Thing 23 ~ Reflect

...digital ethnography hypermedia anthropology...

Those were the tags for the del.icio.us hyperlink at 2.57 minutes of the video. When I first viewed the video, I thought that was a new field of study. Maybe it is. Maybe they are just tags. Maybe it is a combination.

Whatever way it is, it was an ah-ha moment for me. Anthropology. Of course! Who we are. Why we are the way we are. Those were things I wanted to know. Those were some of the Big Ideas that influenced my undergraduate study.

WOW! How does one begin to even conceptualize how to conceptualize how to begin?!

The video was illuminating (and fast paced to say the least!) and even a tad scary. Teaching the machine? Ooo...umm...maybe I've seen/read/heard of too many futuristic/distopia/sci fi things (and that's not all that many). Yikes! Minority Report seems benign in comparison to what I was thinking as the video progressed.

...digital ethnography hypermedia anthropology...

It's exciting. But, it also is a path to the unknown. That can be exciting and a bit scary.

How interesting to come full circle as I reflect on Newington's 23 Things. Complex Simplicity. To see just how much, I went back to see what I originally said about this experience and the name I chose. What I found was that, after our computer was fixed, I forgot to add my initial thoughts to that blog entry. Here they are.

The LONG Overdue Part 2 of Thing 2

I guess, technologically speaking, I was exceptionally busy starting in 2006! Every time I attempted to do something related to this lesson, I hit a hurdle. It was the same one: when I tried to create the necessary accounts, I kept getting the same error message. It was always some variation of: that username is unavailable. Umm…kdinfinities? Seriously? It took too long for me to realize it was unavailable because I already have those usernames on those websites! I created many of the accounts when I was in grad school.

Security…I’ve heard it is not a good idea to use the same password over and over again. Well, thank goodness I did not heed that warning. Capitalize a letter here, reverse the numbers there…just a few minor tweaks, and I figured out how to get into all of my old accounts. As if I wasn’t already skipping down memory lane, I got a jolt from my blogger.com profile. My maiden name!

Now, the Avatar aspect of Thing 2 was definitely new to me. How cool!!! I agree with other posts that the options could be sorted more effectively. I also wish I could add more pets or have some more flexibility with clothing, but overall, I’m impressed. What a neat way to personalize my blog without posting photos!

The title of my blog, “Complex Simplicity,” seems to encompass the myriad of experiences in my own life as well as in the classroom. I feel the title fits the complexity of seemingly simple concepts/tasks/etc as well as the discoveries of balance/closure/etc within the seemingly complex. For example, I was introduced to the Plain English videos during those Canter courses. Therefore applying the blogging element was simple, right. Yes. But…

…my mind tapped into the buzzing it was doing during those courses. Suddenly, I found myself thinking at a pace with which I could not keep up.

At the time, I was not entirely done with my thoughts. Yet, even now, for me, it extenuates my reflection from above...How interesting to come full circle as I reflect on Newington's 23 Things. Complex Simplicity.

Simply complex. Complexly simple. Simple complexity. Complex simplicity.

Instead of getting myself engulfed in that circular conundrum, allow me to jump right away to the big "take aways" from this experience. DON'T FORGET YOUR USERNAMES AND PASSWORDS! There were over 10 created (or reinstated) for this PD.

No, but really. My big take-aways are embedded throughout this blog. Some are too immense to even be limited to the word "big." My next step is to take another step. Then another and another. Throughout my explorations, experiments, excitement, and expirations, I will keep 23 Things in mind. I will also keep it at hand; I intend to reference these "Things" and refresh my memory when needed. In fact, I'll put the link right here. Cheers to me for "Us/ing" the machine.

http://newington23things.blogspot.com/

Thing 22 ~ Edit a Wiki

I edited the Newington 23 Wiki. Here is what I said.

I am ecstatic about wiki's. They seem more collaborative than blogs and more accessible than cloud computing. I can't stop my mind from POPPING out ideas! Here are just a few...For the technical information focus of "Reading for Life," I can have kids read and then create how-to manuals online.For any number of concepts, the kids could explain it to one another online. It would reinforce their own learning. It would also give them a place to get clarification for concepts that challenge them. I am unsure if I would start anew each year or see how subtly or dynamically students edit one another's text year to year.I also look forward to times my colleagues and I can use wikis as an effective way to communicate, especially on group authored documents. Similarly, school clubs and organizations can use wikis as a way to be as productive as possible between meetings.And on and on and on... ~Karen PearcePS: Thanks to all of the above contributions. Pop. Pop! POP!

