Thing 16

For my start page I chose iGoogle. It was so simple and quick. It took me less than 30 seconds to create it. All I had to do was customize it so it knew what I was interested in. It was awesome how it automatically had links to most of the websites that I visit on a daily basis. I love how it is all right there on one page. I do think that I will use this on my computer at home or at work.

The online calendar would be very useful for me. I like any type of planner, organizer, or calender. The online calendar somewhat has all of these things intertwined into one useful tool, and I like that. I also like that I am able to share my calendar with others. This could become very handy in my career as a teacher.

After exploring the different websites, I was so relieved to find Zamzar. I am now asking myself why I was not aware of this sooner! Often, my teachers put files on D2L in pdf format, and many times that means it will not load very well on my laptop. However, now that I know about Zamzar, I will be converting the pdf files into word files all the time. The best part about it is that it is free!

I would recommend all of these tools to anyone, especially prospective teachers. I am all about some organization!

Thing 15

I really enjoyed this exercise. I never knew so much about wiki. It is definitely something that could be used by teachers not only in the classroom but for collaborative teaching as well. I found it interesting that anyone can make changes to a wiki. This is what turns most people away from wiki, but I think it is great. It creates a community with many different opinions. If you are worried about something you are reading not being a fact, you can simply see who posted it and where they got their information.
As a teacher, I would use this as a tool to communicate with other teachers about their experiences and maybe even share some lesson plans.
I also think it would be a great idea to use this as a tool for students to have discussions and collaborate for projects.

Thing 14

I really like Gliffy.com. I explored the website for a while and noticed how easy it is to make a flow chart. I also learned what all a flow chart could be used for. I, personally, understand processes better when a picture is drawn for me. This is basically what a flow chart is. Flow charts make it easy to see casue and effect. They help to compare relationships between whatever you are including in your chart. (data, processes, people)
Bubbl.us is a website for mind maps. I immediately liked this website because the first thing I saw was "Brainstorming made simple". It was very simple. A lot of time the hardest part about completing a project or a paper is getting it started. This website makes it easy to brainstorm ideas and have them all laid out right in front of you.

Thing 13

It was so easy to sign up for the free Zoho account. I really enjoyed exploring the whole website. One of my favorite things about the website was the Collaboration apps under the Productivity Apps tab. I feel that this will be something that I come back to in the future as a teacher or student. 
I spent a while exploring Google Docs. It has a lot in common with Zoho but is also very different. Both require the user's own creativity to really work it. I created a poster with Google Docs. Both of these resources would be great to use in a classroom. Students could work collaboratively using Google Docs to make presentations, projects, and visual aids. Both resources make it easy to not have to worry about copyright because it promotes creating your own document. I really find both productivity sites very helpful. However, I do prefer Google Docs over Zoho. Google Docs feels more familiar to me. It seems a little bit easier to use, and I feel would be easier for students to use as well.