One Last Thing

One of my favorite exercise was playing with on-line image generators. I can spend hours tweaking photos and adding captions to pictures. It is fun to see all the different things you can make and share with others. Another one of my favorite learning exercise was discovering RSS feeds. I love them because I can go to one place to check for updates instead of going to different websites each day. It is such a time saver.

This program has taught me so much about technology that I was unaware of before. I have learned from this program that technology is changing everyday and you need to be able to keep up with all the new tools that they are offering. I am not going to sit back and be unaware of all the useful tools out there that I can be using. I will keep using the current tools that I have been taught but I will also be proactive in keeping up with new technologies coming out and learn how I can incorporate them into my life and teaching.

I was surprised that I learned so many new things about Internet tools. I just always used the Internet for searching for information, checking my email, and using my social networking sites. Now I am more aware of how I can use different types of web 2.0 tools that will help me not only in my life but also in my future classroom.

I think the programs concept is well organized and thought through. The program message helps you discover all the different web 2.0 tools. The only problem that I had with some of the exercises was some of the links were no longer available. That did not affect me because there were plenty of other links that helped me discover the concept.

I will be incorporating a lot of the tools that I learned from this class into my teaching. I can not only become better organized from using a lot of these tools which will save me time to concentrate on the more important things. I can also enrich the students I teach by incorporating different forms of technology into the classroom.

In order to keep up with all the new web 2.0 tools that will be coming out I plan to subscribe to an RSS feed. By using the RSS feeds it will tell me when something new has come out about the topic. When something new comes out I plan to view it to see if it will be beneficial to me or my students.

Thing #23 (Creative Commons)

On the home page Dr. Wall give credit to the author for the information that was used by stating this: This project is loosely based upon the website 43Things (which allows you to set and track personal goals) and the Stephen Abram article titled 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006).

I was unaware of copyright laws for using information on the internet before I started taking this class. I always thought if it was posted on the internet you can use the information in anyway you wanted. I am aware now of the copyright laws and will abide by them. I do like how Creative Commons licensing will allow us as educators to use information as long as we credit the original source or author. I will use information that I feel will best suit my students to learn the material. With Creative Commons I am able to re-work different materials to fit my needs as an educator as long as I credit the source that has given permission to share their information.

Thing #22 (Podcasts: No iPod Needed)

The podcast that I listened to was the Discovery Health channel podcast with Dr. Oz called the Truth about Food. I watch the Dr. Oz show every once in awhile because he provides a lot of useful information about being healthy and other health related topics. I just find health topics interesting because there is always something about the topic that you did not know before. I did subscribe to the Discovery Health channel podcast that I will listen to regularly. I want to listen to podcast that I know will be giving me the right information and Discovery Health is a podcast that I believe would give me the facts.

All the directories to find podcast where pretty simple to use but I do like the Learn out Loud directory the best. I just like that directory because I found a lot of podcast that have topics that I am interested in. The Learn out Loud site also has a lot of educational material that can be used in the classroom.

I think podcast would be a great tool to use in the classroom. I think students would enjoy not only listening to podcast but also creating podcast. Children like to do a lot of hands on activities that allows them to learn and creating a podcast about a certain subject would be a great educational project. I also like the fact that students can share the podcast with other students or even there family members to show what they have learned.

Thing #21 (Animoto)

I have used sites like Animoto before. I like this site better than the sites I have used because you can select music from the site and they will remix the entrance of the pictures. It makes the video look more polished and professional. Also, I like how you can post your video on Facebook and Myspace easily and share the video with other friends. I wish Aminoto would allow you to save your creation to your personal computer. The process of making the video was simple and fast. I could create a lot of videos in a short period of time.

The pictures that I decided to use for my video was my husbands homecoming. He was deployed to Afghanistan for about a year. I love homecomings because everyone is so excited to finally get to see there loved ones and I wanted to capture that memory in a video.

Thing #20 (You Tube)

I can spend hours on You Tube watching random videos. There are a lot of videos on the site that you wish were not there. Anyone can upload any video no matter what the content of the video. I wish they would preview some of the videos that where not worth viewing and have them deleted from the site. I like how You Tube allows you to search through videos, recommends videos for you, and has some television shows to watch.

