Thing # 23

It is obvious that APSU's Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers was based on someone else's work because it is listed as such on the bottom of the last page. Specifically, it was based on a staff development plan for the Mesquite Independent School District, which was based on a program designed by Helen Blowers. The Creative Commons license for APSU's Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers allows sharing and remixing as long as it is for non-commercial uses and is attributed to APSU. Additionally, all conditions of the Creative Commons license can be waived with APSU's permission and the fair use, moral and publicity rights remain in force and are unaffected by the Creative Commons license.

If I ever publish anything that will help others, I will more than likely share it through a Creative Commons license.

Thing # 22

I tried all of the directories listed, and did not like any of them.

Educational Podcast Directory would not open any of the podcasts I clicked on. The RSS feed was either unable to be read, or it just did not open.

Podcastdirectory.com took too long to download, had misleading genre titles, and many of the podcasts had been moved so I couldn't listen to them anyhow.

Podcastalley.com asked me to subscribe to the podcast before allowing me to listen. I did not listen.

Learn Out Loud had a price on almost everything, and of the ones that were free, I found nothing interesting.

I listened to one podcast about the use of the Internet by the government. Have I been inspired to create a podcast because of this Thing? Not at all. Did I find a podcast I would consider subscribing to? No.

I would have to say this was my least favorite Thing.

Thing # 21

I like Animoto. This could be a real fun way to share special occasion / vacation photos with family and friends. I'm sure it could be utilized in the classroom as well, but I don't think I would be using it. It was really easy to make a video and they have music already there for you, so there is no worry about copyright infringement. Here's a small video clip from last summer's vacation to Disney World.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Thing # 20

I've been on YouTube before, so this Thing was really easy. I went searching for videos with the keyword "teaching." I stumbled onto something called "power teaching" and quickly moved on. Then I saw the video titled "Be a Great Teacher" and decided this would be worth posting to my blog. These types of stories always motivate me and remind me why I decided to teach. I only wish I had what it takes to teach the younger children because it would be so rewarding to know that you were such an early and significant influence in a child's life. I believe YouTube, as well as most Web 2.0 tools, can be applied in classrooms effectively. I have embeded the video I chose into this blog, but I do not know how to adjust the size.

Thing # 19

Yes, Facebook and MySpace are popular, but other social networking sites may be more to your liking. I am a member of TeacherPop. I joined when I started attending Austin Peay. I saw that bulletin board in the hallway that asked if I had a P.O.P. (positive online profile)? This is also where I first googled my name and found the story about that orangutan.

I would be more likely to remain active in a social networking site that is of a professional nature, as opposed to the more popular Facebook and MySpace. I would find networking on TeacherPop more productive than Facebook, I don't have a MySpace.

Thing # 18

This Thing was easy, I already have a Facebook account, and I have one of my teachers and several fellow students on there already. Both sites do basically the same thing; provide a conduit for social networking. Having a social network has always been helpful. That's why we have fraternities/sorrorities, clubs, associations, etc...

Could I use Facebook to my advantage as a teacher? You bet! A large number of teenagers already have these accounts, and this would be a great way to reach them outside of the classroom. However, familiarity breeds contempt; so a proper teacher/student relationship would be a delicate balance to maintain.

Thing # 17

This Thing started out wonderfully for me. I was very happy to see that an account was already established for APSU students to use. This is one account I don't have to sign up for.

I can see how a social bookmarking site can be useful. Blogs that have a high number of tags are more than likely not going to waste your time. Blogs that have only a few tags may be a waste of time, but, just to be fair, you never know until you try them.

How can a teacher take advantage of a social bookmarking site? It is a store of information that has been screened, or filtered, and connected in ways I might not have imagined. Someone else's link may lead me to an extraodridary resource I would not have found otherwise. This can also be used by the sudents for any research they might need to perform.

Thing # 16

I created a Netvibes start page, and linked several RSS feeds for the blogs I've started following, but I will not make it my new homepage. I created an online calendar, which is a wonderful tool for oganization. The email reminders I receive enable me to utilize this tool without having to logon to it constantly. The to do list is not such a great tool, for me. If I need a reminder, I'll put it on my calendar.

