This Is The End....Woah, I Sound Like Adele

This program has taught me a lot about the internet that I never knew. I think the best tools that I discovered through 23 Things would be RSS feed,  TeacherPop, and Animoto. Those tools were easy to use and definitely ones that I plan on using in the future. I hope to continue searching the web for new emerging technologies. One thing that surprised me while doing this assignment was how much I disliked Flickr. I had always heard such wonderful things about this site, and I could not navigate it at all! I believe that the overall format of the blog was nice; however, I feel as though the creative commons part should come along significantly sooner in the project. I learned more than I thought I would by completeing this assignment, despite the fact that it was done grudgingly. Though I may not continue with my blog, I will continue to use many of the communities that I have been introduced to! It's been real Education 3040! Toodles!

Thing 23: The Home Stretch!

Since they allowed us to use computers in school, we have been taught that plagiarism is wrong. I never understood that everything had a copyright. I figured that since it was on the internet, it was fair game. One example of creative commons in the 23 Things Teacher Blog would be the page for Thing 23. The video that is placed on the page is being used to educate us as students so that we can educate our students. It has been modified from a semi entertaining video to something used to inform students. Now that I know about creative commons, I plan on instilling this knowledge into my students. It is important that they transform the material. It is about using it to inform. There are so many lessons that could be taught around creative commons.

Thing 22: Binders!

Binder!
I created three binders. Their titles are To Read or Not to Read, I Can't Improv, and Children's Theatre. The binder I chose to share is my Shakespeare binder, To Read or Not to Read. I know I initially intend on teaching theatre at an elementary level, but high school is always a great possibility for me. I also just enjoy reading Shakespeare, so it could be a personal binder as well. LiveBinders would be a great way to require students to research but limiting the sources that they can use. It would guarentee that the students resources our reliable. It could also be a fun project for the students! They could be required to create a lesson and provide sources and videos for the class using LiveBinders. There are so many creative ways that this site can be used in a classroom!

Thing 19...

TeacherPop was pretty cool. It would be a great place for teachers to collaborate. I am a member of a few online communities. One of the communities I am a part of is Yelp. I like to use it before I go to any restaurants or businesses that I have never visted before. It gives ratings and peoples' feedback on their trip to the business. It is extremely useful! I have always been a huge fan of IMDB as well. I am the kind of person that if I recognize someone in a movie, I have to figure out what else they have been in or it drives me insane. I think each one of these communities is extremely useful in its very own way. It all depends on what you are interested in. I think that the craft ones could prove to be particularly useful in the future. There is always a reason to do crafts in the classroom!

Thing 21!

Holidays with the Maultbay Family

Animoto was so fun and easy to use! It took no time at all. The only thing that required waiting was the pictures uploading. This is something that I could see myself continuing to use in and out of the classroom. Students could easily navigate this sight. It is so awesome that everything can be personalized on it. You can upload your own photos and even upload your own music. Embedding it to blogger was no hassle at all! Where has this website been all of my life? I know as a student there have been numerous times that this website would have been beneficial in a class project.

Thing 20: There is more than "Double Rainbow" on Youtube?

I have used Youtube since I was in middle school. It has been used for more entertainment reasons than educational purposes though. Granted, I have shown a clip in a presentation from time to time. I chose the video that I did because it was a children's theatre production. It would be a great opportunity to show my students what they are capable of producing.I could use this site  to show examples to my students. It would be particularly useful in my classroom, because sometimes children need to see some things to truly understand them. It would only improve their acting abilities and characterization!

Thing 18: What is a Tweeter?

Just kidding! I love Twitter and Facebook!
Here are the links to my profiles.
Twitter
Facebook

 I never really thought about using these social networking sites as a tool in the classroom. After looking at some sources, I see the many ways to use them in the classroom. Personally, I would be more likely to use Facebook for a classroom. I would make a classroom group and invite both students and parents to join to see what is going on everyday and post any events coming up. The thing that I dislike about both sites is the privacy settings. For educational purposes I do not think that I find them very appropriate. There is only so much that you can manage to keep private. Educators may discover more about their students than they want to know. It is also something that students may even abuse eventually.

Thing 17: Tagging?

I loved using Delicious! I explored more than just educational technology. I went on to search for theatre subjects that I am interested. I think that this is better than any search engine that I have used. I could definitely see this as a tool used in the classroom. It is a safe way to ensure that students are only looking at web pages that have to do with the subject they are researching for. Teachers can use this bookmarking tool to find sites that are important to their specific subject area. It can make finding web pages a breeze in the classroom. Teachers can see what other educators have tagged certain sites as, and that can save valuable time by allowing teachers to over look sites that have nothing to do with what they are in search of.

Thing 16: Using Time Wisely

Personally, I have a bit of a problem with wasting time everytime I get on the computer. I end up looking at a lot of things that have nothing to do with what I am doing! I found this thing to be especially helpful.

The start page that I chose to use was the iGoogle page. It said it could make me a page in thirty seconds, and it certainly did! It made me a customized page with everything I would want to look at as soon as I logged onto the internet. It is definitely something that I would continue to news. It shows what is important to me. I chose my important topics, and that is all that I see. When I log on it takes me straight to the weather, time, news, art, and something humorous!

Online calenders can be incredibly useful to me. I have the calender on my phone, but I tend to ignore that, and it can only hold so much. If I plug it online, the dates would be more engraved in my mind. I would multiple reminders. At some point, I am online everyday. I think I could manage to look at that calender.

The to do list, however, would be something that I could not keep up with. I do not have a smart phone, so it would not be something that I could access at all times. I am much better with a written to do list in my planner that I carry around all of the time. If I did happen to have the technology, I would keep a to do list as well.

The tool that I found most useful was the start page that I created. It is something that could save me some valuable time. I would not be online for half an hour or so googling news or going from yahoo to other sites. I would definitely recommend iGoogle to many of my friends. I would also recommend the to do list sites to my friends with iPhones or Androids. It is something that can really help you get through your day without that horrible moment when you realize that you have forgotten to do something.

Thing 15!!!

I think that I could very well be technologically illiterate. I had little bit of trouble figuring out this Wiki mess as well! After a few tries and a few edits, I think I eventually got it.

 It is a very interesting concept. I like the idea having students being able to edit and alter each other's work. It provides for a very close knit classroom. The students would have to be willing to work together in order to enhance each others work. It could be a very interesting project for the duration of the year to see how much students have improved. I could use a wiki to have students collaborate to create scenes together. It would be something that the entire class creates together and eventually performs. However, the fact that work can be so easily edited could also be a red flag. Some students could abuse this privilege. It is something, as I teacher, that I would have to closely monitor.

Thing 13 :)

I must admit, using Zoho Writer was actually a bit difficult for me. I played around on it for quite sometime, and I actually was able to create and interesting spreadsheet. It took me playing around making quite a few mistakes before I was able to use the tool successfully. After some practice, I think it is something that I could eventually show my students. It will take a lot more getting used to before that would happen.

On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed Google Docs! I had no problem navigating the website. It is definitely something that is very user friendly. I chose to create simple image of a Christmas home! I am in the Christmas Spirit. Between the two sites, I would be more likely to use Google Docs. It was extremely user friendly. I struggled through Zoho, while Google was a breeze. It is something that students would be able to handle. I could have my student use Google Docs to create an image of a set for a scene in a play! That would be a great way to have a group work together and use the site in a productive way. Google Docs is a site I can see myself continuing to use.

Thing 14!

The two tools that I chose to use were the bubbl.us mind map and gliffy in order to create a flow chart. I actually enjoyed using both tools. I wanted to practice making a mind map and a flow chart. They are two extremely different tools. I would use a mind map as a personal tool and a flow chart as more of an instructional tool. I found that the mind map was more of a stream of concience sort of thing. The flow chart can be used to create a series of events or something in the classroom. The website for the mind map was a bit easier to navigate. I was able to successfully create a mind map that made complete sense to me. I would be more likely to use the bubbl.us website again than any of the others. I may begin using it with any projects that I have in the future!

Thing 7: Flickr...woah

I never used Flickr before this assignment. At first I was unsure of how I felt about the site. I found that I needed to be pretty specific in order to get the kind of image that I was searching for, but one thing I do enjoy about the site is how many images it has. It surpasses google images! I think it is something that could be very useful for students while blogging or creating projects, and it would be vital in teaching them about copyright and fair use! Students and teachers will have to remember to give credit to the photographer. However, I had a great deal of difficulty trying to upload the image.
I did have to ask another student for help, but now that I know it will forever be engrained in my brain!

                             Credit goes to cyberimaging http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyberimaging/

The picture I chose to upload is an image of ballet. I am taking an intro to dance class, and though I am not the best at it, I see some of the people in class doing it correctly. I find it so beautiful. It is simply breath taking to witness. I think it is important for someone involved in one aspect of the fine arts to have a respect for other aspects of the arts as well.

