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".
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