Thing 16: PhotoPeach and the Final Evaluation

PhotoPeach:
Oh my goodness, I love PhotoPeach! Yet another web 2.0 tool that is new to me but is easy and so much fun to use! I will definitely be using it again! This is a short video of my best friend's wedding shower we threw for her along with pictures from her wedding day. :)

Wedding Fun with My Best Friend, Erika! on PhotoPeach

Final Evaluation:
1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

I enjoyed many things on this journey! Some of my favorites were: becoming more familiar with Google Docs and Zoho Docs, being introduced to LiveBinders, understanding more about what a wiki is, how to upload a video to YouTube from your phone and then to a blog from YouTube, and then being introduced to PhotoPeach! :)

 2. How has this type of program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

This program has assisted my lifelong learning goals by introducing me to many new web tools and stretching me to learn a lot. I have been in learning mode the entire time, and my eyes have been opened to how much is out there that I don't know anything about and how much I am capable of learning and knowing.

 3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I think I was slightly surprised and sometimes overwhelmed by how many web 2.0 tools really exist, many that I've never even heard of until this class. I have so much to learn and explore!!

 4. What could I do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

I think the format of this project was run perfectly. I love how each week you encouraged us to have a certain number of "things" completed in order to keep up with our assignments, but you also allowed us the freedom and flexibility to get them done when it was convenient for us as long as it was all completed by the due date. I think the amount of time we were given to complete the assignment was perfect as well. Each "thing's" description was well explained and the directions and expectations were clear. Thanks for helping guide us in a new and fun learning experience!

Thing 15: Things like Skype

Honestly, I haven't used skype before for educational purposes, but I have some teacher friends that have, and I would like to start in my own classroom. I have used it mostly to communicate with out of town friends and family. It is such a great thing to have to not only be able to communicate with loved ones not close by but also be able to see them face to face.

After thinking through possible ways to use it in my own classroom, I can see its many benefits to education and my students. One way I think it would be neat to use it could be in social studies having an live interview. One of the units we study in social studies is Native Americans. I think it would be really neat for my students to be able to interview a Native American expert or museum curator or even an actual Native American who lives on a reservation today. Really, in social studies when studying history, first hand interviews would be a great addition to classroom teaching in helping the students absorb valuable information about a subject.

Thing 14: Podcasting and Bookmarking

Podcasting:
What a great thing to know that Texas Education podcasts exist on iTunes. I have never heard of them, and as an educator I can see how helpful it could be to have access to them. I watched a few on math, and one I liked was a Geometry video called "Using Properties of Transformations". The first math unit in the year that I teach is Geometry. One of the lessons is on transformations, translations, and reflections. Sometimes the students get mixed up on which is which, so I like the idea of showing a podcast like this to use as reinforcement.

Bookmarking:
The bookmarking sites I'm most familiar with are Delicious and LiveBinders. I've had a Delicious account for about a year. We created an account for a class taught by Dr. Wilson, and I've used it to bookmark different websites I've used for projects, planning, lessons, etc. I would like to see myself using it a lot more and getting familiar with some other bookmarking sites out there as well.

Thing 12 and 13: Discovering and Using YouTube

This is a really neat video! It was such a reminder to me that I have so much to be grateful for in my life. I lose sight of the really important things sometimes, because I allow the little things get me down or I start to focus on what I don't have or what I'm not, instead of focusing on the many things I do have and the many things I am. I watched this video at just the right time. Just when I spend too much time complaining and being a Negative Nancy, God pointed me in the direction of this video to snap myself back to reality and help me to realize all of the wonderful things I have in my life to be joyous and positive about!

Inspirational Video


This is a video I took of my dog, Cooper, at the beach. I thought he would be terrified of the water, but as it turns out, he LOVED it! I feel more comfortable embedding videos now, so I feel like I learned a lot doing this assignment! :)

Thing 11: Web 2.0 Tools

The tool I chose from the first list was Live Binders. I really enjoyed exploring this tool. I like how easy it is to create separate binders and then individual tabs within each one. I have a large binder in my classroom that I currently keep all of my hard copies of all of my material related to math units 1-12. This would be a great tool to use for something like that. It would allow me to have access to all of the papers, etc., but I could also insert helpful website links into the online binder that are useful to helping me teach a particular unit. The only downside that I noticed about this site was that it is very time intensive. It wouldn't be something that I could do in a short period of time. It would likely be something that I'd have to work on over the course of an entire school year and then plan to use it the following year possibly.

