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.