Thing 24...or 23 1/2...AHHH

AHH! So it was called 23 Things, but alas, there is a Thing 24. Or Thing 23 1/2. However you want to do it...for this last one I am going to copy and paste the questions. If you'd like to see what I have to say about my experience feel free to read ahead! If not, and if you've not checked out some of my other entries, go back and take a peek at them. This has been a semester long project and although it's been fun, I'm ready to be done and focus back on my food blog!

1. Please give us some feedback by reflecting on your learning journey in one more blog posting. Here are some questions to guide you:

• What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey? 

            -I must say that anything I was able to log in with Google was the best for me. Although it was fun playing around with new tools, I did not like having to sign up for so many things that I may not use again.

• How has this program affected your lifelong learning goals?

          -I do have greater aspirations to find everything that the web has to offer now. I imagine there are and will be many tools out there that will aid me on my path to becoming a great teacher.

• Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

         -I thought I knew about everything Google had to offer, so I was quite surprised to see just how much there really is out there.

• What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

         -Don't make us sign up for so many accounts!

• How will what you have learned influence your practice as a teacher?

       -I will definitely be relying more on technology than I previously might have.

• How do you plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0? Recommend a way that you have found to be useful.

       -Google searches! Good gracious I am a Google fan girl!


2. Where do you go from here?
Welp, I do plan to maintain my food blog and improve upon it since I have a few folks interested in it. I may also keep up with my Live Binders since they are pretty useful as well as the sites for creating flow charts. I can see myself needing those again.

AAAAAAAAAND done!

Thing 23: Creative Commons

Creative Commons is somewhat of a "soft copyright". Click that link for a better explanation than what I can offer. But we all know that in this day and age, information is just out there for the taking. This doesn't necessarily mean that people who work hard to create something want for others just to take it, modify it or heaven forbid re-distribute it as their own. Hence Creative Commons! 

Thing 23 asked me to find evidence that the Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers blog was based on someone else's work and modified from its original. I decided to start from the beginning. I clicked on Thing 1 and from the get go it links you to a tutorial that is credited to someone else. The 23 Things is basically a blog as well as a compilation of other people's work.

How will I use my knowledge of Creative Commons in the future as a teacher? Well the very simple answer is for lesson plans. I intend to come up with some pretty banging lesson plans and if fellow teachers want to use it, that is GREAT! Just don't steal my work and call it yours is all I ask.

Question of the Day: Do you think you would ever need to use Creative Commons for anything?

Thing 22: Keepin' it Together: Livebinders

Ok so Thing 22 gives me yet another online resource available to help me keep myself organized: Live Binders. I have been assigned the task to sign up for this free source and create 3 education binders, one of which I will be sharing with you! First I should give a quick explanation of what Live Binders actually does. It gives you a place to keep related files together, such as Word docs, PDF's, websites, etc..

Right off the bat I'm a bit irritated. This website runs crazy slowly and I've had to hit "stop" and "reload" already...but ok let's power through this! I figure it's a good idea to make myself a binder with some of the Web 2.0 tools I've been introduced to through this project. I just added 3 to this one for demonstrative purposes. It's pretty user friendly and each to navigate once you've added content.

               

   

23 Things Web 2.0!

YAY so I successfully embedded the first binder. The second one I did I played around with making sub-tabs, a way of organizing things into more specific categories. I only did one tab on this one just for illustrative purposes, so here ya go:

               

   

Example Binder 2

For my last one, I decided to click the option under creating a new binder to fill it with a Google search. I typed "tips for teaching second grade" in the Google search field to see what kind of binder it would create for me! If you don't look at the others, GO LOOK AT THIS ONE! This is a crazy good example of what you can really do with this tool! SERIOUSLY! CLICK IT!

               

   

My last example!

So on to the issue at hand...how would I use this in the classroom? Well I think that last example sums it up. As a teacher, I need to stay organized and on top of my game. By utilizing this organization tool, I can keep up with blogs, news, as well as keeping my own personal websites organized. I like it a lot!

Question of the Day: Did you actually look at any of my binders? :P

Thing 21: Animoto

Thing 21 introduced me to a site called Animoto.  It creates a video clip for you using photos you upload (you can link it to Flickr if you so desire) and allows you to add music. I'm going to see if I can create a neat little video of my girls (yeah, I'm THAT kind of parent. If you don't think my kids are as awesome and as cute as I do...well tough luck :P )

Oh! Wait! The site let me connect with Facebook and it's automatically choosing pictures for me to make a video! Let's see what happens....HAHAHAHA I ♥LOVE♥ how random this is...food, kids, snakes...hahaha oh man this is great :)

Click here to watch it! 

