Thing #8

This took me forever to figure out how to do, but I was finally successful!
I think that in the context of pictures that this tool is not very useful. However, I think that if you used this tool for reading words it could be helpful. There are also many other ways that it may be helpful, but I think reading and English topics would be the most helpful.



CREDITS:
1. Morfosis., 2. Jump, 3. Jump, 4. Jump

Thing #7

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcin_owl/3912135739/

Well this was by far the easiest "thing" to do! I explored around Flickr and found so many beautiful pictures. I went and searched ballet images because I used to dance. I picked this picture because of its beautiful simplicity.
From what I saw just exploring a little bit of Flickr I can see many ways that it would be helpful in a classroom.

Thing #6

The site I choose is www.dropbox.com . Dropbox is an amazing site! The idea of the website is that you can upload a file to the website and after that you will be able to access it from any computer. I think this would be an amazing tool as a teacher. There is also the option to set up folders that a student could retrieve documents off of. I think that this would increase the amount of accountability for students. There would no longer be an excuse that they forgot their homework at home because they would have access to it from any computer. I think that there are unlimited ways that this could be used in a classroom. The best part? It's free!

Thing #5

Student 2.0 will open many different opportunities for teachers and students. I think that it will encourage some students to interact in ways that traditional teaching methods may not allow. However, I think that for the most part it will promote a detached way of teaching. I am a strong believer in face to face communication. Although technology is good in some ways I think that at times it limits face to face communication to the point that ultimately hurts the child's education.
I think that in a classroom that I would be hesitant how much I would use this tool. In some ways I think that it would be awesome to allow a child to interact with teachers in a different context than the sometimes intimidating atmosphere of a classroom. However, I feel that it reduces the impact of a classroom in some ways that I would not be willing to sacrifice.

Thing #4

Commenting on blogs is very reassuring for bloggers. I think that by responding to someone's thoughts that you make sure that they are not feeling stupid about their thoughts. By commenting you are helping build the confidence of your peers. Commenting also opens a door to many other discussions and interactions between teachers.
By far the most important thing that I read in the articles about commenting was to disagree in a respectful manner. I think that blogs do open many doors to communication, but if comments were no longer respectful then in my opinion would turn blogs into gossip channels like Facebook and Myspace.
The blogs I chose to read were: Mary Hutchinson, Paige Walker, Whitney Cassetty, Tammy Waters, Jonathon Long, Successful Teaching, and Joe Hoyle: Teaching - Getting the Most from Your Students.
I choose these classmates because I browsed many of my fellow classmates blogs and theirs are the ones that got my attention. I choose my two out of class blogs because I found that those blogs were centered around the information that I want to surround myself with as I learn about being a better teacher.

Thing #3

A blog can help teachers in so many ways. A blog can offer a way to communicate with students, parents, and other teachers. It can also help some kids ask questions without the fear of feeling stupid. It can allow students to give and receive help from other students as well as other teachers. As for parent communications, this can allow teachers to let parents into the daily happenings of their child's school life. However, I think that the most useful way a blog can be used is to communicate with other teachers. This allows teachers to be unrestricted in the number of peers that they can get in contact with and gain advice from.

Thing #2

I picked my posting name by picking something that I would not forget. That is my downfall when it comes to making profile and accounts is I can never remember all the different usernames that I have made. After I got through the process of naming and giving all my information I had no trouble getting my blog started. I always have trouble with the initial set up process because I always wind up spelling one thing wrong. I think my avatar does portray me somewhat. I am a very straight forward person so what you see is what you get. I like structure and organization. I am really making myself sound like a boring person, but I promise I'm not!

Thing #1

No body likes to fail at things. I am no exception to this statement. Therefore, my hardest habit is seeing a problem as a challenge. For the most part people's gut reaction to a problem is "Oh crap..". However as a teacher I feel that I need to strive to overcome this reaction. As teachers we have to be able to help our students with their problems not make them panic by our bad reaction.
I think my easiest habit would be to use technology. My whole life I have been surrounded by technology. My dad is a computer programmer so technology for the most part comes easily to me simply because I have seen many complex computer problems solved. I was also fortunate enough to go to a school in which technology classes were offered at essentially all grade levels. This prepared me in ways that I am just now beginning to appreciate.