#23 Yippee!

It feels good to be here (especially since the deadline tomorrow)! Although I have been frustrated at times, I have really enjoyed this experience. I'm glad I took good notes, though, because I will definitely need to go back and review some of the items.

I just loved the experience of creating and posting items on a blog. Creating an avatar was neat too. And I just don't think I could live without my Google home page! LOL! Other favorites included, making the Photostory, looking at TeacherTube and YouTube videos, and reading other people's blogs. I also feel as if I've learned a new language--and for that, I'm grateful. It's neuroplasticity in action!

It is important to me to stay up-to-date with everything. I thought I was doing a pretty good job; however, this program made me realize that I was lagging behind in the technological world. I was surprised to find out that there's so much out there and it's expanding daily!

For the most part, I found the 23 Things format user friendly; however, I spent a lot of time searching other people's blogs when the information was not clear. For example, (although I did not have trouble personally), a lot of people seem to struggle with posting their PhotoStories and podcasts. I found directions on Vaughn's blog, Library2Play, but it would be nice if those directions were posted directly.

Being able to go through the program on my own time was wonderful. I had mixed feelings about reaching this point. It felt good to look back and see all that I accomplished. On the other hand, I was sad to see it end. I would certainly participate in another program like this (and I really hope one will be offered in the future).

To sum up the program: definitely (yes, it is my favorite word) worth the time and effort!

And now, I'm off to continue my journey. I know this is just the beginning....

#22 Nings

Nings are interesting--some people seem to have more time than I do, though. I spent most of my time exploring Ning for Teachers. It seemed like a good place to swap ideas and lessons. I enjoyed reading all the different blogs posted there. I would like to try create another blog on this site and keep it current; however, I barely have enough time to keep up with this blog. So, I'm just not sure how that's going to happen once the school year starts. But I'm going to try. There's so much to explore and so little time!

#21 Photostory

Using Photostory was easy and fun! I spent hours playing around with the various features--transitions, music, etc. That’s not to say that making a Photostory necessarily takes that long—I willingly chose to piddle around. Now that I have the hang of it, the next one I make will definitely take less time. The hardest part was getting this to upload correctly. But after several attempts--Viola! I think kids would enjoy creating a Photostory of their own. They could research an event in history, gather pictures, and display them along with text. I find Photostory more user friendly than PowerPoint.