One Last Thing...

DONE!!!!!  APSU's 23 things is quite an assignment to say the least.  I can't say that I would like to do them again, but all-in-all I have learned a lot and become MUCH more comfortable with many neat 2.0 tools.  At times, I wanted to scream because it felt like there was SO much to be done.  But now, looking back, I have gained so much from this activity.  My favorite thing would have to be either Thing 20 or Thing 21.  Creating my own Animoto Short was so much fun!  I didn't even know there were tools like the one I used to create my Short.  And of course, who wouldn't like to explore YouTube.  I feel that the 23 things have drastically increased my desire for lifelong learning goals in the technology realm.  Before this assignment, I was content with where I was as far as my knowledge and understanding of Learning 2.0 tools.  This assignment has introduced me to many new tools.  I have also seen that these tools are ever expanding!  They are constantly creating new ones!  I was surprised to have actually enjoyed some of the "things."  In the beginning, I thought the 23 things were going to be a complete waste of time and I actually dreaded doing them.  It actually surprised me that I ended up enjoying some of the discovery exercises.  

To improve the 23 things, I would say the only thing I would change would be to make some of the signing up for different things optional.  Some of the things in which I had to sign up for and wait for confirmation I found to be a waste if I wasn't truly "into" it.  I would have rather explored the site and seen what others had done with it before "committing" to it by creating an account.  As a teacher, I plan on using more 2.0 tools in my classroom.  The 23 things have influenced me to use these tools and to have my students use them as well.  To keep up with new 2.0 tools, I plan to keep using them!  One good way to keep up with them would be to subscribe to a feed that talks about new learning 2.0 tools.  

From here, I plan on keeping up with some of the things I have learned throughout the course of this assignment by using them.  I plan on maintaining some of my accounts I have started and incorporating them into my future classroom.  My resolution is to spend at least 10 minutes a day looking back over the tools and accounts I have used and created.  This is my resolution in writing!  I must stick with it!  I plan to continue using these tools and new ones and recording them in blogs or something like it so I don't forget what I have learned!       

These are my thoughts on the 23 things and how they have affected me as a future teacher.  I hope you have enjoyed following/reading my blog!

Thing #23

APSU's 23 Things was created loosely based on the website called "43Things."  This website is a place for people to set and track personal goals.  These goals are a lot like some people's "New Year's Resolutions."  APSU modified this work into the 23 "things" for students to work through to become more comfortable with technology, especially for use in the classroom setting.  The 23 Things assignment is under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. 

Creative Commons is a good thing!  Before taking this class, I had never even heard of Creative Commons.  It is important to credit people for the work that they have created.  In my future classroom, I will use Creative Commons licenses on my work.  Also, I will go about using other people's work in the appropriate way according to the Creative Commons license they have on their work! 

Thing #22

The podcast I chose to listen to was called "Santa Fe Chili."  I chose to listen to this one because I am very interested in cooking.  The podcast teaches you how to make Santa Fe Chili.  This enticed me.  The podcast tells you what ingredients you need to create this dish and what steps to take to prepare it.  It sounded so quick, easy, and yummy that I just may make some for dinner later!  I didn't link it to my blog because I figured I would be the only one interested in it.  The podcast directory I used to find this podcast was Podcastdirectory.com.  It was the easiest to use in my opinion.  All I did was typed in keywords in the search box and it listed all of the podcasts related to the keywords that I typed in.  It was very easy and quick.  And the podcasts didn't take long to load either.  This "thing" hasn't necessarily inspired me to create podcasts all the time, but it has shown me the usefulness of one.  I will probably use a podcast with my students at some point.  I didn't find a podcast that I want to subscribe to and listen to regularly, but if I explore Podcastdirectory.com some more, I'm sure I will!  

Thing #21

Creating my Animoto Short was so easy!  I figured it would take all day to upload the photos and actually put the video together, but it was done in less that five minutes!  Embedding it into this blog was also very easy.  I was very impressed with Animoto.  This is one site I will definitely be using again.  I picked twelve pictures to upload.  I picked my own color scheme,template, and music.  It created it for me just like that!  I put pictures from a recent Camp I worked at in this video.  This would be a great end of year project to create for my students before they leave.  I look forward to making more videos on Animoto!       



Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Thing #20

I chose this video because it was so cute.  This little boy, David, is on his way home from getting stitches at the dentist.  He still has the medicine in his system so he is a little out of it.  It's cute, you should watch it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs

I have used YouTube many times before.  I think it is one of the greatest things on the web.  For entertainment purposes, there is so much out there.  It does have its share of pointless videos, but beyond that, you can find just about anything you are looking for.  If you are in the mood for a laugh, there are funny videos posted.  If you need something educational for your class, there are plenty of those out there as well.  YouTube is a great tool for teachers to use.  The downfall with teachers using YouTube in the classroom is that most schools block sites like these.  I don't know if there is a way to get around those blocked sites, but if there is I would use YouTube occasionally to teach my students something. One thing I like about YouTube is that you don't have to type in the exact title of the video.  You can type in a keyword or something about a video and you can probably find the one you are looking for.  Also, when the video you are watching is over, it gives you links to videos that are similar or that it thinks you might like.  It is really a neat site.  I would recommend others to explore it.  I can see YouTube applied to the library website we discussed earlier.  Much can be found on this site that would be of educational value in the library and school setting.  

Thing #19

I chose to explore Gather.  Gather is a social network for adults.  It is almost identical to Facebook and MySpace.  You can post pictures, videos, comments, and statuses.  You can add friends and join groups.  You can send personal e-mails or post a comment on someone's wall for all to see.  You can add tags and list your interests.  To me, if you have one of these social networking sites, you have them all.  I see no point in having more than one.  I am already a member of Facebook, so I don't find any of these sites particularly appealing.  I do, however, think TeacherPop could be a useful social networking site once I'm out in the field teaching.  I can see myself using this site in the future getting ideas for my own classroom.  I think it would be a great way to seek out advice from others in the field that have had your specific problem or may offer solutions for it.  I signed up for a TeacherPop account and joined APSU's group.  It took awhile for the Administrator to approve my membership so that was frustrating, but it is good that they do not accept just anyone.  TeacherPop really is a neat social networking site.  It is basically a "MySpace" for teachers.  I like it because it isn't just everyone you've ever met in life on the site.  There are just future or current teachers on the site wanting to collaborate with you!  I put a picture on my page and commented on a fellow classmate's page.  Her name is Amanda.  I really like TeacherPop and found it most interesting.  This is something that could be useful for me when I am out in the field teaching.  

Here is the link to my page:

http://teacherpop.ning.com/profile/AmberDuncan 

Thing #18

I created MySpace and Facebook accounts years ago, so I am quite comfortable using these social networking sites.  I haven't been on MySpace in a few months so I will talk about Facebook in this blog.  It is a really neat site with many applications.  I would highly recommend people to set one up.  What I like most about Facebook is that you can keep up with friends from all over the world.  You can access your site from all over the world, too.  It is a great way to keep in touch with family and old friends that have moved away or that you just don't see that often.  You can post videos, pictures, and statuses that keep your friends and family up to date with what is going on in your life.  You can add schools to your profile as well.  I have APSU added as one of my schools and the high school I attended as another one of my schools.  To find friends and family, you type their name into the search box and look through the list of people with that same name.  You send them a request to become your friend on the site.  They have the choice to either accept or deny your friend request.  I have my profile set to private meaning only those who are friends with me can view my full profile.        


http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=534130550


I think it is important for teachers to know how social networking works because they need to know what is going on.  Their students and co-workers will be using sites like these so it is a good idea for them to understand how they work and why people use them.  I didn't really learn anything new from exploring Facebook simply because I have had an account for a few years.  The only thing I dislike about Facebook is that the privacy settings aren't that strict.  They are in the sense that no one can view your full profile if you so choose.  But I don't want anyone viewing even my profile picture and status who is not my friend.  I think Facebook has the most useful features, but MySpace is adapting and adding features as of late.  I think it is good for students and teachers to have these social networking sites, but I would not want to use them in my classroom.  You could try using them in the classroom, but I think more students would be talking to their friends online than actually doing what you wanted them to.  

Thing #17

When I looked at the "apsu23things" Del.icio.us account, there were seven bookmarks and twenty-five tags.  I like that you can keep to date with what is posted on this account through the RSS feed.  By each of the bookmarks, there are tags.  These are basically keywords that help you narrow your search and find exactly what you are looking for.  Once you click on the site that has been bookmarked, you can see every comment posted under it.  I can see potential for this tool to be used in the classroom.  It would be a great way for students to follow a certain blog or find things related to a certain keyword.  Teachers can take advantage of these social bookmarking sites.  It is a great way to keep up with your specific keyword interests.  I definitely think Del.icio.us is an easy way to bookmark sites.  The thing that is cool about this site is that you can access your account from anywhere as opposed to just the computer you bookmarked them on.  That is a nice feature of Del.icio.us.  I think this tool could be useful.  For me personally, I don't have time to follow blogs and such so I probably won't be using this tool.  But for someone who follows blogs religiously, this is an excellent tool.     

