Thing #24

  24?!?!?  What the......!?   

Final Here.  Took awhile.  Lots of seeking and finding.  Surfing and Lurking around the greatest applications on the internet.  I can honestly say, "This course has changed my life".  The way I share, create, and contribute to my personal and professional life has forever changed.  I feel like I have finally been plugged into the matrix.  Funny thing is: I know the journey has just begun.

    What a great exercise.  I feel like I'm ready to go out and start learning.  If, and when I do have anything worthy of contribution   Dr. Jerles has given me the tools to do it well. (A little brown nose never hurts, if you sit on the A-B fence line)  What a great instructor and he always......O.K., that's enough.  Cool thing Dr. Jerles taught us is, if you leverage technology correctly; a lot of what you do only has to be done ONCE!  Yea!! And where does the remainder of your time go....to the students, of course.  Enjoyed the instructor's focused time, the class, and everyone in it.  Thanks -Clinton

Thing #23

Creative Commons

     Knowing and understanding how creative property is legally protected is half the battle.  Unfortunately, I think there are a lot of people out there, who don't know any better and due to that ignorance are at risk of stealing someone else's work.  Confirming your ignorance is hard, especially if you are receiving royalties from someone else's work.  You can go to jail.  Not to mention the more simple ethics violations.  You certainly don't want students questioning your intentions.  If that is your example, what do you think they will do later in life?

     In the classroom and in my personal life, I intend to use Creative Commons to protect myself and my property from being taken advantage of.  I am much smarter now than before concerning the need to make genuine efforts to accredit the authorship of materials.  Mostly to protect my creditability, but also any financial earnings I may see in the future from works I may produce.  Good Luck!!!  23 Things Done, Fun, and I Learned a lot.  Thanks Everyone!  Clinton (I know: there is one more thing//see you in a minute)

Thing #20

Ande's B Day Rap

This is one of my twins with an on-the-spot, impromptu rap around Christmas last year.  She did not rehearse.

I love YouTube.  It can provide study material, entertainment, or a place to share family videos.
I take full advantage of the site.  I subscribe to interesting topics (news, education, funny) that pique my interest and in my leisure time go and find what might be newly posted.

Feel free to check out my site:  http://www.youtube.com/user/cboydu
If you do...I recommend "The Muppets are Back"  video.  Great interpretive works of 6 year-olds ever get boring!

Thanks -Clinton

Thing #22

THING #22

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=869655
Here is the link to a Binder a Made for future studies on the Pre-Revolutionary Period of American History.


http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=116637
Here is a link to another US History Binder I found to assist in studying and creating classroom material to assist with teachering.

WOW!!!!  I am blown away by this application.  The accumulation of materials and all their applicability to the field of teaching is genuinely limitless.  The applications in the classroom are limitless.  Text, video, pictures, lessons, activities....all of it is here.  Complied by the experts, and often the most organized people in the field.  I LOVE Love Binder.  I can not believe this stuff is FREE!  There is literally hundreds/thousands of hours of work in each binder.  RELIABLE RESOURCES!!!  You know immediately where the material was derived.  Most often than not, the links are provided to where the information came from.  This is truly unbelievable.  I will without a doubt spend a good but of my leisure/research time in Live Binder.  Thanks for introducing it.  This should, without a doubt, be THING #1.

Thing #21

Journey
Here is the Animoto video I made.

Unfortunately, the wifi signal I am currently using is not allowing me to access any of my photos at Flickr or Facebook; so, I decided to use their standard shots on their sight.  Beautiful photos though.  I still rather enjoyed the process. The means to create wonderful products are becoming more easily accessible.  I will more than likely use this to create videos and slideshows for my family at first.  It will be an easy transition into he classroom.  For anyone looking forward to my photos; here is an "action shot" of me playing Disc Golf. Thanks -Clinton

Thing #19

  Thing #19

Just wanted to add an Image.  

Technology:  the less you pay attention now, 

the harder it will be to catch up later.  

And, you will have to catch up!

