Final Thoughts

During this semester I have learn many wonderful things about technology. Before taking this course I did not consider myself to be computer literate. Now I am confident in my abilities to use technology. I am no longer afraid if it. I have overcome my fears, which will make me a better educator. It was a lot of work but I am appreciative that I was able to succeed. I am sure I will take what I have learned into my career. I have really enjoyed it and I would recommend that everyone who has had some problems with technology to take this course. It really helps.

Thing 23

I learned many things about creative commons. I have never been introduced to this before and I am gratefully I am now. As a college student I have had to endure many hours of writing papers and worrying about if my information was cited correctly. Now that I have learned about creative commons my next paper will not be so stressful.
My major is math and I am sure I will use what I have learned. I plan to incorporate information from the Internet to enhance learning. My knowledge of creative commons will come in handy.

Thing 22

http://www.epnweb.org/player.php?podshow=http://www.mathpodcast.com/videos/Media/CalculatorTips-Graphtor.m4v&podcast=Video Math Tutor: Calculator Tips&program=Calculator Tips - Graphtor

I chose a podcast called Tips for Calculator. My major is math so this really interested me. It gave wonderful information on how to get a graphing calculator and paying half the price. It even gave advice as to which type of calculator is needed for different levels of education. I posted the link because I had some problems copying it to this blog.
I found the educational podcast directory easy to use. You can choose by subject area which podcast you would like to listen to. This is something that I would use and create with my future students. There were many that I would like to listen to on a regular basis.

Thing 21

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

I really enjoyed using aminmoto. It was very easy and user friendly. I have never done anything like this before and I thought it was going to be hard. I glad that I was wrong. This is something that I would like to use later. This was a great experience.

Thing 20

I enjoyed exploring youtube. I like that all my favorite videos are just a click away. I chose the video of Luther Vandross singing "A Change is gona come" because I love that song, and Luther Vandross has a beautiful voice. He is one of my favorite singers. I think that many of the features of youtube will be usefull if add to a library. You can look up historical events or even presidential elections and listen to speeches.

Thing 19

I am a member of myspace and facebook. Teacher's Pop is something that I will continue to use. I find it extremely interesting. Also bake space was appealing to me because I love to cook and even more so, I love to eat. So a place where I can get recipes is great.

Thing 18

The link to my facebook profile is:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000721313334

Teaching is an extremely demanding career. It requires dedication, determination, and a great deal of creativity. Social networks allow teacher to communicate with one another. They can share ideas and other tools necessary for successful teaching. I enjoy using facebook better than myspace although I have an account for each. Facebook has many useful features such as events. You can plan an event and invite people from your friend list. They can even RSVP. I like that only people who you have approved as friends can write on your wall. I think that this could be used in a classroom setting, however I would not recommend it. I think it would be hard to monitor and students could use it to bully their peers.

Thing 17

I think that it is a great tool. Social bookmarking and tagging things can eliminate needless searches, for example if you are looking for information on a subject you do not have to search through other sites. You can simply use the items that are bookmarked or tagged. It is a great way of communicated with others. Teachers can even use it to assign scavenger hunts for students. This is something I would incorporate into my classroom when I become a teacher.

Thing 16

The start page that I chose is iGoogle. It appealed to me because I was familiar with it already. I currently use it for my homepage. By exploring it further I was able to make customized changes. I can view the weather, bookmarks, sticky notes and to do list. I found the to-do-lists helpful. I am a person who makes a list of everything. In fact, I am getting married in August and I have a long list of things to do. I also have many dates that must be kept. Online calenders makes it easy to keep up with important dates and because it is online it makes it hard to misplace. All of these tools can be used at school or home. I would recommend these to others.

Thing 15

My knowlede on wiki was very limited. The only thing I knew was not to use wikipedia as a source for reports. I learned that wiki is a great way to communicate with others on just about any subject. This is a great tool for students and teacher. Teacher could come up with information on how to help new teacher. This could be done by share ideas and methods that will help in the classroom. Each teacher could add a personal experience. As a math teacher It would be interested in learning how other teacher present information. wiki would be perfect for that.

Thing 14

I enjoyed using bubble.us and mindmeister. Bubble.us was really simple to use. It also has lots of animations which kept my attention. Mindmeister was interesting also. These are great tool for teachers to use as well as students. They enable people to organize information or ideas. Brainstorming is an important part in preparing for projects, reports, and other assignments. Bubble.us and mindmeister makes that process easier and more organized. This is something I would use when I become a teacher.

Thing 13

I learned some interesting things about zoho writer. First, it is easy to use. I am familiar with Microsoft word and this was like an upgraded version of Microsoft word. I like zoho writer because I can create groups and share documents with others. I d0 not have to save the document to the computer and email it to someone, which saves time. I have taken online classes where I have to email an essay to my teacher. There were times where I would have to email the document twice because the professor did not receive it the first time. Zoho writer is great for problems like this. What was also interesting is that you can type in different languages. I have friends that speak another language and I can write them something in the their native tongue. I enjoyed using zoho writer.

Thing 12

This was a very interesting exercise and also an extremely enjoyable one. I chose the calendar and picasa album. It was really simple to set up an account. When I set up the picasa album I was surprised to learn that I already had pictures in the album. They were from the different assingments I completed in the 23 Things. This is a great tool for learning. For example if a teacher has a lesson that involves mountains they can use the picasa album to upload pictures of different mountains. Teachers can also use the calender to post due dates for assignments, projects, and tests.
http://picasaweb.google.com/113465353004972990034/LakishaTramill?authkey=Gv1sRgCPudneqdn7z_EA#

Thing 11

The method of finding feeds that I found easiest to use was Technorati. It was simple because all I had to do was type in my area of interest and many different sites came up. It was not a lot of information all over the page to confuse me and the information that was on the page was organized neatly. I had problems opening Feedster and Syndic8.com for some unknown reason. I enjoyed searching through the many sites and as a teacher I could utilize this more for learning purposes.

