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.