not one of the things...

Ok, this isn't one of the things (but I have continued to post comments on other blogs), but I absolutely love quotes and I found another other quote about parenting/teaching that I loved I'm going to share. Enjoy.

"Children will become what you are, so be what you want them to be" - Unknown

Isn't it just beautiful and so true?

thing 23...

Holy Cow! I can't believe I'm done! Although, I'm not really done since I plan on using alot of these resources in my classroom and personally. I learned so much and I am so glad that I decided to take this course. Thanks!
1. I loved Wikis, Photostory, blogging, Flickr, mashups (MosaicMaker), and tagging.
2. Learning about new technology is always a lifelong goal for me. You have to be willing and ready to change with the times and I am glad that I learned about all of this "new" technology so I can pass it along and use it.
3. I was surprised at myself. I consider myself pretty up-to-date with technology and the web (before I was a teacher I managed the web site for a marketing division of AIG). There were LOTS of resources I have heard of, but never accessed or used. I guess teaching and mommyhood have kept me busier than I thought.
4. I liked the format. I enjoy blogging, so the format for me was easy and fun. Maybe incorporating Wiki's in the future would be fun!!!!
5. Yes, yes, yes! I actually think it should be a mandatory professional development for ALL teachers and staff. If the district wants us to USE technology in the classroom, then we need to be trained with hands-on experience. Right???
6. Exciting!
7. I will (and I just did)! Thanks for everything! This is one of the most useful professional development courses I have taken.

thing 22...

It's hard to find Nings and information on Pre-K, because most districts don't have pre-k or their pre-k is 1/2 day or is considered preschool (which is different). I was able to find a ning called Early Childhood and Technology PK-2. If you work with little ones and love technology, it was a good source of information. I didn't join, but I navigated through and read through the forums. I will definitely visit the site again. Art is my passion (and what I would like to teach in the future), so I found another ning for Art Education 2.0, using technology in the art classroom. There's definitely alot of great information out there and I like that it's all from TEACHERS. Teachers know teachers best.

thing 21...

I created my video. I realize that some of my photos look horrible, but that's because I save them to fit my personal blog. For the sake of this blog, I'm going to leave it as is for now BUT I am going to fix it because the video is just to cute! I absolutely love this technology. In the classroom, I can add a bunch of photos of whatever topic we're learning (i.e. butterflies) ans make a cute video for the kids. Personally, I can make a cute video for each of my kids for the next birthdays. I hope you enjoy my video.

PS. There's no music because my favorite song would not download from iTunes (You Are My Sunshine by Elizabeth Mitchell).

thing 20...

I've used YouTube before, but I only started using TeacherTube when I started 23 Things. They have alot of neat videos, but I was frustrated by not being able to narrow my search down. It's a great resource and can even be used in a Pre-K classroom (if I could find an age appropriate video). While searching in the Most Favorite Videos, I stumbled upon this video and it struck me because (1) art is my passion (2) I like Picasso and (3) I like the editing. I hope you enjoy.

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=2482&title=Picasso

thing 19...

I've used quite a bit of the Web 2.o Award Resources: CitySearch, Monster, Delicious, Technorati, LibraryThing, Flickr, Etsy, Facebook, Rollyo, and Kayak. I use Flickr, Esty and Facebook DAILY. I decided to check out MothersClick (niche social networking), Last (music), and Im Cooked (food). I didn't connect well with MothersClick..stay-at-home moms and their stroller fit clubs..BLAH. I liked Last. My husband is a music teacher and he thought Last was cool too and we've never heard of it. It was easy to navigate and we even found some cool concerts coming up in our area. Now, we just need a babysitter! Im Cooked was cool too, but I'm NOT a cook, my husband is. There were lots of things that looked delicious to eat, not cook. Etsy and Facebook are by fare my favorite. I spend alot of time (when I have it) on both. Etsy has some awesome handmade items that are fabulous and Facebook is a great way to connect with old friends and far away family. I'm not sure that any of the resources I visited or that I visit frequently can be used in the classroom or in the library though.

thing 18...

I had trouble downloading Open Office onto my computer at home and my laptop is resting at school. Ugh. So, I played around with Goggle docs. It's nice that it's free, since Microsoft Office is not, so most people can use it. It was easy to follow and navigate. If you needed help, Docs Help was there to answer your questions. I'm used to Microsoft Office and I've always used that, so I don't think I'll be changing anytime soon, but it's nice to have options.

thing 17...

Here's my link...
http://rollyo.com/mrsmarker/mrsmarker1/

I was being stubborn and thought I could figure out how to get a link without watching the video. In the end, I had to watch the video. Rollyo was cool and I'm going to share the link with our 2 new kinder teachers - I think it will help them!

thing 16...

Wiki's are F-U-N! Love it! I know there were some really great ideas on the Library2Play site on how to use Wiki's in the classroom, but I'm just not sure it can be used in the Pre-K classroom. I can definitely use it on a personal level, but having Pre-K students collaborate and compile information on a Wiki just isn't age appropriate at this point. It is something you could use with parents too, but MOST of my parents do not have computers or access to computers. I did tell my hubby about Wiki's (he's a music teacher) and he's excited to explore and think of ideas on how to use it in his classroom.

thing 15...

I REALLY liked the video, A Vision of Students Today. Wow. I connected to almost every statement shown.

Libraries today do not even look like the library I used in elementary school(and I'm not that old). We used card catalogs and the library was the only place to go to get information. Today, most of the ideas I use in my classroom, came from extensive research done on the web. I spend (when my children allow me and I have time), alot of time on the web...searching, researching, reading, and enjoying. It's a great place for everyone. I can only imagine how libraries will look when my son is in high school. They have to adjust to changes (rapidly) to serve the needs of everyone. I think it's important for every teacher and every school to use and take advantage of all the great technology that's out there. If we leave technology out, we leave our children's futures in limbo.

thing 14...

Whew! A girl can get lost in Technorati! I need to stay focused because I got off task searching for celeb gossip. Oops! I like Technorati because it can narrow a search down for you. I usually Goggle blogs or just ask friends what they're reading, but this way I can actually narrow my search down. It's easy to use and navigate too - which is always a plus.

The difference I found between using the keyword search for "School Library Learning 2.0" and the tag - the tag narrowed my search down. I have to say that I was VERY surprised (and thankful) that Michael Jackson was NOT on the list of Top Searches. Wow! It seems like his name is everywhere these days.

I will definitely use Technorati on a personal basis, but I'm not sure it'll be too useful in my Pre-K classroom.

thing 13...

I discovered delicious and well, it's...delicious! I really like this social bookmarking site. I researched the tag "pre-k" and found a few sites that I haven't discovered before (PreKinders) and ones that I have (Hubbards Cupboard, K Crew, Starfall). Love it! I can definitely use these sites for ideas and resources in my classroom. It's amazing how much you can find and I like it better than Google because it breaks it down pretty clearly. It's easy to use and navigate and as a classroom teacher, I can use it to help me in the classroom. I'm always looking for great ideas to incorporate into my room.