Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Post 24 - The End of this Blog

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen......I would like to say that I have learned a great deal in this class that I honestly did not know before regarding technology. I, myself, feel that I can stay up to date with the current trends in technology but this class has shown me that I am far behind. I do not thought belive that the majority of these lesson will assist me in my class as I am planning to be in SPED but will do my best to incorporate them as I can. As for the work load of the clas I have to say it was a bit much for individuals that have a full time job and thena family on top of that. The blog or the in-class lessons would have been enough to learn what these topics covered and how we can use them but not both in the future. I do feel though that knowing what is available to use in the classroom is very important and needed. The only problem i have is that are we as a society becoming to dependant on computers and creating a distance between ourselves and others? Can we take using this technology to far and create a world of computer screens instead of faces? Thanky ou for your time.

Post 23 - Creative Commons

I honestly had no idea what Creative Commons was before this class adn the blog/ next to last class session. I know that in the past I have possibly violated this and can see where others now need to be educated regarding this process. Teacheing this will be part of my class early and often once I am there as this will be important to every student as they grow in not only their school writings and projects but the everyday lives as well when it comes to using images or other copy protected objects.
http://www.workmadeforhire.net/the-rest/whats-the-difference-between-copyright-and-creative-commons/
All original site content © 2009-2014 Katie Lane. Illustrations © Dylan Meconis 2014. Website by Outbox Online.

Post 22 - LiveBinders

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1329979
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1329979&present=true
Click here to open this binder in a new window.

This was another fairly easy and very interesting topic. I feel that I can use this in my classroom and also in my personal life to help organize and file important documents, research, and other things as needed. The site was easy to navigate and the binders are easy as well to modify as needed.

Post 21 - Animoto

Pic of stuff

This was fun and I can see where I will be using this in the future. Not only can I use this in the classroom but I can use it to make something sweet for my wife on her birthday now! I found the upload of various picturesa to be easy and playing around with the different looks was easy as well.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Post 20 - YOUTUBE

http://youtu.be/OH4B4aF3KbA
Youtube and I have been friends for years now. From homemade fan films of Batman and Spiderman to documentaries I have enjoyed using YouTube since it was first developed. As for use in the classroom this tool is one that i can strongly get behind as it can be used to show discussions and forums from all around the globe. If you are speaking on a subject or particular lesson you can almost 100% of the time find an interesting video about it here. I can see where it could also be used in research as long as the information is correct and accurate. The other tool I choose was POWToon as having the ability to make any powerpoint or presentation more fun and entertaining while still getting your point across is very important.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Post 19 - Other Social Medias

One - I already have a Facebook and IMDB account that I am signed up for

Two - I spend WAY to much time on both as I love talking to my friends in Alabama and seeing what new movies are coming out and talking about them.

Three - DO WE REALLY NEED MORE DISTRACTION IN OUR CLASSROOMS?!?!?!

I hate to be this blunt but social netweorking and such can really get out of control unless properly watched.  Everyone can look up most anything about anybody these days and it's on a social media sight.  I am one of those people that learned that sharing to much on these sights can catch up to you real quick especially when it comes to posting your opinions.  Now I for one did find the cooking sites interestins as I love being in the kitchen but do not find a place for these sites in my classroom.  If the student chooses to join and participate in a social media site outside of the classroom I am fine with that but leave your cell phones, IPads, and other toys at the door.  I may be old fashioned but I do not feel these types of things need to be a part of the classroom.

Post 18 - Social Networks

Honestly, how many people are left today that do not have atleast an account on eithr Facebook or Twitter?  I use mine mostly for keeping up with old friends and sports news and information but these can also be use to share thoughts and ideas.  My Twitter handle is MatthewNixon@Aubie4Life and I do not use this very much at all except to follow certain sports figures and radio stations tweets. you are welocme to follow me but I doubt you will stay long as I don't post hardly at all.  I played around with searching for other groups relating to special education but choose not to follow them as all it would do is sit unviewed for weeks at a time as i do not check my Twitter page often.  For use in the classroom I do not see where this would be more than a distraction and not a tool.  these as is can creat misinformation and controversy. As is and especially dealing with kids and their abilities to mix up things on mistake or to create drama I would not support having this in the classroom.  As for facebook, if monitored and controlled by the teacher, I can see where groups such as Drama, choir, band, or sporting teams would have these as information and support pages for fans and friends to follow.

