Summarizing My Thoughts

Reflections

       I think some of my favorite discoveries on this journey was the Animoto, LiveBinder, and exploring Flikr. These programs and websites have shown me what I'm capable of making for my students in the future. I will also use them for personal use. It surprised me that I liked so many programs. I do not like change from my daily technology routines. It took a lot in me to branch out and use other programs. I think I grew from the experience. The only thing I wish that could be done differently but I know that can not be changed is having to set up like 20 accounts on 20 different websites. I did not like having to give my log in info to ten different sites. My email is already connected to so many. This has shown me that the Internet is always changing and always has something new to offer everyday. I will continue to stay connected to web 2.0 subscribing to various technology blogs and websites. 

THING 23!!!!!!!!

Creative Commons

      Creative commons is great. It makes creators feel comfortable in creating things and sharing them with the work. I would not be worried in the future if I wanted to create something like 23 Things for my students. If I were to create one in the future, it would definitely be on art or an art history for my students to explore and discover. I am wanting to teach middle school and I would not do as much but I could do it for them. I think they would be old enough. 

Thing 22!

I really like livebinders, because it is a great way to keep all your ideas organized. I am going to be an art teacher so it is great to store the blogs and ideas I find in one area. It is great to group similar blogs, websites, and ideas in one area/binder. I really plan on using it in the future. I am really bad about staying organized and this is prefect. !

My 2nd Grade Art Binder

Thing 21!

This is my Animoto video and I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!
I want to upgrade my subscription and make videos of all my life's important events. It takes pictures and music and puts it together so nicely. It really creates sentimental or funny videos. You can use it in the classroom to show off duing parents night, open house, or show your kids past field trips.    


Black Diamond

Thing 20!

I LOVE YOUTUBE!

I youtube anything and everything. I use for art, hair, and makeup tutorials. I am also subscribed to athletic and comedian youtubers. I check youtube almost everyday to catch up on my daily videos. I use it to make lesson plans for my art education class. 

My Color Wheel Youtube

 I upload my own videos to my youtube account. It's so convenient to look at my old videos and to show my friends my videos. I love youtube because you can comment and share videos. 

Thing 19

I am a member of twitter, facebook, myspace, instagram, vine, and google plus. The extra social network I created for this exercise, was google plus. 

Teacher pop was interesting and I think it is useful for teachers in schools. It would be useful for me, if I could communicate and share ideas with other art teachers. Social networks are great for people to keep up with family, friends, and colleagues. 

Thing 18

This is my Facebook!

This is my twitter!

I use Facebook and Twitter on a daily basis. Daily basis is an understatement. I am constantly checking on my clubs, work and friends are doing on social networking. It is important for educators to know about social networking sites to keep up with the students and the latest technology. If a student comes to a teacher complaining about cyberbullying, the teacher is going to need to know what that is to help. Teachers also need to make sure not to put anything appropriate for students or administrators to see. It is just important for educators to be up to date on the latest technology. I wrote a research paper on teachers being on social networking sites. My senior English teacher had a facebook and added all her students to help them with assignments and to remind them of homework and tests. It can be a great tool because students, like myself, use it so much. 

Thing 17!

Delicious!

I learned to get more comfortable with Delicious by exploring it. I think it is great for an easy access to bookmarking and keeping up with different sets of bookmarks. Teachers can share with other teachers on sites like Delicious or Diigo. I enjoyed using Diigo in the classroom and see what others found everyday. 

Thing Sweet Sixteen!

This is my iGoogle page. It is perfect for me. I am in spanish class right now, so I have google translate on there. The moon really interests me, so I found a moon phases widget. Then on my interests I check marked the box the with art, social, entertainment, and music.  I chose the night decoration, because it was pretty. 

I experimented and explored some of the calendar tools, but I use this one everyday. It is the iCalendar for Apple. It connects with my Macbook Pro, iPad, and iPhone. You can add as many events as you want and color coordinate them. You can connect them with google calendar and yahoo calendar. 

