Thing 22 – Planning Ahead

I find that I will miss the demand of 23 things. It’s easier for me to meet a challenging deadline than it is to make time for things I want to do. But I am glad that I am being asked to create a plan—I do have the capacity to create a plan and stick to it. (Sometimes, anyway…)

So here goes—

1. I have signed up for Web Junction and subscribed to the Crossroads newsletter. That will get me to look in at specific times.
2. I am already enjoying getting emails from the Ning sessions that I commented on. I plan to stop there when I have an occasional question or to see what people are talking about.
3. I have made “iGoogle” my home page, so that I check the feeds I subscribe to on a daily basis (at least). I also can check my Yahoo mail there with a widget and I subscribed to technology and education news sites so that I frequent updates.
4. I will be using many of the early tools on a regular basis. I have already used Flickr and Big Huge Labs for signs, I will be using them for a student project soon, and I will be exploring podcasts in the not too distant future. We will also be considering having our students use Blogger to correspond with our partner school in Israel, since Blogger is Hebrew capable. How cool is that?
5. Given that I am a former writing teacher, I think I will be able to make time for blogging. My only fear is that no one will read what I write. (That is what Site Meter has suggested lately.) Still, that never stopped me before. I may, however rename it or create a new one. If I do, I will put the link into my 23 things blog.
6. I will share with my fellow teachers. One of the best ways that I have discovered to sharpen and to retain my skills in any given area is to share what I have learned. I plan to offer opportunities for the teachers at my school to learn some of what I have learned during this course. They may not be sure at first, but…
7. I plan to teach students how to use some of the tools we have been exploring. I especially want to show them Google Docs and the power of Wikis, the value of using a Research project calculator, and the wisdom of using something like ELM.

I have benefited greatly from the experience of doing these things. I look forward to looking forward to Library 2.0 and counting!