Sunday, April 22, 2012
WOO HOO!!
My experience with this 23 Things has been bittersweet. I have learned so many cool things that I fully intend on implementing in my future classroom. My favorite exercises were those in which we had to create images and explore Flickr. I love creating things, and these activities allowed me to tap into my creative juices. I believe that this assignment has better prepared me for teaching. I now have multiple tools that I can use to enhance my classroom. I had no idea there was so much to know about Web 2.0 tools. I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to complete this project. (even though I complained the whole time.) Now that it is all said and done, I am very happy to have my blog cramp packed full of resources and tools for my future as a teacher. I will use this blog and the tools within it forever.
Thing #23
23 THINGS
I found this blog containing similar activities like the 23 things we have completed for this course. Overall, it is outlined like the ones we have done, but this blog explores a few different tools than we did. I was surprised to find that there were many modified versions of this assignment.
Creative Commons is a very interesting. As a teacher, I will use Creative Commons to teach children the importance of copyright. Also, I will be sure to keep this in mind when I am searching for images. I would hate to get sued for using a picture that did not belong to me.
I found this blog containing similar activities like the 23 things we have completed for this course. Overall, it is outlined like the ones we have done, but this blog explores a few different tools than we did. I was surprised to find that there were many modified versions of this assignment.
Creative Commons is a very interesting. As a teacher, I will use Creative Commons to teach children the importance of copyright. Also, I will be sure to keep this in mind when I am searching for images. I would hate to get sued for using a picture that did not belong to me.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
Thing #22
Livebinders would be a great tool to implement into any classroom. Students could use livebinders in group projects or for research assignments. A binder can be set as public so that the students in the group can collaborate and compile all resources into one place. This may make group meetings and collaboration easier.
Thing #21
Make a video of your own at Animoto.
I freaking love Animoto!!! I had so much fun creating my video. I plan on upgrading and paying for longer videos and using it to create videos for my sisters graduation and wedding. It was so easy to use, and the products are super adorable. I love how it connected directly to whatever source contained my pictures. I will be using Animoto VERY VERY often. As stated before, I absolutely loved this web tool! Too CUTE!!
Thing #20
YouTube is incredible! I use it almost everyday to find songs or short clips of comedians. I love the fact that you can search and find almost anything on YouTube. It's very easy to navigate and has millions upon millions of videos to view. It provides endless entertainment for those days you don't feel like doing anything.
The only thing I dislike about this website is the fact that people share inappropriate videos so you have to be careful. For this assignment, I chose a video that shows a part of Obama's Speech on Education. I find it very important and relevant. It is important to be up to date on education reforms and topics as a teacher. This video is educational as well as inspirational. There are plenty of other educational videos on this website that can be implemented into a classroom. Just be careful when allowing students to access Youtube, as some content is not censored.
The only thing I dislike about this website is the fact that people share inappropriate videos so you have to be careful. For this assignment, I chose a video that shows a part of Obama's Speech on Education. I find it very important and relevant. It is important to be up to date on education reforms and topics as a teacher. This video is educational as well as inspirational. There are plenty of other educational videos on this website that can be implemented into a classroom. Just be careful when allowing students to access Youtube, as some content is not censored.
Thing #18
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001500521429
I believe it is important for teachers to know how social networking sites operate because it is a big part of today's society. As teachers, we are social engineers that is we get students to interact with each other. In knowing how to use social networking sites, teachers have the opportunity to teach the students the appropriate ways in which to communicate. Also, the teacher can implement social networking sites into the classroom. This may engage the students more since they are already so tied up in Facebook and Twitter anyways. While exploring Facebook, I found that you can create private groups for whatever you need. For a classroom, you could set up a group for only your class for discussions or announcements. Facebook appealed more to me because it was easier to navigate. It also had more features that I could use in a classroom. As for Twitter, I personally do not fully understand the significance. Following the flow or whatever it is called is strange to me, and doesn't appear as a good means of communication. Using Facebook in the classroom would prove to be more practical for me.I really liked the fact that you could create private groups and are allowed to share longer messages than on Twitter. However, I would only use a social network in a high school classroom. I don't think it would work well in elementary school.
