Thing 8 RSS

This is a really easy way to keep up with things I'm interested in. I won't have to spend time searching websites, or asking my self, "Hey, what was that site called that gave me that information last time?" This is very simple to manage. What confuses me are the huge amounts of sites that I was able to list in Google Reader so quickly. One blog has many links to it. This is a great tool to use for school. Whenever I've done research in the past using the internet, the kids always have a hard time finding information that meets their needs. I can set up a Reader with sites already marked for kids to use and they will be more successful as they research on different topics. It will all be right there and the reading level should be appropriate if I'm picking it first. Our librarian is great about having our students us computers and technology. If I tell her I'm working on a certain unit in a content area, she can pull sites for me to add to the Reader. It's overwhelming to see all the information I have available in this one area. It is addictive. It makes you want to come and read more and find out more about what's going on outside your door.

Thing 7 cool tools from Google

Some of these tools were really easy to use. iGoogle - the home page that you customize was probably the easiest. I set that one up right away. It only took a few minutes to decide what I wanted on my home page and that was it. Probably my favorite of all the tools was Google Earth. I've been on Google Earth before, but this time I chose to explore a different area. I chose the seismic images and what I got was a tour of the Earth that I could pause, move, and explore. There were photographs of many of the locations, but the best part is just seeing these cities and buildings, then flying out and zooming around the world to see something else. I can see this having a great impact in my classroom because there is so much to observe and learn from each location. I like the Google Notebook, especially for my teenagers in middle school and high school. If only they could take a laptop to school and use this instead of the journals I need to buy for them each year. This could be such a leap in bringing usable technology into schools. I did try the Google Calendar. It was a little challenging for me. I couldn't get the start time for my appointments to be just right and I had a hard time figuring out how to adjust the entry so it matched the timing I needed. It was more work than I was willing to do at that time. I may have to go back later and see where I went wrong.

Thing 6...Mashups and more

This was really cool! I've done trading cards before with my 2nd graders. It was really challenging for them at first because they had never done anything with JPEGs before. This was new ground, but as we tackled bigger challenges in the year, like Photostory, they were very comfortable with manipulating photos in a computer program. The trading card I made shows my son Alex playing guitar. This is his Showmaster Black guitar. It's probably his favorite to play. As I went through the mashups I really liked the Flickr Toys Mapmaker. I made a map that showed all the places I've been and where I haven't yet visited. I can see myself using that in my classroom. It was very easy to use. I also had fun with Bubblr a web ap. In it I made bubbles for a comic strip using some of my daughter's favorite band members. I can see how this would be really motivational for kids. I will need to make sure I get hold of the digital cameras in my library quickly so we can use them in programs like these.

Thing 5 ... Flickr

Wow! There's so much to look at on this site that it's a little overwhelming. It took me more than one session to look at much of the site. The world map was exciting! There's so much that can be done with that in a classroom. Judy Wallis presented a writing lesson using a photograph as the inspiration. With Flickr there are so many photographs to choose from that even the most reluctant writer would find inspiration on this site. On my first try with Flickr I put in some photos I had in my computer and organized them in groups to share with my family. That was really easy and lots of fun. Later, I worked through the tags and groups. I understand what the tags are for, but I still don't think I have a really good handle on how to put them in my own pictures yet. The groups were easy enough to figure out. I searched for different groups and you can find them for just about any interest. For example: my daughter wants to be on Broadway. There is a Flickr group that has pictures of Broadway that they share. Neat! The picture I chose was of downtown Houston. I chose it because as I move to 3rd grade this school year, Houston Proud, is a big unit that we cover.

Thing 3... The Avatar

Okay, I'm really slow on this one. I thought I had done all the work I needed to do when I set up the blog, but after many problems with Thing 3, I think I've got it now. I finally added my avatar to my blog. It really was easy to do. I struggled getting it into the blog at first, but was able to fix my mistake and get it up right away. I chose a woman in her living room, because that's really as far as I plan to go this summer. She's dressed is shorts, which is ironic for me. I wear skirts about 99.9% of the time at school, but at home in the summer I am a shorts/jeans girl. So, my avatar is living the life I want this summer - at home, relaxing, without the hurry and rush that accompanies so many days in my life.

Step 3

I created my blog and it was much easier than I thought. I followed the steps and it was really simple. To put in the picture I just went to Google images and found one that matched my blog name. I decided to go with Luna from Harry Potter. My daughter and I are rereading the 6th book right now and she's one of my favorite characters. She's kind of strange in a unique way, but there's definitely more to her than meets the eye. I tried to choose a picture that portrays her this way.

My Best Habit

Well, after watching the video about the 71/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners I think the one that fits me best is goal setting. I'm a big picture person, so having a goal at the end really gets me going. I like to see where I'm going. It makes getting there so interesting.

My First Post

I've never actually written a blog before. It's a little like stepping out into a void hoping you won't fall too far, or onto anything sharp below. Kind of like a leap of faith. I hope I do it right.