Karen's Space

video

2011-02-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

http://cub5.springbranchisd.com/media/edtech/Did+You+Know+4.0.swf

Wondersay

2011-01-11T07:03:00.001-08:00

made on Wondersay - Animate text with style

Class

2010-12-10T07:40:00.001-08:00

video

2010-11-29T14:40:00.001-08:00

Thing # 11.5

2009-08-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I think tools Wordle & Wordsift are excellent for use in the classroom and have lots of ideas. I did not spend near enough time with Glogster. I found an example online (if I can find the link later, I'll add it later) from a guy in Canada. It is terrific. I need to explore Glogster some more.

Skype is a fantastic tool that I think has great uses in the classroom! I am so excited about the possibilities. I have made several contacts with teachers in the US, Canada and India so far and am planning classroom Skyping activities with teachers. And, I love the Flip camera. Creating video was way easier than it has ever been before.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals? Keeps me exploring and learning.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? No, I already knew I was going to learn a lot.

Hi!

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept? I think now that some of us need to spend more time with some of these tools and go a bit more indepth. I would like to to an 11.5 things for Google Apps... I think Google uses are near endless...

Thing #11

2009-08-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

I have a big concern about teaching digital citizenship to our students. Students can learn and create easily using Web 2.0 tools for a real-world and varied audience. With that "power" comes a responsibility, one for the student and the teacher as well. We need to make sure that our students know how to find and verify accurate resources, how to be a responsible author and collaborator by responding fairly and interacting with all people respectfully, and how to stay safe by not divulging too much information about self and peers.

All of this takes time and knowledge that teachers are just learning themselves. Most of us haven't participated in a global community and yet we need to help our students do so. Do we have the tools ourselves?

I think teaching digital citizenship will take more than a lesson or two. I plan to take the district AUP and tie some mini-lessons to the bullet statements. Then, I think I will use a variety of resources to illustrate the different points and encourage discussion among the students so we will have a common language and vision for what each looks like.

There are a number of resources available, but we need to help find the time and organize the resources for our teachers.

Thing #10

2009-08-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

OK. I finally bit the bullet and entered Second Life. I have spent the majority of my time this morning on Help Island learning how to get around and exploring a bit. I finally figured out how to go to ISTE Island. That is where I am now. I found a part of TCEA and am now in some space that has some information about NCCE's Convention in March.

I keep getting logged out for some reason. I must either click some that that overloads the system or I keep losing my connection on my wireless.

One person came up to me. we were in a "chat" or conversation one of the times I lost connectivity and then when I can back, the person was gone. Some of the people are pretty scary looking. However, I am still alive! I have played a bit with changing my appearance. that is not as easy as it looks. My skirt is a different color, but I couldn't get my hair color to change.

I will try some more later tonight.

Thing #9.5

2009-07-27T08:35:00.001-07:00

Xtranormal

Have you seen this? I thought it was so much fun and can see it being used in classrooms that I just had to share!

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch?e=20090727113400171

Thing #9

2009-07-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

I like these slide show tools. I think 280 slides is really cool! However, I just used Google Presentations and created a similar test show. It worked as well, saves in Google docs and uses the same tools I use for other documents. So, I think I would encourage students and teachers to stick with Google. It is truly becoming the Microsoft Office of Web 2.0!

Now, I guess you would have to invite others to share your slide show, so there is some merit to using authorSTREAM or Slideshare where the public can search and find your "stuff." I think it would also be advantageous to improve the quality of the work - since it is for a real audience. Their work would be "out there" for anyone in the world to view. Maybe we should encourage teachers and students to work in Google presentations and then publish in Slideshare. Wonder if that would work? It isn't PP... Will test it!

Thing #8

2009-07-16T05:48:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I have been playing with some of these tools at work and the new filter is causing havok for me. I have used Jing Project in the past and LOVE it. For some reason, I kept getting an error message when I tried to use it yesterday. So, I uninstalled and when I try to reinstall I am blocked from downloading it. So, I have submitted an unblock request and hope to get that opened back up shortly.

