Thing #19: TeacherPop
I am a member of Facebook, Twitter, and now TeacherPop. Of the three listed above, I like Facebook the most. However, even Facebook is getting less appealing to me, with all of the political arguments and immature things that are posted by other people. I think that TeacherPop would be great, but it seems as though people are only posting things for Thing #19.
Like I said, I really like the idea of TeacherPop, because people can share ideas and get innovative ideas from their peers. Hopefully, people will really start using TeacherPop.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Thing #18: Social Networking
Thing #18: Social Networking
Facebook and Twitter users are exponentially increasing every day. As a teacher, most of your students are going to be active users of both websites. Thus, it is important as an educator be to knowledgeable about these social networking websites.
As an active user of Facebook, I would like to say that I am very familiar with the site and how it works. I even have the Facebook app for my Iphone. It is fairly self-explanatory. However, I did attempt to use Twitter about a year ago and I did not like it at all. Needless to say, I did not enjoy reading what everyone is having for lunch, or all of the errands everyone is running that day. It was a little confusing to use as well.
I personally like Facebook better because you can hide people's posts if they always post obnoxious things, you can block users from seeing your profile, and you can message others so no one can see it. As a teacher, I could make a page for my classes that I am teaching and upload links to homework assignments. I could also update my status to include homework assignments etc. Twitter could also be used for this too.
Facebook and Twitter users are exponentially increasing every day. As a teacher, most of your students are going to be active users of both websites. Thus, it is important as an educator be to knowledgeable about these social networking websites.
As an active user of Facebook, I would like to say that I am very familiar with the site and how it works. I even have the Facebook app for my Iphone. It is fairly self-explanatory. However, I did attempt to use Twitter about a year ago and I did not like it at all. Needless to say, I did not enjoy reading what everyone is having for lunch, or all of the errands everyone is running that day. It was a little confusing to use as well.
I personally like Facebook better because you can hide people's posts if they always post obnoxious things, you can block users from seeing your profile, and you can message others so no one can see it. As a teacher, I could make a page for my classes that I am teaching and upload links to homework assignments. I could also update my status to include homework assignments etc. Twitter could also be used for this too.
Thing #17: Delicious
Thing #17: Delicious
Wow! I cannot believe what a good idea Delicious.com is! It makes surfing through resources so each and convenient and cuts browsing time in half. I will definitely be using this application and I really hope that my future coworkers use it as well. I can just imagine how helpful it would be to use a veteran teacher's bookmarks to locate useful materials.
Because I will be an English teacher, I will have to teach a lesson on allegories. Honestly, I am not as familiar with allegories as I should be, so I could go to my bookmarking site and find a lesson on allegories. Or, I could go to my coworkers' page and look through their tags on English subjects. I would be able to easily find any resource that I need. My only concern is that I have never heard of social bookmarking before. Thus, I wonder if any of my future coworkers will be using this application.
Wow! I cannot believe what a good idea Delicious.com is! It makes surfing through resources so each and convenient and cuts browsing time in half. I will definitely be using this application and I really hope that my future coworkers use it as well. I can just imagine how helpful it would be to use a veteran teacher's bookmarks to locate useful materials.
Because I will be an English teacher, I will have to teach a lesson on allegories. Honestly, I am not as familiar with allegories as I should be, so I could go to my bookmarking site and find a lesson on allegories. Or, I could go to my coworkers' page and look through their tags on English subjects. I would be able to easily find any resource that I need. My only concern is that I have never heard of social bookmarking before. Thus, I wonder if any of my future coworkers will be using this application.
Thing #16: Igoogle
Thing #16: Igoogle
For this exercise, I chose to create a start page using Igoogle. I chose this application because Google has proven to be the easiest and fastest method to do most technological things on the Internet. I chose well, because it took me 30 seconds to create a start page that contained soooo many of my personal interests. Of course, it will take a little longer to tweak it to be just the way I want it, but it was incredibly fast. I will definitely be using it as my homepage.
Online calenders are so useful because you can insert dates of important things, such as meetings, classes, etc. I am not sure that I would use it because I have a written planner that I consult every day. I would most likely forget to insert my important dates or to check the online calender. However, for business people, I could imagine how beneficial it would be.
I really like the to-do list because you can write a comprehensive list of things that you need to accomplish. Because I am a Type A personality, I like to be organized and have everything I need to accomplish written down. However, I prefer a hand written copy of my to do list in my planner that I consult every day. Sometimes technology cannot replace the old-fashioned hard copy.
I would definitely recommend using a start page. Sometimes you get on the computer and have a million things that you need to access in one sitting. Using your homepage, or start page, you can customize it to include all of your most frequently used applications and web pages. Therefore, all of your information is accessible in one page.
For this exercise, I chose to create a start page using Igoogle. I chose this application because Google has proven to be the easiest and fastest method to do most technological things on the Internet. I chose well, because it took me 30 seconds to create a start page that contained soooo many of my personal interests. Of course, it will take a little longer to tweak it to be just the way I want it, but it was incredibly fast. I will definitely be using it as my homepage.
Online calenders are so useful because you can insert dates of important things, such as meetings, classes, etc. I am not sure that I would use it because I have a written planner that I consult every day. I would most likely forget to insert my important dates or to check the online calender. However, for business people, I could imagine how beneficial it would be.
