Is it the end or only the beginning?

 I learned a lot about the different types of web 2.0 tools available. I hadn't really explored everything that was available, but I found things I would definitely like to delve into more thoroughly. I loved learning that there were online word processors, as a student I have trouble keeping track of my flash drive :). I also loved exploring the mashups,and the video creations. I found new and innovative ways to keep students' attention. I definitely would like to keep up with all the new forms of technology and integrate it into my classroom as much as possible. I found every aspect of this activity interesting and informational. I wouldn't change it. Now that I have LiveBinders and RSS feeds, I keep getting new information about web 2.0 technology everyday, which I believe will help my teaching improve.

Thing#23

On the link for thing#17, you attributed the photograph.

Image by cambodia4kidsorg, http://www.flickr.com/photos/cambodia4kidsorg/260004685/

Which was originally produced by cambodia4kids.org. There are numerous sites that we, as teachers, can use to find images, videos, and other media for our classroom. it's important to teach kids these days, about digital piracy and how they can prevent themselves from committing the crime, without really knowing it. The Creative Commons website is great for giving us information, on where to retrieve safe shared information.

Thing#22

Dinosaurs

This livebinder is all the sites I used in my lesson plan for my Instructional Strategies class. Live Binders are a great way to organize the information you want to use in your classroom. They are also a great resource for further exploration. I really like how easy it is to work with. The LiveBinderIt tool is great. It allows me to bookmark anything I want and put it in a binder for organizing. This is excellent for teachers, because we are so dependant on paperwork and standards.

Thing#21

Make a video of your own at Animoto.

I loved using this tool. The Animoto video creation tool is easy to use. I uploaded all of my pictures from my facebook, with minimal fuss. I was also able to use my own music too. I think this is a great tool for teachers if they want an alternative to a powerpoint presentation.

Thing#20

I like this video because it shows the child's perspective about going to school as well as what a teacher may end up dealing with on a daily basis. Plus, it's incredibly funny. Youtube is a great resource for finding applicable videos for every lesson. I love how easy it is to add videos to content.

Thing #19

Visit TeacherPop
I am a member of twitter, facebook, myspace, and teacher pop. I really enjoy using these social networking sites to connect with old frineds and family that I rarely see. It helps to keep them connected to my self and my family. I really enjoy Facebook more than any of the other networking sites, because it has an easy to use interface.  I did, however, explore classroom 2.0 and I think there are some great ideas that i could use in my classroom. These sites are great for exchanging ideas, especially if they are dedicated to a singular subject.

Thing #17

 I usually just use the Austin Peay Library Website to find resources and keep them, but then I am only restricted to what Austin Peay has available for me. I love Delicious.com, because I can find resources and book mark them by category. This makes it convenient in finding my resources so I can use them in the future. I can also share my resources with other people and use their resources to add to my list. This will save me a lot of time and stress. I often find a valuable resources and then months later when I need it again I can not find it anywhere. So, I am real happy that I found this resource organizer, and a place to save my resources. This will be very convenient when I become a teacher and I need to find resources, but am strapped for time. I can also help my colleagues by sharing my valuable resources with them. We will then create this cool buddy system, and be more like partners helping each other out and not just colleagues. When  I went on Digg and Stumbleupon, I was not as clear on how to use these programs. I noticed that both these sites are more related to articles and commenting on or adding articles. However, I did not see where I would be able to book mark a resource and add it to these websites. They did not seem as user friendly as the Delicious.com website.

Thing #18

Social Networking is a great way to stay connected and keep up with what other people that you know are doing. Facebook and Twitter have become kinda monotonous though, people are no longer talking about interesting things, more like setting themselves up to become stalker bait! I definitely like Facebook more than Twitter. I don't like how confining Twitter is; it limits the amount you can write about. How much can you say with 40 words or less? I don't think social netoworking is really appropriate for school, because there isn't any way to really control the input. Students have a tendency to abuse the site, or use it for talking with their friends.

http://twitter.com/Brandy_Cardwell

Thing#16

I chose to make my start page with iGoogle, I chose this one because I use google a lot, I have made it my permanent home page. The online calendars are useful, but I think they require a lot of work, and are meant for someone who spends an inordinate amount of time on their computer. I honestly use my calendar on my phone to keep track of things.I think a to-do list is essential for busy people, but I feel like an online to do list is better for a person who spents a lot of time working on a computer, and less time on the go. I have found an application called "in class" which is a mobile app,lication that incorporates a class schedule, to do list, calendar, and contacts list in one application. It also has a function that allows you to record lectures.

