Disclaimer

All of  the 23 things are here, but 19 is out of order. I apologize for any confusion.

Beyond Facebook Social Networks Thing 19

Social Networking is big in today's society. However, I am not a member of any of them besides the big names and now Teacher Pop. With such a busy life it is hard to keep up my email and face let alone something else. Though there is one network that caught my eye. I spend a good amount of my money on movies, and I frequently am like "I know that actor, he was in that one movie...." but I blank on the other movies or I know what movie they played in, but do nopt know theier name. IMBD isone that I will look into using. Below I have embedded my Teacher Pop Badge  :)









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The Start of a New Beginning

Quite honestly, I enjoyed the 23 Things Assignment. There were some Things that I did not care for, but others I love. I really enjoyed playing with Flickr, Google Docs, and learning a little about Blogging. This exercise has definitely impacted how I will use technology in my classroom. There are so many resources out there that I did not know existed. Being able to keep up to date with the technology will help keep your students interested. I am now attempted to actually start blogging, but it is still up in the air. Maybe this will happen over the Summer while I serve in another country? However, I will definitely keep up with technology, and will utilize my Flickr account more!

Thing 23.. Creative Commons

Creative Commons has definitely given me insight to using resources in the classroom. With Creative Commons you are able to use others work as long as it is intended for the purpose they designed it for. Creative Commons can also be a very tricky line, but it allows educators to use material for the common good. One example of Creative Commons in the 23 things was from Dr. Wall when she introduced the 23 things assignment. *Note: This project is loosely based upon the website 43Things (which allows you to set and track personal goals) and the Stephen Abram article titled 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006).    Being more knowledgeable about Creative Commons will allow me to come up with and tweak project ideas for my classroom as well as lesson plans! 

Thing 22: Live Binders

Using live binders is a nifty idea. I was able to create three different binders, and my titles include Group Work, Lesson Plans, and Fun Ideas. The lesson plan binder has many different aspects. Here is the binder. LiveBInders can be used in the classroom, if you teach different sections such as history, english, math, or science. If you teach High School and it is two different levels then you can keep different binders for them. Lastly, your students can access your binders so if they want extra practice they can utilize it. It is definitely an idea to keep. 

Animoto

http://animoto.com/play/C0sHfjq1rYU5DjTyI1B3rQ

Thing 21: Animoto

I really enjoyed using Animoto. I have had to make videos before for presentations and it took forever. Animoto just has you upload what you want and it does the work for you! If I made videos more often I would be tempted to buy the monthly membership. I made a video of random pictures I had and another Animoto linked the pictures from my Facebook account. This video is on my blog and here is the one Facebook generated:   My Facebook pics. I could Animoto being used with young students who are just learning to edit videos and what not. Animoto is something I would definitely use in the future.

THING 20 You Tube!

YouTube is a neat sight. I have used YouTube before to find fun videos, learn how to do something, and to listen to music. The only thing I do not like about the sight is that they have some inappropriate videos (but that is almost anywhere) and the adds before the videos. The video I chose was something we all know: Finding Nemo's Just Keep Swimming. This video reminds us that when times are tough we just need to hang in there and push through. One thing that can be found on YouTube is Kahn Academy and I think that is a very useful learning tool. 

THING 18: Social Networking

Social networking is all around of us. Most commonly we see it through Twitter, and Facebook. Educators need to know how these sights works to keep up with the technology their students are using. I basically knew how these two sights work since I have an account with each one. This is a link to my Facebook account. Overall I like how easy they are to use, you can connect with friends, share pictures, have group chats, and create events. Personally, I prefer to use Facebook  and get more from using it. I can see application on Facebook in the classroom, but as a future elementary teacher I could not use social networking sites. I personally think it outs people in positions, and there needs to be some kind of separation of the classroom and personal lives . 

Social Bookmarking! Thing 17

Social Bookmarking definitely has some potential. Exploring the website Delicious gave me insight to the online tagging system. One link that caught my eye had the tags video education, teaching, tools, and Web2.0. This link was Teacher Tube. It has lesson plan videos  and links to specific grades and subject areas. If teachers come together and share resources and there is success in the classroom that can be tracked Delicious is a great tool to get the ideas out there. Teachers can share collaboratively what works! If more people catch onto the idea of social bookmarking, it can make lesson planning less stressful, and more productive.

tHiNg 16 Getting Organized

I Google: A place for many different Widgets to come together. You can choose which ones you want, and where you want them. However, I did have problems trying to get my other emails to load besides my G-mail account. I think I Google is a neat idea; However, I personally would not use it. I would consider using it as my homepage if I could figure out how to utilize it more, but for the time being its not for me.

The second part of getting organized is using an online calender. I decided to try 30 Boxes. 30 Boxes allows you to keep track of everything and anything, but it allows you to share it with certain "buddies." This is a neat ideas for teachers to use with parents. Only the teacher and parents can access it and it is a good tool to communicate with. As far as personal use is if I was still baby sitting I could use it to show my "customers" what dates I am booked and what dates I am available. However, as a current student I find it easier to use my planner book, or the calendar on  my I Pad simply because these two items are very accessible throughout my day, and its quick and easy. With 30 Boxes I would have to log in and go from there. I think its an awesome idea however for my current use it is just not practical.

