Click on the link below to view my wedding video!
Our Wedding Day September 20, 08
Today I got to experience making my own video of my images using Animoto. I really found this site easy! This site has easy step by step directions to making your video, you can even add videos and music! The process was so easy and it took no time! It is only 30 seconds long, which was a downfall for me because I wanted to upload my own song to my video but the ones I wanted didn't even get started good by the time the video was already over. So I chose one of Animoto's music selections, which start in the middle of a song so at least you can hear words for the 30 seconds. They did have a good selection of music too!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thing #20
For Thing #20 I had to explore You Tube. I was already familiar with this site before I began Thing #20. I had recently found a cute song on here that I think will really help my students when I teach my reading lesson. I have chosen the first grade reading standard this semester and context clues is part of the curriculum. I found this context clues song and I think it is a fun way to help students learn about context clues, and they can even learn the song to help them remember. Context clues is an important part of the reading curriculum so I think this would be a great video to post on my library website.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Thing #19
Visit TeacherPop
For thing #19 I got to explore other social networking sites (other than facebook), which I never even knew existed! The one I think I'm going to like the best is the TeacherPop site because it is all about us teachers! I know I am going to learn so much from my fellow classmates, teachers, and many others by joining this.
I, like most people, have been a member of facebook for a while. I've really enjoyed keeping in touch with family and friends on that network that I may not otherwise ever get to talk to. I used to have a myspace account but I found facebook easier and faster for me to use, plus I had more family and friends on the facebook network, so I deleted myspace. Now that I have discovered TeacherPop, I will have my own little "teacher" community right at the tip of my hands anytime I have questions or need ideas, and hopefully I can help others out as well! I'm probably just going to stick with that social network right now, I don't want to get too overwhelmed with more than I already have just yet.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thing #18
My facebook page:
www.facebook.com
search Amanda Bradley
I already had a facebook account, so for this exercise I did not have to do much work! I absolutely love facebook. It is so nice to have a way to keep up with friends, family, and colleagues. I think social networking is very important for educators because it is the new way to keep in touch. I think a great feature on facebook is the grouping tool. You can create a group and have people join. I think it would be wonderful for teachers to have a group for their classroom so their students can post things, get assignments, and even help with their assignments. Most of us are on facebook, and a majority of students are as well. I think it's a great way to get involved with students and even parents.
I personally prefer facebook to myspace. I had a myspace account for years, and I finally deleted it and switched! I found facebook much easier. It was always a hassle to keep my page up to date and my pictures up to date on myspace. The tools for the decorating on that one were not very easy to me. I like that you don't have to worry with decorating your facebook page as much, and adding pictures is much easier. Myspace allowed you to put pictures in many different locations, and then when it was time to delete them, it was not easy because it was all in codes. I've had a much easier time with facebook, I just update my status, check out what everyone else is doing, upload and change pictures now and then, and I'm all set!
www.facebook.com
search Amanda Bradley
I already had a facebook account, so for this exercise I did not have to do much work! I absolutely love facebook. It is so nice to have a way to keep up with friends, family, and colleagues. I think social networking is very important for educators because it is the new way to keep in touch. I think a great feature on facebook is the grouping tool. You can create a group and have people join. I think it would be wonderful for teachers to have a group for their classroom so their students can post things, get assignments, and even help with their assignments. Most of us are on facebook, and a majority of students are as well. I think it's a great way to get involved with students and even parents.
I personally prefer facebook to myspace. I had a myspace account for years, and I finally deleted it and switched! I found facebook much easier. It was always a hassle to keep my page up to date and my pictures up to date on myspace. The tools for the decorating on that one were not very easy to me. I like that you don't have to worry with decorating your facebook page as much, and adding pictures is much easier. Myspace allowed you to put pictures in many different locations, and then when it was time to delete them, it was not easy because it was all in codes. I've had a much easier time with facebook, I just update my status, check out what everyone else is doing, upload and change pictures now and then, and I'm all set!
Thing #17
Tagging and Social Bookmarking
Today I discovered the easiest way to tag my favorite sites, without having a jammed up "favorites"! I discovered tagging and social bookmarking! The great thing about tagging is that I can use my deli.cio.us account to keep up with all of my tags in an orderly way. I create the titles and a description of the site I want to tag, and it sorts it for me. I can have several different topics and they are all listed. I just click on which one I need to view, and it takes me to the tags that I have saved in that folder.
The best thing about this whole thing is that I can access my tags from any computer! I have found myself many times needing something that I had at home in my favorites, and I had no way to access it until I got home, and of course I did not remember the site. This will definitely solve those problems!
A really great thing about this is the social bookmarking. Now, the sites that I have saved, others can view them as well! I can also view their tags. This is going to be very helpful for me as a teacher. I know a lot of teachers work together in teams, or "co-teach". This will be a very beneficial tool to use for that purpose. Also, my principal can look and see what tools we are using to help teacher our students. There are many great things about social bookmarking. I'm glad I got the chance to explore this tool, otherwise, I'd still be lost in the past with my jammed up "favorites" folder!
Today I discovered the easiest way to tag my favorite sites, without having a jammed up "favorites"! I discovered tagging and social bookmarking! The great thing about tagging is that I can use my deli.cio.us account to keep up with all of my tags in an orderly way. I create the titles and a description of the site I want to tag, and it sorts it for me. I can have several different topics and they are all listed. I just click on which one I need to view, and it takes me to the tags that I have saved in that folder.
The best thing about this whole thing is that I can access my tags from any computer! I have found myself many times needing something that I had at home in my favorites, and I had no way to access it until I got home, and of course I did not remember the site. This will definitely solve those problems!
