Thing 19

I thought TeacherPop was interesting. I like the fact that this website keeps me connected to APSU's Education Department. Also, I can keep in touch with my future collegues. I have explored other sites on the internet before; however I don't believe one should put any kind of information about themselves on the internet. Therefore, I stay away from a lot of sites like facebook. Basically, I will use TeacherPop and only use a computer for teaching purposes. Also, I uploaded a picture of me and my dog on TeacherPop.




<embed wmode="opaque" src="http://static.ning.com/socialnetworkmain/widgets/index/swf/badge.swf?xn_version=124632088" FlashVars="backgroundColor=0xFFFFFF&textColor=0xFF1A45&config=http%3A%2F%2Fteacherpop.ning.com%2Fmain%2Fbadge%2FshowPlayerConfig%3Fxg_source%3Dbadge%26size%3Dmedium%26username%3D3eoursszjyrci" width="206" height="174" bgColor="#FFFFFF" scale="noscale" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"> </embed><br /><small><a href="http://teacherpop.ning.com%22%3evisit/ <em>TeacherPop</em></a></small><br />

Is It The End Or Only The Beginning

I believe it's the beginning for me. All these projects helped me to become more proficient with my computer skills. My favorite project was Thing 20, because I got to use my favorite inspirational speech by Sylvester Stallone. All these things will help me become a better teacher, because it has helped me learn how to use the computer better. The aspect that I would change about this program is the directions. Basically, I thought that the directions were for people with great computer skills, and I'm not as skilled as most. Overall, my experience with this has helped me learn that I can use technology to further my education in a variety of ways.

Thing 23

http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/

The above link is the original Learning 2.0-23 things created by PLCMC. Since I have already explored Creative Commons in a previous thing, I understand it and will always look for it's symbol when sharing work. I wll be using this program in order to be positive that work I include in my lesson plans can be copied. Overall, this site will provide great resources to any classroom.

Thing 15

I have always used Wikipedia for helping me gain knowledge on numerous subjects. While this site is not considered to be professional, it provides one with a great learning opportunities. The only problem with this site is that anybody can add or delete information. However, all the wiki sites provides teachers and students with tremendous knowledge for new ideas when teaching or doing school work. I chose to upload my Thing 20 to the apsu23thingssandbox wiki, because it shows a great motivational speech that may inspire some people. Overall, sharing my ideas and possible getting feedback from others is exciting to me.

Thing 22

My three livebinders are Teacher Helper, Creative Commons and English Games for High School. The aspect of this site that I found most interesting is students can use this program for all their subjects. Also, for each of my classes or students, I could create my own binder. There are numerous activities for homework and projects that I could use in order to get the students more involved through this program. For instance, the link below is a website for English games, and I could have students compete against one another to see who has been paying attention in class. Perhaps, the best thing students will appreciate about this site is that they won't have to carry heavy book bags filled with heavy paper binders. Overall, this program will be a major part of my teaching.
http://www.livebinders.com/edit?id=408511&google=English%20games%20for%20high%20school

Thing 21

My experience with Animoto was a little frustrating, because I couldn't figure out how to upload pictures. And since I don't have any pictures on my computer, I became even more frustrated. However, my sister showed me pictures that I could use from her computer that made this Thing a little easier. After figuring this program out, I thought it was pretty cool. I could use it for future projects or to show my students a collection of pictures that relate to a topic which I am teaching. Overall, this Thing was very fulfilling with the ways one can make a video.
Try our slideshow creator at Animoto.

Thing 20

You Tube has always been a great program for finding movies, songs and just about anything one wants to look up. For me, You Tube is used to look at videos pertaining to Sylvester Stallone. I have always found You Tube to be useful. For instance, the video I uploaded provides a profound inspirational speech that has influenced my life enormously. I think You Tube is a great device for a library website, because it would allow students to share videos and gain knowledge on just about any subject. Enjoy the video!

Thing 18

When I first read the directions for this thing, I wasn't pleased that I had to set up a twitter or facebook account. Personally, I believe that both of these programs cause nothing but trouble. Also, I was advised in my EDUC 3070 class not to have any of these programs. And while I could have used an alias to do Thing 18, I didn't want to use my email address to set it up. So, I used my sister's facebook account instead. While I completely understand that these networks have their advantage in resources, I will never use them. However, I do understand that these networks are influential for social networking. I guess that students could use these resources to ask questions about lesson plans and homework while in school. Basically, I'm just old-fashion, because I will simply give my number to my students if they have any questions.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/scarlett.farmer.9

Thing 17

The most influential aspect that I discovered after joining Delicious is that it's a great tool for teachers to share ideas and resources in order to help teach students and grow as professionals. Also, Delicious allows one to search whatever is on one's mind. And since students are very active, this site will allow them to explore any topic they want. The bookmark that I found interesting was Ten Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom. I use Skype a lot with my girl when she travels to see her family in Arkansas. As a teacher, I could use Skype to interact with teachers from around the world in order to broaden my students' minds. Overall, the best part of Delicious is that it provides fresh ideas for teacher/student relationships.

