Thing Who?

As I close this chapter of my life, I look back on all the things I.... ok, hold on a second... I know I did somethin.... What was it now??? Ok, I remember somethin about how I made the avatar movie... No, that doesn't sound right :/ I think I remember writing my name in the snow.... or maybe I used some funny lookin letters from a rummage sale??? I definately remember learning to always finish what I sta.... no... To start what i can't fin..... no... To plan my work, and work my plan? nah.... All I know is, at the end of the game, I get a free snow cone.... (I'm gonna get grape!)

If not for God and humor, I would not survive....

Let's be realistic, I'm spent... I have a very fulfilling and involved life. I am a life long learner, but lately I've been overwhelmed...

R.I.P. Blog.... til we meet again :)

Thing #23

Woohoo! Made it to the end! Thing 23! Now I can...... wait, what's that? I'm not done? There's a 24th thing hiding somewhere? So, do I have to re-title my blog now? No? Alright then, it will just stay our little secret... :)

The 43 Things reference shows where the idea for this blog was taken from. I think creative commons is something I will start learning about more. As a musician, I already have original works in existence that I would like to have control over, and yet share with others. Brilliant idea. Wish I had thought of it....

Thing #22

So, Podcasts, huh? Seems like DVR for the radio. If you're one of those people who listen to talk radio... Despite being a music teacher, I must admit, I listen to NPR every time I drive. This does of course exclude the times my wife and I are riding together, because then it's her radio. :) I really don't mind, she has excellent taste in music. *tangent concluded*

The convenience factor of Podcasts is really off the charts. Although, the progression seems only natural. I choose when I want to eat, sleep, use the tinkle parlor.... Why shouldn't I get to choose when I listen to my radio programs? Sadly, choosing is where my involvement ends. I don't have time to listen to everything out there that might interest me...

I chose to listen to one of Florida College's Daily Chapel Podcasts. I got my undergraduate degree from this very small Christian school in Temple Terrace. They broadcast their chapel assemblies from every day. I actually know the guys in charge of putting this online, and they're so efficient at their job, I was already able to listen to the podcast from today. It was nice to reminisce. One of my favorite professors gave the talk, and then they had announcements that allowed me to hear two more familiar voices cracking jokes.

It would be great to listen to these everyday, but like I said, right now I really don't have the time....

Thing #21

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

I tried to choose pictures that were near and dear.... to my desk. There's a few pictures of My principal and I dancing during Honor Choir rehearsal. There's also some artwork that students have made for me that is proudly displayed on the wall in front of my desk. I even threw in a little love from some dead composers. The song is me and some people singing and goofin around.

As for Animoto, I suppose you get what you pay for. I know I rotated one of my pictures, but it wasn't right on the video. I have no idea where all the flips and fades came from, but I suppose it looks alright. Also, if there was a preview option, I didn't see it. Most people don't go straight from a rough draft to print, but oh well. :/ That's my heartbroken face, if you can picture it...

Overall, It's cute, and possibly worth looking into the pay version to see what else they can offer me.

Thing #20

Yeah, I've looked at stuff on Youtube for a while now. I think the site is a ton of fun. People get to publish themselves and see how others view them. There's some amazingly creative people out there, and it's a great way to share. There's lots of places where you can see video of TV shows. I think the best part of Youtube is how anyone can be published. I chose to post what I have cause it was me. :) It felt kind of like a cop-out to post someone else performing something, so I just decided to make my own video. Youtube walked me through it very precisely. They did everything but wipe my nose for me. It was really straight forward. Hope you like the songs!

Thing #19

"Here I go, here I go, here I go, again...."

Props to Amanda for catching the song reference :)

Teacher Pop seems like the same thing as Facebook, but obviously geared toward the common thread of teaching. You can post messages, pictures, video... yada yada.... Again, let me say, despite being a member of Facebook, I'm barely ever on it. If I make such little use of a generic way of keeping in touch with others, I have so much less room on my plate for such a specific venue.

I loaded my youtube video onto the page. I figure if I'm gonna draw attention to myself I would use that. In the info on the song I link my Acapella groups website. My goal is to send people there to be uplifted.

I also commented on some video of a kids science project being weighed or something? I was really hoping for an action shot, but whatever they were weighing layed lifelessly on the scale :/

I liked dales apologize parody video to that he linked...

Oh, and I checked out the last.fm link because it was under the music heading. It almost seemed like a dating sight that revolved around musical interests. At this point in my life, I'm not really interested in branching out to meet new women over the internet, so, color me uninterested.

Thing #18

Right, so... I didn't have to go look at these cause I already use them both. Of course, to be fair, I don't really log onto Myspace anymore.