A really great thing about this is the social bookmarking. Now, the sites that I have saved, others can view them as well! I can also view their tags. This is going to be very helpful for me as a teacher. I know a lot of teachers work together in teams, or "co-teach". This will be a very beneficial tool to use for that purpose. Also, my principal can look and see what tools we are using to help teacher our students. There are many great things about social bookmarking. I'm glad I got the chance to explore this tool, otherwise, I'd still be lost in the past with my jammed up "favorites" folder!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thing #16
Thing 16 requires me to explore ways to get organized on the web.
Question #1-Which start page did you choose? Why did that one appeal to you? Question #2-Will you make it your permanent home page?
Question #3-How can the online calendars be useful to you?
I chose the iGoogle start page. I am a huge fan of all google tools, so I automoatically went strait to that one. I LOVE my new homepage! I have everything I want and need, right there. I was able to edit the weather to show my town where I live and Clarksville's weather also. I chose a few different topics to add to my homepage, but the cool thing was that I could delete anything that I did not want. Some things were part of what I chose, such as humor, but for example, there was a place on there that was a comic page, and I did not care for that, so I was able to delete it. I will definitely make this my permanent homepage!
Online calendars are great for me because I will not ever forget a Birthday! I always carry a planner that has my immediate family and friends Birthday's, but with the online calendar, I was actually able to add everyone from my facebook account that I'd like to remember, but aren't in my planner, so that if for some reason I do not check my facebook that day, I still won't forget a Birthday that I should remember. You can also add people other ways besides facebook, such as yahoo.
Question #4-What about the to-do lists—helpful, too much work…?
The to-do- lists are helpful, but I would probably say too much work. Like I said above, I carry a daily planner so I always write down what I need in there. I do think it would be very wise to keep a to do list online because if my purse were to get stolen, I would have to clue what was in my planner, so I definitely think it's a great back up plan!
Question #5-Did you find a tool that has some uses for you at the school or at home? Which tool(s) would you recommend to others?
I reccommmend the post it notes. I really think it's cool to be able to turn on your computer and see a reminder, right infront of you! I often find myself in need of a post it note to write something down, and of course I can't find one when I need it. I really like this tool!
Question #1-Which start page did you choose? Why did that one appeal to you? Question #2-Will you make it your permanent home page?
Question #3-How can the online calendars be useful to you?
I chose the iGoogle start page. I am a huge fan of all google tools, so I automoatically went strait to that one. I LOVE my new homepage! I have everything I want and need, right there. I was able to edit the weather to show my town where I live and Clarksville's weather also. I chose a few different topics to add to my homepage, but the cool thing was that I could delete anything that I did not want. Some things were part of what I chose, such as humor, but for example, there was a place on there that was a comic page, and I did not care for that, so I was able to delete it. I will definitely make this my permanent homepage!
Online calendars are great for me because I will not ever forget a Birthday! I always carry a planner that has my immediate family and friends Birthday's, but with the online calendar, I was actually able to add everyone from my facebook account that I'd like to remember, but aren't in my planner, so that if for some reason I do not check my facebook that day, I still won't forget a Birthday that I should remember. You can also add people other ways besides facebook, such as yahoo.
Question #4-What about the to-do lists—helpful, too much work…?
The to-do- lists are helpful, but I would probably say too much work. Like I said above, I carry a daily planner so I always write down what I need in there. I do think it would be very wise to keep a to do list online because if my purse were to get stolen, I would have to clue what was in my planner, so I definitely think it's a great back up plan!
Question #5-Did you find a tool that has some uses for you at the school or at home? Which tool(s) would you recommend to others?
I reccommmend the post it notes. I really think it's cool to be able to turn on your computer and see a reminder, right infront of you! I often find myself in need of a post it note to write something down, and of course I can't find one when I need it. I really like this tool!
Thing #15
Today I discovered what a Wiki is!
I think it is really neat that you can add and edit the content in the wiki. I think it can be very helpful for people to be able to add things that maybe you do not know, or they can correct any mistakes that you might make. The only problem that worried me about the wiki is spammers. That could be bad. But I do think the wiki is very helpful.
I have actually used wiki's before, and didn't even know it! I use Wikipedia a lot, but never knew what the "wiki" part meant! lol
I actually got to add some information from my own blog into the APSU 23 Things Sandbox wiki. I added a picture that I generated in an earlier blog post and I put the information for people to use the same link that I did if they want to generate their own photos. It was very simple and easy. You can add whatever you want and edit your text, it was great!
I think it is really neat that you can add and edit the content in the wiki. I think it can be very helpful for people to be able to add things that maybe you do not know, or they can correct any mistakes that you might make. The only problem that worried me about the wiki is spammers. That could be bad. But I do think the wiki is very helpful.
I have actually used wiki's before, and didn't even know it! I use Wikipedia a lot, but never knew what the "wiki" part meant! lol
I actually got to add some information from my own blog into the APSU 23 Things Sandbox wiki. I added a picture that I generated in an earlier blog post and I put the information for people to use the same link that I did if they want to generate their own photos. It was very simple and easy. You can add whatever you want and edit your text, it was great!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Thing #14
Today I had to visit the websites that help create a mind map and flowchart. My instructions are to explore one of each site and tell which ones, and describe why I chose them.
I chose to use MindMeister Mind Mapping Site for my mind map. This tool is amazing. I chose this site because I loved all of the different ideas that I saw immediately within seconds of creating my free account. By using the mind map, you can create lists of things to do, vacation plans, and there is even one on here about blogging becoming our future. There are many varieties of mind maps that have already been created for you to use as examples. You can create a mind map of anything! If you have something in your mind that you want to save, and not forget (all of us do that) then MindMeister is a great place to create your ideas and you can save and even share them! If you happen to find a mind map that someone else has created publicly and you want to keep it for future reference, you can click on the "clone" button and it will save to your account! There are endless opportunities with this tool. This will be so very helpful to me as a teacher. I know as a teacher I will constantly have new ideas for lessons and this will be a great tool to use to create my ideas and save them, and I can even add to it anytime I want!
