13 Web Based Applications

Oops I blogged on here but forgot to post this blog so now I am doing it.
I have never heard of Zoho before doing this blog. I like being able to access differnt writing applications and it was pretty easy to do. I still would use my microsoft word application over zoho after playing with it. I think it is just about   comfort for me! I created a web assignment on here to try it out and it was really easy to use but i still dont think i would use it daily. Students though may like this if they have not used microsoft word before.

I have heard of Google Docs but never used them. I noticed when trying to view other peoples documents that it would come up saying I did not have access to view them. I do think this is a great tool but could be tricky to remember to open your documents up every time you want someone to see them.
If i had to choose between the two i would choose Google Docs. I have more comfort with google docs than zoho

24- Thoughts

My thought on this assignment is it is a great experience. I hate blogging but I loved all the new ideas and websites I found on here. I love to be organized and this is a great way to start. My favorite blogs were the ones where i was able to hunt down pictures that I liked. I loved being able to find something i liked and work with it. I also loved being introduced to the 2.0 tools They  will be great for all the uses that teachers need to do with their responsibilities and time. I was surprised at how many were free or for cheap if i wanted to upgrade to use them! I hated the fact i had to use my email address or sign in to use them though. I do agree with everyone who thinks this website was a great way to introduce us to how much is on the web if we looked for it. I know in my future i will use many of these sites and continue to use the web to search for more. I dont know how often i will blog but I hope to keep a list of the sites i have found to stay informed!

23- Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a copyright license that allows us to choose to share our intellectual property. This course is designed under a Creative Commons license and is an example of how one can take a piece of information or a product and re-work it to make it fit your needs. By acknowledging the original authors, they have given permission for you to use. 
l have heard of copyrighting before but never really gave it much thought. I knew somethings could be used and some could not be used but did not know what Creative Commons was. As a student/future teacher I think it is extremely important because I know i have been online to get ideas for projects etc. I am the type of person who needs to see an example before going through with through with it. 
A great example of creative commons is when we went to the picture website and copied pictures onto our blog. We want to show our students the right thing to do and this is a great way to do it. This will show students that we do not cheat and they should not either. I am wanting to make a difference in their life and this is a great way to start!

22- Livebinders

I used Livebinders and my three binders were Education Blogs, Curriculum, and Art ideas. Education blogs will be blogs i find useful from teachers and other Education majors, Curriculum are ideas for lesson plans and then art ideas will be art ideas for the students. I love to have information easy to pull up for when i need it. I love being able to organize my binder. As a teacher I will definatly use this website to keep organized. Organization is a must for my success. I use pinterest for a lot of my ideas but I think this may be better when I am a teacher. This way I will stay on track and not get distracted! My link for my binder is http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=657719

21- Animoto

When i went to Animoto I used my facebook to sign right in to the website. I loved how it decided to make a video for me from my Facebook. I loved the pictures but decided to go through and edit it to make it my own. I changed a few of the pictures and also changed the music. I could not get the video to link automatically but I was able to link it this way

 Copy of My Facebook pics

I do like this website and it would be neat to play with more but I do not like having to upgrade to do it. I will keep the link to this webite as i would love to be able to use this in my classroom.

20-YouTube

I chose the YouTube video  Habitat 2 by Rebecca Bennet. I chose this of video because it went with the Unit plan i did for my other class. I thought it was a great video to relate to second graders and answer many questions about what a habitat is and who lives there. Here is the link to my video that I used.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGSqlT-9vFs

I use YouTube a lot but usually for music when I am in my dining room cleaning or something. I love how  easy it is to use and how much information you can find on here. I will use this for my teaching units as well.The only thing I hate about YouTube is the commercials that go along with some of the videos. I do understand it is to help the site stay free but it can be time consuming.

19- Social Networks

I love looking at many of the social  network out there but I cant imagine being part of  all of them. I just cant imagine anyone having the time. I had a myspace for a while but deleted that. I do have a facebook and twitter account. I love my facebook but never use my twitter account. I dont even know my password anymore. I love the idea of Teacher Pop. I think it will be a great site to use. It looks like a great site for interaction and get suggestions from other teachers.  I will keep this in my links to be able to use it in the future. Its nice to be on a site with many of the students your in class with!