Thing 16

I chose iGoogle as my start page, because it has all the resources on it's program that I could use for my personal likes. For instance, I have always liked important quotes and finding out what has happened on this day in history; so, I added both of these aspects. I even decided to make iGoogle my pernament homepage. Online calenders make it easier for someone to access their information no matter where they are. For instance, most people keep their calenders on a cell phone; however, people are constantly losing a cell phone. Therefore, online calenders can be a lifesaver when people lose devices with their important information on them. The to-do lists were not very helpful to me. I have always used my mind to remember what I have to do for each day. Also, I don't like the fact that the to-do list would pop up on my computer automaticatlly. I prefer my computer very simple. I never found anything else that I thought would be useful other than iGoogle.

Thing 14

The first program that I chose was Gliffy. I liked Gliffy, because it can be very useful for flowcharts. The best aspect of Gliffy is that it allows one to be more creative for papers and projects. Also, Gliffy has numerous charts that I can use when teaching English. For instance, I have always thought that Venn diagrams are extremely useful for comparing and contrasting many aspects for literature. So, I will be using Gliffy a lot for my teaching. Bubbl.us was used more for brainstorming ideas for projects and papers. My future students will love this program, because it does not require one to be perfect. Therefore, my students can apply anything they want into a bubble in order to help them with their work. Overall, both programs are perfect for any English teacher, because each covers main aspects of writing and learning.

Thing 13

When I first began exploring Zoho Writer, I couldn't believe there was a program that allows one to create documents like Microsoft Word. There have been a number of times when I went on vacation and thought that I couldn't write a school paper, because my friends' computers didn't have Microsoft Word. So, I was impressed with Zoho Writer from the start. Also, Zoho allowed me to look up words on the dictionary or thesaurus which will be vital when I begin my English teaching career. I found Google Docs interesting too. The aspect of Google Docs that I liked best is that it is more private. In other words, if I decide to write a document and want feedback, I can invite people to comment on my work. Also, as a teacher, I could pose questions to my students through this program which will allow a more positive atmosphere for class discussions. When comparing the two sites, I found Zoho to be more creative with things that one could do with their writing; however, I prefer to use Google Docs, because I can control the program to my satisfaction and privacy.

Thing 12

I found the Google alerts very interesting. I set up alerts that will help my future English teaching experience. I think it is cool to know that even if I don't search for anything, Google will automatically send me alerts that will give me good options of knowledge for research. I also explored the Google translate cite. This cite may be helpful for my teaching if I'm reading a book that has foreign words in it. Overall this thing was very helpful and interesting.

http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=EN
http://www.google.com/alerts/manage?mqm=c&q=english+teaching&x=AMJHsmUJQfNkR3_nPyyeqEcobsbM4OimVQ:1330036028765

Thing 9

Personally, I had a difficult time learning how to to this thing. I found each cite listed very confusing and not helpful. I'm sure there are a lot advantages for these in the classroom. a teacher could make cool images and designs that will heighten learning. However, I don't see myself using this technology at all; it just isn't something that I would incorporate in teaching.

http://www.text2logo.com/logos/absorbed_colorsplash.htm
http://www.medchecker.com/signs/fancy-fonts/list.asp

Thing 7

I had a great time playing with flickr for thing 7. I'm a huge Rocky and Rambo fan, so looking at the many pictures of each movie franchise was very interesting to me. I believe the photographer of this picture is soundtrackgeek.com. Also, this exercise showed me how to upload pictures better. And if i can learn how to do something on the computer, that is an achievement for me.
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=rambo

Thing 11

I didn't really find any of these feeds the easiest to use. Basically, I just clicked on each one and typed in anything relevant to teaching. However, I would have to say that the Google Blog was the easiest for me just because i'm use to using Google. The most useful That i found was www.freetech4teachers.com/ because it showed lesson plans and how to make great ones.I really didn't find any other ways to find news feeds. Personally, I don't find this relevant, because I would rather learn from reading from a book. 

Thing 10

RSS and Newspapers are basically an organizing tool that are suppose to help keep things better updated for future teachers. However, I found this technology very frustrating. Personally, I'm not going to revolve my teaching around blogs and articles or even the computer. I did, however, subscribe to CNN, ESR, the Association of American Educators and Design Thinking for Educators just, because I liked what each had to offer. While this has its benefits of narrowing one's searches for teaching, I still don't find it very useful.

