Flowgram Presentation

I think the version with the Flowgram presentation was a little too involved because I had such a basic concept for my lesson. If I were teaching how molecules bond to one another for a chemistry lesson I think Flowgram would be great, especially since we can embed web pages, so virtual tutorials can be included and it is always good to have a visual with such a complex concept. Images are images, without text or direct instruction, students can perceive images in a totally different way, a way that you had not intended them to.

I think Flowgram is an awesome tool to show how to do something or give a presentation on new software to teachers. I'm positive I'll be back to use it whenever I find it will enhance my lesson. Unfortunately, I had MAJOR problems with loading my PPT into Flowgram. I tried with slideshare and empressor and got the same error message, ARGH! I finally got my PPT to load into the Web 2.0 tool called authorSTREAM. It's basically the same as flowgram, but your audio has to be pre-recorded into your presentation. FLowgram is WAY easier to use, but this was a good learning experience:)

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by skimmy2181

I also had trouble embedding my PPT into my blog, it takes up the most of the screen, but the presentation works fine. I wanted you to be able to actually read what I blogged about, so I tried thumbnailing it and it takes you the authorSTREAM page with my presentation but no sound. HMPH, so I guess the one with the sound is better, but how will you be able to read my blog?

I'll embed the thumbnail for now, any suggestions? Okay, now my sound isn't working, but at least now the presentation isn't taking up too much space! Any suggestions?

I finally got my PPT repositioned, but there's still no sound. I contacted them and hopefully they'll be able be able to remedy my problem.

Is this the end or just the beginning?

I had the most fun getting familiar with Flickr and Animoto, creating my avatar wasn't too bad either, I have a bunch of backgrounds and outfits saved in m favorites.  Completing the 23 things has introduced me to SO many tools and options that I probably wouldn't have found or completed if I didn't have to do this exercise.  I am totally addicted to Web 2.0 tools, I find myself thinking that I can use them for almost anything and suggesting some tools to other class mates in my other courses.  I think the social bookmarking will be the most helpful tool as a teacher because I will have an online library of endless sites that I may need in the future.  

I think the 23 things has been appropriately modified from the 43 things due to the time constraints of this semester.  I truly enjoyed this whole "Thing", yes the pun was intended :)

Thing #23

If we haven't already noticed on the bottom of the 23 things page there is a *note* to give credit to the website 43things and the article by Stephen Abram.  Of course we need to give credit when it is needed, and I know we have all borrowed or modified lessons from the internet.  I have never really had a problem with that, but at least I know I can get licensing rights for my own creations. I will also make sure that my students are giving credit to whomever when using things that aren't theirs.  Online plagiarism is unacceptable.

Thing #22

I listened to "Philosophy of Education" from the Education Podcast Network, very insightful as far as how educators are supposed to pull all the subject matters into a cohesive way that students will be able to understand and take something away from the lesson.  The people had pleasing voices, which is pretty important because I don't really want to listen to an annoying voice.

I liked EPN the best because of the organization of the categories and it didn't have a lot of advertisements on the sidebar.  I think if I ever teach an online class, podcasts would be an invaluable tool, but I prefer face to face instruction, especially with elementary children.  Maybe podcasts would be more appropriate for older students.  I get really bored listening to people talk without visuals, so I don't think I'll regularly listen to many podcasts.

Thing #21

What a quick and easy way to turn your pictures into life!  I fully enjoyed using Animoto because it was SO easy and another because I can share my pictures through an musical slideshow.  This is a clip of my trip out to L.A., visiting my cousin.  He took me everywhere!  There was a "Koreatown", talk about culture shock.  I took pictures upon landing, I was glad to come back to TN.  Animoto called for at least 10 pics, but all ten weren't included, but other than that I had a great time using it.

