Thing # 13

Zoho is like a huge Microsoft word document that is easily accessed throughout the web. It's a lot like Word and contains formatting tools and font specialties. It even has ways to publish your file through Zoho to your blog. The fact that one can use this site to create and share documents over the internet without the need of the installation of desktop programs, for example, Microsoft Word, is a great resource. It makes things so much more convenient and easier! In the Google Docs, I was able to create a PowerPoint. I wanted to make it simple, so I just listed a few things on the slides about Google Docs, and how they are useful to us. Students can collaborate using this site because not only can you create power points, but you can make spreadsheets, documents, forms, and also draw! Students can work together to share information and it's very convenient because these documents can open easily through Google Docs, so there is no worrying about if your PC will be able to run the programs or if you will have to find a computer that has them already loaded. I prefer to use Google Docs out of the two, because I am more familiar with the spreadsheets and PowerPoint layouts. They both are extremely easy to work, and I am fortunate that I have the opportunity to use these sites to my advantage. I unfortunately have never used any of them before!
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=dgp7qmbs_0g3jvp6gr

Thing # 12

This has so far been my favorite activity out of the 23 things! I really enjoy using the Google Translator. I have used it before, when translating from English to Spanish. It's a great resource when it comes to the classroom because if students are having trouble with an assignment, they can translate a phrase or word. Teachers can also use the site as a reference to other translations of different languages and they can teach their students about it. http://translate.google.com/#en|es|Hello.%20My%20name%20is%20Kellie.%20I%20really%20love%20to%20use%20
the%20
Google%20Translator!%20It's%20really%20fun!
The iGoogle site is very resourceful as well because you can display all of your favorite interests or categories in one location. If you're an educator then you can have all of your important sites and favorite references right at your fingertips and receive constant news feeds and updates. http://www.google.com/ig

Thing # 11

I found that by using Google Blog Search, that is was definitely the easiest. I am assuming that since I have just always used Google in the past to search for topics, that I am more familiar with it. I did actually find several good resources for blogs by using the Google Blog Search. Topix.net was a good site to use as well; I found a few sites that can be useful to me as an educator. Syndic8.com was confusing and not very helpful to me because I couldn't really find my way around the site. I did not like Technorati because everytime I opened the site it would kick me off the internet. I found the Google Blog Search to be the best for me personally, because I was familiar with it and it's easy to use. I discovered that the article, http://www.brighthub.com/education/special/articles/107737.aspx, could be very useful to me in the future as an educator. It discusses different books that a special education teacher can choose for their students.

Thing #10

I like that RSS is a quick and easy way to gain access to information. It's beneficial to us because we can use it to our advantage in the classroom or in the library. We can easily access any information that interests us because it is all in one convenient spot. We can use these in our personal lives and in our educational jobs as well because all of our information that we want to save or use can be easily accessed in one location. We can also have constant feeds coming in from many different or similar interests. Teachers can use this to locate information easily and take advantage of the other aspects that are available. It's a great and useful site!

Thing # 9

I found Image Chef, http://www.imagechef.com/, to be a fun site to play around with. It's a great site to use in the classroom because it has a fun artsy feel to it and it's a way to express yourself. There are ways to create photo frames, word mosaics, and slideshows. Teachers can use the site for themselves to create fun projects for assignments or they can have their students find something from the site to express their information that they took after learning a certain topic. There are many reasons why we could use this site, one being that it is a fun way to be artistic and use animations. I chose to use the word mosaic in ImageChef because it seemed fun to use and experiment with. I created a Happy St. Patty's mosaic, I think it's a great way to display certain holidays, birthdays, or celebrations in the classrooms and help everyone to learn about each other.

I created this awareness ribbon because it is important that we have knowledge in all forms of teaching and they we are familiar with disabilities.

You could definitely use these links to your advantage personally, or they can also be used in the classroom or the library. For example, they can be used to help establish awareness on certain issues or important topics or they can also be used to help study certain celebrations around the world.

Thing # 8

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59478291@N04/5444071852/

I had some fun with Big Huge Lab's create your own jigsaw puzzle. You can upload a photo from your computer, and it will turn it into a jigsaw puzzle. There is a way that you can have it ordered and delievered to you, so it could be a great game or learning activity in the classroom. After you make the puzzle, you can have it framed on the wall! I was able to create it in the Big Huge Lab's website, but it let me link the photo to Flickr so I could save it, and copy the link. I would use this site, among the others, for personal as well as for the classroom. If students were learning about a certain place or animal, it could be searched online in a photo, put to a puzzle, and then the students could create their masterpiece! Even if it were to spell out a word or a phrase, it would still be a great way for them to learn.

I like sharing photos online; I do it more with friends or family, not necessarily to the public. However, if it were for educational purposes then I would definately open up my pages to those seeking advice or for myself. These sites are a great way to share information and they can be great learning techniques.

