Thing # 22

I checked out a few directories and found they were not all friendly. I listened to a couple of travel podcasts. I want to travel. My first experience with podcasting was with my research paper class in graduate school. I felt Learn out Loud was easy to use. I am not ready to subscribe yet to podcasting but will soon. My students who need further enrichment and challenges will be creating podcasts for me in the near future. We are working our way through wiki's and blogs. This week they created and presented their first PPT. I feel podcasting is a useful educational tool. Students do not have to have an IPOD, any MP3 player will do.

Thing # 23

I researching the Internet, I found two sites that referenced the 23 things. There are lots of lists out there to complete. Here are the links:
http://plcmclearning.blogspot.com/
http://explorediscoverplay.ning.com/

I have thoroughly enjoyed this project. There are lots of tools to add to my toolbox. I look forward to using them in my classroom. Thank you Dr. Wall.

Jordie and Kris Thing # 21

Animoto is fun and easy to use. You do not need a tutorial to get you started, though there is one offered. I like the option of using their music or downloading music from your computer. What a fun way to use pictures. I can use this in my classroom on the class website to show parents what their children are doing. This is a tool I have bookmarked to use. So far, this is my favorite tool to have in my toolbox.

Thing # 20

I haven't had much experience on youtube until now. I have a student that created a video and put it on youtube last week. He has been waiting for me to view it. I did not have any idea the content on youtube. I would say you can find anything you basically want. I found some very funny sites, David Cook (American Idol) winner, and I found a video that touch my heart. Many of you have heard of "The Last Lecture", by Randy Pausch. We were talking about it today at work and thought I would like to see it again. Sure enough, it is on there and almost 8 million people have viewed it. I believe his lecture is great for high school. This site is blocked by our county so I do not see a use in my classroom for it. However, I do believe it has educational value. Most people do not associate educational value with youtube. At least I did not. I like this site for songs and for finding video that has touched my heart. The video is titled "The Last Lecture".

Flowgram Presentation

I have never created a PowerPoint without text. I can see this as a great review tool. A picture is worth a thousand words. I like the flowgram also. This could be something to put on a class web page or class blog. It was easy and fun to create. My images and narration shared the same importance. The pictures I chose immediately connected the Power Point to the Civil War. I think the Flowgram is a great tool for students to learn to use. It is a beginning for verbal presentations which so many students fear.

Thing # 19

I am already a member of TeacherPop and proud to say one of the first members. I like the space and plan on using it more after I am not so busy with school. I think this is a great site to keep in touch with my teacher friends. It is easy to use. I like the fact that you can see who is in the community. That is going to be tremendous as more and more students come throught the teaching program.

I have a new site!! Bake space. I immediately signed up. I love to cook. What an incredible idea. I had not idea this site even existed. YOu get to exchange recipes and keep them online. Like everything else, if a recipe is written down, it is shoved somewhere and forgotten. I can never remember where I put something when I want it.

TeacherPop is the only networking social site I will use. I signed up for MySpace under and alias and do not plan to be apart of the community. I did not have an interest in being part of a social network, unless it can make me a better teacher. I keep in touch with people who I want to know about my life. I have web albums I share and use. I do not want another place to keep stuff. I feel like my technology stuff may be getting scattered.

Thing # 18

http://www.myspace.com/fallmemory

I set up an alias. I do not want a MySpace or Facebook account. I do not like the image they portray and our county really "encourages" not to have them. I did set one up because it was an assignment. I found friends and teachers but did not invite them. I do not intend to use this account at all. I know you can set it to private but I am not comfortable with it. I have signed up to TeacherPop and feel better about that site. It is a site created for teachers by a teacher (Anne Wall). I see more use for myself in this social networking site. I do not prefer this method of sharing personal information about me or my family. I am not saying it is not for some people, just not me.

I like MySpace better than Facebook. I believe it is strictly because my sister has a MySpace account and she posts pictures about my niece on it. I read her blogs and look at her pics she puts out there.

These sites have been banned by our county and we cannot access them from the school. I do not see a use for them in the classroom because they are not accessible.

Thing # 17

Wow! What a cool site. Recently, I ran across something with del.icio.us and was not sure what it was. I have so many sites saved and bookmarked on my computer that I do n ot use them. There are so many. The tags to seperate topics is incredible. When you teach every subject, this an awesome tool to store websites and tag articles. As I become more familiar and play with the site, I plan to use it. I have several sites I would like to add from several courses I have book marked through my graduate degree. I have them saved in bookmark, my classes, and paper. After a while, you forget what the site is by just writing or booking to the computer. The nicest feature is that it can be accessed from anywhere. I can't tell you how many times I have book marked something at home and needed it for school. I usually email the site to myself for my school account. This is an incredible tool and a great way for teacher to share resources they find.

