Thing #12

Today I explored even more tools! I’m going to start dreaming in binary code soon enough. (*Haha that was funny for all you nerds out there). Moving on… Google is one of the most fantabulous tools on the Internet, and when you use it, it’s like having tools within tools. For example there is the ever-famous Google Translator. Now, as a Spanish minor I feel inclined to forewarn you that translating entire texts is generally a very bad idea. Meaning is often lost when you do this because the translator cannot always understand the message because its main job is to translate words. Think about it, if professional translators only translated word for word would they get paid so much? No, they have to decipher words and meaning something that really humans are much better at than computers. So, especially if it is for a class, just translate the words that you do not understand and attempt to discern the meaning using context clues. Furthermore, you will actually learn more using brainpower than just translating whole texts.  Even so, this is a great tool that I use often, and if you have never tried it go ahead and give it a shot. No reason to post the link today—just google “google translator”!

The other tool I decided to use is Google Alerts. All you need to do is type in what you want to hear about, and it will automatically email you every time your topic appears in articles, discussions, etc. I decided to use it to track my favorite football team because I often end up doing homework instead of watching my husband Troy play for the Steelers. However, Teachers are of course more than welcome to use this tool to keep up with popular topics circulating their world such as budget cuts, salaries, and educational studies etc. Once again, if you’re interest just google for the alerts and get yourself all set up.

Happy googling! 

Thing #11

 *Sorry I had to change the font color. Today blogger hates me, so this is a perfect example of adapting when technology wants to be asinine*

In this activity I explored Google Reader further and searched for more blogs using different searching tools. Before, I had just searched using Google Reader’s search bar, but I now know that you can use your Reader to subscribe to blogs and news feeds outside the website.

For me, the easiest one to use was http://www.topix.net. This website follows news discussions and is not really for blogging. I used it to search for discussions about “school 2.0” and found many discussion boards. It was slightly unusual at first, but once I took the time to understand my search results I really liked it. The search results look more like an “Ask Jeeves” results page, but it is fairly simple to use. This tool would be useful for educators who wish to stay informed on the latest topics regarding their careers.

On the other hand, there was this not so great website. In any case, I did not like using it simply because of the layout. It was just really bright and hard to focus. There is really too much happening on the webpage for it to be effective by my standards. Now, you all may very well like this website so I will post the link anyways: http://technorati.com.

Finally, if you do not like any of the two listed above or cannot find any website designed for searching blogs, I highly recommend doing it the old-fashioned way. Google. Really, all you must do is google what type of blog you are looking for and something almost always comes up in your favor.

Good Luck out there & Happy Blogging

Thing #10

*Yay!!! Finally made it to double digits!*

Continuing on my journey through technological resources, I discovered RSS (really simple syndication).  This tool allows you to use your gmail account to subscribe to various blogs and news feeds automatically. it ultimately saves time because it will automatically notify you of any updates from your subscriptions. i no longer have to waste my life away checking blogs and news cites simply to find out that nothing new has occurred!

This tool is brilliant! I love it because there are so many options to subscribe to and follow. The feeds I subscribe to I believe will actually be relevant to my teaching career. For instance, I am following a blog that posts suggested readings for AP Lit classes. For my own personal gain, I am following a blog that reviews new books that I might be interested in! Finally, I think teachers everywhere can benefit from this easy to use tool because you can search for virtually anything pertaining to your class. Anyone who follows more than one blogging site should definitely sign up. Its free! As always the link is posted below :)

http://www.google.com/reader

Thing #9

Today I explored the wonderful world of Wordle. This neat little website is a text generator. All you have to do is insert the text you want to use into the box and hit “GO”. The generator automatically arranges the words in an abstract-like design. You can actually go back and change color schemes, layout, and even font.

I believe that this generator could potentially be used in the classroom to help students who learn visually remember key words and phrases. Also, I believe you could make posters to put up in the classroom as a visual aid. Either way, this site has potential so check it out along with some of the examples below.

www.wordle.com

Thing #8

This time I’ve gone a little deeper into the world of Flickr and created something wholly new. Mashups are neat little tools that combine various aspects of Flickr and any other app of your choosing. I chose to use the Mosaic Maker and created these neat little photo mosaics by entering tags. While the asthetic quality is loads of fun, and even habit-forming, I think this would be a great way to visualize themes in a novel.

My A.P. Literature teacher gave us “Major Works Data Sheets”. They were specially designed to organize key parts of a novel (theme, character, plot, climax, symbols, etc) so that the students could review all the novels before the big test at the end of the year. So, I had the idea that students could take the assignment one step further and incorporate the Mosaic Maker.

The idea is to let the students pick one of the categories listed on their MWDS and create a mosaic that illustrates the category. It’s an excellent way to get more visuals to students who learn with pictures, and it only takes a few seconds to make. Really, the only extra work involved is LOOKING at the mosaic.

Below are a few examples a student might create using The Lovely Bones. Overall, it seems like it could end up being a really awesome tool to use in the classroom.

Oh, and the link is posted below :)

Setting of the novel:

Symbols from the novel:

Theme from the novel:

http://bighugelabs.com/mosaic.php

Thing #7

Following up on Thing #6, Thing #7 covers the wonderful world of sharing photos across the Internet. These photos can be seen according to the individual’s privacy settings, and surprisingly even the Library of Congress has found neat little ways to make photo sharing educational. With the use of tags, groups, and categories it is possible to find almost any picture posted on the Flickr website.

On my personal quest for pictures I chose to search by date, and I decided to look specifically at my birthday February 6^th. I happened across a breath-taking photo of the Milwaukee harbor at sunrise. As an added bonus I would like to point out that I just so happen to be from Milwaukee, WI. This mere coincidence got me thinking about how Flickr could be used in the classroom to view random locations.