Thing # 15

I like the idea of wikis. I added an entry to the APSU 23 Thing's sandbox, and now I get an alert every time somebody else adds or edits an entry. Of the wikis I explored, I liked the Library Success: A best practices wiki the best. I really liked the contact information they provided for someone with a question.

I can see problems with wikis though; disgruntled employees, personal relationship gone bad, etc... It would be easy for someone with access to ruin a good wiki. Editing status would have to be monitored closely.

Thing # 14

I tried bubbl.us for my mind map application, and I like it much better than mind meister. I chose bubbl.us because I found it much easier to use than mind meister.

I used Gliffy for my flow chart, and found it to be very similar to Powerpoint. Although the drawing tools work a lot like Powerpoint's, being an online application may make it easier to publish and share. I chose Gliffy for the familiarity reason; I'm familiar with PowerPoint, and the tools are similar.

Thing # 13

This Thing could be very useful. It is a quick way to diseminate information, and could be very useful with regard to communications between students and parents alike.

I didn't post my test document to my blog, but I did publish it to the external world, as Zoho calls it. Click here to see my test document.

Thing # 12

This Thing was not impressive. I created an alert and a calendar within my iGoogle account, which I have only because of this class, and I don't think it will be extremely helpful. Don't get me wrong, calendars are very useful tools, if you use them. I just don't use them. [I am retracting my last statement, but am leaving it up so you'll know what it said.] The Google calendar is a great tool. I just received email notifications about events in my calendar, and that can be a very valuable tool. I will be using this tool from now on. I said what I did earlier because I never carry a calendar around, nor would I go online to read one; but now I don't have to.

I do like the alerts though. I made my alert for math education news. This can be very helpful since I don't have to know what I'm looking for, or what Web sites to visit, but I'll be updated on any noteworthy events involving math education; my future career.

I do not see many benefits using these tools for education. A calendar is only effective and useful if used, and I don't use them. An alert for news related to math education can keep me well-informed , but I can't think of a purpose for it within my lessons.

Thing # 11

I have been checking out RSS feeds, and made a very convenient discovery. I no longer need to access Netvibes to add an RSS feed as I thought. Internet Explorer has a place for RSS feeds right on the favorites bar. This will now make it much easier to add and later view my RSS feeds.

With that said, let me get back to Thing 11. I found Google Blog Search to be the easiest to use, and Edublog's award winners was unappealing; not confusing, but unappealing. I noticed no pattern of indexing that would allow me to search for a site that interested me. I would have to just keep looking aimlessly until I stumbled onto one I found interesting. I am too busy to waste that much time.

The site I found through Google Blog Search, Education Next; Teachers and Teaching, seemed very interesting. I have not had time to fully explore it, but it seems to have commentaries, blogs, and comments from readers, that address current and pertinent educational issues from how are we to replace the expected loss in teachers when the baby-boomers retire, to what President Obama is trying to do with regard to educational reforms. I look forward to following this news feed.

Now that I have found an easy way to add RSS feeds to my browser, I'll be looking for that little RSS feed icon on every website I find interesting.

Thing # 10

I now know why I could not get Netvibes working during "Thing # 6." Netvibes is an aggregator for my RSS feeds, and I had none; until now. I like that I don't have to visit all the sites I want to follow, unless I want to comment on them. What I don't like is how simple the directions in D2L make it sound. I still can't find the button I'm told to click so I can share. I'll keep looking around.

I created a public page, because I thought it would lead me to the elusive 'share' button, but I still can't find it. I've added the blog sites from my class-section that I follow, and now I can see which ones have added updates, for all of them at the same time. This is nice. I can see this as being helpful in both my personal life and as a teacher. I can subscribe to education blogs, create blogs for students and parents, and find out when they are updated, all at the same time.

Thing # 9

Now this 'Thing' was fun. I saw the funny picture of some species of primate and decided to go with it because of my first photo posted here: the orangutan from the San Diego Zoo string on flickr. I had to do more than one, so the sign was the simplest.

I can see many uses for this in the classroom. Instead of the bold font on a presentation, you can add some of these wacky creations on there to catch the student's attention. You can not only make learning a little more interesting, if not down-right scary, but you yourself get to have fun while being creative.

I created the smiling some species of primate on Happy Face Generator.com, and the warning sign on Custom Sign Generator.com. Go there, try it, you'll like it.

