Thing #4

If you want people to like and comment on your blog, it's only right that you do the same for them. It'd not right to expect everyone to just "worship" what you have to say. It's not only gracious, but also nice to do the same for others. It also allows the opportunity to learn something new. Like they could post a link to something similar to what you posted so you could either get some new ideas or the better what you have said. Because there is always the chance of being misinformed and people have the tendency to state misguided information. So it is always nice to give little inputs here and there. Also, commenting instills a sense of community. As though you belong to a certain group.

Blogs I commented on:
Mallory Johnson Thing 12
 -She made a post about using the Google Calender and I did the same thing.
JoBeth Turner Thing #3
 -I commented on it because I liked her concept to how she thought blogs would be useful for when she becomes a teacher.
Karalina Roelle Thing #6
 -She posted about one of the links given for that blog assignment that I hadn't had the opportunity to try and she was very informative about the process of it.
Stephen Smith Thing 9
-I really, really liked the little creations that he did for his blog. I could picture them clearly in my minds eye as something I would see on a classroom wall.
Lacy Jack Thing 4
 -Okay, her blogs are simply awesome! I love how she used a numbered picture to go along with every "Thing" post. So very creative!!
Pintrosity
 -I found this blog via Lacy (above). I mean, I was so obsessed with her blog why shouldn't I check someone else out that she liked. I'm glad I clicked on the link because it led me to a bunch of cute photos and ideas to try.
Health Food Blog
 -But of course I had to find a blog that was somehow related to some of the health topics I've discussed. I found some really good recipes on this blog that I am eager to try.

Thing #12

Okay, so lately I've become heavily reliant on my calender on my phone due to the fact that my life has become crazy busy as of late. So finding another style of calender to try was pretty neat. Granted I did have a hard time trying to figure out, still can't, how to link the calender I already have on my phone to the to the new one I was attempting to create on Google Calender. I really like the concept of it and I could see it being used to link teachers schedules together so that everyone can keep posted as to what the others are doing. Like see what field trips each other takes so that they can get some ideas. The other thing I tried was the Google Alerts. I've set up alerts to receive updates whenever the following has some new information (School Library Learning 2.0 & Healthy Diets). Which will be nice because the first will be helpful in finding information that would apply to my major and the second would help me further along my mission to bettering myself.

Thing #11

I found Google Blog Search to be the easiest one to use in finding things I needed. When I typed in "school library learning 2.0" blogs that met the criteria  popped up immediately without any problems. I tried to use Topix and typed in exactly what I did when I used Google Blog Search. The interesting thing was that the website had a completely different search engine linked on it so when I typed information in it just led me to a different website entirely. So I'm not entirely sure that I knew what I was doing when I tried to use that sight, or again, my occasionally technologically challenged side was acting up again. Which is a high possibility...anyways....the last one I tried was the Edublog award winners link. I thought it was also interesting, like I liked that when I clicked one of the links listed on the site, all things that were related to it came up in alphabetical order; which I thought to be an interesting concept. Granted I couldn't exactly type in what  was specifically looking for, so I had to go on a scavenger hunt to find things I needed that were related to the topic I was searching for. So it took a little longer than what I was wanting to do in putting effort into my search.

Thing #10

http://rssfeeds.webmd.com/rss/rss.aspx?RSSSource=RSS_PUBLIC - 24.0 posts per week

http://perfecthealthdiet.com/feed/ - 2.3 posts per week

http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@global/documents/rssfeed/t1_1.xml - 4.0 posts per week

http://www.futurity.org/feed/ - 51.1 posts per week

I am obviously a health nut, or at least I am trying to be. Hence the posted links above of the pages I subscribed to on Google Reader. How do I feel about Google Reader? I guess I'll have to say it's very interesting if not a little difficult to use for it took me a while to figure out how to properly search for blogs on there. Granted I was a little challenged in figuring out how to use it, I think it is a good website to for teachers to use so that they can follow each others' blogs. Possibly their blogs will be about "What to do when a student acts up?" or "How to make (insert class here) fun."

