Is it the End or Only the Beginning??

I feel so accomplished by finishing the 23 things. However, I thought it would take me much more time than it actually did. This proved to me that a lot of times, I overwhelm myself by just looking at an assignment that involves technology before I even attempt it. The 23 things project has really helped me to become more confident in my knowledge of technology and resources. I really liked all of the exercises on this learning journey. Some of my favorites included the organization tools and creativity tools. I definitely think what I have learned will influence my life as a teacher. I now have more resources and more ideas. I also have a network that I didn't have before. Just making the blog was huge for me because it is something that I had never even thought about. Now, I want to blog about everything! I plan to keep up with updates by keeping my blog and following other with the same type of blogs and interests. I always want to be up to date with teaching and teaching technology. I do think that this project will impact the effect I have on students in the future! 

Thing 23

I searched for information about Learning 2.0. I found that the original learning 2.0 program was a site designed to encourage staff members to explore new technology. Then, they got rewarded if they completed all 23 things. This is much like our list of 23 things. Ours has been modified for our class, and after completing the 23 things, we will be rewarded with an A! (hopefully)  ;)


The website for the original 2.0 has information on how to accurately duplicate and modify it without copyrighting. I found this to be very helpful. 


Original 2.0


In the future, I will use Creative Commons when I am presenting any information to my class. This starts good habits for not only myself but for the students also. 

Thing 22

I made 3 binders. The titles of my binders are APPS, IEP MEETINGS, and LESSON PLANS.

Lesson Plans

I would use all three of the binders I made in a classroom. These are very helpful. In a special education classroom, the less clutter you have the better! This is a way to have all the binders and organization you need on your computer. It makes things so much easier. This would be a good site to have students make their own homework binders on. This way, they can't say "I lost my homework" or "my dog ate it". They would each have their own binder. The teacher could upload worksheets to the homework binders. This would also save paper! (which I LOVE!!) 

Thing 21

Make a video of your own at Animoto.

I really enjoyed Animoto. I wish that you didn't have to pay to have more features, but what is free in this world? This was super easy to use. I made the video above in about 5 minutes. If my computer was faster, it would have been about 3 minutes. This will definitely be something I come back to in the future :)

Thing 20

The video above is a simple educational video from youtube about colors. The creator of this video (ELF Learning) has so many educational videos that I love! As we become teachers, we have to become aware of ways to keep our students' attention. At home, most kids have game systems, cell phones, computer, tv's, and so many more electronics. What makes you think that you will be able to keep a child's attention with just a lecture and traditional chalk board? I think youtube videos are a great way to keep their attention. It is such a fun way to learn. 
I like youtube a lot. However, I do not like how easy it is to find videos that are not appropriate. I feel that if youtube was permitted in the classroom, it would have to have major restrictions. I do think it is a very useful tool for teachers. 

Thing 19

I am a member of facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest and now TeacherPop. It amazed me of how little I knew of all the social networks out there. I like that there are networks devoted to certain areas of interest. All of the education networks were interesting to me. 

• Classroom 2.0 Ning
• Educational Networking
• Teacher Librarian Ning

I also found a few craft social networks that were interesting to me and I will most likely join. Another site that I found interesting was the tasty kitchen. It is likely that I will come back to several of these sites in the future. Several are very informational. I love the education sites because I am all about teacher networking! :)

Thing 18

Morgan's Facebook page

Morgan's Twitter Profile

Above, I have put links that will take you to both my facebook and my twitter profile. I think it is very important for educators to know how to use and access social networks. Almost every organization now has a facebook or a twitter or both. It helps with networking. Different people have different opinions about both of the sites. I, personally, like facebook better. I just recently made a twitter, and the main reason I made it was for networking among teachers in special education. Many teachers in special education use twitter to post information and experience that they have while teaching. This helps me to gain knowledge and stay "caught up" in the world of education. I really do like both sites. I like how both have options of keeping things completely private.  I dislike how some people abuse the sites with material that, in my opinion, doesn't need to be on the Internet. I feel that Facebook has the most useful features when it comes to education and educators. Many classrooms already use facebook along with organizations. Just by making this blog post, I became a member of the college of education facebook page. Both sites are very helpful in networking among teachers. 

Thing 17

I can see social bookmarking being used by teachers to form a teaching community. It makes it easy to research and find new and exciting ideas for your classroom. The Internet is a huge network which is why tags make it easy to find exactly what you are looking for. I also think that this can be very beneficial to students when they go to do research. Almost every update to the Internet or to websites is made to make finding information easier. Social bookmarking and tags are definitely ways to make research and organization much easier.