While completing this assignment my two favorite things were the mashups and animoto. Both of these tools are extremely fun to use. However, these tools do not really apply much to education, but they were still fun. This assignment has made me realize that there are always new and excited tools and technology out there that I can take advantage. There are probably many more things that I can find that I could use in my classroom.
Throughout this assignment there were not really any unexpected outcomes. I did what was asked of me and learned lots of new things along the way. I really like this assignment overall and I think it was extremely beneficial to me, especially from a teacher's standpoint.
The majority of the things learned during this assignment can be used in the classroom and can make many things a whole lot easier. Especially when it comes to sharing information with others.
Now that this assignment is over I do not think I will keep up with this blog. I am not much of a blogger, but after I become a teacher I think I could use a blog to my advantage. However, it will not be of much use to me know.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Thing #23
Before I took this class I had no idea what creative commons was. I knew some about the copyright laws, but I was always under the impression that this was showed who owned it and that was that. I did not know about the options that are present in the creative commons. Knowing about creative commons licensing and knowing how to use things that are created by others will be extremely useful in the classroom. Now I know I can search the creative commons website to find things that will be useful to me without having to start over from scratch.
Thing #22
For thing 22 we were to create a livebinders account and then create 3 education binders. The ones I created were called third grade math, math worksheets, and helpful math websites. Here is the one I created for third grade math http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=696349. On the third grade math I just put in math games that a third grader could choose from to play.
I think that livebinders can easily be used in a classroom. They are a great way to share information with students and parents and sometimes even other teachers. The only way I would personally use them in a classroom is to share information. I would not make an assignment out of it.
I think that livebinders can easily be used in a classroom. They are a great way to share information with students and parents and sometimes even other teachers. The only way I would personally use them in a classroom is to share information. I would not make an assignment out of it.
Thing #21
Animoto is a really cool website to use. I like how you can easily make short videos with pictures and music. I had fun picking out pictures to use and then picking out music. I like how there was a bunch of music to choose from. For my short video that I made for this thing I just picked some pictures of my family to create a video of. I think that it was really cool. Here is the video I created hope you enjoy.
My Family
My Family
Thing # 20
YouTube is a great way to find videos that illustrate your point and show more examples of what you are teaching your students. These videos can help you teach a lesson or just sometimes make a lesson more fun. The only negative thing I found on YouTube is that you cannot really let a student explore it because they might end up finding a video that they do not need to be watching if they are not careful.
While exploring YouTube I decided to search for math videos, since I would like to be a math teacher. There were tons of videos out there that can help the students learn the concept by showing them what it means or in my case another example of how to solve a problem. While searching I came across a video called Area of Complex Figures- Subtraction Method (video 2). This video is shown below.
Thing #19
Visit TeacherPop
Before this assignment I was not part of any online communities other than facebook. However, looking through some other social networks I decided to join GoodReads. I love to read so I think that this social network will be fun. It looks really cool. Hopefully I will continue to like it.
I think that GoodReads will be a great network for parents and their students to go to. Just from me browsing through it, you pick the genre you like and then it gives you a list of books to go through and rate and when you rate a book it brings up suggestion for you to look through that are similar to what you rated.
I also think that the education social networks will be useful. I just have to join one other than TeacherPop. Also I think teacher pop is a great social network to become familiar with.
Thing # 18
I think it is important for teachers to know how social networking works because it is another way for teachers to spread ideas, events, and other news, just like the facebook page for the College of Education. I think that this is the best way to use social media for educational purposes. I did not really gain any new insights. I already know how to do most of the things on facebook and twitter based off past experiences. Twitter is probably better to spread news in a classroom because there are less distractions because the main point of it is to follow people and as long as you are not following a extremely high number of people you will get the news. Facebook is great at spreading news and events, but it has a lot more distractions. The biggest distraction on facebook is the option to play games. This is the only thing I really disliked about facebook if you are using it in a classroom setting. I personally cannot see myself using facebook in the classroom, but this is just my preference.
Thing #17
I think that social bookmarking can be extremely helpful for teachers. These websites allow others to see the pages that other people have found based on the tag that you looked up. For this exercise we searched educational technology and it gave us a bunch of links to look through.
This can easily be used in the classroom. One way it can be used is by allowing students during free time or at home to go look up games for the subject area you are teaching and this will give them a list of games or exercise to choose from that will help them strengthen their knowledge of the content being taught while having fun at the same time.
