I am finally finished!!
I really enjoyed exploring the Learning 2.0 tools. Of all the tools, I think my favorites were the RSS reader, Photobucket, and Del.icio.us. These are all tools that I will continue to use after the class is over in both my professional and personal lives. Not only did I find some great web 2.0 resources, but I also found ways to keep up with new tools that are being created right now.
Learning 2.0 has reminded me that it is important to keep up-to-date with information regardless of what field you are going into, and how easy it is to do that. I hope to keep using Learning 2.0 tools to keep informed about different topics in education, politics, and religion, among others. My favorite tool, the RSS feed, is an easy way for me to keep up with new Web 2.0 topics as well as everything else I am interested in.
When I began my blog, I was sure that I would have a lot of trouble using all of the tools and websites that were part of 23 Things. Much to my surprise, most of what we did was incredibly easy. I don't know if I underestimated my own skill level or if the Internet is getting more user-friendly, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Throughout my time completing the 23 Things, I have come to realize exactly how helpful the Internet can be for teachers. Whether you are looking for a way to spice up a lesson plan, seeking advice about how to deal with troublesome students, doing research for a school committee, or just wanting to vent, there are thousands of websites and blogs and social networks ready to connect you to an answer for every query and a solution to any problem. By using these tools I can be a more versatile and effective teacher.
I am still debating about what I want to do with my blog. I may keep it as a way to keep people updated on what I am doing, or use it as a portfolio of sorts about what I am doing in my classes. Even if I decide not to use my blog, I am definitely going to keep up with Learning 2.0 information. I have several technology blogs on my RSS reader (I wanted to subscribe to the Learning 2.1 blog, but they haven't posted for a year and a half so I don't think that will be very useful.). If anyone has any other ideas about what I should do with my blog, let me know.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Thng 23: Creative Commons
Creative commons refers to a group of copyright licenses that allow people to use work copyrighted work based on criteria (such as attribution and use) designated by the individual holding the copyright. As a teacher, it is important to be familiar with creative commons when using information created by others in the classroom or in my own research.
Much of the information in Learning 2.0- 23 Things for Teachers is based on programs developed by the Mesquite Independent School District, the California School Library Association, and Helene Blowers. Credits are provided on the sidebar of the Learning 2.0- 23 Things for Teachers blog.
Much of the information in Learning 2.0- 23 Things for Teachers is based on programs developed by the Mesquite Independent School District, the California School Library Association, and Helene Blowers. Credits are provided on the sidebar of the Learning 2.0- 23 Things for Teachers blog.
Thing 22: LiveBinders
With all the information that teachers share with students online, keeping up with everything that you are working on can be a struggle. LiveBinders seems like a great way to keep things organized and present them to students using one website.
We have seen a lot of different ways to organize information over the course of this class, and just when I don't think that I could possibly be more organized, another organization website is sprung on me. The one thing that seems to set LiveBinders apart from other organization websites is that it is very easy to allow other people to share and access your information in an organized way.
I decided to create binders based on literature, math games and science experiments. I was not too terribly creative with the titles, but I figured simple is better.
My first binder, and the one that I have chosen to share, is titled Children's Literature. So far, I have put three different websites in my binder, but I hope to add more. The first tab is the Project Gutenberg website. I love classic stories, so Project Gutenberg is one of my favorite websites. Project Gutenberg is a non-profit group committed to creating digital copies of classic literature on the Internet for people to access free of charge. Project Gutenberg allows you to download there books to your computer or to a portable reading device. They also organize books according to "bookshelves", or different interest groups. For example, you can select the Children's Bookshelves, which shows fifteen other bookshelves broken down into specific topics such as Children's Fiction and Children's Myths, Fairy tales, etc.
The second tab in my Children's Literature binder is the Newbery Medal Homepage. From this page, it is easy to find a list of all the Newbery Medal winners and the Newbery Medal honor books from 1922 to 2011. The third tab contains the website Storynory. Storynory produces free audio recordings of original children's stories, fairy tales, classics, and educational stories.
