Thing #11

Wow!! I had no idea there were so many image generators out there. I have never used any of these sites before but I really had fun exploring some of them and seeing how they work. This will be yet another thing that I will have to devote more time to. (Playing and experimenting, that is!) One of the things that I have here on my blog is this picture mosaic. I created it here. I think this site was my favorite of the ones I explored today. I chose to make my mosaic of pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco is one of my absolute favorite cities -- the scenery is magical! So, I just chose to search for pictures on Flickr that were tagged Golden Gate Bridge. Mosaic maker searched for the pictures and put it together for me. I love the way it turned out! This could be such a useful resource. It would be great to make mosaics of family pictures. I also thought of this as a great way to make an end of year keepsake for our sixth graders. Students could even use it to to create a product for projects. There are many possibilities!

Photo Credits:
1. beccamorrisphotography, 2. beccamorrisphotography, 3. beccamorrisphotography, 4. beccamorrisphotography, 5. beccamorrisphotography, 6. WEEGEE vs. Liu Kang, 7. Panaromic view of SFO from Golden Gate Bridge, 8. Golden Gate Bridge, 9. 2009-06-29-IMG_2797, 10. 2009-06-29-IMG_2798, 11. 2009-06-29-IMG_2796, 12. Golden Gate Bridge, 13. Golden Gate Bridge14. Not available15. Not available16. Not available



I used this site to create my word art. This is also a neat site! I like that you can type any word and change each letter until you find one you like. I remember many projects where I did this the "old school" way by cutting out letters in magazines. This is definitely much easier!! This could be used for projects personally, like scrapbooking, or professionally as well. Students could use this for projects and I also think this might be a fun spelling activity to incorporate as well.

Just for laughs, I created the comic at the top of my post here. This is something I will definitely be able to take back to my students. I often offer creating a comic strip as an option for spelling activities. This would be a fun way for students to do that; however, I do have a concern that some of the material that is offered is inappropriate. Any suggestions on how to incorporate this with my students in a way that is appropriate?? Is there a site like this for kids?

Thing #10

I think that this has been the most fun "thing"so far!!! I really enjoyed creating a slide show and was so surprised at how easy it was to create and embed one in my blog. I have to admit I was a bit nervous when our introduction did not give us explicit instructions on how to embed. I thought it was going to be complicated and time-consuming and I was pleasantly surprised! As you can see, I chose to use the program Animoto to create my slide show, which is really more like a music video. I think it is a great concept and their website is so user-friendly. It was a breeze! My wheels are already turning about how valuable it is going to be to know how to use these tools, both personally and professionally. There are so many possible applications and using this program was so much better than creating a traditional slide show. Not only was the process easier, the product was so much better!

I will definitely be spending some time playing with the other programs I didn't use today, also. The slide show that I created includes pictures of our summer vacation spot this year. My husband and I will be going at the end of July and we are so excited! It looks absolutely beautiful and peaceful.



Picture credits:
Ritz-Carlton Sunrise Key Biscayne by kretyen
Live from Key Biscayne (MIA_040ra)by psoup216
Key Biscayne Beach by rwmsn
Ahead of the storm front - Key Biscayne by joiseyshowaa
Miami by ewilman

Thing #9

Flickr was not brand new to me but I definitely learned much more about it today. It was nice to take the tour and become more familiar with all of the features Flickr has to offer. In one of the videos it talked about uploading all of your photos to Flickr for safekeeping in the event of a fire or a computer crash. This is a great idea!! I have often worried about losing all of our pictures in an unforeseen event and I love that Flickr offers peace of mind that my photos will be safe.

I think that there are probably many, many possibilities for using Flickr in the classroom. I looked at/scanned the articles that were linked for uses in the classroom. There were some really neat ideas, but it was also a bit of information overload. I could not process all of it at one time. It will be something that I will have to come back to and browse as time allows. I found David Jakes' site very interesting and helpful. I definitely liked his idea for illustrating poetry with Flickr images. I think this is definitely something I could incorporate into my poetry unit to help my students with the figurative language of poetry.

The image I chose for this post is a view of the hotel my husband and I will be staying at on our vacation. It is in Key Biscayne, Florida near Miami, but off of the mainland. It looks like a little bit of paradise to me!! :) I can't wait to be on the beach with a good book!!

Thing #8

I found this "thing" very helpful. I will be the first to admit that I do not understand all of the copyright rules and regulations. I appreciated the information that helped to clear that up a bit. I never knew that as soon as you create a new product that you have an automatic copyright...I thought it was more complicated than that! I have often worried about whether I was breaking copyright laws. I know teachers joke about all ending up in "copyright jail" together!

I think that Creative Commons seems great! I love that it is a place that we can go to where we know that it is okay to use the products as long as we give due credit. This takes a lot of the pressure of copyright worries away instantly. I am excited to look into it more and see all of the things it has to offer. I know that it will be a great resource for lessons and could also be a useful tool for students. It also seems as if it will be a good way to teach my students about copyright and what is acceptable.

Thing #7

Okay, I'll be honest, I am a lurker! I am one of those people who loves to read and explore blogs but I never comment. I am not sure why...maybe because I don't always feel as if I have something important to say, or maybe because I might say something that other people find stupid and then I'll feel silly. After reading the articles about commenting I am beginning to understand the importance of leaving comments. It helps to shape and continue the conversation the blogger has begun. After all, that really is usually the point of blogging. Otherwise we might as well all be talking to ourselves. I certainly understand why commenting would be important for our students when they blog. It gives them important feedback, encouragement, and fosters self-worth so I don't know why that wouldn't translate to us as adults, too!!