I chose to use Flowchart.com as the tool for my flowcharts. I chose this site because it has many options for you to create your flowchart the exact way you would like it to look. This site has many different options to allow creativity, even clipart! I like that you can record your flowchart and share it. It will be wonderful as a teacher to be able to create a flowchart and easily share it with my students in class. A flowcart is a great way to break down points to help give students a visual of a concept and all of its parts. I will definitely use this tool when I become a teacher. I think it will be very helpful!
I chose to use MindMeister Mind Mapping Site for my mind map. This tool is amazing. I chose this site because I loved all of the different ideas that I saw immediately within seconds of creating my free account. By using the mind map, you can create lists of things to do, vacation plans, and there is even one on here about blogging becoming our future. There are many varieties of mind maps that have already been created for you to use as examples. You can create a mind map of anything! If you have something in your mind that you want to save, and not forget (all of us do that) then MindMeister is a great place to create your ideas and you can save and even share them! If you happen to find a mind map that someone else has created publicly and you want to keep it for future reference, you can click on the "clone" button and it will save to your account! There are endless opportunities with this tool. This will be so very helpful to me as a teacher. I know as a teacher I will constantly have new ideas for lessons and this will be a great tool to use to create my ideas and save them, and I can even add to it anytime I want!
I chose to use Flowchart.com as the tool for my flowcharts. I chose this site because it has many options for you to create your flowchart the exact way you would like it to look. This site has many different options to allow creativity, even clipart! I like that you can record your flowchart and share it. It will be wonderful as a teacher to be able to create a flowchart and easily share it with my students in class. A flowcart is a great way to break down points to help give students a visual of a concept and all of its parts. I will definitely use this tool when I become a teacher. I think it will be very helpful!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thing #13 Zoho Writer Document
Zoho Writer,
I really like your program! I had no idea that it existed until today. This is going to make it so easy to create a document, and just save it here without ever needing my jump drive! It is really nice that I can easily send documents and even import them. The main thing is that it is free! I will definitely be using this service in the future!
Thanks Zoho!
Amanda Bradley 
Thing #13
Zoho Writer
Zoho writer is not only as easy as using word, but it is FREE! I had no idea that this word processing service ever even existed. Once my microsoft office messed up and I thought I was going to have to pay a lot of money to get a new one (luckily I know someone who fixed it). Had I known about this site, I wouldn't have even worried about it! I can see why they say that this may run Microsoft word out of business! Who wouldn't chose free?
I really like that the toolbar is so similar to Microsoft word. I am very familiar with that word processor, so this one makes it easy for me to get started right away! I really like the fact that I can save it and I don't have to worry about my jump drive. I have to hold onto that thing like it is my life, but with this, I don't have to worry about using it at all!
This program makes it very easy to send files and import files. You can even add the little emotion icons to your document (e.g. smiley face, frown face). The only thing I didn't like about that feature was when I posted it to my blog, the emotion did now show up, it just said "kiss" beside of my name instead of the cute little smiley with red lips! It even has formulas for math equations! I really like that I can automatically post my document to my blog. This will make it very easy to post assignments or documents for my students when I become a teacher.
Zoho writer is not only as easy as using word, but it is FREE! I had no idea that this word processing service ever even existed. Once my microsoft office messed up and I thought I was going to have to pay a lot of money to get a new one (luckily I know someone who fixed it). Had I known about this site, I wouldn't have even worried about it! I can see why they say that this may run Microsoft word out of business! Who wouldn't chose free?
I really like that the toolbar is so similar to Microsoft word. I am very familiar with that word processor, so this one makes it easy for me to get started right away! I really like the fact that I can save it and I don't have to worry about my jump drive. I have to hold onto that thing like it is my life, but with this, I don't have to worry about using it at all!
This program makes it very easy to send files and import files. You can even add the little emotion icons to your document (e.g. smiley face, frown face). The only thing I didn't like about that feature was when I posted it to my blog, the emotion did now show up, it just said "kiss" beside of my name instead of the cute little smiley with red lips! It even has formulas for math equations! I really like that I can automatically post my document to my blog. This will make it very easy to post assignments or documents for my students when I become a teacher.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thing #4
Commenting helps create a sense of community because that's what it is! It's almost like your own little community when you get involved with others in a conversation about a particular topic. It's just like when your community gets together to vote on something, everyone has their own opinions and makes their statements...this is just like that, but even better because you don't have to worry about someone trying to knock you out over what you say, or vice versa! lol
One point that I read about that I liked was about how people like you commenting on their posts. I really do think it is important to comment because it's true, why would someone put themselves out there only to feel that they've never been heard? I know that I want to be heard, so don't forget to drop a line, even if it's only a "good job" or "nice thoughts"...something.
Another point that I read about was Etiquette and blogging. I think everyone knows how to behave and act mannerly. Things can get right down dirty and rough if there is not some sense of etiquette and morality. There is no need to terrorize someone for their thoughts, seriously, we all know how to behave. If you do not like what someone has to say, and you can't respond gracefully, then just leave it alone. You have your opinions, and so do they...we're all entitled.
I had to choose 7 blogs to read and comment on. My first was a post by Williamslk (not in my class) and it was Thing #7 Flickr. Her post had a picture of one of her bulletin boards in her class and it said, "It's good to be green". I chose this because I wanted to comment on her bulletin board and how important the message is. This is the comment I made:
Hi Kat! I just wanted to say that I love your bulletin board! As a future teacher I definitely need to be thinking about creative ideas for my classroom, and I do not have a creative bone in my body! lol. I really like that you chose the "It's good to be green" message because I really think being "green" is something that a lot of people forget about, even though it is so important. I think it is great to share the idea with students because if you start them on the idea at a young age, then hopefully they will continue with it throughout their lifetime. Great Job!
I really think it is important to get this message out to students early on, and I wanted to encourage this to others and let her know that she did a great job!
