Is It the End...Or Only the Beginning?

Overview and Reflection on the Outcome of my Blog:
   I feel like this has been a long time coming!  Even though I feel accomplished and glad that I have reached the end, I am hoping that I don't lose the many aspects that I have learned while making this blog.  I will be completely honest; there some "things" that I really felt could be useful in my real-life teaching career, where others I feel were too time consuming and would almost be better to maintain the good ol' hard copy style!  One in particular that stands out to me that could probably be side tracked was the LiveBinders, Twitter and even Google Docs.  Call me crazy but I am still a little shy when it comes to technology!  I do feel more confident in some aspects of exploring the web, but I still hold true to certain traditions like having a real-life binder instead of composing one online that will possibly be the same bookmarks that I have somewhere else.
   On the other hand, I felt like I have become more aware of certain websites that exist.  I really fell in love with Flickr, the online image generator, YouTube for Teachers, MSN calendars and Animoto to just name a few!  I feel more resourced for sure than I did at the beginning of making this blog, and for that I am truly thankful.  I am also very glad that I will always have this blog to refresh my memory within all these "things" that I did.  It's important to me to remember a lot of these important resources and I am more than excited to someday be able to share this amazing opportunity with my future classroom.  If I am able to teach an older grade, it might even be possible for me to able to allow for my students to make their own blogs.  There is nothing better to a teacher to share their own resources with others and especially their students!
   Reflecting on all the work I have put into this blog, I really gained a sense of importance of technology and what exactly Web 2.0 has to offer.  The resources are truly endless!  It's so mind boggling to know that I have only barely scratched the surface of how many resources are out there in my reach.  I am very grateful to Dr. Wall for giving us such a beneficial project that will only make us better teachers.  Technology is always something that will be advancing and I think it's truly helped me with making this blog!  Blogging rocks!


Link to picture:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA62DAz9UbkMjpPKNuOeTqsh9D8JWCvn96F2kC8gcIhbUIoOI3z2GqyhuSA7MAwwTx6KOLVLKFkFHzphRegf9juOntA8uE2m_2lljzAA9srX_tOc4mE3EmW4b3HrnwZSIw9acwu4EPBr8/s1600/Finish+Line.jpg

Thing #23 - Creative Commons

Now that you know about Creative Commons licensing, how will you use it in the future as a teacher?
Creative Commons is something that should be really personal to everyone.  How would anyone like having their work copied and used for a grade or credit?  No one would want that.  That is exactly why it's important that everyone (teachers and students included) should be aware of the creative commons license and it's relevance and importance.  I will teach my students the importance of the creative commons license, as I hope that they will understand the relevance for securing their own work.  Teachers also need to realize that they are the true role model when it comes to laying the ground rules.  If a teacher cannot display the correct use of the  creative commons license, then how will the students be held to that same standard?  I feel that the use of the license should be correlated within teaching the regular state standards.


An example (almost a prototype) of our 23 Things:
"23 Things on a Stick"
http://23thingsonastick.blogspot.com/

Link to picture:
http://mirrors.creativecommons.org/presskit/logos/cc.logo.large.png

Thing #22 - Keepin' It Together: LiveBinders

What are the titles of your binders?
The three titles of the binders that I made are as follows:

1. 3rd Grade Mathematics - Multiplication
2. 3rd Grade Mathematics - Division
3. 3rd Grade Mathematics - Decimals

I chose these titles since they correspond with the standard that I have chosen at the beginning of the semester.  The LiveBinders website has made it easier to find worksheets, lessons and pictures in order to assist with teaching these units.

