After Thing 23...Is it the end or the beginning?

After Thing 23

I had many favorite discoveries on the 23 Things journey, my absolute favorite was probably Thing 4 because I discovered how to comment and communicate with fellow bloggers and it made me feel like we were in community.  This program has affected my lifelong learning goals because I will be implementing many of the new tools I have discovered in my future classroom!  It amazed me how many links and tools that are available through this program, I am excited to discover more in the future.  I cannot really think of anything that needs to be done to improve this program.  What I have learned will influence my practice as a teacher because I will not be afraid to use technology in my classroom.  I plan to keep up with new developments on Web 2.0 by using various websites, discussing topics with my colleagues, and so on.

Thing 23

Thing 23

I found on the 23 Things original website that: 

"Learning 2.0-23 Things for Teachers is based on Learning 2.0-23 Things, a staff development program for the Mesquite Independent School District.  That program was based on the Learning 2.0 Program that was designed by Helene Blowers and adapted by the California School Library Association and others.  Content and style for Learning 2.0-23 Things for Teachers has been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License."

This gives credit to the original creators and allows others to use it under the Creative Commons License.  I have learned a lot of things by using 23 Things as well as learning more about the Creative Commons License.  In the future I will implement this into my classroom by teaching my students the basic steps of how to correctly site a source.  I think the video will also come in handy to explain to them what plagiarizing actually is.

Thing 22

Thing 22

I really liked LiveBinder, it is something that I have never used before and I found it very intriguing.  I found many other binders that I would be beneficial to what I will be teaching in the future.  One of them being over math which I have created a hyperlink to (below).  I believe that LiveBinder could be used in any classroom and it would be something that students  would enjoy.

Hyperlink to LiveBinder:
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=878327

Thing 21

Thing 21

Merry Christmas 2013

I created a 30 second clip on Animoto that has random pictures that revolve around Christmas.  I would be able to implement this into my classroom by having students bring in pictures for a project or an assignment.  I also had an idea that I know children would love to do around Christmas time, I would have them dress up as elves and take pictures then create a video that they could take home and show their families for the holidays.  I believe that this idea would be something that both the students and their parents would love!

Thing 20

Thing 20

I used a minute clip from this video earlier this year for a micro-teach lesson for another class to go along with the topic I was teaching my students.  It went along great with my lesson and my classmates as well as my teacher loved it!  What I like about YouTube is that anyone has access to it, and I am capable finding so many helpful tutorials and instructional videos that I will be able to implement in my future classroom.  I also went to the other video tools and applications on 23 Things and discovered the website called Kaltura.  This website was unique to me because students who are working in a group can create and share videos through this website.

Hyperlink for Kaltura:

http://www.go2web20.net/site/?a=Kaltura

Thing 19

Thing 19

By using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, or even Pinterest teachers can collaborate as one.  What I mean by this is that teachers can share information or even borrow new ideas, with social media there is a wide range of opportunities for teachers to communicate around the world.  I am a member of other social media besides Twitter and Facebook, I use Pinterest a lot to discover new ideas about how to teach a certain subject in a creative way.  I also looked at The Teacher's Guide to Social Media that was provided for us and discovered many helpful tips that I will be using in the future to make my profiles more private.

Thing 18

Thing 18

Twitter Hyperlink:

https://twitter.com/educ3040blogger

It is important that educators understand social media because classrooms are becoming more technology based.  Educators can also discover new teaching techniques, tips, and ideas by using social media to their advantage.  I am already a user on Twitter and created an alias profile for this specific classroom and have also attached a link to it (above), I know a lot about Twitter already so I did not learn anything new about it.  However, I did think it was neat that I could hashtag education and so many tweets, users, and pages popped up.  I never really thought about using Twitter as an application in the classroom but now I can see many uses for it, such as having my future students create a twitter page for an assigned project and gather information and tweet about it.

Thing 17

Thing 17

Instructions:

• Can you see the potential of this tool in the classroom?
• How can teacher take advantage of social bookmarking sites?  

