Thing #23

Creative commons are great tools in order to find things for your classroom, that are acceptable and that helps with copyright laws to know what we can copy and what we can't. It is also a great way for students to show off their work and be able to copyright it as well. I will use it when I make videos or upload my photos. This is a great tool and timesaver.

Thing #22

Live binders would be a great tool to use, as a teacher you can store your websites that are appropriate for students. Also students could save their favorite websites too. It is a great way to collaborate ideas between teachers as well. It is a very easy to navigate, the only downfall I found was the binders are deleted after 30 days. I would have to look more in depth to see if they could be permanently saved. The three binders I created are Elementary Math, Elementary Science and Language Arts for Elementary.

Math Elementary

Thing #21

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

I usually use power direct for slide shows, when I acquire my Mac I will use iMovie. One down fall to this site is you have to pay for it, therefore I probably would not keep using it. It would be a good tool for students to use as part of our technology classes.

Thing #20

The reason I chose this video is, not only is it a fantastic song, but my cousin and her little girl are seen through out the video. This is one of the many perks of our travel business we belong to. You can use YouTube in a classroom as a teaching tool. Unfortunately, I know it blocked by our school systems, it really is a waste! There are good things on YouTube as well as bad things, I just think as teachers we need have access to several different types of material for our students to truly grasp the concepts.

Thing #19

I am a member of few online communities such as twitter, path, Facebook, photobucket, pintrest, and groveshark as well. Students could use these to do projects and and put together music with your photos for presentations using grooveshark.
Visit TeacherPop

Thing #18

I have Twitter, Path and a Facebook page. I find Facebook easier to navigate, but they are changing it daily almost and it tends to become annoying. It also has so many apps, even though you can block them and hide things you don't want to see, people are still able to send you notifications. In today's society, social network could be a very helpful tool for teacher. We need to be aware of these sites because families post things on their sites that could be crucial for our students behavior, as in why they may have a bad day and we can communicate with parents as to the students. We can also see if a student is being bullied by other students and take the proper precautions.

Thing #17

Social bookmarking sites are a great resource, teachers can send their student to specific websites to find information. You can organize the bookmarks by subject or tags so they are easier to find.This would be a definite time saver. It is also a great way to organize the student's research pages in one place.

Thing #16

I chose Pageflakes, however I would have been more comfortable using iGoogle. I found PageFlakes confusing on how everything works. I would not make it my permanent homepage because I already have one. It is cruisingforacure.worldventures.biz. Online calenders can be helpful in organizing daily activities and dates when things are due, as well as appointments. My family and I are linked to the same calendar, so we stay up-to-date. I use use my phone calendar for all activities and to-do list To-do list take up a lot of time, but I need one on a daily basis or I will forget something important. I would recommend using iGoogle to my students, to help them organize themselves and to be productive.

Thing #15

I did not think I would like Wikis, because the information can be altered by anyone, so I thought... However, Wikis turned out to be pretty interesting. In class we completed a mini project using wikis in 2010. I enjoyed the process, and realized this is a tool I could use with groups in my math class. They do allow for collaboration. It gives students the ability to work on an assignments with others, from the comfort of their home or anywhere, meanwhile the teacher can see who actually participates and who doesn't.

Thing #14

I chose Flowchart.com. It is easy to navigate through and it was easy to follow. I also chose Bubbl.us I found this to be easier for children to use if needed. They both flow well and are easy for young children to follow! Using visual charts and creating them on Bubbi.us would engage the students in the process of collaboration. You can create a mind map with your students so you can see their thought process first hand.

Thing #13

Once again, I am a Google girl... I love Google docs. You can create your documents and you can also access them anywhere you have internet. Which now means no need to fill up your hard drive with mess. :) Another thing is you can create documents at home and then go to school and access them without issues... ALSO it is FREE!!! I did looked through the Zoho and it is simple to navigate, the only downfall is, I am not sure it is all free, when I signed up it was for a 15 day trial. I would have to do more research on this site.

Thing #12

Google is an awesome site, to start with! It offers so much more than just a search engine. I know it told use to choose 2 however, I have the Google alerts set to send me emails. My family uses Google Calendar so we are all on the same page. My students like Google Translate. I absolutely can't live without Picasa web. There are so many things you can do with it; I also can say that they have made my life so easy for looking for blogs and having some of the most current information and making it easy to use...

Thing #11

I like that I can link to different pages and keep up to date by adding the RSS feed to my Facebook page. I also like that I am automatically updated. I am all about simplicity, I came across a few pages which were hard to manage. I am accustom to Google so I used the Google Blog Search. My best friend just had a baby 6 weeks ago and he was diagnosed with DS. I have completed hours and hours of research on the subject, I was able to subscribe to a couple of great blogs and I am anxious to read them!

Thing #10

RSS feeds are great because if you are linked to a site and it is updated, then you have access to the latest information. This site was very easy to use, the only down side, is Reader will not be available after July 1st. This type of technology is another time saver. You have up to date information on all the important news feeds you are subscribed to. Another reason why RSS is a great tool is you can track the information being researched as well.

Thing #9

I chose this site because, my children enjoy doing silly picture and creating funny photos. I think using these in a classroom can break the monotony in the studying. The students can create a master piece and learn to use the tools to help them blog better. As you can see, my son decided to go with the baseball picture and well my mom, I'm sure the photo say enough :)

Thing #8

I chose the mosiac aspect of Flickr. I chose the pictures for my mosaic from different times in my life. I like this app and will use it in the future. I also like the Spell with Flickr app as well. You could use this to help decorate your classroom, do different kinds of projects with your students. The one aspect I like the most about mosaic is you are able to make a collage of things, that may independantly mean one thing but as a collage means something different.

