Thing 19 SOCIALS AGAINST THE GREASERS

I signed up to be a member of Teacher Pop on Ning. Currently I am still pending membership approval. This is not upsetting to me. I believe that a social network like TeacherPop should ensure that potential members will enhance the social network. It is a professional social network for teachers, so members should be closely associated with the education fields. Once I become a member, I will attach my Teacher Pop badge to my blog. Look for it.
Another excellent professional social network for teachers is PBS Teachers. I have been a member of PBS Teachers since September 2008. It is an awesome social and resource network. I currently posted a comment for "teacher in training" on PBS Teachers concerning located interesting content for elementary school students. One of my RSS feeds is a discussion posted on PBS Teachers. So, it seems I've been using Web 2.0 (Classroom 2.0) tools all along and didn't know it.
Social networks can be tricky. One thing that Professional networks (such as those listed above) can provide is a web identity that future employers can look at. For example, suppose I put in a resume to become a teacher at a local high school. The school district human resource manager wants to make sure that I am teacher material. Of course, my degree is one source. But my professional appearance on the internet gives me clout. Anyone can be "googled" now-a-days. I want my google profile to reflect positively and professionally to potential employers.

Thing 12 ALERTS AND CALENDARS

Since I have a Gmail account, it was very easy to activate my Google Alerts account. I signed up for weather reports for areas where my friends and family live. My Google Calendar is now filled with tasks that must be completed prior to 7 July (3040 project and things unfinished). Even though I have a calendar at home that I write on, it's good to have another visual account of my tasks available via internet. I have used Google Notebook in the past when collecting research for papers. I may find a use for iGoogle sometime in the future, but not at this time. My Google account makes it easy to connect these tools to to my email account. I don't have a use for Picasa Web Album (much like Flickr) at this time either. Although, I have bookmarked Picasa as a resource for images to use in my projects and in my future classroom. Tools like the ones listed in this blog have a definate use in my future classroom. I could use Google Calendar to set up tasks for my students and share the due dates with parents. Google Alerts for news, weather, and sports will keep students up to speed with the world around them. Setting up a Google Notebook for research projects is an excellent use for technology in the classroom.

Thing 11 One eyed, one horned RSS Feeder Finder

I found an excellent blog while using Syndic8. Luis Anthony Ast is the creator of videomathtutor.com. I recently used a video podcast from Luis for part of my 3040 project. Little did I know, his blog can be subscribed to through Syndic8. Google Blog Search was extremely easy and useful in finding other blogs of interest to me. Both of these feed finders were simple to use and contained mountains of information, but I prefer Google Blog Search over all the feed finders I explored. I searched the term, "math" in Google Blog Search. The first search connected me with the very best math resource site, Wolfram's MathWorld. Of course, tons of articles on math curriculum came up, along with math worksheets, math teacher blogs, many pages full of content. Sticking with the term, "math" I found a very unusual article from the Chicago Tribune entitled "House painting math". It was an article that described a painting company's bid to paint a house. The article identified the way some businesses charge more for "top of the line" paint compared to the regular "good" paint. Overall, the article did contain the term "math" but was not exactly what I was looking for. Using tools such as Google Blog Search (now my favorite) can greatly reduce the time I spend on the internet searching for relevent resources.

Thing 8 - The new Thing 8

I have deleted previous Thing 8 posts, due to SPAM comments. Yes, Spammers are commenting on our blogs.
Well, back to the Thing 8 assignment.
First, I took a look at Jim Bumgardner's Flickr Colr Pickr mashup. Jim took hundreds of thousands of pictures and rearranged them into color wheels. The user can pick the type of color wheel he or she would like to see, for example, "Doors and Windows". I clicked on Doors and Windows and my color wheel was made up of hundreds of photos of doors and windows. This site poses the question of creating one's own color wheel. Jim suggested a starting point for creating one's own color wheel was to see his book, Flickr Hacks. Second, I used a link from the Flickr Colr Pickr and found at cute little application called Flickr Chia Pet. This site did not allow me to save my chia creation due to the nature of computer code that creates the magical chia pet seeds. I did show it to my kids however, who are now in the process of making crazy chia pets out of Flickr images. To see the Flickr Chia Pet mashup, click on the link.
Well, now to answer the questions for my assignment. I don't think that this particular mashup has any use for the math classroom. However, an Art classroom would have lots of fun with this mashup.

