"Thing 24?"

     Goodbye everyone.

     Ha, just kidding. Not quite yet. Before I leave, I thought I'd offer you all a little insight. Firstly, my favorite thing about this blog was the amount of information that I learned. I thought I was pretty technology savvy and yet, I had no idea that half of this information was out there. Awesome, right? Next, I have to say that it probably will not impact my life too much. My learning styles are pretty stubborn and I've been in the same pattern for over 16 years now. So hopefully if I take away only one thing from this, it will at least be the information about copy rights.
     As far as there being any unexpected outcomes, I will have to refer back to my first statement. I was definitely surprised at the amount of information I learned. And there isn't much that could be done differently to format the structure of the class. It is a technology-based course and it studies exactly that.  
     I'm not sure how I will keep up with the new updates of web 2.0, but I at least know a lot more than what I did. And hopefully that can steer me in the right direction.

As for now, simply yours,
TPlummer

Thing 23: Creatively Common...

     Well, I guess those pictures that I used earlier in some of my posts were stolen. Such a terrible way to put it, but I guess it's true. I never usually think twice about taking an image from Google. But after reading about Creative Commons, I learned that I am not the only person who seems to unintentionally steal pictures; hence the title "creatively common."
     In fact, this website is not even an APSU-inspired website. It stemmed from another website's idea for librarians. But since it held a CC license, we are able to use it. Information like this is what helps educate our students and potential teachers. As long as we continue to inform each other about CC licensing, there will be no miscommunication about copyrighting. Hopefully, I can pass it on.. ;)

Yours,
TPlummer

Thing 22: Online Organization

     Hey guys! First off, I'm just curious if any of you have ever heard of online organization? I sure haven't. But it's definitely the coolest new trend. There's a website called "LiveBinders" where you can actually upload your information, documents, etc. and you actually have an online binder. Pretty neat, huh?
     My binders are called Education 3040, Chi Omega, and My First Binder. The first two I created and they are personal. The last one, however, is one that is given to you upon signing up. It is full of information about how to utilize the website. Here is its link: click.
     It's pretty obvious about how you can use LiveBinders in the classroom. A lot of teachers have "notebook checks" that include students keeping their work organized. Well, an alternative to paper notebooks could mean that electronic notebooks are the next big thing. It's earth friendly and we don't print out a million pages to do it! Great idea, right? :)

Yours,
TPlummer

Thing 21: Making Movies

     All I can say is "wow." After using this simple little movie-making website tool, it made me want to pay  for the monthly service. It's very easy and seems highly efficient. I like it. It's only $5/mo and I think that is an extravagant price for all of the neat things you can do! Here you can take a look for yourself and then decide if you like it ;)



Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Yours,
TPlummer

Thing 20: YouTube THIS!

     YouTube is one of those things that feels like it has been around forever. Obviously, it hasn't, but you know. It's a pretty neat little website. I think it is very simple to maneuver and easy to manage. It's not complicated to pull up a certain video and it takes little time. The only thing I recommend you have when you load the site, is patience. Patience and I are a long-time coming and growing friendship ready to bloom. And sometimes, the videos take awhile to load. So remember, just have patience. And by the way, I uploaded a little video for you ;) Just a little something awesome!



"...C to the H to the I, O to the M to the E, G to the A, whaddaya say! Chi O's the only way! HEY!"


Yours,
TPlummer

Thing 19: Expanding My Horizon

    First and foremost, the websites that I use, I use daily and regularly. That means that I don't necessarily expand my horizon often. For this assignment, however, I bookmarked a new website: TeacherPop. This means that I am now a new member of an online community. (Only if you don't count Facebook!)
    Quite honestly, I haven't decided if any of these websites are appealing to me yet. I've spent time browsing around, but I just couldn't "get into it." You know? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I like consistency. I'm used to doing the same things over and over, so looking at a new website that doesn't necessarily involve me currently, just doesn't hit the spot.
    On another note, I do like the fact that you can see everyone's stuff. It resembles a blog, or the Facebook Newsfeed. So I guess it isn't that exciting. But I'm sure it can be beneficial for when I become a teacher ;)

Yours,
TPlummer

Thing 18: Hello Social Networking

     Hi guys! Wow, it has definitely been awhile since I've last written. But now that I'm back, I hope you're excited! Today I'm talking about Facebook. I'm sure you know what that is, but let me go ahead and tell you a little bit about it. Social networking on the Internet has been around a little more than a decade, with sites such as MySpace (established in 2003) growing popular by the minute. It started out requiring people to be 18 years of age in order for eligible membership. Yet, as years grew on, more and more people joined and the age requirement gradually decreased to what it is now, 13 years. Amazing, isn't it? Legally underage girls and boys can log on to a social networking site and talk to anyone at any age. That doesn't sound very safe, does it? My thoughts exactly.
     With Facebook, it is following very much the same pattern. Gradually, the age has been decreasing. However, despite Myspace, Facebook has added security features that allow underage children to protect themselves from predators. Whether they actually take advantage of it, probably not; but let's hope for the best ;)
    On a lighter note, this leads to our discussion about why it's important for educators to stay updated about social networking sites like, Twitter and Facebook. For one thing, it's definitely an easy way for teachers to know what's going on in their students' lives. However, that doesn't leave me suggesting that teachers add their students as friends. In fact, I am completely recommending the opposite. Do not add your students as friends. Ever. Seriously. That is a very bad idea. There is always a little grey area between student teacher relationships and there is one thing I can tell you: there is a fine line with Facebook. Do not cross it.
     Now, if you're doing a class assignment that requires students to interact with each other, then Facebook can be an essential tool. The way to avoid conflict is by simply creating a Group. Within this group, you can search for your students and add them to the group. There, they can discuss different ideas, etc. This does not mean you added them as friends. This is acceptable.
     I like the fact that you can create groups, etc. without adding them as official friends. This makes classroom discussions possible and easy. And we all love easy. What I don't like, however, is that there are so many options to choose from. It can end up being a little bit confusing. But overall, it's definitely a positive asset to education.
     I hate Twitter. I think it's pointless so obviously I'm slightly biased on my discussion of it. Buttt- I guess it could be positively used (as discussed in one of my previous posts). You can read about it there, unless you already have, which I'm sure you have ;)

Yours,
TPlummer