18 Facebook/ Twitter

Social networking seems to be our future. Its such an easy way for a person to get information and also keep in touch with their friends. I have both Facebook and Twitter! I do not use my Twitter account but I am addicted to Facebook. I check Facebook multiple times a day and it has made communication with my friends and family so much easier! Being a military wife has gave me friends all over the country and I love that I am able to see their children grow up and what fun things they are doing at their base!

Teachers should support the use of Facebook as it would be one of the easiest ways to make a classroom page and talk to their parents and students. Facebook isnt as secure as i think it should be but a teacher should still be able to communicate on it. They could put pictures of their students up and classroom progression! 

17- TAGGING

Tagging is a great way to keep organized on the website especially when you are looking at many items in one day. I love the idea of Delicious. I used Delicious and clicked on the site for educational technology but kept having problems trying to access any information. I finally was able to get Delicious to work and liked how much came up. I like being able to see what others think and their links! I will have to keep this page in my favorites and keep going back to it to find information! 

I have used pinterest which in many ways is a tagging website also. I have used Pinterest to tag many educational ideas, craft projects and even recipes! I love being able to put it in its own place so i can look at it later.

Both  of these sites would be great for teachers to use. So much information in such a little time. They could get decorating ideas or even lesson plans for their classroom!

16 more 2.0 tools!

While playing with 2.0 tools i worked on my start page, online calendar, and to do lists. For my start page i tried Pageflakes first but kept getting error messages so i landed up using IGOOGLE. I thought I could use this to make my day easier. I get on google all the time! It would be neat to make it all mine but unfortunately it says next year you can not sign in to it anymore.
For my online calendar i used the link from Igoogle. I thought why not since I am already here. Make things so much easier. I dont think i would use an online calendar as i like to have one written out that i can take places with me. I know people use it on their phone but i am not that interested in using my phone for it. I like having my little one that i can carry in my purse, book bag or car.
For my to do lists I used Remember the Milk. I loved the name and since my children are obsessed with milk i am constantly at the store buying some. It should be easy for me to remember. I liked using this site but again i dont have an Iphone so i dont think it would work on my phone. I do need a better way to do to lists so I am going to give it a try and see how it will work!
The backpack seems like a great idea for the person who is very organized. I don't find myself doing this as i dont like to check the computer multiple times throughout the day. I do use Diigo as i was introduced to it in class but besides that I dont find myself using these kinds of technologies.

WIKI'S

The Wiki is a great way to communicate to others and to change information on the site as needed. I am sure every college student has heard of Wikipedia and even used them during their classes. This is an excellent Wiki page. As a teacher they could use wiki's to communicate with their students. They could post assignments, rules or information on their site. This would be a great way for communication and hopefully keep lines open. I personally am not sure I would use this site but will keep it saved. I know in the future I will need to keep my lines of communication open and this might be easier than making a full webpage etc. I was able to play with this site and made an account under Sandbox. I used #9 online generator as my first page. I liked being able to play with everything. It was easy to do! Here is the link for the page i made!

http://apsu23thingssandbox.pbworks.com/w/page/11343369/FrontPage

14- Flow charts

When i first started using these I realized I do not like making charts. I began with Bubb.us.  I began trying to make my own mind to map for my unit on Habitats. I thought I could make it easy follow for the students. It does make it easy to follow but I would much rather use the whiteboards at school than this chart when explaining it.
The second program I used was Gliffy. I played on this site for a while. I really did like how many different charts you could make witth this program. If I was one to make a chart i would use this program. I like having so many choices. I played with the flow chart and tried to make a new seating arrangement for my living room. I enjoyed this as I can see what I am making right in front of me.