So I suppose it's obvious which one I like better. I use Facebook pretty consistently. I am here. Although I could do a better job of keeping up with people. I think as far a being a professional in the work place, it has been drilled into me that future employers could be looking on sites like these, and that it's important to be careful what you put there. I think it's a great way to mantain casual relationships with people, however, I think there are much better, more professionally geared sites out there for classrom use.

I like being able to search for people based on the information they list about themselves. It's super easy to find people I went to High School or College with because of these features.

I (along with a few others) even have a Facebook Fan Club page that is devoted to a group I belong to. It's great for getting feedback, and communicating with a specific group of people.

What stands out to me as the biggest opposition to using Facebook and Myspace in schools is that they are banned by firewalls there...

Thing #17

The common craft guys link did not take me to a specific video, but all of them. I think the point was to see that they make instructional videos, but the "23 things" instructions said to watch "this" video, so I'm a little confuzzed...

Delicious seemed like it would be most useful to create a reading list that I wanted my students or others to look at. I tend to be on my own computer a lot so having bookmarks saved on the web isn't that special of a trick for me.

I thought it was interesting that Furl allows you to save how a page used to look if it's something that will change to be current at different times. It also lets you organize things by dates you marked them, which could be useful.

Magnolia seemed very similar to Delicious.

There are definately some practical uses here in communicating with others. However, a draw back I would have (may not apply to others) is that I would forget what category things belong to or what words I used to describe certain kinds of things. I don't always use the same word twice ;)

Thing #16

I chose to play with the Pageflakes start page. It had some useful sections already like weather, facebook and some youtube videos. It was super easy to take off the things I didn't want there. However, I really don't see myself using something like this. I usually don't get on Facebook much, but when I do, I want to look at the whole thing, not just a snip-it. Same goes for the weather. I'd rather go to a real weather site. I don't feel inconvenienced at all by having to type a few words and press enter a few times to go where I want to. I can wait the extra 10 seconds and not have clutter on my start page.

I made a to-do-list at Ta da list. I really don't think it's that useful because I have to be online to do it. If I think of something quick, I put it in my phone. Otherwise, I write actual notes to myself.

An online calendar would be just as useless to me for the same reasons. I have a school email account that updates my school calendar with pertinent information. I use my phone calendar for other things. Kiko no longer exists, Backpack you have to pay to use. I looked around the Yahoo Calendar site, but like I said, I have no use for it.

Sorry to be so negative, these tools just aren't for me. I suppose if someone liked putting their reminders online instead of having them at their desk whenever they need them, I would tell them about these sites. But I have no use for them.

Thing #15

I went into the sandbox wiki and commented on how I like to use Google documents. The two things seem to have some similarities. I like being able to work with others online on the same project. I think it's interesting that wiki's can be public and anyone can contribute. I'm not sure I would trust everyone, and i would probably constantly monitor wikis that I was a part of to ensure that everything was appropriate.

It would be possible to use this in a class setting, where students can submit information on an assignment. However, I think Google docs can accomplish the same things.

Thing #14

The two places I went to were Bubbl.us and Gliffy.

The first picture is of the Bubbl site. I enjoyed the ease of creating new bubbles to type in on the site. You press enter, it gives you a new subcategory. It seemed very straightforward and worked the way I thought it should.

The Gliffy site let you hand pick different shapes, which I suppose could be a plus to some people. However, this slowed the process down some. The symbols on both sites seemed to make sense with what they went to and I was able to navigate through making my diagrams pretty easily.

They really seemed like they could do the same things, so I don't understand calling one a flowchart and one a mind map.

This could be used in discussing relationships of different instruments. Categorizing different pieces of music, or even the life of a composer.

(10 points if you know what a didgeridoo is)

Thing #13

A close friend of mine and I do a lot of shows together. When we practice we write some things down and forget other things... A little while back we started using Google documents to create set lists, and keep track of different songs that each other would suggest. It was also great to write in chord progressions of songs that we may do differently than other people. I would use Zoho in the same way. This is a tentative set list for a show in Atlanta in a couple of weeks with my wife's cousin.

Zoho's features are very similar and have a lot of capabilities of a regular word document. I could see someone writing papers in it. However, I use a laptop and connect to multiple printers. And most importantly, this is my last semester, and I don't ever plan on writing another paper in my life... :)

Thing #12

I decided to look around Google Calendar. I mostly use my Blackjack phone to keep up with everything in my personal schedule...

