Learning by Longhorn Mom

Mesquite Employee Health Center

2009-08-02T06:11:00.002-05:00

In checking my Google Reader this morning, I found a very good article on the Dallas Morning News website, DallasNews.com. "Mesquite's Employee Health Center is a win-win clinic operation" gives some background in the formulating ideas of the clinic, as well as updated information on its progress and usage statistics.

I was surprised to read it opened in 2007. I use the clinic pharmacy regularly. It's so convenient and familiar that it seems like it's been there a lot longer than two years.

Prior to the opening of MEHC, Mesquite ISD employees had to order maintenance medications through mail order. That was not the most efficient method to get prescriptions. Calling in to MEHC is much easier, and the phone is generally answered by someone who knows me and my family as patients. That person is generally acquainted with our medication needs by association of names.

I am very glad the city and school district set up the Employee Health Center. It has made my life easier. I can easily see an expansion of the facility in the future.

Delicious Follow Up

2009-07-21T11:52:00.003-05:00

When I first started using Delicious to keep track of my bookmarks online it was simple to just alphabetize them and easily find what I was looking for. As I've accumulated more bookmarks (115) it's more challenging to find any particular link.

I've discovered the system of tagging the bookmarks is very valuable in locating a bookmark. I also discovered attaching as many tags as I can think of that apply makes it easier to navigate to the site I want.

Google Docs Follow-up

2009-07-19T16:39:00.002-05:00

My initial response to Google Docs was "Office on steroids." As I have used it more, I'm seeing more of its limitations. It is great for sharing documents among several people. It's a central location many people can have access to. The aspect of automatic updates is is a plus also.

However, Google Docs does not do as much as Office on my hard drive. I do so much with Excel, I prefer the full application. I will continue to use Google Docs for collaboration and use Office on my hard drive for more detailed, elaborate projects.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-04T12:11:00.007-05:00

Happy 4th of July, everyone! This is a video of Danny McGee playing "Stars and Stripes Forever." He is the most awesome pianist at Christ Church Plano. My in-laws worship there. I guarantee this is the best rendition of the song you will ever hear. Enjoy!

One Last Thing

2009-06-30T14:33:00.016-05:00

Logically, the post "One Last Thing" would be the easiest to write. Not so much. 23 Things introduced so many wonderful Internet resources to me. I learned new things about RSS Feeds, Creative Commons, and Voicethread. I was also introduced to tools of organization in Google Docs, Delicious, and Google Reader. Some Things were already familiar to me, some were brand new. All were fascinating, intriguing, and useful. Oh, and I like making links in blog posts. :)

After completing 23 Things, I have a list of other things I want to further explore. My list includes Bubbleshare (online slideshows), Discovery Channel, Gliffy (create diagrams), Learn Outloud (audio books, podcasts, etc.), National Geographic Kids , Pageflakes (similar to iGoogle page), PBWorks (Wiki site), Podnova (podcasts), Podomatic (podcasts), Smilebox (photos, slideshows), Swyzzle (create slideshows), Wattpad (ebook sharing community), Think Free (online docs), Joost (social networking), and Netvibes (widget organizer). Those should keep me busy for quite some time and lock in my status as a Lifelong Learner.

My favorite Things were Google Reader and Creative Commons. I read a lot on the Internet - personal and professional material. It has always been challenging to keep up with feeds I read regularly. Google Reader solved that problem. I subscribed to feeds and check it several times a day. Creative Commons is a wealth of copyright safe images.

Most surprising was learning the art of blog commenting. Previous to 23 Things, I was more likely to read and absorb. Post 23 Things, I participate in the conversations and get more out of them. I didn't realize there was a proper way to comment.

I am very glad I chose summer to take this class. The amount of hours I put into it would not have been possible during the school year. I would have liked to learn more about MISD's specific policies concerning Internet use in schools. I realize that is a work in progress and probably would be better suited for a different class.

Would I do something like this again? Absolutely! I wouldn't have to think twice about it.

There are many things that will be going into the classroom with me this next year. I'm hoping to sell my second grade team on a grade level website. Second Grade Adventures is shaping up to be lots of fun. Culips will be great to use with my ESL students.

To document my continued learning and explorations, I plan to continue reading and make posts on my Longhorn Mom blog. It will be a good place to keep my thoughts together. My co-teachers will probably get tired of hearing about Web 2.0. I will either sell them on it or they will tell me to hush. :)

23 Things has been the beginning of a long journey of learning to come.

Thing #23 Other Social Networks

2009-06-30T14:32:00.026-05:00

Part 1:
I'm really into social networking. (Pun intended. I watched "He's Just Not That Into You" last night. :) I read on one of the hundreds of blogs I've explored lately that "If one gets smarter, we all get smarter." (I didn't mark where I read that, so apologize for not giving proper credit. It was a quote from a sports star, I believe. If anyone knows for sure who said that, let me know. I want to give proper credit.) This is so true. Networking is possibly one of the greatest tools educators have available to them. As they say, "Two (or more) heads are better than one." Collaboration, vertical and horizontal teaming, PST committee, grade level planning meetings, ... so many instances where networking is put to great use in our district.

In beginning Thing #23 I explored a few networks and found one I really like and have added to my Reader. Classroom 2.0 is fascinating. Naturally, I joined. :) They have developed a strand dealing specifically with ESL!

