One Last Thing...

Yay! I'm almost done.  I feel really accomplished in completing the 23 Things.  My favorite exercises and discoveries during my 23 Things experience are Animoto, YouTube, del.cio.us and iGoogle.  This program has affected my lifelong goals by proving to myself and to everyone else that I can actually reach lifelong goals, just as I have reached my goal of completing 23 Things successfully.  I know that no matter what goal I make, I know that I can reach it if I remain disciplined and focused.  Just as I have done with 23 Things.  I am really surprised that I was able to reach my goals.  I thought this was going to be the hardest class ever when I began because I am so computer illiterate.  I thought I was never going to get the hang of blogging or whatever.  23 Things has certainly been the hardest project I have ever done.  So an important take-away from this has been I have gained knowledge about computers and I have proven that I can use a computer in a useful, smart way.  I believe that format and concept are great with 23 Things. However, I hated having to open so many accounts.  If you could alter the websites and maybe find some websites that don't require us to create an account that would be great.  I have been introduced to a wide world of technology and now I can't go back.  I will always use technology in ways to advance learning in my classroom.  And technology is going to be an ever-increasing phenomena in the classroom.   I plan to use the knowledge gleaned from 23 Things to stay up-to-date with changes in technology and education. I plan to keep up with web 2.0 by keeping up with all the websites we have used.  Some of which are very useful.  Like iGoogle and School 2.0.  Also, I find it useful when I see some new piece of technology that has something to do with the Web I research it.  For instance, I wanted to learn more about the iPad 2 so I googled it.  And now I'm caught up with this new piece of technology that connects to the Internet.  If you ever have questions about Web 2.0 and its new developments, just google it.  

Thing 23

I found a note posted at the bottom of the 23 Things home page that says:  This project is loosely based upon the website 43Things (which allows you to set and track personal goals) and the Stephen Abram article titled 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year(Information Outlook - Feb 2006). So I am assuming this is the basis of our 23 Things and this note is attributing to the original person who came up with "things."  


I did not realize how big a deal it is to use other people's work or pictures or videos or ideas without permission until I studied Creative Commons.  As a teacher, I will need ideas for the classroom, for classroom management, teaching strategies, all that.  So I will certainly be looking for ideas on the Internet.  But now I am much wiser about copyright laws so I will always look for the CC or C so that I know whether or not I can use the idea or whatever I may find.  I have never intentionally stolen anyone else's ideas or pictures from the Internet.  I just thought before that since it was on the Internet anyone can use it, but now I know better.  I will always check Creative Commons before I take something from the Internet for use in the classroom.

Thing 22

The titles of my binders are Understanding Setting, Understanding Character, and Understanding Plot.  I chose these 3 elements of Literature because my ideal teaching situation is 2nd Grade Reading.   I am having trouble embedding my binder, Understanding Setting, onto my post.  Once I figure it out, I will create a separate post with my binder on it.

I think Live Binders are a great organizational tool for the classroom.  Teachers can use them for things like  specific History topics that are very broad, Reading topics like what I did, or English literature stories or plays like Hamlet or Macbeth.  The teacher can create multiple tabs that relate to the main topic and keep everything organized under one topic or heading all in one binder.  I also think Live Binders are a great way to organize a student presentation.  So many classrooms now have overhead projectors so the students' Live Binders can be displayed for the class to see.  And the presenter can use the Binder as their guidelines or notes for speaking.  I think the possibilities are endless when using Live Binders.

Last Summer- Thing 21

Last Summer

This is the video I created using animoto. I really enjoyed this project. It was very easy to use and fun to create. My video is about what I did on July 3rd. I went to a family picnic and then played at this really cool community event held in my town. Animoto is a great way to make short videos of anything! I wish the free videos weren't so short though. However, if I wanted to make a longer video, I could purchase it and even get a DVD made and sent to me. This would be great gifts for parents, grandparents, or anyone special.

Thing 20

I am really excited to share this with everyone.  This is a video of the band I was in last year.  This was at a bluegrass competition that we placed 2nd in.
I like YouTube because you can freely express yourself through videos.  They can be serious or goofy or whatever.  The great thing is that anyone, including me, can use it to post and share videos.  I like that it's very easy to find what I'm looking for.
I could make an account with YouTube so that I could have unrestricted access to any videos.  That could be valuable when searching for class materials.  Also, the personalized video recommendations make it easy to find exactly what you're looking for and even great things you didn't expect to find.  All in all YouTube is a great video-sharing website.