Thing # 16

I set up an account in Stikkit. I do not really like it. I have already created my own personal page that comes up when I turn on my computer. I created an account in Zoho for my page. It has so many features in one spot. I like the online calendar creator. It provides a wonderful place. I set up my calendar in Google calendar already and have been using it the last two days. I love electronic calendars. I do not make write down my to-do list yet. I just keep it in my mind. this is not a feature I wil utilize. I feel that is what a calendar is for on most of the time. My daily life I do not need to write down. Anything I n eed to to do, no matter how small, I put on my calendar. Zoho writer and wiki are available. There are other tools available as well. I want one tool that can handle most of my needs and feel this site is a good one. The tools in Zoho project can be used in the classroom and home. It has Zoho Docs which is equivalent to Google Docs. It has an organizing tool and many other tools.

Thing # 15 Stretch Activity

I looked on Wikipedia for the Tennessee Titans. I am a huge Titans fan. I was really surpised they were out there. It states it is a collaborative effort with the state of Tennessee and the NFL. I looked at the history tab and found several revisions. Under discussions, it was mainly about people stating sources had not been cited or cited correctly. The discussion as these things be fixed. People were also complaining about people deleting information. It is a good article and captures the history of the Tennessee Titans. The site was update on September 29, 2008.

Thing # 15

A. I read the Wiki Wiki Teaching. How exciting for them. It is incredible when students become responsible for their own learning. Creativity flows and they provide a different perspective to the subject. I am exploring Wiki ideas. We will have to see where they lead. I am becoming more familiar with wiki's and blogs and see a definite use in the classroom. I do not see me at this point needed a wiki in my personal life.

B. I explore 3 sites:

• Turn Homeward, Annalee- I have read this book. I wanted to see what the class constructed. It is a nice looking wiki. It is easy to navigate. I like the map showing where the visitors are from who have used the site. I like the tabs and how it is organized into different subtopics. I thought the site was developed appropriately. Since I have never created a wiki, I did not see any changes to make.
• Thousands Projects- What a neat idea!!! I like students asking questions. The site was organized and broken down by month. It has not been updated in a while. I like them letting people know they have not received their goal of 1,000 messages. The site was simple and organized. It had tabs as well. I would make sure the site is updated. It looks as if the creator is not interested if not up to date.
• Room 15 Wiki- I liked this site. I liked the sidebar gallery and how it was organized. It was easy to navigate.

Thing # 14

I sent a request for an invitationon the mindmap, so I will post later on it. I used the flowchart. Flowcharts are much easier to read for the person creating the map and other people who read it. They are very popular in writing in elementary schools. Flowcharts segment ideas that can be easily identified. When teaching writing, it is a critical element in the beginning writing process. Students need to understand how to organize their thoughts. A flowchart also helps them in staying on the topic. I used www.bubbl.us.com . This site is very easy to use. I did not have any trouble setting up my account, creating the flowchart, or saving the document. I am going to show my students this resource for at home writing assignments.

I created a flowchart today. I find this site less friendly than the mindmap I created in Bubbl.us. The text is smaller and it will take a little more time to figure it out. I prefer the mind mapping because you can look at it and figure it out. Of course you can on a flowchart, but I feel they are more for businesses than the classroom. This is my personal opinion.

Thing # 13

Zoho Writer has similar applications as Google Docs. I had the opportunity to work with Google docs over the summer on a group project. At first it was uncomfortable, but as the week passed on and I was able to work in the "live" document, it became more comfortable. I see several advantages to a tool like this:

1. Collaborative work is much easier.
2. Editing and revising collaborative work is immeidate.
3. Changes can be viewd immediately after changes are made.
4. They can be shared publicly.
5. You have choices on how to save the document.

I am learning about this document and see it as valuable tool in my toolbox.

