Thing #24

         Wow! I can't believe I am done with all of these different tools. I definitely learned a lot from completing all of the different Thing assignments and am glad I learned them because they all have different aspects they I will later utilize in my classroom. Livebinder is a great tool I can use to stay organized along with using wikis, along with the a few other favorites but there are a few others I probably won't use like flow charts or rss feeds. As for the program even though it was difficult at times I really don't think there was anything you need to change or alter because even though it was difficult at times I am glad I tried all of them. It really opened up the idea to me to explore the internet more and find other sites and applications I can use later on that I never knew about. As for what I learned that can influence me as a teacher I don't think there was anything that I learned that didn't influence me as a teacher. All of the different things influenced me in some way by giving me different ideas I could use in the classroom. I can't wait to try these different applications more.

Thing #23

           As both an art student and a soon to be art teacher I know a lot about creative commons and the different licenses involved. I first had to learn about it in a electronic imaging class then in this class and it has been helpful. For my future art class I will have to impart that knowledge to my students in order to help them learn how to use the different licenses in the future so they can know what they can do and can't do when creating art and borrowing ideas.

Thing #22

I created three binders titles: Interactive Site, Art Making Videos and Thing #22. This website is pretty useful for me when I start teaching. The Livebinder I am going to share is actually what I would use it for in my classroom. I would mainly use it for organizing lesson plan ideas for different units along with a way to organize interactive art sites which was why I created an additional binder for that purpose. I can also use it to organize different sites for artist biographies to share and art movements I want to use. I can definitely see using this site a lot more as I become more comfortable with it and think of more sites I want to organize for use.

Thing#22

Thing #21

After trying Animoto I think the site is okay but can be annoying uploading photos. Though it looked simple trying to load everything that I needed took forever and I kept having issues uploading photos that I wanted to use from my Picassa account. When I tried my computer the site still took awhile to download them. Even with all the uploading problems I do like the results that I got when the video was finished. I don't think I will use the site a lot but maybe after trying it a few more times I will try it again.



Thing #21

Thing #20

I have always been a fan of Youtube and I use it for a lot of different things. I love being able to listen to my favorite music or to watch old tv shows and even to watch clips of different art techniques I want to learn about. I can pretty much learn about anything watching a youtube clip. But, even though I love the site there are aspects that can be difficult. You can lose some of your favorite videos if the person who created it deletes it even when you favorite the video or if Youtube thinks the music you used in a video was illegally obtained they will silence the video. I have also found that sometimes videos have some glitches and the volume can be too slow or freeze, etc. 

I chose the video to give an example of what I would use youtube for in in my classroom. There are numerous videos available for my art class as additional tools to explain a movement to my class or to further expand on a topic I'm teaching. I can also use the videos on different art making technique to give additional visuals to show how to use different art techniques to teach a concept. 

http://www.powtoon.com/dashboard/

I decided on powtoon to use for future use in my classroom because it is a great site to show my students. Its a tool that allows someone to create animated video mashups easily. The site made this as simple as possible that even kids could do it. Its a great site and I could use it as a lesson to show them a lesson on digital art techniques or even as just a fun tool they could learn. Its a fun site to try.

   

Thing #19

      Social networking is a great way for teachers to better connect to students on a level they understand. By using social networking in their classrooms teachers can better help their students by having reminders about homework, additional help in their classroom, and reminders about homework and quizzes. By using social networking teachers can help their students more than ever before.
       Other than Facebook and Twitter I am a member of Pinterest but only use it occasionally. I did discover a few other social networking sites after reading thing 19 like GoodReads and a few others that sound really interesting to use. I also want to try out Classroom 2.0 Ning, TED, and Edmodo to see which would be better for use in the classroom. I never realized the different social networks out there than Facebook and Twitter so all these other options sound like a lot of fun to try out.
     

Thing #18

        Twitter has always been a social networking site I have avoided because I have never really saw any need to join. When I first heard about it I assumed it was just another networking site where people posted updates about themselves. After I read about what Thing #18 was about I again wasn't excited about learning about it and why as a future teacher I would need to use it in the classroom? After reading all the material and doing a little more research myself I learned that I was wrong about Twitter and I can have a use for it other than posting random updates about myself for the world to see. Several articles talked about the benefits Twitter have for educators and how it can be a great resource for teachers who can use it as a way to stay in touch with other educators for ideas in their classrooms and for updates about on what is happening in education. Twitter can also be used to talk with other educators in your field to gain support and for help if need be along with a multiple of other benefits which I never though about.
        I did a few hashtag searches as I tried to get used to using the site. I looked at a few hashtags that related to art education and education in general along with looking for hashtags in photography. In regards to hashtags I didn't find it as hard as I thought it would be to understand but I am still trying to learn about other aspects of Twitter so I can become more comfortable with it as I try to become better adapted to it. Would I use Twitter as a tool in the classroom? I think that if I thought about it maybe there is a way to use Twitter or even facebook as a tool in some classes, For art I can maybe use some of the photos that I saw for the Museum of Modern Art or another Museum Twitter as examples in the classroom but other than that I can't really see a use yet for my art class.
https://twitter.com/

