Thing 23

I know that you say that this is the end, I am finished, but I feel like I am just getting started!  I have learned a lot throughout this experience.  Many things that I look forward to taking the time this summer to re-explore so I am ready to use them with my students in the Fall.  I think the two things that I am most excited about are my Delicious account for my own personal use and podcasting for use with my future class.  I am going to try my best to create a Podcast with my class next year to share what is happening in our classroom.  I do feel much more confident now with some of the "Things" that I had only heard of before getting started on this journey.  Thank you for introducing me to so much and keeping me current with what is happening in the world of technology!

Thing 22

I have really been procrastinating about creating my Wiki.  I don't know why, it doesn't seem difficult. I just feel that I will probably never have a use for them in the future. 
So I have finally tried it and the link to my Wiki is below.
https://gailhillard1.wikispaces.com/
I hope you will check it out and add a comment to my Wiki.  I will be interested to check in with this Wiki occasionally to see who has added a comment.  I feel that Blogging, emailing or using a Google Doc would fill the needs that I have rather than using a Wiki.  I can understand how people find them to be useful and I am impressed that they are free for Educators to use.  Wikis could be very useful in the classroom creating great discussions and organizing information, but I don't think they are for me. 

Thing 21

I enjoyed looking through the variety of Wikis that were linked to Thing 21, and couldn't believe how many there are!  I found myself getting lost in the book reviews and trailers on the "Book Trailers for Readers" site.  I didn't know that Kevin Henkes wrote books for older children, it seemed like such a dark story from the man who also writes about a little mouse named Chrysanthemum.  I was also amazed at the wealth of information available through the "Wikihow" site.  There were instructions about everything, including how to teach your child multiplication!  I think this site will be very useful to me next year as I begin to teach a new grade level, and as a mom of two boys.  One thing that worries me about a Wiki is that everything is open to the public so it needs to be appropriate for all viewers to see.  I like the "history" feature and the need to sign in so you can see who is adding what.  I think I am more likely to use the Googledocs instead because it gives me a bit more control, but I love all of the information that is already available to me.

Thing 20

I have now subscribed to the "ColeyCast", a podcast created by the 5th graders at Tovashal Elementary in Murrieta, California.  I appreciate all of the hard work that this class has done to get their podcast up and running.  I found this Podcast through "Podcast Alley" as the "Education Podcast Network" was too slow on my computer, I will try that site again later.  Podcast Alley was very easy to navigate and do a refined search in my interest areas.  When I found a podcast that interested me, it was super easy to download and enjoy!  I am very serious about trying this next year in my class and hope parents find it as easy to use as I do.  I also played around a little with the "Add Your Podcast" button so I think I'll be able to share my podcast through this site as well.

Thing 19

Move over Oprah, I am starting my own Podcast!  Well... at least I am excited about trying it.  My husband has been downloading podcasts for some time now and I enjoy listening to them in the car with him.  Until now, I don't really think I understood how he did it.  I loved seeing the different Podcast available for Educators.  I am starting a new grade level next year and look forward to using some of these Podcasts to help with my planning.  http://storynory.com/ was one of my favorite sites and think students would really enjoy listening to the stories that are available.   http://mps.wes.schoolfusion.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?sessionid=cc17faa3b4b3cc4b4356056651b975f8&pageid=115312&sessionid=cc17faa3b4b3cc4b4356056651b975f8 Radio WillowWeb is also something that I would like to subscribe to in the future.  I really appreciate all of the hard work that goes into creating a Podcast.  Students would have to do research, do lots of writing, work on teamwork, planning, rehearsing, presenting, etc.  What wonderful lessons!  Parents would love being able to hear what is happening in the classroom especially if the students are involved in the presentation.  I think my Monthly Newsletter might become a thing of the past.

Thing 18

The Love Project 2011

View more presentations from lindamango

I enjoyed looking at this slideshow site and never knew that such a thing even existed. I had a lot of fun searching for a show to post and found this one that includes many AMAZING photos from around the world, some from right here in Michigan. The slide show was one that was featured on this site, but the quote from John Lennon is what sold me. I also impressed myself that I remembered how to embed something into my Blog without having to go back to Thing 10. I might be getting the hang of this Web! I can see how this would be a wonderful tool in and out of the classroom. I did a quick search for slideshows in my area of teaching and found a few that could be helpful. This would be something that I am sure my students would love to help me create in the future.

Thing 17

I just can't believe all that is capable in Web 2.0.  I am a huge list maker so "Remember the Milk" was very fun for me to play around with.  This site lets you organize your to do list and will send you reminders if you would like.  My problem is that I just do not have the time to sit at my computer to get this organized.  I prefer to grab anything that is on the kitchen table (ex. a receipt, a napkin, a piece of cardboard, etc.) and jot down whatever it is that I need.  I also took a look at the site called "30 boxes" which I also enjoyed.  I have a terrible time remembering dates, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.  I recently bought myself a book to organize my cards each month to mail out for people's birthdays.  This site will allow me to enter all of these dates and then send me reminders as the date approaches.  Again, my problem is finding the time to enter all of my information!  I know that these sites are designed to make my life easier, it's just a matter of taking the time to do it.