My second blog choice was by Emme Walker (not in my class), Thing #3. Emme discussed about how she will be using her blog and I thought she had some great ideas! She said that she would use it to communicate to parents and students. She also said that she would post assignments and direct links to instructions for the assignments. I think these are great ways to use the blog! This is the comment I made in return:
Hi Emme! I just wanted to make a comment on your ideas about your purpose for using the blog. I think the ideas you have about using the blog to communicate with students and parents are great! I also like the idea of posting the assignments along with the links for instructions. This will be very helpful for everyone! Great ideas for the blog use! As a future teacher, I will definitely consider doing the same thing!
I chose to make this comment because I wanted her and others to know how great I think it would be to be able to communicate with teachers and students this way. That way, if there are ever any questions late at night about assignments, or if parents have questions but don't have time to come in or even call, they can just pull it right up and type away!
My third blog choice is by Jasmine's 23 Things Blog (In my class). Her post was about blogging and one particular point that she had was that you can use blogging to communicate with other classrooms around the world. This is the comment I made:
Hey Jasmine! I wanted to say that I completely agree with connecting with other classrooms around the world. I did not really think about that before, but you're definitely right! It is very amazing that we can get and share ideas with other teachers thousands of miles away!
I chose to make this comment because she definitely has a great idea about communicating with other classrooms around the world. I had never really thought about that before. See! Blogging really does help people learn other information! I have already learned new things, and there are many more to come!
My fourth blog choice was by Steph's Blogs Thing #3 (In my class). She discussed how blogging will be beneficial for teachers to use to communicate with each other and get ideas from each other. One point she made was about classroom discipline and how you can use blogging to get ideas for that. I know that is going to be a major part of my teaching career and she definitely has a great point about that, and I know it is going to help a lot to have this blog once I am a teacher myself. This is the comment I made:
Hi Steph! I definitely agree with you about blogging with other teachers for help. I am so thankful that this class has introduced me to this because otherwise I do not think I would have ever made a blog. I feel already that I will have so much help and support from other teachers now, even one's that I don't know or never will, and it's all thanks to the blog! It is definitely a tool that I will use and be thankful for I can already tell!
I chose to make this comment because it is very important that people see that they can really get help by using the blog. It is really nice to see that others feel the same way that I do about using the blog for help. I know some people are shy about asking for help, but with the blog, you never even have to see anyone face to face and you will probably get more help than you ever even needed once the posts are out there and people start to follow!
My fifth blog is by Sarah Klodt (In my class)Thing #12. Sarah discussed how she thinks the likes the old fashioned writing in the planner better. I must say, I like the google calendar for several reasons, already stated in my blog, but I have to agree with Sarah too. I really don't ever see myself leaving my good ole planner behind! She also said that she thinks the google profile is good for letting parents get to know your background. I really think that is a great idea! Here is the comment I made:
Hey Sarah! I have to say, I love your honesty about the old fashioned planner way! lol. I did create a google calendar, but I tell ya, I never see myself ever giving up my good ole daily planner! That thing is my Holy Gail! I never leave home without it! I really don't think I would feel right leaving it behind!
I also like what you said about using the profile for parents to get to know your background. That is something I hadn't thought about before, and that is a great idea. I'm sure the parents would really appreciate it and it would make them feel more comfortable about their child being in your care!
I chose to make this comment because I wanted to let Sarah know that she is not the only one that loves the good ole fashioned written planner! I also wanted to let her and others know how important I think it is to let the parents have an easy way to get to know your background, something I had not really thought about before.
My sixth blog is by Stacy's 23 Things: Thing 3 (In my class). Stacy had some very amazing points about why we should use a blog and what a blog can be used for in the classroom. She not only have general ideas for the use as far as communicating with students but she listed nine other detailed examples of ways that she will use the blog in her classroom. Her ideas really helped open my eyes to just all the things that blogging can be used for in the classroom. The comment I made was:
Great job on all of the ideas you have for using the blog Stacy! These are great examples for everyone, not just English teachers. It really helps open up our eyes to all of the things we can really do with this tool!
I chose to make this comment because I think it is great that Stacy was so detailed about her blogging ideas. She have very specific ideas to help broaden our thinking!
My seventh blog is by Shanacia's 23 Things: Thing #12 (In my class). She discussed the notebook and she made a great point that I had not thought of before. She said that you can use the notebook to write down things about how your day went in the classroom that day and about what did or did not work for you in that particular curriculum. Here is the comment I made:
Hi Shanacia! I really like your idea about using the notebook to write down your thoughts on how your day went and what did or did not work in your curriculum. That is such a great idea! That will be very helpful to have in the future when you go to teach that lesson again, you can easily just refer back to that lesson and you won't have to try to remember every little thing, and you won't have to worry about repeating the same mistakes again! Very helpful advise!
I chose to make this comment because I really think Shanacia has a great point about using the notebook. I will definitely be using this idea when I am a teacher!
One point that I read about that I liked was about how people like you commenting on their posts. I really do think it is important to comment because it's true, why would someone put themselves out there only to feel that they've never been heard? I know that I want to be heard, so don't forget to drop a line, even if it's only a "good job" or "nice thoughts"...something.
Another point that I read about was Etiquette and blogging. I think everyone knows how to behave and act mannerly. Things can get right down dirty and rough if there is not some sense of etiquette and morality. There is no need to terrorize someone for their thoughts, seriously, we all know how to behave. If you do not like what someone has to say, and you can't respond gracefully, then just leave it alone. You have your opinions, and so do they...we're all entitled.