Hopefully that link works right. If not I put the video on Facebook too. Thing 21 says that there is a code I can use to embed the video to Blogger but I didn't see it. 

This is a really fun site. We've had to sign up for a lot of Web 2.0 tools along this journey, and I must say this one is going on my list of stuff I will use again in the future.

Question of the Day: What do you think of Animoto? Go click on it and check it out, you don't have to sign up for it, just take a tour.

Thing 19: Beyond Facebook: Other Social Networks

Alright so Thing 19 is an introduction to other social networks! The first one it talks about is Gather, which described itself as the “leading social networking and media site for adults, with some of the highest quality user-generated content on the internet.” It says that this site is in a debate format, meaning I need to stay far FAR away! I tend to get really competitive....

The focus of this thing is Ning, which is a site you can use to create your own social network! That's pretty neat! Now getting more specific, I need to check out Austin Peay's own site created through Ning, TeacherPop. I need to sign up and do a few things, so I'll be right back! OR maybe not...so to sign up I have to get approval from an administrator. I'll go check my email and again..be right back!

Ok so approval took just over a day so let's finish this! I left a comment for a classmate on there and uploaded my photo, thus fulfilling the royal decree of the Thing 19....now for the three questions:

• Are you a member of any online communities? 

 Well I am a member of a forum called Clarksvegas as well as a website called the Consumerist. 

• Are any of these social networks appealing to you? 

This question is referring to the list of social networks they suggested to me. I have to say no, because I don't have time to join and keep up with a bunch of stuff. I really don't.

• What did you find that was interesting and that you might use later?

I do think TeacherPop is pretty neat. A site like that would be useful to me later on in my career I imagine.

Question of the Day: Do you belong to any social networking sites besides Facebook?

Thing 20: You, Too, Can YouTube

Yay YouTube! Thing 20 says to find a cool video on YouTube then talk about it! Talking is something I'm pretty good at... :)  First things first! I need to go have some fun on YouTube!!!! Being the parent that I am, I did a search for "funny babies". I LOVE happy babies! So check out the top 10 baby videos!

Click this! 

I really like YouTube because there is such a massive amount of awesome videos that you can view for free. I am a big fan of music videos (not just funny babies!) so YouTube is generally good for that, although I have been disappointed in the past when trying to view something that was removed due to copyright blah blah blah. 

Thing 20 asks me if I see any features that might be interested if applied to our library website? Only thing I can think of is that YouTube is very user friendly while our library site..well..isn't. If we could search for things through the library website and see thumbnails previewing the information contained within, it would be a TON easier!

Question of the Day: Do you have a YouTube channel? If not, would you ever consider creating one?

Thing 18: Explore Social Networking

Thing 18 is an introduction to Facebook and Twitter! It asks us to sign up for a Facebook if we don't already have one, but I've already got that part under control. So I'll skip straight to the questions I need to address:

1. Why is it important that educators know how social networking works?
In addition to using blogs to keep up with parents and students, teachers can reach out to fellow teachers to get ideas on lesson plans as well as ways to give students additional help if needed. In addition to the do's, teachers also need to know the don't's. For example: a young teacher may be tempted to post on their Facebook pictures from girls night out on Saturday for their friends. This is not the best idea, even if that profile is set to private, parents could potentially see those pictures. 

2. What new insights did you gain about these popular sites? 
I must say that I've had my Facebook account for a while now, so this activity didn't give me much more insight into it.

3.What did you like or dislike about each of the sites you explored? 
Well I guess I can just talk about what I already like about Facebook. It is a great way to catch up with old friends and family, but at the same time you always have "that person" who adds you and you either don't know who they are, or you remember them as being someone in high school who didn't like you back then. What do you do? Do you add them and try and make friends? Do you ignore them and risk their feelings being hurt? It's a tricky situation but in general I think Facebook is a very useful application in both personal and professional settings.

4.  Which site had the most useful features? 
Ok I'll be honest, I don't understand Twitter. I don't. You say something that has to be under a certain character count and other people read it. Facebook is WAY more useful in every way possible. 

5.Can you see a classroom or school application for any of these sites?
This is a tricky one to answer when it comes to Facebook. I can see maybe creating a group and inviting parents to join, which would be a handy way to keep them informed about what's going on in the classroom and in the school as a whole. But going back to my answer to number 1, if you're going to have a personal Facebook, you may or may not want to include your parents as a part of it.

Question of the Day: If you were a teacher, would you include Facebook or Twitter in your bag of tools? 

Thing 17: Tagging and social bookmarking with Delicious

So Thing 17 is simple enough. I need to create a Delicious account first, and let me tell you...

