I am so glad that I did the 23 Things assignment this semester. I was never too interested in computers (mostly because I did not know how to use the different applications in it), but now I am much more confident in my abilities.
One of my favorites Things from this project was discovering the Animoto site. I was amazed at how simple it was to create a decent-looking video that I was proud to show other people. I know I will be using that site again in the future.
This program has affected my lifelong learning goals because I now know that I do not have to be afraid to try new things on my computer, and that great things can come from using the resources around me. This will influence my practice as a teacher because I now have multiple resources that I know I can turn to for good and useful information for my classroom.
I cannot wait to use Web 2.0 tools in the future. I am excited to see where they will go and how I can use them in my future classroom. This was a great experience and I am glad that I am now a more knowledgable person in the world of computers, and more specifically, all of the Web 2.0 tools that are out there.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Thing # 23
In order for me to figure out that the 23 Thins Blog was based on someone else's creation, I started looking in the 23 Things FAQ page. When I was reading through the questions, I found one that asked about the 43 Things page. This was an obvious indicator that the idea for 23 Things came from another site. Since the 43 Things page was mentioned in the FAQ page, it is giving credit to that site, making it OK to use. Now that I have knowledge on Creative Commons, I now know how to give people credit for their work properly. I now feel more confident with using other people's work in my classroom in the future because I can give them the proper credit for their work.
Thing # 22
The titles of the binders I created are Web 2.0, Useful K-6 Sites, and Multiplication Sites. I will admit that when I first started my account on LiveBinder, I was apprehensive. I did not really see the use in it and was worried I would not like it. It turns out, however, I was wrong. I love that I can essential "bookmark" all of my favorite sites in one place and have them all at my fingertips.
I tried to embed one of my binders on to my page, but I was having a lot of trouble with that and could not figure out how to do it.
I think that I would use this site in my classroom for many reasons. It is a great way to stay organized. I can keep all of my favorite websites in one place and be ready to use them whenever the opportunity arises.
I tried to embed one of my binders on to my page, but I was having a lot of trouble with that and could not figure out how to do it.
I think that I would use this site in my classroom for many reasons. It is a great way to stay organized. I can keep all of my favorite websites in one place and be ready to use them whenever the opportunity arises.
Thing # 19
Overall, I think that TeacherPop is a useful site. I like that there are multiple blogs, photos, and videos that I can view that can benefit my future classroom. I decided to post my badge to my blog and upload a video to my TeacherPop page.
When I explored the other social networks, I particularly enjoyed www.flixter.com. I am a big movie watcher so I liked that it let me know how popular movies are, what is in the theatre, and what is soon to come out. I also liked that I was able to search for movies by genre.
The only networking sites that I am a member of are Facebook, Twitter, and TeacherPop. I would say that I am definitely most active on my Facebook page, since I had this page the longest and I have more "friends,"photos, and videos on this site.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Thing # 21
I am completely impressed with Animoto! I never thought I would be able to create a video! On top of that, I decent-looking video! I enjoyed working on this Thing, probably more than any of the other Things. One thing I instantly thought of when using Animoto, was that a teacher could use this when making, for example, an end-of-year video of the class including all of the things they've done that year. Although that is just one example, this can be used in the classroom in more than one way. I definitely plan on using the Animoto site again in the future in both my personal life and my professional one as well.
Thing # 20
I chose this video for my blog because, as it says in the description of the video, it is a homage to Web 2.0. It shows how the computer and internet have evolved over the years and it shows the different sites and applications people use with Web 2.0 tools.
Personally, I love YouTube. I am constantly on this site, however it is usually for my own entertainment rather than informational uses. I could very much so see how this site could be useful in the classroom, since it has millions of videos that can be used in educational ways. Although there are many videos on this site that are extremely un-useful in the classroom, if you know what you are doing, you are bound to find something that could help you out.
Thing # 18
I have had a Facebook page for quite some time now, and I am pretty sure I have a slight addicition. It is so easy to navigate and search for friends, interests, games, and even educational pages such as Cool Cat Teacher. When it comes to Twitter, however, I did not have an account until I started this course. I did find it to be very interesting, though. Not only can you search your own personal interests, but you can also search educational pages, such as TeachersNet and educationnation.
It is important for educators to know how to work social networking sites because if they are used correctly, it is possible to find pages that can help aid you in the classroom such as the ones listed above.
This Thing did not really help me gain any new insights on Facebook or Twitter, since I have had both accounts for quite some time now (Facebook much longer than Twitter). I would say that I like Facebook more than I like Twitter, simply because I am more comfortable with the site since I have had it longer. I also think that while Facebook allows you to search for educational pages, I personally think that Twitter provides more in this area. The pages like the ones listed above provide many different ideas and strategies that can be applied in the classroom.
It is important for educators to know how to work social networking sites because if they are used correctly, it is possible to find pages that can help aid you in the classroom such as the ones listed above.
This Thing did not really help me gain any new insights on Facebook or Twitter, since I have had both accounts for quite some time now (Facebook much longer than Twitter). I would say that I like Facebook more than I like Twitter, simply because I am more comfortable with the site since I have had it longer. I also think that while Facebook allows you to search for educational pages, I personally think that Twitter provides more in this area. The pages like the ones listed above provide many different ideas and strategies that can be applied in the classroom.