I had to choose 7 blogs to read and comment on. My first was a post by Williamslk (not in my class) and it was Thing #7 Flickr. Her post had a picture of one of her bulletin boards in her class and it said, "It's good to be green". I chose this because I wanted to comment on her bulletin board and how important the message is. This is the comment I made:
Hi Kat! I just wanted to say that I love your bulletin board! As a future teacher I definitely need to be thinking about creative ideas for my classroom, and I do not have a creative bone in my body! lol. I really like that you chose the "It's good to be green" message because I really think being "green" is something that a lot of people forget about, even though it is so important. I think it is great to share the idea with students because if you start them on the idea at a young age, then hopefully they will continue with it throughout their lifetime. Great Job!
I really think it is important to get this message out to students early on, and I wanted to encourage this to others and let her know that she did a great job!
My second blog choice was by Emme Walker (not in my class), Thing #3. Emme discussed about how she will be using her blog and I thought she had some great ideas! She said that she would use it to communicate to parents and students. She also said that she would post assignments and direct links to instructions for the assignments. I think these are great ways to use the blog! This is the comment I made in return:
Hi Emme! I just wanted to make a comment on your ideas about your purpose for using the blog. I think the ideas you have about using the blog to communicate with students and parents are great! I also like the idea of posting the assignments along with the links for instructions. This will be very helpful for everyone! Great ideas for the blog use! As a future teacher, I will definitely consider doing the same thing!
I chose to make this comment because I wanted her and others to know how great I think it would be to be able to communicate with teachers and students this way. That way, if there are ever any questions late at night about assignments, or if parents have questions but don't have time to come in or even call, they can just pull it right up and type away!
My third blog choice is by Jasmine's 23 Things Blog (In my class). Her post was about blogging and one particular point that she had was that you can use blogging to communicate with other classrooms around the world. This is the comment I made:
Hey Jasmine! I wanted to say that I completely agree with connecting with other classrooms around the world. I did not really think about that before, but you're definitely right! It is very amazing that we can get and share ideas with other teachers thousands of miles away!
I chose to make this comment because she definitely has a great idea about communicating with other classrooms around the world. I had never really thought about that before. See! Blogging really does help people learn other information! I have already learned new things, and there are many more to come!
My fourth blog choice was by Steph's Blogs Thing #3 (In my class). She discussed how blogging will be beneficial for teachers to use to communicate with each other and get ideas from each other. One point she made was about classroom discipline and how you can use blogging to get ideas for that. I know that is going to be a major part of my teaching career and she definitely has a great point about that, and I know it is going to help a lot to have this blog once I am a teacher myself. This is the comment I made:
Hi Steph! I definitely agree with you about blogging with other teachers for help. I am so thankful that this class has introduced me to this because otherwise I do not think I would have ever made a blog. I feel already that I will have so much help and support from other teachers now, even one's that I don't know or never will, and it's all thanks to the blog! It is definitely a tool that I will use and be thankful for I can already tell!
I chose to make this comment because it is very important that people see that they can really get help by using the blog. It is really nice to see that others feel the same way that I do about using the blog for help. I know some people are shy about asking for help, but with the blog, you never even have to see anyone face to face and you will probably get more help than you ever even needed once the posts are out there and people start to follow!
My fifth blog is by Sarah Klodt (In my class)Thing #12. Sarah discussed how she thinks the likes the old fashioned writing in the planner better. I must say, I like the google calendar for several reasons, already stated in my blog, but I have to agree with Sarah too. I really don't ever see myself leaving my good ole planner behind! She also said that she thinks the google profile is good for letting parents get to know your background. I really think that is a great idea! Here is the comment I made:
Hey Sarah! I have to say, I love your honesty about the old fashioned planner way! lol. I did create a google calendar, but I tell ya, I never see myself ever giving up my good ole daily planner! That thing is my Holy Gail! I never leave home without it! I really don't think I would feel right leaving it behind!
I also like what you said about using the profile for parents to get to know your background. That is something I hadn't thought about before, and that is a great idea. I'm sure the parents would really appreciate it and it would make them feel more comfortable about their child being in your care!
I chose to make this comment because I wanted to let Sarah know that she is not the only one that loves the good ole fashioned written planner! I also wanted to let her and others know how important I think it is to let the parents have an easy way to get to know your background, something I had not really thought about before.
My sixth blog is by Stacy's 23 Things: Thing 3 (In my class). Stacy had some very amazing points about why we should use a blog and what a blog can be used for in the classroom. She not only have general ideas for the use as far as communicating with students but she listed nine other detailed examples of ways that she will use the blog in her classroom. Her ideas really helped open my eyes to just all the things that blogging can be used for in the classroom. The comment I made was:
Great job on all of the ideas you have for using the blog Stacy! These are great examples for everyone, not just English teachers. It really helps open up our eyes to all of the things we can really do with this tool!
I chose to make this comment because I think it is great that Stacy was so detailed about her blogging ideas. She have very specific ideas to help broaden our thinking!
My seventh blog is by Shanacia's 23 Things: Thing #12 (In my class). She discussed the notebook and she made a great point that I had not thought of before. She said that you can use the notebook to write down things about how your day went in the classroom that day and about what did or did not work for you in that particular curriculum. Here is the comment I made:
Hi Shanacia! I really like your idea about using the notebook to write down your thoughts on how your day went and what did or did not work in your curriculum. That is such a great idea! That will be very helpful to have in the future when you go to teach that lesson again, you can easily just refer back to that lesson and you won't have to try to remember every little thing, and you won't have to worry about repeating the same mistakes again! Very helpful advise!
I chose to make this comment because I really think Shanacia has a great point about using the notebook. I will definitely be using this idea when I am a teacher!
Thing #12
For Thing 12 I had to further explore more options with Google. I have learned through this experience that Google is much more than just a search engine! I can create a calendar, create my own homepage through iGoogle, and alerts to send me emails when I want to get the latest news on a particular topic. I am a stickler for celebrity gossip so I set up some alerts of my own so that I can get the latest on the celeb news!
