Thing #18 - Social Networking

I already have a Facebook account and to be honest I think it's one of the most evil, yet useful tools. It's an easy way to share photos and It's nice to be able to keep in touch with my family and friends back home and my friends from college, not to mention the friends I make along the way, but it's addicting and can be very distracting. My friends from college are the ones who convinced my to join and I do like to use it, but I don't think I would use it in a classroom setting. I just don't see how it could be beneficial in that type of setting.

I do not have a My Space account, mainly because I never wanted a Facebook account and I didn't see the point in having both. I did not know all the things My Space could do. I just assumed it was similar to Facebook. After reading the articles about My Space it seems like a better social network than Facebook because you have more creative freedom. I like that you can add music, video, and other cool editing features. My B.A is in Writing and Communication and I mainly focused on video editing so I find My Space appealing in that aspect. I definitely think it allows you to be more of yourself and express what you think and feel. As I said with Facebook, I just think these sites are distracting. I could see see benefits of using this in a classroom setting because there are more ways to use it than Facebook. I don't think I would use it in a traditional classroom such as Math or Science, but maybe in a TV Production or Journalism class.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=24706205&ref=profile

Thing #17 - Delicious

I have heard of bookmarking and I think bookmarking and tagging can be very useful for one great reason, it's a great way to stay organized. Life is chaotic and it always feels like there aren't enough hours in the day so if there is a way to get ahead then I say go for it. Bookmarking and tagging are more ways to take advantage of time. I am forever bookmarking pages and putting them into folders based on my need for them. I can use this technique not only while I'm taking classes, but as a teacher. It will help me break down websites into specific categories. From what I hear being a teacher is more time consuming than most jobs and this is just one more way to be an effective teacher.

Thing #16 - Get Organized

I have a Google account and one day when I signed up and it was very different. There was a calendar, news feeds from CNN.com, and other apps. I didn't know what happened, but I liked it. I was able to customize the page and make it look how I wanted it. I even added a bunch of other tools such as To Do List, Quotes of the day, Weather, Moon Cycles, and Useless Knowledge. I also get my RSS Feeds sent to my start page. The theme is 90 mile beach. I choose it because it reminds me of home and it relaxes me. It's nice to have something that's mine and have creative freedom with. I love messing around with it and it's convenient which is always a plus for me. I hate things that waste my time!

I think having an online calender and to do list are extremely helpful and better than having it in a notebook or a hard copy because I always have access to a computer, but I don't always have my backpack with me. I can utilize these tools for school at work and it helps keep me organized and on top of assignments.

I would recommend having a google account to my students and I would inform them of all the great things that come along with it. My teacher in undergrad told me about Google and Dr. Wall perfected it for me.

Thing #15 - Wikis

I usually use Wikipedia as a quick reference if I need to know the basic information about a topic. I created my own wiki for my family to use as one way to keep in touch. I'm not done messing around with it, consider it a work in progress. I'm going to add to as time goes.

http://storming.wikispaces.com/

I think a wiki would be a good tool to use in my classroom. It could be used in a variety of ways whether it's on books that we're reading, breaking down the different types of literary conflicts, the types of literary devices, and so on. Having a hands on approach makes the lesson that more interesting and I believe students get more out something that actively participate in. I'm very excited about using this technique when I have my own classroom.

So I went on apsu23thingssandbox and went under Photos and Images. It was a little difficult adding content. First the network didn't recognize me, then I had no idea why I couldn't see my photo. I also wanted to write something about it, but I didn't know where I could do it. It'd be awesome if it was a little more user friendly. However, I'm not surprised because most things I first attempt are slightly difficult.


I and added an image I created from http://www.signgenerator.org/thumbs.htm. I choose to do add to this section because it something that I firmly and whole heatedly believe in. It is of the American flag and the Statue of Liberty with a saying on it "If you won't stand behind, them stand in front of them." It's simple yet powerful. I believe images and pictures are two of the most powerful tools an individual can use. They invoke many emotions are get so many responses. I think it's something that should be brought to students' attentions. This approach can be used in every classroom regardless of the subject. They are UNIVERSAL TOOLS. How often can a person say that about something. When dealing with pictures it doesn't matter what language you speak, where you come from, what you think, or what you believe. No matter what a picture will get some response, even if they response is indifference. I really believe in the phrase, "a picture is worth a thousand words." How could in not be. We are all coming from a different place with a variety of experiences and no one will have the same response. Although it may all fit into a specific category it will always mean something different and I think that's something that should be explored in classrooms across the world.

Thing #14- Go With the Flow

I really like the concept of mindmeisters because it allows you to collaborate with anyone. I have never been a fan of group projects because someone (usually me) gets stuck doing all the work. Well, maybe stuck isn't the best word-I just don't trust people to do their parts. Anyway, this tool eliminates some of the hassle that coincides with group projects. The fact that anyone can contribute to the mind map makes it great for bouncing ideas off of other people, it also makes it so you don't have to meet up, it can all be done online. . With the applications we have been introduced to in the past couple of Things, you literally never have to meet up to do a project. Obviously, there are some pros and cons to that, but for now I want to focus on the pros. It allows for anytime anywhere which I believe is essential in today's society. I have never done a mind map before so I find it rather interesting and I wish this website came with better directions. However, it's not difficult I just don't like wasting time guessing.