My other binders are titled Math Games and Science Experiments. They basically contain what the names say-- websites for parents to find math games that their children can play at home and science experiment websites that the whole family can enjoy.
LiveBinders would be a great way to set up a lesson for students to follow in the classroom or at home. It would be very easy for students to click on a binder and go tab by tab to finish an assignment. It would also be a great resource for students who might want to know more about a topic that interests them or for gifted students to work on more challenging materials. If I wanted to teach a lesson using mostly online resources, LiveBinders would be a great place to stay organized. I could create a binder for that lesson and then not have to worry about opening five different websites and taking the time to type each one.
We have seen a lot of different ways to organize information over the course of this class, and just when I don't think that I could possibly be more organized, another organization website is sprung on me. The one thing that seems to set LiveBinders apart from other organization websites is that it is very easy to allow other people to share and access your information in an organized way.
I decided to create binders based on literature, math games and science experiments. I was not too terribly creative with the titles, but I figured simple is better.
My first binder, and the one that I have chosen to share, is titled Children's Literature. So far, I have put three different websites in my binder, but I hope to add more. The first tab is the Project Gutenberg website. I love classic stories, so Project Gutenberg is one of my favorite websites. Project Gutenberg is a non-profit group committed to creating digital copies of classic literature on the Internet for people to access free of charge. Project Gutenberg allows you to download there books to your computer or to a portable reading device. They also organize books according to "bookshelves", or different interest groups. For example, you can select the Children's Bookshelves, which shows fifteen other bookshelves broken down into specific topics such as Children's Fiction and Children's Myths, Fairy tales, etc.
The second tab in my Children's Literature binder is the Newbery Medal Homepage. From this page, it is easy to find a list of all the Newbery Medal winners and the Newbery Medal honor books from 1922 to 2011. The third tab contains the website Storynory. Storynory produces free audio recordings of original children's stories, fairy tales, classics, and educational stories.
My other binders are titled Math Games and Science Experiments. They basically contain what the names say-- websites for parents to find math games that their children can play at home and science experiment websites that the whole family can enjoy.
LiveBinders would be a great way to set up a lesson for students to follow in the classroom or at home. It would be very easy for students to click on a binder and go tab by tab to finish an assignment. It would also be a great resource for students who might want to know more about a topic that interests them or for gifted students to work on more challenging materials. If I wanted to teach a lesson using mostly online resources, LiveBinders would be a great place to stay organized. I could create a binder for that lesson and then not have to worry about opening five different websites and taking the time to type each one.
Thing 21: My Start as a Director
Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.
I hope you enjoyed my first foray into the world of movie making. I had a lot of fun making it. The pictures are from my senior trip with my family to Williamsburg, Virgina.
Animoto was really easy to use. The longest part of the whole experience was picking the pictures I wanted to use. In fact, I think that, out of everything that we have tried so far, this was the easiest to use.
My mom really loved the video that I put together. I definitely think that she might use it in the future. It would be a great tool to use to make videos for a wedding reception or any other event. In addition, teachers could make short videos about what they are doing in class to show parents. I know that I will definitely be thinking of ways to use it in my future classroom every chance I get.
Thing 20: YouTube
First, I would like to say how much I LOVE Taylor Mali's video about what teachers make. If you haven't seen it yet and are a teacher, studying to be a teacher, or thinking about studying to be a teacher, than it is a must see.
I explored YouTube and TeacherTube as part of this Thing. I have used YouTube before, mostly to look at videos that friends have recommended. I really like YouTube (and similar sites), and I think that it is a great tool for teaching.
I'll use my own brothers as an example. Both Andrew (age 11) and Matthew (age 13) love YouTube videos, particularly parody music videos. After watching one of those videos two or three times, they can sing each song and get all the lyrics (but maybe not all the notes) right. They learn the songs quickly because of the fun format they are presented in, and, believe me, the songs stick in their memories. My brothers are also voracious readers, but they have never remember complete passages from books, even ones that they really love. But they remember the songs because of the format with which they are presented.