Sure, Google Earth can be used to look at places around the globe, but to me these photos always held a sort of still-life quality. By using Flickr students could search tags and see real life from various parts of the world. They could compare and contrast what they see with textbook descriptions and personal bias. The students could even communicate with other users and learn more about a place from a firsthand representative. While this may not exactly pertain to an English class the potential for greatness is still present.

The Picture and the link, and information are posted below :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jweral/5421730813/

*This photo was taken by JWEral

*This photo was taken on February 5, 2011 in Downtown, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, using a Nikon D90. (Posted on February 6, 2011).

Thing #6

I gotta say that I absolutely love my laptop. There is so much stuff on there that I absolutely need, stuff that I enjoy, and I’m sure there’s even some important stuff on there that I’ve completely forgotten about. And if my laptop ever decides to go on the fritz, I am totally 100% screwed.

Today we have so much stuff! Music, photos, recipes, school assignments, work projects, and tax information all of them saved onto a computer somewhere. Oh and then you think you’re all clever because you back up your hard drive.

And may I ask you, when was the last time you actually backed up your hard drive?

And may I ask you still, where exactly is that backup stored?

Oh, it’s stored at home…where you can only access it at home…which is pretty much useless unless you happen to be at home when you need one of your files.

Well, maybe the above situation works for you, but personally I am terrible at backing up my files because I just kinda don’t have the time. And frankly, when I do have the time I would much rather spend it doing nothing. That, dear readers, is where Mozy comes in.

Mozy is an online storage system that AUTOMATICALLY backs up all the files you want it. Simply download the tiny sliver of software needed select the files you want backed up and how often you want Mozy to keep track of them and bada-bing-bada-boom you are ready to go. Really it’s that easy.

The best part is that you can access these files anywhere you might happen to be whenever you might happen to need them. Okay, you need internet, but finding internet is almost like finding air. It’s usually pretty accesable.

So all you future teachers out there, you can use this site to back up those precious lesson plans, or upload those fine examples of past students’ writing and projects. Everything will be in one safe and easy to access place. You won’t have to have files of worn out papers to show your students year after year.

Unfortunately, it costs $5 a month, but I’m sure you’ve spent more on your Netflix.

Here’s the site if you’d like to check it out. Be sure to watch their neat little information/tutorial video!

http://mozy.com/

Thing #5

Time changes the world around us. We learn to adapt to the new culture. We learn to embrace the necessary technologies to survive in a technologically competitive universe. What we have yet to fully change is the way we educate our youth. Sure, we have begun to use computers in the classroom and boy do those students love using the SmartBoards. Still, for the most part schools have yet to recognize the power of social networking sites, cell phones, and other technologies students almost certainly use outside of the classroom.

Student 1: “Did you see the picture of Jane posted on facebook last night?”

Student 2: “Yes! I couldn’t believe my eyes!”

Now imagine if the conversation went more like this:

Student 1: “Did you see the combustion experiment Mr. Jones posted last night on the chemistry homepage?”

Student 2: “Yes! I couldn’t believe my eyes! It helped me understand the homework better too when I can see what actually happens. It’s a lot better than just reading the book.”

So the above example demonstrates where I’m coming from. The internet today, Web 2.0 is interactive. You can search, you can post, you can learn. It is no secret that interaction is hugely important to overall success in school and life. We cannot keep pretending that the traditional school will be able to prepare students for their future. I will admit they are adequately prepared for their past. I mean really…encyclopedias in the library? I promise you that by the end of their first semester in college students will be wondering why the spent so much time learning to use an encyclopedia when not a single college professor allows it as a resource. Why? Because the information is old. Printed information is old—its years old before it even goes to the publisher. Then the students will use those textbooks to learn old information that may actually be rivaled by current information.

School 2.0 is coming (I hope) because these students need to be prepared for the future. These students need to become active in their learning, and these teachers need to strike while the iron is hot. We need to think outside the box and begin to redefine how the internet can be used. We need to bring structured learning outside the classroom and not just hope that the students will learn how to incorporate technology on their own. We need to do what it takes and find the funding to make School 2.0 happen.

After all, if you build it, they will come.

Thing #4

Commenting is a good- no great way to increase a sense of community and value in your blog (Like frosted flakes. Get it? “They’re more than good…”). Why post something publically if no one even cares or is ever going to read it? Sure, you can creep on your own statistics and see how many people view you blog, but this does not necessarily translate into how many people actually read your blog.  Thus we have comments. Use them people!

Why use them? Truthfully, I only used them to kill time, or if I thought the author had absolutely no clue what they were talking about. Which is more or less wrong. In any case I have seen the light, and believe that commenting in a positive way is incredibly productive to both the author and the blogging community.  The author feels important and the readers feel as though they are welcomed and contributing. All in all, everybody wins if you open your blog to comments.

I chose to follow 7 blogs (5 from my class and 2 from other classes). I chose these blogs because the authors actually put thought into their work. Frankly, I have a pretty low attention span and if I’m not interested in what you’re saying I’m not going to continue to read. If I’m reading your blog I actually care what you think for a moment in time…might as well take advantage of the situation.  I chose to leave positive comments on the following blogs to encourage them to keep up the good work and give my own positive responses. The blogs are listed below! Check them out and leave ‘em some comments.

Amy's 3040 Blog  by: Amy Mills
Candice Casaday  by: Candice Casaday
Lauren Grizzard - 23 Things  by: Lauren Grizzard
My 23 Things EDU 3040  by: Bola Oydade
Sarah's 23 Things  by: Sarah Coker
Stephanie Voris' 3040 Blog  by: Stephanie Voris
Technology  by: Beverly Oliphant

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