I think it can be used by teachers to help look up games for students and sometimes help them look for free worksheet sites to be used in the classroom. It can also be used to share some of the websites that you found.
This can easily be used in the classroom. One way it can be used is by allowing students during free time or at home to go look up games for the subject area you are teaching and this will give them a list of games or exercise to choose from that will help them strengthen their knowledge of the content being taught while having fun at the same time.
I think it can be used by teachers to help look up games for students and sometimes help them look for free worksheet sites to be used in the classroom. It can also be used to share some of the websites that you found.
Thing #16
For thing 16, I first looked at the start page. I liked the start page from iGoogle the best. I created my start page and added gadgets that relate to me. I put the facebook gadget on there and continued looking through other gadgets. I also added a quotes gadget, movie gadget, a directions by google gadget, and a to-do list. I like how I can go to one page and be able to see all of these things that interest me and I can even make separate tabs for things.
The other part of this assignment dealt with online calenders. Online calenders can be helpful because you can access them from any computer. This is extremely helpful because you do not have to worry about carrying a calender with you. Then I looked at the to do lists. These can be helpful to keep up with what you have to do and since it is on the Internet you can get to you list whenever you can get on the Internet.
The tool that I think will be most helpful to me at school was Zamzar. Zamzar is a website that allows you to convert documents into another type of document. This is helpful on those occasion when you have student presenting assignment and they did not save it as the right type of document. You can just go to this website and convert it.
Out of all of the things that I explored in thing 16, I would recommend the online calender and start up page. The online calender is useful because you can get to it no matter where you are. The start up page is useful and cool because you can personalize it and get to many different places (email, facebook, twitter, and weather) by just going to one place.
The other part of this assignment dealt with online calenders. Online calenders can be helpful because you can access them from any computer. This is extremely helpful because you do not have to worry about carrying a calender with you. Then I looked at the to do lists. These can be helpful to keep up with what you have to do and since it is on the Internet you can get to you list whenever you can get on the Internet.
The tool that I think will be most helpful to me at school was Zamzar. Zamzar is a website that allows you to convert documents into another type of document. This is helpful on those occasion when you have student presenting assignment and they did not save it as the right type of document. You can just go to this website and convert it.
Out of all of the things that I explored in thing 16, I would recommend the online calender and start up page. The online calender is useful because you can get to it no matter where you are. The start up page is useful and cool because you can personalize it and get to many different places (email, facebook, twitter, and weather) by just going to one place.
Thing #15
Wiki is a helpful tool to be used when trying to collaborate information. I think that the best way to use it in a classroom would be to share information with other teachers. Other teachers can always be helpful and come up with great ideas. They could share these ideas in a blog, but not everyone can edit the content in a blog. On wiki you can take your tips, ideas, and any other information you may have and share it all in one place.
You could also use wiki when doing group work. You could have each group place their information on it and maybe use it to present when the project is done.
Overall, I think wiki is cool, but I do not think I would ever use it in a classroom other than to collaborate with other teachers. I do not really like the fact that anyone can edit the page.
You could also use wiki when doing group work. You could have each group place their information on it and maybe use it to present when the project is done.
Overall, I think wiki is cool, but I do not think I would ever use it in a classroom other than to collaborate with other teachers. I do not really like the fact that anyone can edit the page.
Thing # 14
For thing 14 we had to explore mind maps and flowcharts. I looked at flowcharts on Gliffy and then mind maps on Bubbl.us. I think that both can be used for educational purposes.
On Gliffy, you first have to choose a template for your project. You can choose a blank template or pick from one of the options that are pre-made. There are templates already made up for websites, venn diagrams, org charts, swot analysis, flow charts, network diagrams, software design, floor plans, and business processes. Then after you choose a template you can begin to create or edit your project. There are many different options you can use to create your project.
Bubbl.us is does not have quite as many options of things to do as gliffy does. This website seems to be used mainly for brainstorming. You first begin with a bubble to write in. Once you write in this bubble you can either press tab or command enter. When you press tab you will begin with a new bubble. If you hit command and enter you will have another bubble coming off of the original bubble.