Thing#15

I have explored wikis before for other projects, but I wasn't aware of their many uses in the classroom. This is a great tool for collaborating between students. I think it would be an excellent way to communicate with parents and to have students post new and interesting ideas.

Thing #14

I chose to explore mindmeister.com and gliffy.com. I really enjoyed using the Mindmeister mind map for brainstorming. This is a great tool for outlining key points, and tying them all together. This application has a relationship function, that allows for the user to bind together different ideas with a core link. I also found Gliffy entertaining, however the flow chart aspect is more of a critical thinking excercise. I definately would use both these applications in class. I think the mind map is great for brainstorming any idea, especially for writing papers. The Gliffy application is great for critical thinking while reading.

Thing #13

I enjoyed learning about these web-based word processors. I had no idea they existed, and here I am writing my papers in an expired Word program, battling XML errors, and running around trying to find my flash drive! This is fantastic. I really like how Zoho has a post to blog feature. Overall I think Zoho has the better application, while Google Docs is a good application, Zoho has a better interface. Both programs enable collaberation with other users.

Untitled

I think this is awesome. I absolutely hate buying Microsoft Word! I especially enjoy the fact that i can keep this online and when I need it i can bring it up anywhere! No more losing my thumbdrive and emailing documents to myself so I can work on them at school!​

Thing #12

While exploring the google tools, I found some of them useful. The igoogle page is good for organizing you interests and the calendar is great for organizing. I also was able to create an alert to goings on in my hometown. Honestly, I think these tools would be good for the teacher more so than the students. Alerts are great ways to keep up with new information regarding subject matter, and the calendar for keeping track of what's going on day to day.

my i google page
http://www.google.com/ig?hl=en&gl=us

Thing #11

I found Technorati to be the easiest blog searching tool, especially for finding RSS feeds.I found Syndic8 to be the most difficult to navigate. Everything was jumbled together and searching didn't make it any easier. Ifound many interesting teacher blogs by just searching google for teacher blogs.

Thing #10

I like how convenient RSS feeds are. The fact that when I open up my internet explorer I am able to click on a button and immediately go to the webpage I'm looking for, without having to type in a web address. I think RSS feeds will be integral to education, especially as we integrate more technology into the classroom; if only to conserve time. RSS feeds will also be very helpful for teachers, while they are looking for resources.

Thing #9

http://icanhascheezburger.com/
This image generator is one of my favorites. I really enjoy funny animal pictures, and this one reminded me of the lyrics to Counting Crows "Hanging Around".I was able to change the font, size and color, as well as type in the text I wanted to match the picture I chose.

http://www.jjchandler.com/tombstone/
This image generator only allows you to type in the text, other than that, this site was kind of plain.

http://www.warningsigngenerator.com/
This site allows you to choose the sign, the image, and your text, but you can't change much about it.
Many of these image creators only required you to pick out the background, font colors and text. These image generator are a great way to decorate your classroom, or as a personal toy, but I don't believe they have an educational implication.

Thing #8

Hawaiian Beach Mosaic, a photo by bcardwell311 on Flickr.

I used the mosaic maker by Big Huge Labs. I would find this useful in a classroom setting, especially if used to explore comparisons between things. By creating a picture of many different varieties, you can explore the differences between each individual picture in the mosaic. I'm not comfortable having my personal photos all over the internet. Whenever I post a picture online, I tend to set the viewing setting to private.

Thing#7

I posted my photo from Flickr under the title Baby Shower Cake. It's apicture of my good friend's baby shower cake. It's the prettiest cake I've ever seen! Using flickr seems easier than I thought it would be.

Baby Shower Cake

Baby Shower Cake, a photo by bcardwell311 on Flickr.

Flickr is an excellent resources for sharing images with other people whether that's inside a classroom or for personal uses. I enjoyed using flickr it's very easy to share your photo with others. I have not ever used a photo sharing service, besides social networking sites like myspace or facebook. I'm a little concerned with having my photos viewable by the public,. so I marked mine viewable by friends and family only.

Thing#6

I looked at aviary.com as a web 2.0 tool. Aviary is a free photo editing program. It's very easy to use and has fun stickers, text, and drawing applications.I didn't like  how limited the options for doing creative things to the picture are. The site allowed to automatically link to a social networking site, but doesn't display the picture along with the link. As for using this site in a school setting, it would be useful for drawing or creating images in relation to assignments.
http://www.aviary.com/

Thing #5

I think Web 2.0 is going to revolutionize education. Many students that have issues with school are just immensly bored with sitting in a classroom and doing pen and paper work for eight hours a day. The more technology we can use in class, the more students we can connect with. Paper and pencil are an important part of education, but imagine how much more interactive our classrooms can be if we integrate new technology. I think school 2.0 is a much needed step into the future that education has been reluctant to take. There are many things to be concerned about when it come to using the internet and technology in the classroom. The first is, of course, the cost of obtaining and maintaining the equipment, but in the end the cost is worth it. If we are able to inspire three extra children, that would normally be lost in the school system, per classroom, we could possibly get better funding from the state and federal goverment.