Thing 19

As I said in my last post, I am a member of Facebook and Twitter.  And now I am a member of TeacherPop also.  I am still a little confused by the layout of TeacherPop but with some use I will get used to it.  Facebook is my favorite networking site because it is very accommodating and I have used it the longest.  I really like the idea of TeacherPop and Ning because it is very concentrated in what I am interested in.  I still am very unsure about using social networking sites in the work place or work setting because I think it's on the line between professional and unprofessional.  I think I can use TeacherPop during my next two years at Austin Peay to stay in contact with fellow students.  This is a great way to ask questions and talk about Education and our classes in general.

Thing 18

I have both a Facebook and a Twitter account.  It is very important for educators to know about social networking sites because everyone has them.  They can be very valuable to teachers because they are an easy form of communication.  However, they can be very dangerous because there is so much room for error on these sites.  It's easy to post drunken pictures of your weekend or say a curse word in your status.  It's all too common.  Educators can view these no-no's and get you fired for it, too.  I really like Facebook because I understand it and it's easy to use.  I like how easy it is to create groups and find friends, as well.  I really, really hate Twitter though.  I think its used by mainly self-absorbed people who are constantly glued to the computer or their cell phones.  (Sorry! Don't mean to offend anyone!)  The same could be said about Facebook.  I don't usually like to post a status because I'm a pretty introverted person.  I don't like people to know what I'm doing or feeling 24/7.  

As I said before, Facebook and Twitter can be very dangerous.  I would never use either of these anywhere near a classroom setting.  I like to be professional and there are a lot of risks in posting your life on a social networking site.  I know in the county that I am planning to teach in, Facebook and Twitter accounts are frowned upon, if not prohibited in most schools.  I am planning to delete both my Facebook and Twitter accounts within the next year or so.  I don't want there to be any reason not to be hired because of something I said on Facebook.

Thing 17

I love del.icio.us!  I had no idea there were such things as social bookmarking sites, but it is a great idea.  I finally have found a way to keep up with all the sites we have used in 3040.  This tool has great potential in the classroom.  Del.icio.us.  allows users to save and access bookmarks from any computer, not just your own personal one.  This is advantageous for teachers because generally we have a classroom computer and a computer at home.  So if I have to be up late planning a lesson, I can access all the bookmarks I may need  the following day for let's say a powerpoint presentation right at home.  Also, teachers can take advantage of social bookmarking sites because they are public.  Anyone can view my bookmarks.  Therefore, I can search other teachers' bookmarks and hopefully find some really useful websites for my classes.  Bookmarking sites are a really great way to stay organized, especially when the Internet is so broad.  I can keep all my websites in one place, tag them with a familiar name, and that's that.  I like to be organized and this is a great organization tool!

Thing 16

The start page I chose was iGoogle because Google has always been a reliable search engine for me and I thought anything connected with Google must be great.  I am considering making this my start page for a number of reasons.  Most importantly, I can customize my page any way I choose.  They have wonderful background templates that make my start page pretty and interesting to me.  Also, I can access anything I want from the start page, including Facebook accounts, gmail and anything other accounts I have.

Online calendars can be very helpful because I am already online so much anyways.  It would be convenient to check it every day, if I can remember to.  However, I did not like the calendars provided in Thing 16.  You can call me old-fashioned but I prefer to use my trusty APSU planner because its tangible and easier for me to use.

I felt like the to-do lists are too much work because I use my to-do lists when I'm out running errands, not sitting at home on a computer.  Most people don't have cell phones that have access to these online lists either.  Once again, I may be old-fashioned but I like to use pen and paper to create my to-do lists!

The PDF converter can be very useful for teachers looking to print off documents that come from sources other than their own documents.  If I got an email from someone who made it on a PC and I have a Mac, sometimes the printable version of the email isn't available.  This is a wonderful, FREE tool that teachers can use when printing off worksheets from online sources also.  I highly recommend it for anyone, not just teachers.

Thing 15

I created a page on the apsu23thingssandbox wiki called Molly's Page.  I added my blog Thing 13 because I really enjoyed this Thing.  And I thought I did a good job writing about it.  I can use a Wiki to collaborate with other teachers in my grade level or in the entire school.  I thought it was interesting that you can edit other people's pages.  I don't think I like that because people could falsify what I put on my page or anyone else's.  Overall, Wikis could be very dangerous to use.

Thing 14

I created an account with Gliffy and Bubbl.us.  Gliffy is a flowchart tool that allows the user to create charts.  It's that simple.  I created a Venn diagram of the 3 primary colors of light.  I thought this could be used in a Science or Physics class depending on what class you may teach.  I chose Gliffy because it was the first exercise tool listed and I really liked it.  I have never used this site before so I was completely unfamiliar with it.  I found it very easy to use.  Bubbl.us is a site used for making mind maps.  I decided to create a map about light, with everything associated with light surrounding the word light in the center.  I have never used Bubbl.us before either and I was pleased at how easy it is to use.  This could also be a great tool for a Science class.  Or any class really.  Both the tools I chose can be related to any class.  They are both easily accessible and FREE! which are two great reasons to use them.

