All in all, this was an interesting experience. I'm not the kind of person that likes to sit in front of a computer screen for any amount of time, so at times I felt a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of things we were expected to do. I can't lie, having to sign up for so many accounts to complete many of the 23 Things annoyed me. It's hard enough to keep up with all the passwords you need for things like D2L, Livemail, Livetext, Onestop, etc without creating a dozen more accounts.
Okay, enough with the bellyaching. There were several of these 23 Things that I really enjoyed. Probably my favorite "thing" that I had never had any experience with was Animoto. I can see using this quite a lot in my personal life, but I can also imagine making video clips from pictures taken during class activities, field trips, etc. Being able to share them with the students, parents, and other teachers would be so fun!
It was great to see how to really make a lot of online tools work for you. I felt like learning to use the RSS feeds was really helpful. This is a great way to keep up with a lot of aspects of education - news, other teacher's blogs and experiences, etc. It's important to keep up on everything, since it seems things change so quickly!
I'll admit, I really doubt I will continue updating this blog. I have a personal blog and even with the best of intentions, it rarely gets updated. I do think, though, that once I have my own classroom I will create a blog that allows the parents to feel more connected.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Thing #23
Interestingly, when I began typing "Learning 2.0..." into the Google search engine, one of the top search results was for "23 Things". I followed a few of the links to find that these other "23 Things" were the same "23 Things" we've been doing all semester. The following link is one example of people other than APSU using this idea:
http://schoollibrarylearning2.csla.net/2007/02/23-things_27.html
The Creative Commons is a great way to share ideas with others while being able to maintain some ownership. This also allows others to use your work legally and respectfully by being able to cite the true owner. Creative Commons is a great way to share anything that someone may have created with others interested in that creation. Teachers can use this tool to find classroom activities, ideas, etc and be able to use them in their own classroom while being able to cite the rightful owner.
http://schoollibrarylearning2.csla.net/2007/02/23-things_27.html
The Creative Commons is a great way to share ideas with others while being able to maintain some ownership. This also allows others to use your work legally and respectfully by being able to cite the true owner. Creative Commons is a great way to share anything that someone may have created with others interested in that creation. Teachers can use this tool to find classroom activities, ideas, etc and be able to use them in their own classroom while being able to cite the rightful owner.
Thing #22
Honestly, my first impression was that LiveBinders is exactly the kind of thing I would never use. I'm sure once each binder is created they could be useful: however, creating each binder seems like a lot of work. In fact, it's hard to imagine as a busy professional that I would have time to log into LiveBinders and then take the time to create, modify, publish each binder.
Once I started creating the binders, it seemed easier, especially if you use the LiveBinder It option.I feel like it's mostly a website that organizes "bookmarks", which I can see wanting to use if you're a very organized kind of person. I'm not.
In my first binder, which I called "Projects", I cited a few websites that had classroom project ideas. My second binder, which I called "Assessment", I used several websites that listed standards and different assessment techniques. My third binder, which I called "Reading Activities", contains websites that list reading activities by grade level.
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=371049
This is my "Reading Activities" LiveBinder.
Again, I can see how some people would find LiveBinders very useful, but I can't see myself using them in the classroom or in my personal life.
Once I started creating the binders, it seemed easier, especially if you use the LiveBinder It option.I feel like it's mostly a website that organizes "bookmarks", which I can see wanting to use if you're a very organized kind of person. I'm not.
In my first binder, which I called "Projects", I cited a few websites that had classroom project ideas. My second binder, which I called "Assessment", I used several websites that listed standards and different assessment techniques. My third binder, which I called "Reading Activities", contains websites that list reading activities by grade level.
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=371049
This is my "Reading Activities" LiveBinder.
Again, I can see how some people would find LiveBinders very useful, but I can't see myself using them in the classroom or in my personal life.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Thing #21
My Animoto Video
Animoto is really cool. I got a little confused by the process and wanted to edit it, but accidentally created the video before I rearranged my photos. Otherwise, it was pretty simple and a lot of fun! I will definitely use Animoto again.
