Personal Learning Network

The blog is the person learning network that I seem to gravitate toward the most. I would have never thought how much I would like the blogs, but I think that blogs are a great resource. I have found a lot of great information on other blogs. When I am a teacher I think that the website will the the tool that I use the most. For now I just don't have a lot of use for a website other than for this class. I think a website has many practical uses for the classroom. I would make a classroom website that my students can get information, have links to educational games, do homework, have a page for parents or guardians etc... I need to keep in mind that not all my students will have a computer in the reach, so I will not make homework due on the computer. I may put aside class time and have them complete work from the website.

I do not see myself using Twitter beyond this class. I can appreciate that other people enjoy this site, but no matter how much I try to like this site, I really don't. I don't like that when people update their status it shows up on my wall. I'm not even sure if those are the correct terms. HOWEVER I am learning many new wasy to incorporate technology in the classroom.

Zoho Presentation

Endangered Species Presentation

I have used stumble upon for a while and I think it is really a great idea. It is a little like delicious. When you go to stumble upon you are asked to check off your interest. The stumble button is added to your browser and you can "like" or "dislike" sites. This way they know what you want to see more of and what you do not want to see more of. I think a site like this could be very beneficial for students. In the classrooms that I helped in Language Arts and promoting reading was stressed. Most of the site stumble upon sends you to involve reading the text. Since ideally the sites are geared toward your interest you will want to read the articles. I think it would be great if students did this in there free time. This way they are using the internet productively as well as promoting reading for pleasure. I think reading books are important, but I also think that reading doesn't just happen in books. I think this may help the child who isn't as confident of a reader or who dislikes traditional reading.

MORE Google Docs Fun

I found this blog on Google docs. This blog showed all the cool things that Google docs can be used for. The blog talked about google docs as a tool for the 21st century classroom. It shoes how to use Google Docs to make a webclip board. I could see this being beneficial in business as well as a science of math class. The owner of the blog also talked about how to use it to plan a big party, he used Google Docs for his wedding. As a first time Google doc user, it was really nice to see this blog and see how a more experienced Google docer takes advantage of all that this great program has to offer.

I am also now realizing how beneficial blogs can be. There are blogs for just about any subject matter!

Google Docs

For this week we had to upload our resume to a Google Doc. I already had a resume in a different format and I had a hard time finding where to put things in the MSU college of Education format. Editing my resume once it was in Google docs seemed to be difficult as well. I had to re-upload a Google doc that I edited in word.I think it is a great idea to use Google docs if you need people to look and edit your document and don't have access to your own computer, but it does mess up the formatting. I tried uploading it as a rich text and plain text and both really changed the formatting.

I do however think that Google doc's could be very beneficial in a classroom setting. I wish I knew about this a while ago, it would of made group projects and paper much easier. I could see it being used more for older grades than younger. I had heard of a similar website called Etherpad from a fellow table member. I used this site in my TE class it was very effective we all collaborated and wrote a reading response on the same document. Each computer was in a different color. Sites like Google Docs and Etherpad are great and will help children with group collaboration or if they do not have access to their files on their computer.

Cool Technology

In terms of TPACK I think that scriblink! would be a great technology to use in the classroom. Scriblink is a free digital white board. One of my favorite features is that you can invite other people to view the white board and there is a chat room on the right side. I think this would be a great way for teachers to help students with their homework or explain something when they are not in school. There is also a voice conferencing feature. This allows for free talking, which may allow for a better explanation.

Scriblink allows you to transfer files, save, email or print them. I see this program being very useful. In email it is often hard to explain concepts this allows for drawing, text, pictures etc... If I were to use this in my classroom I would make a few hours a week that I would be available on Scriblink to talk to my student and help them with any classwork.

One problem would be that I have to invite members to join the whiteboard and I think you have to start a new one each time you log on(inviting members wise). I think that may cause a problem because I won't know who to invite and who may need help for that session. I need to play around this site a little more and see if there is any way that I can keep people invite and they can just sign on.

While it says it is free for a "business option" you have to pay for it so that is kind of misleading.I'm not sure how extensively me students and I could use this site without a subscription. The site had pros and cons, but I think that the benefits definitely out way the drawbacks.

I think this would be a great site to use with students. It is very easy to use and is actually very fun. I think as a teacher it is important that students know you are a resource always available to them not just in class. I think this will be a great way for them to get a better grasp on concepts they may not have understood in class.

I think as a teacher I could also have pre made whiteboard pages and use them in class. It's important to be looking for new technology as a teacher. I also think this is a great way to cut down on paper! This is something I could see myself using as a future teacher and a present student.

