Thing #12

I absolutely love Google!! I feel like it has been the best thing to come out of the internet (even better than Twitter and FaceBook). With Google there are so many possibilities. I love Google Calandars, because I can put something in on my phone, then pull it up on my computer and my calendars are already synced up. I also really enjoyed playing with Google Translate, I downloaded an app on my phone, and I think it would be useful. Especially if you travel, or have a student in your class who does not speak English.

Thing #11

I found that using the Yahoo! Search bar was the most effective. But I again didn't like using the reader. I would rather bookmark the page and have it on a tool bar at the top of my screen, or just click on it. While this isn't the newest and coolest way to do it, for me it works, and I have so much learning to do with computers I'd rather do it for something else that I don't already have a great way to do it figured out. Though on my search I did find some useful teacher blogs and websites, which I bookmarked (and put on my RSS reader, but just for 23 things).

Thing #10

For me personally I find that the RSS is a complicated process. I don't like having to scroll through each of the websites that I visit regularly to find the button to push, I don't like having to create yet ANOTHER account. It seems like if someone were to start browsing the web using one of these it could be useful, but for me personally I don't think it would be helpful. I would just as soon type out the whole URL and bam go to the site I want.

Thing #9

I love the smiley face generator!! This is a great tool to make happy words with smiley faces. Its super easy to use, type a phrase. I used SMILE!! You are here. Super simple, clicked 'fancify your text' and wa-la smiley picture text!!

Thing #8

I really like the idea of a Flickr mashup. I've always seen different pictures in lots of friends and families home that spell out their names, or words that mean something to them. I like that with this, its easy to type in the word, click a button, and bam!! you have a mash up. Super easy, any one can do it!

Thing #7

I really enjoy Flickr. You can always find different things there. I found these two pictures, I'm really into Rainbow (if I have a little girl one of her birthday parties WILL be rainbow). So when I found these pictures I fell in love. The cake looks complicated to make, but it is actually really easy (I've made one similar before). Though these nails would be complicated. Flickr is a great place to share photos (besides traditional places like Facebook) because it doesn't cost anything to share the photos, and anyone anywhere with an internet connection can view them (even across the world in tomorrow!)

Thing #6

For me, the best tool on this list was Skype. This is because Skype is free (you can pay for it, but all the good stuff on it is free) and it allows you to see people that are across the country and all you need is a computer (or laptop) and a webcam. Also, now after Skype has been live for a few years, its also possible with cellphones that have front facing cameras. I love Skype because it can help you to connect with family across the country. Its also nice because you can set up a Skype account and be online from say 6-8 in the evening, that way if a student has a question, they can message you, or video chat with them. Its a great idea because it takes the having to wait till the next day to ask for a teachers  help. You can get their help almost instantly, all that is needed is an internet connection.

Thing #5

School 2.0 means schools of the future. To me School 2.0 is a school that is based around technology. All the classrooms have SmartBoards, all the students would have some sort of technology to help them with their studies. While sometimes a computer can be a distraction, I feel that for the most part all students should have access to the internet to help them with their school work. I went to a high school that had a 1:1 ratio of MacBooks to students, and while at first it was a novelty for all the students to have a laptop, after a while, it became the most useful tool I think I have ever used. It was nice because as opposed to having to sign up to use the computer lab to type a paper or research a paper we could just open our backpacks up, and bam!! we had a computer lab right in our classroom. The nice thing about our laptops was that the teachers always knew what we were doing, because they had a special application on their computers that allowed them to see what we were doing.

For schools of the future this means that students won't have to wait as long for technology in the classroom. When I was younger in elementary school and middle school I always noticed that the teachers would tell us about a project that we would be doing next week, but that we had to wait for a time to be open in the computer lab. I think that schools need to offer more technology to the students, because with the open availability of a piece of technology they are more likely to learn all the time. Especially if there is some way the kids can take it home with them.

Thing # 4

Commenting on blogs is a great way to show people they aren't the only ones who have a certain thought process. It is also a great way to ask for help, you see someone who posts a recipe on their blog, but you know that baking the cake at 350 degrees instead of 400 will make it moister? By commenting, you can help others (sometimes lots of others) learn, not just the blogger whose blog you commented on.

The five people whose blogs I chose to comment on are: Jared Sexton, April Bumpus, Ashton Kearns, Janelle Ferrier, and Myleah.

I commented on a blog about Bullying of Children with Disabilities. The title of the blog is Special Education Law. I think this is a great blog, because it tells any one who reads it in simple easy to understand English about different laws that affect children with disabilities that are in a Special Education program.

The second blog that I commented on was from a teacher who works with students with multiple disabilities, and I thought her blog SMD Teacher was a great blog, because its based off of what she is doing in the classroom at that moment, not just what she thinks will work.

Thing #3

I think that blogging is a great way to stay connected with your students and parents. In the classroom you could use a blog to take pictures and post what the kids are doing every day (or even just on certain days). This way the parents would feel like they are a part of the students education, even if they are at work, or overseas, they can see what their child did. At the middle school/high school you can even use the blogs as a way to journal for your class. They can each have their own blogs connected to yours (much like ours are connected to Dr. Wall's). They can write about books they are reading, or the lab they did in chemistry class. Blogs are a great way to get what your students are doing out there for everyone to see, plus its a great way to incorporate technology into all different subjects, technology isn't just for typing papers.

Thing #2

The name for my blog is straight forward (Natalie's 23 Things). I chose this name because it got the point across of what I am doing here, which is the 23 things. For me creating this blog was quite easy, the hard part was for another class I have to have another blog, and trying to figure out how to create a second blog. My avatar looks just like me, blonde hair and all. I chose to create an avatar that looks like me because I feel that sometimes people create fake personas on the internet, and I didn't want to fall into that category.