I have been exploring the Google's web tools for two days now. There are so many options with each tool that it is going to take a while to really understand how to use them. I tried to understand how to add a link to my blog so that others could view my iGoogle, but I didn't figure it out yet. Google calendar was really easy to get started. It is similar to other computer calendars and is very user friendly. I added iGoogle to my tabs on my Yahoo account. I like being able to customize my own homepage. Now, I can control what information comes up. I selected several areas that were of interest to me.
I think the calendar would be especially useful for teachers to keep track of events, testing, meetings, and more. Teachers always have so many dates to remember that it would be great to list them in one place and be able to merge it with their own calendar. Plus, they can access the calendar wherever they can get interet access.
Google alerts would be an excellent tool for studnets to use in Social Studies. Sixth grade is World History and much of the information is constantly changing. They could set up alerts for countries they study throughout the school year.
The Google Notebook would be an excellent tool for research projects. Students can locate information and add it to their notebook. They can organize the information as needed. All the data is kept in one location and will make their final project much easier when it comes time to put it all together. My daughter will be using this for her project on Montana.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Thing 6
I am having a hard time stopping. I love all the different things you can do with Flickr Toys. I am already thinking of other fun things I can make with this new found "toy".
At my campus, we could use this to create posters of our Character of the Week and place it on the bulletin board. We also have a writing club that is working on printing a school paper. They could use this site to create interesting photos to put in the paper. Another great use would be during research. As a final project, students could search flickr for photos for images of their subject and then create any number of products.
I had trouble with mappr. The site would never work. However, the other sites worked great and I had fun exploring the many uses and ideas they provided.
At my campus, we could use this to create posters of our Character of the Week and place it on the bulletin board. We also have a writing club that is working on printing a school paper. They could use this site to create interesting photos to put in the paper. Another great use would be during research. As a final project, students could search flickr for photos for images of their subject and then create any number of products.
I had trouble with mappr. The site would never work. However, the other sites worked great and I had fun exploring the many uses and ideas they provided.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Thing 5
Amanda's wedding day. June 2007
I created a flickr account this summer but I haven't added any pictures since then. I was not aware of the tutorials they offered. I went through them and learned some great things. I now know I can send pictures via email from my cell phone to my flickr account. One of the really cool features they now have is Maps. I love maps and I think it is neat to see where the photos were taken from around the world. It was fairly easy for me to understand how to add flickr to my blog. The problem I have is what picture to add. There are so many people using flickr and it is amazing the quality of photos that can be found on this site. I'm not sure how I can use this in my library program, but I will be thinking about some uses.
I created a flickr account this summer but I haven't added any pictures since then. I was not aware of the tutorials they offered. I went through them and learned some great things. I now know I can send pictures via email from my cell phone to my flickr account. One of the really cool features they now have is Maps. I love maps and I think it is neat to see where the photos were taken from around the world. It was fairly easy for me to understand how to add flickr to my blog. The problem I have is what picture to add. There are so many people using flickr and it is amazing the quality of photos that can be found on this site. I'm not sure how I can use this in my library program, but I will be thinking about some uses.
Thing 4
Blogging can be very useful in an educational environment. It is a great place for teachers to post ideas and lessons that were successful for them. Many times teachers re-invent the wheel when the information was already out there. Posting technology tips would also be helpful. Many people are afraid to try new things that relate to technology. If it were in a blog, they could follow the directions on their time at their convenience.
This is also a great place to post books during the summertime. Students could look at the librarians blog and see recommended titles. The students could also do book chats or recommend books they have read.
The more I think about blogging, the more uses I think of. The possibilities are endless. I think it would be great for keeping people in touch and updating them on events such as family or school. Instead of emailing everyone, you could post a blog and they can read it when they have time and not fill up their email boxes.
This is also a great place to post books during the summertime. Students could look at the librarians blog and see recommended titles. The students could also do book chats or recommend books they have read.
The more I think about blogging, the more uses I think of. The possibilities are endless. I think it would be great for keeping people in touch and updating them on events such as family or school. Instead of emailing everyone, you could post a blog and they can read it when they have time and not fill up their email boxes.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Thing 3
I just created my Avatar and it was so much fun! I didn't even know that existed on Yahoo! I was surprised that it was so easy. I had trouble uploading the Avatar, but I think it uploaded even though it told me there were errors to be corrected. I just did it over and when I finally decided to look at the preview I discovered it was on the page three times. Fortunately, it was easy to delete the extras. So far it has been fairly simple to navigate around the pages. I hope the rest of the lessons go this smoothly. I can't wait to show my kids how to create an Avatar. I'm sure they will be changing theirs frequently.
Thing 2
Of the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners the most difficult for me is probably the last one, Play. Don't get me wrong I love to play. However, it seems as if so many things always get in the way and need to be taken care of before I can play. At work, I am given so many extra duties that it is difficult to get everything done in a timely manner. At home, my kids schoolwork and activities take up any extra time I may have.
Another area of difficulty for me would be #3, view problems as challenges. This is not always a problem, but when I have to work for a long time to figure out how something needs to be done I can get frustrated. If it is really difficult and I don't have any help or instructions I tend to "shut down" and not accomplish anything. However, if I sit back and think it through I realize I need to break it down into smaller pieces.
The easiest habit would be #7, mentoring or teaching others. I love teaching! There is nothing that brings me greater joy than to share my knowledge with others and help them achieve their goals. This includes classroom teaching, professional development, and one-on-one with my peers. I have already helped several teachers understand some of the new technology on our campus. I hope that completing the 23 Things will allow me to teach others what I have learned. So far, the lessons have not been too difficult and I believe I will be successful in completing all 23 Things by February 1, 2008.
Another area of difficulty for me would be #3, view problems as challenges. This is not always a problem, but when I have to work for a long time to figure out how something needs to be done I can get frustrated. If it is really difficult and I don't have any help or instructions I tend to "shut down" and not accomplish anything. However, if I sit back and think it through I realize I need to break it down into smaller pieces.
The easiest habit would be #7, mentoring or teaching others. I love teaching! There is nothing that brings me greater joy than to share my knowledge with others and help them achieve their goals. This includes classroom teaching, professional development, and one-on-one with my peers. I have already helped several teachers understand some of the new technology on our campus. I hope that completing the 23 Things will allow me to teach others what I have learned. So far, the lessons have not been too difficult and I believe I will be successful in completing all 23 Things by February 1, 2008.
Thing 1
I am very excited to be getting up-to-date with the latest technology. I know I am far behind the techno world, but on my campus I am one of the few knowledgeable people when it comes to technology. I am hoping that what I learn in the next few months will be something my campus will want to learn. Blogging is a fairly new experience for me and I hope to finally understand it better. So far, I have read through the first 3 or 4 lessons and I think I am up to the challenge of learning so much in a short amount of time.
Although, I have heard of RSS news feeds, tagging, wikis, podcasting, online applications, and video and image hosting sites, I am not sure how to use them. I am especially looking forward to learning about RSS news feeds. I have heard just enough to peak my interest and I see it on my toolbar and would love to know how to use it. I am looking forward to learning about these things and being able to share my knowledge with others.
Although, I have heard of RSS news feeds, tagging, wikis, podcasting, online applications, and video and image hosting sites, I am not sure how to use them. I am especially looking forward to learning about RSS news feeds. I have heard just enough to peak my interest and I see it on my toolbar and would love to know how to use it. I am looking forward to learning about these things and being able to share my knowledge with others.
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