An Online Conference to check out...

I was contacted this week by Anne Mason, the Online Facilitator for the ICT PD (Information and Communication Technologies Professional Development) cluster programme, an initiative of the New Zealand Ministry of Education. She wanted permission to use my Connected Classroom Video on Teacher Tube. It looks like an interesting conference so I thought I would pass the link along...should be some good information--take some time to check it out.

Time4 Online Conference: Engaging Learners in an Online Environment
http://www.time4online.org.nz
28 May - 8 June

Prepare students for the 21st Century. Explore examples of collaborative online learning and the application of Web 2.0 technologies in teaching and learning. Presenters include educators and students from New Zealand and overseas, with keynote speakers Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach , Student Voices and now included, Derek Wenmoth. Sheryl begins the conference this Monday, 28 May, with three video clips and a discussion forum.

Access audio and video links and support material, and participate in collaborative online areas. The Pre-conference Preview and activities are now available, and gaining interest throughout New Zealand and the world. We encourage you to actively participate, so register now, sign our Visitors’ Book, add a comment in the Cafe area and become familiar with the online environment before it begins this Monday, 28 May.

PA Legislators...one step forward, one step back..?

As thrilled as I have been with everything Classrooms For the Future...I was equally shocked when I read in Dangerously Irrelevant today (sorry Jim ...D... comes before T... in my bloglines) about the proposed cell phone ban in Pennsylvania. As Scott points out, the vague language of the bill
"... portable electronic devices that record or play audio or video material shall be prohibited on school grounds, at school sponsored activities and on buses or other vehicles provided by the school district" can serve to prohibit well, just about EVERYTHING....HMMM.... CFF requires each classroom to be equipped with such devices.

I disagree with this as an educator, but also as a parent. I want my kids to be able to capture meaningful events... I want to be able to keep in touch with them if they are getting back late from an event.... is this not a step backward?

State Representative Angel Cruz, Democrat from Philadelphia, invites your input on this proposed bill. So go ahead, let him know what you think. I know I want my voice to be heard. If you are a blogger...reading this post...I hope you will encourage others to do the same.

To click or not to click....

As more schools move to 1:1, I am curious if anyone has found a "clicker like" system that students can log in from their lap-tops and teachers get the results. It seems silly when kids already have laptops in their hands, that you should have to put ANOTHER tool in their hands just so kids can click in...
I was catching up in my bloglines and back in April, Christian wrote in the think:lab about some Clicker-like tools--there were quite a few more mentioned in the comments. I finally got a chance to check some of them out.
Qwizdom : Needs a clicker
2Know: Needs a clicker
CPS: Needs a clicker
GRRRR...So far a clicker system built into the laptop doesn't seem to exist, maybe I am giving away MY million dollar idea....Any developers out there want to work with me:)

In the meantime, give me your take on any of these solutions:

TEACHERS..are you paying attention....

I spent an entire week at Apple training talking about what teachers need to know about teaching and learning in the 21st century, but it all REALLY hit home as I was looking over the pages of our Latin American wiki project this weekend. The whole time this project has been evolving I have been so impressed with how the kids are collaborating, but what has struck me even more was what is happening as these kids need to present their final findings.

After their research is done and the pages are completed, the final activity is for the kids to TEACH the material to their classmates and do you know what they have planned? Embedding a YouTube Video of Che Guevara speaking out about Cuba's disadvantage to view in class during the lesson. They have taped interviews an uploaded to Google Video (scroll to page bottom to view.) They are using Quia Quizzes to test prior knowledge of their classmates. One group has asked me if they could embed a news ticker for current events. Yet another is creating an activity using subetha edit where they can discuss what they learned when reading the page for homework...they are choosing to use the tools that engage them, help them to learn best.

Teachers...are you paying attention...