Thing # 7

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59478291@N04/5443835010/in/photostream/
I have never used Flickr before, but I have heard about it from friends. I think that it is a great site for photo sharing and tagging. It's also a great video place! I can see myself using this site in a classroom setting because it seems alot more safe than what some people may use to search for photos. I created an account in Flickr, and I uploaded a picture from my trip to Guatemala. I was in Antigua, Guatemala and there was a gorgeous volcano in the background. I have used a site similiar to this called photobucket. It has photo sharing capabilities and you can store/upload photos as well. I really like photobucket, but I think that Flickr is my new website. It's really fun, and alot like facebook in that you can tag others. I would use this in my classroom to upload pics and store them for certain lessons. When it comes to sharing photos, I'd never post something that I didn't want others to see (good/bad). I used myspace in the past to share photos, and I use facebook now. I think that those are more social and definately more public. I like Flickr because it's very safe and private, but you can also decide to share with everyone.

Thing # 6

I came across a site that was very useful to me! Evernote, is a website that lets you save your notes, photos, ideas, thoughts, etc.! Anything that is helpful or you enjoy can be saved, tagged, or bookmarked though this website. It works with nearly every computer, mobile device, and even comes in app form (already got mine!) It basically helps you to remember anything/everything so there is no way to forget it! The only thing that I dislike about it is that in order to upgrade or expand more options is to download more apps or go to other websites to download their information to be compatible with Evernote. This is only if you want to explore what else is out there and create more opportunities, say if you own a business or are an educator, and want to incorporate more. I'd say that it would definitely be worth it though! What I found to be extremely useful is the fact that you are able to tag/bookmark certain things. For example, say you need to find your source of information in a matter of minutes, but can't remember what page number or book it is in. You can simply go to http://evernote.com/, log in, and everything you saved is right there waiting for you! I can definitely see this site being useful in a classroom/library setting. It is actually used in schools/businesses/teams with sponsored accounts today called, Evernote Premium. It's very safe and secure; all you need is your log in name/password. It holds up to 500,000 notes, photos, and can capture/share whiteboard discussions.

Thing # 5

School 2.0 to me means that there is a new direction that education is taking for the future. Since society has moved into an informational economy, there has been an increase in the technologies that we are using, and what we will be using in the future. In the past, one was able to receive their education in the classroom or library, but we are in a new day and age where we can locate any information from our home or around the world. It is not just limited to one place anymore, which makes it such a great opportunity. In What is Web 2.0, the video demonstrated that the internet has grown into such a vast form of a way to access information. In the past it was considered to be the read only web/web 1.0, because there was a difficulty in expenses. However, web 2.0 was created which can include sites like teacher-tube, flickr, facebook, blogger, etc. In today's world, students, teachers, and administrators can turn in their pen and paper to use blogs, podcasts, and even student/educational networking sites to learn. In Web 2.0 Is the Future of Education, schools of the future will be more apt to wanting more technological advances in their classrooms because it helps the student feel more engaged in activities. It also helps to unravel their imagination, which can help them to want to learn and be more active in participation activities.

Thing # 4---so many things to do in this thing!

Commenting helps to create a sense of community and interaction because it unites people from all over the U.S. and even the world to discuss matters that interest them the most. They are able to interact through comments. The importance of commenting is crucial to blogging. If you want your blog to be resourceful and successful, then you want people to read and comment on it. It's important to care about the topics that you discuss, so that they will be interested in wanting to know more about you and what's really behind that blog. Commenting someones blog can cause them to want to continue to blog! Once the conversation is started, it can blossom into an amazing story of information. It can be a great way to bonce ideas off one another and share information with someone that you have a lot in common with.

I chose to follow Theresa Green, Jorge Jimenez-Cano, Korina Biemesderfer, Melissa Clemens, and Amber Kerns. I chose to follow (from outside the group) Jill Haney and Jerry Webster's blogs on SPED.
Theresa Green and I share so many similar thoughts and attitudes about blogs (the good/bad) however, we both agree that they can be great tools for the classroom.
Jorge-Jimenez-Cano's blogs really were a reflection about his profession and it showed that he is really dedicated to learning the different aspects of technologies in education.
Korina Biemesderfer's blog is creative, just like her, and I have the same opinions with her, as with Theresa, on how blogs can be essential to the classroom. I also found blogs to be a great way to share photos, videos, and other useful things other than just words!
Melissa Clemens blog is very colorful and bright. She listed the reasons why it's important to blog and comment, and she has a great way of wording her thoughts.
Amber Kerns blog is similar to how I view my own opinions of myself. It's much easier when we come across a problem to see it as another situation that we must deal with, but it is only a life-long learning experience that we must face.
Jerry Webster's blog discussed in one of his previous entries about a man named O. Ivar Lovaas, who developed a therapy for autism. He passed away recently at the age of 83 in California. He was a great individual who changed the way that people viewed autism. He published an article that basically stated that it can be treated and he also reported that after training children had been able to catch up with their peers.
http://specialed.about.com/b/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/health/23lovaas.html?_r=2
Jill Haney's blog is quite interesting as she talks about her two chilren, one is autistic and one is nonverbal. She mentions that while she is still getting through the ups and downs of Excel, her daughter has already mastered her Wii and DSi games. Her son, before the time he was one, was able to operate electronics the way a three year old should be. http://blog.pcieducation.com/