Thing #16

I chose the iGoogle start up page. I chose it because I am trying to keep everything as uniformed as possible, and for the most part everything I have created is through google. I think I will make it my permanent home page. It includes everything I am interested in: the weather, recipes, and top news. I also created and online calender through google on a different thing. I believe that it is a great tool that I can use to mark important dates and events. College keeps me busy, so having a calender connected directly to email helps a lot.

I created a to do list using http://www.tadalist.com/.

My list: http://aleeper14.tadalist.com/lists/1865032/public

It was really simple to create the list, but I am sketching lists down on a pieces of paper all the time. There is something I like about being able to physically scratch something off of my list. I do believe the to do lists would be great for group projects. You can choose spedific people that you can share lists with in which they can also edit your lists. This would be great for group projects. As a group, you could compile a list of task: that need to be completed. When a person in group completes a task he or she can "mark" it off the list and the other group members will be able to view what has been completed.

Thing #15

I had trouble actually being able to edit http://apsu23thingssandbox.pbwiki.com/FrontPage. Maybe it was an issue with my computer but when I clicked the edit button nothing appeared. I was still able to explore the sight and see what others have done. I like that this paticular wiki is set up so that you can play around and make changes, but I don't think I would want just any body making changes to a peice of work that I have spent time creating. I believe wikis are a great idea for planning trips like the youtube video. It would be a great way of making sure everyone was organized and the group had everything they needed. When I studied abroad in sweden, a group of about twelve of us were planning a trip to the article circle. I can't even begin to count the number of emails that were exchanged, having a wiki would have been a great idea.

I took advantage of this thing and created my own wiki.

http://www.wikispaces.com/user/my/aleeper14

It was very simple to create and is a good place to organize my summer plans for work, in which I will aslo be able to keep a record of them.

Thing #14

I decided to use http://gliffy.com/ as my flow chart example. I chose to use something that Dr. Piro taught me in my Education 4270 class. When teaching a lesson, we need to know exactly what we want are students to take away from our lesson. So using my standard on heredity that I have chosen for this course, I used a venn diagram to graph my enduring understandings. I found this exercise interesting. I don't think I would actually use this website much, but if I did need to make a chart for something I think it would be useful.

I also created a mind map at http://bubbl.us/. I used the website to organize all the homework that I have to do this weekend. It was nice becuase I was able to organize them in the order I want to complete them.
<iframe src="http://bubbl.us/view/7bca8/eab68/50sgUvWg0iDAs/" width="600" height="400"></iframe>

Thing #13

 I enjoyed ZOHO Writer. I found it very user friendly. I was able to send my documents to my email, but I was unable to directly post them to my blog.  All I could figure out to do is directly copy and paste the document from my email. However, when I attempted to do this all formatting was lost. Though I have run into this error, I believe with more practice and learning tutorials I would be better equipped to use ZOHO. I believe ZOHO has many unique features that could be beneficial to me as a teacher.

I created a drawing on Google docs. I had a lot of fun with this activity. I think Google Docs would be great for students to work collaboratively. For example, if the students had a group presentation they could create the presentation on Google docs and all would be able to veiw and make changes to the presentation. This allows students to work on a presentation together without physically being together. I think it is a great idea but I do believe that it is important that the students actually physically work together as well.

The image I created:

<img src="https://docs.google.com/drawings/pub?id=1lRwgHyXzJInZPucd8ccGbcKSQbiQoCT-X4kvyO7SJCo&amp;w=960&amp;h=720">

or

https://docs.google.com/drawings/pub?id=1lRwgHyXzJInZPucd8ccGbcKSQbiQoCT-X4kvyO7SJCo&w=960&h=720

I enjoyed working with the Google docs over ZOHO. I found both user friendly, but Google docs was just a little bit easier to navigate, and once again it is in the same place as my blog, email, and Google Reader. I prefer Google docs because of its practicality.

Thing #12

I loved the introduction to the activity about “google” being used as a verb. I had a professor in Sweden who would always say “just google it”. For this activity I chose to utilize the google calendar and the google alerts. The link to my calendar is listed below. I was impressed by how easy it was to set up my calendar. I usually keep up with important dates in a hand written calendar , but having one online connected right there with my email makes so much more sense. It is really practical for me because I do check my email every day.

For the Google Alerts I chose the topics of Autism and ADHD. I wanted to choose topics that I was interested in while at the same time providing myself with information that would be beneficial to my career. Creating the alerts was super easy. I also liked how I was able to choose how often I received updates. Though I am interested in Autism and ADHD realistically I do not have the time to read about them every day. I do not believe I am able to share my alerts, so I have included an article that was sent in the news section of my very first alert.

 The calendar I created:  https://www.google.com/calendar/render?gsessionid=fITg48egyZfRQV7mtvgo-g  I created the calendar for the first week of March so you may have to click through some days.

Alert on ADHD http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/8876213.Donations_lift_Dream_charity/ . This is an article from the /Daily Echo.  The article is about the charity Follow Your Dreams that helps support children that suffer from ADHD and other disorders.

Thing #11

Finding feeds was easiest for me through http://edublogawards.com/the-edublog-awards-2006-winners/ .I could view the award winners by years or by specific awards. The website’s set up is fantastic and I found it extremely easy to navigate.   http://www.technorati.com/ was the easiest search tool for me. The tutorial on how to accurately use it was also helpful. I especially enjoyed the guys accent of the tutorial. It made me laugh. I did not find http://www.topix.net/ or  http://www.syndic8.com/ to useful, actually they were kind of confusing. I understand the idea of using the search tool bar, I guess the layouts of the websites is what I found confusing.