Using movies in the classroom is a great way to engage students with what they are learning. However, you have to be careful about how you use videos in the classroom. There are some precautions that I discussed with my aunt who is a French teacher. The biggest thing that she had to say about movies was to be cautious about the length. Movies that are too long give students an opportunity to sleep, text, and talk. Movies that are too short don't get enough information across. It is important to have a balance when picking which videos to use.
I tried to find a video I liked on YouTube to put on my blog, but I ended up finally finding one that I liked on TeacherTube. The video is about people who appeared ordinary but went on to do something great.
I explored YouTube and TeacherTube as part of this Thing. I have used YouTube before, mostly to look at videos that friends have recommended. I really like YouTube (and similar sites), and I think that it is a great tool for teaching.
I'll use my own brothers as an example. Both Andrew (age 11) and Matthew (age 13) love YouTube videos, particularly parody music videos. After watching one of those videos two or three times, they can sing each song and get all the lyrics (but maybe not all the notes) right. They learn the songs quickly because of the fun format they are presented in, and, believe me, the songs stick in their memories. My brothers are also voracious readers, but they have never remember complete passages from books, even ones that they really love. But they remember the songs because of the format with which they are presented.
Using movies in the classroom is a great way to engage students with what they are learning. However, you have to be careful about how you use videos in the classroom. There are some precautions that I discussed with my aunt who is a French teacher. The biggest thing that she had to say about movies was to be cautious about the length. Movies that are too long give students an opportunity to sleep, text, and talk. Movies that are too short don't get enough information across. It is important to have a balance when picking which videos to use.
I tried to find a video I liked on YouTube to put on my blog, but I ended up finally finding one that I liked on TeacherTube. The video is about people who appeared ordinary but went on to do something great.
Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things by MissB924
Thing 19: Online Communities and More Social Networking
Online communities are a great way to keep track of interesting things occurring in an area of interest. I am a member of several online communities, mostly as a lurker, that cover a variety of interests from teaching to ASL (American Sign Language) to religion.
My favorite online communities are usually informal, with a mix of both normal people and experts that come together as equals (sometimes that is the hardest criteria to fill) to discuss a topic. The best discussions happen when everyone enters in willing to be both a student and a teacher.
Social networking sites are a great way to find new discussions. I decided to look at Gather and Ning to search for relevant groups on the topic of special education. I can't say that I am entirely thrilled with either site. A lot of the groups that looked interesting and had a lot of members weren't current. I was able to find a few interesting groups on Ning, but Gather was a bit of a dud. I also looked at the other social network sites for books. Both Shelfari and GoodReads look like good places to read book reviews and discuss books with other people. I always hate it when I really enjoy a book and then cannot find anything similar to read after I am finished, but both of these websites seem like a good way to solve that problem.
Social networking websites and online communities are a great way to keep in touch with people who share your interests and to increase your own knowledge through collective learning.
My favorite online communities are usually informal, with a mix of both normal people and experts that come together as equals (sometimes that is the hardest criteria to fill) to discuss a topic. The best discussions happen when everyone enters in willing to be both a student and a teacher.
Social networking sites are a great way to find new discussions. I decided to look at Gather and Ning to search for relevant groups on the topic of special education. I can't say that I am entirely thrilled with either site. A lot of the groups that looked interesting and had a lot of members weren't current. I was able to find a few interesting groups on Ning, but Gather was a bit of a dud. I also looked at the other social network sites for books. Both Shelfari and GoodReads look like good places to read book reviews and discuss books with other people. I always hate it when I really enjoy a book and then cannot find anything similar to read after I am finished, but both of these websites seem like a good way to solve that problem.
Social networking websites and online communities are a great way to keep in touch with people who share your interests and to increase your own knowledge through collective learning.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Thing 18: Social Networking
Of all the topics that we have covered so far, this is the only one that I really had any knowledge about before we started. Social networking has become such an important part of life that even I have jumped on the bandwagon (even though I really only have a tentative grip on the edge).
