Reflections on a Journey

Well, we started at the beginning of the summer not knowing what to expect. As we come to the end, what have we learned? Well, I have learned that there is quite a bit of technology out there that I have not been using. I use lots of technology, but most of it is theatre specific. I need to reach out and utilize more that is out there! I know the kids are a great resource, but they are not the only resource. I want to have the kids make movies. I think they will have fun doing theatre in a new way. I am in the process of creating an 'Apps' list for my kids who have access to that information. I think they will have fun with that... I have... I know we all have to step up and not be intimidated by the technology that is out there. Take it one step at a time and we will all make it down the road to discovery!

The Journey of Tool #11

Digital Citizenship... New words for a new century. I hope to help my student by finding good sources in advance, showing them how to find good sites themselves and following up with them in finding multiple sources for their work... We have to use the Internet. It is too good a source to ignore. However, we all need to be able to navigate our way through without falling into pitfalls which will both slow us down and leave us exposed! (and not in a good way)

The Long Long Journey of Tool #7

So after many attempts and a new computer I believe I have successfully made the film and, if I can get it downloaded to this blog, I am golden! The movie I made stars my cats Mitch and Butler. I think they are cute! The uses for this in my classroom are too numerous to mention (and obvious). I look forward to using this with my student's performances!

The Journey of Tool #10

Tool 10 is about apps... I liked Tutor.com and myHomework apps. I like them because, as a theatre teacher, I am always worrying about my student's grades and ability to perform! Anything that will help! As for apps for my class, I was able to find several carpentry apps that could be used when building sets. They were all free and include a level, plumb, ruler, flashlight, protractor, ruler, and units convertor. All very handy! I actually purchased an Ipod, not for this assignment, but it was a factor. While I did not have what I would call a 'wow' moment I am now addicted to DoodleJump...

The Journey of Tool #9

Just as Dorothy made her journey to Oz, we are making our journey through the 11 Tools. Tool 9 deals with something that seems to make our road bigger. Much much bigger! We talk today about Jing and Skype. I can certainly see using Jing. I have often wanted to capture what is on my screen to show to someone who is not in the room. The kids could also use this in their presentations to the class and to help when working on group projects outside of the classroom. The map example they showed looks very cool for when I have to give my ComedySportz kids directions to other schools!

Skype is something I have wanted to know more about for quite some time. I have a few contacts who live and work out of state that I have wanted to have speak to my classes. This would allow me to do that! Very nice! I hope to use Skype this fall!

3 more to go!! Woot!!

The Journey of Tool #8

I know, I know... Before you get excited let me explain why we have jumped off the beaten path and skipped Tool #7. I realized that #7 would take quite a bit of time so we will come back to it at a later date (promise) so we can keep the momentum going! Plus Tool #8 is something I already use and know about! As a theatre teacher I use video clips often to show examples of good, and sometimes bad, work! It is also a way that I can show examples of productions and techniques that we don't have access to at school! One unit that I show video in is my puppetry unit. I like to show examples of different types of puppets from around the world. I have never used Hulu before, but I was able to find a clip from Sesame Street that I can use. I also found Sesame Street clips on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5lx_gsjm10. The next clip is about Shadow Puppets. It shows them in use as well as how they are made. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-1j_PntB1g Both are useful as puppet examples, but I like that one uses actor's voices and the other only uses music. I also like the kids to come in with examples from sites that they can share with the class!

The Journey of Tool #6 or Wiki World

Last weekend I went for MYP IB training and actually saw my first Wiki. Our teacher uses them and shared her site with us so that we could get and share ideas with her. I like to do small group projects with my classes, particularly my upper level history units. I can see how using wikis would aid the kids in collaborating their work and ideas with each other, particularly when not in my class. I believe that one of my groups last year actually did this on their own but I didn't understand at the time what they were doing. Nice to finally catch up!! I can also see this being useful in sharing with other theatre teachers around the district. Since I work alone at WAIS it would be nice to be able to work with other theatre teachers again a little more often than our district meetings!

The Journey of Tool #5

So we begin today's journey with the realization that our days are, quite literally, numbered... We really need to get moving down this Tool Road, so into the brink my friends. Tool #5 started as most of the tools have and ended up being quite fruitful! It deals with posting websites on a list for all to see. I actually really like the idea. I find that I am having to post more and more websites for my students to use for research and this is a great way for me to actually organize the sites into managable bites. I signed up for an account with Delicious.com and started searching for websites in the theatre area. I found several, but the two that I saved were http://www.TheatreHistory.com, a site for research, and http://www.monologuearchive.com, a really exciting find! This is a database of monologues broken down into various catagories. I know I will use this site on a regular basis! I realized that what makes this work is good tagging. I tried to use words that were logical and meaningful to me including acting, monologue, theatre history, and research. This is one tool that I can see myself using on a regular basis for both myself and my kids!

