I discovered the Google Reader site when I searched and followed the educational blogs in the first few things for this project. Although I had already discovered this site I had not really learned how to really use and take advantage of its many uses. I really like that fact that I will now be able to access so many posts and updates all in one place. It is a great idea to help those people who want and need quick and easy updates to news. I think that having a reader for the classroom or just to follow educational blogs would be great to have as a resource. Being able to access many sites that could provide insights or ideas all at the same time would be great for teachers because we all know how limited of time teachers have between teaching the students and all the other work there is to do to prepare for the students. As far as a personal life it would be nice to have a place to access sites that of a personal interest to you and even news sites. For my own Google Reader I have both various educational blogs and sites and also some sites such as craft sites that I am interested in subscribed to and learning new things from. I am excited to have this easy access and continue to learn and expand the many sites I subscribe to.
In school this would be a great place to have students all keep a page that they each want to follow and be able for both them to be able to access easily and be able to share with classmates. If there is one site for each of the students to access it would make it easy for the teacher to follow along and observe what the students enjoy. Having posts all in one location will both make it easier to explain to students how to access the pages, but it will also make it easier for them to follow along and understand.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thing #9 Generating
For this post I explored Image generators that I searched for though Google. For the first one I found a site to create RSS feed buttons. I chose to explore and use this site because I had browsed future things and saw one about creating an RSS feeder page and I thought it would be a good idea to create one. It was a easy site to follow along and create something. It was easy to follow along and create a personalized button that can be displayed on a blog.
Next I found a site that would allow you to create a warning sign. I thought this would be a fun thing to create and personalize to use in the classroom. There are three sections to make this image your own and so many ways to make it an original. Many different fonts, sizes, and colors can be used.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Thing #8 Mashups!
I have been excited to do this post for a while now. Being able to create a mashup of photos just seemed so exciting to me. I think that a mashup could be used in the classroom to accent an assignment and make it look more fun to the students. A photo mashup at the top of the page would be an eye-catcher. Students are not going to be interested in a boring assignment so as teachers we need to keep learning fun and productive. For this blog I chose to create a puzzle of a picture of one of the other dogs we have at my house, our little four year old english bulldog. I think it is really cool how you can just submit a photo and it can be created in to a puzzle. A puzzle picture would be great for an assignment were the students have to work through clues and find the answer or bigger picture. To me sharing photos online is something that you should do with caution.
Thing #7 Flickr
I have visited the Flickr site many times before but have never really gotten the full effect. Mostly when I visited it was to just have another site where I could look up pictures of the latest celebrities or find photos for a school project. I was excited to get the chance to take another look at the site. I chose to upload some of the pictures of the pets we have at my house. Pets and animals are important and close to my hear. These are some pictures of my dogs who have been in the family for ten years now. They are brothers even though they might not look like it and they mean the world to me. The top picture is of Bowinkle and the bottom is Rocky.
I think that Flickr would be a great resource to use in the classroom. It would be appropriate only if the right restrictions were placed on the account being used and the students were supervised. I think that if a teacher or even myself once I am a teacher would want to keep the educational Flickr separate from a personal Flickr. There are many ways to share personal photos on Flickr and many ways to keep those photos private and most people want to keep them that way. An educational Flickr would be used to research photos that would be used to further the education in the classroom.
The only other place that I have ever upload pictures onto the Internet is Facebook. This experience was different because these photos are not really for everyone to search but more for just your friends to see. Also with Facebook you cannot search and find as much of a variety of photos as you can on Flickr. Both places that I have uploaded photos have been relatively simple in the how-to process. I think that since any photos you choose can be placed as private than the ones that I choose to leave public I would have no problem with. I am somewhat cautious as to what I leave for just anyone to see. You never know who is out there reading what you say or looking at what you post.
I think that Flickr would be a great resource to use in the classroom. It would be appropriate only if the right restrictions were placed on the account being used and the students were supervised. I think that if a teacher or even myself once I am a teacher would want to keep the educational Flickr separate from a personal Flickr. There are many ways to share personal photos on Flickr and many ways to keep those photos private and most people want to keep them that way. An educational Flickr would be used to research photos that would be used to further the education in the classroom.