Thing #9

For the one above I used a Logo generator to write out my name in a creative way. I was allowed to select the color I wanted, what I wanted to say, and how big I want it to be. I could see this being used to post stuff on the wall. Like the alphabet or something of the like.

http://www.text2logo.com/

 

For the little smiley face above, I could see one of these little guys being used to list like the class rules and such. They come in many forms, like silly, serious, with props like the one with the iPod I selected. 

http://www.happyfacegenerator.com/

I can honestly see one of these above in my classroom, because I would like for my students to think of themselves as super stars because I think they would all be special in their own way. On the website it originally started out as an example of the words "love you" in the shape of a heart. I was able to select it all to be in a different shape, color, and even able to change what it said. I could have added images mixed in, like smiley faces or something of the like. I can imagine this site being used to create posters to decorate a classroom.

http://www.imagechef.com/ic/word_mosaic/?

Thing #8

1. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/silversldr/8486306974/in/explore-2013-02-18">Fire and Ice</a>, 2. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidgutierrez/2258380266/">Sunrise Rising Sun</a>, 3. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/raymondp1138/5636870208/">Sunrise at Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon NP, UT</a>, 4. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nattyh/6229222/">Sunrise</a>

Obviously I am obsessed with sunrises. I just can't help but find them to be extremely gorgeous and mind blowing. I think that the Flickr Mashups are pretty neat. It can allow to group things together that are similar, like I did, or you can compare things. I think it would make for an interesting assignment for a class. Like you could create a mashup of the cycle of a butterflies' growth, starting from the beginning and so on.

Thing #7

Fire and Ice by Josh Bozarth Photography

Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/silversldr/8486306974/in/explore-2013-02-18

Tags: 

lake

erie

sunrise

frozen

water

fire

ice

canon

7d

sigma

10-20

clouds

landscape

seascape

michigan

I've only heard of Flcikr and never actually used it till now. If I ended up on it at sometime prior to this assignment I honestly have no idea how I got there...the wonders of internet surfing, never know where it'll lead you. Anyways, I've always enjoyed looking at nature related photos. They always sooth me yet amaze me at the same time. The reason being is that more often then not the photographer doesn't need to edit the photo due to the simply beauty of the world needs no editing. For it alone is beautiful. For example, the image above that I found is simply breathtaking. I honestly didn't need to look very far to find a picture to blog about because this one appeared as soon as I oped the site. No I'm now saying that I chose this one because it was the first thing I saw and just wanted to be done. I picked this one because it is simply spectacular. I mean how can you not be mesmerized by this picture. 

Thing #6

For this one we were suppose to select a site or tool and explore it. I chose Popset (http://www.popset.com//) because, to put it mildly, I am obsessed with taking photos. On my Facebook page I know I just annoy everyone who has the misfortune to decide to friend me on there because I just know that I have got to be annoying them with all the photos I take. Mainly they are what are called "selfies" because I like to post pictures of my physical progress in my weight loss. I've been working at it for years. Also I like to look at everyone else's photos. It's cool how I am able to keep up to date with what everyone is doing, even those I haven't seen in years. That's why I chose Popset because it enables me to fuel my obsession. The only way I was able to fully experience it was to download the app. What was cool is that it was free which is hard to find for really awesome photo apps. I've tried it out a few times. The filters you get to select are nice and not seen very often. I'm not a big fan of the fact you can't really adjust how much of the filter you can use or not. At the top of the post is obviously a screen caption of the app. You are given the option of posting it to Facebook or share it to another website. I like that you can write a caption if you would like. It's a lot like Instagram but a whole lot easier to use. I'm guessing since it is meant to be used by either an iPhone 4 or 5 so it tends to be a little bit slower on my iPhone 3Gs. Regardless I like the app and was happy that I found it. However, I do not necessarily see how this app could be used for a school setting. Possibly the students could be sent on a hunt for certain items that are related to what they are going over in class. For example, they are studying plants in science and the teacher tells them to go out and find the ones on the list. Then ask for them to post it so that their teacher and fellow students could see with a brief description or an interesting fact on the plant.