Thing 4

Commenting on blogs

Commenting on blogs is an interactive way for communication through the writer of the blog and the readers. It is used to explain your own feelings and letting the writer know how others feel. Not only will commenting help you explain your own self but also lets the writer know they are important as well. It is the best way to create a family or community online. After reading the blogs that was suggested I agree that comments should never be negative or rude as the writer has every opportunity to be there.
I posted on Marianne Spencers blog Thing 9 because I loved her magazine cover she used. I also posted on Alexis Wylie's, Desmond Lyon, Kayla Thompson, and Alexis Wylie. I liked being able to go to their blogs to see what they have found and how they think it will help all of us.It was amazing to see the different projects they have used and which ones they seemed to want to go.  I also looked at Stephanie Moran's blog about flickr. I love looking at other peoples pictures. I also looked at Misty Stehle's site. I loved her site and how interesting and educational it felt. 

12 GOOGLE

As an American I think every single one of us has been on Google and at least done researching with it. I knew there was other tools but never really bothered to use them before this class. 

Google Alerts is a program that I think i will enjoy. I love to be up to date with the news and I think this has to be an easy way to do it. I don't tweet or use my cell phone as many people do for their news so this would be an excellent tool for us who aren't so tech savvy. As i was sitting there playing with it I decided I would set up an alert for Atlanta Braves. It was so simple to do and I had it sent to my Gmail account. 

As a teacher this would be a great way to keep up with the world news.  You can use this in History, science class etc. 

Google Calendar seems to be an excellent way to stay organized. As a parent, student and army wife I need all the ways i can get to stay organized. I think this would be perfect as a teacher and so simple to keep up with.We all need help when it comes to accomplishing the things we have to do. 

Google Translate seemed to confuse me way more than anything else did on here.I personally would not be using this one.

Picasa- is a tool that i have visited before.I do not have anything on there but i do believe it would be easy to use for us all. 

11 FINDING GOOD FEEDS

While doing this blog I found there are so many sites that offer RSS feeds. I did some looking around at the sites you suggested and I have found that I normally would use Google and Topix Net.I use Google often so i find it very convenient to be able to search for whatever i want and come up with the answer quickly. I like Topix net with all the categories and different quizzes they ask. I looked at the Education link and found some interesting topics on there. I had never heard of the article about a 3rd grader being Transgender and thought it was interesting. I will defiantly link this to my site so i can read more from this site. The most confusing to me was the Technorati. I went to the site but lost interest quickly.  It felt overwhelming when i went to it. I looked around the site and went to the site about Halloween and children and also the fact that Google is worth more than Microsoft now.  I did go to the Feed Icons page and looked around. At first i didnt really know what it was all about but after taking a few minutes i discovered you can download the stuff for an RSS.

10- RSS READERS

I have heard of RSS readers before but never used them. I never had a blog before or anything that would really use them. It was very easy to figure out how to do it. Since i was already a gmail member through Google i was already enrolled for my site. I looked around and decided I would follow
                               Free Technology for Teachers
                               Cool Cat Teacher
                               PBS Teachers
                               For Teachers- Yes Magazine
                               Clutter Free Classrooms.

I love the fact that it will be easy to follow someone you have chosen. I dont have much time to sit on the computer and play so the quicker the better for me. I also love to get ideas for teachers about curriculum, classroom decorations and etc. Such an easy way to do it with this. Using this technology would allow me to follow not only teachers from afar but teachers in my school. I can get ideas esp if Im stuck or need new ones.  It always amazes me the items teachers come up with to enertain the children.

9 Online Generator

I played with all the images today and had fun with them. The first image i used was from IMAGECHEF. I had a great time playing around. I chose the beach since im originally from Florida! I was having a hard time getting pictures to download on any of these things so when i found one that i could write on it was simple. All i did was find the picture i liked and drew my name.



The second one I did was from text2pic.com. I made this after playing with many sites and since i love the fall/winter I thought this was perfect! I looked through many different images but knew I wanted to include Christmas! This was really easy to do. Clicked the picture and wrote what i wanted!

The last one i did was from SupportRibbonGenerator. I am a proud army wife so i thought this would fit perfectly!

As a teacher I dont know if i would make anything from any of these sites but they could help by making signs for your classroom or school. It would be easy to do once you searched and found the pictures you liked. 

