Thing 23

I'm really glad I was able to finish this on-line professional development experience. When I first started I didn't think I would be able to get it all done or figure it all out on my own. However, I continued to work at it and was able to solve most of the difficulties I encountered. One big change that I notice in myself is that I am not as intimidated. I feel I have adopted more of a "no-fear" approach to exploring the Internet and using web 2.0 tools. I know I am certainly not an expert, but I'm much more aware of what's out there, and how it can benefit my personal and professional life. I'm wiling to give try to use some of these things in school, especially Slideshare, and Screenr and social bookmarking. For students who need an individualized project for health, I'll try to set up a blog and ask them to respond to their assignments electronically. I'd love to give my wiki page activity a try, because I think it might prove to be a challenging and stimulating activity. I hope in the future to use google wave since it is a fabulous tool and we can so easily track student participation. A google wave or wiki activity also might be just the thing I need to use to try to set up an interdisciplinary activity. So as you can see I have big plans for the future. What I need now is the time to get them started and support when problems arise.

I'll continue to look for updates on web 2.0 tools. I am astounded buy the gotoweb20 web site. I clicked around and found something called hellohealth. This is a tool exactly like what I saw on the health careers web site that was depicted as health care in the future. So as the saying goes the future is now. Other things I clicked on were animation sites. Each one allows you to create animated movies within minutes (goanimate, meemovie). This would be a good option for me to use instead of role plays in class. Finally I clicked on schoology and twiducate. These two sites combine social networking, course management and grading. These are all free programs. If they work well, they could represent significant cost savings for districts.

This web 2.0 activity, Newington 23 Things, has left me in awe of what's out there and in awe of the future of teaching and learning. The best "thing" about it is that it is based on sharing. I hope that through sharing and socializing on the web, we as a society will focus more on the many other positive virtues of human nature, such as kindness and respect for others. Thanks Joan and Maureen for facilitating this program. I have learned so much!