Thing #14 - Mind Maps and Flowcharts, Oh My!

For this assignment, I explored Gliffy and Mindmeister (free Web 2.0 tools that allow the user to create flowcharts and mind maps). Here are my critiques of these two Web 2.0 tools:

Gliffy is a nice tool to be aware of, but has all of the basic charts as Microsoft Word. As I am already very comfortable with creating charts and such with MW, I don't think that I would stop using this software to use a Web-based application that does the same thing. HOWEVER, I found something really neat that MW cannot do. Gliffy allows you to create a floor plan, and the interior design floor plan allows you to decorate! I thought this was a really neat tool, and although this is not really useful in an early elementary classroom, it would be extremely handy when buying, building, or decorating a house! I just had fun playing with it!

I found Mindmeister to be a  little more unfamiliar and interesting. I have never really created a mind map, so this is somewhat of a new concept to me. This would be a great tool to use in the classroom! There were several different types of mind maps that you can create. This would allow the students to organize thoughts and ideas for a paper, project, or just to study for the next test! I was impressed with this tool and might use it someday to help me plan or organize!

Thing #13 - Tapping Into The Potential of Apps

Part 1: Exploring Zoho

I had never heard of Zoho before this assignment. I created a couple of test documents and found it really easy to use. This application does not have all of the features that I am used to from Microsoft word, so it limits you a little in what you can create. But overall, it was a simple and easy application to navigate. I tried to export it as an HTML file and post it here, but I couldn't figure out how to get it from there to here. I didn't see an option to publish it to my blog like the assignment directions said. When I exported it, it really messed up my formatting. These bugs aside, I do like having the option to open a file from any computer anywhere! That is a handy tool that could help me avoid several of the "oh no, it is on my computer at home" disasters that I have had. Even so, I think I will stick to MW for now.


Part 2: Google Docs

This part of the assignment was a little more familiar to me. I have used Google Docs in the past and have always found it very easy to use. Today was no exception. I had never created a drawing using this tool, so I decided to make that my adventure. I found that it was very simple to do and had many of the same familiar features of Microsoft Word. I also found the sharing process much more simple than Zoho. The link was easy to find and publishing it here was no problem. I think students could really benefit from using Google Docs as they can collaborate and work together on documents and such. It is helpful for students because they can work on an item at home on their personal computer and the other group members (or the teacher) can do the same. 

My Google Docs Creation

Upon reviewing both Zoho and Google Docs, I found Google Docs the better of the two web-based applications. Google is a more widely accepted software and offered more options as far as personalizing your creation. And as you know from my previous posts, I am a fan of all things Google. :)

Thing #12 - Going GaGa for Google

I am a long-time Google user (and I LOVE DR. SEUSS, FYI). I have yet to find fault in any of the Google tools, and this assignment just reinforces my love of all things Google. For the sake of time, I will only review a couple of Google tools (or applications) here. 

As a frequent user of Google Calendar, I can testify to this tool's usefulness for those of us with a crazy hectic schedule! I love how I can color code my events, create different calendars, and sync the calendar from my computer to my phone (and vice versa). I would recommend Google Calendar to anyone looking for an easy way to get organized.

Google Translate is also a cool tool to use. This one could be really fun and useful for students! An ESL student  might be better reached using this tool. I can translate sentences, webpages, or entire documents into any language. What's not to love about that? Also, this could help expose students to different cultures and languages from around the world. Again, what a great tool!

So, using my handy dandy translator, I say "Que Dieu vous bénisse vous et les vôtres." (May God bless you and yours) <3

Thing #11 - Good Feeds and Good Reads

You are probably thinking this post is about good food and good books. Well... it's not. This post is about how simple it is to subscribe to RSS feeds! I was really impressed at the simplicity of it all. I found the Edublog's award winners list to be quite helpful in finding interesting and relevant blogs. :) However, searching for blogs was definitely not a chore using any of the given resources. All that I explored seemed easy enough to navigate and use!

