Tech Thingy Final Evaluation

1. What were you favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

 Though this journey was a long one, it was interesting.  My favorite discovery was the Voki.  I enjoyed creating her because she was a welcomed deviation from the normal Internet "stuff."

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

 My lifelong learning goals were not related to any of the 16 things.  I chose a goal that would help me extend what I had worked with this past summer.  I had found some intriguing programs and wish to enhance those thing first.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?  

I was surprised that Twitter was not as overwhelming as I first thought.  I thought there would be so much information that I would be on information overload.

4. What could I do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?  

In order to improve the learning experience, I would like to see these things incorporated throughout the course.  Also, some of the links were broken so in a couple of the things, there are no examples and guidance.

Tech Thingy #16: PhotoPeach

PhotoPeach is an easy-to-use photo-sharing web tool that students could use to create a multimedia product.  Their products could be centered around a concept they have learned.  Here is my quick creation:

My Beloved on PhotoPeach

Tech Thingy #15.5: Twitter

Once again, set up was easy!  Twitter opens the world to instant contact with any number of people.  I am following four people--The Science Guy, weird science, the Discovery Channel, and Dr. Wilson (of course).  This could be both fun and educational!

Follow me at Tech_Sci_Teachr!

Tech Thingy #15: Things Like Skype

Skype is a web tools that must be downloaded to use.  Once you have downloaded the program and registered, contacts may be added manually or imported from various social networking sites.  All this happens with just a few clicks of the mouse.

A tool such as this can be used in the classroom or library setting to talk to experts from around the world.  It has free computer to computer calling, but land lines may be accessed for a nominal fee.  

I remember when I first started teaching years ago, I used Skype to contact parents from my classroom.  All I needed were a pair of headphones with a mic.  Unsuspecting parents would pick of the phone because there were a series of 9's that appeared in the caller ID.  Students' behavior was instantly curbed because they could not believe I could call home from my computer.

Tech Thingy #14: Podcasting and Bookmarking

When exploring iTunes U for Texas, I found a vodcast called the State of the Gulf.  This series of videos speaks of the impact of different factors on the Texas Gulf Coast, including environmental disasters and hurricanes. These videos are directly compatible with our 7th grade science TEKS.  I loved that one of the videos also gives a visual simulation of what could happen to our coastal lands in the next 100 years.

On another note, bookmarking seems to be the way to go when exploring the internet.  Using sites that are online to house those special or interesting places visited on the web seems to be the new and exciting trend.  It also frees some of the the space in your inbox.  Creating a delicious account was easy.  Once I was registered, I was able to import bookmarks I had already saved.  Using the delicious space is a great idea because I have all my bookmarks in one place.

Tech Thingy #13: Using YouTube

Uploading to the site was easy.  I also did not have to create an account....My Google account worked!

I uploaded a TEASe I created during the Spring.  ENJOY!

I think students would enjoy seeing their work on the world wide web.  It would give them something to look forward to.  With this incentive, students may take more pride in their work and produce an increasing number of quality pieces, but teachers would have to monitor would be copyright infringement and internet safety.

Tech Thingy #12: Discovering YouTube

Exploring YouTube can be a very tedious task.  There are so many videos through which to navigate, so before you start looking, it is best to have an idea of what you want to find. 

After much searching, I found a video clip from one of my favorite movies, Grease.

Educationally, students could search this site for content relevant to topics being studied or upload there content for viewing by other classmates.