Thing # 19

I'd probably be more prone to use social networking sites like these, as opposed to the "big 2" (MySpace and Facebook). Teacherpop is a good one, and seems like a good way to get and give help within the world of educators. Like I've said many times now, I'm thrilled to have help from experienced teachers who know what they're talking about- it will make my job that much easier. I'm very, very big into music and movies, so I can see myself delving into social networking sites relating to these two areas, but I could probably waste a lot of time in them, because I easily lose track of time when it comes to discussing those subjects.

Thing # 18

MySpace and Facebook have been very popular for quite some time now, and really are a great way to keep in touch with people. I first became aware of these sites the first time I was in Iraq, because so many of my friends created them while deployed to stay in touch with people from back home. It's important for us to be familiar with social networking sites because they are very prevalent in today's society. As educators we could utilize the sites as a means to give and get help from other teachers, and also as a way to post information for students who may have forgotten what was due in class, etc. I've strayed away from creating an account at either of these places because I'm not real crazy about the whole thing, I feel like it's just a way to spy on people (and yes, I know the information is voluntarily put out there for people to see, but still). Regardless, I definitely see the positive effects that having an account at one of these places would have, and I'm sure I'll create one as I begin teaching.

Thing # 17

Del.icio.us was pretty interesting. I can see how having a resource like this would be very benefitial in the classroom. It's nice to know that as you find interesting material or valuable resources that pertain to your subject area, you will be abe to bookmark the pages. Using the "tagging" feature is a quick way to find material that may be new to me, and is also a nice feature to be aware of as I begin my teaching career.

Thing # 16

I created a customized start page using iGoogle. It was fast, easy, and pretty interesting when it was completed. I'll have to mess around with it a little bit more to get it exactly how I want it, but I'm impressed so far. I'm probably not going to make the one I created my permanent homepage, because my wife and I share our home computer, so we'd have to create one that includes both of our preferences- which wouldn't be too hard to do if we get around to it. The online calendars can be useful because you could pull them up from anywhere you have internet access. I love being organized. Creating "to do" lists or just getting everything in order is usually the first thing I do before starting any project. I may borderline on being overly organized- so I found these tools pretty useful. As far as the online "to do" lists, I kind of feel like there is too much work involved with them. I make to do list all the time, but that's all it is... a list of stuff I need to do. I like carrying it around with me and marking it off one by one. Simple and effective. Many of these tools would come in very handy as a student or teacher. I find that in order for me to be successful, I have to be organized, and tools that will help me be organized are great to have.

Thing # 15

I think the wiki concept is a great idea. It's a cool way to share and edit information, but I also think it has certain drawbacks. The fact that ANYONE can edit information is what makes wiki's so unique, but that same aspect could have some negative consequences. For example, I use wikipedia quite often to look up whatever subject I may be interested in for personal use, but if I'm doing actual school work, then I would want to stray away wikipedia, simply because all of the info may not be exactly correct. As far as getting general information goes, wiki's are great and actually quite fun. I added to the "sandbox" wiki about lifelong learning habits. It was cool to read through other people's thoughts, and know that I'm not alone in a lot of my ideas and concerns.

Thing #14

Other than my time in the Marines, I've never really used flow charts before. I used the flow charts during my enlistment as a means for learning how to troubleshoot and repair radios. They really are good tools to use, and could be very beneficial in school as well. I could see flow charts being utilized in math classes. I'm terrible at math, but I think if I had a chart that kind of guided me along- it would be very helpful. The mind maps are basically brainstorming tools, which could also be really nice to use in a classroom. I remember doing brainstorming activities a lot in elementary school, and this seems to be building off of that basic concept, and bringing it into today's technology filled world. I checked out both Gliffy and Bubbl.us. They were both pretty cool and easy to use. I also like the fact that you don't have to go through the whole process of setting up accounts in order to test them out- this made it easier for me to choose which ones I actually WANTED to create accounts in.

Thing # 13

I actually found Zoho Writer to be a pretty useful tool. I like the fact that it basically acts as programs that I'm familiar with, like Microsoft Word, but can be accessed from any computer. I like having all of my work downloaded on a thumb drive or something, but it can be easy to misplace a thumb drive when I'm working on the run, or on multiple computers. Zoho seems like a pretty fail safe way to keep track of your work. Another nice feature is the fact that you don't have to worry about having your file in any particular format, which can also be troublesome when emailing Word documents back and forth between colleagues and professors. Overall, Zoho seems like it has more advantages than disadvantages, and I'm sure I'll be able to utilize it from this point on.