When students become the teachers

Today on the wiki.... gigiw writes: sp5 students-question Why is Puerto Rico not considered a Caribbean country on the countries list while Jamaica and the Bahamas are? Posted Today 8:57 am -

marthalsp5 writes: re: sp5 students-question I do believe it's because Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of America and is not technically it's own independent country. Posted Today 1:45 pm -

talsp5 writes: re: sp5 students-question Technically it's not an indpendent country (since our government has pretty much infiltrated theirs). It's a Caribbean state, but not a country. Posted Today 1:46 pm -

tonymsp5 writes: re: sp5 students-question According to the facts Puerto Rico is a common wealth of the United States of America therefor it cannot be a Latin American country! (: Posted Today 1:46 pm -

vannamsp5 writes: re: sp5 students-question Puerto Rico is partially part of the United State because of their currency. It's not a independent country. Posted Today 1:49 pm -

brittanyrsp5 writes: re: sp5 students-question Martha, this is true, but the bahamas are too, if I am remembering correctly, and despite that it is U.S. territory Puerto Rico has its own history and culture, which greatly differs from that of the United States. I stand by that they should be inlcuded in this list By the way sp5= spanish 5 Seniors answering the freshman questions (and debating what they spent the last 5 years learning. Evaluating, judging, defending....all higher level skills....NONE of this coming from the teacher....just students hungry for the answers GOOD STUFF!!!!

Addicted to the idea of Going GLOBAL...

I know that both Julie and Vicki have blogged about how the Horizon Project has been somewhat consuming. While I have followed their project, I only began to understand their addiction when I became involved in my own project. Following the students' discussion board, watching the evolution of their thoughts, and how these kids are moving from simply absorbing content to actually creating content has been SUCH a powerful experience...

When asked what they think it means to present to a global audience...

Ketup writes: re: Presenting for a global audience

Since this project has a chance of being global, I feel, just like Lauren, that we should be cautious about what we write. I also agree with Dani, that we should use reliable resources. We should show alot of respect to other cultures; speak the facts!

jillh writes: re: Presenting for a global audience

We need to presnt our facts concisely so other people don't have to wade through tons and tons of compiled information. With people all the over the world who can view things, it's important to say what you want to say as understandably as possible...and for us people, that means nothing as extremely complex as I know some of us are used to writing. it's like on YouTube--if your video description is more than a few sentences, less people will read it.

laurencl3 writes: re: Presenting for a global audience

The idea of our information going global not only frightens me because it means that people outside of our school might be scrutinizing our work, but also amazes me because i think this is an excellent way to get our school and our abilities as such gifted students out into the world! But like I said, the whole global think kind of freaks me out, so to make sure that we look like we know what we're doing and not embarrass ourselves, we should check and double check our facts before posting them, only use the discussion boards for latin america- related topics, etc. And because it seems like this might be our last project of the year (fingers crossed!) it goes without saying that we should put our best work out into the world and show how much we have grown in our first year of high school because we want to show people that we really are ADVANCED and worthy of the Humanities course.

Checking facts, do our best work, being concise, showing respect....all 21st Century Skills...

When asked about collaboration

owaisn2 writes: re: Working Collaboratively

Every individual in the gropup should have his/her own personal job/assignment to do so that the group is able to collect and share information in an appropriate fashion
reginab1 writes: re: re: Working Collaboratively

Dividing up the research and assigning jobs are important; but before we jump into that I think the group should discuss general facts, prior knowledge and their own interests to make sure everything is covered and people are researching what they're interested in. That way, the work will be easier and there's less chance of one person having to pull through a lot of work on a topic that was forgotten.

It has been so great to have them using tools outside of the classroom for this collaboration. Check out how THIS page has evolved--using discussion tools and the wiki mail system.

Thanks so much to Jim G for pointing out our little Latin America Wiki Project... He has way more Latin American readers than the ONE I have (Thanks Jeff D) The Clustr Map shows the students how truly global their work is.....The in-class conversations about what countries actually qualified as Latin American....SO different from GIVING the kids the countries to research. Can't help but think about how cool would it be for them to learn about these regions not from other students in their school, but by students who actually live in the countries they are studying...
SO...If you are reading this ... and you are in a Latin American country OR you are reading this and you KNOW someone who is in a Latin American country...PLEASE pass along our wikispace.
http://learninglatinamerica.wikispaces.com

Great Graphing Lesson

So I am probably too late to get the free dvd :) but this one is worth passing along.
Do you teach graphing to your students? If so THIS one I found via Chris Craft and Steve Dembo is a great lesson complete with videos and plans. The idea that we can describe things that happen with mathematical graphs isn't new, nor is the idea that this is an effective introduction to a linear unit.

What this teacher did (in his own words)

I went out and taped ten events. They were simple. I walked down two flights of stairs. I ran up a hill. I drove my car. Each event was exactly fifteen seconds long.

I put a handout on every student’s desk with a graph ready for each event.

I played each event and then paused the video. I asked questions like, “When the clock started, was I up high or down low?”