In its absence, I attempted to download some of the other tools you had shared with the same results! However, freescreencasting was open. I downloaded it and voila! It works. The interface is not as impressive as Jing, but it worked. I have to convert it from a flash file to an avi in zamzar - zamzar is such a great service! Here is my 1st attempt:

Notice all the broken links in iTunes. Guess that is our new filter as well! ;-)

Thing #7

2009-07-15T05:37:00.000-07:00

I watched the video and read (OK, skimmed through parts) of the Fair Use document. It was really helpful although still not cut and dry (as Fair Use will never be)! I do think it is a helpful resource. We need to be diligent in helping students remember to practice them (and ourselves as well)!

I had NO idea that Hula was free. I looked through some of its content and watched a few things at home last night. Blinkx was new to me also.

I chose to look for content on volcanoes. I found a terrific 50 minute video divided into chapters in the Nature portion of the PBS website and started watching it. I then searched blinkx for more volcano videos. I found a bunch but was not able to view them here at work. I couldn't cut and paste the video from PBS into my blog although it looks like I could have shared it a number of other ways. Facebook was an option. I could have purchased the video from iTunes or purchased a dvd. I will have to play around with Blinkx tonight and see. The NeoK12 site looked promising as well. I found some more volcano footage but it wouldn't load (the filter again). I will tray that one again from home and see what I can do. Here is the link to the PBS one.
http://www.pbs.org/video/video/1133372360/program/979358043

Thing #6

2009-07-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

After watching students text one another on their cell phones before school each morning, I became convinced that they would be able to use an iPod Touch in the classroom without the issues that people my age feel there are. I have had a "Touch" for a few months now. I have become a big fan of some of the games like Word Warp, Brain Thaw, PopMath lite and more. I think kids will play them as well. I also use it to check the weather and I use the calculator. I also use it to check some websites often. It is fairly easy. You can have up to 8 pages open at one time, so the pages I check frequently I keep those "stored" and just refresh when I reconnect. If you want to read a page and don't have wireless at home, you can open it and it will be there later. It is easy to enlarge and flip the page to read. However, I must admit that I don't like to use it for extensive reading of webpages. It really helps that Google has an app so the page is the correct width. It is also easy to record on the Touch. I can see students podcasting on it quite easily. I wish the Touch had a camera. That would really be a useful tool. I hear it is coming on the next version.

I would also recommend Tony Vincent's site - Learning in Hand. He has been using Palms in the classroom for years and has info and ideas for iPod Touch also.

As for Wikipedia, I must admit that I use it frequently. I have often thought about contributing but never has. Yes, the information on what it is not, is interesting.

Thing #5

2009-07-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

I have been an sporadic user of Facebook for a while now. I really got into it last fall when I used it as a tool to find people whose Christmas cards were returned because they had moved. I was able to find two old friends through their children who were on Facebook. That was kind of cool. I also caught up with some of my old students from years ago. In fact, I have been emailing with one of them fairly regularly which has been great. I must admit I am not a huge fan of the layout of Facebook and I don't know as much as I might, but I know enough to have it work for me. There are a number of people at work who farm on Facebook. I have ne idea what that is and think I better not look to find out. I don't want to get hooked on it just yet!

As for Twitter... I have tried on several different ocassions to use Twitter. I think it doesn't really work for me because I have to use it on my laptop. Therefore, the short tweets aren't as compeling as I'm not trying to kill time on the 3G network while I'm cooking dinner, doing laundry or waiting for an airplane. Also, I have been challenged to find people I'm interested in tweeting. I am following a terrific technology educator and I don't even find his tweets worthwhile. So, I am still in the developing stage.