Thing #20

I attended the Bonnaroo Festival this summer and it was so much fun! I didn't think I'd find anything from it on YouTube, but to my surprise, there's an endless list of performances that people recorded! I didn't bring my camcorder because I didn't think there would be anywhere to charge it, there weren't too many electrical outlets there in Manchester, TN. I was only about 50 feet from the stage during this performance. I saw Jack Johnson and all time favorite Pearl Jam in one night!  Some of those screams are certainly coming from me.

Thing #19

I think it's kind of neat to see who you share a birthday with, I have the same birthday as Leonardo Da Vinci! :) Try it out, it was so easy to embed this widget!

Obviously I'm a member of TeacherPop, and I think I am going to continue visiting! I like being able to connect with fellow teachers and it's great to see friendly faces! I am thinking about joining "Bake Space", but with so many other blogs, 'm going to have to try and find more time! I feel a little guilty just reading and not posting anything, but I still enjoy reading about cooking and other people's mishaps.

Thing #18

I have a MySpace account that I haven't checked in over 6 months and I totally forgot that I set up a facebook account my first semester at APSU, that was over five years ago! I really like facebook, http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=63704116&ref=name,
come and visit me, I want friends! It's so different than MySpace because it took my APSU email and instantly connected me with people from my school that I might know, and I did know some people and recognized a few names. For some reason my email isn't ready to be supported yet, but as soon as it is I'll find friends. For some reason I think facebook is more innocent than MySpace....I see a lot of people without P.O.P! That's just their home picture :)

I'd rather set up my own class blog rather than using either of these social networking sites. I know my students might have their own personal account, but the key word is "personal". I'd like to monitor what they are seeing and their comments, just to make sure it's school appropriate. Although, it's important that teachers are familiar with social networks for the class or to collaborate with other teachers. For example, facebook! I can be friends with people who have the same interests as me with just a few clicks, unlike MySpace where I'm scrolling through millions of pictures to find who I want.

Thing #17

Social Bookmarking sites are an awesome way to share your relevant sites with everyone. It almost takes away the need for my bookmarks tab in my browser, I'll keep the ones I use the most on it, but plan on getting used to using delicious! I can look under tags, share and store my sites, I'm really excited about this! This could be extremely beneficial to teachers because there are so many people networking, that a teacher can multiply their resources by A LOT! It's nice to have the option and share ideas with other people, especially due to the amount of of websites available to us!

The tags are extremely useful, because I might think "Oh, I need something for sight words, but someone else has tagged it spelling patterns, I have conveniently stumbled onto other useful information. 21 Classes had 10 different tags by 918 people! Imagine the possibilities. :)

Thing #16

I created a start page using iGoogle, but I already have a home/start page with Yahoo, and I really don't see the point in having two separate ones to check. I guess since I am so used to using my Yahoo home page (but I use Google for everything else), I stick with my Yahoo. My main email address is established and has been for over 10 years with Yahoo, I should just transfer all of it to iGoogle. But both are basically the same and I should be more loyal to Google, considering when I log into my computer, I go from my Yahoo homepage, check my email and feeds, and then go right to Google :)

I'm not a fan of online calendars, because it may remind me of stuff I need to know for the day, but usually I'm out doing stuff and I don't tend to tote my laptop everywhere I go. I need to be constantly reminded I make a list and carry it around with me and cross off what's been done. The list is worth me, so I won't forget and I don't have to be at my computer to be reminded. Although, I think when I start teaching it will be extremely useful, because I'll be in the classroom most of the day and I can have little reminders from my calendar right there in my room. To-do lists are too much work! Like I said, it's so much easier and force of habit that I'd rather have a paper, tangible list, but again, in the classroom, they'll probably be a lifesaver. I tend to lose track of time easily, so calendars and to-do lists will probably be a must in the classroom.

I have made the mistake of not copying the full URL on many occasions! I get so irritated, ARGH! Especially with journal articles from ERIC, there's this magical little thing called Tiny Url. All you have to do is drag the icon into your toolbar and PRESTO, that HUGE URL is now shortened into something short and sweet. There's directions if you can't copy and paste.

