Sunday, August 2, 2009

Things 9

Well, this is what I know...
Googleblogsearch and Technorati were both pretty easy to use. I find that google is a little cluttered for my taste though. Topix was a bit busy as well.
Bloglines was very clean and simple to use.
The link was broken for syndic8
I found all kind of feeds - some good and, well, some just more clutter. I LOVE The Cool Cat Teacher. She seems like someone that I'd love to visit with and work with.
Atomic Learning - having to subscribe - a big disappointment, but I may see if Instructional Technology and Media Services could possibly join together to open up this possibility.

Things 8

Well, this is what I know...
There is not enough time in the day to read all of the things I want to read - whether they are in RSS or print. I've used readers for awhile to keep up with information of the Texas Legislature.

I use news feed to utilize what little time I do have to catch up on things that impact my world.
We all can take advantage of readers - students - teachers - librarians and administrators.
We learn not only from the news, but also from each other. Readers search for thing that are important for us 24 hours day and all we have to do is to subscribe.

Things 7

Well, this is what I know...
I've had experience with several of the google tools. I don't use them as much as I should.
Many of our students are already experts with several of these.
One of the things I wish though was that the igoogle pages could be made public, but I guess that facebook would pretty much cover it.
I think everyone should be taught to use google docs. It is the fastest way that I know to access so many templates in one shot.
My family used the google calendar so that we can keep up with each other!

Things 6

Well, this is what I know...
I know that I could spend the rest of my life playing with the various things on bighugelabs. I can see how kids [and grown-ups] could use these tools. I can see the collaborative nature of each application. I can see older students making spelling cards for younger ones. I can see PreK and early elementary teachers making cards to increase vocabulary - which could also be done for virtually every class, K-12.

[Since I'm a photographer's wife, I spent way too long on the mosaic piece.]

I forgot to add - since I am married to a photographer, I have had experience with the flickr site.
The use of mashups students could create many wonderful library research experiences.
I can see calendars made by students using their favorite books. I can see them creating trading cards for their favorite writers and characters. The list is endless!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Things 5

Well, this is what I know...
Flickr has been around a bit and I have used it before. One of the things I wish they had was a catalog of all the groups, like an index. This would help in searching for groups that one might want to join instead of the hit and miss of general searches.

Things 4

Well, this is what I know...
I'm not sure if I will be able to finish the rest of the 23 Things by August 10th - but I will finish them. The credit is lovely - but I'm more interested in the information provided and the experiences I will have.

Things 3

Well, this is what I know...
The directions to setting up this blog were clear and easy to follow. The most difficult thing that I encountered was what to call my blog. That took some time.
Cheesy things popped into my head immediately. I chuckled to myself and then really thought about what I wanted my blog to reflect. I decided that I wanted to discuss things that I have learned - not just in the 23 Things, but also lessons that I've learned throughout my life - lessons from my mom, my dad, my husband, my children, my sisters and brothers, my friends, my colleagues, and the world in which I live. Thus, the blog title of Well, this is what I know.