As for use in the classroom, I love the whole notion of social networking. I have found that some young people don't like the idea of teachers/parents invading their world. And, since I'm not particularly fond of the layout of Facebook, I am just more inclined to us ning, edmodo, etc. I'm still working on reasons to use Twitter over some other tools.

I really like the whole backchannel concept. I think the blog post about it was good. I have seen it used a couple of times and plan to encourage teachers to use in their classrooms. I think it could be successful if used during video conferencing, guest speakers, and even during some class presentations - by fellow teachers and students.

Thing #4

2009-07-09T17:26:00.001-07:00

Well, I made a video yesterday for this project using a Flip camera. It was the first time I had used a Flip! I had heard a lot about them - especially from Marianne - but never had the opportunity. In about 15 minutes I opened the box, installed the batteries, shot the video and upload it to Teacher Tube. It was SO easy, and that is my first experience with a video being easy (never been on the Mac side)! I abosultely LOVE the fact that there is no cable to have to keep up with. Anyway, Teacher Tube has not yet approved my video, so here is a link to an older one that I made last year.

http://www.teachertube.com/members/viewVideo.php?video_id=78095&title=Test

Here is the actual video from yesterday.

Having your lessons on Teacher Tube is a great way to share. I supposed students could also go there but I would just post then on my ning, district podcast site or blog. I thing your students would be more apt to go get them there. However, I do think you could develop a good network of like minded teachers on Teacher Tube.

Again, for student created work I would also post to the ning or district pod cast site. Students might also chose to post their work on Facebook or My Space. Yes, I know about School tube but must admit I had never visited until today.

Thing #3

2009-07-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

Today, I played with Skype on both my laptop and my iPod touch. While I am not able to video conference (hope to try that tomorrow if I can get Skype loaded at home tonight on a MacBook), I had fun using the Chat feature. I think we will recommend for chatting that students use Skype. It was easy to invite friends and easy to use. I think they will like it.

I also liked the link to the 50 ways to use Skype in the classroom blog. I also tried to visit some of the links off of the page but they are currently blocked (that new filter system is really causing havoc today). However, I feel certain in a few weeks it will be open and I can learn more. I cannot wait to use it with teachers in classrooms!

Thing(s) #2

2009-06-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

This post is really forcing me to learn a few more skills! Having already played in Wordle (and shared it with some teachers here as I think it could be a great tool for summarization on any topic), I chose to play with Wordsift. Here is that sample.

Then, I went for the poster-making Glogster! I still need to explore it a bit more but was anxious to embed my "Glog!" Of course, it appears that I need further instruction since my poster is only part of the "Glog!"

I think a student might need to think ahead a bit about turning in an online poster (as I think it requires at bit more thought to turn in anything electronically at this point being that they don't have email accounts or a district online space) but it is nothing monumental. I like Gogster in that it offers a variety of formats and is really easy. Could several kids work on the same poster, or is it individual. I need to research it a bit more.

I love VoiceThread and see a lot of use for teachers and students. However, since there is an associated cost, it might be a challenge to implement.

WOW! Animoto! I must admit I had never taken the time to make one. It is very easy! Can't believe it took me so long. I am going to make another using my own music, but for this one I chose one of theirs. That made it easy although I sould have preferred a patriotic song given the topic. I also like the way it is short. Kids (and sometimes adults as well) have a tendency to make things too long. I like the fact that they are short and sweet. Kids would need to be selective!

Take a peak at my creation!

And finally, my Bookr! Again, a DC theme! This time, I used the pictures of others! It was really simple as well. I think kids would enjoy using this. I would create a class Flickr account so we could use our own pictures!

Summer 2009 - 11.5 more things - Activity #1

2009-06-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

WOW! Connectivism! I don't think in all my online journeys that I have heard that phrase before! I really like it. And boy, was that student connected or what! I wish I were as focused as he!

