DONE!

Well this experience hasn't been as painful as I thought it would be and I have actually learned to use some awesome tools in the classroom and in my personal life.  (Hello Live Binder!)  I will try my best as a teacher to implement my knowledge of these tools in the classroom, but it does boil down to where I teach.  I might be teaching in a low income school where technology really isn't available.  However, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.  I plan to try my best to keep up with the new and emerging tools coming out because as a culture, we are moving forward with technology all the time.  It is something teachers need to keep up with , too.  I have often thought about having my own blog to record "a students guide to becoming a teacher."  It would record the process behind becoming a teacher and share new teaching techniques, including new Web 2.0. tools.  However, finding the time is key.  It has been a great journey, and I now know many things I once didn't and I have a new attitude towards technology and teaching.

Thing # 23

The whole copy righting thing has me a little nervous and more determined to fully cite or give credit to any source I use.  The consequences for plagarism are severe, especially in the academic world.  Ever heard of Academic Suspension?  I know a few people who have received this for not citing sources in their research paper.  I plan as teacher to dedicate a class period to teaching students about copy righting and the dangers it poses if credit is not given where credit is due.  I also plan to make my students research the topic and learn what the different symbols mean.  After they have finished I plan on making them sign a contract stating that they understand copy righting and promise not to violate this.  As for the 23 blogs accreditation, it is listed under the credits.  Here is the statement:

Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based on Learning 2.0 - 23 Things, a staff development program for the Mesquite Independent School District. That program was based on the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers and adapted by the California School Library Association and others. Content and style for Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers has been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License.

Thing # 22

I created three different binders in relation to history, the subject I will be teaching.  I made an Ancient Sumerian and Egyptian binder, an American History binder and a European history binder.  I can see myself utilizing this tool in the classroom because it is extremely simple to use and a great organizing tool that students can easily access.  It is also a great tool for the students to use, especially in research papers, where they can put all of their resources.   I honestly wish I had known about this when I was doing my research paper this semester as this would have helped me organize my sources for easy access.  As I will be teaching high school, I do plan on giving my students a research paper and this will be the perfect place for them to keep their resources.  Also, I can see my students doing future projects using these binders in which they research topics and present them to students in these online binders.   I love the idea of being able to find websites and put them into one binder in one place, and organizing them the way that I want.  Below is the link to my American History binder.  The access code is americanbinder.

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit/381581?tabid=1e7e1871-efdf-dfa2-ec11-e380edf12589

Thing # 21

My Animoto Video

I made a video of my rabbit.  The process was fairly easy and when I chose the free edition, I had many great choices to choose from as far as backgrounds and music.  Everything was easy to download and edit.  I did try to download the Mama's and the Papa's California Dreamin as the soundtrack, but it didn't work so I settled for what was in their library.  I also synced this to my facebook, where I could easily chose an album or individual pictures.  I think this is a great and creative tool for the classroom because it can allow students, especially art students, to compose an album of their favorite things.  As far as history I can see this as a beneficial tool that students can use to recognized certain cultures, geography and buildings or famous people in history.  And the best part is how simple (and free!) it is.

Thing # 20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moo1a01l7Gs

I chose the video above because it fits perfectly with this class and the subject I plan on teaching.  It talks about how to combine technology and history together to make it more fun and interesting for students.  In my years of schooling, I have noticed an increase in teachers using youtube.com for educational purposes.  As a matter of fact, it is utilized in my educational psychology class for almost every class.  Of course now there are other places to obtain educational videos on the internet, and places where you can even upload your own educational video, such a teachertube.com.  This is an easy and obtainable tool that I can see myself utilizing in the classroom.  I know for some of our blogging topics, the youtubes videos that have been provided have been extremely helpful and useful in completely the assignments.  And honestly, videos are a nice break for the teacher and students from constant learning, and sometimes students can even learn more from videos.

