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?