Thing 23!!!!

Whew, Thing 23 feels like mile 25.2.* I can see the end, and I’ve got a last minute surge of energy to sprint to the finish line….but I am so, so tired.  This course has been a lot of work! Good, character building, educational work…but work nonetheless. I have learned quite a bit throughout these 23 things.
When I first started the class, I have to admit, I kind of viewed it as a way to get my PLUs and technology credits for the year. I figured I’d learn a few tricks or find an interesting website or two, but that was it. In the end, I learned MUCH more than I expected. (and yes, I feel a little sheepish about my initial thoughts)

I really liked the variety of tools that were introduced.  I have  several favorites that I plan to use in my classroom this year.  I will definitely be using a wikispace.  I like the idea of having my students make a classroom wiki to use as a review for the AP psych test.  This will 1) get THEM to take responsibility of THEIR learning and 2) will be a great way to build a comprehensive review for the course.

I also hope to continue a blog for my course.  I’m currently debating whether to use the blog as an interactive platform for the course, or whether to use it as a classroom-appropriate personal blog from which I encourage students to broaden their horizons and introduce them to interesting learning opportunities OUTSIDE of the classroom.

Hmmm…I also like some of the funny tools like blabberize.  That’ll be a great way to add some spice to a boring lecture!

I feel confident going into this school year equipped with my new bag of technology tools.  Whereas I’ve felt intimidated by the idea of incorporating technology into my classes in years past, this year I know that I can incorporate technology into the class without making it feel forced or artificial.  I’m excited to use what I’ve learned.  Thanks.

* Note:  I have never actually run a marathon.

Thing 7c: Science at Sea

One of the blogs that I follow on my google reader is Steve Spangler’s Science blog. Steve Spangler is a well known Science educator who is often on news programs and talk shows doing science demonstrations.
Anyway, his blog has caught my eye the past few days because he’s been posting about the 2009 Science at Sea adventure. Here is his latest post about their final day at sea.  Steve Spangler partnered with Carnival Cruises to offer a “learning science cruise,” so to speak.  The cruise traveled through the northern pacific for a week with scientists and naturalists onboard teaching about the habitats, marine science, etc.  Sounds wonderful.

There are so many educational opportunities that I am just not aware of.  I would have never even thought to “google” an experience like this, so I’m so glad that I’ve run across it.  What a great opportunity.   I plan on doing some online research to see what other similar experiences I can find.  My school awards a grant every year for a teacher to participate in a “nontraditional” educational program like this.  Who knows, maybe next year I’ll spend some time learning Science at Sea.

Thing 20: Google Docs

I really like the idea of Google docs. I like that a user/viewer doesn’t have to download a new file in order to view it. I like that you can make changes to files/presentations without having to get all of your viewers to “re-download”. I REALLY like the idea of a collaborative document (though this seems very similar to the idea of a wikis.
Anyway, in terms of using Google docs in the classroom, I definitely have some ideas. 1) I’d like to do my class syllabus on Google docs. That way I could make changes to the reading schedule as needed (as we will inevitably get off track in the classroom at some point).
2) I’ll likely use Google Docs for any project assignments that I give. That way the students can have easy access to the instructions and requirements, and I won’t have to hear “can I have another sheet? I lost mine”
3) I think that a good way to use a collaborative google Doc in the classroom would be to develop a class review sheet. The students could be assigned specific topics and could contribute their review information to one document that everyone in the class would have access to. (I would obviously moderate and correct any mis-information.)

Thing 22: Social Networking

I’m well aware of the social networking phenomenon as it applies to personal life. I’m embarrassed to admit that I once had a myspace page (YEARS ago). And I’m happy to admit that I now have a facebook account (facebook is rapidly becoming more popular among my generation – and even the generation before me – than it is for teenagers!) Anyway, I’ll also admit that I’d never thought about social networking in any sort of platform other than personal life.

Using social networking platforms in education makes total sense, though. Teachers across the country are networking about teaching strategies and resources, and within classrooms students are using similar networks to discuss schoolwork and classroom topics. I mean, it’s a format that our studnets are familiar with, right? So why not use it.

I found several interesting resources as I browsed through Education 2.0. I stumbled across a thread about the benefit vs worthlessness of powerpoint presentations in the classroom. I’ll spare you the details of the discussion, but it really made me think about my approach in the classroom. More importantly, it connected me to two great resources.