I think we all have a long way to grow to get to here, but I certainly think it is something we can work towards and attain! Since I embarked on 23 things last year, I have become much more connected and see the value for me and for our students! I have actually joined several social networks, asked questions and posted comments. I participate in webinars (love 'em) and more!

The teacher is truely a facilitator in this example. She helps the student learn information management skills, evaluation skills and communication skills. And, they are all on a need to know which makes it so much more powerful!

Yes, the librarian can assume a role in the process for the student! Accessing and validating websites, using the school's database, were a few right at the beginning. When you think about the role a librarian has always played - helping one find the information needed - then it is natural for a librarian to continue in the role. The places to find information have expanded!

Reflections - #23

2008-02-17T17:40:00.000-08:00

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I don't know that I can say there was any one thing. I guess the tool I am using the most is Picasa. I also like the fact that I was inspired to finally create my "podcast" and have plans for more. I am also very excited about the online communities.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
It was an easy way to continue my learning.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I didn't really know what to expect. I had more fun and learned a broader variety of tools than I had probably figured... I still need to figure out how to add RSS feed to my website...

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
The format for me is fantastic. However, I think you might encourage a few others (less confident) by offering a "blended" version.
Teachers might enjoy focusing on education in general and less on the library. There were a few topics that seemed to repeat, but it wasn't anything that I couldn't live with.
I wish I didn't have to sign up for so many different tools. However, that is not in your control.

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
Yes.

How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?
Terrific time well spent!

Nings - #22

2008-02-16T05:49:00.001-08:00

Wow! When you had first introduced me to Nings a few assignments ago, I was so excited. I thought I could see classroom nings, campus nings, a district ning etc. However, I am so disappointed at what I found at the teacher lingo ning. There were virtually no lessons for middle school, the blogs were silly, sad and worthless. I won't waste my time there again. I will go back to the ning link and attempt to create one for my campus that will focus on instruction. Again, I see lots of opportunity.

Podcast - #21

2008-02-12T06:45:00.000-08:00

It looks good on my computer. Can't wait to see if this works! PhotoStory 3 is so easy! however, I did learn that you want to get your slides in order before you record your voice overs. If you move a slide after you have completed the voice over, you lose the recording and have to re-record. I also think you should do all of the recording in one sitting. Even though I completed the recordings on one morning, the volume of my voice was different at different times. I also purchased the background music from iTunes rather than search for free music even though I believe I could have found some.

Now, I am trying to save it in a format that iTunes will accept and see how I can get it to appear in iTunes!

Videos - #20

2008-02-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

First of all, I don't want to forget this site, so I am copying it here.
http://www.blinkx.com/

Also, I didn't know about teachertube. I found a couple of good ones. I am also determined more than ever to get some teachers on my campus to create some videos or podcasts as instructional tools. So, first thing tomorrow I am going to share this site with our teachers.

This is a simple song about the water cycle. I like it.
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=53bdf2518c53ddf3bce6

I tried to embed it, but there is a problem with the code and I don't know enough to figure out the problem.

Anyway, I found several things I can and will use at work "playing" with this post!

Web 2.0 Awards - #19

2008-02-05T15:06:00.000-08:00

OK. I have to leave right now, but I had to add this to my blog! This is a fun game!

Free Online Games brought to you by Arcaplay

I'm back! How about this one?
http://grant.robinson.name/projects/guess-the-google/
This one would even be good for the classroom! Categorization skills!

I like wetpaint! I could see a personal use for this! I wouldn't want to use a wide open wiki in the classrooom.

The mapping ones have merit; however, we would need to be careful with our students! I'm not going to comment on the ones we've used or are going to "play" with like Ning! I can hardly wait.

Swivel looks interesting. I am going to give the information about the professional networking sites to my son who is graudating from college and needs a job!

Online Productivity Tools - #18

2008-02-05T14:29:00.000-08:00

There is definitely a difference between the two products we are supposed to try. Open Office is much more like Office than is Google documents. First of all, it is software you download. Second, it is a suite of products.