Thing #16

I honestly thought creating a start page would be a complete waste of my time; but after I created it set to my personal interests, I actually spent a lot of time looking through all of the stories and applications it chose to post on my page.  I literally set up my page in less than a minute.  I used the iGoogle start page because it seemed to be the easiest to use with the most applications available.    You choose your color scheme from a seemingly endless supply of pre-made templates for your use.  I chose a pink and white artsy-looking one.  Next, you check all the boxes that are of interest to you.  For example, I chose:  music, cooking, entertainment, weather, and humor.  You can choose as many as you like!  From there, your start page is created!  Once my start page was done, I added a "Countdown," which is an application that keeps up with the days, minutes, and seconds left until some event you have chosen.  I chose to countdown the days left until school is out for winter break.  I also added an application called "Fun Facts."  Every morning it has three new, random "fun facts" for the day.  I enjoyed creating my iGoogle start page and will be using it as my permanent home page from now on.    


I chose the "Remember the Milk" online tool as my "to-do" list.  In theory, an online to-do list seems like a good idea to keep you organized.  This is not the case.  It was way to complicated.  It was too much work for a list I could simply jot down on a scrap piece of paper.  


I can see online calendars being useful for some people, but for me it seems just as easy to write my schedule down in my planner that I carry around with me.  I'm sure there are neat applications an online calendar can do that my planner can't do, but I have no problem whipping out my pencil and paper.  


The other tool I chose to explore was called "Zamzar."  It is a free, online file converter.  It is super easy and quick to use.  You choose a file or URL you wish to convert.  Then you chose the format you would like your file to be formatted to.  Next, you type in your e-mail address so they can send you the formatted file.  And boom, you are done.  It converts just like that!  This is one application I wish I had known about.  I definitely see this tool useful especially in the school setting.  I would highly recommend this tool to others!    

Thing #15

I didn't know what a wiki was before this thing.  I had used Wikipedia hundreds of times, but never thought of it as anything more than an online source of information.  Wikis are so much more than that!  The thing that I really like about wikis, is that anyone at any time can edit or add their own thoughts, experiences, or whatever they want to add.  (Unless of course you must be a member of the group to edit, but it is fairly easy to join groups).  It is a neat way to have discussions and still provide information for viewers.  I could see myself using a wiki in my future classroom.  I got many ideas from exploring the sample wikis posted under Thing 15.  Many teachers use a wiki for their students.  They can post class schedules, their office hours, due dates, and much more.  They can have projects posted for students to do.  It's just a great way to keep everybody on the same page.  I can use a wiki with my future students in this same way.  


Adding and editing my entry in the APSU 23 Things Sandbox wiki was extremely frustrating for me.  Only one user could edit at a time.  Every time I got on someone was editing.  This morning I got on to edit and the same girl had been editing all day long!  I don't know if she was actually editing or just away from her computer, but it was so frustrating!  There is this option to steal the lock, but that never actually worked.  Once I finally got in, the page was too big and had to be split.  This is a major downfall of the APSU 23 Things Sandbox wiki.         


After fighting with the page for awhile, I decided to create my own page instead.  Here is a link to it: 


http://apsu23thingssandbox.pbworks.com/w/page/32972619/avatars 

Thing #14

One of the flow charts I chose to work with was "Gliffy."  It is a really neat and free site you can make all kinds of charts on.  Not only can you make flow charts, you can make Venn diagrams, organization charts, and even floor plans.  It takes time to get used to, but after creating a few charts it is fairly simple to use.  There are pre-made templates you can use as well.  I chose to blog about "Gliffy" because there is so much to do on it!  It has many applications and is actually fun to create with.  The mind map site I chose to explore was "Mindmeister."  It was very simple to use.  To me, working with the mind maps was much easier than working with the flow charts.  It wasn't that the flow charts were necessarily hard to create, mind maps are just more simple.  Although the flow charts are a little more complex, they have many more tools you can use.  I liked working with mind maps because if you wanted to change something, you simply clicked on what you wanted to change or move, and put it exactly where you wanted it.  If you wanted to add text or a picture you would just add it directly to the created document.  These two sites were the easiest for me to use.  The tools on each were fun to use.  I will more than likely be using these sites in the future.          

