Thing 12

I chose to explore iGoogle and created a homepage. I like how it allows you to tailor the page to your likes and interests. I set it up for sports, music and cooking, and I chose the background colors that I like. I then added a few gadgets that I found interesting. I also explored Google Calendar and found that I could add it to my iGoogle homepage. I find these to be very useful tools, and I will most likely continue to use it.
http://www.google.com/ig?hl=en&source=mpes

Thing 11

I found it very easy to simply search from Google Reader. I found Technorati to be the most difficult to maneuver, but they all really were simple though. I liked Topix.net the most because it pulled up information based on my location. I feel that is beneficial in following local events. I found Education Etc. News that is continuously updated from thousands of sources around the country. I will definitely follow that from now on.

Thing 10

I found setting up Google Reader was extremely simple. I had previously connected my Blogger account to Google, and when I went to Google Reader I found out I was already signed up. I added the suggested blogs to follow, and It instantly gave me the latest from each. This is a tool that can save a lot of time. It can be very helpful in the classroom because the teacher can stay up to date without wasting time by searching. I will use this to keep up with blogs of personal friends as well.

Thing 9

I found a site called Jelly Muffin that is a custom picture generator. I like the many options that this site offered. I was able to create a picture for my girlfriend. The site is: http://www.jellymuffin.com/generators


Myspace Picture Generator


I was also able to generate a calendar on the site: http://www.pageplugins.com/generators/wallcalendar/
This can be very helpful to create classroom calendars.





Cute Myspace Generators

Thing 8

I tried Spell with Flickr, and I thought it would be a great educational tool. The site uses pictures from Flickr to spell out any word that the user types in. I tried it by spelling my children's names. It could be used to spell student names for decoration of a classroom. I see this site as being very beneficial to teachers.

   

Thing 7

I really enjoyed creating a Flickr account. It is a very useful way to share photographs and to interact with others. It was extremely easy to create an account. I simply used my current Yahoo account to sign up. I created a profile picture and my own URL to the site. I don't think anyone will have much difficulty creating their own account. I highly recommend that everyone sign up. Here is the link to my photos

http://www.flickr.com/photos/roylane/

Thing 6

Picasa is my choice from the Web 2.0 award nominees. Picasa is an image viewer and organizer that allows the user to edit and share digital photos. Picasa was created by Idealab in 2002, but it has been owned by Google since 2004.  

 What does Picasa enable the user to do?

· Organize Photographs

· Edit Photographs

· Create Albums (Regular and Online)

· Order Prints

· Be Creative

· Use Face Recognition Software

· Share Photographs

· Publish Photographs

I have used Picasa for years, and it's the best photo software that I have ever used. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Thing 5

School 2.0 brings about mixed emotions for me. I see benefits of moving from and industrial based economy to an information based economy. I also see negatives in it as well. Technology is something that is great, and we are benefiting from the constant advances of it, but we still need to maintain our industrial sector. I do feel that future schools will be able to offer more information to students, and I feel this is a great benefit of School 2.0. Students of the future will be able to participate in virtual classrooms as well as traditional classrooms. The future is bright for students and teachers alike.

Thing 4

I thinks its important for us to interact with each other through our blogs. We can gain new information and constructive criticism from each other. I also discovered the importance of using proper etiquette while reviewing the information for this post. It is polite to respond to others when they comment on your blog. I have chose to follow the blogs of Robert White, Kayla Satterly, Erin Beifuss, Shelby Rogers, and Dalton Smith. These are fellow classmates, and I hope to gain useful information from them. I have chosen two other blogs to follow as well. The first is http://www.studentsfirst.org/blog/  and it covers the needs of students. The second is http://teachers.net/mentors/science/ and it discusses great ideas for science teachers. I hope to gain useful information from both.
The comments that I left for my classmates were all positive. I informed a few that I was unaware of the technology that they blogged about. All of the new technology seemed very useful to students and teachers. I informed others that I agreed with their sentiments in their blog. I am looking forward to the wealth of information we can all share.