Rachel's Blog

Thing #23-The end

2008-12-12T15:34:00.001-08:00

I really enjoyed the class. I thought that I just touched the surface on all of the cool "Things" that are out there. I learned a lot about what certain icons mean and have enjoyed discovering things that I could use in my classroom. I think the class was well paced and I have saved many sites that I want to investigate more when I find the time. If another class was offered, I would definitely take it and tell my coworkers to take it too!

Thanks,
Rachel

Thing #22- Audiobooks

2008-12-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

Very cool. It would definitely make road trip more tolerable! One thing to do before you download is to remember to allow access through your virus scan to this site.

Thing #21- Podcasts, Smodcasts

2008-11-30T18:46:00.000-08:00

http://odeo.com/channels/2117378-Science-Experiments-for-Kids
I found this Podcast that I would really like to hear, but for some reason I can't view or hear it. I will keep trying to find out why it isn't working for me!

Lots of Podcasts if one is interested in learning a foreign language!

Thing #20 - You Tube

2008-11-30T17:51:00.000-08:00

I found many You Tube videos on teaching multiplication facts. There were a lot of multiplication Hip Hop songs and even one that had a country theme. It could be a powerful tool to use for that student who is having difficulty memorizing their facts. Sometimes all it takes is a cool beat and some visual effects to help aid a student in learning his/her multiplication facts.

Thing #19- Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

2008-11-30T17:33:00.000-08:00

I came across a site called, Yahoo! Answers. Basically, you post a question about anything you want. For example, How much should you tip at a sushi bar? to How do you keep swim-goggles fog-free? It could come in handy when students ask questions that I don't have an answer for. They could go to Yahoo! Answers and get connected to the world's largest think tank!

Thing #18- ZOHO

2008-11-23T12:01:00.000-08:00

Very cool! I did have some problems deleting untitled docs. I think if you worked with it a lot it would be very beneficial! I'm going to tell others about it. No need for a flash drive!

Zoho Writer - Online Word Processor

2008-11-23T11:58:00.000-08:00

Zoho Writer - Online Word Processor

Thing #17-Playing with PB Wiki

2008-11-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

After setting up a log in and playing around with PB wiki I found that it would be a great way to collaborate with others. I really liked the academic part where students are able to post their papers not only for the teacher, but everyone in their class. I think they would work a little harder knowing that their peers would be reading their paper too.

For some reason, I could not find the Rocky Mountain 23 things wiki. I'll keep looking.

Thing #16-Wiki

2008-11-16T15:16:00.001-08:00

What a great tool for teachers. I think it would be so beneficial to create one for (in my case) third grade teachers ! Teachers at that grade level could share ideas and best practices. Behavior management techniques, great read alouds, test preparation etc.
Teachers are some of the best sources of information and ideas. What a great way to pull all of their resources and expertise in one little Wiki package!

Thing #15-Library 2.0

2008-11-09T06:26:00.000-08:00

After reading several articles about library 2.0 I got the feeling that it was imperative that librarians get familiar with and have expert knowledge of what types of learning and informational tools are now available. Up until now, I had no idea what del.icio.us was or how to create a blog. The power of just knowing about these tools is awesome. It has broadened my knowledge about how to get information, not just doing the same old Google search. I now have a way to get information I want and in a very organized and simple manner. Teaching our students about these search techniques and how to use them effectively would be the next step in a 2.0 world. Just by taking this class, I feel that I am just now skimming the top of the library 2.0 mountain.

Thing #14-Technorati

2008-11-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

This one seemed really easy to use. I liked what they did to improve the look of their home page. It had many layers to it. I liked the top blogs feature. Sometimes you just want to see what others are interested in at that particular time. Adding tags by clicking on the heart seemed easy enough.

Thing# 13-Del.icio.us

2008-11-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

What a great way to organize! I could generate many different URLs for a project I do with my students and have them organized by del.icio.us. Very convenient. I also liked the idea of looking at other del.icio.us tags to see what other people have tagged on similar subjects.

Thing #12- Rollyo

2008-11-03T16:30:00.001-08:00

I added some running sites to my Rollyo account. It did take a little time to figure out how to do it, but after a bit of "working with it" I was able to post some of the links I wanted. This would be a great tool for a teacher to set up ahead of time for their students. Research projects would be a breeze. Teachers would be able to relax knowing that the sites their students are on are credible!

http://www.rollyo.com/index.html

Thing #11- Library Thing

2008-11-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

I created some books that I could use in my class. I have several kids who are interested in mysteries. It was very convenient to just type in some key words and I was on my way. What a great site to share with my team.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/racheln

Thing #10

2008-11-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

My friend recently ran the Boston Marathon and I had created a little inspiration word document to celebrate her accomplishment. I simply copied it into this website called wordle.com and it created the following!

I thought this would be great for the kids to create words about themselves and then create a wordle. I would then place their picture under it and send it home with them at the end of the year along with their other projects. Very cool!

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/286495/Boston
Check out my Wordle!

#9 Feeds

2008-10-18T13:33:00.001-07:00

I found it much easier to simply look for the feed icon and click on it. I think the most beneficial part about thing number 8 and 9 is now I know what that little icon is for! I would love more time to sit down and look and all of the different sites that are available. Sometimes I felt very overwhelmed. Very cool though!

#8 Bloglines

2008-10-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to get Bloglines to email me a verification. I'll keep trying. However, I do think that it would be an excellent tool to use for my personal life. I get inundated with so much information and having a tool to filter out all of the "stuff" would be very refreshing. As for my kids at school, I'm not too sure. I teach third grade and at this level it would be too much for them to filter through all of the information, even though it is an rss! I will be checking other blogs to see how other teachers are going to use this very cool technology in their classrooms! Maybe I'll get some ideas.

Thing #6-Blog about Technology

2008-10-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

You can't live with it, but you can't live without it. Recently, I took my class into the computer lab to work on some math problems using an on line math program. Once I showed them what I wanted them to do, they all started to log in at the same time. Well, over half the class had their computer freeze up on them. Finally, I decided to have each row log in one at a time so the server could keep up. Once we were all on line the math site was fantastic and well worth the wait!

Thing #6-More Flicker Fun

2008-10-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

My creation on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Yea! Flickr

2008-10-08T18:19:00.001-07:00

I finally got my picture to link to my blog. Lots of trial and error. I think I had 8 things open at once. Anyway I did it and look forward to doing more.

Thing #5- Discover Flickr

2008-10-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

Flickr!

Thing #2-7.5 Lifelong learners

2008-09-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

The easiest of the 7.5 would be the first one-End in Mind. It is easy for me to set a goal and finish it. If I just think about it and not set a deadline, it will never get done.

The hardest of the 7.5 is number seven. Teach to Others. This is ironic because I teach for a living, but when it comes to teaching my teammates about a new website I found or a cool thing I learned in a class I took, I fall short. I don't take the time to do it. I know I should, but life happens and other things take priority. This could be one of my goals over the next eight weeks. I will make sure I share some of the 23 things I learn in this class!