Thing # 19

I am an avid reader and constantly on the look out for new books to read.  I decided to join GoodReads and see what it was about.  This website was appealing to me because I was able to chose which genres I liked and choose what I wanted to read along with rating books I have read in the past.  I have already set my account up and for the last hour I have been exploring the website and looking through their books.  I will definitely keep this account and use it regularly, especially before I buy a book.  I like the idea of sharing my thoughts as well as listening to to others on different books.  This site will no doubt help me on my summer reading.

http://teacherpop.ning.com/profile/MariaDonald

The above link is for my Ning account.  I tried to upload my badge here but it didn't work.   I hope this is fine to do for my one of two things.  I also set up my profile and added a picture of myself.  I have to be honest in that I don't see myself using this for the time being.  Maybe in the future it will prove useful, but right now I have no use for it, nor the interest.  But as mentioned above, I do love the GoodReads and can't wait to tell everybody about it!

Thing # 18

http://www.facebook.com/maria.donald

https://twitter.com/#!/donald_maria

Social sites are great for being social, hence the name.  I am an avid user of Facebook, and I am getting to know Twitter, but so far I don't really spend much time there.  I prefer Facebook over Twitter because I'm more familiar with Facebook and I find it easier to use.  It's addicting.  I'm not too sure how I feel about social sites for educational use, just because I know how people are when it comes to Facebook and nothing educational will get accomplished and almost nobody will want their teachers (or even students) to have access to such personal information.  I suppose, if done right, this can be a beneficial tool for the classroom as almost everyone has a Facebook/Twitter and knows how to use it.  It is my personal belief to try and keep social media and education separate.

Thing # 17

I figured that after this course is done, I will sit down and properly learn to use some of the tools that I don't quite understand,  with this bookmarking being one of them.  For right now though, I have tested the website and looked around and from an educational stand point, I can see this being a useful tool for teachers and students.   Being able to see relevant links and information for your topic makes life so much easier (bye-bye Google search).  I  like the fact that you can see how many "likes" a link has because that says alot about the helpfulness/relevance of that link.  The idea of bookmarking sites that can be accessed from any computer also ties in with the educational benefit.  For example, if there is a topic in history I'm teaching that has some great extra reading to go with it, then I can bookmark those links and students can access them from whatever computer they use.  They don't have to be confined to a classroom computer or lab, which allows them to read the material at the own pace and leisure.  As teachers, I feel that sharing useful tips, lesson, etc. is highly beneficial.  No teacher, contrary to some beliefs, wants to see their students fail and no teacher wants to endure the burden of knowing they could have done more.  Bookmarking is a free place where teachers can gain useful tips and ideas about how to better educate our youth.

Thing # 16

The start page exercise was a little pointless for me as I already use iGoogle, but it did allow me to spruce my page up.  I changed my theme to show the cover of all the Harry Potter books and I changed my layout so that all my "gadgets" were easier to view.  So sticking with the theme of Google, I investigated the calender.  I filled it out and it's really handy to have because I am on my computer alot and I already use iGoogle.  I like having everything in one place and being able to view it easily and Google calender does that for me.  I didn't like the to-do list because it seemed like too much work.  I usually just write down on a sticky note what I need to do and put it on my desk.  I find that is more beneficial for me because I am constantly looking at it and I am quickly able to check off the things I have completed.
     Overall, I think iGoogle is a really useful tool, simply because everything you need from calenders to a dictionary, is all there.  It's in one place and for those of you that use Google Chrome, it is right there when you log onto the internet.  Organization is handy for education and home life and iGoogle makes it so much easier.

Thing # 15

I don't mean to be Miss Negative, but I hated this whole Wiki thing.  At first it seemed relatively easy, but then I had trouble figuring out how to upload stuff, and then figuring out where to put it.  Once uploaded though, it was simple to edit the text colors, fonts and so on.  I'm not sure I would ever utilize a wiki in the classroom.  I don't like the idea of people being able to go in and change information and it potentially be wrong.  My entire school life, we have always been told to stay away from Wikipedia because "anyone can write and change information in there."  Therefore, I am always skeptical about it being used for anything school-related.  However, I love the idea of a wiki being used for personal planning, such as the video that showed everybody keeping in touch about a camping trip and organizing the trip that way.  I also liked the book review wiki that was sponsored by Princeton.   Outside of educational purposes, I think wiki is a good idea, but when it comes to education I prefer to rely on the experts and not on people who can go in and randomly change information.

 http://apsu23thingssandbox.pbworks.com/w/page/52094767/Maria%27s%20Boogie%20Monster 

Here is the link to the wiki edit I made.

