Monday, February 27, 2012

thing 12


Dear Sir or Madam,
I would like to tell you what a great son/daughter you have. He/She is a great joy to have in my class. If you have any questions or concern you may reach me anytime. Thank you , 
your son/daughter teacher



Estimado señor o señora,
Me gustaría decirte lo que es un gran hijo / hija que tiene. El / Ella es una gran alegríade tener en mi clase. Si tiene cualquier pregunta o preocupación que usted puedeponerse en contacto conmigo en cualquier momento. Gracias,
su hijo / a docenteTeaching 


I found Google translate a very helpful tool. There are many times when teachers run into a cultural/ language barrier and unable to communicate with students parents. Well now they may be able to find ways around that with Google translate. All you simply have to do is type in English and chose the language you would like it translated to. Then just print you letter and send it home with the child. This is a great feature and best of all like all things on google it is FREE.
Another great feature I found was Google Alert. I am now keeping up with Teaching in Tennessee through my google reader account. I will be getting feed alerts anytime there is something new in the News about teaching in the state of TN. These are just two of the free tools found on google. There is much much more out there. You just have to take the time and see what you can find. Keep Googleing and enjoy!

#11 New Thing



  1. Create a blog post about your experience that answers these questions:
    *Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use?I have to say the easiest for me was google blog search. It was easy to type in a general idea and it popped up all the blogs with my keywords in it.
    *Which was more confusing?The Topix search was kind of confusing for me. When it first came up it asked about my location, well then when I typed in my "future teacher" search it brought all sorts of weird feeds up. Nothing that really had to do with teaching or future teachers, and the most bizarre part was that there was nothing on there that was from my area.
    *What kind of useful feeds did you find in your travels?I found some nice teaching blogs that I will be keeping up with. Some for future teachers, some more experienced teachers sites, and then I found a great one that has nothing to do with teaching. My other favorite hobby, cooking. The best part was it was all healthy foods-no sugar, which we have been trying to do.

Thing 10

I really like the RSS feature of blogs and websites. It is very convenient to be able to access all the blogs I have subscribed to in one click. Then to be able to access other sites that I am interested to from that same site is really nice as well. As a teacher I would be able to get lots of help from this feature. By adding RSS feeds to my blog parents and students can get additional help or information from other sites. I could also have access to other teachers sites as well on my blog RSS feeds. The best part of all is that is is FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When you are a teacher or students, or better yet a parent free is always better.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Thing 9

Okay, so I have really enjoyed working on these activities up until this one. By the time I finally got this posted to my page I was ready to throw the computer across the floor. How come it doesn't tell you that you are not able to do the animated picture when loading it to your blog? Or if it did, how come I wasn't able to find it? It only took me 45minutes to figure that one out. Oh well, I guess it is part of learning. I did have fun typing in different text and seeing it written in flowers. I have always wanted to do that in my yard. Never had much luck with gardening though so I guess computer generated will just have to be sufficient.

http://www.imagechef.com/http://www.imagechef.com/
This one was lots of fun to create and surprisingly simple.For this photo I used ImageChef-customized photo site and uploaded my art project photo, then all I had to do was pick the background that I wanted to use. I could have a lot of fun with this when it comes to the classroom. Students could make newspaper headlines, or cute street signs that coincided with their projects or subject they would be working on.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

# 8 New Things

1. <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/21644167@N04/5150506428/">Blue</a>, 2. <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/29468339@N02/5838193333/">Yellow drops</a>, 3. <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/55868267@N03/5525876593/">Emerald Green - Graduated Colour Ear-Rings by Fiona Katherine McAllister</a>, 4. <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/55155524@N08/5138659948/">Red Orange Pink Swirl Rose</a>

This mosaic was created using Mosaic Maker and the photos that were used came from flickr, Blue - IMG_8988-blue,Yellow drops, Emerald Green - Graduated Colour Ear-Rings by Fiona Katherine McAllister, and Red Orange Pink Swirl Rose at Anderton Therapeutic Gardens, by Courtenay.

I had lots of fun using Jigsaw to make this puzzle. This photo was taken last summer when the classic car show was down in Nashville. I went through many photos to find just the right one to turn into a puzzle. I really enjoyed this activity since we are puzzle freaks at my house.

 I really enjoyed using the mosaic maker since it is the added touch of color that you can put around your classroom as photos. Another great use of it would be for students when they are learning about the color specturm or during a project. As far as the classroom aspect of these programs I could have lots of fun coming up with different worksheets and activities to use for learning. Take a picture of the solor system and turn it into a puzzle, so all the kids would have a fun and interactive way to learn the planets. Plus I think the parents would think highly of a teacher for taking the extra time to individualize a mosaic of their childs work at the end of the year. I have another two years of schooling and already am super excited about all the new ideas I have for my classroom. Happy reading and have fun exploring.


 

Sunday, February 5, 2012

7.2 of Thing 7

100_0652 by violetflutter
100_0652, a photo by violetflutter on Flickr.
Also at my house.
See post 7.1 of Thing #7 for thoughts today!

7.1 of Thing #7

Untitled by violetflutter
Untitled, a photo by violetflutter on Flickr.
This was taken in my backyard.