AHHHHH! Somehow I managed to jack up the Captcha like 5 times. FIVE TIMES! I swear I was typing it correctly but it wouldn't accept it so I had to click to give me a new one...but ok. Now that that's over...

Ok next thing that Thing 17 tells me is "Type in the tag "educational technology" in the search box. Explore the results and try clicking on a bookmark that has also been bookmarked by a lot of other users."

This one doesn't involve a Captcha so I think I'm alright :)  Box of Tricks caught my attention. This page is constantly updated and has a HUGE list of awesome websites! Holy cow! Seriously, click it. DO IT! I'll wait....

This particular site had 7 tags associated with it on Delicious. I can see this site being useful in the classroom since you can search for anything and find some awesome sites to use with your students. For example, I did a search for "teaching addition" and got a TON of results that could be useful later on down the road, or even for when I work with my little Natalya. In addition to finding them, you can bookmark them on your account. This is absolutely great, since I'm sure we've all had an experience where we had something bookmarked on our home computer then wanted to access it elsewhere...well now you have to try and remember the URL or do a search for it...it's a pain! This would be an excellent tool for teachers since they can bookmark educational sites and access them no matter where they happen to be.

Question of the Day: Why do you think I've been using the "strike-thru" effect whenever I type my things?

Thing 16: Get Organized with Web 2.0 Tools

So Thing 16 is all about getting organized! This is great because my mind is always in a million different places and I sometimes have a hard time keeping things straight. My first task is to set up a personalized start page, but I'm going to skip that for now and check out one of the other tools on the list. I'm looking at Remember The Milk! Not only is it free (my favorite price), but you can access it online, and they also have an app for Android....there is also one for the iPhone, but who cares? Haha...just kidding! Anywho. you can use this to make lists, which is essential for folks like me who walk into the grocery store with a short list memorized, then forget everything as soon as you touch the shopping cart! 

Alright so back to the first thing. Being the avid Google fan that I am, I decided to check out iGoogle. It's super user friendly and customizable! As soon as I'm back on my own computer I'm going to make this my homepage for sure. Having my things to do in list form as well as having more than one calendar to refer to is extremely useful in my personal life, and will only become more so once I'm a teacher.

Question of the Day: What do you think about these tools?

Thing 15: What in the World is a Wiki?

Alrighty so Thing 15 is talking about Wikis. Now this is a term I've heard before, and have a basic idea of what it is, but here is the definition per my 23 Things page: A wiki is a collaborative website and authoring tool that allows users to easily add, remove and edit content.

So Thing 15 asks that I read into a few Wikis they have listed, then go to the APSU 23 Things Sandbox Wiki and either edit a post or create a new one. This raises a new question: what in the world is a sandbox wiki? Luckily the definition is right there on the page! Sandbox is a term that wikis often use to describe the area of the website that should be used for pure play and exploration.

I guess I'll start at the beginning and check out some of these Wikis. First I clicked on the Teacher Librarian Wiki. As the name suggests, this one is for librarians. I'm not particularly interested, if I may be honest, but there is something about this one that I like. The creator/moderator of this Wiki does not simply allow anyone to just edit anything they want; they have to email her their suggestion. This is definitely a good tactic to use when dealing with educational techniques you don't want things popping up that are...well less than education-related. 

The other one I decided to explore was Book Lovers Wiki. This one is cool for people who love books (duh). The reviews are organized by literary genre, making it super easy to see if they've reviewed a book that you're considering reading. My thing is, even though I appreciate reviews of books, movies, etc.., not everyone is going to have the same weird opinions as I do. A book they may give 2 stars to I might give 5. I guess I try to take reviews with a grain of salt. 

On to the fun part! I am supposed to either create a new, or edit an existing, entry on APSU 23 Things Sandbox Wiki. Yay....well here goes nothing! I just threw in my opinion about the first entry about Google Drive. I ♥LOVE♥ it! 

Question of the Day: Have you ever edited or created a Wiki?

Thing 14: Go with the Flow

So Thing 14 is about flowcharts and mind maps. When I think of "mind maps" I imagine a brain with each location labeled...and a lot of people with a HUGE blank spot where "common sense" and "common courtesy" should be.  Obviously that's not right...I think...so let's consult the ultimate source of knowledge- Wikipedia! According to them, a mind map is a diagram used to visually outline information. Ok, so now that we are armed with that knowledge, let's address the assignment.

The first thing I need to do is sign up for two web-based tools: one that is used to create flowcharts and one that is used to create mind maps. Gliffy (hahahaha...I cannot say that out loud without giggling)is a web-based application used to create flowcharts.