Animoto is really cool. I got a little confused by the process and wanted to edit it, but accidentally created the video before I rearranged my photos. Otherwise, it was pretty simple and a lot of fun! I will definitely use Animoto again.
Thing #20
I love YouTube! YouTube is like a one stop shop for any kind of videos you might want to see. My husband learned to play guitar by watching YouTube tutorials, we enjoy watching pet videos on YouTube, and my nephews are always sending me links to crazy stunt videos, scary videos, or just funny videos they think I should see. You can watch news videos, tutorials, movie clips, music videos, educational clips, etc.
During my very first classroom observation in a sixth grade science class, the teacher used YouTube to show clips about ecosystems. These particular videos were set to music. The kids loved them and would try to sing along. Using videos to help aid in teaching curriculum could make the information more amusing to the students and they may have an easier time remembering the information if they find it interesting.
Thing #19
The only community that I belong to of the ones mentioned for this "Thing" is TeacherPOP, which I joined for a previous "Thing". I do use IMDB a lot - but I'm not a member. (I have the IMDB app for my iPhone, which is probably use several times a week.) After reviewing the list of online communities, I decided to check out GoodReads and Fuzzster because I am an avid reader and because I have several pets.
I absolutely love GoodReads! I spent so much time using the site, rating books I've read, and looking through the suggestions the website made for me. What a wonderful website for a reader like me. I love to read and I'm always sad when I finish a book (in fact, I often read a book several times if I really like it) so the idea that this website will recommend books to me based on what I've read and liked is truly awesome!
Fuzzster was adorable. My husband and I don't have any kids, but we consider our pets our "fur babies" so I can relate to Fuzzster users who are obsessed with their pets! What a cute idea to be able to create a profile for your pet and be able to connect to other users with similar pets. My husband and I are Great Dane owners, so we love meeting and talking to other Great Dane owners. Fuzzster would be a great way to do that.
Overall, I really liked the suggestions on this "Thing". Social networking sites that are tailored to specific interests are great because it allows you to connect with other users with similar interests.
I absolutely love GoodReads! I spent so much time using the site, rating books I've read, and looking through the suggestions the website made for me. What a wonderful website for a reader like me. I love to read and I'm always sad when I finish a book (in fact, I often read a book several times if I really like it) so the idea that this website will recommend books to me based on what I've read and liked is truly awesome!
Fuzzster was adorable. My husband and I don't have any kids, but we consider our pets our "fur babies" so I can relate to Fuzzster users who are obsessed with their pets! What a cute idea to be able to create a profile for your pet and be able to connect to other users with similar pets. My husband and I are Great Dane owners, so we love meeting and talking to other Great Dane owners. Fuzzster would be a great way to do that.
Overall, I really liked the suggestions on this "Thing". Social networking sites that are tailored to specific interests are great because it allows you to connect with other users with similar interests.
Thing #18
I already have both a personal Twitter account and a personal Facebook account.
https://twitter.com/#!/abelizsm
http://www.facebook.com/abbyesmith
It's important for teachers to know how social networking works because so many of their colleagues, students, and parents will be using social networking sites. Teachers should understand how to use these sites so that they know what their students are talking about when they mention things like "I tagged you in a photo" or "Did you see that tweet?"
I didn't really learn anything new about either of these sites because I use them often. I have both a Facebook and Twitter app on my iPhone, so I can check each of them wherever I am. I enjoy using both, but I use Facebook more for keeping up with friends and I use Twitter to keep up with national news. With both of these social networking sites, you choose who you want to follow/friend and you can also choose who you want to be able to follow you. That does allow for some control over privacy and security, but teachers, students and parents must understand that some of your information may be visible to people you don't want it to be visible to and that you can't control what others, whom you're following, may post.
Classroom teachers may decide to create a Facebook group for their class. This allows students a chance to be able to reach each other and the teacher when not in class. Parents could also join since many parents are also members of Facebook. The drawback to this idea is that the teacher's personal information is available to students and vice versa. As I mentioned before, Facebook has very detailed and specific privacy and security settings, but the teacher would want to make sure that those settings were engaged in order to protect his or her information as well as the students. (The group should be private, not available to view by non group members, etc).