Below is an example of Binder 1:

3rd Grade Math

Discuss how you might use LiveBinders in the classroom, including possible lesson ideas for students.
Using LiveBinders would be a great way to stay organized and implementing the best of classroom management.  You can initially store all the printouts that you want to keep and be able to refer back to.  Even though I am keen on saving paper, I am still a big fan of having a hard copy, just in case I need it right then and there and fast.  LiveBinders would be a great back up to have if your hard copy ever goes missing.  I didn't also really like the way it was set up.  If I am looking at a binder online, I'd like to feel as if I am truly looking into a binder and this layout wasn't set up that way.  So, I would've probably liked it a little better if the layout was set up as if you are truly working with a binder.  Other than that, I felt confident using the program after watching the tutorial and playing around with it for a while.  But, at the end of the day and when it's all said and done, I am still going to trust my handy dandy hard copied binders!


Link to picture: 
http://www.fcrsd.org/imageGallery/EGriffin7243/LiveBinders%20Logo%202.jpg

Thing #21 - Animoto

My Animoto Video:
Erica & Roland's Cruise Summer 2011
Make your own slideshow at Animoto.

My Experience using Animoto:
I had such a fun time making my Animoto video!  Even though it was a little challenging trying to figure out how to embed my video, everything turned out really awesome for my video!  I was a little unsure on how to make a title for the video, so I just added in within my blog!  This would be a really great resource to use to display students' art work or their "best work."  I could make a video of all their best work, and by a song of their choice, I could make a video to send to their parents.  I could even also post some videos onto my website so all the kids could see their friends' videos too!  I know students would love to see their other peers' work so it would be a great activity to do in my classroom.  I could even use this example to show them what an Animoto video would look like.  I am sure my students will get a kick out of seeing my video too!  This was really a fun activity!

Thing #20 - You, Too, Can YouTube

 Why I chose this video and it's purpose:
       As I browsed the many useful videos that describe what makes teachers effective, I really liked the underlined message in this video.  As the video explains, the most highly thought of teachers don't necessarily have to have outgoing personalities, a master's degree or even tons of teaching experience.  The most important aspect of teaching should be focused on each individual student.  A teacher that can focus on that is truly what I would like to call a great teacher.  That is exactly what this video shows.  I really liked that you can also hear from the students point of view, and their parents.  It's important to know how effective you are as a teacher when it comes from your students.  

        I didn't even know before I started searching through YouTube that they had a specific site for teachers.  Now being aware of this site, there are many short videos that can be shown in class to help engage students with lessons.  I came across a lot of great multiplication videos that show the patterns of repeated addition and it's great to see the video for those visual learners.  Students will always be engaged with a video, so why not teach from a video to gain the students interests!?  

        The YouTube video that I have posted below is a short clip from ABCNews that show two different teacher's effective tools of being a great teacher.

ABCNews - What Makes Great Teachers 2-26-10:

Link to YouTube Video:
http://youtu.be/7bIQ4-3XSxU

Thing #19 - Beyond Facebook: Other Social Networks

Are you a member of any online communities?
I am a member of Facebook, Twitter, Teacher POP, Pinterest and Classroom 2.0.  I have really enjoyed exploring these online communities since they have really assisted me with so many endless ideas!  I have really came across the most interesting lessons amongst these sites and I really intend using these sites as a future teacher.  It's extremely becoming a member of an online community because there are so many potential lesson plans, unit plans and creative ideas for classroom management and disciplining.  I highly recommend Pinterest for creative ideas and Classroom 2.0 for technological classroom ideas.

Are any of these social networks appealing to you?
Of the many that I explored, they are all appealing to me!  I found myself going through each recommendation that Dr. Wall posted and I realized that I had been browsing these sites for over a couple of hours!  I didn't become members of all of them (as that would be a lot of passwords and usernames to remember!) but hopefully I will be able to save them in my bookmarks to potentially use later on as a teacher.  I feel that teachers are always looking to the internet or even online communities for advice, motivation, or even ideas.  So to me, I would feel more reassured if I knew I was a part of a respectable online community.

