Interact Math | Diigo

Interact Math | Diigo

This is wonderful for students of all ages.

PE Central Web Sites for Kids | Diigo

PE Central Web Sites for Kids | Diigo

Great Website for Students in K-12

The Final Note-One last Thing

Yay ME!  I finished my 23 Things!!

1.  I am reflecting on all the new found web 2.0 material that I have learned about and the journey that it has taken me on.  I will have to say that my favorite discoveries on my way to the end were:

• Zoho
• Bubbl.us
• Delicious
• Remember The Milk

The four websites that I listed above are my favorites and I will be using them in my future classroom to keep students intrigued with what they can do in using the web.  This program has changed my lifelong goals in a good way. I feel more technologically savvy and ready to take on the future generations of students that are raised around technology.  All of these websites will influence my future practices as a teacher since I will be ready to upload material on my already handy web-links and access them easily.  I already feel more organized and ready to take on a class full of eager learners. 

A way that I plan on keeping up with new developments in web 2.0, is by keeping up with all my web links and staying familiar with new and advanced technology.   

___________________________________________________________________

2. Where do I go from here?

I plan on keeping up with my web blog and maintaining my material.  I wish to use my websites for other courses in the APSU Education program and educate others that are not familiar with web 2.0.  Everyday I will ask myself the question, "What did I learn today?" to keep my mind thinking.  

Thing 23- Creative Commons

Well this is fairly familiar term. Creative Commons is a copyright license that allows us to chose to share our intellectual property. There are different licensing to accompany our work, but Creative Commons allows others to change our work if authorized and make it better.  What if someone found a cure to Autism, wouldn't you want them to publicize their work? Then, if someone finds additional ways to help with Autism they can add to your work. The beauty of Technology!


I really enjoyed the YouTube Disney Movie that was attached to Thing 23.  Amazing how you can edit work to make it different with the use of Creative Commons.  I found an attribution that shows the Learning of 2.0 or 23 Things Teachers blog on http://plcmcl2-about.blogspot.com/.  It provides Educators with a foundation of what Web 2.0 is.  The author of this site is Helene Blowers.  The 23 Things provides teachers with up to date technology sources for them to use within the developing classroom and would you guess that it has a Creative Commons license?  I think this is wonderful so that people can edit and revise technology practices as things change and new things are created.  The technology world is forever changing! 


Once I have my own classroom I will allow other teachers to edit and revise my work since this is how we make things best fitted for everyone.  Why keep things to yourself, Creative Commons allows people to share things without feeling guilty with little trouble. 

Here is the website hyperlink: Blogger and its 23 Things (CC)


*My 23 THings is a replica, in a sense of the website 43Things- which allows the public to track their personal goals.

Thing 22- Keeping it together + Livebinders

Have you ever heard of LiveBinders?  I hadn't until I learned about it today.  This is a wonderful account that helps you in creating educational binders, that can store websites, pdfs, word documents, images and more in a digital binder that is accessable on the internet.  Wow, this means that I will no longer have to stress about my information getting lost because my computer dies on me.  Best of all, I can share these binders with anyone and can easily access other public binders that have been created.  I love this idea!  Now it is time for me to explore.......

Well, I am back after creating my three + education-related binders in my LiveBinders account I am getting addicted to this website.  Titles of my binders are as follows:

• LD- Learning Disabilities
• Excellent Sites for Young Learners
• The Wonderful World of Music
• Technology  

One of my Binders

http://www.livebinders.com/shelf/my#

I will use LiveBinders in my class to quickly reference material that is categorized under specific binder labels.  This is a wonderful resource for beginning teachers such as myself.

Thing 21- Animoto

Animoto allows public users like you and I to become professional video editors.  You can upload your own videos to this web application or pictures and make it accessible to all users.  Animoto reviews your images and the music you upload to use to make sure it all flows and is in sync.  If it turns out that you do not like your video, you can click the Remix button and Animoto changes it up for you, or you can change it on your own. Animoto is still a new "Beta" website, so many things are being edited as they go, but I think it is pretty splendid so far.

 I will be using this to upload my pictures to create family slideshows.  This would be wonderful to use for student pictures of your class.  You can upload and create an end of the year slide show for parents of your students.   I loved this website, my practice slide show is on the top right.

Thing 20- You, Too, Can YouTube

YouTube is a wonderful source for all educators.  It allows students to visually see something being taught instead of just drilling them on the facts.