Thing # 14

The first chart I chose to use was a mind map from Bubbl.us.  This looked like a pretty easy chart to use and an effective one as well.  I was drawn to it because I remember in reading and language arts, using this kind of chart to analyze characters and their role in the plot of the story.  I like how the Bubbl.us mind chart is simply divided into "child" bubble and "sibling" bubble.  What that essentially means is you have your main bubble (main subject) and you branch into a sub-category of that subject, which is the "child."  Well, there may be sub-sub category, which becomes the "sibling."  For example, Maria is my subject.  One of the children is "likes."  It then branches into the category of fashion, which can then branch into its sibling "shoes."  It sounds very complex but once you make one the whole idea comes together.  This mind map is fairly easy to use.  There really isn't a lot of colorful or animated things you can do to it.  It's basic and straight forward, and this simplicity is something I really appreciate.  Here is a brief example of my mind chart.  It has me as the subject and I branch off into three relatively simple categories: birthday, education and likes.  The first two get divided into sub-categories, but the "likes" part gets fairly complex.  It delves into what things I generally like and then the specifics of those likes.  A chart like this is great for relatively simple concepts, like describing yourself or discussing main points in a topic that don't need much elaboration.  The great thing about this is I can position my bubbles to where they don't overlap and I can even change the colors of the bubbles (which I didn't do here).
   The flowchart is amazing.  It seems complex but it isn't.  When you open a new template, it asks you what kind of chart you want to make.  I chose the vertical timeline, but there are many others to choose from.  I like the vertical timeline because I am an obsessive list maker and this has a perfect setup for an electronic list.  You can also add graphics, such as pictures and change the background colors.  I can see myself using this not only in the classroom with my students, but in other parts of organizing my life.  This would be a fun and creative way to remind students what is due in the coming week or allow them to make their own.  They could also explore the other components and see how they would use it for note taking.  Below is the link for my flow chart.  
                            http://flowchart.com/editor/#04e640c6d345db62:101076

Thing # 13

I began this activity by looking at Zoho writer, which I am having trouble figuring out.  I like the idea it presents with it being an online "Microsoft office" tool and the ability for everybody to access it without having to spend a lot of money on the program.  However, I think I may be too stupid to figure out this Zoho writer and I have given up.  Luckily, there is also the Google Docs I can test out.  I already have a Google account that you can get through Google Chrome and when I clicked on the link it took my straight there.  I found Google docs really simple to use.  I chose to upload a picture, add a caption and color.  I feel that Google docs would be better suited for the classroom because it is easier to use than Zoho.  I also made a word document which was so easy to use!  I believe it is easier to use than Microsoft Word, especially since I have trouble inserting continuous page numbers and headers.  Google docs would be a great program for students because it doesn't require any software ,and therefore can be accessed from any computer.  It can also be edited by anyone with access to the document.  As a history teacher, I like the idea of having students do their papers in a Google doc because it would be easy for me to review and make comments, and I wouldn't have to worry about them being limited to work on the paper due to expensive software.  I also like how Google docs has different features such as the drawing tool, spreadsheet tool and even PowerPoint.  Students can make collections of their work, stored neatly in a folder and there is even an owned by me folder to avoid plagiarism (although I wouldn't solely rely on this).
*I wasn't able to add my document on here but I was able to write "I love my Boogie and miss her" in different colors and even wrote it in French.  Hopefully I can figure out how to do it.  There is also a way to publish it to the web, but since our class on Copy Righting, I'm going to wait before I do that.  But here is the picture I made!