TeacherPop and Ning Classroom 2.0 were the first two online communities I had become a member of; other than Facebook and Twitter.  Which I would title more of social media in general, since a community has common culture are goals.  Well, that could be debated also.  I mean; a community of teachers are all going to be focused on learning and teaching.  That's what I'm focused on; becoming a member of the teaching community.

I really like the Classroom 2.0 network.  It is surely a resource I will continue to reference.  Teachers are attempting to stay on the fore front of social media; that's where students spend most of their time.  Teachers can impact students through these outlets, and the technology will change as fast as we learn how to use it.  We will certainly have to collaborate, as a community, to stay on pace with these creative children.  This is probably the network I will reference most as I attempt to keep up with the dynamic landscape of technology in the classroom.  Thanks -Clinton

THING #18

Thing # 18

MY FACEBOOK

MY TWITTER

Love both of these social media outlets.  I have used them both for years.  I am not much of a "poster", but I do follow my friends fairly closely.

Twitter, in the recent months has become more useful to me as I have chosen to follow more professional and educational people and sites.  I've found it extremely easy to find creditable sources and follow the latest and greatest information on subjects of interest with little to no research time.  There are so many people out there, working hard to publish great information on virtually every topic imaginable.  There is no excuse for being uninformed anymore.

I Enjoyed exploring this exercise.  I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything: cool tricks or tips on how to better use.  I can say, "I've got the basics of both down fairly well".

Thanks -Clinton

THING #17

DELICIOUS:  AWESOME NAME for an AWESOME capability

     This is an absolutely amazing capability   The uses are limitless.  I really enjoyed learning about it, but also am very excited about further use of it. 

     How many interesting things have you run across on the web, but you just don't want to try and categorize it all into a useful library.  Well, we should have guessed someone would figure out a way to do it for us.  Being able to add your own tags to topics of interest is priceless.  

     In the classroom, students could collaborate in a major way on virtually any topic.  Researching takes time, but with a team working and tagging research together and sharing it through social bookmarking could take a faction of the time.  Not to mention, it can be done form anywhere, at anytime.

     This is certainly an application I will take advantage of in the future.  This enables anyone to make a library of your own.  Full of all the information you feel may be valuable in the future, or that you would like to share with friends or colleges.  I can't wait to start compiling my own resources.

THING #16

• Which start page did you choose? Why did that one appeal to you? Will you make it your permanent home page?

I chose iGoogle.  Since I use google for social media and email already, it was very simple to set a Homepage.  All of the other Apps I use on google, ie., weather, email, and alerts were already in there.  I had to create an avatar and designated how I wanted to prioritize the information and the layout; however, most of the applications that I would like were mostly preset.  Bottom-line: google is watching you and already knows what information you look at most often. 

• How can the online calendars be useful to you?

Icalendars are super useful!!  I have been using one for years and could not imagine life without one.  I use it to keep all my appointments, and everyone informed of what I am doing.  If, I would like friends or need co-workers present for collaboration or just to have fun: I use icalendars to keep everyone on the same page.

• What about the to-do lists—helpful, too much work…?

Absolutely a necessity for anyone who is a professional.  So many things can slip through the cracks.  Any busy person will forget something; however, sometimes you can't afford to.  It is proven:  Anyone who thinks they have a good memory, and doesn't keep a list: will forget something.

• Did you find a tool that has some uses for you at the school or at home? Which tool(s) would you recommend to others?

I use the Evernote app to keep all my notes electronically, and would recommend it to any professional or student.

Thing #15

My family does a holiday vacation annually.  Skiing, boating, camping  hiking.  Something different every year.  Using a wiki would be a great way to collaborate.

In addition to sharing one of my favorite blogs, I really enjoyed the video of planning a camping trip.  I immediately thought of my brothers.  What will we do this year?  I may try using a wiki to figure out the details.

