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.