Thing # 10 Google Reader the RSS Feeder

The thing # 10 assignment was to set up an RSS feed. I chose Google Reader because I already have a Gmail account that will easily allow me to access my email and feeds in one spot. I subscribed to six blogs from my classmates, The Pioneer Woman blog, and The Cool Cat Teacher blog. I also subscribed to a few news feeds, namely, BBC World News, Reuters and the Christian Science Monitor. One thing I like about my reader is that I can get the most updated news headlines with a world perspective. I cannot stand many of the U.S. news sources because many of their journalists input their own opinions in their stories. BBC World News reports more factually without all the rhetoric. Another thing I like about my Google Reader is that I can read the latest blogs from my peers, making it easier to give them comments.
I don’t think I would have a use for RSS in my future math class, although I can see using my Google Reader daily in my personal life to keep up with the latest world news and the latest blog entries of my peers and collogues.
If I were a Social Studies or Government teacher, this technology could be used in the classroom on a daily bases to enhance subject matter, especially the news feeds. I considered creating a public page with Google Reader for about two seconds. Then I realized that I have other “things” to do.

Thing # 18

For Thing # 18, I created a Facebook account. I sent friend requests to Lorretta Ussrey Griffy and Kirk Menser from the Facebook group, APSU Mathematics. This group was created by Kirk Menser for APSU math majors, current and former students, and current and former employees of the APSU Mathematics Department. Kirk runs the Facebook group from the Claxton building at Austin Peay.
I also joined the Way-FM (88.3 FM) group to fan my favorite radio station. Way-FM is a listener supported communications company that has radio stations across the country. It plays Christian Rock, Alternative, and Contemporary music. You'd be surprised to know how many Top 40/Mainstream Musicians are actually Christian Rockers.
One band, the Afters (performers of the song, "MySpace Girl") are Christian rockers. Skillet, Decipher Down, Daughtry (American Idol), Jordan Sparks (another American Idol alum), Switchfoot, Jars of Clay, and tons more.
I chose Facebook over MySpace because Facebook is more of a professional adult format. MySpace seems more geared toward young adults and teens.
My experience setting up the Facebook account was a good one. It was easy and straightforward. I searched for friends and found them quickly. Joining groups was also very simple. As a future educator, knowing how to network will help me gain knowledge and experience from other teachers and peers. Being part of a social network will assist my career by providing a professional image of me for potential employers. I can use this social network to contact parents of students, display class projects for parents to see, and collaborate with other educators.

Thing # 9 What's your Sign?

I originally went to http://www.customsigngenerator.com/ to find a sign generator. They had many links to other sign generators depending on the type of sign the user wants to create. I created the warning sign for road and construction workers. Concrete is pretty hard, and yet plastic is not. It was funny to me. Then I created a road sign for those who lost their way. It was not meant to be funny, but to make the reader think. I am a teacher candidate, but I am also a believer. I'm not ashamed to say so. Maybe I'll get lucky and teach at a religious-based private school, or be a religious-based home school administrator for an area. Before I get all the leftists upset, remember- this is my blog and I'll bless you and love you if I want to brother and sister. Back to the assignment!

Creating these signs was as simple as picking a sign type, putting in my message and clicking a button. Saving the code costs money on this site now (it used to be free). But saving the picture was easy and free. I right-clicked my picture and then "saved picture as" on my hard drive. I might use this tool to create T-shirt transfers. I love funny T-shirts. I may also use this tool in my classroom to label things in the classroom. I could also use it to post formulas on the walls and bulletin boards. Using this tool as part of a project would be fun for students.

Thing # 7 Flickr fun

This photo was published on Flickr by MoonshineBluebird. She has about 196 photos published on her Flickr account. You can see more of her photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonshinebluebirds/

My assignment was to explore Flickr, the groups, and tags, and find an image that I wanted to post to my own blog. I searched a topic that I was interested in: gardening. I found thousands of gardens around the world, but not exactly what I was looking for.

I limited my search by typing in "vegetable garden." That's when I found this lovely photo by MoonshineBlueBird. In the original Flickr image, many plants have been tagged with comments. She used tags to label her sugarsnap peas, cucumbers, pepper patch, and more. She also mentioned "carrots, I need to thin it." I like this photo because it is an excellent example of a small backyard garden. You can see the structure of the garden, the organization, and the soaker hose layout. I am not an environmentalist by definition. I am, however, CHEAP. As a parent of teenagers, I'll do almost anything to save money. I also have a garden area in my backyard that takes care of a large chunk of my grocery budget. I love this photo because it reminds me of the beauty of my own backyard garden.

