One Last Thing...

Oh my goodness....what a journey it's been! To get to the last thing is probably going to be one of my most prized achievements for the summer. However, I have enjoyed every thing in these 23 things that I have done. My favorite things that I have created so far would be Animoto, Flickr, and LiveBinders. They were the newest tools that I did not know about until these 23 things. I really think I may start my own personal blog. This is a good way to get a lot of stress or problems off your chest and to get some feedback. I wouldn't really change anything about the 23 things except use my time more wisely instead of cramming everything in at the last minute. From the educational aspect, I have really learned a lot from all this. It has opened my eyes to all the tools out there for teachers to use for themselves and for their students. I am going to try to keep up with all these 2.0 tools I have discovered in this class and do some more google-ing to find others that might be useful. I just want to say GOOD LUCK to all IT'S BEEN FUN!!! Bye...

Thing #23

It took a little while, but I finally found a site that uses creative commons here.

As a teacher, whenever I am trying to find activities my students would be able to complete on the Internet, I would try to find a site that is Licensed under Creative Commons that way I may be able to make some changes if I needed to. Also anything that I may publish once I become a teacher, I will make sure it is licensed under Creative Commons that way other teachers can modify my work to fit their classroom needs.

Thing #22

Interactive Games for Math
I like using LiveBinders. Anytime I am surfing the Internet and run across something that would be useful in my classroom, I can just stick it in one of these binders and then bring it up whenever I remember. The names of my other two binders are Funny Random Videos and Interesting Topics. I think the website is pretty easy to navigate and is really user friendly, which is aways a plus. I could see myself using this site for review days in class and have the students log onto a binder and use it to study for the test. I could even use LiveBinders for projects for the students to complete. I definitely will be using this in the future.

Thing #21

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.
I love this site!!! It is so cool how you can just put pictures on this site, chose a song and background and animoto does the rest. It's so simple and makes you look like a professional. I can definitely see myself using this website in the future for personal and professional reasons.

Thing #20

I have always been a fan on You Tube, I really love it. I think it is cool that you can look up funny videos, educational videos, or even how to do videos. I plan on using You Tube a lot when I become a teacher to find videos that relate to my subject. This thing took me a really long time, because I became addicted to it, and started watching all the funny videos.

Thing #19

Visit TeacherPop
I currently have a Facebook and now a Twitter account. I am a big fan of online communication. I believe that Teacher Pop is a positive way to collaborate and talk to other teachers. Facebook is a good social site, but often has a negative stigma behind it. I think Teacher Pop is a safe and effective way for teachers to communicate in a professional environment. I really like Teacher Pop and I believe it is a good way of not mixing business with pleasure.

Thing #18

http://twitter.com/

Before I started this technology class I did not have a Twitter account. I had a Facebook account, but no Twitter. We had to sign up for a Twitter in class. When I signed up for my Twitter account I was thinking would I ever use this. However, since I started looking around on my Twitter account I realized how useful it will be when I am a teacher. I will be able to collaborate with teachers all around the world without ever meeting them in person. I can share experiences with them and they can share their expertise with me. I know I will be using this when I am a teacher, so I can get answers that I may have. In my opinion having a Twitter account is similar to having a Wiki. I kinda think a Wiki will be a little bit more convenient for me, because other people can post videos and pictures. This will make it easier for them to explain certain things to me, and answer my questions even better. However, I can see myself also using Twitter.

Thing #17

Delicious is a very useful website to tag resources that I may need later on in life. I am constantly going on the APSU library website, and finding reliable resources. Just to lose them in all my stuff, and then later on in life wish I had them. This will save me time from trying to find all these resources again. Now that I have a Delicious account I will bookmark every resource I need, or resources I think may be valuable in the future. This way when I need to do a research paper or I need the resource when I become a teacher I will have it. I love the way that you can categorize your resources in delicious. I can have a category for technology, education, and pets. When I continue to find resources for one of the three categories I can put my tags under one of the three categories. Delicious is a very good website that I am very glad I now have.

Thing #16

http://www.google.com/ig?hl=
I chose iGoogle and it is real cool. This website has everything waiting on me when I go on. I am able to see if I have any message in my Gmail account. If I have any tweeter messages (or tweets), and if I have any Facebook messages. I can't believe I have lived this long without this!!! I am always going on my Facebook to realize I have no message, then I get off real sad and depressed. I spend all my time logging off and going on my tweeter account to realize I have no tweets. Still sad and depressed I get on my Gmail account, and I realize I have two messages YAY! This way I can save the sad and depressed and see that I am loved without going into all three accounts. Also in  iGoogle I get a weather forecast, and I am able to see if any of my family or friends are on, so I can chat with them. I am definitely going to use iGoogle all the time!