The video I choose was a song that went to the Ghostbusters theme song about swine flu. The video is pretty funny. I thought with all this talk about the flu that this is the perfect video for the occasion. Every year during this time people start to get worried about the flu but this year it is even worse because of the H1N1 strand of the flu. My husband just got over the flu and he was miserable and I thought I might get the flu from being around him. Thank goodness I am healthy and did not get the flu. I came face to face with the flu and I won.

I can see components of You Tube that could be applied to library websites. Children can watch educational videos about topics that they normally would have to read in books. They can also watch instructional videos to learn how to do a project or complete a task. I would just make sure that all the inappropriate videos would be blocked so children couldn't view them. Teacher Tube would be a more appropriate site for children to use because it is just educational videos.

Thing #19 (Beyond MySpace: Other Social Networks)

I am a member of several online communities. The two online communities that I use the most is Facebook and Myspace. After reading thing 19 I joined Teachers Pop and Nibbledish. I think Teachers Pop is a great online community for teachers to connect with and share ideas. Teacher Pop has many of the same features that Facebook has which is one of my favorite online community sites. I like Facebook because I can stay connected with all of my old friends, new friends, and family. I like Teachers Pop because it is specifically for teachers to share ideas all in one place. My other online communities I could also use for sharing ideas with other teachers that I know but this site makes it more convenient because Teachers Pop is specifically for that.

I did find a online community called Nibbledish that I signed up for that I might use later. I like to cook but I am still not comfortable cooking things without a recipe. Nibbledish is a community that allows cooks to share there creations with other members. I may not be ready to come up with my own dishes right now but I can still search recipes to try other Nibbledish members creations.

Thing #18 (Explore Social Networking)

I have had a Facebook and Myspace account for years. I prefer to use Facebook over Myspace because I think it is a better social networking site to keep connected with friends and family. I think Facebook does a better job of updating you with all the status and news feeds. With these updates you feel like you are still connected with people you have not been able to talk to in a while. Myspace updates on your friends are not as in depth as Facebook. I do like how Myspace allows you to create a more colorful profile page to fit your own personal style. Facebook is an easier site to set up because you do not have to worry about how to use html codes to customize your page like Myspace. Myspace has made it easier to set up your profile page now by using there pre-made backgrounds.

Social networking sites are a great tool for schools and teachers to use. Schools can set up a personal page for parents, students, and faculty to be connected to. The school can post upcoming events, news, and updates. This will keep people in the community connected with the school so they are aware of what is happening in their schools. Teachers can connect with other teachers to share ideas or just support and encourage each other when times get rough. Teachers can also create a page for their class so that the children and the parents can connect with each other and consistently be aware of the activities happening in there children classroom. I think social networking is a great tool but you have to be aware of what you post on your site because mostly anyone can view it.

Thing #17 (Tagging and social bookmarking with Del.icio.us)

I decided to create a Delicious account because my bookmarks where getting out of control. I had to start making folders for my bookmarks to keep my sites organized because it takes me a minute to find the bookmarked site I am looking for. Once I read about Delicious and started exploring the site I realized that I can become more organized with all my bookmarked sites.

I think this would be a great tool to use in the classroom because you can keep all your useful sites in order and share with others that use the site. I think having all the bookmarks available for everyone gives people a chance to find more useful sites that they did not know existed. Students can also use this site to keep there resources organized by classes or even projects. Students don't even have to be on there computer to find there bookmarks because all they need to do is log into there account. I think that is great because if you are doing your work somewhere else and do not have your own personal computer you can still keep your sources organized.

Teachers can take advantage of this socail bookmarking site in many ways. The teacher can keep organized of all the sites they think are useful in there classroom. Also they can look through other peoples bookmarks in the same subject areas and find more useful sites.

Thing #16 (Get Organized with Web 2.0 Tools)

I have an iGoogle start page. The iGoolge page appealed to me because I already use so many Google applications like, email, reader, notebook, calendar, and blogger. I like the fact that when you use iGoogle you can change the theme to suit your personality. My favorite color is pink my page shows that. I also like the fact that I can move my applications around on the page so that the most important applications to me are towards the top. I visit my iGoolge page everyday because it is like one stop shopping, everything that you need all in one place.

