Thing #17 - Podcasts: no iPod needed!

• I previewed the follwong podcasts: dansmathcast ourcitypodcast Cranbrook Composers' Podcasts
  
• What did you think? I really enjoyed the podcasts that were created by the students. Some of the podcasts created by adults were boring to me. I would like to have video to go along with it, especially for math.
  
• Which directories did you search and were you able to find podcasts of value?I was able to find video podcasts in iTunes. It does take some time to go through them to see if the content is appropriate for your lesson.
• Do you have any ideas about incorporating existing podcasts into your classroom or professional learning? I could have my students create their own podcasts that teach a math subject.
  

Thing #16 - LibraryThing: Where Books Meet Web 2.0

I did tons of searching on Library Thing. I found several books that I am interested in reading based on the suggestions. I was amazed at how many books I have read. You really don't realize it until you put it in print or web. I could use Library Thing to find books with math content. I'm always trying to find usable math information for my classroom. This site would be a great place to compile books for our students to read or write their own reviews.

Thing #15 - Social bookmarking and tagging with Delicious

I found several sites that I added to my Delicious account. This is a great way to create a list of sites for students to use instead of turning then loose on the internet. In the past, I have used Delicious for class projects. I did have trouble getting my bookmarks to come up on the misd23things Wiki but they were on the misd23things delicious site. So, I'm not use what I have done wrong.

Thing #7a and #7b - Google Reader revisited

I have checked my reader at least 2 to 3 times a week and have found some interesting resources. Basic Math Blog is a helpful blog with lessons and mathematical information. Techlearning had an article by Traci Dunbar about Using Games to Reinforce Pre-Algebra and Algebra that was useful, also. If you would like a good read on social networking and education, check out Will Richardson's blog Social Media is Here to Stay or Social Networking Technologies in Education by Dallas McPheeters.

Thing #14 - Discovering web 2.0 tools

I tried several of the web 2.0 tools that were listed and some not listed. I used Survey Monkey earlier this year to poll my students on their prior math knowledge and their technology level. It was a great way to see what my students knew especially in regards to technology before I incorporated blogs into my curriculum. Poll Daddy was very similar to Survey Monkey. I liked the embeddable feature and the ability to customize the look of your poll. I really liked Quizlet because I have been looking for some way to ask my students review questions online. I also checked out 30 Boxes. I could see several uses for this tool. I've been needing an online calendar, because I have one on my work computer and one on my home computer. This way I can use only one calendar and have the ability to share my children's sporting event times with their grandparents. I just love the internet and the social sharing of ideas. I did notice that many of the web 2.0 tools were "linked' with several other social websites like Flickr, Facebook, and MySpace to name a few. The realm of sharing is endless indeed!

Thing #13 - Online image generators

Creating images with image generators was fun.  I can use several of these for my personal use.  My daughter got a kick out of her fake magazine cover that I used at Custom Sign Generator.  All the mashups were very user friendly to use as long as you have an image.  I especially like the Happy Face Generator because it is very good at getting my message across to my students.

What do you think!

Thing #12 - Create A Slideshow

My slideshow demonstrates the Order of Operations visually and with words. See it on my wiki page, High Side. The Slide.com site was very user friendly.

Thing #11 Stretch

I tried the Mosaic Maker mashup and the result was this. I think my students could really get in to this. This would definitely give them a tool to express themselves and to visually "see" math in action. I love taking and sharing pictures, especially those of my 2 beautiful babies. I wouldn't mind if someone were able to use them for good purposes. I'm signing up for my own Flickr account to organize my personal pictures.

The Flickr Color Pickr is way cool. Decorators beware!

1. cylinder, 2. Gustav Peichl museum roofscape, 3. sky sphere, 4. The Futurescope cube

Thing #11 - Photosharing with Flickr

Flickr is a wonderful site. I learned how to search for photos and videos. I recently had training over Promethean slates and had to create a flipchart. The Flickr photos are gave me some ideas. I started looking for different 3 dimensional shapes to add to my flipchart and realized I wanted to focus my search. I narrowed it by finding 3D shapes in architecture. There were still thousands to choose from. I wanted to show my students examples of shapes in real-life. As I scanned through the educational uses for Flickr, I found Darren Kuropatwa's Fascinating Flickr Assignment to be very helpful. Instead of me looking for photos to show my students examples, I could have them find their own examples and compile them on a wiki. Collaboration and technology at its best! My favorite photo is by Milton CJ called Skysphere.

Thing # 10 - Creative Commons

I have never head of creative commons.  I think it is a useful idea.  I truly ope we are moving towards a world of collaboration where one's ideas can easily and legally be expanded upon.  I have never t noticed the cc logo before but I don't pay much attention to any logo for that matter.  I will make an effort to look for it going forward.  I did a cc search and found a wide variety of online resources.  I plan on investigating and searching more.  This class is definitely teaching and inspiring me to learn more about collaboration and how I can share it with my students in the classroom.