I explored the mind mapping tool offered on the website called "bubbl.us". I found it very interesting and easy to use. This mind mapping software is very simple, and it took me all of five minutes to figure out! I can see myself using this to make class posters to hang on the wall and showcase processes of various things. This would also be a very helpful addition to a presentation or lecture. I never made a mind map before today, and now I wonder how I got away without its awesome goodness!
I found the flow chart to be much less interesting than the mind map. However, it still proved to be useful and fun. I'm sure I will be able to make great use of this in my future as a high school English teacher. There are plenty of reasons to bust out some flowchart crazyness, and I plan on taking advantage of every single one of them!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Thing #Thirteen
Zoho Writer is surprisingly simple and easy to use. I will admit that I am biased toward Microsoft Word because I have used it for so long and am so familiar with it already. However, if I ever find myself on a computer that does not have Microsoft Word already installed on it but does have access to the internet, I will certainly utilize Zoho Writer. It has an excellent spell checker, multiple tabs that contain helpful tools, and I can leave comments in the document's margins. I really like the feature that allows me to tag my saved documents. This makes it quick and easy to find and reopen anything!
Google Docs is a wonderful and convenient online tool that Google offers completely free of charge! Using this, one can create text documents, presentations, drawings, etc. This is great for anyone that may not have Microsoft Office purchased and installed on their computer, but do have access to the internet. My future students may use Google Docs to work collaboratively by completing assignments at home and publishing them on the internet for fellow classmates to use and refer to via internet at their homes. This eliminates the need for using class time for group assignments. Furthermore, classmates no longer have to manage each others' schedules to organize meetings outside of class for group assignments. I used Google Docs' "Drawing" program to illustrate how I feel about the program:
Google Docs and Zoho Writer are both excellent examples of relatively new and easy to use pieces of software available via internet that can be used to make life inside and outside of the classroom a little more convenient. Upon comparing and contrasting the two, I found that I much prefer Google Docs over Zoho Writer. Zoho Writer has a great writing program with a few more features that Google Docs' "Documents" does not offer. For example, saving works with attached tabs for latter ease of access. However, if I was hypothetically forced to choose between the two Google Docs has my choice. It has a variety of programs available for any homework situation. For example, it offers programs to make documents, presentations, spreadsheets, tables and more. Moreover, its documents program is easier to use, and I did not have to register or sign up with anything to be able to use it. In other words, Google Docs just rocks.
Google Docs is a wonderful and convenient online tool that Google offers completely free of charge! Using this, one can create text documents, presentations, drawings, etc. This is great for anyone that may not have Microsoft Office purchased and installed on their computer, but do have access to the internet. My future students may use Google Docs to work collaboratively by completing assignments at home and publishing them on the internet for fellow classmates to use and refer to via internet at their homes. This eliminates the need for using class time for group assignments. Furthermore, classmates no longer have to manage each others' schedules to organize meetings outside of class for group assignments. I used Google Docs' "Drawing" program to illustrate how I feel about the program:
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Thing #Nine
http://www.spiffytext.com/logo-step3.asp?text=WOAH...&pic=techno&font=seethru-satin&size=1.00&space=60&key=
I think these image generators serve as more of an entertainment source than for any practical use. I could however see these generators being put to use in an English classroom. If there are certain vocabulary words the Word Mosaic generator would be great for making a mosaic out of the vocabulary and putting it on the wall in the classroom. The comic strip generator could be used to make pictures of famous people telling students they should read, and librarians could put those in the library. Most of all though I can see all of these being used for humorous purposes between friends, family, and colleagues.
