Summary of 23 Things.

YAY I am done with the 23 things!

This program was so interesting, I have had more fun playing around with all the new tools we discovered during this exercise. My favorite tools we learned to use were flickr, zoho writer and google docs, social networking, wiki's, and Animoto! I think each of these have possible uses in the classroom. I definitely plan on creating a classroom Wiki for students to be able to share and look up information with each other! I want the communication between students, parents, and myself to be very open. I want everyone to understand what is going on. I think this open communication can be done using Web 2.0!

I was surprised there were so many programs out on the web that I had never heard of or used! I am a veteran of social networking, but I didn't know anything about Wiki's. I feel there is still so much for me to learn and these were just the beginning steps to help me with life long learning. I hope to continue to explore these programs and applications as I go through school and become a teacher. I think a way to keep up with the constant changes of Web 2.0 is just to google Web 2.0, there are so many useful links that pop up that a person could explore and learn so much from! One new website I just discovered the other day was Google Buzz! It seems to be a lot like facebook but in its very beginning forms! I am interested to see where this takes me in the coming months!

I think the only thing I would improve or fix about this assignment is some of the links and videos posted didn't always work! That was frustrating because I wanted to know as much about the topic as possible! The links wouldn't have been posted if they weren't important.

I really did enjoy this assignment, which is perhaps why I am done with the 23 things long before they are actually due! I look forward to implementing many of these is my classroom. Hope everyone had as much fun as I did!

Thing # 23.

In this final thing we are exploring Creative Commons!

The 23 things assignment took advantage of using copyrighted work using a Creative Commons license.

This picture was used at the beginning of thing # 13. Dr. Wall appropriate attributed the creator of the picture by posting a link to the webpage.



This photo was done by

http://www.flickr.com/photos/niallkennedy/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

.

When this photo was found on flickr, if you click the rights reserved button on the bottom right hand side, it will show you what that creator will allow you to do with their picture. In the case for this picture a person is allowed to share and remix the photo. Dr. Wall shared this photo with us and properly cited the original author.

This is what a person should be looking for if a photo has a creative commons license and is wondering what can be done with a photo:

Creative Commons license will have so many uses in classrooms. It will allow me, as a teacher, to use content that has a copyright and allow me to know what is allowed or not allowed to be done with the content. I think it is wonderful that flickr and google both have Creative Commons license areas that people can find legal content to use. I will definitely be using these from now on to find photos, movies, and other content that is legal to use. I will also be sharing this information with my future students so they know what is allowed and what is not. I will expect them to use Creative Commons licensed material in their projects and presentations. I think it is so important for students to know about the ever changing copyright laws now that the web 2.0 is becoming such a large influence in our society! I want to educate my students properly on these issues so they will never have to question if they are using legal content and have the possibility of getting in trouble later on.

Thing # 22.

Today's thing has us looking at podcasts! I have spent the last hour or so listening to different science podcasts. Yes, I found them boring, funny, or beyond complicated! I did come across several that I liked, including the one I am going to share here. This podcast is about water-a fascinating chemical, according to these authors!

The podcast can be listened to here: Water podcast from Science Made Fun. This podcast was interesting, informative, and not too difficult to listen too. The man's british voice made listening without any pictures easier for me, although I am not sure if I could learn from a podcast since I am a visual learner! I put an RSS feed to my google reader for the Science Made Fun group so I can stay up to date if they listen any new podcasts.

I found the Educational Podcast Directory the easiest to use. This website was nice because the podcasts were broken down by subject so I could just click on science and narrow my search further within that group. The website was easy to move through and the podcasts opened and loaded quickly which is nice. I found that some of the science ones were just a bit too long, but the group I subscribed to theirs were to the point but informative.

I am not daring or creative enough to ever create my own podcast. I also have a problem listening to something that doesn't have anything for my eyes to do, perhaps this is why I struggle just listening to talk radio. So I am not creating my own podcast, but I did find several podcasts I am going to try to listen to regularly, such as "The Week in Science" podcasts that update each week. I will also be adding this to my google reader.

As for you that create a podcast, good luck and I will be listening!

Thing # 21!

For this exercise we explored the website Animoto! This is a website that allows you to upload pictures and set them to a video with music!



I had never heard of this website until this class. Signing up was very easy and so was getting started. I don't really like how you have to pay for a longer video of 30 seconds, but I feel that a 30 second video can say alot if you select the correct images! I really liked how it will go and find pictures on a different website. For example, I linked to my facebook to find photos of our wedding since I wasn't on my personal computer while doing this thing. I added my own music using an MP3 file from itunes. I couldn't find a song I liked using their music so I figured I would attempt to upload my own! Overall, this website was very cool! I am thinking I could find several ways to use it in a classroom such as making a movie of pictures from class at the end of the year and posting it either on the blog for the class or the wiki site I created for the class!

What I didn't like about the website was how long it took to seem to put it together at the end. As I sit here writing this I am waiting for my movie to be made by the website and I am not sure if its working or if its stopped itself and caused an error! I would also like if you could add more pictures to the 30 second time-8-15 pictures is really not all that long!

