Week 5, Thing #11: Explore a Site from the Web 2.0 Awards List

So much to explore, and never enough time!

I decided to play with the 43 Things web site, since I am so into "things" this summer. This site won first place in the category of "Lists and Polls." Here is the URL: http://www.43things.com/

It is very interesting to explore the goals and concerns of other people, total strangers to us, and discover how much we have in common. While I am not one to initiate social relationships on the web, this site provides a means by which to establish a personal sense of human connection via writing entries about personal experiences and opinions relative to the selected topic/goal. Of course, creating and sharing one's own goal(s) is key to the function of the site. In order to respond to a writer's goal about committing to exercise, I had to create an account. Therefore, I did just that and wrote a brief entry about my commitment to my yoga practice. Here is the entry I wrote in response to a writer's goal to "exercise regularly."

exercise regularly
"Make it Personal — 15 minutes ago
My advice is to choose an exercise that makes you feel good about youself, one that enhances your sense of well-being both emotionally and physically.My chosen physical activity is yoga. I feel that yoga is an asset to my life in every way, and it is definitely a workout. Some fitness experts advise varying physical activities. If, however, committing to a specific one keeps you motivated and committed, in my opinion, that is the best way to go. A final thought … if you’re going to commit to some form of exercise, it would make sense to take a look at your eating habits. Eating natural, and when possible, organic whole foods makes the most sense to me. Every individual must make his or her own decision about eating. Whatever it is, don’t think of it as a diet (something temporary). Like fitness and exercise, if it is going to work for you, it should be a lifestyle choice, one that enhances your quality of life."
Jul 28, 01:22PM PDT

I also briefly explored One Sentence, a site that won second place in the category of "Fun Stuff. Participants tell a personal "story" in one, complete sentence. This is really a special skill. Some writers are quick and funny with their single sentence stories, while others write in a style that is very poetic, very literary. Quite a skill, indeed. http://www.onesentence.org/

Week 5, Thing #10: Play Week with an Online Image Generator

http://www.imagechef.com/

Here is my newly created "Web 2.0 Computer Key" using Image Chef. I have just started to play with this web tool and wanted to make an initial post for Thing #10. To be continued ...

Week 4, Things #8 and #9: Learn About RSS Feeds and Set Up a Blog Reader Account

I set up a Bloglines account and subscribed to several feeds, including the following: NYT Book Review, Wired Top Stories and several feeds from School Library Journal. I also created a blogroll of the nine of us GCS librarians/media specialists who are participating in this Web 2.0 summer learning endeavor. I even made my Bloglines page public. Here is the address: http://www.bloglines.com/blog/sher51

I can definitely see the usefulness of RSS for tracking news and info updates, especially for those individuals who need to cover a lot of area in terms of maintaining currency for their work and information needs.

It takes a real commitment of time and mental energy to sift through all the information required to learn about and fully utilize a new Web 2.0 tool. I believe that I need to intentionally work with RSS more before stating a final opinion about it. For now, I do not think that I will naturally prioritize use of my Bloglines account over accessing the actual site(s) I have in mind at the moment of need.

At this preliminary point in my learning about RSS, I see it is an application that extends well beyond the concept of bookmarking by providing up-to-the-minute text shortcuts (headlines, summaries) and access to full articles of information within a controlled format. The available search tools function well to provide access to specified topics of interest. Of course, the user can independently browse the web and note if a particular site provides a feed.

One more point of interest: A Georgia middle school media center blog that incorporates individual blogs for the school's administrators and teachers. That is impressive. With no criticism intended, we are still encouraging our teachers to create and maintain their teacher web pages. In all sincerity, technology use, for a number of teachers, is still a rather intimidating proposition.

I hope the information, as I understand it, makes sense to the reader. At the moment, I feel myself laboring under the influence of information overload!

Week 3, Thing #7: Teacher Tube Continued

Pat commented on my Teacher Tube post dated July 2. In addition to noting that Teacher Tube really looks like fun, she expressed her frustration at our inability to access Google Video and You Tube in our schools. Click on "2 comments" on the 7/2 post to see Pat's complete comment and my response to it.

Following is a sample video from Teacher Tube. I decided to embed it for the fun of it. Click on the video to start it. If you want to stop it, click on the video again. Mrs. Burke, math teacher, has made something of a name for herself with her math raps! I've included a few additional videos and their URL's after the embedded video. You will probably want to explore Teacher Tube on your own by typing in search terms and viewing the various results.

Mrs. Burke's Probability Rap



Here are a few additional Teacher Tube video titles and their links:

Internet Safety
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=764c8e3a691fa2b3a321

Think Before You Post
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=97eeae6788aa3348e553

Brain Teaser #1
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=cb220ffe637cda29bb3f

Welcome to the Media Center
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=a5dbcde49d31bec1537b

Street Cred: Vocabulary Song
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=5d97f69902e7972c2b2e

Week 3, Thing #7

"Teacher Tube"

How many of you have explored "Teacher Tube," the education-based version of "You Tube?"

Teacher Tube is a web 2.0 tool that can be used to address students and teachers alike. Videos are created and posted for direct instruction to students. Other video/visual presentations are created specifically for staff development purposes.

By virtue of its educational/internet-based framework, Teacher Tube is a web 2.0 tool that teaches, promotes and exhibits web 2.0 skills. This site affords educators the opportunity to compete, creatively and technologically, on the level typically embraced by today's techno-savvy students and the world wide web community at large.

Learn more about Teacher Tube by checking out this blog: http://www.teachertube.blogspot.com/

Then click the Teacher Tube link to explore the variety of video posts available on the site. I will share some links to specific video posts tomorrow.

Week 3, Thing #6

Flickr Fun, Mashups, and 3rd Party Sites

Having been out of town last week, I am playing catch-up. I have explored mashups and 3rd party sites primarily via Flickr: sites that address the creation of trading cards, motivation posters, magazine covers, etc.

Flickr and related "things" seem to have been extended for a few weeks now due to a variety of interruptions. And, quite honestly, there are other sites that interest me more. At this point, I am ready to move on to Thing #7.