Answer:

I see a lot of potential of using this tool in the classroom, it will help me when I am trying to pull up a site to show my students.  It will also help me categorize topics for certain lessons that I want to discuss or pull up on the computer.  The advantage of social bookmarking sites is that it allows for teachers to save time and be able to teach more.  I say this because many times teachers will try to show their students something and it takes them forever to find it or figure out how to use it, this way with Delicious, it simpler and less time consuming!

Thing 16

Thing 16

Instructions:

1.  Look at intro pages for the customized start page tools.  Choose one to create: add or delete and re-arrange the features and widgets on your new homepage.

2.  Create and online calendar or to do list using on of the tools about.

3.  Choose one other tool from the lists above to explore.

4.  Answer the following questions:

• Which start page did you choose?  Why did that one appeal to you?  Will you make it your permanent home page?
• How can the online calendars be useful to you?
• Did you find a tool that has some uses for you at the school or at home?
• Which tools would you recommend to others?

Answer:

I chose the start page "Remember the Milk."  This one appealed to me because I thought that it looked like it had the most options and it looked convenient as well.  One of my friends actually uses this start page and she really likes it (she is also super organized and has everything together all the time).  I don't believe I will make it my personal home page, this is because I really enjoy the Google home page; my computer also allows me to type into my web bar a question that will automatically send to Google Search.

Online calendars can be useful to me because it would allow me to see my schedule at any point in time, wherever I am at, this will benefit me in the future whenever I become a teacher because I know I will be super busy.

The one tool I really liked was the calendar, like I said before, I will be able to benefit from it because I have an extremely busy schedule and I can pull it up whenever I wanted to.

The tools I would recommend to others from this start page would be the study tool and the high priority tool!

Thing 15

Thing 15

Instructions:

Add or edit an entry in APSU 23 Things Sandbox wiki.

  -select your favorite curriculum ideas from your own blog

  -add pictures, change font, or format

Tell about your experience in your blog

  -How might you use a wiki?

  -What did you find interesting about the wiki concept?

Answer:

Anybody can use a wiki, whether it be personal, for business, or  for a classroom setting.  In my opinion I would use a wiki to be able to communicate with my classroom as well as their parents.  I discovered that you can create a space that allows you to create your own "personal teacher page" that allows you to post homework and projects, let your children submit their work, it also allows communication for the parents to contact me as a teacher.  This is a great way to get the parents involved with their students and become interactive with the teacher.

What I found interesting about wiki was the concept that the Texas School Libraries did with it.  The librarians created a wiki page that allows students, teachers, and parents to go and look at the library's data base, find certain books, and even has podcasts.  I believe that this would be a neat experience for a lot of students, especially if they are at home and want to show their parents the books that they are reading or have read.

Thing 14

Thing 14

Instructions:

• Discover a flowchart and experiment.
• Choose a tool that you find interesting.
• Discuss how you might use these tools in the future.

Answer:

The flowchart that I discovered was the bubbl.us website.  I thought that this was very interesting and even dabbled a little bit with the different options it offered.  I created a random flow chart that actually went with this class and put random tabs within the flow chart.  I could use these tools in the future by applying it in my classroom, I will be able to teach my students how to use these simple tools, that will allow them to better themselves in their studies.

Thing 13

Thing 13

Document for EDUC 3040 Thing 13

Instructions:

• Create a document, presentation, spreadsheet, or drawing on Google Drive.
• Discuss in the blog how students might collabortively use Google Drive.
• Compare Google Drive to another web-based application, Zoho.  Which do you prefer?  Why?

Answer:

I believe that Google Drive is an amazing tool to have available at the touch of a button.  It allows for anyone to save "work" whether it be a document, presentation, or a piece of artwork.  The advantages of Google Drive are unlimited.  Not only is this a plus for teachers, but it is also a plus for students, it allows them to communicate with the teacher and their classmates via the Internet.  Students will be able to work on materials at home as well as any where else that they may have Internet access.  This is also an advantage for students because for those who do not have Microsoft Word, will have a third party tool provided by Google Drive that will allow them to still to do their work, save it, and bring it up via the web.

