Is It the End or Only the Beginning????

Well, it's been fun....not always, but I have to admit I made a few exciting discoveries over the course of this journey.  Handsdown, my favorite activity was Animoto.  However, if I'm totally honest, I'm glad I learned how to do the interactive powerpoint.  Although it was tedious and worrisome putting it all together, the finished project and knowing that I can do it again, is a great feeling.  I feel like this will be invaluable in the classroom, especially with the smartboards.  I can create an interactive, fun lesson for virtually anything!

The concept of this program is great, but it is a lot of work.  Had I known beforehand, I would not have taken four classes this semester.  I did NOT think I was going to survive at times.  I came away from this activity with a lot more "techy" know-how, then I did coming into the class.  What I have learned will definitely influence my practice as a teacher.  Since technology will continue advancing, it is important to stay current in our knowledge for our students' sake.  I will incorporate many of the activities into my classroom.  I will keep up with new developments in web 2.0 through blogs, classroom technology websites, and any training that is offered through the school or on-line.  I know that this IS really just the beginning.  Now it's my job to use what I've learned and keep up with the new advances.  It's hard to believe that chatrooms were a big deal within the past fifteen years.  Can you imaging what we'll be learning in the next fifteen years?  I'm excited!  Now, let's begin.....

Thing 23!!

"Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based on Learning 2.0 - 23 Things. That program is based on the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers, Technology Director at the Charlotte Mecklenburg County Public Library system, with the support and assistance of several staff. Helene's program was loosely based upon Stephen Abram's article, 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006) and the website 43Things."

This was actually posted at the beginning of the assignment for APSU 23 Things.  This attribution let me know that this was modified from another individual's Learning 2.0 program, which was based on another author's article and website.  It's great that some creators are willing to share their work and allow it to be modified and used for another purpose.

Creative Commons is an invaluable resource.  I have used it many times since finding out about it in this class.  It saves a lot of time while looking for images that are legally okay to share with proper attribution.  I was also thinking about what a really cool project it would be to have the class create a song or video based on the standard they were learning at the time, and have it licensed on Creative Commons as a class.  That would give them pride and ownership in their work.  I will definitely do this when I have my own class.  The students could learn about copyright and Creative Commons while at the same time learning their standard.  Awesome!!

Thing 22

Literacy Activities

The titles of my binders are Literacy Activities, Kindergarten Math Activities, and Classroom Management.  I suppose LiveBinders would be beneficial in the classroom for oranizational purposes.  However, a lot of the other tools that I will use provide similar features.  Delicious and RSS feeds are a couple of examples that I will more likely use in the classroom.  Possible lesson ideas for students might include them creating a binder  for the classroom "shelf" in a LiveBinder account.  They could explore sites that pertain to a particular subject they are studying.  For instance, they could create a LiveBinder that contained resources they found for Spanish explorers.  Other than student activities, I personally prefer my other technological methods of organizing and sharing my online resources. 

Thing 21

Try our slideshow maker at Animoto.

THIS is the "thing" of all "things"!! I had so much fun with this, but I would like to make longer videos in the future. The free video will have to work for now while I'm in school. I had anticipated that this "thing" would be more difficult, but it was really user-friendly and simple to use. I am really glad I got experience animoto. I think it would be really neat to make a long video using a lot of class pictures throughout the school year for an end of the year presentation. (with parents' permission, of course I can't wait to make more videos! Mother's Day IS right around the corner, you know.

Thing 20....I think I can, I think I can

I absolutely love You Tube! I am a frequent user of this site, and I know I can always count on it to see something funny or interesting. One of my main uses of You Tube is for the music videos. I like that I can look up some of my old favorite songs and play them, with an 80's video to boot! My children are not so fond of this, however. Anyway, I chose the video I did because our childrens' pastor posted the video, and I thought it was cute, so I'm sharing. I also might add that You Tube has also provided some great resources for me in some of my classes. I have gotten some great ideas for lessons!