Useful newsfeeds that I found:

Best Teach edu blog 2010 http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/ I found Teacher Tom’s blog interesting and fun. I think you all should have a look. He offers neat activities that could be used in the classroom.

http://blog.schoollibrarymedia.com/index.php/2010/12 I found this blog through Google blog search and typing in “school library learning 2.0”. I found this particular blog useful because only one blog is posted a month. The blogger also post posts about critical school issues. One that I read included information about summative assessments.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/ I found this website through http://www.technorati.com/ . All I did was search for teachers and plethora of information flowed in. I decided on free technology for teachers because the use of technology in the classroom is continuing to increase and being able to keep up with all the free technology out there is a great bonus.

Thing #10

First of all, I am just amazed by google. I simply just thought I had an email account but that is not the case. My blog is connected through my email and I thought I was going to have to once again create this new RSS account. However, I have had a google reader this whole time and did not even know it existed. The blogs I follow have already been sending the new updates! I was extremely impressed. I believe Google Reader is a great way to stay organized while at the same time keeping up with new information and would benefit my personal life greatly in this way. Teachers can use this tool to keep up with new information and receive new ideas from various blogs. I was excited to be able to subscribe to the Pioneer Woman blog that Dr. Wall introduced in class. It offered great ideas and now I get all the new ones straight to my Google Reader.

I decided to subscrbe to the recommended blogs
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
http://bigthink.com/blogs/dangerously-irrelevant
http://blog.scottjelias.net/
http://thepioneerwoman.com/

The Blog from my Livetext project
http://edtechpower.blogspot.com/

Along with various fellow student blogs.

Thing #9

http://www.happyfacegenerator.com/

http://www.sillywebcam.com/frames.asp

I had fun playing with the photo generators. I probably spent way to much time playing with them. I can definately see using them in my personal life. I think it is a fun way to brighten someone's day with either a laugh or a memory. I could see using this is my classroom to create fun signs and labels. I could also include the students by letting them help me create the signs. This was a fun activity that I believe could be beneficial to my career.

Thing #8

I think that Flickr mashups would be great for older students. It is fun to take time to create new things from things that already exist. I think flickr mashups would make great group projects. I do not mind sharing photos online, but I do like to be careful what is posted especially if it a photo of myself. It is reassuring to know that you can control who sees your pictures, but I think it is important that children are taught to take precaution with their postings.

Thing #7

I have never used a site like flickr before. I had fun exploring and figuring out something new. Flickr is a website I could see my self using for personal use. It would be a great way to show family and friends photos while at the same time keeping them organized. I think that I would also be able use this site for my classroom. It would be a great way to show parents pictures of the children participating in class activities. I am sure to be able to do this though I would have to have permission to post pictures.

Thing #6

I began my search of the Web 2.0 Awards by selecting the topic of education and references.  Through my search I ran across the website http://www.grovo.com/myhome .   It is a tutorial service that teaches you how to use almost any website imaginable.  All you have to do is create an account and you receive tutorials for free. The tutorials include everything from Twitter to Craiglist.  I believe that this website would be used more for personal gain rather than for use in a school or library setting. The website is great for people who do not have much experience using the internet’s tools.

Thing #5

One of the articles mentioned that Web 2.0 was not a different or updated version of the web, it was just “building things on top of the web”. To me School 2.0 does not mean a complete different version of school. The classroom offers many benefits to students that I feel is necessary for success, but building the classroom setting with technology is an excellent idea. Through blogging, I have seen exactly how Web 2.0 turns a classroom into School 2.0.  It is building the classroom. It allows students to see things through a vaster lens. It provides them with tools and insight that they might have missed out on otherwise.

What does this mean for schools in the future? I believe it means that students will be given more opportunities to learn. Not only will the students be learning from the teacher and other classmates, but they will be learning from people all over the world. Their views and experiences will not be limited. They will be given more opportunity to grow and increase knowledge through technology.

Thing #4

Commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction by letting the blogger know that they did not write the blog only for their benefit. It lets them know that their writing has impacted someone else’s life in some shape or form. I found it important that when you leave a comment it should be heart felt. Do not just leave comments to fulfill your assignment or “duties”. Let the writer know you read their blog and how you really feel about it. You do not always have to agree or disagree.  I also found it important that if someone comments on your blog, you should take time to thank them for their comment. Feedback enhances growth, and I believe it is something we should be thankful for.

Thing #3

I have never thought about using a blog in my profession. I did not even have a blog until I studied abroad in Sweden, and even then I did not use it.  Pen and paper has always been the option I have chosen. Now that blogging influences my success to becoming an educator, I am beginning to see the benefits it would bring to my future classroom. I could use the blog to record my successes and failures of my lesson plans. For example, “this project only took twenty minutes not thirty” and “the children really enjoyed this particular activity”. It would behave as a resource for future lessons.  I could also use the blog as a resource for the parents. By posting unit and lesson plans, parents would be able to track their child’s learning. I could also post games and activities that the child might enjoy doing at home. This would allow the child to practice without necessarily making it mandatory. A blog would be a great asset to my future classroom.