Overall, I really enjoyed this exercise! I even might possibly make a movie for my husband for valentine's day using my favorite pictures of us and vacations!

Thing # 20!

I am fairly familiar with youtube since I enjoy watching weird, funny, and instructional videos online! I am convinced that no matter what the subject some sort of video can be found on youtube. The video I added above is a chemistry video that is about the elements of the periodic table! I was shown this video while in school! Yes, I know it is horribly corny but seeing what some of the elements are and putting them with a certain thing will help students remember them! So this is why I chose this video to post on my blog. I tried to find other fun and exciting chemistry videos, but some either were lame and pointless or just not real chemistry!

I like youtube, I think there are many good videos out there that could be beneficial for a classroom. Look at how many Dr. Wall has shown us in class or posted on the 23 things website. I think that youtube also has some very trashy and tasteless videos out there also, so I think that is something to watch when you are searching by keyword! You never know what you will come across while looking around on this website.

I think that some of the features of the website could be applied to the library website for searching for educational videos. I think if we could approve certain videos for students to watch online at school it would be beneficial for helping them understand the subject matter better.

Thing # 19.

For this thing we are furthering our understanding of social networking.

As I said in the my last post, I am already an active member of both facebook and myspace. I have also tried twitter, but don't really see much point to it! I have joined some other military social networking sites for wives-when you move alot you tend to be extremely lonely and are always looking for social outlets in the places you go!

For this exercise I joined Goodreads and the Ning Teacherpop site for APSU. I really enjoy reading so I decided to try one of these social networking sites. To my surprise two of my sister-in-laws are already members of Goodreads so that is pretty cool! I like that I can find recommendations for good books and then keep in contact with people that like to read also.

I am also going to look into the cooking social networking sites to see if I want to join one of those in the future. A cook can never have too many new recipes to try out! This would be a great way to share and find new recipes with other people who have similar interests!

I think I will try to use all of these social networking sites in the future!

The Teacherpop social networking site is very cool! I really like that this is a safe place for teachers to have an online profile that is positive and a great place to share information! I hope that everyone in our class can take advantage of this website and use it as a common place to get to know each other outside of school! I think I will continue using this website especially as we all venture out into the teaching field and find what works and what doesn't from what we have learned!

This is the Ning Widget I decided to add to my blog-so lets hope this works!



This is the link to my profile on the Teacherpop website-so please add me as a friend!


My profile

Thing # 18

For this exercise we were told to explore social networking sites! Well this was extremely easy for me-I already have a myspace and facebook!

I created a facebook way back in 2004 when this website first appeared. I have gone through the many stages of facebook and the creators are ALWAYS changing it-for better or worse, some of you may know what I am referring to! I have had a myspace for the past few years, but in all honesty I prefer to use facebook these days. Pretty much everyone I know has a facebook and if they don't it doesn't take much convincing for them to create one!

Here is a link to my facebook: Nicki Facebook

Here is a link to my myspace: Nicki myspace

Sorry both of these profiles are private since I don't want to change the settings for public viewing. However-please feel free to friend me and I will add you!

I like facebook and myspace because it allows me to stay in touch with family and friends who don't live in Tennessee. With the military I meet so many interesting people, but because we move so often its hard to remain friends with them-however that is where social networking sites come into play. I can keep in touch and up to date with my friends lives even though we are scattered all over the world! Even though I do really enjoy these sites, there are always downfalls to social networking. The top example I can think of is stalkers or drama that is associated with them. I used to leave my myspace and facebook open but I didn't like being messaged by random men asking to be my friend so I eventually made them both private. I know the drama as a military wife can be overwhelming and facebook just seems to add to that if you get caught up in it! Something to be aware of regarding these websites...

Facebook seems to have a better privacy settings regarding pictures and information. I know that on facebook you can block certain people from seeing aspects of your profile and who can see your photos-friends, friends of friends, or public. I usually just select friends. I prefer to use facebook because it seems to allow you to do so much more. I like being able to see peoples status updates, applications added, photos added etc. I know myspace has some of these same features, however I don't feel they are as user friendly!

I think that social networking is important for educators to be aware of. I think if a teacher has their own personal website like facebook or myspace they need to be aware of what type of pictures are posted and the privacy settings regarding their page. Students will of course go out and try to find their teachers to see what their lives involve outside of school! Even though it is your personal life, you still need to display a level of professionalism now that you are shaping this country's youth! I also think it is important that if you are friends with your students on these pages to be able to report if you see something illegal or troublesome-such as inappropriate pictures and so on.

As for social networking in the classroom-I think it would be pretty cool to have a facebook group dedicated to my chemistry class. It would be a place students could ask questions to each other regarding hw and just a place to stay in touch with each other. Once again I think there needs to be limitations here so the students don't take advantage of the website-however I hope that the students I teach are mature enough to use this type of social networking and not to take advantage of something fun that can be used in a classroom!

Thing # 17.

For this exercise we were asked to explore the world of social bookmarking websites and tagging!