Thing 19

Visit TeacherPop
I joined TeacherPop, and I'll definitely continue to use this social networking site. It's cool to have a site strictly for education, especially with local members. I had no idea it existed until this activity. I am also a member of facebook, and I love it. It is a great way to keep up with family and friends that I don't get to see very often. I haven't joined yet, but I am very interested in the Tasty Kitchen network site. I enjoy cooking, even though my family hasn't enjoyed much of that lately, at least over the last couple of weeks of this semester. I enjoy networking with others on a personal level, and I know that it will benefit me to be a part of the education social networking group on-line.

Thing 18

Before this activity, I already had both facebook and twitter accounts.  I very rarely use twitter, but I love Facebook.  It allows me to keep up with my family and friends in other places, and it made the move from Georgia to Tennessee a little easier.  It is important that educators know how social networking works.  As educators, we have to think twice about everything we post (pictures and/or words), because nothing put in cyberspace is totally private.  On a positive note, social networking has a very bright side for educators.  We can interact with our students and parents like never before.  I think that a classroom "page" on facebook could be useful for communication with students and parents.  If parents granted their permission, pictures from daily activities could even be posted on this private group page.  Parents could have a "window" to see what goes on in the classroom. 

Concerning twitter, I use way too many words for twitter, and frankly I don't have time to follow others' tweets.  I prefer utilizing Facebook when I like, and the ability to be excessively verbal when I want.  I would not use twitter in the classroom.

Thing 17----Sidetracked by "wordle"

I enjoyed this activity more than I anticipated.  However, I became very sidetracked.  I should have accomplished three "things" by now, but I found a site I liked because of this "thing".  I typed in educational technology and explored the results.  I then decided to check out a bookmark that had tags that caught my right-brained attention....words such as creativity, clouds, peace and love.  Well, not really peace and love, but I decided to check out the site that many had bookmarked.   By visiting this site, you can type in a lot of text, and have a word cloud created for you, in any font and color you choose.  I'm supposed to be talking about the bookmarking tool for this post, but let me just throw in that "wordle" would be a really fun way for a student to practice spelling words.  Anyway, I can definitely see the potential of the bookmarking tool in the classroom.  It's like having an organizer for outside resources, yet it's interactive.  You can share with and borrow from fellow educators, and build an arsenal of continuously updated resources.  I will definitely use this tool!

Thing 16

I chose iGoogle and decided to use it as my homepage on my tablet, because I am the main user.  I chose iGoogle because I tend to use Google for everything else.  The to-do list was not too much work, because I had already set up an account with Remember the Milk.  I think creating an iGoogle account/page for a classroom could be beneficial and informative for the parents and students.  Instead of a classroom web-site, this could be used for that purpose.  It's easy to update, and helpful links to outside resources can be included.  As far as personal use, I am already an avid user of Google calendar.  I also liked Sticky notes....may use these in the future!

Thing 15

I can see that wikis are a powerful tool for educators.  What a great collaborative tool for sharing ideas!  I enjoyed playing in the "sandbox" and seeing others' classroom ideas.  Upper grade students could also use this tool to collaborate on group projects from their homes, without having to meet outside of school.

Thing 14

The end of the semester has been busy!  This activity helped me, in that I was able to use bubbl.us to organize my thoughts for my last paper.  I explored Gliffy also, but liked the simplicity of bubbl.  I organized my thoughts and ideas for the format of my paper on reading fluency.  It was easy to use and I will use the chart I created to complete my final assignment for the class.  I can also use these sites to help my students when they have a project or paper in my class.  It will be a great tool to show them how to organize information!

Thing 13

This is a drawing I did with Google Docs.  I am a Google fan.  Although Zoho was user-friendly, and I did type a couple of test documents using the productivity apps, I prefer to keep life simple and use Google for as much as I can.  I could see where both of these sites have benefits for educators and students.  Older students working on group projects could collaborate, edit, and complete a project all on-line.  I also liked the fact that the user can work off-line, but that edits are made visible and updated as soon as it is changed back to on-line.  I had not experimented with the different tools specific to shared documents.  I will more than likely use these tools in my classroom, especially with upper grades.

Thing 12

I am officially a google junkie.  I set up an Igoogle page, and I had so much fun exploring the tools.  I want to explore more and become more comfortable with this resource, but so far I've put a recipe for the day and dictionary word of the day on my page.  I would like to set up a separate page for parents and students in my classroom.  I could post helpful links to other resources and post daily information such as homework, classroom activities, etc.