The only other place that I have ever upload pictures onto the Internet is Facebook. This experience was different because these photos are not really for everyone to search but more for just your friends to see. Also with Facebook you cannot search and find as much of a variety of photos as you can on Flickr. Both places that I have uploaded photos have been relatively simple in the how-to process. I think that since any photos you choose can be placed as private than the ones that I choose to leave public I would have no problem with. I am somewhat cautious as to what I leave for just anyone to see. You never know who is out there reading what you say or looking at what you post.
Thing #6
For this blog I chose to explore the Web 2.0 tool Remember the Milk. This site is a place where you can create tasks and lists in order to make life a little more organized. It provides many ways to keep up with your lists without even having to go back to the original site. One way that really caught my attention was through an app available on itunes for an iPod touch or iPhone. Once I looked up this app I discovered it was free. Remember the Milk was easy to sign up for and has many was to learn how to us the site. I think that this sire would be acceptable for an older group of students or just for teachers to keep up with tasks and assignments. I find a great since of accomplishment when I can successfully mark something off a to-do list I have made. This is a great feeling and students need to learn to want that sense of accomplishment because it will help them be productive in everything that they do.
Upon exploring the site more I discovered that there is a blog and even a twitter page that you can follow and get more insight on how to us the site. This seems like a great site for helping teachers and students be more organized. Who doesn't need more ways to organize their life? The more I explore this website the more interesting things I find about how it can be used. There is a way to have a map and track your tasks that way. I really look forward to exploring more and even using this site to help my be more organized in the coming months and years.
Upon exploring the site more I discovered that there is a blog and even a twitter page that you can follow and get more insight on how to us the site. This seems like a great site for helping teachers and students be more organized. Who doesn't need more ways to organize their life? The more I explore this website the more interesting things I find about how it can be used. There is a way to have a map and track your tasks that way. I really look forward to exploring more and even using this site to help my be more organized in the coming months and years.
Thing #5
School 2.0 to is just the beginning of what education will be as technology develops. The way technology changes has affected education so much in the years I have been in school. Thinking back on elementary school I do not really remember much time spent on computers or learning anything about them. That is not the case in today's classrooms. Just last semester when I was observing in a Kindergarten classroom I noticed about 5 computers in the classroom and was amazed. I have never really thought about how a child at such a young age could use a computer in an educational way. Even in the past couple years of my own education computers and the Internet have become such a vital role in the way we learn. Society could not survive without the Internet. School and Web 2.0 will help students learn how to master the Internet and technology that will need to know once out in the real world. People today use the web for so many things it would be a shame to not include technology into education. Web 2.0 is making it possible for people to stay connected easier and be able to share information. There is no escaping the fact that technology is there. There are so many ways to use it in the classroom in order to provide different and more creative ways of learning.
I like what the article Web 2.0 is Not About Version Numbers or Betas had to say. Web 2.0 is not technically a second version of the web but just a new way of working the old version. With Web 2.0 normal people are able to use and create on the web. It is a great and easy way to use and learn on the web. With the web easy yo navigate through it becomes easier for people to teach young children or any non-technically literate person. The other article that I really enjoyed was Web 2.0 A Guide for Educators. Web 2.0 is not going to go away so we need to embrace it and take all we can from it. Social networking sites are just one great thing that we use. Blogs just like this one are a great way for people to easily express feeling, ideas, and opinions all with out having to figure out how to format a website. I for one do not know how to format a program on a computer, not that I am against learning how to do that.
I believe that by having School 2.0 at our fingertips we as educators can use technology to our full advantage. Schools in the future will definitely become centered on technology. There is no reason for students not to learn by way of technology because technology is such a major part of society. I cannot imagine the world with out the Internet, and in the future society will become even more dependent on technology.
I like what the article Web 2.0 is Not About Version Numbers or Betas had to say. Web 2.0 is not technically a second version of the web but just a new way of working the old version. With Web 2.0 normal people are able to use and create on the web. It is a great and easy way to use and learn on the web. With the web easy yo navigate through it becomes easier for people to teach young children or any non-technically literate person. The other article that I really enjoyed was Web 2.0 A Guide for Educators. Web 2.0 is not going to go away so we need to embrace it and take all we can from it. Social networking sites are just one great thing that we use. Blogs just like this one are a great way for people to easily express feeling, ideas, and opinions all with out having to figure out how to format a website. I for one do not know how to format a program on a computer, not that I am against learning how to do that.
