One last thing :)

YAY I did it! I completed Learning 2.0- 23 things for teachers and it sure does feel good. I have learned a lot!  23 things has really opened my eyes to all the technology that is available to me and others right here on the internet, there are so many possibilities for my future classroom. I am still no expert on the 23 activities that I have just BEGUN to explore but I truly believe I have a good foundation.  I look forward to exploring some of these things further and one day using them to educate young minds. One day I will be Mrs. Goodman, the educator but today I am still Heather the student. Thanks for helping me get one step closer the dream :)

Thing 23 :)

Without creative commons there might not be a 23 thing, which give credit to:

                *Note: This project is loosely based upon the website 43Things (which allows you to set and track personal goals) and the Stephen Abram article titled 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006).

Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based on Learning 2.0 - 23 Things, a staff development program for the Mesquite Independent School District. That program was based on the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers and adapted by the California School Library Association and others. Content and style for Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers has been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License.

Creative commons making it easier for people to share their works and allows others to build upon these works, as long as they follow the set copyright. Which is great news for educators, look at sites like Flickr that allow anyone to use pictures (according to its copyright) which can help enhance lessons. I would be lying if I told you that I fully comprehend CC, I find it a little confusing, and it’s just something I need to learn more about. Especially as a future educator it’s important to understand the rules of copyright.

Thing 22; 2005’s Word of the Year

I must be living in a cave, prior to my technology class I had no idea what a podcast was. I had heard the word podcast before but just had no clue what it was.  I am so glad that I know what it is now, after some searching I can say there are some great podcasts out there and some not so great ones, but just like anything what one person may like another person may hate, to each their own! I really like the idea of having students create a podcast about a subject they have learned about. My standard is second grade science; life cycle and I originally went on a hunt for a podcast on that. During my search I found a second grade podcast entitled “Discovery through a Scientific Lens” it is a “news report” that covers the vocabulary, life cycle and other facts that have been learned during a turtle lesson. I think it’s a great way to review a lesson, a great way see what your students have learned and a great group project.  

Thing #19; Socail Networks, Something for everyone

I had never really thought about social networking outside of Facebook and MySpace, who knew there was this online world where one can “meet” up with others who are passionate about something or have a common interest.  I signed up for Teacherpop, so far it seems similar to Facebook but is a network of teachers, I am excited to be a part of this community as I further my education and one day teach I am sure to find this network of people to be very helpful. I also signed up for bakespace, I am a big time foodie I love to cook and I love to eat! LOL. I thought since it’s coming up on the Christmas season and I find myself getting prepared to bake LOTS and LOTS of cookies I figured you can never have too many recipes.  I have browed the site briefly and I have found it very user friendly. I plan on exploring these networks more and contributing to both.

Thing # 21 ....... And the golden globe goes to......

Ok so I don’t foresee winning an award for my little video but I Loved creating it. Animoto was quick and easy, I chose to upload pictures from my Facebook account, chose music that was offered through the site and hit create and presto in a matter of moments there was a video of my family. My only complaint was unless you buy Animoto Pro you don’t have access to all of the features. Other than that this was fun to make.  As a teacher I could use sites like this to make a video of my students at the end of the year to recap all of the fun we had during the year.  Enjoy :)

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

What’s on the tube? YouTube that is……. Thing #20

YouTube is a GREAT resource; yes there is fluff on this site just like on most sites but still there is something for everyone. It’s a great source for both students and educators. For students they can find help for every subject for example if I missed class because I was sick and we started a new lesson on fractions I could find videos on YouTube on fractions and then I could begin the assignments I missed while at home sick, instead of waiting until I returned to school and this way I wouldn’t be as far behind and could go to my teacher with question that would help clarify. Teacher can use YouTube to enhance lessons. I have used the site for some of my assignment in class to add in teaching life cycles which is the standard I chose.

I chose the following video because I thought it was very informative. The video is 10 reasons for YouTube video’s in your classroom.  Since this blog has been about how the different applications can enhance your lessons/ Classroom I thought why not search how YouTube can be used in my future classroom. The video is good; it’s nothing “flashy” it’s right to the point.  I can definitely see myself using YouTube in my classroom.

Thing 18; Final something I don’t have to sign up for!!!

I thought everyone had a either a Facebook or Myspace account, if not both. I mean even my 70 year young Grandmother has a Facebook account.   I happen to have both However I haven’t logged into my Facebook in what seems like forever.  Anyhow Social networking sites like this are GREAT, being a military wife has moved me away from my family and my childhood friends so I find Facebook a great way to keep in touch.

I also use Facebook to keep in touch with past teachers and to network with fellow Saint Cloud High school alumni and Valenica Community College alumni, I hadn’t added Austin Peay yet so I took this opportunity to add it to my schools, this is my first semester here.

