Is it the end or only the beginning?

Wow, what a journey the 23 things have been! Probably some of my favorite discovery exercises were animoto, spell with flickr, image generator, calendar on Google, and finding youtube videos related to a specific subject for classroom use. The 23 things was a great way for me to learn about new possibilities the web has to offer and web tools I could use in the classroom. I liked the things being split up, half due at one point and then the rest at the end. The two due dates kept me on track and held me responsible for the completion of the 23 things. I would have to say I might have pushed the things to the end if there wasn't that mid turn in date. I am definately going to try and keep up with my blog. I would love it if one day I could use this exact blog in the classroom to keep parents updated and a way of communication. Technology is going to continue to change and the 23 things was a great way that informed me on some advancements I had never heard about.

Thing 23

The example I found for 23 things is below the discovery exercise a note is listed that says: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. The copyright symbol along with "some right reserved" is displayed as well. Now that I know more about Creative Commons, I believe it would be great to introduce at the sixth grade level or even fifth grade. Your students need to be aware about copying and taking someone else's work and creative commons is a great place to start.

Thing 22

Live binder is a great tool for teachers of all ages. It is a great way to keep track of resources and information you want to use during your lesson. The one thing I like about live binders is that you have access to it anywhere. I am guilty of having left some very important papers at home that I needed that day, but if I would have had live binder I could have uploaded those papers and used them when needed. I have always been a fan of hard copies, but live binders is a great way to back you up just in case I have a forgetful moment.
I could see having a binder for each subject topic such as Math, Science, Social Studies, or Reading or you could have a binder for your sub topics such as multi-digit addition or subtraction, understanding place value, or understanding base-ten numeration system. My three binders are titled: Multi-digit addition, Base Ten Numeration System, and Place Value.
Multi digit addition

Thing 21

Emily's Clip
Animoto is a user friendly site and very easy to navigate. When I saw that this activity consisted of making a video, I was not looking forward to it because I have never been good with that kind of stuff, but Animoto makes a step by step process. This would be a great tool to use in the classroom and show the students creativity side. I could see using this tool in the beginning of the school year and have each student create a 10 picture slide that describes themself, however I believe this would only work for grades fourth or older. I chose to take pictures of my family and myself from a previous vacation to upload to the clip. Attached above is the 30 second video I created. I chose to use the music given on the Animoto site, rather than use any from my itunes. I enjoyed creating the video and this exercise will be very useful in the classroom.

Thing 20

You tube Video for Elementary Math

I really enjoyed exploring YouTube from a future teacher perspective, rather than just searching for music videos. Several videos could be used as a "fun" way of learning in the classroom. YouTube could also be used for tutorials in a High School setting if a certain subject was unclear. The video I chose would be great for a first grade or kindergarten class because it is upbeat and a fun way to learn addition and subtraction. I would've enjoyed this video at that age and it would've kept my attention.

Thing 19

After becoming a member of the Ning network, this site is full of tools and advice for any educator. I enjoyed looking over several of the discussions and reading others views on certain subjects. I really enjoyed the "unwritten rules every teacher should know". Social networking is only going to become more and more popular as technology is becoming a part of our daily lives. Two of my favorites was "Goodread" and "What's on my bookshelf". Reading needs to continue being encouraged in and outside of the classroom and I thought these were two good networks to help find what interests you and what others enjoyed. I will definitely be using teacherpop in the future as well as any of the book networks. I always enjoyed reading when it was something I wanted to read or something I thought I would like, but if I didn't want to read it, it was always hard for me to make it through the book. Therefore, I believe any of the book networking sites would be a great tool to encourage reading.

Thing 18

More and more people are using social networking sites on a daily basis. In my personal opinion, I do not believe that Facebook would be of great use to an elementary teacher because I believe children (sixth and under) should not have a Facebook page.  However, twitter and Facebook would be useful for middle and/or High School students because you could create a page for that class or tweet about an assignment. It is important for educators to know about these sites because on a daily basis students get on one or the other. I believe Facebook would be of greater use in the classroom because it had more useful features. What I like most about Facebook is the instant chat because lets just say you were studying for a test the next day and you had a question about a certain problem, you could message someone in your class group and hopefully figure out the answer. Twitter and Facebook are both great social networking sites, I am just more familiar with Facebook, therefore I am leaning more towards that network site.

Thing 17

On delicious, the bookmark I chose only had four categories showing with 16 saves, but after clicking on the bookmark and exploring her page, she had over 100 different categories that this bookmark could be viewed under. I could view the comments left by others and see her response to this bookmark selected. I could see this tool being used in the classroom because teachers could take advantage of social bookmarking sites for the use of their students research. Yes, it can be accessed anywhere, but I believe teachers of grades sixth and up will begin using this tool more frequently.

