More Things...

Well... I wasn't as successful at maintaining this blog in the face of changing demands on my time this school year, but it was such a positive experience for the first 23 Things, now there is an incentive to say a few "more things."

Stay tuned in, for more on my experiences and thoughts in the Web 2.0 world...

Election 2.0

As I drove down a local road this week, I noticed the yard signs of local candidates running for office beginning to emerge. Before long, I'm sure that it will be a rainbow of colors and names fighting to capture the eyes of all that journey down these roads. Signs for our presidential candidates have not yet appeared in my area, but I'm certain that it won't be long.

These signs and the television ads that are being broadcast across the airwaves seem to be the campaign tools of the past, and they may still be effective, but we are seeing the tools of the presidential campaign entering into the Web 2.0 era of the Internet. Here are just a few examples...

YouTube Debates (Of course, my favorite is the talking snowman---very clever!)
Candidate / Campaign blogs (I'm not sure who is doing the writing here...), Social Networking Pages (MySpace, Facebook, etc.), RSS Feeds, and more.....

So...how does Election 2.0 fit into the classroom? That is what I was left wondering...and PBS for Teachers was right on top of it!

PBS Vote: 2008
Primary or Secondary, this resource has the Web 2.0 spirit and has already done a bunch of the work in compiling classroom resources and creating lesson plans for primary and secondary schools. (They are always on top of things!)

You will definitely want to take a look at what is available in the Tools menu. This collection of links brings you to website where students can post their questions to lawmakers, post audio or video commentaries on the issues or candidates in the election, and use surveys to determine which candidates are most closely aligned with students' positions on the issues of the campaign.

I really like the "You Decide" tool - you are asked to take a position on a campaign issue, and then it plays devil's advocate, but my favorite was when I followed the link to NPR's Budget Hero. Budget Hero is an interactive activity that engages students in the budget decision-making process that our elected officials are faced with in Congress. And, did I mention that it is a widget? So it is an interactive tool that can be imbedded in my website! (That will keep the kids from wandering outside the school's website!!!!)

I tried putting the widget into this blog entry...but it didn't quite fit within my blog's formatting.

Play Budget Hero

Talking up Books with Book Trailers (Blogging Beyond 23 Things: The First Post!)

In one last push to get kids reading and books in their hands during the testing season, I scheduled some time to booktalk with a few classes - But I want to try something new!

Book Trailers!

Movie trailers for some of the summer movie blockbusters are starting to emerge on television, building anticipation and excitement for the upcoming movies. I think Book Trailers could do the same thing for books.

I first came across these brief book commercials several months ago. Now some of the features that I have explored with 23 Things on a Stick are starting to mesh together as I seek new and interesting ways to keep things fresh for students.

So, when I start promoting books with 7th and 8th graders this week, I am going to introduce a few books in this new format. Here are a few that I was able to find on YouTube and TeacherTube and might try using.

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

From RandomBooks on YouTube (Even publishers appear to be catching onto this one!)

Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix

From momsmeatloaf on TeacherTube

Maybe next year my students will be creating their own Book Trailers!