Is it the End... or Only the Beginning?!

I learned so much through these 23 things. One of the most valuable things I learned is how to have all of the things you need all on one type of website. Mine is Google. This website is not only a search engine, but really so much more. I now can continue to blog under a different name, add people to my Google Plus, and even check the weather. I can do all this from the same website. I find that quite amazing. By completing these 23 things I mostly feel relieved. Like I do with most semester long projects, I procrastinated until the tail end. I feel like it would be easy to keep up with this 23 things if it was strictly enforced that one be due every week or two. I also believe there is a lot of repetition in each of the explanations for how to do the 'things'. Sometimes I didn't even want to get started because there was so much reading just to figure out that I would be doing something I already knew how to do.
As a future educator I find almost all of these sites to be wonderful to know for my future students. In the next few years when I become a teacher the students may be almost more progressive in technology than myself, but now I am ready to take on the challenge. Going through each of these things was fairly difficult for me because I don't usually do much on the internet, or even with computers. I have always just stuck to the basics. It is very difficult for me to figure out exactly how to navigate some sites. This may be due to the fact that the websites I do use are basic. I have had a Facebook, Twitter, and Photobucket for years now and those sites are pretty point blank.

thing # 23

Before this class I knew very little about how copy rights worked. I would just copy and paste any image song or video clip I wanted without actually thinking about the consequences. Now I know that you can get into some hot water with people for using their work inappropriately or without permission. Even if the artist doesn't find out you 'borrowed' their work, it is still wrong to not acknowledge the proper owner of the work. Learning all of this about copyright laws makes me somewhat intimidated on showing pictures or videos in the classroom. However, I do know how to find material that I am allowed to share with students. These copyright laws make it more difficult to find shareable information, but they also protect people's artworks. I can say that I wish I could just use anything I want for any kind of project, but it is respectful to do as the owner of the work wishes.

thing #22

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1ag80XIJOo6qSqF926z7H-Ebx7kdYQPX5_tl9NtDz3mI/edit

The three titles of my Binder are: educational music, sex ed, and gardening in the classroom. This may seem like a random variety of subjects, but these are actually areas I find very important in school. One of the most important areas is sex education. This area usually gets gazed over and ignored. I have always strongly felt that students need a strong understanding of their bodies and how having sex can affect them. Since America has the highest teen pregnancy rate for a first world country, this is obviously an area that needs improvement. I could see LiveBinders being used in a classroom setting if the students were at least in middle school, if not older. This website might be too 'boring' to maintain young children's attention.

thing #21

My Animoto Video
I have used a few different programs that you can make videos on, but never one that is tied to the internet. This website is perfect for all kinds of special occasions. I could see using this professionally, in class, or just for fun. Not only was this website extremely easy to navigate, it was also a fun site to play around with. I would definitely recommend this site to someone who doesn't want to go out and buy a special program for their computer. I might even use something like this as a birthday present to a couple of my friends. I know everyone will love looking at old pictures in a movie format.

thing #20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97W0DL5v6eI
I have always really enjoyed using YouTube. This website has helped me learn so many off hand tasks that I would have to search hours on end at a bookstore to learn. I have even used this site for educational purposes. This site is one of those that may be inappropriate for students because there are many things that they could stumble upon. This site is mostly useful during downtime. 

thing #14

The flowchart that I chose was Gliffy. This website was very fun, free, and easy to navigate. The first document I chose to use was actually the interior design project. This one reminded me that many of these websites can be used by all kinds of people, for all kinds of tasks. I played around with creating a classroom. I will say that the program we used in class was much easier than this website. The tools I used were mostly to change the color and size of each object. There was also one that I found very helpful. It is called 'lock shape'. This allowed me to set each part of the room I created, so I wouldn't accidentally drag an item. Another one that is always very useful was 'copy' and 'paste'. These two tools are the ultimate tools for anyone using a computer, for almost any reason.
The mind map that I chose was bubbl.us. This website was a very simplistic way of creating basic flow charts. I could see this being useful in a lecture style class. This could also be used in teaching younger students the concept of different ideas tying to one another. As for recreational use this would be a fun way to create a small version of a family tree. I believe that the flow charts were a little bit more complicated than the mind maps. Both of these have multiple uses, but the flow charts ultimately take the cake.

