Thing 17

I can’t say that I am overly impressed with the Delicious bookmarking tool. Perhaps I have become spoiled by a certain social image bookmarking application. For this exercise I created a free account on Delicious and viewed the associated tutorial. I then performed a search using the words “educational technology.” A list of bookmarks appeared. One of the differences that caught my attention was that there were no pictures with the results from my search, just tags. I am a very visual person and I like being able to see a preview of what the bookmark is about. I ended up clicking on a few different links and was really surprised that they had nothing to do with educational technology and had been mistagged. I spent a lot of time just searching for something relevant. I am not sure this is the most efficient site available. With that said, I absolutely see a place for social bookmarking sites within education. I think it is a great way to exchange information and collaborate with peers. Perhaps the most rewarding benefit is being able to organize and access your bookmarks from multiple technologic devices. I have read multiple posts by individuals who swear by the Delicious bookmarking tool. I believe my evaluation boils down to personal preference.

Thing 16

UStart equals increased productivity. That is a joke right? Not since I discovered Pinterest has anything come close to equaling that "time sucker," until today. I consider myself to be a very organized individual. Nonetheless, there is always room for improvement, which is why I was so excited to acquaint myself with the tools suggested in this exercise. I started out by exploring NetVibes and quickly realized that the content heavy page was not to my liking. I was able to create “Dashboards” but was unable to figure out how to get multiple tools onto one single page. I moved on to Symbaloo and felt that I still had to spend a lot of time clicking on the various icons to get to the places and information that I wanted. Finally I tried UStart and instantly felt at home with this application. I customized my page by adding specific widgets and feeds I regularly utilize. My biggest problem came while I was customizing my page I happened upon several new widgets and feeds that caught my interest so I added them. I actually began using my UStart page exclusively for a few days until I realized that I was not being as productive as I had been before I began utilizing the tool. I routinely found myself reading articles and engaging in activities that took me away from my original task. I did utilize the calendar feature offered on UStart and appreciated being able to sync it with other applications such as Google and Facebook. However, I was disappointed that I was never able to figure out if the tool offers an alarm feature to notify you about upcoming events. One resource from this exercise that I did find useful was the Lifehacker website. The site offers a lot of suggestions on how to search for things online more efficiently and other web tools that can increase productivity. I found the following article pertaining to Google searches especially helpful. I am not positive if I will continue to use UStart on a regular basis. In one respect having all of my online tools/applications in on location was convenient. On the other hand it also led to a lot of unproductive, off task behavior.

Thing 15

Wikis can be a useful resource for gathering and sharing certain types of information and exchanging ideas. However, one aspect that still concerns me is the accuracy of content. Because Wiki pages can have multiple contributors it can be difficult to monitor all the material being contributed. Additionally, there is always a question of objectiveness.  Is the shared information from a nonbiased perspective or is it colored with personal opinions and preferences? One of the Wikis that I especially appreciated was the Book Lovers Wiki. This Wiki requires users to obtain permission before adding or modifying content.  I believe this practice is one method that assists in maintaining the integrity of the of the Wiki. I see many valuable uses for Wikis within an educational setting. I intend to utilize one in my own teaching practice to champion open communication, assist in creating a community of learners, encourage collaboration, and make classroom information and projects more readily accessible to students and parents. One of the main concepts I will impart to students regarding the use of Wikis is the importance of carefully considering the source of the information and its creditability.  

Thing 14

Flowcharts are an excellent tool for demonstrating concepts, relationships, and organizing material.  Prior to this exercise the only flowchart I had created was done by hand and very unprofessional in appearance.  For this “thing” I chose to explored Gliffy and Bubbl.us.  Gliffy specializes in flowcharts while Bubbl.us is a mind map application. After signing up for a free trial account on both sites I decided to create a flowchart depicting a frog’s life cycle. This topic relates to two projects that I am currently working on.  Out of the two applications I preferred Gliffy. I reviewed the online tutorial for both sites but still found myself struggling with Bubbl.us .There are a wide variety of tools on Gliffy that are extremely easy to use.  I foresee many areas in which this application could be utilized within an educational environment. This application could be used to create flowcharts to organize research material for lessons, organize the flow of instruction, and demonstrate complex concepts or relationships in a more simplified manner for easier comprehension. It would also be beneficial to have students have the ability to create their own flowcharts for various class projects. The following is a link to the flowchart I created. Frog Life Cycle.

Thing 13

Those of you who have read any of my previous posts will not be shocked to learn that this was my first experience with Google Drive and Zoho. I began by familiarizing myself with both sites and the different applications available on them. It was evident early on in my exploration that I was more comfortable using Google Drive. The applications offered on Google are very similar to those I am familiar with in Microsoft. I decided to create a slide show using the presentation tool in Google Drive.  After having the opportunity to personally experience these tools I see enormous potential for application within the classroom. The tools on Google are easily accessible through multiple devices, not just PC users. Additionally, they support collaboration by allowing multiple users to contribute to a project. My biggest compliant regarding Zoho, besides the difficulty I had in navigating the site, is that not everything offered is free.  I look forward to utilizing the other applications offered on Google Drive in the feature. The following is a link to my presentation created on Google Drive. My Google presentation.