I also looked at google translate.  This would be a great tool for ELL students and their parents.  It is so simple to use.  I typed in different phrases and could choose to translate from English to Spanish and Spanish to English.  I have used other sites for translation, but it looks like I never have to leave google for anything.  With the ability to use the RSS feeds, blog-finders, and the tools found in this assignment, google brings everything to me!  I had no idea that all of these resources were available!!

Thing 11

Google search was definitely my favorite blog search tool.  I did like the fact that Topix immediately showed local information.  I thought that was pretty helpful.  Technorati was too much for me because there was so much information.  I prefer simple, so I'll stick with google.  I was able to find many blogs that were interesting and pertinent for both personal interests and professional interests in education.  It is amazing that I can find a blog for virtually any topic.  I am a music enthusiast, and I got really sidetracked during this assignment in reading "musical" blogs.  As far as the field of education, it's great to know that when I'm looking for information on a particular topic, I can bet on the fact that there will be current, valuable help out there in the blog world.

Thing 10

I really like the fact that I can set up RSS feeds so that updates on my favorite sites are all sent to one place.  I really can't wait to show my husband, as he goes from one website to another to read the latest news.  Maybe if I save him some time, he can help me a little more with our "to do" list.= )  Anyway, I think using RSS feeds will benefit me.  I don't have a lot of time to "surf the net" right now, so I'm more likely to keep up with my favorite blogs and sites if they are all in one location.  As a teacher, the RSS technology will keep valuable educational information coming to me, and when I need a new idea or want to see what someone else is trying, I'll  just check my google reader.  As I find new sites to follow, I'll subscribe.....easy as pie!

Thing 9

http://www.images-graphics-pics.com/signs/sign-generator/?allow=976&text=Science+is+cool%21%21&font=chalk&color=azure&fontsize=18&move2=159&move=39&rot=0&pic=Einstein&height=&width=&offx=5&offy=5&spacing=30&gradient=&tag=&bubble=&bubH=&bubW=&watermark=&background=&border=&picURL=&shade=no&shadecolor=black&x=159&y=40

I had a blast with this assignment!  I played around with the image generators with the idea of making posters for the classroom.  I found it easiest to save the creations to my computer and then post on my blog.  The opportunities for using these in the classroom are many, but I think it would be useful for labeling centers and different items in the classroom, creating posters, and for large group activities on a smart board. 

Thing 8

I enjoyed exploring flickr tools and mashups, and I will use these in my classroom.
Spell with flickr would be a fun way for students to practice their spelling words independently at the computer.

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                               

Alphalearnr is a flickr mashup that could be beneficial for ELL students.  This mashup helps children learn the English alphabet through photos.  There is also sound, and the students can hear the letter spoken as they look at pictures for each word.  I've posted the link, and a sample picture of the word nest. 

http://www.rapidmonkey.com/alphalearnr/#/N

Thing 7

Flickr is awesome!  The great thing about this assignment is that I am exploring internet sites and tools that I have heard about, but just haven't gotten around to trying out for myself.  I decided to post a picture of a drawing my son did recently.  What a cool way to keep his art and share it with others!  My other "picture posting" is random.  I love reproductions of old tins, so I took a picture of one hanging in my kitchen that is a favorite of mine. 

I will definitely use Flickr for my  personal photos.  Flickr could also be used in the classroom to manage class photos of parties, field trips, activities, etc., since the photos can be marked as private.  I could organize photos to keep and turn in for the school yearbook, or create a classroom end-of-year slide show. 

This was my first time using a photo hosting service.  I think it's neat to share photos that I choose with others, and I like the ability to keep other photos private, as well.  Flickr is easy to use and navigate, and I'll be adding more photos very soon!