My online calendar is very useful to me. I like to keep track of all the important dates in my life. The calendar allows me to put those dates in there and see when something is coming up. I love sending my family cards for their birthdays but with everything else happening in my life I sometimes forget the important dates. I already visit my iGoogle site everyday and with the calendar on my page it will allow me to view all the important dates coming up. I would not use the calendar for putting in upcoming homework assignments or tests because I think that is too much work. I have my planner that I take with me to class that I write in after class on important things coming up.

I have a to-do list on my iGoogle page. I am not a fan of making to-do list. The only list that I make regularly is a shopping list. I find if I do not make a shopping list I come back with things that I already have and end up forgetting the things that I went to the store in the first place. I do spend a lot of time on my computer so when I think of something that I need to buy I will put it in my list. This is very convenient for me because I do not have to stop what I am doing to get a pen and paper to write down what I need.

One tool that I found that I will use in the classroom to keep me organized is called Engrade. This tool allows me to manage classes on-line. The tools on this site include a grade book, attendance book, progress reports, assignment calendar, and on-line messaging. The main reason that I love this site is that it allows parents and students to access there grades and upcoming assignments. If the parents or students have questions they can send the teacher a messages through the site. Parents need to have access to how their children are doing in school because they can make sure that their children are doing the work to be successful in school.

Thing #15 (Wiki)

I decided to create my own wiki page at wikispaces. I dedicated a page to my cats by posting pictures of them. I think wiki pages are interesting and I can't wait use my wiki page more. I think wiki are interesting because I can share my page with anyone. The people that I share my page with can add things or coordinate certain things we are trying to plan in one place. I am still getting use to using my wiki page so after a while my wiki page will start to look better once I am more comfortable in using all the tools.

Wiki pages would be a great tool to use in a classroom. Students can add parts of projects and change things that other students added on the classroom wiki page. This will allow students to see all their hard work and collaboration in one place. They can even access the wiki page at home to show their parents what they have been working on in school.

The teacher can also create a wiki page for the students parents to access. This will allow them to keep connect with other parents in the classroom. Also it will allow them to see what projects, lessons, and assignments are due. If they have questions or comments about something they can post their comments or thoughts on certain topics.

Thing #14 (Go with the Flow)

The picture on the left is the mind map that I created on Bubbl.US. You can create colorful mind maps that displays and organizes your thoughts and concepts. After I created this mind map I thought about how I could use this in my life. I am currently working on a huge research paper and this would be a great tool for me to organize my thoughts or just get my creative juices flowing. Students can also use this with studying things that are related to one another. Giving a student a mind map or having them create one will allow them to see the relationships between certain items easily. I also like Bubbl.US because you can also collaborate allowing students to share their mind maps with one another. Plus this site is very easy to use for mostly any age because the functions on how to create the mind map are self explanatory.

Giffy is a bit more complicated when it comes to making a chart to show the process or ideas of certain concepts. It took me a lot longer to try to figure out all the different tools for me to create my flow chart. I didn't think it looked as professional as my mind map because I had to create my chart where as in Bubbl the format is already setup. I think Giffy would have been a great tool to create our classroom drawing in instead of word. Giffy gives you more options in creating a floorplan than Word. I think Bubbl would be easier to use for beginners that want to create a chart and once you become more advanced Giffy will give you more options to create a more in depth chart. Users can also share their creations or collaborate with others to make their chart even better. Once I become more familiar with all the tools in Giffy I can see myself using it in the classroom to show a process or an order of certain subject materials.

Thing #13 (Web-based Applications)

Friday, October 09, 2009

I just bought a brand new laptop a couple of weeks ago. I was so excited to have a brand new computer because my old one was starting to become unreliable. Which worried me because I wanted a computer that I could trust that I would be able to complete all my class projects and assignments on. I started to explore all the programs on my computer. I asked my husband where is the Microsoft Office program and he informs me that I only have a trail version. I was shocked because I thought the program was on all new computers because you are spending a lot of money on a computer. Why should you have to spend even more money on additional programs? RIDICULOUS!!! Microsoft Office, I think you are in trouble because I am not spending more money on a program that I can get for free thanks to Zoho Writer. The setup is a little bit different than Word but when it comes to writing a paper they both can get the job done.

