Thing #17

I can definitely see the benefits of Social Bookmarking. A "favorites list" often times gets so crowded with personal and occupational websites mixed together. If one has a del.icio.us account then any educational videos could be separated from personal use. But, not just that, the sites can also be divided into further categories. As a teacher, I could have various folders, for example: a WWI folder, WWII folder, Civil War folder, and even an American Revolution folder. This would be so easy to use. And, when a teacher needed to pull up any site he/she found at some point that would go along with that specific lesson, it would be easy. Plus, a cool thing is that it is public. This could be helpful seeing other teacher's lists that teach the same subject as you. Overall, I feel as though this could be an extremely beneficial tool for teachers.

Thing #16

So, I first customized my google account home page. I changed it to a Green Bay Packers background, which is very cool. It makes me enjoy seeing that page. I can see me using this when I become a teacher, because I will need one convenient place for all of my things. And, a home page that can be pulled up anywhere on any computer is awesome. I can have my needed information available to me any time I am near a computer.

Also, I made a calendar which is easier to use than I thought. I figured it was going to be a waste of time and be somewhat difficult to use. However, it was just the opposite. You just have to type in any of your meetings, due dates, and even birthdays at the correct slot and you're ready to go. The neat thing is though, I placed my calendar on my home page. So, now I can see everything I have to do that day in one specific place.

Plus, another great tool is that you can use the weather application that is on a google home page. I can see the forecast for the week as I check e-mail, my calendar, the date, and even listen to music on youtube. This is just all around a very efficient and easy way to do most everything.

Thing #15

Using a wiki is interesting. I can see some teachers using it for students to share valuable information they might find about a specific topic. It could be used as a way for a class to get to know one another before the school year begins. Or, teachers could give students a message through a wiki regarding homework, projects, or tests. I do not see myself using a wiki in my classroom, because it seems somewhat difficult to use; however, I can see the benefits of it once a person can become fluent navigating about the site. This was my wiki upload, just click here.

Thing #14

My mind map

Making the mind map was easy and fun. You can use it for a variety of projects. I can definitely see the benefits of students using them for math, history, and English. It could even come in handy with science. I found it easy to make basically any type of chart you want. Now, using flowchart.com was extremely cool.

My flow chart

I thought personally using the flow chart was better than the mind map. They offered templates, clip art, various letter styles, and much more. It was just as easy to use as the mind map, but offered more. I used this flow chart to simply show the breakdown of the three branches of government. And, if I was going to teach it, I could create one large flow chart stating the branch but also the jobs of each branch. It is a neat way to teach using a visualization tool.

Thing #13

ZOHO Writer has several features that are similar to Microsoft Word; however, it has a new look about the site that makes it seem somewhat easier to use. It has tabs that are explicit making it easy to find what you need quickly even if you are not familiar with the site.

My trial with ZOHO Presentation

My trial with Google Docs Presentation

Out of the two, I found ZOHO easier to work with. Plus, it had many more designs uploaded which make for a well done presentation. I was sort of disappointed with Google Docs because you basically had to upload a lot to be able to make anything.

I can definitely see a class using this if Microsoft Powerpoint is not available. To me, it seems as though these two presentation tools work just the same as Microsoft. However, there are certain tools that Google Docs provides that could be beneficial to students like the drawing, but I did find that tool to be difficult to use.

Thing #12

The different tools that Google offers are really neat. I have used Picasa for a few years now with my pictures. It is a free and easy way to "spice" up any photos with special effects, cropping, fixing red eye, and even making albums. Also, I currently use the google calendar for an organization I am in. We all have access to it, and officers post meetings and activity dates on the calendar. It comes in handy. I knew about these tools; however, I did not know about the google translator, http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=EN. This is an easy way to translate languages. It has several languages you can choose from, and it translates quickly and on the spot.

All of these tools mentioned can easily be used in a classroom. Any type of photo project students might be doing, they can use Picasa. A teacher needing to organize one's personal life, work life, and classroom could definitely use the Google Calendar. And, there are always projects that need translating, so that tool can be implemented within a classroom with no problem.These tools are great. My favorite thing about them though is that they are so easy to use, anybody can do it! So, try them out!

Thing #11

These search tools to find RSS Feeds are a helpful tool. It makes it much easier to navigate around the blog world. As I was looking up various blogs, I found the Google Blog Search easiest. It was much like the simple Google Search. I also liked the Technorati because it was set up to easily navigate about the site. I did not like Topix.net because it seemed to be a little more difficult to use. It did not explicitly state the ways to move around the site. These search engines could be extremely useful in a classroom for not only me as the teacher to research information to teach on, but also to teach students to use them for specific research assignments. The blog world is a great way for people to post information about personal lives but also about current important issues.