He has the lessons, description AND videos on his site--check it out, I know I will be following it.

Thinking outside the box...

I have been following some really cool projects these days. I have been fascinated by Vicki Davis & Julie Lindsay's Flat Classroom and Horizon Project. Julie just posted today a whole list of global collaborative projects. Watching these kids collaborate and create, care about their content, and deal with critical issues is very inspiring. I think these skills: collaborating, evaluating, and creating are so critical in the 21st Century and it has caused me to start thinking outside the box. As a technology coach, it is my job to get teachers to work on making the technology use a seamless part of their instruction and I am really excited about a project that we have just started. While on a MUCH smaller scale then the projects mentioned above, we have created a wikispace for the kids to study aspects of Latin American culture and teach one another what they have learned. We JUST started today and so far I am impressed with the discussion that is going on...the planning, the collaborating....I can't wait to see how this project takes off. If you get a chance...check it out.
http://learninglatinamerica.wikispaces.com
I'd love to get some feedback to pass along. It would be interesting to see how the kids react to a global audience.
PS Looks like from my Clustr map that I don't have any Latin American readers....if you know of any that may want to contact us to collaborate or check our information.....
How's that for a shameless plea for readers ;>)

Really Cool Map Mashup

I have to admit--I have always been VERY social. So when I saw that a PA group started for NECC attendees I was very excited. Now I would be able to tell which of my friends in my networks were going to be there....but Atlanta is a big city, how would I know where everyone was staying?
I started by creating a google map--only to discover that I was the only one who could add placemarks. So I started my quest for map mashups that would allow multiple users to add bookmarks.....I have always liked frappr, but found that when I was on my district network I was unable to access it. Then I found platial. The basic concept is this: you create a map of a certain locations, add bookmarks and people can comment on the bookmarks you added or add their own. I created a map for PA NECC attendees so they could add the placemarks of where they were staying--neat because it could be embedded into the wikispace for the PA group as well.
Platial has some pretty cool maps....like good eats in NY and some cool features, like you can limit who can add to your map.....Then I started to think about OTHER more educational applications. What about creating a map of the battles of Gettysburg. Teacher can bookmark the sites, students can comment on what happened there. OR a map of natural disasters--kids can add the location and others can comment. If you are visiting my blog today--take some time to click on my platial map and let me know where you are visiting from!!!!

Understanding Tragedy in a Connected World...

Like many, I have struggled all day to make sense of what happened yesterday. Our schools are supposed to be sacred places. In a place where people come not only to learn, but to share their knowledge, to produce citizens to make this world a better place, such things should not happen.

My babysitter was a Virginia Tech Student. She found out today that one of her friends was killed in the massacre.

While I don't want to exploit what is a terrible tragedy, I can help but think.... think about how many students at Tech were getting their information from off campus through cell phones and text messaging...think about how a tech alert system in place may have changed the outcome...think about how the first footage from the scene was from a student's cellphone. I think too of how because of media and instant information repeated over and over, how painful this loss must be for those who are living it. My sitter is one of my friends on Facebook, I left her a message on her wall to let her know I am thinking about her and her friends. A group was started in her friend's memory on Facebook. In less than an hour this group grew from 71 members to over 370. I marvel at the power of the tools that are bringing people together in such difficult times...allowing them to communicate, to express, to grieve. There has been so much negative press about the dangers of sites like myspace or facebook and here is an example of how it is bringing people together in very powerful ways.

Vicki Davis talks about a world where technology is a friend, journalist, and tool of safety. where wikipedia has more reliable information than a single news source.

I grieve with the world and continue to pray for the families, students, and faculty who were affected by the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

Are you paying attention....

I came upon this video via Wesley Fryer's Moving at the Speed of Creativity--In the spirit of Karl Fisch's Did you Know PowerPoint and many of the other conversations being held about how to reach kids and teach them how they learn, I thought it worth posting. Not only does it have lots of good information, but the references on each slide to support. Not only that it offers ways to actually reach these digital natives. Interesting that it actually has more views on TeacherTube than on YouTube--let's hope that continues to stay unblocked in most districts.




Don't let yourself get STUCK.

Get ready for the future....

I came across this via Durff's Blog and Apple Learning Interchange...
As we move towards 1:1 in my school district, I think it is well worth passing along as food for thought.

Let’s have a little competition at school and get ready for the future. I will use a laptop and you will use paper and pencil. Are you ready…?

