One Last Thing..

For the most part, I really enjoyed doing this project! Although there were some "things" I did not fully understand or enjoy doing, I did learn a lot of great and helpful things that I can use in my future classroom. I was also introduced to a lot of neat programs and websites that I did not know existed. I don't particularly have a favorite "thing," but I really enjoyed making the picture collages and video.

Thing #23

APSU's 23 Things is based on Stephen Abram's 43 Things. I came to this conclusion because a lot of the "things" we have done throughout this assignment are on the list for 43 Things, too.
(For example: #5, Flickr, and #22, del.icio.us)

"Creative Commons is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to making it easier for people to share and build upon the work of others, consistent with the rules of copyright."

Although I knew the general guidelines for borrowing someone elses work, I've never heard of Creative Commons before. I think this is something that all teacher candidates need to learn and familiarize themselves with. I plan to teach 2nd grade, but I do think that even 6 and 7 year olds should know about Creative Commons. After creating the power point for Creative Commons in Education 3040, I decided to save it so I could share it with my future classroom.

Thing #22

I did not really enjoy searching for a podcast on the sites suggested on the 23 Things homepage. I listened to at least five and they were all too long and boring. For the podcast assignment for Education 3040, I searched through podcasts on the internet and had a much better experience. I didn't find any of the ones I listened to tonight interesting or helpful. Maybe I was listening to the wrong ones, though. I was trying to find something that went along with my standard and grade level: second grade / The Water Cycle, but I didn't have any luck. The link below is one of the many "genre's" I listened to:

http://www.epnweb.org/index.php?request_id=142&openpod=9#anchor9

Thing #21

** I need some help with this post, please **

I created my video, but it will not let me share it on my blog. I have the link to it but I would like for it to pop up in my blog like the video in my thing #20 did. If anyone could help me with this, I'd greatly apprecaite it :)

http://animoto.com/play/7AxMFXtkUvS1NquprK6c8A

I have tried time and time again to get my video to automatically show up on my blog, but it isn't working. I keep getting an "error" pop-up when I try to link the video. On the other hand, my video contains pictures of my boyfriend and I through our six-year journey :) I had a lot of fun creating this and could definitely see myself using Animoto again.

Thing #20

I searched through YouTube for a good fifteen minutes before deciding to go with this video. I figured if I had to share it with everyone, it should be beneficial to everyone watching it! The video I selected has the "top ten tips" for new teachers. 

I have only searched through videos on YouTube once or twice in the past and personally do not care for the site.

Thing #19

Except for MySpace and Facebook (and now TeacherPop), I am not a member of any social networks. I did explore 43 Things a little, but I chose not to join this network. 

43 Things is a network that people join and leave their experiences or opinions on certain things that other people may want to do in their life time, such as, save money, lose weight, work from home, etc. Although some people may like the idea of this site, I personally did not. (Probably because I rely on Google for a lot of these "things" and can type any questions I have into Google's search engine and get just as much, if not more, information).

Thing #18

I have had both a MySpace and a Facebook for 5+ years.

I had a hard time understanding Facebook when I first set up my account, probably because I was so used to MySpace, but it didn't take long for me to get the hang of it. I now like Facebook more than MySpace for many, many reasons! The only thing I really like about MySpace is that you can personalize your profile.

I can't think of any reasons as to why either of these sites should be used in the classroom. I'm planning to teach 2nd grade and doubt any of my students will have an account with either MySpace or Facebook. Although both are a good way to stay in touch with people and also keep up with certain businesses, schools, artists, etc., I don't think either of them should be used as a way to communicate with your students.

Thing #17

I have always heard of "tagging" but I've never been too sure of what it meant. I know how to tag my facebook friends in photos and status updates, but that is about it. Del.icio.us is a great way to organize classrooms or lesson plans. I am a very organized person and love learning about new things that can help me to organize things in a different, and possibly even better, way! I can't think of any ways this can be used in an Elementary classroom, but it would definitely come in handy with some of the older grades.

Thing #16

I decided to use iGoogle for my start up page. I use Google quite frequently, but I've never customized it or played around with all the extra things. I was able to pick out a cute, bright colored background for my theme and I added a few games to my page as well. I also added a countdown so I could countdown the days until Christmas :) My current home page is Yahoo (because that is who I have my e-mail account with), but if I ever switch to gmail, I will definitely use this as my homepage.

For one of the previous Things, I set up a Google calendar and I have been using it ever since! Between 30 hours a week at one job, 20 hours at another, and 12 hours of school, I get a little sidetracked! My calendar helps me keep my days straight and my bills paid. I have little things like birthdays and what day(s) my dog gets her medicine in my calendar as well. I would definitely suggest anyone that has a semi-busy life (and that uses computers) to set up an online calendar!

