Thing #10

I have to start this blog by saying I truly LOVE the acronym RSS, Really Simple Syndication, I thought that was so clever.  To be honest I have conflicted feeling about Google Reader.  I do like the ease with which I can view all the blogs I am following at once.  And it does give me access to a ton of information without having fifteen windows open, but I feel like I am missing something by not viewing the actual blog.  I mean there is no ambiance to reading in Google reader, I receive the information and that's it.  Which isn't a bad thing, don't get me wrong, but who wants to read Pioneer Woman's blog without the occasional cowboy in chaps picture?  It just doesn't make sense.  

I think this technology could be put to good use by a busy teacher, I can imagine having all my teacher blogs right there at my finger tips without having to search or type in each address separately.  The ease of accessing information would be the most useful aspect.  Google reader also has the ability to star articles you want to come back to.  So they aren't lost in the blog shuffle.  So say if there is a blog about new technology that you want to show your principal, you can star it and when you pull up your account to show her the blog you don't spend aimless minutes trying to find out which blog it was and what day.  You simply go to your starred items and poof there it is!  Amazing!

To wrap up thing #10 I will say that I will definitely be using the Google reader to check in on the blogs I am following, but I will always, always have Pioneer Woman opened in it's own little discreet window!  :)  Have a great day everyone!  

Thing #9

Wow!  Image generators, I think maybe I am too old for this, haha!  I had a seriously hard time coming up with something witty or catchy to say on these generators.  It was almost a stressful assignment.  I did finally come up with these few creations, Although not altogether creative still cute!

I do see where things like this could liven up a classroom and make things more interesting but I think they would have to be used very carefully.  At what point do decorations become too much.  At the risk of being flogged, I think sometimes teachers spend too much time making their classrooms visually appealing and not enough time making their lessons audibly appealing.  I would rather take the time and create lessons that kids will want to listen to than have walls they want to look at.   I know this probably won't be a popular opinion but as a parent I would rather walk into a sparsely decorated well organized room where a teacher holds the attention of the kids than one that is perfectly color coordinated and almost visually distracting.  From experience I can say there are times when a child will learn nothing from a teacher because there are too many distractions on the walls.  In some cases, such as a special education classroom there may be children with sensory integration issues where a room with too many colors and shapes could potentially cause overload.  

Okay, on with the assignment.  I chose to use Image Chef.  http://www.imagechef.com/  There are many different things you can create on this site: Word mosaics, poetry blender, photo frames.   The first I will share is a word mosaic.  I thought this turned out kind of cool!  I typed in Love to Learn but it looks like it could say Learn to Love as well.  It was as simple as typing in the words and clicking create.  This could potentially be used on a Valentine's day class newsletter or along with a Valentine theme in general.  

The next one I created was this Alphabet soup.  It was also as easy as typing the words and clicking create.  I was thinking you could use this image at a spelling station or a reading station but looking at it now, it's a little creepy...Eat some words?  What was I thinking.  Oh well, if you could think of a better phrase this would be cute.  Can't win 'em all. 

Thing #8

My creation, a photo by kmesser7 on Flickr.

I used Big huge labs to turn this picture black and white.  I can definitely see where you could use these fun sites in your classroom.  Whether you are encouraging the kids to use them to make reports and research assignment more interesting or you are trying to find a way to display information in an interesting way.  I will definitely be using these products in my personal life to share fun photos on Facebook and with family through email.  

Thing #7

Brotherly love!, a photo by kmesser7 on Flickr.

Whew!  Wish I had read the instructions closer!  It was much easier once I realized I had to connect my Flickr account to my Blogger account.  Again, if I had read the instructions....anyway, I found it quite easy to use Flickr in general.  This was my first experience with a photo hosting service and even from my phone it was quite simple to upload images.  I really like the ability to sort and place my pictures in groups.  I have already started to transfer all my pictures from my phone and my computer to this site!  I have lost all my photos one too many times from a computer crash or a phone failure.  I can see using Flickr privately for pictures in my classroom, maybe to print newsletters or maybe even calendars for a class fundraiser.  I was a bit worried about the pictures of my kids being public so I will definitely keep them private.  I guess I am still very overprotective when it comes to my family and the internet.  I would never forgive myself if something was to happen to them because of my carelessness on the internet.  I'm just old fashioned like that.  