This was my process:

1. Find a blog that I find interesting (ex. Teacher Tom)
2. Under subscribe, click on "posts" (I did not want to receive feeds of others comments)
3. Click on "Add to Google"
4. Link to Gmail account
5. Voila! Good Feeds!

To continue talking about Teacher Tom's blog, I found his posts to be really interesting. He is a preschool teacher and he posts about the daily activities and life of a preschool classroom. As an Early Childhood Education major, I love to see ideas from others in the field of Early Childhood!

I think it is time for some more good feeds now. Midnight snack anyone? ;)

Thing #10 - Staying Up-To-Date With RSS Feeds

I am guilty of thinking exactly what was posted on our assignment for Thing 10: You expect me to click on and read all of those different blogs? Yeah, right. Well, Google Reader seems to be the answer to this problem. I found the setup process very easy. All I had to do was find blogs that I was interested in and click "subscribe"! Easy as that! 

Edudemic.com

I am now subscribed to: 

Top NBCNews Headlines

One With The Pastor

Schoolgirl Style

The Beauty Department

Confessions of a Pioneer Woman

Google Reader saves a lot of precious time. I am a headline reader by nature, so this tool is right up my alley.   I enjoy being able to see what is new and going on in the world without having to skim through pages of irrelevant information.

Aside from the time saving qualities, RSS can help teachers quickly identify new topics and information that might be useful without having to rummage through all those posts that are not interesting or relevant. Also, the information comes to the teacher. Less search time = more time to read and enjoy the blogs = better ideas for the classroom. Simple enough. 

Off to see what's new (in one conveniently located place)! Ciao! :)

Thing #9 - Image Generators are Great!

I had a lot of fun with Thing #9. There are so many uses for this tool! Below are my creations:


I created this little fella with a classroom newsletter or blog in mind. This is such a cute and useful reminder for parents and students! Most parents just stick the newsletter up on the fridge, and it doesn't get many more glances after that. This provides an easy way for an important date or event to catch their eye without having to roam through all of the classroom updates, photos of the kids, etc. Same thing goes for a classroom blog. The placement of the text was a little tedious, and you don't get to preview your font, but besides that I love this tool! This one is from Safe For Kids.

I thought this would be a cute banner for a classroom blog or web page also. I don't have them yet, but I already know that I will love them! Again, text placement was a little bit tedious, but other than that this was simple to use! This banner was created using I Love You Generator.




I chose this one for personal use on ImageChef. This is such a cute frame for a snapshot of me and my love! I never knew that I could do all of this cool stuff! This tool was super easy to use. The only hard part was picking out which frame to use! I could play with these tools all night!




Happy Image Generating! :)

Thing #8 - Fun With Flickr Mashups

               
For Thing #8, I explored Spell with Flickr. I had fun creating different words and choosing from all of the different letter images. I finally created the word "Welcome"(my final creation shown above). I had some trouble getting the image from there to here, but with a friends help, I figured it out. :) This would be a great tool for creating stylish images to use in a classroom blog, newsletter, or web page. 

I also tried to play with Clockr, but I couldn't do anything with it! It would be fine to use if you want just a plain black clock to tell time. Other than that, it was a useless tool. I thought it would be better than it was. Maybe I was doing something wrong?

With more time, I would like to explore these tools more. I am new to scrap-booking, and this seems like something I could really use and enjoy. :)

Arrivederci <3
(Until we meet again)

Thing #7 - Exploring Flickr

I have heard of Flickr several times before now, but have never taken the time to explore it. I had no idea there were so many photos out there for free! Although I am not really "in" to photography like many people are, I still enjoyed exploring Flickr. I found this really cool photograph by Susana Fernandez of letter tiles spelling the word TEACH with a heart in the middle. I love how the letters reflect on the tabletop and I also love the color of the pic. My favorite part of the photograph is the heart in the middle of the word, because my heart is in the middle of everything I do as a teacher! Love this pic!