Thing #15

1001 Flat World Tales is an awesome blog, mainly because it's international! How cool to be able to read, comment, or edit other kids stories and blogs. Although, I did notice that there hasn't been recent activity on the discussion area. Some of the stories are really funny, and it's weird because I thought the kids from Korea would have some sort of different writing style and ideas, shows what I know and what I discovered and my students would certainly benefit from that. All students are invited to try and let their stories "survive" to get published and there are instructions to post their own versions. I found Mr. Burnell's meet and greet page a little shocking...maybe just TMI.

Salute to Seuss was also an interesting blog site, because who doesn't love Dr. Seuss? The site was well organized and easy to navigate through, considering that SO many students participated. One thing that annoyed me was that several of the links to view student/school's finished projects were broken. Overall, there are tons of lesson plan ideas and examples that I could show my students if we celebrated Dr. Seuss day, I didn't know one existed :)

Way to go Mr. Monson for creating the thousands project! It's really well organized, inviting, elaborate (yet easy to use), and informative. It's really awesome that he's getting his students excited about using wikis and encouraging other students from all over to participate! The questions are relevant to kids and many of them provoke higher order thinking, hopefully he'll continue with this project long enough so my students can get involved.

I wikied Pac Man, because my boyfriend and few other people are playing it right now, so it was the first thing that came to mind, not to mention that I love it too :) There's a plethora of information on him, personality or behavior of the ghosts, history, and newer versions. I looked under the history tab and there has already been 12 revisions in October alone, I didn't think there would be that many. Also under the discussions, there was one that I thought was funny, Pac Man was invented 36 thousand months ago (impossible that's 3000 years ago), and the person wanted a citable LOL. It's been revised since that comment. It goes to show that you shouldn't believe everything on Wikipedia to be a valid source of information.

Thing #14

I liked bubblus way better than Gliffy, bubblus was easier to use because I didn't have to keep dragging a shape, I could move the bubbles together or further apart in case I needed to add something during class discussion and overall it was more aesthetically pleasing to my eye. Gliffy seemed a little abrasive...maybe too formal. I think students would prefer participating and using mind maps, rather than flow charts.

Depending on what your activity is, either one is helpful, you just have to make it work for you.

My first Zoho

Well, here's my first Zoho document. I'd have to agree with Dr. Wall on it's ease, accessibility, and compatibility issues are gone! I have been so frustrated with all the new versions of Office, that I just decided to give up and stick with what I had instead of trying to download or borrow newer versions.

I think Zoho is also a great tool to be used in group projects when sharing information in different formats, because .doc is not .docx! It's all online and can be a solid base for all group members to access, view, and leave comments. The buttons are basically the same and I can tag a document into just one or more folders! I'm embarrassed to admit this, but all my word, excel, ppt, and even some pictures are ALL under "My Documents". I know there's someone out there that does the sameembarassed" src="http://www.blogger.com/wo/images/smiley-embarassed.gif" border="0">

This is what happened when I published my document in my blog, I guess I was expecting an attachment within my blog to click on to view, is this right? The word embarrassed is supposed to be a blushing smiley. Maybe I'll try this http://export.writer.zoho.com/ZExport.do?tstamp=1,10,2008

DON'T CLICK ON THAT, it was just an experiment, and we're supposed to blog about our experience using Zoho, so you're getting my experience play - by -play. I'll try again.

Thing #13

Thing #12

I created a notebook, very short that all of you can view I always forget (if you'd like, it's nothing special) it's really just a beginning notebook and an explanation on how and why I'd use it. I think it's a great organizer along with Google calendar. As sad as it may seem, my schedule is pretty cut and dry, I don't have any special events to attend or invite any of you to, I don't have any children, I basically would be reminding myself to get up and go to work or school.