Thing # 12

Alright I admit it.  When I am trying to write a French sentence in class or a letter to my French speaking grandmother and it can't figure it out, I turn to Google translate.  I even have the free app on my phone.  But if I can wait a couple of hours for a response, then I'll email my French speaking relatives.  The problem with this though is I am impatient!  However, I only use this in a situation for a one or two word translation, NOT a whole sentence.  This is what people need to be weary about.  Google translate is good for figuring out how to say a word in another language, but not for sentence structure.  About 85% of the time it is right, but I have found out that when trying to translate French sentences, it didn't go so well (just ask my online workbook after I inputted Google translate's answers).   For foreign language students who need to know how to say a couple of words they are missing, then this is very useful, but don't get the idea that it does your written homework for you.  You still have to pay attention.  

 http://translate.google.com/translate_t?hl=&ie=UTF-8&text=I+use+this+way+too+much%21&sl=en&tl=fr


The next tool I chose to use was the iGoogle tool.  I went to click on it and figured out that a long time ago I actually set one up and logged into mine.  For those who don't have one, I recommend setting up one because when you log onto the internet, the page pops up and it has the weather, the current news, spotlight videos and a chat box for fellow gmailers and its new social network, Google+.  It also has a button that says add gadgets.  You can add games, various google apps and so much more.  Oh my they have yo mamma jokes to add!!!!!!!!! I added a few things like a link to facebook, the weather channel, this month in history, google calender and cute animal smiles, and yes there is a cute kitty smiling at me right now.  I just made a google+ account and its basically facebook, but it is by google.  This can be used for educational purposes because it is after all an internet database, but just geared more towards your interests.  You can still research things, do social networking, make to do lists and continually see when assignments are due and so on.  It's multi tasking at it finest.

Thing # 11

Finding good feeds to use can be irritating and troublesome, but I managed to land on an excellent one.  Technorati provided the best information while being easy to use.  I searched through the entertainment sections and it gave a brief synopsis of what the article was.  I prefer this tool over google blog search because it was more in depth ,and therefore I could really look at something before clicking it open.  The  google blog search was also easy and contained sites that had your typical business, politics, and entertainment blogs. However, I didn't like topix.net because it had too many components and too many things to look at!  It was just really irritating and confusing.  It didn't provide clear searches like google.  I didn't find any unusual feeds, but I did find plenty of useful ones.  So if you are looking for a blog to subscribe to or just want to browse, use the technorati tool.  It's as simple as typing in a keyword and finding exactly what you need without any hassle.

Thing # 10

Oh how I LOVE this Rss.  All of my blogs are in one place!  That means no more going to individual websites and looking for new information!!!!  What's even more awesome is that my Google Reader was already set up and my blogs, with the exception of my fellow student's blogs, was already in place.  Now all that's left to do is put my Google Reader on my favorites tab and everything I need is one click away!
      This is a great tool to use in the classroom because any information anyone needs can be saved to the Google Reader and can be easily located.  As a future history teacher, this will prove to be an important tool for research papers.  Students can easily access information from historical blogs and get an idea about a topic and be able to fully explore it for their paper.  However, this can be used for all subjects and as long as there is one computer in the classroom, students can take turn using the Google Reader.  It's not a hard tool to use or set up, so there isn't an excuse for teachers not to explore this valuable and free resource.
   

Thing # 9

                                         
I chose to explore the Happy Face Generator and Image Chef.  I started with the happy face generator and went to the smiley face logo.  There are so many different designs, but to get the full benefit I clicked on preview list and found logos made from buttons all the way to zebra print.  I chose the coffee beans because I love coffee and I chose this slogan because I say all the time.  After I played around with different logo types, I added my text and clicked submit.  I was able to save it to my computer and upload it here.
     The next place I explored was the image chef.  I scrolled down to the bottom and clicked on word mosaic. It took me to a blank pallet where I could then choose my background color and word outline color.  I was then able to chose a shape.  I chose the peace sign with the words peace in them.  You can choose whatever image and add different texts, along with different colors.
      I believe the smiley faces logo is a great tool for the classroom and library because you can write out different quotes and put them all around the room.  For example, as a history teacher I could use famous people's quotes, such as Martin Luther King's "I have a dream.." to celebrate Black History month.  The library could use quotes from books such as Harry Potter, to inspire more reading among students.  The image chef has so many components to it.  For example, the poster feature would be an awesome way to display student's pictures in the library who have high reading scores.
     As for personal use, there are many ways to utilize both these sites.  You can make advertisements, greeting cards and make personalized gifts.  Overall, this is a place to have fun and get creative.  Check out the links below and explore your creative side.  Peace out!

