The Last Thing

I have learned so much during this exercise.  I came into this class with little interest in many of the things we have worked on and had never heard of the term Web 2.0.  My favorite new tool is the RSS reader.  I love getting all my favorite information at one location.  RSS is not the only tool that I plan to continue to use.  Gliffy is a great asset to make diagrams for my classes as are the comic strip generators.  As for keeping up with all the information and changing tools, I am going to have to keep visiting the sites we have explored during this class.  Likehacker is another site that I have bookmarked to keep myself updated.  This assignment lends itself to life long learning.  I have now learned how to use technology.  I am no longer hesitant to try the new things on the Internet.   

As for this assignment, I think it was very useful.  The only item that I did not like was having to make so many new accounts.  The course was well developed though because no accounts required you to purchase anything to use them to get the project completed.  The instructions were also helpful.  With few exceptions, I was able to accomplish the assignments without too much difficulty.

Thing #23

Creative Commons is a great asset in this new collaborative, information sharing world that we live.  During this course I created a lesson plan where I can teach my classes about Creative Commons.  With so much information readily available, it is imperative that students learn and retain the necessary abilities to conduct scholarly research.  In the mentioned lesson plan, students will review the basics of copyright and the creative commons license.  I teach social studies.  I believe that one lasting legacy students take with them from its study is the ability to read, analyze, research, and write about what they have learned.  Students must know how to document others work properly in order to accomplish this.

Below is an example from the 23 Things site that demonstrates the information on the site was taken from another site.  I took this from the Thing #6 instructions.  I copied the below information from that page.

Photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/circulating/254126209/

Thing #22

Copy of 1920's to World War II Unit

http://livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=128642

Livebinders is causing me more trouble than any other thing I have done so far.  I think I have finally figured it out though.  Click on the link above to view my Roaring Twenties to World War II slides.  I created a binder for that unit, as well as one containing my EOC reviews and some test reviews.  I thought is was much easier to embed websites.  I found this site to be cumbersome.  I initially had a really hard time getting the site to upload my documents properly.  This site requires alot of trial and error.  This makes it more difficult to use in the classroom, because I do not have the time to be the technical advisor to all my students trying to access this site.  This site does not due anything really unique that other sites designed for education do not already do.  I can see where this would be a good collaborative tool, but you can use online document sites to do the same thing.   I can use del.icio.us and Engrade to provide all the same information to my students without the headache.  I am not a fan of this site, but I hope you like my binder. 

Thing #21

I never heard of Animoto before this assignment.  I found the site really easy to use.  I used some pictures from Kuwait and Iraq to make the video.  The only negative is the music on the site.  The only music I knew was in the classical section.  I wish I had this when I was in school.  It can make presentations so much cooler.  I will have to try this site out some more. 

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Thing #20

I may not have used many of the items we have used in this class before it started, but YouTube is one that I have used quite a bit.  YouTube is great to find short clips to show in your class.  You can find great clips from movies, or a skit just to lighten the day a little bit.  You can also find instructional videos to teach students about numerous topics.  The video I chose is about what great teachers do.  I really like the point the presenter is making.  The problem with YouTube is that many school systems block access to the site.  I do not know the basis for this decision, but it does make using this site hard to accomplish.  My opinion is that if you are going to trust the teacher to educate children, you should trust the teacher to use this resource appropriately.  To me this point is made in this video.  Great teachers will use this resource to educate. 

Thing #19

I signed up for a Teacher Pop account.  I am a member of one veteran online community.  I don't think I will sign up for any of the others ones I saw through this activity, but I did find a few I found interesting.  I like the educational networking site.  I like sites that give you simple lists to follow and that's exactly what this one does.  So in the future, if I wanted to find another community, I would go here first to start my search.  The playlist site was another that I really liked.  I have used Pandora quite a bit, but I found playlist more to my liking.  It allowed me to go directly to the band and song that I wanted to hear.  Shelfari and Good Reads were also ones that interested me.  I read quite a bit and these are great sites to find information on the latest books out there.  Finally, the open source food site looks great.  We use cooks.com quite a bit and this looks like another great site to find recipes.  

