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
Thursday, March 31, 2011
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
"...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
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
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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
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
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Thing 17: Muy delicioso!
Hi there! For starters, let's take a moment to welcome each other back from Spring Break... not. It sure wasn't long enough , that's for sure. But- I guess we're back now. And it's time to talk about social networking! Not too rough of a topic to come back to, right? Didn't think so. I'm not just talking about Facebook either, I'm talking about something called Del.icio.us. Ever heard of it? Let me do the honors.
Del.icio.us is a bookmarking website. You create an account, log in, and then whatabam, whataboom! You can start adding websites and tagging them based on your own preferences. For instance, you can add Google (sorry I'm using Google again, I'll eventually move on) and tag it "search" or "most amazing thing ever." It's at your own discretion! You can bookmark blogs and then tag them with easier titles than what the URL usually applies. In case you haven't caught on yet, it's very simple.
Implementing this into a regular classroom tool is very easy, especially for projects. You can automatically bookmark/tag your classroom's website and students could pull it up hassle-free. The same process can be done with class assignments, etc. On top of that, other people can tag websites as well. So you might find a website easier by looking through someone else's tags. Talk about taking research to the next level! All our students should be pulling off A's in MLA citations thanks to Del.icio.us! ;)
Yours,
TPlummer
Del.icio.us is a bookmarking website. You create an account, log in, and then whatabam, whataboom! You can start adding websites and tagging them based on your own preferences. For instance, you can add Google (sorry I'm using Google again, I'll eventually move on) and tag it "search" or "most amazing thing ever." It's at your own discretion! You can bookmark blogs and then tag them with easier titles than what the URL usually applies. In case you haven't caught on yet, it's very simple.
Implementing this into a regular classroom tool is very easy, especially for projects. You can automatically bookmark/tag your classroom's website and students could pull it up hassle-free. The same process can be done with class assignments, etc. On top of that, other people can tag websites as well. So you might find a website easier by looking through someone else's tags. Talk about taking research to the next level! All our students should be pulling off A's in MLA citations thanks to Del.icio.us! ;)
Yours,
TPlummer
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Thing 16: Good Gracious Google
I promise you, I'm not purposely implementing all of these Google ideas for you to read about. Really. I promise. But since we're here, I want to let you all know about iGoogle. If it's something you don't have, you might want to reconsider. It's a pretty nifty idea. You see, I am a completely organized person. If I'm not organized then I freak out. Seriously. To prevent these mini-melt downs, I have a long list of tools that I use:
Ta da lists does a great job of keeping everything you need organized and it also sends out reminders. You can access this through a computer, ipad, iphone, whatever and it's very structured (I like structure). But even more so, digitalized sticky notes are awesome, too. This is an online site where you can download some small program and once its there, you can stick sticky notes anywhere on your desktop. My computer automatically came with a program similar to this and I kid you not, you can barely tell if I even have a desktop background. That's how serious I am... :) Ridiculous, I know, but it makes me really happy. (ha!)
But since I started talking about iGoogle, I'm gonna run right back to it for a quick second. Although it isn't my homepage, I do have a link to it on my Favorites. That's primarily because I do like to keep it as a permanent page since it has all of the information I need in one place. (My home page is Google, but I'm sure you're not surprised.) Furthermore, I can say that everything I mentioned are tools that I actually use. And I recommend them to everyone! They are absolutely wonderful. I hope you think so, too.
Yours,
TPlummer
- To do lists
- Calendars
- Sticky notes
- Text messages
- Cd's
- Bulletin Boards
- Emails
Ta da lists does a great job of keeping everything you need organized and it also sends out reminders. You can access this through a computer, ipad, iphone, whatever and it's very structured (I like structure). But even more so, digitalized sticky notes are awesome, too. This is an online site where you can download some small program and once its there, you can stick sticky notes anywhere on your desktop. My computer automatically came with a program similar to this and I kid you not, you can barely tell if I even have a desktop background. That's how serious I am... :) Ridiculous, I know, but it makes me really happy. (ha!)
But since I started talking about iGoogle, I'm gonna run right back to it for a quick second. Although it isn't my homepage, I do have a link to it on my Favorites. That's primarily because I do like to keep it as a permanent page since it has all of the information I need in one place. (My home page is Google, but I'm sure you're not surprised.) Furthermore, I can say that everything I mentioned are tools that I actually use. And I recommend them to everyone! They are absolutely wonderful. I hope you think so, too.
Yours,
TPlummer
Thing 15: Wiki This!
Okay so the very first thing that happened to me when I tried to edit the wiki sandbox, was that someone else was on it. Apparently that means the page is locked and you cannot access it. So once that was over and done with (I had to seriously wait forever), I simply added a page to the APSU 23 Things Sandbox wiki. I read somewhere on there that someone commented on the Mindmeister/Flow Chart activity so I posted my blog to compare/contrast the two opinions. Hers was a fantastic review of the websites, my review on the other hand, was not so fantastic. I had a terrible experience. And this started out as an awful one too, until I randomly started clicking things. But like I said previously, I guess practice makes perfect and I just have to figure it out.
