Thing #12

I really like Google Translate because it is so easy to use! Also, it is a great way to translate anything into another language if you are communicating with someone. This could be a great asset to ELL teachers since they could send documents and letters home in the child's first language. Also, it is easy to translate anything over the web using this tool.  Here is this passage in Italian:

Mi piace molto Google Translate, perché è così facile da usare! Inoltre, è un ottimo modo per tradurre qualsiasi cosa in un'altra lingua se si sta comunicando con qualcuno. Questa potrebbe essere una grande risorsa per gli insegnanti ELL in quanto potrebbero inviare documenti e lettere a casa prima lingua del bambino. Inoltre, è facile da tradurre qualsiasi cosa attraverso il web utilizzando questo strumento. Ecco questo passaggio in italiano:

Very cool!

Also, I like the Google Calendar. I have a Google account that I use daily for email so this seems very feasible to have. It would be nice to have this to make notes in for important dates, appointments, deadlines, etc. I will use this to keep up with projects in the classroom.

Thing #11

I found the easiest method of finding feeds was through the Google Blog search. I liked Topicx.net to see all the local information that was currently going on in different cities. I find them all somewhat confusing so I am probably not the best person to ask during these. I usually have a hard time understanding the importance of subscribing and following everything because I could sit for hours each day just to try to read all this stuff. I mean who has that kind of time? I wish I did. However, I do feel like this could be a asset to someone who is into all this stuff. I wish I could say more about finding useful feeds but I really don't think I stumbled upon anything useful.

Thing #10

I really liked the Google Reader. I think it can be very useful if you follow blogs. It would be easy to see all the updates for that day instead of having to go through them all individually. I have already used Google Reader personally so that I can follow my favorite blogs regularly. I like that I can scroll though and choose the posts that look the most interesting first.

I think I can apply this in the classroom with other blogs that I follow. I have a number of teaching/education blogs, and it would be great to go through them quickly. Teachers can take advantage of this because it eliminates some time. It keeps everything located in one area, too.

Thing #9

Again, I am not a fan of this post either. I do not like trying to mess with images. I found that these website were very busy, and they were hard to follow. Not everyone wants to sit in front of a computer all day and layer text over images. I certainly do not.

The caption was supposed to say "Do you think I look tired? Be honest with me..." That is how I feel after trying to figure this stuff out.

Thing #8

I really do not like this post. I cannot get anything to load into this blog. I really liked Flickr but I don't like this at all. I think it is a waste of time to look at how to put pictures into something else. I am being completely honest here. : )

Thing # 7

Zed the Dragon

 I had a lot of fun on Flickr! I think it is a really interesting place to see some amazing photos! I just loved this one of the Siene with the dark sky and the Tower in the background. I felt like I was walking through some of the streets of Paris when I searched "Paris" in the search tool. I found that it is very easy to navigate which is great for me being somewhat tech challenged. Also, it seems very easy to link other accounts like your blog or Instagram and even personal pictures uploaded from your camera. I think I am going to sign up for an account so I can organize all my pictures into one place. This is definitely a great way to back up my pictures, too.

Thing #6

I decided to explore Mint on this activity. Mint is a free online money management service that gives a person insight into their financial world. It helps keep budgets, track investments, as well as send alerts when there is unusual activity or when an account is low. I think this is such a great idea because so many individuals look only at the amount of money in their bank accounts not at what they are spending their money on. I really like the feature with budgeting. A user can set up a category with the amount of money to be in that category per month. Mint will track that category based on all your purchases. Also, you can separate different purchases from one transaction. For example, if a person makes a purchase at Target that included groceries, clothing, and a TV, he/she can then separate those items out into their designated category.

Personally, I was wanting to find a system that did this for me since I have been doing this on an Excel sheet. This tracks it for me since I can link my accounts right to it. Not to mention it can keep track of my investments as well. The program is free, and they have mobile apps for smart phones, also. I am signing up!

Thing #5

I found that most of the perspectives from the readings on Web 2.0 are quite similar. It seems that many of the writers feel as if we are going into a informational technology with the way websites, blogs, social media, etc. are being utilized. We as teachers must adjust to this new wave of technology because our students will grow up only knowing it as one way. Instant gratification! I grew up with chalkboards and whiteboards. Now, we have Smartboards with major equipment and software. We are constantly evolving and changing in the ways of technology, and it is very important that we remain abreast as educators. Our students will quickly pass us if we do not.

Thing #4

Blogging is such a great way to view other people's opinions, tutorials, topics, and all other areas of life. Commenting is a vital part of the blog, and it is very important to the blog writer. Commenting allows the writer to feel validated, and it lets them know that they are able to provide a service to the community. Commenting allows the blogger to expand on a subject, as well as invite other commenter to make comments on the comments.

