Tutorials

Since I’m always interested in home improvement projects, I decided to find tutorials on laying tile.  I’ve actually watched this being done, so I have a basic knowledge but wanted to find out more details.

http://www.easy2diy.com/cm/easy/diy_ht_3d_index.asp?page_id=35750428

The above tutorial was actually pretty good, although I think the method described may be complicated than necessary.  The only thing they didn’t really cover is what surfaces you can lay the tile on.  I did find the animated illustrations and verbal instructions the tutorial used to be very helpful.

http://www.floorstransformed.com/installfloor.html

This tutorial was more comprehensive instructions but it’s not as user friendly.  It breaks down the process into smaller steps, all in writing.  There is no video or audio.

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-install-ceramic-tile-flooring-155486/

I like this tutorial the best.  It was a video that showed the process step-by-step.  The video was very comprehensive, including explanations of why different steps are done.  I found this one the easiest to follow.

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Thing #18

Honestly, I really don't like facebook or myspace, especially for kids.  These sites seem to have replaced personal interaction for both kids and adults.  I don't think it is detrimental for adults, but kids are still developing their personal identity.  I know of kids that have developed online profiles that are totally false, i.e. 12 year olds that say they're 16.    I think this is one of those things that should be closely monitored by parents.  I guess my background in law enforcement has also prejudiced me against such social networks for young people due to the use of these networks by predators.   Although it's probably an unpopular opinion, I don't think I would ever use this in a classroom.   Having said all this, I will also admit that I was unaware of all the things available on Facebook besides discussions, i.e. games and event planners.  

Vickie Moreland on Facebook.

Thing #17

Del.icio.us is another way to get information to a large group of people.  While the articles that I read were interesting, I found navigating through this site to be a bit overwhelming.  There is just so much information available. However, if you need a common place to find information, this does seem like it would be useful.

Thing #16

For my start page, I choice igoogle.com.  I have played around with this before and found it to be very user friendly. This time, I added a planner and To Do list, as well as the Google Translate.  I can use the online calender and planner to keep track of both work and home events.  Since I love to make lists to make sure I don't forget anything, I love the To Do gadget.  I would recommend all these tools.  I'm not sure if I'll make this my permanent home page, as I still need to figure out how to get to my email from this page.  I can set up a gmail account, but I REALLY don't need another email address.  Can I change this receive personal email?

Thing #15

The Wiki is fun but can be a bit complicated.  After viewing Wiki's in Plain English, it seemed so simple.  However, when I went to sandbox, I couldn't edit the Front Page.  I think it was due to the size.  It gave me a message about splitting the page, so I ended up creating a new page titled "Signs", as I liked the signs apps in Thing #9.  Creating this page and editing it really was simple.  Sharing information in this manner would really be easy to do.

Thing #14

I chose Gliffy.com to explore for flow charts.  I can see using this to create charts to demonstrate a concept for students.  This would be a good way to show multiple outcomes that are possible given different scenarios. 

I chose bubbl.us to explore mind maps.  I have to say this is very cool.   I can see where this would be useful as a brainstorming tool.  It's also very versatile which makes it easy to make changes.  I think I'll get a lot of use out of this app. 

Thing #13

Thing # 13

 Using ​​​​​Zoho writer is very similiar to Microsoft Word.​  The only real difference that I could find is that there are not as many font styles available.  However, I really like the idea of being able to share work with others.  I don't think this is necessarily done easily though.  I tried to post this using Share to Blog but was unable to get it to work (I really did try).  Anybody know how to sign on in https mode? 

Thing #1

The easiest of the learning habits for me is "Teach/mentor others".  I just really enjoy feeling like I'm making a difference for someone else.  However, the hardest for me would be to "Have confidence in yourself as a compentent, effective learner."  I'm one of those people that feel like there's alway more (even when there may not be). 

Setting up this blog was not particularly hard, but I think playing with the Web 2.0 may be a lifelong task.   It would take forever to really explore everything, but I'm enjoying it anyway.

Thing #2

Vickie's Blog is pretty self-explanatory.  As you can see, no creativity was really used.  Although creating the blog was not particularly hard, it was still a creative experience.  For one thing, I'm learning to move things around so that they make more sense.  I think I'll be changing a lot of things as I go along though, including my Avatar.  At this point, I don't really think it's representative of me.  It's more like a work in progress.

Thing #3

I think a blog would be great way to keep a kind of diary.  This diary would not only track teaching experients and issues, it would also be a record of ideas.  By writing these down, I will be able to see what works best and, hopefully, others can benefit and add insights to the posts.

Thing #4

I believe that it stated in the Blue Skunk Blog Your Comments?, that writers make their writings public because they want to be read.  By commenting, those that respond to posts fill this need for the writer by assuring them that they haven't wasted their time.  This also helps create a personal connection for the writer and the people who respond, creating a sense of community and obvious interaction.  Of course, it's important to keep comments constructive and polite.  Before reading Your Comments?, I had never heard the term troll used as defined in that blog.  However, it certainly seems like an appropriate term for the type of comments that it describes.

