Thing #7 - Explore Flickr

Will you use Flickr for classroom, library or personal photos, or in some other way? How? Have you ever used another photo hosting service besides Flickr? Which one? How do the two compare? How do you feel about having your photos in a public place (note that you can mark your photos private too) -- any concerns?


    Wow, was this lesson a toughie!  I had the worst problem with trying to find a picture that was compatible with being uploaded through the URL.  However, it was quite an experience that taught me how to make use of figuring out which pictures have "jpg" at the end of its web address.  I would like to personally thank Dr. Wall and  Nick Caudill for helping me with this project! 
     As far as Flickr was concerned, I liked the use of the website in order to browse through pictures that are great quality and are just fun in general.  I think it would be great to use Flickr within my classroom to show what my class has done so far.  Of course with all the students permissions, I think it would be a great resource for parents to see what we've been doing as a class.  It would be fun to post pictures from field trips, group activities, projects and other events that occur throughout the year.  As far as pictures being in the open web, there are a few restrictions that I would need to be careful with in order to ensure privacy to my students.  But, I think if I was able to make the pictures seen through a selected group of people, then it would become a great way to interact with our class and see all the great activities that we've done together!  
    I have yet to try to explore further websites like Flickr, but I think it is a great way to share photos without having to pay!  I think that could make for a fun activity for my students and I to explore!  I think that the students would like to look at their pictures as much as their parents would, so being able to post pictures online would be a great way to engage the students within the classroom.


Image Citation:
JoJo.  "One of JoJo's Days." John 3000. 30 May 2009. 9 Feb 2012
<http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3592/3602047943_76a6c0d805_t.jpg>

Thing #6 - Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

What did you like or dislike about the tool?  

• I chose the source "Remember the Milk."  What a fun and creative feature to have!  I really liked this site because myself, of all people, tend to forget things on the regular, so a site like this one can help me stay organized.  I really the fact that you can download the app onto your phone and it will pick up any reminders that you had put while you were on the computer.  No matter where you are, it will tie in all your reminders that you had made.  I really like how easy it is to use also.  I actually downloaded this app onto my phone and I have already used it almost everyday.  Given that I always have my phone, it's a lot easier now not needing a notepad and pen if I need to make a quick note.

What were the site's useful features? 

• You can sign up very easily without any hassles and best of all, it's free!  The site also has services that show you how to transfer your reminders on other personal items such as your phone or ipad.  I also liked the fact that there was a "blog" that helped communicate how people were using the app, or any new features that they may have found that made using the app that much more easier.  

Could you see any applications for its use in a school or library setting?

• I think this could be very handy for students to use within the classroom.  They would be able to use it as a tool to help remind them of any important dates that would be coming up.  Or even, when their homework, reports or library books are due.  This would be great because they could add or monitor this website at school, and would still be able to see it at home if they had access to a computer.  This would also be great for the librarian too, because they could actually send reminders to the students that had this program, that their library books are due back soon!  The same could work with the teacher too with communicating to his/her students when they are away from the classroom.

Link to tool: http://www.rememberthemilk.com/
Link to picture: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjml6NAsTsn7PnllkTyZdwEZN4-ojtJijgwcdhXY8OlX0Adcoruxms8ifUToNQaTHYbu-6VbGyv_hpw1Etsx-N2q4y6pTy4D_1JeVdC8SSdgppLTkq3KA_sPV87QFr_RfObZyLpL1RmZXk/s1600/what+is+web+2.0+site+.jpg

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

• What does "School 2.0" mean to you?
• What does it mean for schools of the future?

    After watching the informational videos and reading the resources, I've learned that web 2.0 is only at it's beginning.  School 2.0 has grown so much since it started and I can only imagine what's to become of it.  School 2.0 means that the ideas and resources are endless.  There are so many informational sites that you can visit that has some creative idea or instruction that can tremendously help within the classroom.  As one of the videos said, it is in the soon future that there won't be a need for paper and textbooks anymore!
    For schools in the future, I would like to say that I am glad that I will be a part of it!  By the time I start teaching, who knows what else will be out there or how much new information will be available.  However, although I see the importance of having School 2.0 within the classroom, it will not be beneficial if I'm not able to understand it fully.  So, I feel like it's extremely important to keep up to date with all the new technology that surfaces and to make sure that I know how to work School 2.0 to its greatest ability.




References: 
http://www.techlearning.com/article/web-20-a-guide-for-educators/44269
http://www.techlearning.com/article/understanding-web-20-web-20/44837
Link to picture: http://fjostsons.edublogs.org/files/2011/11/web2_0-y7zjhk.png

Thing #1 - Lifelong Learning and Learning 2.0

As I read the "7 and 1/2 Habits online tutorial," I really admired the definition of learning.  All seven and a half habits were key factors in what it takes in order to obtain a lifelong learning habit.  The great characteristic of learning is that it is personalized to what you want to learn.  Out of all the habits that were shown, I thought the easiest habit to achieve was #7 which encouraged teaching and/or mentoring others. I thought this habit would be the most fun for me to achieve since my admiration in life is to be able to teach others.  As a future teacher, I truly hope to make learning a lifelong habit for myself through my actions of teaching.  However, the most challenging habit that was listed was #6.  This habit integrated the use of technology to your own personal advantage.  This is the biggest struggle for me as I am starting to gain just a little confidence with doing educational activities online.  But, I do intend to build my confidence within my education in technology, and hopefully, for starters, this class will help tremendously!  


References: 7 and 1/2 Habits online tutorial, Lori Reed from the PLCMC, Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, January 23, 2012.
Link to picture: http://www.niacc.edu/lli/images/LifelongLearningLogo1.jpg

Thing #3 - Blog Registration

Blog Registration Process


After setting up this blog and knowing how easy it really was, I have found many insights on how to make blogs a success within the classroom.  The Edublog Insights by Anne Davis gives great examples of how blogs can be useful for students and for the teacher.  Not only will the blogs give into the student's interests within technology, they also educate them into being diverse within different teaching strategies.  The student's blogs would be a great tool to keep their interests within literature groups, different journal entries (that will also make it pretty easy to grade), and to interact with the other students in the class if they have questions.  The only challenge would be to ensure that every student has access to a computer.  But, if applicable, this would be a great activity and opportunity for teachers to engage with their students.


References: Edublog Insights by Anne Davis.  January 23, 2012.
Link to picture: http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2010-04-29-b9f6cd4b0a0111e92893e98691316994.gif

Thing #2 - The Blog Experience

How did you decide on your posting name and the name of your blog?

     I wanted to choose something that was personal to me, and that was also describing all my "23 Things" that I will be learning throughout the semester.  The "23 Things" are valuable to me personally, and shows what I will be learning how to further my education within technology. 

What was your experience in creating the blog? Was it hard for you or easy? Why?

      Knowing that I have made a blog is really cool to me!  I never would have thought I'd say, "that wasn't too hard," after making the blog.  Although doing something for the first time takes a little while to construct, altogether, making this blog went smoothly given the great instructions that I had in order to successfully make it.

How does your avatar reflect your personality? Did you create an avatar that looks like your real self or someone totally different? Why?      My cute avatar I think resembles a great deal of my character.  She is smiling, which I think is something that I do quite often!  I also made her resemble my process on becoming a teacher.  She's carrying books (which I do often too!) and she is dressed to impress with her professional atire.  I really liked making my avatar to help resemble the creativity it is in becoming a teacher!

References:

Link to picture: http://bloghackz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/blogging-skills.jpg