So this is neat! There's a nice assortment of templates available to use. After clicking through each of them, I am thoroughly impressed! I plan to possibly return to this tool later...I believe we will be making a floor plan of our ideal classroom later on down the line...but for anyone who ever needs to create a chart or diagram for a presentation, or is just bored and wants to organize their family tree by who they feel is the most important, I highly recommend Gliffy. (heh heh)

So to mind maps. bubbl.us is fun! I made this brief example of a mind map for you.

What are you waiting for? Go and check these out! They're free, fun and useful!

Question of the Day: How would you utilize these web-based tools in the classroom if you were a teacher?

Thing 13: Web-based Applications

Sorry to have been gone for so long! But I'm back with a vengeance and ready to get the second half of this project done! Thing 13 is an introduction to web-based applications. Apparently there are some who think that web-based applications will eventually replace actual computer software. Now I'm of the opinion that this may eventually happen, but for now I don't see people just getting rid of Microsoft Office in place of free (sometimes) online software. 

This learning activity focuses on Zoho, which is a site containing MANY different tools you can utilize for various projects. Zoho writer is the one I'll be investigating today, and I will then compare it side by side with Google Docs. So buckle up, kick back and relax and enjoy the ride!!

Right off the bat I'm pleased with Zoho because I can log in with my Google account. Holy cow I have been seriously impressed with the amount of applications you can access simply by having a (FREE) Google account. Ok so back to Zoho. The layout of the document writer is very similar to that of Word or other such software. See...

I found it super easy to make a short document in Zoho. You have all your basic tools (font type, size, page formatting. spell check, etc.) as well as a mail merge option and the capability to share it with others. I do like this website, so you should take a moment to check it out!

Now to GoogleDocs. I am already familiar with the word processor offered on this site, but for those who aren't here's what it looks like:

Looks super familiar, huh? I do like that so many word processor software is so similar in format. I won't bother creating a document in the writer portion of Google Docs (actually now called Google Drive) since I have experience there. My assignment says I can create a presentation (like a power point), spreadsheet or word document, so let's play with a spreadsheet! I made just a small sample gradebook, here's how it looks:

Now something that is cool (if you're familiar with Microsoft Excel, you've probably used this), I didn't manually find each student's average. If you look just above the list of numbers on the left, you see fx. This is where you can perform various functions. I clicked in box G2 to insert J. Albertson's average. I typed =average(B2, C2, D2, E2, F2) and his enter. I'm not familiar with all of the functions you can do, but the averaging function is super useful! The best part is rather than doing each student's average individually, after you've found the first average, you click the bottom corner of the box and drag it down. The program will automatically do the remaining averages! And here is the best part! Once you are done with your project, go under the file menu>download as>and you can save it as a compatible file with Microsoft Excel! And yes, the same is true for a presentation being downloaded for Microsoft Powerpoint and a Word document for Microsoft Word. This is EXTREMELY awesome since Microsoft Office is NOT cheap software and is generally the preferred format for documents submitted to college professors. 

So as for use in the classroom, group projects are super popular...for some reason...so let's say that you're working on a group power point. Each student can make their own part on their own time in their own home! No more having to arrange meeting places and having only one person with the presentation on their computer. And since you can share your documents and make them viewable to the public if you so desire, it is useful for a teacher who wants to put up an education power point that students can view on their own time. 

So then here's the big question-do I like Zoho or Google Docs better? Well there is no contest. I ♥LOVE♥ Google Docs and highly recommend it. It is user friendly and has many different download options for documents. 

Question of the Day: Do you see web-based applications completely replacing computer software?

Thing 12: Google is Not Just for Searching Anymore

Alright so Thing 12 shows us some of the awesome things you can do with Google!! Yay! So for this assignment, we will be exploring two awesome Google tools:Google Calendar and Google Translate.

Google Calendar: So I already use this tool, so let me tell you about how awesome it is! You visit http://www.google.com/calendar and that is where you will sign it. If you don't already have a Google account, I highly recommend signing up for one. It's free and...well it's awesome! Anyhoo, so you can set up reminders on your calendar and it links with your phone (provided you have an Andoid phone. Although I'm sure you can link it with an iPhone or Windows Mobile OS as well). You can set up various types of reminders, including a pop-up on your phone and/or a text message. You can set numerous reminders and set how far ahead of schedule they go off. I absolutely LIVE off Google Calendar! No joke! I would not be able to keep track of all my bills, doctor appointments for me and the kids, etc. if I didn't have that reminder on my phone. 

Google Translate: This is actually a tool which I have not previously utilized. So let's take a field trip to http://www.google.com/translate! Holy cow! This site is SUPER user friendly! Just type in the phrase you want to translate (you don't even necessarily have to select which language it is! Google Translate will detect it for you!) and then pick the language to translate it to and BAM! You can sound super smart to your friends! 

