Thing 18 - On-line Productivity Tools

I have known about Open Office for awhile. I don't have a personal use for this but I know several people that could benefit from Open Office. I also need to share this with students that may not have the Office Suite at home.

This would be great for people buying macs. Since Office for Mac costs over $100 this would be a great alternative.

Thing 17 - Rollyo

I saw some value in this one but it took me awhile to wrap and rollyo my mind around this one. I decided to visit some other player's blogs to see what insight I could learn. I created a Searchroll that I thought I could use in my Multimedia class. Upon testing it, I determined that it would not work the way I wanted it. So, I deleted it.

Upon playing around, I found a great Rollyo already created that I can use to solve some of my school/computer problems.

During the school year, I'll find a good time/place to come back to Rollyo.

Thing 16 - Wikis

Wikis are a great idea but you need to remember that there is a time and place for one. Since it becomes modifiable by all (unless set as private) so beware. At this time, I have an idea for a wiki for a personal use to collaborate the plans for a trip.

Thing 15 - Library 2.0

The video was quite interesting. I had my husband watch it and we discussed it. Initially, I was in favor of the students, wanting more technology and less human interaction and lecture. However, speech is the most important form of communication. As a mother, what did I encourage my young children to do - speak, ask questions and listen to me do the same. It is only after a strong background in speech can we become proficient in reading and writing (working with technology).

Question: Will colleges always teach through lectures? Could technology someday replace lectures COMPLETELY???!!! (I hope not - Am I too old and small-minded??)

Library 2.0 is doing a great job keeping the on-line library more accessible and up-to-date. What a difficult job! These guys MUST think outside the box!

Thing 14 - Technorati

I enjoyed watching the video of the employees at Technorati. It takes a special talent to think out of the box and create things like Technorati, del.icio.us, and all the Google applications. I still haven't found the niche to be big blogger but it's nice to know that Technorati is there if I need it. Tagging in del.icio.us is quite a helpful tool. I've shared del.icio.us with several other people and plan to teach my Multimedia students it's value.

Thing 13 del.icio.us

This is mighty tasty! The capability to see what others have tagged (on a similar topic) is powerful. It is easy to get hooked and spend HOURS doing "research". As a Tech Apps teacher, I will be able to do research on a topic from any computer and then view the information on my teaching computer. I think this should be taught to my Multimedia students.

Thing 11 - Library Thing

I think this website is really good and helpful. At this time, I don't think I'll get actively involved. I did not check out any of the groups.