Here is a link to my alerts: http://www.google.com/alerts/manage?hl=en&gl=us
I really like the calendar that you can set up with Google because you can share your calendar with others, so they will know your schedule! I often find myself talking to someone and saying "I'll have to check my planner". With the Google calendar you can share your plans with others so they won't even have to ask if you can make it to their event.
I really think the Google alerts would be great for educational use because as a teacher it is an easy way to keep up with things that are going on in the world of education and you can share the latest events with your students and faculty. The Google calendar can also be very useful for education because you can keep an updated calendar of the events that are planned for your class, days you will be off, test days, etc....and you can share them with your colleagues so that they will always know what is going on because what happens with your class usually involves other colleagues too, and if you keep your calendar up to date, you will be helping others who are not so organized and they will be updated as well!
Here is a link to my alerts: http://www.google.com/alerts/manage?hl=en&gl=us
I really like the calendar that you can set up with Google because you can share your calendar with others, so they will know your schedule! I often find myself talking to someone and saying "I'll have to check my planner". With the Google calendar you can share your plans with others so they won't even have to ask if you can make it to their event.
I really think the Google alerts would be great for educational use because as a teacher it is an easy way to keep up with things that are going on in the world of education and you can share the latest events with your students and faculty. The Google calendar can also be very useful for education because you can keep an updated calendar of the events that are planned for your class, days you will be off, test days, etc....and you can share them with your colleagues so that they will always know what is going on because what happens with your class usually involves other colleagues too, and if you keep your calendar up to date, you will be helping others who are not so organized and they will be updated as well!
Thing #11
Thing 11 requires me to explore search tools that will help me to locate RSS feeds and answer some questions.
I found Google Blog Search to be the easiest blog search for me. I prefer Google on just about everything I do. I am used to Google and it always seems easy, and I always find what I'm looking for.
I did not find any search tool that was hard to use, but my least favorite seems to be the Syndic8.com. I did not find what I was looking for at first when I typed in my search and the home page just did not seem very inviting to me, not near as much as Google. I also tried Technorati, I did not like that one as well as Google either. It just did not seem as easy to add to my RSS reader as Google Blog Search did.
In my search, I found that the U.S. Department of Education has a blog and I immediately subscribed to it. I'm tired of hearing things all the time at school from professors about things going on in education and I am always behind and lost. I feel like I will actually be ahead of the game now because I will be updated daily now of anything new that is going on with education.
As far as what unusual feeds did I find, well, there are many! I am shocked about the things that are out there that people blog about, for example, I found one that talked about what kind of toenail polish Sarah Palin was wearing during a speech! I was shocked! So, not only is there VERY useful information out there, but apparently there are a lot of people with extra time on their hands! I guess everyone has their opinions about different things and thanks to all of these great tools we now have, we can share them, no matter what they are about!
I found some great news feeds on yahoo. I have subscribed to at least five different sources from there. There are so many links to visit out there, it can get very overwhelming very fast if you don't take control!
I found Google Blog Search to be the easiest blog search for me. I prefer Google on just about everything I do. I am used to Google and it always seems easy, and I always find what I'm looking for.
I did not find any search tool that was hard to use, but my least favorite seems to be the Syndic8.com. I did not find what I was looking for at first when I typed in my search and the home page just did not seem very inviting to me, not near as much as Google. I also tried Technorati, I did not like that one as well as Google either. It just did not seem as easy to add to my RSS reader as Google Blog Search did.
In my search, I found that the U.S. Department of Education has a blog and I immediately subscribed to it. I'm tired of hearing things all the time at school from professors about things going on in education and I am always behind and lost. I feel like I will actually be ahead of the game now because I will be updated daily now of anything new that is going on with education.
As far as what unusual feeds did I find, well, there are many! I am shocked about the things that are out there that people blog about, for example, I found one that talked about what kind of toenail polish Sarah Palin was wearing during a speech! I was shocked! So, not only is there VERY useful information out there, but apparently there are a lot of people with extra time on their hands! I guess everyone has their opinions about different things and thanks to all of these great tools we now have, we can share them, no matter what they are about!
I found some great news feeds on yahoo. I have subscribed to at least five different sources from there. There are so many links to visit out there, it can get very overwhelming very fast if you don't take control!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Thing #10
For thing #10 I had to create an RSS account. I chose to use Google Reader. I subscribed to 5 places for now, but I'm sure that will change very soon! With this unique tool, I can get the latest updates on everything I want, without having to search, and I even get the latest gossip right away!
I absolutely LOVE RSS! I had no idea it even existed until I had to do Thing #10 for school! I am always interested in the latest updates on what is going on in the world as far as education, general news, celebrity news, and others that sometimes I fall behind on knowing the information. Often times I'm the "last to know". Now that I've discovered RSS I will not be behind on my gossip or knowledge of what is going on out there!
I've already said that I will definitely be using this in my personal life, but it will be a great tool to use for school as well! I think it is very important that students know what is going on in the world. It is important that students get to voice their opinions and get new ideas from each other and by using RSS I will always be able to introduce new topics to my students and get their feedback and opinions. I really think this helps students grow as individuals.
I absolutely LOVE RSS! I had no idea it even existed until I had to do Thing #10 for school! I am always interested in the latest updates on what is going on in the world as far as education, general news, celebrity news, and others that sometimes I fall behind on knowing the information. Often times I'm the "last to know". Now that I've discovered RSS I will not be behind on my gossip or knowledge of what is going on out there!
I've already said that I will definitely be using this in my personal life, but it will be a great tool to use for school as well! I think it is very important that students know what is going on in the world. It is important that students get to voice their opinions and get new ideas from each other and by using RSS I will always be able to introduce new topics to my students and get their feedback and opinions. I really think this helps students grow as individuals.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Thing #9
I used the following links to generate my photos:http://www.imagechef.com/
www.fototrix.com
The process to create these new and improved photos was very easy! I just found the links and it was very detailed on where to upload your photos. The only thing that got me was the time it took to browse everything. There are SO many options and ideas for things that you can do with your photos. You can do hundreds of thousands of things that are so cool and fun! It definitely takes time to look through and figure out which ones you want to use, but the process is a lot of fun! I definitely got a lot of laughs out of this project, and I hope you will too!