WIKI WIKI thing 15

Before completing thing 15, I was confused about the idea of a wiki. When hearing the word wiki, I thought of Wikipedia but Wikipedia is just only one example in the realm of wiki. A wiki is just a place where several people come together and can edit or update posts. I would not use a wiki for formal things, but I think its an excellent idea for group work. Students can help one another out, edit small mistakes, and post their ideas. Its an easy way to see who has edited what and when.I think it would be a neat idea for a group of teachers to be able to share their ideas with projects, tests, standards, and worksheets. Then edit if they think it can improved. It does worry me that almost anyone can edit in a wiki. Personally I probably would not use a wiki, but its not a terrible concept; It can be rather useful. In the APSU 23 Sandbox Wiki I was able to share an idea.

Mind Maps and Flow Charts.. Are they the Same? Thing 14

In a sense a mind map, and a flow chart are the same. They both organize your ideas, and gives you a path to follow. However a flow chart is used to follow a process, or a certain line of thinking; Whereas, a mind map allows your thoughts to go in multiple directions. I see a min map being used more for brainstorming ideas. The big question is how do I choose which one I want to use? It's easy it just depends on your topic, and if it is for your reading or for an audience  The former is more for the mind map, and the latter is more for a flow chart.


I chose to play around with Gliffy flow charts, and MindMeister's mind maps. The neat thing with Gliffy is that you could create your own flow chart or go off a template. It was slightly complicated to use at first. I liked how it offered many different shapes. Lastly, you could print your flow chart. and share it with your class. Then I tried MindMeister and really enjoyed it. It was quick and easy. I could add an idea by holding my mouse to the button and clicking it for a new idea typing what it was and repeating.For a fast thinking person this is a great tool.Also, it was easy to drag one idea to another. The mind map could also be made colorful. Furthermore you could link things to it, and upload files. Personally I enjoyed MindMeister more.

Zoho Versus Google Docs Thing 13

Thing 13 is all about working with different word processors. It asked us to complete to compare Zoho to Google Docs. I found that Zoho was easy to create an account and a document. However, after I created it the account they called my phone, and that was a little strange. I noticed that Zoho has many features in its word document that Microsoft, and Google docs has. Personally I would use Google Docs and Microsoft before Zoho. Furthermore, I was able to play with the drawing feature on Google Docs so I created a "Sketch" of my living room. I also noticed it has many of the same drawing tools that Microsoft offered. I would use Google Docs if my Microsoft Word doesn't work, or is outdated. Furthermore, Google Docs allowed me to make a document private, share with only those who have the link, or to publish it on the web. I think this is a good way for students to interact, because they can access it anywhere with a computer and the internet and can set the setting to where only the groups members see it. If the group was making a presentation and they needed to add slides as needed or edit different parts they can. I think Google Docs is a worthwhile tool. Here is the link to the sketch of my living room. DRAWING

Google it Thing 12

I was able to set up a Google Calender. You can do many different things with it. You can color code your events, invite others to them, have notifications sent to your phone, and so much more. I was able to make it public to where others could see it. I did not include everything on it, just part of my busy life. I can definitely use this in my everyday life, but also within my classroom. Parents can have notifications sent to them, and can see what is going on. In each day, I can post different standards we are covering, when are tests are etc.. Here is my personal calendar.

I also think Google Translate is a neat feature. If you have parents of students who don't have very good English skills then Google Translate can be a good place to start when trying to communicate more effectively. It has over 60 languages. Another neat idea for the classroom is doing something like Christmas around the world, and use Google Translate to find different words the students can teach each other.

Both are tools are ones I will find myself using.

Thing #11

There are many three search tools available. These include Technorati, Topix.net, and Google Blog Search. I found that the Google Blog Search worked best for me. Google's search was more direct then the other two search engines. One I found was the Teacher Idea Factory. This week is Fire Safety week and it gave some neat ideas. Working in childcare, I am able to use some of these in the classroom. I will definitely incorporate this into my classroom.

THING 10 RRS

The cool thing about a RSS reader is that it sends the new news to you, and you do not have to search through the old or have it keep popping up. I might be able to use my blog to where when I write a new one parents can see it instantly. I can use it in my personal life by having it send a daily scripture to my reader. Teachers can use RSS in their classroom to communicate with the parents. I can not say that I will use this tool, but it is definitely a neat idea. 

Thing 9: Image Chef

Playing with the image chef was fairly easy.  I made a heart, and I put a word in there that meant a lot to me. All I had to do was enter the text that I wanted, pick a shape, the font and text color, the background color, and hit the preview button. From here all you needed to do was click export and you can share it. Here is the link to my heart and here is also a screen shot of it. I think the Image Chef has potential, but I would not have students use it in my classroom. I would use it personally to create unique designs for posters though. Chef Image can be found at http://www.imagechef.com/ic/word_mosaic/#

My Map on Flickr

Mappr is a really neat feature. I always thought it would be cool to have a picture of everywhere I have been, and this mash up does it. I really liked that all I had to do was find the location and then add the picture from the too bar to it.I attached a screen shot below to show 5 pictures I have taken and where they were. Here is also the link to my map
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88291813@N02/map?&fLat=24.1868&fLon=-92.1972&zl=5&order_by=recent.   Considering I want to travel the world, and partake on many mission trips this is a great way for my family and close friends to keep track of where I have been. I can definitely use this as a personal use and as a classroom use. In a history class students can link photos or famous monuments all around the world. This is one feature they may become a hobby :)