Twitter would be easier to use if a teacher wanted a classroom feed. The teacher could create a Twitter account for this exact purpose and wouldn't have to worry about any personal information beign compromised. Students and parents could follow the teacher's tweets, but the teacher would not have to follow the students. This may provide more privacy for the teacher, parents, and students.
https://twitter.com/#!/abelizsm
http://www.facebook.com/abbyesmith
It's important for teachers to know how social networking works because so many of their colleagues, students, and parents will be using social networking sites. Teachers should understand how to use these sites so that they know what their students are talking about when they mention things like "I tagged you in a photo" or "Did you see that tweet?"
I didn't really learn anything new about either of these sites because I use them often. I have both a Facebook and Twitter app on my iPhone, so I can check each of them wherever I am. I enjoy using both, but I use Facebook more for keeping up with friends and I use Twitter to keep up with national news. With both of these social networking sites, you choose who you want to follow/friend and you can also choose who you want to be able to follow you. That does allow for some control over privacy and security, but teachers, students and parents must understand that some of your information may be visible to people you don't want it to be visible to and that you can't control what others, whom you're following, may post.
Classroom teachers may decide to create a Facebook group for their class. This allows students a chance to be able to reach each other and the teacher when not in class. Parents could also join since many parents are also members of Facebook. The drawback to this idea is that the teacher's personal information is available to students and vice versa. As I mentioned before, Facebook has very detailed and specific privacy and security settings, but the teacher would want to make sure that those settings were engaged in order to protect his or her information as well as the students. (The group should be private, not available to view by non group members, etc).
Twitter would be easier to use if a teacher wanted a classroom feed. The teacher could create a Twitter account for this exact purpose and wouldn't have to worry about any personal information beign compromised. Students and parents could follow the teacher's tweets, but the teacher would not have to follow the students. This may provide more privacy for the teacher, parents, and students.
Thing #17
After joining Delicious, I searched for posts relating to "educational technology". The top hits include: "TED: Ideas worth spreading" with over 30,000 saves; "HowStuffWorks with over 15,000 saves; and "Free Online Course Materials - MIT OpenCourseWare" with over 8,000 saves. Some of the tags that these three have in common are education, technology, and learning.
This tool would be useful if a student, parent or even a teacher was looking for opinions/ideas/experiences pertaining to a specific topic or event. I think something like Delicious is useful to anyone who uses the internet to search out other people's experiences, suggestions, information etc about anything of interest to the searcher. Students could use this for projects they're working on, teachers could use this to get ideas for curriculum or projects, and parents could use this to help them learn about topics their child is covering in order to better understand and be able to help their student with homework.
This tool would be useful if a student, parent or even a teacher was looking for opinions/ideas/experiences pertaining to a specific topic or event. I think something like Delicious is useful to anyone who uses the internet to search out other people's experiences, suggestions, information etc about anything of interest to the searcher. Students could use this for projects they're working on, teachers could use this to get ideas for curriculum or projects, and parents could use this to help them learn about topics their child is covering in order to better understand and be able to help their student with homework.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Thing #16
For my start page, I chose iGoogle. I've mentioned before how much I love Google - and since I have a personal account with Google as well as as my 23 Things account, it seemed like a good idea to use it for this.
Once I chose iGoogle, I began editing my start page. I deleted a few of the gadgets that were already there - like DoppleMe and YouTube. I have no use for an avatar and I don't watch YouTube very often, so I figured I would make room for some other gadgets. I decided to add a calendar gadget, the inspirational quotes and pictures gadget (I love quotes and photography), the Facts gadget (I also love knowing useless information), Facebook for iGoogle, NYTimes.com - Top Stories gadget, Daily Literary Quote (quotes again), and Anderson Cooper 360 gadget. Wow - there are a LOT of gadgets. I finally had to stop myself from adding more or I'd never get this thing done!
