Final entry. Or is it?

As the saying goes, you can't put toothpaste back into the tube. While this happens to be the last entry for the 23 Things project, it certainly is not the last time that I will be using this blog for my educational studies and career. Far too much value has been created, shared and discussed to merely leave this outstanding experience and foundation behind. As teachers-to-be, we can thrive on the experience of exploring emerging technology together and by ourselves. We may not be in the same room together, as it were, but we are a like-minded community who share a passion, and one of the greatest assets of this assignment has been the discovery of what can make us effective teachers by doing the project together.

I'd like to thank Dr. Wall for providing us with a terrific platform for exploration and creativity ideas. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I was familiar with this project before I began it through my connections with other fellow APSU education students over the last few years. But I had no idea of the depth and personal results that would come from diving into the details of the work over the last month.

I came away with four core elements within the assignment that will assist me, now and in the future: organizational management; research/project ideas, distance-based learning and lesson planning. They all worked together to formulate a non-linear series of instruments, some of which I found more practical and useful for teachers (flow charts, wikis, social bookmarking, ) than others (Google, Flickr). What was so striking to me as I progressed through the project was the fact that it behooves us as future teachers to be on the ball with 2.0 resources as a whole. It isn't a matter of "when" or "if" the technology will be used but "how". Simply put, our success will be based on how we introduce, fashion and implement the tools that were explored in this assignment. Our students will depend on it, and so will our tenure as teachers.

As a History teacher in the making, the 23 Things project reinforced and emphasized my firm understanding that contemporary technology has a secure place in teaching my specialized curriculum that is based on the past. It will not only make teaching the subject more effective, but more fun, interactive, engaging and worthwhile for myself and students. History doesn't have to put kids to sleep. It needs to wake them up in ways that make a difference for a lifetime. This assignment gave me the mechanisms, ideas and confidence to bring that understanding to my future classroom

Thing #23: Creative Commons & Educational Blogging

Before I began the required "23 Things" project, I had some familiarity with it that arose from many friends of mine who were APSU education students over the last few years. That said, I had no idea of how popular and deep the project was with teachers, educators and teacher candidates across the country. Just five minutes of research on the internet pulled up thousands of Learning 2.0/23 Things links. And although the format and foundation was primarily familiar throughout, each individual created their model of what the twenty-three things would consist of. In turn, those models were based off of other people's work, in some measure or another, just as this project from Dr. Wall is. 

Here's a link to an educational blog from the California Technology Assistance Project and CA School Library Association 2.0 Team that I found: Classroom Learning 2.0: The 23 Things.

As you can see, it's very similar to our blog and in effect, has the same intent. And this is where Creative Commons comes into play. We as teachers need to have the opportunity, space and license to share information and create curriculum to be efficient and effective educators. I think it goes without saying; relying on C. C. in the classroom will not only be a great help to me as a teacher, it will be a necessity.

Thing #22: Loving LiveBinders

Given that one of the primary goals of the "23 Things" exercise is introduce curriculum and resource organization to teacher candidates, LiveBinders is by far one my favorite tools that I have used since I began my blog project. Like many of the search-based technologies that we have used, key word tagging rears its beautiful head and the binders that appeared via my particular interests were laid out before me in copious amounts. My three binders are all under the Education classification, and titled History: American History links, Resources: Education resources for teaching history, and History scavenger hunt links.

Here's the link to the third tab on my History scavenger hunt link binder, EyeWitness to History.com:

History Scavenger Hunts


LiveBinders has enormous potential in my future history classroom. Not only can it used effectively as a informational management system, it is by and large a communication tool for teachers to observe what other teachers are doing and how they do it. It also fits in perfectly with lesson plans. As the sample link above shows, students can be coordinated to use specific binders in an internet (history) scavenger hunt.


I look forward to putting this terrific technology program to use.

Thing #21: Animoto

I've been creating and editing digital resources for years. In fact, it all began for me in the analog days, when as a television videographer and producer, I was working with clunky editing equipment that seemingly took forever to put together a few minutes of finished product. And now this. Once again, another component of "23 Things" amazes me. I had no idea something so simple - and user-friendly - could be such a wonderful little visual application. Kudos, Animoto.

Try our slideshow creator at Animoto.

Thing #20: The Power of YouTube

YouTube has taken on an entirely different meaning since I became a History teacher candidate. From inspirational videos (see below) to educational resources of a historical variety, the video site is an enormous place of opportunity for the teacher and student when used effectively and responsibly. It goes without saying really; when it comes to teaching history, YouTube will be in my classroom as a digital "educational assistant".

As the new school year draws near, Bridgewater-Raynham High School's 11-year veteran history teacher Jeff Sylvia reflects on his experiences and expectations for the new crop of pupils.