There are a lot of different social networking sites, but the only one I use regularly (if you can call it that) is Facebook. I mostly use Facebook to keep track of what other people are doing, look at pictures of my family and friends, and send messages. I am still a little leery about putting information on the Internet, so I don't actually put a lot on my own account. Private seems to mean something new everyday, and that makes me uncomfortable.
Social networking seems to be one of those hot topics in education. Before every field observation, the class I am in gets a visitor that talks to us about the do's and don'ts of social networking. In addition, more teachers than ever are using social networking as an idea generator for lesson plans.
I am much more interested in using social networking sites professionally rather than personally. I can definitely see how both Facebook or Twitter could be used in the classroom. Teachers should try to meet students where they are, and most students are glued to a computer monitor. Whether you think that is a good thing or not, teachers might as well take advantage of that knowledge and use it to turn everyday computer use into learning time. Social networking websites are a great way to keep up with people, its what they were designed for. As a student, the only time I ever really got into trouble was when I forgot to do an assignment. Using social networking would be a great way to help students keep up with assignments, and think about how much time teachers could spend teaching if they did not have to repeat the assignment ten times in a class period to make sure every student heard. And I'm sure there are millions of other practical ways to use social networking in the classroom.
Since I actually use my Facebook account, I decided to provide a link to my twitter. I haven't tweeted anything, but you can find links to other accounts that I find informative and/ or entertaining.
There are a lot of different social networking sites, but the only one I use regularly (if you can call it that) is Facebook. I mostly use Facebook to keep track of what other people are doing, look at pictures of my family and friends, and send messages. I am still a little leery about putting information on the Internet, so I don't actually put a lot on my own account. Private seems to mean something new everyday, and that makes me uncomfortable.
Social networking seems to be one of those hot topics in education. Before every field observation, the class I am in gets a visitor that talks to us about the do's and don'ts of social networking. In addition, more teachers than ever are using social networking as an idea generator for lesson plans.
I am much more interested in using social networking sites professionally rather than personally. I can definitely see how both Facebook or Twitter could be used in the classroom. Teachers should try to meet students where they are, and most students are glued to a computer monitor. Whether you think that is a good thing or not, teachers might as well take advantage of that knowledge and use it to turn everyday computer use into learning time. Social networking websites are a great way to keep up with people, its what they were designed for. As a student, the only time I ever really got into trouble was when I forgot to do an assignment. Using social networking would be a great way to help students keep up with assignments, and think about how much time teachers could spend teaching if they did not have to repeat the assignment ten times in a class period to make sure every student heard. And I'm sure there are millions of other practical ways to use social networking in the classroom.
Since I actually use my Facebook account, I decided to provide a link to my twitter. I haven't tweeted anything, but you can find links to other accounts that I find informative and/ or entertaining.
Thing 17: Del.icio.us
Now this is what I call an organization tool! While I feel more comfortable scheduling my daily life using pen and paper, keeping up with websites is a lot easier to do online. I am constantly online looking for information, and being able to bookmark websites makes research (either for school or personal enrichment) a lot easier to keep track of. Del.icio.us is the best tool to manage websites online.
While I was exploring Del.icio.us, the wheels in my head were turning on how I could use it in the classroom. The most obvious way that a teacher could use Del.icio.us is to gather resources and share them with his or her students and colleagues. Teachers could encourage students to use Del.icio.us to do research for projects. Del.icio.us could also be an easy way to keep track of websites that teachers want to use for web quests.
One thing that I really like about Del.icio.us is how easy it is to find tutorials. By narrowing down the topic using tags, I was able to find tutorials on everything from basic addition to writing haiku (By the way, did you know the plural or haiku is haiku?). I am one of those people who learns best by being taught, so I can definitely see myself using Del.icio.us to find tutorials to help me learn.
While I was exploring Del.icio.us, the wheels in my head were turning on how I could use it in the classroom. The most obvious way that a teacher could use Del.icio.us is to gather resources and share them with his or her students and colleagues. Teachers could encourage students to use Del.icio.us to do research for projects. Del.icio.us could also be an easy way to keep track of websites that teachers want to use for web quests.
