1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
There are a few things about which I particularly enjoyed learning. Simple things like Wordle and Glogs are so quickly applicable to any classroom application. There might even be a way to incorporate either of those into an ActivBoard Flipchart. My students are already using Animotos but it was nice to learn Animoto has new formats available. I had fun using Voki to engage in a back-and-forth Voki chat with friends, something that would be fun for my students and easy enough to find ways to implement.
2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
The humbling aspect of the Library to Play programs, both this summer and last summer, was that I used to think I was fairly competent using the internet as a tool. As it turns out, I'm just a rookie, maybe ahead of many of my teaching peers, but still a rookie. I have an awareness of the speed at which the digital world is evolving and it will take continuous conscious effort to keep abreast of the techno evolution. I feel as if my skill set is greatly improved as I progressed through these courses and maybe now I know enough to be a danger to my computer. LOL
3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
The best take-a-ways were the Glogs, Wordle, Animoto, Bookr, and Voki apps. They were totally fun for me, easy for me to learn, and just as easy to help my students learn. Their application to curriculum limited only by the imagination of the users.
4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
A suggestion for improvement would be to offer grade-level options/components with some of the 'Things'. For instance, the Second Life application just seemed too extreme for my middle school students, it really was better suited for secondary and post-secondary learners. Keep the numbering structure in the existing sequence, the structure of the 'Things' is designed so the intensity level seems to ebb and flow, none of the highly involved apps are next to each other, but are sandwiched between easier apps. That works well. The only other strong suggestion I have is that this training, or some semblance of it needs to be a required teacher training for all teachers.
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