Ta-Da! Thing #23...on to understanding...

Wow Again! And I still feel a bit like the new teacher who discovered they exist at the bottom level of learning, the "I don't know what I don't know" -though I am bouncing between the next level, the "..at least I know what I don't know...". I really am excited about the Wiki, but have soooo much work to do to understand how to link pages, organize content....I have found some Wikis whose purpose is to teach Wiki design, so I will start there. I have really enjoyed this process. I will have to reflect back, review, practice putting into my life these new tools, activities and applications. Mid-"Thing" I got so excited that I went to my Dad's to teach him Flickr and Picasa. I did manage some teaching, with many missteps, laughter and confusion. Many weeks still lay ahead, time to have fun, practice, and hopefully assimilate all this wonderful new knowledge. To you, designers of 23 Things, I would like to see a follow up course that challenges us to fully utilize and use these tools, and to learn even more new tools. How about a simple one also - I have somehow not perfected-organizing one's desktop. I juggle windows, moving back and forth, shutting the wrong windows, losing others...any help for those of us that somehow along the way never learned some basic stuff? Thanks for everything! A thoroughly addictive, rewarding program and process!

Thing 21-Wikis!

Wow, I remember how much I was enthralled with Wikis when I started these 23 Things last year (I do seem to remember the program was a more overwhelming experience then-how much has changed?). I found a few really amazing Wikis-all based on 2.0 tools, applications, tutorials and links. Just having these Wikis bookmarked will help immensely. "Educational Software and Web 2.0" had so much information, tutorials and links that I could spend the rest of the summer exploring every thing that was included on this site. The designer-Suzie Vesper has done an amazing job. She has inspired me to try and find my weak, original Wiki (more of a sicky ...) and try to refocus its objectives and to better incorporate some really neat applications and gadgets. My objective was and is to create a Wiki in which art educations can describe best lessons, the tricks and techniques of classroom management, lab set-up and break down, time saving tricks to ordering and inventorying materials...The difficulty in teaching art is having to discover all of this on your own, and its never-ending. My difficulty here in all of this is time. If I could get this adequately started and be proud of its appearance and purpose, then I could introduce it to a huge blog "Art Education 2.0". These teachers would take it and run with it! It would be a marvel to behold! Now..as Dory said it Finding Nemo..."Just keep swimming...."

Thing 20-subscribing to Podcasts-TEDtalk

Well, I can tell I will need to spend some time investigating this. I started in EPN but really found nothing I felt inspired, motivated, surprised...so I moved onto Podcast Alley. I found quite a bit of podcasts that seemed more specific to art and the media creative world. But...many of those that I found thought provoking also seemed redundant in that they echoed my RSS feeds. Which made me ponder sorting feeds, listening to pods, which should I choose-what a dilemma! What the deciding factor was, was time. I would much rather run down a scrolling list of headlines than listen to minutes at a time of podcasts, wading further and further in until I realize I am not interested, getting no where.... Until I met iTunes. :) Downloading was easy. I have Windows/PC and do not own a MP3 player or an IPod. (I never thought I needed one-silly me!) Now, my birthday wish list is to get one of these "babies" and download my podcasts, books on tape and ITunes! Wow-I feel younger already! I've subscribed to TEDtalks and GrammerGirl (after all, If I am going to sound urban and hip, I may as well use proper grammar). I will spend untold hours going through iTunes and I will continue to explore Podcast Alley. Its library was immense! And I am sure I will find some gems here, but the time it will take seems daunting. As for my students, I will also be on the look out for little gems, thought provoking, creative pieces to share, now that I have a better idea on how to go about this. They all own MP3 players, and anyway they can be approached opens an avenue to enriching their world!