Thing 6

From the list of  Web 2.0 Awards nominees, I chose to explore "Remember the Milk.com".  "Remember the Milk" is an application service provider for web-based task and time-management.  I decided to start using the application, because I can manage tasks from my computer as well as offline.  I thought the site was extremely user-friendly.  I was able to create multiple task lists, so I decided to do so for personal, school, and work tasks.  Very cool!  Users of this application can also tag tasks according to priority level, and choose the method, date, and time for reminders.  Users are also informed of the number of times a given task has been postponed.  This application could definitely be used in a school setting, mainly as a time and task-management tool for teachers.  I have to admit, the cute cow logo and title originally caught my eye...I had to explore.  Try it for yourself! >>>>   http://www.rememberthemilk.com/

Thing 5

I read most of the perspectives give concerning Web 2.0, but a couple stood out to me.  I liked the Wikipedia description, because it helped me understand a little more about the history of Web 2.0 and how it has developed into the amazing part of society that it is today.  "Web 2.0:  A Guide for Educators" was also very informative, and made me realize the full impact that world-wide information and the tools available have on the classroom.  To me, "School 2.0" is the future of education.  We live in a world where the web and all of the information available is a big part of life, even for our children.  I liked the statement that "education must get on board".  Technology is our future, and it is what our children "know".  The idea of sharing information globally, and the availability of gaining this information, and contributing to it, all at our fingertips, is overwhelming to me.  We now have an enormous responsibility to incorporate this into our professional learning and into our classrooms.  The new possibilities for teaching and learning are amazing.  It's hard to imagine that it will grow even more from its current state.  As educators, we must continue learning in this area and utilize the tools available. 

Thing 4

Commenting on blogs helps create a sense of community and interaction between bloggers.  As educators, we will face many similar situations in the classroom.  Through blogging, we can build a network that includes information, advice, suggestion, affirmation, and encouragement.  Through sharing experiences, blogging develops a sense of community, that can strengthen individuals in a personal and professional way and be carried over into our classrooms.  One  blog I selected to read (from our group) is Ms. Alicia.  We had a class together last semester, and two this semester.  I commented on her blog to complete part of this assignment, and to let her know I was following her posts.  I also commented on a post on Misty's 23things blog.  She posted about Pandora, and it interested me enough to sign up, so I thought I would share with her.

Thing 3

I feel that a blog will be very useful, both in my teacher education program, and my future classroom.  Blogs are a great tool to collaborate with other students.  If I want feedback on ideas I have for lesson plans, classroom activies, etc., it's nice to know that there are others available that can offer suggestions.  A blog for the classroom could be beneficial in many ways.  Classroom information, such as schedules, assignments, field trips, and current topics could be posted for parents and students to see.  Older students could even respond to conversations on a particular book that is being read in class.  Some individuals may feel more comfortable blogging than speaking up in class.  Blogging can also allow teachers and students to connect with others in different states, or even countries, to gain more perspective on a topic.  I'm looking forward to utilizing this tool, both now and with my future students!

Thing 2

I have always enjoyed reading friends' blogs, but never felt like I had time to maintain one of my own.  So, I was secretly happy that blogging was a requirement for this class.  Creating the blog wasn't too difficult for me, other than a few avatar issues I finally figured out.  My blog is pretty simple, but as I get a little braver, I will experiment more with the different layouts and designs.  I chose my posting name to keep it easy.  My students have always called me Ms. Katrina, so I decided to stick with that name.  My avatar somewhat looks like me, although I decided to keep any grey out of the hair color. Green is my favorite color, so I chose that as the color of my attire, and the background is a classroom (that's a given).  Overall, I enjoyed creating my blog.  I'm officially part of the blogging world!  Now, excuse me while I figure out how to register....= )

Thing 1

After viewing the online tutorial, "Seven and 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners", it was easy to quickly identify the habits that are easy and difficult for me.  I struggle the most with using technology to my advantage.  Don't get me wrong, once I force myself to learn about new technology, I love the results.  The problem is, it seems that as soon as I've mastered a new skill in the techno-world, there is a new one to replace it.  I guess I feel like I'm always a step behind.  That being said, I know that it is necessary to continuously learn the new components of technology, and I realize the importance of using it to enhance the classroom.  The amount of information and tools available to educators is amazing, and the ability to collaborate with others is a huge benefit of this habit.  The easiest habit for me is teaching/mentoring others.  Teaching and helping others has always been natural for me, even from a young age.  This characteristic led me to pursue and complete my undergraduate degree in social work.  I enjoy helping others identify their strengths and working with them to reach their goals.  I look forward to teaching and mentoring my students in the classroom.