One Last Thing

 I enjoyed a lot of the discoveries during this process.  I would have to say that I enjoyed the Livebinders (I LOVE organization),  RSS feeds, and Google Drive.  I think those are extremely helpful tools that I will use in the future.  As a member of the technology generation I thought I knew a lot about technology and was up on the times.  Boy was I wrong.  It was great to learn all the new things that are out there.  It showed me I will always be learning.  And I plan to make it a goal to learn a new application every 6 months. 

I think the format and concept of this program are good.  It can become overwhelming have sooooo many logs in for things.  I wish more of the applications would let you sign in with google account.  Unfortunately there is nothing that the creators of this program can change. 

I have learned how to use so many great tool for my future classroom.  It taught me that the internet is always changing and I will need to keep up with the times.  I will use my RSS feed to keep up with the Web 2.0.  I feel that is a great tool that will the future of teaching. 

Thing #23: Creative Commons

 

When I first started this blog project I had noticed these two disclaimers on the APSU 23 Things Main Page.  After reading about Creative Commons License I understand the disclaimers better.

 

Note: This project is loosely based upon the website 43Things (which allows you to set and track personal goals) and the Stephen Abram article titled 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006).
 

 

Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based on Learning 2.0 - 23 Things, a staff development program for the Mesquite Independent School District. That program was based on the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers and adapted by the California School Library Association and others. Content and style for Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers has been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License.

 

Creative Commons License is something I will explain to my students.  I want them to know what they are allowed to use and not allowed to use when completing work.  It is also something I would use if I were to create something that would be useful to other teachers.  I would like to share it with as many of them as possible and let them know they CAN use it legally.   

Thing #22: Keepin' it Together: Livebinders

Ancient Egypt Binder

Livebinders is a great way to organize all the information that you see on the internet, and stuff you have on your computer.  It allows to you to create "binder".  You can upload documents and videos.  The great thing is you can create a link to another website.  I find when I am just surfing stuff for my future classroom that I say to myself oh this is a great website I will remember this.  Then I vaguely remember and spend 20 minutes searching for it at a later date.  It is easy to link websites to the binder you just click on your bookmark tool bar and tadaaaa it is in the binder. 

I have organized three binders for for.  Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome  These are three major topic areas that I will be teaching in the future.  Right now I just have several general website in the binder but my plan is to add subtabs that are titled by the standard it will teach.  It will be a great way to organize. 

This could be a great way to share resources with student.  This way you have control over the information they are using for their research.  But as long as you have plenty of sources all the students research will be different.  Again it takes the guessing out of finding creditable sources for students. 

Thing #21: Animoto

Travel

 Animoto is a great tool for creating professional looking video clips.  This is something that would be great to create for background at student teacher conference or at the end of the year as a farewell to students.  It was easy to use and they had a lot of upload videos and pictures in case you need inspiration.  I did a video with some different pictures from around the US that Animoto had preloaded and a preloaded song.  The program picked the order of the pictures and had transitions in great locations.  It looks like someone spent hours putting it together.  I am getting married in the fall and this would be a great thing to use for wedding photos!

Thing #20: YouTube and Beyond

HECTOR VS ACHILLES Lego Action - TeacherTube

 YouTube can be a great way to engage students.  The disadvantage of YouTube is there is so much out there.  You need to carefully view the videos before showing the content to your students.  I picked a YouTube video about Hector vs Achilles.  It is in lego action which I think a lot of 6th grades would be able to connect with.  Another reason I picked this video because it was accurate in retelling the Greek Myth.  Attaching YouTube videos to my classroom website would be a great way to help students and parents with homework and classroom content.  

After searching some other video tools and applications I decided that Movie Clips would have a great use in my classroom.  This movie clips are a great way to bring history alive.  The movie clips would also be a great way to engage students in a debate.  Movie clips are not always accurate when it comes to history.  It would be interesting to play to clips covering the same topic and let the students decide which is accurate. 

Thing #19: Beyond Facebook: Other Social Networks

Social networking is a great way for educators to connect with their students.   It is best used as a tool to keep students up to date on tasks that are due and what is going on in the classroom.  They are NOT meant to be used to socialize with students.  I think it is important that teachers set up privacy settings for their personal social networking and have a different account for educational purposes.  I am a member of facebook, twitter, pintrest, imdb, yelp, instragram and more I am sure I am forgetting.  