Photo generating could be used in the classroom as graphics for web pages or presentations. I think this would get the students interested and help them to enjoy the lesson! It would be a fun computer project for the students to learn how to generate their own photos as well! I am a firm believer in making learning as fun as possible so that the students are interested and this is definitely a tool that can get the job done!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Thing #8
I chose to use the Picnik to do some cool editing to a picture of my chocolate lab, Dane. The cool thing about this site is that you can edit and do many neat things to your photos and then you can send them to various places to get developed, such as Wal-Greens and Snapfish (which is what I use). You can also upload it to your networking sites such as facebook.You can also just print the image from your own computer! There are many choices of sharing your photos with the world and you can save them all on this website.
Flickr and many Flickr mashups can be very useful in your personal life as well as in education. I found one website during my research that is very beneficial. http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/01/12/flickr-use-for-teachers/
I even learned on here how to create captions on your photos. It seems that teachers need to get familiar with Flickr and the mashup programs because it is very beneficial for things such as slideshows or even just to pull up a photo of a certain person or place if you want to show your students a visual. I think the reasons for the use of these tools for your personal life are quite obvious, and habit forming!
I think it is great that we can now share our photos online. We now have so much more access to pictures of people and places in the world that we may not otherwise ever get the chance to see. This really helps give people visuals and is great for teachers! I am thankful also that I can share my personal photos with my family and friends in the click of a button!
Thing #6
I chose to explore Google Earth. I was able to download the link by using the Webware 100 winner site http://news.cnet.com/8301-13546_109-10237746-29.html?tag=mncol
I really think it is so cool that you can look up any place in the world you want and this website will direct you strait to it so you can see it up close and personal! There are so many things to learn from this site, you can even look at Mars! Not only can you look up Mars, and any place you want on Earth, but you can see buildings in 3D, you can explore geographical content, and even explore the canyons of the ocean floor. Google Earth allows you to find businesses and even get directions. I did not see anything about this site that I did not like. I actually spent a lot of time just browsing around and it amazes me that I can see other neighborhoods and businesses in countries that I otherwise would never be able to see unless I actually took a trip there!
Google Earth is a very useful tool for schools and that is one reason why I chose to look at this site. I searched online to get some ideas of different ways that Google Earth can be used in the classroom and there are many ideas! One activity that I thought would be fun for students in the classroom is this activity that a teacher replaced with an outdated library assignment: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/02/putting-google-earth-to-test.html
There are many more ideas out there for using Google Earth in the classroom and library. This is an awesome tool that I hope to use in my classroom one day!
I really think it is so cool that you can look up any place in the world you want and this website will direct you strait to it so you can see it up close and personal! There are so many things to learn from this site, you can even look at Mars! Not only can you look up Mars, and any place you want on Earth, but you can see buildings in 3D, you can explore geographical content, and even explore the canyons of the ocean floor. Google Earth allows you to find businesses and even get directions. I did not see anything about this site that I did not like. I actually spent a lot of time just browsing around and it amazes me that I can see other neighborhoods and businesses in countries that I otherwise would never be able to see unless I actually took a trip there!
Google Earth is a very useful tool for schools and that is one reason why I chose to look at this site. I searched online to get some ideas of different ways that Google Earth can be used in the classroom and there are many ideas! One activity that I thought would be fun for students in the classroom is this activity that a teacher replaced with an outdated library assignment: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/02/putting-google-earth-to-test.html
There are many more ideas out there for using Google Earth in the classroom and library. This is an awesome tool that I hope to use in my classroom one day!
Thing #7
The photo that I found on Flickr is titled, "Waves curl and crash on the shore".
I chose this photo because I LOVE the beach. It is my favorite place in the world, and this photo is an image of exactly where I would like to be right now.
I found this picture of the beautiful welcoming beach by: ZedBee | Zoë Power's photostream. The URL for this photo is
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4696909256_e5d3da5169.jpg
I found Flickr amazing! Anything that I typed in had an image and many of them! It is almost overwhelming at all of the different pictures and posts by this many people. I really like that you can make comments and read what other people think about the images. I think overall Flickr is a really cool site!
Thing #5
Students today have it made with the amazing technology that is out there! In reading some of the perspectives I was reminded of how there are so many tools out there on the web that can be accessed and even changed and used for your own personal use and for free! You can absolutely type in anything that you need to know and there is almost guaranteed to be some link for information about that particular topic. I personally do not know anyone that goes strait to the library to look up information for school papers anymore! Most people now find all of their research on the web, unless other instructed by the teacher.
School 2.0 means to me that the future of education is in the works of a change. Computer technology has changed our lives completely, including education. There was a time that paper and pencil was the only way to go but that is now out the window! It is amazing that people can take classes now online without ever getting out of their pajamas or their desk chair! There are many great things that can help with education in the Web 2.0 world, including podcasts and blogs. I think it is very important for the educational world to keep up with the way the world is learning and doing things in their daily lives and this means school 2.0 is on the way to being a part of that.
I think schools in the future will have no choice but to take the school 2.0 route. If education does not keep up with the way students are learning and communicating then school will definitely not be something that interests students in the future. Computers and technology and communicating with the world have become part of our daily lives and education will definitely have to follow the future trend in order to keep up with students.
School 2.0 means to me that the future of education is in the works of a change. Computer technology has changed our lives completely, including education. There was a time that paper and pencil was the only way to go but that is now out the window! It is amazing that people can take classes now online without ever getting out of their pajamas or their desk chair! There are many great things that can help with education in the Web 2.0 world, including podcasts and blogs. I think it is very important for the educational world to keep up with the way the world is learning and doing things in their daily lives and this means school 2.0 is on the way to being a part of that.
