Thing #12

This is sooo weird! I was trying to get music that went with the slide show and I got something from the x-files! Too cool! These are all the cool things that I found under the ocean!

I'm going to try to put some pictures on a slide show of my own so that I can do some stuff from some vacations and camping. As to the educational side of it. . . It's going to be very fun to get pictures of the kids doing stuff and add it to our campus website. I think parents would love that! These are the same pictures that I got for "thing 11" from Flickr under "wintersweet's" photos. I love it! I'll probably have to change the music later because it gets annoying after a few pictures, but I think it's cool for now.

Thing #11

Ewwwww! I'm mesmerized by sea creatures and the first picture is obviously something that would scare me out of the water! I've been stung by a jellyfish in the ocean in Hawaii. I'll never forget the feeling that I was going to die! This one is another fearful one that I found on Flickr under "wintersweet's" photos. The photographer has some great sea creature pictures that are not only mysteriously fearsome, but also beautifully artistic. I am intrigued by them. Here is a link to get to the site: Plume pen photo

Thing #10

CC? I've never seen it! I can't believe that after working on the web for years, I never even saw that. I also never knew that immediately after something is saved it becomes copyrighted. That helps me understand why it is impossible to copy things from other authors, it is completely restricted.

Now that I know this, I'm going to have to consider using the CC trademark from the Creative commons website. I could use it for my blog, wiki or other postings, so that others may use what I have written because it is a wise statement? I hope to find others using this so that I don't have to guess when copying things from others, I'll know.

Thing #9

I've started the wiki! I'm not completely sure of the purpose of a wiki, but I'm learning. I've been able to load the content and create the table of contents. That was the hardest thing! I thought it would be easy, but nope!! I had loaded the page first then put in the TOC and I had to reload everything after putting the TOC in.

I was able to visit the sandbox, but until I'm given complete access, I won't be able to visit all of the site.

The site that I created is The Wikiroyale. Feel free to browse the wiki and I'm not sure if anyone can post anything or comment just yet. I'm working on that.

Thing #8

I am very interested in how I could use wikis as an administrator. I believe that my staff could definitely use it as a place to post announcements and blog comments on curriculum used or even what activities worked and what did not. I'm still developing this idea, but I'd love to have it available for the staff. I would most likely make it a private site so that they could feel the freedom to express concerns on campus.

Separately, I am interested in the three wikis that I browsed through:

• http://wiki.woodward.edu/hannalee/doku.php - a wiki on 5th grade curriculum, created and maintained by the students.
• http://schoolsthen.wikispaces.com/ - a wiki for first graders who interviewed older relatives on schools in the past.
• http://monsonclassroom.wikispaces.com/ - a wiki where a 5th grade classroom is asking a question in the hopes that 1000 students around the world will answer.

I find it interesting that the teachers feel so free to post the information and to allow the students the freedom to access the wiki and change the information. I found that it was organized in a manner that allows the reader to quickly browse information. It was fun to see what the kids were learning about and what they discovered in their research. I thought it could be used very easily in a classroom setting. Gone are the days when we didn't have a computer in the classroom. Students may not have them at home, but the school will make up for that. I like the potential.

Thing #7

Well, it seems as if commenting is what I do best. Each blogger needs to know that someone is actually reading what is posted, and this is a great way to let them know that you're following. I found the 10 commandments of commenting http://www.brownbaron.com/blog/2007/07/17/the-ten-commandments-of-blog-commenting/ to be very helpful. The most difficult thing to do is to continue to check on the blogs. That's why I love to have the reader because it shows the "newest" items in the blog. I've found that my time is so limited and I can check very quickly on the reader to see the newest information. I've also found that my friends are so much further along than I! I'm getting nervous. I hope I can get thing #8 and #9 done soon.

THING #6!

What in the world? I'm so far behind, but I've found that I can really follow the blogs easier when I have them posted in the reader. It's neat to see the changes as they come up, not to have to read through and find the things that are new by guessing. I really appreciate that part of it. This may be my new "best" find! I'll be watching more than 2 blogs, but the 2 that I will follow closely are: http://terrifiedtraveler.blogspot.com/ and http://vikingman1.blogspot.com/. You'll find that our own Viking man is further along than I am. I'm going to have to get a little more competitive to get a few more things done. I'm not liking the fact that he is further along!
JR

Thing #5

I loved the article talking about recess at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/health/24well.html?partner=rss In it the researcher discussed the reason for recess and the purpose behind getting kids outside and energized. The research proved that students who had more than 15 minutes of recess had less behavior issues. What a great idea. It confirms everything I'm doing on our campus when it comes to helping teachers get the kids moving and energized. I've required a 15 minute recess prior to lunch, everyday for every child. I know that is pushing the time factor a lot, but I am noticing a difference in the students who go. On the flip-side, I've noticed a lesser number of students who complain that they don't have enough. I think one of the problems noted in the article, was that we use it for consequence and that is always for the student who needs it the most. It's a real struggle. I'm going to continue requiring it and I'm going to caution my staff who remove it as a consequence.

Thing #4

It's interesting to see that the blogs that I've noticed have pictures, updates and fun things. I think I can create easy updates and add pictures to keep people updated with my blog. Even further, I was able to see how I could use this to keep teachers updated with information on campus. I wonder if I can get the teachers to use this to help kids out with expecations on homework, announcements etc. I bet the kids would love it, but I'm sure the parents wouldn't be able to follow it, unless the kids show them. I think this is going to be very helpful.

Reflections on Web 2.0

This is fun for me. I enjoy experimenting and trying new things. I used to do this in the old format for my class, and it was very difficult. This is so easy! I'm looking forward to using this new format in a very informative way. I'm not sure if it can be a place that parents can post things, or just me. I know that teachers could definitely use it to update parents of items in the classroom. I'd like to see what others are doing to implement Web 2.0 in their schools.

This is awesome. I'm so excited to be a part of the next generation of bloggers. I have found that working with friends on blogging has been the best part of this experience. I had already started one with my family and lost interest because of the time it took to update. This will be easier because it only includes me. I feel the need to encourage my friends as they begin this process. Go Larry Boy! I am looking forward to the next thing on my 23 things!

To reflect on the process:

I am really excited. I've started to get back into the swing of blogging and catching up on what others are doing. I think the most important thing that I will be learning is how I can use all of this in the school. I will be stretching myself to find ways to make this work for my campus. The hardes thing I believe will be making the time to do all of it and updating all of this regularly.