As far as calendars go, I chose to explore Kiko - but received a "Forbidden" page when I tried to access it. Since that didn't pan out, I decided to explore the calendar offered by Backpack. However, once I made it to that page, it said I could sign up for a 30 day trial. I didn't want to create another account - I already have so many! I know I can utilize the calendar available through iGoogle, though. Online calendars are useful because they can be shared. As a teacher, I could create a calendar with important dates - homework due dates, tests, field trips, conferences, etc and share with parents.
To Do lists could be great tools for someone who would use them - but I am not the kind of person who would. I am quite the procrastinator, and therefore not a planner. Making a to do list actually sounds like a form of torture to me!
I feel like the most useful tool I discovered during this exercise was iGoogle. I love all the gadgets that are optional - I like that it has the calendar option, even a to do list option, weather, email, news, etc. There are a lot of options for personalizing the start page, not to mention all the extras that can be added. I'm not much of a planner, so the fact that all of this could be included in my homepage and would be accessible every time I launched the internet would be convenient - which I like!
Once I chose iGoogle, I began editing my start page. I deleted a few of the gadgets that were already there - like DoppleMe and YouTube. I have no use for an avatar and I don't watch YouTube very often, so I figured I would make room for some other gadgets. I decided to add a calendar gadget, the inspirational quotes and pictures gadget (I love quotes and photography), the Facts gadget (I also love knowing useless information), Facebook for iGoogle, NYTimes.com - Top Stories gadget, Daily Literary Quote (quotes again), and Anderson Cooper 360 gadget. Wow - there are a LOT of gadgets. I finally had to stop myself from adding more or I'd never get this thing done!
As far as calendars go, I chose to explore Kiko - but received a "Forbidden" page when I tried to access it. Since that didn't pan out, I decided to explore the calendar offered by Backpack. However, once I made it to that page, it said I could sign up for a 30 day trial. I didn't want to create another account - I already have so many! I know I can utilize the calendar available through iGoogle, though. Online calendars are useful because they can be shared. As a teacher, I could create a calendar with important dates - homework due dates, tests, field trips, conferences, etc and share with parents.
To Do lists could be great tools for someone who would use them - but I am not the kind of person who would. I am quite the procrastinator, and therefore not a planner. Making a to do list actually sounds like a form of torture to me!
I feel like the most useful tool I discovered during this exercise was iGoogle. I love all the gadgets that are optional - I like that it has the calendar option, even a to do list option, weather, email, news, etc. There are a lot of options for personalizing the start page, not to mention all the extras that can be added. I'm not much of a planner, so the fact that all of this could be included in my homepage and would be accessible every time I launched the internet would be convenient - which I like!
Thing #15
I skipped over this "Thing" because when I first attempted to complete it, I felt a little overwhelmed and confused. When I went back to finish it today, I didn't feel much better. Wikis are cool, but they are a little crazy - especially the APSU 23 Things Sandbox. I was really unsure what I was doing, but decided I had to finish this, so I attempted to edit it. I think I did it properly. I'm not sure why I feel confused by this "Thing", I guess because there were several steps to take before even being able to edit the page. I got through it, though!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Thing #14
I decided to explore Gliffy and bubbl.us because they appeared to be the most kid-friendly at first glance. Because my standard is second grade reading, I didn't want to choose the other two selections because the example flowchart and mindmap looked a little too advanced for seven year old kids.
I looked at the "Lady Gaga Adoption" example at the Gliffy website. It seemed pretty easy to add new bubbles or boxes and to add text to those boxes. I liked that the two examples on Gliffy were very different styles. The first example was more structured and formal, while the Lady Gaga example was a bit more casual.
I liked bubbl.us because it was easy to use - the directions for creating the mindmap were directly on the page! I also liked that it was colorful and easy to understand. I think second grade students would be able to read and understand a mindmap that was created with bubbl.us.
I looked at the "Lady Gaga Adoption" example at the Gliffy website. It seemed pretty easy to add new bubbles or boxes and to add text to those boxes. I liked that the two examples on Gliffy were very different styles. The first example was more structured and formal, while the Lady Gaga example was a bit more casual.