When reviewing the suggested social networks I really liked Tasty Kitchen.  Then again I like most anything that has to do with trying new recipes and food.  I will most likely use Teacher Librarian Ning as a resource in the future.  It seems like a great resource

Thing #18: Explore Social Networking

My Twitter


I have a twitter account and facebook account that I use for social purposes.  I never thought of the classroom application.  It is important for educators to understand social networking because it is such a big part of students lives.  It is a great way to connect with the students.  It is important to know what they are talking about when they reference social networking.  This is also a great way for educators to connect about specific topics.  

I never thought of all the different hashtag combinations that could be searched.  After searching the educational hashtags I found an abundance of information.  The disadvantage of hastags is that anyone can post to them and there is a lot of spam out there.  Spam posts can be frustrating.

Thing #17: Tagging and social bookmarking with Delicious

 Using the social bookmarking sites was easy.  Delicious had a very easy format and was intuitive to use.  It was great to explore and see how many results came up.  It can be a great tool to find teaching resources.

I could see the potential in using this hand in hand with a webquest.  It would be a great way to help students research a certain topic.  There is a lot of information out there and sometimes students have a difficult time deciding what is accurate information.  By using the bookmark or tagging you can have students use a certain phrase that you looked at previously so they can be confident in the information they are gathering.  

Thing #16: Get Organized with Web 2.0 Tools

I picked the Symbaloo start page.  I like the format of the page.  The others seemed cluttered.  I like that it had google features since I already have a google account it made it easy to navigate.  I do not think that I will use this start page much.  By the time I remembered to log into it I most likely will have logged into my usually pages.  I do not use that many on a daily basis.  

Online calendars are great because you can access them anywhere with internet.  Something that always aggravates me is when I need to check my calendar and I do not have it with me.  In this day in age when everything is go go go, I dislike making people waiting on me to check my schedule.  

I think that the PDF Converter and Zamzar will be useful when teaching. It is always frustrating when you have a file in an incorrect format and you cannot open it.  I think the Remember the Milk to do list.  It is a great tool because your to do list will always be with you(well as long as you have internet). 

Thing #15: What in the world is a Wiki?

I have surfed wikis before but I have never added content to a wiki.  It was fun to be able to add something for everyone else to see.  I really enjoyed the suggested wikis.

• Book Lovers Wiki 

• ICT Magic
  
  
• Resources for History Teachers
  
  
• Educational Blogging Wiki
  
  
• Westwood Schools Computer Science class wiki
  
  
• Educational Origami Wiki

• Texas School Librarians' Wikispace

They are great examples for wikis that I will use in my teaching days.  They are great resources for teachers because the suggestions are coming from other teachers.  It really makes a difference when you get advice/resources from someone that is currently in the field.  

I do find the concept of wikis fun but they can be dangerous if they spread false information.  One must be careful when documenting information from a wiki. 

Thing # 14: Go With the Flow

I always used the terms flow chart and mind map interchangeably.  Now I know better.  A flow chart seems go in sequential order and have a definitive end.  A mind map seems more like a brainstorming process with ideas going in different directions.  I agree with Anne Wall in her instruction for Thing # 14 of the 23 Things Project she mentions that a flow chart seems more for the reader and a mind map is more for the creator.  I tested bubbl.us and gliffy.  They are both easy to use applications.  They have a lot of design options.  I like that they both have preloaded formats for those of us that are less creative.  The only reason why I liked gliffy better was because I think I like the idea of flow charts better than mind maps. 

I think both mind maps and flow charts have their place in class rooms.  I plan on teaching Social Studies and a flow chart would be a great way to teach cause and effect in class.  It would also be a great way to create unique timelines. 

Thing # 13: Google Drive

Google Drive Document


Google Drive Form


Google Drive would be a great way for students to collaborate on projects and assignment.  When you edit a document in Google Drive it tells you who added the material or made changes.  This would be a great way for teachers to be able to tell who did what on a group assignment.  It is also a great way for students to help each other when it comes to editing.

