One Last Thing! :o)

Well, I am finally finished with the 23 things. After completing these assignments, I feel very accomplished and a lot more technologically advanced. My favorite assignment that I did was the animoto video. I have always been interested in how commercials work and with the music and action that this website incorporated my pictures into was so neat. I also really liked learning about blogging and interacting with other people. I found a few blogs that were so interesting that after this class is finished I probably will continue to follow those blogs because it is interesting to find out what other people are doing with their lives.

  By wanting to be a teacher, I have commited myself to being a life-long learner. I feel as though the 23 things that I had to do has opened up so many doors of opportunity to learn up-to-date ways to incorporate technology in the classroom. Everyday technology grows and becomes more advanced, Why should I be the teacher that falls behind the marker and fails to teach my students the most recent technological advancement for learning.

  I think that everything that was assigned has surprized me and opened up my eyes to view the interent differently. I have realized that I was very ignorant to the ways of technology before I took this class. I only really ever used Facebook, APSU websites, and my emails on the computer. I do watch youtube videos but even now I realized that these applications have so much  more to offer and I have just skimmed the surface of the potential knowledge that can be learned.

  Some of the assignments, I felt, were a little boring like the Facebook and MySpace assignment. I feel like everyone knows about or has a page on one or both of these sites and the spot can be filled with a new assignment that is more interesting and informative about something that not everyone is familar with.

   I feel like the 23 things has helped me become not only more prepared for my future teaching career but has also helped me become extremely excited to implement all of these ideas in my future classroom. I want to use every technology based practice that I have learned and teach the students how to use all of the different applications. I want to make videos with the students, podcasts, blogs, etc... I will make it a point to search for new technological advancements and stay up-to-date so I may incorporate the latest advancements in my classroom. I will read other teacher's blogs and websites to learn of ways to better my classroom.
  The world is changing at a very fast pace and I intend to change my lessons to incorporate as much new technology that I can to continue teaching my students with the most recently created technology.

Thing Number 23

 Before this class, I had no idea what Creative Commons was. I also used to copy and save pictures and from google images or any other website I went on. I never thought about copyrighting when it invovled pictures on the internet. Now, I make it a point to think about where I am getting my pictures or information and make sure I give credit to the author. Creative Commons makes it possible for someone to use another person's work when that person gives promission for it to be copied and used. It is against the law to use a picture that is copyrighted but under Creative Commons a person can use and redistribute the work with permission. The author may also have the option of putting their work on the internet under Creative Commons where it can be freely distributed with open ended permission for anyone to use.

http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/netserv/learning2.0/ 
This website gives credit to the original creator of 43 things which is the larger version of 23 things. The reasons why they narrowed it down is because 43 things is a lot to do in one semester. This site gives promisson to use the 23 things in your classroom even if you are not part of their group.

When I have my own classroom I feel as though Creative Commons will be a part of my everyday life. If I use lesson plans, images, or anything else on the internet, I must first learn if it is copyrighted or free to use in my own classroom without permission. I have found a few websites where teachers can give advice and lesson plans for other teachers to use without permission. This falls under Creative Commons. A person has the right to "choose and share" their work with others and freely allow others to incorporate the work to the betterment of their classroom.

Thing Number 22

   For thing number 22, I was assigned to do some podcast research. I had to listen to at least one full podcast that was of interest to us or helpful to us as a future teacher. I chose a podcast all about teaching with smartboards in the classroom. I feel like having a smartboard in a classroom opens up a whole new world of opportunity and advancement to make it easier and also more fun for the students to learn.
http://www.epnweb.org/index.php?request_id=2024&openpod=7#anchor7 
This is the podcast that I listened to. This pocast lists fifty things that the podcasters think that are the most valuable options that smartboards give to teachers in a classroom. It would be really easy to listen to all of the podcast from this section on teaching with smartboards and learn how to implement them daily in your classroom.
  I found that the directory The Education Podcast Network was the easiest one to find a podcast of interest. I tried using all the directories given found that this one gave a lot of quality information with no commercials and was the easiest to click on and listen. The best thing about this podcast is that it contains screenshots that you can watch while you listen to the instructions that the podcasters are giving.
We were assigned to create a podcast with Garage Band for class involving the standard that we had chose. I feel like podcast will be a great thing to have in a classroom setting getting students involved. In my life right now, I do not feel like I want to start my own podcast. I think that the podcast that I have listened to would be very beneficial to me when I am in a classroom with a smartboard, but I did not find any podcast that I would like to suscribe to to listen to everyday.