I really like the to-do list because you can write a comprehensive list of things that you need to accomplish. Because I am a Type A personality, I like to be organized and have everything I need to accomplish written down. However, I prefer a hand written copy of my to do list in my planner that I consult every day. Sometimes technology cannot replace the old-fashioned hard copy.
I would definitely recommend using a start page. Sometimes you get on the computer and have a million things that you need to access in one sitting. Using your homepage, or start page, you can customize it to include all of your most frequently used applications and web pages. Therefore, all of your information is accessible in one page.
Thing #15: Wikis
Thing #15: Wikis
Wikis are a really inventive way for individuals to create a community of learning. By being able to alter, add, correct, or edit information on a given topic, people can collaboratively create a world of knowledge. However, there is a major drawback. Because anyone can edit an entry on a Wiki, it seems very likely that individuals other than professionals can add faulty information, thus decreasing the reliability and validity of the source.
When I was trying to edit and add to the Sandbox, I was very confused. I am not going to lie. It was confusing because I had to create a login and then edit someone else's post. In all honesty, I am not even sure if I did it correctly.
Because Wikis are awfully confusing to someone who has not had any training in using them, I probably would not utilize them in my classroom. It would take too long to train my students in how to use it. However, they are great ideas for professionals who wish to share information on given subjects around the world.
Wikis are a really inventive way for individuals to create a community of learning. By being able to alter, add, correct, or edit information on a given topic, people can collaboratively create a world of knowledge. However, there is a major drawback. Because anyone can edit an entry on a Wiki, it seems very likely that individuals other than professionals can add faulty information, thus decreasing the reliability and validity of the source.
When I was trying to edit and add to the Sandbox, I was very confused. I am not going to lie. It was confusing because I had to create a login and then edit someone else's post. In all honesty, I am not even sure if I did it correctly.
Because Wikis are awfully confusing to someone who has not had any training in using them, I probably would not utilize them in my classroom. It would take too long to train my students in how to use it. However, they are great ideas for professionals who wish to share information on given subjects around the world.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Thing #14: Flowcharts and Mindmaps
Thing #14: Flowcharts and Mindmaps
If anyone has been reading my blogs, they know that I am going to be an English teacher. With that being said, I chose to create a mindmap of the 6-Trait Writing Process for my students. The first site that I chose to use was Bubbl.us, which was a site that allows you to create mindmaps. I love this site! You can create so many different things for your students. You can give them completed mindmaps for a unit or a lesson, which will aid in differentiated learning. You could also make out blank mindmaps that the students must fill out during the lesson. I have attached my mindmap below.
I also used the Gliffy site to create a flowchart. I used the same content for the flowchart as I did for the mindmap. I really liked both tools. The only real difference that I noticed between mindmaps and flowcharts is that a mindmap is a map of ideas and signifies that they are related. A flowchart, on the other hand, indicates the direction of the relationship. Students could use the flowchart to show how the relationship between ideas travel, and would be a great tool for science teachers.
If anyone has been reading my blogs, they know that I am going to be an English teacher. With that being said, I chose to create a mindmap of the 6-Trait Writing Process for my students. The first site that I chose to use was Bubbl.us, which was a site that allows you to create mindmaps. I love this site! You can create so many different things for your students. You can give them completed mindmaps for a unit or a lesson, which will aid in differentiated learning. You could also make out blank mindmaps that the students must fill out during the lesson. I have attached my mindmap below.
Thing #13: Zoho and Google Docs
Thing #13: Zoho and Google Docs
Hello all! So, I just finished exploring Zoho and Zoho Writer. I have to say, I think that Zoho is pretty neat, although it seems very similar to Microsoft Word. After exploring the site, I realized that the major advantage of Zoho is that is easily accessible from any computer because it is web-based. As long as you can sign in to your account, you can access your documents. Similarly, it is compatible with all different versions of a software, whereas Word is sometimes not compatible with older versions of the same software.
After I finished exploring Zoho, I went to Google Docs and created a drawing. I have never used the drawing tool, and I think it is such a great tool! It was easy to navigate, and would be a great tool to make comics for the students. Located below is the drawing I created.
Hello all! So, I just finished exploring Zoho and Zoho Writer. I have to say, I think that Zoho is pretty neat, although it seems very similar to Microsoft Word. After exploring the site, I realized that the major advantage of Zoho is that is easily accessible from any computer because it is web-based. As long as you can sign in to your account, you can access your documents. Similarly, it is compatible with all different versions of a software, whereas Word is sometimes not compatible with older versions of the same software.
After I finished exploring Zoho, I went to Google Docs and created a drawing. I have never used the drawing tool, and I think it is such a great tool! It was easy to navigate, and would be a great tool to make comics for the students. Located below is the drawing I created.
Google Docs is a great way for students to work collaboratively. If they are assigned a group essay or a group presentation, they could use Google Docs to share information. Since it is web-based, the document can be shared and accessed by any group member. This will allow greater opportunities for collaborative work in the classroom, as well as open doors in the English classroom.
I could have my students compose essays on Google Docs and place them in Editing and Revising teams. Each student could upload their essay and their team members could offer suggestions for revision and editing.
Of the two sites, I prefer Google Docs because it offers such a wide variety of tools. If I want to blog, I can go to Google; if I want to make a drawing or a presentation, I can go to Google; if I want to get email alerts, I can go to Google. It is such a well-rounded site that I prefer it to Zoho.
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