Thing #21

Try our slideshow maker at Animoto.

The last post...

The post below is the video I found on YouTube. My theatre teacher showed it to our class during my senior year, when we were doing the Sound of Music as our spring show. This is a flashmob group performing at a train station in Belgium to promote the production of The Sound of Music that toured there. I think this video is just awesome, to say the least.

One thing I love about YouTube is that you can find anything on there. And I mean anything, so be cautious. Every type of music video is on the site, and clips of TV shows and movies. What's great about YouTube is that you can create your own account and start uploading videos of your own. It's a great way to become famous, from what I hear. lol

Thing #20

Thing #19

I am a member of several social networks outside of Facebook and Twitter. I have a YouTube account that I absolutely love. I browsed through some of the mentioned websites and found an interest in the 'Books' section. I created an account on Shelfari, which is a website that is run with Amazon.com. I already had an Amazon account, so signing up was pretty simple. I like this website a lot because it allowed me to search through thousands of books and add ones that I have already read, ones that I am currently reading, and ones that I planned on reading. I think this is a great tool because it allows members to see what other people suggest regarding books and gives you great ideas for what to read next.

Thing #18

I think with any profession that networking is a key aspect because it can open up many doors for you. I think for teachers, it is important to understand networking because it can allow you to learn new concepts from other people who are more experienced and have a better insight of how to teach. Networking can be a huge learning experience as well. From my experience using Facebook, I have watched it change from a simple social media site to something so much larger than that. I think the most interesting thing about Facebook is it's ability to link people all across the globe.

As far as the classroom is concerned, I already know of many schools and school organizations that have a Facebook page. It is a great way to convey information to all different kinds of users. For example, my high school Theatre department had a Facebook page and it was VERY handy. All of the rehearsal dates were posted, sections of script that were being worked on, when the performance dates were, as well as the contact info for all of the cast members. It was very beneficial to have, and I liked the fact that the school was linked to such a huge and popular social scene.

Thing #17

I am a huge Google user, and could see myself using Delicious to tag and save all of the links to the websites that I find. I can see it's potential use in the classroom. Teachers can easily use it in their lessons to tag the URL of a site they used to get to the link more quickly than having to open a browser and go find the link. Teachers can also use bookmarking tools to share information with other teachers and administrators.

Thing #16

I chose iGoogle as the intro page. I am already experienced with Google accounts, and I like the way you can customize them any way you want to fit your needs. One of my favorite things about sites like this, is that you an customize the theme to something that fits your personality. I think having a good theme that you like will make the site more attractive to you and will draw you to use the site more and more. I already have a customized Yahoo page set as my homepage, but if I ever decide to change, I would probably use iGoogle.


As someone who uses the internet everyday, I could see an online calendar being very useful. It would be one less thing I have to make sure I look at everyday. If I made it on a site that I have to see everyday, then I would find myself using it more and more.

As stated in an earlier post, I'm all about making to do lists. But I'm the kind of guy that likes to use paper and pen, simply because I like the feeling of crossing something out when it is finished. It makes me feel very accomplished.

The stickynotes.net website is a great tool to download. As soon as you open your laptop, all of your notes are there on your home screen in plain view for you to see.

Thing #15

I had an idea of what wikis were, and knew that they were something along the lines of what Wikipedia is. The thing I like the most about wikis is that people are allowed to change things and add information that the creator may have left out. This is particularly true in an education setting, other teachers can share information about lessons they are teaching and other things that are going on in their classrooms. I am someone who loves to read and hear about what other people are doing in the same field as I am. It gives me something to work toward or gives me...inspiration to do things a different way or do them better.

Thing #14

Although the websites for mind mapping and flow charting seem very helpful and interesting, I don't see myself taking the time to figure out how to use the programs to organize my very busy schedule. I'm an avid sticky-note and list maker. I also have a planner that goes with me everywhere. I feel organized and accomplished when I am able to physically scratch something out or cross it off whenever I have finished or the event has passed. In trying to get more organized, I have tried a number of ways to make reminders for myself. I always resort back to a good old calendar and notepad. They are both things that I see everyday, and I have a calendar on my wall in a place where I will see it that I can erase and add things to it when necessary.

Thing #13

Before now, I had never heard of Zoho. It seemed to just be Microsoft Word, but on the internet. The thing about Zoho that I really liked was the calendar. You can go to a specific day and enter all different kinds of information about an event that is going on that day. If you a are an organized person like myself, this can be a really helpful tool to use.

Thing #12

Google has gone from being just a search engine to an everyday part of life. I know that I have personally told people to Google questions they needed answers to. I have always used Google as my search engine. I did not ever think to use the Google Calendar feature. I love it! I have a difficult time remembering dates and other things, and by using this tool--I will not forget again! Teachers can use this to post important dates such as PTA meetings and conferences so they won't forget them.

Thing #11

Finding blog postings and feeds based on your personal interests can be extremely difficult due to the countless blogs out there. The method of finding feeds I personally found easiest to use was using the search tool Technorati and use keywords based on personal interests to find what I was looking for. I thought that Topix.net was the most confusing. The main page was too busy and made me dislike it almost instantaneously. I thought that the feeds giving financial advice were useful--especially in an economy like today's. I personally found the blogs about anime were unusual; however, that just goes to show that everyone in this world is different and we all have different interests.

Thing #10

I think RSS and newsreaders are amazing! I really like that you can subscribe to anything you prefer based on personal interests. I definitely think I could use this technology in my school and personal life. Teachers could use it for school by subscribing to educational sites and updates. I could use it personally by subscribing to different news and events that interest me. I really like being 'in the know', and subscribing to different news-related places would help prevent me from searching several different sites.