Also the picture of Stormy Day was done from my backyard. I had never used Flickr or any photo hosting services before. I found it quiet enjoyable though. I did a few quick searches over the weekend and there were just to many photos for me to choose from. I think students in all grades would find great uses for Flickr. It allows them access to photos that can be used for various projects as long as they give credit to the artist. This is very important in this day and time. There are many different pictures that can be found on the internet but they are all copyrighted and if you are found using them, you are hit with a hefty fine. Yet Flickr tells you ahead of time that other people will have the opportunity to use your photos with you still receiving credit. Plus you can always add photos but leave the private and only seen by those you choose. That is great since you can add different groups or people to follow. 

#6 of the 23 Things




I have to say that so far this is the best "23 Thing" I have had to do. Dropbox is the coolest site I have ever seen. Yes I kinda already know a little about it, but that doesn't change the fact that I still LOVE it. Dropbox is similar to a digital portable filing cabinet. It allows its user to upload and store information/files to a digital storage account, and here is the best part IT IS FREE!!! That's right I said it, F R E E, FREE! The user can actually earn,by recommending the site, up to 2Gigs of storage. What is so nice about the site is that the user has access to the files they upload at any computer, or phone. This is handy for those of us that have a bad habit of not printing our papers out before we leave home. That's okay with Dropbox. I can run to the library and print a copy of the paper out there because I saved it to my Education Folder.You can also store pictures, music, and even share those files with other Dropbox users. This is a great feature for teachers, students, and parents. If a child is sick, their teacher can upload the assignment to a folder and share it with the parents and student. That way the child never falls behind. The only thing is a teacher may actual need more than 2 gigs of storage but the can pay for additional storage space. Or they just need to keep their files updated and change out the older ones and then they maybe able to stick with the free space. Either way you go, free or paid storage, Dropbox is a great tool and did I mention it is FREE!

Thing #5

One of the articles I read was the Web 2.0 is Not About Version Numbers or Betas. I have to say I understand where Richard MacManus is coming from. Web 2.0 is not a new version of the web but a name given to show all the new advances of the web. The web has become a place for great knowledge for all people. Even if you are a book loving rocket scientist, if you are surfing the web you will stumble upon some new morsel of information you did not know, only because of Web 2.0. The average person is able to upload, download, email, blog, twitter, facebook, chat, shop, research, and even receive a college degree because of the new exciting information found on Web 2.0. 
The second article I read was Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators by Susan McLester and boy did I learn new things. I like most people was aware, (0r so I thought)  how much the web influenced our everyday living . Blogs, social networks, emails, businesses, video conferences, and YouTube, these are just a few of the sites that are used on a daily bases for varies different tasks by individuals. Now schools are using these same features plus a few more to enhance teaching. I have to say that is wonderful. 
I have three children of my own and boy can they run circles around me when it comes to technology. Just the other day my youngest, she is 6,  told me how to bring up videos and games that they play on the computers at school. I remember at six years old learning how to write my name on the straight line and here 22 years later my daughter is learning how to use a computer. 
My middle daughter, whom is in the third-grade, had to do her first research project this past weekend. The note her teacher sent home informed the parents that the students were to research Space Shuttles and then build their own. Now that sounds normal enough right? Here's where things have changed, when I was in school we did all our research at the library with big thick books. Oh no, not now! Now the teachers expect the students to use the internet and conduct research on past shuttle. My daughters teacher explains that if they, the child, are not able to work on it at home that is fine, she will designate time for those individuals to work on the class computer. 
These are just a few ways that the schools are making an attempt to work with the changes society/the web have evolved. Technology is there we must find a way to embrace it. A way to use it to our advantage. Children, students are going to use these tools whether we like it or not so we should show them the proper ways to use them. We must find new ways to keep students involved with classwork and this, the WEB, is the way to do that. 
 

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Thing #4

WORK IN PROGRESS, WILL BE COMPLETED BY END OF SEMESTER!!
  • explain why commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction
Cool Cat Teacher explains that like any author a blogger wants to know that the are being heard. Commenting allows people from all around the world to take part in a conversation. It allows people with similar interest to be brought together even though thousands of miles may be between each person. Blogging and commenting brings new ideas or perspective to our own opinions. Some may call it a conversation or a debate, but I call it learning and life. At any point and time someone can enlighten someone else and what better way then 24/7 on a blog. 
  • discuss two other points from the readings about commenting that you found important
When reading through 10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog I was really surprised to see #5. Set Boundaries. Personally I thought it would discourage readers from commenting, but according to Darren Rowse it encouraged many people to respond to his blog. He thought it may be due to people knowing exactly what was excepted from their comments. I will have to think about that when and if I set a class blog when I am teaching. 

I was not really surprised but intrigued that one of the things that he recommended was #9 Rewarding Comments. I was already aware that we as bloggers should take the time to acknowledge our readers and let them know that we appreciate the time they took to read our blogs/post. I enjoyed the way he recommended to "highlight" a reader that left a great comment. I believe that will be a great technique to use with students since children are always in competition with each other. It would require them to take their time and make relevant comments and not just through random thoughts around. 
  • give the names of the seven blogs (5 from our group + 2 others of your choice) you selected to read and comment on and tell why you selected them:
  • WORK IN PROGRESS, WILL BE COMPLETED BY END OF SEMESTER!!


  • discuss the comments that you chose to make and why you made them
  • WORK IN PROGRESS, WILL BE COMPLETED BY END OF SEMESTER!!