Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Thing #12
Google is an overall incredible creation. I don't know where the word would be without it. I absolutely love it! I already use the Calendar resource. It keeps me organized and sane! I can print it off and use the search bar to find events that I have scheduled. In the classroom I could easily make out a weekly or monthly schedule to give out to the students with assignments and due dates. Or I could have them fill out a blank one to show them how a calendar works. One tool that I haven't used but I thought was really cool was the Translate tool. To be honest I didn't really know about it. It was fun to see what the other languages looked like.
Thing #11
Having an RSS feed is very convenient when it comes to finding a blog that you are looking for. It helps to narrow your search to the specific subject you are looking for. I liked the Google Blog Search the best. I like Google in general, but this was the simplest way to search in my opinion. The more confusing search engine I thought was Syndic8. This wasn't as easy to look at and there were a lot of words on the page that made it harder to understand the search engine. I found a lot of Blogger feeds, Twitter feeds, and Facebook feeds. These three seemed to be the most popular. I thought PageFlakes was an unusual page. The name to me just doesn't ring well. The other news feeds didn't interest me. I really like Google,so I will probably just stick with that!
Thing #10
RSS is very interesting and useful. I like it because you can search for things that you are interested in and you continually get updates from them. The constant updates are really cool. I subscribed to the Austin Peay RSS and I already have every news story from campus in my account. It is a easy way to stay updated in today's world. I could definitely use this in school. The sources are reliable and easy to find. As a teacher I could have a particular RSS to look at for certain subject I am teaching at the time. For example, I subscribed to the PBS learning reader and an English teacher reader. These will be useful to me because they give updates on the latest in technology and teaching strategies in the articles.
Thing #9
I have always wondered where people get these crazy pictures from! This was fun! I played the most with Image Chef. I liked the options it gave for inserting pictures. There were lots of cute and funny ones. The image I posted is one of my friends of a player of the game jumbo tron! I just thought it was cute. I had a little trouble with figuring out how to post this to my blog, but I played around with it enough to understand. I tend to make things harder than they really are.
I think this could be used in a classroom setting. On Image Chef there was a Birthday college theme. A teacher could post a picture of a students birthday and have it up for the class to see. This would be a nice and not distracting way of saying Happy Birthday!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Thing #8
My creation, a photo by mmaxwell6 on Flickr.
Flickr is a very interesting website. You can find yourself playing on here for hours! I chose to create a Jigsaw puzzle. I thought this was a neat idea because it could easily be used in the classroom. My thought behind creating a puzzle was that my students could use the smart board to put the puzzle together and in the end they should know what the picture is as it relates to the subject matter.
Thing #7
Flickr was kind of fun to play around with. It was wasy to set up an account because I already had a Yahoo account. I personally enjoy using Picasa (Google's picture storage), but I didn't see anything wrong with Flickr. It is very easy to manage and not hard to use. Something I found interesting in Flickr was that you can easily upload pictures to social networking accounts such as Facebook and Twitter. You can also edit them through Picnik, which is awesome!
I didn't know how to get started with finding a picture so I clicked on explore and chose popular tags to get me started. I chose music to search because I love music and it's a big part of my life. I love this picture! I think the concept of the two subjects is so cute. The photographer,Alvin.Lamucho Photography, tied these two popular items together with saying in the picture "music is like coffee to my senses."
I didn't know how to get started with finding a picture so I clicked on explore and chose popular tags to get me started. I chose music to search because I love music and it's a big part of my life. I love this picture! I think the concept of the two subjects is so cute. The photographer,Alvin.Lamucho Photography, tied these two popular items together with saying in the picture "music is like coffee to my senses."
Thing #6
http://pidgin.im/about/
I didn't realize how many Web 2.0 tools there actually were. One that I found interesting was a chatroom like website. I know that when I chat to friends, family and classmates that not everyone using the same instant messaging system. So because I have so many accounts, I have to open several tabs if I am talking to more than one person who has a different system.