I believe that by having School 2.0 at our fingertips we as educators can use technology to our full advantage. Schools in the future will definitely become centered on technology. There is no reason for students not to learn by way of technology because technology is such a major part of society. I cannot imagine the world with out the Internet, and in the future society will become even more dependent on technology.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Thing #4 Commenting
The idea of commenting to me is the same as keeping a flow going in a conversation. Bloggers will assume that no one is reading their blog and might get discouraged to continue posting. No matter the age of a blogger no one should be discouraged to express themselves. I think that commenting is important in maintaining a connection to ones blog. Without the feeling that you are reaching someone with what you write than what is the point of putting it out there in the first place. I believe that everything happens for a reason. I also feel that writers write for at least two reasons. Reason one is to express themselves and share with the world their view on something. Reason two is to reach people and maybe give them something to believe in or something that lets them see another side of themselves. Comments and reviews on someones writing is just as important as the writing.
Something that caught my attention when reading about commenting on blogs was relating back to your own blog so that the blog you comment on will become aware of yours and a connection and communication can begin. I think that this is a great idea. If you find a blog that shares ideals with you then you should want to put in you 2 cents about what they post and hope maybe that they will do the same. Just like conversations are not fun if they are one sided neither is any type of communication. A blog without comments or reaching out is much like a conversation with yourself.
One source says that bloggers want the comments. If we did not want people to read what we have to say and create opinions on the subject than we would not be sharing with the whole world out here on the Internet. Comments rather constructive or augmentative all matter and will give the blogger some assertion that they are being heard.
The classmates' blogs that I have chosen to comment on are Theresa Green, Michelle Wieser, Amy Rutledge, Kala Burch, and Jesse Brewer. I chose their blogs mostly at random to provide various points of view for me to read but upon reading many posts I found some similar ideas to what I have had. I look forward to following their posts and continuing to learn their views on educational tools.
The two outside blogs I chose to follow and comment on are Creating Life Long Learners and The Center for Learning and Performance Technologies. I chose these two blogs because they provide such good insight into both teaching and using technology in teaching. I again look forward to following these blogs and learning more even after this class is over.
Something that caught my attention when reading about commenting on blogs was relating back to your own blog so that the blog you comment on will become aware of yours and a connection and communication can begin. I think that this is a great idea. If you find a blog that shares ideals with you then you should want to put in you 2 cents about what they post and hope maybe that they will do the same. Just like conversations are not fun if they are one sided neither is any type of communication. A blog without comments or reaching out is much like a conversation with yourself.
One source says that bloggers want the comments. If we did not want people to read what we have to say and create opinions on the subject than we would not be sharing with the whole world out here on the Internet. Comments rather constructive or augmentative all matter and will give the blogger some assertion that they are being heard.
The classmates' blogs that I have chosen to comment on are Theresa Green, Michelle Wieser, Amy Rutledge, Kala Burch, and Jesse Brewer. I chose their blogs mostly at random to provide various points of view for me to read but upon reading many posts I found some similar ideas to what I have had. I look forward to following their posts and continuing to learn their views on educational tools.
The two outside blogs I chose to follow and comment on are Creating Life Long Learners and The Center for Learning and Performance Technologies. I chose these two blogs because they provide such good insight into both teaching and using technology in teaching. I again look forward to following these blogs and learning more even after this class is over.
Thing #3 Blogging and Teaching
There are so many ways that a blog could be useful in the classroom setting. As much as people use the Internet on a daily basis having a classroom blog would be a great way to reach parents. Instead of sending letters home all the time or sending tons of emails a blog could be created for every parent to read. Also a blog would be a quick way for parents to reply and provide feedback to what is going on in the classroom. I think that for an older group of students blogs would be a great way for students to find their assignments or even post personally reflections about assignments.Most teachers are required to have a up to date website. Websites are great for providing links and displaying the classroom environment. Blogs to me would be easier for teachers to update.
Besides the many ways that a blog would be useful for the classroom and teaching there are many other ways a blog could be useful for a teacher. Blogs could create an easy way for teachers to communicate with each other. Teachers could communicate with the teachers they work with our even have contact with teachers all over. An educational blog like that would be a great way for teachers young or old to share stories or insights and be able to help each other.