Thing 13

I used Zoho Writer to create just a short document about myself.  (I haven't figured out how to get the document on my blog).  I thought Zoho Writer is an awesome tool because it has a Share tool.  AWESOME!  You click on share and then choose the blog you use or add your blog and then your document is supposed to come up.  Remember I haven't figured out how to use it yet...  I also thought it was great that there is a tool bar that tells how many words and characters you have typed.  Zoho Writer is so much easier than Word.  I still can't get over the fact that it has a Share tool.

In Google Docs, I created a drawing.  I thought the Drawing tool in Google docs is a valuable tool for teachers because you can create your own pictures and add them to a power point for a lecture class.  I chose to make a picture of a rainbow and how rainbows are made from light through a prism.  (I'm studying light right now in Physics.)  Google Docs is a great tool for students because they can use it for projects that require visual aids.

I prefer Google Docs because I was already slightly familiar with it and it's tools.  Zoho was slightly confusing and I couldn't get the share tool to work so that was a turn off for me.  I found it really easy to create a drawing in Google Docs and I think this would be great for students to use.  However, both tools are better than Word!

Thing 11

I used my Google Reader account to find feeds the most helpful.  I typed in Education and searched until I found an interesting feed.  I also used the Google Blog search to find a feed and when I found one I liked I subscribed to it in Google Reader.  I tried using the other search tools (Topix.net, Syndic8.com, and Technorati) but I couldn't find anything that seemed interesting.  Syndic8.com was the least helpful.  Not only was it confusing in finding an interesting feed, but it also opened a bunch of ads and spam looking things.  When I exited the site, all these other pages had been opened that I did open myself.   That made me really mad and also nervous that maybe Syndic8 was a good place to catch a virus on my computer.  I found a really great feed that is actually a TV show through hulu.com called The Balancing Act.  It is a one hour show that gives advice on Education.  This site was a little unusual just because it is in the form of a TV show instead of a blog where you have to read everything.  I was really excited to find this feed.

Thing 12

I created a Google Alert on this place that I like to go to listen to music in Nashville.  This was actually very easy for me to use.  Google Alert is a great way to stay informed, especially if you check your email five times a day like I do.  I can continue to find other topics to stay informed about through Google Alerts.  This can be very valuable when I am looking for the latest news in Education or maybe the latest news in a certain topic that I am teaching.  I also created a Picasa Web album.  This tool can be used for uploading classroom pictures in a safe web environment that can be shared with parents and fellow teachers in a locked group.  I think it is important for the parents to be able to see progress that their students make.  Picasa Web Albums are a great way to share photos.

Thing 9

I went to this website to find a sign.  I chose the wooden sign held by a smiley face.  I thought my sign could be used to display classroom rules.  So, my rules are "Be respectful," and "Be responsible."  These are important concepts for a 2nd grader to learn and follow.  I think the smiley face sign would be a perfect way to display classroom procedures, rules, and turn-in trays.  You can also change the smiley face to fit a more appropriate setting if you so wish.

Thing 10

I like RSS and newsreaders because it is an excellent place to view everything that I am interested in all in one place.  This is something that I can use personally because I can view all my favorite news feeds and updates on my favorite TV shows.  Teachers can take advantage of RSS because they follow all their favorite bloggers on Google Reader at once.  It also saves a lot of time that teachers don't have by keeping everything in one place on one web page.

I couldn't get the photo from Thing 7 uploaded to our 23 things group.  If anyone could instruct me on how to do this, it would be much appreciated!

Thing 8

http://metaatem.net/words/Miss%20Molly

This is the link to my mashups creation.  Flickr mashups could potentially be a great learning tool for the classroom.  It would be great in areas like Spelling and Reading.  The mashup I chose creates words out of pictures from Flickr.  A teacher could use this to create spelling words of the week.  I noticed there was a clock mashup that could also be used to teach children how to tell time in a different and more interesting way.  There was also a link to puzzle creations as well.  Puzzles are great brain stimulators and this could be a fun activity for children to do during free time at school.  I am comfortable with sharing photos online as long as they are not provocative or suggestive.  I am aware that there are people out there who could do serious damage with photos shared online.  We all just have to be smart about what exactly we want people to see.