When I finally do have a life that involves children, students, husband, appointments, birthdays, and all that jazz, I think the calendar would be the most useful and helpful. Like I said, I forget very easily, I usually have to write everything down or I'll forget about it until it's too late. So I can't even begin to imagine trying to manage and juggle home and work. :) The calendar allows you to create several different calendars. I could have one for my classroom and even import the cmcss calendar dates into Google calendar so I don't have to type all of it in, one for my kids extracurricular activities, one for personal stuff, etc. It's online, accessed through Google and from any computer with Internet access.

At one time I had a palm pilot, I lost it somewhere, I don't think I'll lose a whole computer if I do, I can find one somewhere.

Thing #11

I liked registered with a few different feeds, I used bloglines because for some reason it just appealed to me all the way around. I did NOT like syndic8 because it's still loading even after I have been browsing around on other feeds for the past 20 minutes...I guess I should close that tab. Did anyone else have that problem with syndic8? Every other one worked quickly! :( Anyhow, I registered for a few blogs, one about cooking (big surprise), E!news, Edublogs, Chicago Tribune (my hometown), NewsWeek, and Coolest Cat. I plan on registering for more now that I know what RSS is, HOW GREAT!!! I use my Yahoo account as a reader, the icon has been on almost every one I've registered with. I guess the most frustrating part about this is that there is SO much information available that I feel overwhelmed. I think I have the right idea though. I found myself registering for almost everything I came across...I shouldn't be so hasty!

Thing #10

It's funny what I overlook everyday and realize later that I needed to know about it or want to know about it, but haven't gotten around to it yet. RSS is exactly that, I have seen those little orange icons everywhere and wondered what is that? Well thank goodness I know now! Geez, it's such a hassle to go to the site itself to check for new stuff. This is awesome for teachers, instead of getting newsletters through email, global issues that the class may be studying, comments on various teacher blogs, etc. can be seen updated constantly!

On this blog, I can see that I have comments, but not which ones are new. With RSS, I now can save time and always informed about what I'm interested in. I created my reader through Yahoo because I already have an account. I'm so excited that I now know what RSS is and what a time saving, invaluable tool!

Thing #9

Here' another sign that I thought was funny because I have been sitting in front of my laptop and I have been telling everyone to leave me alone and when they ask why, I tell them about Web 2.0, they haven't had the pleasure of being introduced to it yet.  I made this at www. signgenerator.org

Sign generators can be a fun and easy activity to incorporate into a reading unit to convey a message, or on Valentine's Day to make valentines for classmates, there are so many different sign templates that you could find one for almost everything and every occasion...I'm sure you guys saw some of the sign templates, I was a little surprised.  One thing I would worry about is that my students could potentially see some of these templates as inappropriate and many are.

It was so easy to make them, pretty much all you have to do is come up with a catchy line, that was the hardest part for me.  I couldn't get the HTML code for both of the ones I posted, but no biggy, just saved them to the desktop and viola! 

Thing #9

I used http://dummies.book.cover.txt2pic.com/to make this Web 2.0 Tools guide for Newbies, notice how I decided not to say for dummies, because we're not, we're learning!  I thought of using this book cover because I have the Photoshop for dummies and it's really helpful, but I'd have to say the online tutorials have been a lifesaver.  It's totally different when you actually see someone doing it,rather than reading about it without any hands - on experience.

Thing #8

I don't mind sharing my pictures online, it has given me a place to put all photos without having to worry about all my pics getting lost if my computer crashes.  Also, of I'm uncomfortable sharing some of pictures, I can always make them private.  Flickr could be used to create all sorts of projects like class collages, photostreams of our class field trips, a mashup of my student's progress...but considering that I am fairly new to Flickr, I haven't had enough time to take advantage of all Flickr has to offer.  I am totally addicted, it's so fun and I've learned how to give another photographer credit when or if I use their pictures.  I've always wanted a Warhol version of myself, I think it comes from watching the movie Beaches, where Better Midler has some of herself.  This picture is me when I found out some bad news, I was pretty stressed.