I do still have a lingering question about commenting that didn't seem to be answered in the articles we read. Should we comment back on our comments post to people who have left us a comment??

Thing #6

I am really enjoying getting familiar with Google Reader. It is quite user-friendly and I just love how all of the information I want is right at my own fingertips in ONE place!!! That information is quickly piling up, by the way, so I know that I am going to have to be diligent about skimming it each day or every other day so it doesn't become excessive. Skimming is the important word there. I love that I don't have to read each piece in full...I just scan and then stop and give pieces that really catch my eye more time and attention.

While I was skimming there was one blog post in particular that beckoned me to read it!! That piece was titled, Teachers Without Borders off to Africa. I have heard of Doctors Without Borders, but I had no idea that there was an organization of Teachers Without Borders. This particular article was referring to the Canada affiliation; however, after reading I did some additional research and found the organization's home website. This is something that is so exciting to me. The organization partners with underdeveloped countries all over the world. Teachers volunteer their time and efforts to bring staff development, training, and technology classes to teachers in countries who desperately need it. It sounds like a fabulous organization. As teachers and people in the education field, I know our passion is to help children and families. We have the potential to positively impact lives and give students hope for a better future by equipping them with an education and that is why I chose this career. I love that this organization allows teachers to not just impact the lives of those students who are near us, but also students who are across the globe! This is definitely something I am going to keep on my radar.

Thing #5

Well, I am now feeling a bit more savvy since I know what RSS means!! I think the Google Reader is fantastic!! I love that it is one place where you go to get all of the new information you want. I can already see how it could quickly become overwhelming if I have too many feeds going at once. I know I have to use discretion in linking feeds so that I don't get information overload.

While scanning my Google Reader, I found several articles that jumped out at me. One of those articles was titled, Making a Difference. The author's first few lines really drew me in and I knew I had to read the rest of the article. You can read it here. He was discussing why the cause of trying to incorporate more technology into our public schools is so worthwhile. He illustrated his point with a video of a young college student. You can see it here. You must watch this video to get the full picture of what the author is discussing.

I won't take the time to recap the video; however, I will say that it was the story of a boy who overcame great family struggles and chose not to drop out of high school because of the 1 to 1 Laptop program his school implemented. It is a very heartfelt story that further solidifies in my mind that technology can and will change the lives of our students when it is partnered with caring educators. It is going to draw in some of those learners who would otherwise fall through the cracks and drop out of school. We have to acknowledge this and equip our students to be successful in the 21st century.

Thing #4

I really enjoyed exploring the blogs today. It was interesting to see the variety in topics and writers. I was very impressed with the 2nd and 3rd graders who were blogging. I know that if they do it with relative ease and great excitement, my 6th graders definitely could too! I found Patrick's blog so endearing. I thought it was so cool to see a student who was struggling and lacking self-confidence grow into someone who was confident and believed in himself. I know that this happened because of the people who took the time to invest in him and leave encouraging comments. I think that this is something I could employ with my own students. I can think of several students from this past year that would have greatly benefited from this. I am keeping that in mind for next year...

I also enjoyed reading Mark's blog on SSR, 2.0. I thought his idea of allowing his students to read blogs as SSR time was wonderful! I know that I have faced the challenge of antsy, disinterested students who had a really hard time digging into a book during SSR time. I think this is a great way of bringing variety to SSR time and one my students can really get excited about!

I found Dan's blog quite interesting as well. I think that blogging is a great way for educators to bounce ideas off of one another. It is a great forum for sharing new insights and discoveries. The style of blog writing seems really conversational, with commenting back and forth continuing the discussion. I think it can be beneficial for educators and students alike to construct meaning and new learning.

Thing #2

Whew! Where do I start? I think that the possibilities for enhancing my teaching and the level of engagement and learning of my students with Web 2.0 are limitless!! There's just the matter of learning how to use all those technologies that I must first tackle! :) I'll just be honest...there are some things about Web 2.0 that I am familiar with already and there are some things that I just am absolutely clueless about! (wikis, RSS, the list goes on...)

I thought the video of the students with the wipe-off boards was quite powerful. I know that if I can tap into the technology my students are interested in, we could create some powerful learning. (This of course has to be coupled with a genuine connection and investment in each student.) In reading the article about the Web 2.0 Classroom, I have to admit, some of it seemed a little overwhelming. Yet, it also seemed really exciting. The students were engaged and EXCITED. They were directing their own learning in many aspects. Another thing that I thought was absolutely wonderful was the way parents were able to be involved. I am thinking now of beginning a blog for my parents to keep up with assignments and what students are learning in my class. I think that would be a great tool to build relationships with parents.

I am excited to continue learning more about Web 2.0 and how specifically I can incorporate it into my own classroom. I know that my list of ideas will grow as my learning continues.

Thing #1

I am excited to be writing on my very own blog! After watching the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners, I have reflected on the traits and how they rank in my own life. I definitely consider myself as a lifelong learner. I think that education is invaluable and empowering. I love to learn and am always wanting to find new ways to be a better teacher for my students. That is precisely why I enrolled in this course! :)

I think that the habit that is most resonant with me, and coincidentally, also the most important, is beginning with the end in mind. (I know it will be important when I get bogged down with the busyness of life.) I am very driven and goal oriented. I like to finish what I start! I know that by taking this course I will be able to learn about new technologies that I can use in my teaching which will make my students more excited and engaged next year.

The most challenging habit for me will probably be viewing problems as challenges. This is sometimes difficult for me...I tend to get frustrated when I can't figure something out and it seems more like a crisis than a challenge I can learn from. Inevitably, when learning new technology, I know there will be problems....I am hoping to be able to view them as challenges!