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.

Tech Thingy #11: Web 2.0

I explored Diigo--an oline bookmarking tool--but discovered that this site has so much more to offer.  In addition to bookmarking, users can highlight, use sticky notes, and collaborate via the interface.  The sites you explore on the web can be saved as web pages or images for later viewing.  The information you discover can also be downloaded for off-line use just in case the Internet is not available.

I loved the separate education area for students and teachers.  The area is secure and automatically groups students in the same class into groups.  This feature should save teachers more time when students are researching and working together.

I also looked at Tweegee.  It advertises itself as a site for teens, so I thought that I'd sign up as my son.  However, when signing up, the registration process asks for way too much personal information.  I found that some of this could be skipped but what teen understands this concept.  There was also a parental "checkpoint" that says call your parents to read, but I didn't call my mom.  I simply clicked yes and continued.  I fell like this site poses many threats with regard to internet safety and would not recommend its use.

Tech Thingy #10: Online Productivity Tools

Using Zoho Writer was super simple.  I don't know if it is because I have previous experience with Google Docs or not.  Either way, any experience with Microsoft Office would give a user the expertise needed to manipulate Zoho Writer.

I logged onto the site with my existing Gmail account and found the interface is very user-friendly.  Any unfamiliar buttons can be discovered by hovering your cursor over it while waiting for the name to appear.  The application also has a faster modification/update time than the similar online Google software.

I created this post in a word processing document and posted directly to my blog.  No more double work for me!  I simply clicked the share button, logged in to my Blogger account and VIOLA!

Zoho is my choice over Google Docs in the future...

Tech Thingy #9: Play with Wiki's

Creating an entry on the Technology Popper Wiki was an extremely easy task. All I had to do was click edit and type away.  I had a bit of trouble with adding the link but figuring out what to do was not a time consuming task.  When the first try didn't work, I simply tried the next tab.

I could use a wiki in my professional life as a daily log of activities and assignments for students and parents.  Communication between home and school becomes a problem in middle school, but with a wiki space, parents could have the information they need right at their fingertips.

Personally, I might use a wiki space to journal different topics that interest me.  Being a science teacher tends to lend itself to having a curious nature.  With a wiki, I could post findings and have others login to add information as needed.

By the way...I just HAD to revisit Thing #7 to create a Voki!

Tech Thingy #8: Wiki's

I love the idea of using Wiki's for educational purposes. 
When I read that wiki wiki is Hawaiian for the work quick, there was an old song, "Jam On It" from the early 19?? that came to mind.  After about one minute of the song, the phrase "wiki, wiki, wiki, wiki" was used within it.  Now, everything starts to make sense.  I am always amazed at how we use terms as children but never really know what they mean.

Anyhow...I had heard and used Wikipedia before this.  What I didn't know was that teachers and librarians were using the concept.  I am thinking about using Wiki's as a collaborative tool in my classroom.  My students could create an informational page about 7th grade science, revise, update and upload information.  The only problem I foresee is have the time to do so.

Tech Thing #7: Image Generators

The first site I visited was Wordle.  I had fun playing with the different designs found on this site.  Here is the one I created:

I'm not sure why the image is so fuzzy since I copied and pasted the HTML code into my blog.

This tool is very easy to use and requires not registration so students should feel very comfortable manipulating is use.  I would use this site to have the students create a brainstorming/review cloud of words as the culminating activity of a unit or when studying for a test.  Students would have to come up with the vocabulary to include in their masterpiece.  This should force them to think of all the activities that have been taught.

After Wordle, I visited Animoto.  This site is a great alternative to Windows MovieMaker. What I like about Animoto is that it is housed online.  I had my students create multimedia movies as an end-of-the-year project last year and ran into the problem of where to save all the info.  Students had to either create a Skydrive account or use a flash drive.  All of this made it difficult for many students to retain their work.  I think we'll try Animoto this year!

Tech Thingy #6: RSS and Newreaders

I went to the Bloglines website in hopes that it would be as user-friendly as most, but I was wrong.  Since the tutorial links were not working on Dr. Wilson's site, I navigated there in an effor to find a tutorial/help link, but I had no such luck.  So I then decided to try and figure it out on my own.  Once I learned how to add feeds, I was good to go.