It appeared to me that Zoho had more options and features.  The chat and discussion feature would be a great way for students to be able to communicate when at home without having to give out personal information such as phone numbers.  I like the Google Drive because I am comfortable with Google in general.  One thing that Google Drive had up on Zoho was that I did not have to sign up for yet another website. Sometimes it can be overwhelming having to many logins. 

Thing #12: Google is Not Just for Searching Anymore

I chose to set up a Google Alert for Teaching in Tennessee. I have used Google Alert before.  It is a great to to keep up to date on a currently changing topic. I think this will be a great way for me to keep a watchful eye on the ever changing teaching field in Tennessee. 

I made a Google Calendar.  I currently use Outlook to keep track of my appointments and school assignments.  But the Google Calendar seems to have an easier format when it comes to using the calendar on multiple devices.  There was an easy link to add the calendar to my cellphone and to use offline for when there is no internet access.  This would be a great tool to use with my future students.  I could help them organize their time and add the assignments to the calendar with them.  

Finals Week Looks like fun!!

The Google Books and Google Scholar are great research tools for students.  I frequently use both of these when researching.  This is a great place to start which attempting to find sources.  I will share this will my future students. 

Thing # 11: Finding Good Feeds

I felt that all of them were easy to use. Google Blogger Search and Blogging Search Engine had a lot more results than Technorati.   But Google Blogger Search and Blogging Search Engine had results that were not blogs.  These results were still great resources for what I was looking for but I found it odd that they were not blogs.  I found that slightly confusing but like I said they were still useful. 

I found some great feeds about teaching middle school social studies.  I found some from teachers and some from students.  The students ones were interesting they were mostly class projects and homework helping feeds.  This is something that I would encourage my students to use in the future. 

I follow a blog about cooking healthy.  I had never searched the blogs that they had her blog.  It was a great tool to use to find more blog posts about healthy cooking.  I feel like the more sources you have the more well rounded you will be. Following this method I did find that the more I clicked the slightly further I got from my original topic of cooking healthy. 

Thing # 10: Set up a RSS Reader and Add Feeds

I think the RSS and newsreader are a great way to get the information you want.  As the YouTube video RSS Explained commented, it is creating your own internet.  It is nice to have all the websites you would normally be bouncing around to check on in one place.  Time is money in this modern world.   I enjoyed that Feedly let me make categories.  I made one for educational websites and new websites.  This way depending what I am in the mood to read about I am not overrun with the other topics.  

I think a great way to use this tool in the classroom is the example John G. Hendron describe in his article RSS for Educators.  There is a school district that requires all of its teachers to maintain a blog.  This keeps constant communication between parents and teachers.  A great way for parents to maintain this information would be a RSS or newsreader.  This way the parents are not getting overwhelmed by trying to keep up with all the blogs.  The RSS is also a great way for administration to ensure the teachers are keeping their blogs up to date.

I will most likely check my Feedly account regularly.  It is a great way to keep up the ever changing world. 

Thing # 9 : Online Image Generator

Image Chef

I always wondered how people made these.  I really enjoyed using the Image Chef website.  It was easy to navigate.  I found Image & Sign Generator, and Custom Sign Generator not as easy to navigate.  The Smiley Generator was fun to was easy to use as well.  The Image Chef and Smiley Generator would be a great way to start off or end a class on a funny note.  Obviously this would always need to be school appropriate (I found many were not).  I even might leave one of these printed out for my family when they forget something, like doing the dishes.  Overall I think these are very popular and a great way to connect with the students. 

Thing # 8: Flickr Mashups

It was fun using all the Flickr mashups.  I think in my social studies classes the possibilities for using these mashups is endless.  One in particular that I think would be useful in social studies is the Mappr.  It would be a great way for the students to be given a area on the map to discover.  They could then use the Mappr to post pictures of items they found to be associated with that particular region.  It would be great way to show the overlap from country to country but also the differences.

I think sharing photos online can be good.  I think in a classroom setting photos that do not contain the individuals is a great way to share what the students are learning.  But definitely no pictures of students.  On a personal level it is a great way to share your interests with other on the internet that may have the same interests as you.  I still do not think that I would put photos of my family in a public setting. 

Thing # 7: Explore Flickr

Snowy Deck, a photo by nikki49d on Flickr.

