Thing #9

I decided to use the Comic Strip Generator.
Here are a few examples of the comics I was able to create:

For the fake magazine cover I was able to upload my own pic. This was great. They had tons of magazine cover layouts to choose from. Unfortunately, you have to process through all of them since there is no easy search method. Here is my celebrity pic with Morgan Freeman

The process was very easy. The site offers a lot of popular culture images that are easily recognized. I simple browsed through the images and followed the directions to change the title, words, and saving the images.
The comic strip generator would be a great tool to use in a creative writing exercise for students. The fake magazine would make a very catchy and creative book report cover for a student. And since there are so many to cover templates to choose from (technology, history, science, etc) the student could find one that closely relates to the topic of the project.

Thing #7

Now, this kind of stuff I really like. A friend of mine who teaches 6th grade set up a "Summer Vacation" Blog for her class to access and load pictures and video clips. She said the students really enjoyed it and they continued to use it throughout the school year.
This type of technological tool can really help connect students. It would also be a great way to enhance academic topics.

I love this site. I have used it before and it is a great way to share pictures and video with family and friends. Will you use Flickr for classroom, library or personal photos, or in some other way? I am not a teacher, but I can see possibly using it to post training pictures from my residence life staff.Have you ever used another photo hosting service besides Flickr?
Yes
Which one?
I like using Facebook to share photos.
How do the two compare?
I prefer facebook because it gives other people the option to tag your photos.
How do you feel about having your photos in a public place (note that you can mark your photos private too) -- any concerns?
You have to be careful posting any type of personal information on the Internet. Always use Internet caution






My nephew's 3rd Birthday.... that was some delicious cake!





Don't laugh! A little karaoke time with my lil sis Lori.



This is Lori. She is my little sister through Big Brothers/Big Sisters. We were matched 5 years ago when I lived in Knoxville. I have been in Clarksville for 2 years but we still keep in touch. This was recording during a visit here.

Thing #5- Technology: Friend or Foe

I love technology. I get a thrill when I am introduced to some new applications that I can apply to my life or share with others. It is great and I am always amazed at how people are able to come up with these great new ways to approach a task.
Introducing and incorporating Web 2.0 applications into the educational process helps our students stay competitive and abreast. As stated in one of the readings - the possibilities are endless. Technology is not a fad. It will continue to advance. The more schools incorporate technology into all aspects of their curriculum are doing a service to their students.... Or are they?
Now, I will get on my soap box. As much as I love technology,I feel that something very basic and very crucial is being lost in the mix of it all - Person to person contact. I'm not talking about webcam and Skype, I am referring to sitting down in the same physical location and interacting. In my job I have had conversations with students having difficulties with their roommate and have communicated only through text messages, instant messenger, Myspace, Facebook.... but never sat down in the same room and discussed their grievances. What are we teaching our students through this flooding of technology? I feel there should be as much emphasis on the face to face. Life is not a drive through - sometimes you need to get out of the car and speak to a person face to face. Use technology, but don't let technology use you or abuse you.
What does Web 2.0 and School 2.0 mean for the future of education? Great things. Great advances. Opened doors to students. But the balance must be there.
Ok... stepping off my soap box.

Thing 8 Big Huge Labs and Motivational posters Personalized

I decided to use the Flickr application Big Huge Labs to create a motivational poster using my own photo. I think that this is a great way for a student to express themselves and show those link to their blog their thoughts and ideas in a fun way.

BigHugeLabs: Do fun stuff with your photos

Posted using ShareThis

I also used the Flickr tool Big Huge Labs to create a puzzle using a personal picture. This is great! Take a look at me :). This application has a vast number of uses. I think it would be great to use with younger childern learning learning words by using pictures, developing fine motor skills, etc. And it is just fun. The site gives you the options to buy the pictures as an actual puzzle. or you can print it out, clue to cardboard, cut and put it together. I am not 100% comfortable sharing personal pictures online and feel that people should always practice online safety.

Thing #6- I got the music in me!

This go round I decided to do something a little fun. I selected Pandora.
Pandora is a music site. You can listen to music by artist or genre. You can even load the program on your smart phone and carry Pandora with you every where you go. The search features are great.
For the entertainment value of it - I have only positive things to say about Pandora. I can see it useful for a classroom or library setting. Maybe in exploring different music styles and genres... and yeah, somethings you just need to have a little fun.

Thing #4

Blogging is for me is like dieting... I do great with it for a few days and then I just stop.
I can for the purpose of class how commenting and reading other people's blogs would be a benefit. It is great to share ideas and get a new perspective on things.
For class I will follow
Baning Hatchett - Reason - this person is in my class and in reading their information so far I can appreciate the thoughts and ideas expressed.
Stephen PaulkMcGinley -Reason - this person is in my class and in reading their information so far I can appreciate the thoughts and ideas expressed.
Ursula Price - Reason - this person is in my class and in reading their information so far I can appreciate the thoughts and ideas expressed.
Kimberly Ragin -Reason - this person is in my class and in reading their information so far I can appreciate the thoughts and ideas expressed.
Mindy Engle -Reason - this person is in my class and in reading their information so far I can appreciate the thoughts and ideas expressed.
Laura Czecholinski - Reason -this person is actually one of my student employees. I saw her name listed under another class and thought it would be great to see a different side of what she is doing academically
Cynthia Smith - Reason - Don't know this person but really liked what she discussed in her blog.

I like the fact that people are putting in graphics and cartoons. It breaks the boredom of the process.

Learning for Life- Thing 1 and 2

Here is my little avatar person. Was shocked it did not give me any options for ethnicity.

Of the 7.5 items listed to be a successful life long learner the easiest ones I feel I could incorporate into my life long learning process is to accept responsibility for my own learning. I understand the importance of gathering and gaining new information. I know that I need to take the steps to obtain it. I will have help along the way and will seek help along the way - but as the saying goes "you canlead a horse to water..."
In everything task I undertake I begin with the end in mind. I need to visualize what the end result will be, what success will look like.
The hardest by far is viewing problems as challenges. Sometimes I problem just seems like something else I need to get over, under or through. I know I will come out of it a stronger person, but I don't necessarily think I will come out a smarter person.