Thing 23- I MADE IT!

I am a changed person. In one of my graduate classes we studied our current educational system- its structure, forms of assessment, ideologies. It was crystal clear that students who were able to succeed in such a system were typically rule followers, able to conform, thrived in orderly environments. The students who didn't learn in this setting were deemed "failures" when in fact, their learning styles were only addressed in classes such as art, PE, music, etc. and not in the academic classrooms. It so many cases, this cycle continues today. The idea of Web 2.0 really allows students the opportunity to experience learning in their own, most productive manner. Students can jump right over the lower levels of Bloom's taxonomic levels because they will be experiencing their learning in a way that suits their brain naturally. They can jump right up to the higher levels of thinking without stumbling over the comprehension of material presented in a way that is inconsistent with the way their brain functions.

Before 23 things, I looked at the use of technology in the classroom as an extra thing, a bonus. I now view it as essential in facilitating the learning of my students. The videos in Thing 16 was the climax of my paradigm shift. The challenge- reworking my curriculum so that I can make it happen.

My plans:
I've worked on a few things for Bermuda Triangle and have more stewing in my head regarding presentation and projects. Over the next year as I prepare for my units, my goal will be to incorporate a Web 2.0 tool into each unit. Additionally, I will share these ideas with my colleagues who happen to be very receptive to innovation.

Obviously Web 2.0 is fluid, so I have bookmarked the 23 Things page on delicious and will continually check it to see what is new. Each "Thing" is presented in a way that doesn't intimidate me, so I feel comfortable checking it frequently. I plan to show a few of my favorite colleagues this incredible resource!

Take aways: collaboration, flexibility, fluidity, higher level thinking, reaching all students, convenience, ever-changing, socially oriented

Thank you for the amazing opportunity!

Thing 22- Online video

Online video is essential in instruction! Students LOVE it for multiple reasons- different voice, presentation format, creativity, it's cool, and on and on... I have used TeacherTube and YouTube in my classes in a few different ways. TeacherTube is easy to navigate and is specifically oriented toward instruction. Students like the change of pace in hearing a different voice and seeing a visual example. I have also used this in teaching grammar- Grammar Rocks is on both TeacherTube and YouTube. Until recently, YouTube has been blocked from our server at school but the teacher computers have been enabled. I use YouTube for timely/current event videos most recently for Veteran's Day. This "Thing" introduced me to SchoolTube and this site seeems to provide a platform for student projects and presentations. I watched one that a student created explaining direct and indirect objects. It was awesome! This goes back to Thing 16 which enables students to express themselves in a way which they find applicable and creative.

Thing 21- Twitter

My first thought is "Who cares what I'm doing?" People (including me) are so nosy! Using twitter for school would be a major stretch for me, but I could see lots of personal uses. I have been anti-facebook for some time now because I just don't want to have something else to manage all the time. Twitter seems a little less time-consuming and I could easily use it with my new iPhone. With my phone I get unlimited data, but not phone minutes, so it could save me that way. However, texting seems to do the job. I think my main problem is that I can barely update my own brain, much less the rest of the world.

Thing 20- Bookmarking with del.icio.us

http://delicious.com/sarahhelferich
The bookmarks I selected all have to do with an upcoming research project that I assign in my language arts classes. Students have to research the theories explaining the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle. I plan to use my bookmarks as a starting point for students to complete the on-line portion of their research. I found this "Thing" extremely beneficial. I can see endless uses with social bookmarking for my professional resources, instructional resources, and personal resources. I initially wanted to organize the bookmarks with files, but realized that the tags are what can really help me sort what topics I wish to use. I also found it really useful, but kind of creepy, that I could view other people's bookmarks. Maybe someone out there does a Bermuda Triangle research project with their middle school students and could just look at my list, copy it, and use it! (I was secretly hoping one already existed for me to use...) How efficient!

Thing 19- Intro to Social Bookmarking

This must be an invaluable resource for those already using social bookmarking. The first group I thought of is the Literacy Coaches Network. This would be a great way to communicate in and around the toolkit. Also, I can see departments working together across districts, teachers working across teams, school improvement teams working together across the community. As I described in an earlier post, it is like you are working with people on the same team without having to get together to meet. It is another resource at your disposal!

Thing 18- Building Your Personal Learning Network

I checked on the Ning home page and was completely overwhelmed, so I continued down the list. I really like the MACUL PLN. It makes you feel like you are having discussions with others who are on your team. It is a great resource for finding advice or assistance when trying to experiment with various tools in Web 2.0 from a personal or professional standpoint. The collaborative atmosphere is very valuable. I also found the REMC bid list very interesting. I was even looking for a projector for a colleague as I searched the products available. If this isn't a well known resource for the purchaser at our school, it will be on Monday! The main problem that I could foresee with PLNs is time management. It seems like a lot of material to sort through when only a limited amount of time is available. The RSS feed seems like a more efficient way of sorting through information, but doesn't provide the collaboration that the PLN does. I guess each circumstance should be dealt with on an individual basis.

Thing 17- More Web 2.0 winners

In trying to find something most applicable to what I teach, I selected docstacs. After a few enlightening searches in the teachers category as well as 7th grade english, I stumbled upon white papers. Yikes! In this day and age, plagiarism is a cinch! I was shocked by the number of papers that students could download and claim as their own. I have been so naive to think that they wouldn't do such a thing, but when it is sitting out there, it has to be tempting. This provides me with even more motivation for students to create unique and decisive projects in class.

I was pleasantly surprised by the How-To guides and other useful documents provided by this award winning 2.0 tool.