Thing #23

I was very impressed with the educational Networks because of the wealth of knowledge that is being put out on the Web.  I had no idea there were so many social networks.  You can really find some great information on these sites from educational ideas to hobbies.  This is exactly what I was looking for.  I was really overwhelmed by it all, because there were so many.  I was going in all different directions and I had to start focusing on one topic.

There were several social networks that I want to become a member of, such as NextGen Teachers. I enjoy learning about new ways to use technology in the classroom and there are so many sites dealing with that topic.  There was a social network called GlobalClassroom where you could take a free online technology courses. I thought that was a great idea.

It would be great to have a social network maybe just for the students, it would have to be organized and managed appropriately.  But, this would be another way to get students involved in life-long learning.  This would show them that there are endless ways to learn and become involved in things or ideas that you enjoy.  Just another way to catch their attention in school and make learning fun, as well as learning how to interact with peers through networking.

Thing #22

We need to know how are students are learning and what gets their attention.  The world is changing all the time, as well as our students.  We need to keep up with the technology that is changing around us and learn how to embrace it and use it as an advantage to teach.  A lot of the time our students are more advanced in the realm of technology than we are. 

I created a MySpace account about a year ago because I wanted to find old friends. I learned that there are a lot more people on MySpace than I ever figured there would be.  I looked for old college classmates, and it was real easy to narrow the search down.  I did find some educational groups, I would have to investigate them further to see if I was interested in being a part of that group. 

I disliked that children can use this type of networking in a negative way.  Some of the pictures that are posted are not appropriate.   I think that children need to be monitored by their parents when using these sites.  

I do like that you can have a group of friends that you can keep in touch with and contact without having to repeat your search.  I enjoy the pictures from my friends sites the most, I can keep up with my friends families and their adventures.  I also enjoy all of the image generators that can be used in MySpace. There are endless ones which makes each site unique.   MySpace also allows you to block people, or keep your site private which is a plus when your students want to make you a friend. 

I rarely use MySpace, but the page features are really awesome.  If I had time, I would love to explore more of the image generators that MySpace allows.  

I would not be comfortable using these sites for education (classroom use).  I can see teachers using it to talk to other teachers  or to become part of an educational group.  

Thing #7b

I read a very interesting blog from my Google Reader. It was called "Is It Okay to be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?" I really enjoyed this blog, because I think about this quite often. I am a tech facilitator and I have teachers that have no interest at all to learn new technology or to even use it for teaching. They will give every excuse in the book to not come to the computer lab. I try to give them ideas on things that they can do in the computer lab, which makes me excited for the students. Those ideas are often shot down. I know that what they really need is just a little training to get them comfortable. The only way to get comfortable is to actively participate. They can't deny that students are more engaged when technology is being used. Why not learn new ideas for the classroom to better engage the students? We have the resources in Mesquite to do that, so their really is no excuse.

Great Blog!!

Thing #21

I started using Google Notebook, because I think this would be a great way to research your family history and then allow your family to view and edit as you find new information. My grandfather was also in WWII and I often research his division and I ask him questions as I go along. The Google Notebook would be very useful in this way as well. I can see using Google Notebook to do research with a group of people. The group can read and edit what others have written or researched. This allows many people to collaborate together on one page instead of on ten different pieces of paper.

I was also researching the Battle of Franklin on Google Notebook, because I am reading "The Widow of the South". This fictional book is based on true stories. So I was checking out the factual information as I read the book. As I was researching, I found that Google Earth has the Battle of Franklin mapped out for you. It shows battles, famous plantations, deaths of Generals, and many important details to the battle. Google Earth would be great to use to show important areas of the World. You can take a virtual tour of many locations of interests.

Thing 20

My initial thoughts about Google Docs was that you could download files from your computer to share.  I didn't realize that you could actually create them in Google Docs.  I am a little confused on one thing though.  Do all people involved have to have a google account?

I am always sending out URLs on different resources for teachers to use in their classroom.  I could create a web page of these URLs and keep adding to it or change it from year to year.  The teachers could add to it as well.  I enjoy feedback from them as well, and Google Docs would allow me to do that in many ways, by a shared document or by using a form.  Google Docs can also be used for proofreading.  I often have my friends proofread my documents before they are sent out, this would be very helpful in that aspect.  

I really like the idea that there are not a huge amount of copied documents, there is only one document shared among many people.  I can see how this tool would be very helpful.  All we need now is Google to be unblocked.

