Thursday, October 18, 2012

Thing #13

            Until today, I have never heard of Zoho! I did not know that anything existed that was so much like Microsoft Word! They layout was very similar, but I think that once you have been exposed to Microsoft Word, you never want to switch to anything else! But then again, I am just very used to using Microsoft Word. So, if I was never exposed to this, then I am sure Zoho would surpass as amazing. I think that it is great that there are sites out there like this, especially for people who do not have Microsoft Word and need to type a document or something else. Websites like this will more than likely make Microsoft Word a thing of the past if they continue to grow and improve!
            Students could definitely use Google Docs! As a class, students can make and share presentations, spreadsheets, and documents with each other. This is also a great source for students to use that do not have Microsoft Word at home. This allows them to still have the chance to create whatever it is they need to create as if they still had Microsoft Word. Students could also use this when they have group presentations and need to work together to make something. They easily have it right there to use!
           
            I think that both of these are great to use, but I prefer Zoho! The reason I prefer Zoho is because it is set up more like Microsoft Word and I found it very easy to use. I had a little bit of trouble using Google Docs and figuring out how to do what. Zoho just seemed much easier to use and made more sense. I did not really have to think to do anything, because it seemed like the website made it easy to figure everything out!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Thing #12

           
            I used the Google calendar and the Google translator. I could definitely use both of these tools provided by Google for personal use and for the classroom! The Google calendar would come in great handy for reminders! I would probably choose to use this for one specific thing. For example, I could use the Google calendar for events that only pertain to the school I would be teaching at. This way, I would not be overwhelmed with notifications and things going on. I use a paper calendar and I prefer to write things down for my everyday life, but I could definitely use the Google calendar for something like that! I also explored the Google translator and had lots of fun watching it translate words for me. I could definitely use the Google translator within my classroom. In today’s society, there are many ELL (English Language Learners) in classrooms. It is very likely that a teacher may have a student who will not speak fluent English or even speak no English at all. The Google translator would be a great tool to translate words for the teacher and the student. Overall, Google has endless possibilities! It is way more than just a popular search engine! Just spend some time exploring Google and you will see!
Google Calendar Link

Google Translator Link



Thing #11

            Searching for blogs was fairly easy with all of the search tools that were provided. I really liked using Technorati to search for blogs. It also allowed you to search within posts, which I thought was neat! It was definitely my favorite. I found it very easy and even found some blogs that I liked and added to my Google Reader. I added Curriculum Matters to my Google Reader, because I felt like I could use it now and when I become a teacher. I also used the Google Blog Search and found it very easy to navigate and find what I was looking for. My least favorite was Topix.net. I just did not like it as well as the others. I felt like the web-sites homepage was very busy looking and that kind of turned me away. I also had an add pop-up when I was using this web-site and that was really annoying. I did not think that any of them were confusing, I just preferred one over the others. Technorati has my vote for best search tool for blogs!

Thing #10

RSS and newsreaders are great! I never knew that such a thing existed! It took me little bit to get it all figured out, but after I did I really liked using it! It is convenient to have all of your information in one central location. This is a great tool to use not only for personal use, but also in your classroom. For personal use, one could use RSS and newsreaders for things they personally enjoy. There are blogs and newsfeeds about everything, so it very easy to find something that you personally like. A teacher could also use RSS and newsreaders. Teachers can have all of their favorite blogs and educational news all located in one place, so they have easy access to everything they like to stay up to date with. This can be a place to check for new classroom ideas, activities, lessons, and so many more things! Overall, I think RSS and newsreaders are a great tool to become familiar with!

Thing #9

            I really enjoyed creating all of my images below! They were all super easy to create! All you had to do was choose what type of image you wanted to create, I chose the word mosaic and the awareness ribbon, and create your image. You got to choose what words were in your mosaic and the words you wanted on your ribbon. The link to this web-site is below if you would like to try it out! I could also use all of these images in my own classroom. The awareness ribbon can be used to show students what it means to be passionate about something and want to support a cause. I chose to do breast cancer awareness, since October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. It is important for children to know what is going on in their community and what they can be raising awareness about. This image could definitely be displayed in my classroom. The other two images that I created could also be used in my classroom. One says, “Teaching is Learning” and the other says, “Reading”. These could both be displayed throughout my classroom. I could also use this image generator as a classroom activity. As a class, we could make these together and hang them up in the classroom, so that the class is personalized to what the children are passionate about.

Image Chef Link
http://www.imagechef.com/