Thing # 11

Flickr..... lots of fun and I spent waaaayyyy too much time on it just browsing around. I had a little trouble creating links and had to edit my wiki page a million times but.... I think I finally got it. I decided to search crosses, faith, Spring, running, trails, and beaches. Crosses and faith, of course, representing my center, my soul. Running, trails, beaches, & Spring are all special to me for one reason or another. I run to decompress... beaches are one of my favorite places and Spring is one of my favorite times of the year (renewal). The picture I've chosen to post was one of my favorites. I think this cross is just beautiful.

If I were still teaching, I would love to see what my students would come up with for projects by creating slide shows, mapping geographic locations, or even learning about other people & cultures. I believe the opportunities for creative expression are endless! I had a great time exploring so many different locations via Flickr (Greece....I'll see you in person one day!).

Thing #10

Creative Commons is really cool.
I've never noticed CC on any websites I've visited but now that I know it could be there and what it means, I'll be looking for it. I think that students will be much more likely to try new things, be more creative, and actually expand their vision by having access to Creative Commons. I never knew something like this existed! In my role as diagnostician, I don't use digital images, audio, or video clips in anything I do but in my personal life, I have shared personal pictures with friends and forwarded video clips from the web. I know copyright is a big deal but I guess I never really take the time to consciously think about the material I'm forwarding, or who owns it for that matter. Please don't turn me in to the copyright police!!! I never claim it as my own :-) I remember writing term papers (back in the day) and worrying that I was citing my references correctly. How cool would for kids to create their work online and include pictures, music, video clips, etc. in their final product! If this technology had been around when I was in high school, I may have enjoyed those assignments a little more by putting my own twist on them.

Thing #9

Wow! I'm feeling a little bit smarter every "Thing" I work through. I did encounter some frustration during my playtime in the sandbox, such as, linking my page to the home page. I got confused on which name to use....either my page name or the title of my page. I finally figured it out and actually learned more by making mistakes the first time around. Now, my page is not as fancy as some others I looked at but I did attempt and succeed in posting an image to it :-)
Check it out and see what you think at Family Dynamics. I can hardly wait to learn more! I've heard from another friend who has already taken this course that I'm going to learn how to do so much more.

Lesson # 8

Wow! I never realized, until now, that Wikipedia has developed from a wiki where anyone can edit and save information to share. Amazing, this Web 2.0 stuff... If I were still in a teaching position, I would definitely start a wiki for my students to share their ideas, collaborate, or even use as a study hall as Cool Cat Teacher did. I think that's great because kids LOVE computers and will spend an inordinate amount of time working/playing on one. How cool is it that they would actually be learning all at the same time?

I visited the Holocaust Wiki, Code Blue, Dr. Reich's Chemistry wiki,and Schools in the Past during my discovery exercise and found them all to be quite different. One thing I noticed immediately was the initial presentation/appearance. I personally liked the format of the Code Blue and found it to be very interesting. I liked how it provided links that allowed me to venture off in another direction. I read a lot of interesting facts about sun damage and the skin's ability to repair itself. If I were a student....I would love having a teacher/class that used a wiki to share ideas and information.

I think I'll try a wiki the next time my friends and I plan our girls weekend! How easy that would be to organize our outing. We wouldn't have to try and return phone calls or text msgs. or e-mails!

Thing #7

I am really enjoying following my adopted blogs! Points of view and writing styles are interesting to me...In fact, as a result of reading one of my adopted blogs, I've actually started being more conscious of being "green" (thanks to Green and Giddy)! I gathered all the recyclable products used at our Super Bowl party rather than throwing them in the trash :-)

I am so excited that I'm actually ahead of schedule right now! I've found that I've already been completing activities when they weren't yet required and using the techniques you're teaching us but not knowing what they were called :-) I feeling a little more confident!!!

Thing #6

I really enjoy finding all the blogs, both educational and fun, that interest me. I like the way the the Google Reader will keep up with the sites I select. I also think it is fun to hook up with two fellow blogspotters. Some of the sites that I found interesting in the educational part are: supportblogging.com and twitter.com. I also really like being able to follow fun sites like: www.astrology.com and www.weather.com I do wonder how to remove a blog if I added it and don't want it anymore?

Thing #5

I really liked this website (because I love working out and learning ways to improve my health) and will recommend it to my friends or anyone who is interested in beginning a new lifestyle. Be sure to look at the archives because you just might find something to peak your interest! and improve your life! tryingfitness.com. Another blogsite I've found that appears to be fairly new but full of good information is fulltiltfatloss.com.

I now (since I've learned how!!!!) am following this particular blog as well as some others. I'm excited about learning all these new tricks on the computer :-) These sites help pick me up when I'm feeling like skipping a workout and often make me want to slip into my running shoes and get outside to breath some fresh air..... getting my heart rate up makes me feel alive!