Thing 23 I Made It!

How has my thinking changed between Thing 1 and Thinkg 23? Oh boy, that's a big question. I used to think I was something of a with it mom because I IM'd with my kids....that made me with it and in the know. Isn't that funny? I knew nothing. So I could IM...I didn't set it up, my son did. I didn't know how to find it, my son taught me over the phone no less. The other son, who makes his living in computers, would sometimes have to take over my computer from Lansing and fix what ever thing I had broken. Now I can muddle my way through and have some success on my own. More importantly, I now have tools that I know I can use in my classroom with my special needs students successfully. No longer are they limited to just playing learning games. While I will continue to use those games, because they are a very powerful motivational carrot for me to dangle, I will add the technology I've learned here. Already I have made a template for the trading cards titled My Favorite Thing in School. Most of the kids have already had their picture taken at their favorite place in school, doing their favorite thing. They have already written their stats and why this place is their favorite thing. All we have to do now is put the two together.

My big take away is this: I need to figure out a way/place to get a grant for my classroom to add a mini computer lab to my room. If I could have just 4 new classroom computers I could change the way I teach my kids. I would have them using the computer daily instead of on Wednesdays from 8:50 to 9:30 only. For now, we are going to be making books on line, writing on a blog, using the camera to enhance our learning, the list goes on and on and is only limited my my imagination and the kids limitations.

I have very much enjoyed reading everyone's blogs and seeing how they are thinking about the same things I have been learing. I did notice that many have stopped blogging and I hope that they somehow find the time to continue the Things.

I am hoping that we/I will be able to continue to access this 23 Things so that I can return again and again to repeat a lesson because I know I have missed many points the first time through. I think it's brain overload or TMI at the time.

I also plan to continue the blog, changing it to my classroom blog or a blog about my classroom since I think I'd like my classroom blog to be private to begin. I'm not sure I'm still processing how I will do that.

I have also started up a web page for my classroom. I am in the minority at my school but I plan to use if for the school year and see what my parents say about using it. Here is my very basic web site http://schoolcenter.fhps.us/mcintyre