Thing #12

The two google tools I chose to further explore were google calendar and an iGoogle page. I like the google calendar because I am a very organized person and like to make sure everything that needs to get done, does and on time. I think this could be good for students because it could teach them organization. By being organized, students could be better focused on the things intheir lives, including school work. This could very well result in better grades. Also, I like the iGoogle page because you can customize it to your own style and likes. You get to choose the theme that you want and also what you want to be on the page, for example: news, music, etc. This could be a good tool for students to create so you could have them keep up with the news and current events.

http://www.google.com/ig?hl=en

http://www.google.com/calendar/render

Thing #11

The method of finding feeds that I found easiest to use was to research a broad topic like a city. The tool that I found easiest to navigate around was Topix.net. The other ones seemed really confusing to me. They all had a lot of writing and it was overwhelming when I looked at the other pages. I thought that it was way too much to put on a search engine type thing. Other ways to locate newsfeeds is to search a zip code, city, state, or well known news company (CBS, ABC, etc.).

Thing #10

What I like about RSS and newsreaders is that it makes it easier for people to keep up with things they want to know about. You can keep up with anything from news, weather, personal blogs, etc. I could use this in my personal life to keep up with my friend (who moved away) Elizabeth's blog that she has made. Teacher's can use RSS to subscribe to teaching/school related things that could provide help and ideas for lessons, etc. I think that RSS is a really cool way to stay informed.

Thing #9 - Image Generators

The image generator that I played around with was image chef. Everything I created was writing messages on different backgrounds. There were so many different things to do, I spent quite a bit of time figuring out which ones to do. It is really easy to use and fun, too! As I was making these, I mainly used my name for a lot of the things. Looking through all of the templates was fun. It gave examples of each before you even entered the application so you knew somewhat what it was going to look like. This could be a fun activity for students to practice spelling.

http://www.imagechef.com/

Here are some of the things that I created:

Thing #8 - Mashups

I used the Spell with Flickr mashup to spell my name. How cute! I am doing my 3040 project on 2nd grade spelling and this application would be a fun way to get students interested in spelling new words. Not only would they have fun, but they would learn, as well! I think sharing photos online (as long as they are appropriate) is a great thing! So many times I have googled images for various reasons. Also, I use to look up photos on Photobucket for different things. In high school, I was a member of Future Business Leaders of America and competed in Desktop Publishing. I was constantly having to find graphics for my assignments. I also used flickr to make a puzzle out of one of my senior prom pictures. Yes, it was two years ago but I still look the same; and yes, this is my boyfriend still today. :]

Thing #4 - Why Commenting is Important

Commenting is good for interaction in many ways. One way I discovered from the discovery resources are that bloggers just want to be heard. I never really thought about it that way because I've never blogged before until now, but it's so true. People want to know that their opinions matter and are heard/appreciated in some way. I like reading the comments that people send on my blog now! Also, I am a recently new member to Facebook and it is nice when people write to you.

There are some other points from the discovery resources that I found important. First, if you really want to get responses asking a question is one way to do so. Another thing I found important is that if you want to respond to someone's comment, but want to write a lot and make it really long then you should just create an entire blog for it. Last, I learned that saying nice and encouraging things is good because it can boost the blogger's self-esteem and make them feel good about themselves.


For this "thing" we had to choose five people from our 3040 class and comment on one of their blogs. Also, we were to choose two people from other 3040 classes and comment on one of their blogs as well. The reason I chose each person in my class was, honestly, because I had to. But, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy reading them! Everyone's blog that I read from my 3040 class was unique and interesting in their own ways. I liked reading them all!

Here are the blogs I chose to comment on:

Lisa Elliott - Thing #5 (thinks students should have blog pals in other countries)
Jennifer Hardy - Thing #3 (thinks blogging is good for students to journal)
Sabrina Papesca - Thing #1 (relates to habit 7 1/2 the most)
Bridgett Ferguson - Thing #2 (loves to read)
Alyssa Dyce - Thing #2 (she has the cutest avatar)

I have two friends that update personal blogs via different websites. My friend Elizabeth has recently moved away and I look at her blog to keep up with the family.
http://theshepherdfamily.vox.com/

Also, my cousin has a blog of her family on a different website. It's really cool because I get to see the kids pictures as they grow, considering I only see them once a week at church.
http://morrisfamilymayhem.shutterfly.com/

For each person, I commented about something that they wrote about in their blogs. The thing that I commented about was always something that I liked, whether it was something they said or an avatar!