Thing #12

Google Calendar
Google Translate

The first tool I used was Google Calendar. I choose this tool because I have a busy schedule. It is hard to manage my time if I am not organized. The Google calendar is very simple. It even lets you edit an event you create. I could use this in a classroom to make a homework calendar for my students. The second tool I used was Google Translate. My grandpa recently moved to Tennessee. He likes to speak Italian. I translated Grandpa into Italian, so I can call my Grandpa, Nonno. A translator can be useful if a student is trying to learn a different language and gets stuck on a word.

Thing #11

I believe that Google Blogs is the easiest to use for searching for RSS feeds. I trust Google. But, you have to know what you are looking for and you have to be specific. The other sites were overwhelming to me. Searching  through RSS feeds using the other sites, I felt as if I did not know where to begin. Google Blogs, highlighted things I searched for education and I chose the one that interested me the most. I rely on Google for everything else, thus I feel more comfortable with it.

Thing #10

I love RSS! I can read my subscriptions through my gmail, as well as Blogger. I never heard of Google Reader. When I subscribed to blogs, it showed up when I open gmail. I love that option. I enjoy that I can see a feed of my favorite blogs instead of researching, and having to go back and forth. It also saves a lot of time. We all know time is valuable. I would be able to use this in school because I can attach it to school related sites and maybe even chat rooms.I would use it in my daily life to keep up with whats going on and to see what all new has been posted to the web! Teachers can use RSS to keep up with other teachers, this could be very helpful when keeping up with colleagues as well. Teachers could see what accomplishments were made in a classroom and help with ideas for new teachers.

Thing #9

I really enjoyed playing around with the different generators. It can be a great, creative way to show your students when assignments are due. It can also be used to decorate your classroom. For example, a welcome sign, to welcome your new students on the first day of school. I chose to make a helper of the week sign. The helper can have a reserved seat in the classroom. In the library, you can use generators to show where fiction and non-fiction books are, etc. I think that generators are a creative useful tool for classrooms.

Thing #8

Flickr mash ups would be a fun and creative way to introduce new topics or ideas in a future classroom. Images like the one above, would be very effective in catching students' attention and introducing a desire to learn about such a cool thing. When assigning vocabulary assignments, or spelling for that matter, sites such as this one would be a unique and entertaining way for students to have fun while they learn.  I feel as though sharing photographs online is a fun and interesting way to allow my friends to follow my social life, even if they are not around to experience it first hand.

Thing #7

I really enjoyed Flicker. The site has really nice images of anything you can imagine. I chose to look up pictures of crayons. Crayons are an essential tool in elementary school. Crayons are used for coloring, assignments and projects. Crayons also help with memorization. I found images by  raisinsawdust. The photo I enjoyed the most was called, "My Daughter's Crayon Holder." It shows which colors her daughter uses the most and which colors she never uses. The image shows that her daughter is expressing her creativity through crayons. The user also had abstract pictures of the crayon holder. I really enjoyed the user's images and thought that the color contrast was excellent.



"My Daughter's Crayon Holder"

Thing #6

The site I discovered was Hulu. I have always heard that Hulu helps individuals catch up on their favorite sitcoms. But, if teachers scrolled through the website for educational purposes, the popular clips and featured videos would be beneficial for educators for unit plans. If the unit was on cell development, the teacher could scroll through videos and find videos to help his or her lesson plans. For example, this link, (Embryonic Stem Development ) is a video on embryonic cells' development. This video would be perfect for a high school biology class. Although, you really have to browse through television shows to find educational videos. This site is really useful for educational videos to help visual learners.

Thing #5

After reading both Web 2.0 is Not About Version Numbers or Betas and The Horizons Report, I believe that the future of education will rely on technology. For instance, more and more schools are putting: grades, assignments, class schedules and newsletters online. Schools and Universities gear towards technology because it is faster and even sometimes reliable. It also saves paper. Although, there are glitches in some cases, technology is grower and becoming more advanced to keep up with the growing world. 

School 2.0 is exactly what it says. I believe that School 2.0 is school, but in a different form. It is school using technology. With this being said, technology means new ideas and opportunities to educate students. I mean some things will always require pencil and paper, but with School 2.0, you have the option of an ebook or paperback book. I believe that School 2.0 is helpful and will assist teachers in the future for their students. But, I still enjoy paper and pencil activities.