One Last Thing....

To be honest, this was my LEAST favorite assignment for 3040. I don't enjoy signing up for things that I know I won't use later. It was a great eye opener. I would have been much more satisfied with 12 things, as opposed to 23 things. But I am grateful that we didn't have to do 43 things! I'm glad this is over!

Thing #21

Thing # 21

I really enjoyed creating my video with Animoto! It was way easier than I anticipated! All I had to do was upload my pictures, pick a song and ta do...video! The hardest part was choosing what pictures I wanted to put up. I chose to make a video about my parasailing adventure over Spring Break. I might actually use this for some presentations in the future.

Thing #23

For Thing #20, our task was to learn more about you tube. Well a person could use a video from YouTube, which was created by someone else to enhance his or her own presentation, as long as they cited the creator correctly.
I will more than likely search other people's work than share my own, only because I don't conduct research often. I love that Creative Commons is free. I guess I could have my class create a work and then we could add the copyright for free by using Creative Commons.

Thing #22

I listened to a podcast called: Science Made Fun. I had many topics to choose from, but I chose to learn more about water. I decided to try out The Education Podcast Network directory since I had never heard of it before. I figured that it might be helpful. At the very least, I hoped to find a short activity for my class.
Has this Thing inspired you to create a podcast yourself or with your students? I'm not sure if I will ever take the time to make podcasts for my students. I would like to have a podcast activity in which they create a podcast though. Children like to hear themselves speak and sing. I think they would enjoy and remember creating their very own podcast.
I did not find a podcast that I might subscribe to and listen to regularly. I liked the podcast I listened to, but I won't seek to listen to more.

Thing #20

I think that YouTube is a very interesting website. I have found it very useful for presentations this semester. I like that you can find videos to make presentations more interesting. I don't like that you have to have the exact wording to find a video again. I chose to use a video clip of Global Wonders. It is a new DVD series. It just came out in 2009. It teaches children about other people's cultures and customs and encourages children to find out more about the culture's of their family, neighbors and friends. I chose to link the hello song as my video. You should check it out if I've managed to link it right!

Thing # 19

I signed up for teacher pop. Teacher pop is appealing to me because all of us have one thing in common and that is we all want to be educators. I'd like to share ideas with others and read tips and such.

Thing # 18

I do have a facebook account, but I do not feel comfortable posting that link on this blog. My profile is set to private. If you want to be my friend on facebook, look me up and make a request...

I had heard about myspace in high school and was not really interested in signing up. My friend was so excited about myspace that she created an account for me! Once I learned that many of my friends from school was on myspace, I became addicted!

Then in college, I heard about facebook. I was not interested in signing up since I already had my myspace account. Well, the same friend that I talked about earlier created a facebook account for me. Once I realized that I could easily contact my apsu friends I became addicted to facebook and rarely went back to myspace.

I think that it is harder to find people on myspace and I received a lot of spam mail and weird friends. I think that Myspace was less safe when I first began using it. I liked that only my friends or people from austin peay could look at my facebook page.

I do not feel that an educator should use facebook as a resource. I work at a summer day camp and some of my campers have found me on myspace. I am not allowed to be there friend outside of camp due to many laws...I do not think that educator's should be communicating with students on myspace or facebook. It is not necessary.

Thing # 17

I think that this tool could be very useful. I had just noticed this week that my favorites list was getting pretty long and I think that delicious would solve this problem by adding simple ways to organize your favorite websites. However, I did not sign up for a free account just yet because I'm not ready to be organized. I think that this will be a wonderful tool next semester when I start new classes. I also like that you can open up the links you saved on delicious on any computer! Now I don't have to worry about losing all my favorite links if my computer crashes!

I do think that teachers could benefit from delicious. The hardest part would be getting everyone to sign up and give everyone a quick tutorial on how to use it. I know that I hate trying out new technology unless I have someone show me the short cuts or coolest parts. Once all the teachers got signed up, the easy part would be sharing your favorite websites for different subject. I look forward to using this tool in the future.

Thing # 16

Which start page did you choose? Why did that one appeal to you?
I chose igoogle as my homepage. I liked setting the theme to my homepage. I chose entertainment as one of my main interests and BAM all I could ever ask for in entertainment was just a click away. I loved the T.V. guide section and the latest movie reviews. They let me know what the weather was and what bands were playing close to home. This was a very cool option. I honestly chose it because it was first. I had planned to look at the others, but I liked the first one so much that I did not care to try the others out.