I have used YouTube as a student to help in understanding things that were taught to me in my undergrad program.  YouTube can also be incorporated in Powerpoint presentations to make a presentation more intriguing for their audience, in addition to sharing and watching which is made easier then ever before by the use of YouTube.  I had fun searching YouTube and finding things that interested me.  Attached is a video on Technology in the Classroom  this tells you why technology is so important in the classroom and discusses where technology is headed for future generations.

I also had fun searching music on YouTube, this is one of my favorite videos I found-
In high school I sang this song in my talent show. It keeps me feeling young at heart and reminds me of my hero who is my grandpa. He recently passed, but he still lives in me. I LOVE YOU GRANDPA!!!

Thing 19- Ning/TeacherPop/Goodreads

 

1. Who has ever heard of Ning?  I hadn't heard of it until now.  "Ning is a social networking site with a different focus. With Ning, you can set up your own social network based on your particular interest or join one that someone else has already created. There are several educator networks from which to choose. To learn more about Ning, check out TeacherPop or school related groups below."  APSU has a Ning page called TeacherPop that I joined today. Here is the link to my new Ning account and my TeacherPop blog-  TeacherPop.


I wanted to leave a comment to another member on Ning but it costs money to use special features, and it asks you to wait for my administrators approval. So, instead, I added a widget and the Ning badge to my blog.

2.  The second social network that I decided to play around with was: Goodreads, which is a place I can track books that I read over the course of time and find books of my liking. It also provides book reviews for all to see. I like that I can sign in using my facebook account and it is as easy as clicking a button.  I have attached the link for your consideration: goodreads  

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Great Educational Tool

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: ISTE 2012: Going to be Great!: Looking forward to ISTE 2012. Here are the sessions where I'm presenting, there are a few spots open in some of them, so if you're coming, ...

Thing 18-Social Networking on Facebook

Teaching
In 2004 my sister informed me of Facebook.  I was apprehensive at first in publicizing my entire life for all to see, but soon after became one of the many to register for a social networking account.  It has kept me in touch with many friends that I had when my husband was active in the Navy.  It has also allowed me to stay in touch with old friends from high-school and work.  I have enjoyed Facebook and the possibilities of entertainment that it provides. I also enjoy Twitter.  I have decided to attach my Twitter account below since it is something that I will use more in Education: 


TeacherReese (Twitter)


I believe it is important that educators know what a social networking website is and how to use it.  There is a vast amount of information for teachers on Facebook and other websites such as Twitter for Educators to take advantage of.  In 2004 I was not so sure of Facebook, but now I feel that it is a special outlet for me to keep in touch with friends and periodically "chat" with them.  I also like the specific buttons that are linked to each post.  These are: like, comment, and share on facebook.  Anyone can upload pictures, or videos to share with family and friends and comment on them. 


I requested to be a friend on the APSU College of Education website. Hopefully I can stay up to date with all the wonderful posts and people that I have been in class with thus far.  I see that Dr. Hardin, Dr. Jerles, and Dr. Wall use Facebook to congratulate people and keep them informed. :0)

Thing 17-The Social Web/Tagging

I am a social tagger, and instead of using Facebook or Diingo to tag things and comment on material I like or dislike, I can use Delicious. Delicious allows us to bookmark a web page and then add tags to categorize our bookmarks. 

How wonderful will this website be when I need to find core curriculum lesson plans for my classroom.  They will be right on one website instead of having to search folders and bookmarks on my desktop.  I also like the feature that allows you to tag similar links that your friends/fellow teachers like, this is where the social networking aspect comes into play.

Delicious.com

I enjoyed creating my Delicious account.  When searching Educational Technology and links of thereabouts, I found this tag that commented about Edutopia.

• June 5, 2012

  missjulies saved this link.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  1 save

  This is a web site for educators that provides support, ideas, information and resources for educators of all age groups. There is lesson plans and ideas available by age level and subject. There are quizzes and other classroom resources available. There are extensive links to education blogs that are searchable for the educator to find ideas and answers to their questions. Although there are many advertisements it is a good resource and way to connect with other educators.

  resources

  web2.0

  technology

  teaching

  education

http://www.edutopia.org/ (Edutopia)- A website for teachers, administrators, and others staff members to stay connected with parents.


