Where do we go from here

This has been a journey for me as I did not fully buy into the tech savvy people. I literally have changed my opinion and realized how much more I can be doing in the classroom with technology. The bottom line is you have to be willing to change, you cant be forced. Certainly a veery eye opening course and I have all my materials.

Dr. Wall, I have been asked if it is possible to download your course as it has all the neat links. Possible or not?

Thanks,

Stephen

Thing 23

The creative commons certainly shows how we should give credit where credit is due. It is a wonderful tool for sharing information that also shows us as educators where we can save money and time.

I did not find an example as I ran out of time and we hit midnight.

Thing 22

I went into the educational podcast directory. As I was surfing the directory, I came across several wine podcasts. One in particular, "ebottleo" caught my eye as I was interested in wines that are expensive. I dont even like wine, but because everyone else seems to, they intrigue me. A restaurant on tv 3 nights ago had the biggest cellar with a 10,000 dollar bottle from 1856. I dont know why, they just interest me. I do not forsee incorporating podcasts into my lessom plans in the near future.

Thing 21

Best website I found. Funnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...............................Here it is of my daughters in California



http://animoto.com/play/Fg3xiatZMD2k4NzUanSysg

What a great site.

Thing 20

This site was chosen because of my love for the sport of wrestling. I truly believe it is the greatest sport ever invented and teaches young men and women how to deal with struggle, sacrifice, and discipline that will carry with them the rest of their lives. It is the individual competitiveness that drives us to succeed and wrestling seems to do this the best of any sport in my opinion. You will find the attached video interesting as it simply shows what we as coaches can go through just so kids can learn that there are multiple levels of success out there and should strive to push themselves further then they think they can possibly go.

I simply believe embedded in the very nature of athletics is the true measure of teaching and learning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJgiKN_tYNY

Thing 19

I am a member of facebook, Twibe, and TeacherPop. Facebook seems to appeal to me more and more whereas 30 days ago I thought it was idiotic and had no place value in society. After seeing an old buddy pop up, My view changed quite dramatically.
I really found the Bake Space just awesome. It intrigued me so much as I am the main cook in the household. From linguini and clams to blackened cajun chicken with spanish rice, black bean soup with a special pecan sauce that is a secret. I love to cook and cannot wait to exchange some recipes over the internet. I am particularly interested in italian from the old country as well as fresh fish and seafood recipes. Nice site!!!!!!!!!!!

Thing 18

Probably the most fun I have had. Spent an hour creating a facebook page which a bunch of people I knew I added as friends. How? I have no idea how it works, but definitely cool. I thought the website was easy to negotiate and looked at all the little widgets I could do to really have a professional website. I am not really sure how I add to my blog, but for grading purposes, here it goes;

facebook.com/stephen.shone2

Anyway, I found it fun and enjoyable, maybe I just know I am closing in on the deadline of this class. I think it is important to know about these social sites to be able to stay current in your knowledge of the children. also, we know knowldge is power and when you can talk intelligently about "stuff" that is hip with the younger ones, you tend to build a better rapport and thereby build trust and breakdown barriers. I only went to the facebook, so I dont know which site was more useful, etc. I just heard Facebook was a little more mature/grownup. Currently I cannot see a classroom application for this tool.

Thing17

I will be honest, I don't know much about bookmarking. The more I read, the more I realize what it is and how much more of an effective teacher I could be as I go to each of the web sites that I deem important. I think what is interesting is you have the ability to type in a key word and tag. This is a concept "RSS Feeds" that still alludes me. I must do more research. However, I thought the idea of sharing sites with other teachers around the country was awesome and that RSS Feeds can keep you updated on th latest changes.

Thing 16

What a very interesting exercise. I chose iGoogle start page. This to me made it the easiest to add things like blogs, wikis, other type widgets as well as emails. I would prefer this to be my homepage as it has easy access to my calendar of events which I really like. I put my kids softball and basketball schedules on so as to remind me of everything that is going on in this hectic world. It was easy to move around the widgets and I never became frustrated like I did with Netvibe, it just locked me out of a lot of things, I'm sure Iwas the problem though.
I am not a fan of to do lists on a computer as I constantly carry around paper for easy access. It Simply is not beneficial to me. However, I do recommend this start page and can see extreme benefits from it.