thing #13

Zohowriters
drawing
One creative way students could work together in Google Docs is by co-writing a story. There are many options for Google Docs when it comes to student team work. Since I will hopefully be teaching 3rd-5th grade the students will be able to use these websites with ease. I think another great way for the students to work together with Google Docs would be to create a history project, to which each of them have different parts. This way the students would not have to all go to the library together and the teachers wouldn't have to take away class time. This will probably be the way all student projects are done in the future. These two websites are not only easier on the students, but also the teachers and parents. I must say I found Zoho writers to be a watered down version of Microsoft Office. The good part about that, however, is that people without regular access to Word or PowerPoint can use this website. Today many computers do not already come with these programs. Purchasing them can be extremely pricey and time consuming. Personally I prefer Google Docs, because every time I can find another site to use that is affiliated with Google I am tying more websites together.

thing #18

facebook

For many years now I have been using Facebook and Twitter. I have found that social networking cites can be very helpful, but at the same time very hurtful. Teachers need to know actually what students use networking sites for. Students will sometimes abuse other students through cyber bulling, or even share information to other schools. By sharing information I'm talking about the possibility of a student notifying other students in different schools of possible drug searches. Both Twitter and Facebook are great social networking sites that millions of people use. There are, however, many issues that can come out of this. There are so many different things that you can do on Facebook. It almost seems like a hybrid sort of website. I have found that many people not only socialize with long lost friends, but also play many different games available. I do not like the possibility for strangers to have access to your account unless you jump through many loops to alter your security. As for Twitter, this website is just a way to let everyone know what you are thinking or doing without having to read pages of posts about video games. One thing that I do not like about Twitter is the fact that is you make your profile private no one is able to re-tweet anything you say. Since I do not want just any person adding me on Twitter I have set my profile to private, but I do not mind if one of my friends re-tweets something I say. I could see having a Facebook page for each of your classes as a good idea. This way students could talk to one another about homework, tests, and projects. This would also be great for the teacher to inform students of upcoming events.

thing #17

I really enjoyed exploring the StumbleUpon website. I have heard many people mention how much fun this site could be and now I see what all the rave is about. The very first website I "stumbled upon" was called 'before I die'. This website was all about many chalk walls put up in different parts of the world. On the wall it said "before I die I want to_____". These walls were put in impoverished areas such as Mexico, New Orleans, and Russia. I also visited Digg and found that this website had almost too much information. It was hard for me to even figure out what I wanted to look at. This seems like a great place to share websites and become educated in different areas. Delicious reminded me of the websites many students use through the library (ERIC). I believe have an internet bookmark is better that only having a bookmark on a specific computer. For me this is actually ideal because I don't own my own computer. This would be great for a classroom setting because you could set up your bookmarking page to contain many different sites that you will be using in class that year. This would even be useful for students that like to self-educate. If they visit your site they can take an early look at what you have yet to go over or review what you previously went over.

thing #16

I decided to use iGoogle for my starter homepage. There are so many different options and widgets on this starter page. I also love that this starter page is a part of Google. The to-do list I chose is Ta-da Lists. This website was extremely easy to navigate and even fun to play around with. I made a to-do list of my class final's schedule. After doing that I sent a copy of it to my email. When I created an iGoogle this to-do list popped up on the top left of the screen. This will make organizing much easier. I try to tie all of my technological projects together and these two sites are a perfect way to do so. I believe the best part about the iGoogle page is the fact that you can choose what your interests are so you don't get stuck scrolling through a bunch of useless information. I would definitely suggest this site to any busy college student, and even more so to some already in their career.

thing #15

I believe wiki would be a good website for finding quick, interesting information. My entire educational career, however, has taught me to never rely on wiki. I am not sure that I would seriously use this website. I could see my classroom creating a webpage and adding fun pictures and comments. This website would be good for students to connect art to technology, but I do not believe they should ever use this website in a research project. I had a hard time navigating the PB works so I was unable to actually post anything on the site. I'm not sure if I just needed to get permission before adding to the site, or if I just couldn't figure the whole thing out. If there wasn't an issue with getting permission and I just had difficulty with navigating PB works then I definitely wouldn't use this in a classroom.