Ok, since this is a blog for an education class, let's discuss the potential uses for these tools in the classroom. Google Calendar has some obvious uses. It would be very useful in keeping track of class events as well as personal goings on. As for Google Translate, well America is very quickly becoming a bi-lingual country. I plan to teach second grade, and I think it would be fun to perhaps have a Spanish word of the day. It could also be useful in teaching a student whose first language is something other than English. It's also fun just to sit around and play with!

Question of the Day: How do you feel about Google Translate being used in the classroom?

Thing 11: Finding Good Feeds

Okee doke Thing 11 is more about RSS readers and finding feeds and blogs to follow, specifically zoning in on various search tools for locating blogs. We've got Google blogsearch, Topix, and Technorati. I'm not subscribed to any education-related blogs just yet, so I'm going to search for elementary educators with helpful blogs and see what each search engine yields. I'll be back in a few to report my findings. While you wait with great anticipation, please enjoy this comic:

 

Right off the bat I like Google Blogsearch. I did a search for "elementary educators" and immediately found National Journal: Education Experts. I'm definitely going to keep up with this one. As an aspiring teacher, it's important to keep up with current events in education. Google Blogsearch works exactly like an ordinary Google search, only it brings up blogs for you instead of, you know, everything. Very user friendly, I give it a 10 out of 10!

I'm not sure why Topix was listed...as far as what I gather from the webpage, it contains news, popular topics and forums, but is not a place to search for blogs. I mean..I could maybe see myself visiting this page...maybe...or maybe not. It gets a 3 out of 10 for effort.

Technorati doesn't make any sense to me. I did a search for "elementary educators" and this crap is the only thing that came up in the results. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are racist? This site gets a 1 out of 10..only because it's a website. 

I still think my favorite way to locate new feeds and blogs is to do a search in Blogger. It's quick, effective and puts the site right where I need it. 

Question of the Day: How do you find new blogs to read?

Thing 10: Set Up an RSS Reader and Add Feeds

Alright so Thing 10 introduced me to something new! RSS (Really simply syndication) reader! I can view blogs I want to follow on one web page, rather than having to manually go to each website and check for updates. Pretty sweet!!! What's even better? I don't have to sign up for one since I already have a Google account. Is there anything you can't do with Google?? Per the assignment, I need to subscribe to at least 5 blogs. Not a problem! I enjoy cooking so I found a few that involve family-friendly recipes. Since I'm a mature adult, I also added a few daily comics :) I also added a few fellow students who I have already checked out. 

So Thing 10 asked me if I would do a brief interview now that I'm educated on RSS readers. I happily obliged!

Thing 10: What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?

Me: Well, I ♥LOVE♥ that I can see all these updates in one convenient spot. This opens up the opportunity for me to learn things I may not have stumbled upon on my own.

Thing 10: How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life?

Me:Well I love to cook and enjoy trying out new recipes for myself and my family. I've already found a few good blogs to help me with that! As for my school life, I could connect with other college students around my age to get advice on study tips, balancing family and school, etc.. 

Thing 10: How can teachers use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?

Me: I feel as though this would be more useful on a high school or college level. A teacher could assign students to write a blog about a particular subject, then use an RSS reader to keep track of their students. Parents could even get involved at that point, subscribing to the students' blogs. It could also be used on a larger, school-wide level to keep teachers, parents and staff up-to-date on what's going on in the school.

Thing 10: Thank you so much for your time, Alana! That will be all for this evening.

Me: Any time!

Question of the Day: If I started writing a cooking blog, who would follow it?  

Thing 9: Online Image Generators

So Thing 9 is all about Online Image Generators! This assignment is simple: I get to play around with some image generators and post my favorites. So here goes nothing!

Image Chef is pretty cool! There are numerous projects you can create, from putting a picture into a frame to banners and word mosaics. I opted to make a word mosaic using the phrase "Don't worry, be happy"

Staying with my happy trend, next we have the Happy Face Generator! It is exactly what you think: a website that lets you customize your own smiley emoticon! I kept things simple with a sign-holding smiley guy!

So now comes the tie in with my class. How can I utilize these and similar websites in my classroom? Well the obvious answer is to liven up newsletters and worksheets. The word mosaic could also be a fun way for students to publish a poem they wrote. The possibilities are truly endless!

Question of the Day: How do you feel an image generator could be utilized in a classroom?

Thing 8: Flickr Mashups

Thing 8: Flickr Mashups: So I get to have more fun with Flickr! Since I previous had zero experience with Flickr, I had absolutely no idea what a mashup was. After some minor research, a mashup is basically taking two applications and merging them together. One example is Clockr, which uses random photos to display the time. Pretty cool stuff!