I looked at several website, Del.ioio.us website for apsu23things, Furl, and Ma.gnolia. I really enjoyed seeing what other people had tagged for important information regarding all the topics we study in this class. I had a chance to play around with all the different tags that people have used for the material within Del.ioio.us. I really like the idea that I can share information that I find useful and meaningful with other students in this program via the Del.ioio.us website.

I think this type of application could have many uses in a classroom and school setting. In regards for me using this as a teacher, I would like to create a tag for my students in order to use information I find important, as well as add links and information they think is important. I think this would be a wonderful resource for students to use; it could be a place they could share information with each other in order to further their studies and developments of ideas.

I also think it would be wonderful to have a tab for fellow science teachers to post and bookmark information here. I think it would be a great way to share information among teachers and get feedback regarding the information. If teachers started working together more regarding sharing of ideas, perhaps the classes would be more equal and students wouldn't deem one teacher a good vs bad teacher!

Thing # 16.

For this assignment we were told to explore the world of online organization websites.

For the customized start up page, I chose to use google. Once again I am a google fanatic, so far in the other exercises we have discovered many uses for google, so I picked igoogle to explore also! I noticed the screen shot on the page for thing # 16 was done in igoogle and I liked the way the set up was. When I clicked on the igoogle link it was easy to create an account and get set up! I REALLY like how you can change the theme and add or delete the gadgets. I added several news websites, facebook, myspace, movie trailers and so on! I almost feel that even though this is mean to organize me I can add too many distracting things to this page also! I might never make it off my home page if I have everything at my finger tips!

Here is a screen shot of my igoogle:



I have already made this my homepage! I love being able to see everything all in one spot!

Online Calendars I think are a good way to be able to access your schedule from anywhere: home, work, school, etc. I am one who plugs everything into my phone, but it would be nice to be able to access the same information online in a larger format! I know google offers a calendar, I will have to look into this more!

I also played around with the online to do lists from remember the milk. I am not sure I will ever use this website-it seems complicated and time consuming to figure out how to use. I did however, download a sticky note program, from Sticky notes.net! It does require you to download something to the desk top, but I really like how you can see or hide the sticky notes on the computer! I like how they can be organized also! Plus it helps that they are pink!!

I think that igoogle is something that I will for sure use at home and possibly at school when that time comes. I am hoping that I can find some more gadgets that perhaps will relate to science. I can also see the use of the sticky note application at school. It will be helpful to leave little notes regarding students, grading, meetings, etc. that I can have access to on my desk top!

Thing # 15.

For this assignment we were asked to explore the world of Wikis! All through high school and college, I referred to Wikipedia as a first source for a subject. I often times use it for definitions or quick things I need to look up on the Internet. However, in college, I was always told Wikipedia was not considered a scholarly source. Until I understand what a wiki actually was, I never understand this statement we received from professors! Until this exercise, I had no idea that anyone could go into a wiki to add, change, or delete information! The idea is phenomenal, but I can understand where the information from another college student or person posted to Wikipedia wouldn't be considered scholarly!

I think the concept of Wiki's are wonderful! I like that people can add, change, or delete information all with a simple click! However, I do think they need to be more controlled, especially to avoid wrong information or spam being posted on them. I am one of those people who if they read something online, I believe it to be true for the most part, especially in relation to subject matter. However, with Wiki's, I can see how what people post is not always 100% informative or correct.

I can see using a Wiki several ways in a classroom. I think it would be a great place for a teacher to make a website to post important links, homework assignments, upcoming assignments, etc. I think because the creator doesn't have to have knowledge of html cod to design a web page, this is a wonderful tool teachers could take advantage of!

I became a member of wikispaces and found that you can search for wikis. I searched for chemistry and found several high school teachers that had public open wikis but posted homework and links on them for their students! Here is an example:
Example chemistry wiki. I think this is wonderful that the teacher wants students to post ideas and things that they think would help other students understand the concepts of what they are learning! I would LOVE to create one of these for my students in my class.

Thing # 14.

For this assignment we were asked to explore different websites for flow charts and mind maps. It took me a while to decide what the difference between the two were.

For the flow chart I explored the Gliffy.com website. I had fun playing with the shapes and connecting things. In addition, I found that you can add pictures to it as well, thanks to yahoo image finder. I chose to explore gliffy because the website was easy to go into, it doesn't even make you create an account to use the program. I can imagine using a flow chart in the classroom to try to further develop an idea. I searched google for examples of chemistry flow charts-I found several. Even though this one is far too complex for high school chemistry, I think one day the use of flow charts will come into play in my classroom.

This picture is from

http://www.flickr.com/photos/clf/ / CC BY 2.0.

In order to explore mind maps, I chose to look at mindmeister. I plan on using this tool to help brainstorm ideas for papers. I have already tried using it for the copyright and fair use tutorial. I used to always make bubble outlines on paper, however using this type of a program will make it neater and easier to see relationships between my ideas. I enjoyed using this program; it was self-explanatory. If I messed up, which I did often, I found it was easy to delete connection points or text. I like that you can change the font color and background colors. I would like to use this for keeping track of key ideas and support by color. I will be using mindmeister again in the near future for the several research papers that I have to write.