Thing #18

I set up a twitter account.  We had a facebook account at one time.  We did not like it and frankly found it intrusive.  Facebook has a ton of applications.  You can share photos, play games, communicate to a group, or individually.  You can do much of the same things on twitter.  I like twitter better because it is more to the point.   It is more about information to me than anything else.  I found setting up my twitter account easy to accomplish.  I also like the things you can follow.  I quickly hooked up to my undergrad alumni organization, my current education technology professor, a fellow teacher, and the scholastic teach twitter account.  Following people and tweeting is easy to do.  I like the quick updates I get from the people/groups I am following.  This is the link to my twitter account:  http://twitter.com/PCarneal

I did not gain any news insights because of this exercise.  I do, however, find it extremely important for educators to understand social networking.  I teach at the secondary level and it seems that virtually all of our students are a member of at least one of these sites.  We need understanding to reach our students and to have that we must understand what is going on in their lives.  These sites, whether or not they ever become part of the curriculum, affect our schools.  Students communicate with one another on them and they also use these sites for negative purposes at times.  Administrators and guidance counselors see the negative effects of these sites on an almost daily basis.  Students are bullying one another through these sites and other things that I do not want to even mention in this forum.  Part of the educational process is teaching students how to operate in society.  These sites are part of our society and by understanding what is going on thru them we can educate our children on the proper way to act even in a virtual community.

I like Twitter more than Facebook, but they both can be used in education.  I believe one day they will.  It is another way that I can instruct my students.  If I am going to be out one day unexpectedly, I could use these sites to update my students to any activity change.  I can send out a tweet reminding students of required materials one day.  I could even send out a message because I see a cool program coming on TV that has implications for my classes. 

Thing #17

I enjoyed learning about these social bookmarking sites.  I went on to the APSU del.icio.us account, Digg, and Stumbleupon.  Of the three, I found Stumbleupon to be the one I liked the least.  It would not let you explore much of the site without creating an account.  I want to be able to see what it can do before I create an account.  Digg and del.icio.us allow you to view just about everything on their site as a visitor.  I really like the categories on Digg and how it pops up the most digged stories.  Del.icio.us also had many useful features.  Del.icio.us's tagging process is great that allows you total freedom to organize your material.

These sites are great to use in the classroom.  On del.icio.us I can create tags for any topic I choose.  So, I could create a tag called World War I research.  From there I can research sites, scan them, and then tag those I find useful.  I then share these with my class so they now have a list of approved sites to explore.  I can do this for any topic, project, or assignment in class.  This provides me an excellent tool to support a student's research. 

Teachers can use this is much the same way.  We can add this to our collaboration kit bag.  We can share sites, stories, and publications on an unlimited amount of education material.  It is just another way to get the best information out to colleagues. 

I think this is a function we will see a great deal in school in the coming years.  Great tool.

Thing #16

I went with the google applications.  I found them simple to use and liked how they interface with one another.  With my igoogle webpage, I could link to my gmail account and to my google calendar.  I looked at the other pages and calendars, but this feature aided me in my decision to choose the google applications.  To me, it is very similar to the backpack application in that it puts most of my web 2.0 material along with additional personal items on one setting for me.  Another advantage to using the google applications is that through this account I also have instant access to my reader. I will continue to use this as my personal page and have already saved it as such.

The online calendar is very useful to me.  I now have my calendar wherever I go.  It is easy to search and easy to add to from the igoogle home page.  I did not find the to do lists very useful.  For one, it would mean navigating to another site from what I saw.  I searched google for an application on its own, but did not find one.  I did notice that Remember the Milk could be linked through my google accounts.  If I end up choosing to use a to do lists, I will go with Remember the Milk.  I do not find a need to use this because the calendar provides my to do list for me.

As for the backpack feature, I do not see that being useful to me at school or at home.  It has some great sharing features, but Engrade provides that for me already.  Through engrade, students have access to their attendance, grades, and assignments.  I can send messages to single students or to classes as a whole.  Engrade provides the functionality I need for communicating with my students.  If I need more information sharing, I would like at setting up a wiki to allow for peer to peer collaboration.

Thing #15

I have been a fan of wikis for many years, but I never knew what they meant.  I just thought it was a pretty cool encyclopedia to get some basic info.  In fact, I wrote one of my previous posts on that topic.  Wikis are a great way to put out information for the class.  Wikis promote a collaborative environment where all students can comment.  You need to have some controls in place to keep comments appropriate, but that is not different than what you do in the classroom as a teacher.  This is an especially good tool for distance classes.  It can be used as an alternate method for class projects and presentations.  As with all things Web 2.0, wikis enable us to share what we know and gain insight from others. 

