Thing # 16 - I Really Needed This

Since I have gmail and google accounts already, I choose iGoogle to help me with a "start" page. This is going to give my early mornings a routine feeling that I really needed. All the tools and sites that I use and visit frequently right on one location. As I adopt more and more sites for my educational and teaching pursuits, this will only serve to increase efficiency. I've already organized it to provide me with a quick look at features that I monitor daily.

I normally use the calendar that is associated with Microsoft Outlook inbox because it reminds me of meetings during school. I also use a paper calendar for non-school appointments. I can keep this in my backpack. I just visited the Google calendar and think I may begin using it regularly. It can be useful because I can share it with other people (of my choosing). After I purchase an iPad it will be convenient to just maintain the single Google Calendar.

I also looked as several of the Top 25 Web 2.0 Apps. The bloglines site should be helpful while tracking or monitoring specific blogs. I've already joined the Gliffy site. I just joined the impressr and am not yet impressed. There appears to be a learning curve to find music & illustrations and for importing existing PowerPoints. I'll have to work on this application but it's free and could be useful for high school projects and especially in collaboration activities.

Thing 14.5 Gotta Love Bubbles

The bubbl.us site proved very useful in completing my internet scavenger hunt exercise. The exercise dealt with creating a preliminary mineral ID chart for basic minerals. The results are shown above. This was an interesting and fun exercise.

Thing #15

Discovery Exercise:
1. What a world of wikis! Everything you always wanted to know....and more. And you can even add your knowledge to the discussion. That makes it a collaborative site. So, thanks to Dr. Jerles I now know that wiki is an acronym for 'what i know is', that's something I did not know! Wiki also means 'quick' in Hawaiian. I've long used Wikipedia with the understanding that it's probably not a source that you would want to use for a reference in scientific research, but it still has a lot of useful information.
Wikis can be used in the class setting to make collaborative projects. For instance, if you taught 4 physical science classes and were working on a joint project to make the school more environmentally aware, they could use a wiki to plan, review, and execute a school-wide program for recycling, reducing, and reusing materials. Everyone could take part, dividing individual classes in to groups with assigned responsibilities and reporting methods. The wiki will have multiple uses whenever collaboration in needed on projects.
2. I posted my bubbl.us chart onto APSU 23 Things Sandbox wiki. I choose not to just post from my blog but edited a short note and posted a jpeg from my scavenger hunt. It took a while to determine how to post jpeg files, but it's all good now.

My 14th Thing

The two sites that I joined were bubbl.us and Gliffy. The bubbl.us site utilizes bubbles to build charts. I found this was really good for doing family trees, so I built one showing my 4 children and 7 grandchildren. I think this might also have an application in high school science showing succession of genetic traits.

I've attached the chart that I created on the Gliffy site. I created a flowchart about finding the sports page from the Leaf Chronicle, something I frequently do, and now everyone will know the process. This was a really fun site and will have multiple applications for teaching and administrative tasks.

Thing # 13

I like the idea of having a word processing program that is not resident on my computer hard drive (and is free!). However, I am so accustomed to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel that I doubt I’ll use the Google docs or Zoho Writer that often. Also, it appears that Word has much more functionality and especially the ‘merge’ capability that we just recently discovered.

Google docs could have great utility for a high school science class because it is free, upgraded periodically, and everyone can have easy access to it. It also contains word processing, spreadsheet, form, and presentation programs. Google docs can also be easily shared with members of a group which would make collaboration a natural process. When I set up a document, I can choose whether others have editing privileges, or can just view the document. I can establish a list of collaborators with whom I share documents.

Google docs has one utility that I will try to use frequently, and that is using this program to write my blogs. This blog was written with Google docs and then moved into my blogosphere, but I had to copy and paste as Html.

The 12th Thing - Cool Google Tools

Since I am familiar with Picasa and aware of the google calendar, I choose to investigate Google Alerts and iGoogle. Both sounded pretty cool.

Google Alerts - monitoring the Web for selected content. I choose to monitor the topic of earthquakes on a daily basis. Rather than being bothered by all references to earthquakes, I selected the 'only the best results' pick, which means the topic will be monitored for worthy, daily news items dealing with earthquakes.
In this site it is very simple to set-up and delete searches. This is probably the easiest site to manage that I have been to today!

