Thing 24...End or Beginning ?

I really enjoyed researching the many technological tools that are out there to use in classrooms.  There are many that I have never heard of or realized how they could be used in the Education World.  My 2 favorite Things I completed were Thing 21..Animoto and Thing 2...Creating an Avatar and Blog page.  These were the most fun to complete but every tool explored can be useful in the classroom or in our personal lives.  It has been a most interesting journey that's for sure!!:)

Thing 23...Be Responsible!!!

I searched 23 Things on the web and found numerous versions of this blog is so many places.  It is amazing that so many schools and organizations are participating in something like this. 
Now that I know about Creative Commons I plan to be a responsible researcher user and materials of which are not my own.  By using some one's pictures or artwork without asking or having permission is the same as stealing.  This should be taught to students when they start researching and using resource material so they understand how to do it responsibly.  By being a responsible example I will be showing them the correct and legal way to do things.

Thing 22...LiveBinders!!!

I chose to create a LiveBinder for Education: Common Core which consists of articles talking about how Common Core is being implemented and its effects.  I also put information in there that I myself have found over the last year.  I also found lesson plans that integrate Common Core targets as well.

The next LiveBinder I created is titled is General Education Tips.  This holds many lesson plans or assessment strategies that I uploaded.   This also has resources to use in the classroom such as letters to parents and weekly newsletters for students. This also contains articles by teachers on strategies and tips they found useful.
This a great resource to keep all of a subjects content organized.  By creating a LiveBinder you can keep artifacts to use forever and they are in one place. 

Thing 21...Animoto!!!

http://animoto.com/play/hy3in7LKpPfe1OACYZrpRw
This is my link to my video on Animoto.  I used pictures from our Disney trip in 2011 and I love the way it looked.  This was so cool to do.  All I did was upload the photos and select the them and music and VOILA!!! I really like this program.  This is so neat to let kids explore and be creative with pictures and templates.  This could be used to do end of year projects for parents or for school programs.  Most of the time you can do slide shows but this was so much easier. 

Thing 20...You Tube!!!

I have just discovered You Tube in the last couple of years and it is really a great site.  There is a lot of useless stuff on here, but some really great tools as well.  There are several teaching sites, one of which I have subscribed to called Maryland Learning Links.  This is one of their videos that I found very interesting on the subject of Inclusion.  Co-Teach 2011
I really like that I can type in mostly any educational topic and can find some very professional educational videos produced.  This is such a great tool to use for reflective practitioning, but also with your students.  Teachers can find content appropriate material for students using some of these videos in the classroom. This can act as an instruction using technology to keep all students interested.

Thing 19...Teacher Pop!!

I am now a member of Teacher Pop!! This is a really neat way to communicate with other teachers about current topics in education.   This a great way to discuss topics without the excess feed such as the ones found on Facebook.  Teachers can share strategies and new ideas to use in the classroom.  The only issue I have is the maintaining of this network.  There are some days when I do not get on Facebook so this may not be something I check daily.  But, regardless of how often someone checks this, it is still a great way to network with other educators.
I did find Teacher Librarian Ning interesting because it does have useful information that can be used in the classroom.  This enables teachers and other educators to communicate valuable strategies when teaching cross-curriculum lessons.  This site also shows ratings of literature that may be used in the classroom as well.  This could be very important information for teachers.
I am already a member of Good Reads and I use it all the time to find age appropriate literature for my children.  You can view ratings and information on what each book is about.  You can also form a discussion group that reflects on certain books that have been read without meeting face to face.

Thing 18...to Tweet or not to Tweet!!

I have had a Facebook account for some time, but until today I have never looked at Twitter.  Several of my friends have Twitter accounts and it does seem a little different in that people appear to constantly update their accounts for the behalf of their followers.   I originally set up a Facebook account to keep in touch with family members in other countries and states.  Now I see people using this to post recipes, decorating ideas, and informational websites.  The only issue I have with socializing sites is that you cannot control what other people post so the selection of your friends must be done responsibly.  I have several friends that are teachers or future teachers.  I enjoy seeing their posts on different ways they have decorated their classroom, lessons they have taught, or the updating of their educational journey.  This is a great way to keep in touch with colleagues, but also to share new ideas with other teachers.  Here is the link to my Facebook page.
Brooke's Facebook