I decided to save this post for last because although I knew I was a lifelong learner (my age speaks for itself), technology really isn't my forte. I have learned so much from Dr. Wall's class. No, that's not a brown-nosing thing, but it is very true. I look forward to Thursdays and wonder what new thing I'm going to learn. I then take the information home with me to share with my husband and sometimes call my friends. Sometimes they are interested, sometimes not.
Anyway, I think we have to be lifelong learners. If we do not learn something new every single day, why bother? One thing that bothers me about the lottery here in Tennessee is that it's used for the Hope Scholarship but truly only benefits younger students. If it has been more than five years since a person has entered a college/university, then there is no lottery money available to them. That's so sad. What about the student that had to drop out of school for financial reasons to support their family (children or parents)? I don't understand why they are penalized.
Lifelong learning is a personal commitment. It's something we have to promise ourselves to do so we don't just cease to live. One day Dale (a fellow peer) told me I sounded wise. I told him it was because I'm old. (It's okay, you can laugh here.) But, seriously - why watch that television show you've seen before when you can turn on the History Channel or something else and expound your mind? I know I sound like a commercial, but it's really true. One is never too old to learn and I'm the perfect example because it took me 27 years to get my BS and at the age of 50, I'm now closing in on my second Masters!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thing #12
Sorry, but I had to add that because it took soooo long to figure out what I was doing wrong with regard to uploading images. Did you all know that some images cannot be uploaded? Unfortunately, I chose two that were unloadable and thought it was me and that I was doing something wrong. It took me two days, but persistence does pay off because now I am an image-uploader maniac!
Seriously, I love Google. I have now set up a Google-alert asking for news on teaching abroad and to follow my favorite celebrity. I won't get too many alerts on him, so it's okay.
I also went on Picasa web photos. John and I are hoping to go to the Kentucky Derby this year; however, with the deli opening, I'm not sure that will happen. My grandparents lived 50 miles from Louisville, but we never went to the Derby. I'm betting I get misty-eyed at the playing of My Old Kentucky Home.Picasa is an interesting site and I see wonderful inventive things that can be used in the classroom. My friend, Lee, teaches elementary art and I am passing these things on to her as well. Additionally, it can be used in my personal life as many family members do scrapbooking and I've opened their eyes to these sites as well.
The hardest part to understand about Google is why don't they have a filter that gets rid of sites that have no action on them for years at a stretch? Also, I realize the Internet needs sponsors, but we seem to get inundated with them when we click on some sites and can't get out of the page without reloading because of some kind of "freeze" on the page. That needs to be fixed.
Thing #11
I have found that the best way to find blogs and other things I am interested in is to have the time to sit down and just Google. I never find what I"m looking for the first (or even second) place that I go to; however, with determination (and luck!) I usually find what I'm looking for no matter what it is.
Blogs are a little confusing. The first few blogs I investigated were hard to understand because they were in a foreign language!!!! No, I do not speak Mandarin Chinese! Although, it would be interesting to explore. Some blogs didn't have any posts on them for four years. I said "no" to those as well. Shouldn't there be a time limit on these things? I did find two great blogs written by English teachers. One is here in the United States and one is abroad. Since I am interested in teaching abroad, it was a win-win. My only question is, should I be following these privately or should I fess up and let them know who I am? Hmmm, something to think about. Anyway, I really like this blog: Margarita because I found it to be entertaining, informative, and she posts in a timely manner. It's kind of like having a new window to the world that I get to view on a daily basis and not have to pay the travel expense!
I liked the cool cat as well. The fact that somebody took the time to work on something this involved and share it with the world is definitely appreciated by someone like me who craves knowledge - no matter what it is.
One blog I found interesting that isn't just about education and technology is the one at msn.com. I liked it a lot and I can keep up-to-date with all the news and not just have to rely on AOL for my information.