With Open Office, the files you create are stored where you decide, unlike Google Docs where your files are stored on their server. I worry about security and the ability to access the documents indefinitely. In Open Office, there are more features. In fact, I created an entire document with it today. The only limitation I came across was the inability to actually create a draw item in the document. I am VERY used to that tool. However, I am sure it is coming shortly! These Web 2.0 products are developing so quickly! I wonder what Microsoft thinks about it all!

Again, Google docs has a long way to go before it is something I will use.

The presentation tool in Open Office is "crude" compared to PowerPoint, but again I anticipate it will develop quickly. The Draw tool is basic as well. I don't personally have a reason to use the Math tool. Anyway, I'm not sure that we are ready to "dump" Microsoft, but I can see where not too far in the future... :-)

Wiki Sandbox - #17

2008-02-03T06:09:00.001-08:00

Again, the collaboration is fun. I can see that the page is really set up for librarians, which I am not. Looking forward to seeing ideas from others!

I even forget one: How about a wiki for grade level/department teachers where they can discuss, share, develop ideas for lessons!

Wikis - #16

2008-02-03T05:37:00.000-08:00

Wikis hold lots of potential for schools (and libraries). I really enjoyed the English classroom example and see the benefits of using wikis for collaboration in classrooms. For the students, it allows asynchonous collaboration - no more having to find a time to meet and discuss your project. For the teacher, no more lost papers!

I am already participating in a wiki on a district committee. We have too much to discuss and our calendars don't allow for us to meet face-to-face. We are all contributing to the wiki so that at our next meeting we can further refine our ideas and accomplish our goal.

I did notive that one of the library wikis is forcing contributors to log in due to vandalism. That is unfortunate and yet very believable. I would imagine that most of us will need to do something similar since we don't have the knowledge/manpower to track down the abusers.

As a campus administrator, I can see lots of uses! Looking forward to using wikis in the future!

Library 2.0 # 15

2008-01-31T17:48:00.000-08:00

I can't agree more with what I am reading. It is impossible to try and procure a collection of materials that reside permanently in the library these days. Long gone are the days of print materials beinig the sources of information. And, as much as I hesitate, it appears the web of the future is all about collaboration. I can foresee in the near future classrooms becoming part of classroom networks/online communities. In fact, I am totally excited about it. I can see blogs and wikis totally changing the classroom for the better. I can see the librarian facilitating this process.

However, it will take a paradigm shift of the librarians to accomplish this task. Gone are the days of signing up classes to come for their 30 minutes in the library. Open access is key. On my own campus, we are challenged with differenet campuses requiring that simultaneously. I haven't really given a great deal of thought of how to solve this before, but now I see the need to begin that thought process. Let's begin that conversation.

I can't even pretend to fully grasp the depth of the issue. I have already been exposed to so much through this activity. Thanks for bringing the conversation to the consciousness of all of us!

Technorati-Thing #14

2008-01-27T16:57:00.000-08:00

OK. So, I haven't been bookmarking in del.icio.us as much as I thought I would. I have been exploring Technorati. I have created an account and "claimed" this blog. So, now I'll have to figure out how that affects my blog and works for me! I did several searches. I did the search for the school library learning 2.0. It found several blogs in different places that are evidently participating in a 23 things type activity. Then, I searched for tags. I found that most useful, and I see a reason for tagging my blog (which I have yet to do).

I did look at a few of the most popular blogs that are linking to one another on Technorati. I found that I didn't have a great deal of interest in the majority of them. I did find a few educational related ones - one, in fact that I linked to! I just don't think that I am as social as most people... :-)

Social Bookmarking: Del.icio.us - #13

2008-01-25T18:34:00.000-08:00

Wow! Am I liking this! I had heard about del.icio.us about a year ago but had never taken the time to look at it or try to understand it. It is cool and something that I will definitely use. I see the benefits and it doesn't take any longer than setting up a bookmark. The tags are terrific and add so much to the "bookmarked" site. I will be busy "playing" with del.icio.us tonight!

