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.