Post 17 - Tagging

The first time I heard about "Tagging" was when someone used spray paint to write their name on a building or car.  The second time I heard it was when refering to mentioneing when someone is in a photo with you somewhere on Facebook.  To me this was not an important tool to throw out there as Google can take care of most any search that one would need these days.  The ability to "tag" different websites for students to reference is nice but I feel that this takes the effort out of having to go and look up items on your own.  I do not find Delicious really needed or a tool that I will recommend in my classes in the future as it seems confusing and just another way to jumble up information on the web.  Once again I feel that we are using technology sometimes in negative and counter-productive ways when it comes to making things easier when sometimes having to dig into things might be the better way to learn. 

Post 16 - Remember the Milk


This is the link to my tasks or To Do list.

I used Remember the Milk and found it to be very easy to use and to set up reminder for upcoming events.  It was an easily naigated page and I could modify as needed to update or add information as needed.  This will not be my permanent home page as I already use another that I am more comfortable with and is already in use now for many years.  Online calendars, especially when linked to your smart phone, are very helpful and needed in this rushed day and age.  In the classroom having an up to date and fluid system of reminder is a tool that no teacher should be without while staying on task. 

Thing 15 - Wikis


This is the link to my trial Wiki page that I was not very impressed with.  First off it was not as easy as I would have liked tos et up and secondly I felt as if I was rehashing information that you find on any other site but what I used worked for this assignment.  I posted about the history of Auburn Football on my wiki.  I cannot see myself using this in my classroom but can see where others such as history classes might.  Knowing that sites such as Wikipedia are updated and corrected all the time for accuracy will oneday make it the go to site and almost make encyclopedia obsolete.  Once again my thought is are we as a society allowing ourselves to become to dependant on the web and what it has to offer?  Technology and ease of finding items is great but at what point are we developing / teaching our children to take the easier route all the time? 

Thing 14 - Flow and Mind

Both Mindmaps and Flowcharts are wonderful resources that every class / teacher should be taking advantage of now.  In the events world as I am in now we could stand to actually use these as well instead of the old pen and paper route that we currently manage.


Flowchart - flowchart.com

This site seemed easy to navigate and I find that using flow charts is a very benificial tool.  As a current event planner you have to rely on a flow or process to get from one step to the next when creating and putting on any event.  In the classroom you also need a flow or progression chart to show how it is you or the students will get from point A to point B and everything in between.  This site allowed for easy acces to many different types of these charts and the manipulations of each was very easy to master.

MindMap - mindmeister.com

What a great to to use to share ideas, brainstorm thoughts on subjects, and compile information amongst groups and other peers.  you can use this to collaberate on projects or simply a way to teach a gropu of students that each teacher may have in common.  Once again this was an easy site to use and create / share thoughts and ideas on.  In the classroom using this as a project tool for student's could come in handy. 

Thing 13 - Google Drive

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-mvfOfv-UCjHsCMBsbJddCoW4kAdvE5pTAkw0O-vpWU/pub
This is my link to my test document.
• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0Au6mxYyxW7H6dFZ1Mk1WdDROUHo4bm1KcWZyUFFyNEE&output=html
This is my link to my test spreadsheet.
Using Google Drive can allow students to not only share ideas, thoughts, dats, and resources with one another but with the teacher as well. This will aid in the ability to transfer information in a quicker and paperfree method all the while improving the learning process. Both site, Google and Zoho, are both really great sites to explore and see just waht is out there for information and idea sharing tools. I can see where both can be easily used but with Google being the bigger and more recognizd name people will choose to go to it first.