Although I have complete 23 Things from Library2Play, I am not done! Now, I need to go back, relearn some of my favorite tools and incorporate them into my lessons. This experience has been a great one...I can't wait to share my experiences and new knowledge with my colleagues and principal! I thought I was pretty techno-savvy as I started this journey and boy did I eat a big piece of humble pie. I had no idea the wealth of information and technology tools that were out there. The crazy thing is that many of these "Things" were not intentionally created for educational purposes. This experience allowed me to stretch my imagination and look at different ways to see/teach/experience different ideas.
My favorite discoveries were mashups/3rd party sites (e.g. Mosaic Maker, Trading Card) from Thing #6. Also, after some real-life applications, I really love Delicious! It is so great to have a network of sites all in one spot so neatly organized. I will definitely be using this more. LibraryThing was pretty neat to. I had no idea that it would be so easy to use! It is another great resource for getting ideas about new and exciting books both for school and personal use.
It is so wonderful to know that:
1. These tools are free! So many people want money nowadays...it is nice to know that some things in life really are free.
2. They are so easy to use. The minds behind all of this thought of the everyday Joe when they created their products.
3. Anyone can access them...just a username and password and you are ready to go.
One thing I did not like was the fact that my district has most of this blocked. I have never tried (nor knew I could) "unblock" a site before. This is foreign territory to me. I understand the reasoning for filters, but something has to give!
There were some "Things" and some sites that were just to chaotic for me. In other words, there was an overload of information and links. While all of this can be helpful, I am the type of learner that likes things organized and concise. Too much fluff and I tend to tune things out. I get the main idea and move on.
This experience has been somewhat of a blur because I had to do it in 4 weeks. There is no way I explored and delved into these "Things" as much as I wanted to! I need to go back, find my favorites, and learn them again. But at least Library2Play will not go anywhere right?!
If I had the chance to do this again I would, but I would stretch out the time more. The amount of learning that I acquired is astounding!
In one word, this experience has been ENLIGHTENING!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment