Thing 19.

Well while I twirl my thumbs and wait to be accepted into TeacherPop, I figured I might as well blog about my experience with Ning network so far. I really like the idea of there being other social networks out there besides the big named ones, like Facebook and Twitter. One of the other networks that I checked out was Education Networking. I really loved this site and what it could potentially mean for me as a future educator. This websites gives me several different activities and ideas that I can potentially use in my future classroom. Teachers are famous for borrowing from one another, and this social network is just one more way for me, as a future teacher, to beg and borrow for some new ideas for the classroom.

Thing 18.

Now here is a topic that I can actually talk about. SOCIAL MEDIA. What college age girl does not use social media on a daily basis? We tweet about our day, we connect with people from back home through Facebook, and we expand our social groups through social media. I think it is very important for future educators to use social networking. As an future educator, I want to be able to connect with not only my students but with my parents, as well. Social networking is a great way to show parents what is happening within your classroom, and that, in return, allows your student's parents to feel more involved with the school.Even though social media is great, I also think that people need to closely monitor what they put out there on social networking. Once something is on the internet, it can never go away. As a future teacher, I feel like I am consciously aware of the things that I post, tweet, or are tagged in. Social networking can either make or break a career. Be a conscious "tweeter" and you are in the clear!

Here is the link to my Facebook page: Kelina Stanley

Thing 17.

Well, Delicious was not so delicious. It was very easy to find tons of articles related to educational technology; however, the websites that housed the articles were sometime difficult to navigate. I can see this resource being a great tool for connecting to articles and references for certain subjects. By using Diigo in class, I have learned just how simply bookmarking can truly be. I still have my reservations about bookmarking, but overall I believe that it will make my classroom run a little bit smother.

Thing 16.

The "start" page that I chose was iGoogle. Like most people my age, I am addicted to my iPhone and the convenience of the apps that are on my phone. With iGoogle, it was like having my phone blown up on a computer screen. As much as I loved iGoogle, I could not part with my Mozilla Firefox Google browser as my home screen. Old habits die hard, ya know??

I did enjoy using the online calendar and the to-do list. Being a college student, I need all the organization that I can get. The calendar and to-do list instantly made my life seem a little less complicated. I put my work schedule into the calendar and made a list of things I needed to complete before leaving for the beach. It was nice to have everything laid out right in front of me. I believe that I can use these tools for both work and home. I can make separate calenders and to-do lists that have to do with my schedule and task for school and home. It will add a little bit of organization to my usual hectic life.

Thing 15.

Let's just say that I'm a little lost in the sandbox. I am not a fan of wiki-ANYTHING. I grew up in the generations where Wikipedia was the "no-no" zone, and I still feel that same way today. I just felt lost trying to navigate through the wiki experience, and I wanted to see a little bit more organization. It kind of just seems like a jumble of a website that people try to mark as a reliable source.

I barely made it through the sandbox, but when I did I posted about my favorite blog, which has to be blog "Thing 2". Not only is the picture in the blog my favorite, but I loved how I was able to create an avatar and express the things that make up who I am.

This blog might come in SANDY. (Get it?? Sand?? Sandbox??) 

You'll catch on soon enough. :)

Thing 14.

For this blog, I explored different websites where you can either create a flowchart or a mind map. All teachers love flowcharts simply because flowcharts allow us to explain concepts better to our students. I explored Gliffy for a flowchart, and I created a Bubbl.us account and designed the mind map above. I have to say, I loved mind maps. It shows the natural thinking progress that my students will have, and it makes it easier for me to explain concepts to them. I enjoyed Gliffy, but I mostly chose that option because the other flowchart website took a while to create an account. I see myself using Bubbl.us quite frequently in my future classroom.

This future teacher gives Bubbl.us two thumbs up!!

Thing 13.

Before this blog, I had never heard of ZOHO docs. I quickly found that ZOHO is an excellent online tool. It is so easy to use, and it mimics that of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Now call me old school but I love the old Microsoft programs. I grew up on Microsoft, and it is where I feel the most comfortable. ZOHO was so easy to use, and it made me branch out and try different online tools.

The second online tool I tested out was Google Docs. I absolutely loved Google Docs. I have used Google Docs previously in the past in order to keep up with different events with my sorority. Since I already have a Gmail account, all I had to do was simply sign on and I was at the Google Docs page. It is a great tool to design spreadsheets, tests, documents, and other forms that might be useful within the classroom.

I enjoyed exploring both ZOHO and Google Docs. They were both very useful tools and could be used in several different ways within the classroom. The students can work together to form presentations and projects through these two resources. If I had a preference, I would say that I liked Google Docs the best. To me, it had more to offer than ZOHO and it is also very user friendly.

I created a noun quiz using Google Docs. Here is the link: Noun Quiz