Thing #17: So they Say this is Delicious

Tagging, tagging, it's all about tagging. What I have discovered about tagging is that sometimes its useful, making things more findable, but other times-- well, not so much, it just provides you with a proverbial stack of things to go through.

My first impression of the Delicious-- really. Is this it (so basic)? So how does this work? I did have to search for the the bookmark button. I really thought that would be easier to find! Once I did, realizing yes, this was what I was looking for although it didn't match the button on the Common Craft Video, I added it to my toolbar.  When I typed in educational technology, as instructed,  I did get a huge collection of information. There were some relevant, interesting links available. I tried a few more tag searches and most of the results were valid, although there were some bizarre mashables that showed up when I typed in Nigerian Dwarf, just to see how it would work on something that is not commonplace.

My fear about tagging is that people will tag quite liberally, resulting in a massive list of irrelevancies. A tag for kids is likely to yield this:

Kids, Copernicus and Antigone, enjoying a sunny afternoon

I certainly find value in being able tag and share information with a group of people searching for similar information, such as teachers in a school. Whether I would share with my social media friends, which range greatly in interests,  and are composed of childhood friends, currents friends, work and school associates, neighbors, friends of friends, gaming friends, my mom's friends, my 78 year old aunt and uncle, various cousins, sisters-in-law is doubtful. It would be useful to share in a contained group for educational information.

Having an actual classroom bookmarking website account would be useful. I also looked at Digg and stumbleapon. I liked the setup of the Digg website. Although I didn't sign up, there were many interesting stories displayed, so I believe it would be a good place to find information worth bookmarking. I did sign up for stumbleapon. Based on 5 interests I chose: education,  animals, nature, alcoholic drinks, and coffee, I was able to randomly stumble upon several irrelevant websites. I was shown several funny cat sites, a PETA site, Jimmy the Bartender, a general education website showing other ed websites that I was aware of, a website trying to sell a tech college, and A Funny Collection of Misspelled Names Written on Starbucks Cups. My impression of stumbleapon  is that it's stumbleapon button is about as random as they come.

I think these bookmarking sites can be useful for people with a lot of time. My 70 year old  mother could spend all day there. I think it is a good idea to be able to bookmark and tag useful sites, I just don't know if doing so saves time.

Thing #16, Tools to Help Organize

 So, recently my Chrome homepage has changed, there are a few of  the websites that I have visited in the past few days on a few tiles. Then today I find this--symbaloo ,a mosaic where I can place many, many more quick links to my most used web pages that includes even more extra junk to look at. Cool. I placed a few of my favorites onto it for this screenshot. I actually reduced the size and left many out.

What I like about this format is that it is all right there, no drop down menu where I am likely to accidentally click on the wrong favorite. I can choose from several backgrounds, too. It is cool. I like it. Do I love it enough to change from the Chrome homepage? I'm still undecided. I like this type of tool, but I tend to wonder what is attached to it. Do I really want to inform someone else about the sites I frequent. When we are given a free tool, do we give up something unknown?

I also looked at 30 Boxes, a calendar organizer. Since I have already tried Google calendar, I don't think I'll actually use this one. I don't need to remember any more passwords. The 30 boxes calendar is customizable and sharable. So is my Google calendar. I'm sure Google is doing all sorts of analyses of my information. I'm ok with just having one company do that. Having many different companies do so is, in my opinion, pushing it.

I signed up for the remember the milk tool also. I don't know if I will use it. I guess I'm just feeling saturated with tools.
Which makes you wonder how we got through the week without these tools. Do we have to be so connected and reliant on devices? Personally, I feel that if I need an app to remember the milk, I'm not that self-sufficient adult that I thought I was. The world doesn't end when I forget to pick up milk, flea treatment, or even coffee. We survive, and definitely remember the coffee the next time.

So that's my rant. Maybe I'm just naturally a control freak. Looking at my desk, you would not believe that I am an organized person. I micro-manage my kids, my pets, my husband, and myself very well. Productivity tools may be necessary for others. I like to leave my cell in my car, where it can often be found dead. I don't want to text myself reminders. Maybe when I'm really old I will need that. And then technology can help.

Thing # 15...Wiki this

Welcome to the wiki revolution

Everyone's go to is Wikipedia.  Back in the day it was Cliff's Notes and then the For Dummies series, which involved acquiring and opening a book. Now we can just about find the answer or explanation to almost anything in a matter of seconds. There are so many wikis, so many places to look, and so much information.

I am a bit concerned about the editability of Wikipedia so I would generally cross-reference any material I find there. I have not experienced education in the age of the wiki answer, but I do know that Wikipedia is not a referable source. It is a great place to do a quick background check or clarification of information on topics which befuddle you.

I never thought that there were so many wikis, and I never knew that anyone can make their own. The wikis in plain English video clarified the pragmatic use of editable wikis. I never knew that this application existed, even though I was aware that Wikipedia was editable. I do like the concept of a sandbox wiki where people can build on each other's ideas.

I would like to set up a wiki in my classroom where students can share their ideas about literature. Perhaps people have ideas about certain books or characters. Other students may be reminded of similar characters. Students can share any position on any literature or fictional characters as long as they can contribute adequate, substantial information. We could use the entries in the wiki for discussion in class. I always thought the best teachers were the ones that would allow us to make any connections, fostering our imaginations and creativities by abolishing limitations on our thinking.