And, I encourage everyone to go to Common Craft and watch the video. It was excellent. I also watched the video on blogging. Common Craft is a great place to send apprehensive peers! Quick and easy to understand explanations!

Rolling your own... #12

2008-01-21T15:17:00.000-08:00

Here's one of the Rollyo searches I created.

http://rollyo.com/explore.html?showall=recentrolls

Of course, I couldn't hardly figure out what I wanted to create a search for. However, I had done so extensive research a while back on one of my sports injuries, so I created on about that. I also created one about digital photography. I must admit I haven't done a greata deal of searching about digital photography, but I'd like to. So, I found some sites that I liked and created one!

Library Things #11

2008-01-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

Wow! Cool! I really enjoyed learning about and joining Library Thing. I have posted 8 books already and could keep going, but I have a kitchen to clean! My only problem was trying to figure out how to put a link on my blog. It shouldn't be a big thing (at least that is what I am led to believe), but I don't know where to paste the HTML code into the blog. Hopefully, someone can help me! I do think this will be lots of fun!

I have joined a group already and am looking into a few others. I have joined the historical fiction group (even though I haven't posted a single historical fiction).

For fun! #10

2008-01-20T14:45:00.001-08:00

Think about it...

Image Chef is pretty cool! I like the Happy Face Generator too! I wish the Happy Face Generator would have allowed me to resize the image. It is a little too bog for me. I think I will take it into PhotoShop Elements and resize it. I'll let you know if that works!

Yep! It worked. I'm happier! :-)

The process is easy! I was hoping to have the above animated gif as a sidebar, but the software doesn't support it. It took me a minute to post it. I think the easiest is just to save it to your computer and upload it that way! as for how I'm going to use this in my job... I am still thinking about it!

More on Blogs #9

2008-01-20T14:28:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately, Feedster is down right now so I couldn't look at it today. I think I had seen it a couple of weeks ago when I first started working on this portion of the 23 things, but I can't remember anything about it.

I like Google Blog Search. It is clean and uncluttered. I have used it to add some blogs to my Google Reader page.

Syndic8 seems more like a tool that I would use to answer my questions abour syndication and rss feeds. I am not really looking at this point to learn how to create my rss feed. And, I must admit I would like a 2 hour class where a knowledgable individual talks with me about rss feeds and shows me how to do it. While I have participated in lots of online learning, I don't like it when trying to understand a concept and related skill.

Technorati is OK. There were tons of links to blogs that are of no interest to me. I think I would be more inclined to enjoy the blogging communities of the Internet if I were a person who reads People and Entertainment Weekly magazines. I just don't care about most of the topics that most of these sites post. Dylan and Cole who? ;-) I do think it is totally mind boggling when I think about the fact that so many of the posts are from overseas! Totally cool! The tutorial y'all suggested was created by a Dutchie! (I would love to relocate there for a while, but I understand I would not like the weather!) :-)

I do want you to know that I did spend about 5 minutes on my Reader page this week! At least I visited it!

#8 - RSS Feeds

2008-01-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

Talk about feeling just a little lost. I am feeling that the collaborative nature of the Internet is not a real interest of mine. I am pondering why that might be. Is it that I am too pressed for time? Is it that I am a fairly "private" person and don't care to share my ideas, thoughts, etc. with pelple I don't know. Is it that I feel spend much of my day communicating with a variety of individuals in my job that I am tired of sharing at night? I dunno.

I have subscribed to 6 different feeds and posted them on my Google Reader page. I went back through them tonight to look at them. I was totally unimpressed with a couple that I will probably unsubscribe. I did enjoy looking at a couple and even linked to a few other sites to see if I could figure out what this guy was talking about. It certainly isn't clear fromo his blog. I don't know if I will venture there again. I am trying to figure out why I should go through the effort to have the Google Reader page when most of the websites were just added to my feeds in my Favorites. Seems like a duplicate of efforts. So, what I am trying to say is that I don't possess a real positive view of rss feeds and newsreaders.