So on to the assignment! I need to browse the Mashups and create something. I decided to investigate Clockr. The instructions are simple enough: you click on the number to create the image it displays. I am personally not impressed..I couldn't get the hour numbers to change and I was hoping for more variety. That said, I don't know what all it takes to create an application, so please don't take this as me downing the creator. But I did take a screenshot of the clock I "created".

It's kinda spiffy I guess.

So the next question is how I could use Flickr or Flickr Mashups in my future classroom. I personally don't think I'd use any of the Mashups. As for Flickr..well that's a touchy subject. While it would be fun to get pictures of the students in the classroom and put them on Flickr for their parents to see, I could see a potential problem if predators manage to get to the site and see the pictures. For now, I'm leaning toward a "no" on that one.

Question of the Day! How do you feel about Flickr being utilized in classrooms in the future?

Thing 7: Explore Flickr

Thing 7: Flickr!

So Thing 7 wants me to explore Flickr, which if you didn't already read Thing 6 (UMMM why haven't you?), Flickr is one of the Web 2.0 app winners! So I'm reading a little about it before signing up; did you know that Flickr is one of the first websites to use keyword "tags" for photos? Pretty cool! So Thing VII wants me to explore Flickr, learn what tags are, learn about groups and all the "neat things" that people are using Flickr for. So come on! Let's take a field trip to Flickr!

The first thing I notice that I ♥LOVE♥ is that I can use my Google account to sign in. I do not like having to sign up for extra stuff (free or not) if it's not necessary, so this is great! Now that I'm signed in, I guess it's time to personalize my profile. I have to make a buddy icon...hmmm...I think I'll leave that as is. Create a custom URL..done. Basic information..done. Sign up process is pretty painless. Now to upload some photos! I've chosen today to upload a few old photos of my mother (may her beautiful soul rest in peace) as well as one of her parents. This is a user-friendly interface, so I imagine even those who aren't technologically gifted will have an easy time navigating.

Ok so to the assignment. What in the world are "tags" and why should I care? I guess tagging your pictures is a way to categorize them so others can find them. For example, I did a search for "baby" and came up with baby animals and people alike. I guess that's useful if you upload photos for the public to see, but I plan to use Flickr for friends and family. Which brings me to groups. I'm not part of a group because I don't know anyone who uses Flickr just yet, but I'll handle that another day.

Now I need to search for a tag I'm interested in,find a cool picture and blog about it. I'm looking for holly hawks (mom's favorite flower). I like this one! I love the deep shade of pinkish purple and I'm sure mom would've loved it too. Mike Grauer, Jr. is the photographer who took this image, by the way. Can't put his work on here without giving him credit!

This is my photo stream, the web address is http://www.flickr.com/photos/alana_j Go check it out; I only have 5 photos on there so far but I'll work on it.

Question of the Day: Who is willing to join Flickr and be my friend?? Haha also, what is your favorite way to share photos?

Thing 6: Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

Thing 6:Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

For anyone who missed what Web 2.0 is, you can either click that or go read Thing 5. I recommend going back and reading Thing 5 because...well why haven't you read it yet? Anyhoo, Thing 6 asks that I check out a site from the Web 2.0 Award nominees and report back what I think about it. There are a BUNCH on here that I'm already familiar with, such as: Gmail, Facebook, Dropbox (that one is linked because if you've not heard of it, definitely check it out! You can get the free app for your phone, free program on your computer and you merge pictures, documents, etc. and it's saved in that nifty thing called a Cloud that everyone's talking about! You get a TON of storage space for free, but if that's not enough you can buy more for a very reasonable price), PayPal...the list goes on. So today I am going to be adventurous and find something new!

Believe it or not, I have never used Flickr before, although I have heard of it. It sounds pretty cool; I like that you can share photos with your friends and family without having to go to the trouble of uploading them to Facebook and making sure everyone who needs to see them is either tagged or knows that you put them up. I actually think I'm going to sign up for a Flickr account (not right now cause you know...I'm a busy lady!), but when I do get a Flickr site up and running I will be sure to let you know!

Question of the Day: Ok this question requires a little work. By a "little work", I mean click to the Web 2.0 Winners and look around. What is one app that you've not heard of, and what do you think of it after reading the article?

Thing 5: Some Perspectives on Web 2.0/School 2.0 and the Future of Education

Thing 5 - School 2.0

So Thing 5 is all about "school 2.0". For those unfamiliar with this term, it is descriptive of the way classrooms will be in the near future. It isn't just about sitting in a classroom with textbooks, pencils and paper anymore. Technology is becoming more and more integrated every single day.To understand just what School 2.0 means, we first must look at where the term came from: Web 2.0. There are a few articles I checked out regarding the subject, and here's my basic overview of those articles.