I am VERY excited to create my Wiki! Here's the thing, though. I already created one. I think it was at the beginning of the summer last year. I loved the idea but wasn't well versed enough to run with it.

I went to Wikispaces. I figured out my account email and then my username. I've gone through the process to reset my password twice. For some unknown reason, I am still redirected to the sign-in page each time I try to get into my account. Argh.

UPDATE: I created a brand new account.

UPDATE: I am SOOO aggrevated!!! Every time I try to do ANYTHING, the site asks me to sign in. It's saying it is my account, yet I can't do ANYTHING! Once I sign in and try to do something, it asks me to sign in again. My Argh from above has escalated into an ARGH!

Thing 21 ~ Wikis

Wiki How!!! I was amused, informed, entertained, awed, and inspired!

My first how-to was Be Polite at School. It got me thinking about how my students, even before we are ready to publish our own, could enjoy these entries. Then I read Say Goodbye to Elementary School. Aww!

I clicked on both of those almost randomly; they jumped out as I scanned the education and communication category. Clearly seeing the value of this site, I read the list carefully. I found Create New Beginnings for Yourself on Your First Day of Middle School. I'll let that one speak for itself.

I think Send a Message in a Bottle may be the springboard I use for my class. It's simplicity is a good baby steps approach. Our "Reading for Life" focus in our 1st unit in LA includes reading and writing manuals. I now know exactly how to "hook" my students!

Another huge thanks to Newington 23! I'm so psyched to get in touch with my other LA colleagues!

Umm...maybe I should wait until I am not trying to finish these "Things" before the deadline. That aside, I don't think, at 8:00 on a Friday night, they would share my enthusiasm.

Thing 20 ~ eBooks

Although many looked interesting, the first site that jumped out at me was at #1 of the top 10 eBooks sites. Gutenberg Project Top 100! I found out about this site in the spring from Nicole Kuca, our stellar Media Center Specialist. I found Brothers Grimm tales that enriched our unit on fairytales.

Here was how I fared with other sites.

I haven't found much yet on BookYards. I originally chose that one because it mentioned educational materials.

Frugal Reader was only a GoDaddy webpage with sponsored links. Boo hoo.

Word Public Library seems to be pretty cool.

Ahhh...Google Books. I found titles there that I enjoy personally, my students read regularly, and my daughter may someday seek. I was primarily exploring the Family and Relationships section, but I bet the others are as valuable.

I poked around the NHS eBooks and am impressed with the collection so far. Salem Literature interests me the most.

Overall, it was pretty cool seeing some young adult literature on Google Books. In addition to telling my students about it, I can do a screencast to show them how to access the books. When choosing texts for instruction, read-a-louds, or activities, I can try to find one from this or similar sites. The kids can see it on the screen during class or anytime/place they have access. Maybe an option for students without SSR books can log onto the computer and read from there. If I were to have small groups of students working on different novels, I would no longer need to worry about chasing down enough copies of books. They could work online.

Hmm...When I starting writing that last paragraph, my thoughts were brief and basic. As I wrote, more and more opportunities to use eBooks kept popping up. Pop. Pop! POP!

Thing 19 ~ Screencasting

Why is screencasting called VODcasting? Yes, I am a huge fan of "Word Study," so I suppose the V = Video, and therefore it means video on demand. Am I right? Hmm...

I found out about screen capturing a couple of years ago and thought it was AMAZING! I am thrilled about screencasting!

Of the three Thing 19 program suggestions, here are my thoughts.

Screencastle: I did not want to download anything else. Also, when I attempted to view something on their site, I got an error message. Therefore...no.

Screencast-o-matic: This was almost my choice primarily because of the ability to add notes that the viewer can see in addition to the video. There also seemed to be a few more options/accessories with that format. I did not like the idea of the watermark, however. Therefore...no.

Screenr: Thing 19 demo used this system, and that was a good enough reason for me. Therefore...yes.

Or so I thought. I had glitches with Screenr for over an hour. (In fact, I just checked its status, and it is still loading. During that time, I experimented with Screencast-o-matic, produced my video, and uploaded it onto YouTube.

Therefore...YES to Screencast-o-matic!