I liked bubbl.us because it was easy to use - the directions for creating the mindmap were directly on the page! I also liked that it was colorful and easy to understand. I think second grade students would be able to read and understand a mindmap that was created with bubbl.us.
Thing #13
At first, I was not at all pleased with exploring Zoho. I didn't see the point of yet another word processing program. I did like that it was set up similarly to Microsoft Word, which I am already familiar with. After reading about Zoho writer, I understood why - being able to keep your documents on and offline and having the ability to access documents from any location would be wonderful. Even as a college student, I've had moments of panic when I think I've made a mistake on a paper that I am getting ready to turn in and don't have time to go back home and correct the mistake. This would be the kind of issues professionals would encounter as well. Being able to access the documents from any computer would be fantastic!
Google docs seems just as useful as any word processing program I've ever used. At first glance it seems like a streamlined program. It's easy to see options for your document and to see how to edit and create a document. I'm a big fan of Google. I have a personal Gmail account, I love using Google for search tools, and I love that Google allows you to connect your smartphone to your computer and can keep all of your information, pictures, documents, emails, etc. in one place and easy to access.
Google docs seems just as useful as any word processing program I've ever used. At first glance it seems like a streamlined program. It's easy to see options for your document and to see how to edit and create a document. I'm a big fan of Google. I have a personal Gmail account, I love using Google for search tools, and I love that Google allows you to connect your smartphone to your computer and can keep all of your information, pictures, documents, emails, etc. in one place and easy to access.
I created the image above with Google docs drawing. Google docs is easy to use and easy to access. Overall, I liked both options but would probably use Google docs before I would use Zoho because I already have an account with Google.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Thing #12
Google, in my opinion, is the king of the internet. Google connects so many services - such as Gmail, Picasa, iGoogle, Google Alerts, Blogger.com, etc. I literally "Google" everything! Recipes, facts, weather, directions - you name it! I'd heard of Google Alerts, but never investigated it before. I think Google Alerts could be useful for a teacher because it would be an easy way to stay on top of education news, but it could also be a way to collect information about specific topics to present in the classroom. The Google calendar is also a terrific tool for educators. Teachers can put all homework, tests, and other important events on the calendar and share it with students and parents so that everyone knows what is due when!
Thing #11
The easiest method of finding blogs for me was to simply click on the link provided in the directions for Thing #11 (Edublog Award winners). Once I arrived at the Edublog site, I clicked on the links for the blog categories I was interested in. I chose to follow the award winners for Best Blog, Best Group Blog, and Best New Blog.
The only search method I used, other than browsing Edublog, was to go to Google Blog search. I typed in the suggested search and it came back with 629,000 results. On one hand, this is awesome - surely someone would be able to find a blog that interested them within those results: however, 629,000 results are a bit overwhelming. I didn't think this search method was particularly difficult or confusing, but could be time consuming.
I felt like every blog on the Edublog site would be useful - I followed the 2010 winners from several categories. With 629,000 results from such a specific search as "school library learning 2.0", it's a given that there will be many useful as well as interesting and unique results.
I liked that Dr. Wall showed us how to identify the RSS feed icon so that we'd know how to follow any blog or RSS feed that we come across. That makes following blogs really easy!
The only search method I used, other than browsing Edublog, was to go to Google Blog search. I typed in the suggested search and it came back with 629,000 results. On one hand, this is awesome - surely someone would be able to find a blog that interested them within those results: however, 629,000 results are a bit overwhelming. I didn't think this search method was particularly difficult or confusing, but could be time consuming.
I felt like every blog on the Edublog site would be useful - I followed the 2010 winners from several categories. With 629,000 results from such a specific search as "school library learning 2.0", it's a given that there will be many useful as well as interesting and unique results.
I liked that Dr. Wall showed us how to identify the RSS feed icon so that we'd know how to follow any blog or RSS feed that we come across. That makes following blogs really easy!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Thing #10
RSS feeds are awesome. As a user, one can choose what feeds to follow and essentially weed out any unwanted information.