Pidgin is a chat program that allows you to be logged into many instant messaging systems at one time. It is compatible with just about every chat or instant messaging system out there. One thing I like very much about it is that it's free to use. You do not have to subscribe to anything. All you have to do is create an account and download Pidgin itself. There is one downside that I have found. You cannot chat through Facebook! There is a plugin you have to download, but the process seems complicated.
I could see this resource being used in the classroom. Teachers could use this to communicate from classroom to classroom without being disruptive. You could also communicate directly to parents. As a student, you can have a great way to communicate with other students at the same time with only one window opened. It sure would make group projects easier!
I didn't realize how many Web 2.0 tools there actually were. One that I found interesting was a chatroom like website. I know that when I chat to friends, family and classmates that not everyone using the same instant messaging system. So because I have so many accounts, I have to open several tabs if I am talking to more than one person who has a different system.
Pidgin is a chat program that allows you to be logged into many instant messaging systems at one time. It is compatible with just about every chat or instant messaging system out there. One thing I like very much about it is that it's free to use. You do not have to subscribe to anything. All you have to do is create an account and download Pidgin itself. There is one downside that I have found. You cannot chat through Facebook! There is a plugin you have to download, but the process seems complicated.
I could see this resource being used in the classroom. Teachers could use this to communicate from classroom to classroom without being disruptive. You could also communicate directly to parents. As a student, you can have a great way to communicate with other students at the same time with only one window opened. It sure would make group projects easier!
Thing #5
Web 2.0 is the new phenomenon in education. It allows teachers to use the internet in different ways in the classroom. Which leads us to the term "School 2.0". This is an extension of Web 2.0 and what teachers are calling their newest emerging resource. School 2.0 is a way for students to learn in many different ways outside of the classroom with books. It allows students to learn in places other than school. They can learn at home or in the community.
Richard Macmanus states in his article, Web 2.0 is not about version numbers or betas, " Web 2.0 is everyday, non-technical people using the Web to enhance their lives and businesses." I think this sums up what Web 2.0 is to a tee. It is just everyday people using the web to better their everyday lives. The article from Technology & Learning brings up a good point about why teachers should use Web 2.0 in learning. They have found that many students these days already use the internet through social networking and media to communicate with other students. So why not use that technology in the classroom? It would be a great way to maximize learning experiences for many students.
As for the future of for schools and learning, I think many new teachers will be open to the idea of using this type of technology on the classroom. Many teachers that have come right out of the classrooms themselves understand the impact that technology makes on students. I definitely think Web 2.0 is emerging and will be a highly used resource in years to come.
Richard Macmanus states in his article, Web 2.0 is not about version numbers or betas, " Web 2.0 is everyday, non-technical people using the Web to enhance their lives and businesses." I think this sums up what Web 2.0 is to a tee. It is just everyday people using the web to better their everyday lives. The article from Technology & Learning brings up a good point about why teachers should use Web 2.0 in learning. They have found that many students these days already use the internet through social networking and media to communicate with other students. So why not use that technology in the classroom? It would be a great way to maximize learning experiences for many students.
As for the future of for schools and learning, I think many new teachers will be open to the idea of using this type of technology on the classroom. Many teachers that have come right out of the classrooms themselves understand the impact that technology makes on students. I definitely think Web 2.0 is emerging and will be a highly used resource in years to come.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Thing #4
Commenting is an essential part of any blog. Without commenting the writer wouldn't know what people are thinking about their blogs. It gives readers a chance to share about how they feel toward a topic. The writer usually wants to know how you feel about his or her work, so why not tell him?
According to Cool Cat Teacher Blog we shouldn't be afraid to comment. We need the feedback to better our blog and make us better bloggers.
One way to have comments on your blog is to simply ask for them. Just a message at the end of a particular blog stating to leave comments and opinions invites readers to leave their thoughts. --ProBlogger
The five classmates blogs I commented on were Candice, Tabitha, Blair, Claire and Jamie. I chose to read their Thing One blog entries because I thought Thing One told some information about each of us as a person. We were to explain some struggles and successes when it comes to the 7 and 1.2 Habit of Learning. I could relate to these blogs.