Thing #14

COOL DIAGRAM SOFTWARE

This was really fun to play with.  First, I made the diagram (on Gliffy; above).  I used basic shapes and direction orientation of images in order to suggest a concept of personal growth and self-realization. Not sure it is proportioned or labeled exactly right. But, I think the flow allows someone to understand something of the way I think of myself.  The graphics were very basic and I could have made a much better diagram in Power Point.

Then below, I used Mind Map to brainstorm about anything that came to mind.  It was really fast and reveal a lot about of what I had been thinking on, over the passed couple of days.  Both were fun.  Enabled me to be creative and express concepts, not very easily explained otherwise.

Thing #13

Documents on the WEB.  Is Microsoft in danger?

Here is the Link to my ZOHO Document.

https://writer.zoho.com/public/d92dbcdd0e1ecb056d8a947831c2e2ab1a2303e0c27649d3bba12a3ba7d8fa9aa9efeb2be09dcdc99ece6500d2ba5d8a

Here is the link to My Google Doc
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iOwlEW2sZgIG-fXICvZu_VkACcB6yyoUchtJvIEsPOA/edit?usp=sharing

I general, I played with most of the features I use to compose a Microsoft Document in Word.  I liked both ZOHO and Google Docs.  Both of them were very similar and seemed to be modeled after Word, so that the transition from Microsoft is easy.
I loved the fact that it automatically saves on the Google Drive as you work and you can work on your projects from anywhere you have internet access.  Very Cool!  Plus, they don't take up room on your hard drive.
Overall, I feel Microsoft still has the market cornered in terms of advanced editing and presenting them in the standard acceptable format.  As a result of this project, I think I will start using Google Drive, not only for storage, but also for document production.

NOT a THING

Creative Commons Poem

I am writing a poem

A poem for me

For your to see

Then I will make it mine

One step at a time

To not share it would be a crime

Creative Commons will provide the legal term

And I will provide the steps to learn

THING #12

     I chose explore Google Alerts and the Google Calendar.  Both were just as I expected.  The alerts were what I found most interesting.  I already have a calendar on both Outlook and my MAC, so spending much time there didn't seem like it would pay off much.  The alerts though, very cool.  I created an Alert to let me know when any blog is posted on the topic of Teaching History.  I didn't create any more, because I didn't want random topics flooding my email; however, I do intend to continue create alerts to help me keep track of useful topics as I come across them.  The alert I created generated the below link as soon as I created it.  Thanks. -Clint

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&q=Teaching+History&lr=lang_en&tbm=blg

THING #11

     Starting out, I followed the feeds of persons associated with the Cool Cat Teacher Blog.  I found them to be very interesting, so I establish an RSS feed with four of them.  Then, when I found the Top Ranked Feeds on Edublog, I found three or four that looked interesting and started to follow them.  A lot of the blogs I found there were ones I had visited before as part of the 23 Things exercise. 

     Following links between bloggers, like those from Cool Cat Teachers was the easiest way I found to discover like-minds and relevant information.  Technorati publishes the Top 100 Blogs; however, not all were education centric.  Jumping from blog to blog from within “like-minded” bloggers seemed to me as the easiest way to build a “circle of wise”.  Thanks to the Cool Cat Teacher.

     Getting lost in a random search within the Top 100 list was a little time consuming and added a little frustration for me personally.  Sifting through a lot of “stuff” to find the golden nugget.  Most of what I concentrated on finding at were educational resources to enhance my college experience.  I’ve made a decision to dedicate some time daily to review some teachers’ posts in order to become well rounded.  As I find more time and more interests, I know my list to follow via RSS will lengthen.  I’m looking forward to refining it. 