                                         

http://free.text2logo.com/smiley-faces.htm

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

Thing # 8

Mosaic Maker

http://bighugelabs.com/
     I decided to explore this website where you can mash up photos!  I love editing and doing crazy things to photos, so I decided I would explore this site and test my rabbit's photos out.  So what I did first was the mosaic maker.  Here you can select your rows and columns (I did 2 rows and 4 columns).  Next, you select a background color and a border color.  Then, you can upload a picture from your computer, or an album from Facebook (which is what I did) or from your Flickr account.  I love the mosaic maker because it allows many pictures to combine on one sheet.  This could definitely be useful in a classroom because you can place many different concepts on a scale like this.  You can also allow the children to design a concept a piece and then mash them all together on the mosaic maker.
     Next, I decided to try the Fx tool which allows you to transform your photos with special effects.  As you can see below, I took Boogie's picture (both are the same) and made it into a negative picture.  I adjusted the darkness of the negative because I wanted to bring out the bunny shape on her nose.  What I used next was the implode tool.  I imploded my poor rabbit on the highest setting which caused her head to disappear.  I believe I will take this picture home to show Boogie what will happen to her if she continues to be bad.  Back on topic, the Fx tool is something that students will get a kick out of, especially art students.  They can transform any photo they want and make it something so incredibly different.  I have had so much fun playing around with this tool.  I have been doing it for about an hour, playing with different photos and concepts.
     All of this is fun and games, but you do have to be careful with what you put online, especially when it comes to pictures.  I believe in sharing your life with your social family, but not in a provocative or disrespectful way.  Share what's decent but what you love; like an evil bunny!  Have fun photo chopping! 

Fx

Fx

Thing # 7

Exploring Flickr was a unique experience.  There were so many photos to look at when you typed in a key word.  What I really loved was the geotagged photos.  That is a place where you type in a country and it show you all the photos taken in that country.  For example, I typed in Egypt and all of these photos came up.  Some were of the scenery and some were of the historical tombs.  I then went to the most popular tags and clicked on London.  I found several fantastic pictures that people took.  However, I did have trouble copying the url and having the picture show up.  I had to instead save the picture to my computer and upload them from my files.  I chose this picture of the London Bridge because I absolutely love London.  I thought this picture by Hawkeye1967 (No real name was given) was magnificent.  This photo was taken on October 5, 2011.  Below is the link to the photo.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/40712218@N04/6811453371/  

Thing # 4

Everyone desires to be acknowledged and heard by their peers.  Commenting allows us to acknowledge and recognize people who we care about or who we feel their subject matter hits home.  It also allows us to engage in a "discussion board" to brain storm or share our stories and experiences.  However, there always needs to be a commenter etiquette.  Cool Cat Teacher makes a wonderful point when she illustrates that every comment should be meaningful and not a one word answer.  It makes it seem as though you don't care or have an opinion on the topic if you answer with a simple "Right!"  Tying in with the etiquette aspect of commenting, remember that Words are powerful and while they can encourage and provide positivity to people, they can also shatter them easily.  We are all guilty of posting negative comments at some point, and we all can work on that together through our blogs.  I have chosen to randomly follow Mrs. Miller, Future Teacher (Sabrina Miller), Goda's 23 Things (Christopher Goda), Rhodes 23 Things (Olivia Rhodes), Carroll's Cavern (Derek Carroll) and Melanie Perry's 23 Things (Melanie Perry).  All these students are from my current class and I have chosen to follow their blogs because we interact twice a week in class and I would like to get to know them better to see their ideas on teaching and other things.  I now come back to why I have chosen my fellow students blogs after reading them.  Their positivity, honesty and knowledge about their topics are outstanding.  I'm glad to be able to connect with everybody and not feel stupid about things I don't understand because I know my fellow students will help me.  I vow that all my comments will be positive and for those blogs that I have already commented on I hope you will see that.  For my additional blogs, I have decided to follow the History Blog and the Historical Blogs: Fiction and Fact.  I have chosen these two blogs because I love history and I will be teaching it.  I need to know as much as I can and also brainstorm with fellow history lovers as I continue to embark on yet more history classes with lots of research papers.  Here is the link for the History Blog http://www.thehistoryblog.com/  and the link for the Historical Blogs: Fiction and Fact http://historicalnovelblogs.blogspot.com/