I'm not sure if I will make it my permanent homepage. Right now my home page is Austin Peay's website which is useful. I visit this site multiple times a day. I think that if I had the igoogle as my homepage, I would become more distracted and less focused on school. Maybe igoogle will be my summer homepage. =)
How can the online calendars be useful to you?

I LOVE to make lists. However, I was not looking forward to this website. I tried it out anyway...and I loved it! I actually took it seriously and made a to do list for this weekend. It was really easy and not complicated at all. I actually messed up and clicked enter too soon and was sad because I didn't know how to fix it, but I scrolled up and saw that you could edit your list. Then I realized that some of my things were out of order and then I saw that there was the option to reorder your list and all you had to do was drag it in to place. I loved this tool and will use it often. The only negative thing I have to say about the list is that when I printed it out, the print was too small...so I tried to copy and paste it to Microsoft word to make the font bigger but it didn't look right... I guess you are supposed to check it off on the computer, but I want to create it on the computer and then be able to have a hardcopy.

I tried out the stickynotes.com. I like the idea of leaving your friends notes and reminder. I have a job in which I have to remind my staff to do things..sticky notes would be nice as little reminders and pick me ups!

Thing # 15

I enjoyed learning more about wiki. I had no idea what they were, so I learned something new. I am very frustrated with the 23 things sandbox. It told me that I oculdn't add comments to the page because I hadn't created an account yet. So I created an account and then when I tried to log in, I was not recognized. Now I can't leave my comment in the sandbox. Boo.

I really liked the wiki video about the four friends planning a camping trip. I think that I will use the wiki in order to get people to bring items to a potluck. They would be able to see what people are bringing and what needs to be brought. They could also bring things that compliment the other items. I'm excited about wikis. The only hard part is getting everyone to sign up and being able to log in right. =/ I like wiki's because it is something that everyone can edit and add their ideas to.

Thing # 14

I chose to try out the gliffy flowchart. It seemed like a useful tool for an educator. However, I read somewhere that flowcharts are usually more helpful to its creator than to anyone else and I agree with this statement. I think that flowcharts would make useful handouts for story lines and cause and effect. I think that it would be especially helpful for science classes.

Right now I am in a behavior modification psychology class. Flow charts would be especially helpful for behavior plans to see how events turn out.

I also decided to explore Bubbl.Us. I loved this website so much that I will definitely visit it again. I like to do family tree stuff, so this would be very useful for that.

Thing # 13

I thought that it was convenient that Zoho had a spell check option, but what I thought was really cool was that the spell check feature is available in more than 75different languages. I also thought that the tags as folders option was very neat. I'm a very indecisive person, so being able to tag a document for two different folders is much more convenient for me than having to choose which folder it fits best in. I like the idea of leaving comment bubbles on documents. This would be helpful when helping a friend edit a paper. Zoho is just as nice as Microsoft Word. The only reason I would be hesitant to use it is I open up a lot of documents from emails and they always open up in Microsoft Word. Is it possible to open up a document in Zoho?

Thing #4

I feel that commenting on my classmates blogs helps create a sense of community and interaction. It is nice to get feedback on something you have attempted or created. I've struggled with some of these things and it is nice to read about other people's frustrations and successes.

One point I learned from the readings about commenting that I found important is that you can learn from others and share ideas by commenting. Another point is you can learn that others are interested in some of the same things I am interested in.

I commented on Carmen Overby's video because it was absolutely amazing! She had some beautiful pictures to start with.
I commented on Celena Mort's video because it made me happy. I've always heard her talk about her husband, but I finally got to see pictures!
I commented on Krystin Hoyt's video because it looked like she created some of the pictures during class.
I commented on the puzzle Shannon Britt created. I was happy to see that someone could figure out how to use it. It wouldn't accept any of my pictures, which was very frustrating.
I also commented on Loretta's video. I liked the pictures she chose. They made me want to go on a road trip!
I commented on Rebecca Brockman's avatar because it actually resembled her.
Lastly I commented on Meghann Shoulder's avatar because it resembled her also.

I like to add smileys to my comments!

Thing #12

I decided to try out Google calandar and it is absolutely amazing!!!! I love how the calandar is organized. It's organization makes me want to be organized! It gives you the option to fill in your individual days, providing plenty of space for details, your weekly schedule and 4 day schedule and agenda. I like that you can choose who can view your calandar, so you can make plans with your friends or co-workers. Also, they have an option where you can send out invitations and people can RSVP through your calandar. I'm excited to explore the Google Calandar even more. I feel like a calandar is very important for me to be able to function and keep up with myself. This calandar will help me remember meetings or in-services I need to attend, or dates I need to remember to accomplish certain tasks by.