I also created a blog about my experiences using Delicious.  I can see myself using this site to stay connected with parents of my students.  I might attach practice quizzes, and weekly letters for everyone to see.

Me

Thing 16- Let's get Organized!

I love Remember the Milk, this is definitely something I will use now to keep organized and up until I have my own classroom.  I also customized my own Chrome page and homepage using Netvibes,  I included a calendar and will continue to explore the other resources it provides.  I really like "Remember the milk" because it provides me with a to do list of things that need to get done or have been completed.  Below is my homepage for Netvibes:
  

• 
  

Thing 15- Wiki

Wow!  E-mail is the old school way of communicating via the internet, I can't wait until I get to tell my mom that. ;) We now have access to an interactive website titled, "Wiki" This is a collaborative website for many people to change material by simply clicking edit, save, and link. Many people use the term "Sandbox" to describe a wiki.  This is the gray area of the website that is used simply for pure play and exploration.

• I had a lot of fun exploring all the wiki websites, but my favorite was Teacherlibrarian wiki! and the youtube video was beneficial in explaining wiki's more. 
• apsu23thingssandbox 
• I looked at the APSU sandbox, but couldn't find anything that really looked fun to edit.  So I decided to go to the wiki website and search pictures, but had trouble with this. Finally, I decided to use a picture that I had uploaded onto my desktop, it is amazing how much trouble I went through to upload this picture.  It asked about Creative Commons and took me the around about way to get my photo published.  It is much easier to edit a work of your own instead of someone else's, geez. (I guess that makes sense). 

I Am Coming Back To This One!!

Thing 14-Go with the Flow :)

Flowcharts and maps are wonderful Educational tools for students of all ages and especially Visual Learners.   Below, I have attached some Flow charts and Maps that I had fun playing around with and would be suitable resources as a classroom teacher.  The two links I explored are: Bubbl.us (maps), and Giffy~(Flowcharts).

I loved Bubbl.us- this was so simple and very easy to use.  I decided to create a bubble graph because I am currently learning about disabilities in my Special Education Class and how important it is to teach according to learning styles.  We need to teach kids how they learn best, not how it is best or easiest for ourselves.  I hope you enjoy my map below.

The second Link that I explored is Gliffy.  This website teaches you how to create flowcharts. I like how both websites are free for use.  On Gliffy I created a classroom floor plan and used Google Images to find specific classroom materials and objects that I wanted to go in my classroom.  The one thing that I would like to still learn is how to make objects look three dimensional, otherwise this was a lot of fun and I can see myself using these websites in the near future.

Awards for Academic Achievement!

Jameson with his friends

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.4

Thing 13- Web Based Applications

ZOHO



I just created a ZoHo account and cannot wait to see what it is all about!  So far, I am impressed by the  vast amount of information provided for outsiders to use.  It creates everything for you from business to productivity and even collaboration applications.  I started off by creating a webpage something simplistic.  Zoho can do so much and everything is right on your page. Here is a tutorial for ZOHO

2.)
In exploring the site, I saw how many features it provides.  I activated my Zoho Writer webpage after having to upgrade my Firefox and Chrome servers, what a pain, but I guess it needed to be done.  Once everything was ready to go, I created two test documents and letter using Zoho Writer.  Those are provided below.

Spelling Test Test 2

3.)
ZOHO WRITER

4.) In exploring Google Docs, I was surprised at all the additional applications there were and on the same server.  One can create a spreadsheet, learn more about presentations, or word processing, and draw and all of the information can be saved on your account. "Creating and collaborating" is easy on Google Docs!  Google Docs was a little easier for me to use over Zoho Docs.

5.) I decided to show my spreadsheet to my blog using Google Docs:

 6.)  Students will be able to work collaboratively using Google Docs because it provides the option of sharing with more then one person.  Peers could send their documents back and forth and review one anothers work.  I really like how easy it is to use.  I would say you could start using this with fifth graders. picture

7. )  I liked Google Docs more.  It was easier to use and all the possibilities are in large color coded tabs for young students and adults to visibly see.  Additionally, adding a link to a document was much easier to find then with Zoho.  I have provided attachments for you to see the comparisons.  

Thing 12- Google is not just for Searching anymore

Google is so big that it has changed to the verb "to google."  I love using Google search to find things or answer a question that I may not know.  We can even use Google in the classroom. If a student is inquiring an answer to a question that we may not know, we can use our smartboards and as a class search the google engine to find the answer.  My answer to everything now is, "Well, lets google it!"

