End or Beginning....this is the question

I had never blogged before I entered this class. I have enjoyed the experience, but I don't know what I will do with it honestly from here. There were several things I had never heard of. I feel that I try to stay up to date with Web 2.0 tools. Between my mom and husband already being teachers and me only being a few semesters away from graduating, we all share sites and information with each other. There are some of these things I will be revisiting to use furthermore such as Animoto, online image generators, and delicious. Some of the things seemed to overlap, which many things do anyways in education.  Overall it was very interesting and useful information and experiences.

Thing #23 - Creative Commons

Creative Commons is something still slightly new. I was once told to beg, borough, and steal ideas to improve my teaching. This did not mean to copy them. As a teacher if I find a video that is just awesome, but I don't own it and I have recorded it....can I use it? No, however if I contact the producer and they say I can use my recorded copy in my class I am ok. There are ways to search online for sources that have Creative Commons attached to them. This is a sticky subject and we as teachers have to be careful, not everyone wants their things used for free even in the classroom. Oh how we wish it were....

Thing # 22 - livebinders.com

School sites

Well, here is one of my binders created on livebinders.com. Two others were named Book Reviews and Music. I'm not totally sure how I like this yet. I may have to play around with it some. I liked using the site Delicious better than creating binders, however you can upload your own documents. What do you think about it?

Thing #21 Animoto

Try our slideshow creator at Animoto.

This sight was really really cool!! I signed in through my facebook and it gathered pictures for me to make the short video. Just think, at the end of a school year you could create a video with pictures from the year that parents could see. I was impressed!!

Thing # 20 - YouTube

 This is a video on You Tube that has Candy Cane Crafts. My neighbor and I love to do crafts with out kids and this will come in handy! We use YouTube for a lot of things. I have watched tutorials on how to fix long hair; since my hair is to my knees new hair dos are awesome! :) We have used this actually in my Educational Psychology class this semester to watch the Big Bang Theory clips that associate with the different behaviors we are going over.
The downfall to this site is that every bad thing is not reported. You can accidentally come up on videos that are not appropriate. With every good thing on the internet there is bad that you just have to by-pass.

Thing #19 - Teacherpop

I am currently weighting for approval from the administration to be in on TeacherPop.

Thing #18 - Facebook

I am on Facebook and at one time during the summer my husband called me an addict. My Facebook Page
I can honestly say I do not know everyone well that is on my facebook considering there are 1,187 "friends" on there. There are very few of those that I have not met and that is only because they are some of my husbands family that I have not physically meet. In a way Facebook has become a tell everything site. Parents of some of your students may get on there and complain about you or hopefully bragging about what you are doing in the class. Younger students have facebook pages, that in my opinion are not mature enough for it. I can't say too much about that since I do have a fan page for my daughter. :) She has had multiple health issues and instead of befriending everyone under the sun so they could keep up with her, we made a fan page. I also help run three other organization pages. As a teacher I think it would possibly be appropriate to create a class page that current parents and students could be on that would be another place to find school work information and links for games that go along with the lessons. Most everyone will get on Facebook, but may not go to the school website for the information. I don't like twitter too much, but I really enjoy Facebook. It keeps me connected with friends and family. I have also got to know some of my peers better due to Facebook.

Thing #17 - Delicious

I logged onto Delicious and seemed lost at first. The very first site I found under the "educational Technology" search was glogster.com. You can create your own poster for your classroom or students can create posters over what they have learned. Instantly I was sold. When you look at a post someone has saved under the tag you are searching; you can see everything people have said about it that has tagged it as well. Student could use this in doing research. Teachers can obviously use it to share resources. I will be looking back at this gain and incorporating it into my teaching lifestyle. :)

Thing 16 - igoogle

I chose to use igoogle. Almost everything I use is based on google for some reason. It is very helpful on a laptop to use the igoogle. When you log in everything you would normally look up is right there in front of you. Unless your doing homework, there is really no reason to "search" the net. On the iPad and iPhone the calendar on there syncs with the online calendar. I don't like the idea of using a to-do list when I just use my calendars to give me reminders. I don't want to input something I have to do twice. I use the online calendar with google and our school e-mail calendar. Not only do I get it on my phone or mobile device, but when I long onto my laptop I can see it there as well. I have used igoogle in the past, however I do not have my own computer right now. :( I will use it again though.

