Is this the end or only the beginning? :):) so done

I am able to take some great resources out of this program. As far as favorites are concerned, I really enjoyed making the pictures and videos. I will defiantly be using that one in the future. Another exercise I loved was making my own home page in Google, I did not know you could completely personalize your own web page full of useful tools and resources. My absolute favorite would have to be thing 22 where you could make your own videos. Every single thing has giving me something I can take with me in my future endeavors.

This program has given me a positive outlook on my future education goals. I can go out into the education field knowing that all of the information I could ever need to be successful right at my finger tips; all I really need is an internet connection. 

What really surprised me about this class was how unbelievably helpful it was. I took a technology class at my last school and absolutely hated it, and I felt like I didn't learn anything. This class is just the opposite, I have learned so much. 

What I have learned will help me daily as a teacher; part of being a good teacher is knowing how to use your resources to improve.

I may take a workshop or a refresher course in a few years because technology changes on a daily basis.

Thing 23!!

A little under Dr.Walls' avatar, there is a paragraph stating that Learning 2.0-23 Things for Teachers is based on a staff development program for the Mesquite Independent School District, and the Program was designed by Helene Blowers and adapted by the California School Library Association and it has been borrowed and duplicated with permission under Creative Commons.

I found the creative commons lesson so helpful in class. I know what plagiarism is, however it does not seem like I actually learned about copyright until my late high school years. I am sure I used pictures and songs without giving proper credit when I was younger. It is best to build strong habits as early as possible. If you learn something and practice it while you are young, it will be second nature. Before this class I didn't even realize there were special websites where you could go to use pictures and other materials for academic purposes. This skill is very important, especially since the internet has made other people's work so accessible.

Thing 22

LiveBinders is absolutely fantastic. It was so easy to set up and free. I made three binders titled, teachers resources, which has general education resources on the elementary level, and I also have one titled Science Scavenger hunt, the last one is Math activities.http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=377858. Anyone can access any of my binders through the link I just put in here. I can see this being an extremely valuable resource for teachers and for students. In the classroom setting the teacher and the class could work together to make a binder, and it can be filled with learning activities, or recess type activities. I also really like the fact that you can add your own websites that you have found, or you can get Google search to fill up your binder. That particular feature is a real time saver. I would recommend this to any teacher or student.

Thing 21

This has been one of my favorite things of the semester so far. If you want to make a 30 second video, it is free and if you would like to make a longer video the fee is well worth it. The following is a link to all my videos http://animoto.com/projects. I have already posted the one about Trinity to this sight. This website was so easy to use, and there are certainly enough options for picking photos to put in your video. I did have a few issues with uploading my own music, but that could have just been my computer. If I can figure out how to upload my own music, I would pay the fee to make longer videos. I learned my multiplication facts by using songs and this resource would be great for creating a multiplication tape in the classroom. This site would also be useful to make a class video, the students in my future classes will probably have as much fun as I did exploring this site.

My Animoto Video

My Animoto Video

Thing 20

Youtube is another website I use frequently. This website is wonderful, in that you can basically find anything that you could ever want to view from music videos, to funny home videos, instructional videos, and even full television shows. With Youtube (especially in the classroom) the teacher needs to be in control of the video browsing. There are several videos on Youtube that are not elementary friendly. There are several instructional videos in all subjects, for all grades, so this (in the right hands) could be a wonderful classroom tool. This website is absolutely great if you are looking for resources, or entertainment videos.

Thing 19

I already knew about Facebook, but I did not know about the other social networking systems out there. I enjoyed exploring TeacherPop, and I am waiting on approval to post a photo and a comment to it. I also really love the social network the Bakespace, which offers thousands of recipes, free of charge. I also explored Ning, which includes a 30-day free trial, however it is not free all the time. I did look at the prices and 3 dollars a month is not bad, especially when you consider the advantages. There are obviously advantages to having a focused social networking system. In the classroom it would be better than Facebook, because Facebook, is focused on socializing and games. TeacherPop has a subject outlined. I currently have an account with Facebook, and I signed up for TeacherPop today as well as Bakespace. I will definitely us Bakespace in the future. Possibly Filmcrave too, because I love movies. 