I really like the tool stickies, because when you are doing research, you can make visible notes and not have to switch back and forth between windows.  

Thing Fifteen!

I posted on our wiki!!

It took me a little bit to figure it out! I could not find the button to create an account. 

Then I kept trying to edit it and it would not let me. Then I figured that I had to join the workspace. Finally, I got to add my favorite post from my blog. I think Wiki's are great way to get information out. But, I worry about mean people coming along and changing information to false information just for fun. 

Thing 14, Go with the Flow!

This is my flow chart! 

I made a flow chart on Gliffy and it was really easy and simple to make! I loved it! I could use this in my classroom for instructions on how to make a color wheel. The students just follow the chart and the bubbles and it is very self-explantory.

The mind chart was also very easy and simple to make! It had bright colors and easy directions and instructions. I did like the flow chart the best because I personally think it is easier to read and follow for a completed color wheel. 

Thing 13!

I played around on Zoho and I created a presentation. 

I did not like Zoho, mainly because I have never used this website before. I tried playing around and exploring it but I was just not understanding it. A lot of the documents and items you can create on Zoho, can be created using Microsoft Office. I would understand people using it, if they did not have Microsoft Office. But, I would not want to pay monthly or yearly for a service when you can buy Microsoft Office once and it be on your computer forever. You can save everything you create with Microsoft Office on a hard drive or websites, such as Dropbox.

Now on the other hand, I have had experience with Google Docs. I really like it because I am in a sorority and we use it all the time. We can send out a document and sisters can add or change information all the time. We use it for t-shirt sign ups and formal date lists!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AmIXDr70ugQRdExCc1FJYjJOaHVjTFRZaURrZkNjOFE&single=true&gid=0&output=html

I made a fake Austin Peay State University t-shirt sign up sheet! You could send it around to every one for sizes and phone numbers. When the shirts come in, the person in charge could email the students and tell them to come to the UC, to get them!

I definitely like Google Docs better just because I have more experience. But, I have never made a Google Doc before until today and I figured it out pretty easily. Zoho, on the other hand, I did not like because it was just too much. I would rather stick to my Microsoft Office. Google Docs or any other online document system is great for students. They can work collaboratively on a group assignment and not have to be in the same room or building. It is great for communicated with people online and getting information in an easy and organized manner!

Thing 12!

I LOVE GOOGLE!!! I am very familiar with Google Calendar and Google Translate. I've been using Google calendar for about a year now. I have it synced with my phone, so I have all my tests, assignments, and important dates all logged and with different colors for work, school, and other. Google already puts national holidays. To the right, this is my calendar! When you create an event you can put the location, the duration, time, and you can choose what category it goes in and the color. This is such a useful tool for a busy student. Then when I become a teacher I can use it for organizing classes, assignments, and projects. 

 The second Google tool I use quite frequently is Google Translate! I am in Spanish class, and if I get really stumped on a word or phrase I can use Google Translate. This will be really helpful in the classroom, especially if get an ESL student or a student that does not speak English at all. Google Translate is not perfect, no online translation is. It gives you the basic meaning and sometimes it will mess up the verbs. I love how you can choose from all the different languages. This is great tool!

Thing 11!

Finding RSS Feeds!!

I think the easiest method was using the Google Blog search. I am using Google Reader, so I just searched within Google. I really like how Google has everything linked and everything organized and put together. I tried every tool, and I did not find any really confusing. All the websites were easy to navigate through and figure out. On Topix, I found local news feeds which is awesome because the Clarksville newspaper website, you now have to pay for it. I do not find this unusual but I noticed Topix has a lot of information about gay marriage and politics. I do not care much for those topics, so I did not use Topix that much. 

Thing 10!

RSS!

