Thing #18

Well I have both a Facebook account and a Twitter account. Now while I am on facebook pretty much everyday I do not use Twitter in the same way. I have actually recently decided to distance myself from facebook because I have begun to realize just how much I actually use it on a daily basis. I have already started following some teachers and educational based people on twitter and am excited to get information from their posts.

It is important for educators to know how Social Networking works so that they will be able to keep up with the times. This will allowing teachers to be able to communicate in so many different ways with their students. It will also provide different ways of understanding their students. To understand how the social networking sites are run and work teachers will be able use this to reach and get their students to work in the classroom. I really did not learn anything new about these sites since I have been using them for sometime now. This is not to say that I will never learn anything new from these sites, things are always changing and we learn new things all the time. I really like how it is so easy on both site to stay connected to people and how easily it is to keep everything to yourself by only sharing with certain people. On both sites it is easy to customize your profile and set it to private. I really think that Facebook is most useful in the long run. With twitter you can only share so much and communicate with people. With Facebook you can share more at once and the layout lets you share more than just words or a short link. I really do not think that either of these sites should be used in the classroom. The experiences I have had with these sites have been great and I will continue to use them but not in my classroom. Facebook is only a distraction from what needs to be done. I often find myself on Facebook for too long when I should be doing school work or something else that is productive. By bringing either of these sites into the classroom we are just asking for failure from our students. We all know how easily students are distracted and Facebook and Twitter would just make that distraction worse. All of these reasons do not even touch on what else could be seen on these sites when it should be time for school work.

Facebook and Twitter have their place in the world but that is not in the classroom.

Thing #17

Before even looking at the Del.icio.us site I am already excited and know it will be a great and useful site. So many times I have wanted to access a site when away from my computer that I have book marked and I can't. I can definitely see this as a great tool for the classroom. This site is great not only for that on the go person who wants to access something quickly but it is great for the classroom. Students can all create an account and each class can have a group on the site. This site would give students the capability to share something with the whole class. If the whole class is doing a project on tree frogs then after searching for their own sites students can share and collect new resources from the Del.icio.us site. Teachers can easily use this site as well. It would be easier for teachers to share a link for a homework assignment for the whole class in one easy location.

Thing #16!

Well I have already stated in a previous that I have made iGoogle my homepage since I discovered its many resources. It appealed to me because it was so easy to make personal and at any time I can go in and add or delete what shows up on the main page in order to receive new and different updates. Online calenders can be useful because we get on and use the Internet everyday and it can be set up to send you updates and reminders about upcoming and important events. This would be great for everyone from the busy mom to the stressed student. In some ways to-do lists can get out of control. If you spend to much time create a to-do list when are you supposed to get the work done?

Although most computers already have a process for searching to find a document I found Google Desktop to be an appealing application to use. It seems these days I am all things Google. But who is to say that is a bad thing? I think organization tools will always be important and a great thing to share with friends, colleagues, and students.

Thing #15

Being able to just enter a site and have the freedom to either create something new or edit an existing feature is a weird feeling. The Internet has changed so much even in the past years since I have been using it for school more. I don't know how I feel about someone having the ability to change what I have done and I don't really feel it right to go in and change what someone else has done. I think a wiki would be a great place though for students to be grouped by class. In these groups students could post papers or homework assignments and have them peer reviewed. This is a great way not only for the student to get help but have the chance to reach out and help someone else. I really just find it interesting that anyone can log in and make a change to what someone has posted, that is still mind blowing almost to me. Someone could have worked hard on what they posted and anyone can come in and make changes.

Things #14 Brainstorming

Brainstorming for projects in elementary school was always a fun part of class. Working with other students and making list of things or words that related to the main topic we were discussing. Flow charts are really a flow of how one idea progresses. It can have different directions but it usually flow into one or two answers. A flow chart is a great way for students to chart out a story line. Mind maps to me are a little more complex in how they work. Simple brainstorming can lead to so many different terms and a mind map allows students to start with word and branch out and group similar things together. Flow charts tell more of a story while mind maps are a great way to collect ideas on a topic.

I chose to use Gliffy for a flow chart because it seemed to have more tools for creating and experimenting with changes. It was a great experience to create a flow chart on a computer. I am so used to the old paper and pencil method. For a mind map I chose to use the bubbl.us site and was surprised at how easy it was to generate the new bubbles. These sites have made flow charts and mind maps more exciting and I can easily see how students would have fun creating and individualizing their own creations on sites like these.

Things #13

Zoho writer is a great site. Being able to write papers online and have others view them and make comments or suggestions could be a great tool in the classroom. Students could have papers online for not only peer review but even for the teacher to be able to grade. This to me would be a great way for students to easily work on their paper without having to worry about changing locations and always having the paper with them. If it is out on the web it is always there.

Google Docs was just as fun to use. I chose to make a drawing because I really have a passion for art. I think that Google Docs is yet another great tool that will allow students to create and share what they have created. I personally enjoy being able to create a drawing and easily sharing it with others. This would be a great tool for students to use for a homework assignment.

Having a way to access work anywhere on any Internet able computer is just another great reason to love the Web 2.0 tools. As to which of these to specific tools is better I would have to say that I cannot choose. They are both such great resources and could both be used for some of the same reasons but also have great differences. I really look forward to taking advantage of these tools not only personally but in my classroom in the future.

Thing #12 Google!

Once again before reaching this specific thing I have already explored the iGoogle tool. I believe i created one when I set up my Google Reader page. I have since then made it my homepage so that the add-ons I have selected will be there for me to few first thing on opening my Internet browser. I really think that iGoogle is a great resource to have because it can be made so personal to fit each person. I have also chosen to explore the Picasa web albums tool. I really enjoy photos and I thought this would yet another great place to share and enjoy photos.
I think that both of these tools could be a great asset in the classroom. Having an iGoogle for the class would be a great way to have favorite news updates all in one place to discuss maybe at the beginning of the day. This discussion would be a great way to connect what is taught in the classroom to what is happening in the outside world. With the Picasa tool the class could have a place to store and share personal photos and photos used for class projects.

Thing #11 Finding Feeds

Having a RSS feed circle is important and different for each person. Who wants to waste their precious time searching through things of no interest to them. I am very glad to have created an RSS feeder and have the ability to find everything in one place the is specifically of interest to me. I found using Technorati to be the easiest to use. This site was of interest to me because of the easy to use tabs at the top of the page that would easily take me to specific topics of interest. It was easy to use and navigate around this site. The search tool on this site was also the one I found the easiest to use. It is a great relief to find so much information in one easy to use location. I found the Syndic8 website to be the most difficult to use. I found some useful feeds about current trends in news and in education as well as some more off topic about arts and entertainment that I find of a personal interest to me. I mostly just used the search bar and some extensive clicking on links to find the feeds that were of interest to me. I think it is important to find just what you are looking for and I look forward to keeping up to date on the new feeds I have started to follow.