Blogs are a little confusing. The first few blogs I investigated were hard to understand because they were in a foreign language!!!! No, I do not speak Mandarin Chinese! Although, it would be interesting to explore. Some blogs didn't have any posts on them for four years. I said "no" to those as well. Shouldn't there be a time limit on these things? I did find two great blogs written by English teachers. One is here in the United States and one is abroad. Since I am interested in teaching abroad, it was a win-win. My only question is, should I be following these privately or should I fess up and let them know who I am? Hmmm, something to think about. Anyway, I really like this blog: Margarita because I found it to be entertaining, informative, and she posts in a timely manner. It's kind of like having a new window to the world that I get to view on a daily basis and not have to pay the travel expense!
I liked the cool cat as well. The fact that somebody took the time to work on something this involved and share it with the world is definitely appreciated by someone like me who craves knowledge - no matter what it is.
One blog I found interesting that isn't just about education and technology is the one at msn.com. I liked it a lot and I can keep up-to-date with all the news and not just have to rely on AOL for my information.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Thing #10
What do I like best about RSS and newsreaders? Well, they are timely. I love getting to the gist of the information/matter ASAP. If you ask me what time it is, I don't tell you how to build a watch. That's what RSS and newsreaders do - they give you all the information you need to know in the shortest amount of time and I don't have to deal with 'fluff' unless I want to deal with it.
This technology can be utilized in some classrooms; however, it will help my personal life right now because, again, it's short, sweet, and to the point. I like that a lot.
Teachers can take advantage of this new technology on a daily basis in their classrooms because it keeps the world-at-large up-to-date in their classrooms. Textbooks can become obsolete; however, the world keeps on turning and RSS and newsreaders will let the teacher know what is happening on a daily and even hourly basis.
This technology can be utilized in some classrooms; however, it will help my personal life right now because, again, it's short, sweet, and to the point. I like that a lot.
Teachers can take advantage of this new technology on a daily basis in their classrooms because it keeps the world-at-large up-to-date in their classrooms. Textbooks can become obsolete; however, the world keeps on turning and RSS and newsreaders will let the teacher know what is happening on a daily and even hourly basis.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Thing #9
This was a task. I couldn't figure out how to do upload the image because it kept asking for my Paypal account information. I knew there was a way around it. I liked this comic the best, and that's why I chose it for my blog. That and the fact that all women are truly wonders. This would be beneficial to libraries and classroom because kids will get a kick out of it, and they can also personalize things in their every day lives.
link: click here
Thing #8
My Presentation
I chose to go to Splashr and it was amazing. If you click on "my presentation" above, you will see the postcards I used from their website by exploring the keywords "flowers, waterfalls, and windmills." I think this website would be interesting to use in an English class because I could utilize words that are directly related to literature and could come up with a slide show or collage that would help the students visualize the authors from whatever time period we were exploring/studying.
This would also be an amazing tool in a field like scrapbooking or perhaps adding that special something to photo albums. I am truly amazed by the people that use their creativity to think up stuff like this. It is really inspiring to people like me that aren't visually creative.
I chose to go to Splashr and it was amazing. If you click on "my presentation" above, you will see the postcards I used from their website by exploring the keywords "flowers, waterfalls, and windmills." I think this website would be interesting to use in an English class because I could utilize words that are directly related to literature and could come up with a slide show or collage that would help the students visualize the authors from whatever time period we were exploring/studying.
This would also be an amazing tool in a field like scrapbooking or perhaps adding that special something to photo albums. I am truly amazed by the people that use their creativity to think up stuff like this. It is really inspiring to people like me that aren't visually creative.
Thing #7
I found this picture on Flickr and loved it because I like flowers so much. Fmontesb is the person that uploaded the picture. I think anybody that grows beautiful flowers if blessed as I don't have a green thumb. Additionally, I think anybody that can take beautiful pictures is also blessed as it has never been my forte - I just recently got a digital camera and have approximately six of those disposable ones that need to be taken in to be developed.
I really liked Flickr because it provides people with an opportunity to share their talents. Additionally, I like the fact that people can comment on the pictures. I think it goes back to my first professor that said we needed to always remember that for some students the only encouragement they get is from us. Providing positive feedback (sometimes anonymously) to the people that take pictures or publish something might be the only encouragement they get as well. Sometimes with so much stress and troubling times in the world, we forget to look for the beauty.