Thing 15 - Wiki

I had no idea there was more to Wiki than the Wikipedia. This is like a closed discussion board! I was thinking while watching the video about wikis, how cool would that be to use in school organizations or even with teachers in the same grade in the same district that are trying to teach generally the same stuff. This could also be used if you have a small group at church that is working on a bible study. The uses for a wiki is endless, just not many people know that they are there to create. AWESOEM!

Thing 14

Bubbl.us is a great source for teachers. I could only imagine using this site on a smart board brainstorming with the class! Students can use this to arrange their thoughts before writing. In younger grades the teacher can create a "web" on here for the students to fill out.

Thing 13 - Zoho vs Google

Ok. Exploring on Zoho Writer was not friendly to me. I was using my iPad and could not do much. I'm not sure if it was internet connection or using a mobile device. When I got home to the laptop, it worked better, but I still didn't like it.
Call me old school, but I had problems with the Google app as well. I guess I have used microsoft office too long.
Google was better than Zoho, but I couldn't figure out how to upload a drawing. Here is a link to a document I tried to put together. If I had to choose between the two, I would choose Google.
Test Document
I can see how using Google documents  would be beneficial for collaborative work with students. The group would set up an account and each do their part for example...one person would write a paper, one a spread sheet, another a drawing.

Again I still prefer Microsoft. 

Thing #12 Google, more than just a search engine!

I use Google Calendar all the time, and it is a life saver! Every doctor's appointment, speech therapy appointment, and audiologist appointment our daughter has goes right into my Google Calendar. I can then e-mail or add my husband to the event if I know he needs to be aware. If your spouse/significant other, parent, friend, or anyone else has a Google Calendar account, you can add their calendar to yours so both schedules can be seen. This would also work great for those that you may work with.
https://www.google.com/calendar/render?tab=yc&pli=1

I did not know that Google Translate even existed! How awesome! If, or should I say when, I have a child in my class that has non-english speaking parents, this will be an awesome tool to use in translating communication notes.
http://translate.google.com/#auto/en/Estoy%20cansado

Thing #11 Finding a Circle of Wise

I love the idea of having a circle of wise to draw from and that you can become like those that you surround yourself with. I went to the sites listed to help us find other blogs. It seemed like there were links to so many other places on the blogs (or I think they were the actual blog). It would be a very long process to read through them to choose which blogger(s) I am interested in. In the past I have used my Pinterest account to find blogs I am interested in. Friends and people I know and are connected to have found or have been pointed towards blogs for craft, classroom, cooking, etc...ideas. I have similar interest with many people on my Pinterest page which makes it so easy to find blogs to add to my circle of wise.

Thing #10 RSS

We were asked to create an account with Google Reader for RSS (Really Simple Syndication). At first I didn't want to do this because I had already added the blogs I wanted to follow on my Blogger account. I logged into Google Reader and because both sites use my google account, the blogs I  added or subscribed to on my Blogger account was already set up in Google Reader. How cool is that? I have already been using the RSS in Blogger and didn't even know what it was called. I have used this over the past few weeks to see what some of my favorite bloggers have posted. A few of them post awesome things that I could do with my daughter and the neighbors children. I will be using a blog and a RSS to keep up with fellow teachers and others that have wonderful ideas  to help with my classroom when I become a teacher.

Thing #9 Fun Generators

http://www.happyfacegenerator.com/

http://cmtk3.webring.org/l/rd?ring=signgeneratorima;id=2;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecomicstripgenerator%2Ecom%2F

This activity is pretty fun! I can put anything I want to say in a comic, sign, picture, etc... At some of the schools here in Montgomery County there are poster makers. How awesome would it be to create a poster using one of these generators for the classroom!! I could also use generators like these in church activities or with the Non-Traditional Student Society that I am a part of.

Thing #8 extras with Flicker

 

Well before I did this Spell with Flicker image, I thought I had been slightly up to date...that would be a negative! I about had a melt down trying to get the image to show up. On the instructions it said there were fairly easy directions to upload the code to our blog. I was thoroughly confused! Thanks to my wonderful husband, I figured out that I had to click on the HTML button where we create our post. Now I could do this again without any problems! :) Spell with Flicker could be used in the classroom as fun ways to label areas or with decorating bulletin boards. Some of the others like Mappr would be fun to use when exploring different cultures in class. I am fine with sharing photos online. Sharing photos online is the easiest way to share pictures of our daughter with family that we only get to see a few times a year.

