Thing 11

I like that comments allow us to spring into conversations based on one blog. It's a way to share thoughts and collaborate on ideas in a quick and simple way. When someone comments on your blog, they might have a completely new point of view on the topic that you never thought of. The only thing that I dislike about blogs/comments isn't really a dislike, but just more of something to look out for. Tones in writing can come across differently than when you're speaking. In some of my blogs, I have referred to concerns about whether or not some of the Things would be possible in the classroom. Since there aren't a set of computers at our fingertips whenever we need them in each classroom, this could be hard. I have 45 min of Tech time a week, and that isn't a lot of time. My concern is that it may come across as if I'm bashing the school's technology. That is not my intention at all. My point was simply that all of us are excited about the 23 Things and will want to use them as much as possible, and we can't all use the computers at the same time. Since my comments are in print, I hope that they aren't coming across negatively, as that is not my intention.

When I received my first comment, it was exciting to see that someone was reading what I wrote and took the time to comment on it, and to share their ideas. I think commenting is important because that's where the communication comes in. If I just share my comments, then I'm just typing what I think. I know how I feel about things. However, when someone comments on those thoughts, that's when ideas come into play. Some students are shy and don't discuss much in class, however, they talk on the computer. This outlet would allow them to share their ideas and communicate with others.

Thing 10

Here is a link I found for the Fifty States song I learned in fifth grade, and absolutely loved...then and now!



This song was taught to me in fifth grade and I never forgot a word of it. In fact, I have sung the song in my head a few times when I needed to run through the fifty states for trivia questions. I think that songs are an excellent way to learn things and have actually been wanting to find it for my classroom. I was thrilled when I found it on YouTube. It didn't occur to me to look there to use in the classroom.

Though I could embed a video in my blog, I was unable to download a video to my computer. I tried all of the different third party sites mentioned on the 23 Things website. I also tried finding different videos on YouTube, thinking that maybe that was the problem. I tried from my computer, and when it prompted me to download Java (which I thought I had already), I did that. I even borrowed Diane's computer to try downloading because she had successfully downloaded a video to it. When I tried the different sites, the same page kept popping up, that said something about YouTube not allowing videos to be downloaded, but that I could use their special bookmarklet to try. Since bookmarklets didn't seem to work in earlier things, and because I was unsure whether or not it wasn't safe, I didn't do that. I am able to embed videos, and I understand how to download videos at all of the sites, so I still feel that I am educated in this Thing. Hopefully, these sites are cleared up soon so that we can all use them again.

Thing 9

I like that YouTube has such a variety of videos on so many different topics. It would so easy to find something to go along with a lesson. Students love media. They love tv, movies, and the internet. To incorporate that into learning would be a nice addition to the classroom that would engage them. I dislike that there are a lot of videos that are not appropriate for school. I find that videos would be useful in the classroom, however, I would need the appropriate technology in the classroom. Right now, YouTube is restricted in the building for the students. The teachers would need to find the appropriate information and display it for the students. With the way schedules fall with the Tech Lab, I only receive 45 minutes a week in the lab. Though that is still useful time, I feel that in order for this technology to fully benefit the students, each classroom needs to have the means to technology each day. It would be hard to group all of the students around one computer in the classroom to view a video. I agree with another posting I read, where she stated that a projector would be useful. I would absolutely love it if we had that so I could incorporate videos and technology much more often.

Thing 8

Here is the link to create jigsaw puzzles with your pictures: http://bighugelabs.com/jigsaw.php

I found this experience to be interesting, yet challenging. I enjoyed looking through all of the different options to customize your pictures. I had no idea there were so many. The challenge I had was saving my picture to my computer once I completed my jigsaw puzzle. Luckily, I now know about Flickr, so I was able to upload it to that, then save it to my computer. I was intrigued by all of the different customization options and will have much to explore the next time I visit the site. Though I found the saving part to be a little frustrating, overall I had fun with this one. There are so many things we could do in the classroom with this feature. One example would be using the magazine cover. If we split into small groups to work on projects, we could create a magazine cover featuring the group and the project they're working on.

Thing 7

There are many ways to use Flickr in the classroom. If the students need to find a picture to go along with a project, they could search tags on Flickr. Also, I could find pictures that go along with lessons we're doing in class. For example, we're working on Botany right now, so I could find example pictures of plants and flowers. One nice thing is that Flickr can be accessed from any computer. So, if a picture is found and added in the Tech Lab, the students can also access it from a computer in the classroom of even from home.

One issue for me would be having pictures set for the public to see. I'm sure many parents would be unsure of having their children post pictures for the public to see. I also share a concern of having pictures posted for anyone to see. I could set the settings to private for only parents and students of the classroom to view.

Thing 6

After looking through the flickr site, I found many were "all rights reserved" and "some rights reserved." I was unsure on whether I could use the "some rights reserved" pictures, so I only chose ones that said "no known copyright restrictions." Though this ensured me that I was safe to use them, it also limited my choice of pictures. From this list of pictures, I chose this one with the flowers because it was the most visually appealing. I simply think this photo is a nice landscape photo. We're also studying Botany right now in the classroom, so this picture went along with that nicely.

Thing 5

I found Thing 5 to be incredibly difficult for me. After trying to navigate and search for blogs to subscribe to, I encountered many problems. I used both searches (Google blog search and Technorati), and I found Technorati to be difficult to use. I was searching for blogs that went along with my Science education folder, yet I was finding pages that weren't even blogs. I also couldn't get the bookmarklet to work either. It wasn't in my dropdown menu, so I was unable to do that. My question is how can you be sure when something is a blog? I found pages in a blog search page, yet pages I clicked on weren't blogs and they didn't have any sort of RSS button on them. I might use RSS more in my professional life to assist me in finding information I can use in the classroom and for lessons, but I feel I need to understand how it works more, because right now I'm very frustrated with it. I hope I can understand this more in the future.

Thing 4

I find that information overload can be very overwhelming, and at times, frustrating. Bloglines will be a nice tool because it allows me to search through and find sites that I feel are beneficial for me, then information from those will be delivered to me. This can save a lot of time, which is very helpful. I'm also an organized person, so having everything in one place, in folders, will be easy for me to work with.

Thing 3

I think a blog would be a helpful tool at work because it could help with communication with parents. I send home a newsletter with the students, but with a blog, I could post upcoming test dates, project due dates, classroom news, etc. It could also be a helpful tool to share information between teachers.

I could use a blog with students by using it as a discussion tool. Students could respond to something I posted and also comment on other students' posts. This will incorporate technology and thought-provoking conversation.

When first given the blog assignment, I think some of my students would be apprehensive, because it's something new and different. However, since many of them are familiar with computers and the internet, I think they would respond positively. It could provide a means for them to communicate outside of school.

One concern I have is that parents would not be on board at first because it's something new and different than what they're used to. My other concern would be that students wouldn't take the assignments seriously. Hopefully, after both students and parents become familiar with educational blogging, they will all find it to be as worthwhile as I do.