Thoughts on the program

It's a lot of information to digest in two weeks time. I found several websites that I would like to spend more time exploring, and some that I am definitely going to use in class (I soo like animoto). It's going to be fun going back to explore these sites and start planning uses for them next year.

Thing #23

SLA's 23 Things program is quite similar to the 23 things we did here. Check it out at wiki.sla.org/display/23Things.

One difference I see is that on SLA, the 23 things are done at the rate of one per week, while for APSU, we completed all 23 in two weeks.
As for Creative Commons, I will certainly license my best documents. I did not become a teacher to get rich, so I would have no problem allowing other teachers to use my ideas (goodness knows I borrow and rework enough ideas myself).

Thing #22

I viewed a podcast from FOX news and added the feed to my Google Reader account. The title of the podcast was "Are You a Socialist?" The commentator, Bill O'Reilly, believes that many people who responded to a recent poll don't really know what socialism is, because 36% of the respondents believe it is good.
I didn't really care for any of the directories; I simply googled podcasts and looked for something interesting.
I am toying with the idea of a podcast, but haven't decided if I'm ready to make one yet.

Thing #21

I made a video of things around the house after the snow.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

This is really neat. I can think of several things to use this with. I have several pictures of Salem MA, and I can make a video for when we read The Crucible. This is going to be sooo cool!

Thing #20

I've included a clip of one of my favorite comedy skits. It's one of the silliest things I have ever seen. I love to watch how Harvey Korman tries to keep from laughing at Conway. I've shown some clips from YouTube in class, and regularly look for videos of our reading selections. I can show a short clip from YouTube so the students can get the gist of the story, and I don't have to show an entire feature length movie (what a waste of time!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYzuchDBvCs

Thing #18

I set up a MySpace page at www.myspace.com/mike54.
I can see how it might be beneficial professionally. Teachers can communicate new ideas and discuss common problems.
I probably won't use this much for personal use. My friends and family know how to contact me, and I don't feel the need to publish personal information for the world to see. Any "friends" I would meet through MySpace would not really be friends, they would simply be acquaintances I correspond with. I think it's important for educators to understand how these sites work because so many people are using them now to communicate. I have a teacher page on the school website, so students can contact me that way.

Thing #17

I searched delicious for information on several novels. Teachers can use this tool to search for lesson plans, while students could benefit by using social bookmarking sites when doing research. I see plenty of potential in social bookmarking.