Thing #19

Voicethread would be great to use to discover what students already know and have learned about a topic.  You could have a pre and post assessment, what they already know at the beginning and what they have learned at the end. For example, if the universe is the next topic in Science.  The teacher could create a voicethread asking students to respond on what they already know about the universe.  Then at the end of the lesson(s) the students can reflect on what new things they have learned.  

In my personal life, I would love to send old pictures to my family on voicethread and have them respond on what was going on that day, etc.  Just like the voicethread introduction.  That would be a lot of fun to hear their comments.  Especially my grandparents photos.

I liked this voicethread that talked about blogging, it was a tutorial for a biology class.  

Thing #18

I wanted to find videos that explains some of the things that we learned in Web 2.0.  This would be for teachers who are not able to take the class and are interested in some of the applications that we have discussed.

I wanted to find a video explaining Wikis and describing instructions on how to set one up, etc.  I found exactly that on teachertube.  I searched for Wikis and got pbwiki which gave me basic instructions on creating a wiki page.  There were also multiple sights on pbwiki that gave detail instructions on how to set up your site. These videos would be very helpful for teachers starting a wiki page.

Then I looked up different applications that I was not so familiar with, such as iMovie.  I found multiple sights that walked me through the whole process of adding text, add and trim audio, and adding transitions in iMovie. This was amazing.  It seems endless on the information that can be viewed on Teachertube.   

Thing #17

I previewed The Tech Teachers.  The podcast was created by two teachers who enjoy using technology in the classroom.  Each week they podcast some of their ideas, such as new technology (iPhone) and ways to use technology for school.  They explain technology terminology as well as give reviews on certain Web 2.0 sites and technology resources.  

The podcast directories that I stuck with were the ones that discussed technology uses in the classroom.  I found quite a few on iTunes, I downloaded about 5 different podcast over that topic.  I also wanted to learn different uses for an iPod, so I downloaded Learning at Hand: iPod.  

Podcasts would be good for tutorials on special technology uses.  For example:  How to set up a wiki or blog.  You can talk them through the entire process.

The Spanish teacher at my school, creates a PowerPoint for his students and he puts them on the iPod.  They can then listen to it as well as read it and follow along as they are reviewing over a new concept.

Thing #16

There were several things that I enjoyed about LibraryThing. Recommendations of books gave me great ideas for my next read. I really liked the Zeitgeist Overview. I could find a top author and look at the books that they have written. I could also look at the top book list, to help me find a book. The star ratings is a great tool to use, because I don't want to waste my time with a horrible book. This sight is going to save me a lot of time at the library.

LibraryThing would allow students to read a novel and blog about it or even rate it. It would give them an opportunity to get new ideas for their next read. If they enjoy reading Harry Potter stories then they can get recommendations for other books that are similar. You can use covers to make posters or a photomosaic.

Thing #15

My delicious bookmarking page has tagged sites for technology lessons, music, and audio books. This is a much easier way to search for sights that you need in a hurry.  My bookmarks get so big and unorganized that it takes me forever to find what I am looking for.  I also enjoy that you can write notes that will remind you about the content in the site.

I have teachers ask me all the time for lessons for the computer lab.  Now, I have a place to save resources where I can easily get to them.  This goes for anything. All I have to do is search a keyword and all of those sites will pop up.  

I am ready to import all of my bookmarks into delicious!

Thing #7b

I subscribe to Tipline - Gates' Computer Tips.  I read a blog about a teacher using Goggle Earth to teach a math lesson.  The students were directed to a tall building by zooming in and looking at the top of the building with a view down toward the grown.  The questions was "How tall is the building?".  They couldn't cheat because it wasn't a famous building, so they could not use the Internet to look it up.  All they had was the shadow to figure it out.  

I thought that blog was a very innovative way to teach a math lesson.  The blog also gives a site that has math lessons using the real world.

Thing #14

I looked at everyone of the tools for Thing #14.  I spent 20 minutes on Jigzone, putting a puzzle together.  That was my break time from actually doing my lesson.  I also want to use Mixbook

at some point to create a photo book of my family's vacations.  I have realized that I need to take more pictures so I can download them into all of these great websites. This lesson has been very enjoyable, because I have now bookmarked lots of sights to share with my teachers.

PollDaddy would be a very useful site for teachers to add surveys or take a poll on their website or blog.    You can add text, pictures, and video to your polls.  It can be used to ask students questions on what they are learning or students can use it to create their own surveys for a class project.  It is very quick and easy to get results very fast.  Results are also graphed to get you a better view of your data.