On Gliffy, you first have to choose a template for your project. You can choose a blank template or pick from one of the options that are pre-made. There are templates already made up for websites, venn diagrams, org charts, swot analysis, flow charts, network diagrams, software design, floor plans, and business processes. Then after you choose a template you can begin to create or edit your project. There are many different options you can use to create your project.
Bubbl.us is does not have quite as many options of things to do as gliffy does. This website seems to be used mainly for brainstorming. You first begin with a bubble to write in. Once you write in this bubble you can either press tab or command enter. When you press tab you will begin with a new bubble. If you hit command and enter you will have another bubble coming off of the original bubble.
Thing #13
The Zoho application and Google Docs are extremely useful. I personally like Google Docs better than Zoho. Google Docs is like having all of the Microsoft tools in one. You can make a document, presentation, drawing, and a few other things. Then when you are done you can download it to your computer and when you download your document you can choose what type of file you want it to be. This can be extremely helpful as a teacher and it is free. That is one of the best parts about it. You also are able to go to one place for multiple things.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Thing #12
For this exercise I decided to explore Google Alerts and
Google Translate. Google alerts allows you to type in a keyword or words and
whenever these words appear you will get an alert. You also can choose were the
word has to appear before you get an alert. For example I put in my hometown in
quotation marks and then made it send me an alert whenever my hometown makes it
into the news. I think that this could have some educational use if used
properly. The main way I think this can be used is to have your students keep
up with current events. There are probably more ways that this can be used in
the classroom, but this is the only way I can think of.
Google Translate is also a very cool site. It allows you to type
in words or sentences and then lets you pick another language to be translated
into. This can be very helpful if you are studying a foreign language. It can
also be used if you let your students have pen pals in other countries who
speak a different language.
I also explored the Google Calendar earlier on in this assignment and I think it can also be extremely helpful. It is a great way to keep up with
your schedule and a great way to remind yourself and parents about upcoming events.
Thing #11
Technorati is a great way to research blogs. This website gives you options of how to research blogs. You can go to the blog
directory and pick a topic and continue on from there. You can also go to the
search bar to search for blogs or posts; you get to pick which one. You are also able to look at the top 100 blogs and pick
from that list. These are just a few of the way to search for blogs on this
website.
You can also go to Google to search for blogs. I do not
particularly this way of search blogs. You only have one way to search and it
is in my opinion the least helpful and most overwhelming way to look for blogs.
The site Topix seems very similar to Google. Neither site is very effective in
helping find what you are looking for. Both bring up information based on the
keyword, which in some cases it brings up sites that are against what you were
looking up just because the keyword you typed was on the page.
The Technorati page was the easiest feed for me to use. I
think it was easiest because if one search method was not working for you, you
could search for your topic in one of the other methods. I like the method
where you can search in a blog directory the best. Both Google and Topix were
the search tools that I liked the least.
Thing #10
Overall I think the RSS and newsreader can be a help when reading updated blogs, but only to a certain extent. Although these readers do help us organize the blogs we wish to read more often and keep up with, I think that once you hit a certain amount of subscriptions it will become overwhelming. Just after subscribing to five blogs the list of unread blogs from these five blogs was extremely overwhelming. Each blog I subscribed to seem to be very interested into blogging frequently, which is not a bad thing unless you are trying to keep up with what they write. Reading one blog a day is understandable, but if each different blog posts multiple things in a certain time period or you do not check it very often it because more of a hassle and you just won't feel like keeping up with it.
This technology can be used in your school to keep up with other teachers or even students' blogs, which is one way teachers can take advantage of this new technology. You can easily see when they have posted new material and read what is written. In my personal life it can be used to keep up with your favorite blogs without having to go to multiple places to see if they had posted anything new yet.
This technology can be used in your school to keep up with other teachers or even students' blogs, which is one way teachers can take advantage of this new technology. You can easily see when they have posted new material and read what is written. In my personal life it can be used to keep up with your favorite blogs without having to go to multiple places to see if they had posted anything new yet.
Thing #9
Here are two of the pictures I made from the image generators. For both of these pictures I uploaded a picture from my desktop and then cropped it to fit the background I had chooses. The first picture is of me, my younger sister, and the two little girls I babysit. I used this picture because I thought the two girl that I babysit would enjoy see a picture with them on a television. The second picture is of me and my younger sister. I like this picture of the two of us and thought it would be cool to place in a background. I think that both of these pictured turned out pretty good. Both of these picture were made from the image chef website and found in the background section. The first frame is called starfield frame and the second frame is called television. These generators can be used to create cool backgrounds on some of your photos. In a classroom it could be used for a project, but other than for a project I do not know how it can be used.