Thing 16

        For my customized home page, I chose to explore iGoogle. This start page appealed to me because I already have an account with Google and navigating Google seemed easiest for me. The start page I chose is very interesting because everything I need is right there from calendar, to my mail, and the weather. Truthfully, I will probably not make this my permanent home page because I like having just the standard Google as my home page and logging into my mail whenever I want to check it. Even though, I will not be making it my home page, it is still a very useful tool that I could see myself using in the future. 
       Online calendars can be useful by having access to it anywhere. It allows you to keep track of important dates and/or times and keeps you organized. One thing I like about online calendars it that I don't have to carry a separate notebook around that is filled with dates, it is all on my phone, computer, and I would even have access to it on an iPad, if I had one. This is a great tool for teachers because they have access to their calendar at home or at school, instead of just the one on their desk.
       I believe the to-do lists would be very helpful. I particularly like the "remember the milk".  "Remember the milk" is available through gmail or google calendar, but i really liked that there was an app for your iphone. I believe that is where I would get the most use out of this tool through my phone because I have access to what tasks I have completed or need to complete. I believe this is an extremely useful tool.
        I found several tools useful, but especially the online calendar and any of the document converters. Both of these tools would be useful in the classroom and doing work outside of the classroom. On more than one occasion, I have needed a document in the form of a PDF or JPEG and this would have been a great tool to use. I would definitely recommend the online calendar because it is a great way to remain organized.  

Thing 15

A wiki is a unique concept that only reiterates how technology is moving forward and tied with education. This is a great way for the teacher to create a wiki and let his or her students show their creative side, but also learn something. By being able to add and edit, this gives the students freedom to explain or explore in a way they enjoy. One student may learn better by charts, so that can be posted the wiki before an exam or another student may learn better by pictures, so they can post that and maybe it might help another student prepare for an exam. I could see wiki being used in the upper grade levels and middle school, depending on how much elementary students have access to a computer. It is amazing the tools people come up with and I have to say this one expresses individuality and a personal way of learning and sharing.

Thing 14

<script src="http://www.gliffy.com/diagramEmbed.js" type="text/javascript"> </script>

Attached above is a sample of a gliffy flowchart. The one I created had to do with simple addition, which would be great for teaching math in a second grade classroom. The teacher could show the students step by step how to follow the lines and know which order to complete the problem. I chose gliffy flowchart because my project is based on second grade mathematics and this would be a great tool to use in the classroom.
I also explored bubbl.us and created a brainstorm of the thinking process of multi-digit addition. This would be useful during a lesson or homework assignment, so that the students could show their thinking process. Each tool chosen would be of great use for the teacher during his or her lesson. It is a visual aid and is a great tool for the visual learners.

Thing 13

Zoho Writer is an interesting site. It reminded my a lot of Microsoft Word, but at the same time it was hard for me to get use to the tools. One feature I liked about Zoho Writer is strikethrough. This feature is great for teachers because it allows you to make a line through a problem or answer if incorrect. I sampled this feature by doing a math problem and answering it incorrect, so that I could use strikethrough and highlight the correct answer. If you were teaching a high school class, your students could create free accounts and then comments could be left pertaining to that assignment or they could leave comments for you before it is submitted.

Complete the addition problem.

2+2=6             2+2=4

Google Docs and spreadsheet was easier for me to navigate than Zoho Writer and one reason I liked Google better is because I already had an account with google. Attached below is a sample of a spreadsheet that would be great for teachers to keep students contact information and great for students projects.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ar?&hl=it&id=tKzDM5J4soPtwqkmiZ__XyA.09348762108347166352.3094692516184607130&action=1&tile=1&rpert=20&srow=0&erow=2&scol=0&ecol=3&fprt=false&tfe=yn_415&gsessionid=b4OVluWKQyU

Thing 12

After exploring some different things Google has to offer, I took a further look into Google translate. This is a really great tool for teachers because you could show your students what their sentence would look like in a different language. Below is an example after I typed in "My major is elementary education."
http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=EN

Language		Translated query
French		Mon majeur est l'éducation élémentaire.
Spanish		Mi especialidad es la educación primaria.
Italian		Il mio principale è l'educazione elementare.

The next option I am exploring is Google Calendar, but something is wrong with the server and is down temporarily. https://www.google.com/calendar
One thing I like about Google Calendar is that I can use my existing Google account and do not have to create a new username and password. Even though I have not thoroughly explored it yet, this tool would be great for teachers to keep track of everything and have access to it from anywhere. A lot of times I leave my calendar at home and then I don't have it when I need it, but if teachers used this then they don't have to worry about leaving it at school. Google will greatly help teachers in explaining new terms or languages and keep teachers on track with their schedules.