Besides the many ways that a blog would be useful for the classroom and teaching there are many other ways a blog could be useful for a teacher. Blogs could create an easy way for teachers to communicate with each other. Teachers could communicate with the teachers they work with our even have contact with teachers all over. An educational blog like that would be a great way for teachers young or old to share stories or insights and be able to help each other.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thing #2 Creating a Blog
The world of blogging is new to me. I never imagined myself the type to have a blog and now here I am with one. I decided that it would be best to just use my full real name as my postings name so to not have any confusion and keep it simple. I think for a personal blog a creative fun name would be appropriate there. For my blog name I just chose Melissa 3040 so that it will say who I am and the purpose for this blog. It is not very creative but sometimes simple is better. I could end up having a creative day and changing my blog title, I just thought I would leave it simple to start off since I am new to this whole blogging world.
I do many things on the internet on a daily basis so setting up a blog really was no different than just registering for any other website. Creating this blog was really not that difficult it was actually more exciting than difficult. I had fun making it my own and changing the theme and the background. Knowing my changing style and mood I am sure the theme and background will change often. I like the idea of creating something out there in the internet and hope that someday I will have a better knowledge of how to create things and use them to my advantage both personally and academically.
I tried to make my avatar look as much like me as I could. I think the avatar reflects my laid back personality. To me a simple t-shirt and jeans outfit is one of the most comfortable things to wear. I really think my avatar expresses this side of me. I chose not create an avatar totally different from who I am because I think it is best to be who you are not try to be someone else.
I do many things on the internet on a daily basis so setting up a blog really was no different than just registering for any other website. Creating this blog was really not that difficult it was actually more exciting than difficult. I had fun making it my own and changing the theme and the background. Knowing my changing style and mood I am sure the theme and background will change often. I like the idea of creating something out there in the internet and hope that someday I will have a better knowledge of how to create things and use them to my advantage both personally and academically.
I tried to make my avatar look as much like me as I could. I think the avatar reflects my laid back personality. To me a simple t-shirt and jeans outfit is one of the most comfortable things to wear. I really think my avatar expresses this side of me. I chose not create an avatar totally different from who I am because I think it is best to be who you are not try to be someone else.
Thing #1 Lifelong Learning
People always say that you learn something new everyday and I really do believe this is true. One person can not possibly know everything there is to know especially since something new happens everyday. I think that especially as a teacher it is important to be a lifelong learner so that we are learning alongside our students and not just teaching the same thing all the time. As we learn new things we modify how we teach and therefore how our students learn.
I always like to think about what is going to be the hardest part of a situation first. To me the hardest habit of the 7 1/2 habits would be having confidence. The confidence I have does not travel further than the inside of my head. I often find myself not confident enough to be more outgoing in my personal life as well as my academic life. This is something I am working on building. My future as a teacher and a lifelong learner is dependent on me becoming more confident in all that I do.
The easiest habit for me would probably be to use technology to my advantage. In this day and age there is not a day that goes by that we do not use technology in some way. The way I see is it is if technology is there for me to use it then I should use it to the full extent possible.
I am very excited to be starting my journey in using the Web 2.0 tools. I hope that working in this class will teach me new things and open the world of technology for me. I am most excited about just learning all the ways that I can use technology to further my students learning once I am in the classroom. Technology is never going to go away in fact it will never stop growing. Learning how to use it and then having the ability to adapt to the changes will make teaching with technology so much easier. Students are going to be subject to many things everyday that will demand there knowledge on technology.
I look forward to this blog being both educational and a way to help me learn to open up more and be more confident. Here is to new experiences and good times!
I always like to think about what is going to be the hardest part of a situation first. To me the hardest habit of the 7 1/2 habits would be having confidence. The confidence I have does not travel further than the inside of my head. I often find myself not confident enough to be more outgoing in my personal life as well as my academic life. This is something I am working on building. My future as a teacher and a lifelong learner is dependent on me becoming more confident in all that I do.
The easiest habit for me would probably be to use technology to my advantage. In this day and age there is not a day that goes by that we do not use technology in some way. The way I see is it is if technology is there for me to use it then I should use it to the full extent possible.
I am very excited to be starting my journey in using the Web 2.0 tools. I hope that working in this class will teach me new things and open the world of technology for me. I am most excited about just learning all the ways that I can use technology to further my students learning once I am in the classroom. Technology is never going to go away in fact it will never stop growing. Learning how to use it and then having the ability to adapt to the changes will make teaching with technology so much easier. Students are going to be subject to many things everyday that will demand there knowledge on technology.
I look forward to this blog being both educational and a way to help me learn to open up more and be more confident. Here is to new experiences and good times!
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