Thing #5

Hmmm....what do I think about the whole concept of "School 2.0"?....I honestly don't see anything wrong with it because sadly, in my opinion, a majority of this generation is heavily dependent on technology in one way or another. I mean as the years progress, technology progresses. So I see no, major, harm in schools upgrading along with them. Having everything a little bit more web based makes it a little more convenient. Although I personally rather hold assignments in my hand rather than try to read them on a computer screen. It is cool that online classes bring students all over together. It's not just for kids in the certain state. They also tend to be more flexible. Granted, though I am shy, I'd rather have human interaction for certain things like class and such. I don't know how that works for me it just does. So honestly I don't see the "school 2.0" thing to be so bad it just isn't really my cup of tea.

Thing #3

For my teaching blog, I would post the assignments we worked on in class. Like my notes and such as well as an example of what the work was suppose to look like. I would attach links to possibly "how-to" videos if I was able to find one that was relevant to what we did or about to do in class. I would possibly post links to websites that had educational games for my students if their parents gave them access to my blog. It would all be informative and educational, of course, or else it wouldn't be a teaching blog.

Thing #2

Okay, I like to consider myself technologically savvy but creating my blog was no walk in the park for me. Lord knows why that was the case, it's just how it turned out. The hardest part for me was finally figuring out how to get my little DoppleMe avatar thing to finally cooperate. That was the most difficult part, and after I finally figured it out I felt so stupid afterwards. I kept signing up to make the darn thing, but I was unaware of the fact that it gave me a password. I thought you just created one and were done. Like you could just save it and that was that. Nope...once I finally figured out that I had to use the password they gave me it was smoother sailing from there. Then I just needed to figure out how to use it for my blog profile picture. I made that part harder for myself than it needed to be. Well obviously I finally figured it out or else you would be seeing the standard image given to any new profile member. I like to think that my avatar represents me in some sort of way. Granted the DoppleMe website only gives you so much to work with so it is not a complete replica per se...The hair and eyes are fairly accurate, and I guess the expression works. Though generally when most people see me they say I look tired and I've been told angry. They also say this while it's in the morning and I don't consider myself to be much of a morning person. Yet I didn't feel like using the angry face because who would want to read the blog of an angry person...well I guess someone would because people tend to find peoples' rants to be pretty hilarious, myself included.
The most blogging I've ever done is just via Facebook. But I guess that doesn't meet the standard requirements of a basic blog. Or does it? I mean I get to write basically whatever I want to and people can comment on it. So I guess I've had more blogging experience than I thought.
I like to consider myself to be an avid reader. Reading is my obsession. The only thing I really got in trouble for at school was reading in class. I just couldn't help myself. It's always so hard for me to stop in the middle of what I was reading because I have to know what happens next to the characters. The only way my parents could punish me growing up was to take away my books. Oh the horror! I would always be on my best behavior when that happens because I would start to have withdraws from not reading every day. Yet for some reason, as much as I love to read, I hated having to do assigned readings. Like any book I was giving it was a struggle for me to read. I guess because it was something I wouldn't generally pick out for myself to read in my spare time so I saw it as a form of torture to have to be made to read a book I didn't want to.

Thing #1

We were told to watch a tutorial about 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learning. The habits listed were fairly basic yet some of them I know would be difficult for myself. The first habit, beginning with the end in mind, is actually the easiest for me because no matter what I do I strive to reach my goal. For example, I've taught myself proper ways to learn how to workout and lose weight. With each new step I create a new goal and have so far maintained it. I think the hardest of the habits listed, for me personally, would have to be Habit 4. Habit 4 says to have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner. I'm not entirely sure that I can consider myself one in everything I do. The reason being is that A) I'm extremely shy, B) I second guess myself in somethings, and C) I consider myself to be a bit of a "Welcome Mat." So confidence in anything for me has never been my strong suit. Sure it has gotten better over the years, but it's not all that great.
But hopefully I will be able to work on this habit as well as the others, and better myself in becoming a well rounded Lifelong Learner.