Thing # 6

For Thing # 6 I chose Google Chrome because I adore it for several reasons: it's fast and it's easy to use.  For those who don't have Google Chrome, you can download it for free.  When you explore the site, it is broken down into five different categories where you can find information on what makes those individual sections so special.  A unique feature about Google Chrome is it's online store where you can buy different apps, extensions and themes.  I won't go into massive detail about Google Chrome simply because there is too much to talk about.  I will say, however, that I believe it will be useful in a school or library setting because of its simplicity and speed.  It's easy enough for all grade levels to navigate and whatever work or research they do, it will take less time to search for information.  Lastly, it is designed with security in mind, so feel free to explore the internet with it and if it does feel the site is unsecured, it will let you know and provide options for you.  But don't take my word for it.  Here is the url and have fun exploring!    https://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/more/index.html

Thing # 5

My first reaction to reading the perspective for teaching websites was utter confusion.  It was not necessarily the idea behind it; it was all the technical terms thrown at me.  The Horizon Report for 2008 was a lot of reading, but I skimmed it and discovered some technologies that are emerging into classrooms: Grassroots videos, collaboration webs, mobile broadband, etc.  Technologies such as these are effecting the way we learn, teach and express ourselves.  Knowing this we now move to the term called School 2.0 and what it means for the future of schools.  I hate to be redundant but technology is being more and more implemented in the "real world" and it is time that schools take advantage of these everyday tools to benefit student's learning.  What School 2.0 means to me is technology being responsibly used for the full benefit of student learning.  For example, youtube is a grassroots video.  To successfully implement this into students learning, the teacher could have the children make videos of projects on the internet or videos explaining a difficult concept.  Also, grassroot videos cost practically nothing, and therefore are a good tool to use if on a budget.  Collaboration webs are another interesting concept.  These include things such as blogs and social networks (Facebook).  It is a place for people to join together and discuss common interests.  Self created blogs for educational purposes lead the future for homework assignments, announcements and discussions. It is here that a teacher can post homework assignments that students can view anytime and that means no more losing homework instructions or the dreaded "I didn't know what to do" or "I didn't know we had homework."   Also, the announcements can clear up any confusion someone may have about certain activities, such as the time of the parent teacher conferences or field trip days.  The most beneficial aspect of a classroom blog would have to be the discussion board.  It is here that students can help each other and brainstorm.  The teacher would be able to see the students explaining concepts from class, and the overall atmosphere of how students understood the material.  The last technology I found interesting was the mobile broadband.  It seems that everybody has a cell phone now.  Sometimes I wonder if kindergartners are already using them.  It's inevitable.  Cell phones are here and they are staying.  With that said why not make some educational use out of them.  The most common use of most cell phones for education is for security measures such as text alert for the weather and immediate campus news.  After reading the Horizon Report I found a mobile broadband website that is amazing.  It is called Pocket Virtual World which allows the student to use their cell phone to go on virtual field trips like the Amazon.  It uses location so students could even explore outer space or locations in history.
     With all this information, I wanted to see this technology in action so I visted the Teacher 2.0 link.  Creator and teacher Aaron Smith used a podcast (a type of collaboration web) to use his blog where people contribute their tech tips or discuss things that they have done new in the classroom lately.  It is a place where teachers can come and talk about ways to help their students learn more or just to vent.  Remember; teachers are people too and they have feelings.
     With all this said, education is taking a more technological approach.  We have the tools to make learning more innovative and fun, but most importantly we have students who can use them and benefit greatly from them.    