I also looked at Google Notebook, which actually allows you to clip information as you surf the web. This will be very useful when doing research for projects as a student, or finding clips for my students for WebQuests and stuff like that. The best part is that you can access your notebook or notes from any computer!!! No more lost notebooks for this girl!

Thing #11

I tried all the search tools listed but I still like google's blog search the best because it is the most familiar to me. Technorati had a lot going on on it's page. I found it very overwhelming and the text was really small. I liked how in Topix I could add my Zip Code in the search box and all the local news popped up. All of these search tools seemed the same. They all had search boxes and you had to type what you wanted to find. I really didn't see other tools to search for feeds. Some of the pages had categories to choose from. Everything was very broad. I really didn't find anything unusual since I really didn't know what I was looking for.

Thing #10

I decided to create an account with Google Reader. It seemed like the easiest way to go since the guy on the original video I watched showed me how it worked. I liked that Google Reader had the option of bundling. I signed up for all the News feeds and the most popular education sites. I also signed up for Cool Cat Teacher since Dr. Wall recommended it. I checked it out. It looked pretty neat.

I like that RSS and newsreaders send all the latest information to me. It saves a lot of time that I may have spent visiting all the different websites. I hardly use the web for anything but email so RSS isn't really helpful to me at this point, but I can see how it is a very useful tool. I'm not sure how I could use RSS in school. I guess I could just keep up with the latest education technologies and news by reading up on the feeds I signed up for.

Thing #9

I really had a hard time with this exercise. I really wanted to create a puzzel using one of my own pictures, but every time I tried to upload my picture, the computer said error. Then I tried to create a liscense place and it wouldn't work for me. I also wanted to create a wordart thing, but the only shape to choose from was a heart and I couldn't think of anything to write inside except what their example said. Sooo I found this Monopoly Card generator. I have the Lottory Scholarship on my mind, so that was the chance card I created. I also created a smiley face holding a wooden sign using Smiley Face Sign Generator. I liked this activity because there were lots of smiley faces to choose from and so many possibilities of things to write. I really don't see how these programs could be included into your lessons. All of this seems like fluff, and I usually wouldn't waste my time on creating stuff like this.

Thing #8

I used Mosaic Maker for my mashup and had so much fun using the photos from Flickr to create my mosaic. I chose to do flowers because they are colorful and all of the flowers have water on them because I was looking under the category "rain."

I think that this could be used in the classroom as a project. For example the topic could be pollution, and the student could search for photos involving the harmful effects of pollution. It is a fun and creative way to learn more about our world!

I really like the idea of being able to share photos online. I think that it would be cool to visit a place in which you took lots of pictures while you were there and then compare your photos to someone who has been to the same exact place. I bet the photos will be completely different. The only thing I worry about is not knowing how to cite the photos that I'm using. I don't want to claim someone else's photos!

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom
Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 4
Photo 5
Photo 6
Photo 7
Photo 8
Photo 9

Thing #7

I chose to use the word rain as the keyword I typed in to the search box. I found this picture taken by marinnazilla and I really like it. I love how you can see the splash of the raindrops hitting the wet pavement. I love that the person in the picture has rolled up her jeans and is barefoot. I can't wait for the weather to be warm enough to be able to run around barefoot again!

I had fun exploring what Flickr had to offer. I actually used Picnik the other day when I needed to shrink a photo for my WebQuest. It was very easy to use and very helpful. After seeing what Flickr was all about, I had the urge to take some pictures! I probably won't open an account on Flickr since I rarly take pictures anyway, but I enjoyed the website.

Thing #6

I noticed that YouTube was one of the Web 2.0 tools we could choose from. I've never actually gone to YouTube before for fun, but I have found it very useful to find videos for presentations. I just had a project due in my special education class about students who are deaf or hard of hearing. I typed in some keywords and found a clip to the movie Mr. Holland's Opus. It is a movie about a music teacher whose son his deaf. The clip was exactly what I needed for our presentation and I think our class enjoyed watching the clip. I feel like a teacher could incorporate some of the videos from YouTube in his/her class to make the class more aware about a certain issue or so that students can hear someone else's perspective on an issue.

