Last blog, people....¡Adiós!

I almost feel a bit disappointed that this is the last time I will blog on the "23 Things". Maybe that is because I finally have a firm understanding of how graduate school is going to be and I can navigate through LiveText and D2L with ease finally. Maybe its because I'm getting used to this blogging thing...I plan to use this blog for my classes, so getting used to it is good, right?!

• My favorite discoveries were podcasts, creating the blog, and RSS feeds. All three were things I had not done before and now I find them very helpful.
  

• This course has shown me that I wasn't keeping up with the trends in technology like I thought I was. I think as educators we need to enroll in a class similar to this every few years as technology advances to the point that there is new material. At the rate technology is advancing now, we might need to take this class every summer!
  

• I'm happy to leave with a "pocket full of treasures", namely FREE web tools that will help be a better teacher.
  

• The 5 week course is quite overwhelming, but I took this class by choice, so that is not a complaint.
• What I have learned in this class will affect me in so many ways as a teacher. Now I am aware of how many resources on the internet there actually are available for teachers. I can incorporate a Web 2.0 tool for every lesson and every topic.
  
• I will use the internet as much as possible because my high school students understand information from the internet and can relate to it. It speaks their language - and I'm all about learning new languages! Thanks for a phenomenal class...worth every penny!
  

Thing #20

This blog post will be easy for me to comment on. I am a huge fan of YouTube and I'm constantly looking for new Spanish videos that I can convert with Zamzar to show in class. The students really appreciate a break from lecture and note taking to watch a funny video, and I get giddy if I can find one that pertains to the lesson - 2 for 1 - score!

Last year I found a Spanish teacher who re-writes the lyrics to Justin Timberlake songs so that they teach a Spanish grammar lesson. The videos are relevant to the students since it is pop music, the teacher is goofy, and they are learning Spanish. This teacher, Señor Mara, is a teaching GENIUS! ¡Excelente, Sr. Mara! Enjoy...

Thing 19

I can see a real benefit to Teacher Pop just like other blogs so that teachers can share ideas and stay connected. I feel a bit inundated with new websites and accounts that I've signed up for that I'm to the point I need to decide which sites will best benefit myself as a teacher and my students. I will keep all of the tools we have learned about so that I can continue to network. I'm still amazed at how many FREE web tools exist - which makes me happy!

Thanks, Dr. Wall for a stupendously enriching class. Your hard work, preparation, and research to help make us better teachers using technology do not go unnoticed and I'm so glad I signed up for this course. My students thank you as well. Um, maybe not as they're busy doing their WebQuest, but in the end, they will thank you!

Thing 23

I found in the credits section of Dr. Wall's 23 Things Blog this section that credits the authors and creators of the concept. I won't be surprised if some of what I credit has Dr. Wall's name on it, we've learned so much and I'm sure something she showed us will creep quickly into my lessons!

I will enforce Creative Commons to my students and make special effort to give credit to everything I borrow during instruction. With all of the Web 2.0 tools I plan to use this year, my students need to understand the importance of crediting others' work.

Thing 22

Blog en español

I found a great podcast, similar to a live morning radio talk show, in SPANISH! There are a series of podcasts that discuss many topics such as current events, entertainment news, and sports. I plan to use podcasts like these in my Level 3 and 4 classes to improve and expand their listening comprehension skills.

Thing 21

I may attempt to create an Animoto video soon, but my sandisk is not available and I have no photos in any other location. I've seen many other's videos and they are great. I can't wait to do this for my family. This would be a great good bye activity to do with my students at the end of the year. I could take my compilation of photos taken throughout the year and make a short video so they can laugh about the happy memories we made in class.

Thing 18

Facebook
I am new to Facebook but I can see how people are completely absorbed in seeing what others are up to. I have reconnected with countless friends in the week that I have been on Facebook and I can't wait to keep searching for old friends. I have even found people, or they have found me, that I had completely forgotten about.

On a professional level, though, I WILL NOT friend a student and my privacy settings are set to allow friends only to view my profile and status. I would never risk losing my job that I treasure over something as trivial and avoidable as Facebook.

I'm torn on how this could be a viable educational tool in the classroom. I plan to use quite a bit of technology in my classroom this year, but having a room full of students playing on social networking sites sounds like a recipe for disaster. I will have to think more on this topic, but as for now I think Facebook is great outside of the classroom. Plus, we have so many other Web 2.0 tools to use, I couldn't imagine adding another to my lesson planning this year!

Thing 17

The del.icio.us site is in my mind very similar to Diigo where people can share bookmarks they like. Again helping with organization and accessibility to the resources you need, del.icio.us seems to be a great way to stay connected. As stated in the description for this activity, it is compared to looking into someone's filing cabinet since you can see what links others have tagged. Those tags will lead you to more and more related sites, you can follow tags forever!

Thing 16

Yes! Finally a Thing that discusses the magic and beauty that is ZAMZAR. Our school's internet server is highly blocked, even YouTube isn't allowed. This creates a giant obstacle for teachers like me who are trying to incorporate the web into our classrooms. Zamzar is a file converting website straight from heaven. Once I leave school and am on a wireless server NOT blocked, I can find the videos that I want to show my students and import the URL into ZAMZAR. I then chose how I want to convert the file and it emails me the converted file! The only negative is that the email "self-destructs" in 24 hours, so you have to remember to save it immediately.

I have been using my iGoogle account as my homepage since we did Thing #10 and I'm very satisfied with it. I created a to-do list since my summer break is about to start but I only have 3 weeks remaining until school is back in session. My list is a bit overwhelming, but at least now I have it all laid out and ready to check off!

Thing 15

This WIKI concept I might try to use in my classes as an add-on story. A story could be started on the wiki, and students would have an assignment to go to the wiki and add the next sequence to the story. It could become quite interesting, I wonder if the kids will think its a fun activity? It would be challenging since I would expect the story to be in Spanish. I would have to stress to them to keep it simple, just like a children's story.

Also, I can't help but want to say "wiki-wiki" like a record scratching when I read and hear this word! I'm smiling...

Thing 14

Finally! I have been looking for a way to show my students the progression of the conjugations of verbs. We focus on 6 different conjugations in Level 2 Spanish and still some kids cannot seem to understand who the process works. This flow chart will help break up the conjugations according to which pronoun they belong to with easy to see colors and shapes. Maybe this visual will help them understand once and for all what the reason behind conjugations is and what are they saying when they conjugate one of their verbs. Let's get our conjugation on!

Thing 13

I chose to explore Google Docs over the Zoho Writer tool simply because most of the online tools I use are affiliated with Google. Also, this past spring semester my students created a PowerPoint presentation as a final project. Many students sent me their files via GoogleDocs. I'm not sure that there is anything Google hasn't thought of at this point! Google is a neutral internet location that anyone can tap into which is what makes Google Docs such a viable tool. As long as a subscriber has their login and password they have access to all of the Google applications. My students suggested Google Docs unanimously, evidently this was a secret only I was left out of! I plan to continue to use Google Docs to share files since they have made it so effortless.