My Final Thoughts....

My final thoughts about 23 Things.
I have learn so much about technology! I never knew about half of the websites, applications, and blogs out on the web. I will defintely be using most of these things in the future when I become a teacher. Some of my favorite things were the picture genrators! I can make some awesome poster for my futre classroom. I liked the livebinders storage! It is such a great idea to hold all of my information in one location that I can get to anywhere and on any computer! The RSS readers are great too! I like that I can get updates from my favorite blogs and news websites. The Animoto website I love it! I can make video clips that are education for students and I can make ones like in my blog! I love the Google things! The Google Calendar...I use it all the time now! I love how it sends me text messages and emails about what is coming up on my calendar. I also love the fact that you can create on for the classroom to inform and update parents and students about when assignments are due, upcoming projects, and events at the school! It is a great way to keep the parents active and informed!

Thing 23: The Last Thing! Creative Commons

 Learning 2.0-23Things for Teachers blog was based on 43 Things I might want to do this year. And Our 23 Things is based off of 23 Things for teachers.  43 Things is the idea of working on one's own progress for personal goals. It is a really cool ideas. Maybe when I have extra time I might consider doing those 43 Things.

Creative Commons Vision...
         Realizing the full potential of the internet — universal access to research, education, full participation in culture, and driving a new era of development, growth, and productivity.

As a future teacher I could use Creative Commons by sharing picture with my students that are some right reserved (CC). I can teach my students on the proper ways to use Copyrights and Creative Commons.

Thing 22: LiveBinders

Being organize it very important in school as a teacher and a student. This class has shown me a lot of different websites that will keep me organized. This one is a little trickier than some of the others that we learned about. But it is still a good one and probably one that I will be using.


LiveBinders

Educ 3040 Things


The first binder that I made was Educ 3040 Things. I have put in some of the websites that we have talked about in class and on 23 Things in this binder. My second binder is for my Sped class. I put resources in it for my research paper. My third binder is just a binder of random websites that I like.

Thing 21: Video Clips on Animoto

This website is so cool! I had a really easy and fun experience making my video clip. It has step by step instruction on how to upload pictures, choose a background, and to choose a song. This would be a fun class project and just fun to make home video clips like I did! I will definity be using this in the future!



Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Thing 19: Other Social Networks

I am not a member of any of the other social networking sites. I am just on Facebook. I am not really interesting in becoming a member of any sites. I am usually busy with college, raising my daughter, and taking care of things while my husband is deployed. So I really don't have time to add another thing into my life. :)  When I become at teacher I might use a social networking site for educators such as TeacherPop! I do really like that social networking site!


My TeacherPop





Visit TeacherPop

Thing 20: YouTube

I do like YouTube. I can see the benifits of YouTube in a classroom or library setting. What I don't like about YouTube is the fact that you can find anything and everything on this site.


I picked a video about Goofy and teachers. My daughter like Mickey Mouse and all of his character friends! And this video is cute!

YouTube is a good website to find "how to's" and tutorials.

Thing 18: Social Networking 101

It is important for educators to know how to use social networking because that is what is in now.  Teacher can connect with students, parents, and colleagues. I can see a teacher creating a facebook account for professional career to talk with students and parents. They can post assignments, project, and other information since most students are on facebook anyways. It is easier access to for a student to get help for the teacher when they are not at school.


Personally I like facebook over twitter. I used myspace when it was popular, but I moved to facebook. I use facebook because most of my family and friends use it. We can talk and share pictures. My husband is deployed so this is a way for him to see pictures easily of our daughter. I like facebook because it is easier for me.


I do have a twitter account only because I had to create it for 23 Things.


Facebook


Twitter

Thing 17: Del.icio.us

Del.icio.us is a very user-friendly site. I do like the idea of bookmarking and being about to get those bookmarks from any computer.  I have a lot of bookmarks on my favorites on my personal computer that sometimes I would like to get a school. This is a way that I can get to my favorite pages.


Social bookmarking does have potential in a classroom environment. This is a easy way to give students, parents, and colleagues websites. Teacher should take advantage of social bookmarking. They could share educational websites with students, great websites for course materials with colleague, and informational websites with parents.

Thing 16: Getting Organized

I choose iGoogle as my start up page. Google is so user friendly and I love it! I will probably not use it as my homepage because I use yahoo.com as my homepage since that is where I have my email account! I would definitely recommend this to other!
iGoogle


I choose to do my calendar with Google as well! :) The online calendars are very helpful! You can have it send you emails and text messages to you phone! I really do like this idea! Also, you can share your calendar with friends and family! And for teaching I could make a calendar for students and parents to check out dates of upcoming events and/or assignments! I would recommend this to everyone! Google is super easy to use!
Google Calendar


For the to do list I choose Jott.com. It was very easy as well! I love all of the easy applications! The to do list are very handy. Instead of having sticky notes all over the place you can have it on your computer! Also, Jott can send you text messages and emails of your to do list! Pretty Cool!
Jott


These applications will definitely keep you organized! I do like them and will use them while I am a teacher!