I will access up-to-date information - you have a textbook that is 5 years old.
I will immediately know when I misspell a word – you have to wait until it’s graded.
I will learn how to care for technology by using it – you will read about it.
I will see math problems in 3D – you will do the odd problems.
I will create artwork and poetry and share it with the world – you will share yours with the class.
I will have 24/7 access – you have the entire class period.
I will access the most dynamic information – yours will be printed and photocopied.
I will communicate with leaders and experts using email – you will wait for Friday’s speaker.
I will select my learning style – you will use the teacher’s favorite learning style.
I will collaborate with my peers from around the world – you will collaborate with peers in your classroom.
I will take my learning as far as I want – you must wait for the rest of the class.
The cost of a laptop per year? - $250
The cost of teacher and student training? – Expensive
The cost of well educated US citizens and workforce? - Priceless

It is worth noting that this was originally posted on Abilene, Kansas High School Dialogue Buzz website during the spring of 2003. . Given that 96% of students say that school is important for their success, and only 20% say it is meeting their needs and the fastest growing set of computer users today are 5-7 year olds. Given that at the time of this posting, in 2003 4%of US school districts were involved in a 1:1 initiative. By 2011, it is estimated that 24% of districts will be involved in a 1:1 deployment. The question shouldn't be are we ready...it should be are we moving fast enough?

It's time to rethink a few things....

I read blogs, a LOT of them--sometimes when I blog myself, I feel like an echo of others' thoughts but recently Will Richardson posted an interesting article in Education Week: Let’s Abolish High School and since I had the opportunity to see Willard Daggett speak over this break--I really needed to take some time to make some connections. From the Ed Week article, Will quoted:

“A century ago, there was no way to address these concerns, but, thanks to computers and the Internet, we now have rapidly improving tools that will soon allow virtually all young people to master essential material at their own pace, and to do so at any point in their lives. There will probably always be a place for the classroom, but it will be a place where intense and intimate learning takes place with highly willing students, not a step on an assembly line.”

a place where intense and intimate learning takes place with highly willing students.... I have some concerns about this quote. Daggett was very clear that while he has traveled around the world, there is no place he would rather be that the United States because we are the one country that makes it their responsibility to educate everyone...

FROM MY NOTES taken during Dagget's session:
Our schools aren’t failing—we graduated more 18 year olds despite facts that have more state tests to pass—more children living below poverty line…World outside school is changing 4-5 times faster than world in school. We are suffering from a skills gap. Change is a process. We cannot and will not be able to change until there is more pressure for change than resistance to change. China says they will be #1 in biotech—1 year requirement…India has 2 year requirement—yet many of our schools are teaching sciences in isolation. Project 720—requires 2 years of foreign language—but what languages are we teaching? In China 110 million people studying English—must pass proficiency exam in English. India has 168 million preschoolers. If the preschoolers in India were a nation they would be the 4th most populated nation in world. The Math & Science requirements to enter HS in India are higher than that of our graduation requirements. That is the ones they CHOOSE to educate—The problem is that the ones they choose to educate are going to have us for lunch. Are we talking about this in schools?

Will stated... It’s getting to the point where I’m either going to have to stop reading stuff like this or put my blog where my mouth is in terms of my own school system…Often I feel very much the same way...

When ARE people going to stop reading and writing and start DOING? There are quite a few bold educators...who are taking risks and talking about it. Chris Lehman, Marco Torres, Vicki Davis, Karl Fisch and the teachers at Arapahoe immediately come to mind and I think PA is taking some bold steps between the Keystone Technology Integrators, Classrooms for the Future, Project 720, and PA High School Coaching Initiative but it is systemic change that needs to happen and I think we have a responsibility to our students to have ongoing conversations. Because when kids are given the opportunity to work and learn collaboratively ---and they go on to institutions of higher learning, they come out saying THIS

So I repeat what Daggett said MANY times during his session...Change is a process. We cannot and will not be able to change until there is more pressure for change than resistance to change. I challenge educators to talk more, be less resistant and start to make some changes.

Redefining Copyright....

I have been mulling over the ideas of copyright, since I saw MWesch's Video...and since Google has recently been in the news over their lawsuit with Viacom, I have started to think about it a lot more.

Many of the teachers with whom I work have been assigning multimedia projects... very powerful opportunities for the students to show what they have learned. However, the questions that the students have raised as they come to me to consult with their projects have cause me to think a lot about the ethics of internet content....

