Another favorite blog...

Another favorite blog I keep up to date with is the Cool Cat Teacher Blog. While I do not know Vicki Davis personally, I mentioned her blog during a job interview with the GA Department of Education. We were discussing the variety of technology and I mentioned that I wish every school could have a Cool Cat Teacher blogger, my preference would be to have one in every grade in every school. She is a committed blogger and self described "teacher, entrepreneur, edublogger, conference presenter, freelance writer, an avid reader, and a technology "geek".

From Vicki's post (http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/) on 6/23/08 of sites that caught her eye: The 23 things is a fascinating way to teach teachers about these tools. Great resource for professional developers to look at. Check out http://k12learning20.wikispaces.com/23Things

From the K12 Learning 2.0: Tools for 21st Century Teaching & Learning "23 Things" wiki, "This self-guided online learning adventure is designed to provide classroom teachers and other school personnel with an introductory "What's out there?" exploration of some common tools and concepts related to Web 2.0"

I conducted some computer workshops at the local library using some of the "23 Things" in this self-guided online learning adventure. Check out 23 Things: http://k12learning20.wikispaces.com/

If you have never visited Vicki Davis' Cool Cat Teacher blog, check out her blog and the links to the many supplemental projects she has created or participates in: http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/

A little more research into the beginnings of "the 23 Things" took me to The Learning 2.0 (http://plcmcl2-about.blogspot.com/) program which was designed by Helene Blowers, PLCMC (Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County)Technology Director, with the support and assistance of several staff and is loosely based upon Stephen Abram's article, 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006) and the website 43Things.

The design of this online program was completely built on Web 2.0 technologies that are freely available on the Internet. These sites include: Blogger, Flickr, Odeo, YouTube, PBWiki & Bloglines.

From Learning 2.0 comes Learning 2.1 with more "Things" as the adventure continues in a Master List of items number 24 - 60 with Wikis, Facebook, Ning, Plaxo, Google Groups and many others: http://explorediscoverplay.blogspot.com/2007/02/adventure-continues.html

Great sites whether you are new to online tools or an old school computer geek that needs to verify a skill set. Have fun and enjoy the online learning process.