I did a brief screencast on how to format a Word document. I started by emphasizing saving the document. I ended the same way...perhaps a little overboard. :-) The middle portion of the video walks students through the steps of very basic things they need to be able to do when typing an assignment: using the correct heading, selecting text that is appropriate in font and size, adjusting margins, double-spacing, etc.

Once I "got" it, this process was incredibly easy! I wrote out my steps ahead of time and will work towards narrating my screencasts. I think my mini-productions will be powerful resources for my students. Whether it is the basics or more intricate concepts, I have no doubt my students will also see the value of screencasts.

PS: Your Newington 23 Screencasts are ABOVE and beyond that of the link you gave us. I found the comments to and from the science professor interesting and valuable. His screencast, however, was nowhere near as efficient and effective as those from this course. Thanks!

Thing 18 ~ Podcasting

Once again, there is real-world/authentic/21st-century example of why we include "Word Study" in our curriculum. Podcast = ipod + broadcast

I also like how pod = personal on demand. Suddenly, a very techie term becomes simplified and even common sense. I wonder, though: were other media outlets (ex: Comcast's "On Demand") the chicken or the egg? Either way, I am surprised podcasts have only been around since 2004.

I see how vodcasts and v-casts got their names, but why are not just called videos? Is there some kind of distinction? Is it because you can subscribe to them?

Thoughts on Thing 18 Suggested Podcast Sites

NPR Podcast Directory: I've visted this site in the past to listen to past episodes of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. I looked into subscribing but decided I wanted to avoid what seemed like another way to clutter my life and strangle what sparce moments of free time I have left.

Educational Podcast Directory: I like this one better in theory than actual substance. I listened to a few podcasts of "An Idiom a Day." I also tried many student links and was disappointed that so many did not work. I did find a few, though, enjoyed them, and got ideas for this year.

A positive of my Educational Podcast Directory experience was that I saw "RSS" and could not remember what it meant. I went to the Common Craft website and watched the video on it. It was during this time that I realized that I did not know their expertise extended into so many other genres. I was very interested in many topics and am considering subscribing to them. I could not figure out, however, how to receive it other than have it Tweeted to me.

Podcast.com and all of their visuals and choices (especially news!) seemed overwhelming to me. To be 100% honest, I prefer satirical news programs such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Podcast.com did not have that particular show, but I follwed my interest and checked out Comedy Central's website. There was an option to subscribe to the show but not to selective segments such as the opening news stories. Hmm...as I write, I am thinking I can still subscribe but just listen to the beginning. Duh!

But, again, how much more "clutter" do I need/want in my life?

As for PodcastAlley.com, what's an aggregator, and why have I been fine so far without it?

For the application of Thing 18, I chose Common Craft's explanation video for podcasting. Before beginning any project with my students and podcasting, I would use this video. I believe it will simultaneously tap into their background knowledge as well as give them a comprehensive view of the technology we will be using.

Thing 17 ~ Presentation Tools

Perhaps I was not savvy enough with Zoho, but after playing around with both sites, I prefer Slideshare.

I am embedding 3 presentations on the Five Themes of Geography. I intend to combine the best of each into one simplistic yet comprehensive, interactive, and engaging presentation.

The Polar Bear one is specific to 7th grade. I like how it asks "Who cares?" and then answers it. Both the 2nd and 3rd presentations have valuable photos. The white one doesn't have enough depth or rigor, though, and the blue one is the opposite: too text heavy.

All three have sparked ideas in my mind such as having students find images, chunks of books/magazines/blogs/etc., movies, and so on that demonstrate the distinctiveness of each of the five themes.

In the most recent SMART Board PD, I started building a Notebook based on the Five Themes. I will weave these findings into that and hopefully create a stellar mini-unit.

PS: Diigo was exceptionally helpful when I was previewing presentations. I bookmarked ones I liked and went back just now to choose the three above listed.

5 Themes of Geography

View more presentations from JimmyJackson182.

Five Themes of Geography

View more presentations from jbartley.

Themes of Geography

View more presentations from spensley.

Thing 16 ~ Time to Explore!

"Select one of the following tools to explore..." One?! Oh geez! How do I limit myself?

(Answer: Remember the time it took to digest all of the educational blogs. LIMIT! Choose ONE!)

My top picks were easier to narrow down than I dreaded. "Remember the Milk" seemed up my ally, but I did not want to create an account. (One of the Google Templates is a password organizer. I need one to keep up with all of these different online accounts!)