In iGoogle, the main panel has picks for spell checker, date & time, YouTube, weather, and CNN.com. You also have chat options, and links to email for all of your email contacts (only if you have a gmail account).

The calendar and iGoogle would have utility for a classroom, but I think to one tool that would be most useful in a high school science class would be the Google Alerts. If your class is monitoring a specific scientific phenomena, then this tool will alert you when anything is observed or reported by the media.

I didn't realize that Google was so intertwined into the www system.

Thing #11

I used the Google Blog Search tool and entered the word 'science' and found a lengthy list of science related blogs. I decided to add the YearofScience.com site to my Google Reader.
This site has articles about scientific discovery, research, experiments, and even theories. I am sure it will occasionally have articles that are relevant for high school science students.

The Technorati tool was useful in that you could go directly to his top 100 blogs. The only problem was that it takes some time to load because of all the advertisements that are on the page. He also has a neat site titled 'State of the Blogospere' which chronicles how the Blogosphere has evolved over time.

Since I am an avid Googler, I found all the major newsfeeds by googling national news. Then it is easy to copy and paste my favorite into the Google Reader site.

The TENTH Thing

Since I already have a gmail account the Google Reader set up was no problem. I decided to set up subscriptions for my children and then to the Free Technology for Teachers, Dangerously Irrelevant, and Cool Cat Teacher. It was really quite simple to add the blogs and sites to my Google Reader.

Since the account was just established I really don't know how I will like it. Maybe I'll have a better idea after a couple of days when I have begun receiving notification that updates are available. This could improve efficiency in a school setting by allowing you to continuously monitor for blog updates.

Thing # 9

The kid should feel at home with his favorite food as a frame!

I looked at several of the online image generators and liked the idea of creating custom frames for my grandchildren. This was furnished by a site called fototrix.com.I will try to find the perfect frame for each of my (7) grandchildren.

Thing #8

My access to mashups had some problems so I will try to access and report on this after mid-term. I particularly wanted to do something with Mappr but that link was a dead end. I would really like to put a lot of my photos onto a map base....maybe I'll have to post them to Google-Earth later.

Thing #7 - Flickr

Sunset in the High Uinta Mountians, Utah


The world is my classroom!




I chose to complete option 2, create a free Flickr account and blog about my experience.

Working through Flickr hasn't been intuitive nor easy, but I see a lot of usefulness, both for family photo sharing and for the opportunity of establishing as classroom group so the students can be involved in photo sharing.

I did tag several photos but they haven't yet showed up in the apsu23things group. I'll work on this a little later. I do plan to continue with my Flickr experience with my family photos.

I have used another photo hosting service in the past (Dropbox) but have not been actively involve recently.

And then there were 6 Things

I chose to explore (and join for free) the skydrive site. This location furnishes a Web storage service and you can get up to 25GB of storage space for your files and pics. Another neat feature is that you can set up groups so that others (i.e. your students) can enter and access shared documents, such as homework. This will have useful application to high school science classes.

This site also furnishes a group email address so you can stay in touch. One other functionality is the shared calendar that you can use to track assignments. When you join skydrive you also set up a hotmail account.

Thing 5 - Perspectives on web 2.0

The concept of Web 2.0 is new to me, a whole dimension that I have been (happily) blind to, although I use the www on a daily basis. In studying the course information about Web 2.0, I was impressed with Mr. MacManus' summary where he explained that 'so many people are now creating and building on the web'. I've never considered the Web as a platform that could be used for so many basic purposes (especially on the individual level) such as sharing information and data, business, communication, education and music. I've only recently begun hearing the term 'park it in the clouds', and now a light is coming on for me! I'm one of those guys who keeps everything on my c-drive and have it backed up on a flash drive. I don't know if that is good or bad.

Most of the new technology that I am being introduced to in the EDUC5540 class is associated with Web 2.0. I have so far to go....and so little time.

