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