Thing # 12

I have discovered a calendar I can use. I love Google Calendar. I am so old fashioned. I still carry a hand held small planner. I need this electronic calendar. I may write stuff in it but I do not look at it. It is wonderful to have something electronic. When I was in undergraduate school I used a calendar like this and loved it. I had a hard time adjusting to life without it at first. At least, I thought life without it. What a great tool that I can access from school or home and events can be emailed to me. I have several students having trouble with keeping up with tests. I can create or add this calendar link to my classroom web page for parents and students. http://www.google.com/calendar/render?hl=en&tab=wc

I set up Google Alerts. I was surpised at how easy it was to use. I am interested in the stock market and the economy right now like everyone else. I want to receive an update at least once a day about it. I do not have an opportunity to watch the news everyday and feel uninformed. This is a great tool to stay on top of what you are interested. The alers allows us to graph the market as well as research and relate to other situations in history. It is a great lesson in economics as well. This has so many potentials. http://www.google.com/alerts/manage?hl=en&gl=

Thing # 11

I like the Edublog site. It is eye catching and easy to read. I like that it is broken down by year. I have added this to my RSS Feeder. I found several interesting blogs already out there. I like it has best blogs and award winner. Syndic8.com is my least favorite. It is too overwhelming. I like the simple sites and quite frankly, the simpler the better. I had trouble navigating several sites. I had trouble connecting the feed. I have not been as successful subscribing to some of the feeds. I cannot get local news channel five to feed. Any suggestions? I was able to get local news channel 4. I am learning to navigate all the sites.

Thing # 10

http://www.google.com/reader/shared/03631160277272396557

The link above is the link to my shared homepage of feeds I am watching. I like being able to access the news but to be honest I am not sure about the RSS feeds yet. They are way out of my comfort zone. I feel I can use this more in my personal life right now. Once I understand it better, I probably can find ways to use it in my classroom. Teachers who are more savvy can problaby keep up with the latest in teaching strategies and trends. They will be able to part of an open forum community about ideas, policies, etc. I created a public page on Google Reader. I do not know how comfortable that makes me but we will see.

Thing # 4

After starting to read blogs, I am starting to realize why people feel they are part of a community. Posting and commenting on similar interests creates a new dimension to being involved. The interaction gives you a voice without a face. You can choose what to read, comment, or to start your own blog.

Comments I found extremely important.

1. If you have something important to say, then say. Do not comment with words such as "Wow" or "I agree". Post worthy comments if you are going to the trouble of commenting.
2. Read before you write. It is human nature to respond before getting all the information. I like this point was stressed.
3. Be kind.
4. If you have a blog people are interested in, you can create your own community with repeat bloggers.

I chose to comment on the following Blogs:

1. Marcy Austin. Marcy posted about being hesitant to set up a blog. I was struggling. It is not something I am comfortable with or know much about right now. I am learning and seeing that it can be a usedful tool in the classroom. I posted these comments because it feels like we have something in common. I posted my thoughts and feelings on blogging.

2. Elizabeth Sheperd. I felt we had something in common. I commented on emotions of going back to school and juggling a family. I felt we had something in common, could share stories, or just relate to what the other person is feeling.

3. Miss Lorrie Anne Cooksey. Lorrie posted about being overwhelmed at times and how much she enjoyed creating her blog. I responded by lettingher know I enjoyed the blog and was surprised at home easy it was to create. I also posted how I think the technology we are using in this class is practical for the classroom.

4. Elizabeth Shephard. I agree with her about being able to use the blog as a classroom newsletter to convey information or dates. I like the conversational tone better than a stuffy newsletter. I actually dread writing it each week.

5. Kristan Bland. I responded to Kristan because we have worked together in the past. I always enjoy reading her comments and could relate to comments on her blog about the avatar, how easy it was to create, and how this assignment has been entertaining.

I decided for my other two responses to respond to classmates as well. Until this assignment, I had never commented on a blog. I did a search but I am not ready to fully commit to the blogging community.

6. Crystal Rickard. I responded to Crystal's blog about how to use a blog in the classroom.

7. Stacy Averill. I chose to comment on Stacey because she loaded a picture of her son. I loaded a picture of my daughter. I liked her sight and enjoyed looking at her pictures and comments.

Thing # 9

http://www.happyfacegenerator.com/sign-generators/1.htm

I like the smiley generator. It took me a minute to find them then I realized there was a link. I had the most fun with these. I like to use smiley faces in my instant messages. The process was easy. Go to the website, pick a face, and then post the text. Finally you update. It was easy to save and post. I can see me using this on my class webpage, a blog, or even a newsletter. I will probably start using these in email to "express" myself. I found that a lot of the sites were trying to sell you something. I found them distracting. This site is not as distracting as some of the others. It is not overwhelming for someone who is beginning to use this type of visual. I recommend using the site and making your own faces.