Thing #7 - Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/88337405@N07/8071233042/lightbox/

This is a picture of our daughter, Doriann. She had been trying to take a picture of herself with my phone and someone else did it for her while we were waiting for our team to be called at the APSU Mud Bowl 2012. This may not be the right URL for this picture. I couldn't quite figure it out. I have tried a few photo share sites. I'm not really fond of them. However, I do like to use PhotoShop Express on the iPad and iPhone. Flickr seemed complicated to me. It took a long time for me to figure out how to add my photo to the apsu23things group. I would rather upload a photo from my phone, e-mail, or hard drive. Maybe after spending more time and practice with Flickr  I could be a fan. Have any of you found that after using a photo share site, for some time, that you became a fan?

Thing #6 Music to the ears -Pandora

Pandora was started in the year 2000. The company was not launched on the web until 2005 and now it's everywhere. I was a junior in high school in 2000 and I loved music, but did not hear of Pandora until just a couple of years ago. Although I have Pandora on my phone and laptop, I have never really researched the site to see what all Pandora offers. In the past I have found a black gospel channel to listen too and used the nature and toddler channels for my daughter. There are options to create your own radio station by choosing your favorite artist or genre of music. Once the station is created, the user has the option to like or dislike a song that comes on. If a song is disliked, it is then taken off the station. However, if a song is liked Pandora will find other artist and music that is much like the song that was liked. Users are exposed to a more broad array of music and artist. A function that I will be searching for on my phone is repeat. The CNet site said this option is available. Sometimes I am in a moment with a song that comes on and I would rather listen to it again, but I didn't know it was possible. Check out Pandora.com if you haven't used them before. I promise, if you love music, you will be satisfied!

Pandora was listed as the Webware 100 winner on: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13546_109-10236913-29.html?tag=mncol

Thing #5 - Web 2.0

Web/school/teacher 2.0 is exactly where education needs to be. I am a non-traditional student,but I feel like I am pretty up to date on technology and the need for it. I see my 3 year old using the iPad and iPhone like there is nothing to it. Using social networking is the norm for the majority of people. I have two grandparents that are on Facebook and use it often. We have almost anything a computer has on our phones. My husband and I were youth pastors for several years and we learned quickly that social media is a must for the younger generations. Education has to be updated. Our students are very visual! They almost expect a show with a power point. Why can't education become entertainment?

The problem with school 2.0 is that all schools do not have the technology we are taught with in college. My mother is a school teacher and was all excited when she received a grant she worked for to get a smart board, one of the very few in the county. In the future, schools need the technological equipment for all students to have access. We do have to remember that in this internet based world we live in, there are still some students that will not have access to it outside of school. Older teachers and those that may not be as "up to date" need to exert themselves and become 2.0 teachers. Do you agree?

Thing #4 - Commenting Is Essential

In the past, I have looked and even used information I have found on several blogs, but I have never commented. It never seemed that important until I watch the movie Julie and Julia and began my own blog. In the movie it is stated several times that there may not be anyone reading her blog or that people don't even know she exist. As it's been brought to my attention, commenting on the blogs of people that you follow is one of the most important things you can do. If your favorite blogger decided to stop blogging because they thought no one was reading their blog, you would miss them. It's important for there to be a connection with the people reading your blog. Look at it like they are friends you have never met, after all they do help you with ideas and activities for your profession or hobby.

Being new at this idea of blogging, I never thought it to be a technique to get more comments. If a blogger is really serious about his/her ideas and information being put out for anyone to see, they need to leave some questions for people to respond to and stay humble. Even if you never meet the person that is blogging, their personality comes out in their writing. More than likely I wouldn't comment on someone's blog or even read it much, for that matter, if they sound better than anyone else or feels there is no other way but theirs.

I guess because I'm the type person that likes attention, but not to draw attention, I have a problem thinking about drawing attention to my own blog. Now the more I get into blogging and feel that my ideas or thoughts could help someone else, I might advertise my blog on other's in comments.

I chose two blogs from which I already had some of their ideas on my Pinterest page, but I have never left comments:  http://crayonsandlessonplans.blogspot.com/ and http://www.playcreateexplore.com/.

