http://apbio126.ning.com/

Someday I may use this Ning with my AP class, but right now we're all too busy for another site to have to check.
I would start the year with it rather than add it in the middle of the year.

I have my students blogging in Moodle about what happens in class each day. We're still working out some "bugs", but so far this has really been helpful to students who are home sick or out for the day. The biggest problem is to help the students remember when it is their day to blog. Some of the blogs are so well written that they read like lesson plans and some are weaker.

Big 9-1 Blogging

I am experimenting this year with a blog in each of my classes. A student is assigned to each day and blogs a summary of what happened in class that day. I am using the blogging tool in Moodle. There have been some wonderful blogs by students who have practically written full lesson plans with example problems and encouragement to their peers. The main problem is getting the students to remember when it's their turn as they only blog every 28 days or so.

Thing 23

I have really enjoyed this process. I am so glad that I did this during the summer so that I could go off on those hour long tours of sites that took me off task. I also really enjoyed learning how to use the various "Things" in this course and could take my time to really learn what I was doing. I will definitely use many of the "things" that I learned during this course and I will share this with my students......I will probably share that I know how to do what they've been doing for some time!

I don't think that this class has changed my mind about what is important.....I know that I need to be (and want to be) technologically competent. This class has reinforced that conviction in my mind and has given me some new tools to use that will really help in my professional life.

I would even love to be ahead of the students and be able to introduce them to some of the wonderful educational tools in Web 2.0. So yes, I would be interested in the 23 Things Part 2 class!

Thing 22

Ok so it's easy to get lost in uTube for quite some time....... There are really some wonderful video clips on it that I use in my science class. Often though I find my videos from universities. I like to use video clips for demos which are too dangerous for me to do in the classroom or are too expensive for me to purchase.
I also love the animations which show biological processes and make them much more understandable. I show this video clip to my AP Bio students at the beginning of the year with the music http://www.studiodaily.com/main/technique/tprojects/6850.html It's really fun to watch and I assure them that they will understand the video by the end of the year. Toward the end of the year I play this version http://multimedia.mcb.harvard.edu/media.html which has a voice over identifying the parts and the process in the cell. The students are amazed at what they have learned after the second playing.
Honestly, I think that some of the video clips and the animations for science have really helped explain some very difficult concepts. They have also helped me to understand topics better so that I can explain them in a variety of ways.

Thing 21

I signed up for Twitter before I left for the NSTA (National Science Teacher's Association) meeting in New Orleans. They were going to be sending out Tweets about the meeting and updates while we were there. Of course I waited until just before I left and I made a mistake and had either checked a box or unchecked a box, so I didn't get the updates on my cell phone while I was at the meeting. Fortunately the other communication techniques worked well and I learned about the unscheduled appearance by Secretary of Education Duncan. When I got home I fixed the settings and now I get tweets from the NSTA.
I'm not sure about the value of Twitter for my use at this point. I did enjoy the presentation you (Ron) put on the 21st thing about Twitter. It gave me some other uses to think about. I really don't want more texts coming into my cell phone, but could use the Twitter site for more information. I do use facebook so I feel much other the social networking part of this is covered and I have the news feeds coming into my Google reader. I'm thinking that there could be information overload at some point. But, then again.......

Thing 20

http://delicious.com/janycehuff
This is going to help my productivity so much! I work on a laptop and a desktop at school and a Mac laptop and two desktops at home. It is going to take a while, but all of my favorites are going to go into delicious. Then it won't matter which computer I'm on when I want to find a website. I also used the notes section and didn't share sites that require a login. I put my login and password into the notes section. These are sites that won't spend my money or that I really need security for. These are some of the sites we've used in this class like the slides site and my yahoo account that I don't use often.
I currently have my Mac's favorites put into delicious and now I'm getting faster at adding the bookmarks. It will take me a while to get my school laptop favorites on but will really speed up my searching. I end up looking for the same website so many times and this will give me all that extra time!
After searching through the delicious bookmarks I'm wondering how much I will use Google now. I found so many of the sites I use and other great websites for my subject material. I'm really liking this!

Thing 19

Tags are becoming more and more important as there are so many websites that we use in school. It is a critical organizational system. It makes me think of a well labeled set of files in a file cabinet. It things are well labeled I can quickly find what I am looking for. The computer and the information stored on it are no different. A well organized computer and materials on the computer is much easier to use. One feature that I really like on my Mac is face recognition in the iPhoto program. I have my pictures organized by event and they can also be sorted by the person in the picture. The program does a good job of putting the right person under the correct face and then it asks if it's not sure. So these pictures get tagged by event and person. And the computer does most of the work. Yes I certainly do like tags.