The resources available on the web are truly astounding. Information on every imaginable topic and at appropriate levels for any student. The Tech & Learning site is loaded with information and tips for educators. I liked their 'site of the day' today which had a topic and exercise dealing with prehistoric climate change. It allows students to determine ancient climates based on evaluation of fossil plants, and then has a video that discusses why this is important to us today.

Thing #4 - Why commenting is important

I just read the resource article "How to Comment Like a King (or Queen)". From this article, I've become convinced that blogging, in a professional sense, will have its greatest benefit in networking with other teaching professionals. Kind'a like having a sounding board to share ideas and get feedback that will be beneficial in one's career and have a positive impact on the students involved. Additionally, the best way to develop this network is by commenting on other's blogs, especially when you find helpful information or ideas.

I tend to be a little timid with conversation so this article was good in that it forewarned me of the learching 'Darth Commenter'. I suppose there will always be detractors, especially if they can remain anonymous.

I will be editing this this post during the next 3 weeks with information about the 7 blogs I've chosen to follow.

Thing #3 - Registering My Blog

O.K. so I registered my blog about a week ago...should have blogged about it then instead of waiting until later. Now to consider how to use weblogs in education. The 'EduBlog Insights' post has some ideas that I would have never considered. I particularly like the idea of explaining teaching insights I've gained from classroom activities. This allows me to better evaluate those activities, their significance for student experience, and then allow others to gain insights into my own process of discovery.

Using the blog as an avenue to communicate with students has lots of merit, except that now, I will have to create a second blog for my personal rantings. I can see having students checking my blog for homework assignments and then posting their completed work. Adds an element of efficiency to the process.

Thing 2 - Setting up your own blog

Turns out that I actually created my own blog page 2 1/2 years ago with the help of my son. Then, I promptly forgot all about it, and so, it set dormant for that time. It's exciting to finally learn how to create and edit posts, and to customize my blog site. Just navigating around was difficult at first and I learned that sometimes you just have to hit the 'back' key. I visit my dashboard so frequently that it is beginning to feel like home!

Doing the avatar was a challenge at first, just blundering around and creating a couple of weird ones before finally creating one that I was willing to add to my blog.

Now my next challenge will be to master the conversational aspects of blogs. I am also lucky to have figured out how to use the spell checker. I decided that, if blogging really is a tool that can assist with my teaching efforts, then proficiency must be developed.

Thing #1 - Discussion of Lifelong Learning

In some respects, I have always been a lifelong learner. After completing a master's degree in geology and gaining employment in the petroleum industry I frequently enrolled in training opportunities. In fact, I attended every training opportunity that my employer would allow. After accepting early retirement, I decided to build my own home (for retirement). I began looking at homes that were under construction and reviewing blueprints and plans. After selecting a floor plan and preparing a location, I proceeded to build the home. At my current work in the APSU Geosciences Department, I recently determined that a large volume of maps and charts are being published and distributed in a GIS-format, so I registered for, and completed a GIS training program. Now, with a desire to teach high school science, I am embarking on another educational program which will allow me to continue a second career in education.

The video of 'Seven and 1/2 Highly Successful Lifelong Learners' while simple in approach, is very enlightening and had good direction. To me, the easiest habit is to accept responsibility for your own learning. Since leaving home at the age of 18, I have been totally independent and have always taken responsibility for my actions as well as my direction in life. I know that my education is an investment in my future that no one else can make. The most difficult habit for me is that of using technology to my advantage. I've always taken advantage of the technology required for my job, and have typically been very proficient in that technology. However, the current pace of technlological development is quickly overtaking my ability to remain current. I have never experienced twitter, facebook or blog (until now), nor used MP3 players or I-Pads. I guess that will be my next quest as I work toward overcoming this most difficult of the 7 1/2 Habits.

Pre-23 Things: I actually did have a life before teaching!

Most people who embark on a teaching career are younger than 61 years, but then, late bloomer should be allowed to succeed. One of my greatest hopes in the EDUC 5540 course is that I can improve my "technosavey" and acutally become comfortable in the digital age. How can you gain the respect of a high-schooler, after all, if you can't communicate in tek-talk.

Looking forward to the next 5 weeks.