There is such an overwhelming amount of information  to access right on the Google homepage, that Google should most definitely be marked as a tab on your bookmarks bar.  I took some time to get more familiar with Google Calendar, Google Maps, and Google Images, this one was my very favorite.  Here are a few pictures that I found without them having an all rights reserved logo:

 The calendar I created should be posted!  I had so much fun with this!!

Thing 11- Finding Good Feeds

You may wonder, what RSS Feeds will be most interesting to me?  Well, after reading the "Cool Cat Teacher Blog," I was suggested to many.  I also found it interesting that Diigo was on there.  Here is one site that I found particularly interesting. Cool Cat Teacher Blog: 7 Steps to KISS the Spring (Reclaim balance when y...:  I love to balance my life with less stressful activities since I am typically consumed in a world that is full of stress.  Websites such as the one I posted above remind me to stay calm and reclaim my balance.

 

Edublog awards was also interesting, here are a few that I checked out: 

Voted best student Blog:                                                         http://emilysblog3s.edublogs.org/
Voted best Teacher Blog:                                                        http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/
(I want Mr. Tom to be teaching my son!)

• The method that I found easiest to search for feeds was by looking to see if the websites had the RSS logo.  I am very familiar with this now!  
• The search tool that I used most often was simply clicking on the links provided from our reading in D2L or again using the logo.
• I did find it confusing that you have to go to an RSS feeder website in order to attach specific websites to your blog.  It would be easier to simply click and have them appear, like magic.  Don't you think! :)
• I like the blogs that talk about world politics, education, or creating harmony to our lives.
• I found one unusual feed that had a youtube video attached to show the analogy of students who are not actually focused in class but "moonwalking on the sun."  You would be freaked out if you watched it too!  So weird.
• Other ways to locate feeds is by clicking the add button on your homepage.  It is as simple as adding the web address under Reader Lists.

Insights: is technology always good?

http://www.wsmv.com/story/18756942/hackers-steal-data-from-thousands-in-montgomery-co

This is terrifying for any of you whom have any affiliation with Clarksville Montgomery School Systems.  I do worry that with everything including peoples identities, social securities, bank information, and history, hackers and terrorists can access our information more easily.  I know we can buy identity theft or coverage to keep us protected, but does that entail everything?  Technology is a wonderful thing but in the process of using it, people need to be well aware of the concerns and keep their blogs secure.

Thing 10-RSS Reader

I just read and learned about the term RSS and what it stands for.  The full name is: "Really Simple Syndication" where you or I can file format through a server such as www.google.com/reader and subscribe to various blogs that post information on a daily basis over the web. How cool is that! 

Listed are the things I like about RSS:

1. The public can access information on the web and keep up to date on current policies, politics, and/or news.
2. Instead of having to find the topics posted on these weblinks, they will be posted on my webpage.  haha
3. It is easy!

I might use this technology in my classroom by having my classroom blog page open to one of these RSS addresses.  It could be set up as my homepage for the students to see when they come into the classroom.  The children can then see what is current in the news and discuss the issues with classmates.  This is a perfect anticipatory set to start the day off and get the students ready to converse.

Students and teachers have access to these webpages for free at all times.  It is definitely interesting to here about issues outside of our bubble.  These postings will then be sent to us and allow us to keep up with the web.  It reminds me of Netflix and how movie stores have gone out of business because everything comes to us now. Now, everything that we are interested in comes to us with RSS!

• 
  

Thing 9-Online Image Generator

I have found that Online Image Generators are addicting and sometimes picky. I had to use Microsoft Paint to re-size the pictures several times and some of the websites still would not take the picture. Additionally,  I kept wanting to change how the pictures looked, especially if I was adding a caption.  The Cartoon Generator was a lot of fun!  I really wanted to create a license Plate but the website was temporarily not working? Maybe others will have better luck with this, here is the link: License Plate Maker (1,000+ plates, put caption on your state/province plates Canada/USA) 

Here are some of the images that I created this far........

This is my beautiful dog Sammy!  He is a Border Collie and the smartest dog I know.  Love him!!!

Here is my fortune, that was suppose to say, "my fortune is your fortune,"  silly text editor, and lastly, here is my customized sign!

Loving this!

Our Education System!