I think schools in the future will have no choice but to take the school 2.0 route. If education does not keep up with the way students are learning and communicating then school will definitely not be something that interests students in the future. Computers and technology and communicating with the world have become part of our daily lives and education will definitely have to follow the future trend in order to keep up with students.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thing #3
I think as a teacher, blogging is a great way to get new ideas from other teachers. Every teacher does not teach the same way. Many teachers have ways of doing things that others have not thought about, and it works great for them. Blogging helps teachers to share the things that work best for them so that others can try it out for themselves! Blogging is also a great way to ask for help. As a teacher, there are many things that you might encounter and you may need to ask someone who has more experience what they would do in the situation. More heads put together gives more ideas which means more opportunities to try new things that you otherwise may not have thought to try before.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Thing #2
Today I created my first blog and avatar. I decided on the posting name and name of my Blog easily. I don't mind people knowing my first name so I just went with that. I've never really had a nickname so I'm happy with people calling me by my name!
Creating my blog was very easy. Just some setting up steps to follow and here I am ready to give my feelings to the world! I am very excited to hear from others and get their ideas on my opinions so that I can be more open minded to new ideas!
The funny thing about creating my new avatar was that my husband and I just watched the Avatar movie for the first time about three nights ago. We both said that we wish we could be avatar's! And now I do have one of my own! I created my avatar to go by how I look in real life as close as possible. I am a girly girl who likes to match everything and wear high heels. I like to put on cute outfits and always dress to impress. I just want to be me and I am happy with that.
Creating my blog was very easy. Just some setting up steps to follow and here I am ready to give my feelings to the world! I am very excited to hear from others and get their ideas on my opinions so that I can be more open minded to new ideas!
The funny thing about creating my new avatar was that my husband and I just watched the Avatar movie for the first time about three nights ago. We both said that we wish we could be avatar's! And now I do have one of my own! I created my avatar to go by how I look in real life as close as possible. I am a girly girl who likes to match everything and wear high heels. I like to put on cute outfits and always dress to impress. I just want to be me and I am happy with that.
Thing 1
I viewed the tutorial on lifelong learning last night. My assignment was to write down the 7 1/2 Habits discussed in the tutorial and then write down my thoughts on which is the easiest and which is the hardest for me. The 7 1/2 habits are as follows:
1. Begin with the end of the problem in mind so you can develop a plan.
2. Accept responsibility for your own learning. Active participation, taking classes, and asking questions are examples.
3. View problems as challenges
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
5. Create your own learning toolbox for what you want to learn. For example: life long learners use books, computers, and take classes to learn.
6. Use technology to your advantage
7. Teach and mentor others
7 1/2. PLAY! Play is important for adults too!
All of these can be difficult tasks. When reading through them all I really feel that the easiest thing for me is to begin with the end of the problem in mind so you can develop a plan. I am the type of person who is always thinking ahead, thinking of what the consequences will be based on my decisions, and I always try to plan ahead for problems. I do these things in everyday life, so I feel that it will be easy for me as a lifelong learner and a teacher to do this.
What I feel will be the hardest task for me out of the 7 1/2 things is to view problems as challenges. Since I do try to plan ahead I often get discouraged when problems come my way, only because I can see the end and when something is stopping me, it does not set very well. I feel that if I can learn to view problems as challenges then I will be able to handle the problems a lot more care and stress free. This is something that I really need to work on and I've noticed in the past that I needed work in this area, so for me this is not going to be easy, but it is definitely something that I can do!
By playing with the Web 2.0 tools, I really want to learn what all is out there for my use. There are so many different tools for information that will be very helpful to me throughout my career and my life. I would love to explore many new tools that will be helpful.
Setting up my blog was very easy. I never even thought about setting up a blog before this class and at first I thought it would be something that I would not want to do but now that I've set it up and started experiencing with it, it is great! I like the fact that I can get others opinions on my thoughts. Sometimes if another person gives their ideas, it may be something that I would have never even thought of otherwise, and I like the fact that I will be able to get more opinions besides just my own so that I can be open to new ideas about things.
1. Begin with the end of the problem in mind so you can develop a plan.
2. Accept responsibility for your own learning. Active participation, taking classes, and asking questions are examples.
3. View problems as challenges
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
5. Create your own learning toolbox for what you want to learn. For example: life long learners use books, computers, and take classes to learn.
6. Use technology to your advantage
7. Teach and mentor others
7 1/2. PLAY! Play is important for adults too!
All of these can be difficult tasks. When reading through them all I really feel that the easiest thing for me is to begin with the end of the problem in mind so you can develop a plan. I am the type of person who is always thinking ahead, thinking of what the consequences will be based on my decisions, and I always try to plan ahead for problems. I do these things in everyday life, so I feel that it will be easy for me as a lifelong learner and a teacher to do this.
What I feel will be the hardest task for me out of the 7 1/2 things is to view problems as challenges. Since I do try to plan ahead I often get discouraged when problems come my way, only because I can see the end and when something is stopping me, it does not set very well. I feel that if I can learn to view problems as challenges then I will be able to handle the problems a lot more care and stress free. This is something that I really need to work on and I've noticed in the past that I needed work in this area, so for me this is not going to be easy, but it is definitely something that I can do!
By playing with the Web 2.0 tools, I really want to learn what all is out there for my use. There are so many different tools for information that will be very helpful to me throughout my career and my life. I would love to explore many new tools that will be helpful.
Setting up my blog was very easy. I never even thought about setting up a blog before this class and at first I thought it would be something that I would not want to do but now that I've set it up and started experiencing with it, it is great! I like the fact that I can get others opinions on my thoughts. Sometimes if another person gives their ideas, it may be something that I would have never even thought of otherwise, and I like the fact that I will be able to get more opinions besides just my own so that I can be open to new ideas about things.
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