Thing #13

I had no idea there were online word processing programs and spreadsheets.  I had never even heard of such!  When I first read the discovery exercise and found out about these programs I just assumed that they would be difficult and hard to follow.  I was wrong!  I went to ZohoWriter's Web page and signed up for a free account.  It immediately sent me an e-mail asking me to confirm my account.  I did, and in just a matter of seconds, I had an account set up with ZohoWriter.  After playing around on my newly created site, I found many neat and useful features.  You can do so much on ZohoWriter!  It is basically a new and improved version of Microsoft Word.  You create your own documents just as you would in Word, but you can do so much more with them.  You can merge your document with some sort of spreadsheet or other database.  You can invite people to your page or document.  You can save things instantly either internally (to your desktop or computer) or externally (somewhere on the Web or just on your account).  You can create a document and publish it as a post to your blog.  It is really neat.  It even has a dictionary and a thesaurus for quick access.  You can easily get the HTML code for a document.  It is very easy to use.

I found ZohoWriter to be extremely valuable.  I never thought something could potentially replace Microsoft Word and all of its related applications, but sites and programs such as ZohoWriter just might take over. 

Thing #12

I didn't realize how much Google could do until I played around on these sites.  I had always thought of it as a popular search engine, but it is much, much more than that.  I especially liked the Google Calendar.  With as much as I have going on between work, school, and different activities, Google Calendar is a great place to keep myself organized and together.  It is also really neat because you can extend it to friends and family so that they know when you are busy or when you might be available to get together.  It can honestly help simplify your life.  I created my own Google Calendar.  Here is the link:  https://www.google.com/calendar/render?gsessionid=D2Pg4r2PmgmdYgIpWcUbjQ.  Google calendars would be extremely useful in schools.  It could be used as a great way to keep parents updated.  Schools could create a calendar and put it on Google for parents and other family members of students to see what all their child was doing in school.  Individual classes could have a calendar set up for assignment, project, and test due dates.  Another really cool tool is Google Translate.  You can translate a single word or an entire paragraph into almost any language you can think of.  You can also type in a keyword; it will translate it for you and search the web for that term.  It's nice because it's quick, easy, and free.  Google Translate can be used especially in the high school setting for foreign language and english classes.  There are many valuable tools on Google-take advantage of them!   

Thing #11

I liked Google Blog Search and Technorati the most.  They were the easiest to use because you simply typed some sort of keyword and it gave you tons of results.  Google Blog Search is extremely broad in its search whereas Technorati produces more specific and narrow results which is very useful.  I found some interesting feeds.  One unusual one that I found using Technorati was called "The Quick 10:  All Work and No Play-Doh..."  I was searching for "fun learning activities" and this feed popped up.  It talked about play-doh and how it can be used in classrooms as a learning device.  There were even instructions on how to make play-doh.  One useful one that I found was entitled "Teacher Created Tips."  Some of the posts were random thoughts, but most were very valuable tips for teachers.  One entitled "Think Time for Planning Lessons and Life" talked about the importance of "think time" for yourself and for planning your lessons for school and how to work it in to your busy schedule.   

Syndic8.com was the most confusing for me because you basically have to know the exact name of the feed to find what you are looking for.  I like the search tools that have a search engine based off of a keyword or phrase.  This is the easiest method for finding feeds.  It gives you the most options.  One down-fall to many of these search tools is that there are so many feeds that will pull up, you must be extremely specific in your keyword search.  Other than that, I found these search tools to be very valuable.  You can find virtually any feed or article on the subject you are looking for through these search tools.   

I found this really neat site called "Search Tools for Web sites and Intranets."  Here is the url:  http://www.searchtools.com/  It is a site that shows you how to find good search engines and such.  It shows you the best ones and which ones to stay away from.  It even shows you how to search.  With the information on this website, you can find any newfeed you are looking for.   

