Thing #15 Wiki

I didn't know that wiki was the Hawaiian word for quick, however I was aware of the possibilities wikis offer. The information management, collaborative options, and accessibility of these content managers make wikis appealing to a lot of people from many different professions. The main disclaimer I would throw out there about wikis is that anyone (and I do put heavy emphasis on anyone) can use, edit, and create posted material. Some of the misleading information is easy to recognize and ignore, but some people are pretty good at fabricating fiction into facts. So if you ever see something posted saying that the American Civil War was fought over bakeries and doughnuts that is a clear telltale sign that you might not want to use information from that particular wiki database. The Book Lovers Wiki (developed by the Princeton Library) and the WikiEducator were interesting because both shared some ideas that I would use if I had my own classroom. I like how the Princeton Library encouraged participants by offering prizes for entries. The entries encouraged me to want to read Flushed and start something similar in the school library here. They are convenient because people can't always make it to book club meetings etc. and it could be used synonymously with one so people can later add thoughts to a book or give people who missed the session an opportunity to respond.
The WikiEducator was ok...it provided a lot of extra, but underneath all of that was some pretty good ideas on how to use a wiki in an educational setting. I aspire to take the challenge and create my own wiki. I would use wikis in the classroom to let the students elaborate on each other's ideas, add suggestions or information to my posts, and have fun with it. The APSU 23 Things Sandbox was fun because it allowed me to look back on the 1st blog I posted and elaborate on what I've written because I've learned a lot about technology that I didn't know and it is kind of fun to see how a lot of my opinions have changed.

Thing #14 Go With The Flow

This activity was the light at the end of the tunnel for me, I can honestly say this part of the project brought out the "Positive Patty" inside me. I chose to use Gliffy.com (flowchart) and Bubble.us.com (mind map). I liked the flowchart options better because it was kind of similar to the mind map site only with more options. I could see myself using these tools in a classroom as a fun activity to get students generating ideas or as a project requirement. I will definitely consider using one of these items in an upcoming project to create a handout or something. The Gliffy had more architectural features in my opinion with the whole floor plan business and all, but I like the Bubble.is graphics and simplicity. I like making maps, charts, etc. Overall, very cool.

Thing #13 Zoho Writer

I am not in favor of the "Negative Nancy" view of life, but I am going to have to say the Zoho is definitely a "no-go" for me. In my opinion, Zoho Writer is simply a free version of Microsoft Word which is nice if you do not already haveWord. The only two things I see that Zoho Writer has the cutting edge on over Microsoft is the real-time sharing capabilities and the fact that it is free. I feel like it could be useful in a classroom setting for students to instantaneously share documents, files, etc., but so is pulling up a chair, emailing someone, and few extra mouse clicks. I like some of the aspects of the Zoho, but in the end I am a good ole fashion word girl and until Word gives me a reason to hate it I'm going to keep using it. Perhaps Zoho Writer is simply a cry out for help for a society in love with "instant gratification". We can't google life, how much easier are people wanting things to get?

Thing #12 Google is not Just 4 searching Anymore

I am sad to report that Google Notebook has been replaced by Google Notes *lame*. However, it is sure beating the mess out of this Bing business. I haven't seen anything to ring a bell about yet...I guess I am selfish because I enjoyed all of the Google apps/tools that couldn't be shared. I didn't really have a need for Google Calendar because my myspace account has one and I'm connect to all of my people though it, and Picasa didn't really "do it" for me because I already have the Picasa2 app.. This is why iGoogle and Google Alerts hit the spot for me. iGoogle was fin because you could add a scrabble board (my favorite), time lines, and all kinds of possibly useful gadgets. I enjoyed the Google Alerts because it was a nice way of waving goodbye to junk and saying hello to the things you really want in life. This is my first time using it but currently I have Barack Obama, Regina Spektor, and my zodiac sign on list of things to track. Google Alerts could be very useful in the classroom not only for keeping the keeps up to date with things important to the class, but also with things the students are interested in as well.

Thing #3

So I was thinking to myself, "Why isn't my stuff posting to D2L"? This is when I realized I had forgot about Thing #3. "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you"-Friedrich Nietzsche. I think you have to be careful with these kinds of things, but blogs can be very useful! A teacher could use them for reading assignments to get an idea of what the students think about a book or to track what they are learning. (Believe it or not) Some students enjoying writing about their experiences, so blogging could make a good bellringer to get students in the mood to learn. At home students could have classroom discussion boards, homework assignments (we know how forgetful students can be about homework.lol), and post class related stuff. It is important to give students a chance to be able to control what goes in the classroom and what they learn about...because afterall it is their classroom too. Blogging would give teachers a chance to assist students outside the classroom, store reflections, and make notes about things that work and do not work in class. It is also a good way for teachers and students to get connected to teachers and students outside of their classroom, state, ot country. Overall, decent stuff I pose.

Thing #11 Finding Good Feeds

I found Technorati and Topix.net to be the easiest sites to navigate. However, I found it much easier to just search for RSS feeds using the standard Google homepage. It is a quick, easy, and hassle-free way to find exactly what is wanted (minus the fluff). Topix.net was interesting because it provided users with local news as well as other information. (I am semi-egotistically) Technorati was a little bit too opinionated for me. I prefer subscribing to blogs and sites with more credibility (ex. CNN, Channel 5 News, etc.) My friends tend to be my inner circle of knowledge outside of the educational setting...We are like the view only better, and without the pointless cat fights. The most unusual blog postings I found were about a teenage boy named Fred who gained popularity by making his voice sound like he was crunk on helium. I didn't understand and didn't even want to make an attempt at understanding. Syndic8.com and feedster were time consuming and possibly could have potential but I am too much of a grandma to leave Google alone *sad I know* I did like the jobs search option on feedster, the others could have had it but it stood out to me when I saw it on this particular site.

Thing #10 Really Simple Syndication

RSS feeds are awesome because (being the secret narcissistic person that I am) it allows me to keep up with the things I care about and (most importantly) it eliminates the middle man. The Google (RSS) Reader intrigued me the most because I am like a senior citizen...set in my ways. I have been using google for a longtime and it appears to be on many occasions tends to be the internet weapon of choice for me. The readers are good for staying current, convenient look-ups, and personal gossip news needs. A teacher could use RSS to check student's blogging projects (such as this one), current events projects/classroom lectures, and keeping life as compactly organized as possible. I really enjoyed this technology because I was feeling a little technologically impaired. I seriously did not know about the whole Google Reader and Bloglines business.

Thing #9 Online Image Generators

I'm sure there are flocks of teenage girls using these image generators to make Jonas Brothers posters for concerts (this statement will surely date this work when I look at it in the future). Overall, I liked these free online applications. A teacher could use them to "jazz up" classroom displays or visual lecturing aids. The process was pretty easy, simply place some text in the text box and select preview. The images I chose are not reflective of any kind of "hidden" agenda or crudeness contest, they are just a collection of random thoughts, words, and images I had during my creative process. Seriously, super easy and a class could could catch before another teenage has the chance to make more of those posters we all love to hate. For more image generators and to create some of the signs found on my page, just click on one (or all) of the images above and enjoy.