Is It the End or Only the Beginning?

My favorite discovers of the 23 Things blog was the Animoto, Flowcarts and the Mashup.  I feel that all the applications I learned from 23 Things blog will help me be a more effective teacher in the future.  By using all these applications, I feel that students will be more engaged in the classroom.  Some of the take-a-ways from this program that surprised me was that how much fun it is to use all these applications.  I really enjoyed the applications were you can manipulate and do a slide show of pictures.  I feel that some of these application, which for the most are useful, are somewhat out of date or not as relevant.  For example, mostly everyone uses Facebook or Twitter and I felt that this application really shouldn't be used in a classroom setting.  What I have learned will influence my practices as a teacher by using the technology and applications that I have learned about in my future classroom.  A way that I will keep up with the developments in web 2.0 is by always looking for new applications out on the web and communicating with other teachers on what is the new application to use in the classroom.  I found web 2.0 to be useful by providing me with a lot of insight on how applications can make teachers lives more organized and easier.

Thing #23

Below is the 23 Things Teacher Blog credits that contains the creative commons licence for this blog.  I will use creative common licence in the future for any worksheets, blogs or webquest that I would create online.  I feel that I would want people to use my work as long as they did not change the work.  This creative common licence is known as Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND). I really like creative commons licence and feel that this will be the way of the future.

CREDITS

Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachersis based on Learning 2.0 - 23 Things, a staff development program for theMesquite Independent School District. That program was based on theLearning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers and adapted by the California School Library Association and others. Content and style for Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers has been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License.

Thing #22

The titles of my LiveBinder It were Biology Worksheets, Biology Videos and Biology Lesson Plans. The link to my Biology Video binder is located here http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=871111.  For this activity I used live binders for my personal use.  If  I were to use this application for students in the classroom , I would have the students use LiveBinder It for projects that way I could easily see what resources they used for their projects.  You could also use LiveBinder It for websites that a teacher may use constantly that way they are easily accessible before class starts.

Thing #21

I really enjoyed using the Animoto application.  I decided to use my photos of my furry children and liked it so much that I posted it on my personal Facebook account.  I think this is a great tool and can be used for school activities such as putting pictures together of students that are working on a project.  I think students would really enjoy using this application.

Snuggas

Thing #20

I chose YouTube and have always liked this site when finding videos.  I chose a video that has biology students talking about ATP, which gives your muscles energy, in a fun way.  I like this video because students will find it funny and it will help them remember what ATP is for their general knowledge of biology. I would definitely use these resources in my future biology classroom.  Their could be features or components that could benefit our libraries website such that people can use videos for research purposes when writing a research paper.

Thing #19

I am a member of online communities such as Facebook and Twitter.  I have yet to be a member of a teacher online community until Today.  I really like the Classroom 2.0 due to the fact that you can communicate with other teachers to get ideas on better ways to teach and it has many resources that teachers can use in the classroom.  I will use Classroom 2.0 in the future.  Its a great tool for teachers that want to share ideas of teaching.  I liked the TeacherPop  community but just felt that it didn't have as many resources for teacher and was more of a forum for teachers.

Thing #18

It is important that teachers know how social networking works because they can use this technology to communicate with other teachers and organization that can enhance their teaching.  Also, it is a great way to keep up with current events in your field of teaching.  I have used Twitter and Facebook before for my personal use but one thing I did learn that was new was the fact that twitter has a lot of organizations that that are involving education.  Some of those include Ed Week Teacher, NOAA Teacher at Sea and Molecular Biology.  I like both Twitter and Facebook but tend to like Facebook more because I feel that it is more user friendly and you can do more things with it such as set up a profile of what your interest are and things you like to do for fun.  I feel that Facebook is more personal than Twitter.  I feel that Facebook has the most  useful features. I can see a school application for both Twitter and Facebook such that you can have students look up different organizations that apply to your subject area and see what they have to offer to the students.  Students maybe interested in seeing what that organization has to provide to society and if that is something they may want to do in their future.

https://twitter.com/BoTeacher

Thing #17

Delicious seems like a great tool for teachers to use to help organize their bookmarks for different lessons and subjects they may teach.  I do see the potential of this tool in the classroom to help even students when doing projects were they need to research websites online. I also think it is a great tool to be used when your anywhere and want to access your bookmarks anywhere from another computer.  Teachers can take advantage of social bookmarking sites by finding websites online and bookmarking them.  After they do this, they can share their bookmarks with other teachers online so that you can see what websites are great tools to use in your subject area or websites that are not very useful.

Thing #16

I used the iGoogle start page because I already had a gmail account and had already started using Google a lot lately.  I am not sure if I will use it as a permanent page just because I use my iPhone a lot and already have apps on it that would be on the iGoogle page.  I could use the online calender 30 boxes for my future job as a teacher to keep up with when I say assignments are due and to keep me organized   I would not use the online calender for personal use since I already use the one on my iPhone   I felt that the remember the milk to do list was too much work.  I also have a to do list on my iPhone and use that currently.  Overall, I feel that all these applications I already use and is in one central location on my phone.

