Thing # 12 Google

The first google tool I chose to investigate was Google Scholar. In previous classes where I had to find specific articles or articles on a specific topic, I typically ran into trouble. The majority of the time I would find a title and an abstract that really interested me, but couldn't locate the full text. Google Scholar could come in handy as an extra database to check. The search engine is really easy to use. You can search very generally in the main search bar, or narrow your search parameters by using the drop down arrow to a more advanced search. You can use Google Scholar in almost any classroom. Basic more elementary uses could include searching for any article and teaching the student how to correctly site the work. More advance uses of Google Scholar in the classroom would be researching a particular topic and writing a correctly styled MLA or APA paper.

Next I decided to use Google Plus Photos to backup my wedding pictures. I had to download the app for the program, the upload all the pictures. Uploading the pictures took awhile, but it was something I needed to do and totally worth it in the end. Google Plus Photos links similar pictures together and plays them as a loop. This was really neat with our wedding pictures because it liked pictures together of us walking down the isle and our first dance. This would be really neat to use in an educational setting especially in a science class. A student could be in charge of taking pictures of the process of a chicken hatching or a science experiment, and then load them into Google Plus Photos. It would create a quick look of the experiment and could be shared with anyone. Enjoy below a screen shot from my Google Plus Photos creations, or click the link above to enjoy them all!

Thing #11 Finding Feeds

Through searching for blogs to add to my RSS feed, the options were endless. I found the Google Blog Search to be the most helpful and easiest to use. Others were harder to find the blogs I was searching for. When using the Technorati blog search, I typed in "Chemistry" and all sorts of blogs came up that were not chemistry related. I added a few blogs to my RSS feed, either about chemistry research and development or instructional strategies for teachers. I enjoy reading chemistry research in hopes to find an article written on a high school student's level. The above image was what I found on a few blogs. All i had to do was click on that logo, and select Feedly as my RSS reader. It automatically took me to a link where I could subscribe to the blog on my Feedly account. Other blogs were not so user friendly.

Some unusual blogs I found were lots of relationship blogs from my keyword, chemistry. Just by getting on social media, I found many links to my friend's blogs. I never really took time to read them, but now that could also be something I ad too my RSS feed.

Thing #10 RSS Reader

Before this assignment, I had no idea something like this even existed. A RSS reader is used to communicate updates of you favorite websites to one general location that you can check. This saves you tons of time, versus going out to all these websites to see if any new information has been posted. I really like the fact that once you go on this website and set it up to link to all your favorite websites, thats all the work you have to do. From then out it does the work for you. In school this would be great if your students were asked to update blogs or discussion boards. The RSS reader would tell you immediately when something was posted, and you wouldn't have to go searching for this information. In my personal life I can use the reader to keep me up to date on the latest news of all the websites I regularly check anyways.

For my RSS reader I set up I connected to websites about teaching, education, and chemistry. These websites will keep me up to date on the latest research in chemistry along with the most current information on how to be the best teacher I can be.

Thing #9 Image Generators

I was a little bummed, because I could only get the Image Chef generator to work. On ImageChef I just had to pick the image I wanted to use, then type in the text. It didn't have many options on the style or placement of text, therefore it was really simple. I created a few images I could use in my classroom. The first two would just be signs I could post either in my classroom or outside on the door. The last image I put a chemistry joke i usually tell my students to help them remember the chemical symbol for sodium is Na, not S. I could use this image generator to hang up these jokes on my chemistry wall. 

Thing #8 Flickr Fun

In the above image I used the Spell with Flickr website that allows you to spell out words with images of letters from Flickr. It automatically creates the image for you. Then if you don't like a letter it used, you can just click on the letter and it changes to another picture to that letter. This was super easy to do. It many be a neat way to make name tags for desks or other things in your classroom. 

In the puzzle picture, I used the Puzzle Creator website along with a wedding picture of my bouquet and our wedding rings. This website was super easy to use. All I had to do what upload a picture, then download it to my computer. I could see this being used in the classroom with younger children. It could be a lesson on uploading pictures and using web tools. The students could also present their picture along with a speech, or just as show and tell. 

I believe that sharing photos online has its pros and its cons. Its great to have a backup of all your photos so that if they were to ever get lost, you would still have copies electronically saved. Its also good to share pictures with family and friends that you don't get to see every day. I think you have to be careful of who you share your pictures with though. I always try to keep my privacy settings set so that only my friends can see my pictures. I am also very careful of who I add as friends. YOu do not want he wrong people seeing a picture that you have publicly posted. 

Thing #7 Flickr

Sitting at home on this 3rd snow day in a row, I figured I would opt for option 1 and search images of ice and snow. I found this beautiful picture on flickr titled Ice Close Up by Lucid Nightmare. At first i was going to create my own flickr, but realized you have to have a yahoo account. I don't have a yahoo account, and didn't feel like making another junk email account just to use flickr, so I did not create an account. Kinda a bummer, I may make one in the future to be able to use flickr. The website was really easy to navigate. I simply typed in the word ice and found just the picture I was looking for. Downloaded the medium size, loaded it to my blog, and ran into no trouble at all. While watching the video about the new things on flickr, I realized the amount of pictures they allow you to put on their website for free is incredible. Its always a good idea to have some source to backup your precious pictures and flickr just may be the thing for you.