Thing #14 Go with the flowchart or map your mind

My first flowchart created on Gliffy

    When I think of flowcharts, my thoughts conjure up IRS form instructions or WebMd diagnostic charts. I generally don't think of education. I have never used them in any classes. I do see them as helpful when there are multiple steps/outcomes in procedures; they would be helpful in a chemistry class. They could have applications in a grammar lesson or in a research procedure. A flowchart could determine the direction that a research project ultimately ends up going. I don't think I would go through the formality of creating one for my own personal use using software like gliffy. Although it was easy enough to use, it does take more time than drawing bubbles with arrows. I don't know whether I would use flowcharts in the classroom.
     I had never heard of a mindmap before. I think they are a good way of extrapolating ideas from a theme or concept. I enjoyed building my mindmap on examtime. I did not want to use mindmeister because I did not want to provide a credit card. The examtime mindmap was a little nicer than the bubbl.us mindmap. I do think that constructing mindmaps is a good way to get our students to elaborate on concepts, literature, characters, an a variety of other information. I would incorporate mindmap building in a class discussion where we would brainstorm ideas while I would create a mindmap for everyone using their ideas.

My mindmap made on examtime

Thing #13, drive with Google, saving you time and money

Click here to see what Google Drive Tools can do!

Yes, that was my post. When it transferred, the margins were a little out of whack, but I guess I can live with it. All of my content and images were there. I'm sure that the images I inserted were what made the document look a bit off. That's ok! I don't think I will be publishing anything stocked with pictures again. Or will I ?

Thing #12. Google. It's not just for searching anymore

It's huge. It has taken over the way we look for and at things in our lives. What will these people think of next?

     So today I had to chose a few Google applications that would be useful to me. We all use Google. I prefer Bing as a search engine, but I use Google chrome as my browser, and tend to default to all things Google.
     After previewing the options that I could use to blog about, the obvious first choice was Google calendar.  Everybody in my house is constantly asking where I will be on any given date on any given time. All they will need to do is look at my calendar and they will figure it out.

I could very easily print it, but I know better, it would get lost. Those tech savvy kids would prefer to have it accessible on their devices anyway. 

It would be pretty cool to have your entire syllabus  of due dates entered on a Google calendar. This tool would be a great addition to the classroom. At some point, at home or school,  most students do have access to the internet. If they don't, they probably know someone who does. We are so used to using online resources that we assume that everyone has access, so we have to be careful. We could, however, start each day by displaying the month's calendar, so that students are aware of upcoming events. I do believe that I would use Google calendar and share it with my students. I think it would be useful.

     The other Google application that I like to play with is Google Translate. I love looking at written languages and listening to them. Bir neçə dildə fikirlərimi tərcümə görmək üçün gözəl (It's amazing to see the translations of my ideas in several languages). यह टूल अंग्रेजी बोलते है नहीं कि एक छात्र के साथ सहायक हो सकता है, pronouced Yaha ṭūla aṅgrējī bōlatē hai nahīṁ ki ēka chātra kē sātha sahāyaka hō sakatā hai (This tool could be helpful with a student that does not speak  English). ఇది మీరు అనువాదం పదాల ఉచ్ఛారణ వినండి ఇక్కడ ఒక సాధనం ఉంది, such as,Idi mīru anuvādaṁ padāla ucchāraṇa vinaṇḍi ikkaḍa oka sādhanaṁ undi (It has a tool where you can listen to the pronunciation of the translated words, and spells them out in a way that we can attempt to read them when the alphabet is different). 

     Using Google translator can help us as teachers, and our students, as well, communicate with others who do not speak English. Our students could find a blog of a student in another country then use Google translator to understand what they are saying. They could then translate their thoughts into the foreign language and comment on the blogger's posts, making the world flatter. 

Thing # 11- How to find your new best blogfriend

     I have been searching the blogosphere. It is a huge place. I  know I don't have the time to read blogs every day so I want to find blogs with significant content. I need to be able to search for specific interests, then narrow down my findings. 
    I came across my best results using Google Blog Search. It took me directly to the type of material I was looking for. When I entered the same search criteria, Ben Franklin quotes, into  www.blogsearchengine.org, I did not get precise results, and there was a list of google ads that preceded my results. Technorati found nothing in blogs and 1 post that mentioned Ben Franklin's name. Although I find myself Google-dependent, there is a reason-- it provides results.

     Google is easiest to use and not confusing. Technorati had too much going on, and the search bar brought me no results. I don't care about who they think are the top and bottom bloggers. The results from blogsearchengine.org could be confusing since they lead you to a variety of content.
   
     I enjoyed reading the post  from the cool cat teacher blog because what she said made sense; creating a circle of the wise for encouragement, inspiration, and knowledge is proactive. Using this frame, I sought out more helpful blogs like her's. I am now following Will Richardson's blog, Ben Franklin 2006 and Run Jimmi Run. The two latter quotes are for inspiration.

     There are many odd and unusual blogs. Years ago I googled my name and came across a blog authored by someone with my name that touted the glories of string cheese. Crazy cat people abound. There are blogs for weird phobias, unusual pets, alternative lifestyles of every kind. It can get scary.

     I think one of the best ways to find newsfeeds and blogs is to see what the other bloggers follow.

I'm looking for me

     You're looking for you

                  We're looking in at each other

                   And we don't know what to do

          They call me The Seeker

                       I've been searching low and high

                   I won't get to get what I'm after

                                 Till the day I die          --Peter Townshend