Thing #15

I can see how Wikis can be used as a collaboration tool when I become a teacher. As of right now I am still unsure on how to use Wiki. I went into APSU 23 Things Sandbox Wiki, and had trouble editing my material. I spent awhile reading posts from other technology students, and I realized that when I become a teacher this will be very useful. I know that I will have a lot of question and concerns, especially in my first couple years as a teacher. It is very comforting to know that I can start my own Wiki or collaborate with other teachers about my questions, comments, and concerns. Wiki does resemble a blog, but I can see the differences. A blog is more for people that I know or are acquainted with. Whereas a Wiki can be for anyone to comment and give me useful information.

Thing #14

I decided to browse Gliffy and Bubbl.us. They were both easy to access and create. With Gliffy you have more options of shapes and what kind of diagram you wanted to use. I liked that you could just go to Gliffy and create several different types of diagrams in one place. At Bubbl.us, there was just one type and you could keep adding bubbles wherever you want them. This would be a good place to make a family tree. I can see myself using both of theses sites to make diagrams and charts for my classes. If I was having my students create a chart I would probably sent them to Bubbl.us, that way they only have to worry about the content of what goes in the bubbles and not the design. Plus Bubbl.us seemed more user friendly when I was using it.

Thing #13

I designed this nifty little creation in Google Docs. I thought it was fun and easy to figure out. If I was using this in a project I could share it with other people in my group without having to be in the same room. In Zoho, you can do the same. After exploring Google Docs and Zoho, I have come to the conclusion that I don't really now which site I would prefer to use. They both can do the same work. If I were teaching a lower grade I would probably use Zoho because it seems to be a little more kid friendly. 

Thing #12

As I was exploring Google, I was able to create a calendar and a Picasa Web Album. Since, I already have a Google account they both linked up with it. Now, I just have to go to one place for everything. Having a Google Calendar would be good to use in the classroom so you can print one out each month for the students to know what is going on and what to expect for the month, kind of  like a syllabus. I think that for younger students you may have to hand out a monthly or even weekly syllabus. You can even try linking the calendar to your class blog. I haven't mastered this aspect of Thing #12, but I am still trying.

Thing #11

Google Reader was probably the best method of RSS searching I found.  It was easy, because all you have to do is put in the subject matter for the RSS feed and the search engine does the rest. There really isn't an easiest method for RSS searching anymore, because of the search engine sophistication.  One can go to any search engine now and type in a subject and then RSS feed and it will find it.  For example, if you were looking for information on photography, you could search for,"latest Canon camera technology RSS feeds," and it will come up with quite a few links, then you can click on subscribe. There really is no confusing method with an RSS feed. There were numerous feeds on educational excellence, superior teaching techniques, and some interesting photography feeds as well. There weren't any unusual RSS feeds.  When you customize a search for an RSS feed, or are very specific, then it really narrows down your search results and filters out most of the garbage that is associated with subjects you are searching for. Any search engine will suffice, however, on some blogs people have posted links to feeds they are interested in and it can lead you on a very big journey when you find several blog pages that you are interested in.

Thing #10

I like RSS feeds, because you don't have to go out and search the Internet for all the latest updates on a particular subject. You just subscribe and it updates automatically. I could use this in school to keep up with all the latest trends the students are in that way I can connect with them on a level that he/she will understand. I would use this in my personal life to keep up with the latest news on my hobbies so that I don't have to take a lot of time searching for it on the Internet. As teachers, we can create RSS feeds for our students so that they don't have the excuse of "I forgot" when they don't turn in an assignment. The students can get online and check on things that are due and what they need to have ready for the next day of class.

Thing #9

I used the Comic Strip Generator to create this lovely comic above. It was really fun and easy. Everyone should try it! I really think this could be a good way to incorporate images in your power points or even to ask a test question. I think it would have been cool if there were cartoons on my test in school. I might have paid attention more! :)

Thing #8

After completing this activity, I have discovered that I can use flickr as a means for students to turn in projects that I may assign. For my personal use, I can make collages and use Flickr's printing services to print it out. I like sharing photos online. This is a way that your friends or family, that may have moved away, can keep up with you. It is also not as complicated as sending photos in an email and the person viewing your photos can look at more than one at a time.

Thing #7

My photo and Flickr experience was amazing! It was so easy to start my account and upload my pictures. I think I will only use Flickr for personal photos, but you never know I may start one up for my classroom once I get out and see how it may effect the students. Maybe it would be a good place to put pictures of what is going on in the classroom for the students to share. The only other places I have put photos on the Internet is MySpace and Facebook. However, I no longer have a MySpace page. Facebook and Flickr are both easy sites to access, but when I think of Flickr I think "photos" and Facebook I think "personal". Facebook is a place where you can talk to friends, play games, and see what your other friends are thinking or feeling. Fickr seems more of an arts program by posting photography. The only concern I have about my photos being public on Flickr is that someone may try to take one of them and say it is his/hers. I know that's where Creative Commons come into play, but it's still something to think about.