Thing 11

The method I found the easiest for finding feeds was Google Blog Search. I am familiar with Google from previous research on topics, so searching for blogs was not confusing for me on Google. When searching for new feeds, I would type in a word that was of interest to me and see what would come up. I found that the easiest was picking a word or phrase and typing it in the search toolbar. The two most confusing sites to find feeds was Syndic8 and Technorati. I found it hard to access because I did not even know where to begin, whereas with Google Blog Search, there was a single bar that you entered your search. An unusual feed I found was 10 saddest love songs and this was found after typing "love" in the search bar. I found this odd because I would never think to make a feed about the ten saddest love songs. A helpful feed I found was teaching tips machine and it had some great ideas for future teachers.

Thing 10

RSS and news-feeder was easy for me to navigate because I already had a Google account and all I had to do was subscribe to different feeds. The five feeds I chose to follow are Pioneer Woman, the Cool Cat Teacher, Dangerously Irrelevant, Free Tech 4 Teachers, and the Sigma Kappa Chi Omega Chapter. This is useful for teachers because they can search for topics related to their lesson, gain new ideas, and ask questions. This is also another form of communication for teachers and parents because parents can create a Google account and comment on your RSS or news feed. Technology is going to continue to advance, so it is beneficial for a teacher to advance with it's new opportunities to better his/her students since they are living in a world where technology is a part of their daily life.

Thing 9

The image generators were a little confusing and hard to navigate. Image generators would be very useful in the classroom, but give yourself plenty of time to create, change, and explore. The image generator I used was custom sign generator. http://www.signgenerator.org/ This was my favorite image generator sight because in a classroom I would use it to post information around the classroom that may have to do with classroom rules, acceptable behaviors, or even use it to name stations around the classroom. Using an image generator adds character to a classroom, rather than you handwriting it yourself. I have attached a image generator I created that would go at the front of the classroom. I created this sign because cheating is a big deal and I figured the WARNING was appropriate.

 

As an elementary student, this sign would get my attention more than a teacher writing on the white board NO CHEATING. Another generator I explored was the Postit note generator. Postit note generator This would be useful at the end of the day to pull up on the smart board and to give your students important reminders. This site was the easiest to navigate because it was exactly as if you were writing on a postit note, except you were typing. 

Image generators are great for the classroom, library, and for your own personal use. The possibilities of the use of image generators are endless and it is a great way to show your creativity.

Thing 8

I chose to use Spell with Flickr. This is so neat because you can type in a quote, word, phrase, or something that goes along with your lesson to make it more fun and interesting for your students. I chose my favorite Bible verse to see what it looked like through Flickr photo. Flickr Spell Bible Verse Phillipians 4:13 Flickr photo is a unique way to make something out of the ordinary a part of your lesson. When I share photos online, I want to be able to choose and block people from seeing my photos and I want to make sure my settings are private. I think Flickr photo will help turn something boring in a lesson into something the students will enjoy.

Thing 7

After exploring Flickr and taking the tour on how to navigate the site, I decided to look at the galleries. One gallery specifically caught my eye and it was titled Empty Chairs. There was one photo that was absolutely beautiful and it told a story. The photographer mentioned abscence or a loss and this touched me because my grandpa and I always sit outside in a chair and talk about everything. Sadly, I know he will not always be there and I will have an empty chair and I don't know what I will ever do without him. Even though the photo I found doesn't relate specifically to teaching, you could have your students find a photo that meant something to them and have them create or tell a story for a creative writing exercise. It can also be used in the classroom for pictures of current events or even used is your social studies lesson for visuals. I found another photo titled Lonely Tree, this would be a great photo to show your students and tell them to write a story about a who has passed this tree or what the tree sees or something like that. I have attached the photo of the Lonely Tree to see if you agree with me about a creative writing exercise. http://flic.kr/p/8M8qmg by Pixel Views. I could see this type of exercise for this specific photo work great for fifth graders.

Thing 6

I chose the site Remember the Milk because this site is a great tool for teachers, students, and parents. It is an effective way for students to keep track of everthing due that week from homework, tests, quizzes, permission slips, specific item they need to bring to class, and so on. A planner is great, but what if the student leaves it in his/her desk and needs it for their homework that evening? This allows them to access it at home, in a car, on their phones, parent's email, ipod, and so much more. The only thing I did not like about this site is that the pro-version cost $25 a year, but for a teacher, student, and parents use, the free one works great! From this tool, you can manage tasks, email reminders, share tasks, access from your phone, manage tasks offline, calendar, and it's all FREE!! This site has great potential for students and parents in the school. http://www.rememberthemilk.com/

Thing 5

After reading Web 2.0 is the Future of Education and Wikipedia - Web 2.0, I now have an understanding of what this phrase means. Web 2.0 and School 2.0 means that as society is being influenced and relying more and more on technology, the schools need to utilize these resources to better their students learning. It allows teachers to keep their students up to date on what is going on in the world around them. Blogging, pod-casts, and bookmarking are just few examples of how Web 2.0 will be apart of our future schools. This is a great advancement for our future schools because students use technology on a daily basis, so it is something they are familiar with and allows them to learn in a fun, exciting way.