Thing #13

The beach picture came from Image Chef.  All you have to do is type what you want to write in the sand and it does it for you. Then you can drag it to your desktop.  There were many more great ideas on this site, this picture just caught my attention right.  

The Happy Face Generator is very unique.  You can create smiley face logos, signs, and comic strips.  You have to choose your specific smiley face character and type what you would the sign to say.  Then, drag it to your desktop.

It took me a long time to get this assignment completed because I played around so much.  I finally was running out of time so I had to make myself finally narrow it down and choose something.  There are so many different Image Generators that I wanted to see all of them.

Image Generators are a really fantastic ways to make presentations unique.  You can use them on the school website, newsletter, and newspaper. The image generators can be used to create a story for your class.  It can be a great way to create a biography for a certain character or famous person.  There are endless opportunities to gather unique images to tell a story or get a point across.

Thing #12

My slideshow has four pictures showing the different ways that students use technology.  The only bad part is the quality of the pictures are bad.  I really do not know what I did to make them look like that.  If you have any ideas please let me know.   You can view my photos at my wiki sight LH Sandbox.

Thing #11

I had heard about Flickr but never searched through the website to see what it was really about.  It was more complex than I thought.  I thought that it was just a sight where you could share your photos with your friends.

I read the blog on different ways that Flickr could be used in school.  I really enjoyed reading the blog about using Flickr for vocabulary.  What a unique way to learn vocabulary words.  

"Youth using Technology" was the theme for the selection of pictures.  I wanted to show different ways that children are using technology.

Thing #10

I was not familiar with CC at all, although we discuss copyright every year and we teach copyright laws to our students as well as our teachers.  Creative Commons has never been mentioned. 

We as educators like to share our work to help others teach.  That is just our nature, to give what we have created to help others learn. CC would be a great advantage in doing that.  

I think that it would be great for our students, they enjoy helping and contributing.  It is a great feeling when someone enjoys your work so much that they want to use it to help themselves succeed or accomplish their goal.

Thing #9

I had teachers at school who wanted to create Wikis.  I was not familiar with them so I had created one in the summer to see how it works.  I still was not truly understanding the full concept of a Wiki until this lesson showed me how it works and ways to utilize it.  This discovery activity helped me out a lot.  

Several steps were taking to create a Wiki.  Adding the content and linking to sites was fairly easy.  Although, I did have a little trouble with the Table of Contents. Trying to figure out the layout that I wanted took me some time and I am still not happy with it.   I want it to look neat and inviting, so I had to look at other Wiki's to get ideas.  It still is not what I want, but it will get there one day.

It took some time finding a picture or embedding media into my Sandbox.  It should be a lot faster once I get use to the process.  I really enjoyed the generator samples.  Those were really exciting, I did not realize there were so many of those out there.  I can't wait to have a little more time to explore those.

Overall, the experience was great and I felt excited knowing that our students could enjoy this just as much as we do creating it. 

Thing #8

Holocaust Wiki Project

The AP World History class used the wiki for a final review.  They will then use it for a review guide for the final AP exam.  Each group gets a topic and they have to research and write an article or outline on their specific World History topic.  

There was also another class on this wiki that researched families in the Holocaust.  It is a branching simulation where you can choose your own adventure.  It reflects their research on a family in the Holocaust and the decision points, and pros and cons/consequences of their decisions.  It is very interesting and I am not real sure how it all works.  It really gets the students thinking about how hard it was to make a decision because you were not sure if it was going to be the correct one.  They used many links to different student groups to help with the branching simulation.

I would have liked for this sight to be set up a little different, maybe more inviting to catch my attention.  

Grazing for Digital Natives

This wiki contained professional resources for teachers, administration, and staff development. The content will help to integrate technology into the schools.  The very first thing that you see is a woman that speaks to you about the wiki.  This is called Voki.  Way cool!

She has some amazing information on this site. There are many resource such as: informational technology blogs, sites used frequently on the network,  professional resources, and class resources.  This wiki is very friendly and easy to get around.  She has the main menu on the right, so you can get to anything quickly on her front page.  Everything to the left of her page deals with staff development and life long learning.

Schools in the Past

Cute and simple wiki that had 1st graders interview their parents and grandparents to discuss how schools have changed.  The class compiled a list of their findings on the wiki.  It was really interesting to read what they discovered from their family members.  There was also a spot for parents/grandparents to post comments if they would like.