I looked at Zoho and thought that it was an amazing application that could be used in any work field.  However, I still prefer Google Drive, this is only because I have an email with Google and it is easy access once I log in.  There are many exciting tools that Zoho provides such as: chats, projects, wiki, pulse, meeting, discussions, mail, docs, calendar, notebook, and writer.  I had a wonderful time exploring the benefits of both Google Drive and Zoho, and hope that you get a chance to explore it too!

Thing 12

Thing 12

Instructions:

Share your experience with Google tools and include a link to your creation.  Be sure to include possible educational uses.

Answer:

Google is used daily by each and every one of, we do not give a second thought to it, except the fact that it gives us answers virtually any time we need them.  Whenever I was younger I used to use Ask Jeeves, I am not even for sure if that exists any more.  I eventually made the transition like the rest of the world to the most popular search site on the planet, Google.  I searched through Googles tools and thought that backing up my photos on Google+ was a good idea, but I am using Cloud right now and that is doing just fine for me, so I am not going to post a link to the website.  Google can be used for a variety of different educational uses, such as searching for information, looking up photographs, or using it to translate for different languages.  Google has opened up so many possibilities not only to teachers in the classroom but every one around the world!

Thing 11

Thing 11

Instructions:

1.  Explore some of the search tools noted above that can help you locate some RSS feeds.

2.  Add any feeds you like to your RSS reader.

3.  Answer these questions:

•  Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use?
• Which was more confusing?
• What kind of useful feeds did you find in your travels?
• Or what kind of unusual ones did you find?
• What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds?

Answer:

• The methods I found that seemed easiest to use were Google Blog Search and blogsarchengine.org.  They were simple to use and reminded me of Google Search and Bing.
•  The method that was more confusing to me was Technorati.  It had the same search engine as the others, but I just did not like how it pulled up information.
• I found many useful feeds in my travels, including Education City and 150 Teaching Methods!
• An unusual one I found was a blog called Just Another Day In Mrs. Tabb's Classroom, it has amazing posts! The one that I found interesting to me was "How I Decorated My Classroom For Under 25 Bucks!"
• Another tool that I found that can help me locate new varieties of newsfeeds is Pinterest.  It helps me discover many interesting blogs that will be extremely beneficial to me during my future career.

 

Thing 10

Thing 10

Questions:

1.  What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?

2.  how do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life?

3.  How can teachers use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?

Answers:

1.  I think that a person can become slightly overwhelmed with RSS and newsreaders.  What I mean by this is that people are not for sure what RSS is unless they are told or do research themselves.  However, once he or she figures out how to work RSS, it becomes an easy tool to use, especially if a person is an avid Internet user.  RSS allows me to connect with specific blogs and news feeds that I am interested in, which keeps me up-to-date on all of the current events.  Another thing that I like about RSS is that it allows me to see if certain websites have updated anything new since I last looked at them, this allows me to save time and a lot of effort; it is a great shortcut!

2.  I will be able to use RSS when I become a future teacher by finding educational sites and showing new interesting facts to my students.  I want to be able to indulge them in a world beyond the classroom, and RSS will definitely be able to help me achieve this goal.

3.  I believe that RSS is something that all teachers need to take advantage of because it is a great time saver.  Teachers will be able to utilize this tool and introduce new information to their students.

Thing 9

Thing 9

Instructions: 

• Create several different types of images and save them to your computer.

• Post some of you creations to your blog and describe your process for creating it.  Include a link to the image generator you used so other participants can discover it too.

• In your post, be sure to include ways you might use these image generators in the library, classroom or personally. 