Thing 18

I enjoyed looking through the various Ning groups. I did find Macul and some other education groups. I do like this tool as we used it this year when we couldn't get our district tech team together for a meeting and still wanted to discuss a pilot program for: 140

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EGR Ubiquitous Study

Studying the Power of 1:1 Computing in EGR

This became a convenient way to communicate about the topic. I would say that the downside of this communication piece for educators is that we really tend to be tied up teaching much of the day and while the tech staff can communicate more frequently, this really only works during non class time for teachers.

The other down side to all of this social networking, texting and even email is that a couple of elements of face-to-face communication is lost. Humor is sometimes intended and is not understood through these communication types. And the brainstorming that can go on if people are sitting together at a table and feeding ideas off each other can be lost. While I would hate to lose the team meetings, I believe that these social networking sites are probably the next best thing.

Thing 17

So unfair to put that fun Travel IQ game on this thing! It was a real distraction! Good thing I didn't have to teach the next day. I did have the self control to look through the web 2.0 winners first. I enjoyed looking at some of the sites that I've heard of but not used, like Craig's list and fixya. It was interesting to see that many of the sites are ones I use or that we've learned about in the class. I like Pandora, the google sites, picasso, facebook, twitter, the wiki sites and my husband has used linked in.

I'm not sure how many of them have applications to my classroom. But, I am always open to that. There are times that I am planning a lesson and one of these sites comes to mind as a good tool to use. That's one reason I'm so enjoying this class. It stimulates me to think about how to use the tools available on the net for educational purposes.

It was really interesting to see that when I went to farecast it has already been taken over by bing. One thing that is for sure is that the internet changes quickly.

Thing 16

OK, I was a bit surprised when I got to this "thing" and saw the TED video from Sir Ken Robinson which I had found and referenced when I was doing "thing 11". I was allowing myself to be distracted after watching a TED video on brain function. I found him to be engaging, funny and really in touch with the ways we curtail creativity in schools. This has been a huge concern of mine all during my teaching years. To prepare students to be successful in their working world we must encourage and support their creative attempts.

Creativity and collaboration are critical in most all professions. Unfortunately, sometimes these skills are not as encouraged in the school setting as they are in other professions. When teachers are asked to prepare all students to sit and perform well on a paper and pencil test, we have certainly tied the teachers' hands and the students' hands as well. I often tell my students that in my 11 years working as a microbiologist in quality control for the food and drug industries I only took one test. It was a test to certify me as a licensed pest control operator so that we could order our own chemicals to kill insects in our food plant.

Since I teach science, I am continually trying to get my students to think creatively. I do as many inquiry-based labs as I can and really encourage my students to perform the lab their way and to feel free to collaborate with their peers. It is always a real battle at the beginning of the year because the students want to do things "right". I am continually telling them that there are many ways to do science correctly. It takes them a while to learn that an experiment that "fails" can be the best learning experience of all.

Thing 15

I enjoyed looking through more of the podcasts. I'm not sure how many more I would use in my classroom. One type I might use is that of what employment is available for graduates in the science fields. It is a topic I have tried to present each year with the students, as they often have a limited idea of the types of work open to science graduates. There was a podcast regarding science careers, plus just having the students see the vast amount of podcast topics in the science arena will show them the great variety of careers available to them.

I liked the idea in the video of having the students look for podcasts. It is a different way to get students looking at different sites without having to watch them or have them write out a bibleography of sites they may have or have not actually read. I like this project because I would have them summarize the podcasts they found and this is a different type of research than they normally do. This wouldn't work every time but this would give them a nice healthy variety in what they are looking for. I also find when they have an assignment like this they find better and more interesting information than I would ever find.

It was an interesting question to ask if there would be any problems from our administration. I am so fortunate to work with a principal who is always on the lookout for creative teaching methods and ways to incorporate technology to enhance teaching and learning. I would not be at all concerned to try a new technique utilizing podcasts in our building.

Thing 14

I really enjoy podcasts, especially the video podcasts. When I am preparing to teach a topic in AP Biology where I need some other ideas on how to aproach the topic with high school students, I will often go to iTunes U and download a video lecture on the topic. After watching the video lecture I often had a new method for teaching the material or I understand the material in a much better way and I can share it with my students. I go to iTunes U and either choose by topic or by university presenting the material.

I also subscribe to NPR's science friday, discovery videos, and science channel videos. I do have other interests so many things on NPR are of interest to me. It is easier for me to go through iTunes but here is a website which will take you to NPR and then you can search for topics which are of interest to you. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106876617

Before we traveled to Italy this summer I also downloaded some Rick Stevens podcasts and video podcasts about the places we were going and got aquainted with the sights we would be seeing. It was even more fun to view the podcasts after we had visited to reinforce what I had seen and the facts and figures that went along with the sights.

My students' AP Biology text has a wonderful accompanying website and one of the features is mp3 downloads of some of the more difficult topics. They can download these podcasts and then listen to them while they are exercising, going for a walk or working on an art project, etc.

