#23 Is this really the end? Or just the beginning

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey? First and foremost, learning much more about the concept and philosophy of 2.0. Wikis were a mystery to me and it's fun to explore their use. Also I was aware of web-based applications but it was great to work a little with the word processing application to compare it somewhat with WORD.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals? A professional lifelong learning goal is to be more knowledgeable about what is new in technology, how to use programs, how to solve minor technical problems. This class has given me the start for this. I have bookmarked all of the sites you have in your "things" so I will have what I need to continue with these programs.

Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? I was at times surprised that I could eventually figure some things out, even when the steps were not explained very well. Also, I am unexpectedly interested in pursuing the use of these tools.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept? The concept is excellent! I like the idea of playing around with these applications. However, I wish we would have met more times. And/Or maybe we could have a class blog or class Blackboard discussion page so we all could post questions, problems, etc. and we all (and you) would be able to respond. Many times, as you know, many of us have the same question. A virtual classroom, as it were. Otherwise, well worth it and well worth offering it many more times.
Oh, and, about the MP3 player that was promised...

And last but not least…If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate? Yes, I definitely would!

#22 eAudiobooks

What a rich resource! I work quite a bit with the reading resource teacher, finding appropriate books, eBooks, equipment, etc. I just bought her 2 MP3 players so she can download books from the state library. This service is by paid subscription. This resource will be excellent for her. However, it looks like there aren't many YA books. There are no eAudiobooks by Walter Dean Myer or Toni Morrison or Stephenie Meyer. But it still is a great, free resource for downloading audiobooks to MP3 players. The students will like listening to an MP3 player more than a CD. OPEN CULTURE has a lot of classics on eAudiobooks. An incredible selection! Great! So much easier to download the books - nothing to lose, nothing to buy or replace. A great use of the Internet for teachers.

#21 Podcasts

I am excited about these podcasts search tools. I used PODCAST ALLEY, chose "News & Politics" and found the NY TIMES FRONTPAGE SUMMARY. I have several NPR podcasts on iTunes so I copied the URL, opened iTunes and subscribed to this podcast. This is great for radio shows and political and news shows. The great thing about PODCASTS is once you have subscribed to the podcast, it will download automatically. An easy way to get programs downloaded to your computer or iPod to listen to and/or watch at your leisure.

# 20 YouTube

This is the first time I have browsed YouTube. I have searched for certain videos when I hear about them but have not explored. What a hoot! I put in the word "library" and got a number of videos. While browsing through them, I came across one that was a Library Musical. A young guy who was seemingly studying in the library suddenly started to sing, got up and performed as if in a musical. A young lady joined him, they sang together, did a little dance then ended the song and left. The looks from the patrons were hysterical. This led to more and more spontaneous musical numbers in weird places - food court ("Can I get a napkin, please?").
I explored the CONTESTS and ran across a Kraft video that demonstrates how to prepare various dishes. I entered search words COOKING CLASSES and brought up lots of videos on preparing dishes. The teacher who teachs foods class might be able to use some of these.
Teachers have used bits of a news program or other program to illustrate a point.
Of course, teachers aren't able to download the videos so they would have to show them live streaming which could be problematic.

#19 Web 2.0 tools

Web 2.0 tools are web sites that allow some form of social networking and attempt to involve the web user, not just the web designer. Instead of the web providing information, entertainment and online stores, now web designers are building web sites that provide the capacity for web users to interact with other web users. Web users are involved in the information on the web site. Web users can communicate with others in the whole world who are interested in the topic. The web sites are much more complex than mere chat rooms used to be. Many different features on the web sites allow web users to configure their account page to suit their needs.
I looked at Library Thing for awhile. I set up an account but haven't done anything with it. Great resource for reviews, recommendations, keeping track of the books you read. Professional reviews of books are fine but reviews, criticisms, recommendations from normal folks who are reading the book is much better. Also I really like the feature that lists other books you might enjoy if you enjoy X book.

#18 Web-based applications

This is a fantastic tool! Like all of the rest of the 23 things, it is web-based which frees you up from being tied to particular software and allows you to do sophisticated wordprocessing, spreadsheets, etc. from any computer with Internet access. All of the features that Microsoft Word has - font, page setup options, bold/italics/underline, insert web link, image, HTML, table, etc. It appears to have all of the normal features plus perhaps some more - emoticons, add comments feature, strikethrough, tables, pictures, special characters. I couldn't figure out how to upload it to my blog, however.

#17 PBWIKI

I set up a PBWIKI for FreshmanSeminar committee. I don't know if I will actually use it but I would like to set it up anyway and play with the features. I tried to find Rocky Mountain 23 Things Wiki but don't have a clue how to find this. I looked at a couple of WIKIS for education - the Book Lovers Wiki looked rather interesting. I tried to join but I guess I have to be invited. I will try later to see how to get invited.