Thing #8
Here are a few of the mashups I did while exploring this website. This website was very cool. I enjoyed looking at some of the ways to play around with pictures. Flickr and Flickr mashup can be used in the classroom to share photos of activities and other things with the parents and other students. Other than that, I do not really see how these things can be used in the classroom. These things are cool to play around with and use in your personal life, but I do not see how they can be used in a classroom apart from what I listed above. These sites can be used to share photos and create cool little extras to go on the original picture of things in your personal life.
I am all for sharing photos online. I like to look through cool pictures of random things and if possible to look through family photos when they have been placed online. The only bad thing about sharing photos online is that they are out there for everyone to see, so you have to watch and be careful of what type of pictures you place online for everyone to see.
Thing #7
While exploring through the picture on Flickr, I came across this picture. I thought is was a beautiful picture. It was taken by Chris Marshall who goes by twogiantscoops on flickr, which I guess is his flickr screen name I am not really sure. The URL to this picture is http://www.flickr.com/photos/twogiantscoops/8059010638/. I was able to find this picture by going to the option of explore and then I just looked through some pictures and I really liked this one. When you go to explore you are given different options of how to explore you can look at interesting photos from the last seven days, a map of the world, galleries, and many other different ways.
After exploring flickr through the explore option, I went to look for pictures with a tag. I started out by doing some random searches just so I could explore some more. Then I decided to look up pictures with the tag sunset in them to see what other sunset type pictures I could find to go with the one I found while exploring. This picture came up on the screen and I thought it was very good picture. This picture was taken by someone with the flickr screen name CubaGallery. I believe his first name is Andrew, but I could not find a last name on the page. The URL for this picture is http://www.flickr.com/photos/cubagallery/7028960641/.
Overall flickr is a pretty cool website. It is a great way to look up pictures, but I do not think I could of a good way to use it in a classroom. It is not something that I think I will use in my classroom.
Thing #6
The site that I selected to explore from the Web 2.0 Award
nominees was Google Calendar. I liked this site because it showed you a calendar
and you are able to add events and things to the calendar. The coolest tool
that I found on this website was the option to set a reminder. You are given
the option to choose either a Pop-up or email. You then get to choose how much
time before the event that you should be reminded. There is a box to type in an
exact number and then you choose from a scroll down menu of minutes, hours,
days, or weeks. I find this tool to be extremely helpful because if you are
like me you easily forget about things, however, with this tool you can set a
reminder for the day before and you should be good to go. You also can set more
than one reminder, which can help you remember things even better. Also when you go to set up the event you can
also invite people to the event by placing their email address underneath where
it says add guest. You are also able to give more options when you send out the
invite. I found all of these things at Google Calendar.
I think that this can be an extremely helpful website to use.
These website can be extremely helpful at school. It can be
used to remind parents of events coming out. You can also invite parents and
students to events. Both of these things will be helpful in a school setting.
Thing #5
In the Atomic Learning Video “What is Web 2.0,” the video
discussed the difference between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. Web 1.0 was considered
the read only web, there is not very much to do on these types of websites
except read the material. Web 2.0 is considered the read/write web. This type
of website can contain blogs, wikis, podcasts, social (student/educational)
networking, tagging, and RSS. Since Web 2.0 websites have the capability to
contain all of these things the websites are more interactive.
Then Wikipedia goes on to describe in more detail what Web
2.0 means. Wikipedia describes Web 2.0 as “a term coined in 1999 to describe
websites that use technology beyond the static pages of earlier web sites.” It
also states that Web 2.0 “does not refer to an update to any technical
specification, but rather changes in the ways people use the Web.” Wikipedia
also allows users to interact and collaborate with each other.
School 2.0 can describe a vision for education in the
twenty-first century. I think School 2.0 is the way of describing how things
can be used in the future. In a way it can be compared to the difference
between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 according to Wikipedia. School 2.0 is not an update
to education it is just the changes that are implemented in the classroom to
create a more positive and meaningful environment. School 2.0 is going to help
schools become more interactive and hands on in the classrooms. I think it will
help the material be learned be more relevant and overall easier to learn for
most people based on the way it was taught.
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