Classroom 2.0 is extremely user-friendly. The strands of topic organization and groups make it easy to tune in to one's specific interest and weed out other information. Classroom 2.0 is international. I like being connected to others outside of Mesquite. That is a big step for me. I enjoy learning about education trends in other countries.

As networks tend to do, one link led to another, which led to another, which led to another, and, well, you get the picture. Some names I ran across I was already familiar with in the ESL community. (Read, Write, Think and EdHelper) I also found new people I want to read and follow. (Larry Ferlazzo and EFL Classroom 2.0.)

Read, Write, Think has a neat activity for vocabulary development in younger students. Construct-A-Word is a good resource for Spelling and word families.

Culips is an ESL podcast site. In their podcast for July 13th the two hosts, Maura and Jessie, discuss the idiom "Hit it off" for second language learners. I really like their choice to have two people discussing the phrase. It's a co-teaching strategy that I strongly believe in also. I can see my ESL students enthralled with listening and learning. (Copyrights: Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Culips, Photo credit: casch52) It's good that their podcasts can be downloaded to my hard drive, thus enabling them to be used without requiring Internet access.

Part 2:
Collective Intelligence. In the article 7 things you should know about Ning, the distinction between Ning and Facebook/MySpace is that Ning has the ability for users to create their own social networks with more control over how they are set up and function. I like the term "collective intelligence" in reference to networks.

In her article, Schools and Online Social Networking, Nancy Willard offers four strategies for school districts in setting up guidelines for networking at school. I would like to know more about MISD's policies. That will be one of my future research projects.

A clear policy with a strong focus on educationally valuable use of the Internet -- no "Internet recess." The policy must be supported by curriculum and professional development, and a clear expectation for teachers that all student use of the Internet should be for high quality, well-planned instructional activities.
Student education about online safety and responsible use.
Effective technical monitoring.
Appropriate consequences. Schools and districts should consider a full review of Internet use management policies and practices. A needs assessment and evaluation of Internet use would provide helpful insight. Safe school personnel must be involved in that process.

In summary, I believe the keys to technology working at school are supervision (by teachers and parents) and education (for teachers and students).

Part 3:
I was already a member of 23Thingsters. I noticed the membership isn't very large yet. Perhaps that will increase as word of the group is spread. I made a comment on Carla's 23Thingster. I also put my 23Thingster badge on my blog home page.

I intend to continue networking and monitoring sites of interest. I believe there are LOTS of information and ideas out there just waiting to be gathered. At this point, I introducing my students to these networks will be on a limited basis. I will preview, screen, and scrutinize in depth anything I present to my students.

Thing #22 MySpace and Facebook

2009-06-30T14:31:00.029-05:00

My first experience with social networking was with MySpace. My daughter set up an account and was talking about what she was doing and who she was talking to online. I setup an account to monitor what she was doing.

To say it was educational for me as a parent and teacher is an understatement. I believe social networking is what it is, and it is here to stay.

As educators and parents it is our duty to know what our children/students/friends are doing and saying online. The Internet still makes me cautious, but I feel setting up my own accounts on MySpace, Facebook, etc. has strengthened my relationship with my own children. All four of my children, son-in-law, and lots of their friends are on my friend list of 59 people, as well as many of my friends, colleagues, and family.

Facebook has been more to my liking for a social network of choice. Comparatively I have 59 friends on MySpace and 203 on Facebook.

I have several favorite applications on FB. Pieces of Flair is fun to search and to make my own. Some games I play on FB are Lil Green Patch, Lil Blue Cove, Willy's Sweet Shop, and Hatchlings. It's just plain, clean fun. :)

On Facebook I have connected and reconnected with extended family, high school friends, college friends, former students, and many, many colleagues from school. I think it is a great resource to keep people in touch while building and strengthening friendships.

Part of my liking FB over MySpace could possibly be that more of my friends are on FB than MySpace. There are more opportunities for things to do on FB.

As for educational use, I don't want my students to have access to my personal FB or MySpace. I prefer to keep that part of my life private. I would consider an alias profile to be in touch with my students. I know almost all of them have profiles set up. I believe I could learn a lot from reading their pages. I see social networking at its point in evolution presently as strictly social. I think it will, at some time in the future, have a place in the classroom. I don't think that time has come yet.

Thing #7b Google Reader Response

2009-06-30T14:31:00.012-05:00

It has become a habit, quite easily I might add, to check my Reader every day... several times a day. :)

In my explorations, I found a blog called Teachers At Risk that I love. It is written by a Special Education teacher named Elona Hartjes. Her views on education that I have read so far are parallel with mine.

An especially good post she wrote is Nine things my students have taught me about classroom management and teaching. Her very first item listed is "I’ve learned that students need me to be a teacher and not their friend." She states she is friendly, but not their friend. She must remain the authority figure.

I also like point #3 " I’ve learned that class rules need to be developed by the class and the teacher and then posted on the wall for all to see." When I began teaching 25 years ago I had my second and fourth grade classes develop the class rules, while making sure the school's rules were incorporated. I haven't seen much of this practice in the last few years since I have been out of the regular classroom.