I believe it is important for teachers to know how social networking sites operate because it is a big part of today's society. As teachers, we are social engineers that is we get students to interact with each other. In knowing how to use social networking sites, teachers have the opportunity to teach the students the appropriate ways in which to communicate. Also, the teacher can implement social networking sites into the classroom. This may engage the students more since they are already so tied up in Facebook and Twitter anyways. While exploring Facebook, I found that you can create private groups for whatever you need. For a classroom, you could set up a group for only your class for discussions or announcements. Facebook appealed more to me because it was easier to navigate. It also had more features that I could use in a classroom. As for Twitter, I personally do not fully understand the significance. Following the flow or whatever it is called is strange to me, and doesn't appear as a good means of communication. Using Facebook in the classroom would prove to be more practical for me.I really liked the fact that you could create private groups and are allowed to share longer messages than on Twitter. However, I would only use a social network in a high school classroom. I don't think it would work well in elementary school.
Thing #17
At first, trying to navigate through the tool was a bit frustrating, but once I got the hang of it, it was really cool. I was able to create my own stacks by viewing others. I could see this tool being used in a classroom for different activities. A teacher could have the students create a Delicious account and create stacks that will assist them in researching a topic or for completing a project. This tool is easy to use and can be used effectively in the classroom. Also, I see this tool as a great bookmarking tool. It was simple to create stacks by subject and then share them with others. This bookmarking tool makes it easier to find your favorite "tagged" web pages. Teachers can take advantage of this social bookmarking site in the sense that they can share awesome online lesson plans or videos that can be implemented into any classroom. It allows teachers to collaborate virtually. Essentially, it makes sharing information and collaborating easier for teachers world wide.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Thing #16
I chose iGoogle as my customized start page. It appealed to me because I was able to choose topics that interested me and they appeared on my homepage. Everything was easy to arrange and organize in such a manner that was manageable for me. Honestly, I probably will not make this my homepage because I already have one that I am accustomed to. However, if I get bored with my current one, I may switch to the one I created using iGoogle.
The online calendars can be useful to me as a teacher because it will enable me to organize my life in a better fashion than how it is currently. I can categorize and prioritize my events by subject, date and importance. I can have a different color for each thing like school, work, and leisure activities. Having an online calendar will prove beneficial when I forget my planner at home. I can access my online calendar virtually anywhere.
I found the to-do lists to be superb everyday life tools. I am constantly creating lengthy lists of things to accomplish throughout my day. These tools will help me organize my lists better. Yes, creating to-do lists take time to create, but I find that taking the time to make a list helps me to accomplish all tasks for the day or week. I will definitely be implementing the Don't Forget the Milk to-do list in my daily life.
Zamar is an incredible online tool that I would recommend to anyone. It allows you to convert one file type to another to better suit your needs. As a teacher, this can be very useful. This tool was very interesting, easy to use, and extremely useful. It allows you to adapt a word document into an image or a video into an mp3 file. These are just a few examples! Check out it out!
The online calendars can be useful to me as a teacher because it will enable me to organize my life in a better fashion than how it is currently. I can categorize and prioritize my events by subject, date and importance. I can have a different color for each thing like school, work, and leisure activities. Having an online calendar will prove beneficial when I forget my planner at home. I can access my online calendar virtually anywhere.
I found the to-do lists to be superb everyday life tools. I am constantly creating lengthy lists of things to accomplish throughout my day. These tools will help me organize my lists better. Yes, creating to-do lists take time to create, but I find that taking the time to make a list helps me to accomplish all tasks for the day or week. I will definitely be implementing the Don't Forget the Milk to-do list in my daily life.
Zamar is an incredible online tool that I would recommend to anyone. It allows you to convert one file type to another to better suit your needs. As a teacher, this can be very useful. This tool was very interesting, easy to use, and extremely useful. It allows you to adapt a word document into an image or a video into an mp3 file. These are just a few examples! Check out it out!
Thing #15
WIKI:
Using Wiki was surprisingly easy. I was expecting it to be more challenging, but was pleased at its simplicity. Because of this simplicity, I could easily incorporate it into my classroom. I can have students use it to write a class story in which each person adds a paragraph. I could also use this by having the students share their ideas or creations with others. I found it very interesting that anyone who was a part of the workspace had the ability to make changes or add information. This is very convenient in the sense that it cuts down on the number of separate documents and combines them into one. For example, with the story writing assignment mentioned above, students will be submitting their paragraphs in the workspace rather than on a million other sheets of paper. This makes it easier for the teacher to stay organized. Plus, it will save a few trees in the process!
