Summarize My Thoughts

I have learned that this is only the beginning of a life long journey of learning about web 2.0 tools.  There are so many different ways that I can improve my skills using these tools.  I am not a very good technology person and I know for me to keep up with technology that I have to use to understand how it works at a regular basis.  There are web 2.0 tools that I already used before this program, for example: Facebook, calenders, and spreadsheets. I learned how to blog, edit Wikkipedia, use Animoto, use Flickr, and a lot of other things.  I know I did not learn how to use all of their features, so as I use them more in the future through my career to help me stay organized I will learn more and more of their features.
My favorite discoveries were Flickr and Animoto because I take a lot of pictures because in our family memories are documented a lot.  We like to take pictures to help us treasure our memories that we have made together.  This program has cahnged by lifelong learning goals by adding technology tools to it because I do not know everything about all the tools I was introduced to in this program.  Yes, there were some things about this program that surprised me.  the main thing that surprised me is how good I became with the tools that I was introduced to because of the readings and tutorials. The only discovery activity that did not teach me anything was the social networking one because I already had a facebook and myspace, so I was already aware of how to use them.
In order to improve this program you would have to make the some of the activities faster to see the end producy like the Animoto becasue I have impatience I do not like waiting a very long time to see the end product of something that I have created. Also,  talk to students to see what they know or do not know because some of the web 2.0 tools I have already used in my life for school and I did not need the instruction on them. It will influence my practice as a teacher because I will be able to use the web 2.0 tools to teach and it will linfluence me to use technology in the classroom to benefit my students and help keep my classroom organized.  It will help keep me on task, print worksheets, make tests, come up with ideas for lessons, and collaborate with my colleagues about information or classroom challenges. I plan on doing research every once in while to see what developments are being made inthe web 2.0 tools. Plus, I have selected a few features in the web 2.0 tools that I used to email me on updates on those tools.

Thing 21

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Animoto is a simple video creator that you can use to create videos using your pictures or pictures you uploaded to a flickr account, another account, or your computer.  Also, you can use pictures from Animoto's collection.  I used pictures that I took when I went on vacation to Memphis one summer to the aquarium and zoo.  For the music you can use from your personal collection, or from Animoto's collection.  I used from Animoto's collection because they have classical music that tends to relax me and I like to relax when I look at pictures.  I picked Mozart and it flows nicely with the pictures of the different animals.  All you have to do is pick ten pictures and pick the one song for your music.  Creating a simple 30 second video is that simple with Animoto and it is fun to do.  I enjoyed doing it because of how easy and simple it was. 

Thing 19

Visit TeacherPop

Yes, I am a member of the playlist, and open source food communities because I love music and I cook a lot. Listening to music is a everyday thing for me and cooking is something that can help relax me if no else is around to watch me cook. Yes these two social networks are appealing to me because they are two of my hobbies. I will use playlist ti find music that I have always wanted a copy of and play it online to listen to it. Open Source Food I will use to try different recipes and get great meal ideas when I cook. I also joined teacherpop ning and the ting that is appealing to me is that you can share your ideas, blog, and leave comments. It can be used to collaborate with other teacher education students.

Thing 23

       Twenty-three things was modified from its orginial version from fourty-three things I might want to do this year by Stephen Abram.  I can tell that the twenty-three things came from the fourty-three things because he listed some of them and they are: register at blogger and blog, look at Facebook and future social networking sites, setup a flickr account and post a few digital photos online, sign up for Del.icio.usaccount and play with social bookmarketing, play with Wikkipedia and edit an entry.  His list also, includes quite a few other of the activities we blog about at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FWE/is_2_10/ai_n16133338/. I saw this when I went to the website and read through the 43 things that he suggested on doing because almost all of twenty-three things are from his list.  Plus, there is a credit section giving credit to different programs and a creative commons license saying that it has been borrowed and duplicated with permission.  I will use the Creative Commons licensing to license work that I have to use in the classroom that is not my own work and mot duplicate it.  I will use it in my own research if I use the majority of their work and keep it in mind when I grade my students work.

Thing 22

       Livebinders is a great site.  I organized all my resources in about one hour, and I realized I have a ton of resources that I use for school lately.  It will help me keep all my resources organized and keep up with them.  Livebinders can be used in the classroom to give students websites that can help them understand the topic being taught in class if they are having problems grasping it.  Plus, it can give students ways of organizing their resources that they will pile up as the go through school.  Also, it can also help by giving students places to get worksheets for extra practice if they need it, or an alternate explanation.  It is very easy to use.  You can create new tabs, and new subtabs. 