Thing 8

I had a extremely difficult time figuring out how to use flickr. Every time i tried uploading a photo, flickr would not accept it. I even I had log into my old facebook (which I told myself I would never do again) in order to try to get photos from there. Overall, This Thing was very frustrating; however, I was able to figure out how to use this thing to create cool words. So, I did learn something. Also, I would never put any of my photos on the internet again. I learned from facebook that doing that is nothing but trouble.

Thing 4

       Commenting on blogs helps to create a sense of community, because it helps people to understand one's thoughts and inspires feedback. One of the keys to a successful commenting community is to be controversial. Basically, I think if one expresses their true ideas, feedback will result. And while it's essential to be aware of one's writing, it's also imperative to ask questions or make comments that one believes in and stands for. Since only 1 out of every 100 bloggers only comment, one must give aspire to write a blog that will give the internet community an inkling to blog back.
       The seven blogs that I commented on are; Lisa Werber's, Katie Robello's, Jessica Tucker's, Sara Hammontree's, and Mrs. Miller's from our class. I also commented on Cortne Hunt's and April Bumpus' from other classes. The comments that I choose to make revolved around letting them know that each had great ideas for using blogs. I also added a bit of humor to my comments, because there is nothing better than a laugh. I selected these people, because each gave a great blog. And blogs are made to encourage remarks.

     

Thing 6

  I explored Picasa. Picasa makes it really simple to take photos from your desktop and publish them online for others to see. Picasa also has a built-in geotagging that lets you set where photos were taken either by single photo, or by entire albums. It's a great way to browse photos if you feel like exploring. Another interesting aspect is that it lets one manipulate their pictures in a variety of ways like; cropping, getting rid of red eyes, and black and white. Perhaps, the only feature that I didn't like was that users have to pay for additional storage; however, after downloading, one does obtain 1GB of free hosting. I think this tool could be useful in school settings for clubs like the Yearbook clubs. Also, it just helps one be more organized when it comes to albums and pictures.Picasaweb.google.com  

Thing 5

       The articles I chose showed me that the internet is apart of everything in life. If one wants to progress, he or she better have skills and be able to use the internet. In the article Web 2.0, one learns that the future of our daily lives will be entrusted to people that live through the internet. And while I'm not a fan of the internet, I know that I too will have to adjust my life for this technology. However, I also know that the internet will help me to develop better lesson plans and instructional methods for my teaching. To me, the term School 2.0 means that schools need to be on board with technology otherwise they will be left behind in learning. The future of schools is very simple: they will either be technology sufficient or the school will be shut down. As shown in Teachers 2.0, educators are even taking to the internet to vent. Basically, the internet is everywhere, and it's here to stay and keep changing our lives.

Thing 3

     Blogging is an essential tool for any kind of educational purpose. The main aspect of blogging is that it helps one communicate their ideas with others. This process of communicating ideas eventually results in the sharing of ideas which is always a positive in the education atmosphere. For my education and future teaching, I will use blogging as a way to keep a journal of my experiences in order to further help my development. For my students, blogging will be a useful component to class through discussion, development of computer skills and keeping active in participation.  

Thing 2

    The creation of my blog was a difficult endeavor at first. This was the first time I'd ever attempted to use a computer in this way. And while I became very frustrated at times, I eventually, with help from the teacher, learned how to create my blog.
     When deciding on my posting name, I simply followed my teacher's advice to put my last name. Also, it is better for people to see my posting name as my last name rather than a nickname that will never be associated with me for future job opportunities. When choosing the name of my blog, I simply titled "Me." I thought that was simple enough for me, because I'm a simple guy.
      My experience creating this blog was very difficult. I'm very weak when it comes to computers, and I've never been able to learn computers thoroughly. I guess I'm considered a dinosaur in this age of technology. However, with help and guidance from my teacher, I was able to understand how to create a blog.
      When creating my avatar, I was in such a hurry to keep up in class that I wasn't able to make it reflect me. In fact, my avatar ended up being naked. So, when i get time, my avatar will reflect my personality eventually. 

Thing 1

        The habit of lifelong learning that I find the easiest is Habit 4: having confidence in myself as a competent effective learner. The reason Habit 4 resembles my personality and character as a person, because I don't ever let anything bring me down. The habit I find the most difficult is Habit 6: using technology to my advantage. And while Habit 7 is my weak point as a learner, I will use my confidence as a learner (Habit 4) to combat any difficulty that technology (Habit 6) may challenge me with.