through each "Thing."

4. What could I do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

I'm a proponent of how the program is set up as it is. There is a TON of information and I love how there are links everywhere to direct you where to go. I'm also impressed that examples were given not only on your blog, Dr. Wilson, but that you also provided us with links to our classmates' blogs. This was useful so that we could see how our peers responded. I think that the program is structured well. The discovery exercises were straightforward and the instructions, easy to follow. And with each "Thing" being a separate blog, the categories weren't all over the place. Thank you for this experience. It truly will make me that much more awesome in the classroom. :)

-Sarah

Thing #16

PhotoPeach was soooooooooooo easy. It was wonderful. Signing up took no time at all, and the website makes uploading photos and adding captions almost effortless. I'm excited about using this thing in my class. It would be a neat way for students to present persuasive essays or provide summaries. It's fast and easy so it could be done in one class period. It could even chronicle their growth in class. Since I have iPad 2s in class, they could use the cameras to take their own pictures to upload. 

Northbrook High School Cheerleading and Stunt Squad on PhotoPeach

Thing #15.5

Twitter and LinkedIn are two social networks that I'm already familiar with. I have had accounts with both for more than a year. Normally, I use a school Facebook for all announcements about homework, practice, and the like. The original Twitter account I have is primarily for personal social networking. I felt that in order to keep a semblance of a private life, I needed to make a new Twitter account for school purposes much like my Facebook account. The thing I like about Twitter is that you can set up your tweets to be sent straight to Facebook by linking the two. I still think that having to keep track of two social networks (Twitter and Facebook) is redundant, but in order to reach my students, I feel I need to be available every way possible. 

As I stated before, I have been "LinkedIn" for quite some time, however I haven't really seen the benefit of it. Since I am solidified in my job and am connected to almost all of my network contacts, I rarely use it, if at all. I feel like I'm repeating myself over and over and over, but at times I feel overwhelmed with the number of networks I have signed up for, social and professional. It's hard to keep up with all of them although I very much see their usefulness. If I ever do decide to move schools, LinkedIn could definitely help me get in touch with people in other districts and positions that could be beneficial in a job search. 

All in all, this half a thing is probably the most popular. The prevalence of social networks and how they are used to communicate is astounding. If one chooses to not be in the loop, I feel they are missing out on opportunities to better themselves not only with their students but in their career as a whole.

Thing #15

These "Things" are starting to make me look bad because yet again, my 54 year old Dad is showing me up. His Skype skills far exceed mine. On a regular basis he Skypes with friends that he has across the country and even at Oxford. The only person that I Skype with on a regular basis is my brother in Arkansas. I like that it's face to face interaction, but I definitely prefer texting or phone calls. I like to multi-task and move around too much to Skype for long periods of time.

On the other hand, I've recently been doing a lot of thinking. Over the summer, my mom went over to Vietnam to talk about Special Education Programs and Modifications. She came back with contacts in Vietnam that suggested starting classes of pen pals. Already, she has delivered a set of letters from a class in Hanoi that is the same age as some of her seventh graders and now her students are working on replies. I think it would be AMAZING if I could get her to put me in touch with a class of kids that are the same age as my tenth graders. After letter writing, I foresee a conversation via Skype using my Activboard. The more that I think about it, the more excited I get. I think that exposing my kids to a different culture on the other side of the world would show them that there is definitely life outside of Spring Branch. It's going to take some effort to get implemented, but in the end if I can get it set up, I think it will be worth it.

Thing #14

I didn't realize how neat podcasting was until recently. Ironically, I figured it out because of my 54 year old dad who has a podcast every week. He is a preacher at Chapelwood Methodist Church and every Wednesday he and a friend of his have a conversation that is podcasted over the hope for humanity. Gregg and Jerry's  conversations are seen by hundreds of people including myself and has become something I look forward to weekly.

I find iTunes U somewhat helpful. The one thing that I've found and referenced multiple times is a presentation by Victoria Young over the EOC English I, II, and III tests. Since we are going into this new test blindly, any information that we can get our hands on is helpful. This presentation has helped a lot in knowing how to teach our students the different genres they will need to write and the differences in structure. However, I have found that most of the other material on iTunes U is over Math, Science, and geared towards younger grades. 

To be completely honest with you, up until now I didn't have a Pinterest or Etsy account. Because of this "Thing," I am now a Pinterest user, but because I have somewhat of a shopping addiction, I don't think Etsy is wise. The reason I resisted Pinterest for so long was because word on the street was that it had a very addictive quality. However, I definitely see its uses and benefits. I do in fact have a Delicious. I don't use it as much as I should although it would make things easier. I can definitely see the advantages to portable bookmarks, muc like portable storage like Dropbox. I'm worried that with so many Web 2.0 tools to keep up with, I'm starting to lose track of all of them. 

Things #12 and 13

If you asked my students what my favorite way to introduce units and lessons was, they would undoubtedly tell you Youtube. I have used it for years and have found just about anything I have ever wanted. It's amazing the things that people have made available. I have even uploaded my own videos thanks to Professor Donalson and Educational Applications of Technology. However, I have recently begun to use another amazing site to get my students engaged. Ted Talks are unbelievable. If you haven't explored some of the videos, I highly encourage you to go poking around. They are inspirational and some are just beyond belief.  The following Ted Talk was shown at Convocation for Spring Branch in August and was one of the most inspirational things I've ever seen. It made me want to do unfathomable things with technology in my classroom and teach my kids that absolutely anything is possible. 





Like I said earlier, thanks to Professor Donalson and Educational Applications of  Technology, I was able to upload my own video to Youtube last semester. I was incredibly proud of my Poetry TEASe and publishing it seemed to cement the hard work I put into it. It's also pretty cool that as I make new TEASes, they will be saved. Youtube is a phenomenal repertoire for resources. 

I think that having students create and submit videos for class is an awesome idea. My neighbor at school teachers double blocked Algebra I, the kids that need the most help. She constantly has students on iPads looking at other student made tutorials on Youtube and Kahn Academy. Having students upload their own videos gives them ownership and an opportunity to share with other students what they know. It is a wonderful way to collaborate with kids they can't even see.

Thing #11

I'm fascinated with Web 2.0 Tools. Figuring out how to use them in my classroom is my favorite part of writing lessons. I remember the old days when we were assigned projects and we had to figure out a way to make three-dimensional replicas of the solar system. Nowadays, instead of problem solving and using creativity to make hand made projects, students are using Web 2.0 tools to come up with crazy ways to show us, their teachers, how well they can apply critical thinking to concepts. 

Because I teach English, I'm constantly looking for ways my students can demonstrate how well they understand stories and elements in writing whether it be expository, persuasive, descriptive, or narrative. The two Web 2.0 tools that I found that I was completely new to were List N Play and Keepsy. Both of these would be awesome to use with any text. I like List N Play because you can create a playlist of songs and videos. I think it would be awesome if students could create an "Album" of sorts to chronicle a novel or a text. All of the songs and videos would have to relate to or demonstrate themes, characters, settings, or conflicts within the text. This would allow the students to connect something they are extremely familiar with, music and videos, to new knowledge and understanding. 

Keepsy is awesome too. As I went throught the "Keepsy Stories" I thought of my students and how they could "write" essays using photographs. The cool part about these "stories" are that they include a written element as well. This could easily count as analysis or an expository of their picture story. 

The EOC tests is kicking my kids' butts. They are having a hard time finding relevance in what the state is asking them to do. I think these two websites bridge that gap between expectations and real world connections. My department chair and appraiser need to be warned that these things will definitely be making an appearance in my classroom.