First, I found presentationzen – a blog about making effective presentations. This is a great resouces to get an idea of what works and what doesn’t in terms of lectures and presentations. Nice food for thought.

Second, and this is my favorite, I found TED. This nonprofit is devoted to “ideas worth spreading” (what a great phrase). The website is full of important “talks” by important people. Really great stuff. Reminds me that it’s not the information that’s going to captivate students, but the WAY I present that information. My favorite talk that I ran across was this one. Bonnie Bassler talks about bacteria for 20 minutes…and yet it’s fascinating!

Wow, I digress.  Needless to say, I think that social networking in education is a valuable tool that can introduce me to a lot of new, important resources.  And I plan to use it.

Thing 21: I like bananas with my pageflakes

I like the idea of pageflakes. It’s a great way to compile a lot of useful information. Our school website uses a platform that allows us to format our own class websites – but we are quite limited as to what we can include in our page. Pageflakes is a great way to not only spice things up a little bit, but also to tie in outside links, blogs, RSS feeds, etc. I could spend hours perusing all of the possible “flakes” on pageflakes. I’m pretty impressed by all that I found in a mere 20 minutes.  Here is my site so far.
I can definitely see possible uses for this in my classroom. As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, I’d like to incorporate a classroom blog as well as introduce my students to some of my favorite podcasts. Pageflakes will be the perfect resource to help organize all of these. I can simply used my pageflakes page as my class webpage, and then everything I want my students to see is in one central location. Impressive.
I also like the ideal of including a message board on my pageflakes page. That way students could post questions or comments and engage in discussions with their classmates. Food for thought.

Thing 19: ITube, YouTube, WeAllTube

I am very familiar with youtube. I’ve used it in my personal life for sheer entertainment and I’ve used it in my classroom for demonstrative videos. I find YouTube to be a mixed blessing. It IS nice to have access to clips and videos to be able to use in the classroom. However, the quality of video is often very poor, or the content isn’t exactly right, or there’s some inappropriate video that pops up at the end of whatever you’re showing. I’m glad to know about embedding videos, because that will eliminate the inappropriate menu/link factor.
I chose to search for videos of classic psychology experiments. The first video I found is a clip from an interview with psychologist Harry Harlow regarding his classic monkey experiment.

I found videos on YouTube of Milgram’s obediance study, Bandura’s BoBo doll study, and John Watson’s classic experiment on Little Albert. Each of these had multiple videos of varying quality and completeness. There were several that I could use in my classroom to reiterate the point of the experiment.
For my “how-to” video, I watched an instructional clip on how to sew on an applique. I’ve been decorating some baby onesies for my son, and this was a helpful instructional tool.
My fun video was a clip from a recent episode of So You Think You Can Dance, one of my favorite television shows. I found a clip of a particularly good dance performance and was able to rewatch it. (I’m sure that there are some copyright infringements by the user that posted the video).

I think that using appropriately placed video clips in the classroom is a VERY valuable tool. It helps to reiterate a point to students, to break up the monotony of a lecture, to present information in another method, and to bring interest to the information. I plan on using many video clips next year, and hope that I can use TeacherTube and youTube as valuable resources.

Thing 18: Making a Podcast

I’m having some internet issues today, so I’ve yet to successfully upload my podcast to the podcast-o-rama. I have, however, made my podcast using GarageBand (a program on our school laptops that I’ve been wanting to learn to use for a while). The process was quite easy. simply click and talk. Of course, when the microphone came on I was apt to stutter and forget what i was talking about…but that should improve with time.
I have a lot of ideas for using podcasts in the classroom. I think that I could easily make a short podcast to explain some of the tougher concepts in my class – that way students could listen to another explanation outside of the classroom. I also think that it’d be great for students to make informational podcasts as an assignment and then to compile them (assuming they’re decent) for a class review podcast-o-rama of my own.
In particular, I’d like to have my students make podcasts explaining/summarizing some of the classic experiments in psychology research. There is group of psych literature that is pretty core to the study, and it’d be nice for the students to have an awareness and understanding of this. As with any assignment, I’d have to get them to stretch so that I don’t end up with a bunch of recordings of verbatim reading from the textbook…but that, too, should improve with time.