While "trolling" through the blogs of classmates, I picked up on the following posts:

• Amanda Ezell's Thing #9 - Amanda obviously enjoyed creating the magazine cover of her and her brother.  I liked seeing the product of her creative labors.
• Rebecca Austin's Thing #12 - I chose this because I wanted to see what app. someone else in the class had explored.  It sounds like Rebecca has a lot of experience with Google Apps. 
• Brittany Adam's Thing #12 - Just like with Rebecca, I was curious about what Brittany discovered.  Brittany also chose Google Calendar, and her insights have made me more deteremined to utilize these and other useful tools.
• Jamie Edward's Thing #7 - One of the great things about reviewing other people's blogs is not just the content.  I had to mention Jamie's because it is not only very detailed, it also creatively displayed. 
• Tabitha Sirmans' New Thing #6 - Tabitha's blog is a great example of how teacher's can find great tools to use by viewing blogs.  Slidestory.com sounds great, Tabitha.

In other blogs, I think the following will be useful down the road:

• In Free Technology for Teachers, there was an article on how you could spend $2000.  This doesn't seem like a lot of money when you consider how much things cost in the technology field.  This article points out how much of a difference it can make though.
• Meeting to Meet?  This was in Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?, and I couldn't resist.  The number of meetings that the decision makers in our office have to attend is a standing joke with our office.  This article focuses on what should be the purpose of meetings.  I think I'll share this with those decision makers!

Thing #5

After reading and watching the information on Web 2.0, I still have a lot of questions.  I can see where this technology can be used in classes today but how much is it limited by lack of resources such as a limited number of computers?  Is it also limited by the need to meet curriculum based standards and time restrictions?    I think the future of education is undoubtedly going to include the use of technology, but I'd love to see how it's being utilized now.   Can anyone give me any specifics of how this concept is being applied in an actual classroom?  Computers are a fact of life and, in a lot of cases, an enjoyable resource for many students.  It seems crazy not use this trend to promote learning.

Thing #6

Ask.com is a great search engine for finding information on any topic, as it gives information on related topics.  For example, I asked where to buy a Kindle.  I received several sites with that information but also got the research sites for why and why not to buy a Kindle.  It's also useful if you just have a few key words rather than specific information.  If you enter "sculpture of American flag being set", you get the flag at Iwo Jima right away as well as other sites that might be related.  This is a good research tool.

http://www.ask.com/

Thing #7

No, this is not one of mine.  I did have a beautiful baby identical to this one until 2 years ago, but he passed away.  I'm sure why this caught my eye.  This picture was posted by Jonathan Fleming, and it's one of several.  The subject of the photo is a Shiba Inu.

I must say I like the images that you can find on Flickr, but I didn't find it particularly easy to use.  It is easy to find pictures of just about anything, but it's not easy to use pictures like this one.  I'm not sure what the problem was, but when I tried to paste the URL into the blog, I got an invalid URL message. The problem may very well be with the blog site though as clicking on the following link appears to work.   http://www.flickr.com/photos/jfleming701/4803976982/in/photostream/

In order to get the photo in this blog though, I emailed it to myself.

Thing #8

I did this using Bubblr!, which allows you to add bubbles to pictures from Flickr to create cartoons.  This could be used by students to create their own cartoons and even publish them.  The only problem was that I didn't find the instructions for posting the pictures to blogs very helpful. 

Things #9

This was created in Happy Face Generator  (http://www.happyfacegenerator.com/).  This is fun, because there are a lot of different options for customizing your design.  In addition to being used by students, this would be a great way for teachers to draw attention to instructions.
 


I used the Fortune Teller option in image chef (http://www.imagechef.com/).  Students would be able to use this to create text in a variety of formats.  I think the animation adds to attraction for using this app.

Custom Sign Generator (http://www.fansigngenerator.com/) is another way for students to express thoughts and ideas.

Thing #10

I found linking RSS feeds to Google Reader to be very convenient.  I can use this to stay current on changes in education and technology.  However, finding sites to link to may not be easy. I would love some suggestions on this.  Teachers can use this technology to make access to relevant sites easy for both students and themselves.  I look forward to continuing to search for new and interesting feeds for both education and subjects of personal interest.  For example, in addition to the education sites that I subscribed to, I also subscribed to CBS news.

Thing #11

As confusing as it may sound, Thing #11 helps to provide the answers to the questions that I had after Thing #10.   Out of the search tools provided, I found Technorati to be the easiest to use.  I found several blogs that I found interesting ranging from everything from skin care to Savannah cats.  As far as useful information, check out the blog at http://blog.heritage.org/2010/09/28/leaving-children-behind-it%E2%80%99s-time-to-embrace-online-education/ on Leaving Children Behind.  Of course, the same search yielded some information that was not as useful such as missing electronics at a learning center.  You still have to weed through the results of the search.  On those not so easy, I would have to cite Topix.net.  My searches on that site just didn't produce the results I expected.

As far as finding these on my own, I could still use some help!!!

Thing #12

Out to the Google tools listed, I chose to explore Google Translate and Google Calendar.  The reason that I chose Google Translate is that I had to create a lesson around a foreign language in a previous class. One of the challenges was finding tools to use to translate the dialog.  Google Translate will definitely be helpful for this.  I chose Google Calendar as well because it seems like my life revolves around my blackberry.  This application works with my blackberry as well as serving other purposes like sending invitations and tracking RSVPs.   I'm definitely going to be using this!