Thing #6 Web 2.0 Tools

While looking through the tools from the go2web20 website, I found a very helpful tool called Mailbox. Mailbox is an app for your iPhone that I downloaded instantly. People look at my iPhone and say, "oh my! you have 2,000 emails on your phone. Doesn't that red bubble drive you crazy!" Well yeah it does, but the way the iPhone email organization is set up to me just doesn't appeal to me. So unfortunately I have thousands of emails that need to be deleted, but instead they just sit in my inbox. Mailbox claims to have redesigned the inbox to make email light, fast, and mobile-friendly. YOu can quickly swipe messages to your archive or trash. Scan an entire conversation at once or snooze emails until later with the tap of a button. Mailbox doesn't fall short of their claims either, this is a must-have app for any emailer on the go. I do not really see much use for this app in a library setting, but librarians could certainly teach students how to use it to manage their own mobile email accounts.

Thing #5 Web and School 2.0

School 2.0 means that educators need to begin to prepare students for a word where the web has no limits. Where its not really necessary to know how to write a formal letter, because all you will ever send is emails. Anything you ever need to know how to do, you can simply google it and find a credible source. The thinking behind School 2.0 is to teach our students all the possibilities of the web so that they will be able to enter the world as a value to an employer.

Schools in the future may begin to stress more on the applications of different software. Schools already have many students taking state assessments on the computers and are integrating computers into every classroom. Teachers will begin to collaborate any maybe even deliver lessons over YouTube for their students and other students. The possibilities are really endless with School 2.0 and even the large steps I see coming for School 2.0 will just be baby steps when we look at how far this concept takes us.

Thing #4 Why Commenting is Important

Commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction by becoming a part of the life of the blogger. Typically what happens is if you comment on someone's blog, they will go read your blog in order to learn more about you. Blog commenters are usually very supportive and will point out what they agree on before criticizing kindly on what they don't agree on. Comments always elaborate on why, so that you know exactly why the commenter agrees or does not agree. Two points from the readings I found important were to always try to comment back even if its not publicly and to leave blog entries open ended or controversial to promote comments. These suggestions will help you get more comments and create the sense of community every blogger hopes to acquire.

The titles of the 7 blogs I chose to comment on were: 23 Thing from Mrs. Cruise, Mr. Jones 23 Things, The Amazing and Wonderful 23 Things According to Mrs. Pigg, Morgan's 23 Things, Mr. Braem's 23 Things, Science Teacher, and Coaching In and Out of the Classroom. I chose these blogs because I felt like I could most relate to what these people were saying, and they were enjoyable for me to read.

I commented to Rachel Cruise - "Your wedding pictures are beautiful! Any homework that allows you to look at wedding pictures and relive the moment sounds like great homework to me! I'll have to look into trying you these apps!"

I commented to Joshua Jones - "Your ability to connect with other people, no matter what age,"\ will be so helpful when teaching. I guess I would say the same for me, but didn't realize how important it was to teaching. I have to connect with high-schoolers, coworkers, and parents. These people range in age, but i feel like I am always able to relate somehow to them. It will make your job easier in the long run!"

I commented to Kyrie Pigg - "I like your idea of setting up a blog as a communication tool for parents. Teachers usually are given a website, with no instructions on how to use it. A blog would be much easier to manage, and you could just link it to your website! It would also be a way to post work/notes if a student was absent or lost theirs."

I commented to Morgan - "I also at first thought commenting on a strangers blog was like reading about their most personal thoughts, but after reading the articles I understand the importance of commenting. Bloggers blog to see what other people thing about certain topics. Without comments, the bloggers would never get any feedback and thats exactly what they are looking for!"

I commented to Riley Braem - "I think that your students and parents would love these uses of blogs in your classroom. The world is becoming so tech savvy, that many parents would probably prefer a blog or a central location online to communicate information through."

The reason I commented these things on my classmates' blogs was because after reading these post I felt like I had something to say to them. 

On the Science Teacher blog, I commented on her post about gardening. Being a gardener myself I enjoyed all the tips and tricks she gave for planting. I also enjoyed how she talked about the joy of teaching children to garden and provide food for their family for many many years to come. 

On the Coaching In and Out of the Classroom Blog, I commented on a post about things students can't do during the day. I enjoyed this blog because it was quite funny. He discussed the lull that many students have right after lunch, and how to combat them with things like running in the halls, sliding down rails, throwing paper airplanes, and rolling chairs in the halls. My comment was about how much I appreciated his humor even with all the stress of teaching. Next time i am tired or stressed i will have to use some of his tactics!