I've also found another helpful tool to help you keep things in order: Jott! Jott allows you to record something important then send it to your cell phone in the form of a text message.. And I would suggest this to anyone with a semi-busy life and a cell phone! There is also an application for those cell phone users with an iPhone. It does cost $3.95/month, but there is a "try it for free" button, too!

Thing #15

"A wiki is a collaborative website and authoring tool that allows users to easily add, remove and edit content."

 

I definitely do NOT agree. I was so confused with while working on this thing! Maybe if I spent more time exploring wiki I would understand it better -- but for now, I do not have anything good to say about it.

Thing #14

"Mind mapping is a popular planning technique with applications across all business sectors and industries. It is used by individuals, corporate teams, students and teachers alike for various purposes."

For Thing #14, I chose to explore "MindMesiter" and "Gliffy" -- and I found them both to be very confusing! I created an "All About Your Teacher" map on MindMeister just to see if I could get the hang of it. Creating the map wasn't too difficult, but I had problems saving and sharing it. I plan to teach Kindergarten, 1st, or 2nd grade, and I do not think these maps could be useful in my classroom.

Thing #13

Zoho?

Until today, I've never even heard of Zoho,
but I think it is a very helpful site!

 I work on a Dell at home and a Mac at school and unfortunately the software versions have more differences than similarities. Using Zoho writer would allow me to edit my documents on either PC without worrying about the different software / settings, etc.

Zoho is "an online word processor that allows you to create and share documents online. You need not install any software in your desktop, all you need is just a browser and an internet connection."

Zoho supports Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari, so you should be able to access it from just about any computer without installing a single thing. I wish I would've heard of this a little sooner!!

Thing #12

For Thing #12 I decided to explore Google Calender and Picasa Web Albums, and I believe that both of these can be used in a classroom.

Teachers could use the Google Calendar to help keep their job (and even their personal life) in order. If progress reports are supposed to go home on Friday, the teacher can put "record grades at 5:00 pm" in the calendar for Thursday as a reminder. Parent-teacher conferences, test days, and teacher inservices are just a few of the many things a teacher could put in her calendar to help keep her days / weeks straight.

With parents permission, Picasa could be used in the classroom as well. The teacher could upload pictures from a field trip, Halloween party, etc. to Picasa and the parents could see exciting pictures from all the events or parties their child attended while they were at school. The teacher could also set her album on Picasa to private and use it as a "keep sake" to look back on year after year.

Here are my creations:

Calendar and Album 

Thing #11

I tried searching for feeds a few different ways, and somehow stumbled across a very fast and easy method after about 10 minutes of being confused! I did find some interesting feeds while using the search tools that were suggested on the 23 Things home page, but I found this way to be the least confusing when I found a feed I wanted to subscribe to:

I went to my Google Reader homepage and found a button that said "add subscription." When I clicked on this, a search box popped up and I was able to search and subscribe to the feeds I needed.

I wanted to subscribe to a few more of my classmate's blogs, plus other things I found interesting such as Channel 4 News, Clarksville News, and teaching sites.

Clarksville Online has all the local news, events, and information any Clarksville resident would need to know! Any Clarksvillian interested in what's going on in their community would definitely benefit by subscribing to this feed!

WSMV 4 News, just like Clarksville Online, covers local news, events, information, and weather.
I'm always going back and forth between 
http://www.theleafchonicle.com/
and
http://www.wsmv.com/
Now, thanks to Google Reader, I can view all of the updates from both sites in one screen!

I also subscribed to some feeds for teachers, like PBS Teachers: Resources For the Classroom. Although these sites may not help me much right now, they will in a couple of years!

Thing #10

Although I have never used Google reader, I knew that I would like the simplicity of it the minute I logged into my account. Anything that I decide to subscribe to is right there on the main page. This definitely saves time! Instead of going from one website to another, you can add them both to your RSS feed and see them at the same time!

I do believe that this could be used in the classroom. If a teacher has a specific website that she wants her class to look at, she can post it in her feed and the students will have a direct link to the website. I think this would save a lot of time and confusion for everyone!

Thing #9

For Thing #9, I chose to play around with

"Letter Soup"
&

"Comic Strip Generator"

I believe the things on Image Chef could be used throughout a school in many, many different ways. From the lunchroom door to the monthly neweletter different smileys or cartoons with different expressions can be used for almost anything! I use a smiley holding a "don't forget" sign quite often when I send home reminders to the parents of the children in my day-care class.

The Text Generator can be used for almost anything as well. Teachers could allow their students to personalize their name and use it as a nametag on their desk or cubby.



Thing #8

For Thing #8, I chose to use the mashups that allowed me to (1) make a jigsaw puzzle of a picture and (2) spell out a word with different pictures.

 I believe that Flickr and Flickr mashups could be used in the classroom for a couple of different things. They would both be something fun for students to use in free time and I also think teachers could use either (or both) of them for projects and assignments. I know they could both be used for a list of things in your personal life. There is so much to do with both Flickr and Flickr mashups, you're never doing the same thing twice!