Drum roll please............................

Google Templates

Ta-dah!!

I like how Google Templates can be organized by subject matter, format, popularity, etc. I finally noticed I could do a general search too. There were ones that are valuable that I do not need (lesson plans, scientific articles) and some that I have but appreciate the clean copies (Venn diagram, story map, etc.) The winners, however, are the Facebook activities! Here are the links.

MATC Facebook Template

By Sam

http://docs.google.com/previewtemplate?id=0AW8JTaOKWWozZGNzajR3cHpfMTA2ODIyeGMyYzI&mode=public

Historical Facebook Lesson

By Derrick Waddell

http://docs.google.com/previewtemplate?id=1-nCxDCLcEAuge4wac5I5F_83GH9QNZpXpKCGMRl2utk&mode=public

Here are other templates I liked. I organized them according to format.

Drawings

History Quilt Square

By lezlie harris

Calvin Comic Template

By Wqprojekt (I wonder if there is a copyright issue here.)

MES Compare and Contrast

By Juliemrapoport

MES Sequence of Events

By Juliemrapoport

MES Character/Setting

By Juliemrapoport

Presentations

Blackboard Theme

By Rupak

Jeopardy.ppt By Adam Ali Stack of Books By Jhamilton Forms My Year - A Day By Day Account By Rachelwright24

Minutes of Meeting Template

By Theo Clark

Storyboard Template

By Daniel Rezac

Character Sketch

By fhclibrary

Spreadsheets

My Favourite

By Tom Barrett (It's similar to the Newington 23 Things Google docs spreadsheet survey.)

Thing 15 ~ Exploring "Cloud" Tools

I had heard about Google docs. As Thing 15 approached, I started experimenting with it with the student I tutor. There were some bizarre things that happened, so we switched back to working in a Word document. Wouldn't you know, though, before I left town for a few days, I forgot to email him his work! With Google docs, that whoopsie would not have mattered.

Since then, I have gone through all of the links and videos for Thing 15. I have also already started to use this with my colleagues. I met with my team yesterday and spent a few hours today compiling all our our notes, ideas, plans for the year, etc. I did it all in Google docs and then sent it to them to share/revise/comment/etc. Wicked cool!

I forgot that each person needed a Google account. Hmm...that shouldn't be a huge issue, but I do not like the idea of having to ask people to join the Google system.

I tried to upload one of the documents another team member sent. The embedded images were not in the same locations, so we may need to collaborate on that one the "old fashioned way" ~ sending it back and forth as an email attachment.

There were a few other glitches I encountered with Google docs and wonder if Skydrive will be a better match for me. I intend to experiment with it.

For now, I'm excited about being able to collaborate with colleagues (and students!) within the online stratosphere.

Thing 14 ~ Social Networking

I'm still not ready for this.

I chose Facebook. My friends are thrilled and insist it was only a matter of time.

"I'm on Facebook." Ugh. (sigh)

I am SO grateful for "5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private) on Facebook." I had it open in another tab and kept referencing it as I scaled back on all of the default settings and turned up the privacy everywhere I could find the chance.

I know there are many valuable ways to use social networking in education. Until I increase the boundaries of my comfort zone, however, I will not be as active with this "Thing" as I have been with all of the others. I am already wigged out how Facebook identifies people I may know. Some seem obvious, some completely obscure, and others downright freaky.

PS: Let me know how to find you. I am pretty sure (and hope) I cannot be friended just by someone searching for my name or email.

Thing 13 ~ Del.icio.us & Diigo

I chose Diigo. Ultimately, it seemed as though more was possible in Diigo. It also seemed that many Del.icio.us users switched once they were comfortable with social bookmarking and tagging. I felt increasingly more confident as I read through the articles that were linked to the Thing 13 blog.

At school, once we get comfortable and efficient with social bookmarking, I think we will wonder how we ever survived without it! We will be able to more effectively collaborate with one another, share freely, store information, and be mobile. We will be able to communicate with one another as well as with students and their families.

I hope social bookmarking revolutionizes how we approach research projects and papers. Good-bye, "hot lists" stored in the school computer's "Student Folders." Hello, ways of engaging the 21st century student!

PS: You can find me on diigo as kdinfinities.

Thing 12 ~ Tagging & Social Bookmarking

I like this quote from the 23 Things Blog; it seems thorough, insightful, direct, and informative.

