Thing 16

I am beyond excited! I just made my homepage using iGoogle. I seriously am beginning to think that I live under a rock. This literally took 30 seconds (just like it said)! I added tons of personalized gadgets to my page. I did a quote of the day, a countdown timer, art of the day, and many more. I put a to do list on there as well. It's like I've been dreaming about doing this for years, but never knew that I could. I think I chose iGoogle because I know that the other Google applications that I have been using are very simple to maneuver. iGoogle is amazing and I don't think I'll ever go back to using Yahoo as my homepage. I really cannot say enough good things about this! I can't wait to share it with everyone.
I chose 30 Boxes to use for my calendar. I like the fact that you can sync with Facebook and and other social networking sites. I added my to do list and also set it up so that I am receiving an RSS feed in my Google Reader. It just amazes me how all of these tools intertwine with one another so easily. I think the most beneficial aspect of the online calendar is that it can be accessed from nearly anywhere. If you forget your planner at home, you are just out of luck. With an online calendar, you are able to keep up with your information so easily. It would be especially nice to use at school and to share with other teachers. It's a nice way to keep up with events going on at the school and in the community as well.
As far as the to do lists go, I think we already have so many options for them with the programs that we're currently using. In my opinion, doing any more would be cumbersome. I checked out Remember The Milk, and don't get me wrong, it's a nice application. I just feel like I already have other methods to record my lists. I have a gadget on iGoogle and also I can do it from 30 Boxes as well. I don't want to be bogged down with too many programs.
I also explored another application called College Ruled that I found in the Top 25 Web 2.0 Apps. It's a really neat program. It's centered around students and you can make schedules and discussion boards. The students can discuss assignments and ask questions. It's a great collaborative and organizational tool. I think this would be perfect for a class to use. I would definitely suggest it to others and maybe I can get a group to start participating with me.