  
  

 

 http://www.customizemagnets.com/ecards/childrens.asp

http://www.images-graphics-pics.com/signs/tarot/cards.asp

 

http://www.txt2pic.com/banners/flags.asp?page=7 

 

Answer:

I will be able to use image generators in a variety of ways.  If I need to use them in a library setting, I can create images as labels for different rows of fictional books, such as: adventure, horror, romantic, or mystery.  I think it would be appealing to the eye if a student saw this in a library; perhaps it will even encourage the non-readers to pick up a book!  Another way i could incorporate image generators is by using them to create birthday cards or labels to put on a student's desk, personalized with his or her name and the date of his or her birthday.  If I wanted to use an image generator personally I would be able to create my own unique labels for binders that will contain future classroom activity ideas and worksheets.

Thing 8

Thing 8

Instructions:

• Explore some of the fun Flikr Mashups and third party tools.
• Use the Mashups to create something, then upload one or more of your creations to your blog.
• In your post, talk about some ways Flickr could be used in your future classroom or personal life.  What are your feelings about sharing photos online?  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
   Answer:
  In my future classroom Flikr can be used by students who want to create neat or individualized titles for a variety of projects.  Another idea is Flickr can help introduce photos of different places that students have not been to.  I can use this idea as a morning bell ringer before class begins, this will enhance students knowledge about the outside world, perhaps encouraging them to get out and explore when they have the opportunity.  I am two-sided about sharing photos online.  What I mean is that I love to able to share photos online so friends and family can see, however, I do not like the fact of knowing that other people can see or use my pictures.  You never know who is looking at your online profiles, that is why I am always careful of what I post.  This is a piece of knowledge that I will be introducing to my students in the future, I want to better prepare them, by helping them understand that every picture they take is not always okay to post.

Thing 7

Thing 7

Instructions:

• Roam around Flickr, find a picture that you are interested in, download the picture to your blog.  Make sure to give photo credits to the photographer.

Work:

The photos I discovered on Flickr are of  German Shepherd-Hound Mix dogs.  All photo credits go to SorensonR...

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/damienandlaura/3561026686/

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/damienandlaura/3620728390/

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/damienandlaura/3560172265/

I chose these pictures because I recently rescued a puppy of the same mix from a local pound, and this picture reminded me a lot of him.  Not only did I save a life, but I welcomed a new family member to my home.  I have discovered that the German Shepherd-Hound Mix is a wonderful mix-breed to have as a dog because they learn quickly, and are loveable and playful.  Once a quiet little youngster, my puppy has made himself King of The Household. 

Thing 6

Thing 6

Instructions:

• select any site/tool from the list of GO2Web2.0 tools
• Explore the site you selected
• Create a post about your discovery.  Be sure to create a link back to the site where you found your tool.

Tool Chosen/Link:

Little Bird Tales

Questions:

What did you like or dislike about the tool?

• Whoever invented this tool was an absolute creative genius!  I say this because not only can it be used by teachers, but parents can use it as well.  This tool is called "Little Bird Tales," and the description says, "Little Bird Tales was created to help nurture children's creativity and imagination while simultaneously creating one of a kind childhood treasure that can easily be shared.  It is dedicated to providing a safe web environment for children, free of advertising, merchandising and links to other sites."  I went ahead and signed up for an account just to meddle with different things that the app offered.  What I really like about this tool is that it can be used in elementary classrooms, which is in the direction of my profession.  I love how it allows teachers to capture moments that will last for lifetimes on end.  

What where the site's useful features?

• Once I created an account for this app, I found that it had many useful features.  It has a similar template to any popular social media, a home button and menu options on the side.  One of the menu items it "Create a Tale," this allows a teacher, parent, or student to create a project; giving out helpful instructions along the way.

Could you see any applications for its use in a school or library setting?

• The app that I chose would have a great use in school, especially at the elementary levels.  A teacher could have a child write a short story, draw pictures, then create a short video about the story.  Children can show their parents online, or enjoy looking back on memories in the future.  I also think that this would be perfect for a library session, especially for children who like pictures to go along with what they are reading.  Another thing about this app that is so great, is that it does not have to be used at school and a library specifically, but parents can use it as well!

