Final Evaluation

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

I think my favorite discovery would have to be zoho writer. I haven't used it yet for anything real, but in the short time I spent on it, I decided it was better than GoogleDocs, which was possibly my favorite thing I ever learned about. I also love Pinterest. I think it may become my new favorite procrastination tool. 

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

I think that it has helped reinforce my knowledge of some of the online tools I already knew about, and, more importantly, given me lots of ideas about how I can use them in the classroom.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I've enjoyed getting some real experience with blogging. I didn't really think that I would. I've tried it before, but it always fizzled out quickly. I'm not sure that I'll keep this particular blog up, but I think I could do it now if I had a good reason (like my own class or a mission trip). 

4. What could I do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

The only problem I had during this project was that some of the links in your instruction blog didn't work, especially on the Web 2.0 thing. 

Thing 16: PhotoPeach

Here is a short slide show I made on PhotoPeach. It is a family reunion I went to, but the pictures are mostly my adorable cousins looking for easter eggs, my adorable cousins in flowers, and people playing with my adorable cousins. Oh, and some other people too. Enjoy!

It would be really neat to use this in the classroom. Have the students make a slideshow, either about themselves, or maybe a historical figure, and then have a gallery walk around the computer lab to look at everyone's creations. 

Thing 15.5: Twitter

So I had to finally break down and make a twitter account... I have resisted the twitter movement for quite some time. I'm not sure what I didn't like about it exactly. Maybe just the whole celebrity aspect of it. But.. there are some good uses. I've started following some of the people that I mentioned I watch on YouTube and some authors I like, and it's interesting to see what they have to say. I'm not big on updating the world on my life, I don't even post statuses on my Facebook, but I like seeing other people's. If I could consistently use it, I could see how this could be a good way to communicate with parents or even students. They don't have so much access to your life like they do on Facebook, and I like the @ feature to ask questions. 

Thing 15: Things like Skype

I think Skype is a wonderful tool. My dad travels for work some, and while he was in Canada this summer, my mom and I used it to talk to him. I really like the idea of using it in the classroom too. I like the article from The Learning Librarian about how her class used Skype to talk with a class at another school. It would be great for students to interact with another class and see what it's like to go to school in another state, or even another country.

Thing 14: Podcasting and Bookmarking

Today I got to look a little at podcasts. I've spent a little time with them before. I even watched a psychology class or two in iTunes U a while back. I didn't realize, though, that there were podcasts for teachers as well as students in iTunes U. I found POWER ON TEXAS: The Digital Learning Revolution. It had some very interesting videos on integrating technology in your classroom.

I also explored some bookmarking sites. I looked around a little on Delicious. I like it and if I hadn't already discovered Pinterest, I think I would love it. They just revamped the appearance of the site to be a little prettier, but Pinterest is just beautiful. I've only had an account a couple of days and I'm already addicted. It's just that good.

Things 12 and 13: Youtube

I'm already a big fan of YouTube, so getting to do a thing on it is fun. I got into the site this summer when I discovered the vlogbrothers, two brothers who post weekly video blogs, or vlogs. They have started a giant community of people, who watch and make videos, they have a record company that produces music exclusively from YouTube based artists, and orchestrate huge YouTube events. Since then, I've found lots of other channels I enjoy. The video below, was actually shown to me in a class just a couple weeks ago. It's a great speech by Sir Ken Robinson about how schools kill creativity. If you like it, click here for another speech of his turned into a clever animation. 

I've also used YouTube as a classroom resource. I've created videos from clips of other people videos to make a short intro video for several different subjects. Below is one I made about plant life stages. 

Thing 11: Web 2.0 Tools

GoAnimate.com: Go Animate by l_rigsby

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

I also tried out some other web 2.0 tools. To the left is a picture from The One Million Masterpiece. It gives you a small canvas to draw whatever you like, then your image is included in the world drawing.




To the right is an avatar I made on DoppleMe. It is a simple avatar generator, and I think it would be fun for students to create an avatar for themselves for a class website. If I had a class wiki, each student could include their avatar on their own page.