In the articles I read by Ms. Hartjes, I found her to be positive, resourceful, and flowing with good ideas that are simple but effective.

Another plus is that her work is listed in Creative Commons. That tells me that she stands by her beliefs and wants to share them. She also lists Ed Helper as a resource. I use it regularly already. :)

Elona Hartjes is an educator I plan to follow in the future. She has much wisdom from which I can learn.

Thing #21 Google Cool Tools

2009-06-30T14:30:00.014-05:00

Google has many wonderful tools available online. I explored almost all of them in our assignment and in Google Labs (yes, I'm addicted to the computer). Here are a few of my favorites.

I set up a Google calendar and shared it with my husband. He works on his computer as part of his job. We're going to try keeping a joint calendar and see if that makes our busy schedules easier to manage. We'll see.

I looked at Google Labs and found Similar Images. That was handy for finding images visually and not having to think of tag words to find what I wanted. I looked up Hibiscus flowers. Somewhere in my roaming around I found a website in German but flower is Hibiscus. I'm particularly interested in that particular flower right now. I've always liked the way they look. My husband recently bought four to add to our garden. They are beautiful. I get photography tips from looking at other people's prints as well as getting to look at lots of gorgeous flora.

Although I still can't figure out how to rotate a picture in a blog post, take a peak at one of our Hibiscus:

I installed Google Dashboard Widgets for Mac. It's handy having quick links to my Google mail, Google Reader, and Blog account. I've always liked playing around with the Dashboard.

I also have a Picasa account set up. I haven't found a photo editing program I'm really happy with out of the dozen or so that I've tried. Picasa has the advantage of being user-friendly and easily accessible with Internet.

I enjoyed looking at Google Earth. I know some of my students are already familiar with it because they shared it with me last year.

OK. The assignment called for two tools. I'll make myself stop at five in my post. This Thing has had the most content to explore so far. It shows me there is A LOT out there on the web just waiting to be used for lifelong learners.

Thing #20 Google Docs

2009-06-30T14:29:00.013-05:00

Our instructions directed to include at least three uses for Google Docs. Do I have to stop at just three? I use Excel on my laptop for EVERYTHING, literally EVERYTHING. School schedules, address book, database of my student information, Christmas wish lists, To-Do lists, party planning, and any other information I need to organize.

Google Docs is Excel, Word, and Powerpoint on steroids. The regular updates give it more advantages than Office on a hard drive. You're instantly tuned in to updates without having to check for them or install before using, and you have immediate access to new templates, etc.

The collaboration aspect of Google Docs opens a whole new world of word processing and spreadsheets. In our district vertical and horizontal teaming is encouraged. Google Docs is a natural way to aid in facilitating that goal.

While Google Docs doesn't do everything Office on your hard drive can, it does enough to be excited about. My mind is running rampant through ways to use this with my co-teaching teams. I may need to talk my compadres into taking 23 Things.

There are things I do with Excel and Word that Google Docs won't do, but when I want to produce a more elaborate document I would most likely do it on my hard drive anyway. I love the Internet, even though I don't completely and totally trust it yet with the only copy of something very important to me. I can see myself using it for works in progress, though. For example, my yearly Christmas newsletter. With Internet access, it would be handy to be able to access it and work on it in short increments of time without having to carry my laptop or keep up with a thumb drive (which I am famous for leaving in computers I've used them on).

An online version of a document would be conducive to student work groups publishing a final copy of a project they are concluding. It could be easily shared with grade levels, the whole school, or anyone else the authors wish to share with.

I created a couple of documents for practice. One is a PHS Freshman Band Camp schedule spreadsheet for my son, who will be in the Symphonic band at PHS next year as a Freshman.

The other is a spreadsheet for organizing a family party we hare having at my house next Saturday in honor of my daughter, Sarah, returning from seven weeks in Europe and Africa. We call them "Souvenir Parties." Our family has a party when one of us has been on a trip to allow that person to tell about their trip, show pictures, and distribute souvenirs all at one time. That works for us since we have a large family. We are expecting 11 people here next Saturday.

One thing I couldn't figure out is how to rotate a picture that has been inserted from a hard drive. The Help page said to click on the object and rotate the green handle. When I click on my picture, there are only white boxes to resize the picture with on the sides and corners. There are no green handles at all. If someone could help me out on that one, I would appreciate it.

Thing #19 Voicethread

2009-06-30T14:28:00.027-05:00

Voicethread... What a cool concept!

I looked at a Voicethread by Quentin D'Souza and Rob De Lorenzo that explained voicethreads in a friendly, comprehensible manner. I made notes of other sources they mentioned to investigate later.

Another good voicethread I viewed is The Fay School Library ABC's by First Grade. I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting to see what they came up with for letters like X, Q, K, and V. The kids did a great job in creating the presentation as the culminating activity of their library studies throughout the year.

The examples our illustrious leaders provided for us showed a wide variety of uses for Voicethread. I have to admit, I wasn't sold on the idea at first. I had to look at several examples before uses in my classrooms came to mind.

My students are second language learners in grades Kindergarten through Second Grade. Voicethread will be a handy way to offer reteaching and reinforcement of their language learning without me having to repeat things several times each to different students. My voice appreciates that.

