The Last One

I will start off by saying that this was an unique experience. I started off highly skeptical about this whole experience and leave highly pleased. I was introduced to a whole new variety of tools and now feel somewhat adequate with using technology. Along the way I began my own personal blog, The Christian Linebacker. This class has helped to slightly change my view on technology.

• What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

The Animoto movie and the Sign Generators.

• How has this program affected your lifelong learning goals?

I can't say that it has affected my lifelong learning goals, but I can say that it has enhanced the experience. It has given me new portals through which I can achieve these goals.

• Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

How easy it is to use technology when you take the time to learn how to use the tools.

• What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

Dedicate a little more class time to show how to use all of the tools that are available to use on this blog. Many times I used the trial and error method when it came to using some of the tools that were available through blogger.

• How will what you have learned influence your practice as a teacher?

It will influence some of the technologies and tools that I use. This project has introduced me to tools such as Animoto, blogger, Flickr, and Google Calendar. All of these tools will help make my job easier and help my students learn better.

• How do you plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0?

Just keeping up to date with what's trending on web or other teacher's blogs. Many of these tools were compiled on lists that were available to look at through research on the web. Also, since I am at the University setting I will be exposed to many of the new developments.

Thing #23

Here is the example I found that the 23things was adapted http://ash23things.blogspot.com/2009/06/23-things.html.

The creative commons is an awesome resource that we all can use. It allows us to take pictures from Flickr and use them based on the logo they fall under. It eliminated the headache that is usually associated with battling the copyright issue because all you have to do is remember what a few simple logo's mean and how to use them. I worked with the Commons a couple of times during this semester and found it simple and easy to use. I will use this tool in the future as a teacher when I am constructing slide show presentations. I will use it to find images to fit the examples that I need, so that I can more quickly access these images and properly give the credit. The Commons is definitely a tool that I will use in the future as a prospective teacher.

Thing #22

LiveBinders is a tool that I am extremely skeptical about using to say the least. This just seems like a glorified favorites section that your computer already has. I created the three binders like we were asked to do, and I really found no use in them at all. The titles of my binders were Education Class, P.E. Resources, and Assignments. I feel that I could have done the same thing I did on this site by simply copying and pasting the URL's into a word document and saving that document. As far as uses in the classroom, I personally would not use this tool in my class. I guess if someone really liked this tool they could have their students create a few pages and save their assignment into one of these binders. Teachers could also post all the resources the students need for an assignment into one of these binders and send it out to the students. I hope this is the first and last time I use LiveBinders.

Education Class

Thing #21

This Animoto site is pretty freaking cool. I have never made a video before and I completed this video in ten minutes. I loved the simplicity of this site. I was able to pick a song, and upload some of my profile pictures from Facebook. I never had to worry about and copyright issues or anything. The best part about this site is that it produces the video and times the turning of the slides on its own. I never had to worry one time about the duration of the pictures. However, I was unable to figure out how to get ten pictures onto the presentation. It would run over time with ten, I tried for about ten minutes to figure this out before I gave up. That was the only thing that I did not like about this site. Other than that this was the coolest part of the 23things project so far.

Thing #20

YouTube may be my favorite site there is on the web. I use this site to listen to music, learn about a variety of things, watch sermons, and discover other techniques to do things. YouTube is absolutely amazing! The video I choose for this part of the project was my High School Football film. I choose this video because it is the only video on YouTube that is about me. It also makes me go back to that time in my life, and I enjoy those short flashbacks. I feel that YouTube could be a useful on a Library site. It allows the visual learner an immediate opportunity to see what they want to learn about. Also, this site works as a tutorial guide to a variety of topics that could be useful in an education setting. Many schools refuse to use YouTube in their classes, and I think that is bogus. Schools should use YouTube as a free resource to educate their students. This is my view on YouTube.

Thing #19

Social networks are something that I am pretty familiar with. As mentioned earlier I am a member of Twitter and Facebook. However, these are not the only two networks I am involved in using. I also use tndeer.com as a social community to discuss deer and turkey hunting. This community appealed to me because I am an avid deer and turkey hunter. In the community I am able to learn, discuss, and view photos about hunting and others experiences. I have also used this community as a way to learn about the WMA's that are best suitable to hunt and why. The tndeer community has really been beneficial to me. I joined the teacher pop community as part of this assignment and really did not like it. It just seemed like another cheesier version of Facebook and that really did not appeal to me at all. In the future I will continue to use both Facebook and Twitter because it is one of the primary ways that I communicate and stay in touch with many of my friends. I will also continue to use tndeer because it encompasses my favorite past times and keeps me up to date on hunting in Tennessee.

Thing #18

Social networking is one of the few things I am familiar with when it comes to computers. I have had a facebook account since my freshman year in high school and a twitter account since October 2011. I find that both of these sites have a huge upside in social lives, but not in professional lives. I feel that it is important for teachers to know how these sites work because all of their students and students parents will be checking out their pages. Teachers must be careful about what they post and say becuase it could be brought up again if it upsets a student or a parent. My mother is a second grade teacher and constantly get friend request from students, which shows that teachers pages are constantly bombarded by students. I did not learn anything new about these sites through this thing being as I am familiar with both sites. My favorite of the two networking sites is definately Facebook. You can do so much more with facebook because you posts are not limited, can see pictures easier, and in my opinion is much easier to use. Twitter on the other hand limits you to 140 characters, which is highly annoying, and is constantly bombarded with useless tweets. However, both are useful sites that individuals can use to communicate, learn, and inform people with if they are used correctly. Although both sites are a great form of learning and communication, I see no use for these tools in the classroom. There is just simply too much risk involved with using these networking tools in the classroom in my opinion.