Thing #17 - Tagging and Social Bookmarking with Del.icio.us

I already have a del.icio.us account. This tool has been very beneficial for combining bookmarks from home and work. I can mark the bookmarks private in delicious and choose the bookmarks I want to share with other people. This is a very valuable tool since I combine my personal and professional bookmarks. I also like to tag my bookmarks, therefore making it easier to search for specific topics. Another valuable tool is adding fans to your account. This enables you to see other bookmarks people have found therefore eliminating valuable searching time on the Internet.
Teachers could use this to set up specific sites for students to use during research projects or for specific learning sites.
I took the staff development this summer called "Social Bookmarking". It is online and will give you a better understanding of del.icio.us. and social bookmarking.

Thing # 16- Getting Organized with Web 2.0 Tools

I had set up an iGoogle page earlier. I looked at PageFlakes, but I chose to use Netvibes to set up another homepage. Netvibes was easy to set up too, but I will keep my iGoogle page. I feel it has more choices and options that are easy to integrate the other things I am using from Learning 2.0.
Online calendars are a very valuable resource when you work with a group of people with different schedules. I like the ability to share my iCal with co-workers. When I need to schedule a meeting for all of us, I can check their calendars before I set up the meeting. I also like the fact that I can create a personal calendar on iCal too. Since I already have an online calendar that I share, I did not create another online calendar.
I created a Jott account because I liked the fact that you could create a voice reminder list and send it to your iPhone. However, I used my work phone number and was not able to verify my account since I am not at work yet. I think this will be a very useful way to set up reminders for me. I like the fact that you can post your reminders or do lists to the web and have access to them anywhere. Again, having the ability to access things from anywhere seems to be the best part of web 2.0

Thing # 15- What is a Wiki

I love using wikis. What a great way to collaborate ideas for technology, classrooms, or libraries.

I found wikis were easy to set up and invite users to join. I plan to set up a wiki for Promethean users in our district to share ideas for using the Promethean Boards. I would love for teachers to share ideas on how they used the Promethean board to increase the TAKS test scores for their students. 

Last year I created a Wiki  to share family recipes with cousins who live out of state. Here is the link if you are interested. Singletary Family Recipes 

Thing # 14- Go with the flow

I used Gliffy to create a flow chart. It was similar to Inspiration, but you have to pay an upgrade to get images added to the flowchart. I did notice that it had network images. I also noticed that it was easier to align the objects with arrows than the Inspiration software. It had all the same features as Inspiration so you could customize your flowchart. I also tried Bubbl.us and was not impressed. It was much simpler, but I didn't like it. I didn't like the color choices or the fact that it only made a square or rectangle for the shapes. It was very easy to connect the bubbles. Of course the advantage to both of these flowcharts are they are free, and it is easy to share with other people.

Thing # 13- Online Applications

I have often heard of open source software, but I have never explored any of them before this class.  These are awesome tools that are going to benefit school districts greatly. When I think of how much money our district has spent on Microsoft products, it blows me away! Now we will have the option to use online software that is free. ZoHo Writer is a new way to use word processing, databases, publishing tools and so many more options for us to use in our classrooms that are web based. The tool bar looks very similar to word, however you have more options at your fingertips. The fact that we can create a document and retrieve it from any computer anywhere is fantastic. I especially liked the way they explained the introductory page too. I love being able to insert the emotions. 

However, when I was trying to export this to my blog, I was not successful. I couldn't find enough directions to help me. If anyone is successful, please respond and share with me how you did it. I thought it would be very simple, and it probably is simple.  I have just hit a roadblock.

Thing # 12- Google Tools

I loved all the Google tools. I was not aware that they offered so much. This was really cool to play with and set up the different tools. I like the Google Alerts because it will keep me informed about specific news or events, and I like the fact that it will email you. The Google calendar was easy to set up. I could see teachers setting up a calendar for homework, testing, or any thing specific to their classroom. 

I wasn't going to try iGoogle, but I am glad that I did. I love the gadgets you can add to your page and it was so simple to set up. I also love the fact that you can choose the topics for your tabs, and then it will pull in the information on those specific topics. This is the link to my iGoogle.

I also set up a Picassa Album. It was easy to use too. 

I am very impressed with all the capabilities Google has to offer us as teachers and the many opportunities we have to share this information with our students. 

The only hindrance is that our district has Google blocked, and it is a pain to over ride every time. But you could do everything from home especially the calendar and send the link home with your students.

Thing # 11 - RSS & Blogs

I found it easy to use several RSS feeds, but one of my favorite was Topix.net. It was easy to search a variety of topics from scrap-booking to vacation topics. Topix.net pulled up several feeds on Panama City, Florida, but Google Reader did not pull up anything. I was checking to see if they both would find the same information. 

I found Feedster took forever to download too. I didn't have the patience to wait for it to download to my computer. 

Since Google Reader was my first to set up. I am more familiar with it than the others. I have several RSS feeds set up, and I am sure it will continue to grow. I also have a deli.cio.us account that I am going to use for both professional and personal items.

I find that  blogs are useful for me to learn from other people and share valuable information that may help someone else.