Thing 20

I chose this video because Manta stingrays are rare encounters and they are one of the largest creatures. Plus, we know nothing of their nature, which I found interesting because they are one of the most intelligent ocean animals.My experience with YouTube was great, but then I have had experience with this website. I liked the fact that YouTube brings up videos similar to the one that you watch and that you can add videos to your query. I dislike the fact that YouTube tends to repeat its search results in the results and that sometimes you get results that did not match your search. you can use YouTube in the classroom for animations to help teach a specific topic, or to give the students a overview about what they are going to learn when introducing a topic to grab their attention. the features of YouTube that would be interesting if added to the library are the Press Library and the timeline feature.

Thing 18

       It is important that educators know how social networking works because it is an awesome way to collaborate with other people and colleagues. Plus, it is important to know how social networking works because you can connect with your colleagues and share information.  I already use twitter and facebook, but the new insights that I gained are that you have to be extremely careful with what you post because everyone can see it and that you can use it as a way to collaborate with people that you know.  Social networking is a good way to communicate with your friends and colleagues if you use it right. I like the fact that on twitter it keeps the tweets short because when some people like to update their friends on whats going on they type a long explanation and what I dislike is that you cannot go back and edit your tweets. with facebook I like the fact that there is no limit to what you can type. Tweeter has the most useful features because you can also follow organizations that post information in your major.  I can see an application for these sites because tweeter you can follow organizations that publish journal articles, so tweeter can help you with research.

Thing 17

        I experienced that you can click on a tag and bookmark and it will take you to that specific site where it was tagged or bookmarked.  It was nice because it shows that you can bookmark or tag something and keep it all organized in one place and use other peoples research as well.  I can see the potential use of this tool in the classroom becuase you can use it to help gain resources in teaching a topic and teaching resources such as test generators, wroksheets and quizzes.  Teachers can take advantage of social bookmarking sites because they can use it to find resources from other teacher's bookmarks and come up with a lot of resources that can help students understand different topics.  Plus, social bookmarking websites can be accessed from anywhere, so if the teacher wants to show students where to go for more help on a topic they can pull it up in the classroom.

Thing 16

  I choose the iGoogle start page because it helps me keep up with my  weather, email, important information and I use the calender to tell me what I have to get done everyday.  It appealed to me because it has all the information I need to start my day because I like to keep up with the music world, so I have music news on my page.  It appeals to me because of how they organize the page of information.  I will not make it my pernant home page because I do not own the computer that has internet at home.  Online calenders and to do lists are helpful because they can remind you of what you need to get done that day in a organized and timely fashion.  Plus, they both are on the computer, so you cannot lose them or accidently throw them away.  I would recommend chalksite to people because this site can be useful in the classroom because teachers can set up their own workspace, take attendance, post assignments and connect with the parents online.  This is a useful website.

Thing 15

      Using a wiki is not that hard.  A wiki can be beneficial in so many different ways in the classroom and in your personal life.  The experience of posting on a wiki was new to me because I never have done it before. I was amazed how fast and easy it was because I do not use the computer that much except for school and once and a while to play a game.  All I had to do was click on the edit button and enter the information I wanted to add.  We all could use a wiki in the classroom to show our students that people have different ideas and concepts about different topics or subjects in life.  We could also use wikis to get our students to collaborate with one another over the internet to help them study, post questions, and plan trips.  What I found interesting about the wiki concept is that someone can go into that page and change the information on the page with just clicking the edit button.

Thing 14

    I chose to sign up and discover bubbl.us because it is a mind map.  I chose it because it is easy to use and helps organize information that you already know into a ewasy to read map to use to study.  I am using it as a guide to help build the powerpoint for the class.  This tool is helping me organize what factors are found in a biome and how I can break the information up. I also signed up for Gliffy because it is a flowchart I like this better because you can use different shapes to show different subtopics off of the main topic.  It makes  organizing the information even more easier thatn bubbl.us by providing different shapes to use for each subtopic and easier for the people reading it to follow.

