Thing # 10

Newsreaders makes looking at a lot of different sites a lot easier, although I like going to the actual sites not just to read the stories but also to see what else the site has to offer. I think I would use the newsreader only if I did not have time to look at everything. I chose to use the Google Reader because I liked the way it was laid out. I do like the fact that you can easily see when a blog has been updated because if you have a lot of blogs you like to look at or keep up with, having them all in one spot would be very convenient. I think I could use this in a classroom as a way to have students interact with each other by being able to see when their classmates have updated their blogs. I may use the ability to have news sites on the reader for a current events class I am teaching. It would be a good way to make sure students have a wide variety topics to discuss as well as ensuring that they were able to find stories that would interest them.

Thing # 9

http://www.comicstripgenerator.com/

I used the comic strip generator to create this cartoon. I used a picture of a genuine Austin Peay Squirrel that was in a tree outside of the Claxton building, near the library. I loved this site because I think it would be a good way for students to have fun creating a comic strip to share with the class. Having a visual image to correspond to a concept helps students understand things better and when you add in humorous pictures, they will want to learn more.

http://www.signgenerator.org/

I liked creating my sign, although I am not sure how I would use this in a classroom. I think it might be a good tool to let students express themselves on a subject. I will have to think some more on how to use this site. Personally I would use this to make images to use in a newsletter or something that I was creating outside of the classroom.

Thing # 8

I love the mashups on Flickr! I had a lot of fun looking through the different items to choose from and finally creating my trading card. I chose a trading card because I think that students would have a lot of fun creating trading cards either about themselves or to go along with something that they are currently learning. I think I would have had a lot more fun doing research projects when I was in school if the format that the information was in was presented in this way.

Thing # 7

This is a picture of a kitten I took for my Education 5616 class. I love cats and I really liked this picture. I really liked using Flickr. I think this is a great site for sharing pictures. I am not sure I would put pictures of my family up because, as I have said before, I am a private person. However, I would love to share pictures like this one or others I have taken that were not personal. I thought Flickr was relatively easy to use and I think that students would love to use this site in the classroom. It would be great to have them do a photo documentary of their school year or take pictures for a class project. I could see me using this for a specific project with students.

Thing # 6

I really liked two sites from the Web 2.0 list. The first was Colorblender. This site allows users to create colors by editing the amount of red, green, and blue the color has. Once you have gotten the color you want you see it along with several other colors that go along with it. The html codes for each of the colors are listed below the pictures of the colors so that anyone could add them to html code on any website that they put together. I think that this site would be highly beneficial to anyone wanting to have a website and a certain color scheme but who does not necessarily have an extensive background in writing html code. http://colorblender.com/

The second website I liked was Swivel. This is a site that allows users to view graphs on a variety of subjects as well as uploading their own data to create graphs and charts. I believe that this site would be best used in a classroom setting to help students understand how charts and graphs are created and allow them to interact and comment on each other's graphs. They would also be able to use these graphs to supplement reports and presentations. http://www.swivel.com/

Thing # 5

The term "School 2.0" means that educators will be using technology, especially Web 2.0 tools, more in their classrooms and as a way of interacting with students outside of the classroom. As we are learning more everyday, today's young people have embraced technology and are continually looking for new ways to use it. I know from experience that teenagers love to go online and use such sites as My Space and Face Book. If educators are able to successfully channel that enthusiasm and love of using those sites into a new way of teaching, I believe that students will get more out of school. As one of my classmates, Lorrie Anne Cooksey, mentioned in her # 5 blog, we are fast approaching a time when students will work exclusively with computers and online technology in their every day learning. Educators need to prepare now in order to keep up with the students of the future.

Thing # 4

Commenting on blogs creates a community simply because you have people who come together in order to discuss a common interest. Whether one agrees with what a blog states or not, if you leave a comment, then you have become a pert of that community and added a bit of yourself to that blog. Leaving comments not only enables you to interact with people who are outside of your immediate community. The beauty of the Internet is that it is a worldwide phenomenon which means that you are able to share ideas and opinions with people in other countries as well as someone who lives down the street. To me this is what makes a blog become a community.

I have left comments on my classmates blogs, which are listed below. I chose to comment on them because something about them caught my eye or intrigued me.

1. Joseph Hall
2. Kristan Bland
3. David Abbott
4. Sara Kim
5. Lorrie Anne Cooksey

I have not commented on outside blogs yet. I will update when I have.

October 5: I found a blog (bookchase.blogspot.com) that was reporting on a firebombing of a London Publisher by someone attempting to prevent the publication of the book The Jewel of Medina. I commented on this story because I feel strongly about everyone being able to express their opinions without fear.

Thing # 3

As I stated before, I would ever have thought about using a blog on my own, but now that I know how to set one up, I think it would be useful in promoting outside discussion for classes. As I realized recently, sometimes the amount of time that you have in a classroom is just not enough for students to sufficiently express themselves in a discussion. Usually time runs out before all the points have been made. I think using a blog as a way for students to carry on a discussion that may have been begun in class would be a good thing. It would also allow students to begin new threads of discussion as well.

Thing # 2

I must say that creating a blog is interesting. I like the fact that you can personalize and make it so that it can truly represent who you are. I really liked creating my avatar. It gives someone a chance to play around with different pictures, not only of themselves, but also of where they would like to go or what they would like to wear. I did think creating the blog would be extremely difficult for me; howver, I found that it was easier than I expected. Who knows, I might actually get to like blogging!

Thing #1

There are actually two lifelong learning habits that I find easy to do. The first one is to use technology to my advantage when I am attempting to learn something new. I am always looking on the internet for the information I need to use. The other habit is accepting responsibility for my own learning. I have always looked for learning opportunities and when I have decided on a course of learning I have always made sure that I know what to do, when to do it, and what I needed to accomplish it.

I think the hardest habit for me is viewing problems as challenges. Although I have always believed that what does not kill you makes you stronger, I usually go into "how to handle/solve this problem" mode whenever problems arise. I am too busy trying to solve the problem to see how I can learn from it. Occasionally, however, I will look back on something and go "Oh, that is why that happened when it did."

What I would like to learn from using the Web 2.0 tools is how to better interact with students in order to assist their learning experiences. Although, I must admit, that I would never have used a blog if it was not part of an assignment. I have always felt that it put too much of yourself out there for people to look at. (I am a very private person.)