Thing #12

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I used the JigZone website and thought it was really neat that you could upload your own images. The only problem I ran into is that most of my pictures are not in JPEG form. My Avatar was one of the few JPEG files I have and it worked really well. I was also able to add one of their premade puzzles to my site. This is just a neat website.

The website that I found to be very useful was 30 Boxes it allowed me to add all kinds of things to my personal calendar. I also like the fact that you can choose to make it public or share it with people. I can use this in my classroom when we are doing a research project. I like to give my students a calendar with all of the due dates so that there are no surprises. I can also use this personally because my family is always asking what my school calendar is like. I could very easily add all that information and then send it to them. The calendar can also be added to an RSS feed. That way if I make any changes if my friends and family have it in their RSS they can see the changes I've made.

Thing #11

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I used the Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of our trip to Disney World. I did learn though, that if you want to use your own images you have to create an account with Mosaic Maker. It was free so it wasn't a real problem. The only other thing I had to figure out was which photo number went with which tile in the Mosaic. I had a specific one that I wanted to use in the center tile so it took me a couple of tries to get it into the center tile. The nice thing is that it had an option to start over so I could quickly redo it until I got it the way I wanted it. To create the word Disney I used Spell with flickr It was fairly simple. The only problems I had with it is that you couldn't change the font size and it does not seem to allow spaces in between words.Overall, I found this to be a lot of fun. My husband saw what I did with the mosaic and wants me to do a bigger one with the rest of our Disney pictures. We are also looking at doing this with the pictures of my nieces and nephew. It will also be great for me to create one for when our own baby is born in December.

Thing #10

Create Your Own

Each year my students do a research project on Decades. I would like them to use more technology in their visual products and I think this would be a great way to get them to do that. I used pictures from the 1950s to show how easily my kids could make a slide show. I didn't use the captions, but my students could easily put in information that could add to their presentations. I also love the fact that they can customize it so that all of the slide shows won't necessarily be the same. I can't wait to use this in my classroom next year.

Photo Credits:
Retro Radio 1950's by hiro008
Early 1950's Television by gbaku
1950's Kitchen by Paul-W
1950's Camera by Paul-W
1950's Dolls by Trevira
Triumph 3 Speed Bicycle by elevhem
1950's Graflex Speed Graphic by cromacom
Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile Circa 1950s by GeoffLivingston
Sandee in 1950s Kitchen by misterbisson
Marconi Portable Radio 1950s/60s by JohnBurke
Flex-Straw by Roadsidepictures
Spartan AM Clock & Vibroplex Keyer by Whiskeygonebad

Thing #9

I found that once you could figure out a good tag to help you find pictures it was fairly simple. I also liked the fact that Flickr gives you suggestions for other tags you could use. I can see several uses for Flickr in my classroom and personally. I decided to see if my students could use Flickr in their Decades Research project. I chose one of the decades (1950s) to see what I could find that may be useful in their products. I actually found a lot and could easily see how it would enhance my student's projects. It also offers a new way for them to find pictures faster than having to go through a lot of websites to find acceptable pictures. I can only imagine how far my
students could take this. I see so much potential for
all kinds of projects using Flickr.

Oscar Mayer Wiener Mobile Circa 1950's
by Geoff Livingston
http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoliv/2753764063/sizes/o/

Thing #8

I've never noticed the CC on any websites, but that is because I didn't know to look for it. It is definitely something I will look for now. I can see how Creative Commons could be helpful to students on their projects, but the biggest problem I see is that they have to know about it first. I never knew that anything we create is copyrighted. I've used a lot of videos, pictures, and other things in my teaching and I'm now wondering how was it protected. I think that I used them correctly under the copyright laws, but now I'm not so sure. I think that the Creative Commons would definitely put people's minds at ease if they knew it wasn't so restricted as under the traditional copyright laws. However, the biggest downside of Creative Commons is that you have to know it exists. I have never heard of it before so I could never take advantage of it. This goes for our students as well, they can't use it unless someone tells them about it.

Thing #7

I'll admit that sometimes commenting on a blog is difficult. It is hard to put your thoughts into words. However, with some of the blogs and sites I've been following I have learned that it is getting much easier. I'm also enjoying reading and responding to my own comments that I leave. I think the biggest thing I learned in this Thing is that I need to make sure that I check the comments on my personal blog and to see if I need to respond to them. I think commenting is just one of those things that you have to practice. I've definitely left more comments than I have ever done before and I'm having fun doing it.