Thing number 21

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Number 21 has been my favorite blog. I love taking pictures of my family and friends and have always wanted to make a video like I see on commercials. This was such a fun expierence. It was super easy to follow the step by step process. I just picked ten or eleven photos, I picked a song from the many songs given to choose from, and for the final step I created the video.

I feel like this would be a great assignment for my students in my classroom when I become a teacher. I could take pictures of them in class and put the pictures on a file and share them and the students can make their own video with music for the classroom. It would be a lot of fun for the students. I could also assign the students to use their family photos and show them to the class to get to know the student's family life. This was by far my favorite assignment. I chose Christmas because it is my favorite time of year, and it is when my family is most happy.

Thing Number 20

For Thing number 20 we were assigned to explore youtube. It was a relief to read about this assignment because I happen to think I am a youtube pro. I go on youtube all of the time. I have found recipes, music videos, funny videos, how-to videos etc... I have spent endless amounts of time being sucked in to watching video after video because youtube gives links to videos that are similar to the one that you are watching. When I am even washing dishes, I will look up Michael Buble or Frank Sinatra and play videos and listen to their music. I have watched cartoons from the 80's and 90's that I used to watch when I was little such as Gummi Bears and Angry Beavers.
  One thing that I do not like about youtube is that when you are trying to look for a specific clip from a movie or so on, you have to go through endless amounts of videos that are not the one that you are looking for.
Here is a video called the noun song...



I chose this video because I thought it was a super fun way to teacher students about nouns. I find that I always learn better when I can remeber it in a little toon and this will get the students interested in learning the song. There are a variety of links that I can click on that are simalar to this website. I feel like it would be beneficial to me as a future teacher to group these videos together to implement them in my future classroom.

Thing Number 19

  For this assignment we were to learn about other social networks that are not as well known. I picked the social network TeacherPop that was actually made by the professors of APSU. I signed up for this network because I think it is very beneficial to have other teachers to communicate with when there is a situation that you are unsure of how to resolve. I think that having contact with other teachers is a great way to give each other ideas of how to make the classroom better and to gain ideas on how to improve lessons that you have given.
   The First blog post that I looked at on TeacherPop was actually posted by Dr. Wall. She posted a site that had a list of educational youtube videos. Most of the videos were for higher grade levels and I could not implement them in my classroom. I think that the videos are beneficial to me by prducing helpful information that I may not have known and also supplying me with helpful teaching tips.


I think that this network is appealing to me as a future educator because I could always use helpful advice and ideas from expierenced teachers. I think that my favorite part of the site is when teachers post about lessons that they have given. One lesson involved three different grade levels. Students from third grade would be partnered with a first grader and ask them interview questions about their lives. Then the third grader would write a story making the first grader the main character. After the story is finished sixth graders would make books to bind the third graders' stories in. The last step is that the third graders get a chance to read their stories to the first graders. I think that this lesson is a great way to get students excited about learning. They feel special because they are all a part of something, or all a piece of a puzzle.

Thing number 18

For thing number 18 we were assigned to create a facebook or myspace. I feel like this was the easiest assignment for me for the simple fact that I have had a myspace since I was 13 years old and a facebook since freshman year of college. I do not use my myspace anymore because it seems like when i began college, everyone started using Facebook and myspace is more for the younger crowd. I use my Facebook multiply times a day. My family lives in Chattanooga, so having a Facebook is a great way to keep in contact with them.
The reason I live in Clarksville right now is because of Facebook. I met my boyfriend on one of the applications and we have been together over two years. Facebook is a great way to meet people and keep in contact with friends and loved ones.
link to my facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=695266088


It is important for educators to know how social networks operate because social networks are not private. If you post something online that you do not want everyone in the world to see it, you should just not post it. If a parent of a student is trying to find out about you as a teacher and you have a picture or a comment that is not professional on your network, you could be in big trouble. Teachers are put under a microscope their whole entire career and never should act unprfessionally.


I feel like Facebook is more appropriate for my age group to stay connected with family, friends, and coworkers. I really do not think that either social network is an appropriate tool to impliment in a classroom. There are too many unstructure applications that do not have to do with education. I feel like a social network made only for your specific classroom would be more beneficial.