Thing 13

         Zoho writer has great features once you learn how to use them.  You can insert pictures, charts, graphs,links, table of contents and equations.  Zoho writer even lets you share your documents with other people online.  You can review your document to make sure there is no spelling errors by using spell check, or find and replace.  Under review there is a word count, thesaurus and the history of the documents that you have created.  You can change the view to the document and the choices you have are: normal view, print preview, page view, html view, and if you do not like the ruler you can hide the ruler.  You can change the format of the document to the way you wish it look and setup the page how you would like it.  there is even a mailing option which gives you three options and the options are:  selected data source, insert merge fields, and finish and merge.  You can also save, print, export and import documents.
            Students can work collaboratively using google docs through the share feature.  They can share notes, information and research.  Students can challenge each other through this feature by helping one another on homework or ideas for their class projects.  Google docs and Zoho writer have the same features, but they are organized in different tool bars.  Google docs formatting is located directly above the document or in the formatting button and Zoho writer's formatting feature just has an button you can click on.  In google docs you can insert page breaks and in Zoho writer you do not have that feature.  Also, in google docs you can insert comments throughout a document and in Zoho writer you cannot.  Google docs has features that Zoho writer does not contain, but both are great and easy to work with and can be useful and helpful to use.I prefer google docs because it is easier for me to navigate and has more tools.  Here is the document I created in google docs:

Beyond and Beneath

Look beyond and beneath the water,

dig deep inside, and see who you really are?

You are on a journey through diverse seas,

Where you overcome the seas distant flurries,

That there is individualistics that unbar.

So that the seas flurries don’t gloom,

The surface that proclaims your light,

Than and only than might,

The sunset over the sea loom.

but there is the oceans within the light,

For your individualistics will transpire,

In the calming, soothing waves.

For there the oceans all mighty might,

Will have the desire,

To have your individualistics to be engraves.

Thing 12

         The first google tool I decided to discover further was the google translator because I usually need one around to help translate text from various languages.  I used a piece of poetry I wrote myself to translate into several different languages.  I discovered there is a turn on instant translation option I clicked on to turn it off and then back on.  I can use it in my searches, emails, videos, phone, chat and business.  Teachers can use this tool to communicate with parents that speak a different language, to translate a document into a different language and to search for material in a students language they can understand. 
      The second goolge tool I decided to discover further was the google alert because I rarely check the news because of how busy I am.  I typed in  a search term and the type of search term.  Next, I chose how often to they email me and I picked once a day.  Finally, I chose the volume which means which type of results and wher they deliever it.  I also, added and deleted one search term by checking a box to the left of search terms.  I added the search term before deleting it by clicking the add search terms button.  I can also cancel, save the search terms, or export the search terms. Teachers can use this to set up their schedule in the classroom throughout the day to help them with time management, to schedule meetings, have a list of when class presentations or projects are due.  Also, to remeind them when to send out newsletters, progress reports, or other important documents to the parents.

Thing 11

        The method of finding feeds that was easiest for me was to find a good search tool and in the search area type in the subject area I would like to search. Technorati was the easiest search tool for me to use because all I had to do was to click on blogs beside the search tool bar and type in what type of blog I would like to keep up with.  Topix was the search tool that was the most confusing search tool because I had to put in the area I am in and then type the subject, just by doing that I had no clue why they needed my location.  I found a news feed that would keep me up to date on plant and animal news, and a feed that would keep me up to date on different scientific discoveries.  I found a feed that is pure biology art that would help explain processes because it had pictures of each step of the process, but it was weird because usually everything is labeled and nothing was labeled.

Thing 10

         I like the fact that I do not have to go to each website and look for updates.  The updates just come to me everyday because it is less time consuming and easier to manage keeping up with different blogs and information that will be useful to me.  I can use this technology in my personal life to keep up with my family members blogs and friends blogs.  I can use the google reader to help me find ideas of information or powerpoints to use in the classroom with one of the blogs I used.  I can also use google reader to save videos or to show in the classroom that would help the students understand that biology subject material. Teachers can take advantage of this new technology by subscribing to blogs of other teachers and other resources that can help them find material to teach the class.  Teachers can use it as a way to take notes on a subject you are preparing to teach in class that you found interesting information online for.

Thing 9

http://www.imagechef.com/ic/final_widget.jsp

      There are many ways anyone can use a image mosaic.   In a classroom a teacher can use the image mosaic to put up a picture of vocabulary words in the classroom for students to look at for each chapter you cover.  The teacher can put the words in the form of the main subject or the theme for that chapter.  This would draw the students attention to the list of vocabulary everyday and some of them might even learn the list. In the library you can use a image mosiac to display rules or display events by typing them out. I choose to show some of my personality by using it for personal use.  Anyone can use the image generator for personal use to express how they feel, or to just show apart of their own personality. 