Thing # 8

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/output/jigsaw4918544.jpg

This is a picture I took on the beach recently. I love the black sky creeping upon us as we were taking family photos. I have attached a link where I created a jigsaw puzzle out of the picture. Though I do not like having photos online, I do not mind photos without my family. I love the natural beauty nature often gives us. I like these tools. I had difficulty using some of them but I found them fun to play. They are addicting. I could not get the color picker to work. Can anyone give me instructions on how to use it? I can see using tools like this on a class website or class blog. It is an interesting different approach to catching someones attention.

Thing # 7

This is my first experience with Flickr. We have used Picasso web album for our pictures. The pictures were easy to add and edit. I can see this being a classroom tool to store pictures of students. I do not know enough about the site yet. I like Picasso album. I do not like marking anything public. I like that we were able to select the group who could see it. It enjoyed the experience and feel this is a site I can navigate easily with practice. I admit I am a creature of habit and comfort. I am experimenting with downloading additional pictures off my camera from classroom to see what I can do with them. This is similar to how we can store pictures on our school website.

Site url to link back to Flickr photo: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2883798220_292e28357b_t.jpg

Thing # 6

http://www.writeboard.com/

I like this tool and what I see it can do. Writeboard allows collaborative writing in an electronic world. A person can assign who is allowed to edit and participate. This is a fantastic for the classroom. My classroom is currently in the process of writing a book to publish for our parents. The students decided they wanted to create an entire story instead of individual stories. I think this site offers an opportunity for them to work together. They can see edits immediately, who did them, and add their own information. The best part is it is free! Schools and teachers have to pay for so much technology, it is nice to find such a tool. This is an excellent Web tool to used in the school, classroom, or library. Schools can use this for SIP plans, accreditation, or any other collaborative planning required. I see this site as a functional site for all areas in the school requiring collaboration.

Thing # 5

Web 2.0 is intimidating to me a little. Web 2.0 is bringing about wiki's, podcasting, blogs, etc. I have no previous experience using these except in graduate classes. I do not use facebook or my space. I have interacted a bit with TeacherPop but not much. I do not enjoy blogging to keep in touch. I prefer email or the telephone, but that is changing. I see Web 2.0 changing the dynamics of a classroom. "School 2.0" will evolve over time. It means a classroom filled with blogging, wiki's and classroom social networks. Classroom webpages have received big pushes but Web 2.0 offers the novice user the opportunity to post whatever. I feel Web 2.0 is going to create more creativity in the classroom and expose students to real world technologies.

Schools of the future will have to restructure teacher workshops to involve technology and the new tools available on the web to be used in the classroom. Schools will have to plan to train the generational gap teachers. Eventually teachers taking over the schools in about 10 years will already know how to use the tools, but in the interim the buy in will vary. Schools with more money for technology will embrace Web 2.0 because they will have the means.

Thing # 3

As I am exposed to Blogs more and more in my graduate classes, I am starting to understand and realize the potential value of having a blog for a classroom. Though I am not familiar with Blogs, students today are. Technology has always been part of their world. I teach fifth grade. My students do not know a world without computers. I see possibilities of posting journal entries, book clubs, online literature, classroom newsletter, etc. I think you can do so many different things with a blog.

Thing # 2

I decided on my posting name because it was available and I proud to be a teacher. The name of my blog identifies it is mine. I did not want my first and last name on the blog. I thought about a different name, but I needed it to be something I can remember. My experience of creating the blog was easy. I was surprised how easy it was to do. I have never set one up so it was a new experience. I found it easy and considering a blog for my classroom. I read the instructions and did not have a hard time. My avatar closely reflects my personality. The sunglasses in the hair would have definitely made it me but they all were wearing them. I personally most of the time use them as a hair accessory. I thought this avatar resembled my personality and me. My daughter helped me design it and said, “Mom it looks like you.”

Thing #1

The easiest for me is Habit #2. Dr. McMahan told me almost two years ago, that I would not be happy if I were not learning. At the time, I did not understand what that meant. I do now. I like learning. I like furthering my education. Maybe it is the experience or relationships I have had with my teachers at APSU or a combination of all. The hardest thing for me to do is to do Habit #6. I use technology but not to my full advantage. I learn about the cool technology but have limited resources in school to use it. I want to understand Web 2.0 tools better. I have had several classes and do not have a grasp. Setting up the blog was easy!! I was so surprised. I enjoyed setting it up.