Thing #8 Free Technology Tools Blogs

We looked at several sites including Google Earth and The interactive Science Simulations. However, we didn't find much for Kindergarten. We did think we may be able to use Google Earth. This may be able fun for our 4 and 5 year olds when teaching about neighborhoods and communities. Students can browse around to find their house, favorite restaurant, etc.

Thing #7 RSS Feeds and Blog Readers

This was a very interesting "Thing" and I learned some new ways to get information quickly. The RSS feeds save time and frustration by not having to browse through all your frequently visited sites, now you can have them sent to you by subscribing to RSS. I didn't realize that when I created my IGoogle, and chose all the links that I wanted on my home page that RSS is how I receive all my updates. While working on Thing #8 I realized that Google Lit Trips has an RSS feed to subscribe to. I will look for them now, on sites that I am interested in. This will help to save me time in the future.

Thing #6 Image Generators

This was a lot of fun!!The Image Generators can be used in many ways in the classroom. This would be a fun way to incorporate pictures and captions to different writing activities in the classroom. You could create posters, comic strips about story retells or do book reports using pictures and captions.

Thing #5 Flickr and Image Genrators

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tk_five_0/3635569312/in/photostream/
I have never used flickr nor have I heard of it. But what an interesting site. There were so mnay pictures that I found myself brosing through. I am a big fan of the ocean, so I search some ocean pictures and the one I posted was just amazing to me. The details that you can see in this picture are just beautiful.

Clovis 23 things Thing #4 Searching the Web

Holly and I working together and we were amazed of how many different search engines are available. We didn't realize how many different search engines sponsor and/or promote different organizations. We discovered many different sites that we would be able to use for our children in our classroom, and Holly found a site that high school students can use for research for colleges and SAT information that I know will be helpful for her boys. There is so much information and different ways to search that you could spend hours just sitting in front of the computer.

Thing 3, iGoogle Suite

Google has so many tools such as IGoogle. IGoogle has so many exterior tools at your fingertips outside of CUSD restraints. By organizing all your "gadgets" you are able to access and prioritize on one home page. Documents and blogging could work in education at the secondary level. Students could access a teachers IGoogle page and get assignments, read documents and share blogs about assignments and questions.
There are a few points that I agree with in the "paradigm flip" such as downloading books in stead of checking them out. I also like the idea of changing the "onesize fits all internet access networks for teachers and students". I agree that "user controlled/responsibility connected access to networks and information" is important.

Thing #1 & Thing #2

http://clovis23things.wordpress.com/2009/01/30/register/

Blogging is new to me. Just coming up with a name took longer than it should have. I am anticipating how it will be putting this whole thing together and customizing my blog. Looking forward to learning all the new things.