Thing #4

*ugh* Can you say time consuming? Commenting is important because without commenting there would be no blogging communities or interaction. People sometimes have this annoying tendency to comment on blogs that the world should fade out. For example, a blog about a moldy sandwich went on for over a year until super crazed fan bloggers realized somewhere people were laughing at them. So with this said, blogging can be a double-edged sword. I think if someone is interested in a blog that it would be nice if he/she dropped in and left a cool comment or demanded an "encore" blog...support intelligent blogs. I read How to comment like a king (or queen!) and 10 techniques to get more comments on your blog and both of them hit a little too close to the self-explanatory home for me. Someone has to give some to get some and the same goes for the blogging community. Spam is abundant so beware and there are also (good and bad) risks that come along with using an alias or a real name. I follow Taylor Swift's blog because it is one of the few celebrity blogs posted by the actual celebrity instead of a 24hr. life assistant. The other blog I chose was my friend Anna's blog because we are interested in the same types of things and tend to keep other informed about things evolving around our community. The five blogs I chose from our classroom community group were: Darth Vaden, My Journey, Forever Ferrell, Dorris Educates America, and Julianne Ventress. I left these people encouraging comments because I enjoyed what each one had to say regardless of whether or not I agreed. The comments I left were too long to go into specific detail, however I hope this encouraged them to continue writing and sense of "community.

Thing#8 Flickr Mashups

*Wow* I honestly feel like I've been living under a rock because I had no idea that some of this stuff even existed. I love Spell with flickr because it is simple and can be used by anyone who knows how to type. I think this would be an awesome first day tool for younger children in school. They could make name-tags for the desks or do something fun with spelling words with this web application. In fact, I think I'm about to use this to make something for my facebook or myspace page using this app. I'm slowly starting to find out that I'm not the big "computer know-it-all" that I once thought I was.lol.

Thing #7: Flickr

I chose the second option for this blog simply because it had "the more FUN option" set off in parentheses (I would have to concur). This was my first time ever using flickr and I like that it has a more "sophisticated" crowd than photobucket (plus there are more feautures!). In my opinion, photobucket has too many teenage boys and girls taking pictures of their "scene hair" and things they find to be interesting or original when it probably isn't. Flickr could be incorporated into the classroom or library if students have his/her own blog, or perhaps even a classroom blog. It is a good way to import pictures from PC's, Mac's, or the internet. I don't have any fears about the pictures being posted in a public place (hence the privacy filter), however I would be concerned about monitoring the student's content because more than likely you are going to be working with minors. I don't flickr would be a very successful tool with the youngsters unless perhaps a permission slip was passed out and signed by the parents of each student. Basically unless the proper precautions are taken, flickr should be for personal usage. Overall, my flickr experience was pleasant and I am definitely switching over to this photo sharing site instead. I chose to upload a picture I took last Valentine's Day with my cell phone of a box of chocolates someone I love very dearly gave me.

Thing #6: Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

I chose yahoo answers because it is a fun site that allows you to ask, answer, explore, and social network with other people. I wouldn't use this site to answer life's most difficult questions, however this would be a great site for people to gather perspectives, generate ideas, or as a resource to hunt for accredited research information (people usually post links to .edu, .gov, and .org websites to back-up their assumptions). You can converse with other yahoo answers users via email, instant messaging, and by commenting on other people's questions. This site could definitely be incorporated into a school or library setting because it would allows for people to share knowledge and have discussion boards locally and globally. yahoo answers is simple and (my favorite word) free. I like to think of it as a productive version of facebook.

Thing #5: Perpectives on Web/School 2.0 and the future ed.

I think the term "School 2.0" is beginning to solely mean electronic hands-on education. It is evident that educators and students of the past survived without all of these electronic innovations just fine. I read the Minds on Fire and New Literacies article and there seems to be this huge societal push for more computer-based learning than necessary. I think web 2.0 is paving the way for lazier students, poor grammar, high unemployment rates, and a more detached classroom environment. Technology is a great thing in moderation, but soon there won't be a high demand in these classrooms of the future, and I think a real human educator is one of the greatest influences a child could have in his/her life. The majority of computer users are leaning in the enrichment direction instead of the essential.

The Blogging Experience

I would like to start off by saying the Dopple Dolls are adorable! I've used avatars in the past but these surpass the others in cuteness by about ten fold. I chose the name of my blog because it is simple and to the point: My name is Amed and this is my blog (ha). This particular blogging experience was not very easy for because I had to keep in mind that I was not writing this as something to be enjoyed by my friends and family, but as a professional piece to be read by one of my professors. I'm not insinuating that I don't try to maintain a professional standard in everything I do, I am simply stating that it was a bit different. I chose an avatar that resembles my true self instead of an alias because I enjoy being myself and I encourage everyone else to do the same (I have clearly listened to the Sing Along School Bus tapes a time too many, but I have found them to be pretty effective (true story).

Lifelong Learning & Laerning

Lifelong learning is important because it places great emphasis on learning for a lifetime. The message is positive and simple, a person is never too young or too old to learn. I am glad that I made the decision to continue my education and enhance my lifelong learning skills. I find myself having the most trouble with Habit #7 & 1/2 because I never seem to be able to find time for fun due to an overload of homework. I have the least amount of trouble with Habit #1 because I always tend to begin with the end in mind, and I always try to visualize the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards I could possibly earn from reaching my goals. I tend to have extremely unrealistic goals because I always strive for perfection. I'm simply just an airplane trying to be a starship.