Thing 9

Before I break any more copyright laws, this photo is courtesy of Flickr: A. Diez Herrero. It has some rights reserved. Honestly, if I've got to go to this much trouble to use photos or materials from the web, I would just as soon NOT use the photos or materials!
I suppose I am so unobservant that I did not notice any "cc" on websites, and since I didn't even notice, I did not wonder what it meant. I am now hoping that teachers who do internet-based projects with their students know all about Creative Commons and copyright laws because this will definitely impact student projects. Students will have to be able to take what they find on the net and add value to it before they can publish to the web. And knowing whether or not value has been added to someone else's work is so subjective! I know now that I will be extremely cautious in what I bring from the web into my own presentations!
Since this is my first experience with Web 2.0, I haven't used any video or audio clips from the web. I have, however, used some photos from Flickr and another location before I knew about copyrights and such. I thought that if it appeared on the web, it was public domain! I guess I'm in a lot of trouble!
Coming from a Web 1.0 background, the only thing I've ever shared is a URL!
I'd like to think that I own the materials I produce, but as I'm finding out, I probably don't! As a retired teacher, many of the lessons I prepared for my students came from the ideas of others. I took those ideas and expanded/edited/modified/adapted them for my specific needs. Do those lessons now belong to me or do I share/own them with others? I have no clue from where most of these ideas came! Can I now share my lessons with others without fear of copyright infringement? This "Thing" has opened up more questions than it has answered!

Thing 7

As Elmer Fudd would say, "I weally wove wikis!" My first experience with wikis was this school year. I was introduced to the Barrow County Schools middle school math resources wiki that the math teachers would be using to post lessons/activities/skillbuilders/etc. The site is protected so that only members can edit the pages. Before this lesson, I did not really understand the operations of this wiki, or any wiki for that matter. I somehow joined a 7th grade math wiki because I received an invitation. Now I know what that means! Since then, I have subscribed to the feeds of both these wikis and am joining the Barrow County wiki. I hope to be uploading math activities as I find/create them so that all middle school math teachers in the county can make use of them if they so choose. That's why I'm here.
Okay, back to the original questions. From the list of wikis Caroline provided, I chose the ones that had something to do with math. Primary math was just darling! The most awesome thing about this site is the way classrooms from around the world can participate! And it was so easy to follow! The kindergarten counting book was just as precious but not as interactive. There were a few discussion posts, but I guess the content is rather simplistic for much else. I was impressed with Math 12V Outcomes Portfolio. Mr. Lee says, "the objective of this project is to create an electronic portfolio that clearly and concisely explains these outcomes and connects each outcome with a sample problem. By using a wiki located on the world wide web, students can collaborate to develop these explanations and then share them with each other." I looked at several of the students' explanations, but the important parts to me were Mr. Lee's responses to his students' work and how students can learn from each other! How awesome is that? I also visited the TeachersFirst wiki and will certainly go back and read more carefully this content about setting up and protecting wikis.
Right now, I don't know what I would do differently or how I would make these wikis better. I need more exposure to and experience with wikis. I'll have to get back to you on that.

Thing 6

Wow! All I can say is "Wow!" I love having the ability to access my bookmarks from any internet-capable computer! Wow! I also love searching by tags! Wow! Talk about making a search more productive! Talk about having others help! Wow! Diigo makes it easier for me to locate/develop math activities and save what I find, whether at home, work, anywhere! Wow! Can you tell I'm excited? I'm sure that, as time goes on, I will have bookmarked everything pertaining to middle school math! Want to see what's going on? Here you go! https://secure.diigo.com/user/pgilreath Oops! No more time to blab, I mean blog! I've got more sites to locate and bookmark!

Thing 5a

I'm so dizzy! My head is spinning! I've been skimming and scanning on my reader. Caroline is right! You really do have to practice this skill! It's getting easier, though!
I finally found a site I like for math, http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/. Who would think that exemplary resources for middle school math would be found at a science site? Anyway, I found lots of links to math activities that I can use to assist our teachers and lots of articles on teaching math. One of the first articles I read was about writing in the math classroom, http://www.mathwire.com/writing/writing1.html. With this article were also further links, one of which was written by Marilyn Burns, my indirect mentor. Oftentimes, math teachers do not like to write or have their students write, but to truly understand mathematical concepts, students need to talk and write about them. Burns quotes William Zinsser, who states: "Writing is how we think our way into a subject and make it our own." When children write in math class, they have to revisit their thinking and reflect on their ideas. And student writing gives teachers a way to assess how their students are thinking and what they understand (Writing to Learn, Harper, 1993). If we, as math teachers, can get over the thought that math is only about numbers, we open our students up to greater and deeper understandings of mathematics. Writing does not have to be long and tedious. Simple, written explanations that take less than 2 minutes may be all that is needed to help students make mathematical concepts their own.
There was also a link to an article on math games, http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/middle-school-math-science/2008/10/27/lets-talk-teaching-games-in-math-class/, with more links to the game sites. Even though students may not have access to a computer as often as we would like, I can sometimes use the ideas in the games to create manipulatives for use in the class without using a computer.
I could go on and on, but I bet you're not as interested in math as I am!