Thing # 8

Okay. I have added my creation, the word 'MATH' spelled in pictures, but I was not playing or having fun while doing it. First, I was warned by flickr, when leaving their website, that I was entering an unfamiliar, and possibly unfriendly, Internet site and I should be very careful if I decide to downlaod any applications. I know it's meant as a disclaimer, so they're not blamed for any viruses, etc..., but they only put those disclaimers up because it was an issue at one time. Luckily for me I did not have to download any application to spell my word. I simply created the word from pictures on flickr, on the Spell with flickr website, and then copied and pasted the code to my blog. I was unable to put it inside this post, but it's on my blog somewhere.

Secondly, several of the sites I went to before I chose Spell with flickr did not make using their application very easy. I was uncomfortable on every site I experimented with except Spell with flickr.

I see many benefits of mashups. Mashups seem like they could be a very good way to link two concepts together so students may expand their understanding of them. Maybe it will help the student to realize other applications of a concept they already understand fairly well, and build upon their knowledge base. Either way, the link to the real world is what teachers look for, and mashups may be a window to look through and find it.

I have no issues sharing photos on the Internet, but I prefer to share them with only close friends and family members. None of my photos are of exceptional quality, nor contain exceptional content.

Thing # 7

This blog has been edited. I first referenced and posted a photo by Jake Aaron, but that photo has been removed. After learning about Creative Commons I went back to Flickr to see Jake's license. Jake has a copyright with all rights reserved. I was under the impression that any photo on Flickr could be used in any way you wanted, and didn't check it out before posting it. I have posted another picture of an orangutan from the San Diego Zoo string on Flickr, taken by Bill Gracey. I remember an orangutan who was escaping from his cage and it made the local headlines. I came to work one day and there were about 7 copies of the front page of the paper on my desk. The headline read, "Ken Allen escapes from Zoo." That orangutan shared both my first and last names. Flickr is a vast store of digital images, but it seems they are not all for free use. Check for copyright or their Creative Commons license before using. You can find it near the bottom right corner of the page.

Thing # 6

Well, I was extremely disappointed in the web 2.0 award winning website I visited. I went to Netvibes . I was asked to sign up for my own account so I could manage what I wanted to see on my web browser. I thought to myself that this would be a valuable tool to have. I can put all the links I want on this page, and not be bothered with visiting each and every website. Well, I saw nothing when I was done with the process. Since I could not get the site to do what it claimed it could, I saw no useful feature and could not imagine it being useful anywhere, least of all in a classroom or library setting. If someone out there knows how to get this site working, would you please tell me how so I can try it again?

Thing # 5

Web 2.0, where contributions come from various sources and are channeled through the Internet, has created School 2.0. In my opinion, School 2.0 means more opportunities, resources and outlets for students and teachers alike. Not only can a student or teacher reach out to the vast data bases for answers, they can reach out to other people reaching in the same direction. When people get together on an issue, project, whatever, more seems to be accomplished. Various studies and experiments have been conducted to verify this fact. One such study mentioned students simply studying in small groups were "...better prepared for class, and learned significantly more." (Educause Review, Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0/ no URL can be provided, I was linked through D2L and I don't know the URL)



Anyhow, schools of the future will benefit... wait a minute. Schools of the future? The schools of today are benefiting from the interconnectability of the world already. In the same reading I quoted above, students are mentioned as accessing telescopes in Hawaii and Australia, for free, via the Internet. There are other K-12 students accessing scanning electron microscopes at the University of Illinois via the Internet. The schools of the future are here, but they're going to continue to grow and utilize the vast opportunities afforded them through the Internet. This will not only enhance learning, it will better prepare students for a world that has quickly seen the possibilities of the Internet and technology and is capitalizing on it.

Thing # 4

Commenting on blogs is new to me. For that matter, blogging is new to me. But I can see its importance, and will not be one of the 'lurkers' out there. Blogging is a social networking tool. How can you be networking if you do not participate? To have a conversation, online or in person, a minimum of two people are needed. If only one person does the talking, or blogging, then there is no conversation. This doesn't mean you have to comment on everything you read. There are always times to be quiet and listen. However, if we are to constantly learn and grow, we have to be involved.

