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.