Thing 4

    Commenting helps reate a sense of community because you are collaborating in a positive way and sharing useful information and ideas.  It creates a sense of community through forming friendships, asking for help and ideas when you need them.  It helps everyone get to know one another and form partnerships where we can exchange information that we learn in class or through experience teaching in the classroom.  One point that I found important while reading about commenting is if you disagree to bring up the positive point that you agree with and compliment and then explain why you disagree with them.  I thought this was important because no one likes someone that is a overly critic about what they post.  Plus, the positive comments help show that you pay attention to the good along with the bad.  The second point that I though was important is that you invite comments.  If you invite comments, you will most likely get more comments and feel as though you are apart of the blogging community.  I think it is important because in order to have a successful blog you have to be able to communicate effectively with other people and learn and share information. 
       I choose to read and comment on John McFarland's Thing 6 blog because the name caught my eye and I am trying to learn about more of the tools that are available online.  I chose to make a positive comment because I agreed with his blog about how Photobucket used and organizing the pictures in the correct way can help students study or understand the topics in class.  I also made a point that you would have to organize the pictures in the correct way in order for the pictures to help the students understand the lesson and its content.  I made this point because if you make a powerpoint with pictures to help the student understand meiosis and its not in the correct chronilogical order they will become confused and the powerpoint will not be useful.  
       The second blog I decided to read and comment on was Paige Walker's 7 1/2 habits because the third habit use to be a challenge for me as well.  I told her to try and look at the obstacles as biology problems since we are both biology problems and that is what helped me.  I also, told her that I wanted a new start and in order to start with any new slate when you start a new school year you have to view obstacles as challenges and maximize the learning experience. 
      The third blog I decided to read and comment on was Anne Stritzel because the name caught my eye.  her thing number seven was interesting.  I told her that I could relate to losing a pet and apologized for her loss.I also  told her that I had the same problem, so I signed up for an account and I could use the pictures, but it depended on which picture you wanted to use.  Her blog was very informative and you could see that she is a caring person through her story.
      The fourth blog I decided to read and comment on was Tiffany Fruth's because I am interested in what other people think about flickrs mashups and how they could be used in the classroom and our own personal lives.  I agreed with her that we have to worry about crimson and inapropriate pictures being posted online because some children find them. I also told her that the flickr tools could be very useful in the classroom depending on how you use them in the classroom.
    The fifith blog I decided to read and comment on was Tammy Waters on the sixth thing.  She did a wonderful summary about the tool she chose to write about.  I read and commented on this blog because I thought it would be useful to learn about different tools that can help us out in our classrooms.  I told her I agreed that it would be beneficial in the classroom because no matter what subject you are there is vocabulary that your students need to learn.  Plus, it will help with lesson plans and those are very important.   
       For one of the two blogs I had to comment and read on that is not from the education was Genome Biology because they put out interesting articles and they reached their two year anniversary.  I congratulated them and told them to keep up the good work.  They are interesting because the articles are in the biiology field which I find fascinating. Plus, other people that communicate on their page keep up with the news on whats going on in biology.  The second blog I decided to comment and read on was Leslie Samuel because he is a high school biology teacher that keeps his own website up to date.  He puts videos, games, powerpoints, worsheets and quizzes he uses online to share and give other teacher ideas.  He also, puts it online to help his students understand the material and engage them in the material.  I asked him how he keeps his students interested because by high school most students lose interest in their science classes.

Thing 8

             Flickr mashup could be used in the classroom to group photos that could help students information is in the same chapter.  An example is  you could put the biome in the middle and put the animals, plants, where it is in the world and show an example of the weather of the biome around that biome. It could help draw their attention to remember the steps in an important process or a sequence of events in a war if they can associate it with a picture.  It could be used in my personal life to create collages of family pictures.  this could be a very useful tool.   

         I feel as that you should make sure the picture is appropriate before you post it online because once it is online everyone sees it.  You should not post something indescent of someone else or post their picture online without their permission.  I used these pictures from my digital camera.  They come from a large collection of animal pictures that I have taken over the years at different zoos and aquariums. 