Thing 15

I thnik Wikis could have a tremendous impact through self-discovery. Lets say I wanted my class to research triangles and their effectiveness in bridge design. A wiki could be created where the students keep adding information on bridge design hence building a so called portfolio. As more and more ideas are contributed, new ideas will eventually merge. This will be and excellent way for students to go through a self-discovery project that allows for posts and collaboration; each building on the previous post and or concept.

Thing 14

I found FlowChart.com a very useful tool as it took you through each an every step of the process. However, I found that there are so many options per step that you must stay focused on what you are trying to accomplish. I found its charts effective as they easily allow the user to follow a concept or someone's train of thought.
Mindmeister was even more creative as it took you through steps and allowed for easy corrections when you made a mistake. One of the things I like about some of the computer software are the programs that allow you to make a mistake and then fix that mistake with ease. Mindmeister allowed for correction quite easily and you didn't always have to go back to the start.

Thing 13

I was introduced to Zoho through my main man Dan. I became a member and learned how to navigate the site. We used ZOHO Projects as we posted all of our work to the site. I could not believe, however, how much of this web sitehad all different kinds of tools. We created the timeline with this as well as posted all work and their due dates to include the final power point presentation. The tools with spreadsheets, document writing like ZOHO writer are incredible. What a web site. You can even use ZOHO show for presentations.

Other Information - Student Learning and Creativity

Other Information - Student Learning and Creativity

Too many times teachers will shy away from technology. I want to reverse that tendency and shift teacher's thinking to embrace technology. Why wouldn't we use cell phones in class? Everyone has them and I would bet you that students would enjoy knowing how to fully utilize them. Go ahead and post your thoughts on this concept. I would like to hear from different people and their varying views.

thing 12

Wow. I am just blown away at everything that we have done. Calendars, feeds, web 2.0, igoogle, news alerts, etc... I believe that a calendar would be very useful in the hands of the children as well as the teacher. I am fortunate that our technology services at school are tremnedous, however I still created my own calendar at http://www.google.com/calendar/render?gsessionid=JMQ-j9OU91Grt-S1vxMtog . My intention is to share this with my family. I set it up such that we all could talk to and change our calendar. I could also see this being a useful tool on sports teams with dates and times of practice and games.

Thing 11

I found visiting a website and looking for the RSS feed much more difficult then simply using a search tool like Technorati which ended up being the easiest and also where my results seemed to be the best (the greatest gains). Contrary to this site, the most confusing was http://www.syndic8.com . This site was extremely hard to navigate and I simply lost determination to keep up a good search. As a die hard math guy, the most useful site to me was NCTM. Lastly, other tool to find/locate newsfeeds was to simply look at their website or go to their website.

Thing 10

I liked the simple fact that everything (all information) was sent to one spot. As a teacher with many extra curricular duties, time is of essence. From the day I walk onto campus it is non-stop. So, the RSS and newsreaders really save time and energy in our technological world.

In school, teachers can possibly show their students how quickly technologies are changing and how quickly anything in our world is changing. This opens an entire world for me as I teach statistics. I am sure to find plenty of data for regression analysis and such.

Actually, in my personal life and school I am sure I could add my school web page blog to google reader. This would cut down on wasted time going from one link to another.

I thought about having a public forum where my students could discuss homework, ask questions, etc on their blogs. If I gave them each an individual voice, I could use this in my lesson plans as a way to help them with homework by taking each blog and forming it under one tool so I wouldn't have to log into each of their accounts.

Thing 9

I found image chef to be particularly interesting as I was able to create little designs important to me and my family, especially on special days like birthdays, and just finding another way to say I love them and appreciate them. I believe it important to celebrate birthdays of my students as well.

They always seem to get a boost when their name is called or they are recognized in some form or way.