Thing # 17

      Social bookmarking is an interesting concept that after trying out for a little while I can see how it might be useful to teachers to tag certain terms that will help them find websites useful to their subject but for me personally I wasn't really excited about using it personally. I tried using Delicious for a bit to see if I liked it but it didn't grab my attention like some of the other things I have discovered from these assignments. For teachers though like I said it could have the potential to be useful if they searched for tags related to their subject they might find some useful websites. As a tool for the classroom I can see it being used as maybe a way to gain ideas for classroom projects or lessons if you tagged websites with those words maybe. For me though I don't think I would use it myself for the classroom when I could just bookmark the sites I want instead.

Thing #16

    I have always preferred start pages because of being very disorganized on a daily basis I find that they help me keep track of everything and have whatever I need with just a mouse click. After learning about start pages you an use in your browser I will start using Symbaloo as soon as possible. Even though I tried all three start pages I found that Netvibes and Ustart are straight forward and have the basics of what you need on them but I didn't like them as much as Symbaloo. Netvibes and Ustart I feel lack the more creative and fun design compared to Symbaloo and even though all three are really easy to use Symbaloo  gives you a lot more space to add widgets to if need be and the design is fun. I will definitely use Symbaloo as my home page and have almost finished setting it up like I want.
      Google calendar I have used for a while now due to my crazy hectic schedule and my need for a more organized life. Google calendar helps me to stay on top of everywhere I need to be during the week and has been a major lifesaver for me over the past few years I really don't know what I would do without it.
      After looking at various tools I found that the best one would be Google calendar which was not listed as  one of the tools on websites that would be more productive but I have learned from personal experience that its a very productive tool. Google calendar I would definitely recommend for any student or teacher for use to stay organized and productive.

Thing #15

      I explored a few different areas of wiki and I liked it more than I thought I would. I had to experiment a few times with different aspects of wiki to understand it better but overall it wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be. I was also able to find some great pages to explore more for use in my art classroom and my own personal use like Book Lovers wiki which I wish I knew about earlier but now I plan to utilize a lot more. Along with finding pages for my own personal use I was able to find multiple wikis in art education that will help me prepare to teach art.  I plan to also utilize wiki to try and explore more and see if I can find more about other subject areas I have an interest in. Overall wiki is a great idea and plan to use it more but not for use as a source in school but as a way to gain ideas.

Thing #14

     After trying both Gliffy and Bubbl.us I found that Bubbl.us was better for me than Gliffy mostly cause I was having a little trouble with Gliffy freezing on me a few times when I tried to test it out. Bubbl.us was also easier to use than Gliffy and I found I prefer mindmaps more than flowcharts after trying out both of them.
     In regards to if I would use it in my own classroom I am having a little trouble trying to figure out how I would use it in my art class. After some thought I figured I could have my students use it in preparation for finding relationships in different artistic styles or artists. The flowcharts and maps could also help my students better understand different artistic techniques. I might not use them personally but if I ever see my students having trouble understanding certain concepts I might see if a flowchart or map might help them.

Thing 13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yh5r_6A1c1DsOytvCBZ5sR4QKFVLXnQ9qc30M6C10rE/pub
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1khc_A901SKLn18A8QNvESNOwApJdtXE14pilgQtXCbE/pub?w=960&h=720
So, I hope this turned out like it was supposed to I really didn't know what to do in google drive drawing so I just messed around with shapes. Enjoy!

Thing #12

              I have actually used a lot of Google tools for various reasons for awhile now but my two favorites would have to be Google calendar and Google translate for two different reasons. I use Google calendar in my phone to keep track of all my different appointments, classes, work and observations so I don't forget where I need to be daily. Without that tool I probably would be a basket case right now and messing up my daily schedule. Google translate I used to use to help me in my old Spanish classes if I was trying to translate a web page so I can understand it better or to check if I was reading a page correctly. Google translate helped a lot! In the classroom, Google translate would be a great tool to use because it would help ELL students to understand their own homework if you wanted to translate your worksheets for them in their own language or even to translate a few phrases so they understand you. Either way both tools I have used numerous times in my life so I am thankful for both. Though I haven't used Google Book a lot I have also used Google Scholar a few times more so now than in the past. The others I haven't tried but I might try now.