Thing #12

MyCalendar
The first tool I used was Google calendar. This seemed like something I could definitely use. I typed in when each of my classes were and even set them up to repeat on specific days. This will be one of the most helpful tools I can use. I have such a hectic schedule with school, work, and family events. I have a calendar on my phone, but having one on Google allows me to share all of my free time with my friends. Instead of us all worrying about when we might all be free we can just compare calendars. This is a perfect tool for a college student, especially one who is living away from home.
Translation
The next tool I used was the translation tool. Being a foreign language minor, this application is ideal. It is hard to find ways to translate phrases without having errors. This site gives you many options to not only translate phrases, but also search for them. In both situations these sites may be more useful for educators behind the desk than in front of the classroom. These two tools will help the teacher with many different tasks they will face throughout the school year. Everywhere from planning field trips to understanding a student who does not speak English so well, or even at all.

Thing #11

It was no surprise to me that the Google Blog search was the easiest way to find feeds. The other two tools available were confusing. Topixnet had a plethora of pop ups and Technorati had way too many options. It seems that every time I have to pick between different sites Google always comes out on top. Google sites are more helpful than any other sites I have ever used. The most confusing search tool was Topixnet. The second I clicked on it there was flashing and some weird pop up. This site was highly unprofessional and probably not reliable. One of the interesting sites I found was through Cool Cat Teacher's blog. This blog feed is called 2cent worth. This gentleman has some pretty good posts about education. There was one unusual feed that looked like it would be something I was interested in. The name of it was npr. When I clicked on the link it only had one post and it was irrelevant to what I was thinking.  

thing #10

 The RSS and newreaders makes finding the information you want even easier. Instead of having to use a search engine to find one simple answer to a question on a website you can just put it in your feed. This way you can constantly be updated with information you're interested in. This is a great way to spend time reading the important subjects from a specific site instead of reading the entire site waiting to find one thing out. As an educator I could use this to see what new and innovative things are coming up with education. I could also use this to facilitate a discussion question for the beginning of class. One of the sites I actually added to my feed is the History Channel site. This would be perfect for a social studies topic. The students could us this site to see there interests or even for information about a class they are taking. There really are an endless amount of options for the websites that have a news feed.

thing #9

http://www.signgenerator.org/

This is the first site I played around with. Signgenerateor was a very easy website to navigate. All I had to do was pick which sign I wanted to alter and then type the text I wanted to use. Younger students would love to go on this site and make all different kinds of signs. This would be a great project for art teachers, computer teachers, and for any teacher wanting the students to use unique pictures. I could see students using this sign generator a lot in social studies projects.

http://www.imagechef.com

This is the second site I created a special imagine in. This is actually the second copy of this image. The first picture I made somehow got deleted when I was requested to create an account for this website. So, I strongly suggest anyone who is planning on spending a good amount of time creating an image, make sure you create a profile first. Other than that one mess up this site was easy to figure out. I had fun finding an image that would look somewhat realistic placed on grass. I believe this site could be used for the exact same reasons as the first site I listed. Even really young students will be able to figure this site out. As for recreational use, this would be a great way to create fun and different greeting card images for all sorts of holidays.

Thing #8

This website was somewhat difficult to figure out, but I eventually got used to it. Flickr would be a fun site to use in one's spare time, but it might take up too much valuable time in the classroom. This would be an assignment I would go over in class and then see if they could complete the rest of the assignment as homework. Students would benefit from Flickr, but it is a very time consuming website that is mostly made for recreational purposes. The most useful place for a site like this would be in a technology based classroom. If the school had a 'computer lab' time this would be an ideal project.

Thing #7

Exploring Flickr was pretty fun. I had some trouble finding a photo that I could save. I also had a little trouble figuring out how to save an image. After I figured all of that out I explored many of the different pictures from around the world. The one in particular that I chose to share was taken in Japan. I have never seen the sun look more beautiful. This is the picture I found:

The artist goes by Sprengben on Flickr and here is the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sprengben/6830207657/lightbox/.

Thing #6

I chose photobucket as my favorite site from the 2.0 sites. I have been using this site for about five or six years. In my spare time I will take a picture and add different affects to it. There are so many options for altering photos that I can spend hours playing with this site. When it comes to a school using this site, I actually see a few fun ideas. If you are an art teacher this is a great free way to let your students play around with photo design. Also, any other kind of teacher can suggest this site to their students to edit pictures to put on a powerpoint. This is just one photo I edited a few years ago:

This is a link that that site I enjoy so much: www.photobucket.com.