The Flickr site is enormous. If anyone was looking for an image for educational purposed, this would be one of the best places to find it. Flickr is a place where regular people can showcase the images that make them happy. The quality of the photos is amazing. An educator could use images from this site to enhance power points, and webquests, or just to liven up a worksheet. Flickr gets permission from the photo uploaders for common use ahead of time. This way, if you want to barrow a photo, you can download the image without fear of copyright infringement. Not all photos are for common use, but a large portion of the photos on Flickr are. This photo and it's tags can be viewed by clicking on the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonshinebluebirds/473736439/

Thing # 6

www.mangolanguages.com
For my Thing # 6 task, I needed to look at a Web 2.0 tool, play with it, and write a review of my experience. I chose Mango because I love learning new languages. In my 18 years of military service, there were many times I had need to learn a little or a lot of a certain language. No matter where one goes, I believe it is always important to know a few key terms, for example: “Hello, please, thank you, you’re welcome, excuse me, where is the (anything), and how much is this?” As a teacher candidate it is even more important for me to educate myself on the native languages of my students.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE SITE- Mango is a pay subscription site. I liked the fact that I didn't need to subscribe to the site before trying it out. My SPAM box has increased exponentially since I signed up for Education 3040. The site allowed me to use the “Try a Lesson” without having to give up my email address or credit card number. I attempted a Russian lesson because I did not have any previous experience with the Russian language. After my lesson, I felt pretty confident that I could use the formal form of the Russian language for polite small talk.
The lesson combined the actual written spelling, phonetic spelling, and audio to gain complete understanding of a word or phrase.
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT THE SITE- The "Try a Lesson" section did not combine photos or visual cues to help with comprehension or memory storage. I used Rosetta stone before and Rosetta Stone will show a picture of a man eating an apple along with the phrase, "Der Mann apfel essen". So I can see the man eating an apple and put photo image of the phrase into my memory. Perhaps the full pay subscription of Mango does the same thing, but I don't know. Any case, I enjoyed everything else about this Web 2.0 site.
USEFUL FEATURES- The lesson allows the user to run the mouse over the Russian word to see a phonetic spelling of the word for better verbal comprehension. The lesson also allows the user to move forward and backward in the lesson. The "Try a Lesson" section does not have a time limit for trying it out. The site will allow a user to try a lesson for every language it supports.

This site can be immensely useful for English Language Learners, as well as teachers and parents of English Language Learners. Any school with a Mango subscription could easily enrich the education of ELL students and all students in general. Also, setting up Mango as part of a high school language program could be useful for anyone enrolled in a foreign language.

I took formal classes to learn Spanish and German. I learned a little Korean by a combination of written lessons and conversation. Using interactive tools that combine audio, visual, spelling, semantics, grammar, and voice recognition work better for me. I believe that total immersion is the best way to learn a language, but when that is not possible, sites such as Mango can be the next best thing.

Thing # 4 Learn why commenting is important

My "thing # 4" will be added later.

Thing # 5 School 2.0? A Godsend or waste or resources?

http://www.techlearning.com/techlearning/pdf/events/techforum/sd06/David_newliteracies.pdf
http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196604380
http://www.techlearning.com/blog/2008/03/web_20_is_the_future_of_educat_1.php
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/web_20_is_not_a.php
http://www.techlearning.com/quickflicks/showArticle.php?articleID=196604901

What does School 2.0 mean to me, and what does it mean for schools of the future?

A very daunting question. Well since this is my blog, I'll misspell if I want to.. misspell if I want to... lol lol. I'll tell you what it means to me. It means a whole lot of misspelled words, texting language, and (BFF) novel acronyms. Does MySpace or Facebook require proper spelling? Do they require proper sentence structure? If your child (or you) are in the 55% of Americans that use networking tools, you'll know the answer to this question. Similar to this blog site- a big fat "NO". I must concede that I do have a computer, my children have a computer. I will also tell you that they are extremely more adept at using their computers than I. It is frustrating for me to see all of their vocabulary and grammar mistakes.

BUT AS A TEACHER CANDIDATE- I can see the limitless potential for using technology in the classroom. Many students who do not have access to computers at home, benefit greatly from computer access at school. I instruct an ACT preparation class in the subject of Math for Upward Bound students. I showed my students an interesting website that will help them with math homework and math concepts.
http://www.schoolfamily.com/
The use of Web 2.0 tools and School 2.0 is a way that any teacher can enrich the standard curriculum with more active interaction for their students.
I do believe that technology (even with its limitations such as service outages, misspelled networking, and more) is the wave of the future. As educators, we should continue to learn the latest technology and input our own imagination to enhance our students' learning experiences.