Thing # 17
Social bookmarking is a great way to stay up-to-date on information relative to what ever topic it is you are interested in. The first time I was introduced the social bookmarking was when I signed up for Diigo at the beginning of this semester. I had absolutely no idea what the term "social bookmarking" meant let alone how it can be used.
Now that I an educated on what social bookmarking is, I can now use it effectively and to my benefit. There is an obvious connection between social bookmarking and the classroom--sharing amongst other teachers! This is a fantastic way to share useful sites, projects, teaching methods, and much more between different. A teacher who teaches in Tennessee could have a really great lesson on volcanoes and be able to share that idea/lesson with another teacher who teaches in Nebraska! It's a great way to be able to have the best information and receive it quickly.
When I typed "educational technology" in the search bar on the Delicious site, literally thousands of links came up. Then to the right of the screen I noticed that you can narrow your search to something more specific like "science" or "brainpop." This allows you to find what you are looking for more quickly. Overall, I think sites like this and Diigo are great ways to stay connected and relevant to the teaching community.
Now that I an educated on what social bookmarking is, I can now use it effectively and to my benefit. There is an obvious connection between social bookmarking and the classroom--sharing amongst other teachers! This is a fantastic way to share useful sites, projects, teaching methods, and much more between different. A teacher who teaches in Tennessee could have a really great lesson on volcanoes and be able to share that idea/lesson with another teacher who teaches in Nebraska! It's a great way to be able to have the best information and receive it quickly.
When I typed "educational technology" in the search bar on the Delicious site, literally thousands of links came up. Then to the right of the screen I noticed that you can narrow your search to something more specific like "science" or "brainpop." This allows you to find what you are looking for more quickly. Overall, I think sites like this and Diigo are great ways to stay connected and relevant to the teaching community.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Thing # 16
For my start page I chose iGoogle, simply because I am more familiar with Google than any of the other choices. I also thought that iGoogle was a little easier to personalize than the other sites. I actually did set this page as my home page on my computer! I thought that it was more visually appealing than my previous home page, and thought it would be a good idea to try it out for a few days to see how I liked it.
The online calendars can be extremely useful! I know that many times when I want to write something down in my planner, I don't have it with me! However, with an online calendar, I can upload my calendar from wherever I am and add to my calendar. This also gives me the opportunity to check my calendar whenever I need to.
My favorite online to-do list was Remember the Milk. This is probably because the title was the most interesting and the site was visually appealing. I really like that you can load your list to your smart phone and have it with you when you shop. I love this idea!
I think that the online calendars could definitely be used in the classroom--not for the student's benefitm but the teachers. This would be a great way for him/her to stay more organized without having to keep track of a hard copy of their calendar.
The online calendars can be extremely useful! I know that many times when I want to write something down in my planner, I don't have it with me! However, with an online calendar, I can upload my calendar from wherever I am and add to my calendar. This also gives me the opportunity to check my calendar whenever I need to.
My favorite online to-do list was Remember the Milk. This is probably because the title was the most interesting and the site was visually appealing. I really like that you can load your list to your smart phone and have it with you when you shop. I love this idea!
I think that the online calendars could definitely be used in the classroom--not for the student's benefitm but the teachers. This would be a great way for him/her to stay more organized without having to keep track of a hard copy of their calendar.
Thing # 15
I have always felt weary of Wikis. When you're in school, the teachers alway tell you not to use Wikipeida as a source when writing a paper; therefore, I have always had a negative connotation towards the term "Wiki."
However, after doing this exercise, I have discovered that Wikis are not always a bad thing. When used in the right context Wikis can be beneficial when learning new things. Collaborative work is a great way to study new topics and having a wiki page aids this effort. I posted my mashup from Thing #8 on the APSU sandbox and I was impressed at how easy it way to go through that process. I also enjoyed that I was able to look at what my other classmates are working on without having to go to each person's individual page--everything was right there on one page and made it very simple to look through.
I now know that Wikis are a great tool!
However, after doing this exercise, I have discovered that Wikis are not always a bad thing. When used in the right context Wikis can be beneficial when learning new things. Collaborative work is a great way to study new topics and having a wiki page aids this effort. I posted my mashup from Thing #8 on the APSU sandbox and I was impressed at how easy it way to go through that process. I also enjoyed that I was able to look at what my other classmates are working on without having to go to each person's individual page--everything was right there on one page and made it very simple to look through.
I now know that Wikis are a great tool!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Thing # 14
Flowcharts and mind maps are great tools in the education realm. They are a great way to write your ideas down in a way that makes sense to you. I chose to use Gliffy and bubbl.us as my flowchart and mind map sites. Personally, I liked the bubbl.us stie to be easier to use. I found it to be easier to navigate, and I have discovered that I like mind maps better than I like flowcharts. Here is what I created on bubbl.us:
I thought this was user friendly and very simple to navigate. I honestly did not even look at the mindmeister site because bubbl.us looked so much more appealing to me.
These are definitely great tools to use in the classroom because it would be very easy to show a student either site I selected, teach them how to use it, and let them get to work. Students could easily get their ideas written down and I think it could very much help them to stay organized, especially in something like writing a paper.
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