However, I do see applications of this in other areas. My wife's family is very big. They have reunions and gatherings and spend a good deal of time together. I think this would work very well for them to have a place were people can post birthday's and the party's that go with them, trips, graduations, and other special announcements.

As an educator, I would chose to use this as a means to keep parents informed of concert dates and things of that nature. It would be an excellent place to post information about after school rehearsals for the musical or play that we were doing.

I like the communal properties of this tool, and how it can be accessed from any online computer.

Thing #11

I like Google Blog Search the best. I'm used to their format and feel comfortable navigating through their pages. Everything was categorized and I was able to find blogs that dealt with entertainment or politics as my own preferences led me to do.

I didn't enjoy the Topix page as much. It seemed very cluttered and I couldn't see my way through it very easily. There were all sorts of key words, but I couldn't find how they went together and what category they would belong in.

I think there's some good information out there on technology. I'm very interested in what's going to happen with the iphone and AT&T. However, that's usually a topic for one blog entry, not an entire site.

I found some linkings for RSS feeds on msn.com that I linked myself to. That's usually the site I go to see what's happening in the world. I like how it has a few article topics posted under varying subjects that I can see and click on easily.

For me, I don't think RSS is very useful. I don't make time to sit and read articles all the time, even if they are topics I'm interested in. I gain a lot of my real world knowledge from listening to NPR whenever I'm in the car. If I had time to sit on the computer and read all day, I would use it to do something else.

Just bein honest here...

Thing #10

I'm using Google Reader as my RSS. I kind of set it up already without even knowing I had. I like the ease of use. I'm a google fan. I've used them as my email and search engine of choice for a while now. I understand how to word things to make google find what I want it to.

I think it's a great idea to have the news come to you. I like to read the money articles on msn.com, however, they re-post articles sometimes and I don't like having to sift thru them. On the flip side, I like going out on the internet to find new things. I think this tool kind of makes you go the other way and stay in your little hole and wait for stuff to come to you. Some of my favorite articles are ones that I didn't plan on reading, but they caught my eye. Articles that I never would have seen because I didn't know to look for them.

I do see benifits for teachers like the senario mentioned of students updating and the instructor wanting to be notified of when they have, instead of having to search them all. A teacher could also create a class reader and subscribe them to readings that the teacher requires for them. In a way, their assignments would come to them.

Overall, I think this tool has specific pros and cons.

Thing #9

This phrase is really the theme of my entire music class. I have a banner in the room with this written on it. My principal told me I needed to pretty up my room and had a friend of hers create some artwork for me. I put it with a smiley face because I am generally a pretty smiley kinda person and I feel like this represents me well. :)

I'm not sure that it needs restating at this point, but just in case, the visual arts are not my forte. I'm not sure how I would incorporate these tools. Printing these off to post in my room would probably be too small. However, I could use some stuff like this to spice up a power point.

Thing #8

I really don't see many uses for this in my music classroom.

I could see using this for scrapbooking, if I did that...

My brother-in-law put together a slide show for his parents 50th wedding anniversary. And I think I remember seeing some visually creative things like this in it.

This just really isn't me. I don't pick out paint colors, or furniture designs, and I have virtually no fashion sense when it comes to clothes. I understand chord progressions and harmonization and how to make that sound good to others. I'm not saying I have no visual opinion. Only that I don't know that my views transfer seamlessly to what others would like.

I love being able to see other peoples pictures on Facebook, and giving them the option to peek into my life. However, that's only because I know them. I'm not scared of someone putting my head on another body... I just really don't know what interest someone who doesn't know me would have in my personal photos.

Thing #7

Flickr

So I clicked on the "beach" tag and saw a picture that looked like a tether ball. I know, I know, it's a lamp. The picture was smaller before I clicked on it. Don't judge me... Anyway, that made me want to find a picture of a tether ball (cause it's fun) so I typed that in. No tether balls to be found, something caught my eye.





This picture stood out as a little different. I couldn't quite tell at first what was so unique about what I was seeing, and then it hit me. The awning ends straight out over the water, and yet, there is a gutter along the edge to make it funnel down first.

Somebody named Mitch happened to catch this rare construction fopaux.

Thing #6

MOG
The Complete Music Solution

Those are their words, not mine, but they are actually very fitting. (hence my use of them) I chose a site from the list that dealt with music because that's what the voices in my head instructed me to do. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I am a music teacher...

I looked at a few different sites that made music available to people and decided on this one because it has the best features. There are plenty of forums that give you the ability to purchase music and give reviews on it, but this one has gone a step further.

The site actually lets you set up a blog to give your opinions (and comment on others opinions) about what is heard. There are articles that deal with the music industry, recommendations by the editor, and there's even presorted playlists that other users have created.

