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.