"Tagging is very “Web 2.0” because it supports social networking, sharing, and empowering users as well as producers of information. Tagging represents a significant shift in the way digital data is sorted, saved, searched, and shared in the 21st century."

Although the word looked hokey at first, "folksonomy" is a wonderful example of why we practice Word Study in Language Arts.

I look forward to knowing more about and practicing Tag Clouding. It seems up my alley: visual representation and organizing my organization.

Overall, I am psyched about bookmarking in general and tagging and sharing in particular. The Common Craft video, Educause article, and 13 Tips article effectively outlined the advantages of social bookmarking and tagging as valuable ways to organize your own resources and collaborate with others. Although there are a few disadvantages, thoughtful tagging and privacy options can eliminate most.

Thing 13, here I come!!!!

Thing 11 ~ Widgets

One guess for why I created the question I did...

I thought it was amusing how the voki kept following the mouse with her eyes. I tried to make my own but was unable to access the choices that would make it look more like me. I thought it was possible to make one like we did for the avatars, but I wasn't able to figure out how. When I use a Voki for school related initiatives, I want it to be advertisement free. I wonder if I should sign up now.

Was Polldaddy on Time’s 2009 list? If not, it should be. I may even try to add it to my Netvibes page and monitor responses from there.

Here are a few additional thoughts.

• How do I add the Google b-day reminder to Netvibes?
• Widgetbox…nah
• Is PBS NewsHour Extra too mature for my students?

Thing 10 ~ Twitter

What is the value of Twitter?

Do you mean other than my friends thinking I am one step closer to creating a Facebook account?

I see the concept of Tweeter being valuable in my Language Arts and Social Studies classes. For example, perhaps students would not see summarization as so mundane and/or difficult if they had only 140 characters in which to do it.

The Best of the Web 2008

My 1st experience for this part of Thing 10 was an article called "Secret Vault of Words Rejected by the Oxford English Dictionary Uncovered." Here are some of the notables.

• Wurfing, polkadodge, and nonversation
• Optotoxical – a look that could kill, normally from a parent or spouse
• Pregreening – to creep forwards while waiting for a red light to change
• Quackmire – the muddy edges of a duck pond
• Whinese – a term for the language spoken by children on lengthy trips
• Wibble – the trembling of the lower lip just shy of actually crying

Because del.icio.us appeared a few times on the 2008 list, I checked it out. I explored others, but they did not interest or impress me as much as del.icio.us.

Times 50 Best Websites of 2009

I liked and appreciated the Times 2009 list. I recognized or used many of sites, which shaved off a few minutes from completing Thing 10. I also deepened my understanding of sites that were newer to me. For example, I learned about Skype and Academic Earth. I discovered Popurls and will definitely be telling my husband about that one.

Although I started looking at winners with cool names, I eventually went through the entire list. Here were some of my thoughts as I went along.

• Open Table…This is such a cool concept! Most of the participating restaurants seem to be high end and expensive, but I liked how they had search options such as "kid friendly."
• Craiglook…This bells and whistles type Craigslist is a neat idea, but it is clear that it is not as popular. When I compared the two, I found more and current information on Craigslist. I will stick with the old school Craigslist until Craiglook is more plentiful and up-to-date.
• Shop Goodwill...This option is a wonderful alternative to sites such as Ebay. The items, however, are more expensive than the same that can be found in the actual stores.
• Etsy…I had already heard of this website. I was disappointed when, for me, it did not live up to the hype. There were too many choices, it took too much time, and their merchandise was too expensive.
• Kiva…This organization seems worthy of a more in-depth look. I like the idea of helping others be independent and successful.
• Consumer Search…For myself, I just wish I'd known about this awesome site sooner...For my students, I think there may be ways to tie the artciles into the lessons on "Reading for Life."
• Facebook...I was surprised that the description called it a "glorified address book." Hmm...I doubt that.
• Pandora and Last.fm...These stream for free AND identify music I like? Sweet! I will be adding those to my Netvibes page.
• Spotify…I want this when it reaches the US.
• Supercook…Considering I create recipes based on the ingredients in the house, this website will spice up my dinners when my brain is too fried to think.
• Visuwords...Hmm...I will be thinking about how to incorporate this into my Language Arts classes.
• Couch Surfing…What a fabulous and cost effective idea! I wonder, however, if it is safe? It makes me think of too many drama shows on TV.
• Baby Name Wizard...I am already a HUGE fan!!! I started with the book and expanded to the website. The map feature is the best.
• Mint…Although I like the idea of al of my finances in one spot, I do not think I trust this service.
• TripIt…This service is definitely something to try when I am a seasoned traveler. (I really hope that time comes BEFORE I retire!)
• Drop.io…Is this better than Google Docs? It IS better than transporting my work files in Outlook email drafts.
• OMGPOP…I refuse to get addicted to this site and the games unless they have a rip-off of Dr. Mario.
• Fonolo…Whoa! Not wasting time on hold? Not wasting cell minutes while on hold? Not dealing with layers of automated messages and choices? Wahoo!
• Musicovery and Photosynth are two sites I will need to explore another day. Meme fits in that category as well. The latter seems like a mix of E's The Soup and Comedy Central's Tosh.O. Let's all say it together...BLACK HOLE!