Thing 17: Podcasts

I love NPR.  Seriously, I love it.  I rarely listen to any other station when I’m in the car, I listen to NPR when I jog, and I’ve even been known to lie on the couch with the radio on to listen to my favorite show.  Just like the old days (not that I was around in the old days).  My favorite parts of NPR are not the news programs, though these are important and highly informative, but rather the human interest programs.  Shows like This American Life and StoryCorps, or Between the lines and Fresh Air are the best part of my evening rides home.  So, needless to say, I chose to subscribe to several NPR podcasts.

I’ve really enjoyed being able to listen to my favorite shows at will.  Again, the convenience of podcasts is that I can listen on my schedule, rather than on the broadcasting schedule.  (Noticing a trend?  My favorite part of web 2.0 is the fact that I can do things on my own time.)

I didn’t just stick to my tried and true favorites, though.  I found several interesting podcasts on the Online Education Database ( I think that’s what OEDb stands for).  I looked only for lectures related to psychology and found several Psych 101 lectures, and also some interesting lectures on consciousness and the philosophy of justice.  Though these podcasts may not hold my interest during a 4 mile run, they deliver a lot of valuable information.

As always, I’m thinking about how I can incorporate podcasts into my classroom.  I’m sure that making podcasts can be a valuable tool, but I’ll save that for Thing 18.  As far as listening to podcasts in my classroom, I think that I just may introduce my studnets to some of my favorites.  One of my goals for next year  is to not only teach my students Psychology but to also broaden their horizons a little bit and to introduce them to some resources for lifelong learning.  I find that shows on NPR really increase my cultural awareness, my empathy, my openmindedness, and even my trivia knowlege.  I’d love to think that I could get a classroom of HS seniors interested in listening to Ira Glass’ This American Life.  Wouldn’t that be a nice break from “Gossip Girl” or “Rock of Love”?

Back Up – Thing 13

I actually WAS wearing my PJs when I attended the online K12 Conference.  I chose to watch Kicking it Up a Notch: Film School for Video Podcasters, which was basicallly a tutorial on video making for use in the classroom.  The presenter, Michael Needleman, gave some great info and ideas on how to make interesting and effective videos for the classroom and, more importantly, how to help students do the same thing.

I’m a total novice when it comes to making podcasts or videos other than the quick home movies that I shoot of my 10 month old crawling after the cats.  Needleman’s presentation did assume that the audience knew the basics of video/podcast making, so there were definitely some holes in my knowledge that need to be filled before I can venture into the podcasting world.  I see that we’ll be making podcasts soon in this course, so hopefully that’ll get me up to speed and enable me to use some of the great info that Needleman gave.

I really like the idea of having the students make their own videos to present information.  I have been hesitant to do this in my classroom because I was afraid of “glorified power point presentations”, as Needleman calls them.  This online presentation definitely gave me some great examples of “non-boring” movies that I could present to my students to spark their imaginations.  Now, I definitely don’t have any of the fancy equipment that Needleman endorsed, nor am I going to acquire any anytime soon, but I think that my students could make videos using their laptop cameras in order to accomplish this task.  While I wouldn’t make this activity a semester project for my Senior level students, it would be a fun way to break up the pressure of an AP course.

I did enjoy the online format of this “conference.”  I like being able to watch videos at times that are convenient for me.  Also, I feel like the online format is much more streamlined than real-time conferences.  A lot of the downtime and distractions are eliminated and viewers can quickly get to the heart of the information they’re after.

Thing 16: LibraryThing

LibraryThing was a fun distraction for about an hour as I searched and reminisced about some of the GREAT books that I’ve read over the years.  I was able to search through some suggestions and unsuggestions – and these were hit or miss.  I often found that the recommendations were based on simple content, rather than reviews or other factors (such as “people who liked this book also liked”).  I have a VERY eclectic taste in books, so the “unsuggestions” were not very helpful.  For example, the list said “If you like Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, you won’t like Confessions of a Shopaholic.”  Wrong.  I’ve read both, and liked both!  Sometimes I want a “thinker” and sometimes I just want a good beach blanket read.

I can see how Library thing might be somewhat helpful in the classroom if I am trying to get my kids to find read some supplemental books related to psychology, but short of that I don’t think I’d have much use for it in the classroom.  Personally, however, I hope to stumble across some new great books.