              I really like RSS and newsreaders. RSS is a fabulous way to get the specific knowledge you want from the internet without have to go to every website and checking it out. Newsreaders are fabulous for keeping your subscriptions organized and clean. I have already subscribed to two art projects for kids blogs and websites! That is going to be perfect for me to make my lesson plans from and to use in my classroom. Teachers can use this technology to find projects, read news about whats going on in specific subjects, and keep up to date on everything. For a future art teacher this is really exciting because all I have to do is get on google reader and click on my art projects page and I can see and read all the new posts and get ideas for my lesson plans!

These are the blogs and websites I subscribed too!

Thing 9

GENERATORS 

The first generator I used was IMAGE CHIEF! They have tons to choose from. The first one i chose was the word mosaic. I picked the words Alpha Delta Pi, because that is my sorority and it is close to my heart and it is a major part of my life. Our symbol is the diamond and our colors are blue and white. You can pick the shape you want the mosaic to be in and any words. Then you pick the background color and one color for the text. I could use this for the classroom, by putting art vocabulary words each week. I could print it off on a sheet of paper and hang it on a bulletin board. It is a creative way to tie all the words together. 

The second generator I chose was the custom signs generator. They options with pictures, text, and webcam pictures! I picked one with text and it was the bar code generator. I picked this one cause it was different and cute. All I had to do was enter the text I wanted, choose the color and background; then I picked the type of barcode I wanted and the size of the text and clicked generate!

I selected this text, because I could blow this up onto a poster board and post in my classroom for a creative entrance into the art room!

THING 8!

I LOVED THIS MASH UP! I love taking found objects and using them to create art. This would be a great lesson to show students how to see everyday objects in a different and engaging way. Also I could use this project for the students to create their name. All these mash ups are great for art projects, like this one and the mosaic and puzzle ones. 

Thing 7!!!

I have used Flickr for awhile now. I used it when I photographed my sister's engagement photos. I uploaded them to so my sister could see them. This is the photo I uploaded for this blog because it had been awhile since I had used Flickr. PICTURE I could not get the .jpg URL, I clicked on share and grab link and this is the link Flickr provided. I would use flickr.com for more of a personal use so it could be a backup for all my photos, because I recently just lost all my pictures because my computer crashed. I have used another photo website called photobucket. I used it more than flickr. You can browse graphics and other pictures and save them to your album. I have been using photobucket since I was in 6th grade. Flickr and photobucket are relatively the same because you can create albums, share photos, and edit photos. I just prefer photobucket because I am more comfortable with it. I usually keep most of my photos private. I upload them for a backup and the world does not need to see. 

Thing 6!

WhizKidGames!

              I explored the website Whiz Kid Games. This website is for children around 5 years old and in kindergarden or 1st grade. When you first get on the website it has a short animation, which is perfect to get the kids excited about using the computer and playing the games. Then you have 9 games to choose from. 

Every game has a video that explains the game and then when playing the game it talks to you. It takes you step by step through each game and gives pictures explaining. You can put the game into full screen mode so the children can not try to click on anything else. This website has great games and great setup for young children. One of the games teaches the player how to dress appropriately for the weather and then another game teaches the player to clean your room! These games teach great habits for young kids to get the hang of now instead of trying to teach them when they're older. 

Thing 5!

SCHOOL 2.0

 School 2.0 means to me, incorporating web 2.0 tools into educating students. Teachers using these tools and teaching these tools, to students makes school 2.0. School 2.0 is a perfect example of how our society is so advanced in technology. Teachers can teach with iPads and iClickers. That technology was not around until a couple of years ago.  Teachers can teach these tool to future teachers to help educate students. 

In the future, schools are going to be so advanced. Textbooks will be obsolete and all on iPads, kindles, or some other type of tablet. The newer generation of teachers will incorporate more technology in their lesson plans because they will have grown up with it all around them. 

Thing 4!

Commenting

        Commenting is really important in the blogging world because you can discuss ideas that you and another person agree on or disagree on. You can also help introduce new ideas to others. When you disagree with someone you can elaborate and back up your argument with facts or links to other websites. 