My frustration came in trying to make my private page a public one.  I tried to follow the directions on Dr. Wilson's blog but those didn't work so I went to the help section on the Bloglines website.  Much to my surprise, I couldn't follow those either.  So all I have is a private page.  (Hope the link works when you try it! *smile*)  I did subscribe to the following feeds:

Urbanspoon

USA Today

Billboard

Technology Review

Cooking Light

Concierge

101 Websites for Teachers

Cool Cat Teacher

Free Technology for Teachers

Unshelved.

I like the fact that RSS and newsreaders allow you to place everything you are interested in in one place.  I could link this to my phone and be up-to-date at all times.  I would not, however, use this with my students because of the complexity of the site's navigation.

Tech Thingy #5: Mashups

When browsing the 3rd party applications of Flickr, Spell with Flickr was the most intriguing.  This application uses letters from photos of Flickr to create a unique combination of images for use in your favorite word or name.  There are people who pay good money for desktop publishers to do this for them. 

When adventuring to this site, I found that any word typed can become a work of art.  The creation can also become larger, and each individual letter can be changed with a click to make the creation reflect more personality and balance.  However, if your style is not based in creativity, the program will choose letters at random for you.

The hardest part of the task was adding the pictures to my blog.  Each letter is a single picture that changes when click so they could not be copied and pasted.  I had to rely on my limited experience with HTML code to paste their codes into my blog.  GO FIGURE!!!

Tech Thingy #4: Flickr

In browsing the photos of Flickr, I came across images of a Jamaican vacation.  These breathtaking stills have only intensified my desire to cruise or fly to the Caribbean.  The environment in these photographs seems too tranquil and inviting to pass an opportunity to adventure there.  I can just imagine myself sitting by the water without a care in the world.

My youngest son has dreams of taking a cruise, and I have planned one for the family.  However, my trip to Jamaica will be solo.  I don’t think I could enjoy all the expedition has to offer with children around.

Tech Thingy #3: Digital Images

This is Dakota.  She is a Terrier breed that is about 4 months old.  She gets into the most trouble of all three dogs because of her curious nature.  She prides herself on copying the every move of her elder sister Sugar.

Now meet Sugar.  She is a year and a half old Boston Terrier and has the most energy of the three.  She likes to find socks or small bath towels to tease Dakota with.  Once she catches Dakota's attention, she runs around as fast as she can in order to make Dakota chase her.  It is playful fun!

This is my Lhasa Apso, Dayton.  He is the oldest and grouchiest of the bunch weighing in at a whopping 7 years old.  He is often found lounging away from the playful two and quickly puts them in their place when the come too close!

Tech Thingy #2: Blogging

Setting up my blog was a rather simple task.  Once I created an account, the website pretty much guided me through all the necessary steps in order to make my blog look professional.  It just takes a little time to decide on the layout and background.  I tried to pick one that would reflect my personality.

After my initial attempt to choose a design template, I went home to play with the gadgets and other available add-ons offered by the site.  I added a search bar and tried to add quotes, but the first quote that appeared was so contradictory to the proposed content of the site that I removed them altogether.

I have glanced at the arrangement and content of the blogs of others and have aspirations to make my site more interesting for the potential viewer.

Tech Thingy #1: Life-Long Learner

As educators, one trait we should all share is the characteristic of being a life-long learner.  As society changes, teachers must keep up with the consistently changing learning styles of each newer generation.  Reviewing The 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Life-Long Learners confirmed my belief of teachers’ need to repeatedly refine their techniques. 

When I consider the habits presented in this tutorial, I found that accepting responsibility for my own learning comes easiest to me.  I love discovering new ideas and knowledge especially if it lends a challenge to my brain. I have always been a huge fan trivia games and critical thinking puzzles.  Such obstacles as these help me attain the satisfaction I need to look for more tasks to conquer.

The habit that is hardest for me is beginning with the end in mind.  Too often, I will start something because I know that is what I want to do, but I usually cannot plan long-term task thoroughly enough to foresee all the obstacles that would be obvious to others.  It is for this reason, I would rather plan shorter increments leading toward a general goal and refine the goal later.   

It is a good idea for teachers to model learning for their students so that can see that learning never really stops.  Click here to view my own personal learning contract.