Thing 14

Well, I have to say I was surprised when I clicked on Thing 14 today to start working on it. I choose a mind mapping website called www.bubbl.us for my Website of the Day Project. I searched forever to find one I was happy with and finally found this site. Then low and behold, here it is in the 23 Things! I guess that can only mean one thing: It's a great tool! Anyway, back to the blog at hand. I love the idea of doing mind maps online. They are such a great tool for beginning research or for class discussions of certain topics. On Gliffy and Bubbl.us, you can share and collaborate with other users. This is ideal for both teachers and students. When you are using a mind map, it's a way to organize ideas in the form of a cluster. One idea can branch off of another and so on. You normally center around a main topic and map away! When using a flow chart, I believe there is a little more order involved. It can be used for step by step directions, floor plans, and other drawings. When you are using flow charts, each symbol stands for a specific action you need to take. This is especially nice for visual learners. Mind maps are more defined by the lines that symbolize relationships between ideas.
I think I prefer the mind maps. I think Bubbl.us was much easier to put thoughts into action. Flow charts are a little more time-consuming, but worth the work once you get the finished project. I created a mind map of my goals for this semester. My center bubble was "Goals" and I used each of my classes as balloons. It was a fun way to assess what I want to accomplish this semester and I can always return later and add or delete as I go along.

I think one of the benefits of using the online applications for these programs is the fact that it's so easy to make changes and alterations. We're done with erasing and rewriting and I couldn't be happier! What took so much time to do when I was in school can be finished in seconds on the computer! In the classroom, students would be able to work together to create flow charts or mind maps, and then compare their ideas with others. These are programs that could be used for almost any grade level. I think the students would love to work on them with the teacher too. It's a fun way to use technology to its potential in the classroom!

Thing 13

Wow! I'm flabbergasted! Yes, I just used that word. I don't get to very often, but I think in this case it fits! From what I have read so far, Zoho is amazing! Why would I ever want to type something in Microsoft Word again? This is so fresh and updated with all of the features that I need to use on a daily basis. It is so frustrating to try to e-mail a document to myself or to remember to save it to my flash drive and carry it with me wherever I go. I'm am so happy about this program! This is just remarkable in so many ways. It's perfect for people who are always working at different places and times. I'm already imagining myself working on things while I am at school or work or basically anywhere I can get to a computer! Everything on here is so easy to navigate through. This would be ideal for teachers and students. Group projects could be done on Zoho, where students could collaborate with one another. For those of us still working on our teaching degrees, I think the tool for tagging is especially useful. When doing portfolio work, it would be nice to be able to look up papers or documents by the standard they are associated with. This would also work for teachers doing lesson plans. I also love the feature where you can go back and compare earlier versions of your work. Sometimes it's hard to see where you need to make a change or you may not like the direction the paper is taking. It's just too simple using Zoho to start from an earlier save point.You can also switch from one Zoho program to another. All of these wonderful features make this application seem far superior in my eyes. I don't think I'll use the word program on my computer ever again (unless I'm forced). I'm so glad I learned about this tool. I am forever in debt to the 23 Things.

Just a little side note: I published my blog through Zoho and it was a piece of cake! I can't wait to use it again and again!

Thing 12

The Google Calendar is a great gadget. Teachers are so busy with all of their responsibilities and with everything going on in the classroom, it's easy to forget an appointment or meeting. With Google calendar you could keep up with due dates for projects, meetings, assignments, etc.. I think it would be an excellent tool for any teacher or pre-service teacher for that matter. You can even add a friend's calendar. With this, teachers could collaborate easily by keeping track of what events are happening during the week. You can receive reminders from your calendar through text message or e-mail. There are just so many options on here. It's unbelievable. Here you can check out my Google Calendar. Who knew Google was so full of surprises? Not me, that's for sure! The Google Alert is so easy to use. I think that might even be an understatement. You can have any kind of alert delivered to your feed or e-mail, whichever you prefer. When you are keeping up with a developing story, this would be the perfect means to do so. Every time there is an update, you will be notified immediately. Let's use the earthquake in Haiti as an example. I set up my alert for this topic. I believe that you can keep the students interested in a story by getting them involved. Google Alert would allow the teacher to be on top of any new information so that he/she can pass it on to the students. You can also change the type of alert you want to receive. Maybe you are keeping up with a person's blog and you want to be notified as soon as something changes. No matter which program in Google you are interested in, the bottom line is that they are time-saving and definitely worth using.

