Friday, March 26, 2010

Thing 23

and then there were none . . .

While I was pleased to learn about the 23 Things project, when it was introduced, I had no idea I would enjoy it so much. I am sad to see it end.

I assumed that I would have the opportunity to explore and practice using new web tools, and I did. The real value for me, and the unexpected bonus, was that there were also opportunities to reflect on how and why we use the internet and how it is reshaping our lives and communities. The video about the internet from an anthropological point of view was really interesting in this regard. Who knew our tech hours could be spent in philosophical contemplation?

If we had the opportunity to participate in another project like this, I certainly would. I enjoyed the independence and flexibility of the program, since it is difficult for me to attend tech classes here at school. The project also allowed us to individualize our approach to the material, focusing on each new Thing in the way that made sense to us, based on our previous experience with that web tool and the ways we thought we might use it in our personal and professional lives. While we were working independently, it was helpful to be able to check in on other people's blogs to see what they were learning--this added a communal dimension to the project, if we chose to take advantage of it.

3 comments:

  1. I too was pleasantly surprised by this project. In general people engaged in individual Things on a deeper level than I thought they would. Go Sacred Heart!

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  2. The flexibility of the Things was/is really great. I really like you comment about how people can kind of take the things and make them their own. As I was working through Things I was think not only of ways of using them in my classroom, but also in my personal life. It was a great opportunity!

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  3. I too enjoyed the reflection piece. I am a reflective person, but to commit my reflection in writing helped me grow.

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