THING 23 - Summary

1. My favorite discovery during this learning journey was Library Thing.  I was really impressed with the entire tool - from searches, to recommendations, to my favorites list.  I really just loved Library Thing and I know my students will also.
   
2. One of my lifelong learning goals is to stay current with technology.  I am not tech-savvy (or at least I wasn't before this course)!  I really feel that I learned so much more about available library resources than I would have on my own.
3. The biggest unexpected outcome from this program was that it's a LOT easier than I thought it was!  I am relieved to know that I am capable of mastering technology skills.  I feel like I am so much more confident and competent.
4. I don't think that you need to change any elements of the program's format.  I really believe that it is very thorough and I think that adding to it would make it overwhelming.
5. I would definitely participate in another discovery program like this in the future.  I think that it would be nice to break down some of the "23 Things" and really focus on a few in depth.  
6. ONE SENTENCE: "23 Things" will provide a thorough technology experience that will be invaluable to a librarian and a school.
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THING 22 - Ning

I am a big fan of social networking.  I think the ability to communicate with past and present friends is invaluable.  I think that Ning in Education is a great tool.  I'm not sure how practical it is to use in a school environment.  It would be difficult to monitor comments made by students or parents.  But the idea of communicating about school issues/topics by using a Ning is definitely a very feasible option.  

The other really nice feature of Nings is that you can find groups based on topics.  That would be helpful for nearly every teacher.  I think that Nings are an important networking forum!

THING 21 - Podcasts

So... unfortunately I had a lot of trouble with podcasts.  I was unable to successfully download Photostory or Audacity onto my MacBook.  My mac is able to take photos, but not capable of video recording.  I read all of the information about podcasts and videocasts and feel confident that I could successfully use these programs in my school environment.

THING 20 - Youtube

I think that youtube and teachertube offer wonderful videos that can enhance the learning process.  For example, I quickly pulled up a youtube video from School House Rock that combines music with a lesson on adjectives.  This is a cute, quick was to keep kids interested in a lesson or introduce a new topic in an exciting, entertaining way!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obQzaU5FN7Y

THING 19 - 2.0 Awards

I really like the music guide last.fm!  It is a really cool tool that gives you musical suggestions based on what music you like.  It is also divided into types of music... classical, jazz, etc.  

I also had a blast with hairmixer.com

I saw what I would look like with Jessica Simpson's hair and it was NOT pretty! I think that the kids at school would have a lot of fun with most of these programs recommended by 2.0 awards.  They are truly the best of the best.

THING 18 - Online Productivity Tools

I played around with the online productivity tool from OpenOffice called "multiplatform".

I posted some of the offered features that I really like!

OpenOffice.org now uses a technique called anti-aliasing to improve the way it draws on screen (lines, circles, etc). You will notice an immediate improvement in the clarity of graphics - particularly charts - wherever they appear throughout OpenOffice.org.

When you drag an object in a drawing across the screen, OpenOffice.org now shows you a 'shadow' of the object, rather than just a dotted outline. This makes it much easier to place images accurately in complicated drawings.

There are a number of changes to make sorting more logical, consistent, and powerful. The first time you use sort (or if you use the toolbar button to sort), Calc will assume you want to sort by the column where the cursor is located. The toolbar buttons now use the same logic as the sort dialog to determine if a range has column headers. Finally, when you sort, Calc now preserves the original order of entries with equal sort keys.

THING 17 - Rollyo

Rollyo is a really interesting tool.  I didn't think it was the easiest tool to figure out initially.  I decided to do a search for music education news since I will be teaching music next year.  Teachers are always interested in keeping up to date on their subject material and I think this tool would interest them.  I think Rollyo would be helpful in a classroom setting because it would keep kids on topic and not drifting too much to all the other sources of information available on the internet.

http://rollyo.com/kelly8737/music_education_news/