digitize-me

Thing #7

2009-06-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

When I enter a blogsite, I read the latest posting and then go straight to the blogger's profile to learn more about the person. If I can connect with them through photos, I'm more apt to comment. I know the rules of commenting now, so no more excuses and no more lurking without leaving a bit of myself behind in comments. And, of course, no Darth Vadering either! If I disagree, I will find common ground first and then be kind to all who post their thoughts as an open book for all to read. Now, excuse me, I must get to my commenting.....

Thing #6

2009-06-25T13:26:00.001-07:00

Oh, my goodness! I never knew that using the Google Reader could be so informative and soooo time consuming! It's so much easier than trying to search for information randomly. I love the idea of having the good stuff "fed" to me. But, I kindof feel like I'm being fed with a FIREHOSE! I am practicing the skim method but am still stopping on too many topics to get through it all. I will NEVER get through it all. Our world is exploding with information!
I loved The Infinite Thinking Machine. Their latest post had a link to an interesting article about Twitter. Learned lots about how to use Twitter in a classroom atmosphere to encourage idea sharing and interaction about common learning.
I could stay on Flickr Most Interesting Photos all day EVERYDAY! Please subscribe to this one if you have not already!

Thing #5

2009-06-25T12:40:00.001-07:00

I've been following the College Baseball World Series, mainly because I have a Longhorn student and a husband at my house who dearly love baseball. Loved reading the article in the NYT about the final game. Yes, UT lost..... but what a Clash of the Titans. No one expected UT to be such scrappers. The final game could have gone either way. The news reporter did a good job of applauding the courage of BOTH teams. Why does there always have to be a winner and a loser? Let's celebrate greatness for both LSU and UT baseball!

Thing #4

2009-06-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

Loved the ideas presented in PowerPoint Reform: Chapter 1 by Dr. Joyce Valenza ! Thank you, Joyce! I, too, have been lulled to sleep so many times by PowerPoint presentations. Loved the links to presentations about how to lose bullets, create impact, and show emotion -- all of which connect with the audience. Just because a template exists doesn't mean we have to use it! Be creative to make your point! Flickr and Morguefile are excellent sources for getting photos that will engage your audience when making presentations that are memorable.

Thing #1

2009-06-16T13:44:00.000-07:00

The most challenging Habits for me will be these:
#2 Accepting Responsibility for My Own Learning - I like to be spoonfed. Maybe I will change as a result of this experience
#4 Having Confidence in Myself as Being Competent - Even though I work closely with several MISD departments that deal solely with technology, I feel that I need to learn so much more to be able to assist with important district technology decisions
The easiest Habits for me are these:
#3 Viewing Problems as Challenges - I've just always looked at life that way. I love figuring out solutions to roadblocks
#7 1/2 - Play! - I love to play! I love the movie BIG with Tom Hanks because he physically grows up but is still a child at heart.
The most important Habits for me for this course will be:
#1 Setting Goals - and sticking to them.
#7 Teach and Mentor Others - While I cannot do that yet, I will rely on the other 23 Thingsters and a host of mentors to help me through the class.

Thing #2

2009-06-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

Web 2.0 tools are the best invention since the computer and the www! What a revolutionary new approach to learning, creating, and collaborating! This is just what we parents want our children to be using in MISD classrooms. Sometimes I wonder why we cling to the old traditional way of teaching when we could have so much more fun using technology. The idea of the campus-wide blog with parents being able to access the entries intrigues me. What a good example of a learning community! The last idea about parents, community members, and students actually giving suggestions and input on the campus improvement plan is "over the top" excellence. This gives all stakeholders buy-in on the most important thing that schools do everyday - improve! I could discuss this all day long; but I'll let this little girl say it all for me:

http://www.snotr.com/video/2630