I can see myself creating a voicethread of a difficult concept for my students and having them listen to it. With computers and Internet available in every classroom, Voicethread will be a useful tool for instruction. It will also give students another opportunity to hear English spoken as a role model.

Thing #18 YouTube and TeacherTube

2009-06-30T14:28:00.020-05:00

Before 23 Things I had never spent much time on YouTube. My son learns guitar songs by YouTube video regularly. My daughters find humorous things to share also. I guess it's time for me to explore.

I found the video "Library Dominoes" especially entertaining. Just thinking about someone taking the time to set up for that 23 second video makes me smile. I also found a video of Barak Obama's view on education and his daughters' first day of school. He elaborates on children being prepared before coming to school. In this talk, he advocates focusing on At-Risk families.

My fun video....was Mother's Day this year. All four of my children and my husband are musical. So, you can imagine the music that goes on at my house when we're together. Mother's Day was especially wonderful. My kids surprised me with "The Best Day" by Taylor Swift that they practiced and sang for me. The day progressed into more fun. Eli and Randy played their rendition of "Chopsticks." It's a minute, 36 seconds of just plain fun. :)

For my How-to video I chose "How To Take a Paper Airplane." I found it quite amusing that many videos are made by kids and that there are so many out there on every topic imaginable.

It is true there are things on YouTube that are of bad taste. I would not let students search it. But, I can find things that I can use to embed in a blog for students to view.

Educationally, there is a lot on YouTube, but TeacherTube is better. I found videos on everything from Language Arts to Math to Phys Ed. Here are two of my favorites.

"Lady Liberty Tells Her Story" is very engaging even to me as an adult. I had the opportunity to visit NYC and see these ladies in person. The video is great for kids to pick up those facts we want them to know in an interesting way.

"Math Vocabulary With Croc and Tito" is a fun way to learn Math vocabulary. Younger kids will enjoy the puppets.

One thing to keep in mind in using YouTube and TeacherTube is that the videos are made by consumers and a lot of amateurs. I think videos should be scrutinized carefully before using in the classroom.

Thing #17 Podcasting

2009-06-30T14:27:00.009-05:00

I am familiar with podcasting and have made podcasts of my own with my kindergarten students.

Today I listened to ESL Pod.com. I heard an almost 16 minute podcast on temper tantrums hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. From an ESL aspect, the creator used slow speech and explained the conversation afterwards. The narrator's monotone voice and lack of visuals would make it difficult to use this particular podcast in a teaching situation. It would be better suited for individual practice with English. I understand English, have taught second language learners for 15 years, and still had trouble following the podcast. This podcast came from Educational Podcast Network. I subscribed to eslpod.com for future reference.

I also investigated Learn Out Loud. I found the same podcast about temper tantrums hosted by Dr. McQuillan from the Center for Educational Development. He also does a series called ESL Cafe, in which he discusses US states. I can see that his work would work for adult English Language Learners.

Also on Learn Out Loud, I found a search for audio books. That will be something interesting to investigate later.

I also subscribed to Grammar Girl's Quick & Dirty Tips for Better Writing. I listened to a podcast called "What Is Subject-Complement Agreement?" I liked her approach and presentation of instruction better than Dr. McQuillan. She also had the transcript of the podcast on the website. This is good for those of us who are visual learners.

Perhaps I hesitate with podcasts because I am a visual learner instead of an auditory learner.

Podcasts do have a place in the classroom. I plan to research some to use this next year that will fit my K-2 curriculum.

Thing #16 LibraryThing

2009-06-30T14:26:00.003-05:00

Hmmm.... Library Thing.... I must admit it's not a website concept I have ever given any thought to. I see value in it to organize and optimize use of a personal or professional library.

My first reaction to the concept is that I don't have enough books to need to catalog them. As I explored the site and what it had to offer, I realized I have more books than I thought I did. Most of them are professional books related to teaching. I did set up an account and will add some of my library to it. It is very convenient that it is online. I will be able to add books from school easily. I really like the option of a picture of the cover included. That is how I mentally picture my books. Yes, I am a visual learner.

I can see potential with Library Thing for my teenage son. He will be a Freshman at PHS next year and is being assigned a lot of required reading. Using Library Thing we can keep up with the books he owns and give him the opportunity to communicate with others reading the same books. If he introduces Library Thing to his friends, they would have a connection that would quite possibly help with their school work.

Thing #15 misd23things Wiki

2009-06-30T14:24:00.008-05:00

Having already been familiar with Wikis (thanks, Carla, Shirley, and Marget), setting up a page on misd23things wiki was not a difficult task for me. Visit me at LonghornLand. I set up my page according to instructions on misd23things Sandbox page.

I visited Wiki pages of Mary Ann Shupe and Sandra Hicks. In addition to addressing their "burning questions," I noticed a couple of things about their pages. On her page, sandbox_experiment, Mary Ann embedded a video of "Lady Liberty" from TeacherTube. It's a five minute video worth checking out.

In her blog, Mimzee'sCorner, Sandra posted her slideshow. I am enjoying the song attached to it. She used a soothing song from RockYou. Take a minute to listen.

Thing #14 Wikis

2009-06-30T14:12:00.025-05:00

"Wiki" is Hawaiian for quick. Love it. Makes me think of grass skirts and leis on hula dancers checking the computer between dances at a luau. The explanation in Thing #14 shed some light for me on Wikipedia. I never thought about it being a community resource. I will be checking the Discussion and History pages for articles I use from now on.

