Optional Things

You get to choose what you want to learn about in the rest of your 23 Things. Choose 6 (or more; no limits on learning!). Be sure to blog about each one you do! Note that you may need to do some of these at home--many districts block video sites, social networking sites, and anything downloadable. But don't let that stop you from choosing the ones that interest you. Spend time at home or your local public library learning about these Things.

Thing 18. One Student Thing

• What are your students talking about in regard to technology? Anything new out there?Ask them how they think a new technology can be used to enhance teaching.
  

Thing 19. Just for Fun

• Have some fun playing around with an online image generator.
• Explore any site from the Web 2.0 awards list or Edutopia's Top 10.
  

Thing 20. Podcasts, Downloadable Audio Books and More

• Learn about podcasts, find some interesting ones, and if you feel up to it, make and share your own.Local public libraries offer audio books to download to your MP3 player or computer.

Thing 21. YouTube and More

• Looking for that TV episode you missed? Or how about a science fair project recorded on video. That and more is available on YouTube.
• Explore some other video services aimed at educators. TeacherTube or Yahoo! for Teachers are two.

Thing 22. Ebooks and NetLibrary

• More online resources available for reference or reading.
  

Thing 23. Technorati, Tagging, and Del.icio.us

• Enter the world of blogs and social bookmarking.
• Read a few perspectives on Web 2. tools, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries.

Thing 24. Online Gaming

• Metronet sponsored a conference on gaming in libraries a few years ago. Take a look at the speakers' presentations.
• Have a Second Life?
  

Thing 25. Digital Map Collections

• The Internet does open the world--of maps. Take a look at these digitized collections.
  

Thing 26. Digital Image Collections

• Museums, libraries and other institutions share their image collections. Browse these for inspiration.
• Responsible Use applies to images, too.
  

Thing 27. Customize Your Home Page

• Want to consolidate all your interests in one spot? Try customizing your homepage.
  

Thing 28. Photos & Images

• Explore Flickr and learn about this popular image hosting site.
  

Thing 29. Online Learning

• There are many tutorials and courses online that can help you learn new skills or brush up on your current skills.
  

Thing 30. Field Trip Options a. and b.

• Metronet will pay for one field trip per teacher that is directly related to the information literacy aspects of a research project.
  

Thing 31.Bibliographic Tools

• Responsible Use requires proper citation of resources. Learn about free online tools and introduce them to your students.
  

Thing 32. Wikis

• Wikipedia is bashed as a poor choice for reliable information. Learn more about it.
  Wiki software is free--think about how you can use it for a class project

Thing 33. Some Other Thing

• Have we missed something? If you find a Thing that we should all do, let us know!
  

Thing 34. Research Organizers

• There are many free online resources to help you and your students organize their research. Take a look a few and try them out.
  

Thing 35. Smart Tips

• Keep up with what's new and find tips on using what you know better.
  

Thing 35. Online Productivity Tools

• Need to create a PDF or an online slide show? Take a look at these free productivity tools and more.
  

Thing 36. Social Networking

• Facebook and MySpace can be the bane of a school's daily life. Learn how colleges are using social networking as part of their learning communities.