Ideas

I would like to have a wiki at my school where teachers could collaborate on different ways that they use technology in their classroom.  Have it set up by subjects, they can then comment about what lesson that they taught and the technology tools that they used with that lesson. Maybe what worked and what did not, set up links to different sites that they have used.  Then other teachers could read the wiki, and get ideas and add on.

We are getting Promethean Slates and if we could have a wiki that kind of relates to my first idea, where the teachers add on to new ideas and ways to use the Promethean Slates.  Even collaborate with other schools.

Thing #7

I really do not know if I enjoy commenting.  I always second guess myself on what I write.  Do they really care... does it sound good.... how can I contribute to the conversation.  It takes a lot of energy for me to figure out exactly how I want to respond.  

Commenting is important, I do realize this, because it reflects your views and opens up a whole new realm of questions and answers.  It allows for people to interact and broaden the topic with new ideas.  I just seem to put way to much thought into it instead of just letting it flow.  

Blogging to me is OK, it is just commenting that I am having a hard time with.  Anyone else having this problem?

Thing #6

This activity started off very slow, because I had to learn what to look for.  It took me over an hour to really get going.  After I got to the very end of the lesson, I had blogs in my reader that I was interested in, and I was very excited.  I know have the blogs that I enjoy to read, especially Great New Books that Are a Must Read.  If you love to read books, this site gives you many books to choose from and a book review.

I am also putting together a daily workout routine at my school.  I am planning on getting ideas from Workout Routine Blog.  It is a health sight for women, which gives workout routines, diet suggestions, video recommendations, and many more answers to health issues.

I wanted to blog on non-school items because sometimes we just need a break to enjoy and read things that make us happy.  Not that my job does not make me happy, but I put so much effort into it everyday that it is relaxing making my mind wonder elsewhere.

Thing #5

Google Reader is great, I love having access to the important information that I enjoy reading.  I found a site "Seven blogs news tracker compared".  It list sites that track the latest, and best blog posts.  Sites such as Techmeme, Blogrunner, Google Blog Search, and Technorati.

Blog Search - organizes the biggest news

Techmeme - figures out which stories are hot and orders them accordingly

Blogrunner - new tracking service owned by The New York Times

Technorati - lists the hottest stories by topic

They all have the same idea but each one brings something a little different.  If you have time, check it out.

Thing #4

I have never sat down and read blogs before.  I am beginning to really enjoy them.  I have realized to get anything out of it though, you have to be interested in what they are discussing.  That is probably true for most things.  The comments are fascinating as well, it give you a whole new outlook on the article that you just read.  It is an expansion on what was written.  If you are like me, sometimes I want to know more and the article just leaves me hanging, wondering... what next.  To read these comments, it really opens the door for more discussion and learning.  

The no homework blog was very interesting, and there was quite a discussion.  I really enjoyed her research over this topic.  I enjoyed reading comments on what has worked and what hasn't. All teachers are different but sights like this teaches us so much. We do not have to have a staff development over it, we can read blogs on teachers who have actually implemented this.  This is true for the new way of creating PowerPoint.  The learning that can come from blogs is overwhelming.  

Thing #2

Our World is changing and we need to change with it or we will be left behind. Web 2.o gives many ideas on ways to get your students engaged in learning. The opportunities are endless, which makes you wonder where to start. It can provide many ways to communicate with parents to teachers, teachers to students, as well as parents to students.

"A Day in the Life of WEb 2.0" helps me to realize that our students our digital learners. The old fashion way of teaching is not practical when it comes to the way our world has changed in the aspect of technology. Students enjoy using technology to learn, create, explore, etc. It engages them in a way that reaches a multitude of learners.

Web 2.0 tools can be used by learning how to blog and create wiki's that may by used to teach educators how to use these resources in their classroom. It will provide a different way of communicating as well as learning new sources of teaching that can be implemented into the classroom.

Thing #1

The most challenging habit for me will be #3, View problems as Challenges. Most of the time I can deal with problems when I have time to fix them. When time is limited is when it gets really challenging. I will have to use my additional help if it gets to rough.

The easiest habit as a lifelong learner is #2, Accept responsibility for your own learning. Our district provides a lot of opportunity to grow as a life long learner. Mentors, Staff Development, Tutorials, are all provided to help us grow in our academic realm. These things are offered to us for free which allows us to take advantage of the opportunity to learn.

The most important habit will be #7, Teach/Mentor others. I am in a position that will help provide resources to teachers, that will help them become knowledgeable on all the possibilities of Web 2.0.