Wikis are adaptable, flexible, user-friendly, and collaborative. I like the phrase "knowledge construction." Wikis are an evolving work in progress. The changes tracking feature is valuable in following the wiki through its cycles of evolution.

It has been enlightening to read Vicki Davis' article Wiki Wiki Teaching. I learned some new ideas for using Wikis in the classroom. I have used them for personal use, but never consciously considered classroom usage. I still need to give it more thought before using in my primary grade classrooms.

Code Blue is an awesome site created by sixth graders as a culmination presentation piece of a health unit. What a great way to end a project. A teacher willing to do this would have no problem at all keeping kids on task. The wiki is well organized with good links and complete in content. I enjoyed reading what the kids learned and picked up some new knowledge myself along the way. I was impressed at the level of research that went into choosing links for further study. The only things I would add to the site are clip art and graphics. But, that's just the primary teacher in me... go for cute.

School In The Past was very enjoyable reading. It is a wiki set up for a first grade research project. I liked seeing something by lower grade students. Judging from the writing style and grammar, the wiki was actually written by the first grade students. I had been wondering how primary grade students would handle a wiki, since I work primarily with Kinder, 1st and 2nd. This Wiki shows me that younger students can do it as well as upper grade students. I liked the aspect off having students interview parents and grandparents and report their findings. I thought about more editing skills being taught, but changed my mind. This is the way the kids wrote it and how it should be. I had to turn off the perfectionist in me and see the value in the Wiki itself. If I were to add anything, it would be further instruction in formatting a wiki and perhaps more pictures.

Kindergarten Counting Book is a Wetpaint Wiki. It was my first experience with a wiki outside of wikispacesl This wiki game me total access to all students, no matter of age, grade level, or computer competence. I enjoyed reading what first graders wrote. That gives me hope that my primary students can do it also.

I'm contemplating having a Wiki near year and trying to get my Co-Teching partners and try it out.

Thing #13 Delicious.com

2009-06-30T14:12:00.006-05:00

Delicious is a marvelous invention. I wish I'd thought of it.

I set up my Delicious account prior to starting 23 Things. I was already using it for my own personal bookmarks. It is wonderful to have an online site of items I use regularly easily available through the Internet.

Upon beginning 23 Things, I had a single place to keep my references for the course. It is very handy in documenting credit for sites cited in my blogs.

Even though I was already using Delicious, I learned more about it in Thing #13. I now have Tag Bundles, which is a great organizational tool.

I have added several people to my network. I like searching my network of others in the field of education for resources. It cuts down the search time to locate information, and I know what I find is coming from sources I trust to have done research ahead of me. I feel a step of the process of research has been done already for me. Definitely a time saver, as well as convenient and organized.

Visit my Delicious bookmarks.

Thing #7a Google Reader Blog

2009-06-29T21:47:00.006-05:00

Checking my Google Reader every day (usually several times a day) has quickly become a habit for me. :)

Reading the newspaper or even listening to news on the radio have never been things of interest to me. I don't like newsprint on my hands! LOL The news is usually depressing anyway.

But, with Google Reader, I choose what news I want to hear about. I even subscribe to my own blogs. Sounds odd, but that is an easy way for me to know when I get comments without having to check the blog comments every day and try to remember what was there yesterday to figure out what is new. That's way too complicated to encourage me to do it.

I also subscribe to classmates blogs to stay in touch and follow their progress, as well as get ideas and advice when needed.

Today I chose to write about an article I read in my Reader. The Dallas News printed a story called "Richland Community College will premiere a new Garland satellite campus" today, June 30th. Richland Community College is opening a satellite campus in Garland targeted to continued training in manufacturing jobs. This fits with our theme of being lifelong learners. The building is also "green." I like both ideas.

Eastfield College in Mesquite is opening a similar type satellite campus in Pleasant Grove. Its focus will be offering help to make students' first year of college successful. Students will be directed to Eastfield's main campus their second year. This campus will also offer classes in management training.

I like that our community college system is taking steps toward encouraging furthering education of our county. They are also providing a means toward that goal.

Lifelong Learners - Onward Ho!

Thing #12 Web 2.0 Tools

2009-06-29T21:23:00.004-05:00

For Thing #12 I chose to write about Writeboard. I was introduced to this tool earlier in the course and love using it for keeping up with notes as I go through the activities. I kept notes on Things #4, #5, and #6 on Writeboards. I made a file in my Gmail account for Writeboards and keep the emails with the links to the boards in that folder. It is convenient and easily accessible. Keeping the information online also makes it a lot easier for me to find my notes. They are on Writeboards; I don't have to search my hard drive and try to remember what I titled the file.

Writeboards have potential use in Teaming and Co-Teaching. Time for adequate planning is one of the greatest problems of Co-Teaching. (I co-teach with Kindergarten, First, and Second grades on my campus.) With Writeboards, teachers will merely have to share the link with the team. Everyone can enter their input and all can have access to the information. I plan to try to incorporate Writeboards as part of my planning time with each of my Co-Teaching grade levels.