Thing #19: Online Communities & Social Networks 2.0

I'm not shy when it comes to my online networks; I belong to many and enjoy all of their quirks, insights, information and entertainment. Some of them include Last FM, Spotify, IMDB, The Bleacher Report and Huff Post to name a few, and all sorts of conversation/opinion-type forums. I don't visit nor interact with them every day, but they are there when I'm ready and interested to dive in. It's remarkable how "social" the internet has become over the last few years. Its level of interactivity has grown exponentially and the (free!) applications can't be applauded enough. If there's anything I look forward to more, it is how the social component of the 'net will change when I become a teacher. A new chapter to explore, to say the least.

Thing #18: Social Networking

It's been four years since Dr. Wall originally created this particular assignment. And boy, has social networking come a long way. It's no longer an experiment and tool for the web savvy: it's part of the communication fabric of our society. Teachers use it. Principles and administration staff do too. Many students know what Facebook is before they're in 3rd grade. As the saying goes, you can't put toothpaste back into the tube.

I use both Facebook and Twitter, and in fact have them linked. When I tweet something, even from my mobile device, it shows up on my Facebook account. Of course, Twitter isn't Facebook, so its capabilities are far more limited. But when it comes to offering a few words of meaning for my fellow members, I enjoy its purpose thoroughly. Facebook has so many utilities, extensions and directions, I could type for the next two hours going over what I use it for. Let's just that as a growing, evolving medium of communication, it is what you make it. One can be hopelessly involved in every aspect of it - from photo sharing, news, humor, games, family, web links and more - or choose to merely scratch the surface every so often.

As I am not a teacher yet, I do feel as if I have room to share my opinions, thoughts, links, etc. And I say this because once I do become a professional educator, responsibility for what will be mentioned and posted on both sites will take on an entirely different meaning. I do need to be clear: I've never ever posted questionable material nor anything disrespectful or inappropriate. But I do firmly believe that faculty, staff and administration of an education system have a higher level responsibility for what they say and post on social sites. It behooves them to take their position seriously, and that means "growing up and being the adult", if necessary, online.

At the present time, I do not see using Facebook or Twitter in my classroom as a teaching tool. I would need to do further research on how to utilize the two formats effectively before introducing them into my lesson plans.

Facebook

Twitter: @PFTinTN

Thing #17: Delicious - a.k.a., "how sweet it is".

Until this particular assignment, I hadn't heard of Delicious before. That's too bad, as I had no idea of what I was missing. After getting an account, I started exploring right away, searching for key words and tags such as "teaching history", "historical", "social studies", "lesson plans" and more. Each and every time, it revealed a treasure trove of detail and information. Its potential and value is clear, for teachers and students. It's effectiveness, in my opinion, is the fact that it not only bypasses the typical web search engine - it transcends it.

As a teacher, I foresee using this resource and others like it when it comes to webquests, internet scavenger hunts, essay research, and curriculum and faculty/administration assistance. And more. Education and the internet have a strong ally in Delicious.

Thing #16: Organizational Chaos

Accumulating information and using it wisely when it comes to a "start page" is, as this blog itself is titled, all relative. Meaning, how much is too much? I've been using iGoogle as a start page for the last year or so. At first, I felt compelled to add all sorts of gadgets, widgets and real-time applications. It just seemed natural. But it also appeared overly busy after a while, and I soon realized I didn't need all that stuff. So I followed a started streamlining it and lightened the load. I avoided all the "new and improved" additions that Google was bombarding me with. I enjoy iGoogle very much: I just don't need bells and whistles to entertain me.

The online calendar, 30 boxes, is terrific. I've started putting that to use since looking into it last month. I see a future with it in my classroom. As do I see StickyNotes and LifeHacker as effective tools as a teacher. It's all about experimenting and implementation - albeit wisely. I've talked to teachers who felt the need to surround themselves with digital online resources, only to find themselves overwhelmed and realizing that sometimes, less is better.

Thing #15: Wiki Fun

I have to say, I had a great time creating my own post in APSU's wiki sandbox. The platform itself is a terrific arena, malleable as it is, for expression and sharing. It led me to investigating some of the wiki links that were posted in the #15 requirement, then pushed the boundaries further as I began to explore how education and wiki's can work hand-in-hand. From distance and project-based learning, to student assignments and professional portfolios, there's an enormous level of opportunities when it comes to utilizing the resource.

Here's a link to two award-winning educational wiki's. As a history teacher candidate, I'm biased towards the second one.

And to Dr. Jerles: thank you for turning me on to Taylor Mali, teacher/poet. I included a video of his in my sandbox example.