I

Thing 8- Flickr Mashups

Flickr Mashups
    

I have had so much fun with Flickr Mashups.  I loved the puzzle website!  I had such a great time taking pictures from my desktop and creating puzzles out of them.  My son and I had a blast.  I also enjoyed looking at all the beautiful colors on both websites: http://www.flickr.com/photos/19786323@N00/28905497/in/pool-31917163@N00/ and http://krazydad.com/colrpickr/ what fun.  My all time favorite Mashup website would have to be Spell with Flickr.  I loved how simple it was to write any word of my choice and have it come back in art format.  I think this is going to be a new hobby of mine.  I could get used to becoming a Masheruper!

I could most certainly see myself using a website such as Flickr Mashups to make a creative story and share it on the Smart Board, or an interactive game where students must guess the word as I add new letters.  I would also see myself using the puzzle weblink to have students remember where the pieces went, both of these could be for educational purposes.

Thing 7- Flickr

Discovery Exercise:

I decided to use this discovery exercise instead of option one since, it says it will be more fun and I like to upload things. I love the fact that I can share my photography on flickr. It allows me to keep a personal file of all my photos for free instead of a photo album, and I am able to capture a moment in time and share it with the world, how serial.  

oh wait....I guess I had created a free online Flickr account a while back, but never used it. So, today I  uploaded some pictures that I captured of my son over Winter Break and re-activated it.  I did this instead of taking a picture of my house or the school since my house is a filthy mess right now and no one wants to see a picture of that, and secondly, "Schools Out For Summer!" as plays the song.  So, no school photos for you.  

Below is a photo that I uploaded onto Flickr after re-setting up my account.  Photography has been around for ever, but Photo Sharing websites such as Flickr have just lifted off.  Sharing of photography is in full flight now and with the use of Flickr and other Free websites.  We are in a new era where we are able to share our works with the world and how fun is it to get negative and positive criticism on our works . 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73240233@N07/

I tagged my photos on the website above and hope that everyone can access it. I also tried to attach them, but never saw the photos on my Blogger.  I have had a little difficulty with this, and have decided that maybe with the help of some of my classmates, I might be able to get this problem resolved. I have to say, people of the south are so kind!


Well, my problem was resolved after some playing around and researching more on this issue.  It was actually very simple.  I guess in order to learn something it just takes a little time and patience. Thank you. :)

APSU My 23 Things

APSU My 23 Things, a photo by Melaniereese on Flickr.

I love flying kites! These were so beautiful. :)

apsu23things

apsu23things, a photo by Melaniereese on Flickr.

Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado

Thing 6 -Discovering Web Tools

Out of the 100 Weblinks in "Webware 100", I decided to explore "Pandora" some.  I believe that many teachers use  music in their classrooms to create a calming dynamic for their students. Studies have shown that when listening to music, students retain information better. Wouldn't you love to create your own playlist to explore familiar artists that you like at a free cost!  With Pandora Radio, anyone can access the website and create their own playlists by simply typing in a popular song, or artist. This then allows you to create a playlist of musicians that have similar music into the same station. (Wow...I sound like I am selling something, hehe).

I love "Enya" so I created my own station under the title Enya which then put several other artists in the same category.  If I do not like the music being played, I simply put a thumbs down and the internet changes the music to my liking, on the reverse, if I like the music being played I put a thumbs up and the music changes.  The music is free due to advertisements that occasionally play.
http://www.pandora.com/

This link is so easy to use and allows users like you and I to have it anywhere, they even have a blog page! I created an app. on my phone so I can listen to Pandora while I run, or study.  I like that it is convenient and easy to use. The down side to Pandora is that it is unlike the typical radio stations where you can hear about news in your area, or events that are being held.  You won't be able to hear comments from your favorite broadcaster.
    

Thing 5- Web 2.0

• First and foremost, what is Web 2.0? According to Wikipedia, it is a loosely defined intersection of web application features that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,^[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web. A Web 2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue as creators (prosumers) of user-generated content in a virtual community, in contrast to websites where users (consumers) are limited to the passive viewing of content that was created for them. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

The 21st Century brings excitement of new ideas and technology, but what else does that bring? Everybody wants the newest and greatest mobile on market that does everything for you. 21st Century learning is going to be done solely by internet and higher functioning multimedia sources. I fear that there will be downsides to this as well. Book stores and libraries are closing because we can now purchase books online, interviews are done via videoconferencing instead of in person, and texting is the biggest hobby for young adolescents these days. Everything is done on screen!