Thing 13 comments

This project took a long time, but not because the slide show took time. Having just returned from Italy, I decided to download my son's pictures, learn how to burn DVD's from my new HD video camera (which also takes stills while video taping-how in the world does it do that?!) and then put together thing 13. My only frustration was that I wanted to upload my own music and it appears as though the site limits to what it has. It was a really fun project and I'm not sure that I'll use it for school - but who ever knows about that.....I really enjoyed working on it with a few select pictures and may do some more of these.

Thing 13 slide show

Thing 12

The slideshare site was very interesting. I selected education as a topic and then the first slideshow I looked at was about wikis and the second was 108 slides about using web 2.0 in teaching. It was very interesting and had sites to go to: http://www.slideshare.net/zaid/using-elearning-to-facilitate-21st-century-learning . When I finished looking at it I was intrigued to see that the author is the E-learning manager for the International Medical University in Malaysia.
I can see using this site as a resource for things that I would like to learn more about and also for students looking for resources.
I also looked at several of the other productivity tools. Remember the Milk looked interesting, especially if I had an iPhone. I would have signed up for it if it would have texted me when I needed a reminder. I would like to begin using the Google calendar. I've had it recommended by several people, both for families trying to coordinate schedules and with my students for our schedule.

Thing 11

I'm sure that MS is getting worried about many new options. Google Docs is certainly one of those threats. Open Office is another. The really nice parts of Google Docs are the availability of the documents and the ability to collaborate. I taught journalism for two years (before the "highly qualified" requirements) and used Blackboard, which was free at the time. It made for easier editing, but it was not as easy as Goggle Docs. I think that any project which is a team effort should be using Goggle Docs. My students will sometimes work on projects together and then combine them. They inevitably have problems putting the project together or one is formatted differently or used a different version of Office. I'm going to have to help them learn to use Goggle Docs and show them the easier way.

*Off topic: I am certainly going through this course more slowly than usual as I'm allowing myself to become distracted. Last night I set up a delicious account - even though I wasn't certain what I was doing -but know that is coming up. I also visited TED which is dangerous as there are so many good presentations on it. I watched one on brain chemistry and then one on creativity in schools and how we don't allow for much. Very interesting-here's link: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Thing 10

Ok so it is time to try a wiki in another source than Moodle. I decided to invest the time in Mark Wagner's video. It was time well spent, because as I watched and listened to his presentation, I created my own wiki at www.EGRHSAPBIO.wikispaces.com It was great to just go along with him and go step by step. I often got ahead of him as the site really is intuitive. So I already have a wiki started for the Fall and will just add to it as we go through the year.
It was really easy to set up the wiki. I'm glad I used Wagner's video though as he went into some of the topics that I wouldn't have done in just setting up the wiki. The history feature is really important. The many ways to change the wiki were interesting and I used a few as he went through the process (I changed the name already!).
It's interesting to see that since he's done his video, wikispaces has already changed the way it looks and the way the settings look. It now uses words and icons whereas earlier it only had words with links. (Makes me wonder if we're becoming a more graphic oriented society.)

Thing 9 Wikis

Last night I looked at many of the educational wikis and then I started searching the wikis and blogs that are being used in scientific research. I had just heard on NPR yesterday that many researchers are now using these resources to communicate their work instead of waiting until it is completed and ready to publish. This was something that I had not looked into yet so I searched for the molecular biology wiki and there it was. Fascinating reading (of course it was limited as to who could add to it).
Then I started finding other wikis and another hour went by. At this point I decided that it was time to set up my wiki so I went to my AP Biology Moodle site as they have recently added wiki as an optional activity. I spent another hour trying to set up the wiki through Moodle and really got frustrated and went to bed. I would like to have a central course space but may have to link to the wiki through Moodle.
I really like the idea of my students sharing their knowledge as we cover topics in the AP Bio class. I can also see what is not clear to them as they write out their understanding of the various topics and interrelated topics in biology.

Thing 8 More RSS Feeds

I looked through the blog finding sites and found some interesting blogs. Quite honestly though I have some of my favorite site that have RSS feeds and it is easier to just sign on to them. I think that I may use a search when we are doing one of our more difficult topics in AP Biology or Honors Chemistry and I want to find out where the current research is. The search sites might facilitate finding blogs of research scientists.
I am planning to have my students in AP Biology blog or wiki next year through our Moodle site. One student will be assigned each day of the week to summarize what we did in class. This will allow for a good review for all students and will be an aid to the students who are absent. I may even try this in my chemistry class....I just have a lot more work to put into their moodle site.