Thing 10

This was a very interesting exercise. I learned many things that I did not know before. I like that I am able to receive and view updates from all my favorite websites in one place. I found it to be user friendly, which is extremely important to me. I decided to have an account through Google Reader because it was really simple to use. The sites I subscribed to include: Cool Cat Teacher Blog, The Leaf Chronicle, Weight Lose Lib, Always Learning, and Dangerously Irrelevant. This technology would be an asset to any classroom. For example an economics class could use it to view updates on the stock market or a social studies class could use it for research on current events. It is a great learning tool.

Thing 9

When I was growing up I watched the Simpsons. That is why I chose Homer Simpson as my character. I wrote "Why didn't I get an education sooner," because that how I feel. I waited to go to college and it is a challenge now. I have to keep telling myself to press on. This was really fun and easy to use. Teacher could use this to make signs for the classroom or assign it to students for a project. It can be used in the library as signs or instruction. Such as "Shhh Reading in Progress!" The link to this item ishttp://www.comicstripgenerator.com/creator.asp?title=CHANGE+THIS+TITLE!&text=Shhh!!+READING+IN+PROGRESS!&tag=March+17%2C+2010&fontsize=14&font=comic&color=black&move=&move2=&cartoons.x=51&cartoons.y=11&cartoon=mr-smiley-face&time=0955

Thing 8

This was a good experience. I enjoyed looking at all the different things and creating something from them. I believe that this can be used in many classroom settings. An art class is one subject that could utilize this tool. It allows students to use their there creativity in positive ways. Art is not the only class that could use this. Pictures or visual aids cans enhance learning especially for those students who are visual learners. At first I did not think that sharing photos online was a good idea, however now that I have had a chance to work with some, I have changed my view. I believe that it is a great learning tool.

Thing 7

This photo was taken by a photographer named HVargas. I chose this picture because it is absolutely beautiful. The colors are amazing and the details are simply gorgeous. The picture is so clear that it is as if you can reach into the photo and touch the duck. I found this to be a very interesting experience and I enjoyed looking at the different pictures. The link to the photo is http://www.flickr.com/photos/viamoi/3347696783/

Thing 6

I love to cook and more importantly I love to eat. I found a tool that would allow people to find different recipes, and upload their own recipes. You can watch as people prepare their favorite meals which is very useful when trying to create someone's dish. This site can make you feel like a food network star because you can upload a video of yourself make a special dish. I could see a high school home economics class using this tool.
http://www.imcooked.com/

Thing 5

When I read the articles I thought that it is amazing how far and how fast technology has evolved. To me school 2.0 means that we will have better opportunities to learn and to share knowledge with others. Schools will be able to educate students in many different ways and teachers will be able to adhere to the different learning styles though these new technological advances.

Thing 4

Commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction. When you leave comments you share your feelings and opinions with others. People are able to get a sense of who a person is by reading their comments. This allows people to be able to interact with one another.
One point that I found important from reading about commenting is that their has to be a balance between answering each person. You do not want to ignore someone, but If you have a many comments it is important to do what is feasible. Another point that I found important is that everyone wants to know that their comments are being read. Little things like "thank you" or "agree" is sufficient.
The people whose blog I decided to comment on were: Venica Graham, Sara Willey, Alexa Tyler, Rachel Biter, Jerita Reese, Dwyer Chitchat, and Hannah McMunn. I selected these people because I enjoyed reading their blogs. The comments I made gave insite to my personality and also told how I felt about what they had written.

Thing 3

In the education profession communication is a key element for success. Blogs can be utilized in the teaching profession as a way of communication between students, parents, colleagues and others. I would use blogs as a way of providing examples of homework assignments for students. Posting homework assignments on a blog will give parents the opportunity to know what materials are being covered in class. Test dates could also be posted in order to allow parents the chance to assist their child in the preparation process. As a new teacher I will be able understand how important it is to learn different ways of relaying information to students, therefore blogs can also be used to share ideas, or teaching strategies, and I can reflect on my teaching experiences.

Thing 2

I really enjoyed creating my avatar because it was as if I was playing a game. I dressed my avatar in a dress and high-hill shoes because I think it is cute, but I did not create her to look like me. She has a smile on her face because I like to smile. People are always commenting on how much I smile. I am a happy person, for the most part, so that is why I wanted my avatar to smile. The name was simple because I just used my own.
Creating this blog was not difficult at all. It reminds me of posting something on myspace or facebook. I am not on those things as much anymore because of school but every now and then it is nice to check things out. Creating blogs has turned out to be a great experience and I look forward to the next one.

Thing 1

Habit number 4, have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner, is the hardest for me. Many times I get discouraged and feelings of doubt fill my mind. Once I have mastered what I was learning I can feel better about myself. Habit number 1, begin with the end in mind, is most simple for me. I know what I would like to do, however getting there can prove a difficult task.

Working through Thing 1 was not as hard as I thought it would be. Surprisingly it was pretty simple because all I had to do was follow the directions. I would like to learn more about web 2.0 because creating information is something that I would be interested in. I have never used a blog before so this is a chance for me to learn something new. Setting up the blog was simple. The steps were easy to read and simple to follow. As I worked on this project I was a little nervous because I thought I would do it incorrectly. This was a good experience for me and I look forward to learning other new and exciting things from web 2.0.

Lakisha