Thing #10

RSS is a very valuable site.  You subscribe to the specific feeds you want to recieve and it sends you all of the updates from that feed.  Instead of going out to each individual website and browsing through it to find what you want, you simply sign on to Google Reader and it has the latest feeds of all of the sites that you choose.  You can have as many sites sending you feeds as you want.  It is really useful for people who check news feeds and sports feeds or any type of feeds.  My favorite thing about RSS and newreaders is that you pick exactly what you want and it  sends it to you.  This saves so much time having all your favorite feeds in one place.  I can use this in my personal and and school life by subscribing to teacher feeds and other feeds that I am interested in outside of school.  One of the feeds I subscribed to was "A to Z Kids Stuff."  It has all kinds of ideas for teachers to use in their classrooms.  You choose the grade you are teaching and it shows you coloring pages,  articles, art recipies, all kinds of activites you can do with your students.  I found this one to be the most beneficial.  With many feeds from different educational sites, teachers can use RSS to their advantage by learning about new technologies as soon as they emerge.     

Thing #9

http://www.imagegenerator.org/

http://www.imagechef.com/

The first image I created was the top one.  I went to imagegenerator.com and used the application "TXT2PIC" which turns phrases into pictures.  It was so easy to use.  All I had to do was simply text the word or phrase I wanted to use into the text box and pick out the style of writing I wanted that text displayed with and it created it for me.  It is a really neat site.  There is so much that can be done on it.  You can upload a picture of yourself and pick a border from the site and it will apply it your picture.  You can also upload a picture of yourself and it will put your face on a body of your choosing.  You can have a lot of fun with this site.    My other favortie site was Imagechef.com.  It had a variety of things to do on it as well.  On the second image above, i used an application that lets you put your name or text of your choice onto a jersey.  You could choose from a variety of colors and jersey types.  I chose to put my name and favorite number on the jersey.  It was a really cool site as well. 

These sites would be great for classrooms, schools, and libraries.  You could use one of the sites that lets you type your message into a sign held by a cartoon or person of your choice to place in hallways or around the classroom as a friendly reminder to students of rules or things to remember.  Fun animations could be used in powerpoints for lectures.  The kids could also play around on these sites to make themselves name-tags or something like that.  I will definitely be using sites like these in my classroom. 

Thing #8

 

I had a lot of fun with this one!  There are so many neat applications and tools on Flickr and other sites.  All of the mashups and 3rd Party Tools I used and/or explored were very easy to use.  Each site had clear instructions on how to upload your photos or create your own images.  There were some really neat sites I didn't even know existed.  There seems to be just about any application on 2.0 sites such as Flickr you could ever need!  I especially enjoyed the "Spell with Flickr" and "Puzzles" applications.  I could definitely see myself using some of these applications in my future classroom.  The "Flickr Color Pictr" mashup allows you to pick from basically any color you want and it will find tons of pictures that are primarily the color you chose.  This would be great for children learning their colors.  You could also upload (with parent permission) pictures of the class throughout the year to put on newsletters and such.  That seems to be something kids would really enjoy.  I would highly recommend any of these sites for use in the classroom or just in personal lives.  If I continue blogging after this class, I will definitely use some of these sites to upload pictures and post them.  I have no problems with sharing photos online.  I, myself, have a Facebook account and upload pictures to it.  I think it's a great way to share with others your experiences.  This was by far my favorite "thing!"

Thing #7

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktp/619727916/

I found this photograph on Flickr.  It was taken by kktp_ in Klaeng, Rayong on June 18, 2007.  He named it "Rain, Rain, Go Away, I Want to do some Sunrise Photos."  I think it is a beautiful picture.  It was captured perfectly.  The colors of the sky and water are absolutely gorgeous.  It makes me as the viewer want to be there! 

I used the keywork "rain" to find this one.  Images on Flickr were suprisingly easy to find.  It has such a variety of images.  I was truly impressed with all the images I saw-they look professional!  Every keyword I typed in produced pages and pages full of pictures.  The HUGE downfall to Flickr is the process through which you get permission to use the image you are trying to use.  It was a nightmare.  It was not clear what to do on some.  I would click on "Request to License" and it would just take me to the main Creative Commons page and not actually do anything for me.  A few times I clicked on it, it told me it could be days if not a week or so before the owner of the picture would get back with me.  Also, most of the pictures I wanted to used were not free.  I was extremely frustrated working with Flickr purely due to the "permission mess." I understand that giving credit to the owner is important and necessary, but I think there could be an easier, less frustrating way.  Other than that, it had a plethora of cool and interesting pictures.  I do not, however, think it was worth going through that long and drawn out of a process to get permission.   

