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.