Thing 7

Flickr

Flickr amazed me. I'm a huge fan of pinterest, and I had no idea that flickr and pinterest were so much alike. You can type almost anything in that search box and receive tons of images, tags, and groups. I love photography, faith, peace, anything inspirational, and weddings! These were the first things that popped in my head when I went to searching. I found so many images which led me to even more interesting groups. I could stay on there all day long! The picture above caught my eye the most. It is beautiful photography by Lauren Dahlhauser. Also, underneath the picture is a poem that I also love!
Here is a link to the page that includes the picture and the poem: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauren211/4887464808/

Peace

"What is peace? ?
Peace is when you care for others,
Peace is when there is no violence in the world,
Peace is much more powerful then evil,
Peace is easily found when you give others what you desire,
Peace is the answer to all the wars in the world,
Peace is when there is unity among all the people,
Peace is when your soul can rest,
Peace is when there is hope of good above,
Peace is when there is love for others,
Peace is when there is acceptance in the world,
Peace is bringing joy to the world,
Peace is in helping others."
~ Uzma Nadeem

Thing 6 (:

RememberTheMilk.com 
http://www.rememberthemilk.com/

This website is in the category productivity. I am a big planner person. I write everything down that I need to get done and when I need to have it done by. I am glad I discovered this website. It is basically an awesome planning device. Users can create to-do lists with it and access this list from almost anywhere. There are apps for it for the ipad, iPhone, and regular cell phone. You can also access it through GMail since it is a site through Google.
I like this site because it is so easy to access without ever having to go back to the actual website. You can also receive email on it, and access it offline any time you want.
This is something that I could definitely use in my future as a teacher. Everything that needs to get done is right there, and it will remind you of when you need to have it done by. It is also useful for students to keep track of assignments and tests. It is a very helpful website.

Thing 5 :)

I read the articles: Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators & The Horizons Report

I completely agreed with the article Web 2.0: A guide for Educators. It talked about how technology has replaced paper, classrooms, phonebooks, libraries, and bookstores. I can completely relate to this. I use my ipad to look up phone numbers, restaurant menus, and I even have a kindle app which allows me to read any book I wont with the click of a button. This saves me from ever having to go to a bookstore because I do it all online on my ipad. Although this seems awesome (and it is), this is all just the beginnig of where technology is headed. Everyday I find something more handy when it comes to technology. It saves you time and money in the long run. I can't wait to see what kind of technology I will be using when I become a teacher. Also, I'm sure the technology my kids will be using in the future will amaze me even more. It's exciting!

After reading The Horizons Report, I realize that teaching is going to be far more different for me than it is for who I am being taught by now. The technology that is now difficult and hard to use will eventually be technology that everyone can easily use. This is because technology improves every day. The article said that each year, more than a billion new mobile devices are manufactured. What does this mean for me in a few years? It means that I will have tons of technology to choose from when deciding what works best for me, my classroom, and my family. Web 2.0 is becoming increasingly more relevent in educational settings. All of the increases in technology indicates a steading change in education and how people go about getting their education.

I think that Web 2.0 is very importants. It means a lot to me because it is something that is going to emerge more and more whether I like it or not! I think that it will only improve schools in the future. In the long run, I believe that it will save money, time, and the environment by saving recources. Technology interests children and adults. Why not use technology to make their education more interesting too? I can't wait to see what kind of technology I will be using in my own classroom one day. :)

Thing 4!

Commenting on blogs and receiving comments on your own blog helps create a sense of community and interaction. If I spend a lot of time posting a blog and then recieve no comments, I feel like there is no use in blogging because it feels like nobody is reading it. However, I know that sometimes I read through blogs, and I do not post a comment even though I normally have plenty of thoughts I could share. Posting comments can cause the blogger to start posting more blogs about that subject. If there are never any comments on the blog, it might make the blogger feel as if there is no interest in that subject, and they move on to another. Therefore, if you are interested in a blog, comment on it! Start a conversation about it! This will lead to more opinions, facts, and ideas. It could also lead to that person reading and commenting on your own blog which will then lead to a community with a bunch of interaction! :)
Two comments in the readings that I found important about commenting are: Invite comments and Interact with comments left. Inviting comments in your blog encourages people to participate in the conversation more so than if you were to write a blog that seems it doesn't need any comments. People feel more comfortable commenting on a blog where they were invited to do so than a blog that makes a statement and doesn't ask for any input back. Interacting with comments left on your blog is very important. Who wants to say something to someone and get no response in return? I don't! More people are going to be willing to comment on your blog if they get responses back to their comments in the first place. This causes conversation which cause communication.

Thing 3

My major is special education. How will I use a blog in my future? I believe that a blog will be very useful for me. Not only will making a blog of my teaching experiences be helpful to other teachers, but following other teacher's blogs will help me to improve the environment in my classroom. I have seen many blogs about special education on the Internet. They are helpful when a teacher has questions that only a special education teacher in the same situation could answer realistically. The special education blogs form a network of teachers that are able to come together and be the best teachers they can be in order to make sure each student can get the best education possible. I am so glad that I have been introduced to how easy it actually is to be the blogger and not just the blog reviewer.

Thing 1

After viewing the tutorial over the 7 1/2 Habits of Successful Lifelong Learners, I realize that almost all of the habits are included in every day learning. I find that the easiest habit for me is habit #7 which includes encouraging and teaching others which is what I LOVE to do. This is why I am a special education major. Also, I find that the more you teach others, the more you teach yourself.  
The hardest of the 7 1/2 habits for myself would be "View problems as challenges". I have a hard time viewing problems as challenges because I do not always like a challenge! I, like most people, like for things to come easy for me. When they don't, this can be rather frustrating. Therefore, I want to work on viewing problems as not just a "problem" but as a challenge that I can turn into a goal and eventually mark off my goal list! 
I am going to work on accomplishing all of the goals on this list because I feel it will make me become a better learner in the long run. :)

Thing 2

experience creating my blog and avatar


When I was told to create my blog, I first had to come up with a posting name and name of my blog. Luckily, I already had a blog set up through blogger for my reading class. Therefore, I just went off of the titles I had already had. I wasn't very creative in coming up with a name because boring is easy to remember!
Overall, creating my blog was very easy. I am not very intelligent when it comes to technology and computer programs so I didn't expect it to be as easy for me as it was. I like it!
My avatar somewhat reflects my personality. She is wearing a lime green shirt and lime green shoes because lime green is my favorite color. I tried to get a peace sign shirt but it was locked, so she is a little bit boring. Her hair and eye color match my real hair and eye colors though!
If I were to create a new avatar, I would probably make a really silly one :)