Using Wiki was surprisingly easy. I was expecting it to be more challenging, but was pleased at its simplicity. Because of this simplicity, I could easily incorporate it into my classroom. I can have students use it to write a class story in which each person adds a paragraph. I could also use this by having the students share their ideas or creations with others. I found it very interesting that anyone who was a part of the workspace had the ability to make changes or add information. This is very convenient in the sense that it cuts down on the number of separate documents and combines them into one. For example, with the story writing assignment mentioned above, students will be submitting their paragraphs in the workspace rather than on a million other sheets of paper. This makes it easier for the teacher to stay organized. Plus, it will save a few trees in the process!
Thing #14
For this assignment, I chose the Flow Chart creator, Gliffy and the Mind Chart creator Bubbl.us.
Both creators offered different templates to get started, and both proved easy to use and navigate. Gliffy had numerous options, and I had the ability to change anything and everything. Honestly, it was a little too much! It was a tad overwhelming for me. Bubbl.us was just as creative and useful, but I didn't feel as overwhelmed while creating the mind chart. While I still had options, many minor details were chosen and corrected for me. This saved time and brain power. I feel that the both chart creators will prove to be helpful as a further my endeavors in becoming a teacher. They are simple and creative enough to use often.
I feel that flowcharts and mind charts alike will help my future students to sort the material they are given in a organized manner. It will also allow them to get basics instead of getting lost in all the words and main ideas.
Both creators offered different templates to get started, and both proved easy to use and navigate. Gliffy had numerous options, and I had the ability to change anything and everything. Honestly, it was a little too much! It was a tad overwhelming for me. Bubbl.us was just as creative and useful, but I didn't feel as overwhelmed while creating the mind chart. While I still had options, many minor details were chosen and corrected for me. This saved time and brain power. I feel that the both chart creators will prove to be helpful as a further my endeavors in becoming a teacher. They are simple and creative enough to use often.
I feel that flowcharts and mind charts alike will help my future students to sort the material they are given in a organized manner. It will also allow them to get basics instead of getting lost in all the words and main ideas.
Thing #13
Zoho Writer:
How convenient is this?! Upon reading the description, I was not fully on board with the web-based application. However, I shortly jumped on board after exploring the app. It functions almost identically to Microsoft Word. The only difference is its convenience! In using Zoho Writer, I will not have to worry about my zip drive failing any longer. Creating and saving documents in this application will certainly make my college life a tad bit less stressful. Not only was Zoho Writer convenient, it is also user friendly. I had no trouble navigating through the different tools and creating a document. I also like the fact that it is FREE! Who doesn't like free things that are so awesome!? I will definitely be using this web-based application as I further my education. Loved it!
Google Docs:
My Google Docs Drawing
This web-based application was interesting as well. I really like how easy it was to use, and that it saved my changes automatically. Also, I like the idea that more than one person can create or edit one single document. In a classroom, this tool can be used with the students in any group project in which they are asked to collaborate with each member. This tool will make it easier for them to create something together, instead of placing the responsibility onto one person. It ultimately will lead to more cooperation and collaboration with their peers.
Personally, I prefer Zoho Writer because it is structured more like Microsoft Word which is what I use most often. So, I guess it is a comfort thing. It was easier to adapt to than Google Docs. Both have their unique benefits though. In Google Docs, it was easier to create a chart, and students could work collaboratively. Despite my preference, I believe that both could be used effectively in any classroom.
How convenient is this?! Upon reading the description, I was not fully on board with the web-based application. However, I shortly jumped on board after exploring the app. It functions almost identically to Microsoft Word. The only difference is its convenience! In using Zoho Writer, I will not have to worry about my zip drive failing any longer. Creating and saving documents in this application will certainly make my college life a tad bit less stressful. Not only was Zoho Writer convenient, it is also user friendly. I had no trouble navigating through the different tools and creating a document. I also like the fact that it is FREE! Who doesn't like free things that are so awesome!? I will definitely be using this web-based application as I further my education. Loved it!
Google Docs:
My Google Docs Drawing
This web-based application was interesting as well. I really like how easy it was to use, and that it saved my changes automatically. Also, I like the idea that more than one person can create or edit one single document. In a classroom, this tool can be used with the students in any group project in which they are asked to collaborate with each member. This tool will make it easier for them to create something together, instead of placing the responsibility onto one person. It ultimately will lead to more cooperation and collaboration with their peers.
Personally, I prefer Zoho Writer because it is structured more like Microsoft Word which is what I use most often. So, I guess it is a comfort thing. It was easier to adapt to than Google Docs. Both have their unique benefits though. In Google Docs, it was easier to create a chart, and students could work collaboratively. Despite my preference, I believe that both could be used effectively in any classroom.
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