Thing #5

 This first website I visited was Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators. I found this site to be slightly outdated and redundant. The definitions and examples were ones that I have been hearing about for the past five or so years. I didn't feel like I learned anything from that blog. It wasn't terrible, but it was difficult to read something I already know. I was thinking these websites would tell us how teachers can integrate technology in the classroom. Instead this blog told me what technology is out there. The second vblog I read, Web 2.0: Is the Future of Education, was about how professionals can help teachers with education. This vblog was much more interesting. She explained how teachers need technology, but they do not need to be completely emerged into every nuance of technology all at once. She said that at one point they chose a few schools to completely emerge in technology. This idea did not work to their advantage. The teachers who received all this new technology felt overwhelmed. It was decided that multiple schools need a slow progression into technology.
Web 2.0 means education will never be the same. As we progress more and more there are easier, more efficient ways to do almost anything. Technology makes life extremely simple at times. Students already have tools the find almost anything they can imagine. As we develop it becomes hard to imagine exactly how different our classrooms may become. This ever increasing technology will make classrooms even more interactive between the teachers and students. The school system may also be altered. It is hard to visualize the school I went to as a child never being the same again, but it is a move in the right direction.

thing #4

The blogging community would not be nearly as thorough if people merely wrote blogs. Commenting on other people's blogs gives the blogger a chance to reflect on what they previously wrote. The other very important thing is the person who is commenting gets the opportunity to share his or her opinion. After this commenting starts it is like a network of ideas and opinions that can sometimes turn into a never ending circle. Commenting on blogs will also introduce you to people you may have never otherwise met. These people in turn could read your blog and leave important comments. You could then turn around and check out their blog. All of this networking will expand your thoughts and experiences about blogging. The five blogs I read and then commented on are:
Grooveshark thing 6 :) (Shelby Rogers)
Thing 6 (Kayla Satterly)
Thing 6 (Roy Lane)
Thing 8 (Erin Beifuss)
Thing # 5 (Leslie Littleton)
The first blog of my selection that I read was: 'New Music I Love: Pearl and the Beard' on the website 'bethinglish'. First I watched the video that is attached. The video was of a three person band playing one of there songs. I was surprised to find out that what I randomly found was actually really good. My comment pretty much stated how much I agreed with that person on their opinion on the band. The two found the band to be surprisingly good. The next blog I decided to read was title 'can you cook'. The specific recipe I read was how to bake salmon. I was so excited to find a simple recipe that still sounds delicious. My comment was pretty much just to tell the blogger how enthused I am about trying out this recipe.

Thing #3

Last semester I did an annotated bibliography on English Language Learner students. While doing my research I found a new and exciting way to teach ELL students. That new way was blogging. When I first read the title of this article I was somewhat in disbelief. As I read more and more about how the students reacted I was intrigued. The children who were having trouble in reading were improving their skills greatly. Almost all of the students seemed to have fun with blogging. This teacher found a perfect way to assign homework and increase social interaction with his students. When I have a class this will be one of my favorite resources. There are so many uses available, but I am mostly excited about ELL students increasing their English skills with the constant immersion happening in school and now after school. They will get the opportunity to read simple text while being introduced to new words all while sitting at home doing homework.

Thing #2

Honestly I have never created my own blog. This whole experience has been slightly difficult, but a good kind of challenge. I am very excited to gain these skills, especially because I can see their applicability in real world. The reason I chose Young.Katze is because my last name is Young and 'katze' means cat in German. I have taken over three years in German and just recently started taking it again. The reason I chose the word cat is because I'm a cat person and there is a cat in my avatar picture. I feel like the avatar I used is about as close as I could get to how I actually look.

Thing #1

On 7 and a half habits of lifelong learners I find the very first habit, "Begin with the end in mind" to be the easiest habit of all. It is very easy for me to see the bigger picture throughout my school years. The hardest habit for me, habit six, "Using technology to your advantage". I am not a very technological person, at all. I have so many difficulties with even the simplest tasks on computers. As I'm typing this I'm not even sure if it will end up in the correct area for my class. I greatly need to improve my skills in technology. I am really hoping instructional technology brings me to this goal.