April 18, 2010 / Widgets

This is a very cool little tool. I used the picture gadget because it seemed like a simple thing to do first. I like that all of these widgets are in one place. It's like a little library of tools.

Mashups

I did not like the Flickr mashups..didn't get it. SO,I went to the home search one. I liked that a lot. What I liked about it is that it takes out all of the red tape of the usual realty sites. Sometimes, it feels like you are trying to get into Fort Knox with those. This was so simple. Just click and drag. Awesome. I can't wait to really get into it.

Flickr

I have never thought about the possibility of losing my photos due to a computer crash...thank goodness for the tutorial for pointing out that scenario! I loaded up a few photos and attempted several times to add a photo to my blog---but it just woudn't work for me. I don't know what I am doing wrong. I may be coming to see Mr. Van for some assistance. Aside from this problem, I like knowing that I can place these somewhere safely.

Wiki's

I am soooo horribly behind...however, I did set up a wiki for my British Lit. class. I created it as a tool to review Jane Eyre. I didn't expect to receive an email for each "edit/comment."


kids crying..to be contd...

RSS's, Readers, blogs...oh my!

I added a few blogs to my Reader and I think the idea of having this ability is good for certain information but I don't feel attached to it at this point. I will probably add NPR and BBC to this, as I do become irritated at having to go through my favorites to find the headlines I am seeking.

Thing 6 and Nings

I was accepted into the English Companion Ning and am truly enjoying the content. I spent quite a bit of time reading some of the blogs regarding Shakespeare (I was in the depths of The Tempest for Brit.Lit.). I can see how a person can become addicted to one of these sites, especially when it is as comprehensive and well thought out. So glad I was introduced to it!

LinkedIn

I am not sure how I feel about this. I had stumbled upon this site before and had wondered about its usefullness. The verdict is still out on this. I hadn't thought about it as a resource for educators but I can see how for a quick look at a candidate this could work.

Responding to Blogs

I can see how this would be an effective way to spark interest in a student to write and share her thoughts. It is something that I had addressed earlier. As I stated earlier, "Writing for Writing's Sake." I think I will title the blog that( the one I want to start with my students).

In response to how I felt about reading my first comment: I felt rather apprehensive when I realized others would be reading these. I still feel that way, but it is in a non-threatening mannner. I am rather private and this will have to force me to be more open with others. I didn't expect to see a comment to my post. It was an unexpected surprise and now that I know that this will be a regular occurrence I will be more conscience of what and how I write.

Thing 3

I enjoyed perusing the many blogs that were listed. Some were better than others. I especially enjoyed the format of the one that the teacher developed for his/her students. It was a wonderful way to create a "safe zone" for student to just write. I love the idea of having a place for students to write without there having to be a formal topic or expectation. Writing for Writing's sake. I am seriously thinking of doing this in my class (Brit.Lit). Tradionally, I have always had my sophomores journal in a classical journal (bound paper). But, this may be an interesing thing to do. I use Moodle daily and could use one of the activity options to do this but I like the blogging idea because it seems more open ended and it has a less "how much is this worth" feel to it....pondering....

Dino's assignment # 1
Excited about blogging. I have never done it but have wondered what it is and what it does. Now I know! Glad this will assist me in my tech hours too! I think this will be a great way to utilize what I am learning and give me confidence to incorporate more tech into the classroom.