The February Blizzard in Clarksville TN

I have never used Flickr before.  It reminded me a lot of Pintrest, which I use regularly.  The photo quality is much better on Flickr than on Pintrest.  Navigating the website was fairly easy.  I searched a few of my interests.  Then I decided to create an account and upload a few photos.  I uploaded photos of the blizzard we got here in Clarksville. Sorry for the sarcasm.  I am originally from Massachusetts and my relatives at home got a foot of snow yesterday.  Here is Clarksville we got what us New Englander's would not even classify as a dusting and everyone panicked.  That is okay though I panicked when I heard the tornado warning sirens the first time :)

When I was uploading my photos I found it very easy and intuitive.  It was great to just be able to drag the photos from my desktop onto the website.  Sometimes it is frustrating to try and locate the photo you want when you are using a browse feature.  I can only think of a few ways I would use Flickr in my classroom, after a field trip or maybe a photo scavenger hunt.  For example I made an assignment for my pretend class to find Greek Gods/Heroes in today's world.  This could be an excellent place for the students to load photos they find of these examples.

I have used Snapfish and Pintrest a lot in the past.  I like to use Pintrest to find new crafts but also to upload my accomplishments after I am done.  This way someone else can use my idea and make it their own.  I use Snapfish to share photos with my family.  For example during the holiday season we all took a lot of photos.  Rather than trying to send them to each other we all upload our photos to Snapfish.  This way we can pick and choose which ones to print/save on our computer.  I like using Snapfish because it only shows the photos to the people I request them to be sent to.  I really do not enjoy having my personal photos being viewed by strangers.

It is good for Flickr to have a private setting.  There are some photos I might not mind letting the public see.  Such as a pretty sunset or the blizzard photos. Anything with my family members I would like to keep to just people I know.  It may seem paranoid but you don't know who is out there.

How do you set your privacy settings when sing social media?

Thing #6 : Discover Web 2.0 Tools

I chose to look at Game Classroom.  The site's description on Go2Web2.0 is "Game Classroom is a one-stop web destination for accessing high-quality educational games, and homework help for K-6 students. Game Classroom offers math games, homework help, worksheets and more. It is a great site for kids, parents and teachers".

It is a great concept.  I think making learning fun and interactive is important.  A great thing was that there was no sign up.  They had games for different game levels and subject.  They even had homework help for different topics.  On the down side there was no social studies games :( which is my deserved field of teaching.  However there was a lot to do with language arts and math, sorry not much science either.  Another downside was that some of the games are very basic.  In this day in age I feel that children expect a lot out of a game format in terms of graphics. 

Overall I think this would be a great tool for elementary level.  The game concepts are simple but allow the students to concentrate on the content not trying to figure out the game. 

Try out some of the games yourself and let me know what you think

Game Classroom

Thing #5: School 2.0

As I read the different articles about Web 2.0 and School 2.0, I learned some very interesting things about new technologies.  In the Machine is Us/Using Us video I was blown away by how the internet has evolved.  I guess I have noticed some of these changes but to see them all laid out together I was surprised.  It is amazing how much is behind it.  In Web 2.0 is the Future of Education it was great to see how these advances were going to benefit us in the classroom.  One thing that really excited me was when Steve Hargadon talks about the future of e-reading.

"Imagine an electronic book that allows you to comment on a sentence, paragraph, or section of the book, and see the comments from other readers... to then actually be in an electronic dialog with those other readers. It's coming." Steve Hargadon Web 2.0 is the Future of Classroom

To me this is such a great way for students to interact with the literature as they read.  Rather than trying to remember every thought they had while they were reading they can comment on it immediately. 

School 2.0 seems to be the present and future of the classroom.  Now that I think back on the classes I am taking currently.  We use Livetext as a portal to for an e-portfolio, the smartboards in classrooms, and textbooks on e-readers.  When I did my undergraduate degree 5 years we did not use any of these tools.  I am excited to see how these advance will enhance my future students experience.  I do want to throw one side note in here.  As great as this technology is I do hope that we do not rely on it completely.  There is something to learning the "old school" way at first.  