The first blog I commented on is Simplicity Photography. She has a blog for her photography and this appeals to because I am an art major. 

The second blog I found that is really helpful for me is a crafting blog. She has all kinds of crafts that I could use  in my future art class. She has a post about crafts for boys and boys are sometimes hard to please when it comes to crafts, but she had some really great ideas. 

My peers that I commented on were:

1. Jill Hutchison

I commented on Jill's because what she said in her first post opened my eyes and I really liked the way she worded "naming her blog". 

2. Rachel Burkhart

She wrote about how her professor helped her create her blog. My art professor also helped me create my first blog in my electronic imaging class.

3. Megan Singleton

Megan had some really great ideas in her thing three. I really liked her "On this day in history" idea.

4. Lindsey Burris

She talked about how she uses her iPad too read and I do too! We can use our iPads in our future classrooms. 

5. Jared Morris

Jared talked about using a blog for his students to use and post their work. That would be perfect for me to use in my art class and my students could post their artwork. 

           I found an important point for Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog. He makes a good point about how people like knowing that other people are reading their blogs, and to let people know you're reading their blog you comment on them. I know I get excited when people comment on my blog. Commenting just lets people know that their writing for a purpose.

        The second important point I found was in Drape's Takes. When you comment you are making a relationship with the writer and the reader. That's important because it shows the writer that readers care and when the writer comments back, it shows the readers the writer cares. It causes electronic an electronic relationship. 

Thing 3

THE USE of BLOGS. 

        I would use a blog to keep track of my artwork. I would post the artwork I create and then write about it. Then when I teach my future art students, I can show them this blog, give them the link, and they can check out all of the artwork I have done to inspire them. My goal for becoming an art teacher is to get future students/artist more excited about creating art and expressing themselves. I want them to realize that in art, there are guidelines but no right or wrong. I mentioned in my thing two post, but I have an art blog from my electronic imaging class, that has some of my work already posted. I will continue to use that and show my future students all my artwork. 

MY ART BLOG!

Thing 2!

BLOGS BLOGS BLOGS!

         My experience with blogs and blogging are small but are existent. I took an electronic imaging class and my professor required us to keep a blog on wordpress.org. It was mainly to post our projects, respond to readings, and post our museum visits. When I was in that class, I would explore wordpress and check out other blogs. I chose my name to for my blog according to Dr. Wall's criteria and what were expected to do for the next 15 weeks. It was fairly easy creating my blog since I had done one before. It was the same basic setup. Then after I created my blog, I created my avatar. I created someone who looks like me because I like myself and its fun trying to make a little you. I also did not have any trouble getting my avatar up. I think with blogs, you have to really explore and play around to really figure out the kinks. 

This is one of the posts made in my art blog. The assignment was to pick an animal and use Adobe Photoshop to morph your face. I picked a tiger! The link to my blog is down below. 

My art blog from my electronic imaging class!

Thing 1!

        The easiest habit I think is using technology to my advantage. I use technology almost every minute of everyday. I constantly use my cell phone but so does everyone else. I also use my computer, my iPad, my printer, and my kindle. I use my computer to help me with school work, online shopping, and to keep up with worldly news. I use my iPad as more of a mobile computer, so I do not have to take my computer everywhere with me. I use my phone to keep in contact with my friends, check the weather, and my email. Each of my devices has a huge impact on my life and when I do not have the access to one of my technologies, I feel lost or that I am missing something. That is partly because of the society we live in today. Our whole world is based on technology. It can be a good thing if you use it the correct way and it can also lead to worldly problems as well.

       The hardest habit out of the 7 1/2 habits, I think would be to view problems as challenges. Anytime something goes wrong in my life I dwell on it and sulk about it. I rarely turn a problem around into a challenge. That is a goal I would like to set for myself. I think being an emotional person ties into that problem because I put so much emotion into everything and if something goes wrong, I become devastated. It would benefit me greatly if I turned problems around into challenges, so when I accomplish them, I will gain confidence.