The next tool I chose was from the larger list, and it was called photovisi. I really enjoy taking pictures and doing fun and creative things with them, so I was looking for a tool that I could use my own pictures with. This site is a collage making photo site, so I was able to play with different templates, backgrounds, and colors. The only downside was that because there are so many advertisements on the site, it was a little confusing on what was part of the site or what would take me to a different site and had nothing to do with photovisi. I make a slideshow for my 4th graders at the end of the year using pictures from the whole school year. I could use this program to make photo collages to include in the slideshow. I think the kids would love that!

Thing 10: Online Productivity Tools

I really enjoyed exploring Zoho Docs. At first, my thought was how could anything be better than Google Docs. I've gotten so used to using Google Docs that I am a little biased. But, I was pleasantly surprised with Zoho Docs. It is user friendly, and while it's similar to Google Docs, I actually found it to have some perks that Google doesn't. I created a document and called it my to-do list. I tried figuring out how to post it to my blog but was having some problems doing so. I also explored creating a spreadsheet which I actually do a lot with Google, so I think I will try my next one that I make in Zoho.

Overall, it just seems like Zoho has more options than Google. I could be wrong, since I've only used Google Docs for word docs and spreadsheets, but the Zoho layout seemed to have a lot of tabs and options. I like that you can upload music, pictures, and videos as well. You can also use tags to help organize your documents and create your own groups. I think as I spend more time practicing and using Zoho, I'll feel even more comfortable and confident with using all it has to offer.

Thing 9: Play with Wikis

I enjoyed reading the many posts that others have put on the Technology Poppers Wiki. I got a lot of great ideas from it and think it serves a great purpose of collaborating with other professionals in the teaching field. Posting my idea to it was easy to do, and I didn't have any problems with it.

I think having a school wide wiki at my school would be so beneficial to many of the teachers. Each of us could go in and post about technology tools we've used in our own classrooms that went over well and we feel others could benefit from trying too and possibly those that didn't go over well. It would be a time saver for many, and they could avoid trying ideas that may not have worked well within the classroom for someone else. It could be a sounding board for teachers; a way to collaborate and make teaching more effective for the students and teachers.

Thing 8: Wikis

Prior to this class, I was not familiar with wikis at all. After exploring some of the wikis listed, I understand the concept of them a little bit better, but I still have a lot to learn about them. I really enjoyed looking at the Book Lovers Wiki, because I think it's a great idea to have peer book reviews on books before choosing what to read next. I think students could really benefit from this idea, and it provides an opportunity for all students to use it since they all are required to read for school. Not only is this a great tool for students, but teachers and other adults could benefit from it as well when they make their reading selections.

I also enjoyed looking at the Educator Wikis. They gave multiple examples of teacher wikis that already exist that I could explore and get ideas from. I love that the kids really get involved and participate in using the wikis. Like I said earlier, I have a lot to learn about wikis, but I think incorporating my own wiki with my students would be a really neat thing. I look forward to learning more about them!

Thing 7: Image Generators

The first image generator I explored was Tagxedo. Although I've definitely heard of this tool before, I've never had personal experience using it. I used my school's website and typed in the name of the school. It created an awesome image comprised of so many of the words that our school stands for. I think one way my students could use this tool would be as part of the social studies unit, European Explorers. They could take the explorer they are assigned and create an image with character traits that describe the explorer.

The other image generator I explorer was Animoto. I have seen a few animoto videos made by others, but I've never created one myself. I had a lot of fun doing it and was amazed at how cool of a product I was able to make in such an easy way. This tool is extremely user friendly, and I think my kids would love making their own product. I could ask each student on the first week of school to make a short 30 second video with pictures that they have from their summer vacation. Then, they could share the videos with their classmates and then tell their friends more about their summer. I think they would have a blast doing something like this, and the kids could learn more about one another in the process.

Thing 6: RSS & Newsreaders

I've heard some about RSS and newsreaders, but I've never had first hand experience with them. Creating an account on netvibes.com was easy, but I would have been lost without the tutorial video. I'm still somewhat confused with it, but I was able to maneuver it some and see how it all works. The concept of it is brilliant, and I love the idea of having all of the regular websites I frequent at one spot. The convenience and time saving aspect of it would be really great! I think the more time I spend getting acquainted with it the more comfortable I'll be and the more I'll actually use it in my daily life for personal and professional purposes.

Is there any danger with putting your email accounts or facebook links on your page? I wonder if by having those on there it would increase your chances of someone being able to get into your accounts? Just a thought; I'm sure the answer is no, since so many people choose to do so, but it is something I thought about and felt a bit hesistant about.