Thing #6

I'm sure everyone has heard about YouTube at some point in life. When I first learned of YouTube I only thought to use it when I wanted to watch funny videos, but though the years I now know that it is far beyond just funny videos. Many people put "How to" videos on there from learning photograph to how to beat a video game level. I like this site, because you can find a video on just about anything. I could see this site being useful in an educational setting. Say a student is having trouble with a certain math problem, that student can go on YouTube and find a video of a similar problem that may take him/her step-by-step through it. It can give a student enough instruction that he/she may be able to figure out the original problem. A neat feature on this site is that it gives other related videos at the end of the one you may click on that may also be helpful. It also gives an area below the video for comments; this way, you can see whether this video has helped people before you.

Thing #5

To me, Web 2.0 is whatever we make it. It is a place where we can collaborate with other people in our profession, share ideas with friends or strangers, or simply browse. After reading some of the perspectives in d2l, I can see how using Web 2.0 can be helpful for us as teachers. Since we are entering the era of School 2.0, we need to have a good sense of computer based techniques to use in the classroom. I think that soon, many schools will doing everything on computers and the Internet. My mom, a middle school teacher, and I were talking about technology and using the Internet for education and she told me that she trys to use the Internet as little as possible. I wasn't really shocked when she said that, because she isn't a computer or Internet person; however, it got me thinking. She may be able to get by without having to use a lot of technology, but I know our generation of teachers may not last one year without technology.

Thing #4

Since the Internet was created mainly for the purpose of exchanging information, it only makes sense that blogging your thoughts or ideas would enhance interaction. When you blog or post something, you are essentially inviting people to comment on those thoughts whether you want them too or not. You also create a community when blogging or commenting, because 9 times out of 10 if you take time to read a blog and post on it you will come back to that persons page the next time. It begins a domino effect.

Some things I have found in the reading that seem to be important to me (keep in mind that I'm not a experienced commenter) are "share some about yourself when commenting" and "don't be afraid of commenting". I think that because I am new to the blogging and commenting scene these two topics seem important. Throughout this whole experience of commenting, I have been afraid of leaving a comment. I don't know what to say. Even though it is my opinion, I still don't want to say anything that might offend people. The reason I think that sharing some about yourself is important is because then the person reading your blog can connect with you without even really knowing you.

I first began reading and commenting on blogs from the people in my class, because we are all writing about the same thing and it would give me some practice before commenting on others. From the class I commented on Momma Desirae's (Thing #2), Lets see what we can learn Gilbert's (Thing #2), Jessica's Many Splendored Things (Thing #3), Jennifer's 23 Things for Summer (Thing #3), and Summer Brown's 23 Things (Thing #7). After I practiced with these, I began to venture out and find other blogs out of the classroom to comment on. The two that I found were Alice's Bucket List (It's manic) and Molly's Musings (Dear God). I chose these two blogs because they both touched my heart when I read them.

The comments I decided to make on the first 5 classmate's blog was just to say that I agreed with what they were saying or thinking about doing once we all become teachers. The other two comments that I made was the first thing I thought about after reading the blogs.

Thing #3

Having a blog page as a teacher would be beneficial for myself and my students. I would be able to post comments on there that maybe I forgot to mention in class or a student could make a post and get help from either me or even another student. Some who are absent would be able to get his/her assignments that same day so they may not get too far behind the others. After creating this blog, I think I will have one for when I finally become a teacher.

Thing #2

Creating this blog has been quite the experience. Since I have never done anything like this before, it has been a little hard for me to get everything on here. I'm figuring it out though! When I was thinking of what to name my blog, I was wanting it to be catchy, creative, and something that people might remember. With a little help I was finally able to settle on "Kelley's Kontemplations". Maybe it's a little dorky, but I like it. I really liked creating an avatar to resembles myself. It was kind of like a game. I wanted my avatar to resemble myself in some ways so that some of you may get an idea of what I look like. It's also fun to see me as a cartoon. With this being my first blog page, I would like some ideas on things to do or put on it! Thanks!!!

Thing #1

So this is my first blog ever! I'm not really sure how this is suppose to work but I have to give it a shot. After I watched the video about the 7 1/2 habits, I tried to think about which ones are hard and easy for me. I couldn't really point out any because I could use help in all of them. However, the one that I struggle with the most is probably "Habit #2: Accept responsibility for you own learning". I tend to be quiet in the classroom and hope that someone else will ask a question that I have. I did learn that there is a website that I can go to ,when I become a teacher, where students like me can send a question my computer to me without having to be afraid to speak up in class. The only bad thing about it is that I can't remember the name of that site. If anybody can help, please do!