I would be able to implement this tool is a project about characters and the setting of a book my class has read. It would allow them to put a character in the middle and branch of various adjectives that describe the character or/and how the setting impacts that particular character.


http://www.gliffy.com/gliffy/#d=1869280&t=Relating_to_a_Book


I created this chart on Gliffy.com. There are some features that I really liked, for example the various features you can use to create things either charts or layouts. It was a little difficult to maneuver around, but I think it gets easier with practice and exploring.

Thing #13- Zoho Writer

I have never heard of Zoho, but I'm not shocked, but I've rarely heard of the things we do on 23 Things. I like that I'm being exposed to new ways of doing things. Especially since they are usually being implemented to save time and limit the hassle of searching for things. Surprisingly, I really like this site. I find it easy to understand and maneuver in. I had a few minor issues while writing my document, but it was more annoying than crucial. I think the idea of being able to have all of your documents in one place and not having to worry about a flash drive or it getting deleted it a huge deal. I have lost so many valuable documents because my computer has crashed or because I lost my flash drive. It also makes it convienent just incase you don't have your flash drive and you need to work on something. Also having a place for people to make comments when reviewing a document and being able to link the document to more than one folder is very helpful and efficient. I think anything that can help save time is a great thing. Also there are several applications that would be very helpful in a business setting.

I tried to send it to my blog, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet. I'm sure I will once I get familiar with the setup.

Thing #12- Google Does It All

As a friend pointed out, these assignments are all about learning how to manage your time. I think this Thing definitely follows that trend. I decided to go with iGoogle and Google Alerts. I actually already had iGoogle, it just appeared one day and I wasn't really sure what it was until now. I didn't mind that it came from nowhere because it was better than the original gmail feature. It has a calendar, my feeds, email, allows me to chat with friends and see who is online. I also like this feature because I'm able to add my own personal touch to it my changing the theme.

I think this would be a great account for students to have because it would help with their time management and it would give them access to the valuable features iGoogle/Google has. The same things I am taking advantage of they could also utilize. I also think it would help them become more internet savvy which is always a great thing.

The other feature I decided to use was Google Alerts. I find that I spend a good deal of my time looking for specific news. This applications has allowed me to enter what I want and have that particular news emailed to so that I don't have to waste my time looking for it myself. I'm actually glad that this was brought to my attention because it really is a time savor.

Thing #11- Fun Feeds

I have looked at all of the sites that were suggested in part 11 of 23 Things. The only one that I really understood was Syndic8 and that was only because they had an introduction. As I looked through links or blogs I couldn't find where it said RSS Feed, but even then there was only one that I am interested in because I have already joined others that fit my needs. As I said earlier, I have joined:

Cool Cat Teacher
Do I Dare Disturb the Universe
Dangerously Irrelevant
Literacy is Priceless
CNN.com

I did join RopeofSilicon.com. This blog is about movies.

Thing #10-Learn About RSS Feeds

I've never heard of RSS feeds; I might have seen the letters and didn't know what it was. Either way I'm not surprised. As I have said earlier, I'm not exactly savoy on this type of thing. That's one of the many benefits of this class. I am able to learn what is out there and what I can use either in my daily life or my professional one. After reading up on RSS and seeing that I can add it to Google Reader and have decided that it's a great tool to utilize. I like it because I am able to follow all the sites/blogs that I want to without having to look for them. In a world where we expect to get everything instantly, this is just another way to make that possible. Setting it all up was a little frustrating at first, but after a few minutes I was able to figure it out. It's another example of how we, particularly me, expect everything to happen quickly and easily. As silly as it sounds, I'm proud of myself for not giving up. I'm not the type of person to give up, but I do get irritated fast.

I did not know what Google Reader was and although I became a "follower" of other people's blogs from class I did not know that Google Reader was following them for me. So this makes my life (school wise for now) a lot easier or at least I'm not wasting time with the process of getting to other people's blogs.

I'll be able to take advantage of the information from a few of the blogs and sites I decided to follow:

• Cool Cat Teacher
• Do I Dare Disturb the Universe


• Dangerously Irrelevant


• Literacy is Priceless


• CNN.com (personal life)
  

I find all of these blogs particularly interesting, especially the one on Literacy because I am going to be a High School English teacher. All the research I am finding on effective instructional strategies is useful, but it would be great to follow a blog so that I can ask my colleagues questions. These blogs will also give me ideas that I might be able to implement either in the school or in my class which I believe will be extremely beneficial to all of my students in one way or another.

I did not create a public page because I am still apprehensive about posting things where other people can see them. I'm always worried that it may come back to haunt me, even if I did not mean it in a bad way. I think people like to manipulate things that are said and written and I'm not ready for that kind of possibility. I'm still too new to this whole experience to take a risk....maybe one day I'll do it.