A student studying stereotyping in advertisements... goes right to You Tube for her content and finds it is filtered on our district server. Retro Junk is a site which is not filtered, but because content can be added by anyone really does fall into the same category. Does it count as a primary source? Can the videos be used under fair use?

What if the student only wants to use a piece of something-they want to download the content? If they are not taking the video from the primary source, do they have the right?

In reality, a savy student can do a simple search for video downloader....Once they realize the file is not in a form that can be edited....ok do a simple search for file conversion... and viola instant editable video. Developers have created these types of software and they are free.....hmmmmm has really got me thinking.

So this morning I decided to test the process, see how it worked. As I was following links to kid of test this process, I happened upon film.com where you can find all kinds of trailers for movies, etc.... Kids COULD follow the above steps, find a trailer, download it, convert it and use it in a school project under the guidelines of fair use IF--they follow the fair use guidelines. HERE is a link to a ton of copyright resources. I really like the 2 page pdf chart from From October 2002 Technology & Learning Magazine . However I think that many teachers and students do not know these guidelines like they should when assigning (or completing) multimedia projects.

I try to convince the students that no matter what, these user contributed sites do not qualify as a PRIMARY source...that the content does NOT BELONG to YouTube, that sometimes the content posted on YouTube does not even belong to the poster. I try to steer them towards sites that are more reliable and often make the point that they are striving to make more effectively.

Some of the issues mentioned in this CNN video about the YouTube lawsuit by Viacom include Viacom's claim that even though they promised to remove over 100, 000 videos that violate copyright, tens of thousands of clips remain. While they suggest that YouTube establish a better filter system, the problem is that even when they do remove the videos in question, any user can put them back up. What was most interesting was that in my hyperlinking, this morning I ended up on Universal Pictures site. It was not surprising that a banner on the top of the site states "We have updated our privacy policy as of 3/20/2007. Please click HERE to view our new privacy policy. By using this website you are agreeing to be bound by our privacy policy and our terms of use." Of course these policies clearly state that everything seen or read on the Site is copyrighted unless otherwise noted, and may not be used except as provided in these Terms and Conditions without the written permission of Universal.

On the flip side, by going through the process to get what they need....are these students not developing higher level thinking skills, creativity, collaboration and all of those other great 21st Century skills we are trying to create?

Is it time for schools to start imposing stricter policies for violation of copyright in digital projects? And...just whose responsibility is it? OR do these uses constitute fair use?

Please offer your thoughts and help me wrap my head around this...

Is the TEST what matters most...

or is it the learning process? As PSSAs are going on throughout my district...makes you wonder.

Thanks to Chris Lehman for pointing out this song by Tom Chapin
Posted by ME in honor of the PSSAs that are going on this week
Not On The Test (click to HEAR this song)

Go on to sleep now, third grader of mine.
The test is tomorrow but you'll do just fine.
It's reading and math. Forget all the rest.
You don't need to know what is not on the test.

Each box that you mark on each test that you take,
Remember your teachers. Their jobs are at stake.
Your score is their score, but don't get all stressed.
They'd never teach anything not on the test.

The School Board is faced with no child left behind
With rules but no funding, they're caught in a bind.
So music and art and the things you love best
Are not in your school 'cause they're not on the test.

Sleep, sleep, and as you progress
You'll learn there's a lot that is not on the test.

Debate is a skill that is useful to know,
Unless you're in Congress or talk radio,
Where shouting and spouting and spewing are blessed
'Cause rational discourse was not on the test.

Thinking's important. It's good to know how.
And someday you'll learn to, but someday's not now.
Go on to sleep, now. You need your rest.
Don't think about thinking. It's not on the test.

What struck ME the most was the last line "Don't think about thinking. It's not on the test." Today I sat in on a webinar that pointed out that college teachers are still lecturing because that is what is expected of them--that although kids learn are different and they learn differently, they also want to be successful. This high stakes mentality and high pressure makes kids want to be spoon-fed information rather than taking responsibility for becoming lifelong learners. In thinking about your experiences with high stakes testing...what stands out for you?

Are you smarter than a 5th Grader...

