One Last Thing

I liked this class. The format was great for me. I don't like to get stuck in a tech class where people are asking how to sign in when I am way past that. Working at my own pace and time helped me. I want to use more of the things I learned and already know about with my students. I really liked Flickr and Rockyou.com. Those were the most interesting and fun for me. I can use both in my personal, professional, and teaching roles. This class has also forced me to join Facebook. The best thing about Facebook for me is denying people from my profile. I know that is evil but I don't want to share with everybody. Thanks for a great class. It was nice to see names and pictures of people who I know but don't get to see in person.

Thing #7b

I read some sad stories this week. I pasted on all the Michael Jackson stories. I hear about it too much on the t.v. to read about it on the Internet. I read Girl, 14, Survives Crash of Yemeni Jet. It is amazing that she survived a crash into the ocean. She was in the right place at the right time. It is sad to know that the plane already had problems and was not taken out of rotation. I also read 7 Teenagers Are Shot Near Detroit School. It is awful that people would do that to kids who were coming home from summer school. It must be terrifying for those parents to know that they are not even safe waiting for the school bus. This article showed me how sheltered we are from the violence of a large city. Sometimes we can get in the thinking that we are in a rough school but then you read something like this and know you are lucky.

Thing #15

What can I say about Wikis? Not my favorite thing to do. I didn't like how hard it was to format. I had trouble with changing from headings to normal. I I couldn't see what it was going to look like while editing. Maybe it was just me. I put this one off until the end because I knew it was going to take me more time than the other things did. It was not a fast process. I am spoiled to Word and all the editing features. It felt like I was going back in time to Word 95 but using today's options. This was the most frustrated I felt with technology in a while. Even though it took me some time and lots of deleting, I like the finished product. So take a Wiki at Aurora.

Thing #23

I am overwhelmed by Ning. I am having information overload. There is so much to read on just the first page. I don't like the layout. It was too much for me. It felt like a mess. On the other hand, the 23 Thingsters was much better. There weren't so many side bars and information to read. I like looking at smaller chunks. I think this would be good for departments to share within the district. The discussion would be good for ideas on using the materials provided for the subject or new ways to teach a lesson. When I go to staff development, people are always writing down ideas to steal from. A discussion would be a good way to get the strategies shared.

The discussion can be useful. I did like Creatively teaching math through technology. Even though the discussion started in 2007, people have continued to comment good suggestions. This would be a good place for me to go when I have run out of ideas to search for on Google. Collaboration with colleagues whether with in our own district or half way around the world can only enrich the classroom.

Thing #22

I had friends who have tried to get me on MySpace and it didn't work. Now they are trying to get me on Facebook. Up to this point it didn't work. It took this assignment to get me to be a social networker. I am not a huge fan of the world knowing what I am doing every moment. I think it is important for educators to know about Facebook and Myspace because students today are very involved with both. Students are communicating in so many ways that it is hard to keep up with. It is important to know what they are looking at and how they use it. I liked Facebook more because you have more control over who is looking at your posts. I could see setting up a profile for my class. It would be a great way to communicate the way the students do.

My first social networking profile on Facebook.

Thing #21

The whole Google account is useful. The tools are interactive with each other. I have used google sites to create my portfolio and a site for my students. I included a calendar on each one. I can go into the Google Calendar to update the calendar and it automatically updates it on the site. It is easy to manage. Google earth is cool to look at. In one of the blogs I read for this class earlier (can't remember which one, I think I blogged about it) there was a project to use with Google earth. I want to try that. I also like to look at it if I am going to a new place. I like to see what to expect. iGoogle is fun to put your own twist on Google. I have friends with Picasa and look at their albums. There is just so much Google can do. I am still finding new things.

Thing #20

I have used google docs during this course. I don't have Microsoft Word on my home computer so I have been using google docs to type my reflections. It is nice because it has all the tools I need. I have also used it in my masters class. I work from home, school, and laptop. Google docs lets me create, edit, and save using all these different computers. I don't have to worry about carrying a memory stick or emailing it to myself every time I change something. I have also used it when working on a project with my classmates. We were able to share and work on the presentation together without being in the same room. We each were able to add parts and contribute to the project and review the other parts. This saved time for each of us because we could work at the best time for us. I really like google docs.