Thing Twelve: Handy-Dandy Google Tools

For this thing I was to look at some of the tools Google has to offer and explore what all they have to offer. The first one I looked at was Google Translator . And let me just say- AMAZING! This is perfect for teachers who may have parents or even students that do not speak English. You type in what you want to say in one box and in the other it translates it into another language (there are over 50 languages to pick). You can even click on the speaker icon at the bottom of the box so that it reads the translation out loud. Another one that I liked was Google books. For this one I started by typing in books for English language learners. I scrolled through the list and was surprised by the variety. There were some directed towards reading skills, improving testing, teaching science, strategies to use in the classroom, etc. These two were defiantly the most beneficial I found for teachers. On a non-educational note: I did also look at Google’s Recipe search also a new favorite way to search!

Thing Eleven: Finding More Blogs

For this thing I learned how to search for more blogs, YaY! Now for me the easiest way to do this was through Google. And it was so simple all you have to do when going to google homepage is on the left side where it says search pick blogs. I would suggest being a little specific with your search however, when looking for an elementary blog I would search for a particular grade to make it easier. I decided to search for some blogs that are directed to some new grades. I’ve been following early elementary blogs but so far have left out upper grades; so it was time to get searching! In my search I found  Teaching Little Apples: A First Grade Teaching Blog ( I know, I know… that’s STILL early elementary, guess that’s where my heart is!) She also has just started teaching third however so I guess I’m in the clear because she also has started posting ideas for third grade. I like her site because she is a bilingual teacher so she has a lot of good resources and ideas for teachers of a diverse classroom. I also found Teaching Blog Addict which is an amazing blog and teacher community. Here you pick a grade level or other category and it lists lots of great blogs to follow pertain to that area selected. They even have blogs made by substitute teachers, for gifted and talented classrooms, and English language learners!

Thing Ten: I'd Follow You Anywhere

When reading the requirements for this thing my initial thought was, NOOOOO! Not another account! I was already dreading having to go through that process again but when I began to go through the steps I realized that bloggers new updates saved me the hassle. So, thank you blogger! For this thing I was to set up an RSS Reader and Add Feeds to follow. This feature allows you to keep up-to-date on what’s happen within the blogs you follow and other information sources without having to individually go into them.  Again, at first I was dreading this but once I realized my blog account already did this for me I was thrilled because I love this feature on my blog homepage. It allows me to see the most recent postings by blogs I am following which comes in handy when others post lesson ideas pertaining to an upcoming holiday or month. Here is a list of five blogs I’m following that I enjoy.

 The Inspired Apple

Today in Second Grade

 The Learning Effect

The Nest Effect

On Earth as it is in Heaven

Thing Nine: Generate Some Fun!

For this thing I was to look at some image generators and create a fun little image. I ended up using Comic Strip Generator  and Image Chef. Both sites were easy to use and gave a product that I think was pretty neat-o! Using the comic strip generator was easy to do and allows you to browse through different comics, TV, and celebrity pictures to choose one that you want to caption. I went with Snoopy because he's just so dog-gone cute! The image chef also allows you to choose an image or picture to add text too. For mine I picked the sticky note because it was something I could use in a classroom to pull up before class for students to see as they walked in. I could also steal this idea by using regular sticky notes to leave students comments of the good work they have been doing. 

Thing Eight: Say Cheese!

For this thing I was to explore the magic that is flickr mashups. This activity even allowed me to like fickr a little bit more than previously thought. It was a lot of fun creating these two products shown below. The first I made at this sight Mosaic Maker and uploaded pictures from the flickr website.It was easy to do but time consuming because I really wanted to pick some pictures that represented my interests. So... here's a little bit more about me as told through my collage: I want to one day take a mission trip to Uganda to teach. I also would like to visit Paris. My first year of college I took French and loved learning the language and about the culture. I love art! My favorite artist is Andy Warhol and was very lucky to actually get to view an exhibit of his works a few years ago. Audrey Hepburn has always been a role model of mine. My favorite movie, you probably guessed it, Breakfast at Tiffanys! The second project I did was create a puzzle. It was very easy to do; all it took was uploading a picture from flickr and ta-da there it was! For both of these projects you can upload your own pictures as well they did not have to be from flickr.
I liked doing the projects, however, do not see where they would have much value in the classroom. It would be cute if students could create a collage as I did and describe what interests them but I would not use a sight such as flickr (only due to student usage). Instead you could have students draw out images. You could also print out images related to a lesson and have students create a collage using the pictures to retell the events of a story. You could also create puzzles to have in the classroom for a rainy day that have images of people that will be studied or of pieces of art.