For classmates, I have chosen two that I enjoy listening to in class and three others that seemed interesting on their blog.
    http://23things23.blogspot.com/
    http://makingadifference29.blogspot.com/
    http://cruzer5.blogspot.com/
    http://teachingisnot4sissies.blogspot.com/
    http://justteach123.blogspot.com/

Thing #3

Over the past year Pinterest has become one of my best friends! Before I experienced Pinterest, I had only looked at maybe two blogs in my lifetime. Now I see the power in a good blog. There are many people that have great ideas to help people in different ways. My brother-in-law started a blog about youth ministry a little over two years ago. From his blog he has now written a book that was just published and spoke at several conferences. My blogging may never be as popular, but my ideas may help someone. As one teacher here at APSU (Austin Peay State University) once said, "As a good teacher you will beg, borrow, and steal ideas". The techniques and ideas I put on my blog may not all be originated by me, but I will give credit to whom credit is due. If anything I can post can and will help someone else, my job as a blogger will be fulfilled.

Thing #2 I'm a blogger!

I never thought I would say I have a blog. I guess in some ways posting on facebook fills the void of journalism or blogging. During the class where we were instructed through the steps to set up our Blogger, I honestly felt lost. I thought to myself, "Wow, this is going to be an interesting experience." So for the address for my blog I chose a nick name my dad called me as a kid and added the word experiences, doodaexperiences@blogger.com. As for the title of the blog page, I may change it, that is if it is possible. I'm looking for a title more creative.  The process was very easy to set up the blog, but in class it seemed everything was going so fast when we were being instructed.

The avatar I chose for this page is much like myself. I have really long dark brown hair and I like to dress up with high hills. I normally match together solid colors like my avatar has on so that the items can be mix-matched to create different outfits. I love to smile and be relaxed, but the avatar seems stiff.

I find it funny that I am writing this as I am watching a movie about a lady blogging her journey of cooking called Julie & Julia. I think this experience as a blogger will be fun.

Thing #1 Lifelong Learning

As most of us know, we never stop learning. It's easy to see as a parent that even a child just moments old can learn. We learn even if we aren't thinking about it. A professor here at Austin Peay stated that some of the best learning comes from play. A baby learns to reach out for objects through play. This goes for adults as well. Think about technology. I just purchased an iPad and the best way for me to learn and understand how to use the device is through playing on it. I would have to say that the habit of playing is the easiest of the 7 1/2 habits for Lifelong Learning for myself.

Other habits for Lifelong Learning that seem to come more easily for myself is: creating a learning toolbox, using technology, and teaching/mentoring others. In my toolbox is the use of technology (computers, iPads, cell phones, ect..), books, videos, information I have heard or acquired from others, and the list keeps growing. Throughout the years as a Sunday School teacher, musician, wife, mother, and student, I have come to cherish the the idea of being a mentor /teacher or being on the receiving end of having a mentor/teacher. If a person is teaching or mentoring another person, they have to become knowledgeable of the subject. Teaching a Sunday School class or in a school classroom, there are times as a teacher that the lesson maybe new to you as well. This situation requires research so you can then teach it to the students. Technology can help in so many ways during research and mentoring. On the iPad there are applications that can allow someone without the ability to communicate with vocalization or sign to "voice" what they want through touching pictures. There are also applications to help translate if talking to a non-English speaker. Just by using the touch screen of my phone and the iPad, my daughter that is delayed in speech has learned many words.

Several of the other habits do not come as natural or easy for myself. As a child reading was an issue for me. I am confident in my learning abilities, but at times recalling information I have read is difficult. Many times I will read and sometimes re-read information to insure I understand. With that in mind I do take responsibility for my own learning, but it is so easy to blame things as humans on other people. Lets say a child gets to sixth grade and still does not understand multiplication. It's easier to say that the teacher in 3rd grade was horrible and didn't teach the child what he/she should know even though the rest of the class understand the concept.

Viewing problems as challenges and beginning something with the result in mind is very hard to do at times. My daughter had medical issues as a baby. It was very hard to see that the problem was just a challenge at that point in time. Now I can look back and say it was just a challenge that we had to go through to learn and grow spiritually and as a family. I love to start things with a goal in mind like, I want to be a size 6. That's a goal, but as I start the process of losing weight the goal seems to disappear through the challenges through the weight loss journey. These are areas that I am constantly working on. As I continue learning, hopefully these last two problem areas for me will become easier.