The FINAL Thing!!!

I'm finished with APSU 23 Things! My favorite discoveries about this was the Mash-ups, TeacherPop, and the Animoto. Anything that had to do with being creative was my favorite. I would like to take a lot of the things that I learned in this class to use when I become a teacher. They were all helpful in some way or another. For the most part, these "things" were interesting, helpful, and fun. There were some of the "things" that I already knew about (Facebook, Flickr, etc.) but it didn't hurt to review them again. It is really interesting to know that some things that could be considered recreational can be used for learning!

Thing #23 - Creative Commons

It is a good thing that teachers know about Copy Right laws. It is only fair to be respectful to other people's creative works. I would love to use this information for my future teaching career. However, I feel that I need to know a little more about it before I try to use anything. I would never want to go against the law. Maybe a little more research is needed for my knowledge and security in this area.

Thing #22 - Podcasts

http://www.epnweb.org/player.php?podshow=http://room312.podbean.com/mf/feed/66h/Room312-ThereTheirTheyreLive1.m4a&podcast=Room 312 - A View into the Vortex&program=Room 312 - There, Their, They’re (Live!)

Here is this link to the Podcast that I found interesting and useful. I found this one on Educational Podcast Directory. I thought it was the easiest to use because it had several different categories. Also, all of the podcasts were made for educational purposes. For right now, I'm not really interested in podcasts. But, maybe when I being my teaching career I can become more interested. I really like the Room 312 podcasts and would like to subscribe to them.

Thing #21 - Animoto

http://


I've never used this website before, nor have I ever heard of it until this assignment. I really loved using this website and making my video. It was so simple. I also liked that there was a rather large selection of music to choose from. I knew almost all of the songs under the Christian/Gospel category. I smiled once I watched my video. (what a dork!) This experience was really fun!

Thing #20 - YouTube

I've been acquainted with YouTube for quite a while. I really like this website. You can find almost anything for informational purposes, entertainment purposes, and more. The video I chose to share is about Web 2.0. It is a really short video clip, but it shows how the web has advanced from what we've previously had to work with. It's a really cute video. I think this site could work for any kind of setting as long as it is used appropriately.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc0oDIEbYFc

Thing #19

I am a member of Facebook, which is a popular social network. However, I'm a member of TeacherPop from the Ning social networking site, as well. In my APSU 1000 class, we had to create a TeacherPop account. I think TeacherPop is a good idea because everyone who is your friend is involved in Education in some way. It's a good way to get to know people who are interested in what you are wanting to do for your future career. I think I could definitely use TeacherPop later to keep up with other teachers that I know from Austin Peay. I could also use it to ask questions or get advice about teaching. Below is my TeacherPop page!


http://teacherpop.ning.com/profile/RachelLaurenMorris

Thing #18 - Facebook

I think it is important for teachers to know how to use a network like Facebook or Myspace. So many kids are on one or both of these networks and it is a big part of their lives. Teachers could be friends with their students on these networks and see what goes on in their daily lives outside of school (not in a stalker way, of course). Kids on these networks post their emotions, their activities, etc. If a student seems to be in a bad mood one day or if their grades start to slip, maybe the teacher could explore their page to see if they have talked about any problems in their lives. I have a Facebook and I really like it. It is such a good and easy way to keep up with my friends and family. Facebook shows you what everyone updates on one page so it is easy to keep up with people. I do not like Myspace because it is mostly consumed by middle school students and they start arguments with other people (my little sister is one of these). Facebook has the most useful features because it is just so easy. If you want to talk to someone, you just go to their page and it is all in the same place for everyone. The only thing I could see for school use is if a school or classroom actually had a Facebook page. They could post homework assignments, clubs and activities, etc.

Thing #17 - Del.icio.us

The Del.icio.us social networking website is a really interesting and neat idea. I can definitely see how this can be an asset to teachers and potential tool in schools. This tool can be such a huge benefit to any group of teachers. Being able to find and share websites is a great thing. This could possibly save time for teachers who need resources to make lesson plans for any subject. I think all teachers should take advantage of social networking websites.

Thing #16

I chose to use the Google start page. I like everything about Google, so I knew I would like this. I may make it my permanent home page, who knows? Google is so easy to use and gives plenty of great information.

Online calendars can be usful in many ways. Some can be linked to your e-mail or even to your phone. I like it because I'm always on my computer and it would be easier for me to remember to check it than a pocket planner or something like that.

I make To-Do Lists like no tomorrow. Because I have so much homework and other things to do, they help me stay organized. Personally, I would not like to use a to-do list online because I would rather have it in front of me. By having it in front of me, I can take it with me and immediately mark it off.

I think using an online calendar would be a good idea for students. I think it is important for students to learn organizational skills because it helps them stay focused. If students used an online calender, they would probably like the fact that it is online and also would stay prepared. I would probably suggest a calendar to others, as well.

Thing #15 - Wikis

Before this "thing," the only thing I knew about wikis was Wikipedia. After watching the cute little video, "Wikis in Plain English," I learned more about them along with the other discovery resources. I think a wiki would be a fun thing to use in the classroom with your students. You could have an assignment where students needed to find information about a certain topic and then each student could add information onto one wiki document. I thought it was interesting that you could use the wiki for something so simple as planning a camping trip. It's not just about publishing information on the internet. I can be really interactive if used that way.

Thing #14

For this "thing" I chose one mind map and one flow chart to explore.

The mind map that I chose is called bubbl.us... It is really "bubbly!" I like that it is easy to use. When you scroll your mouse over an icon, it tells you what it does on the right side in a bar. When you want to connect one bubble to another, it shows you how. Also, you can change the colors of your bubbles. I really like this application.

http://bubbl.us/

The flow chart that I chose to explore is called gliffy. This is more of a creative "start from scratch" application. You make the shapes, lines, colors, words, etc. It seems a little more difficult to make than the mind map, but it still seems pretty simple. I liked this one, as well, but I am leaning my favor towards the mind map.

http://www.gliffy.com

Thing #13 - Zoho Writer

I have never even heard of the Zoho Writer until this assignment. Honestly, I do not like it at all. It's a word processing tool; just as Microsoft Word is. I guess if someone did not have access to Micrsoft Word then this would be a helpful tool. However, I do not like it. It kept telling me that my document wasn't saved even after I had saved it after 5 times... It was quite a frustrating experience and I will not be using this tool anymore.