Thing 11

The Edublog's award winners page was amazing! There are so many blogs to explore. I found a language arts winner and also a teaching category winner. I can't wait to have all of that information right at my fingertips in my Google Reader.
I liked the fact that on the Technorati site you can search the blogs by keyword or tags. They also have a list of the top 100 blogs which was interesting to explore. I found the Google Blog Search to be the easiest to use. Bloglines was fairly simple as well. Basically anything you ever wanted to read about is there! It's unbelievable! I think the only problem I have now is that I may end up subscribing to way too many feeds. With all of that knowledge just floating around out there, it's hard not to drink it all in at once. Now that I know about these tools and what they can offer me, I feel like I'll never turn back. I can only move forward now in my technological journey, which is a good thing.
All of the search sites I used had their own good features. I think I would just use certain ones depending on what I was trying to find. I found some feeds on Army life and also some useful ones on how to incorporate literature into the classroom. I also subscribed to the English Blog. You can go to any search engine site and type in newsfeeds and tons of results will appear. Also, I have just been checking the websites that I visit regularly to see if they have an RSS button.
What is so ironic is that for years I have been using the web. Never once have I paid enough attention to see the RSS feed buttons or to even question what they were. Now every time I'm on a website, I find myself searching for that little golden button.
I checked out the link to the feedicons web page. I think I need to download that now that I know all about RSS feeds and the like. What a great little gadget!

Thing 10

Okay, where have I been the last few years? The further I move through the 23 Things, the more I feel like I am light years behind when it comes to technology. I am so grateful for being exposed to just a few of the things that are available to me.
After some deliberation, I decided to use Google Reader. It's actually pretty self explanatory once you are on the website. I subscribed to quite a few different RSS feeds. I found some on Teaching Tolerance and also decided to subscribe to The Cool Cat Teacher. I found one on the Army Times newspaper as well. Because my husband is in the Army, I like to learn as much as possible about what's going on overseas and just news in general.
This is such a great tool, especially for teachers. It saves so much time and I know most of us are busy people. I think it's important that we stay updated on the most current news and the like. I also decided to subscribe to a fun fact of the day feed. I think it's always nice to share something interesting with your students on a daily basis. They could even be encouraged to bring in their own fun fact or something that happened that day in history. I also found a word of the day feed. I love to learn, so it's nice to start the day with something fresh and new. I think this is such a great opportunity to stay on top of current events. We should always be ready to answer questions from students at the drop of a hat. This just gives us a better way to be updated on the things that are truly important to us.

Here's a link to my public page with Google Reader.

Thing 9

Teardrop

Love Is

Here are the links to the first two images I created. I used the Image Chef website and it's very easy to start creating! I love anything to do with words, so I found this word mosaic. It's so neat and it resembles the Wordle website we explored a few weeks ago. You could spend hours on here just playing around with all of the different image generators. The sites are so easy to navigate. It literally just takes minutes to create something special!

I did a search on Google and found an Image Mosaic Creator. It is so neat! Here's the link to the site:

I chose a picture of my daughter and one of my puppy and they both turned out great!

Personally, I think the image generators are just plain cool! Many of us use social networking sites, such as Facebook. These image generators could be used to personalize pages. I also think my family would love to see some of the neat things you can create using these applications. In the library, they could be used to make signs for different sections in the kids department. They could also be used to make some kind of collage to promote a book of the week.

You could use this in the classroom for multiple purposes. The students would love to play with the image generators. I think they could use them to personalize their blogs. Another idea would be to have students write their own short stories or books. They could use image generators to create the graphics. This could possibly be a group project and each individual could be responsible for a graphic. What a fun way to get creative!