Thing #15

The APSU 23 Things Sandbox wiki was very fun to use.  It took me a while thought to find the button used to edit the wiki.  I thought that as soon as you signed up, you could edit the wiki immediately but instead you have to be asked to be invited into the sandbox wiki.  I suppose that would be a great tool that way people you don't want to mess with the wiki will not mess with it if you make it locked to only the people you want to manipulate it.  I could use a wiki in a classroom setting by have students create their own wiki about different biomes, ecosystems or cellular information.  The students can use the wiki as a template to create different projects.  I feel that the wiki concept is very fun and interesting.  I think it is a great tool to share information among people.

Thing #14

I choose to use bubbl.us and gliffy.com as the two flowcharts for this assignment.  I really enjoyed creating both of them.  I used these two websites because I was able to manipulate them easily and I can use them for various biology activities.  I liked how bubbl.us has various colors to make certain bubbles stand out.  I also liked gliffy.com different shapes and how you can manipulate them in any direction so you could make your flowchart any way you want.  This is a great activity and will definitely use this technology in my future biology class.

Thing #13

Zoho Writer

I really enjoyed using the Zoho Writer.  I had no idea their was a free online application I could use that was similar to Microsoft Office.  I currently have an iPad and have been trying to find an application I could use similar to Microsoft Office.  Even though it doesn't have all the resources and tools as Microsoft Office, it still is a valuable tool for make quick documents, spreadsheets, or powerpoints.  I will definitely be using this application for future school assignments and for my everyday life.

Google Docs

I really liked Google Docs.  It seemed to work faster than Zoho Writer and had less errors.  I really liked how Google Docs had simple features to making documents.  I also liked the fact that it is linked up with my Google account that way everything is in one place.  I feel that Zoho Writer is a lot like Google Docs but I feel that the set up in the Google Docs is easier to use and find applications.  I also like Google Docs spreadsheets and powerpoints.  The tools were very easy to use and simple.  If I had a choice, I would definitely use Google Docs since I am already used to using Google+.

Thing #12

I created a calender on Google (https://www.google.com/calendar/render?tab=cc) and feel that this tool is really handy.  I would definitely have my students use this tool to keep up with daily assignments and when they are due.  You could also have students let you know when they would be out of school or if they have certain club events going on that way you know when they will be out of class.  This kind of tool can be used for college students or high school students.

The other Google tool I used was Google Translator (http://translate.google.com/#en/ar/).  This tool is great for learning different languages.  I also think it is a great tool for students that may teach that have a language barrier if English is not a primary language.  Also, you can use this tool in Spanish or French class for students who's primary language is English.  Both of these tools are great for teachers and students and the best part is that they are free to use.

Thing #11

The method of finding blogs the easiest was using Google blog search and the Topix.net.  They would take you to blogs that were active and showed you news within the area of where you live and the world.  I would search for biology resources and it brought up various blogs to assist me in my future teachings in high school biology.  Also, I found current news in biology which would be another great tool for teaching.  It was confusing just to randomly search for feeds on the internet.  I feel that you need a search engine made for searching blogs or news that have readers.  I like feeds that deal with what I am learning in school, things I can do in the house such as DIY projects and German Shepherds.  There were some unusual blogs when searching for biology resources such as Smartboard tutorials and blogs that didn't really make sense to be within the search. I felt like the Google blog search and Topix.net were good resources to find feeds since I didn't have any luck just searching online.

Thing #10

I really like the RSS and Newsreader.  My favorite is the German Shepherd dog forum.  I have two German Shepherds and was loving all the pictures and information.  I would use this technology for teaching by subscribing to science news and at the beginning of class let the students look at one of the articles for the day.  I can also just use this in my everyday life to read the news and know whats going on in the world.  Teachers can use this application to update them on current events to relate it to what they are currently teaching in the classroom. I will be definitely using the reader for everyday task and for teaching in the future.

Thing #9

I used http://www.customsigngenerator.com/ for the two pictures I generated below.  The first picture below is of me and my friend.  I added an alien to the picture for fun.  It was fairly easy to generate this picture. The only thing I did not like is how the ads make it confusing when looking how to generate the picture.

The second picture is my friend acting like Diana Ross.  We were at a booth at a football game having fun while the game was going on.  I like how I could add comment bubbles to picture.

Both adding pictures and comment bubbles really makes the picture interactive and fun.  You can add something similar like this to a PowerPoint lecture to catch the students attention or to help them remember something by adding a funny slide.  You can also use these tools just for fun to make a friend laugh.