Thing #11

         After trying all the different methods provided I liked the blogsearchengine.org website the best. You just typed in what subject of  blog you wanted in the search engine and the results are really good about giving you results. I typed in art teacher and received results on a wide range of blogs by art teachers all over. I really enjoyed reading some of their posts especially because they gave me some great ideas about projects and what their own experiences in their classrooms.
         Some of the blogs I found though by looking at other search engines weren't as interesting or weren't as informative. I tried looking at some through Google and Technorati I typed in the same thing and got a few results on what I wanted but there were either only one or two or not the subject I wanted. I did find a yoga blog in my art teacher search and a tarot club blog along with a blog about an angry white guy in Chicago and his opinions.
         In order to find other blogs I tried typing different things subjects into search engines in Google, Technorati and blogsearchengine.org and through different results I went around and tried looking at what other bloggers were following or what appealed to me through what other results popped up. I am definitely going to use blogsearchengine.org a lot more though its a great website.

Thing 10

RSS and newsreaders are a easier and more simple way to get up-to-date information on my favorite websites without wasting the additional time checking everyday for updates when instead it saves me valuable time and just sends me a heads up that there is something new on any blog or newsfeed I subscribed to.
I can use RSS or newreaders in my classroom by using it as a way to keep my students updated via my own website that my students can be subscribed to themselves or as a way I can stay up-to-date on any blogs I subscribe to for assistance in my classroom like for new art techniques or ideas for lesson plans. Personally, I can use it for any personal blogs or websites I enjoy reading I can subscribe to using Feedly and get updates about when there is new information.

Thing 9

 So, after messing around with some of the image generators I learned the process is really easy to use. It seems that all you do is follow the easy directions which just includes clicking on the one you want typing in the message and then click done or something equivalent than there you go you created one of the different images like above. I would probably use one of these image generators in my classroom if I wanted to make a power point more interesting or for something to entertain my class with that is pretty cool.http://happyfacegenerator.com/signs/smilies/?text=Oops+I+shouldn%27t+have%0D%0Atouched+that%21&size=12&font=comic&color=black&down=5&slide=0&spacing=16&smiley=cover-mouth , http://www.imagechef.com/ , http://pryat.com/signs/license/plate.asp?allow=&text=Alexa+Aguilar%0D%0AWas+Here%21%0D%0A&fontsize=18&font=signage&color=darkblue&move=35&move2=30&plate=USA%2Ftn%2Ftn1971

Thing 8

           
I can use flickr spell in my art classroom as a learning tool and a way to show students a unique way to use flickr or a flickr device in their own work. I can use it in my personal life as a really cool way to mess with around with spelling different things and then using the results for y own use as backgrounds or for my own projects. I have no problem sharing things online and I do it often I just error on the side of caution when I do and never list my hometown and always make sure my work is signed and licensed so it can't be used by others as their own. As long as I do that I have no problem sharing photos.

Thing 7

I previously already had a flickr account but haven't used it in a while due to actually just forgetting about it until now. I was able to upload some of my more recent work thanks to this assignment. I used flickr due to my photojournalism class and kept it after the class due to my own work as a photographer. I have always like the site due to your ability to mark your work with any license you want and to tag your work so its more visible by others. You also can put a privacy block on your work if you want to do that also. I haven't ever used another photo hosting site but am not opposed to it if I find one I like more than this one. I have heard of photobucket but haven't felt the need to try it yet.   In regard to my feelings about putting my work in a public place I don;t mind because I can put a license on it so people can't copy and reedit my work and that is all I am really concerned about. I like to show my work or I wouldn't be an artist.

Thing 6

       http://www.360cities.net/map#lat=15&lng=20&zoom=3
       I found a great site called 360cities.net which I found randomly by just clicking around til I found something that appealed to me. This site basically takes you to a world map that allows you to search to find any city in the world and then after clicking gives you a panoramic view that you can zoom in and out and look around in different directions. This would be a great site for a social studies, geography, history, spanish, french, etc. speaking class or art class. It has a multitude of different uses for teachers to give student a chance to see different areas around the world up close. The site can be a great teaching aide in power points.  The only problem I found is that it only lets you see certain designated pictures or views and I wish they gave you satellite photos instead of what looks like tourist photos.

Thing 5

       School 2.0 was something that before I read about I never heard about but after reading a bit it intrigued me. Who wouldn't like to participate in a idea that involves taking learning out of the classroom and teaching students using the community, school and home to create a more interactive and fun learning experience. Schools can now use websites such as Go!Animate to create animated videos or Google Art project to check out different art museums around the world and Quia which is a website that allows you to create educational games, and many more. These websites help to make learning a lot more interactive and fun for students in a time were teachers are having a harder time keeping students interested in school. School 2.0 is a great idea for schools around the world and this idea is sure to create even more ideas for educators to use in their classrooms and will continue to help schools in the future to keep learning fun for a long time.