Thing 7

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59358464@N02/5434601177/

This photo was taken of me playing my fiddle last summer at a community event called the Turning of the Pig in Greenbrier, TN.  A fun gig!  The Flickr experience has been a learning one.  I had no idea people could share photos this way.  I don't know exactly how I could use this in the classroom, yet.  However, this is my first time sharing pictures like this other than on Facebook.  I am comfortable sharing this photo with all of you because it is not a bad picture and it doesn't suggest any negativity I don't think.  It is also on my Facebook so I must be comfortable sharing it!

Thing 6

I found two sites:  Skype and Hulu

- Skype (http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/home)  is a great way to connect with people who are a thousand miles away without actually being with them.  You can use your computer to call other skype users.  You can see and hear each other as you talk.  Also, Skype is free to download and use!  I think this could be the modern PenPal.  Instead of writing to students in different places, you can call them on Skype.
I like Skype because it is more personal than texting or talking on a phone.  You can see the person as if they were right next to you.

- Hulu (http://www.Hulu.com/) is site that allows users to watch full length movies and TV shows on your computer.  The shows do not come from other users, but comes directly from the content providers.  I disliked the fact that Hulu has not come out with a mobile version yet.  However, they are said to be working on it.  Also, the commercials are not as limited as the website says they are.  This could be valuable in any classroom that is wanting educational videos from channels like Discovery, History Channel, or NatGeo.

Thing 5

School 2.0  is basically a way for educators, students, parents, and anyone interested in the educational process to network, communicate, and work.  School 2.0 is like Web 2.0, which is the newest form of the Web.  One of the videos said that we as people on the Internet are Web 2.0.  We make it want we want it to be.  School 2.0 is the same way.  We make education what we want it to be.

Schools of the future are going to be very different than the schools of the past one hundred years because of Schools 2.0.  Everything is going to be digital.  I think all students will read their textbooks, do their homework, take tests, and give discussions on a computer.  I believe this would be good because paper will be done away with and trees can be saved.  The structure of schooling will change.  I am not sure if this will be a good thing or a bad thing.  I don't fully understand all the pros and cons of School 2.0 and what exactly will change.  However, in this technological age, we all must accept the changes and be knowledgeable about the changes in educational instruction.

Thing 4

Commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction because it is a personal way to talk to people who are involved in the same things we are.  I found that when commenting it is very important to let the bloggers reading your post know who you are so that they can thank you for commenting and so that they can recognize the work you have done.  Also, it is very important to be tactful about what you say on a blog.  We can't just fly off the handle when someone says something we disagree with.  Everyone must speak cordially and appropriately.  However, it is okay to disagree with a blogger comment.

The people that I followed and commented on randomly were: Shea Osborne, Tammy Waters, Mary Barczak, bwood6, and ljyurus.

Shea Osborne-  Shea said that students feel more at ease speaking through blogs than they do through the classroom discussion.  I commented that I agree, especially since I am one of those students who doesn't like to speak in front of a class.

Tammy Waters- Tammy gave a quote that really stuck with me.  She said "It is what it is" in light of Habit 3.  I have the same problem Tammy does of making problems into challenges.

Mary B.-  Mary commented that she didn't understand the importance of EDUC 3040.  Neither did I until we started learning all these things about the Internet and how technology impacts the classroom environment.

bwood6-  She posted that the process of setting up the blog was confusing and I completely agree!  I am glad I am not the only one that had trouble.

ljyurus-  Posted some very good ideas about how to use blogs in upper level classrooms.  I thanked her for the ideas.

I chose these people because they all posted thoughts that I was interested in and that I agreed with.  I learned some valuable things and I feel like I made good connections.  It is good to know I am not alone in this process.

I also am following Blind Pig and the Acorn and the Bluegrass Blog.  I chose both of these blogs for the same reason.  I love bluegrass music.  I teach it, I play it, and I perform it.  I like to stay in touch with all the latest news in the bluegrass world and these blogs are a way for me to do that.

Thing 2

This experience of creating a blog has been difficult.  I am so computer illiterate.  I still don't know how to get my avatar up on my blog page so if anyone can tell me how to do that, I would really appreciate it.  However,  I really like the experience of blogging or whatever it is called.  It is nice to write down my thoughts.

7 1/2 Habits- Thing 1

The tutorial was very helpful because it put learning into perspective.  The easiest habit for me is playing.  I am naturally a curious person and I love the outdoors.  I also love to read because reading takes me places that only a book and the thoughts and feelings of others can.  I have fun reading.  The hardest habit is using problems as challenges.  I, oftentimes, will get too caught up in some problem that I think is huge and not look at the rewards that I get out of dealing with the problem.  I am too worried about the problem itself that I forget to look on the bright side.  I know I should be grateful for the challenges that I am given because they make me a stronger, wiser person in the end.