Thing #Seven
Here is the link to the web page that contains Traumahawk's photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/traumahawk/2721173557/in/photostream/
Thing #Six
The tool that I selected from the Web 2.0 nominee list is Google Earth. The link to the article I read is right here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13546_109-10237746-29.html?tag=mncol. I really enjoyed being able to look nearly anywhere in the world from a satillete perspective. It's like being a bird that can teleport anywhere! My favorite feature, however, is that you can zoom all the way down onto a road anywhere in the country. You can even shift your point of view and move around on the street like you are really there! The only thing that concerns me is that now I feel like am being watched everywhere i go. Other than that this tool is loads of fun!
Google Earth can be very useful in a variety of ways. The most obvious is that you can see anything almost anywhere. I will use this tool many times in my future when finding directions to a place. Instead of writing down street names and being unfamiliar with the land and roads, I can take a look around before I ever even leave my room! This way I will never miss a hidden or hard to find turn again. I can definitely see this being of use in a classroom or library setting. This tool can be used as a visual diagram when teaching geography. It can also be used as a reference point when teaching world history. Google Earth can be used in all sorts of research projects pertaining to the planet. Plus, it is just fun to use and practically travel the world virtually.
Google Earth can be very useful in a variety of ways. The most obvious is that you can see anything almost anywhere. I will use this tool many times in my future when finding directions to a place. Instead of writing down street names and being unfamiliar with the land and roads, I can take a look around before I ever even leave my room! This way I will never miss a hidden or hard to find turn again. I can definitely see this being of use in a classroom or library setting. This tool can be used as a visual diagram when teaching geography. It can also be used as a reference point when teaching world history. Google Earth can be used in all sorts of research projects pertaining to the planet. Plus, it is just fun to use and practically travel the world virtually.
Thing #Five
Web 2.0 means a few different things to me. First and foremost, it means our ever-expanding world requires ever-expanding adaptations to the way we live and function within it. Web 2.0, to me, is one of those ever-evolving adaptations. It is an attempt to improve the way we improve ourselves. It is an efficiency upgrade, and an experimental one at that. New ideas are new because they have not been put to practice for extended periods of time. They have no research or test results to back them up. Web 2.0, however, seems to be just the right fit for our new generation's education. People are becoming more and more familiar with technology as time passes, and we look to apply our learned knowledge and skills to improve ourselves and our society. Web 2.0, simply put, is one of those improvements.
For the schools of the future, Web 2.0 could mean two different things. It could always turn out to be a huge mistake and backfire phenomenally. On the other hand, it could be the door to the schools of the future. In other words, our grandparent’s idea of schools appears obsolete and sometimes barbaric compared to what we have grown accustomed to. It is very likely that our grandchildren will have the same thoughts about our idea of school. Educational institutions in the distant, and maybe even near, future will surely have just as many changes and adaptations as they have acquired from the distant past. I certainly consider our modern version of education to be far more efficient than a few generations ago. I also believe that this will be the same sentiment about the schools of the future, and web 2.0 is just one more step to that future.
For the schools of the future, Web 2.0 could mean two different things. It could always turn out to be a huge mistake and backfire phenomenally. On the other hand, it could be the door to the schools of the future. In other words, our grandparent’s idea of schools appears obsolete and sometimes barbaric compared to what we have grown accustomed to. It is very likely that our grandchildren will have the same thoughts about our idea of school. Educational institutions in the distant, and maybe even near, future will surely have just as many changes and adaptations as they have acquired from the distant past. I certainly consider our modern version of education to be far more efficient than a few generations ago. I also believe that this will be the same sentiment about the schools of the future, and web 2.0 is just one more step to that future.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Thing #Four
Commenting helps to create a sense of community and interaction by showing other bloggers that you read there post and liked it. It gives a sense of belonging and accomplishment to the commented. Blogs are essentially bits of handcrafted information that have been prepared and publicly posted for anyone and everyone with access to the internet to read and share. It would be a waste of time to go through the trouble of blogging if no one takes the time to read it and put it to use. Comments give assurance that the time the blogger spent going out of his/her way to prepare a blog was not in vein. Blogs are prepared by people for people, so blogging and commenting is just one more way we have crafted in order to socialize and share ideas with our fellow earthlings.
One point that I found to be important from my readings about commenting was the fact that some people may be hesitant to comment out of fear for sharing their secrets. We all have one thing in common even if there is nothing else to be shared, that is, death. Our lifespans are limited and therefore the amount of things we can do and learn are limited. A key element to our success and survival as a race is passing down the knowledge and experiences that we have accumulated throughout our individual lives in order to better the chances and experiences of generations to come. What a great waste it is not to give your learned knowledge a better chance to survive; after all, that is exactly what it has done for you.
A second point that I found important was to respond to the comments that you receive. Blogging and receiving comments is great, but that's only half of what blogging really is: a collective effort of sharing information in a public view. Comments are feedback, opinions, and sometimes a broadening or a challenging of the idea that you originally posted. Consider an artist standing by his masterpiece in a popular gallery. Now compare commenting on a blog to sharing a thought to that artist about his work. If you were that artist would you just stand there staring blankly with no reply?
I commented on:
Jesse Wright's blog, Thing four - Commenting, because I liked her views on how commenting is important.
Tessa Meinders' blog, Thing#4, because she made a good point analogy about writing something and it never being seen is like writing in a diary.
Sarah Felts' blog, Thing 10, because she felt that no one would find her blog interesting and I wanted to tell her that surely someone will.
Amanda Smith's blog, THiNG#5, because I liked the way she described how certain words like "people" ans "world" can mean so many more words.
Kelsie Penick's blog, Thing#5, because her blog reminded me of my grandmother's stories of her time in school, and how much it all has changed.
National Geographic's blog, Photo of the day - Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, Iceland, because the photograph of the erupting volcano was magnificent! The url is: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/eyjafjallajokull-volcano-lightning-iceland/
Pioneer Woman's photography blog, September Sunrise, because The beautiful picture of a sunrise at her house reminded me of some of the gorgeous sunrises and sets and my house. this is the url: http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2011/09/september-sunrise/#comments
One point that I found to be important from my readings about commenting was the fact that some people may be hesitant to comment out of fear for sharing their secrets. We all have one thing in common even if there is nothing else to be shared, that is, death. Our lifespans are limited and therefore the amount of things we can do and learn are limited. A key element to our success and survival as a race is passing down the knowledge and experiences that we have accumulated throughout our individual lives in order to better the chances and experiences of generations to come. What a great waste it is not to give your learned knowledge a better chance to survive; after all, that is exactly what it has done for you.
A second point that I found important was to respond to the comments that you receive. Blogging and receiving comments is great, but that's only half of what blogging really is: a collective effort of sharing information in a public view. Comments are feedback, opinions, and sometimes a broadening or a challenging of the idea that you originally posted. Consider an artist standing by his masterpiece in a popular gallery. Now compare commenting on a blog to sharing a thought to that artist about his work. If you were that artist would you just stand there staring blankly with no reply?
I commented on:
Jesse Wright's blog, Thing four - Commenting, because I liked her views on how commenting is important.
Tessa Meinders' blog, Thing#4, because she made a good point analogy about writing something and it never being seen is like writing in a diary.
Sarah Felts' blog, Thing 10, because she felt that no one would find her blog interesting and I wanted to tell her that surely someone will.
Amanda Smith's blog, THiNG#5, because I liked the way she described how certain words like "people" ans "world" can mean so many more words.
Kelsie Penick's blog, Thing#5, because her blog reminded me of my grandmother's stories of her time in school, and how much it all has changed.
National Geographic's blog, Photo of the day - Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, Iceland, because the photograph of the erupting volcano was magnificent! The url is: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/eyjafjallajokull-volcano-lightning-iceland/
Pioneer Woman's photography blog, September Sunrise, because The beautiful picture of a sunrise at her house reminded me of some of the gorgeous sunrises and sets and my house. this is the url: http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2011/09/september-sunrise/#comments
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