Thing 15: Wiki

My experience with wiki was pretty good. I think wiki would be great to use with students at a certain age. Since I would like to teach K-6, I am not sure if my future students will be able to use wiki.
Wiki is very interesting! I have never heard of it until this class or Thing 15!


My Wiki Page


I did create a wiki account and added a picture of my family!

Thing 14: Go with the Flow!

I choose http://www.gliffy.com/ to make a flow chart. It was very easy and user friendly. The only problem I had was trying to get the link to work on my blog.
Test Flow Chart


I choose https://bubbl.us/ to make a mind map. It was very easy and user friendly also! But I would have to say that I liked this one better than the flow chart! I know that they are basically the same thing but this one was more fun! Also, I got the link to work!
Test Mind Map

Thing 13: Zoho Writer vs Google Docs

The online applications to make documents were fairly similar to Word. I did have a little trouble with both. Zoho Writer to me was difficult to use compared to Google Docs.

Zoho Writer...

• Had trouble getting out of the header/footer.
• Easy to insert pictures.
• Hard to re size pictures and get them in the right proportions.
• Font and color was easy to change.
• Easy to insert a table but could not delete it.
• Tried to export it to my computer it worked, but when I opened it in Word it was really messy looking.

Google Docs...

• Header/footer was easy to get in and out.
• Easy to insert a picture and re size.
• Font and color was easy to do.
• Easy to insert a table and to delete it.
• Could not figure out how to export this document to my computer.

So I am not sure how to attach these test documents to my blog. I prefer the Google Docs application over the Zoho Writer because Google was easier to use. I am always up for user friendly! These applications would be great for students to collaborate with each other since you can share documents and spreadsheets.



Test Doc for Zoho



Test Doc for Google



The only way I could figure out how to put my documents in my blog was to make the public documents where anyone could see them with Internet access. Which I really do not like but I guess I have to.

Thing 12: GOOGLE

I love Google and everything it has to offer! I sure it everyday! My creations are a homepage and a Calendar. The Calendar is very useful as a teacher or student. I can put everything on this calendar such as homework assignment, appointments, events, and much more! One day when I am a teacher I plan on using this as a way to keep parents updated on homework and events.

The Google Homepage was just fun! You can customize it anyway that you want. Just pick out the things that you are interested in and Google does the rest! I love it!

Thing 11: Search Tools for RSS

I found the the Google Blog Search tool was the easiest to use out of the four search tools. I love Google! I use it everyday! So I already know my way around Google! The one I did not like so much was the Topix.net. It was neat to just type in my zip code and get local blogs or news feeds. What if I wanted to find something but did not know what zip code to put in! I think it is a great place to find out local info. With the Google search tool I found lots of blogs and news feeds. There are a large varitey of blogs and news feed that you can find using the Google search tool. Such as sports, tv, movies, world news, and technology to name a few. I really did not use any other tools to search for news feeds or blogs! When in doubt Google! :)

Thing 10: Readers

The RSS Readers are a really cool thing. It does make it easier to get all the news and blogs at one page. I like that instead of searching all of your favorite pages everything is in one place! Teachers can definitely take advantage of this new technology and use it in the class room. It will be easier for teachers to find and keep what need of the web for the classroom! I will be able to use this technology everyday to check news and blogs that I follow instead of adding all the web address to my favorite list on my computer. Also, if I am not at my computer I can get to my favorite places with out having to try and remember the web address or searching for it! Because with Google reader it is all there on one page! I think that this was a very smart idea!

Thing 9: Images

http://www.comicstripgenerator.com/

I created the picture above using Comic Strip Generator. It was really easy! You just upload any picture. Then choose a broader or any of the special effects that you want. The last step is to download your picture and save it to your computer. EASY and FUN!

http://www.imagechef.com/

I created this puzzle picture at Image Chef. It was wasn't as easy as Comic Strip Generator but still easy enough. You just have to choose a template and up load your picture! There are a lot of templates to choose from! The hardest part was trying to decide on a template! Then upload a picture and save it to your computer!

                                                           http://www.happyfacegenerator.com/

I created this smiley face image at Happy Face Generator. It was super easy! Just pick a face that you want. Then just add the text that you want and save it to your computer! It was super easy and fun!

These picture generator are so much fun! They could be used in the classroom to decorate with educational pictures on the walls! Also, educational sayings for the students to see. These generator can be used in personal life too! Like family pictures with funky boarders or saying on them!

Thing 8: Mashups

The Flickr Mashup are really fun! The one I used was Spell with Flickr. I could you this to decorate in my future classroom. I also like the Flickr color Pickr! That could be use to have student think of thing that are certain colors or to just have the students create artwork with certain colors! I love art, so I hope to incorporate that in to the way I teach! Or maybe finish up my degree in Elementary Education and get it in Art Education! :) What I think about sharing photos online is that it is a awesome way for family and friends to view your life! That is what I do with using Shutterfly! I share my photos with family and friends who do not live close to watch my daughter grow! Also, so that my husband can watch her grow while he is deployed!!!