Thing #4

      After reading about commenting I have learned that commenting is very important in the blogging universe. Bloggers comment helps others in the internet world interact and spread the word to others out there about new blogs to read. If people don't comment then bloggers don't know how people feel about their words or if anyone actually likes what there saying. Commenting is important more importantly because it allows bloggers to talk to each others and other people around the world.
       "Make it heartfelt. Make it relevant. Don't be a Troll." I believe this was the most important sentence I read in my readings because it is the most important thing to remember when your commenting. When I was reading this blog I realized that when you are reading somebody else's blog it is important no matter what to comment no matter how small the sentence is to the writer about what they wrote. Bloggers need to know that what there writing is striking something within their readers. Another blog I read by Cool Cat Teacher talked about it being really important to bloggers that when you comment you make sure the blogger understands that you hear what there saying when you read. Just commenting one or two words doesn't show a blogger that you heard what they were writing. Actually taking the time to write what you felt when you read their blog is important.
        I read seven blogs that appealed to me due to their content or even what they titled their post if it was catchy enough and caught my attention. Anything that grabbed my attention right off the bat I tried reading and if the first sentence was good enough I read the rest and commented on it. The first one I read was by Natasha Long titled: The Usefulness of a Blog in my Future Classroom. This blog's title caught my attention and after I read it I though it was a great post and I tried to convey that in my comment. Jessica Brown was my next comment and she wrote a post titled Mommy wow! I'm a Blogger Now! I loved the title again and thought if someone could make a great title like that I wanted to see what she had to say. After I read her post I loved what she wrote and commented about what she is learning about and talked about some of my own experiences in my comment. My next comment was for Catherine Ericson titled My Friend Flickr which grabbed my attention due to the subject which is what I commented on myself. I talked about my own experiences in my comment. Julie Eskew titled Intro to blogging I commented again about my own experiences with setting up my blog. Nicole Haj titled No.7 I again commented using my own experience and thoughts on the subject. Chaseton Donahue I commented on thing #6 about Vine which was what he posted about. Erin McClain's blog titled thing 6 I commented about my own experience with the subject.
       

Thing #3

      After a lot of thought I decided that for me I would like to use a blog in two ways. For my education program I could write a blog about any problems I am having in the program or for study tips and questions that I might have for others in the same program. I could even use the blog as a journal to vent my frustrations during the semester.
       Another way I could use a blog is for my art class I would have in the future. I would use the blog to put a website together to expand more on my lessons and give my students who miss class a way to stay on top of their work by using VOKI to post my lessons every day so students who want to review the lesson or activity can or those who missed class can keep up. I would also post my own work so parents and students can see my professional work and experience.

Thing #2

       Creating my blog has been an okay experience. Putting it together has been okay and other than a few things I am still working out it hasn't been too difficult to put together. For being my first blog I have created I think I am doing okay so far. Other than reading a blog once or twice I have had no experience with blogs of any kind. 
        I decided on my posting name because I wanted to be able to remember it and I figured my name would make it really easy and simple. I try to use usernames that I won't forget easily and I decided to name my blog with my name also because again it seemed like a better idea than anything else.
        My blog wasn't too bad to put together I thought that posting was easy but moving my avatar around is proving to be a bit harder to do so I might mess with that aspect a bit more. I fiddled with my layout a bit to try something different but so far the one I picked seems to work. Other than the avatar part creating my blog hasn't been too hard. The process is pretty easy if you follow the steps described. I haven't had any other problems.
        The avatar I picked was fun to create and I think I did a good job putting one together. I picked one that was as close to me in looks as I could get along with matching my personality. I still might mess with her a bit more here and there but I think she looks as close as I could get. I picked one that looks like me because the blog is supposed to be about my experiences so I thought it would be a good idea to put me on my page.
         

Thing #1

     Out of all the life long learning habits the easiest for me would be using technology to my advantage. Technology has always been the easiest for me to grasp after I am taught how to use it. When I am given the chance to use it to make my job easier I love to use it. The hardest life long learning habit for me would be having confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner. Studying and learning has always been hard for me and I tend to get frustrated easily when I don't get something I am being taught especially when its a subject I don't like and have a difficult time grasping. When I am learning or studying it takes me longer to focus and not become frustrated with myself. 
        
      I would love to learn a lot more about Web 2.0 and the tools involved to understand it. I have never really used Web 2.0 tools before and I would like to understand the tools involved and what it entails. Blogs are really the only Web 2.0 example I have and so far it hasn't been too bad. Setting it up has been fairly straight forward and relatively easy. I have enjoyed the process of setting up my blog and would love to learn how to set up more interactive aspects to my blog and any other tools involved. Its been a lot of fun.