Thing Seven: A Pictures Worth A Thousand Words

Thing Seven: A Pictures Worth A Thousand Words

I love photography and wish I had more time to dedicate to learning about the art.For this exercise I had to explore the website flickr and quite frankly I was disappointed. I have used other photo uploading services before (Shutterfly) and feel that it is a much better site for personal use. One thing I did like about flickr was the explore search option because it allows you to view pictures from around the world, galleries based on subjects, and the commons where pictures from the past are stored.

Photo's I feel can be a vital part of the classroom experience. When learning about history children do not just need to hear about the experience they need to be able to visualize it as well.This is were flickr's the commons section I believe can be useful. Or when teaching about the 50 states or geography you can use flickr's world map and places category under the explore search option to show images of the area being studied. You can also pull up pictures from the galleries to use as writing prompts during language arts.

My Flickr Picture

This picture was taken this past June (2012) when I went to Walt Disney World. I am such a kid at heart and absolutely loved seeing this show.  This might even be a cute picture to use as a writing prompt. You could ask your kids what type of books they think fairytale characters like to read!

My Flickr Picture

This is also a picture taken from my trip to Disney. It was really neat being able to get so close to the animals. This was my fourth time visiting and was very fortunate to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge this time where they have  giraffes, zebras, and other animals right outside your balcony window. Which is where this photo was actually taken!

Thing Six: Check Out Winning Websites

Thing Six: Check Out Winning Websites

For this thing I visited Web 2.0 Awards and browsed through their award nominees. One that I particular liked was PolicyMap.com. This website contains more than 4,000 data sets that can be overlayed on top of maps. It is simple to use and the data can even be shown for a specific state or county. Some of the information you are able to access include: crime statistics, schools of an area, number of students who are proficient in reading in the state, demographics of an area, and even the population growth. A down side to the website is that some of the data requires a paid membership. This site could be used in a history class to look up data such as how much an area has grown in the past so many years. Parents and teachers could also use the site to find out more about a particular area or school.Attached is a screenshot showing the percentage of fourth grade students proficient in reading as of 2009.

Thing Five: Where In The Web Are We?

I developed a little bit of anxiety when preparing this post based on Web 2.0. Luckily for me, after reading the article Web 2.0 is Not About Version Numbers or Betas I began to feel much more at ease. Web 2.0 is a term used to reference the new world in which the Web is able to open up to us. Today, the Web is used by people who are trying to enhance their own lives, or in my case the classroom. So when reading another article Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators it really made me realize how much of a tech savvy education I needed to develop in order to teach a generation that are digitally native.

In order to do this I feel that the classroom (like the computer or internet) must continue to constantly adjust to its users needs. Children today are so plugged in that it can be a challenge for any teacher to get through to them. This is when we must adjust and combine what interests them into the curriculum. We must learn to say hello to School 2.0. Through using technology in the classroom students are more interested and involved with the learning process. Using technology in the classroom can include any of the following activities: Creating interactive power points or smart board activities or games, having listening centers, computer games or websites that provide activities that go along with learning standards, and my favorite a classroom pen-pal that you are able to Skype with. For teachers or schools that do not have access to resources such as these please check out the link provided. This was a dandy little idea that I found on pinterest from Mrs. Bremer’s Kindergarten. Check it out here ! She has her students ‘texting’ their sight words, ‘typing’ words on iPads and arranging their iPod playlists in alphabetical order thanks to her class’s faux technology!