Thing 5: Have Some Flickr Fun

I realized after starting to look that there are a number of different 3rd party tools out there to use your photos with to do neat things. I used one called Jigsaw, and it was extremely easy to use. I simply uploaded a picture of my favorite wine that I'd taken at dinner one night and imported it to the Jigsaw application. Below is what it looks like:

Thing 4: Flickr

DSC01359, a photo by deemoore321 on Flickr.

This is a picture I uploaded through Flickr of my fiance and I while on vacation with family this summer. We visited Perdido Key, FL, and we had a blast!

I enjoyed perusing Flickr and getting somewhat aquainted with it. It's very user friendly and easy to upload pictures.

Thing 3: Photos and Images

This is my fiancé, Bobby, and I. This picture was taken on August 2, 2013, minutes after we got engaged. We took a limo to our favorite restaurant for dinner and celebrated afterward with family and friends. It was a great and memorable night! I can't wait to marry my best friend!

Thing 2: Blogging

I have created a handful of educational blogs in the past, unfortunately, only to use them once or twice and then never again. A positive in that is that I'm somewhat familiar with the blogging process, but the negative is that my familiarity is vague and not what I wish it would be at this point. I've been to a handful of professional development courses where we are guided in setting up a blog. It is such a great concept, and I get so excited about all of the potential ways I could use it as a teaching tool. But, reality quickly sets in and I slowly forget it about using it as the many other duties of being a teacher take over. This time, though, I'm committed to really giving it an honest and fair try. I'm really looking forward to getting comfortable with the concept of a blog and introducing it to my students. I would like to get to the point where I can assign homework and other activities that my students would complete via the blog on their home computers. I think it's so important that we start teaching kids how to interact with each other over the web and through safe sites like class blogs, because they are growing up in a world that day by day is becoming more technology driven. Why not start preparing them at a young age for something that is inevitable?

While creating my blog, I took the free advice and picked an easy to remember name that went with what type of blog this was; 16 things. I picked a template I liked and got familiar with the settings and security options. I did comment on one person's blog, that completed the 16 things in the same course during a previous semester, about how much I enjoyed viewing it. It helped get me started in the right direction. I'm looking forward to seeing what my other classmates come up with, so we can offer ideas and learn from one another.

Ready, set... blog on! :)

Thing 1: Lifelong Learning

The first time I heard the term "lifelong learner" I was a student at Texas A & M University. One of my Education professors told our class that for the rest of our lives at future educators and members of society we needed to view ourselves as lifelong learners. She referred to it as a buzz word in the education world; that it would be a quality that our future employers would find it imperative for us to have.

I thought to myself, what does it really mean to be a lifelong learner? Is everyone automatically one, or is it something that you have to commit to being and have a necessary attitude in order to embody it? After pondering that thought, I decided it was definitely something you decide and choose to "be". You must possess an attitude and outlook on life that you will for the rest of your life be open to learning new things and at no given point or time will know it all. I love that thought! I suppose for some people to prefer to have the answer to everything, it could possibly drive them crazy, but I enjoy the idea that I never have to know everything or be perfect. Instead, I am a work in progress, always bettering myself and acclimating to the inevitable changes that life brings in areas of work, school, family and friends.

The tutorial on the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners reminded me of some helpful tips that can help one to be a learner for the rest of his/her life. They include:
1. Begin with the end in mind.
2. Accept responsibility for your own learning.
3. View problems as challenges.
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
5. Create your own learning toolbox.
6. Use technology to your advantage.
7. Teach/mentor others.
7 1/2. Play!

Out of those 7 1/2 habits, for me the easiest one to possess is accepting responsibility for your own learning, and the hardest one for me to possess is viewing problems as challenges.

I've realized over time that what I get out of school, work, relationships, etc. is directly related to what I put into it. My learning is up to me, and I take full responsibility for it. As an adult, if I want to learn something new or better myself in a specific area, it is up to me to make that happen. I have the tools to do so, and only I can and should take the necessary steps to make that happen for myself.

One thing I know to be true is I am more successful in the long run if I take something that presents itself as a problem and turn it into a challenge that I can work to meet and overcome. Having said that, it is something that I need to work on and am not currently the greatest at. Typically, when I have a lot on my plate and I run into roadblocks or problems, I allow it get me down and I get stressed and worn out. I'd love to get better at changing my attitude in times like that and look at those times as opportunities to dig deep within myself and work to meet a challenge head on with a positive attitude.

I look forward to all of the opportunities that await me down the road, where I can better myself as a person and continue to grow as a lifelong learner. Here is a link to my personal learning contract. It is one way that I am trying to stay organized, so despite that things are busy and I have a lot going on, I can still achieve my goals and stay on top of my commitments while learning new things at the same time!