Thing #4

What an interesting night.  I think I am in a lack of sleep hangover from watching the storm move closer and closer.  Then it conveniently jumped right over us with little more than a bit of rain and a few distant thunder claps.  I remember when a tornado watch meant conditions were favorable for a tornado and a tornado warning meant you needed to gather your loved ones and valuables and head for cover because there was a tornado on the ground cutting a devastating path in your direction ready to lift the roof off your house and suck out all its contents.  I'm guessing with all the new technology it's easier to see when things potentially might form, and I am thankful for the warnings, but I am also thankful I didn't jump the gun and yank my three peacefully sleeping children from their  beds to rush to safety from some rain.  I guess that really is a catch 22.   

Anyway, another rabbit trail.... (I do that in real life too!  My husband hates it!)  On with the show....

What is a community?  The obvious definition would be people who live in the same area.  But does that really make a community?  Is it the location or the people that are more important?  I choose to believe that a community is more about people and the relationships they have with each other.  The way they interact with one another and the conversations they have.  Can there be a community in which no one communicates?  I don't think so.  Our lives are inundated with communication, from the time we are born and the doctor hands us to our parents until the day we take our last breath.  In between, there is a magical dance we have with every person we come in contact with.  It can be as small as saying excuse me when we step aside to let someone pass to giving a lecture in front of a room full of people.  Communication can also be nonverbal, (who hasn't flirted without saying a word?) but what I am to discuss in this post is communicating in the blogosphere.  After I read the required blog posts about commenting, I realized I really didn't understand what I was actually doing by commenting on peoples blogs.  I found it interesting that even high speed bloggers like the idea that someone is reading their posts.  Funny, most of the time I am thankful that only very few people will be reading mine. I also never thought of the fact that communities do form around blogs.  People with the same interests or even opposite interests coming together to teach and hopefully help people by the words they choose to share.  It does kind of give you a sense of purpose and meaning when you look at it that way.  It also means more responsibility for what you are posting and the content you put out in the open for everyone to read.  Hope I can live up to the challenge!

 I am by nature a conversationalist and love to talk but love even more to listen.  I am excited to get started with this thing and I can't wait to formulate some insightful comments to what my classmates have said!  I will be editing this post later and listing some of the places I have commented.  Until then, the sun is out and it's warm but hang on to your hats because that wind is unreal today!


Well, I commented!  Hooray!  So exciting!  
I found a blog that really sparked something in me to want to make a change.  Here is the link: http://swatson23things.blogspot.com/
This is a very well written blog that I enjoyed reading and the author Sabrina Watson taught me something!  Which is the most important thing anyone could ever do for me!  She taught me that even if it is a scary thing for me, if I don't set goals, I'm not moving forward (she used other words but same idea).  So I have decided that even though my goals may change or have to be adjusted that it's okay, I can do that!  So starting now, I have decided I will begin to set goals.  Not sure what the first will be, but at least it's a step in the right direction!


Another blog I chose to follow is Cherie Manske.  Here is the link to her blog,  http://23thingsjanell.blogspot.com/. I chose to follow her because she had the same issue with Flickr that I did and being able to commiserate and learn from one another will be very important in my journey becoming a teacher!  Thanks Cherie for letting me know I wasn't alone!


Well, I commented again this time on Jared Sexton's blog.  I decided to attempt humor.  He had posted how pointless it was to comment with one word which I agree with so of course I had to leave a one word comment.  I did also leave a bigger comment as well!  Anyway, Jared does a great job blogging so I am following him now too!    http://jmarshallsexton.blogspot.com/

Finally getting back to commenting, guess I have to now before I don't get the opportunity.  I commented on sweet Chelsea Ninness' blog.  She had done an Animoto video that was fantastic!  I thought I would tell her how great it was and that I will miss her next semester. http://chelseaninness.blogspot.com/

Anita always has some great things the say.  I commented on her post about twitter.  I was telling her I thought the idea of using twitter with parents was great as long as they didn't tweet everything they did.  I also was wondering if there was a social site dedicated to parents and teachers communicating.  http://ataylor29.blogspot.com/

My outside blog posts were a little intimidating.  I commented on a Cool Cat Teacher blog that she called When it is OK to get complaints.  (A pep talk for the visionary)   In the blog she made the comment "When everyone likes you, you're doing nothing"  this really struck a chord with me.  From the time I was little, all I wanted was for people to like me, now that I am older, (much, much older) I honestly could not care less if someone likes me or not.  I have always said if someone doesn't like me then that's their problem.  As long as I examine myself daily to make sure I am where I need to be personally then what others say should not affect anything.  I really appreciated this blog. http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2012/04/when-it-is-ok-to-get-complaints-pep.html#disqus_thread

Something you probably didn't know about me, I love to eat!  I hate cooking, but I love to eat!  I decided to look at the Pioneer Woman blog today and found the yummiest soup recipe!  I made sure to comment that I would be making the soup asap!  Can't wait to taste it!  Here is the link, http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/04/cauliflower-soup-2/comment-page-2/#comments.