Thing 5

Thing 5

Question 1: What does "School 2.0" mean to you?

Question 2: What does it mean for schools of the future?

Answer: 

To me, School 2.0 is a wonderful, well-thought, and brilliant idea!  When I say this, I take into consideration how my generation and the generations to come are acquainted to technology, especially the World Wide Web.  The classrooms that we once new are changing on a daily basis, they are becoming more modified to fit the standards of children who were born during Generation Z.  Those children will be accustomed to a completely different classroom atmosphere compared to that of their parents.  The proposal of School 2.0 is to allow children to take what the learn at school and incorporate it into their lives at home and out into their communities.  With this children will be able to learn in a variety of different ways, whether it be tech savvy or the pencil-and-paper method; they will be able to integrate everything they are learning and use it out in the real world.  

The idea of School 2.0 is a great opportunity that children should take advantage of, however, it all depends on the teacher, and how he or she will introduce technology into their classroom.  There was a great, headlining quote in one of the articles I read from NMC Horizon Report, The 2012 K-12 Edition; it stated:

"The future is already here -- it's just not evenly distributed." 

                                                                                        -William Gibson

This follows along with my statement above; not only must teachers introduce technology to the class, but there are chances that the school system or home do not have the opportunities to hand out tech-savy items as much as others.  This is perhaps why School 2.0 works for some areas more than others, not only in the United States, but around the world.  Hopefully, sometime in the future, School 2.0 will be integrated into almost all classrooms.  One thing I know for certain is: the outlook for the future will be a million times different than what is happening right now.  Perhaps in fifty years it will not be called School 2.0 any more, instead it might be called School 5.0.

Thing 4

Thing 4

Instructions:

• explain why commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction
• discuss two to other points from the reading about commenting that you found important
• give the name of the seven blogs (5 from our group + 2 others of your choice) you selected to read and comment on then tell why you selected them
• discuss the comments that you chose to make and why you made them

Commenting

Commenting on different blogs is a wonderful tool because it allows others to ask questions, make statements, and express opinions on different blogs.  People that are visiting a blog may want to know more about the topic that is being discussed, by leaving a comment they can find out more information.  Without this type of interaction on blogs, it would be extremely difficult for people to have that sense of community on the World Wide Web.  One website that I found extremely helpful on commenting was Drake's Takes: Edublogger Etiquette.  On this website the author made the comment, "While not public, some bloggers choose to respond to blog comments through private email conversations..."  This is a great tip to remember because some bloggers can be more private compared to others.  With this in tote, I think that when bloggers do this, it allows them to become closer with their blog viewers, creating an even tighter sense of community.  The other blog I greatly enjoyed viewing was the Cool Cat Teacher Blog: How to comment like a king or queen.  A few tips that I picked up from this website were: write meaningful comments; if you have written about it, hyperlink it to your post; if you have a blog, share about yourself when you comment; use a comment tracking device.  This specific blogger really invested time into her blog, she elaborated on each topic beautifully!  I think that it is extremely important to always write meaningful comments because the blogger is going to take time out of their day in order to respond to the comment you have left.

Learning 2.0 23 Things Classmates:

• Ashely Irwin
• Thing 3
• Samantha Ebright
• Thing 6
• Brooke Cox
• Favorite Children's Books and Authors
• Morgan Smith
• Thing 4
• Jessamyn Litaker
• Thing 2
• A Cupcake for the Teacher
• "A Mini Sunday Share" Post, September 22, 2013
• 9th comment
• http://acupcakefortheteacher.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-mini-sunday-share.html
• Schoolgirl Style
• Wild Wild Western Classroom Theme
• 15th comment
• http://www.schoolgirlstyle.com/2013/01/wild-wild-western-classroom-theme-2/#comments

