Thing 8 - Locate Feeds That Interest You

The greatest learning experience I found in Thing 8 was the wide variety of news/learning sites and blogs that can be easily grouped into my Google Reader. By having everything in one place, it will allow me to stay on top of the latest happenings, news releases, and blog posts in one spot. I also like the fact that I can narrow down my searches and have specific information sent to me. I would much rather have specific information come to me, rather than having to sort through the 7 million other educational technology sites found when a Google search is done. I really like the idea of RSS feeds. I love this “new way” of getting information and know that it will make my life easier by creating a more efficient and effective manner of staying informed.

Thing 7 - Learn About RSS and Set Up a Feed Reader

What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?

• I love that I don't have to look for the information; rather the information comes to me. With the RSS feeds that I subscribe to I can see at a quick glance the "hot topics" or the "newly released" information important to me and my job. I can also view any recent blog posts that I follow.
• I also love that everything is in one spot. It is easy to view, forward to others or simply delete the topics for that day. I think that keeping up on the news topics allows me to keep informed about trends and helps we share pertinent information to those I work with. At that point I can easily choose to read one or all the items from the various feeds in which I subscribe.

How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life?

• I think I can use this professionally to keep updated on current educational trends in Michigan and throughout the world. By having everything in one place it saves time which is a personal “time” benefit to my family.
• In schools, these feeds also will keep teachers up to date on current happenings about education and about their content areas. The feeds will allow teachers to interact with others as they follow blogs of content area specialist like themselves.

How can educators use RSS or take advantage of this technology with their students?

• Teachers can also get feeds on their students from classroom blogs that are set up for student use. They can also encourage their students to set up RSS feeds based on their own preferences of news as well as current happenings related to the specific content area and/or community news. The opportunities are endless.
• Let’s continue to use technology tools to make are job more efficient and allow us to view important information from various sources in one convenient location.

Thing 6 - Copyright in the Digital Age

What have you been told that you may have just discovered is incorrect?

• I learned a great deal of new information from the Code of Best Practice in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education.  I think the myths or misconceptions at the end of the document were things I believed to be true, which many turned out to be inflated scare tactics.  I know that many educators, as well as myself, are afraid to share something in fear of breaching "copyright laws".  
• I also learned that the guidelines are flexible in order to meet the changing needs of media and instructional needs. 

What things had you believed about copyright that have now been challenged?

• As Educators we need to follow Fair Use guidelines when using the various Medias, but we should be using many more forms of media to help students to become critical thinkers, effective communicators, and active citizens.
• Educators need to be leaders in helping fellow colleagues and students establish proper practices in fair use.  We cannot live in fear of the "copyright police" which limited us in using proper media literacy for educational purposes.

What new things do you think you will incorporate into your teaching practice now that you know the reality versus some myths?

• First, I will share Fair Use information with colleagues and teachers that I work with from around the county.  I think that by following the fair use guidelines we as educators have many more opportunities to use technology and various types of media literacy in our instructional units to transform the original media to help our students develop critical skills.  I will also work to incorporate more media literacy tips and tools into the professional development we offer at Kent ISD. 

Thing 5: Photo Mashup Fun

Many of the tools found under Thing 5 were new tools for me.  I really enjoyed playing around with many of these programs.  Even though I was playing with these for this course, I kept coming up with cool Christmas gift ideas.  I added my postage stamp creation from a recent vacation to Costa Rica (a trip to remember).  I also found some great sites to create puzzles, playing cards, wall art, motivational posters, etc. for upcoming gift ideas.  My husband just asked me if I was working or playing.   I said I was working on things for my course, but in reality it felt more like playing more than work.


visited 14 states (6.22%)
Create your own visited map of The World

As I was viewing other people's post from this class and I noticed the "places I have visited map" on envoys09-10 blog.  I was intrigued, so I decided to try this site as well.  It is cool to have a visual map of places I have visited and where I should go next.  This is the power of PLN . . . seeing new things and having the opportunity to learn and grow from others.  Thanks for extending my learning. 