I found that updating your blog is extremely vital to the blog's life. Many people begin blogs, and they do not post regularly. This pushes readers to go view other blogs because they want something to read regularly. In my own experience, I have a few blogs that I love to follow, and it is so disappointing when they only update posts every other week. Also, I found that responding to your comments is very important. This allows the readers to know that they voice matters, and also, the blogger appreciates them making a presence on the blog. Someone took time out of their busy day to read the blog, and they took even more time out of their day to make a response. This can help form a positive environment that lets people feel accepted.

I decided to read the blogs of Derek Cooke, Ashley Saunders, Monica Marshall, Daniel Lugo, and Brittany Lowen. These are all different education majors and some us are classmates so I thought it would be interesting to see what the others were posting. A couple blogs that I like to follow which pertain to education are kindergals.blogspot.com and mrsmorrowskindergarteners.blogspot.com. Both of these blogs have excellent writers which happen to be teachers. They make great posts that pertain to lesson plans, classroom management, and many other experiences as teachers. I have found them to be incredibly helpful, and most of the links they recommend are great, too.

I really like to comment on blogs that I follow so the blogger knows that people in the blogging world care. I will let a blogger know that something I found was really helpful or if I would like some more information on the topic. I commented on the above mentioned blogs because they had posts that were interesting, funny, and/or informational.

A Classroom Blog Thing #3

I am really excited about having a blog for my classroom! I think it will be a great way to keep parents involved with what is currently going on with their child's class. So many parents have smart phones that provide them with the ability to follow blogs or they can be notified of posts via email. This seems like such a great way to send out alerts or reminders about upcoming events, homework, projects, etc.

I plan on posting the topics for the week, and ways that the students can practice at home. I want to give the students the opportunity to design the blog so they feel some level of ownership over their classroom and education. This can be a great way to instill a level of intrinsic value over their education. Students will try the very best if they know that mom and/or dad can see their project on the classroom blog. Also, I think this helps with parental involvement. Parents can feel involved in their child's classroom if they have a break in the day to see what has been going on. I hope to post pictures with the student's activities and even videos. Personally, I would love if my daughter's teacher had a classroom blog! It is such a great way to feel connected to your child when they are away from you. Blogs can provide a great way to notify the parents instead of by a weekly newsletter. So many times newsletters never reach home, and they can be such a waste of paper. A blog eliminates the need for this, and the steps involved. It is so easy for a teacher to update a post from her/his personal smart phone, tablet, or computer.

I am enjoying this assignment because it is providing me with a good trial run. Hopefully, I will have blogging perfected when I reach the classroom!

Thing #2 It is just like a journal.

I love that blogging is very similar to a journal. This reminds me of keeping my diary when I was younger...except that it is public. I decided on "Ms. Martin's Musings" because this blog will serve as a location to post some of the musings that occur within technology and education. Honestly, I really liked how it sounded, too! I used my name for my posting name, and I think I did that so I would not forget it.

I found that the blog was very easy to create, and I really enjoyed choosing a template. However, I do not like having to type in all the information. I want instant gratification so I was excited to actually see it published. I did have a full panic attack when I tried to log back into the blog to make a post. I did not have the right email, and I was almost in tears. After an hour, I finally came up with the correct one for the blog. My only complaint about technology is keeping up with all these usernames and emails. If I don't write it down then, I don't remember it.

I enjoyed creating my avatar but I do think their eyes are a little creepy. I wondered if anyone else noticed this! I liked being able to customize all the hair choices, clothing, and even shoes. My avatar reflects my personality since she is smiling, and she is wearing high heels! This made me smile when I was creating her.

I did it! Thing #1

I really enjoyed the 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners. There are some great points that were made to thinking outside of the box when it comes to learning and education. I believe these habits help us to find the intrinsic value in educating ourselves in areas that we might find to be challenging.

This brings me to the habit which I find to be the easiest which is viewing problems as challenges. I think it is so important to find the positive in all aspects of life because there is always something to be learned. A person may not discover what they wanted or liked but they definitely have a better understanding of what they dislike or do not want. Challenges or adversities in life help us build character, and we can have a better understanding of ourselves as individuals. We can better identify our strengths and weaknesses when we face challenges. It is so easily evident in nature when we look at the Grand Canyons. The beautiful rock formations did not happen without the constant friction of water and dirt.

Although, I can identify myself with most of these habits, I do find that using technology is the hardiest for me personally. I tend to find that technology takes up too much time because I grow frustrated trying to get a  machine to do or say something that I feel I can do much more effectively. Also, I am a very hands-on learner so it is important for me to have something tangible. I feel like technology is not. I would prefer to make a bulletin board with my students instead of creating a PowerPoint. I wish I were more adept at using technology but I do know I can improve in this area.