I like that the site has a search box so you can find what is offered by putting in some key words. I don't like that you have to have exact wording if you are trying to find a particular video. I also don't like that there are no censors on the video. You never know what is coming up and if it is appropriate or not. I would definitely never let my students explore YouTube on their own!

Thing #5

Web 2.0 means read/write web, so I think that School 2.0 means how teachers will integrate technology in to their lessons in which reading and writing is concerned. As for the future, the computer will replace some of the most common paper and pencil tasks.

I really enjoyed reading the article, "New Literacies: Enrichment or Essential?" I especially liked the section about Digital Storytelling. In many ways teachers have to be entertainers. Teachers have to compete with the thrill students gain from watching televison and playing video games. There is no reason why learning can't be fun and technology is the way to do it. I don't feel like everything should be digital. I feel like parents and teachers should still read a story aloud to his or her students. But a child is more likely going to remember creating their own digital narrative than a paragraph they had to write about a story or a picture they drew. We should give our students the opportunity to explore their creativity. Sure digital storytelling is a longer process, but students can learn that the harder they work and the more time they put in to their project, the better the result will be.

I also read Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators. I was excited to see that I have learned how to do 2 of the 3 things listed under Tools that Drive Personal Learning Environments, which is how to create a blog and podcast. I will most definitely be using podcasts in some way in my classroom. Student's will get to hear themselves read out loud and get to be creative with it at the same time. Technology can be an amazing tool in your classroom as long as you know how to use it for efficient learning and your activities are structered.

Thing #3

I've enjoyed being able to look at my classmates blogs as we all go through the process of completing our 23 things. It is nice to know that I am not the only one having complications at certain points.

I feel like a class blog could be a useful tool to keep parents and students involved in what is going on in your school or class. I liked the idea of showcasing students' art, poetry, or creative writing on a blog. This could be a goal for them and also a way for them to feel special. I would love for my class to come up with a newletter and post articles written by the students or pictures taken by the students. Blogging is a whole new way students can be creative and show off what they have learned.

It might also be nice to have my own teacher blog in which I can share and gain ideas from other teachers. It would be beneficial to document teaching insights I've gained from incidents that have happened in my class. I think it would also be nice to keep a log of good things that have happened while teaching, so that I'll have something happy to read when I've hit a rough patch.

Thing #2

I had a hard time coming up with a name for my blog. I first had to check out everyone else's blog names to make sure I would have something similar. I knew that I had to include my last name in the blog title so I tried to come up with s-words and came up with slow and successful. Slow and successful describes me best when working with computers. I'm very reluctant but at the same time determined to finish what I start. My title was going to be Jenny Sanders' Slow But Successful Learning Moments, but it wouldn't allow a title that long so I shortened my name to Jen.

Creating a blog was quite a task for me. The process and set up was easy, but I had a hard time coming up with a title and a URL that I wanted to use. My only other complication was that I didn’t know the difference between a blog and a post. I accidentally created two blogs, one was titled Thing 1. It took me some time to figure out how to delete that blog.

I had a lot of fun creating my avatar. I spent about two hours creating my avatar. My curiosity got the best of me and I spent most of my time looking at every single option possible. My avatar has light colored skin, but isn’t completely pale. I chose brown hair and brown eyes for my avatar. I was disappointed that they didn’t have shoulder length hair with a part in the middle, so I chose the hair style that resembled mine the most. I dressed my avatar in a black dress with white polka dots because I love to dress up and I LOVE polka dots and the colors red, white, and black together. I chose an outdoorsy background because I love being outside surrounded by greenery and the sun.

Thing #1

The lifelong learning habit that is hard for me is Habit 6, which is use technology to your advantage. I tend to shy away from anything that is technology-based. I like to keep things simple and I see technology as complicated. However, I'm beginning to see how technology can simplify life if you give it a chance. The lifelong learning habit that is easy for me is Habit 7 1/2, which is play. I always look forward to the times when you get to try out something you've just learned.

My experience setting up a blog was an interesting process. I'm a very indecisive person in general, but more so when I'm doing something for the first time. It took me forever to pick out a name for my blog simply because I didn't want to do something that wasn't right. My most frustrating moment was when a realized that I didn't know the difference between a blog and a post because I had accidentally created a blog for my Thing #1. I was embarrassed and wanted to delete the extra blog immediately but couldn't figure out how to get rid of it. I finally figured out how after playing around with the different tabs. I’ve been dreading the whole creating my own blog thing, but I think it’s growing on me! I hope to learn as much as possible about the Web 2.0 tools.