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.