Thing # 4

I'd say that I'm certainly not an introvert, and somehow blogging makes me feel like I'm becoming one. I suppose it's the lack of human presence, essence, their facial expressions...a human, a person! Yet, on the other hand, I think blogging can be used in a productive manner depending on the topic matter and a way to read/hear an array of people's thoughts. I have only actually commented on a few teacher's blogs, asking them for advice, but never really a regular blogger. There's billions, one of the blogs we read in class said that there were over 50,000 blogs made every second, or was it hour? Regardless, blogging is HUGE and I need to get in the habit of joining this online community because it is a type of interaction...one that I'm not completely familiar or comfortable with yet, but I think this class alone is helping my get pushed out of my non-blogging nest.

Obviously it's important to have manners, regardless if you're on the net or not. The two most important points were basically the same "be polite". It's just common sense, like one of the blogs said, you wouldn't just go into a stranger's house and act like an idiot, you'd probably (and hopefully) have the common courtesy to act civil. It is the same with blogging, don't go trampling all over some one's blog without reading and understanding their point of view and be polite, even if you may disagree.

So far, I have visited Michael Stein's blog and he seems really interested in incorporating blogs and technology overall into his teaching and learning. His blogs are easy to read and I found myself shaking my head 'yes' while I was reading, I'll edit this post as I read more blogs.

I've now blogged to Danielle for her chocolate toilet bowl! I could have looked at flickr all day, there are so many photos! I enjoyed it though! I don't know if Stacy intentionally mashed her and husband together, to me it was like "we're married, all mashed up", am I totally off? Regardless, I thought that it was a clever idea, seeing as how I used only myself in my mash up and didn't include my spouse. How selfish! :) And Elizabeth's beaded picture made me reminiscent of my needle thingy that I had a long time age, I used to put my face in it and thought it looked so cool. I enjoyed looking at everyone's mashups, Dr. Wall was right, it's very addicting!

I just found this blog at http://whatscookingblog.com/2007/11/25/college-boundand-hungry/
and it caught my eye because I have so many friends who are in college, not necessarily living in dorms, but almost everyone I know rarely cooks. I think it's a bit strange. Is it because they're too lazy? Probably. Is it because they don't know how to? Maybe. Well, this woman volunteered to teach a cooking class to prospective college students who might need a little know how when they go off to college. All the recipes, I've tried, but haven't made...I think I'll do that :)

I thought since I've been all about cooking I'd find something else to blog about http://fashionista.com/2008/09/trendspotting_bra_tops.php
O.K., it's about what's hot and what's not. Who the heck decided this? Don't know runway fashion has always seemed too left field for me, especially for everyday wear and especially what's shown on this blog. Interesting site though, I 've been watching Project Runway, so I thought of fashion. It's so weird because you think no one else has the same interests as you, but whoa millions of people do!

Thing #7

Flickr was super easy to use, and I think I'm ready to finally get rid of some of those pictures I've taken off of my camera, I never thought I'd be able to take over 1000 pics! I've never used any other photo hosting services, but like I said, I think I'm ready to start using Flickr and I have seen a bunch on web 2.0 that I want to try out. I don't mind sharing photos, especially if they're for school. I took pictures around the Claxton building, which I'm sure many of you are familiar with!

Thing #6

I used the short list of winners because the nominee list was a little scary and with so much to explore I'm starting with one. I really love to eat, cook, watch people cook and I enjoy when someone else likes what I made. So I went to http://www.imcooked.com/and there's tons of categorized videos that you can watch, (I'm getting kind of sick of watching the same chefs on FoodNetwork everyday), you can upload your own cooking demo. It's great being in someone else's kitchen and see the little techniques they use in their everyday cooking or that has been passed down through generations. I sat and watched Mama Rosa, she has a few videos and I think it's her son or grandson filming, she's an older, Italian lady that makes authentic food, her way, without any editing or the "magic of television", she's so grumpy, that it's cute!

The site offers quick ways to upload and download videos, everything has its own category, even one for kids, you can create groups to connect with other people that are interested in the same types of foods you are! It's like YouTube, but all about food...FoodTube.