Thing # 3

     Blogging has proven to be a web sensation for those who have gathered together to discuss similar interests.  Blogging can be used for almost anything, especially teaching.  We live in a technologically advanced society where most people acquire their knowledge from the internet and what better way for educators to stay in  contact and get up to date information than from blogging?  Blogging allows teachers to discuss different tips and techniques that are used in the classroom to maintain issues such as the student's attention or behavior.  Another useful benefit is to be able to give advice to incoming teachers and share stories about the early experiences of teaching and what they have learned to do and not to do.  Also, planning lessons or discussing activities for lessons is another way to communicate with fellow teachers via blogging.  Not all blogs have to be a place of brainstorming.  It can also be a place for reflection on one's self as a teacher.  It could be somewhat of a diary where you track and examine what teaching skills you are doing right as a teacher and what you are doing wrong as well.  Teachers, especially, value the importance of critique because it is a way to improve for the benefit of the students and not necessarily viewed as an attack on one's character.
   Blogging doesn't have to be for just the teachers either.  It can be used as a classroom tool to aid in learning.   Putting the class scheduele, homework, project assignments and notes online is not only eco-friendly, but it also prevents the students from permanently losing their notes and homework assignments.  A majority of students have a computer or have access to one in today's times.  Blogging would be a useful tool where the students can do online activities and discuss classroom topics and lessons.  There are so many places that technology can take students and teachers both socially, intellectually and academically.

Thing # 2

     Every time I see my posting name and blog name (both are the same) I giggle.  My name, Gryfindonald, is based on my favorite series, Harry Potter.  I grew up reading this series and always viewed myself as a Gryfinndor.  I am an adult now, but my passions and habits die hard.  My avatar on the other hand is honestly the best I could do with what I had.  If anything I was determined to incorporate my favorite drink, which is coffee, into my avatar's appearance.  My hair, eyes and skin tone are pretty spot on, but not the fashion choice.  It was the best that was offered.  Maybe one day, I'll make a better one.
     I believe when creating a blog coming up with a unique username and an avatar was the hard part.  So far, and I knock on wood as I write this, setting up my blog has been fairly easy.  I am definitely grateful for that because I have been stressing about it.  Overall, I am excited to be doing something new and expanding my technological horizons.

Thing # 1

     The lifelong learning habits were an eye opener for me in determining what my easiest habits are and what my hardest habits are.  I'll begin with my easiest lifelong habits.  The first easy habit was beginning with an end in mind.  I found this easy because as a student, I am constantly thinking of finishing my goals and thinking of how the outcome will be.  My next easy habit is the ability to accept responsibility for my own learning.  No matter what I do in life, I have to accept the responsibility of what I do.  In my academic life, if I fail a test, I know that it is my fault because I could have studied more or asked for clarification in areas I didn't understand.  Having confidence in yourself as a competent and effective learner is mostly easy but can be hard.  For example, making an A on a test boosts your self esteem in their studies whereas a bad grade can make you feel horrible.  The important thing to remember and practice is to always be confident, especially as a teacher, because the confidence that you emit will no doubt have a positive impact on your students.  Creating your own learning toolbox was an interesting habit but one that is no doubt easy and efficient to use.  I essentially see it as the Web 2.0 tools, which everyone can benefit from by using blogs and brainstorming together for a common cause.  I hope to master the basic skills that Web 2.0 has to offer in the forms of blogging and sharing articles.  Teaching and mentoring others is a great habit to always have.  Learning and obtaining knowledge is one of the greatest gifts to give and receive.  As a future teacher, it will be my job to ensure the success of my students by how much they learn from me and even how much I learn from them.  Lastly, the easiest habit is to play, and who doesn't love that!?
     I found that my hardest habits were with viewing problems as challenges and using technology to my advantage.  To begin with the first part, I can't help but think of my fear of solving math problems when I see the words "problems" and "challenges" in the same sentence.  I suppose when this comes to me in a classroom setting I will have no other option but to confront it, instead of walking away.  So to that I say challenged accepted.  My most embarrassing and also my hardest habit is in general the use of technology.  I have no problem admitting that I am not good at anything technological and quite frankly it makes me nervous.  However, through my time in this Education course I plan to conquer my fear and use technology for my advantage. 
      Essentially the thought of setting up a blog scared me to death.  I thought it would be difficult and I would not understand it to the point of being embarrassed to ask the teacher.  However, I was wrong and found the process to be relatively easy and actually enjoyable.  As I write this blog and do my assignments, my confidence is increasing because I'm able to do this and not be embarrassed about it.  I look forward to learning new and innovative ways to keep learning fun!