The first I looked at is the Wikipedia page for the term "Web 2.0". Their definition is "Web 2.0 is a concept that takes the network as a platform for information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the Internet or World Wide Web." Basically it means the way in which the internet is evolving. We don't just log onto the internet to search for information, rather, we use it as a means of communication, connection and entertainment. This article is very full of information, some of which is a bit technical I admit, but it's also pretty interesting. Would you believe the term Web 2.0 was actually coined back in 1999?? How much have things changed since then? If you have a moment, I'd recommend reading through this page and informing yourself of the changes that have come and those that are around the corner.

The next two are directed at teachers, so I found them to be a bit more applicable to me personally. Tech&Learning has got an short, albeit informative article titled Web 2.0- a Guide for Educators.  They break down what probably should be common sense by now; kids these days are using technology as younger ages than ever, so educators need to jump on board as well. Teachers 2.0 is a neat site for teachers which includes a forum as well as a podcast. They do various polls occasionally and include a blog. The website, from what I just read, was attacked by a spammer. This is unfortunate but is also a good example of one of the risks of making things more technologically driven.

And now I have two questions to answer. The first being "What does "School 2.0" mean to you?" This is fairly easy since I am very open to utilizing technology in my teaching.We already have online schooling available to those who home-school and computers are more critical to the learning process now than they ever have been. Question two ties into the first: "What does it mean for schools of the future?" I envision paperless classrooms in the not-so-distant future. Not only that, but perhaps a classroom where the teacher is live via webcam so students who are home sick or who maybe live too far away to realistically attend the school physically can keep up and communicate via a two-way channel like Skype. I also see classrooms being more handicap friendly. For example, a student who is hard of hearing could have a tablet with an application open that takes everything the teacher says and types it up in front of them. Something similar could be used for a student who has trouble keeping up and/or taking notes, and they could have applications that give additional one-on-one instruction when it's not practical for the teacher to do so.

Question of the day-How would you feel about a teacher being broadcast live via webcam?

Thing 4: Why Commenting is Important

Thing 4: Thing 4 is broken down into several parts. The first part asks me to explain why commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction. I did partially address this in a previous post regarding using blogs to create a classroom newsletter and interact with parents in that way. Thinking outside of the educational uses for blogs and focusing, rather, on personal blogs, commenting and interacting is a way to say things about yourself that you may not be comfortable talking about face to face. It's always an excellent tool for meeting other people with similar interests as you that you would not normally have the opportunity to meet.   

The next part asks me to bring up two valid points from articles about the importance of commenting on blogs. The first that I am reading is the Cool Cat Teacher Blog: How to comment like a king (or queen). The first thing that catches me eye is that they point out that a meaningful comment shows that you "hear the author". This is true in face-to-face conversation as well. You can tell if someone is just skimming through what you've written when they give a generic comment, just like you can tell if someone is only half listening to you speak when they do nothing but nod their head in agreement. For a blog to be successful, participation must be genuine.

The second website I'd like to point out shows it from the writer's point of view, and it is 10 techniques to get more comments on your blog. "Ask questions" is what caught my eye immediately. I've been adding the "question of the day" at the end of each post in order to try and get my audience more involved in what I'm doing. I came up with it since I am harassing my friends daily to come and check out what I'm writing and I want to give them a way to show me that they're listening :)

Ok, fair warning! This part will be a bit lengthy. The assignment is to read 7 blogs from fellow students, 5 from my own class and 2 from another, then comment on them and blog about why I chose to do so. Here goes...

I chose to read Danielle Witter's 23 Things since I saw that she was kind enough to comment on my blog! My comment was on post #2 regarding using blogging in the classroom. She brought up something I hadn't thought of, which is using a blog as a discussion forum for students. This is not applicable to the age group I will be teaching, but most definitely would make discussions more fun and interactive to middle and high school students. 


Alexis Wylie's The Wylie Things was chosen for the same reason as Danielle's. I commented on post #4 on her blog because she brought up something I've also believed all along. Blogging is a way to get information out there that might not normally come up in normal conversation, as well as connecting people who may never bump into each other in the "real world".


Now it's time to scroll through the list and pick some names! I found Kala Thomas's 23 Things for Teachers and decided to check it out. Thing #2 is where I chose to comment since I had a similar fun experience creating my avatar, and, like her, this was my first time creating a blog.

Thing 2 was also something I commented on in Ashley Saunders's Gonna Learn 23 Things. She had the same idea as me: using a class blog in replacement of a newsletter. In the days of "going green" and such, it only makes sense to eliminate paper waste wherever possible.

