32 Things

Welcome to the  32 Things

  An online learning program for the U-32 educational community

        This tutorial is brought to you by the U-32 Library Media Specialists working with the U-32 Technology Dept.   We have modified this program to be used for professional development technology training.         It is designed for you to do on your own or as a part of a group. We encourage anyone to form a group – teachers, associate staff, administrative assistants, or a single department within a school site.

On the following pages, you will encounter the tools of the new Internet: Web 2.0 tools that are bringing our kids in touch with the entire world through social networking, video, audio, and gaming sites. We encourage you to take time to explore and enjoy all the tools of this new Internet.

Read on! Registration occurs after you have completed the first three “Things.” For this tutorial, there are 32 Things for you to complete.

         Each Thing will show you one more web tool. There are many places for you to explore, experiment with, and think about creative ways to use 2.0 tools in here at WCSU.

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Tutorial Format:

         Each concept begins with a brief explanation of a new web 2.0 topic, followed by Discovery Exercises. These exercises give you the background you need to understand the tools you’re learning about. Don’t skip them! After the Discovery Exercises, you’ll find a Thing — activity — to complete. After each Thing you will write about the experience on the blog you will create. In other words, you will comment or “post” to your online log (Blog.) You will learn how to set up a blog shortly. This is a tool to communicate your thoughts, new found skills, ideas, questions, and favorite websites. You’ll receive feedback and encouragement from other participants. In turn, you will provide feedback and encouragement to others. It’s your space!

The links below will take you to each specific Thing.  Simply click on the linked word(s) to explore that topic.

Start Here
1. Please begin by reading this blog & find out about the program.

Blogging
2. Set up your own blog, add your first post, and add an avatar (a visual representation of yourself online.)
3.  Register your blog

Photos & Images
4. Explore Flickr and learn about this popular image hosting site.
5. Have some Flickr fun and discover some Flickr mashups & 3rd party sites.
6. Create a blog post about anything technology related that interests you.

RSS & Newsreaders
7.  Learn about RSS feeds and set up your own news feed reader.
8.  Take a look at librarything and catalog some of your books.
9. Locate a few useful school classroom or library related blogs and/or news feeds.

Social Networks
10. Explore Social Networks
11. Set up a Facebook or MySpace Page
12. Catch-up time.  Take a minute to check out the tools you haven’t had time to explore, or return to something you tried earlier but haven’t been back to.  Remember, learning can be fun.

Play
13. Play around with with an online image generator.
14.  Explore any site from the Web 2.0 awards list, play with it and write a blog post about your findings.
15.  Roll your own search tool with Rollyo.

Tagging, Folksonomies & Technorati
16.  Learn about tagging and discover Del.icio.us (a social bookmarking site)
17.  Explore Technorati and learn how tags work with blog posts.
18.  Copyright, Creative Commons, and What’s Coming Down the Road with Web 2.0.

Wikis
19.  Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways that educators are using them.
20.  Create a wiki for your class.

Online Applications & Tools
21.  Take a look at some online productivity (word processing, spreadsheet) tools.
22. Jing:  Snap a picture of anything on your deskto, record a video of what your see, save it, send it, use it!

Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio
23.  Discover YouTube and a few sites that allow users to upload and share videos.
24.  Discover the world of Podcasting

25. Disover some useful search tools for locating podcasts.
26.  Summarize your thoughts about this program on your blog and learn where to go from here.

The Vermont Online Library
27. Access thousands of full text periodicals, newspapers, images and more in this subscription U-32 site with the Vermont Online Library   (VOL).   If you access this from outside of U-32, you will need the password available from the U-32 Librarian.

Google takes over the world:
28. Google Earth – Google Earth combines the power of Google Search with satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D buildings to put the world’s geographic information at your fingertips.
29: Google Sketchup.   Google SketchUp is software that you can use to create, modify and share 3D models

Other items:
30: Second Life:  Second Life® is a 3-D virtual world created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by millions of Residents from around the globe.  Learn about Second Life and then explore it if you dare….it can become very habit forming.
31: web 2.0 Online Gradebooks
32: Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators.  This site is an incredibly valuable  for teachers.  Included are many web 2.0 sites for you to investigate.  Explore the site, find items that will help with your teaching and have fun.

32a: And as an added bonus, check out this list of practical web 2.0 uses for the classroom….(for teachers and students).

     Learning 2.0 is a discovery learning program created by Helene Blowers. Content and style for School Library Learning 2.0 and Classroom Learning 2.0 have been borrowed, manipulated  and duplicated at U-32 with permission, under a Creative Commons License.