For Thing #10, I added the following RSS feeds to my Google Reader account:
Pioneer Woman - I've seen many references to this blog before, I decided to see what it was all about.
The Cool Cat Teacher - A good feed to follow for teaching tips.
Dangerously Irrelevant - Another blog full of info focusing on education.
Education News from The New York Times - It's important to stay up to date on news that focuses on or affects education.
US Department of Education - Also a good way to keep up with information regarding education.
RSS feeds could be used in a classroom setting if students are trying to gather information on a specific topic. All they have to do is type the topic into the search bar and choose which feeds to follow. Teachers could also utilize RSS feeds to communicate with colleagues, parents and students.
In my personal life, RSS feeds could be used to search for information that I find interesting. Some of my hobbies include photography and reading, so I could easily search for and find feeds that pertain to these subjects.
For Thing #10, I added the following RSS feeds to my Google Reader account:
Pioneer Woman - I've seen many references to this blog before, I decided to see what it was all about.
The Cool Cat Teacher - A good feed to follow for teaching tips.
Dangerously Irrelevant - Another blog full of info focusing on education.
Education News from The New York Times - It's important to stay up to date on news that focuses on or affects education.
US Department of Education - Also a good way to keep up with information regarding education.
RSS feeds could be used in a classroom setting if students are trying to gather information on a specific topic. All they have to do is type the topic into the search bar and choose which feeds to follow. Teachers could also utilize RSS feeds to communicate with colleagues, parents and students.
In my personal life, RSS feeds could be used to search for information that I find interesting. Some of my hobbies include photography and reading, so I could easily search for and find feeds that pertain to these subjects.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Thing #9
I followed the link for the Custom Sign generator from Dr. Wall's "Thing #9" instructions and chose the Fortune Cookie generator link for the above image. I sure do like my fortune!
Generators are incredibly easy to use. For every generator I looked at, the only thing a user has to do is type their desired message in the "text" box and then click "create". Voila - you have the image you want!
These kinds of generators could be used to make any kind of image with rules, directions, fun sayings, etc that could be posted throughout the classroom. The images these generators make are more interesting than a plain sign and the students would enjoy them more.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Thing #8
Flickr and the different generators it offers could be used in several different ways in a classroom. One of the things I imagined using in the classroom is the Magazine Cover generator. Students could use photos and create magazine covers, headlines, contributors, etc as part of a project in nearly any subject area. I think students would enjoy using almost any of the generators offered.
I'm a little weary of uploading too many of my own photos to Flickr. I did notice that you are able to set privacy settings when uploading photos, though. I would be worried that once uploaded, my photos may not belong only to me anymore. It would be a good idea to research the privacy policy before uploading a lot of personal photos.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Thing #7
For Thing #7, I created a Flickr account and linked it with my Blogger account. I explored the photos that have been posted to Flickr, focusing on photos of Great Danes. (I have two at home!) I decided on this photo of a Great Dane statue. It is a perfect representation of a Great Dane performing a "shake".
Flickr is easy and fun to use: however, it is difficult to find a photo that does not have "All Rights Reserved".
Flickr is easy and fun to use: however, it is difficult to find a photo that does not have "All Rights Reserved".
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Thing #6
I decided to explore Twitter for Thing #6. I have a personal Twitter account that I use, although infrequently. I follow a variety of Twitter users, but one of the things I like most about Twitter is being able to follow many news outlets. I can go to Twitter and can see headlines without having to search a news website for a particular story. News outlets like ABC News, CNN, Washington Post, etc will post separate tweets for each news story. I like the convenience of being able to read only the stories that interest or affect me personally.
Twitter could be a useful way for teachers to reach students and parents outside of the classroom. A teacher could create a Twitter account and students and parents would be able to follow that account. Teachers could tweet about assignments, in class activities, extracurricular activities, information about the school or school district that would pertain to students and parents, etc. Twitter has a lot of possibilities for whatever you might like to use it for whether it's personal, business, or anything in between.