I also like the fact that my account is linked to my Google account. I feel Google just keeps me organized with all the things I use incorporated into my account. Now when I have to write a paper for group projects instead of just emailing my team members my parts I can just share it through Zoho writer. Options like this saves time and allows you to correct and add pieces to projects without having to arrange meeting times. I was also able to write this blog in Zoho and post it to my blog without any complications. Technology just makes our lives easier.

Thing #12 (Google Not Just for Searching)

iGoogle is a very neat Google tool that gives you your own personal homepage where you can add just about anything to your homepage. My iGoogle homepage allows me to see if I have any new emails, RSS feeds that are unread, weather forecast, calendar, horoscope, and my notebook all in one place. You can customize your page by changing the theme and adding applications that are interesting to you. This saves me a lot of time because I can just visit my iGoogle page to see if I have any unread emails, unread RSS feeds, and even check the weather all at the same place. Students could use this in school to become more organized by setting up their homepage to suit their needs. The students can use the calendar to keep track of homework and assignments coming up and display that on there homepage. Also there are a lot of educational gadgets that the students can post on their homepage and if they want they can learn a different word of the day in different languages or learn to use sign language, just to name a few.

Google notebook is now one of my favorite Google tools to use. I am sure by reading some of my previous blogs you can tell that I love to cook. I am constantly looking for new healthy recipes to make. If I find a recipe that I like I use to just send it to me email and store it in a folder. The recipes that I store in my email folder often get lost. With Google Notebook I can copy and paste everything and post it in my notebook. I made my notebook public to share with others. Feel free to take a look at my Healthy Recipes notebook and maybe you can get an idea on what to make for dinner. I think this would be a great tool to use for educational purposes too. Students can research topics and keep everything that they find on the web in one place. This will save students time by not having to keep visiting the same websites over and over again because they will have all there resources in one place. I also like the fact that they can share there notes because the teacher can check up on the students research progress to make sure the student is on the right track.

I was never aware of all the tools that Google had before taking this class and now I feel more knowledgeable and organized just by using Google tools. I always thought Google was a great search engine but now I couldn't live without all the tools that Google offers.

Thing #11 (Finding Good Feeds)

The method of finding feeds that I found to be the easiest was searching through Google. Google is amazing I am still wondering how we ever managed to use the Internet without this wonderful tool that does everything. I didn't like the search tool Syndic8.com. When I went to the website to find feeds I felt overwhelmed with all the information all over the page. Plus when I went to search for feeds that I was interested in the site did not give me feeds that I was interested in like Google. I subscribe to a couple of educational feeds like always learning, edublogger, coolcat teacher, CNN feed on elementary education, and faculty focused. I am also following the local Clarksville newspaper the Leaf Chronicle to keep up on local events along with some health and wellness feeds. The best tool that I think for finding RSS feeds is just looking at your toolbar next to the websites that you typed in. If there is an RSS feed to the website you go to on a normal bases you will see the RSS feed symbol located in the far right of the tool bar. I was never aware of what an RSS feed was until doing my blogs. I actually always wondered what that little symbol meant in my website toolbar and now I am aware of what it does. I will be putting this to good use now that I am aware of RSS.

Thing #10 (RSS Readers and Add Feeds)

The reader that I went with was the Google Reader. Google reader is the most convenient reader for me to use since I already have a Google account so now I can access my mail, blog, and now my reader all in one place. With Google Reader it automatically incorporated all the blogs I was following in the class into my reader.

What I really like about RSS is how convenient it is to view blogs, websites, and information all in one place. I feel like this will save me so much time because I don't have to visit and check things every single day because my reader will let me know when there is an update. Also I like that everything that you haven't read is in bold lettering making it easy to find who has update information. I will be using this web tool everyday from here on out.

Teachers can use this RSS tool in school. I now subscribe to a couple of education blogs and news feeds. I believe this will help a teacher keep up to date on educational news and even get new ideas on how to do something in the classroom. They can even subscribe to technology news feeds so as soon as something new comes out the teacher already knows about the information. Then the teacher can try to get that technology into her classroom to help teach the students improve their learning. Teachers can also have there students keep blogs to post assignments or projects and with RSS the teacher can have all the blogs in one place without visiting all the blog sites.