Chatting

I was talking about this class with one of my friends who is teaching in Chicago. He told me that in his classroom technology plays a large role. A few times a week for an hour or so there is a chat room type website for the students and teacher to go over homework and any questions that they may have. I think that this is a great idea. For students that need assistance with homework, this seems to be a great solution. I also feel that this allows the students the opportunity to form a closer bound with their teacher as well as more opportunities to learn. Technology does open many doors for a better education. As a future teacher I could see myself doing something like this with my students. I feel that it is our responsibility to our students to available resources to our students.

Toms Shoes

I am a campus representative for an organization called TOMS shoes. For every pair of shoes purchased TOMS will give a new pair of shoes to a child in need. Since its start in 2006 TOMS has given over 400,000 pairs of shoes away. The reasons they give shoes is because, in most developing countries walking is the primary mode of transportation and most children grow up barefoot. Many people are unaware that the leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted parasites. These parasites penetrate the skin through open sores. Another reason that shoes are so important is that uniforms are often required for school, and shoes are often part of the dress code. Without shoes these children and not able to receive an education! Education is very important, it should not be a luxury it is a right. There are over six billion people on this planet, out of those four billion live in conditions that are inconceivable to us. As a future educator children and education is very important to me. If anyone is interested in purchasing them I can give you a 5 dollar off promotional code!

ONE FOR ONE video

Still not Liking Twitter.....

I was hoping that I would start to like twitter the more I used it,but I don't. I really dislike how twitter is set up, all the #, and the websites and usernames really bother me for some reason. I don't like that people's status are constantly coming on my twitter wall(not sure if that's what it is called). A lot of the things I am interested in update so frequently I would have to check them hourly to be up to date on them. I can not see myself using this in the professional setting or social setting. I think a reason I dislike it is that I can not navigate it confidently. This is because I do not go on frequently, I do not go on frequently because I don't like it. It is just a vicious cycle. I think I just need to make myself go on, MAYBE I will start to kinda of like it eventually!

Flickr Fun

Playing Around With Flickr, I thought it would be cool to use the same picture and change it.

Flickr Pictures Slideshow

“This is a photo I licensed with Creative Commons"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47156052@N02/ Creative Commons info
I took this picture this past summer while I was living in New York City. This photo however was taken in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They block off the main street on the weekends. This weekend the people were performing interpretive art and there were local bands. The band you are barley see in the picture had written in chalk DANCE HERE. No one had taken them up on their offer,until and little girl ran up and started dancing. This little girl reminded me of how carefree children are. How willing they are to try new things, even if they fail. After the little girl danced more and more people slowly began to join. I think as a teacher I need to remember this child like ideology. I think teachers have the power to rob children of this attitude and I feel it is imperative that the education system doesn't do that. I also think it is important for all of us to remember that attitude toward life we had when we were children. We can never succeed if we are constantly scared of failure. So next time just DANCE!!!

A Pictures Worth 1,000 Words

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kratz/ / CC BY-SA 2.0">

I think photography can be very useful in the classroom. We often say pictures are worth 1,000 words, but rarely take advantage of this idea. In high school I took a class called imaging. In this class we used digital cameras and programs like photoshop. I loved this class. We learned about composition, the history of photography and how to effectively take pictures and change them. This class was unlike any other I have taken. While I do not plan on teaching a photography class I think it is a great way for children to use their creativity or just learn the many uses of pictures. Pictures are often able to explain ideas much better than just words. I think that this is a great way to use technology in the classroom that may not be so intimidating for students because they are so familiar with it.

Technology in the Classroom for a Better Planet

I never thought of benefits besides educational ones, for using technology in the classroom. By using computers and other forms of technology in the classroom setting and elsewhere we are also reducing our use of paper. We could eventually create a paperless classroom. As teachers we have an obligation to prepare our students to be responsible citizens of this globe. I think that by using technology and saving trees students will be more responsible about energy and recycling than past generations. So much paper is used in the classroom and very little of it is recycled. If we can use technology to cut back on the amount of paper we use, than I think we should.

To Tweet or not to Tweet

I am still having a difficult time finding Twitter as useful tool for me. I downloaded the TweetDeck, but I still an not a fan. I could see the TweetDeck being useful for an avid Twitter,but for me it seems unnecessary. I looked at the video on how to use it on youtube, but am still a little confused. I tried to add #edchat, but I think I am just following a guy named Ed who likes to chat right now. I think that blogging is a better tool for talking about topics in education. It is the format of Twitter that I dislike the most. I can appreciate that people may enjoy this medium of technology, but I really don't see myself using in beyond this class. The blog and the website on the other hand I find to be very useful tools and will definitely take advantage of in the future.