Thing #6

Of the top 100 Web 2.0 nominees, the one I chose to explore was Pandora.  Here is the link:  http://www.pandora.com/#/ It is a really cool site.  It's an online radio, tailored specifically to your liking.  It only plays stations or songs that you like or it thinks you might like.  First, you must set up a free account.  From there, you create your own stations.  All you have to do is pick one artist or song that you like and it plays.  Then, it plays songs similar to the one you chose.  If you like it you can click the "like" button and it will save it on your station and play it periodically.  If you don't like the song, you can click the "dislike" button and it will skip that one.  I like Pandora because it remembers the songs you like and stores them on the site for you to log on and listen to at any time you please.  It has every song I have tried to find.  It is updated frequently.  I honestly have to no dislikes with it so far.  I found it to be very useful.  It is so much easier than trying to keep up with cd's.  Since it is an online site, you don't have to be at your own personal computer to use it which is nice considering I'm always in computer labs at school.  I could see Pandora being useful in a classroom setting.  You could create a station of classical music to lightly play in the background while children are working.  I will definitely be using this site in the future. 

Thing #5

One of the perspectives I read was "Teachers 2.0" by Aaron Smith.  His website consists of weekly posts on a wide range of topics.  He had technology tips of the week, website reviews of the week, and even lesson ideas of the week.  It was a really neat website.  He wrote about some of his experiences in talking with others about new technology and such.  His posts seemed to always have some sort of open-ended question where he would state his thoughts on the topic and leave you to ponder your own thoughts on the given topic.  He wrote one in response to a disagreement he had with his sister concerning social games in the classroom.  He neither condoned nor comdemned them.  The gist of his post was to urge others to simply try new things with an open mind.  Too many people turn their noses up at new things before they even take a real look at it.  I found it very interesting that he brought this point out since blogging is that "new thing" I am trying.  I had to face blogging with an open mind and because of that I have really enjoyed it.  
  
Susan McLester in her article "Web 2.0:  A Guide for Educators" writes about the incredible explosion of new technology we are seeing today.  She talks about the internet and how fast it has become an integral part of our day.  Whether we are making payments online, surfing the Web for entertainment, accessing information, or chatting with friends on a social sight, many of us spend hours on a computer every single day.  She insists that teachers must  maximize their resources with the seemingly endless knowledge and education opportunities available on the internet.  She is right in that we should use the internet to our advantage, but I do not want new technology to replace pencils and paper.  I like the idea of Web 2.0 for the expanding knowledge our students can get out of it, but I do not want to teach some online class that doesn't even really need me.  This is my main concern with Web and School 2.0.  

"School 2.0" seems to be the next step for education.  As technology improves, education must change to meet the needs of what is acceptable.  The idea of School 2.0 stems off the idea of Web 2.0.  Basically, it's the idea that education be extended outside of the classroom into homes and communities incorporating the use of more and more technology.  I think this is good  as far as extending education to everyday life outside of the classroom, but I do not want the technology and Web 2.0 idea to take over schools.  My fear is that in the near future we won't even use books,  paper, or pencils anymore.  Children will get lazy and so dependent on their computers that they will not have as good of a work ethic.  Students need to be in the classroom setting as it is now to learn and develop socially instead of simply logging on to a computer in their own "cyber world."  I see School 2.0 as good and bad, the bad outweighing the good.         

Thing #4

Commenting is essential in blogging.  It is what motivates bloggers to keep blogging.  One's blog is a 'safe zone' for that person.  People take their problems, concerns, or simple thoughts and post them on their blogs.  When people comment on them, they gain a sense of comfort and continue blogging.  And when that person recieves a comment, they too feel the need to go out and comment and encourage other bloggers.  It creates this sense of community.  In the readings about commenting I read about putting meaning behind your comments.  When I first read that I was going to be commenting on other's posts, I thought they would be quick, not too thought provoking responses.  After reading the posts and seeing the genuine feeling behind each of the posts, however, I took time to write a truly meaningful comment on each of them.  Also from The Blue Skunk Blogs's "Your comments?," the blogger made the good point that no matter how much a writer insists he/she only writes for him/herself, they want to be heard.  They want people to listen.  Feedback and showing you care are important in blogging!  