Thing #9 (Online Image Generators)

Customized Cereal Box
I thought making this was fun, who wouldn't want to be on cereal box. On this site you can choose many different frames to upload your photos too. The process is really easy and all the preson has to do is deceide what frame they want to use (which is the hard part, so many choices) and click on upload image. This will transfer your image into the frame you selected. There are even cropping options so you can crop your picture to get the desired effect you want. I guess you can make your students feel special by uploading there photos onto magazine covers, cereal boxes, or other appropriate frames so they could tape them to their desk or even give them to their parents as gifts.













Garbage Pail Kids Trading Cards
I don't know if anyone remembers these trading cards but when I was a kid I collected them. They came with a cheap piece of gum that would fall apart in your mouth. The cards seemed to disgusted parents but me and my friends loved them. They where not around for very long due to the graphic nature of the cards. This image generator was easy to use. All you had to do was pick the card and type the words you wanted to appear on the card. I would never use this image genorator in the classroom because these trading cards are not appropriate for little kids but I had to play around with these because it brought me back to my childhood.


Word Mosaic
Another easy image generator to use because all you do is have to type or paste the words you want into your mosaic into the text box provided and it will upload everything for you. The word mosaic gives people the option to change the shape, colors, and fonts. This is something that can definitely be used in the classroom to get the creativity juices flowing in children with writing.

Thing #8 (Flickr Mashups)

Pop Art


Spell with Flickr

I would use the Flickr Common section in my future classroom. The common section shows pictures of the "hidden treasures of the world public photography archive." Flickr also partnered with the Library of Congress on the Common section. The pictures in the Commons section show historical events and people which I think would be very educational for the children to look at. The children could also use the mosaic mashups function to combined different pictures from the same event to show the event better. Also the mappr mashup would be great for the children to use in the classroom by allowing the kids to but pictures of events on the map. This will show the children how much they have learned about things from where they took place on a map.

I would also use these applications in my personal life too. Playing with all of the applications that are associated with Flickr put a fun twist on your pictures. I like the pop art mashup application. I would like to put a pop art picture in a frame or even give the picture as a gift. It does get a bit addicting playing with the different applications that you can use with Flickr because I spent a lot of time changing things and uploading different pictures to see how that image would look instead.

I think photo sharing on-line is a great tool. I think it is a shame that some photos are copyrighted and can't be used without permission. I think if you are using the photo for educational purposes that you should be able to use the photo without jumping through hoops. I do like how most sites give you the option to search photos that can be used for reuse so you won't be breaking any laws. Personal photos I am a bit weary on sharing them unless I personally know the person because I wouldn't want complete strangers having picture of me or my family.

Thing #7 (Exploring Flickr)

While exploring the website Flickr I found many interesting photos all over the site. I could have spent all day looking and searching for all different kinds of photos people have taken. I love the last 7 days interesting tab because it shows a wide variety of different types of photos that have been uploaded recently.

The photo I choose named U was taken by Spapax of a rainy night at the Panathenaic Stadium. The reason I choose this picture is because it has been rainy for the pasted week. When the weather is cruddy outside I feel a bit depressed since I feel like I am confined inside all day. I think it is strange sometimes how the weather can affect your mood. When I look at this picture of all the different umbrellas it doesn't make a rainy day look so bad. It actually makes a rainy day look more colorful and pleasant.

Thing #6 (Discovering Web 2,0 Tools)

I'm Cooked was awarded the number one award among the Web 2.0 food website nominees. This site is a web community for video recipe sharing. If you don't want to post a video of yourself cooking you can watch other people cook many different recipes.

I like to cook and I am constantly looking to cook different things. Cookbooks often just list how to do everything and you usually do not get to see a picture of the finished product. With this site you can make sure you are preparing the recipe correctly. I know I have often made things that tasted good but didn't quite look like the picture. Seeing the steps allows me to make sure that I am doing everything correctly so it will turn out the way it is supposed too. The quality of some of the videos where not as good of quality, which made it hard to see what the person was doing. I wish that the site also listed a written version of the recipe along with the video so if you missed something you had a list to follow along with the video.