     As far as, finding “unusual” blogs?  I hadn’t imagined all the information out there on Pop Culture.  You could fill your entire day reading up on the latest rehab admissions in Hollywood.  There is as much trash out there as there is valueable information.  More.  Seeing it all, reminded me that educators must be care about what we bring into our minds, and subsequently into the classroom.  “Circle of Wise”, great phrase.  I am going to create a good one.  Thanks -Clint

THING #10

 

    The RSS applications are a tremendous time saver for professionals or individuals who have multiple sites to check daily.  Sometimes, I dread the computer because there are so many places I have to visit.  I love the fact RSS can bring it all in for you.  Blogs, news, important media streams, even student assignments can all be delivered to one location.  I did subscribe to several sites in order to gain an appreciation for how well it works; however, I look forward to developing it into exactly what I need it to be.  This is one of those tools that becomes unreplacable once you have incorporated it into your lifestyle.  Thanks -Clint

THING #9

Wow!  Finally found one, easy to use.  Many of the links took me to applications that were very difficult to use.  Many were not at active site any longer.  This one, I really enjoyed.  "image chef".  Very easy to use and had many features useful in a classroom.  Signs, notes, labels, poetry creator, list generator and sign generators.  Lots of great tools, and free.  You do have to establish an account; however, like I said, it's FREE.  First, creation here is, a sticky note that could be use to remind your students of,...anything really.  Daily assignments for instance.

Secondly, I created a decorative poster for the classroom.  Students could also make these for their journals or book covers.

This poster was created with a learning principle in mind.  You could reference it when students collaborate and you want to highlight the fact that two students worked the solution better or quicker than those working only.

Personalizing the classroom can encourage students to take more ownership and accountability for personal areas.  The individuals name could be replaced with the Group or the Classes name.  "The Freedom Writers".  Might help develop an identify with being a learner, instead of less desirable qualities.

As a parent, I can see the advantages of using these tools for your children.  Around the house, placing named areas for backbags after school, or where to hang jackets.  Morning and evening routine lists are also helpful for after waking or prior to sleeping.  All these help with routine and structure.

Overall, I really enjoyed "image chef".  It was easy to use and full of lots of extras.  Thanks -Clint

THING #8 X 2 Beauties (My Favorite)

Adde and Ande, this one's for you.

     I have always enjoyed photography and the excitement that comes along with the experimentation of finding subjects, lighting, perspective,...the whole bit.  Digital images give us so much more flexibility.  The unlimited uses for them in the classroom are exciting to think about.  Everyone is responsive when viewing vivid images.  Putting students in the photos can add another dimension to the learning experience.

     I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive about placing photos on-line, but they were taking up so much space on my computer.  I had to do something.  Enter, Stage Right, Flickr.  I love it.  Submitting these photos of my girls was so much fun.  Makes me realize, I haven’t taken the time I should to remember how wonderful they have been.  Nothing like looking at your favorite photos.  These are certainly worth more than gold.  For you, they are FREE.  You're welcome.  Enjoy!  - Clint  
P.S.  My Girls love Rainbow's. So, do I. 

THING #7

I’ve always been interested in photography and as the Intel representative in the Seal Teams I was the photographer for my platoon.  I never received any formal training; however, on the ship we had a small area we turned into a dark room.  The cameras we used were 35mm black and white and for the first time I discovered the enjoyment and creative nature of photographs and developing them.  So, exploring these applications are just as exciting.

I had fun with Flickr.  I already had an account; however, I hadn’t used it in months and it had been deactivated.  I’ve always enjoyed photography and found it difficult to maintain a library large enough for all my favorite photos.  After reestablishing the connection with Flickr, I tried to upload all of the photos on my phone.  However, I had so many, Flickr stopped me at 300MB.  That is their monthly limit upload for the free account.  I also discovered my brother living in Singapore has a Flickr account.  After establishing my account, I went and looked at all of his photos.

As for using Flickr in the classroom, I guess the old cliché is applicable; “a picture is worth 1000 words.”  If a teacher were to spend some time collecting useful imagery, I’m sure the students wouldn’t mind a break from the standard lecture on a chalkboard.  Being that children often learn best visually, this could be a good medium to create discussion.  Through the use of photos, it is possible to take the students on a cultural journey without ever leaving the classroom.  Especially important for lower socioeconomic students, who may have never been outside their hometown. 

Oh yeah, the picture above.  That is my famous "Applewood and Coffee Smoked Chicken."  It is delicious!