Thing 12.

Who doesn't love Google?! I know that I personally use Google in my daily life. I look up recipes, questions, and even songs through Google. Once I began exploring the different resources that Google offers, I quickly realized that I could use Google for more than just looking up information. First, I started with the Google Translator. I absolutely loved it!! This resource will be so effective in my classroom. It will help with teaching the students different languages, and it can easily be incorporated into a social studies lesson. I also explored Google calendar. I love how this resource can be beneficial not only for my personal life but for my classroom life, as well. The calendar can sync with your phone, and the calender can also be shared with friends, family, and co-workers. This will serve as just another means of connecting with my students and their parents.

Google Calendar Link:
http://support.google.com/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2465776

Google Translate Link:
http://translate.google.com/

You won't regret checking out these resources!

Thing 11.

Oh geez. I'm going to be honest here. I found that some of these search tools were way to difficult for me to use. Take Topix, for instance. It is an amazing source, but trying to navigate around the page was like trying to find a needle in the middle of a haystack. I was constantly getting lost in the website. It was not the easiest search engine that I have ever used.

One search engine that I did really like was Technorati. This search engine was very easy to use, and the "Today Topics" on the first page were actually very interesting. I got caught up reading some of the articles that I forgot what I was supposed to be doing (That tends to happen). Overall, I think there are some amazing article search engines out there. It just takes some time and patience to find the one that works best for you. 

PS: Image represents my frustration with Topix. >:(

Thing 10.

Who knew that there were so many amazing websites out in the world wide web that would make any teacher's life a lot simpler?! I believe that RSS and newsreader are excellent tools. I love the websites that I  selected for my Google Reader account. They benefit not only my career interest but my personal interest, as well. Google Reader organizes all of my favorite websites into one place where it is quick and easy for me to find them.

As an elementary education major, I think that having this Google Reader account will be very beneficial. I am always looking for new information to teach my children, and this is one way for me to keep up-to-date with what is happening in the outside world. The websites are very informative and will make for a better overall classroom environment.

Thing 9.

  

Let me make one thing clear, I am LOVING all of these websites that are giving me ideas of different ways to incorporate visuals within my classroom. For this post, I decided to play around with the smiley face generator. I love how I could incorporate a message within the sign. This is a great resource for editing my teaching webpage, as well as, blowing the image up and using it above my door for the students to view when they enter the room. It is one more way that I can be visually appealing to my students.

Thing 8.

             
I decided to play around with the Spell with Flickr webpage. At first, I had a lot of difficulty trying to copy and paste my design from the webpage into my blog, but with the help of a fellow classmate I was finally able to reveal my final project (shown above). I really think that word art can be very effective in the classroom. It will give more of a visual aspect to presentations, and even decorations around the classroom. I believe that students and teachers can benefit from this website.

I also played around with creating a puzzle from a picture on my computer using the jigsaw creator. I think that this would be a great resource for both students and teachers. The students can use this website to add creativity to their projects, and teachers can use this website to add more visuals around the classroom.

Thing 7.

I have always heard about Flickr, but I never really experienced Flickr on my own. I must say, I am HIGHLY impressed. When I first started my search, I entered "Teaching" into the tag search engine. There were thousands upon thousands of pictures that came up based on my search. So, I decided that I would try to reduce my search and just put the word "Teacher" into the tag search engine. Again, there were THOUSANDS of photos. So, I tried to limit my search again and simply put "Teachers Apple" into the search engine. Even with something as limited as that, there were still hundreds of pictures that had to do with a teacher's apple. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58745028@N03/5600224597/

Flickr is a great resource for teachers, and will allow them to find and manage clip art better in their classroom. This, in turn, will allow for better visuals for the students. 

Thing 6.

 There are so many websites and links that will make any teacher's life simpler. The website that I found was Smore. Smore is an advertisement based website that eliminates the boring flyers that have been WAY overdone. Smore allows you to create event flyers or pages and send them to all your different social media webpages. A teacher can use this website in their classroom in several different ways. They can use this website to create flyers for different events happening within the classroom (I.E. Field Trips, Parent/Teacher Conferences, etc). Smore is very user friendly and they provide step by step instructions on how to create an advertisement. Heck, I could even figure it out and I am so not "tech savvy". 

Web link: https://www.smore.com/

Thing 5.