Marianne Spencer's name caught my eye because I have a cousin named Merianne and her husband's name is Spencer :) I am glad I read through her blog, My Journey with Instructional Technology, for a few reasons. One was seeing the picture of her beautiful little girl, Zoe, and reading her story of how she came to be. As a mother of two girls myself, it brought tears to my eyes. That was not, however, which thing I commented on. Thing #5 was where I put my two cents in,  and that was the subject of technology in classrooms in the future. I do feel like e-books as well as other technology would be useful, but since I grew up with textbooks, I also am hesitant to see them disappear completely. 

Since thusfar I was only reviewed blogs written by females, I decided to seek out some guys in other classrooms (no, I don't mean like THAT. Come on, let's focus on the academics). So I clicked on Daniel Lugo's Lugomania: A World of Learning. I guess I like to focus on thing 3, because that is where I chose to comment on his blog as well. He brought up a point that I had not seen yet: blogging can be a reflective tool for teachers. This ties into the previously discussed point of it being a means of communicating things you may not normally be able to. I feel like a personal blog shared with only friends and family would definitely be a helpful improvement method. 

Thing 3 was also my victim in Cody Douchane's Douchane's 3040 Reflections.  He has the similar opinion of using it for discussions with students, but for a reason that I had not previously noticed. Some students are more shy and socially awkward than others, and for these students it would be more difficult to effectively participate in a classroom discussion. It's not fair to them to not get as much out of class as their peers, so putting it in an online situation has the possibility to make it a more enriching experience overall. 

For anyone who made it to the end...congratulations! You win a prize! Since you read through the super long post of the day, you have earned one free hug. See me to redeem this prize! 

Question of the day: How do you feel about blogging in the classroom?

Thing 3: Register Your Blog

Thing3
"How can I use a blog in my teacher education program or my future classroom?"

To me, this one is a no-brainer. Everything in today's world, to include education, is becoming more and more dependent on technology. By the time I graduate and begin teaching, paper newsletters will be a thing of the past. I imagine it will be much easier to set up a class blog and invite the children's parents to follow it. I will be able to let them know ahead of time about upcoming projects, important dates, etc.. and they will be able to leave their own feedback and ideas in the form of comments. When considering the middle and high school level, blogs could actually be used as assignments for students.

Question of the day-What technological advances to you foresee in the world of education by the year 2015?

Thing 2: Create a Blog, Add a Post and an Avatar

Thing 2
The first thing Thing 2 wants me to address is why I chose my posting name for my blog. My mother, may she rest in peace, used to call me “Alana J” when I was younger. She and I were very close. She passed away on the 8th of August and I try to do everything I can to not only honor her memory, but to keep her close to my heart as well. As for my blog’s title...well I decided on Miss McLeroy since it’s simple, to the point, and will be what my darling students call me someday.

Our next topic is how easy it was for me to create my blog. While I have never written a blog before, Blogger took me step by step through the process. It was actually much simpler than I anticipated it to be. I had a lot of fun choosing the color scheme and will probably end up changing it again before all is said and done. The only difficult part for me is to remember not to ramble on, but to stay on topic.

The last part of Thing 2 asks me about my experience creating my avatar and why I chose to make her look the way she does. I opted for red hair and brown eyes to be true to my own appearance. Of all the expressions, I liked the “winky face” because to me, it shows that I am playful and easy-going. In addition, I am definitely in ♥LOVE♥ with technology, so I had to throw the laptop in there.

Question of the day-what is your experience with blogs? Have you ever written or followed one?

Thing 1: Lifelong Learning and Learning 2.0

Alright, here goes nothing! This is my first blog and I'm excited! In my Instructional Technology class,we have a large project called "23 Things". As you probably guessed, we have a list of 23 things to do, and as we do them we blog about them. I'll just jump right in with Thing I!

Thing 1: Open up the 7 1/2 Habits online tutorial and view the online tutorial. As you watch and listen, write down which habit among the 7 & 1/2 that is easiest for you and which is hardest.

For anyone who did not read the list, it is as follows:
1. Begin with the end in mind
2. Accept responsibility for your own learning
3. View problems as challenges
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner
5. Create your own learning toolbox
6. Use technology to your advantage
7. Teach/mentor others
7 1/2. Play!

I must say that I find number 7 to be the easiest. I absolutely ♥LOVE♥ teaching and helping others, whether it's a child or an adult. Hence the profession I am going into!

Number 1 is the most difficult by far. I am the type of person to focus on NOW, rather than seeing the bigger picture. This is most definitely a habit I want to work on.

Question of the day-which do YOU consider to be the easiest and the hardest?