Thing 23 The Journey Continues...

What does it all mean?

It means the world is changing at a rate that is hard to comprehend. What I do know is that this class was one of the best classes I've taken in a very long time..

How has your thinking changed between Thing 1 and Thing 23?

When I first started this class I had a pretty good idea or so I thought, of what web 2.0 applications meant. What I have learned is that what I knew just scratched the surface of this truly amazing network of very generous and incredibly diverse folks out there world wide who freely give their time, energy, ideas and creativity with the goal of sharing, trading and collaborating with others.

Has this program changed how you view the Internet or how view education in the digital world? What plans have you made for using these tools in and out of the classroom?

One of the great things about this class is the way it consolidated so many examples of how educators are using technology and it is really inspirational. This program gave me many ideas on how I could use wikis, (committee work, collaborative student writing projects, as an organizational tool), it has inspired me to get back to work on my library blogs, and I have learned it's not that intimidating to add RSS feeds, videos, podcasts (though I still need to learn more about creating them). One of the challenges of course will be to figure out how to get around the district filtering system.

How will you continue to learn about Web 2.0 tools? What are your big "take aways" from this experience?

I hope I can keep up with at least some of the blogs and podcasts I subscribed to. I have volunteered to be on the tech team at both my schools. We will be participating in a train the trainer program called Michigan Champions. It should be interesting and it's a good way to force myself to continue to use what I learned and continue to grow. Often we learn things in workshops and in-services but if you don't use it you loose it.

My take away from this experience is that the range and depth of educational resources made available through the web 2.0 network is very much worth the effort. Thanks Jacki and Carol!