Here is the web address for the pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/montesphotography/4401883899/in/photostream/
Peggy
Thing #6
What a great idea! The site I explored was lulu and it was really interesting. I love books and have written two children's books so I was hooked almost immediately. This site is a self-publishing entity that lets the author/creator digitally upload their book or song on the site and then sell it. The author gets to create the cover of the book and even design how it's printed. The author gets an ISBN number and then it can be sold around the world.
Currently 500,000 people from over 80 countries utilize lulu. By using this software, one can sell their creation anywhere around the world and keep 80% of the profits. Additionally, it can also be sold on Amazon.com or at bookstores like Barnes and Noble. I looked at the demo/video. Here is the link: http://www.lulu.com/en/about/demo.php?cid=en_tab_demo
The lulu website also lets people create scrapbooks and photo albums. For example, a couple gets married and then they design their wedding album. The couple can place it on the lulu website and then anybody can order copies of the album or certain pics without the couple having to spend lots of money on sending pictures around the world.
I think this would benefit school and libraries in that students would be encouraged to use their creative thought processes and then share them with the world - or at least Grandma and Grandpa.
This website - lulu - is rated number 1 in their category and it is easy to see why because this is a great idea that they've taken a step further and invested a lot of time and energy into.
Currently 500,000 people from over 80 countries utilize lulu. By using this software, one can sell their creation anywhere around the world and keep 80% of the profits. Additionally, it can also be sold on Amazon.com or at bookstores like Barnes and Noble. I looked at the demo/video. Here is the link: http://www.lulu.com/en/about/demo.php?cid=en_tab_demo
The lulu website also lets people create scrapbooks and photo albums. For example, a couple gets married and then they design their wedding album. The couple can place it on the lulu website and then anybody can order copies of the album or certain pics without the couple having to spend lots of money on sending pictures around the world.
I think this would benefit school and libraries in that students would be encouraged to use their creative thought processes and then share them with the world - or at least Grandma and Grandpa.
This website - lulu - is rated number 1 in their category and it is easy to see why because this is a great idea that they've taken a step further and invested a lot of time and energy into.
Thing #5
School 2.0 - What does it mean to me?
School 2.0 means that "times, they be a-changing." While I think many of their ideas are good, the funding situation is going to stand in the way and that's a shame. I worked for the Tennessee Department of Education for 20 years, and in the mid 80s we were told about classrooms in Tennessee that had textbooks that read "someday we will land on the moon." These students had textbooks that were 20 years out-of-date. I am a big proponent of changing with the times, and I truly hope we get these schools the funding they need to keep up with the times.
What does it mean for schools of the future?
It means that schools are going to be able to keep up with an ever-changing global economy and with schools on an international level. Unfortunately, we first need to keep up with what's going on in the U.S. Depending on what area of the U.S. one lives in, schools are more advanced than in other areas. Unfortunately, this affects way too many students and they are often left to stagnate. If we can ALL keep up, then I see this as a win-win for our students and educators as well.
School 2.0 means that "times, they be a-changing." While I think many of their ideas are good, the funding situation is going to stand in the way and that's a shame. I worked for the Tennessee Department of Education for 20 years, and in the mid 80s we were told about classrooms in Tennessee that had textbooks that read "someday we will land on the moon." These students had textbooks that were 20 years out-of-date. I am a big proponent of changing with the times, and I truly hope we get these schools the funding they need to keep up with the times.
What does it mean for schools of the future?
It means that schools are going to be able to keep up with an ever-changing global economy and with schools on an international level. Unfortunately, we first need to keep up with what's going on in the U.S. Depending on what area of the U.S. one lives in, schools are more advanced than in other areas. Unfortunately, this affects way too many students and they are often left to stagnate. If we can ALL keep up, then I see this as a win-win for our students and educators as well.
Thing #4
Thing #4 was very interesting to me because I think we are living in a digital/electronic world and there really is no going back. I always buy my mother stationery for her birthday and Mother's Day, but everybody else I know blogs or e-mails. Commenting on blogs or Facebook is important because it's how we keep in contact with each other and understand what's going on in their personal lives. Sure, most of us just talk about our day(s) or funny things that happened; however, my father-in-law just had open heart surgery, and I got my updates on Facebook because of the time difference and the family being at the hospital (they live in AZ). Additionally, commenting can ease the day of someone that's having a bad time. It's nice to know somebody out there cares!