Thing #6

I love the RSS reader because I can go through the content on some of my favorite sites quickly. One of sites I subscribed to is for expecting mothers. I am a part of three groups and this allows me to keep up with all of them. I've quickly learned that the December 1st time Mom's group is probably not the best one for me, although I am due on December 1st. There haven't been a lot of posts here and I am realizing, by the posts, that I am further along in my pregnancy than the rest of the group. I can answer their questions, since I seem to be a few weeks ahead, but they can't really answer mine. The other two groups, November 2009 and the November 2009 Turkey babies are more helpful. They seem to either be ahead of me or right where I am at in my pregnancy. There is also a lot more response on these two blogs so I like the fact that the RSS reader let's me skim them instead of clicking through everything. This has become a great personal tool and I have used it every day to see what is going on with the other expecting mothers.

On a professional level it also lets me skim through the pieces on the various blogs that I'm interested in. I love the fact that we don't have to visit those sites every day. I skipped over a lot of the pieces and focused on the ones I really wanted to take the time and read. For example, I love Cool Cat Teacher Blog's article on getting rid of traditional textbooks. Since I teach a class that doesn't have a textbook I have seen the best of both worlds. I sometimes long for a textbook for my class, but I love the idea of having textbooks online so that they can constantly be updated, especially history and science books. Besides, we are trying use more technology in the classroom and this would be a great way. I can't wait to see where all of this goes and I found this article something that everyone should read. I'm just glad I had my RSS reader to help me find this article quickly.

Thing #5

As I was looking through my Google Reader, the post that I found the most interesting was the one about Teachers Without Borders Off To Africa. I found it interesting since another teacher that teaches ICT (Information Communications Technology) is a part of the group going to Africa. I love what they are doing and it makes me want to keep track of what they are doing. I'm also interested in finding how I can help out with what they are trying to do.

Thing #4

It is amazing how much blogging has grown. I was actually surprised that one of the blogs I read was from a 5th grader in 2005. I loved looking at this. There were so many great comments that encouraged anyone who struggles in school to keep working. I could see how blogging could be used to encourage our students. School counselors could use this as a way of working with students, since sometimes hearing from another student, instead of an adult, can have a bigger impact. I also like the fact that blogging gives our students the opportunity to use technology. There are so many practical uses for it. As I was looking over the blogs I found one I could use for creative writing. The teacher used the blog to allow her students to communicate with an actual author. What a fantastic idea!

Some of the other blogs I looked at I just found very interesting. I typically don't assign homework so the first blog I looked at was about why a teacher had decided not to assign homework. I agree with almost everything he said and it looked like lots of others agree as well. I found Vicki Davis' blog a little frighting, but very true. I have heard many stories about students using their cell phones to record things in class and it's not always for a good cause. I loved where she talks about the fact that teachers are going to need to start teaching ethics about devices in the classroom. How else are our students going to learn?

Overall, I find blogging very interesting. Especially with the fact that I can see so many different ways to use it in my classroom. I'm actually looking forward to next year when I try this out with my own classes.

Thing #2

I think the the Web 2.0 technologies are great. I have looked at several technologies and I am working on how I can integrate them into my curriculum. Next year I want to see if I can use a Wiki instead of having my students write a traditional research paper. I've also used some of the 2.0 technologies in my personal education. I have a blog (http://jfernandez0013.blogspot.com/) that I use for my cohort class. I also have an e-portfolio (http://sites.google.com/site/mrsfernandezsportfolio/?pli=1) that shows all the work I have done towards my Masters degree so far. As a part of my curriculum we have our students create a portfolio. I am hoping that this year I can have them create one online as well as one they can hand to future employers. With technology becoming such a major factor in the job market I want my students to have something, they can show their potential employers, about their technology skills. Web 2.0 is what our World is coming to and it is important that we keep up with the changes.

Thing #1

I believe that we never should stop learning. I talk to my students about why education is so important. I try to set an example by sharing all the things that I am still learning while I am working to my Masters degree. I'm taking 23 Things so that I can learn new technologies and techniques that I can use in my own learning and to share with my students. I'm really looking forward to see what I can use in my classroom. I think the biggest challenge I will have though, is to remember that I need to have more fun when I'm learning something new. Sometimes I get so focused on what I'm learning that I don't get any real enjoyment out of it.