These and many other reasons lead me to believe that technology is not only good. 

On the reverse, Skype, myspace, facebook, and other features allow us to communicate across the world and stay in touch with family and friends.  Although these interactions are not face to face, Web 2.0 allows us to stay in contact with people that we care about.
_________________________________________

In School 2.0, learning would be done at home, school, and in the community.  Where does peer interaction come into play?  I thought "play" was a necessity and  part of the learning process?   What about scholars that learn only by doing?  We would be conforming all students to learn the same way. What would happen to children that are hands-on-learners, or auditory learners? I guess I have my fears when discussing School 2.0. because I am so used to being taught within a environment facilitated by an instructor.

• What does "School 2.0" mean to you? What School 2.0 means to me is teaching to technology. Students would be taught to learn the same way, possibly avoiding disabilities if they were to arise. I think it would be interesting to see how it would work, but I worry that peer interactions would be lost. What if the web crashed? How would you attend class? If it was a virtual classroom setting I might reconsider what I am saying. I am old school, and used to the way things are that I fear change especially in schools might lead to problems.
• What does it mean for schools of the future? Schools in the future would be run by the government and the internet. The "No Child Left Behind Act" would go away and parents would be more in touch with what their children are learning.

Thing 4- Why must we Communicate?

What is a blog? According to wikipedia, a blog is a vehicle for a group of people with common interests to communicate, share, and learn in spite of barriers of time and distance.

Communication is both a give and take process, where the channeling of information is transfered from sender to receiver.  Within the internet world, communication is a little different.  The reasons are obvious to most if not all.  Following is a list of reasons that I think communication between sender and receiver is delayed and misinterpreted.

• It is difficult to determine if someone on the other end of the computer is being sarcastic or straight forward, thus people may read into things the wrong way, "Literally."  
• There is a huge delay in responses when someone decides to get up and move away from their computer without telling the person on the other end.
• A message may get lost somewhere in cyberspace.
• The next generation may never learn proper etiquette on the ways of communicating. For example, the importance of looking at someone when they are speaking to you.

For a sender to write an entire blog and not get any feedback, makes for a boring story.  Everyone wants to feel like they are being heard.  This may be one of various reasons why computer geeks allowed a place for a commenter to say a polite response back to the sender such as on facebook, or opps here.  I must admit, I find it interesting that on facebook they only allow for people to hit the "like" button and not a "dislike button." Don't they know that everyone has a right to their own opinion.  I guess this is where you must write "WHY" you disagree with the other person instead of just hitting the "dislike button."

Questions:

• Commenting helps to create a sense of community and interaction because it gives others information about oneself.  Commenting also allows people to become friends with others that have similar interests.
•  I found that commenting is important when interacting with others.  If someone leaves a comment on my page, I will comment back with a simple, "thank you."  This shows the commenter that I appreciate their time in reading my blog.  It is important for others to see that you are being polite and thankful that they took the time to validate or debate with you. ;) Setting Boundaries is something else that you must do when blogging.  I believe that politics and personal relationships should not be discussed on internet forums.  This is where Setting Boundaries are an important entity on your own personal blog page.

Here are the blog addresses and names of my seven blogs:

                Blog Address                                                      Names

1. Guspainter.blogspot.com                                                 Scott
2. 23Thingssavail.blogspot.com                                     Stephanie
3. Wmstroopstoteacher.blogspot.com                           Stephanie
4. 23thingsbyme.blogspot.com                                             Amy                         
5. Fairclough23things.blogspot.com                                   Jim
6. Gringospanishteacher.blogspot.com                            Jason
7.  http://apsueducation.blogspot.com/                           Katy

I selected these seven blogs to comment and stay in touch with because they all seemed interesting. I absolutely love Stephanie's sweet tone and wonderful personality, Katie and Amy are both nice and welcoming if you have a question or concern, and Jason is helpful in keeping me up to date with my Spanish, everyone else I am still learning about through their posts.

• I continue to comment on everyone's blogs. Keeping track of all the posts that I write would make for a lengthy response.  Therefore, I will just say that I have enjoyed reading everything and if I find something that I can relate to, I tend to respond to it.

Thing 3- I am a Registered Blogger!