Thing 7 RSS

I've been using RSS for a while since attending a MACUL conference 3 or 4 years ago. I have a Moodle site for my AP Biology students and have an RSS feed from Scientific American on it. I may change it after checking out some of the new feeds that I am finding during this course.
I see these RSS feeds as similar to the podcasts that I subscribe to. It is interesting to have information delivered to me instead of searching for it. Even our comcast homepage opens to the news of the day.
I do have to admit that there are times when I really still enjoy reading a good newspaper, like the NY Times. It may be that I often find myself reading something that I wouldn't have normally thought that I would find interesting.
(It is interesting, however, that I am more agreeable about reading material on the computer screen than many of my students who want to read from a book.)

Thing 6 Copyright

Ok, so this topic got me searching the web for other opinions regarding copyright and fair use. The article cited was interesting and my conclusion from it was that most anything on the internet falls under fair use for educational purposes. Other sites made very different claims. One site was fairly clear about what can be used and how it can be used. http://www.umuc.edu/library/copy.shtml is from the University of Maryland University College and is intended to assist students and faculty members. I'm not certain how much of its information is correct.

I did read from one lawyer's site that the copyright laws were written for printed material (books,etc) and that the internet has turned the copyright world upside down. I've been married to a lawyer for a long time and I know that the law changes with some regularity and that if you ask the same question of two different lawyers you will most probably get two somewhat different answers. It will probably take several years to determine what the case law is for internet copyright and by then the internet will probably have changed dramatically.

I am most comfortable when I give credit to sites and individuals' information that I find on the internet. I hope that covers the copyright laws.

Thing 5

It was interesting to look at all the options available from Flicker. I don't see me using very many of those options in my Chemistry or AP Biology classes. I have so many graphics I already use for showing processes such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration etc. that I don't think that pictures will be a lot of assistance to me.
I really enjoyed this cartoon maker though and I can see me using something like this to creat some short lab directions or homework assignments that might get the students' attention in a bit different way.

Thing 4

It was interesting looking at the Flicker site. I really enjoy taking my own pictures and we've been fortunate to travel to some very beautiful spots. This was a trip to Hawaii and I enjoy using some of my pictures at various times in my AP Biology class.

Thing 3

Lifelong learner

Easiest: Accept Responsibility for your own learning
I'm at the stage in my life when I really know this to be true. I worked in Quality Control out of college for 12 years. Fortunately, my first job taught me about all aspects of QC as it was for a pharmaceutical company which was building a new facility. After the year I worked there I was sure that I could do anything, so upon moving to GR I set up a QC department for a food processing plant (egg products). Of course I knew nothing about the laws regulating the food industry or eggs, etc. so I did a lot of self learning. The last QC job was with a medical device company. Just kept learning......

I spent the next segment of my life raising two sons. I believe that there is a lot to learn about parenting and during these years I took classes, read books and became involved in substance abuse prevention work.

After my sons were both in high school, I began substitute teaching and then working full time when my youngest was a Jr. I had to relearn a lot of science to teach it!

I share how I became an "eggs"pert with my students to both show them the variety of careers there are and also to encourage them to take responsibility for their own learning.

Hardest: Problems are Challenges
I know this is true, but in the classroom I have a real desire for things to go right. When I'm faced with a tech problem or even a problem in my science laboratory I know I should look at it as a learning opportunity. I just feel so pressed for time that problems can become frustrations for me instead of the challenges and learning opportunity they should be.

Thing 2

What makes a good blog?
Unless someone is very interested in the topic I don't think that lengthy paragraphs and long comments are of much interest to others.
We have become a "sound bite" society and we want our information fast and easily usable. I would see bullets as a method of conveying some information.
Honestly, a good blog contains information which interests the reader. Hence, a "good blog" means something different to each person.

How do blogs enhance existing web sites?

• Blogs allow websites to become interactive.
• Depending on the type of site, others can add important information.
• In education, teachers can share different techniques for teaching a variety of topics.
  

Are blogs an easier way for people to self-publish?

This blog was very easy to set up. My older son follows a Harvard Economics Professor's blog (http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/ )and is continually sharing his opinions on the economy with us. His work is obviously current in his blog and if we had to wait to read it until it was a published book the economy would be all recovered (hopefully!). Again, it is so easy to self publish that I think it is really important to teach students about credentials and how to do quality research.

I think that the videos remind me that teaching students information and facts only will not be of much value to them. It is critical that students learn how to think and evaluate information. They must also be able to take some facts and then use them to formulate new ideas. This has been obvious in science since I was in college many years ago. Science changes so rapidly that it is critical that students learn concepts and then how to use those concepts to self teach new knowledge. I am currently teaching material in my AP Biology class that was totally unknown when I was in college. My students often ask questions that we look up and find out that research in being done in those areas as the answers aren't available yet.

23 Things - The First Thing

I hope to learn some new ways to use the computer in my teaching during this course. I know that as I learn new things I can really get distracted and go on to different sites. I am hoping that this will improve my teaching and my students' learning.