It's free to join, of course, you do have to pay if you want to download a song. However, this is standard, and I hardly see supporting an artist you like as a downside.

This site would work well for a music appreciation class. Students could log on, share their thoughts, and get feedback as well. Communication seemed to be MOG's focus and that's why I liked it the best.

(I also discovered I like hyperlinking things as well)

Thing #5

School 2.0 means to me that a lot of schools out there are gonna need funding to be able to keep up. I find it extremely ironic that much of society downplays the importance of the people that have the most influence on it, their teachers.

I also think that communication with others is a huge part of education. It's my biggest argument against homeschooling. Social interaction is one of the most important aspects of public school and one of the most unmentioned. I think it's great that there are so many more ways for students to get involved with each other, especially in different countries and cultures. I hope the future is filled with more diverse assignments that focus on the importance of being a person who learns and is able to contribute to society. It's especially important to steer clear of doing something just because someone, somewhere, decided it would be tested on. The future should provide motivation to educate oneself in useful endeavors.

Thing #4

Blogs allow people to publicly display their thoughts. It's a forum that lets you interact with an unlimited number of opinions. You have the opportunity to communicate with people that could be half way around the world, and yet have views that are the same as yours. It gives us a chance to see how small the world is at times.

I thought it was interesting that is was recommended to not try to comment on everything note that is left on your blog. I would feel somewhat obligated, yet it was suggested that it's not necessary. I also thought it was interesting that it was proposed that you should purposefully leave your blogs open ended and not cover every topic so that there is room for others to comment.

Sam's Blog
I chose to comment on Sam's blog because I related to something he said. He plays video games (as do I) and he preferred making a mii more than the avatar's for the blog. I agreed.

Debbie's Blog
I commented on Debbie's blog because I liked the way she tried to relate her avatar to herself. I enjoyed that she put a tux on her female avatar. :)

Carita's Blog
I commented on Carita's blog because I liked the look of her avatar. She chose to put it in a wedding dress based on her recent experience, and i like that she shared that with all of us.

Amanda's Blog
I commented on Amanda's blog because I enjoyed reading about how she likes to smile. I think her attitude will definitely rub off on her students and help create a great atmosphere for her to teach in.

Chad's Blog
I commented on Chad's blog because I could relate to his tendency to begin with the end in mind. I think that this is usually the best course of action.

Thayne and Erika's Blog
These are extremely close friends of mine that are currently living in Japan. I commented because I was curious what they did when faced with less than desirable foreign food.

Some Guy
I posted anonymously on this guy's blog because I have no desire to start up a random relationship with someone I don't know just because this course requires it. I congratulated Canada for their win in hockey because I really got into these Olympics and thought it was very fitting for Canada to win, despite preferring the gold to have come home to the U.S.

Thing #3

At times, I enjoy suggestions and constructive criticism. I could see myself creating a blog where I post my song choices for my choir and allow others to give their thoughts. I see it as a good way to communicate with parents and students alike about plans for the year and find out how they feel things are going. Students could also give their suggestions of songs that they would like to perform.

Thing #2

I experienced great pain in creating my blog and avatar... There's an evil splinter under my right thumb nail, and every time I press the space bar I startle my wife with shriek's of agony. However, the directions for assembling my avatar and blog were simple enough for me to follow.

I'm not really sure how I came up with the name for my blog. I was searching for something that really captured my essence, something that said "JERRY!" In my humble opinion, I think I nailed it...

I'm quite proud of my avatar because of how good looking he is. I really modeled him after what I aspire to be. I always do my best to scrunch my head down to make it appear as though I have no neck. I've also thought that a night cap really completes the professional look and usually wear one in my job interviews with my favorite green tie. The blue hair and glasses are just wishful thinking. I don't have the courage to die my hair. And I have yet to locate a pair of glasses that sit on my face at the perfect angle to be absolutely useless to my eyes.

Thing #1

Habit 1 (beginning with the end in mind) is something that is fairly easy for me to do. I think of myself as very logical and I tend to have a reason for the things that I do. I pick up a new interest because I have an end goal and a reason for learning about it. It's rare that i will take interest in something if I can't see at least some kind of lasting benefit.

However, Habit 6 (use technology to your advantage) is something I fight against. I am a creature of habit and tend to stick with what i know. I usually only find a new way of doing something when it's required, or my old path has been eliminated. I also don't always look for the newest ways of doing something because of how fast technology changes. I don't have time to keep up. I also enjoy staying behind the cost curve and buying products when they are still recent, but the initial appeal has gone down, and so has the price.