8 more Flickr

As you can tell i had a good time playing with all the different mashups. I think this is a wonderful link for a teacher because it would be easy to make your own classroom decorations or even boards for the children to look at. I can see a teacher using it for the alphabet, multiplication facts etc. I will keep these links saved so i could do this in the future. As far as sharing photography pictures online i do share our pictures through facebook and email but never to strangers., I try to keep in mind that it would be too easy for someone to get a hold of them and could do horrible things to them. I have all my pictures saved on facebook as you can only see if your a friend of mine. 

7- FLICKR

I have been on Flickr before but only to look at something a friend posted. I love the idea of sharing pictures but i have never been one to share on here.  While i was playing on Flickr I seen pictures of Fall, football, mountains and many more things. I decided to search for a picture on here and looked up mountains as i want to live there one day. I absolutely love the mountains and decided to look for a beautiful autumn picture. It took a few different pictures that would allow me to share.

Thing 6

Wow i did not realize how great all of these websites can be. It was amazing to see a list of 100 sites that i could research. After looking at many of them I decided I would write about Youtube. I have found myself on Youtube often without even realizing i was looking at it. I love being able to listen to music, watch videos or movies on here. It can be very motivating and fun. As a teacher i could see myself using a clip from Youtube especially if a person was having a hard time with a subject. I found myself looking up a ton of videos for second grade. Here is a link to second grade English video called Noun Song. Hopefully the link will work correctly for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HY-LP_7c1Y

Thing 5

At this point and time I am not sure which is more terrifying the ever changing side of the technology world or how fast our education system seems to be changing. It seems that the education system has done more than 360 degrees since I graduated high school in 1998. The technology that now you have to learn and know to teach or even be in school is amazing. I love the fact the article we read said  In School 2.0, learning doesn't just take place in the school, but in a combination of home, school, and community that collaborates to bring the wider world into day-to-day instruction and provide a rich array of learning opportunities. In School 2.0, there is no one path to achieve learning. 
Many times i think we feel like we are on a wrong way course but this statement above shows there are many ways to be successful. If my students come out of the classroom understanding this theory then i think it can lead to a successful story.To become a teacher i think it is very important to realize that technology and all of its new inventions is whats going to make me a better teacher. It will take a ton of hard work but it can be done even if it has to be practiced many many times. I at times wish we were back to just the chalkboard to teach but in reality our children would fall farther behind in their studies and our country would not be considered a strong country. 

Thing 2

I am new to this blog atmosphere but it was pretty easy to set up my account by myself. The only thing i couldn't figure out yet is how to put my avatar on here.  Every time i tried it would tell me it did not work so it will be something i continue to work on. The set up was easy as long as you took the time to follow the directions step by step. My blogs name is not very creative since this is for class I figured i would put it simple so i could remember it. I am not artistically creative in any way so i cant imagine having one that was much more creative. The avatar i made when i finally do get to put it on here was not really that creative either. I used dark hair like mine but besides that i would not say it represents me. I tried to make it basic like i am but it still would not be described as looking like me.

Thing 3

As a teacher of an elementary classroom I think having a blog will make it easy for parents, children and any administrator to leave comments on the items that i may write on there. It would be a perfect way to make sure all children and parents know not only what is going on inside the classroom during the day but also let them know where they could find homework assignments that are going on. This is also perfect if there are projects going on and the teacher may need some sort of item that the children should bring in. It really would be an excellent way for communication! Also a teacher could have a blog that isnt linked directly to her classroom. She could have it for other teachers to comment on and give suggestions on decorating, classroom ideas, and even lesson plans. It could be an excellent choice especially for a new teacher.

Thing #1

I love that there is an article about lifelong learning for all of us to see. The 7 1/2 habits of highly successful learners was a very interesting slideshow. I personally would have problems with the learning habit of using technology to my advantage. I am not the type of person who has to have the best camera, phone or newest piece of technology. I will have a hard time trying to include technology inside the classroom. I would be fine only using the basics in the classroom. I am hoping I can learn many of the new technologies in the classroom before I actually become a teacher. Habit number 2, being responsible for my own learning, will be the easiest for me. I consider myself a person who likes to succeed and be successful at all times so in everything I do i think about before doing it. I want to be happy with my decisions so I look at all sides of a situation before making my choices.