Thing 7: Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mweiser14/5440805462/




This photo was taken while my husband and I were going to the airport in Pittsburgh PA. We are big Steelers and Penguins fans! I figure I would share a photo that was not too personal. I did not want to put a picture of my family out like that! I am not sure yet if I would use Flickr for personal use, but it could be very handy in a classroom for the students. I use Shutterfly! I love it! I can share photos with family and it is the way I share photos with my husband while he is deployed! On Shutterfly you can create albums, make photos books, calenders, cards, and just print pictures! You can create an account and have your family and friends sign up to get your updates! It is awesome! The two differ... On Shutterfly you have to invite people to look at your web page of photo albums and you can create more things like coffee cups, notebooks, magnets, and clothes. On Flickr it seems a little limited compared to Shutterfly. BUT I do like Flickr!

Thing 6: Web 2.0 Tool: Google!

I love Google! I use Google for everything! I have chosen Google Calender as my Web 2.0 Tool to discover. This is a great place to write down everything from birthdays, homework, meeting, and events. You can also access it from your mobile phone. There are different views of the calender day, 4 day, week, month, and agenda. The cool thing about is that you can subcribe to your friends calenders! Below is a link to the Google Calender.


The features are very useful! This web tool could definitely be used at a school. Teachers could use this for informing parents about upcoming homework, project, and events. This is a great way for teachers and parents to know what is going on with the students. This way teacher would know that the papers they pass out could get to the parents. You know how students can be sometimes by not bring home information that the teacher sends home!


Google Calender

Thing 5: Web 2.0 is the Future of Education

School 2.0 is the future in Education! School 2.0 has changed the classroom even just in the last few years. I have taken online classes and also been in classes such as Educ 3040 where most of the work is done on the computer and internet. I think if more school use computers and internet in the classrooms student would get involved more and have fun! Students these days know so much about computers. I knew nothing about computers until I was in high school. We took a computer class that taught us how to type and use Microsoft Word and Excel. But times have certainly changed even thought I graduated 6 years ago! School 2.0 will definitely change schools in the future! I think that the textbook companies might need to convert over to making online textbooks because I don't think student will have textbooks in abut 5 to 10 years or sooner. Web 2.0 has changed the way students learn and how teachers teach! I think the future looks bright!

Thing 4: Commenting ...

Commenting is very important in the blogging world! At least that is what I have read about! I do agree with this! I am not very big on this blogging thing but from what I have read it does seem very important to comment on others blogs. The 10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog is a very informative blog. I believe that this will help me out on being a better blogger! Invite Comments. Ask Questions. Be Open Ended. Interact with Comments Left. Set Boundaries. Be Humble. Be Gracious. Be Conversational. Reward Comments. Make it Easy to Comment. I hope that these techniques will help me get more comments on my blog! Does anyone else have any other ideas?


Some people I have commented on...
Kala Burch
Melissa Moore
Lindsey Darnell

Thing 3: Blogs in My Future

I can use blogs in my teacher education program to reflect on my teaching experiences. I can create a blog about my field experiences in the classroom. In this blog I could write about the tips I learn from my mentor teacher on teaching students.


In my future classroom I can use blogs to show case students creativity with art and stories.  Also, I could ask students to create their own blogs to provide their own ideas and reaction about class work and projects. Most of these ideas would be great for higher elementary and middle school students.

Thing 2: Creating a Blog and an Avatar

I decided my posting name to just be Michelle.  I named my blog 23 Things Michelle Weiser because that is what my blog is about.


My experience in creating this blog was hard at first, but once I finished reading the instructions it turned out to be pretty easy! After reading the instructions I was about to create a template and post my first blog.


My avatar looks close to what I look like. Which does reflect my personality. I have long brown naturally curl hair and I always try to smile! I am known for my curl hair by my friends. My avatar has a yellow shirt and black pants. Yellow is my favorite color and black looks good with yellow.

Thing 1: 7 & 1/2 Habits

The easiest habit out of the 7 & 1/2 is Play. I have a two year old daughter, Addison.  She always want to to play and have me read books to her. Then I would have to say Teach and Mentor Others. Why want to become an educator if you do not want to teach or enjoy teaching. When I was a child, I would play teacher with my younger sister and brother. They would be my students and I would try to teach them how to add and subtract. It was hard to teach them  since my sister was four years younger then me and my brother is five years younger then me.


The hardest habit out of the 7 & 1/2 is View Problems as a Challenge. Sometimes when problems happen I get stresses out and then it seems like more problems start. Problems occur in my life on a dayly basis. I am an army wife, mother, and a student. This habit would be a great habit to have and I am going to start adding it into my life hopefully to have less stress.