I found this exercise easy to accomplish.  I am not at the level of creating my own site, but I am comfortable with joining a wiki and manipulating that site.  In my class, I would use wikis to provide common information for my classes that are not found in text.  This provides the students with a common place to gather material for the class.   

Thing #14

I had to create a free account with Gliffy, but I used it to create a Venn diagram.  This is an excellent tool to create diagrams and charts for your classroom.  It seems to be a little quicker to accomplish than using PowerPoint to create.  On the other hand, PowerPoint has more functionality in my opinion.  Below is a screenshot of the Venn I created.  For the other history geeks out there, do not judge too harshly.  I did this on the fly.  I am in no way suggesting that these are the only similarities and differences between these leaders.

I used bubl.us to create a brainstorming chart.  I have a copy of it below as well.

As for functionality, I think the flowcharts are more useful for the classroom teacher.  I routinely use Venn diagrams and Flowcharts in the classes I teach.  The mindmapping can be a fun exercise, but it can just as easily be accomplished using the white board or chalkboard.  I use technology to make things easier.  If it does not do that, I will use whatever is readily available.  I could see using the mindmapping more at home while in class I would more likely use the old school method.  

Thing #13

Setting up the account in Zoho was really easy.  It let you on the site with your google password.  For some sharing functions it required some additional security measures.  I made a short document and spreadsheet in Zoho.  They functioned much like MS Office applications.  I was able to use the shortcut keys I am familiar with and the same formulas from excel.   Google was a little more seamless, but I equate that to their bundling of services.  I cut and paste from existing word documents that I had in my files.  The coolest function that I found on Google was the ability to save as a word document.  This is great for those that may now have access to MS office, but will once they get back to their own computer.  You can save as whatever file format you want.  I found the two systems very similar.  The first difference I found was the additional security function for Zoho.  Again, I attribute that to the Google bundle.  I found Google easier to manipulate between your document and your file listing.  Zoho either did not have the button labeled well or it was not there.  I had to minimize between the two.  For Google, I could work on my creation and then it documents to see everything else that I had saved.  I like Google the best primarily because of the download function and the existing account.  I find both are useful.  One of the many advantages of these systems is that they save money.  A student can use these systems to do school work without having to spend additional money on software.  Just another way to save money with technology. 

Thing #12

I have learned a great deal about Google since starting this course.  I have used Google for years now, but only as a search engine.  I always saw the other buttons, but never tried them out.  I tried the Google Calendar, but I did not find that useful for me.  I did really like Google Alerts.  I set up an alert on the Cold War.  This will enable me to find news quickly that I can use in my history classroom.  I plan to set up an alert for all major periods we study.  This application is great for teachers.  Google Alerts does my daily research for me.  I can simply check my email account and have new information to supplement my text book.  What a great resource for the classroom teacher. 

Thing #11

I found that using the search tools on Google and Topix were the best ways to subscribe to new blogs.  Searching in a traditional way led me to more sites that were not linked to RSS feeds.  Between Google and Topix, I once again found Google to be the most user friendly.  Topix was decent, but it tended to send me to their own pages.  Google gave me separate sites that I wanted to use.  I found some great feeds from Education Week.  Their site had a ton of information.  You could also categorize within their own site to limit what you would receive from them.  I found ways to get feeds through subsequent sites that I checked as well.  This is really easy once you figure out what a feed is all about.  Great stuff to find info about teaching and about your subject.

Thing #10

This might be the coolest thing I have learned about so far.  I constantly, or should I say was constantly, checking every website that I like for the latest information.  Now I have it all at my finger tips with one simple log in.  I can now quickly scan one site to find out everything I want to know.  I subscribed to 4 news sites (Tennessean, Fox, CNN, & MSNBC), 2 sports sites (ESPN & CBS), and 2 educational sites (National Geographic & History Teacher).  I think this is an extremely useful tool that gets me the information I want in an instant.  As for teacher use, you can subscribe to multiple sites and get topical information to use in your class.  I can put this site on the projector and use it to start my class each day.  We can pick a topic and discuss the story.  We can then compare it to something we are studying or how something we are studying in my history class has contributed to this event.  I am now a big fan of the RSS. 