I don't see myself using this at all in my personal life. I think I could add a rss feed to my website at school for parents/students so when I update they will know. I was hoping that I would learn HOW to do that through this library2play activity. I guess that is something I will have to figure out for myself...

Libraries could use it in much the same way that I am thinking of using. Couldn't they also have blogs about certain titles or genres?

Google

2008-01-05T05:18:00.000-08:00

I have spent the better part of last evening and this morning exploring a FRACTION of everything that Google has to offer. I have heard that the district might be moving to gmail. Now that I have created a gmail account, calendar, created a personal google page and upload pictures to the web with picasa, I can see why that might be a good move-especially since it is all free. Of course, the transisiton could be a challenge.

Now I need to explore the difference in flickr and picasa to determine which I prefer and will continue to use. I definitely won't keep both. Here is my album so far: http://picasaweb.google.com/justlk16.

I will also continue to explore some of the extra features in each of the areas I have added. Right now I need to figure out how to change my personal google page. I pick one of the themes and I don't like it. I haven't yet figure out how to edit it.

I was already a user of Google Earth. I did upgrade to the latest version!

Check out Google maps. It is really cool!

Google is great fun!

Mashups

2008-01-04T05:06:00.000-08:00

Wow! The Internet keeps going and going... or should I say growing and growing. I didn't realize that I use mashups frequently. I also didn't realize that all these TOYS were out there! I don't know that I can write about just ONE!

When I have more time, I really want to explore mappr. It looks really cool. I haven't figured out yet if it is availible to the public. Go look at flickr graph, too! Since my flickr isn't public (yet) it doesn't show much. findr was also cool. I found some incredible photos using it. I am not sure what I would actually use it for though. However, as a classroom teacher, I might use it to find some pictures to show students. It was really easy to use. Huge Labs (FD Toys) has incredible tools! While not a fan of the trading cards (too goofy for me) I really liked the poster maker and can see lots of ways to use it in my job!

Flickr

2007-12-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

Wow! Flickr is AMAZING! Photography is a big hobby of mine. I have friends in The Netherlands who share my hobby. Sometimes we send pictures via email to one another. Flickr is a much better way to share!

I can see how it would be really easy to fill up your free space on Flickr. Next time, I am going to check and see how much it costs to upgrade.

Most of my pictures I wouldn't care to make public. However, when I have a little more time, I might investigate doing that. I also want to search for others with similar interests. I did go look at the librarian's group. Pretty diverse!

My blog and avatar

2007-12-12T19:25:00.001-08:00

Setting up the blog was easy!

I think the hardest thing about setting up my avatar was remembering to save the changes after I changed clothes, backgrounds, etc. And, I had to add the HTML space to the webpage.

7 1/2 Habits

2007-12-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

I think the habit that is most challenging for me at this point is PLAY, especially as it relates to technology! I am so busy learning each and every day at work and using technology throughout the day that I find I have little time to play with and learn new technologies in the evenings. The little bit of time I have I am choosing to spend on my "other hobbies".

Possessing 7 of the 7 1/2 habits have helped me throughout my life. I believe I am a good example of a lifelong learner. While my goals have changed, I have always had one! :-) I have been to college at three different times in my life and have two very different degrees. Inbetween the two, I spent several years in educational technology. Mentoring and "cheering on" teachers on my campus with technology is a favorite pasttime! Once I get over the initial shock/discomfort of a problem, I usually see and meet the challenge! This blog is a perfect example!

Wow! This was easy!

2007-12-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

So, I assume this is the first of my "23 things"! It was easy. Now, I need to figure out what exactly it is that I have to share with the world.