Thing #4

Commenting allows the author to feel heard and understood. When you comment on what he or she has to say you open up a new vein, in which the conversation can flow, so commenting helps to fully develop a subject. I think that we get very used to commenting in a negative way, so when I read the post about critical commenting I wondered just how many people actually pay attention to tactfulness when writing a comment. It reminded me of the importance of being kind, it's too easy to look for the negative. Finding the positive values in someone's writing is much more difficult, because it's harder to see from another person's perspective. Also, making it easier t comment on your blog is great advice. We have become pretty lazy when it comes to commenting, preferring the quick and easy message rather than a detailed explanation of our thoughts.

Katie Solar Thing#3- I chose Katie's blog because she wrote about the usefulness of blogs in the classroom environment and as a way to get parents involved as well. I thought it was an excellent idea, not just from standpoint of a teacher, but as a parent as well.

Jessica Patterson Thing#2- Jessica has a fantastic upbeat attitude that is pretty transparent in her writing. Her enthusiasm for trying something new was catching!

Jamie Galloway Thing#6- I admire that Jamie expresses her opinion and backed it up with information, instead of just throwing it out there. She listed some very important points about the consequences of technology and using it in schools.

Bretlea Appleton Thing#1-It's always interesting to hear someone express that they have similar issues and how they deal with the concept, especially as it relates to a habit that you have trouble breaking.

Alex Duchscher Thing#2- I liked that Alex used his avatar to describe himself, not just a physical description, but a personality one as well.

http://elementaryteacherblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/if-i-were-president.html

This is a blog posting by Elementary Teacher Blog. I really enjoy reading about  how teachers and children interact and the funnier the story the better. This one is a fantastic post about what one student wrote when asked to write a paragraph about what they would do if they were president.

http://learnmegood2.blogspot.com/2011/08/identity-crisis.html

This blog posting is by Mr.Teacher, from his Learn Me Good blog. Unlike the Elementary Teacher Blog, this one is written by a teacher who works with older kids. This post is very clever and funny. The author writes about his interactions with students and his interesting take on education policy. Fantastic read!

I chose to comment on what I took from every blog. Everyone had a different way of writing and a different outlook on what they were writing about. My comments usually were about the things I found in the blog that caught my attention.

Thing #3

Blogs would be an excellent tool for communication between teachers and parents. many parents have busy lives, work long hours, and don't have a lot of time for scheduled conferences. I believe using as blog to update parents about what their children are learning would be excellent. It would also help parents get involved in what their kids are learning, and facilitate a good parent network. I also would love to implement an accountability element into the blog. We can post the homework assignments on our blog. This allows the parents to know what their child is supposed to be doing at home, and eliminates the " I did it already" and the "I don't have any" excuses that many children use to avoid doing homework.

Thing #2

I guess it was the easy way out, but I chose to use my name and Thing #2, because they are by far and large the most recognizable way to find what you are looking for. I've spent a lot of time online, and working with technology, so creating my blog wasn't too difficult. I had a harder time trying to decide how I wanted it to look. I couldn't get the dopple me avatar to work, so I went to a sit that made a cartoon of myself.  My avatar looks like me... I am a fairly easy going and simple person on the outside, but on the inside I'm pretty complex, at least I'd like to think so! :)

Thing #1

The 7 1/2 Habits of Effective Teachers slideshow was very informative. It is interesting to find that some of the things we find enjoyable in our everyday lives are, in fact, effective lifelong learning tools. Obviously things such as play, social networking, technology, and games are all things we indulge in on a daily basis. We often don't associate these things with learning, at least at the most effective level.
The habit I find the easiest to comply with is to play. From childhood to adulthood, we are involved in levels of play that inspire us and we find joy in relaxing and unwinding in play. The hardest habit I would have is choosing to see problems as challenges versus seeing them as crises. Normally I am a very calm person, but when i have a problem...it's a problem. While I can understand the lesson behind the issue, I still see it as an issue, not something to challenge my intellect. it will be interesting to physically make myself change that viewpoint.
Lifelong learning  is a constant reshaping of a mindset. You have to be willing to change a set opinion of yourself and pursue new things that you may not feel like you really can change.