Seven Things You Don't Know About Me

Cathy Nelson tagged me to participate in this meme. This is a new experience. I've enjoyed reading the lists of others, but never thought I'd compose one of my own! So here goes!

1. As I finished high school and began to think about what I wanted to major in as I moved on to college, I thought--ok, 4th grade maybe--in the footsteps of my Grandmother, high school, possibly--middle school--NEVER! Well, I have enjoyed eating those words for 30 years! Never say Never!

2. Between college graduation and the beginning of the next school year I did my stint at the local McDonalds. After coming home late at night to the rest of my family asleep, smelling like fries and Big Macs(not pleasant outside the restaurant), having to shower and go to sleep without "winding down" with conversation after work, I decided that late night employment was not for me and I would do my best when I was able to start my "school job."

3. The outside of my car is not indicative of the inside. I try to keep the inside very neat and clean because the outside usually carries soil samples from our 1/2 mile driveway. You can tell what kind of weather we've had---mud means it has rained recently, dust means it has been dry. Oh, we do wash it regularly, but to no avail!

4. We have a flock of 12 turkeys who visit the back yard regularly and are becoming fairly tolerant of our comings and goings as they go about their own business.


5. The SCASL 2.0 experience has helped me to grow and experience new apps that I would not know of otherwise. (The part you don't know--) My hands shake each time I venture into a new app.---like now, for instance! :-) And one question--I know what it is--but what does meme mean?

6. Professionally speaking, a Destiny crash in September set our library system back to April 08 status. Step by step, inch by inch, we try to restore the database to a reliable state---but I don't know if the information in the database will accurately reflect the holdings in the collection.

7. At each school dance, play the CHA CHA Slide and the Cupid Shuffle, and I'm there--right amongst the middle schoolers! (Can't believe I admitted that!)

Tubin' for Education

Teacher Tube and You Tube---what a great resource for teaching Digital Natives! Even though there is that ever present filter that makes us use our creative juices to find a means to make use of the useful in spite of the filter. My exploration lead me to see why there is a need for the filter. My first visit to Teacher Tube found a video front and center that had been loaded only 22 minutes before. It concerned, let's say, graphic anatomy and biology with a very intellectual title, but didn't appear to be totally scientifically grounded. I saw the message to please flag questionable entries---but couldn't find the means to flag it without activating it. And it wasn't a post that I felt I needed to visit to prove that I didn't need to be there. I felt like the students to whom we tell----if you find something objectionable--click away quickly. I would have expected to possibly find such on You Tube and I was hoping that Teacher Tube would be a bit safer, but no. But after a bit of mindless wandering on You Tube and a visit to 70s commercials, I found the video that was used at Ed Tech, Pay Attention. I was able to e-mail it to myself. I plan to use it to share with my teachers to raise awareness of the need--no, necessity--to integrate technology and tools into the educational processes. On Teacher Tube I found Allsop's use of Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire and subsequent lesson plans and ideas. Each time I hear that song I think of how great that would be to incorporate into history and research. Well, it has been done and he is willing to share. Now I've just got to maneuver it to a useful place to promote it!
The immensity of You Tube and Teacher Tube is somewhat overwhelming for casual browsing unless you approach it with a specific need. I will definitely be referring to it over and over. I love the Common Craft lessons for explanations of everything 2.0, as well. Good stuff, good stuff!



http://www.mrallsophistory.com/fire.html

Success & Satisfaction

After being bummed out trying to master Thing#18---my confidence has been replenished with the exploration of Thing #19! The Library Thing serves an immediate purpose. WAY COOL! After playing with my own personal book list, I set up an account for my daughter, a sophomore early childhood major, who is currently taking Lit for the Young Child. She has started collecting titles so she was excited to discover this tool that will help her keep track of the titles she has and wants. And, the HTML loaded successfully! What an eclectic collection--with more to be added and lots of folks to share the list with AND to share this 2.0 tool with. Perseverance pays--eventually. Happy Thanksgiving all!

ZOHO

Thing 18 has caused me frustration to the point that I'm about ready to give up---but so far I haven't. I think I understand the premise that ZOHO is a free tool to use anywhere, as is Google tools. I am somewhat familiar with some of the Google tools, but I am just now understanding windows 2007 which was a surprise on my school laptop so I had to learn it --in addition to a new library system that was becoming familiar until a crash that set our entire district back to the point of its installation 6 months prior-- so relearn and reinstall recent and re-remove items that had been weeded and so consequently I think I am on learn & produce overload ( quite a run-on sentence, too). I understand if you leave (or have already left) this post at this point. This post is more of a vent for me to try to get my thoughts together. I really don't want to quit the 23 things--I think I'll skip #18 for a while---it just isn't sticking. Like a familiar quotation says, I can't do everything but I can do something---so I'm moving on to something else. I'm not happy to admit this frustration publicly, but I've got to put it in a box, tie it up and set it on the shelf. There, done. Now I'm moving on to Thing 19. I think I feel better now. I shall persevere.... And, that's why I call it Ramblin'.

Post on the SCASL Wiki

HAH! It worked. I think. I'm still not so sure. I am apprehensive that I will do something really boneheaded to mess up the SCASL wiki. What if I mess up somebody else's stuff? What if all disappears? Anxiety will eat me up one day! Although I couldn't use the [ ] to write the http---the "add a link " in the toolbar seemed to work. Like I said, I'm still hoping that I didn't mess it up. I think it is working. I was able to connect on click. Technological self-confidence is VERY slow in coming. Doubt lurks like a huge monster in the back of my head. I don't mind messing up my own stuff. I can delete and start over, or grin and try to bear it. But being involved in someone else's public display--- believe it or not, my hands are still slightly trembling after hitting that save button. Breathe deeply and keep going! Because I know that I feel like this after tackling and attempting a "technological feat," I do try to be very patient, encouraging, and compassionate while helping my fearful colleagues as they consent to explore and step out to try new things. Successful or not, we must persevere and find those who are "in the know" and are willing to help. So, if you see that I made a boo-boo or an out right goof---don't hesitate to bring it to my attention.....and that is why I call it ....Ramblin' :-&

Wiki

Lots of info from EdTech 08 and the cool info from the 23 Things ---I get wikis!! AND, I want to get wikis started for our teachers to use for collaborative projects, and for the students to use for collaborative projects, and for the library to use to promote students' favorite books, and for web resources, and the copyright wiki, and, and, and, the list goes on and on!! We will have a wiki world. Who would have thunk it? After so many years of putting out CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION about the use of wikipedia----and now here it is the HOT topic. My, how things evolve. Then there are all of the gadgets and widgets that go with the wiki to really jazz it up and make it a place where students and teachers want to take part. I think this may be the portal for pulling some of my reluctant 20th century learners and teachers into the ways of Web 2.0!

Technorati

Technorati is too vast! I couldn't decide where to start. I've discovered that I don't browse well if the area offers so much. I prefer a specific search. I do enjoy my RSS feeds where I have selected the blogs that I wish to follow. Usually they have been recommended by others whose opinions I value. (That would be the SCASL 2.0 wonderwomen and supermen!) While searching Learning 2.0, I found familiar names like David Warlick and Ewan that I have become familiar with in the SCASL2.0 quest. The blogger directory was less helpful. It was interesting, however, to find so many blogs representative of so many languages. I continue to broaden my horizons--one step at a time--but still moving forward.