Here is Mitch Albom being interviewed by Channel 2 about the orphanage in Haitit. What the plan is and what they are asking for.

Interactive Art Sites

If you like to find interactive sites that are usable for students and adults, check out my link on the right. The NGA has more than 15 interactive art based games to play. Check them out with your kid or just enjoy. This is a very safe site for all ages.

:^) Peace

Donations for Tiny Haiti Houses

The Tiny Haiti House project has really taken off. The students at both of my schools have supported the idea and participated in the creation and the purchase/donation for them. At Schoolcraft Elementary we have hit our goal and will end our sale this Friday. It is estimated that we will near $700 in donations. YES! Way to go Schoolcraft students, I'm so proud of you!

The Student Council of Waterford Village has also achieved their goal. The last day of the sale has been set and will be final on March 11th at Family Learning Night. I expect that Village will also exceed the set goal and acquire a comparable amount of donations. These donations from the heart of elementary school students are being ear-marked to help rebuild an orphanage in Haiti through Mitch Albom's foundation. I feel confident that kids helping kids is a step in the right direction.

Peace~

Thing 23 the final of this series.....

Whoa! what a journey it has been and I'm glad to have done it, even in the middle of creating a fundraiser for the children of Haiti.

Many of the items we explored in 23 Things I have used before or are currently using. I think the most useful tool has been how to find blogs of interest, where to store them for reading, and how to create my own blog. Now, I'm not so sure anyone will ever ready my blog unless I post it on several of the listservs I am a part of or post it on the education-social sharing network I belong to. Through this journey I can envision ways to utilize technology in my art classroom, my only problem is the limitations available in school. A technology lab that only has 15 working computers and in the classroom only one computer for the teacher, well a few upgrades in the tech department are going to have to come. Or, I just might have to do some fundraising to support what I see as necessary to bring technology into the art classroom.

I will never stop learning and the PLC's I have developed will keep me reading and exploring in the technology world. If not for that, well my 16 year old son is always showing me something new and a different way to solve a problem that I didn't think of.

The idea of creating a podcast, well I'm not sold on that only because I can see students creating a video to post or maybe I would. The wiki, it looks like the right place to create an online presence for a classroom that can have all the right accessibility for the administrator.

Overall, the journey has been swift and a good reminder what is out there to be utilized, and what might be on the way.

Thing 22

I did this once before and didn't have as much trouble as I did tonight. I think some of the trouble comes from having so many more options in the pbwiki program. It works like a power-user needs and right now I don't have a need for that much power. I liken it to using Picassa vs. Photoshop and I'm in the Picassa stage.

I also notice that I am beginning to really like the blog idea and yet it isn't the best option for student usage within the educational field. We have a need for more security when dealing with students. And still, I think using a blog might be the first place I post student work-very carefully and let parents know where to find their student works. Here I can or rather I know how to use it and so much of what I want.

The wiki site I created is Art4kids. This might just be the future of art from my elementary schools on line.

Thing 21

Ok, Wikis are another of my previous visits. I created one for the students of Hazel Park H.S. when I student taught. The problem can be who can access the site and who can leave messages on it. I like the idea of having a secure site and one that I choose what elements are utilized and what are not. With elementary students, I feel like I must be very careful with revealing their identity or where they are from. I have found a wiki like site that is secure called wiggio that might just be a good class site with many options.

Of course, the idea of a blog serves may purposes and might be the one that does not pose so many restrictions for the user and the viewer.

Thing 20

Throughout Thing 19 I searched and looked at the various sites while Carol Mayer from Wayne RESA talked about them. I had been familiar with what a podcast was yet I had not used it much, probably because I thought of it as a way to use an iPod. I'm glad to know that using the creative technology on a desktop is just as possible. Now, well, I joined the ranks of the iTouch generation. My purchase of this device was for two reasons but mainly for technology usage in my classroom, personal usage is not to be dismissed it just isn't the first thing I think of doing.

Now that I have a device that will allow me to download and be mobil, I think I will be using podcasts or vodcasts more. It still begs the question, will I become more like the kids and become sedentary while using this technology? Will I be so hooked like them? Will I look at this technology and seek ways to utilize it? In order to utilize it more, the bigger question is how do I get it in the hands of all my students? Heck, plenty of them don't have a computer and their parents hare having a rough time just making ends meet. How will our school district implement using this technology and integrate it into the curriculum? I can see the usage but, is there a way for all to use it?

The podcast that caught my eye and I subscribed to was Pencilmation, an animation cast. I was thinking that I might find a way to utilize animation with my students. As they grow through the visual arts, they need to know there are multiple ways to express themselves an a variety of animations could be a way to do it.

Many of the searches we went on in this journey are not new to me. I did find it useful to revisit a few. The one that we have not utilized here is a Google Advanced search. This little gem will bring up a host of material more specific and on target when utilized such as powerpoint and slide shows. Another search that many may not have access to are the data bases that universities subscribe to. Here one can find the 'deep' web relevant searches that do not come up on a Google, Yahoo, Bing, or MSN search.