The site did have a few useful features. One obvious feature is being able to upload your cooking videos on to the site for others to view or even to connect with by making them your friend. You are also able to rate and comment on the videos. The site also has a search feature so you can limit your search result to the recipe you are looking for. If you are not quite sure what you want to cook, the site divides videos into channels to help better organize the cooking videos. You can also join a group or even create a group with people with similar cooking interest.

I can see this this application being used in Home Economics classes. I know when I took Home Economics in high school we did a section on cooking. This would be a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom by showing the students how to prepare something before they have to prepare the recipe themselves. You could even have the students do a project where they have to make a video of them cooking and post it on the site and present it to the class that way.

Thing #5

"Web 2.0 is not about version numbers or betas" talked about the web as a platform to build on to, to enhance our life's. I think it is interesting how the web is always evolving everyday. We went from just being able to search for limited things on the Internet to being able to interact with people from across the globe. I am just wonder what the web will evolve into next since new technologies emerging everyday.

Another article I found interesting was "new Literacies: Enrichment or Essential." This article points out many good points on technology in the classroom whether is is enrichment or essential to the students. The one thing that caught my attention is the use of blogs and wiki technology in the classroom. Most students already use social networking sites to blog and keep connected with friends. Schools can benefit through this by keeping connected with students and having them do activities and post them to there on-line site. By incorporating more of this into the classroom School 2.0 can become a quicker reality but is doing this enrichment or essential. I believe with the way technology keeps getting more and more advanced it is both of these terms. It will enrich the children and it is also essential for the child's future endeavors since the workplace will be incorporating technologies into their future jobs.

School 2.0 means to me that eventually we may be not only teaching our students from the classroom but they will also be learning at home where not only the teacher would be teaching but also the parents and the community that the student resides by using technology resources. Technology will be incorporate more into the students education which will provide a broader aspect of learning to the students. I am still weary of this happening because not everyone can afford certain technologies at home. In order for this to happen we would need to make sure that everyone had a computer with Internet capability or have resources available for them to access School 2.0 that would be available for the students to use.

What this means for schools in the future is that schools will incorporate more technologies into teaching students. School 2.0 can help deal with overcrowding in schools since students wouldn't be present in school all the time due to learning at home and through the community with technology. All schools would have to have more technology and keep up to date on the latest technology so that students can always be up to date. More classes would also have to be offered on how to use different technology so that the students can be successful with school 2.0 and know what is effective and learn about the new tools that can help them with there education.

Thing #4 (Why Commenting is Important)

Commenting on others blogs helps create a sense of community and interaction among the blogger and the readers. When a reader leaves a meaningful comment to the blog the blogger feels good about their post and will often keep posting more blogs. The blogger may even comment on what the reader has said getting them even more involved in there blog. This action will make other readers feel free to leave comments or even start following some of the other readers blogs just based on their comments that they left. Just by doing this you are getting to know each other and start to feel like your in your own blogging community.

Two other points from the reading that I found to be important was criticize kindly and invite comments to increase your comment numbers on your blog. People may not always agree with you and you may not always agree with them but it is important that when you comment you criticize kindly. By pointing out the things that you agree with will help the blogger not feel attacked and then kindly state where you differ. If you want more people to comment on your blog let the reader know that they are free to leave comments. This will allow the reader to feel comfortable leaving comments on your blogs and give the blogger more feedback and comments.

The five blogs that I am following through Education 5540 class are: Cynthia Smith, Kimberly Novitske, Jake Null, Anita Hicks, and Emma Burton. The other two blogs outside of class I follow is Bob Harper who is a trainer from the television show the Biggest Loser. I have been following his blog for awhile because February of this year I decided it was time to start living a healthier lifestyle. He gives people motivation to eat right and exercise plus on his blog site you can become a member and track progress and get helpful tips on how to eat right and exercise. The other blog that I just started following is called Food Snob: More than Just a Picky Eater. I choose to follow this blog because it is inspired by one of my favorite cookbooks called the Hungry Girl which offers healthier versions of some of your favorite foods. Sometimes the food you love isn't always good for you so it is nice to have a healthier version of your favorite foods by substituting certain ingredients to make it better for you.