I registered and verified my email and was able to access all imcooked had to offer. I think maybe one day I will be on there showing how to make something. We'll see! :) But I also think this would be a cool way to show different types of food from all ethnicities (I hear that a lot of schools aren't allowing students to bring in food anymore) or maybe show a video to show a step - by - step process, or even record students making their own recipes for measurements, procedures, or informational videos.

Thing #5

All these I read Web 2.0 A Guide for Teachers, Professional Development and Web 2.0, and and Web 2.0 the future of education. All three blogs encourage us, especially us, to really get into Web 2.0, it may seem overwhelming, but we need to be aware of all that is going on around us. We are no longer just passive on lookers of the web, we are and can create, contribute, and collaborate with other teachers, our students, virtually everyone and anyone who is interested in what we have to say. We can find other blogs that contain information that we may have eventually found on our own, but if someone has already found it and used it, why not take their advice?

School 2.0 is quickly evolving into something really big! As educators we need to be prepared and willing to integrate Web 2.0 into our classrooms. I discovered a web 2.0 tool that I posted on the discussion board, WizIQ, it's a virtual classroom that your students can participate for free, with teachers from all over the world (who might be more informed and someone you can learn from). It's going to be new aged, I mean come on, we are basically doing it right now with the 23 Things, right? We are learning from one another, putting our opinions on the web for anyone to read, comment, and/or learn from! In one of the blogs the author talks about how we need to teach our students what information is valuable...be able to distinguish between good and bad and how to use this information to their advantage. We also need to teach our students how to create appropriate content for the web, when just a few years ago we were trying to protect them from inappropriate materials. "Web 2.0 Is the Future of Education", I totally agree!

Thing #3

I have learned so many ways that I could use blogging as a tool just from this class alone! I remember in my undergrad studies, I had to write a reflection about lessons I taught in my LiveText portfolio and it was great, but I didn't really receive any feedback, I hear that newer students are actually blogging their reflections with their classmates. How fun, instead of writing (venting) to yourself, you get to share with everyone and maybe get some other solutions or suggestions to improve upon what you taught. When I have my own classroom, I could have students do a weekly discussion board about what they have learned throughout the week, hopefully leading to peer collaboration about things they may not have understood or providing an alternative explanation to something that I couldn't offer. We could have a class calendar with upcoming events, share our class photos (like Dr. Wall did), homework help. Parents could also use our class' blog site to contact me and/or see what their child is up to. The possibilities are endless!

Thing #2

I just used the screen name I always use, but usually skim or skimmy is already taken, so I added some of my favorite numbers at the end to personalize my name. I really enjoyed creating a blog, this my third one and I think this one will be the most useful and enjoyable because I think we will all have our own little community between classmates. Creating a blog has defiantly gotten easier after a few times because I was unsure what to do the first few times, but the directions on here made it super easy! As far as my avatar, I could have sat forever, did everyone see how many backgrounds, clothes, accessories, etc. there were? Over a 100 pages at least for each category! Of course creating my avatar was fun, but I created what myself as what I'd like to look like, not really what I look like.

Thing #1

I thought it was really cool that the 7th & 1/2 habit was to remember to play! Of course this habit would be the easiest and fun, if we could actually find the time to actually let it all loose, but even when i go on vacation, my mind still can't let go of reality. Anyhow, the easiest habit for me is #6: using technology to my advantage. I truly don't know what I'd do without my computer, for one I wouldn't be creating this blog or taking any online courses and for another I would be bored. I am learning SO much about integrating technology, the infinite amount of tools, resources, people, upgrades, programs, goodnesss! There's so much I don't even know about to know that I don't even know that I want to know about them. Yes, read the prior sentence again :) Does that make sense to anyone else?

The hardest habit is #4; having confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner. I'm not saying I'm a dummy, but I always doubt myself and have often felt embarrassed to ask questions or because I didn't know something in class. I guess it's the confidence part I have the most trouble with, but I'm working on it, but it's hard when you're always unsure.