Thing #24 of “23 Things”

Is It the End or Only the Beginning?

This is the most unexpected thing of all... Really, I did not expect thing 24 at all…

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I am back. The most important thing that I discovered working on this assignment is that there is more information out there that I can handle… and it is getting worse… or better, depending on how you look at it. I had a lot of fun doing this exercise and it gave me many ideas. I also think that my written English got much better... I never studied English before; I learned it by trial and error, by talking to my friends and my kids, with the help of MS Word and the internet!. My only hope is that I will find the time to continue to explore and use these ideas.

Let me answer each question separately:

• What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

My favorite exercise was creating “plug and play”, ready to go, easy to use and make websites which could potentially became useful tools when teaching my students. My favorite discovery was the wikis. I did know about how Wikipedia worked but never had the opportunity to make or work with a wiki. I see a lot of potentially good applications for wikis in the classroom.

• How has this program affected your lifelong learning goals?

It revived my interest in the internet and the things that I can do and learn from it.

• Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

Yes, thing 24 was much unexpected!

• What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

Just concentrate on the 23 Things instead of the many other assignments going parallel to this one. At least minimize the amount of assignments additional to the 23 Things and work more with the 23 Things. Let’s face it, many of us were teachers with a very limited amount of time. For example, there is no need (in my opinion) to write another paper with 1500 words or more. We did it in Assessment, in Models of Teaching and not to mention in Dr. Buttery’s class. There is no need to do anymore… really.

• How will what you have learned influence your practice as a teacher?

I want to use the same idea in the future with my students (2300 Things). But I would have to modify it greatly because I teach freshman in HS. By doing one thing at a time you end up doing a lot and not even realizing it, and that is important because it is easy to became discouraged when you see that you have to do a lot of stuff. APSU 23 Things presents one thing at a time and this way it is less intimidating.

• How do you plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0? Recommend a way that you have found to be useful.

In the thing about lifelong learners I said that I was bad planning. Let me say it this way: I plan to continue with the spirit that Dr. Wall has motivated in us… that is my plan… Not much of a plan I know, but a plan nevertheless.

Seriously, I decided to write the story of my life and post it on the internet. Hopefully, someone will read it and pay me millions to write a book… Ok, at least as a legacy for my family and since my family it is all over the world (Spain, Cuba, Miami, Bolivia etc) , the best way to reach all of them with pictures and text is with the internet. My old friends are even more spread out and they, being part of my life, could help me write it, if I use a wiki and a blog site.

Finally, thank you Dr. Wall for always having a smile for us (and an email answer for me!) and make this class instructive but yet fun. Perhaps I shouldn’t say this before I get my final grade since I could have to change my opinion… just kidding! No, really, people could think that I am saying this only to soften you up ah… Oh well, I am too old to worry about that. I really enjoy having you as a teacher… you inspire me!

Ridelto

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