Thing 12

A few weeks ago I discovered Pinterest while completing one of my “23 Things.” At the time I was convinced that I would never find a web tool that I loved more. I was so wrong! Today I discovered Google Translate. In previous blogs I have mentioned that I am attempting to learn Italian. What I haven’t told you is that I am trying to teach myself.  With a nonexistent budget for learning materials the process has been slow with very little achievement. Google Translate is the pot of gold at the end of my green, white, and red rainbow. The tool allowed me to translate from English to Italian and Italian to English. Once the translation is complete the tool creates a list of words with the same meaning but with a different tense. The absolute best part of this tool is that you can actually hear the translation in the desired language by pressing the speaker icon. The tool can translate for every language I have heard of and a few I haven’t.  The tool would be an amazing assist for teachers with non-English speaking students. It would also be useful for assisting students in learning other languages and introducing them to various cultures.

The other Google tool that caught my attention was Google Books. This tool allows the user to search for books on a global level. Text that may not be available in print in the United States can often be found through searching with Google Books. In addition, many of the books can be previewed for free. I am currently taking a children’s literature class and have used the tool to help me locate books that are suitable for the course. This would be a useful tool for locating books to incorporate into lessons or for students to use when trying to locate research material. Here is an example of one of the books I found using Google Books. Bat’s at the Library by Brian Lies.

Thing 11

Finding feeds is never a problem. However, finding “good” or “quality” feeds can be more challenging. There are several tools that I enjoy using to help me locate sites with information I find interesting and relevant. Technorati  is my favorite tool to utilize because it is very easy to navigate, has detailed information, and allows for broad and detailed searches. When I am really looking to save time I search for specific posting as oppose to a blog. My second favorite search tool is Google. My least favorite tool is Blog Search engine.org . Every time I click on the site my security software finds viruses and spyware. Two new blogs that I happened to discover  and am now following on Feedly are Ms. Adventures in Italy and Italian Language Blog. I am interested in traveling to Italy and am currently trying to learn Italian so these site are extremely interesting to me. I also started following  The Cool Cat Teacher Blog. I am very excited to feel more connected to what is happening within the teaching profession.

Thing 10

RSS is an answer to my SOS!

Trying to keep with the latest information on the web can be overwhelming not to mention time consuming. RSS, Real Simple Syndication, offers a solution for those seeking to simplify and minimize the amount of virtual running around they do. An RSS reader brings new information and updates to you in one location. It is completely customizable and provides updates solely on the sites you have selected to follow.  

This activity was my first experience with RSS and I have to admit it feels like an answer to my SOS distress single. In the past I have had difficulty staying current with a number of the sites I enjoy following. There have been instances when I have missed out on an opportunity because important dates have already passed by the time I get the information. I am thrilled that I no longer have to spend so much time and energy checking each individual site. With my RSS reader all that information will come to me and be in one accessible place. Setup for my Feedly account was simple and quick. One of the added bonuses I encountered while personalizing my account was the discovery of two new pages I had never heard of but am very interested in.  I am still being exposed to new things even while I am condensing the process by which I stay informed. I think this technology will be a great asset to my personal and professional life. It will help me use my time more efficiently and keep me current. Information will still be relevant by the time it reaches me. I think teachers could utilize RSS technology in a multitude of ways. I intend to incorporate RSS into my instruction to assist in teaching media literacy.

 

Thing 9

I created the above image using an image generator on Image Chef. This particular exercise took much longer than I anticipated. There is a huge selection of generators to choose from on the web. I spent a great deal of time browsing on one site and did not realize they were no longer functioning until I attempted to create an image. I then discovered Image Chef and was pleased to learn the site was free, operational, and easy to navigate. I created the image above using the “visual poetry” application which can be found under the “Create” tab. I selected the design's shape , color, and font. I then entered  my favorite quote by W.B. Yeats and created my image. I believe that image generators can be a very useful tool within the classroom. My favorite aspect is these tools allow users  to add a personal touch to projects.  I noticed several applications on the site that I would utilize as an educator such as reminder notes and word mosaics. The only downside that I encountered is that it can be very time consuming trying to decide on a specific image generator.  

Thing 8

Move over Van Gogh there is a new artist in town. Okay, so I am not, nor will I ever be Van Gogh. My artistic ability is equivalent to most preschool students. Nevertheless, I sure felt like an artist after seeing the images I could create using Spell with Flickr. This tool is perfect for people like myself who want to create visually interesting images but lack the ability and time. Mashup tools like “Spell with Flickr” offer numerous possibilities for classroom application. For example,  I can imagine using this tool to decorate my classroom . I would create motivational word images to hang on the wall. I am a proponent of photo sharing. However, I think it is important that people always consider who their audience is and if their image is appropriate for public viewing.