My Newest Committed Relationship

I am in love.

I have spent the majority of my evening (when I meant to be working on my Technology Purchase assignment) playing with the Top 100 Web 2.0 sites page. It is here that I met my newest object of affection...Pandora.com. If anyone else tried this, I imagine you feel a similar connection. If you have yet to try it, let me be very clear...YOU MUST! My husband and I love music (as do most people, I suppose, seeing as it seems to be a universal language) and we are currently listening to a quickly created, user-friendly, "Counting Crows Radio Station," customized especially for us based on our love of The Counting Crows. We are already considering selling our iPod and committing to technology that would allow these customized radio stations to be on-the-go. As my husband stated, "This is like Netflix for music...but better. Much better."

Already, I have called two friends and my sister to share the site. My husband's friend is setting up an account as I type this and we plan to share stations we create. Heavenly! What more can a music lover ask for than to a) listen to music he/she loves, b) hear new music of similar styles, and c) share the music with others? This website is already transforming the way I listen to music and I've only known of it for two hours. Is this what it's like to have a baby? :)

Okay, so there are other exciting Web 2.0 discoveries I've made. My friend Christine has been sending me links to www.goodreads.com, a website allowing you to customize and share your favorite books with friends. I have registered on del.icio.us and look forward to making use of this site, primarily so students could visit the site and see the links I've already pre-determined as appropriate for research. I'm also fascinated by the site www.blinklist.com, as it seems a good spot for tracking all of the websites I've found (especially as a teacher, looking for a lesson plan at 11:00 at night!) I am excited.

I feel like I'm running at the mouth here, but I can see endless possibilities for this kind of technology in the classroom. What if students created customized radio stations for book characters and had to explain the song choices? I also believe in the power of music as calming (during work time), energizing (on Monday morning as the bell rings), and affiliating (Mrs. Martin likes THIS song?!) I'm hooked and can't wait to brainstorm more ways this type of technology could be used in the classroom.