One thing that I really like about Del.icio.us is how easy it is to find tutorials. By narrowing down the topic using tags, I was able to find tutorials on everything from basic addition to writing haiku (By the way, did you know the plural or haiku is haiku?). I am one of those people who learns best by being taught, so I can definitely see myself using Del.icio.us to find tutorials to help me learn.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Thing 16: Getting Organized
Everyone needs to be organized, but this is something that I tend to have a lot of trouble with. While exploring Thing 16, I was looking for something that would be practical for me to use in everyday life.
The first things I looked at were the customized start page. I already have a Google start page, so I was really just looking to see if either of the other start pages were any better. I really like Google, and I spend so much time using Google, so having a Google start page is just practical. I did not see a significant difference between iGoogle, PageFlakes, or Netvibes. They all do basically the same thing, allow you to add widgets or gadgets to a start page, and many of the gadgets are the same on all three websites.
I also tried Remember the Milk. Several people have told me how useful it is, so I figured it would be something that I could use pretty easily. I decided to try and write a To-do list of what I needed to get done over Spring Break. I ended up getting really frustrated with the whole thing because I could not get it to do what I wanted (I think a little more exploring could help me figure it out, but right now I just want to get it done). I decided to switch to Ta da List, which took me a total of ten seconds to do. It was a lot easier, but it also doesn't have as many features as Remember the Milk.
I also looked at the PDF Converter. I figured it might be an interesting tool to look at, although I am not exactly sure what I would use it for. I converted my gradebook to PDF, and it looked nice. If I were ending an Excel file to someone, and they did not need to edit it, I could convert it to PDF for aesthetic reasons.
Of all the tools for getting organized that we have looked at in this class, my favorite is definitely Google Calendars. It is one of the only tools that I can see myself using in my personal life. it is a really easy way to share your schedule with people, especially my family in Memphis.
All the other tools that we have looked at are nice, but most of them I have either used before or don't have a use for. I make to-do lists all the time, and have never used a computer to do them. It is easier for me to just pick up a piece of paper and a pencil than to log on to a website. We organization is great, but I might stick to doing some things the "old-fashioned way".
The first things I looked at were the customized start page. I already have a Google start page, so I was really just looking to see if either of the other start pages were any better. I really like Google, and I spend so much time using Google, so having a Google start page is just practical. I did not see a significant difference between iGoogle, PageFlakes, or Netvibes. They all do basically the same thing, allow you to add widgets or gadgets to a start page, and many of the gadgets are the same on all three websites.
I also tried Remember the Milk. Several people have told me how useful it is, so I figured it would be something that I could use pretty easily. I decided to try and write a To-do list of what I needed to get done over Spring Break. I ended up getting really frustrated with the whole thing because I could not get it to do what I wanted (I think a little more exploring could help me figure it out, but right now I just want to get it done). I decided to switch to Ta da List, which took me a total of ten seconds to do. It was a lot easier, but it also doesn't have as many features as Remember the Milk.
I also looked at the PDF Converter. I figured it might be an interesting tool to look at, although I am not exactly sure what I would use it for. I converted my gradebook to PDF, and it looked nice. If I were ending an Excel file to someone, and they did not need to edit it, I could convert it to PDF for aesthetic reasons.
Of all the tools for getting organized that we have looked at in this class, my favorite is definitely Google Calendars. It is one of the only tools that I can see myself using in my personal life. it is a really easy way to share your schedule with people, especially my family in Memphis.
All the other tools that we have looked at are nice, but most of them I have either used before or don't have a use for. I make to-do lists all the time, and have never used a computer to do them. It is easier for me to just pick up a piece of paper and a pencil than to log on to a website. We organization is great, but I might stick to doing some things the "old-fashioned way".
Thing 15: Wikis
I just got finished exploring wikis. Even though I understand the different uses for them, I still have some reservations.