On a personal level, I can access Writeboards from any computer to take notes for later reference. I only need access to my email and the Writeboard website to record my thoughts as they occur. I don't have to remember to carry a thumb drive around with me to put things on. More importantly, I don't have to remember to remove the thumb drive when I leave any given computer. I'm notorious for leaving my thumb drives in a computer and forgetting them. :)

I commented on Writeboards on misd23things Wiki 20toolreviews page.

"Good Co-Teaching resource for tight planning times. Co-teachers can enter ideas at their convenience and view others' ideas also."

Thing #11 Mashups

2009-06-29T18:08:00.014-05:00

I started out with a suggestion from Thing #11 instructions and went to Flickr ColrPikr. I found lots of really neat things I wanted to use to make a collage or something for my blog. The problem I ran into was the images that came up were not all CC.

My hunt for instruction then took me to classmates' blogs. Thanks, Angie Helms, for posting about ImageChef. Then I had more fun that should be allowed for "work." :)

Now - educational uses....... Besides being just plain fun, ImageChef.com creations can be used to dress up any blog or online site I would use for my classes. I would like to have a blog to share with students this next year. ImageChef will make it very attractive.

Thing #10 Embedded Slideshow

2009-06-25T14:45:00.012-05:00

Photo Credits:

All floral photography by Julia Walker

"Children Are..." by my daughter, Sarah Browning, in Ghana, Africa

summer 2009

"Unique" - children's day by M@rg

"Curious" - What a Child Sees by Thomas Hawk

"Amazing" - children's day by ayashok photography

"Bright" - Late for children's day! by Seema KK

The hardest part of this activity was choosing which images to use

from the millions that are available. CC is a great resource for any

kind of photograph you can even dream about needing.

I also incorporated some of my own photography. That is my hobby

and I love to share when I can.

The picture of the group of children is near and dear to my heart.

The one white girl in the picture is my youngest daughter, Sarah.

She is a 20-year old Junior at UT Austin. This summer she is in

Ghana, Africa, where this picture was taken. She worked with a

team of university students to build a library for an elementary

school in Accra, Ghana.

The most rewarding part of this assignment was the fulfillment of

the final product. I like the metaphorical imagery of the flower

pictures to the children's pictures.

I had a problem with the text in this post not wanting to wrap at the

end of a line. I had to manually return at the end of each line. Has

anyone else had this problem? How do I fix it?

Thing #9 Flickr

2009-06-24T13:24:00.008-05:00

Wow! Over the last two days I have discovered a gold mine in Flickr. Before Thing #9, I found photos online through a Google Image search or used my own image (of which I have thousands). I even opened my own Flickr account and uploaded some of my own photos.

What I learned from Flickr is that there are thousands of photos on the web that can be used under CC. Some of them are similar to mine, some are better. I also picked up some photography tips.

The photograph I chose was taken by markiteightdude in Colorado. To me, this photograph represents the class - 23 Things. From a distance the Internet is colorful, unique, and intriguing as in the picture of the tree with red on it. As you get closer, you find thousands of individual, interesting, and different items as you would upon taking a macro view of the tree and finding a multitude of tiny ladybugs.

Thing #8 Creative Commons

2009-06-24T11:28:00.005-05:00

Although I had not noticed the CC logo on pages I have visited, I believe it can have a great impact on education. Teachers and students both can search for resources without having to choose whether to use them or not due to copyright infringement. It's putting more tools in our toolbox.

I use digital images, audio, and video in my teaching. But, it is usually my work that I own. I share photos online on a regular basis. The web is a convenient way to share my photography hobby with family and friends.

CC is new to me. I have already found some things I can use in my classroom. I found a list of ESL Read Aloud books in one spot. It's nice to have a list to pull from at my fingertips.

I like the idea of "share, remix, and reuse." I look forward to learning more about CC.

Thing #7 Commenting

2009-06-24T08:25:00.009-05:00

Darren Rowse published a post on his blog called "10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog." He states 90% of blog visitors are "lurkers," people who read and don't comment, 9% comment contributing a "little," and 1% contribute meaningfully to the discussion. Blue Skunk calls them "trolls."

I find myself often "lurking," reading gain knowledge. A blog should be more of an interactive discussion among a large group of people. I am working to learn how to comment. The further I get in this course, it is getting easier with practice.

Inviting comments, being open-ended, and asking questions are good ways to increase commenting on your blog. Bloggers want to know their work is being read. Commenting helps accomplish this.

Commenting is important to ensure the proper function of the blog... interactive conversation.

With each comment I make on blogs I'm following and subscriptions on my Reader, I get slightly more proficient with commenting.

One last blog I particularly enjoyed that you also might enjoy is Drake's Takes: Edublogger Etiquette - Responding to Comments. It is a good example of conversational commenting.

Thing #6 Feeding the Reader

2009-06-18T19:53:00.003-05:00

Before 23 Things, I did not know about Readers and RSS feeds. After going through Things 5 and 6, I have a new passion.... Google Reader. I have a number of sites I want to keep up with daily. Remembering all the links or even names is a daunting task. If I tried to keep a list, it was a file on my hard drive. With Google Reader, the links are all right there in one place, online, and easy to find. It's fantastic!

I added personal as well as professional feeds.

I have been following Cool Cat Teacher. I enjoy her fresh look at the real world.