Thing 8

Well, this might be my favorite of the 23 Things so far! I've been playing around with the different applications all night. Jigsaw from Big Huge Labs allows you to take photos and create your own puzzles. Such a neat idea and kids would love this! I also experimented with the photo mosaic creator. I tried using photos from Flickr and then I decided to use some of my own. It feels much more rewarding to me when I create something using pictures that I took myself. The picture I used for my puzzle was taken in Garmisch, Germany. The pictures in my mosaic were taken in Florence, Garmisch, Schwangau, and Prague.

Photo Mosaic

Inspirational Photo

This mashup allows you to link your pictures, or pictures from Flickr, to Bible verses. You can search by keyword or reference. For example, I chose wings for my keyword and it brought up several different verses to choose from. This would be great for a little inspiration to start your day!

The Flickr mashups could be used in so many ways. You could spend hours on there just exploring. The first thought that popped into my mind was how students could do an "About Me" project. They could use pictures to create a mosaic or really anything they desired. It would give them a chance to learn about some of the neat web tools that are out there. It would also give the teacher a little insight into the world of their students. You can learn so much by just looking at what they created. Also, I know that art is now part of the daily routine of many teachers. What better way to introduce the students to a whole new genre of art? Kids love to create and we can give them the opportunity to do just that!

Thing 7

Kallie In The Snow

The Big Snow

I decided to use the snow storm as an opportunity to take some pictures. This is my first experience with a photo sharing site. As I explored Flickr, I found it very easy to maneuver. The steps for uploading were simple and concise and I would definitely use it in the future for my own personal photos. As far as the public vs. private aspect, I am a fan of both. I think if the pictures are something personal, then private is the way to go. For my pictures in this project, I feel comfortable with the fact that anyone can view them. Maybe they'll even bring a smile to somebody's face. In the classroom, Flickr could be great asset for both myself and my students. When doing lessons, I could refer to a photo or image from the Flickr. When doing group projects, I could document the students progress with photos (with the parents' permission of course). On Flickr, you can create groups where photos are only available to members. This would allow parents a glimpse into what their students are accomplishing on a day-to-day basis. I think there are many opportunities to use this website in a positive way, both at home and in the classroom.

Thing 6

Writeboard

I chose this website from the Collaborative Writing and Word Processing category. It received 2nd place in the Web 2.0 awards. The Writeboard is such a nifty tool, especially for people who are interested in collaborating on ideas or projects. So in my eyes, I see it as a resource for both my students and myself. As I explored the site, I found that every time you save a section of your writing, it keeps a log of it. You are then able to compare earlier versions of you work with new versions. Also, this feature would allow your collaborators to see how you have progressed. You can also click on two versions of the project and select the compare button. This will show you the changes between the two. There is an option available to become a subscriber to the Writeboard. In doing this, you will be notified any time a change is made.
Students could you this site for group projects, essays, etc.. It's very easy and user friendly, which I love. You can invite users by simply entering their e-mail and a password and link will be sent directly to them. Teachers could use this as well. I think it would be great for a few teachers to work together on a unit plan. Students and teachers from all the classes could collaborate right through this website. What a great find!

Thing 5

In Web 2.0 A Guide for Educators, visual literacy is discussed in depth. This is such a great tool for both teachers and students. I know that I, along with millions of others, am a visual learner. Now we have the opportunity to expand lessons and with this, the minds of our students. They can now become an active part of the topic by creating their own visual representations. What I loved about this article is how it explained that students are using technology (visual and other) in their everyday lives. If schools and teachers would get on board with this, the possibilities would be endless.
New Literacies: Enrichment or Essential really caught my attention. After reading through the article, I found it very difficult to choose which aspects of Web 2.0 are enrichment and which are essential. In my opinion, it encompasses both areas, sometimes overlapping one another. We can use Web 2.0 to benefit our students if we use guidance and structure to actively involve them in the learning process. Blogs, wikis, and the like are the norm in today's society. Why should we hinder our students by not exposing them to all of the resources that are available at their fingertips?
To me, School 2.0 can't be labeled as just an idea or a resource. It's much more than that. It encompasses an entirely new world of learning. It's the future. For schools, it means better learning opportunities and a broader understanding of the curriculum. It means new and improved communication and collaboration among students, teachers, and parents. It means everything.