I was grateful when there were sites I knew well enough that I did not feel obliged to share my reactions. What a spectacular list! I was relieved when I hit 50 because, had there been more, I am sure I would have extended my explorations another couple of hours.

Thing 9 ~ Copyright & Creative Commons

How do you see teaching and learning changing as a result of Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 is going to bring educators closer to effectively reaching the 21st century student. Teaching them will truly begin once we establish that connection.

It is not enough that Web 2.0 exists, however, or even that teachers know about it. We need to be able to use it. This PD is unique in that we can proceed through these lessons and “things” at our own pace. We can take the time to truly learn and strengthen our grasp of the concepts and the successful application of the Web 2.0 concepts.

What opportunities do you see emerging?
Web 2.0 will not change teaching and learning if we do not maximize our use of it. The opportunities that can emerge are infinite. I cannot even fathom what teaching will look like in ten years. Or even five!

I imagine students internalizing and utilizing critical thinking skills. I see them as global citizens who are positively collaborating with others and contributing to the world. I visualize my students thriving as they take ownership of their education, become independent thinkers, and value the role they play in their own lives.

What can educators do to practice and teach ethical use of these interactive resources?
I am a stickler for referencing and giving credit where/when it is due. For example, any time I use images from the Internet, I always include the links where I found the images. Some of my colleagues have teased me about doing that on worksheets, agendas, and even invitations I have made. I am not wavering, however.

I expect the same diligence from my students. Whether they use Internet images on a Word Study assignment or quotes from sources in the media center, they must acknowledge the work of others. During projects that incorporate research, I work very closely with Nicole Kuca to make sure the students know how to and can produce accurate works cited pages.

Now that I am more aware of the in’s and out’s of Creative Commons, I am sure I can find additional ways in which I can correctly use others’ works as well as share my own. And, although it perhaps should not matter, I also hope my colleagues extend the same courtesy to me and the work I have authored.

Thing 8 ~ Embedded & Download Video

Connections...they are so important in our growth, academics, and relationships. Music is a powerful way to forge and strengthen connections. This video clip is from a TV show called Between the Lions. My students remember (or at least have heard of) the show. Many have even seen this video, "The Homophone Song."

When they watch this video and learn the lyrics, they are deepening their understanding of homophones in a pressure-free way. I have used this clip in a variety of ways: to tap into background knowledge, to kick off an extension activity, to reteach the concept, etc. I used it just last week during a tutoring session.

Warning: This clip has the tendency to induce it's-stuck-in-my-head experiences.

Thing 7 ~ You Tube & Video

I liked what it says on the Web 2.0 blog about the impact of You Tube and similar programs/communities. “The result is a worldwide community that is connecting, collaborating, and communicating through video.”

You Tube is as much a valuable tool for education as it is a black hole for time. Once hooked on a particular video and then its menu of related choices, precious minutes are usurped, never to be heard from again.

This “Thing” was worth it. I reflected on the messages in the Free Hugs Campaign and In My Language. I giggled along with the Carol Burnett outtakes, and I marveled at the artistic montages of Noah Over Six Years and Women in Art.

I also looked up some old favorites. They are not the most professional choices, but they sure make me laugh! Here is the link to the one where I completed the assignment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtjMOffC6dM

Here is another link. To me, this one is classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8s7ZkrnAC0

A brief review of TeacherTube and SchoolTube showed me that there are more time zappers out there waiting for me. For content, variety, and consistency, I wonder how they compare to Discovery Streaming.