A new professional blog I have added to my Reader is Betty's Blog. The voice of her blog is down to earth and easy to read. One entry in particular stands out to me. In Technology Gone Wrong, Betty talks about her iPod breaking and the direction technology is moving. I agree with her assessment:

"Why are educators so set on keeping things the same? We are spending so much money just on testing. What if that money was invested in technology instead? Trust me, cutting edge technology would encourage more learning and career building skills than teaching strategies to figure out the right answers on a test."

Students, young and old, expect technology in this day. I think back to this past school year when a Promethean Board in one of my classrooms wasn't working for a few weeks. It seemed tragic at the time. The technology of the Board keeps them engaged, interested, and focused.

To my Reader, I also added links to blogs by my sister and my daughter, Sarah, who is presently in Ghana, Africa. She is a Sophomore at UT. Prejudice aside, she is a great writer and has very interesting things to say in her blog.

In exploring Google Blog Search, I subscribed to "ESL Google Blog Search." I'm not sure yet what that will produce, but we'll see.

I tried to add a feed to http://www.flashpuzzlezone.com/index.asp. When trying to add it, I got an error message. Don't know what's up with that. Guess I'll try again later.

Overall, I am excited to learn about RSS feeds and Google Reader. I foresee both of them making a profound impact on my life. :)

Thing #5 RSS Feeds

2009-06-18T15:43:00.003-05:00

For Thing #5 I set up my Google Reader account and subscribed to the required feeds and some others. I like the concept of RSS and Readers. It is a hassle to go through every bookmark I have when I want to see updates. Feeding them to my Google Reader makes keeping up with my favorite blogs and news easy.

The challenge I see in using RSS is remembering to check the Reader. :) But, remembering to check one site for updates is definitely better than hunting down all my bookmarks.

Students 2oh I enjoyed reading this blog of actual students’ writing. I could relate to the students writing for the blog from a parental point of view. The students were documenting their journey of graduating from high school, applying, and starting college. As a parent I have recently gone through that same process with my daughter, Sarah. She graduated from WMHS 2007 and is now a Sophomore at UT.

Another feed I subscribed to is the Mesquite section of the Dallas Morning News site. I found an article reporting MISD is now allowing facial hair on male employees. From as far back as I can remember starting first grade in MISD in 1965 through 2009 and 24 years' experience as an employee, men in the District have never been allowed to have facial hair. My how times change. The comments after the article were other than complimentary… an example of Darth Commenter according to Cool Cat Teacher.

Thing #4 Blog Uses in Education - Part 2

2009-06-16T15:23:00.002-05:00

I enjoyed reading the blogs listed on the 23 Things Discovery Exercise. I read more than five, so I chose five to write about in this blog entry.

Dan Meyer's Blog post, "Why I Don't Assign Homework" put my own opinions into print. Those that CAN do the work will do homework. Those that NEED to do it won't. According to Mr. Meyer, this attitude is doubled in low economic families. From my experience, I agree with him. In an update to his blog, Mr. Meyer said he has changed his opinion somewhat on not giving homework assignments. Since his class is taught in a secondary block schedule setting, he felt 48 hours in between class instruction time was too long to optimally enhance student retention of knowledge. Therefore, he gives two problems for "homework." One is "tough" and the other is "tougher."

Weblogg-ed (Will Richardson): Why Can't We Do This? Hmmm.... plastic or cloth? At first, this entry puzzled me. Why did the instructors include a blog about plastic vs. cloth grocery bags? After reading it 3 or 4 times, I realized the point was not so much the content as it was the style. This blog spoke a lot with a few words. In fact, the majority of the blog was a quote from the New York Times. It was interesting.

Mrs. Edmison's Class: Questions for One of Our Favorite Authors: Grace Lin It was good to see students' writing in a blog. The author's response provided a fabulous opportunity for the students to get up close and personal with her. She shared things with them that I imagine they will always remember.

Mark’s Edtech Blog: Is this SSR 2.0 ? I love Mark's approach to a relatively new idea… let kids read blogs during SSR/DEAR time. Their interest in reading is higher. They can read and respond to things written by peers. Writing and reading go hand-in-hand. You can’t write without reading what you wrote.

Cool Cat Teacher: Spies Like Us Vicki Davis is thought-provoking author with a deep insight into her subjects. It is a bit scary to read her interpretation of kids' use of technology in schools. If we don't make it OK to use cell phones and Internet, kids will do it anyway. Wouldn't it be better if we as educators acknowledge the technological path we're on and teach students a safe and intelligent way to use it.

Thing #4 Blog Uses in Education - Part 1

2009-06-15T14:31:00.002-05:00

Wow! This "Thing" is packed with thought-provoking information and opinions. Blogs in general express opinions as well as experiences and research. That is only the tip of the iceberg. Anything a person chooses to read will give information of some sort. Blogging is a continual interactive process. The more comments a blog has, the more brains are involved in the schema. Related articles are easily accessible through links.

In this day of going green, "No trees were harmed in the making of this blog."

Blogs tend to be more personal and the language less formal than, for example, an encyclopedia or dictionary. This makes them more "reader friendly."