First, wikis can be really disorganized. I opened one to many wikis that were too disorganized to make them useful. One of the reasons that I might find these wikis confusing is because I am not always sure what I should be looking for. My favorite wikis are wikis on a single subject or group of related subjects, such as books by a particular author. I know exactly what I can find, and I can look for specific information.
Second, I am still a little confused about how to protect wikis from being modified to contain incorrect information. I remember being told over and over again in high school not to use wikis because they are not moderated and anyone can put any information they want on them. If I was going to use a wiki for my class, I would want to be able to ensure that all the information on the wiki would be relevant and correct.
Despite my reservations, I can still see how a wiki would be a useful classroom tool, especially for student projects. Using the Internet is something students find easy and enjoyable. Students might be a lot more interested in building a wiki as part of thier book report than they would be if the assignment was to decorate a cereal box (my least favorite project of fourth grade). I think if I spent a little more time researching the uses for wikis, I would be able to get over some of my reservations.
I also made a contribution to the APSU 23 Things Sandbox wiki. I decided to create a page about Thing 6. The link below will direct you to the page.
My Sandbox Post
First, wikis can be really disorganized. I opened one to many wikis that were too disorganized to make them useful. One of the reasons that I might find these wikis confusing is because I am not always sure what I should be looking for. My favorite wikis are wikis on a single subject or group of related subjects, such as books by a particular author. I know exactly what I can find, and I can look for specific information.
Second, I am still a little confused about how to protect wikis from being modified to contain incorrect information. I remember being told over and over again in high school not to use wikis because they are not moderated and anyone can put any information they want on them. If I was going to use a wiki for my class, I would want to be able to ensure that all the information on the wiki would be relevant and correct.
Despite my reservations, I can still see how a wiki would be a useful classroom tool, especially for student projects. Using the Internet is something students find easy and enjoyable. Students might be a lot more interested in building a wiki as part of thier book report than they would be if the assignment was to decorate a cereal box (my least favorite project of fourth grade). I think if I spent a little more time researching the uses for wikis, I would be able to get over some of my reservations.
I also made a contribution to the APSU 23 Things Sandbox wiki. I decided to create a page about Thing 6. The link below will direct you to the page.
My Sandbox Post
Thing 14: Flow Charts and Mind Maps
Well, I really enjoyed exploring flowchart and mind map websites. I was unsure which websites I wanted to explore, so I decided to choose the first two: Gliffy and Bubbl.us.
The flowcharts and the mind maps were fun to create. Students, especially those in elementary school, would probably like to use the online version over drawing Venn diagrams in their notebooks.
If you can't tell by my uncharacteristically short post, I find flowcharts a little boring. However, Gliffy has a lot of features that are very interesting. I wasted a lot of time today creating a classroom layout complete with desks and chairs and bookshelves. That was a lot of fun. Anyone who likes to fantasize about what their future class will be like might like to check it out.
The flowcharts and the mind maps were fun to create. Students, especially those in elementary school, would probably like to use the online version over drawing Venn diagrams in their notebooks.
If you can't tell by my uncharacteristically short post, I find flowcharts a little boring. However, Gliffy has a lot of features that are very interesting. I wasted a lot of time today creating a classroom layout complete with desks and chairs and bookshelves. That was a lot of fun. Anyone who likes to fantasize about what their future class will be like might like to check it out.
Thing 13: Web-based Application
Alright, here goes nothing. I have decided to try and write my blog on Zoho Writer. As soon as I am done typing, I figure I can copy it to Microsoft Word in case of accident (by the way, it didn't work).
I have never used either Google Docs or Zoho productivity apps. I guess if I can use Microsoft Word than I can use an online word processor. I do not usually use word processors for anything other than basic typing, and I can share documents pretty easily through email, so I am not sure if I would use online word processors in my personal life. I can understand the appeal of online spreadsheets though, especially if you are sharing the spreadsheets with a large group of people that need to add their own information. I actually used a Google Docs spreadsheet to sign up to carpool for a club trip the other day.