Thing # 1 Seven and 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners

www.plcmc.org/public/learning/player.html
The Seven and 1/2 habits of highly effective lifelong learners are all very simple. I need to write about which habit is easiest for me and which is hardest. After viewing the tutorial, I wrote out each of the 7 1/2 habits and looked at them.
1. Set goals - keep the end in mind
2. Accept responsibility for my own learning
3. View problems as challenges
4. Have confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner
5. Create my own learning toolbox
6. Use technology to my advantage
7. Teach and mentor others
7.5 PLAY! Make it fun for myself and for others

The easiest habit for me is #1, goal setting. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Planning is the first part of doing. I wanted to be a teacher, so I researched the requirements. I did some self searching to determine what kind of things I would like to teach and to whom. I spoke to some experienced teachers, college advisers, financial aid counselors, and put my plan into action.
The hardest habit for me is # 3, turning problems into challenges. It is somewhat difficult to turn an obstacle into an opportunity. I believe this is true for anyone. I can and usually do turn problems into challenges, by prayer, faith, and an open mind. For example, if I'm running late for work or school and traffic is heavy, I slow down. I pray for all the people on the road with me that we will all arrive safely to our destinations without an accident. It's hard to let go of road rage. It's hard to NOT get angry at the idiot that just cut me off. Habit #3 is the hardest for me to incorporate. But, I know Someone is watching out for all of us on the road (even the idiot who just cut me off). I let go of the anger, the obstacle, the problem. And it turns out for the best EVERYTIME. It's the hardest habit for me, but I'm still here, listening, teaching, mentoring, and lifelong learning.

Thing # 3 How can I use my blog in my future classroom?

Thing #3 - write about ways that you might use a blog in your teacher education program or your future classroom. For some ideas, click on over to Edublog Insights by Anne Davis.

I am studying to be a high school math teacher. I intend for my blog to be a place where I can reflect on my own teaching experience. I could give blog readers an insight into what life is like for a high school math teacher. I love philosophy, so, I could insert my ideas on math in philosophy.

My blog could be used to assist students by giving them step-by-step instruction for reference for mathematical concepts or formulas. I could attach links to interactive math websites for homework help. But, I must keep in mind, not all students have access to computers at home. So, I would not be able to use my blog to post homework assignments, or require the use of my blog for class work. I believe it is important for teachers to understand that technology is a wonderful tool, but it cannot be used for requirements unless every student has equal access.

My Thing # 2 Questions

I accidentally put these questions in a comment under my first Thing 2 post.
1. How did you decide on your posting name and the name of your blog? My teenagers always jokingly say, "I don't wanna!" every time I ask them to do a chore. Initially, when asked to set up my own blog, this phrase was the first thing that came to mind.
# What was your experience in creating the blog? Was it hard for you or easy? Why? Setting up my own blog was easier than I thought it would be. Taking the step-by-step directions from blogspot made it easy.
# How does your avatar reflect your personality? Did you create an avatar that looks like your real self or someone totally different? Why? My DoppleMe avatar reflects my image (I'm short and squatty) LOL. I attached a stack of books to my avatar to depict my college text books. The book on the top of my avatar is "Calculas for Dummies" LOL, LOL, yes, I really do laugh out loud even when I'm by myself.

Here I am in digits!

Thing # 2 No longer reluctant to read things

Thing # 2 - Setting up my own blog was easier than I expected. Thank you Dave for your comment. You're right about having an open mind. My attitude towards blogging has changed a bit after I read some of The Pioneer Woman blog. thepioneerwoman.com
My Thing # 2 of APSU's 23 things is complete and I am ready to start on my other "things". I am no longer reluctant to read things. I'm actually excited.

Reluctantly, I read things

Hello everyone who reads blogs. This is my first attempt at connecting to the world of bloggers. Hopefully it will be a successful attempt. I like to read. I read magazines, books, the bible, my textbooks. Reluctantly, I am now reading blogs from others and writing one of my own.
Let me be perfectly clear. I do not care much for TV, especially reality shows. I always thought of blogging, You Tubing, Facebooking, My Spacing, and Twittering (get a life) were just as time wasting as reality TV. I have plenty of reality in my own life. After 18 years in the military, and raising children, I would rather spend time with my children, friends and neighbors than read blogs about other people's lives.
With all this said, I now endeavor to learn about this new media (new to me), and will probably find out a few things about myself by connecting with others maybe half way across the country or across the world. It is possible.