Twitter could be a useful way for teachers to reach students and parents outside of the classroom. A teacher could create a Twitter account and students and parents would be able to follow that account. Teachers could tweet about assignments, in class activities, extracurricular activities, information about the school or school district that would pertain to students and parents, etc. Twitter has a lot of possibilities for whatever you might like to use it for whether it's personal, business, or anything in between.
Thing #5
Web 2.0 will be an invaluable tool for the future of education.
According to Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators, "55 percent of all online American young people between the ages of 12 and 17 use social networking sites for communicating..." From this information, one can see that using technology, such as social networking sites, is a great way to reach out to students, especially within the pre-teen and teen age groups.
After reading the article, "Web 2.0 is not about version numbers or betas", I now understand that Web 2.0 is more of a description of a group of people who may not use technology as often as others - but begin to use it to aid in their daily lives. This same idea describes School 2.0. It isn't necessarily a new version of school, but it is a building on of the original - School 1.0. School 2.0 builds upon the original by adding the use of technology.
This idea isn't along the lines of, "wouldn't it be nice if we incorporated technology into the education of students?" - but becomes "we MUST incorporate technology into education".
According to Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators, "55 percent of all online American young people between the ages of 12 and 17 use social networking sites for communicating..." From this information, one can see that using technology, such as social networking sites, is a great way to reach out to students, especially within the pre-teen and teen age groups.
After reading the article, "Web 2.0 is not about version numbers or betas", I now understand that Web 2.0 is more of a description of a group of people who may not use technology as often as others - but begin to use it to aid in their daily lives. This same idea describes School 2.0. It isn't necessarily a new version of school, but it is a building on of the original - School 1.0. School 2.0 builds upon the original by adding the use of technology.
This idea isn't along the lines of, "wouldn't it be nice if we incorporated technology into the education of students?" - but becomes "we MUST incorporate technology into education".
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Thing #4
Commenting on blogs is a great way to provide support and feedback to the blogger. Also, when a person comments on a blog, it lets the blogger know that people are visiting the blog and using the information that is posted.
Two of the points about commenting that I found most important came from the Cool Cat Teacher blog. The first, "You cast a vote on the importance of a topic". Weighing in on a topic lets the blogger know which topics are most important to readers. Second, "You become part of the life of the blogger you are reading". As someone who has a personal blog, this is one the best parts of having people comment on your blog. It's fun and meaningful to be able to reach out and make connections with others.
For Thing #4, I commented on the following blogs:
Olivia Rhodes - I commented on Olivia's suggestion for the use of blogs by teachers. I think that blogs becoming communication portals for teachers and a place for teachers to exchange ideas, lesson plans, and information could be invaluable. Teachers can support, give feedback, and encourage their peers.
Janice Stamper - I liked Janice's idea to use blogs as journals for students. I can remember using a journal in school and I think using blogs is a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom.
Derek Carroll - Derek posted about using a blog to post photos from class and post class activities. This way, students and teachers would be able to access these photos and information at any time. I think parents especially would enjoy this.
Sarah Hammontree - I commented on Sarah's Thing #2 post, which was about creating the blog and avatar. Sarah and I both had difficulty getting our avatar onto our blog. Also, I thought Sarah's avatar was good.
Lincoln Farmer - I commented on Lincoln's avatar. His avatar has a lot going on, which I really liked. With this blog, the avatar is really the only representation of the blogger, so I liked that he incorporated so much of his personality into it.
Cool Cat Teacher - http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/ I commented on this blog because it's been a reference point for many of the "Things" we've done in this class. The blog I commented on was how the tide seems to be turning against the assessment outlined in NCLB. I think it would be great if that was reviewed and ultimately changed.
Elementary Teacher Blog - http://elementaryteacherblog.blogspot.com/ I commented on the post about APA, MLA formatting. Love that the blogger included this!
Two of the points about commenting that I found most important came from the Cool Cat Teacher blog. The first, "You cast a vote on the importance of a topic". Weighing in on a topic lets the blogger know which topics are most important to readers. Second, "You become part of the life of the blogger you are reading". As someone who has a personal blog, this is one the best parts of having people comment on your blog. It's fun and meaningful to be able to reach out and make connections with others.
