Thing #11 Finding Good Feeds

I tried three different methods of searching for blogs and found that I prefer to use google blog search. I did not like the format of Syndic8 and thought that Technorati had way to much going on for me. The google blog search was neat and simple to use. I was previously somewhat familiar with topix and I feel like it is more of a local site. When searching I found a useful blog called the National Coalition for History. It had a lot of information that I could use in my history classes. I also found another blog that will be useful for me that is not for education. The blog is called smartfootball. It is a place where coaches can share resources together. This could benefit me greatly since I plan on coaching as well as teaching. I feel like learning how to search for blogs is something that I will benefit from.

Thing #10 RSS Feed

I feel like learning about really simple syndication(RSS) has been the most useful tool that I have learned in EDUC 3040 to this point. This tool makes life on the Internet so much easier. One of the most important issues in education is time management and RSS can drastically help you save time. It will allow you to search for what you would typically have to find by jumping around from website to website. This tool allows for everything to be neatly arranged in one place. RSS is something that all teachers could benefit from in order to keep their students and themselves updated on subject material and what is going on in the world today. We must stay connected as teachers to new techniques and changing ways and RSS allows that without having to sweat to find stuff. There is no doubt that I will use RSS when I become a teacher.

Thing #9 Online Image Generators

ImageChef.com Poetry Blender


Once again I had a good time doing this assignment because we got to just play around with the image generators. I used both the poetry blender and word mosaic. I found these two things fun and I had to get a bit creative. I could see these being helpful in having students express themselves. We discussed in class that when using the word mosaic students could get the main points of a reading by using this tool. On my poetry blender up top I chose to use one of my favorite bible verses and underneath using the word mosaic I put in a few words that I felt like the cross meant to me. It was a neat experience for me as I usually struggle with being creative but these sites made it easier.

Thing #8 Flickr Mashups

Thing #8 has by far been my favorite of all the assignments that we have had to do to this point. It was a lot of fun to look at all the different apps and see all the crazy possibilities of mashups. I chose to do the mosaic maker and really enjoyed playing with it. This tool was very simple and I feel like anyone could use this website. I just chose my football season photo album through my facebook albums(which it connects to easily) and then picked the look of my mosaic and it did all the work for me. I think the mosaic maker would be great and easy to use in the classroom.I feel like kids would enjoy using them and there would be benefit out of it. For example students on Valentines Day students could make a mosaic for their loved ones. Teachers could make their students mosaics of a few fun times in class to send home with them in case they are ever having a rough time in their home life. I think that mosaic maker and many of the other apps are great and I plan to explore more!

Thing #7 Explore Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsueaglesfan/2860658191/

When doing this assignment I found myself spending far more time on the site then I had intended. When I say that I mean that I really enjoyed the site. I tagged a lot of things out of curiosity and it was fun to see all the pictures that I can find on flickr. I thought that searching flickr was a lot of fun and I also learned that you can put video clips on the website as well. For my first search I typed in Austin Peay. One of the first pictures that came up was a football album of Austin Peay vs. Georgia Southern. I clicked on it and the first picture that popped up was of myself my freshmen year during a play in that game. I immediately thought, no way! It was funny finding myself in another person's album.

Thing #6 Web 2.0 Tools

When looking through the list of Web 2.0 winners and nominees I chose to look at docstoc. It did not take long for me to realize what a great and useful website it is. Docstoc is an online website where you can find and store professional documents. Through this website members can download or share free documents or buy and sell documents. You can find educational, financial, technical and business documents. I clicked on the education link on the left side of the home page and found that I could download lectures on certain subjects, lab reports, exercises and how to do guides. You can even upload your own personal documents that you have created and sell them to others and receive a check each month. I found this to be an amazing website and resource that could have endless rewards for educators and other professions. I was very surprised that I had never heard of it before.

Thing #5 School 2.0

I really liked the required reading articles for thing #5. I think that school 2.0 is how education is going to keep up with the rest of the world technologically. As time goes on students will use technology in their learning process more and more. As one article stated the Internet world is changing from passive to active. People no longer just sit back and read now they make material themselves. Things such as Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and blogs are great examples of our changing times. In order to interact with kids educators must keep up! We as educators can take advantage of school 2.0 and use it to our advantage to interact with students. I feel like the school of the future will use less paper and pencils and more computers. As we discussed in class computers are becoming more affordable therefore students will have more access. I feel like the push to "go green" will also have an affect on computer usage. I think that school 2.0 will provide much more constant interaction among students and teachers than before. It is obvious that school 2.0 is going to change the way we learn dramatically. While many are scared of change with 2.0 I take the attitude that we have an opportunity to reach students in more ways than ever before. I hope that I am able to stay on top of this changing world in order to help my students the best as I can.

Thing #4 Commenting

Commenting on blogs seems to be one of the most obvious essentials of the blogging world. Without comments there is no interaction or communication between members. Rather than a blog it would seem basically like a website for people to log on and view. By commenting it allows lines of communication to open with endless possibilities. It also makes your experience blogging much more enjoyable. One point that I found important from the readings was the effect of negative comments. We should put are efforts into building others up rather than tearing them down. Simple rude remarks and comments can really tear others down and we need to avoid those situations at all cost. Another thing from the readings that was important is that commenting is important because it draws attention to you and your blog. Those who comment more often have more traffic on their own blog. Just another benefit of commenting! The five people that I chose to comment on were Chase, Paige, Kelsey, Vandy and Brynn. I chose these individuals because they had similar views as me or their strengths were things that I struggle with. I try to be encouraging when commenting on others pages. Like many moms say,"If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all." I have also chose to follow a friend's blog outside of the classroom. He runs a sports blog that I find very interesting. I will choose one more blog to comment on when we learn how to search on the blogsphere a little bit better.

Thing #3 Blogging in Education

At first I was skeptical about blogging but now after doing some work on my own blog and seeing the blogs of others I see it being a great asset in education. Blogging could greatly benefit all teachers. I like how it allows communication among a group where you are free to learn and comment on others work. Teachers can share unit plans, activities and their own personal experiences. I think that blogs would benefit rookie teachers in a tremendous way since they would be able to read and get advice from more experienced teachers. Teachers could also use blogs to keep a running schedule of events. This would allow students and parents to keep up with what is going on without taking up much time in their busy lives. You could also put example problems of work for students to look at while away from the classroom. All of these ideas that I mentioned are ways in which I could use blogs in my classroom. The possibilities are endless.

Thing #2 My Experience so far

My new experience with blogging has been a good one so far. I have always been curious about blogs but have never given much time to learn about them(no longer an option). I realize that I have a lot to learn but I am looking forward to it. Overall it has been pretty easy to pick up on stuff.

The decision on my posting name was pretty simple. I am not the most creative person so I simply went with my name and 23 things. Maybe I can come up with something with some time. My avatar is completely random. I just went through and picked out random stuff that might look funny.