Teach by Susana Fernandez

 



 

 

Thing #6 - Discover the Web

Judging from this list of Web 2.0 Tools, it is easy to see that the web has options. Well actually, I think the word "options" is an understatement. The web is full of endless possibilities. So, due to only having enough time to explore one or two tools, I chose something that is relevant to me and my life: TO-DO LISTS!

I am the to-do list queen. I have tried using a planner, a dry-erase calendar, sticky notes, and numerous other ways of organizing my day, but by far the most effective tool for me to use is a to-do list. In the process of creating all of these to-do lists, I create a lot of scrap paper and waste. So, using the list of Web 2.0 Tools, I found a simple and easy to use online to-do list called Do It, Do It, Done!.

This would obviously be of great use to me as a teacher. I could use this to organize and keep track of my list of daily tasks, and then at the end of the day I can just clear it out and begin again! These to-do lists also come with customizable backgrounds, just for a little touch of style. :) An easy and useful tool, for sure.

To-Do:

Post about Thing #6

Say Good-Bye! :)

Thing #5 - School 2.0

Wow. Education is really becoming high-tech! It seems like I always knew this was happening, but I never realized how much until reading the perspectives on Web 2.0 and its use in education. Although I still maintain that we should never become completely reliant on technology, I think it is important to utilize the tools and resources that are available to us in order to create a more well-rounded and enriched learning environment for our students! School 2.0 means (to me) that we are creating up-to-date, lifelong learners that will be competitive with other students from around the globe and will be able to become successful adults. Schools of the future will be able to provide a global educational experience with more individualized learning for each student. With all of the Web 2.0 tools available, teachers can personalize education and make it relevant for each child! 

About the articles, I thought the different tools that were listed in 50 Web 2.0 Tools Every Teacher Should Know About was a great archive of tools to keep on hand for use in the classroom and in everyday life. I honestly did not realize that there were so many tools out there for a teacher to take advantage of!

I also enjoyed reading Hargadon's Article, Web 2.0 Is the Future of Education. I especially enjoyed his tips on how to use Web 2.0 effectively as an educator.

I think School 2.0 is an excellent way to create higher achieving students, but I think Bill Gates said it best when he said: “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is most important.”

With that, I leave you until next post :)



Thing #4 - Creating A Blogging Community

Communication is the key to every relationship, be that a face-to-face relationship or an online relationship. This being said, communication is the key to successful and meaningful blogging. Aside from situations such as the one I am currently in (creating specific blog posts based on a classroom assignment), the purpose of blogging is to collaborate and communicate with others who share common interests.

I found several interesting points in the readings. In the post from the Coolcat Teacher Blog, I thought it was interesting that she stated how important it was to comment as if you are really "hearing" the posts, not just passively reading them. Although I know I have a very limited audience based on the nature of this blog, it is still a really cool idea to think that others are reading and benefiting from my posts.

I also thought the post from the Blue Skunk Blog was interesting in that it said that a blogger SHOULD be grateful and say thank-you to someone who comments on his or her posts. The author said that this is not a universally accepted practice, but it should be.

In lieu of all this commenting talk, I commented on the following blogs from our classroom:

Kelina's Twenty-Three Things. I shared with Kelina that I am also an avid reader and my ideas on how a blog could be useful to share good reads with others.

Hannah Mann Hannah had this adorable jigsaw puzzle of a colorful backpack that she generated herself. I thought it was adorable!

Lauren's 23 Things I shared a quote that I had posted in my blog with Lauren. We had similar ideas on how technology is a wonderful tool for education, but that we can't rely on technology alone!

Natalia Lee's blog I commented on Natalia's images that she created. I thought they were really cute and I liked how she created an image that she could use to motivate other students!

Mallory Johnson's Blog I thanked Mallory for sharing a cool app she found that helps to organize and streamline a busy schedule. As stated in one of my other posts, I am the to-do list queen! I will be checking this app out!

