Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Is It the End or Only the Beginning??


My favorite discoveries for this learning journey have been finally learning RSS feeds and Google Docs. These are two things that I have always wanted to learn but never dove into. The discovery exercises were a great way to familiarize and practice with different Web 2.0 features.

I really liked the format of the program. The only thing I would change would be to update it. Web 2.0 sites change dramatically over time. There are many new sites out there that would be very helpful for classrooms.

I plan to incorporate technology and Web 2.0 into my classroom. This exercise has certainly helped me and given me the tools to incorporate technology effectively!
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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Thing #23 Creative Commons


I googled "23 things" and found the site PLCMC Learning 2.0 which is almost, but not quite, identical to APSU's 23 Things. I noticed the site had a message indicating who to contact if anyone was seeking to duplicate or modify any of the content. I think it is important for teachers to keep Creative Commons and copyrighting in mind when duplicating or modifying anything for their classrooms.
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Thing #22 LiveBinders

I feel like I say this in every post, but I have never heard of LiveBinders before this Discovery Exercise. My binder featured on this post is my Special Education binder which holds important special education websites. I didn't find it to be the easiest to get around or too user-friendly. But it is by no means difficult to access.

I use another website with similar features to store my papers that I have written over the semesters which is Dropbox. It's extremely easy to use, you just drag and drop! It also places a box on your toolbar to drag and drop documents you would like to store. These are placed in files which can be kept private or shared with certain users.
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Thing #21 Animoto Slideshow Fun

Make your own slide show at Animoto.


Animoto is another Web 2.0 feature that I have never used nor heard of. It was SO easy and fast to set up a 30 second slideshow. I chose a small number of Instagram photos I have taken. It was easy to upload my photos and choose a song to make the slideshow.

This would be a fun project to do for your classroom! I plan to use this at the end of a unit plan sometime especially if my students are working on a large hands-on project. It would be fun to play a slideshow to show the progress of their project.
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Monday, April 30, 2012

Thing #20 I Also Heart Youtube!


I've been a big fan of Youtube since 2005. It's not only great for entertainment purposes, but also for information on just about anything. I've gone to Youtube for makeup tutorials, crafting tutorials (like above), recipes, to listen to favorite songs, math help (this has helped me immensely), you name it!

Another great video site is the Teaching Channel. I've found a LOT of useful and informative videos on this site for all aspects of teaching and classroom management. Check it out!
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Thing #19 Even More Social Networking!


I joined TeacherPop, uploaded my profile pic, and tweeted it! I think this is a great social network site for local APSU preservice and inservice teachers. Another social network that I've been a part of for a while is Goodreads. I love this site! You can keep track of books that you've read as well as add books to your bookshelf to read later. Other features include having friends so you can see what they're reading as well as write and read reviews of books. Highly recommended!

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Thing #18 Tweet Tweet!


I love social networking! While I'm not a huge fan of Facebook, I love using Twitter to quickly make an update (usually of a show I'm watching haha). I've been using a personal Twitter account since 2008. For this class, and one I may use during my teaching career, I made a new twitter account. If you have one, follow me here!

While Twitter is a great resource to update information to your class at home, it is important to keep in mind that not all families have internet access or a Twitter account. I have found through my own Twitter that it is a great way to get information about education on the state and national levels. Also, I have found many resources through following other teachers' Twitter accounts. If you don't have a Twitter account, I highly recommend trying it out!
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