Thing #9

 

Using a tool called Wordle, creative "word clouds" can be generated in many different formats and colors. My thoughts were to use some of these to make fun, creative ways to decorate my classroom or possibly give my students ways to memorize key concepts or facts from a lesson.



I could see using Wordle to create word clouds for a reading lesson or using them to create spelling lists. If the students see how different the lists are, they might be more apt to study them and think of different ways to memorize the words on the page.

Thing #8

                                       


I've always been a fan of having inspirational words and messages on the walls of classrooms. It always gave me a good feeling, and as cheesy as this sounds, gave me a reason to work harder. I like the idea of using mashups to make signs like these. In the lower grade levels like Kindergarten or 1st grade, an alphabet chart could be made using the letters and these pictures. It might also spark a creative outlet in the students mind by seeing these things.
I feel like picture sharing on the internet has a positive and a negative side. Personal picture sharing usually falls under the negative category. You have that one person that messes up and puts the wrong picture up for everyone to see. I think that's where the controversy lies. Other means of picture sharing can be for the enjoyment of others, such as photography websites, and for educational uses.

Things #7

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chorip/495094547/lightbox/



As I was browsing through photos on Flickr, I came across this picture. Unfortunately I could not post it in my blog but this link takes you to it. Previous to this class, I had heard of Flickr, but never explored the site. As someone who loves photography, I thought this was an amazing site. I loved looking through the endless pages of pictures that people have taken. Some just everyday objects that people have made beautiful with the click of a button.

Thing #6

I think one of my top favorite sites that I found on Web 2.0 Awards is Skype. As a college student, I use Skype almost everyday. I think one of the best features of Skype is the video call feature. I like being able to talk to and see people from anywhere in the country. Skype is great tool because you can share information through an instant messaging tool. One thing I don't like about Skype is that it must be updated quite a bit in order to use some of the features. One thing I really like about it is the screen sharing feature. When you video call someone, there is a button you can click that allows the other person to see your screen and whatever is on it. They can do the same thing as well. I could definitely see Skype being used as an educational tool in a school library or a classroom.

Thing #5

As someone who personally loves new things, I am a little indifferent about the emerging technology resources. I will say on one hand, the new technological advances that have been made in the world of education are mind blowing. Teachers and students from around the world can now be connected, allowing the young generation of students to be introduced to a new world that's beyond their backyard. The amount of information that is available to them seems to be endless. Students are introduced to things they never even dreamed of with just the click of a mouse.
On the other hand, I agree with what a fellow student of mine said, that technology might be driving some of the important lessons that young students need to learn. Instead of grabbing a book off of the shelf and reading it and using their imaginations to bring it to life, they can easily find the important things in the book and skip over some of the best parts of reading the whole story. In a way, technology makes the youth a bit more lazy. Take smartboards, for example. I am an "old school" kind of person. In my ideal classroom, I want a big, long whiteboard and an Expo marker. Smartboards, as awesome as they may be, seem to make things slightly more complicated on certain occasions. They have to be calibrated, and some sort of computer is needed for them to work. With a whiteboard, you just need a marker and an eraser and some good handwriting. =) And if you don't have that, a whiteboard is a good tool for practice.

Thing #3

To be fair, before this, I was never really a fan of blogs. I think it was because I had never used one and didn't know what it was all about. Now that I've made one for myself, I see that it's a pretty cool way to share information with other people or just let people know what's going on in the world. I would definitely use a blog for my classroom that would be accessible by both parents and my students. I want them to know what's going on at all times in case they were to miss school one day. I would also use it as a means of communication between other teachers. It would allow the other teachers in my grade level to share lesson ideas and plans.

Thing #2

I've never had a blog and for a while never really saw the use of them. They just seemed like Facebook or Twitter, but just a bit more creative. When I got into my Educational Technology class and was told about all of the things we would be doing and the websites we were going to use, I was very excited about it. I didn't see the relevance that something like Twitter would have with an elementary school classroom.

I like the idea of using new and trendy technological advances to communicate with parents and other teachers, and even students. I am looking forward to learning about all of the amazing ways to incorporate all of this into my everyday classroom setting. Now, let's face it. We all have some part of us that is just technology stupid. Myself, I try to keep up to speed with all of the latest and greatest fads that emerge in the technology world. Shamefully enough, I did not own a Twitter account until August, when I met a friend who convinced me to get one. This is also the same friend who lives by the phrase "If it ain't a Mac, I ain't using it", and is slowly trying to sway my PC love to a Mac. However, I think Microsoft is doing a good enough job at that. (Pun intended. Microsoft is TERRIBLE!)

Thing #1

When I watched the 7 1/2 Habits, I wasn't exactly sure what it was going to be about. After some detail, I began to think about what habit would best relate to myself. I think with Habit #3, I can relate best to my learning. I use the "curve balls" that are thrown to me, and all of the tough problems I encounter as opportunities to learn. I like to look back at all of my past experiences and think about how and what I learned from them. They range anywhere from how to jump start my car to having to deal with the death of a close friend. They are all learning experiences and have taught me life lessons I can take with me.

I think the habit I have a harder time with is Habit #1. I am very goal oriented when I begin things. But sometimes I lose sight of that goal when things become stressful or difficult. Often, I have to remind myself of what I am trying to accomplish and convince myself that once I get it done, I will feel much better about the task and can take a sigh of relief that it is over with.