Thing #6

I am truly amazed everyday by the tools available on the web.  From social networks to picture editors and from news sites to movie rental sites.  For those with access there is an endless array of information. I am pretty sure you could look for every hour in every day for a number of years and never reach the end.  Especially with new information being added constantly.  Being able to narrow down one website to talk about has been a bit difficult but one in particular caught my eye.  Remember the Milk is a task manager/ to-do list.  It basically helps organize your life.  I recently downloaded the application to my iphone and explored the site on my laptop.  I added a few tasks on my laptop and also one on my phone and both seem equally easy to use.  While it was easy to use, it could be more simple.  You have to add the task and then edit the due date and other options from there.  On the phone it all happens at the same time.  There are option on both for adding a due date, whether you want the task to repeat, the time a task is due, and you can add tags, locations and URLs, as well as sharing an item and postponing.  There is even an option to add notes to each task.  There are also different categories to add tasks to:  personal, study and work.  I think this site would definitely have a place in a classroom setting.  It could almost be used in conjunction with or instead of a planner for children with internet access.  I can say as a parent I would love for my children's teachers to use something like this so I would know when assignments are due and when they should be studying for tests.  Parents could also add tasks if a child has an appointment or has to leave school early for some reason.  I can see as a teacher using a task manager to keep track of all the ins and outs of school.  As a matter of fact I think I will use this app for my family from now on!  Check it out!  ------> http://www.rememberthemilk.com/    

Thing #5

Warning:  This blog may offend you.  If you are easily offended please don't read any further.

In a day and age where technology continues to advance, there will always be new amazing improvements in what we can do and how fast we can do it.  I'm not sure if we will ever reach the end of advancements.  I can't even imagine when I have grandchildren what they are going to have to teach me.  School 2.0 seems to be one of the newest advancements.  On a personal note, I have to say, at some point we have to stop looking only at how far we can advance and how far we can see into the future but we also have to start looking behind us.  In this day and age with the economy in its current state, we have to be careful that we are not leaving behind a huge portion of our society making the education gap even wider.  Those children whose parents cannot afford computers and internet access will not be included in the ever onward march of technology.  

Before I begin to explain what school 2.0 means to me, I think a simple definition is in order.  If only it was that easy.  It seems the definition is a bit ambiguous as no one has really pinned down what it will truly mean.  The best way I can find to describe school 2.0 is trying to bring schooling into the 21st century.  It is an attempt to integrate learning and technology into everyday classrooms.  I think school 2.0 will have a twofold meaning to me and many other teachers in the future.  I believe there will be numerous benefits.  Being able to effectively continue teaching children at home will be a major plus.  Offering class notes or lectures, homework help maybe even step by step instructions on how to create a project will be definite bonuses to school 2.0.  Being able to collaborate with teachers around the world, finding high performing schools and talking to those teachers who are succeeding at helping children learn more will be very beneficial.  With all the good also has to come some bad. Unfortunately, as I stated before, there is a large portion of our society, who simply don't have the luxuries of the internet or even a computer.  There are many families who are glad they have enough to eat every day.  The table below shows the breakdown of what I see as an unfortunate cycle.  Granted the table was created in 2000, but really has our economy improved since then?  There is an obvious connection when you look at the chart between those who don't graduate from high school, have jobs that don't pay well and the lack of internet access.  I see the possibility of school 2.0 making the gap between the have's and the have not's wider.  It is a scary prospect to me.  I live in a county where poverty is all around me.  Children in my area (and I am sure other areas) have trouble with reading, writing and math and even though they can't meet standards on their grade level they are passed on through and become the next teachers issue.  Adding the fact that they have no internet or technology for that matter and they are doomed to be lost in the shuffle of school 2.0.  As a future teacher this is even scarier. I hope to be the teacher who wants very much for every child I come in contact with to gain all he or she can from me.  I want to be able to change the way they look at their world and make them see that anything is possible.  

  

Well, I think I am done ranting now.  I have very strong views about this subject and I will not apologize for that.  If no one speaks out how will things ever get better?  I hope I haven't offended too many people with this one.

Lenart, A. (2000). Who's Not Online. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2000/Whos-Not-    Online/Report/Part-1.aspx