Is anyone else as disturbed by this show on TV as I am? Grown adults testing their knowledge against that of a 12 year old???? I guess it really does support the idea of how much of the content of what we teach is REALLY relevant outside of the 5th grade classroom. Research supports that kids who learn via traditional lecture and those who are involved in project based learning do retain information differently. Perhaps the adult contestants might fair better if they had been exposed to project based learning when they were in school. Or perhaps Thomas Friedman was right in his book The World is Flat when he stated "In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears- and that is our problem.”
The fact that these shows are making it on tv... pretty bad---the fact that I am actually watching and thinking about it :)

Hello, Bonjour, Hola...

So I have received my first video comment on my Connected Classroom video.



HERE IS THE CHALLENGE....

Hello World" is the first thing people are taught to program in nearly every programming language. "Hello World" can also be translated into hundreds, if not thousands, of human languages....but how often do we really stop to say "Hello" to the rest of the world?

I challenge everyone that sees this to respond. You get two cards...the first should say "Hello World" in your native language. The second should be your message of hope, dreams or thoughts to the world on one card, five words or less. We will then compile the videos from all over the world and repost on YouTube...spread the word.

So to the 4 (5 as of this morning:) countries in which I have readers :) What do you say, are you up for the challenge? It will be interesting to see how connected we really are.

The difference between natives & immigrants

GAH--I love those bloggers who take such good notes that you almost feel like you've been somewhere...
While I find it hard to keep up with the number of Blog entries that Wesley Fryer has a day, the content of what he writes is always so amazing. Recently he wrote about Marco Torres' Keynote speech at MACE entitled Now What do we do with IT.
Some highlights for me (and I wasn't even there :P )

While Tech plans really reflect big differences in how kids and adults see technology
- adults see technology as a tool for RETRIEVING information
- kids see technology very differently than adults do
one uses technology, one does technology

I witnessed this first hand this weekend. We had gotten my 7 year old Nintendo DS for his birthday--within MINUTES of having it, (while I was still reading the directions) he had figured out how to pictochat his buddy...

Kids see technology as a studio, stage, and a community
Schools see it as a productivity tool

Case in point...the ongoing conversation about using PowerPoint

Wesley's notes also included an activity to have people name three events in history that have had a major impact on one's life

Always in the top 10....
– atomic bomb
- JFK assassination
- moon landing
- challenger accident
- berlin wall
- 9-11

Noting that no matter how many times this is done, no one ever writes down something they have read: It is always something they’ve seen or heard

anyhow...check out Marco's websites:

sfett.com
flickschool.com

and while you are at it, subscribe to Wesley Fryer's Blog: http://www.speedofcreativity.org/

More lessons...

I am continuing to reflect on Ken's post & responses to mine about the TOOLS kids need not being the tools of technology but the tools of learning--Jeff Utecht had a great post on the Thinking Stick about integrating technology and giving kids choices. Bottom line, they don't like it. However (and he said it about as well as anyone...)

We must reengage students in the learning process invite them back into the learning process and make them the center of learning, not the receivers of information. If we are going to teach students to ‘Learn how to Learn’ then we must at times push them to do so and get out of their way so they can.
One of my students in our teentek.com class came up to me yesterday and said:

“What do you do here MR. U? I mean you never teach us anything.”

Exactly!

I am trying to encourage teachers to create the rubric that demonstrates what they want students to learn, but allow the students to decide what that learning looks like to them. It is EASIER to assign everyone to create a power point or a digital storytelling or a wiki or whatever and often times that is what the kids want too--they want to know exactly what is expected of them....exactly what they need to do to get an "A" or to be "proficient". As the teacher becomes the guide rather than the all knowing giver of information, the teacher needs to turn control of the whole learning process over to the students. Only then are we truly preparing them for the world they are entering.

Sharing a few GREAT finds....

So I SHOULD be working on my graduate work, but I made the mistake of checking my bloglines and Julie Lindsay had a couple of great finds that I had to take time to record. The first find is blaring in my ear as I type...Musicovery. You choose the genre, mood, time frame, whether you want to listen to hits non-hits or new discoveries--it chooses the music--and creates a visual web that it follows for about an hour. Find a tune you like? click on the itunes or amazon button and go to the store for purchase OR listen for free....pretty cool considering I am working at the Panera and left my ipod at home. The next is a cool little counter from NeoWORKS that I have added to my sidebar--so far the only one who has visited my blog today is ME --but what a fun thing to embed in a class blog for students to see who is reading them. I always feel funny blogging someone elses stuff, but these 2 were too good to pass up. If Julie is not on your blogroll, she is definitely worth adding.