Thing 12

I have always used Google to search, but I had no idea they had all these other free features. I had trouble getting the picture application open because my cookies weren't enabled and I could not figure out how to enable them on my personal computer. I was able to explore the rest of the features and successfully set up a iGoogle account. http://www.google.com/ig?hl=en. It only took about 30 seconds and I  was also able to set up a Google Calendar, https://www.google.com/calendar/render?pli=1, so far I only have this week put in, but I am really excited about this feature. I also have a student planner, but I have to carry it around with me and remember to write everything down. I like the fact that I have access to the Google Calendar anywhere there is internet access. I was also able to link a TO-DO list to my iGoogle page through gadgets. There are many fun gadgets to explore. This could be very beneficial to educators, organization is a teachers best friend, and being able to access your calender (which can be used daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly) with a few strokes on a computer is a very helpful tool. There are several topics available including, entertainment, financial, politics, communication, and tools. All of these can be used while furthering education, as well as in my future career.

Thing 11

The method of finding feeds that was the easiest would have to be Google Blog search. For my first search I simply put in Elementary Education and I received many great options. I also searched Future Teachers of America and found out they are having an event in Montgomery county pretty soon. I also found Technorati to be very easy to use, and this site broke the blogs down by subject. There were so many different topics, anyone could find something they are interested in blogging about. There are thousands of options for entertainment, business, sports, politics, technology, living, and science. The site can look a little intimidating at first, however once you decide your topic it is pretty easy to narrow it down from there. The blogs I chose from this site were, Mashable (tech info blog), LaughingSquid (art and culture blog), and Code Name: Mama (living and family blog). I was not really fond of Topix Clarksville, however I did use it to find Real Time News Feed Blog for Clarksville, which was an interesting blog. The top blogs on the front page just were not that interesting to me. When I was searching in Google Blog search I found a blog, Uncovered Insights On Elementary Education Strategies , but it only had one post and no comments or feed back which was disappointing. That was the only one I had trouble with, all of the other blogs I was interested in were very easy to set up on my Google reader account.

Thing 10

I really enjoyed exploring RSS and establishing an account. It was very easy to search for blogs that I would be interested in, all you have to do is type your the subject and search. I added Cool Cat Teacher, 100 Free Web Tools for Elementary teachers, Elementary Teacher Resource Blog, Free Technology for Teachers, and Lessons and Classroom games for teachers to my Google reader account. I do not have to go to the individual blogs anymore, I get to go to one established account, where I can access them all in one place. This is a wonderful tool for anyone to use. There is an abundance of useful information out there, and it is convenient to be able to access it on one site. You are not limited to how many blogs you can subscribe to, and you do not have to stick to just one subject either. I can defiantly use the information in the above with current school lessons and with my future career as an educator. Teachers can join various jobs and get suggestions and tips from other teachers across the country. There is an entire teaching network out there and they are all helping each other with these blogs. The only thing you have to do to take advantage of these services is create a free Google reader account. I enjoyed this activity and look forward to learning new skills and tips for the classroom.

Thing #9

http://www.comicstripgenerator.com/search.asp?cartoon=nemo

http://www.images-graphics-pics.com/signs/sign-generator/simple.asp?text=THAT+YOU+CAN+CHANGE+THE+TEXT+IN+THIS+STREET+SIGN&align=center&fontsize=30&font=SignBold&color=black&color2=&watermark=&move=0&move2=&parody=&rotate=-1&pic=notice-this&x=26&y=146&w=280&h=306

 www.sillyscenes.com


These tools were so easy to use, and interesting. It is fun to create unique images using real world images. I could see where students would enjoy using several of these tools to create images. These tools would need to be used under close adult supervision. As I was exploring different tools, I did run across some that would not be appropriate for elementary students. There are several different options for types of signs, you can also do personal banners, add pictures to most of the tools, add your own text, create comics, and so many other options. One of my favorites is silly scenes, and yes that is my little Trinity up in Time Square!  These are fun tools for everyone including  students to explore. In addition to tool options, and the option to add a photo, there is also an option to add your own text. A teacher could create a fun,  personalized sign for the classroom. The students could work together to create images to display in the classroom. This is an overall fun activity that students will enjoy. 

Thing 8

  http://bighugelabs.com/jigsaw.php

I used the jigsaw application on the big huge labs (flickr) to create this masterpiece of me and my husband on our wedding day. This application was very user friendly, and you can share the image or you can buy the actual puzzle. As a teacher, the students could explore this application and create their own puzzle which is fun and a safe application to use. 

 

http://bighugelabs.com/mosaic.php

I used another application on big huge labs that allows you to create a mosaic with selected pictures. You can link the mashup tool to your flicker, facebook account, or you can upload pictures right off of your computer. I had fun making this as well. For a classroom setting the children can use this application in science to create examples of different species and save it to the classroom computer. The photos can be from any photos provided by flickr so this could also help with geometry in math (find different picture examples for shapes). The children are learning, it is fun for them, and they can save their work. I have not had a chance to explore all of the different applications, however I read about the photo application that establishes geographical locations for pictures. That would be helpful in a social studies classroom. 

 You can also combine the applications, for example if you save the puzzles as images on your computer, then you can make a mosaic of picture puzzles! I hope everyone had as much fun as I did exploring these tools.

Thing 7

Flickr is a very interesting imagining networking system that offers many benefits. It serves as a storage place to keep pictures without taking up memory and slowing your computer down. It can also be connected to your facebook, or blog which is a nice aspect. I have created my account but I have not linked it to the blog yet, but I will soon. I also like the fact that you can group pictures together, and chose who has access to them. It is important when you post anything about yourself on the internet you take security precautions. I have looked at several of  the galleries and my favorite one so far is Inspiral, which is a collection of nature made photos of geometric shapes spirals in particular. The gallery I have linked to my blog has beautiful photographs of astronomy. I really like the fact that there are several galleries that appeal to all different kinds of people and their interests. I also really likes the night life gallery which displaying interesting light aspect in large cities at night. This is a great website and I certainly see how it could be beneficial to look up certain galleries in a classroom. There are several image examples below, and if you click on any of them you will be directed to the page where you can find the photographers name!

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2009 - the judges' picks

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2009 - the judges' picks, a gallery by Royal Observatory Greenwich on Flickr.

this is another interesting collection of photos that I found on flickr
Thing 7

Thing #6

The tool I explored for web 2.0 awards was Dropbox. Dropbox is a wonderful tool, once you download and set up your account you can access it from any computer that has Dropbox downloaded. Dropbox is a storage system (users automatically get 2GB for free), and it is also a way you can share certain pictures or documents with specified groups of people instantly. So, if a photographer wanted to send his client pictures of a wedding, etc. he could and they could pick them out on Dropbox and choose what to keep. It can also be used in the classroom setting, for instance students can scan and share work instantly. You can also create groups where the whole class has access to class notes. Dropbox even works if you do not have an internet access, you still have access to all of your saved files. You can create picture galleries only viewable to certain people. My favorite part of Dropbox is that unlike email it is extremely easy to group documents by type and certain people, so you can organize the information easily. The only thing I do not like about it is that it has to be downloaded. It is available for download on all Macs, Windows, most Android phones, Blackberry phones, and all Iphones.