Thing #17 Tagging & Bookmarking

Del.icio.us.com, as previously stated is definitely handier than the bookmarking option already on the computer because of the social aspect. I think for a classroom setting this would be a more desirable feature, but ultimately it honestly is the product of someone with a lot of time on the hands, or really nosy. In the classroom setting teachers and students could share useful sites with one another and sites that enhance lessons or offer extra practice. the apsu23things Del.icio.us account was riddled with people tagging the free classroom and ed. blogs which makes sense considering that most people aspire to become teachers in this class! I was able to see the comments...the site received a lot of positive feedback. I would definitely be willing to give this application a shot in my classroom, but I wouldn't just for personal usage. As for Furl and Mag.nolia...different grade, same grade. I would stick with Del.icio.us simply because it is the more popular of the three.

Thing #16 Getting Organized

Ok, I don't remember which thing it was listed under but I think I have done the customizable start page before (Thing #12)...I chose to do the iGoogle start page because I use Google ALL the time. In fact, it has been my start up page since like the beginning...I absolutely love love love me some Google. Well I chose to add things that interest me such as breaking news, politics, cooking, and entertainment. It is pretty cool because it shows everything you would probably search for anyway on one page without actually having to search the web! Convenient or Lazy? I definitely think it promotes productivity and allows people to make the best out of already extremely limited free time. The calendar can be useful because most of us check our computers at least once a day...It is like the to-do list only nicer in my opinion. However the to-do list is ok...they would be good for posting to show or remind students of the daily agenda. I wouldn't place more than one week worth of information at a time on it because a student could look at it and easily become overwhelmed. The mystickies are awesome, I have them tacked everywhere at the moment just because I can I guess. I like the way they look, but honestly they nice for keeping up with stuff found online. I mean they are pretty self-explanatory: virtual sticky note, just like regular ones only virtual. Same purpose, same function. Any of them can be used at home so I say I reckon all of them can be useful for at home, but I use my myspace calendar pretty often because I like to keep people informed and be informed. I checked out the 30 Boxes and that one is good too, if I didn't already have one I would definitely use it. Good stuff.

Thanksgiving Thank-A-Thon

I would like to start off by thanking the Notorious G-O-D and Lil J for getting me and my fiancee through another year! Second, I would like to thank Lady Gaga and Britney Spears for keeping me dancing all year long, especially through troubling times. And...last, but not least, Modcloth for giving me this awesome opportunity. However with all of the said, the person I would like to dedicate this Thank-a-thon to most is my Mother for keeping our family together. I have just recently moved out of my mother's house to pursue my dreams of becoming an attorney and this has been one extremely trying year. She continues to fill me with love, hope, courage, and prayers when the going gets rough. She has fed me when I have needed to use money to eat on rent, and has helped pay rent when I have needed money to eat. Despite being at home supporting my younger sister as a single parent she continues to help me strive for my dreams even at the expense of her own. She is the most selfless person I know. We haven't been able to buy new clothes and other luxuries because we need the money for things required to survive. However, it would be so nice to see her in something new for the holidays because I know she is embarrassed about her appearance, but wouldn't dare to complain about it. I know other people will be writing about things of more interest and perhaps have posts that make people laugh, but right now the only thing I have to write about comes from my heart. Thank you Momma for being the rock in my life and holding things together when when I didn't know how! I Love you Momma :)
Modcloth Thank-a-Thon

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.