Thing 18

This is actually one thing I was familiar with, I have had a Facebook account for a while now. I did not know that the Education department had there own page thought,  and I was pleasantly surprised by the information I found on that particular page, here is a link to my Facebook account:  /http://www.facebook.com/groups/137494276493/ with the group of education. If you would like to take a look at my personal Facebook account, it is under my married name Natasha Powers. (Haven't actually changed the name yet!! It is extremely important to have plenty of resources when you actually start working, and it is always nice having a constant contact with the people that you went to school with. Chances are you will be starting your career around the same time, and you can be a support system for each other. Some of the members of the group have already become teachers and they can be a very valuable resource as well. I do think that social networking is a great resource for teachers, and it could be useful in a classroom setting if carefully monitored. The age group also makes a difference. You aren't really supposed to create a Facebook account until you are 13 for a good reason. I do not believe an elementary student should be able to have unlimited access to social networking, because it can be dangerous.

Thing 17

I honestly have never even used the bookmarking tool before exploring the social bookmarking options. I always just type the same thing in the search bar and hope that I will be able to find it again! This is a fun easy to use tool to organize frequently used (or even great not so frequently used websites). It was so easy to use and in the last 10 minutes I have bookmarked 3 of the websites I found to be helpful in this class so far. I really enjoy the fact that there is a search engine in the actually bookmarking site to pull up helpful information. I believe this tool would be great for students to use in the elementary setting. The teacher could post helpful resources and bookmark them students, you could even get more descriptive to narrow the results down. This is also a great way for teachers to share useful websites. There are millions of websites out there and most of us simply do not have the time to conduct open ended searches every time we need to find a resource. I believe this resource will help me as a student as well as a teacher. Knowing what other people are saying about the website is also a helpful tool when deciding what to bookmark.

Thing #16

The start up page that I choose was iGoogle. I really enjoyed setting the page up. The liked the background choices for iGoogle. It was also really easy to set up and add gadgets. I created a to-do list for assignments and I was also able to attach a calendar and my favorite news updates. There is even a comic strip at the bottom. I will be turning this into my home page, it is very convenient to have everything I need on one page. As a college student and a mother, it is imperative that I stay organized and on task. Here is a link to my igoogle page..
http://www.google.com/ig#t_0

Thing 15

Wiki tools are awesome. I have always used wikipedia because even though it is not appropriate for research, it is quite informative. I had no idea there were so many pages similar to wikipedia, but in a different format. It was so easy to sign up/register to the pages to make changes. The APSU sandbox was my favorite page, I have not had the chance to go into everyone's blogs in all the classes, so it was nice to see everyone's favorite project on one page. I could definitely see using this tool in an elementary setting. Students would love to be able to share, and edit a class page.

Thing 14

Of the mind map options, I choose Bubbl.us which I set an account for and explored the program. I have a paper coming up in a literature class so I put in potential topics to see how far I could make the bubble diagram go, and the first two topics did not go very far, so I knew that probably wouldn't be a good idea to use those. One great thing about this program is, if you are thinking about a project and you need to make a decision based on whether or not you have enough information for that topic you can put your thoughts in an illustration and see a visual of the assignment. I am a visual learner so this is very helpful to me. I am going to be an elementary school teacher and I know these types of diagrams also help little ones visually organize their thoughts for an upcoming assignment. 

For the flow chart I choose Gliffy. This was completely free and so much fun to work with, there are several options for how to set up the chart, and you can start with a template and simply plug information in, or you can change the template anyway you choose. I really liked this program because thoughts do seem to make a full circle and you can visually see your mind map and how you came to the conclusion of the assignment. You can also go back later and add, or take away anything that is not necessary. You can completely personalize this program and it will help all ages with projects. I really enjoyed using both of these programs. The Bubbl was good if you have an idea and want to see a visual of what you are thinking. Gliffy is better if you are starting from scratch and want to map out your thought process. I recommend both of these programs and I will defiantly use them as I further my education.

Thing 13

I really enjoyed exploring the Zoho Writer features. It was much more like Microsoft word than I had expected. It had all the features they offer, plus a few extras Word does not include. I had fun creating my document. I even put a watermark in there, you can write whatever you like and even put an image as a watermark. I like the sharing features, if you want to share a Microsoft word document you have to attach it to an email and hope that you typed in the address right! I am definitely going to start using this tool, and I highly recommend it!

Google Docs also looks extremely helpful, I am having technical difficulties with my computer so I am unable to create a document, I will try at a later time. From what I can see about the features it looks like you can do everything on one program, make documents, presentations, forms, drawings, tables and collections. You can do anything in the presentation program that you can do in PowerPoint including inserting images, drawing on the presentation, and anything else you can think of doing. 

You can use a template that is already in the program or you can create one yourself. Another cool feature of Google docs is you can upload information and share it right from the website, again no attaching and emailing.

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