From the readings of Thing #4, I agreed most with the idea of inviting comments. Don't just ask questions, make your readers feel like their comments are welcome. If your readers feel safe, they'll open up and share their thoughts and ideas. This would include being overly protective or critical in responses to comments. Don't do it. You might shut someone off and miss out on some really great ideas. I believe we should use the same courtesies and manners that we use in face to face conversations during online conversations as well.

Another good point was reminding us to not comment if all we're going to do is say "way to go!" Make your comments meaningful, or at least interesting. You don't have to have earth-shattering revelations in every comment. I commented on several blogs, not just because it was part of the assignment, but because I felt compelled to. I commented about the interesting name of a cat on Jeanette's learning space, and tried to help Jacob realize that he will be seen as the expert by his future students at Fuson's 3040 Blog. I thanked Fulfilling My Childhood Dream for giving me more ideas for the use of blogs when I become a teacher, and I share Thuy Luu's opinion of becoming technology dependent. My fifth EDUC 3040 blog commented on was Jessica Morgan's.

Thing # 3

Registration was a breeze. Filled out the form, clicked 'submit' and logged off. Then I went to D2L so I could see what questions should be answered in this entry, and I didn't see my name under EDUC 3040 - 12. I saw other student names, but not mine. We'll see. Maybe it has to be read by someone first. Anyhow...

I checked out Edublog and really liked some of the uses for blogs in teaching. I am uncertain how I would use blogs. I don't want to tell the students I will check the blogs all the time, so they can get help anytime they need it, for fear that they would expect me to check it 24 hours a day. I am supposed to learn how to play you know.

The most effective use of blogs for me would probably be as a journal of my classroom experiences and reflections from lessons presented. Maybe as a forum for teachers to share ideas as well. These two ways seem to me to be the most useful, right now anyway.

Wooo hooo, only 20 'things' to go.

Thing # 2

Why did I choose my posting name and the name of my blog? Well, I created an email account with hotmail about 11 years ago, and that name is always available when I open new online accounts. So I always use the same one. Plus, it's easy to remember my user name for any of my online accounts; it's always the same. The name of my blog was just another way of saying 23 things; twenty plus three things.

My experience creating the blog was just a little frustrating. The directions made it sound extremely simple, but they didn't match exactly and I had to hunt around for the right controls to click while customizing my blog site. However, it was not so hard that I decided to give up. But this brings up a point I really do not like. If a student is told that their assignment is extremely simple, and they have difficulty doing it, they might lose confidence in their abilities and begin to think they're not smart. They will also not feel like they accomplished anything when they finish it because the teacher already told them it was so simple a caveman could do it.

My avatar looks as close to myself as a cartoon with the choices I had available would, but I already wrote that I take myself too seriously. I even made the background a classroom. Is my personality reflected in my avatar? To a degree. I am serious about my studies and will succeed. That's why I am pictured in a classroom. That, and the fact that I take this blog site as an assignment, which it is, and did not think the tropical island background would be appropriate. But that is why I need to learn how to play. I doubt I will be in the classroom much longer.

Now I get to register my blog site with APSU. Wish me luck.

Thing # 1

I watched the slide show, but got frustrated at the end. I was supposed to click on the attachments and complete a learning contract. For a technology class, the technology is not very friendly. First, the D2L page "The 23 things" is delivered with unsecured items and requires me to "... compromise the security of the entire page." before I can proceed. That's a little scary.

Then, the learning contract attachment doesn't open when I click on it. I hear a noise like my pop-up blocker just blocked something, but when I check, my pop-up blocker is not on. I then go to my laptop, download and save the contract, email it to myself, then get back on the desktop to print it. My printer is only connected to the desktop computer.

Now to the heart of this 'thing'. The easiest habit for me would have to be setting goals. I mapped out every course I required for my degree and when I needed to take them during my first semester at APSU, and I check it every time I register for classes. My time in the military helped me to learn about goal setting and its importance.

The hardest habit for me would have to be playing. I take myself way too seriously, study way too hard, and have no time for play. However, I will have to learn this if, for no other reason, I want to be a successful teacher. Learning is easier when you're having fun doing it. I will be able to keep my students more effectively engaged if I make learning fun, and they will get more out of my lessons. Since that is my overall goal, to become an effective teacher, I will have to learn the habit and importance of playing.