I like that with wiki, you can do pretty much the same thing with Google docs, etc. However, there is a catch with this one. You cannot necessarily "stop" someone from adding to your document. At least with Zoho, you could preference who could edit your work. But other than that, it seems to have fairly the same amount of detail (and difficulty) as the rest of the web-based document-sharing websites. It might just be me, but I know that technology is an awfully hard thing to get accustomed to. I'm getting exhausted by the minute! :)
Yours,
TPlummer
I like that with wiki, you can do pretty much the same thing with Google docs, etc. However, there is a catch with this one. You cannot necessarily "stop" someone from adding to your document. At least with Zoho, you could preference who could edit your work. But other than that, it seems to have fairly the same amount of detail (and difficulty) as the rest of the web-based document-sharing websites. It might just be me, but I know that technology is an awfully hard thing to get accustomed to. I'm getting exhausted by the minute! :)
Yours,
TPlummer
Thing 14: Organization is Key
My first impression of Gliffy.com was "What in the world is going on here?" And I'm not kidding. Wow! That website is packed full of stuff. I just didn't know which way to click or where to scroll (sort to speak). So after I tried to create a flow chart (and failed), I decided that I would just show you one of the website's examples: lunch. Of course, it's a little humorous. They had one that demonstrated the ways you could adopt Lady GaGa, but that was taking it too far for me. See, flow charts are easy once you learn how to properly manipulate them. Until then, you can just stare at them and follow where they lead.
Mindmeister is awfully frustrating. For some reason, I had a hard time with it and in the middle of working on it, it seemed like it would freeze up on me. I watched the center of the graphing area, and a small spinning circle would appear and spin as if it was loading something. I kept having to exit out and reenter. For that reason alone, I won't post what I could get done. It's sloppy looking and all I have to say is Mindmeister isn't exactly my friend. But I can tell you that it was just a little biographical thing, so as long as you read my last blog... you already know the information. But for the most part, I chose these two tools because they looked relatively easy and I didn't have to do anything extra aside from the initial account creation. Clearly, I was mistaken about the easiness of it. I'm assuming that with some practice though, and a reliable computer (ha), I will be able to successfully manuever the icons and take advantage of its high-tech appearance. Until then, who knows.
Yours,
TPlummer
Mindmeister is awfully frustrating. For some reason, I had a hard time with it and in the middle of working on it, it seemed like it would freeze up on me. I watched the center of the graphing area, and a small spinning circle would appear and spin as if it was loading something. I kept having to exit out and reenter. For that reason alone, I won't post what I could get done. It's sloppy looking and all I have to say is Mindmeister isn't exactly my friend. But I can tell you that it was just a little biographical thing, so as long as you read my last blog... you already know the information. But for the most part, I chose these two tools because they looked relatively easy and I didn't have to do anything extra aside from the initial account creation. Clearly, I was mistaken about the easiness of it. I'm assuming that with some practice though, and a reliable computer (ha), I will be able to successfully manuever the icons and take advantage of its high-tech appearance. Until then, who knows.
Yours,
TPlummer
Thing 13: Zoho, zoho, it's off to work we go!
Oh Zoho, how interesting you are. Zoho is a website that you can use to create web-based documents. In short, it's like a little storage space. You can literally make a document and save it and it will be there when you need it. Convenient, right? I saw that my friend Kayla wrote the same thing in her blog so I don't mean to reiterate what she says, but it's so true. If you are one of those people that email yourselves documents because you're lazy to go find your jump drive (like ourselves), then you know that emailing can sometimes be a bit of a hassle. But if you create and save your document on a website, then you have no problems! (Unless, the internet goes down, but that's another story for another time..)
After trying Zoho Writer, I immediately went over to Google Docs. Now you know how much I love Google, so this was just something big waiting to happen. (Which it did.) Here, I created a Google Document. Anyone can see it, but no one can edit it. Sorry guys, I just didnt think you know me quite that well yet ;) ha! But you see, it looks like an ordinary word document, but anyone can edit it and more than one person can be on at the same time. Pretty cool, right? I think so. In fact, this makes such a great asset to the educational community. Students who say they don't have time to meet up with their groups no longer have an excuse. You can do it in the comfort of your home. And as a teacher, you could choose to monitor and track their work by viewing the editing history. Therefore, you can actually see who did most of the work. It's a teacher's dream come true! :)
As far as comparing the two websites and picking which is better, I'm sure you know where I'm going with this. GOOGLE! Duh! Google Docs appears much more "clean cut" as opposed to Zoho. It's straightforward look is very appealing to a new person. If you've never used web-based document programs before, you will definitely love Google. It's what I would call "novice-friendly."
Yours,
TPlummer
After trying Zoho Writer, I immediately went over to Google Docs. Now you know how much I love Google, so this was just something big waiting to happen. (Which it did.) Here, I created a Google Document. Anyone can see it, but no one can edit it. Sorry guys, I just didnt think you know me quite that well yet ;) ha! But you see, it looks like an ordinary word document, but anyone can edit it and more than one person can be on at the same time. Pretty cool, right? I think so. In fact, this makes such a great asset to the educational community. Students who say they don't have time to meet up with their groups no longer have an excuse. You can do it in the comfort of your home. And as a teacher, you could choose to monitor and track their work by viewing the editing history. Therefore, you can actually see who did most of the work. It's a teacher's dream come true! :)
As far as comparing the two websites and picking which is better, I'm sure you know where I'm going with this. GOOGLE! Duh! Google Docs appears much more "clean cut" as opposed to Zoho. It's straightforward look is very appealing to a new person. If you've never used web-based document programs before, you will definitely love Google. It's what I would call "novice-friendly."
Yours,
TPlummer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)