Thing #4: Why Commenting is Important

Commenting helps create a sense of community because there is interaction between people.  Some blogger may be writing for themselves but it is a great feeling getting comments.  This lets the bloggers know that there is someone else out there that has the same interests or is in the same situation.

Writing a meaningful comment is very important.  Just agreeing with someone can make them feel good but commenting meaningfully takes the blog to a different level.   It creates that sense of community and challenges both the blogger and commenter.  This can take the bloggers original posts to a different level and help more people along the way.

Leaving posts open ended or asking questions is not only a great way to get people commenting but it allows the topic to grow.  Getting other readers involved gives the blog more substance because more people contribute to give a more diverse perspective.  



Mrs. Suss' 23 Things
Mr. Bream's 23 Things
Mathew's 23 Things
Miss Z's Top 23
Miss Queener's 23 Things

Sweeping the South
2 Peas & a Dog: A Middle School Blog


The first 5 comments I made were to classmates.  I felt I commented when my brain started turning.  Meaning that I thought something was a great idea or I wanted to encourage someone.  I feel this is a great tool to not only help us with our future students but to help us encourage our peers.  We are life long learners so there will always be a new technique that a peer may need help with.

I commented on Sweeping the South.  It is a blog I follow about southern food.  I am originally from Massachusetts but I am learning to love southern food.  This blog is a fellow transplant to the south that discusses her food discoveries. I feel the blog helps me be adventurous with my food choices. 

I commented on the 2 Peas & a Dog blog because I shared her view on feeling compelled to organize.  It helped me feel like I was not the only out there and it also gave me some great tips for my future classroom.

Thing # 3 : Register Your Blog

Blogs can be used as great tools for brainstorming.  Keeping up with a blog while completing my degree can be a great way to reach out to others in my program.  It will be a great way to share best practices that I have found along the way, resources that are helpful, and reach out to other in a time of need.  In the professional teaching world it can do the same thing.  Instead of reading a "how to" you can read experiences from real life teachers that have gone through or are going through the same things as you are. 

Using a blog in the classroom maybe a different story.  I have never seen a blog used in the classroom, until now.  I feel as though it will be a good tool to have everyone collaborate on an idea.  For example everyone reads chapter 1 in the text book.  The teacher posts added materials such as video clips and some food for thought questions.  Then students can comment accordingly.  As the year continues maybe even having each student take the "teacher role" and find added material and pose questions for their peers.  

Thing # 2 : Creating a Blog

I have never created a blog before. I have read a few food/recipe blogs that always make me hungry.  I always admire the way there is a casual flow about those blogs.  It was interesting to see the behind the scenes of a blog.  There are so many different options and customizable options right at your fingers.  I still have a long way to go when it comes to figure out the ins and outs.  But I feel with some fiddling I will get the hang of it.

I decided on the name Ms. Nicole's 23 Things as the name for my blog.  I feel that leaving it open ended gives me creative room to go in whatever direction I deem necessary that day.  My posting name is  Ms. Nicole because that is one thing I adore about the South.  I am originally from Massachusetts and one thing I noticed is that all children call me Ms. Nicole.  I think it is a tradition that is lost in the North East.

Creating the avatar was fun.  It was great to play with all the different options.  It was interesting to pick things that I thought would represent me only to be surprised.  I ended up going with my classic look, curly hair with glasses. I am having trouble adding my avatar to my blog page.  I may have to call in some reinforcements to help me with this one.  I keep getting fun tech savvy error messages :(

Thing # 1 : 71/2 Habits of Life Long Learner

After viewing the 7 1/2 Habits of Life Long Learners, I have the warm fuzzy feeling of a new student in their first semester.  I am excited and enthusiastic to start my higher education and this presentation was a great way to keep my motivated to become a life long learner. 

Accept responsibility for your own learning really hit home with me.  I feel that one of the biggest factors in the success of your education in your own personal drive to learn.  I feel that I have that drive.  I used to refer to it as being a constant learner, but life long learner has a nice ring to it.  I feel that this drive will help me along my way to completing my goal to become a teacher. 

An area that I may need to work harder at is having confidence in yourself as competent, effective leader.  Currently I am not as confident as I need to be in my skills.  I am hoping the skills I learn in my graduate classes will help shape my confidence. 

Don't worry though I still have that war fuzzy new student feeling :)