I enjoyed ProBlogger. I also leave open-ended questions or posts and interact with the ones that were posted. Sometimes, I just mess with my students' heads (LOL) to make them think outside the box. Other times, I just give them a short answer and then they always want to know more. I think less is more sometimes. I also think that the more we let them think about on their own, the most they remember the answers. I know it's true of me.
Sam's Blog
I posted on Sam's blog because I always learn so much from him in class. I know he's computer-savvy from his remarks in the classroom, so I know he's entertaining with his blog as well.
Jerry's Blog
I posted on Jerry's blog because I find him encouraging and I wanted him to know that I appreciate his encouragement. Who knew he was 40 years old!?
Suzanne's Blog
I posted on Suzanne's blog because I didn't know who she was and was curious. I liked her comment about working on her second Masters (I am doing the same) and being considered an over-achiever by her family. I think they just don't get it. Is it possible to be addicted to acadamia? Is that even a word?
Kate's Blog
I chose Kate's blog because I love her boots and wish I could wear them. I think she's stylish and wanted to know more about her. I think she's young, but after reading her post I know she's very gifted and is someone I would want teaching someone I loved.
Chad's Blog
I chose Chad's blog because even though he gets on my last nerve sometimes, I respect him as a peer and wanted him to know that. Sometimes people don't tell us verbally what we need to know, but will write about it.
Adrian's Blog
Adrian is an actor and the sexiest man I have ever seen. No, it's not the guy from "Entourage" either. Anyway, I am one of those 'lurkers' we read about for this assignment and I NEVER post to his blog, but in the interest of this assignment I thought "what the heck!" If he responds, I will completely die! Note to ladies: one is NEVER too old to think a man is hot!
Shelly's Blog
Shelly is a former student and her husband is going through kidney dialysis. She is a match for him and will be donating a kidney in the next few weeks. My husband, John, also donated a kidney to his Godmother in 2002 and I met a lot of great people in the transplant organization. I try to keep her encouraged and let her know it's all going to be okay.
I enjoyed ProBlogger. I also leave open-ended questions or posts and interact with the ones that were posted. Sometimes, I just mess with my students' heads (LOL) to make them think outside the box. Other times, I just give them a short answer and then they always want to know more. I think less is more sometimes. I also think that the more we let them think about on their own, the most they remember the answers. I know it's true of me.
Sam's Blog
I posted on Sam's blog because I always learn so much from him in class. I know he's computer-savvy from his remarks in the classroom, so I know he's entertaining with his blog as well.
Jerry's Blog
I posted on Jerry's blog because I find him encouraging and I wanted him to know that I appreciate his encouragement. Who knew he was 40 years old!?
Suzanne's Blog
I posted on Suzanne's blog because I didn't know who she was and was curious. I liked her comment about working on her second Masters (I am doing the same) and being considered an over-achiever by her family. I think they just don't get it. Is it possible to be addicted to acadamia? Is that even a word?
Kate's Blog
I chose Kate's blog because I love her boots and wish I could wear them. I think she's stylish and wanted to know more about her. I think she's young, but after reading her post I know she's very gifted and is someone I would want teaching someone I loved.
Chad's Blog
I chose Chad's blog because even though he gets on my last nerve sometimes, I respect him as a peer and wanted him to know that. Sometimes people don't tell us verbally what we need to know, but will write about it.
Adrian's Blog
Adrian is an actor and the sexiest man I have ever seen. No, it's not the guy from "Entourage" either. Anyway, I am one of those 'lurkers' we read about for this assignment and I NEVER post to his blog, but in the interest of this assignment I thought "what the heck!" If he responds, I will completely die! Note to ladies: one is NEVER too old to think a man is hot!
Shelly's Blog
Shelly is a former student and her husband is going through kidney dialysis. She is a match for him and will be donating a kidney in the next few weeks. My husband, John, also donated a kidney to his Godmother in 2002 and I met a lot of great people in the transplant organization. I try to keep her encouraged and let her know it's all going to be okay.
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