Thing #7

As many pictures as I take, I really need to use this website more often. I have had Flickr since 2009 and only used it for this assignment... With 1TB I could erase most of my storage on my computer, maybe after ball season I will get around to doing that. I share most all of my pictures on Facebook, and it so time consuming I have wanted to delete my account. Flickr may have won me over on this assignment. I really like the idea of using tags, because they work great when you are trying to find a picture or video quickly. I chose this image from Flickr, being as technology is encompassing our lives, I find myself wanting a hardback or even a paperback book, flipping through the pages and hearing them rustle. In the technological world we live in, I know my grandchildren will probably not know what a real book is because the cost to send a book to print will be so expense. We are all trying to go green so why waste trees when you have everything at the touch of a key stroke, and it will be much cheaper.

Thing #6

As a credit recovery teacher, I have an abundance of time in my day. I often search for sites that may help other teachers, as well as my students. The Web 2.0 tool I chose was http://www.quizinator.com/ The reason behind my decision is, as teachers, we do not have enough time to teach and assess students especially if you teach more than one subject. This website offers a way to keep information into a categories. You can create and update your documents in which changes are instantly applied to the documents. You can access your documents with ease, from any computer. In order to discourage cheating, not that any of our precious students would do such a thing :), you can rearrange the questions and create multiple tests from one document. This website is definitely a must for teachers!!!

Thing #5

School web 2.0 simply means more technology in education. We are rapidly moving into a world of technology. It has become the background for learning and teaching. Web 2.0 is basically a way to collect and store information. It is a very helpful tool for teachers, as our students find it hard to accumulate information any other way. It has become way for educators to have better role in how they teach, instead of using books and out dated materials, we have up to date information and real life situations at the click of a button. We have different types of web 2.0 that help teacher organize their data. We use Engrade for attendance, posting assignments and grades. Students and parents have access to all information at all times. In my classroom we use Google Docs instead of Microsoft Office and Dropbox instead of the desktop to store the student work.

Thing #3

A classroom blog is an instrumental tool for teachers to use in order to communicate with students and parents. Perhaps, as a teacher, you could use it as a place for assignments, note taking, as well as a way to assess the student's writing style. Blogging can also be a way for student's to express themselves on particular topics. Students tend to write the way they speak, however when an audience is reading the blogs, the students tend to use better grammar and better mechanics.

Thing #2

My cousin introduced me to blogging in 2007. I have several blogs I follow from education to cancer patients. I have written a blog about my children since they were small. My family lives so far away, and we like to keep up with each other and don't always have the opportunities to talk on the phone. Blogging also helped me cope with life after my mother found out she was sick with cancer, in order to stay up with the latest medicine and newest technology. Most of all it helped to have support during the very hard course of treatment she was enduring. I compiled a blog of books for one of my reading classes here at APSU, I called it Hankipoo’s Reading Crew. I love to read and I think I will keep the blog up after, finishing for new books I read so I can also get feedback from other readers. Sometimes I get writers block while writing my blogs, however I find it helpful to walk away for a bit and come back with a fresh outlook about the subject. My Avatar is an identical replica of me; I am either in my classroom or on a baseball/softball field. I love sports and I love to help student find their true potential. I am a firm believer that children need to have uplifting experiences in a classroom as well as the ball field. We are so quick to use negative words, when correcting our children/students. Don’t do this or shouldn’t do that, these words become part of our everyday language; while on the field I tell my players, you have X amount of pitches, pick one and drive it. I try my hardest not to say DON’T swing. I also expect my players to be respectful while in a classroom or they know coming to the field there will repercussions.

Thing #1

7 1/2 Lifelong Learning Habits As I scrolled through the tutorial, I encountered a few minor technical difficulties I was unable to resolve, such as the sound and few outside links. However, as I maneuvered my way through, I found the information quite helpful. As a lifelong learner, I have found it easier to create a personal learning plan with the end in mind. Immediately upon started my Master's degree, life was fantastic, everything was falling into place, until my mother was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. She was the rock that held my whole world together. As she began to explain to me the ups and downs her life was about to undergo, I started to doubt that I was in the right place. She wanted to put my life into perspective to ensure I understood, I was to finish this degree regardless of the outcome of hers. As we set my goals for the next two years, I knew I would face many obstacles along the way to bombard and catapult me off my path. Having an ending in mind helped me attack those challenges and bulldoze through them. At some point I had to take charge of my life and immerse myself back into my studies in order to complete this degree. Because I have had other blogs in the past this one was fairly easy to maneuver. I love to write and search the internet for new things so this should be exciting.

About Me

I am a mother of 3. I have Sheiann who is almost a teenager ***Sigh*** she is entering into 7th grade in the next few weeks. Brooklynne is almost 9 in just a couple of weeks, she is entering the 3rd grade and is top of her class. Jayden who is 7, he is entering the 2nd grade and is top of his class as well. I have a wonderful husband, whom I have been married to for almost 8 years. I own my own business, in the travel industry. I am currently working on my Master's degree. I lost my mother In November 2009 to Lung Cancer and since have been an active member trying to raise support for Lung Cancer. research.