So I think social networking is great and as a teacher I think it’s important to be in the know but it’s important to be aware of your audience.  As a teacher you might want to have two accounts one for your personal life and one as an educator. I love the idea of students being able to keep in touch with me and seeing where my students “end up”. Technology can be great!

Tag this :) …. Thing 17

I love the idea of Del.icio.us. It’s like someone else has done all the hard work for me and I can simple use a tool bar to search for anything my little heart desires.  In reality it’s a great concept but what I consider a great website about a subject maybe junk to someone else.  If you over look that It’s a great resource for a teacher or for my future  students, I could look at websites that are bookmarks to help me brainstorm about future lesson plans and for my student I could tag website to share with my students.  It can help to save time.  

Can you teach an "old dog" new tricks? ; Thing 16

On teaching this “old dog” a new trick ; I begin by creating my personalized homepage.  I chose iGoogle because of all the wonderful things Google offers. Previously I had been using Yahoo as a homepage, I know you can customize it but I have never taken the time to do so. Once I created my new homepage I actually set it as my homepage, which was weird at first since I have been an avid yahoo user for so long. To be honest at first I found myself falling into old habits, I would barely glance at my homepage before I would navigate away to some other site but once I “got the hang of it” I have found that I like my new homepage that has all of my favs right there in one covenant place. It sure does cut down on time. So its here to stay!

As for the calendar and to-do list, I can see their appeal HOWEVER its not for me.  I am old school, I keep an organizer/ agenda that I carry around with me and add as needed.  Having them on the world wide web can allow for easy access from anywhere, which is great and as a teacher I could use one of these programs to keep my classes activities/important dates where the student or their parents could access it to keep the student on track.  Which is great but it just seems like too much work for me right now, it’s a lot easier and convent to tote around my agenda and a pen so I guess you just can’t always teach an old dog new tricks :)

Wiki wiki wiki....... Thing # 15

When something sounds sOoOOoOoo simple it’s normal to good to be true. I found this to be the case with this “assignment”.  I am a fan of Wikipedia, it’s a great website full of a lot of information that is constantly updated you just don’t get that with those dusty old encyclopedias.  The only problem with this is anyone can add or delete information which could lead inaccurate information. For example I am a far cry from a history buff; frankly my lack of knowledge in this subject is quite embarrassing. So if I were to add or edit based on my own educated guess I assure you I would be spreading inaccurate information.  Let’s say I thought the south won the Civil War, don’t worry I know better,  but the point is millions could easily access this incorrect information and believe it to be true because EVERYTHING you read online is TRUE, lol. Well back to the assignment……. My attempts to adding to the sandbox were frustration to say the least, but wiki’s could be very useful in the classroom for projects like a classroom encyclopedia or a “group” study guide, note sharing, ect the list can go on and on. Wikis allow students to work together to lean with technology. However wikis are no good to me if I can’t figure them out!  I’ll have to keep trying.

Going with the Flow........ Thing # 14

This Blog was a lot of fun to “investigate”. I started my journey with flowcharts and I experimented with Gliffy. This website is VERY user friendly, well so far.  It’s as simple as drag-and-drop shapes, choosing colors and inserting text.  The possibilities are endless with this website one can use it for anything from flowcharts, to floor plans to diagrams. This is a great website for both students and teachers.

I also played around with Bubbl and all I can say is………. WHERE HAS THIS WEBSITE BEEN ALL MY LIFE! I experimented with this site to make a mindmap. I found it easy to you, the hardest part form me was deciding what I was going to create my “map” around.  I defiantly will use this site in the future to help organize my notes for studying purposes.

Zoho WHAT?!?......... Thing # 13

​What is Zoho? is it just a funny word? Or s it more

Zoho is................. Documents, Power-points presentations, Calendars/ planner, Spreadsheets, Chat rooms and much more. Its like Microsoft deluxe available through the worldwide web. I know the assignment was to explore writer but I spend some time exploring the applications offered through Zoho. As a  future teacher I found this website exciting! There are a lot possibilities for Zoho in the classroom ad students. As the teacher I could use Zoho to presentations for students who miss class or to lead an online discussion in a chat room. 

Having these programs online allows for easy access for students. With programs being updated constantly having these applications online allows for a student to extremely comfortable with one "version" of a program opposed to having to learn different programs at school and home. This eliminates zip drives and "lost" documents through email. benefit is for students who can't afford  these programs can access them from any computer and they can pick up were they left off without all of the hassles.

​In short, Zoho is an application that I could see using as a future teacher HOWEVER I would want to spend more time getting acquainted with it.

*note* After MANY attempt I tried to sync my Zoho with this blog to share with you what I had written in Zoho (the above) but I can't figure it out. It seems simple but I must be missing something. So here is what I created in Zoho, sorry about the sizing that's how it pasted over.