Thing Seven

     I found the image Mount Baker Reflection by using flickr.  My experience with flickr is that I explored the different tags, and groups.  I learned that you can explore different images by the date or galleries. Flickr contains a list of the popular tags that are used when posting images.  I went under photos and browsed around hitting the next arrow at the bottom until I found this image. The image caught my eye because of the different shades of blues and how the reflection in the water is painted.  The reflection in the water has the exact same shape as the mountain and trees, but the color is darker.  Plus, the mountains have always been an interesting place for me because I love nature and find it interesting.  Its a place a usually go to retreat from everything when I need a break and decide to take a vacation.

  

Mount Baker Reflection         

 By Garry Oakes Members             

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58335538@N03/5404971015/in/photostream/                                     

              

Thing six

  I discovered Grooveshark that is an online website where you can create playlists and listen to music for free.  At Grooveshark you can share the music you have, interact with other people and search for music.  The thing I like about this tool is you can find music you like for free and create a playlist for the next time you log on.  I also, liked that they categorize their music by type because I listen to several different types of music.  I disliked is that the Grooveshark tool will let you add the same song more than once. This tool will be useful for me because sometimes music helps relax me and helps me write and get homework done.  It would be helpful in a school setting if you are teaching a music class and you would like them to hear some music from a specific artist.  The sites useful features are: the search engine, playlists, and favorites folder.

Music source:  http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/

Thing # 5

   School 2.0 to me means to me that you can type, put up videos, pod casts, and etc to help students learn and study the ideas.  It also, means that students can blog their thoughts, opinions, questions, and answers on a site where the teacher can help the student learn the material.  School 2.0 means that it is a way to interact with students on the Internet to help them understand the material and they can criticize or give their opinions on the book they are reading for a class or a painting that they are studying on the Internet at home.  My opinion School 2.0 in schools in the future means that a lot more of the homework, slide shows for class, assignments and make-up work a student needs can be online in a blog for them to find if they need it.  It means for schools in the future that if students have questions that they can be answered quicker and get the extra help they need outside the classroom with their homework.  You are welcome to leave any comments you have.

Thing Two

      The important decisions in life are what sticks with you throughout life.  I decided on oceannorton for my posting name because I love the ocean and the life in the ocean.  In addtiion, the sound of the waves of the ocean calm me down and when I learn about marine life I get overly excited.  I decided on using the blog name biologynortoneducation because I am a biology major.  Plus, I love working in the lab and find the lecture fascinating.  I decided to include education in the name because it is my minor and I love working with children of all ages.  I also believe that education is a important aspect of life because without it we cannot expand our knowledge and reach our potential.  I created the posting name and blog name through the experience I had creating the blog.
      My experience of creating a blog was easy because you are following simple instructions.  The blog was easy to create because I had an idea of what to expect, but it was a new experience for me.  I never have never posted blogs online before, so it is a good learning experience for me.  This experience taught me how to create a blog and make an avatar.The avatar that I created reflects my personality that I like to look nice when I go out or go to observe in a classroom.  I like to look professional when I go out into the field. The avator reflects the color of my eyes, but does not look that much like me because I have lighter skin color, longer and darker color hair. 

Thing One

    Life long learning we all do without thinking about it.  I do it everyday with relearning the keyboard, going to class, reading, using the computer and solving puzzles.  The easiest habit for me out of the seven and a half habits would be to begin with the end in mind because I set goals for myself.  I first started college not setting goals and learned fast that it would help to set them, so after I figured out what I wanted to be I started setting goals for myself.  I started with my long term goal and broke it into years. I even set goals for what I need to have completed by the end of the week, so that I do not get behind on anything in school.  In my future classroom I'll set goals easily for the class to try and reach. The hardest habit for me out of the seven and a half habit would be play because I do not have very much free-time on my hands.  I'm usually in my textbooks, running errands, helping my twin sister with my nephew, giving my rides Mom to and from work, work, and cleaning the house.  I try to at least to take thirty minutes every day to have fun, but most days it does not happen. In my future classroom play will be hard because most student think that science is either boring or think that they are not good at.  The way I would apply play in my future classroom would have to be through the different labs and activities that I will have them perform. The tutorial was fun and easy.

Thing three

       Blogs can be used in our education program and in our future classroom.  I could use this blog in the education program if I'm in a study group and need to communicate with them about an assignment or when we are meeting up again.  In addition, I could use this blog in the education program to share journal articles that I find interesting that might help someone out with an assignment.  In my future classroom I could use a blog to post important test dates, slide shows and notes. I could use a blog to help answer student questions if they miss a day of school and would like to catch up.  Lastly, I could use a blog to communicate with other teachers around the world and we could help each other find interesting labs and activities to help students learn the material.