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.