Thing #8

The mashup application I used was Mosaic Maker.  I really liked how you could put multiple frames in one picture.  This application can be used for various purposes such as decorating your house, teaching and just to have for scrapbooking.  You could use flickr mashups for teaching high school biology by putting different pictures of animals or anatomy for students to see. I feel that sharing photos online is a touchy subject. As long as the photos are not explicit or don't betray the person in a bad light that its ok.  People must be selective about what they put online now a days.  Overall, Mosiac Maker is a great app for pictures.  It is a creative way to make people or students notice pictures more.

Thing #7

I really liked using Flickr for searching images.  It was really easy to look up the otter picture below.  All I did was search for animals and it was on the second page.  I liked how you could look up keywords to search for pictures you may need for a presentation or for school.  I think Flickr is a better source to use when search for pictures than Google.  I would definitely use this site for my future biology class.  I think it has a lot to offer and has great in action picture and quality. Furthermore, I like how it has groups that are linked to different pictures that way you can share information with the person that took the picture such as where it was, what kind of habitat did that animal live in and so on.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigbadnev/5978859625/

Thing #6

The tool I found and explored was http://wiggio.com/.  This is a great tool for high school students, college students and working professionals.  On this free website you can make groups for sports, academics or clubs.  Within the groups, you can send out text messages if sporting events change. Also, you can create a poll to see what the majority of people would like to do when creating an event for a group, such as in a club for school.  Furthermore, you can store documents that a group for class may share in one central location.  I really like how on the website it guides you  by letting you choose which group (academic, sports, etc.) and sets it up according to a certain group.  The only thing I do not like is that the set up seems to take sometime and has a lot of options to choose from to how you want to set up your group.  The one setting up the group would have to communicate with the group and decide how they would like to set it up. I do like how you can send out mass text messages to the group to quickly send information if something changes suddenly.  Overall, this website is very useful for students and working professionals.

Thing #5

In my opinion, the term "School 2.0" means using the internet as a learning tool and sharing your information on how to use technology to others. Within the articles, they gave many different examples of how to use the internet as a learning tool.  For example, you can use the internet for exchanging different ideas of how to set up an interactive PowerPoint   Also, you can use it to exchange information on how to use different applications on the internet within the classroom.

For schools in the future, "School 2.0" will become more prevalent and be used more.  I feel that it will help expand the knowledge of students and teach them how to use the internet as a learning tool.  Furthermore, it will help teachers make lessons plan interactive and fun for students to keep them engaged and ready to learn.  Some issues though with using "School 2.0" is that some parents may not like teachers pulling certain information within the web.  Overall, I feel that "School 2.0" will be used more and more in the future and will enhance students' learning.

Thing #4

I feel that commenting on blogs helps create a sense of community and interaction among people.  I feel that it is easy to create a community and have interactions among people around you, but it brings a challenge when you are creating it on a blog with people all over the world.  By having people comment on your blog, you can develop multiple commonalities among people, whether it be a hobby or interest. By doing this you are creating a sense of community based on common interest through commenting.

I find it important when commenting that people comment in a respectful way to other people's post or blogs.  I feel that people need to be constructive towards others and not destructive when it comes to commenting.  If you are constructive with your comments, then the other person tends to be more open minded about your opinion and can learn from what you are commenting on.  If you are destructive, a person tends to be shut off from what you have to say and does not want to even consider your opinion.  Also, I feel that it is important to be open ended when writing and blog to stimulate commenting of other people's thoughts and ideas. By being open ended, you can learn more about a certain subject that you are discussing that you may not have known.

Below are the names of the 7 blogs I commented on, what I commented and the reasons why I commented on there blogs. In general  commented on these blogs because they caught my eye and I was interested about what they had posted:


Bing Thepsiri 

"Your ideas are great to be used for a teaching blog. I like the idea that you can use it to communicate behavioral techniques to parents. Parents always need the best and accurate information for having to deal with their child's issues. I feel that when it comes from a teacher, a parent will feel that it is the best information that can get for their child."

The reason why I commented on her blog was that I found her ideas interesting on how she would use a  blog in the classroom.  It added to my ideas of what I would use a blog for in my own classroom.  I could add information about different ways students can learn and see what is best suited for my students in my classroom at the time.

Christine Luke

"This website looks so fun! I love the ideas you have to use this website for your own future teachings. This is a great way to keep students interested and make learning fun, especially for young students."

The reason I commented on her blog was that I liked how she gave multiple examples of using glogster for her own future teachings. It helped me come up with my own ideas to use glogster for my future teaching even though we will be teaching at different grade levels. I feel that no matter what the age, this is a great tool to use in education.

Gina Avant

"Personally, I felt that uploading and creating the avatar was the most tedious experience. It took me forever to figure out how to upload the avatar onto the website. Even though it was challenging I still had fun creating mine. I like the way how you added little details to your avatar to represent your personality!"