One blog outside of the Learning 2.0 activity that I found interesting is Successful Teaching. Pat Hensely is the author and she give good insight on different teaching strategies. Another blog I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to read recently is Cool Cat Teacher Blog. All of her blogs are very insightful and I consider her blog to be an excellent resource for teachers.
According to Cool Cat Teacher Blog we shouldn't be afraid to comment. We need the feedback to better our blog and make us better bloggers.
One way to have comments on your blog is to simply ask for them. Just a message at the end of a particular blog stating to leave comments and opinions invites readers to leave their thoughts. --ProBlogger
The five classmates blogs I commented on were Candice, Tabitha, Blair, Claire and Jamie. I chose to read their Thing One blog entries because I thought Thing One told some information about each of us as a person. We were to explain some struggles and successes when it comes to the 7 and 1.2 Habit of Learning. I could relate to these blogs.
One blog outside of the Learning 2.0 activity that I found interesting is Successful Teaching. Pat Hensely is the author and she give good insight on different teaching strategies. Another blog I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to read recently is Cool Cat Teacher Blog. All of her blogs are very insightful and I consider her blog to be an excellent resource for teachers.
Thing #3
Blogging can be very essential for teachers and educators. It is a great way to see what other teachers are doing int their classroom. As a teacher you can blog about standards you are teaching, share teaching strategies, and talk to other teachers about anything. An idea that I thought was good in the article by Anne Davis was a classroom blog. Setting up a blog just for your classroom is a good way to communicate with parents, have a class calendar, and list the assignments that are due. Of all the ideas I think I would set up a classroom blog and encourage my students parents to share their ideas for our classroom, see what we are doing in our classroom and see upcoming events and due dates.
Thing #2
I have never blogged before so this experience was a tad painful. I don't like not knowing how to do something, so at first setting up the blog was frustrating. I just used my name for my blog name. I know that's kind of lame, but for the purpose of this class I just thought I would go simple. Setting up the avatar was a little more challenging than setting up the blog. I guess I just don't get this whole blogging thing yet. I'll learn though! I think my avatar reflects my personality. I made sure she wore my favorite color and had brown hair!
Thing #1
After watching the video about the 7 and 1/2 habits of learning I have found that some will be harder than others for me. The first habit they mention is about keeping the end in mind. This habit is actually fairly easy for me to understand and keep in mind. Some people say that I may be over organized because of the mass amount of sticky notes and labels I own. It is just my personality. If I don't have an organized plan, I won't get the job done. The habit says we need to keep the end of whatever we are doing in mind. I do not feel like this will be a challenge for me because I already tend to keep the end goal in my head. Another habit that I think would come easy for me is habit 3. This talks about viewing problems that occur as challenges. I love being faced with challenges. Over coming challenges brings me joy and confidence that I can do anything. Because of this I think habit 3 would come naturally as well.
On the other hand, there is one habit that is not my favorite. Although I tend to have the confidence I need when I overcome a challenge, I tend to be shy and to myself as well. Habit 4 states that I should have confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner. This poses a problem for me because of my self-confidence. I do have those moments when I am down on myself and I cannot seem to get back up. This is why I feel habit 4 will be challenging for me.
The 7 and 1/2 habits present the idea of life-long learning. Life- long learning is the idea that it is never too soon nor too late for learning. Learning is a life-long process. The habits are great tools to use for a life-long learner.
On the other hand, there is one habit that is not my favorite. Although I tend to have the confidence I need when I overcome a challenge, I tend to be shy and to myself as well. Habit 4 states that I should have confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner. This poses a problem for me because of my self-confidence. I do have those moments when I am down on myself and I cannot seem to get back up. This is why I feel habit 4 will be challenging for me.
The 7 and 1/2 habits present the idea of life-long learning. Life- long learning is the idea that it is never too soon nor too late for learning. Learning is a life-long process. The habits are great tools to use for a life-long learner.
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