What did you find that was interesting and that you might use later?
I really liked the Classroom 2.0 online community.  I liked how it feels very informative and interactive.  This site really engaged me the most and I feel like reading some of the posts that other members had posted really encouraged me.  It's really nice to find that motivation in fellow peers, considering you are all potentially going through the same daily activities.  I am also a huge fan of Pinterest and Facebook.  Pinterest is especially great for finding creative gadgets to use with implementing lessons.  There are great recommendations, ideas, instructions and directions that you can really use in the classroom.  I am a big fan of this site and I know I will use it until I run out of ideas (which will be never!).

Link to picture:
http://teaching.monster.com/nfs/teaching/attachment_images/0008/3601/shutterstock_40085707_crop380w.jpg?1259865980

Thing #18 - Explore Social Networking

Why is it important that educators know how social networking works?  What new insights did you gain about these popular sights?  What did you like or dislike about each of the sites you explored?  Which site had the most useful features?  


     It's important that teachers are familiar with social networking devices since their students will be very involved with them.  Teachers need to be able to relate to their students and their interests.  Teachers should know that social networking will be a major part of student's interests.  Especially with popular social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, which were also the sites that I explored.  I now feel more "in tuned" with Twitter, as this is the first few times I've logged on since getting my account.  I have been familiar with Facebook for over a while now.  I really feel like I can gain more from Facebook since it allows me to do more things and even has a lot more features than Twitter.  Twitter is good if you like to do quick check ups with people, but to me, Facebook can be a lot more personal and it also allows for more "profiling."  Since Facebook allowed more features and I've used it for a while, I feel the most comfortable using it and staying updated through it.  I also have more friends that use Facebook so I also feel like I can keep up with friends and family more so with using Facebook.  I definitely think that as a future teacher that I can use Facebook to familiarize myself with my students and it would also be interesting for them to see my profile as well.  Facebook and Twitter are definitely staying around for a good while, so I know that I need to maintain my updates with technology in order to stay "in-the-know" with my students' interests!  I have also added a link and screen shot to my Facebook page.

Link to Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=18309177
Link to picture:
http://www.idaconcpts.com/wp-content/online%20community.jpg

Thing #17 - Tagging and Social Bookmarking with Delicious

Can you see the potential of this tool in the classroom?  Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?  How can teachers take advantage of social bookmarking sites?


        There is great potential for using social bookmarking sites such as Delicious and Diigo.  As we posted our websites of the day, it has been fun and interesting to see other websites that others have posted and I'd like to think of Diigo as something that I will always have as a a resource to use in the classroom.  I also liked Delicious because you can search for different topics that will initially give you as many options as Diigo has for educational websites.  Basically, Delicious is like a million Diigo's tied into one big site.  I also really like that you can add certain links that people have added to their stacks so that you can personally have it within your own stack.  As far as having all the bookmarks, the amount is endless!  I think it is very helpful as a teacher to be able to tag certain stacks that pertain to a certain subject and/or lesson.  That will make it a lot easier to find certain links that way and will also make the bookmarks more organized.  As all teachers should collaborate to assist each other, I think it's a great idea to socialize through the use of bookmarks.  Why not share an idea with a fellow teacher, or better yet, maybe you will pick up another creative lesson or idea.  Teachers are always looking for further resources or assistance so social bookmarking would really benefit all of us teachers in that perspective!  I have attached a screen shot of the Delicious stack I made that correlates to my learning standards.

Link to picture:
http://increaserss.com/wp-content/uploads/bookmarkjpg1.gif

Thing #16 - Get Organized with Web 2.0 Tools

• Which start page did you choose?  Why did that one appeal to you?  Will you make it your permanent home page?

          Since I have always been a google fan, I set up an iGoogle page.  I already had an iGoogle page that was personalized to my own settings but in this case, I changed things up a bit and I hadn't really ever changed the placement of anything nor did I add a gadget.  I added a to-do list to my page and it has really came quite handy!  As of right now, I have changed this iGoogle page to my home page just because it's so much easier to see emails, my to-do lists and any other updates that are involved with my gmail account.          

• How can the online calendars be useful to you?