Tool #4 - A Google Journey

So today our journey takes us into Googleville (or Googlevania for those of you who are still into the vampire thing). I have used Google! I love Google! I use it to search for things on the net and for images! I have never used Google Doc or Google Reader. I get the Google Doc theory, and I can see using it, particularly with other teachers. I often send schedules out and need other people to confirm. This would allow those other people to make corrections on the spot. Cool! For reader I have set up the blogs I am following at http://www.google.com/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=wy&safe=on#stream/user%2F17562827974264453090%2Fstate%2Fcom.blogger%2Fblogger-following. I would like my kids to use this to follow blogs about theatre on a regular basis so they know what is going on in the theatre community!

The Journey of Tool #3

So I have found the Tool #3 Journey to be quite taxing... I liked looking at all the different sites where you can do picture stuff, but I found the uploading process difficult. Lets see if I have it this time! The first picture is from Image Chef. I can see using it to grab the class' attention with a new word or idea. I can also see them using it to spice up their own projects or essays.

The second image is from Comic Strip Generator. While I used it as a fun poke at Shakespeare, I can see the kids using it in their work or as possible storyboards for their scripts. I can really see my middle school kids having fun with this site!

In case anyone doing the 11 Tools is following my blog, I highly recommend saving the pictures to your computer then putting them onto your blog!! That is the only way I finally finished this leg of the journey!! Whew!

The Journey of Tool #2

So our journey through Tool #2 is taking us through the world of other blogs. It talks about how to use them and how to comment on them. I have blogged before, and I have recently been trying to find a 'fun' blog to follow just for myself (without much success, I might add). I am hoping that searching blogs on the Tools site might lead me to a site that both teaches and entertains. I have already found several that I may be able to use, at least professionally. We have been asked to respond to the following questions, so here goes!!
1. What are your thoughts about building an online education community and participating in a PLN? Well, I like the idea, particularly if I am able to hook up to other theatre educators. Certainly just communicating with other teachers is useful, but the theatre class is so different both in needs and demands that I have always found talking with other theatre teachers and professionals to be an invaluable tool.
2. What point stood out to you from the commenting advice? While I found all of them useful, the one that I need to work on the most is 'Don't be afraid to comment'. I do tent to be one of those blog readers that does not comment. It is odd for me to even read the comments of other readers. I have already commented on several of the blogs that I looked at during this lesson. I hope to make that a habit.
3. What 5 blogs did you select for your comments? I found the following blogs the most appealing: Weblogged, Free Technology for Teachers, iLearn Technology, Tech Paperless, and Langwitches. I believe I will be able to use information from all of these blogs in the future.

I hope this part of the journey will lead to new paths... Who knows?!

The Journey of Tool #1...

As I begin my journey, much like Dorothy, I begin at the beginning. While not a 'Yellow Brick Road", 'Tool #1' has certainly been an adventure... After several days (and nights) and multiple hours of navigating throughout multiple windows (both helpful and otherwise), I believe I have completed all the tasks. I can now say that, having actually read ALL of the instructions, I have a better understanding of what this journey may entail. I am having fun creating this blog and anticipate using it with my students in order to convey thoughts/ideas that we may or may not have gotten to in class. My level of concern for keeping up with the blog is rising as I type, but I hope that the process continues to bring a certain level of glee to the experience, therein helping the upkeep process something that I 'look forward to' rather than 'have to do'. I am pleased with the look of the page with the exception of the Avatar (although the fact that its name is the same as the film did make me happy AND I learned that the film title was not made up for the film... Who knew?!). That aside, I am happy that (I believe) I have at least taken the first few steps of the journey. I hope that I have done them with grace. And that I don't end up being attacked by Flying Monkeys.

The Journey Begins...

This is my first blog. It is the beginning of a journey. A journey of what you ask? I don't know. Really. I don't. What I do know is that as we take this journey into the abyss we will discover what the journey is about, or, if nothing else, at least what road our journey is on and hopefully where it leads. Life, after all, is a journey. Sometimes it is a pleasant jaunt through a forest with bunnies. Sometimes it is a murky slogging through a sad marsh of crying crocodiles. Whatever the case, it is a journey none the less, and I for one am looking forward to what the future holds.