As in my ESL sheltered language instruction, restating an idea in a different way may be the one thing a certain individual needs to gain comprehension of the concept being discussed. Blogging does near the same thing. Many different blogs on the same topic are readily available for review on the Internet, thus allowing the reader access to more "ways to say it" to help ensure comprehension.

One of the main benefits of blogging is that it is interactive and has the potential for update and change on a regular basis.

Thing #3 Blogging Tips

2009-06-15T13:16:00.000-05:00

Blogging -

In reading blog posts from two other bloggers, I gathered some interesting ideas.

Blue Skunk says we all want to be heard. Leave a comment: "agree, disagree, add, or just say thanks, but make it heart-felt."

Cool Cat Teacher gives many helpful suggestions in becoming an effective commenter on blogs.

Be meaningful
Link to your own blog
Share about yourself in your blog's profile
Use a comment tracking service
Teach kids to comment
Beware of "Darth Commenter" - "They know the psychological stress that unkind commenting can cause in a new blogger."
Criticize kindly

Thing #2 "DIL Web 2.0"

2009-06-15T12:20:00.000-05:00

Read the article “A Day in the Life of Web 2.0” by David Warlick

Consider the ways in which Web 2.0 tools might change (or have already changed) my professional practice.

From the beginning of my teaching career 24 years ago, technology has drastically changed the world of education. MP3 player, podcasts, and weekly teacher blogs are accessible to parents and students, as well as other teachers. Technology encourages and makes easier for teachers to interact, team plan, create combination assignments across subjects, and plan vertically. This is especially useful to secondary teachers that teach only one subject. Technological interaction will help them work together to create a more complete, well-rounded education for the student.

Social bookmarking is a great time-saving tool that is new to me. I'm excited about the possibilities of its implementation in my own teaching. Teachers access the shared list independently. Transition time in getting information of searches and online materials is markedly decreased, which, of course, makes the school system run more efficiently. As we advance in our knowledge, more families are getting computers and Internet access.

All class assignments turned in as blog entries raises some ideas in my mind. I can see the author’s point in saying the conversational nature of the blog format encourages more in depth writing and thinking on the part of the students. It effects teachers as well. I requires change their way of thinking. This type of instruction trains the student to be more self-sufficient and take an active part in their learning. That is a good thing. Students would also develop better keyboard skills out of necessity. That will be very helpful to them as adults.

Wikis are interactive expanded blogs. Team members can add to the content of the blog as well as comment on other members’ posts. This approach is beneficial for all involved.

The author supports communication through technology. I agree with that concept. I’m not sure about technology being used to the extent the author describes at this point in time, but who knows where our future will take us.

How might I be able to use these new tools to engage today’s “digital learners?”

Engaging students with technology isn’t the difficult part. Keeping them engaged is the challenge. To maintain their interest, technology must be interactive. Some ideas are still relatively new and being explored. When today's students are grown, things that haven't been invented yet will be second nature for them.

What is Web 2.0 role in 21st Century teaching and learning?

Technology is our future. The younger age at which students are prepared to use it, the more adept and comfortable they will be with technology. They will even get adventuresome. Web 2.0 definitely expands opportunities for teachers and students. We’re past the point of paper textbooks as our sole source of instruction.

Why would I want to use these tools?

My role as a teacher of tomorrow's future leaders is to prepare them for what is to come. I believe technology is a great part of that future. Kids are excited about the possibilities. They don't see obstacles. They see opportunity.

Thing #1 Seven Habits of LLL

2009-06-15T11:34:00.000-05:00

In reading the introduction in Thing #1, I found the seven habits of lifelong learners very interesting. I could elaborate on all of them, but how about just the highlights right now? :)

Habit #5: Toolbox
Keeping track of all the wonderful resources I’m acquiring as I work through the activities will be the most challenging for me. I tend to be very organized, but can also reach a point of overload and frustration. I started a spreadsheet of account information. It already has nine entries and this is the first day of class! It's also backed up to a thumb drive in case my computer should by some remote chance, crash. Now I just have to remember to enter accounts as I make them!

Habit #2: Responsibility (accept responsibility for your own learning)
Taking responsibility for my own learning is no problem at all. I am very self-motivated to learn everything possible from 23 Things. Technology is fascinating to me, and I always want more. I tend to be adept at figuring it out also. That should come in handy. Besides that, a legitimate excuse for me to be on the computer “playing” is awesome.

Habit #3: View problems as challenges
While all seven and a half habits are important, #3 rises to the top of my list. It has long been a favorite quote of mine in saying “life happens.” I am a person that can go with the flow as long as I have a little processing time before I’m expected to interact in a given situation. Challenges have been abundant in my life, and I’ve made it my personal goal to see them as positive challenges. It is my desire to continue this mindset through 23 Things. LLL (lifelong learning) - here I come!

7 ½ Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners

Habit 1: Begin with the end in mind
Habit 2: Accept responsibility for your own learning
Habit 3: View problems as challenges
Habit 4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner
Habit 5: Create your own learning toolbox
Habit 6: Use technology to your advantage
Habit 7: Teach/mentor others
Habit 7 ½: Play

Thing #0 On your mark! Get set! Go!!!

2009-06-05T05:51:00.000-05:00

This is so totally fun! More font choices would be good, but all is good.

What's up with the time stamp. It's 5:51am. The time stamp says 3:51am.