Thing #9

                                    

This is the link I used to create these images.  http://www.txt2pic.com/toons/2.htm

There are many ways I could use this in the classroom.  The middle picture is a take on the History Channel show "Swamp People."  I can use popular culture items to get the class's attention.  The bottom one is obviously joking around about the Lincoln Memorial.  I can take items of historical significance and have some fun with my students.  I believe that a key to classroom management is keeping children engaged.  One method of doing this is to have a little fun with your students.  I can also use these pictures to get students to use their critical thinking skills.  The top picture shows a farmer saying that this depression doesn't seem any different than last year.  I could ask the students what the farmer means by this statement.  The answer is that the depression was not much different for many farmers.  The boom times of the 1920's were actually hard times for farmers as well.  Therefore, the depression was not that different for them.

I used the comic strip generator for this work.  I found this site to be the easiest to use for the novice level.  The link is above.

Thing #8

I used Big Huge Labs to create this photo.  This can be a useful application much like the comic strip generators.  I am still very hesitant about what type of photo to share.  I think you have to remain cognizant of what other people want posted about them on the web.  I went through alot of my own photos just to find one that I was willing to share.  You can take photos and add captions or quotes to use in presentations.  You can also use these to make items for the teams you coach.  Mashups rock! 

Thing #7

Great picture of President Reagan in Berlin.  It took me a while to find a photo that was not copyrighted, but it was well worth it.  Flickr is an easy to use site that I found easy to use. 

This is the link to this photo on the National archives flickr site.  I can really use this is my class.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/4092170995/

Thing #6

Its one of the older tools, but I still love Wikipedia.  It has many great applications that place a ton of information in your fingerprints quickly.  If I have a quick question that I need answered quickly, I can use this tool to get a basic understanding.

Wikipedia is very user friendly.  I never get extraneous pop ups and it usually puts you close to the information you are looking for at the time.  You don't have to worry about having to sign in or download another application.  The information is their and shared quickly.  I like some of the search refinement options that enable you to search via general subjects if you do not know something specific about the topic you are researching.  You can go through the content list, pick a subject, time period, or event to find information. 

The only thing I do not like about this site is that it can contain inaccurate information.  You have to be careful and be sure to verify the information.  I would not recommend using items on this site in referenced works.  Its function is in basic information not detailed academic work. 

In addition to quick searches, I like to use this site expand my research.  I will use Wikipedia to search what I know and use the results to find additional topics that interest me.  I use this site in my own classroom at times to introduce topics that are not in the text or require additional information.  As discussed, its applications are extensive.  In the school or library setting, it serves the same role that the old encyclopedia section served when I was in grade school. 

Thing #5

School 2.0 is simply the impact of Web 2.0 on our education system.  School 2.0 focuses on the ever changing way in which the computer and internet is used.  Primarily, it is about using the interactive and collaborative technologies to share data, communicate, network, comment on data, and network with students and teacher. 

School 2.0's most essential aspect is that it demonstrates the many different ways that learning can occur.  Learning does not have to occur in a classroom, a school building, or with an instructor present.  School 2.0 fosters lifelong learning traits. 

School 2.0 is critical to the future of our schools.  It provides functionality to classrooms never experienced.  It also provides flexibility not present prior to its development.  We live in a mobile society and School 2.0 supports this mobility.  It provides students and teachers access to information instantaneously.  As a secondary teacher, I have virtually unlimited access to sources that supplement the text.  School 2.0 aids scholarly research in the same fashion.  School 2.0 does add additional demands on the student or researcher to verify sources. 

As with many topics already discussed, there truly are unlimited ways that this technology can change education.  I have heard of school districts experimenting with e-readers and IPADs in lieu of textbooks as another example.  As we continue to experiment with web 2.0 we will continue to see the education system change. 

Thing #4

For me the biggest reason to comment on blogs is that it contributes to the process.  This process inherently develops a sense of community.  The author creates his or her thoughts, others read them, and dialogue is created through this action.  A blog can serve as a journal, a diary, a personal conversation, and a classroom discussion all in one.  On one of the suggested sites, the author commented that if people did not want others to read and comment on their blog then they should write a diary keeping it locked away.  I find that thought very true.  Blogs are about sharing your thoughts and ideas.  For us to grow through this information sharing, we need discussion on the topics addressed on the blog.  Blogs give everyone a voice.  You no longer have to depend on an editor's generosity to get your ideas publish.  You get to publish yourself.  You can draw attention to yourself and to your ideas instantly.   

I found a couple of additional thoughts about the blogging process that I had not thought before blogging myself.  For one, do not be too quick to judge whether the author is responding to his or her comments.  The author has so many options to respond that he just may not respond on the blog.  Another is that it is important to be humble and gracious when responding to comments on your own blog.  Blogging is about sharing ideas.  You want people to listen to your comments, so be respectful to someones comment at the same time.