All of the comments that I have made on each blog I did was not only because I was assigned to, but it was to voice my opinion to other people.  I have a problem with speaking to large groups, and I am normally a quiet pupil in class, blogging gives me that strenuous feeling of having a voice.  Through these comments I have allowed myself to explain myself without fear.  The two blogs that I commented on outside of the classroom had such wonderful and lovely ideas for any classroom that I have become addicted to the pages; I highly recommend that everyone go check A Cupcake for the Teacher and Schoolgirl Style out.  I have created a hyperlink under Blogs to Visit for A Cupcake for the Teacher, I have yet to do so for Schoolgirl Style; but there are other websites that I thought would be great for future teachers to check as well.  I have greatly enjoyed this assignment and leaving comments on these seven blogs! 

Thing 3

Thing 3

Instructions:  Write about ways that you might use a blog in your teacher eduction program or your future classroom.  

Answer: 

I am basing my first idea off of something that we did in high school.  We actually used a program similar to Facebook, for this class we would upload our projects as a post, then our teacher would grade it and classmates would comment on it.  Another idea that could be done in the classroom by using a blog would be to incorporate it into an English class.  By doing this you could instruct the class to read a novel and answer questions on a classroom blog.  This would involve all students within the classroom, and perhaps interest those who would not be as tempted to read.

Another thing that interested me from the link Best Teacher Blogs of 2012, was a blog called Cool Cat Teacher Blog.  Even though it is for teachers only, it has some wonderful ideas and tips on teaching techniques by using technology.  This specific blog has many encouraging posts to becoming a strong individual who will lead students in the classroom.  I encourage future teachers to take a look at this!

Thing 2

Thing 2

Q1. What previous experiences do you have with blogs, reading or writing?

Answer: 
The most experience I have with blogging is what I have posted on Facebook.  I have never created a blog before, so I find this to be a new and exciting experience.  It is like an adventure because I am learning how to operate a new type of social media!

Q2.  How did you decide on your posting name and the name of your blog?

Answer:
I decided on my posting name by picking something simple, going with my full name.  I decided that the name of my blog should represent what I am using it for, that being my Education 3040 class.

Q3.  What was your experience in creating the blog?  Was it hard for you or easy?  Why?

Answer:
I had a great experience creating this blog, we all participated in making one inside the classroom, which was a fun, hands on activity.  It was fairly easy to create the blog, all I had to do was follow the step-by-step instructions on "23 Things."  Our professor was also very helpful, she guided us through the steps as well, showing us how to do everything by displaying information on the Smart Board.

Q4.  How does your avatar reflect your personality?  Did you create an avatar that looks like your real self or someone totally different?  Why?

Answer:
My avatar does not really reflect my personality as much as I would like it to; this is because there were not many options with the creator tools.  My avatar does look like me, because it has the same hair and eye color, but I would have loved to express my personality and character more through it.

Thing 1

Thing 1

Watch the Seven and 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learner.

Instructions:

• Write about which of the lifelong learning habits are the easiest and hardest for you and why.
• Write about what you want to learn by playing with Web 2.0 tools and your experience in setting up the blog.  Was it hard or easy?
• Describe your feelings as you worked on this.

Answers:

The lifelong learning habits that are the easiest for me would be habits 2, 5, and 6.  Habit 2 states, "Accept responsibility for your own learning."  This habit is extremely easy for me because I take responsibility for what I learn and how I study for certain subjects.  Habit 5 says, "Create your own learning toolbox."  By creating my own learning toolbox I am able to better prepare myself for subjects that I do not feel confident in.  Habit 6, "Use technology to your advantage," this comes extremely easy to me, because I grew up as technology grew.  I use technology to my advantage because it helps me store and discover information.

Working with Web 2.0 tools, I have learned new valuable information; for instance, how I set up this specific blog.  It was not as hard as I thought it was going to be and I explored and ventured out, discovering different ways on how to make my blog interesting and professional looking.  As I worked on this blog I felt that I was not going to be able to keep up with all of the requirements.  Time went on and I slowly got the hang of things!