I am officially considered a Blogger.  I love the fact that I can write about anything that I feel important and post it for all to see.  I have a Facebook account and in the past have used it often, however this is my first on Blogger and I find it similar to that of facebook.  The only difference that I see so far is that you cannot tell when someone else is online....or can you?  That is something I dislike about Facebook.  Let me explain.....I get onto my facebook account and the moment that I log-in, my mother writes me, if I choose that I am not in the mood to write back, she continues to bug me.  I sure hope she doesn't find out about Blogger.  I would never be able to complete my work. :)  Please don't get me wrong, I love my mother to death, but she thinks I am just searching the web everytime I am online and not being productive.  I will now have prof that I use the internet to work instead of chat with friends via the internet.

Now to answer the question of  ways that you might use a blog in your teacher education program or your future classroom?  I would use it as a tool to stimulate discussion.  I would allow children opportunities to share findings about subject matter discussed with the rest of the class.  This could be attached to their blog page for all to see.  I might also place homework material on a classroom Blog page for all students to have access to.  I see that the future holds technology to a new standard and it is forever growing.  New things are consistantly being created and published for the general public to access.  There is such a growing demand for online activities, thus, I feel blog will most likely become a wonderful teaching tool for my future classroom.

Thing 2-.Set up your own blog, add an avatar

Well, hello!  For some reason I had a difficult time composing an avatar.  Thank you to the help of some classroom friends in making my experience less difficult. Once I was finished creating my avatar using the Doppleme website, I had fun deciding which hair style I wanted and what expression fit me best.  For those who know me, I am always smiling which is why many people call me "sunshine." 


I also decided that I wanted to upload a picture.  This picture in which I have used as my cover, is a photograph of me playing the guitar with my amazing son Jameson, and my god daughter, Bayla. I find the internet world interesting.  I like the fact that we can communicate across cyber space milllions or miles away from one another.  It is extremely helpful to keep in touch with friends that have moved to other continents.  I have another meaning to the simple phrase "Good Bye!"  I look forward to sharing my content posted on my blogger with all of you.

Thing 1: Discovering Exercise (7 and 1/2 Habits)

Learning is a life long journey from which we choose the path that fits best for us. All of us come from different learning environments and learning styles.  For a teacher, it can be difficult to weigh out the best teaching style for your students, nonetheless, each year classroom dynamics and learning styles change. One can agree that everyone learns differently, and the study of Bloom's Taxonomy points out three very affective learning types.  The three Domains are: Cognitive/Knowledge, Affective, and Psychomotor/Skills. This is a process in which we build on data to make it stick.  

However, we must remember that every scholar learns differently, so that these three domains may be embedded into our brains differently. There are kinesthetic learners, auditory learners, visual learners, and hands-on learners.  Some people learn simply by socializing with others, going to class, or reading.  Nevertheless, learning is a journey in which we embrace at a very young age.  We teach ourselves how to retain information and what learning style works best for us.  

In the power point "7 and 1/2 Habits," designed by: Helene Blowers, she discusses what learning is and how to nurture our learning process.  After watching the presentation, I found that some of these habits are more difficult for me then others.  For instance, Number 1 discussed keeping your mind set on the goal.  If I have my eye on the prize, I have an easier time accomplishing a task, versus knowing it is impossible for me to achieve. However, looking back at something that I believed to be impossible and accomplishing it, that is such an honor. I liked learning habit Number 3, view problems as challenges.  When I am confronted with a problem, it makes me want to work harder.  I hate to give up and I feel that dead ends/challenges, make you a bigger and better person.  It has definitely made me stronger person!  

Number 2- Accept responsibility for your own learning is something that everyone must do.  Although we sit in class and listen to lectures for school, or read material provided for us from our professors, it is our responsibility to retain the information and pursue our learning to a deeper level.  One last habit that I would like to talk about is Learning Habit 7 1/2.  Play! If children are deprived of play, they cannot, and will not learn! I believe play provides an environment that fosters learning by doing as Maria Montessori may have put it.  I watch my own son learn by experimenting with play.  

These 7 and 1/2 Habits would be very useful to have in a classroom. Not all seven were covered, but they are the backbone to a surviving classroom dynamic. Students could sign a contract at the beginning of the school year discussing their individualized goals, obstacles, resources, etc...  Once the school year comes to an end, it would be entertaining for them to re-read their goals and see how much they have changed if not any.