Thing 3

I have discovered that I can read ALL DAY and not realize that time has gone by!
One particular article from Free Technology for Teachers caught my eye, "30+ Alternatives to YouTube". Since YouTube is blocked by our school system, this alternative has a myriad of resources you can use instead. All kinds of links are available at this site, from the History and Discovery Channels to C-span to Math-a-Tube to you can just about name it! I can't wait until Fall break so I can check out all the links, especially the math ones!
And this is just one article!
I've been complaining lately about how long it takes me to find some really great standards-based, hands-on math activities. I just didn't know where to look! Thanks for the 23 Things class, Caroline!

Thing 2

After reading eight blog posts from our reading list (I couldn't seem to stop), I am amazed at the interaction between authors and readers! Some authors write about their thoughts and opinions while others refer to some type of research. It's all very personal! Reading these blogs is like reading someone's diary! And being able to comment on what the author is thinking/feeling! Books, both fictional and non-fictional, now seem so one-sided, so one-dimensional. Still, both forms, blogs and books, can be thought-provoking, pleasurable, and/or provide us with knowledge for a myriad of things.
I've noticed that some bloggers are concerned with proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation while others just seem to want to get their point across. There doesn't really seem to be any "style", just giving opinions, ideas, etc., but what does a math and science teacher know about types of writing? Postings and comments seem to be very informal, and, well, comfortable!
It's interesting to see, as I read these blogs, how some readers perceive certain blogs. Upon reading the comments made in response to their blogs, the authors can then see how their thoughts are being misconstrued AND can (somewhat) immediately clear up these misconceptions. It's also interesting to see how comments can lead a blog in a certain direction, how they expand the ideas set forth, and how they inspire others to engage in the "dialogue".
Since I tend to see things from a math perspective, I am somewhat limited in how I see the usefulness of blogging. I can certainly see math teachers and students bantering back and forth about solutions to problems, algorithms, etc. I can see math teachers discussing ways to teach particular skills. I can see math teachers and students challenging and validating each others' ideas and beliefs. I'm not sure I see other ways that blogging can benefit the math community. I am sure that someone will post a comment to expand my thinking, though!

Thing 1B

I just read the article, A Day In The Life Of Web 2.0, by David Warlick. As I sit here with my jaw dropped open to my belly button, I'm thinking "where have I been?". What great tools we have at our fingertips (pun intended), but we're not using them to our full advantage. As a math consultant, there are a myriad of ways I could be communicating with math teachers! I could create videos of exemplary math teachers facilitating activities with their students so that other teachers will feel competent in facilitating activities in their own classrooms. We could share ideas about practices that are best for our students' learning of math. We could develop our own activities collaboratively without ever meeting! If we are going to make great strides in math achievement, we must search and collaborate! What a fantastic way to all get on the "same page". And I thought e-mail was great!
I am so thankful that I stumbled upon this class and was allowed to join, even though I am no longer in the classroom. Who knows? I may return!
Photo from Flickr: Pipe

Thing 1A

I am just nuts about math! Hence, I am currently working with the math teachers at WBMS to improve our math scores on the CRCT. I taught mostly math and science at WBMS for 27 years. Before that, I taught science at Jefferson City Schools. I retired at the end of the 2007-2008 school year with a year and a half of sick leave so I have 30.5 years experience. When I applied for retirement my mother was ill and I wanted to spend more time with her, but she passed away before I retired. I decided to retire anyway, and I'm glad I did! I needed a longer break than just summer! Now, I am a contracted math consultant working 2 days a week with some really great teachers!
I am taking this course because I am an ignorant dunce when it comes to the internet! I am hoping to learn EVERYTHING, or at least 23 things, about the net to make improving math scores a reality.
By the way, my image is from www.coolmath-games.com, but I don't know how to link yet.