Thing 4 - Photo Sharing

I skipped ahead on this task but waited to post until it was appropriate. I love photo sharing and have used these tools prior to taking this course. Photography is a hobby of mine and I love to use photo tools to organize, edit, share, and create new products to share photo experiences with others. I love to scrapbook, but have found that I have limited time to stay on top of my photos. In the past year, I have become hooked on creating online scrapbooks. I have made a few books as presents. Usually these books contain only pictures that I have taken. In the past week, I used the Picasa sharing photo tools with a colleague. She was able to upload all her photos of the birth of her new grandson. I was able to take her photos and create a photo album of this special event for her. I can't wait to see her face when I give her a permanent memory book of the birth of her grandson Hudson Charles. Photo sharing is one technology tool that I can easily find time to spend just "playing".

Thing 3 - Explore what it means to be a Lifelong Learner

7 1/2 Habits - Life Long Learning

Habit 1: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 2: Accept Responsibility for Your Own Learning
Habit 3: View Problems as Challenges
Habit 4: Have Confidence in Yourself as a Competent Effective Learner
Habit 5: Create (Add) Your Own Learning Toolbox
Habit 6: Use Technology to Your Advantage
Habit 7: Teach/Mentor Others
Habit 7 1/2: Play

The habit that is the easiest for me is Habit #1: Begin with the End in Mind. With my current job, I am responsible for taking new initiatives and making them a reality. Habit #1 allows me to begin with the end in mind and plan backwards to ensure successful and sustainable implementation of the initiative. Focusing on Habit #1 also allows me to naturally embed in other habits. When implementing something new, the planning and implementation processes require a great deal of research and planning, so it is critical that I accept responsibility for my own learning and build my own confidence as a competent effective learner and facilitator. As I roll out any new initiative I try to add more technology tools to my toolbox that I can use and model as a part of the training. I think that through a balanced approach of modeling the new technology tools while rolling out a new initiative it makes the new initiative less overwhelming for the participants and find an added value of technology tools that they can use back in their classroom. Sometimes I get too excited and I have to remind myself to "Go Slow to Go Fast", especially when sharing technology tips and tools. This ties everything back to Habit #1: Begin with the End in Mind. By focusing on the end in mind, I can effectively plan set goals, stay focused, and use technology effectively. If technology is implemented successfully, it will support the idea that technology can be viewed as a place where learning network can assist educators in creating, connecting, and sharing their ideas and learning with others.
The hardest habit for me is number 7 1/2. I am always so focused on planning and preparing, I don't take the time to just explore and have fun with new technologies available to me.

Thing 2: What Makes A Good Blog

What makes a good blog?

• The aesthetic layout, ease of use and value added information found on the blog are the critical components of a good blog.  I like to follow blogs of people I know and respect.  This allows me to learn from others as well as pose questions in order to expand my own thinking.  Blogs allow us to open our professional network beyond the walls of where we are employed.  The broader the scope of networks leads to a greater diversity of perspectives and knowledge we can gain.  Blogs allow learning to happen anywhere, anytime, and everywhere. 

How could a blogs enhance your existing school web site?

• The goal of a blog is to inform and gain information.  What a great way to open up the communication between home - school - and communities.  Not only will others be able to obtain information from the school, they can also read the post of others throughout the community.  In an age of information, we need to do everything to ensure we are setting up ways for timely communication with all constituents of our districts and communities. 

 

Are blogs an easier way for people to self-publish?

• Blogs are a great way to self-publish.  The goal of a blog is to share information with others through a network of learners.  Whenever we share something and someone responds, it either adds to or challenges our own thinking, which leads to personal growth.  When people can share "in the moment" new learning or newly created materials, it allows the person to immediately share the information without losing the passion of sharing due to the rigidness of a pre-determined publishing timeline.  I think that self-publishing through web 2.0 tools will allow other voices to he heard and more personal learning networks to be viewed as viable professional and personal learning oppotunities. 

23 Things – The First Thing

I have a number of friends who have their own blogs. I keep thinking that I need to create a blog of my own.  The course 23 Things has given me the "push" to move forward on this goal.  As I continue to learn more about technology I have found that networking with educations outside of my own work areas allows me to expand my current thinking.  I believe that by creating this blog I am beginning to reach out and become a part of a global network of educators and school leaders who want to share promising practices beyond our own work place and geographical area.  I believe that this blog, as well as the 23 Things I will learn in this course, will allow me to continue learning and broadening my current experiences and knowledge.