Thing 8

I liked alot of the number letter combinations and could see myself using good numbers and letters to help supplement learning in the classroom for mathematics. I guess sharing photos is fine assuming the not so normal people of the world dont do illegal things such as identity theft, child pornography, etc.

Thing 7

I found the flickr sight to be quite fun as I searched from mountains, to skiing, to hiking, to ballon riding. The site was easily negotiable and allowed for alot of fun as I compared different images from the ski vacations my family took to the balloon rides in Southern California. Here is a favorite: http:farm4.static.flicker.com/3147/2751173122_cd47453ffc.jpg?v=0

Thing 6

I found YouTube to be a great website for me as a coach in the sport of wrestling. Though I know we are thinking just teachers, but our jobs are so much more than this. I have coached many kids in our state tournament and even a few in national competitions. YouTube has offered many instructional videos as well as live matches where the students can see a move in action. This becomes especially useful when international greats like Karelin of the Soviet Union are on film. The possibilities here are endless. I was teaching throws to my kids when I referenced Chris Taylor from the 1972 Olympics who weighed 430 pounds. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EdNPSgxj9M.

Thing 3

I thought about the many ways that I might use this technology in the classroom. One in particular jumped out at me right away. The ability to invite students to comment or post on issues in order give them a voice. Many times I have felt that if I got more feedback from the student, I might be a better teacher today. To me, giving the student a voice creates an element of trust between the teacher and student. For whatever reason, I always knew my students would be more motivated to work for someone they trust.
The other things I liked was to be able to reflect on your teaching experiences as this probably does not happen enough. Also, describing to fellow teachers what they have experienced what works and what doesn't work in the classroom. Finally, my favorite is to showcase my student's work. After all, its all about them right?

Thing 5

Wow. I found alot of uesful information. The reading was exciting and I cannot believe how much information is out there.

I began reading the Twitter article, 25 ways... and found out that you can join a Twibe, no not baby talk, but really a group of professional educators that discuss everything relating to education and beyond. The website is http://twibes.com/edtech . I believe I will join and join the many already out there discussing our future with technology. I find many teachers today are so traditional and do not want to be judged by their abilities and cosequently do not share their personal philosophies. Maybe not being face to face with another educator will allow for more open communication without judgement. Either way I thought this to be an excellent way to share thoughts and ideas.

I also found the Harvard Law School experiment within "Minds on Fire: ..." to be almost too futuristic to get any learning done, but then I warmed up to the idea quickly. It was trying to show how the social life of internet-based virtual education can coexsist with and extend traditional education.

School 2.0 means to me that times are changing at a dramatic pace within the educational system, especially after reading the many different articles. Much like in India where a DVD is now the main instructional tool for students to learn advanced topcis or how video conferencing can work in little town here in Pleasant View as in one school's case they do not even have a mathematics teacher.

For schools of the future I think we will eventually see that technology and its drive will simply demand politicians to enforce schools to get up to date or get left behind. I really believe for the first time that technology, not people will force schools and politicians to change with the times. There are just too many businesses the demand a high level of techno expertise.

Thing2

Well, I finally learned how to save to my computer. That was interesting. Only took me three hours. Thing 2 provided for some interesting learning. I find this to be an informative and fun communication tool. My dress for the Avatar was just for kicks. The rebel without a cause could not be so far from who I really am. Maybe I will be that renegade someday, but not now.

Navigating the sight seemed to be easy. Except for the hint given on how to load up your Avatar did not work for me. That led to a very frustrating time. Eventually, I got to this yet could not understand why things are working the way they are.

I gather I just have to continue to play with everything until being out of my comfort zone becomes my comfort zone. Hard to get alot done at the house when I have new windows, floors, and kitchen going in. Too much anxiety.

Thing1

I thought one of the hardest things for me to do in this course was habit number 4; having confidence in myself as a competent effective learner, especially in computer technology. This has always been a struggle for me, yet I believe this course might help break me free of my own inhibitions.
What was actually very easy for me is to set goals and view problems as challenges, habit number 3. My entire life I ahve set goals for myself.
Lastly, I like step 7and 1/2 as I typically do not have enough fun.