Thing 4

Commenting helps create a sense of community because it allows you to interact with a group of people. Everyone does not have a blog, so for the ones who do it is as if your are a part of a neighborhood or community you are interacting with. I love reading and commenting about what others have to say because it may show you a different view on a situation, you may gain knowledge of an issue you did not even know about, or it may give you advice that will benefit you in the future. 

I chose to comment on Tabitha Beard's Thing 3 because it was a well developed discussion on the use of blogs in the classroom. We shared some of the same ideas, but I also gained other ways that blogging will be even more beneficial to my students and their parents. 

Casey Ball's Thing 2 was a great description on her reasoning of naming her blog. It was creative and it reiterates that everything in that blog is her personal views and opinions. 

I chose to comment on Kenna Gupton's Thing 2 because I really liked the look of it, but as I read her blog I found out that her friend helped her create it. This made me realized that blogging would be a great tool to allow students to work in teams to create a blog having to do with a subject or book we were covering in class. 

Jessica Patterson's Thing 2 related closely to my Thing 2 because this was both of our first times creating a blog. We both agreed that it looked interesting, but just did not find the time to sit down and create one. 

I chose to comment on Claire Albert's Thing 3 because she mentioned that blogging would hold students accountable to post weekly. This a great, fun way to get students involved through technology and allow interaction outside of the classroom with their fellow classmates. 

When I was searching to comment on two other blogs, I found that a lot of blogs were made in memory of someone or to give medical updates. I chose to comment on The Green's are on the scene: post Happy Birthday Mom because it was very touching and related to what my mom is going through. This was an absolute beautiful post and brought tears to my eyes. The second blog I chose to comment on was Maida Vale: post Cake love. This was a fun post and it had great pictures. I would have never thought about posting about my favorite wedding cakes, but this reiterates the freedom with blogging.

Thing 3

As I am progressing through my college years in hopes of becoming an elementary school teacher, I will be learning lots and lots of tools that will be beneficial to me when I graduate with a teaching degree. Blogging is the most recent tool I have learned. This is a unique way to communicate with your students parents and share with them new events, due dates, projects, class community service, and so much more. Everyone has a pretty busy schedule, so blogging would give the parents a way to stay on top of things that might be going in their child's classroom. Blogging will also give them the opportunity to leave comments or questions. I remember when I was in elementary school and whenever field trip permission forms were passed I would always wait til the last minute to get an approval from my mom. Blogging would allow the teacher to post updates on what was sent home that needs to be returned and it will hold the student more accountable because his or her parent knows what he or she should be signing. I believe this is a great form of communication because the majority of people have computers and are on them at some point throughout the day.

Thing 2

Blogging is something extremely new to me and all of the steps of creating a blog, avatar, and post were challenging at first, but the 23 things for teachers website helped in making each step easier. In deciding on my posting name, it was pretty simple. I used my first and last name, so that anyone reading my posts in my blog would know these are my personal thoughts and opinions. Emily's 23 things is the title of my blog and I thought this was a great fit because each post contains my thoughts and understandings of each thing. As previously stated, creating a blog at first was hard because I have never created a blog before, but now it is extremely self explanatory and easy. I think blogging is a great way to express your ideas without pen and paper and it gives others an opportunity to view you opinions, make comments, and read something they would have never had the opportunity to do if it was on paper. Truthfully, it was hard to create an avatar to show my true personality, so I did my best in matching my personal characteristics with the avatar. By matching my characteristics with the avatar, my goal was to have my personality show through the similarity of the characteristics. Creating a stick figure to match you completely is just not going to happen, especially since I am not an art major, but it looks as close to me as it is going to get.

In response to the 7.5 habits: Thing 1

After viewing the 7.5 habits, the hardest habit for myself would be to "have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner" and the easiest habit would be "begin with the end in mind". Having confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner is going to be a challenge because I tend to second guess myself, even when I am right. The easiest of the habits is beginning with an end in mind because whenever I begin a task I am already thinking how I want it to turn out. This habit, in my opinion, means setting a goal for yourself that you want completed at the end of your task or a certain outcome. Even though it is only the third day of school, I have already thought how I want my grades in my classes to turn out, I am beginning with an end goal in mind for a certain grade. In order to become a lifelong learner, I will have to strive to do better about having confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner and take all 7.5 habits and follow them.