The reason I commented on her blog was that she expressed difficulty with creating the blog and I wanted to express to her that even though setting up the blog was easy for me I had trouble with doing the avatar and uploading it to the blog. It helped me realize that some people may struggle in one area but can succeed in another depending on their learning strategy.

Vanessa Steele

"I like the first picture you created. It literally made me laugh out loud. This is a great tool to help keep children interested and you can use it to add extra flare to your classroom."

The reason I commented on her blog was that it was very entertaining to see what she created with the comic strip generator.  I like how she added a personal flare to her blog while teaching her bloggers about how this tool can be used in the real world or in teaching.

Emily Scott

"I always feel like I want my avatar to represent me too. I made mine look like me and had its style similar to mine. I figured for this class that I would have it look like me since I am representing myself in the class this way. For my own future personal blogs it would be fun to make avatars that are more fun and different but I feel that if I were to make a blog for teaching purposes that I would use a avatar that represents me in a professional way."

The reason I commented on her blog was because we shared a similar idea of using a avatars to represent us.  I explained my opinion about why I did this so she would know why I chose a similar idea.  It was great to see how someone had a similar idea through blogging.

Benjamin Baldridge

"I really like the idea to use blogs in your classroom to help students express themselves in a new medium. It is important to show explain to students that when expressing your opinion on a blog that you must use certain edicts. This is a great way to teach students to be politically correct when expressing their opinions on certain world views."

The reason I commented on his blog was that I really liked his idea of using blogs to stimulate using a new medium of communication in his class. With Today's technology, I feel that it is very important that young students learn the politically correct way to communicate that way people respect their opinions more. 

William Graves

"I like your description on how Flickr is used and how it has some similarities and differences to Facebook I have always seen this feature on my phone but I have never used it and had no idea what it was all about. I like how someone can tag keywords of a picture."

The reason I commented on his blog was because I liked how he explained how to use Flickr.  I have always seen this application but never used it and had no idea how to use it. I feel that his description was great for people that had no idea what this application was used for.

Thing #3

There are many ways to use a blog for a teacher educational program and in my future classroom. Ways you can use a blog for a teacher educational program is by having a teacher in a certain grade fields to post different educational tools such as videos or programs that teachers can use for their students. Also, these teachers could post tutorials on how to organize your classroom better that way students can flow from one station to another. Teachers can also use blogs to help exchange information that may improve a class's participation and excitement to learn.

In my future classroom, I would use a blog to post assignments and to get feed back about the subject I am teaching.  This would be a great tool for students that may have missed a class or may just need a reminder of what is going on in the class. Also, it would help me better understand what I would need to improve in and work towards into becoming a better teacher.

Thing #2

I am very excited to start this blog. To be honest, I have never done a blog before and the closest thing to a blog I have ever done is Facebook. I have friends that use blogs for cooking and for just posting funny life experiences that have happened to them.  I wouldn't mind starting my own personal blog but I feel like I would have to do it for a reason or subject such as cooking or hobbies.  For this blog, I decided to use my first name and state what was the subject of the blog.  I figured if I were to do my own blogs in the future that this would be a good way to title my blogs.

My experience in creating the blog was very easy and simple. Besides just finding the links to change things, it is very user friendly.  Blogger kind of reminds me a lot of when MySpace first came out. In MySpace, you had to use HTML codes to change backgrounds or add picture photos. I like how blogger allows you to simply add a post and move gadgets around to arrange your page. I think my avatar really reflects the way I look. I often put my hair half up and half down.  I also have the same color hair, eyes and clothes style. I decided to create an avatar that looks like me because this blog is for a class and I wanted to represent my real self.

Thing #1

After learning about the "7 1/2 Habits of High Successful Life Long Learners", I could quickly see what learning habits are the hardest and easiest for me.  I feel that the hardest learning habit for me would be having confidence as a competent, effective learner because there are times when I doubt myself in school such as on a test. Instead of putting the answer that I initially thought of, I tend to doubt myself and insert a different answer. This habit is one that I have had to work on and learn to be confident in my decisions. I hope that as I continue with classes in education that I will learn ways to better help me with excelling in this habit.  The easiest learning habit for me would be using technology to my advantage. When in school, I have always learned if I can't think of an answer off the top of my head that I need to use resources to help me find the answer. I would find the answer by researching it on the Internet or using an online tool for your university's library to search for other resources. I have always used technology for school activities and feel comfortable using it as a learning tool.

By using the Web 2.0 tools I hope to learn how to set up a blog for educational purposes, that way I will be better prepared for teaching in Today's world of technology. This is the first time I have ever set up a blog and I have to say it was easy. After reading the directions on the 23 things website, I could quickly navigate on the blogger page and edit things with no problem. Nothing was really hard to figure out on the edit page and everything seemed very straight forward. I am very excited to learn more about blogging and the different tools it has to offer!