Here is the link!
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyberimaging/4414132038/

Thing 1: Lost but not forgotten

Habits, every single one of us have them! It was extremely easy to pin point the habit that I have the hardest time with. I have always had trouble having confidence in my work. Habit four is my kryptonite! It is something that I have always dealt with and will have to continue to deal with. You learn best when you are confident in yourself! The habit that is easiest for me is PLAY! I am a firm believer in using a good time for an educational advantage. There is no better way of learning than getting up and getting involved. The things you remember most are the things you associate with an activity or something that you have done. It is important as a future educator to know your strengths and weaknesses!

Thing 12: Google it!

Oh, how I love google!!! I use it for pretty much everything. The two tools I found most useful are google translator and google alert. Google translator would be significantly important to me as an educator. If I end up teaching theatre at a high school level I may have plays with foreign phrases in it. I will not only need to know what is being said, but I will also have to know how to pronounce what is being said. Google alert is important for keeping up with notifications from blogs and the news! I can be in touch with everything going around me. Sometimes it feels like I am so caught up in everything that I do not know what is even going on where I live. It will be a great way to make sure my students are aware of what is going on as well. A big part of theatre is knowing what is going on in society. It will encourage my students to use google as more than just a search engine!

Thing 11: Feeds. Feeds. Feeds.

I used all three methods of searching for feeds, and I found that I enjoyed the google blog search the most. I had a lot of trouble finding the blogs that interested me using Technorati. I may not have been specific enough. It is definitely something that I will have to continue to play around with. I found quite a few blogs about theatre education and theatre in general that I think I will really enjoy. They will help me with some ideas to use in the classroom, and they will keep me involved in the theatre community. Any time you search theatre, you can find some crazy things. So, of course, I  ran across some crazy blogs and feeds on theatre! People create wild shows and write about their experiences. Some how when i searched theatre blogs, after a few pages I started getting some blogs on the middle east, and that definitely blew my mind. I searched for blogs using my google reader, and then I would look for blogs related to ones that I found interesting. It was a big web of blog hunting!

Thing 10: RSS...WHAT?

Well, this is pretty awesome! It will be so easy to keep up with blogs that I want to read now! I know I would have never actually kept up with any blogs, because it would have been difficult to remember all the ones I enjoyed. I could introduce this to my students in order for them to find blogs that they are interested in and have them introduce the blogs to the class as well. It will cause the students to get on the internet, involved and active! This technology is especially important for educators because it will bring all educators closer and communicate new ideas to each other effectively. This is something that every educator should have in order to stay up to date with all the new research and technology in education. It is a great way for fresh teachers to get ideas from seasoned veterans as well!

Thing 9: Generators!!!

http://www.warningsigngenerator.com/

http://memegenerator.net



 

 

 

These are two of my creations! I had a lot of fun looking up different kinds of generators. The first one is a sign that I would use in a younger classroom. The signs would be useful in creating a positive classroom enviroment. The second generator I used was a meme generators. I see these things all the time, and they crack me up! This would most likely be used in an older classroom to bring some comic relief to the room. The students could use these to create signs and sayings to hang around the room. They would feel more like a community.

 

It was so easy to create them! All you needed was to know what you wanted to say. On both sites you just pick whatever image you want, and then you add your text. It is something anyone with basic knowledge of technology can figure out!

Thing 8: Mash up!

I had a lot of fun exploring all of these sites! I created a mosiac. There are so many ways that students can use these tools in the classroom. They can be used in a project to show a connection between common ideas. (Everything in my mosiac is about New York.) Or they could use these tools to give their projects a little something extra. They are a good way to encourage creativity using technology. Students now have a way to be artistic without the extra pressure of drawing. I know I always got stressed out when drawing was involved, because I knew it was not my strongest talent. It also encourages students to use real life images and examples! Personally, I am not a fan of uploading my images and making them public. However, it depends on the content. If I took some amazingly beautiful scenery photos, I would definitely not be opposed to uploading them. It all depends on the content and situation, I guess.

Photo Credits:  1. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/0belix/8063680973/">air</a>, 2. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenwalford/6280799021/">New York City</a>, 3. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kali-kold/5756890544/">New York New York</a>, 4. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cubagallery/4091796133/">New York Subway People</a>, 5. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcdead/3754311905/">New York - Brooklyn Bridge Sunset</a>, 6. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/i_travel_east/3451296269/">New York Memories...</a>, 7. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmiers2/465662237/">Horse drawn carriage - Central Park - NYC - New York</a>, 8. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattmawson/4240499261/">New York</a>

Thing 6: And the Award Goes To....

