Thing 7

Rio with butterfly, a photo by debramillan on Flickr.

I am confident that those of you who read my last post will not be surprised in the least to learn that this exercise was my first foray into the world of Flickr. Prior to this assignment I was completely unaware of the sites existence. I decided to start by creating my own free account even though it is not mandatory to utilize the site. Setup was a very simple and quick process because I selected to sign-up using my existing Gmail account. My attention was immediately grabbed by some of the photos featured on the site’s homepage After. familiarizing myself with the site’s many different features I uploaded my own photo. I chose to share one of my dog Rio sleeping with butterfly on his back. I think it is a cute image and I felt comfortable sharing it in a public venue. I added the following tags to the photo; apsu23things, dog, pit bull, butterfly, and Rio. Prior to this experience the only site where I have posted photos was Facebook. I have mixed feelings towards my Flickr experience. I found the site easy to search and a wide Variety of photos. However, I had some difficulty uploading my own. I am hoping that with additional experience I will be able to navigate the process more smoothly. I absolutely can see an application for this product in the classroom. Teachers and students would be able to search for and share relevant photos pertaining to lessons.

Thing 6

The Web 2.0 tool that I selected to explore was Pinterest. I know many of you reading this probably have a shocked facial expression and are thinking “She is just now getting around to Pinterest?!?!” The answer is, yes. I have been aware of the website’s existence and overwhelming popularity for some time now but had yet to visit. So when I saw it listed among the approved sites for this activity I decided it was time to explore. What originally started out as a brief perusal turned into a four hour pinning extravaganza. I began by creating an account, which was exceptionally simple. I then imported my contacts to find and follow friends. That is approximately when my addiction to Pinterest started. I noticed an interesting activity one of my friends had pinned and immediately knew I wanted to try it out with my own children. After indulging in some personal browsing I began thinking of how I could use the site for educational purposes. I am currently working on creating a unit plan for another course and needed to find relevant activities to incorporate. I typed in a few search words and was flooded with tons of ideas. I created an educational board and started pinning ideas to it so that I could easily find them later. The only downside I uncovered during my visit is that not everything is free. I viewed a few activities that I was really excited about only to realize that they had to be purchased. Pinterest in an excellent resource for organizing, sharing, and getting inspiration for educational activities. The following is a link to one of the activities I am incorporating into my unit plan. Ecosystem activity .

Thing 5

After reading the material associated with this exercise and seriously considering the question “What does ‘school 2.0’ mean to you?” This is what I have come up with, school 2.0 means accessible education. It is not the profound answer I had hoped and prodded my brain to come up with. Instead, it is the result of my own personal experience using web 2.0 and school 2.0 technologies that has shaped my existing knowledge on the subject. Two years ago I had the desire to go back to school and become a special education teacher. At the time I had two children one of which who was an infant. My educational goals seemed like a pipedream at best. Then someone suggested taking online classes. The next thing I know I am enrolled in college and working on my degree from home. School 2.0 made higher education accessible to me. It not only removed the physical barrier but also physiological barriers that had been a hindrance through my early education. Sitting in the digital classroom provided a certain sense of anonymity. Without a room full of people staring at me I felt free to ask questions, was more comfortable engaging in class discussions, and gained confidence in my ability as a learner. Because of school 2.0 I have become a more active participant in my education. It has opened up a number of other educational opportunities as well. A few months ago I decided that I wanted to learn Italian. I do not have the financial means to hire a language tutor so I turned to the internet. There are literally hundreds of free websites that offer lessons and videos that I am able to utilize. Web/School 2.0 has expanded the traditional classroom. Learning now takes places in a multitude of venues with the aid of new technologies. I did the necessary research for this particular exercise while using my smartphone and eating lunch in McDonalds.

What does school 2.0 mean for the school of the future? I don’t need a crystal ball to foresee that this is the direction education is heading, and I am a proponent.  I think school 2.0 present immense opportunities for both educators and students. As a prospective teacher I am consistently reminded that no two students learn the same way. My own instructors strive to provide me with the necessary tools to be an effective instructor for all types of learners. I see web 2.0 technologies as additional tools to add to my existing arsenal.  

Thing 4

Can anybody hear me? Does anybody care?

Those are two questions that went through my mind when I learned I would be creating and maintaining a blog for this course. The answer to those questions came with the first comment I received from a fellow classmate. Okay, so what if it was part of the assignment for “Thing four” and the person will receive a grade. It still served as validation. Out of a full class they chose one of my blogs to comment on.

Blog commenting is essential for creating and maintaining a sense of community. It promotes interaction between author and reader. Comments allow readers to become an active participant instead of a passive observer. Comments can help guide the writer, letting them know the topics that readers are most interested in. Also, interesting and purposeful comments can draw additional attention to your own blog.

For the assignment I commented on the following five people; Ashley Irwin, Christy Washington, Davie Wallace, Whitney Wise, and Kayla Kitchens.

Ashley’s “Thing 3” post caught my attention and was extremely relatable for me, which is why I chose to comment on it. I wanted to let her know that she was not the only person who enjoys writing but was anxious about sharing her ideas in a public venue.

Christy’s post for “Thing 2” grabbed my attention because she mentioned redoing her avatar to make it “more fun.” I had redone my avatar for the exact same reason.

I commented on Davey’s “Thing 4” post. I wanted to let her know that I appreciated her commenting on one of my blogs as part of her response to assignment 4. I read her reason behind choosing my blog to comment on and felt as though she might have misunderstood my original post. I wanted to let her know through my comment that even though I have relied on statistical facts in the past, I am very excited to interact and benefit from other people’s ideas and experiences through blogging.

Whitney Wise’s “Thing 3” post shared many of the same reasons and strategies that I had mentioned in my response to the activity. I also shared a personal experience that related to the topic.

I selected Kayla’s “Thing 2” to comment on. I have been fortunate enough to have Kayla’s assistance in setting up and navigating my blog. I wanted to tell her thank you for the help and confidence boost she has given me and to tell her that she needs to give herself more credit. She knows a lot more than she lets on.

 I selected http://cranberrycorner.blogspot.com/ as one of my blog sites outside of 3040 to follow and comment on. I am currently creating a unit plan for one of my other classes. I came across Cranberry Corner while researching activities to incorporate. I commented on a blog that detailed an ecosystem activity. I had seen the activity on other sites. However, this was the first time someone had listed a step-by-step guide, which I found useful.

The other blog I selected to follow and comment on is http://girlinflorence.com/ . I hope to relocate to Italy when finished with school. The blog covers a wide array of topics relating to the region. I commented on a post asking for more details and to praise some of the pictures she had taken.

Thing 3

Maintaining a blog presents multiple opportunities. It is an effective avenue for exchanging resources, ideas, and personal experiences with fellow teacher candidates and professionals. I intend to use my blog to promote and encourage communication and participation with student’s parents. Student success depends enormously on receiving support from their parents. A blog is an excellent method of keeping parents informed on classroom goals, projects, and potential opportunities for their involvement.

After exploring some of the best teacher blogs of 2012, I am excited to utilize educational blogging to develop student literacy and technology skills. Additionally, I intend to use blogging to create a global classroom and educational community.