Quite a Journey

Often people (students and teachers alike) are surprised when I declare that I'm comfortable with technology. Maybe it's because I'm old. Well, not that old, but we Boomers sometimes get a "bad rap" when since we're not as tech-savvy as our younger counterparts. It's not that we're not smart enough to comprehend it all. It's just that we may not be interested. Just like what I hear from students: "make it fun and we'll do the work."

Which is what happened in this class. Of course, not all people will like all parts of what is presented, but this course"23 Things" was a really fun way to expand my repertoire of useful technical tools found on the Internet. Since I have my degree in English, my favorite tool was Library Thing. I would have my own classes create an account in the first week and periodically follow it, discovering new books to read. Also, Susan showed me the merits of Delicious.com, so that's another application I would use.

Knowledge is power and I love to learn new things. Besides, I like to shock kids with what an "old" person knows . I would love to take another class like this and discover new applications to furthur enhance my educational journey.

Podcasts

I, uh, listened to, uh, several, uh, podcasts and, uh most of them are, uh, really, uh boring!!! What's this with all the uhs? Isn't speech required in high school? It seems as though if a person is going to post a podcast, he should practice. The guy in the following podcast sucked the life out of what should be a merry activity. I thought it was going to be fun. Thanks.

http://odeo.com/episodes/23715830-CMN-CHIC154-Christmas-Cookie-Alternatives

Paul Potts

Every time I hear this, my heart flutters and I get goosebumps. I'm so happy for him and any other talent who is able to use his or her amazing ability with such humility. It's too bad that we all to often judge a person by his appearance instead of his fabulous gifts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxOytYLlhiQ

Netlibrary

I showed this to my husband and he said to be sure to put it in our favorites, so that we can look at it whenever we get a chance. I think it would be helpful to download these for some students' use to help with their reading. I also think it would enrich life for senoirs who can't see to read. Pretty cool.

New Idea--at least for me

OK, I admit it. I have reverted back to my old habit of clipping coupons from the Sunday paper. I can usually only use one or two each time I get groceries, but the last time I did I decided to do something, quite by accident. I was patiently (I know, right?) waiting while the checker scanned my items, and I spied a couple pads with $1 and $5 respectively on them with opportunitiies to give to hungry people. Just tear them off, and give them to the checker; she scans them and voila, you've given to charity. So, I decided to give whatever I saved by clipping coupons. Admittedly, it's not very much, but it's more than they had before. It's fairly painless, just a few minutes on a relaxing Sunday morning to clip the coupons. I don't get the savings, but I feel good giving it to someone who really needs it. Christmas really sparks the giving spirit.

Podcasts

After reviewing a couple podcast sites, I found odeo to be the most user-friendly. However, even though we were supposed to put an RSS feed on our blogs, I couldn't find a podcast that I would actually want to publish. Most of them were silly or just downright boring. Guess I'll have to investigate further.

Boo!

Since I love to travel I am always ready to peruse any travel site that might facillitate our travel arrangements. Boo.com seems to have it all: reviews, directions, restaurants nearby and photos. However, the photos are not as extensive or aesthetic as venere.com or even expedia. At first the site seems daunting, since it is filled with text. But have a little patience, you'll eventually get what you need.