I also commented on the following blogs that I found interesting:

Schoolgirl Style This blog is full of classroom decorating ideas. I posted on the best decorating trends of 2012 letting her know that the compilation of "best trends" is like a new teacher's paradise! :)

One With The Pastor I have the unusual circumstance of dating a preacher. This was a nice blog for me to visit and be able to relate with others like me (there are not many!). I posted similar feelings on a blog about criticism and not giving it even when you receive it. It was a nice, uplifting experience for me. 

Well, I think that is enough commenting for one post. Until next time... :)

Thing #3- Using my blog



 

Top five reasons why this blog will be useful for me as a teacher:

5.) To integrate technology into the classroom! If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Technology is becoming more and more a part of daily life. So why not use it in the classroom as much as possible?


4.) To encourage lifelong learning! I will obviously not want to post things on which I am uninformed, so a blog is the perfect tool to keep myself up-to-date with the latest and greatest happenings in the field of education. Writing interesting posts will also be a challenge for me to learn new things and keep myself excited about teaching.

3.) To stay organized! What better way to keep track of ideas, communicate with others, and have a place to look back on what you have done? It is like an online portfolio!

2.) To share and collect ideas! As one of my professors often says, "don't re-invent the wheel." A blog is the perfect way to share ideas with parents and other teachers and to collect ideas in the same way. Two heads (or twenty) are better than one!

1.) And the most important reason (drum roll please....) - To communicate with parents! Good communication is key to parent involvement. More parental involvement is key to higher student success. Enough said.

And a given, IT'S FREE! :)

Happy blogging,
Lesley

Thing #2 - My First Blogging Experience

As stated in my last post, I have no previous blogging experience. Therefore, I am looking at this as a first time blogger. There are a few blogs that I enjoy reading on an occasional basis (teacher blogs!!), but I never really considered having one of my own. I decided to use my own name as my posting name and my blog is entitled "Lesley's 23 Things!" as a part of my course requirements.

So, about my experience...

I thought the setup process was really simple and easy to do. I enjoyed being able to freely write about my opinions and thoughts without having to worry about APA format, citing sources, or any of the other technical requirements that are usually a part of college assignments. (Guess that is a plus of blogging huh?) This feels like a place where I can express myself and reflect my style through my writing. I think this would be an invaluable tool to use as a teacher for communication with parents and other teachers!

I also created my first avatar for this blog. I had a lot of fun creating this... even though it took me a long time to pick out my hair and outfit :) I tried to make an avatar that reflected my personality and looked like me. I want this blog to be a true representation of myself!

With love <3

Thing #1 - Becoming A Lifelong Learner

I am a firm advocate of lifelong learning. I feel that it is especially important for teachers to continually try to better themselves through the search for and application of new and revolutionary information. For example, I have never blogged before. I have a limited amount of free time and I try to reduce the amount of unnecessary things in my life that will absorb the small amount of free time that I do have. However, as I try to be open minded about how this would help me as a teacher, I can see that a blog might help me to stay in touch with the parents of my students (and as Harry K. Wong puts it, "Teachers + Parents = Good Students".) The setup process was easy, and the end result will hopefully be rewarding!

On to the 7 1/2 habits...

I think Habit 1, Begin With The End in Mind, is probably the hardest for me (at this stage in my life) to adopt. I can only picture myself teaching kindergarten for the next 30 years. It is hard to picture myself doing anything else, therefore it is hard for me to prepare myself to do anything else. Although I am aware that I might not be given the opportunity to teach ONLY kindergarten for 30 years, it is still hard to picture myself doing anything else. With my leadership background, I might even be interested in being a principal someday. Again- hard to picture and therefore, hard to plan for.

I think Habit 7, Teach/Mentor Others, is the easiest for me. Is it not my job as a teacher to instill in others a love of learning? I want my students to love learning, to aspire to be the best they can be, and to love helping others. I don't know why I would be in the teaching profession if I didn't.

Until next time... :)