For Thing #4, I commented on the following blogs:
Olivia Rhodes - I commented on Olivia's suggestion for the use of blogs by teachers. I think that blogs becoming communication portals for teachers and a place for teachers to exchange ideas, lesson plans, and information could be invaluable. Teachers can support, give feedback, and encourage their peers.
Janice Stamper - I liked Janice's idea to use blogs as journals for students. I can remember using a journal in school and I think using blogs is a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom.
Derek Carroll - Derek posted about using a blog to post photos from class and post class activities. This way, students and teachers would be able to access these photos and information at any time. I think parents especially would enjoy this.
Sarah Hammontree - I commented on Sarah's Thing #2 post, which was about creating the blog and avatar. Sarah and I both had difficulty getting our avatar onto our blog. Also, I thought Sarah's avatar was good.
Lincoln Farmer - I commented on Lincoln's avatar. His avatar has a lot going on, which I really liked. With this blog, the avatar is really the only representation of the blogger, so I liked that he incorporated so much of his personality into it.
Cool Cat Teacher - http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/ I commented on this blog because it's been a reference point for many of the "Things" we've done in this class. The blog I commented on was how the tide seems to be turning against the assessment outlined in NCLB. I think it would be great if that was reviewed and ultimately changed.
Elementary Teacher Blog - http://elementaryteacherblog.blogspot.com/ I commented on the post about APA, MLA formatting. Love that the blogger included this!
Thing #3
I like the idea of using a blog as a way to put class information and assignments in a place that students and parents can access at any time. Students and parents could ask questions and communicate with the teacher and the other students/parents about assignments/homework, classroom policies, etc. Teachers can post lesson plans, write about the experiences with those plans, post photos, and update any information that students or parents may need. Not only is this idea helpful for the students and parents, it's also a way for other teachers to see what their peers are doing in the classroom. Teachers could get ideas and inspiration for their own classrooms and could provide support and feedback for the teacher who created the blog.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Thing #2
Creating this blog was not a new experience for me. My husband and I created a blog a few years ago to help us stay in touch with family and friends. Since we're a military family, we move often and wanted to be able to share our lives with the people we've met along the way. My personal blog is also on blogger.com, so I have some familiarity with the site.
I decided to use my actual name as my posting name. I thought this would be simpler for myself and the instructor. The name of my blog, "Abby Smith's 23 Things", is very straightforward. In my mind, this was the easiest and most simple idea. I knew I needed to include at least my last name, so I decided to use my full name and my blog's purpose in the title.
My avatar reflects my personality because it's clutching desperately to a coffee cup. I'm an avid coffee drinker and don't go a day without it! I created my avatar to look like myself. It never crossed my mind to create one that looked differently. I want the blog to reflect my personality, so I decided that the avatar should be a reflection of myself as well.
I decided to use my actual name as my posting name. I thought this would be simpler for myself and the instructor. The name of my blog, "Abby Smith's 23 Things", is very straightforward. In my mind, this was the easiest and most simple idea. I knew I needed to include at least my last name, so I decided to use my full name and my blog's purpose in the title.
My avatar reflects my personality because it's clutching desperately to a coffee cup. I'm an avid coffee drinker and don't go a day without it! I created my avatar to look like myself. It never crossed my mind to create one that looked differently. I want the blog to reflect my personality, so I decided that the avatar should be a reflection of myself as well.
Thing #1
While watching the Lifelong Learning tutorial, I quickly recognized which step is easiest for me, Habit 7 1/2 - "Play"! My problem is that I often do Habit 7 1/2 before I do any others. The habit that is hardest for me is Habit 6, "Using Technology to Your Advantage". While I enjoy technology and use it constantly (I love my smart phone!), I use technology primarily for entertainment purposes. I am not as technically savvy when it comes to resources that will benefit me as a student and later as an educator. I'm hopeful that this course and all the tools that I will become familiar with during this course can change my ability to make technology work for me.
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