I believe the comments that you chose to make should be meaningful and show the blogger that wrote it that you can relate to them in some way. So far I have made a couple comments on my other classmates blogs. One of the classmates posted a wonderful picture and when she discussed the picture it made you feel inspired so I wanted to comment on what she posted and let her know that I could relate in some way and appreciate the meaning behind the picture she posted.

Sometimes a blog can inform you of things that you where not aware of. I think is is very helpful to comment on someones blog if they make you aware of something that you did not already know before. I made a comment on one of my classmates blog that informed me about a Web 2.0 tool that I didn't even know existed that would be a very useful tool for me to use. I wanted to let the blogger know that this is a great tool that I wish I would have known about earlier because it could have been very useful.

Another blog that I follow asked questions at the end of their blog posting. I felt after reading there blog that I needed to make a comment because the blogger made me feel like my opinion matters. Also I think the blogger wanted people to comment so they could see other peoples point of views on the subject matter.

Thing #3 (Ways that I might use blogs for teaching)

I think blogging would be very helpful tool for me to use while teaching. I think any social network that gives teachers more knowledge and in site is a helpful tool. Blogging just gives it a more personal touch because you can connect with real life teachers and gain insight on their knowledge and experiences. You can then share fun and creative ideas on how to teach certain subjects/concepts so the children can have a better understanding of the content. Also if something didn't work the way you wanted it to you can always seek advice to see what you could have done differently to make the outcome better.

I would also like to use blogs to keep the parents of the children I am teaching up to date on important dates and projects that would be coming up. I want to teach early elementary education so I don't think it would be in the right age group to have an interactive blog site for my students. I do think it is important to try to build a professional relationship with the parents and get them involved with their child's education. The parent then can incorporate what the child is learning into there normal conversation through out the day to fully engage the child's learning potential. Also, if the child is struggling in a certain subject area the parent can be aware of it and help their child to better understand the subject matter outside the classroom. I would also like to post pictures of projects and artwork so that the parents can be proud of what their children are accomplishing in school.

Thing #2 (Experience creating my blog and avatar)

The reason I named my blog Sylvia's 23 things is because I am a very organized person and wanted to name it after the project the blog was created for. If I continue to blog after the project I may rename it something different depending what I intend to blog about in the future.

At first I was skeptical of blogging but after posting my first blog I realized it wasn't that bad. It is just odd knowing that your thoughts and opinions are out there on the internet for anyone to read. Thank goodness for privacy settings that allow you to choose who can read your blogs. I do like the fact that editing your blogs are easy so that if you want to add something later you have the option to add to your post. When I first posted thing one I realized I left out some important details I wanted to add but had no problem adding the new information.

It did take me a little longer to try to figure out how to add the avatar but after browsing my settings I figured it out. I did create an avatar that looks like me. The reason I choose to create an avatar that looks like me is because I am happy being who I am. I wanted my avatar to have a happy expression because I have a happy outlook on life and like to remain postive even when things are not going so well.

Thing 1 (7 & 1/2 Habits Tutorial)

This is my very first blog post. Blogging is still very new to me but the page seems fairly easy to set up since it is like most social networking sites I have been on expect that I will be writing blogs. I am not sure if I am a fan of the blogging but who knows maybe it will start to grow on me as the weeks pass. So here it is, my very first blog post about the 7 and 1/2 habits. Feel free to leave comments. By learning about web 2.0 tools I hope to find many other resources that I can use in the classroom to help the children I teach learn the material in a fun creative way.

I liked the online tutorial about the 7 and 1/2 habits because I felt like I obtained more of the information from the presentation than just reading it from a text book. I can see why technology in the classroom can play such a vital role in learning information. The easiest habit for me is habit number three, "View problems as challenges". I believe this habit is easiest for me because when I encounter a problem, I am always looking for a way to overcome the problem. I just don't give up when a problem occurs because that would not solve anything and I would not learn from my obstacles. All the problems I have encountered in my life has taught me not to make the same mistakes again and think more efficiently when trying to solve a problem to have a better outcome. The hardest habit for me is number four, "Have confidence in yourself as a competent effective learner." I often doubt myself sometimes. I do not know the reason why I doubt myself when it comes to learning new things because I have always done well in school. I just need to overcome the fact that there is always going to be someone out there that is more intelligent than me in some areas. I just need to gain more confidence in myself that I am an effective learner.