I commented on the following blogs: Jay Man Live's 23 Things, 21st Century Education, Workman Discovering Web 2.0, K. Leigh Edwards, and Rocks by Wheels.  I also looked at the Education Week blogs and the History News Networks blog.  On the 2 outside the class blogs, I found great topical content that was easily accessible.  They had their information grouped in such a way that I could quickly find a topic and comment on items of interest.  I particularly enjoyed the parts on common curriculum and on how 9-11 has changed the way we teach history.  On Jay Man's blog, I commented on the google applications.  As I have stated in my own blogs, Google is a great resource.  It is user friendly and has plenty of useful application.  The truly follow the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stup&*)  On the 21st Century Ed site, I commented on You Tube use.  I think You Tube is a great asset.  The problem is that it is blocked at many schools.  We need the school systems to understand its educational applications.  I agreed with Workman's blog about accepting responsibility.  The issue is we need to get the other 2 people in each desk to do the same.  In other words, we need the student and the parent to help with that as well.  I really like the news feeds and thats what I commented on K. Leigh Edwards' blog about.  Its great to have the information coming straight to you.  Finally, I commented on the Rocks by Wheels blog.  It is so awesome to have all these resources available to supplement your teaching.  You have mentors, tips, and great ideas that you can get anytime you need some help. 

Thing #3

There are virtually unlimited ways to use a blog in the education arena.  Teacher education and teaching in general are the areas these comments focus.  For teacher education, a blog provides an excellent format for students to collaborate.  Students can view other classmate's  post, discuss them, make suggestions, and in some ways debate the views with submissions of their own.  Teachers across a school system, region, or even nationally can use this tool to collaborate with one another.  They need to be careful about what information they post, but they can definitely speak to one another about classroom experiences.  Blogs are excellent tools to broadcast the latest discovery in any classroom.  You can share the information learned immediately allowing other schools, students, and teachers the ability to work on the same information.  Teachers can share lesson plans with one another and their own reflection from teaching that lesson.  Students can use the blog to mentor one another.  All parties can use a blog as their own journal.  The items discussed are just a few ways to use a blog.  There truly are unlimited options in using a blog.

Thing #2

This has been so much easier than I thought it would be to accomplish.  The posting name was pretty easy to choose since we are labeling all posts as their thing number.  I named my blog classroom tech then added my name.  I wanted to focus on the technology aspect so that is why I put it in the title.  I thought about adding something about history to my blog name, but decided against it.

As I stated at the start of this, creating the blog was much easier than I expected.  I had my biggest problem with adding the avatar to the blog, but I quickly learned that it was user error.  I did not have any issues making the avatar.  I did not follow the directions properly about adding under the html script.  Had I read that portion, I would have completed this much quicker.

I designed the avatar to represent me.  I usually wear a hat and I almost always have a coffee cup with me, particularly anytime in the morning.  I wanted the avatar to represent me because this blog is about my thoughts and the items I am learning.  

Thing #1

Lifelong learning is one item that both my high school teachers and undergraduate professors stressed as essential for professionals.  It is a trait that I try to embody and one I find greatly rewarding.  I have learned that no matter what you major in during your undergraduate years, you never know where life will take you or what direction your career will take.  The easiest part of this process is reading about subjects that interest me.  I feel that I accept responsibility for my learning and work to continue to expand my horizons.  I majored in history, have served as a military officer in various capacities for the past 11 years, and I now teach history at the secondary level.  I routinely read about history, government, and various other social studies disciplines.  I enjoy this, I have worked in such fields, and it is easy for me to accomplish.  

What I do not do well is use technology to my advantage.  This is mostly because of not being comfortable with something new.  The hardest part is getting into topics that I do not have a strong background or work experience.  I do not have a Facebook, and I never thought about blogging or establishing a twitter account prior to this course.  I would rate my technical abilities as moderate, but I do not step out of the box to try new technology.  I routinely feel like I am the last one to get an ipod or to set up wireless in my house.  Basically, I do not get involved into things that I do not know or understand.

What I have learned so far is that this new technology is very user friendly and it is not something that I should fear.  I did not experience any problems setting up this blog.  If I needed help with something, one question to a more experience friend or a help search would get the task accomplished.  I am very excited about this class.  It has provided me the tools not only to use technology in my classroom better, but to do so efficiently so that its development is not a burden on my time.