I decided to try to write my blog post on Zoho and chose to create a drawing using Google Docs. Here is a copy of my drawing.
Online Applications would definitely be useful for teachers. It would be a lot easier to put a document on Google Docs than to have to email it to each student or parent. It would also be a great place for students to collaborate on a project. Once they learn to share documents, than they could create all kinds of projects. For example, say your students had to make a tri-fold display about a book. They could set up a spreadsheet that says who needs to bring what supplies and create documents to discuss ideas or set up a template that shows where they want to put information. It would be an easy way to create the project before they had to make a hard copy.
Zoho Writer and the Google Docs are very similar. I would probably use Google just because I use a lot of other Google tools and so I am almost always signed in on Google. Getting to Zoho is one more step that I don't need if I am trying to create a document quickly.
Thing 12: Google Tools
So far, this class has been full of really useful information.
After looking at all the Google Tools, I can say that I would use almost all of them. My favorite is Google Calendar. I decided to set up a calendar for the Newman Club Catholic Campus Ministry because even though we are small we are also fairly busy. And everyone keeps getting confused about where to be and when to be there. Setting up a calendar was really easy. I have not gotten any feedback from the people I attempted to share it with, but hopefully it will all be positive. Here is the Newman Club Calendar.
I also signed up for Google Alerts. This is great, because I definitely do not have enough time to go searching through the news to find information. It is a bit like the RSS Reader in that it cuts down on a lot of the time that I spent looking for information, and now I don't have to skip the news on days that I am extra busy.
Google Calendar and Google Alerts are definitely my favorite Google tools, but I also am fond of Google Translate. I am just a little wary of translation tools because they are not always correct. While I don't plan on using it for anything important, I might use Google Translate to translate single words or simple phrases.
The only Google Tool that I don't like is Picasa Web Albums. I have become accustomed to using different photo sharing sites (PhotoBucket is my favorite), and now it is hard to get used to something else.
I can definitely see myself using Google Tools in my classroom. Keeping a classroom calendar with due dates and classroom plans is a great way to keep both parents and students up to date with what is happening in the classroom. It might also encourage parents to come and help in the classroom if they see something on the calendar that they are interested in. Google Alerts could also be a fun way to keep up with news that is interesting to your students. For example, if students decide that they would like to learn more about marine biology, then they can sign up to get alerts on marine biology. It would be a great way to incorporate current events into the classroom routine and show students the importance of keeping up with the most current information in their chosen fields.
After looking at all the Google Tools, I can say that I would use almost all of them. My favorite is Google Calendar. I decided to set up a calendar for the Newman Club Catholic Campus Ministry because even though we are small we are also fairly busy. And everyone keeps getting confused about where to be and when to be there. Setting up a calendar was really easy. I have not gotten any feedback from the people I attempted to share it with, but hopefully it will all be positive. Here is the Newman Club Calendar.
I also signed up for Google Alerts. This is great, because I definitely do not have enough time to go searching through the news to find information. It is a bit like the RSS Reader in that it cuts down on a lot of the time that I spent looking for information, and now I don't have to skip the news on days that I am extra busy.
Google Calendar and Google Alerts are definitely my favorite Google tools, but I also am fond of Google Translate. I am just a little wary of translation tools because they are not always correct. While I don't plan on using it for anything important, I might use Google Translate to translate single words or simple phrases.
The only Google Tool that I don't like is Picasa Web Albums. I have become accustomed to using different photo sharing sites (PhotoBucket is my favorite), and now it is hard to get used to something else.
I can definitely see myself using Google Tools in my classroom. Keeping a classroom calendar with due dates and classroom plans is a great way to keep both parents and students up to date with what is happening in the classroom. It might also encourage parents to come and help in the classroom if they see something on the calendar that they are interested in. Google Alerts could also be a fun way to keep up with news that is interesting to your students. For example, if students decide that they would like to learn more about marine biology, then they can sign up to get alerts on marine biology. It would be a great way to incorporate current events into the classroom routine and show students the importance of keeping up with the most current information in their chosen fields.
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