The blogs from our class that I chose to read and comment on were by:  Jacob Puckett, Elizabeth Ladd, Kayla Ann Davis, Jennifer Tolleson, and Whitley Brooke Smith.  Jacob Puckett's post on Thing #5 was the first post that I was truly interested in.  He posed some questions about technology and how far should it take us.  I found it very interesting and agreed with all of his points.  In my comment, I told him that I enjoyed his post, agreed with it, and added some of my own thoughts about the subject.  I chose to comment on one of Elizabeth Ladd's posts because of the picture she posted with it.  It was an "old-timey" picture that I had not seen before.  I commented that I liked it and explained what I got out of the picture.  In one of Kayla Ann Davis's posts, I saw much of my own thought process as I went through that same thing she was blogging about.  I felt like I could relate with her so I told her about my similar situations and feelings as I worked through the same things.  I enjoyed Jennifer Tolleson's post on creating her avatar.  She had difficulties trying to make hers look like her as did I.  She wrote in a humorous manner which I commented on.  I commented on one of Whitley Brooke Smith's posts because I liked her post and her experience with setting up her blog was very similar to mine.  

I also read and commented on a blog entitled, "The Indian feel in London," by a man named Ajay.  Ajay is 26th on the Top 100 Bloggers List!  I felt a little intimidated commenting on his blog since I was just a beginner, but I wanted to comment and so I did.  Since he is from London, his word choice and style of writing was quite different than what I am used to.  I really enjoyed the stories of his day that he talked about.  It was well written with twists of humor.  The other non-classmate blog post I commented on was by an anonymous author entitled "Clarksville, TN."  I selected this one because it was about a lady's visit to Clarksville, TN, which is neat because that's where I am for most of the week.  The author lives in NYC and came to visit her family in Clarksville, TN and it was quite the culture shock.  She had many funny stories of  different things that happened to her.  I really enjoyed her post.  I commented on her post about Clarksville and other things pertaining to her stories.

I honestly didn't think I was going to enjoy commenting on other people's posts but I had fun with it!                          

Thing #3

As I am working through these 23 things, I am learning just how valuable blogging truly can be.  The learning process never stops, especially for teachers, and blogging is a unique way to talk about and share different techniques or ideas you have learned through your classroom experiences.  Depending on the failure or success of a new project or teaching style, other teachers can read your blogs about those experiences and learn from them.  Blogging is a neat way to discuss problems, concerns, or to simply share a success story with others.  Blogging is also a good way to work through your feelings.  If after a long day working with a stubborn child you write a blog placing all your frustrations before you, it can help you let go of some of that built up frustration.  Chances are there's a teacher out there who can relate.  Blogging might be a good thing to get your students into as well.  It would be a great place for students to talk about their experiences with different assignments and to get feedback from them on what they liked, didn't like, what worked for them, and what did not work.  I would highly recommend blogging, especially for new teachers. 

Thing #2

Creating my avatar was a lot of fun!  It was easy as well.  I did not make my avatar look too much like me, nor did I make it too different from me.  I wanted it to represent me in a way while still remaining anonymous.  I do feel that my avatar reflects my personality though.  She wears avatar glasses and is a "t-shirt and jeans" kind of girl as I am.  She seems to have an easy-going personality also as I do.  Creating my avatar was definately more fun that creating my blog, but the more comfortable I get with blogs, the more I am starting to enjoy them.  I had difficulties setting up my initial blog simply because it was something new that I had not mastered yet and that frustrated me.  It is getting easier and easier with each blog though.  I put my name as the name of my blog and the "thing" number as each post title to keep it simple.  But who knows, maybe as I learn more about it, I will get more creative with the titles!     

Thing #1

The 7 1/2 Habits tutorial was very interesting to me.  The one I find the hardest to do is Habit 3, viewing problems as challenges.  It is hard to stay positive and in good cheer when human nature is telling you to get frustrated.  It is even more complicated to take that problem and view it as a challenge, an opportunity to grow.  Nevertheless, when we do accept the problem as a challenge, we learn much more from it.  Habit 1 is the easiest for me to do.  Even though something may be hard and stressful now, if we keep the big picture in mind it will be much easier for us to get through it.  When I first set up my blog, I was worried I would never understand this new blogging experience, but now that I have had time to play around on it, it is not nearly as hard as it initially seemed.  I do not know much at all about Web 2.0 tools, except what I learned about them in setting up my blog.  Once I get more comfortable using the Web 2.0 tools, I look forward to seeing what all they can do.