         Since I already have an existing hotmail account, I chose to go ahead and further edu cate myself with the MSN calendar.  Since it was also on the list as one of "The Web's Best Calendars."  I had never used the calendar feature before until now and it was quite helpful.  I input all my family's birthdays so now I can be alerted when their birthday is approaching without having to remember!  It will also show the temperature which I thought was pretty cool, so you could kill two birds with one stone by using this feature.  I really liked this calendar and since it's already linked to my hotmail account, I'll be able to use it easier and more frequent, at least as often as I check my emails!

• What about the to-do lists—helpful, too much work…?

          Honestly, I felt like it was almost redundant to add another to-do list in addition to the calendar that I initially added everything I needed to get done by a certain deadline.  I really would prefer to just use the MSN calendar that is linked to my email so it will keep me posted and on track of certain things that are coming up.  Although I thought that "Remember the Milk" was a useful tool, I just don't want to have too many web tools that will overwhelm me with remembering where I have placed everything.  So, instead I would like to have it all in one place, so why not have something that is tied to my email that I check almost everyday?  That makes more sense to me and how I personally feel better using the to-do lists.

• Did you find a tool that has some uses for you at the school or at home? Which tool(s) would you recommend to others?

          After it was all said and done, I liked the calendar.  I just had never realized before how useful the calendar can truly be.  The crazy part is that I have had it forever, but never knew about it or used it.  I have had my hotmail account for a good 10 years and I have never branched out to use any of the other features other than email.  To my amazement, I explored and found the calendar which is really great!  I would be able to link reminders that I can have for my classroom.  It would be a great addition because I would still be able to use it for my own personal use.  

Link to picture:
http://insideoutsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/web-tools.jpg

Thing #15 - What in the World is a Wiki?

How might you use a wiki?  What did you find interesting about the wiki concept?
      When exploring through the examples that Dr. Wall posted and the YouTube video, it was pretty interesting how advanced technology really is!  I was pretty impressed by Wiki, although I had never used it personally.  I think it could be beneficial to use in the classroom to even use for simple things.  Like at the beginning of the year when we are gathering supplies, I thought it would be a great resource to use for all the parents so they all still know what supplies are needed for the classroom.  The beauty of that is it could be used throughout the whole school year to inform the parents of other needed essentials throughout the year such as anti-bacterial, tissues, etc.  I also really liked that it was simple to use and understand.  When posting on the the APSU Sandbox, I was amazed on how simple it was to use Wiki in action.  I am very happy with technology when it's simple and easy to use!  I am very intrigued by Wiki and all the ways it can be used.  I am looking forward to using Wiki in my classroom!

Link to picture:
http://mikaelhunault.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/wiki1.gif

Thing #14 - Go With the Flow

Describe the tools you chose and why you chose them on your blog: 

I chose to explore with Gliffy and bubbl.us.  I have never made a flowchart before so it took me a while to understand the formats and how to construct one.  I really liked these sites because they were simple to navigate around the page.  They were both very self explanatory and you are able to start making a flowchart or a mind map right away for free.  I like the fact that I don't have to register, or input my email because it always seems like I am signing up for junk mail!  I have personally uploaded 2 screen shots of my work at both websites, as seen below.

Explore the differences between mind maps and flowcharts, and consider using (or at least testing) one of these tools with a real project that you may have coming up.
I saw that the main differences between these two designs is the format, the amount of space they take up, and personally how you feel you would rather present your information.  I really liked the mind map because it seemed easier to use and was even quicker to use.  The flowcharts are also fun because you can hand pick where you would like your next step to be, and what design bubble to put it into.  I would really like to be able to use both flowcharts and the mind map within my classroom to help present information in a different way than what most students are used to like powerpoint.  It would also be a great picture to input into my interactive powerpoint to show the series of steps of solving a multiplication problems effectively.  So, look forward to seeing examples of if not one, but both of those in my upcoming interactive powerpoint!

Link to picture:

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l40/bmahfood/Blog%20Photos/flowchart.png