There are several different meanings behind School 2.0, and these different meanings are different for every teacher. I believe that School 2.0 is exactly the path that schools should be taking. Technology is becoming about as common as breathing. We use technology in various ways throughout the day, so it only makes sense to use technology within our classrooms, as well. Teachers are not the same as they were in the past, and the idealistic teacher will change again in the future. Before long, technology will be the sole source of learning in the classroom. I believe that this will challenge teachers, as well as, gear students toward a successful, tech savvy future.

Thing 4.

Commenting on different blogs does create a sense of community. Commenting with other "bloggers" can expand not only your blog but your interest, as well. A blog without comments is just a social media website where you put your feelings and beliefs on. Once you have others commenting on your blog, it becomes a discuss, and others can interact with you and share their stance on your blog. There were several different things that really stuck out to me from the reading. The guidelines on how to comment were very helpful. I agree that all should be respectful when commenting because we would want to same respect on our blog. I also enjoyed how "Cool Cat Teacher Blog" gave pointers on how to comment like a queen. It was very helpful, and reassured me that commenting is important.

The seven blogs that I commented on are: Mallory Johnson, Hannah Mann, Lauren Williams, Autumn Kirkland, Lesley Wallace, and two posts off of Kendyl Davis' blog "Hello World". Kendyl is a friend of mine who has recently become quite to successful blogger. She blogs about her life experience and she reminds me of a young Carrie Bradshaw. She is a very cut-throat writer, and writes about topics that are relevant in today's youthful society. Here is the link to her blog (Warning: there is some loud language in some of her post): http://kendylndavis.blogspot.com/2013/03/sisters-before-misters.html?m=1

One example of a comment that I left of Lesley Wallace's blog was commenting on her experience with Flicker. The way that Lesley related the picture to her future career was very inspiring, and I truly appreciated the time and love that she puts into her goal of becoming a teacher.

Thing 3.

There are numerous ways that I can incorporate a blog within my classroom. I can use a blog as a way of communicating with my students parents, administration, and even with other teachers. Teachers always "borrow" ideas from other teachers because we are always looking for new and improved ways to teach our students. Having a blog will allow me to share what is going on in my classroom, as well as, keep track of what is happening in my fellow teacher's classroom. It will also provide parents will a way of following their children's progress within the classroom. I can attach lessons, pictures, projects, and homework into a blog that the parents can closely monitor.

Another way that blogs can be incorporated within my classroom is for daily activities. There can be stories, movie links, and even puzzles in my blog that the students can reflect and work on in their morning activities. The activities will be in chronic order, and the students can work quietly on the blog activity while I am preparing for the rest of the school day. Overall, blogs can be very effective in the classroom.

Thing 2.

Before this class, I have had no previous experiences when it came to blogging. I would occasionally read blogs of people that I knew, but I never considered writing a blog about my life. This class has really opened my eyes to the "blogging world". I can truthfully say that I am enjoying my blogging experience. Growing up, I was always very interested in designing web layouts, and editing my different social media outlets. I remember spending numerous hours tweaking my MySpace page because I wanted it to look perfect. I believe that this blog will serve as another way for me to edit and share my personal life experiences with others.

  

I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!

I believe that my avatar reflects me very well. Past the physical looks of my avatar, I also added a stack of books in front of me. I am an avid reader, and usually always have my Kindle Fire close at hand. I am a self-proclaimed bookworm, and hope to encourage my students to continue recreational reading.

Thing 1.

 I believe that people never stop learning. We learn something new everyday, even if we don't exactly think that we are learning. Take this blog, for instance. I came into this assignment knowing nothing about blogs, and yet here I am writing a blog. I am learning how to setup a blog, manage a blog, and even design a blog. I believe that people should strive to be lifelong learners, and never settle for "just enough". 

I think Habit 1, Begin with the End in Mind, is probably both the easiest and hardest for me to   adopt. At the age that I am, I can only see one future where I would be perfectly happy and content with. Now, I know that the world is not all "cookie-cutter" and perfect, but I am also aware of how my determination will play into me being able to do the things that I want. It is hard to plan with the end in mind because my future might change. I don't know what the future holds for me. Heck, I don't even know what tomorrow holds for me. As scary as that may seem, it can also be rather exciting. I know there is a bright future ahead of me. Even though it is hard for me to plan with the end in mind, it is easy for me to be eager to enter the unknown head-on.

So buckle up and get ready for the time of your life!