Thing #7

Although I have never used Flickr before, I found it to be pretty simple to use. I searched for "rottweilers" because I just rescued one that is 7 months old, and I also grew up with one my family had before I was born. I searched through the images that appeared under the "interesting" tab and came across the one below:

I thought this picture was adorable.. And it reminded me a lot of my dog, Coco, too! 

I will definitely be using Flickr in the future!

Thing #6

For thing #6, I chose to explore Google.

I use Google quite frequently, but only to search the web for certain things. I have used the "images" part a few times, but only when I was interested in getting a new hair style and needed some ideas. I have also used "maps" once or twice when I was needing to know where a street was located or how to get to that street. But, I have never gone to the Google website to check out "news" or "shopping." When clicking on shopping, you're given a list of things that were recently found with Google product search. When clicking on news, you are given all of the top stories and they are broken down by category. I believe Google is a very useful website not only because of the features I just mentioned, but also because you can search for just about anything and always find what you're looking for. I definitely think you could use Google in a school or library setting, but you do have to be careful. While most sites are probably reliable, some may not be. I don't think students would use Google for maps, shopping, or news while in school, but the web part would definitely help them many things!

Thing #5

As I got started to read the instructions for Thing #5, I got a little nervous. I had to answers questions that I knew nothing about! School 2.0? I've never even heard of that!

After doing the reading, I discovered that School 2.0 is basically "today's technology in today's classroom." I know that isn't a very good description, but I look at it that way because the meaning of "School 2.0" will constantly change -- only because technology is constantly changing!

What does it mean for our schools of the future? Again, things change quite often. Teachers have gone from chalk boards, to dry erase boards, to over heads, to smart boards... And all the little things in between! Technology just keeps getting better and better! I believe anyone planning to become a teacher should know how to work technology, especially in today's world. Students' are already trading their pencils for laptops, typed papers for power points, and paper text books for books on the web... so what's next? 

Thing #4

Although I have never used a blog before, I understand that commenting is important. For this "project" specifically, posting a comment is just like voicing your opinion in class. I'd say it's considered participation. Commenting also allows you to interact with others.

From "how to comment like a queen," I believe #5 (don't be afraid to comment) and #1 (write a meaningful comment) are very important. If you're afraid to comment, you will never learn how to leave a "good" comment.

I decided to comment on the following blogs:

1) Courtney Berg's Thing #6 - Pandora

2) Devin Huser's Thing #3 - Blogs In The Classroom

3) Jennifer Tolleson's Thing #1 - Learning Habits

4) Carlee Darnell's Thing #4 - Why Commenting Is Important
5) Matthew MCiezki's Thing #10 - RSS and Newsreaders
6) Alexander Lee's Thing #4 - Why Commenting Is Important
7) Whitley Smith's Thing #3- Blogs In The Classroom

:)

Thing #3

What could I use a blog for in my classroom?

Well, now that I know how easy it is to operate this thing, I think I could use a blog for many reasons!

*I could use a private blog for things such as: things that did or didn't work that school year, fun activities I saw other teachers doing that I would like to do in the future, etc.

*I could also use a public blog for things such as: things that did or didn't work that I want to share with other teachers, activities I think others would enjoy doing with their class, or, I could even use it as a form of communication between my students/their parents and myself. I could post assignments, upcoming activities, and reminders in my blog. 

Thing #2

I wish I could have thought of something catchy when creating the name of my blog, but I couldn't! I honestly didn't have the slightest idea as to how a blog worked, so I just kept it simple with "Brittany's 23 Things." Boring, I know!

I tried to make my avatar look like me, but I wasn't very good at that either. I have the eye and hair color right, but that's about it. This was also my first time creating an avatar, and I didn't really know what I was doing.

Overall, I think I've got the hang of how this things works now. I'm sure there is still a lot I can learn, but I did come across posts from other students while I was maneuvering around the site and I thought that was cool!

Thing # 1

In my opinion, habit number 2, "accept responsibility for your own learning," is the easiest. We have control of our education and what we do with our future is totally up to us.  I take pride in my accomplishments and personally believe that doing so will not only make a person feel better, but will also help them to become more successful. The feeling of accomplishing something is a great feeling, especially if it is something difficult, and I believe that feeling can help motivate someone to try to accomplish things more often.

On the other hand, I think habit number 3, "view problems as challenges", is the hardest. Things are constantly changing and it is hard to prepare yourself for what can happen next. I think it is definitely easier to view the small problems as challenges rather than the big ones. When something unexpected happens, especially if it happens at a bad time, it is hard for me to "see the good" in the problem until after the problem is fixed.

This is my first time posting a blog but I have to say it wasn't too terribly hard! I now see why people us blogs for personal reasons, such as a diary, or a  way to let their family and friends know what they've been up to.