The tool that I selected from the Web 2.0 Awards nominee list was the app called Remember the Milk. It is a really nifty, free app that allows you to create a goal setting list or to do list. The list can be accessed from pretty much everywhere without having to go back to the website. It is a good tool for students to use that will keep them up to date on their assignments and upcoming projects in the classroom. It can been set up with google calender and reminders can be sent directly to your phone or email. It would be a tool to better increase productivity outside of the classroom. One thing I do not particularly enjoy about the site is that in order to explore you have to become a member. It is not too much of an ordeal because it is free, but it would be nice to be able to just look around. The site I accessed the tool from is http://www.rememberthemilk.com/ .

Thing 5: Web 2.0???

Before I read these perspectives I had never even really heard of the term Web 2.0. I read Web 2.0 A Guide for Teachers and Web 2.0 is Not About Version Numbers or Betas. Both of these discussed the importance of the web becoming bigger and better than ever. In the past, the web was just used for research. Now, the web is used to communicate and to educate! Web 2.0, to me, means a better community on the web that allows for connections and communication between people from around the world discussing and sharing beliefs and knowledge. Web 2.0 means so much for the future! Schools will be able to use the web to have students, parents, and teachers all connected on the web. It will create a better and more cohesive learning enviroment. Parents will be able to learn what is going on in the classroom, participate in discussions, and maybe even be able to see the final products of their child's hard work. Web 2.0 means an interactive learning enviroment unlike any other before!

Thing 4: Commenting Community

It is very important to comment on other blogs in the blogosphere because it creates a sense of community. You know that you are being heard, and it allows you to hear feedback on your posts. You may find people who agree with you wholeheartedly, and then you may find people who can open your eyes to completely new ideas. A point I find very important in one of the readings is that people want feedback, no matter how much they proetest. If we did not someone to comment on our blog, we would have chosen to keep it private. Another point I find interesting and important is you comment because it is the right thing to do and you want to join the conversation. The purpose of commenting is not to attempt to "troll" or destroy someone's belief; the purpose is to talk about something that you care about.

The five student blogs I commented on are : Belofatto's Blog, Cookie's 23 things blog, Finger's Blog, 23 Things Every Future Teacher Should Know by Samantha Fargis, and Tori Hickman's 23 Things. The two outside blogs I commented on were Preparation and Problem Solving by Maggie Perrino and Are We Writing Loud Enough? The Diary 21 Project by Nicole Lorenzetti. In the student blogs, I focussed on the things I liked that they had done in their blogs. In Samantha's I talked about how I enjoyed her mash ups, in Cookie's I commented on the use of comic creators in the classroom, in Finger's blog I commented on having confidence in our work and how we share a common problem, in Samantha's blog I commented on our avatars, and in Tori Hickman's blog I commented on using a blog effectively in a classroom. In the outside blog, Preparation and Problem Solving, I commented about my apprehensions on entering the profession of theatre education. In the other outside blog, Are We Writing Loud Enough? The 21 Project, I commented on the importance of inventiveness and creativity used when students create their own work.

Thing 3: Blogs and the Classroom

I never truly thought about using a blog as an aide in my classroom until I looked at the EduBlog Insights. A blog created by a teacher can be used in an infinite amount of ways. If I were to keep a blog as I continued my career in teaching, I would use it to monitor my progress and the students' progress in the classroom and to keep the parents involved in everything that is going on. I can express whether or not I felt a certain subject area was fully grasped, and I can state whether I feel we need to go back and review a certain topic. The blog could be used as an effective tool for me to communicate with parents about any concerns they may have and keep them involved in their child's educational journey! I definitely see myself having a classroom blog in the future!

Thing 2: I Blog Now?

Today is the start of a new beginning, for I have started a blog! I have never done anything like this before. When choosing my blog name I decided to keep it simple, or as simple as my name can be, and used my last name. My blogger url, however, I decided should have some sort of effort put towards it. I chose "simplyeducationbnm" because I wanted a name that I could potentially continue to use if I choose to keep up the blog after the class. I chose to use "simply" because I am a person who thoroughly enjoys when things are made easier.
My experience creating the blog was not too difficult. I only say this because I was lead step by step by a person. If I had to do it myself following the directions, I would have most likely had a few mishaps and wrong turns. I think the hardest part to create on my own would have been the image of myself.
My avatar is basically me. I tried to make it as close to my image as possible. I gave her the crazy face because that reflects my personality. I am a very bubbly, zany, and outgoing person. I want my blog to emote exactly that. This is mine, and I want every aspect of it to reflect me!