Thing 17

As a teacher I will be able to use social bookmarking and tagging when it comes to finding lesson plans or strategies that I need to revert back to.  This tool will also come in handy when it comes to collaborating with other colleagues. I will definitely use Delicious to bookmark my favorite websites that will help me as a teacher.

Tagging is what you do after you save a link to your collection. You tag it with one or more keywords to describe it. Multiple people can use the same words, so you can search for everything tagged with "technology education" or "elementary education" and get the collection of websites of everything that anyone has found using that tag.

Social bookmarking allows you to maintain a collection of useful links online.  It is very similar to the bookmarks or favorites in your browser, but they are also accessible to others because you post it on your own page. 

Thing 16

For the start up page I used two different ones.  For my laptop I use UStart, and for my tablet I use Symbaloo.  Both were really easy to setup.  I prefer Symbaloo on my tablet over UStart just because the layout is so much easier and more convenient to use, and I like UStart on my laptop because it is designed more like a regular start up on the computer which I am more familiar with and accustomed too. I also like the fact that UStart has options to allow for calendar and even the weather to be right there on the same screen as all your other interests and web pages.  This is a great tool that will keep you organized in the classroom or in your personal life. 

I use Google calendar and I love it.  This is going to be even more helpful to my family once I have my baby.  My babysitters will be able to see my schedule and know what days and times they will be needed.  An online calendar is the best way to keep your family on the same page when it comes to appointments, school and work schedules, and special events.

I have Remember the Milk application on my smart phone and highly recommend that application. It is a virtual to do list that helps me remember what I need to do whether it is my grocery list or what errands to run or what school assignments to do.   Forget the sticky notes and honey-do lists, get Remember the Milk and you won't be disappointed.

Thing 15

Teachers and students can benefit so much by using wikis.  Students can use it for studying or by collaborating their work and answers to problems that teachers have posted.   Ideal for group projects, preparing for tests, and also for the student who is absent.  For teachers wikis can be used for posting class assignments, the syllabus, and even lectures.  I have found the wiki spaces page for this class very helpful and refer to it for every class assignment.  There are so many wikis out there on the web that can be very helpful to students and teachers. Wikis are such a neat innovative web-based tool that I wish was available to me when I was in high school.  I will definitely continue to use wikis throughout the rest of my college years and going forward as I become a teacher. 

Thing 14

For Thing 14 I chose to sign up for the mind map at bubbl.us and for the flowchart I chose gliffy.com.  Out of both of them, mind map was a bit easier to construct a mind map and I have started to use this as a brainstorming and outline for a research paper that I have for my SPED3000 class.  The mind map provides a way to neatly organize note taking while it also keeps focus and interest in the subject.  Your information is not just written on a piece of note book paper.  It provides for a more convenient way of outlining notes where you can visually see information, make connections and build ideas.  Any subject you teach in school can benefit from mind maps and flowcharts.  Most people comprehend better when they can visually see what is going on.  These tools can be used in the classroom for note taking, showing math stats, going over reading comprehension, and/or comparing scientific data.  The use is endless.

Thing 13

This is the link to my document that I created in Google Drive.  Google Drive can be accessed from any computer as long as you have a internet connection.  I have had to use Google Drive in the past for a few classes so I am very familiar with it. This application is perfect for students who are working on a group project or if you are collaborating your work with someone else. 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xqwaGG3jkY4iE1QuEnfseaiE9h-uSYywzIpm2JW7X_k/edit?usp=sharing


Here is the link to the drawing I created with Google Drive. The original picture is a Douglas Fir tree from my grandparents front yard in Washington.  Douglas Firs are also known for being Christmas trees.  I can remember when I was a young child we would decorate this tree during Christmas.  This tree is so tall now you can't even reach the branches.  The other side of the picture is my drawing of the tree.  This application was fun to use as it was my first time using it.  I am no expert at drawing, but this drawing application can be used in the classroom for several different ways. You can put diagrams or drawings of math problems or do comparison charts.  I think that by using this it will get the attention of younger children in elementary grades. 
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1vdkN-cd6UYwu6Lkyg-v_ZK-l3hmQlx6m1e3u-ONKkD8/edit?usp=sharing


This is the link to the form I created through Google Drive.  It is a simple math question designed for elementary age students.  I found this very fun to create and useful for conducting questionnaires or surveys. .  With forms you are able to come up with questions for your students to answer.  From there after you post it to the web, Google Drive will keep track of all the answers and responses in a separate spreadsheet.  It's amazing how cool of a tool this is!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1mj664BkLH1PmxPqOcEwgfPGgo659QaG9e3863ianwOQ/viewform

I did not care too much for Zoho.  Google will always be my number one product to use.  It is so much easier to navigate and understand.  Since I am more familiar with Google Drive and its features I will continue to use it unless specified.  It is just more convenient for me to stick to what I know and love and that is Google!

Thing 12

I love Google!!! I am such a google advocate and will be for the rest of my life.  I have two gmail accounts, one for work and the other for school.  My favorite tool I use frequently is google drive.  I love being able to have access to my own drop box and view my documents from any computer whether I am at work, school, or home.  Google calendar is so helpful also. Multiple people, such as family members or coworkers are able to view my calendar and keep updated on certain appointments or events. What makes the calendar  so convenient is that you can link it to your cell phone also.  This tool will be helpful in the classroom if you have a co-teacher or an assistant.  They will be able to view what days you will be out or if there is a big test or project coming up that they will have to help out with.  Google alerts is a really neat tool also.  You can stay updated on current news or events that you are interested in and it will send you email alerts.  Like I said earlier, I love Google!  I am so thankful for this web search engine.  It has make life in the technology world so much easier.  I am a proud Googler!   :)

Thing 11

I definitely found Technorati and Edublogs easier to use because the other ones are just search engines and you have to know what you are going to be searching for.  I am more of a click and read type of person so I like to see and check out what is available on the page before I go exploring on my own.  I liked Edublogs the most because it lists the top and best blogs.  None of them were really confusing to me, although I am a huge fan of Google, I didn't care too much for the blog search through Google. The Blogsearchengine was just overall more user friendly than
Google.  In my search I found The teacher wife blog to be really cool, fun, and informational.  I can really relate to the blogger and ideally that is the type of teacher I want to be.  She seems like she really cares about her students and implementing fun into her teaching.  During my search I also found the search engine Meltwater IceRocket to be a really helpful tool when searching for blogs as well. It tracks real-time blogs and allows you to search for blogs based on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Thing 10

Feedly is an RSS newsreader that I am using and an advantage to this over others is that you can use it from your smart phone.  Some blogs that I have subscribed to through Feedly are, CNN, Cool Cat Teacher Blog, Food Network, How To of the Day, MindShift, Pintrest, Recylart, and What the Teacher Wants.  What I like about RSS and newsreaders is that it doesn't send you any emails and reduces on junk mail.  Another likeable perk to RSS is that it saves time on having to look things up on the web and just makes things more convenient because it keeps track of what you've read and saves your spot so you don't have to go back and look for where you left off.  Another plus to it is that it puts all your favorite news feeds together and makes it easier to stay updated on your interests and current news.   I definitely am able to use this type of technology in my personal and school life in several different ways.  One way I can use this technology is that I am able to share and collaborate any lesson plans or teaching activities with others.  There are so many innovative ideas, DIY projects and recyclable crafts that I love to work and plan to use in my future career as a teacher. 

Thing 9

 

http://www.imagechef.com/

 

 

 

 

With the help of websites like ImageChef.com and Fototrix.com users are able to create different types of images and graphics that are fun and creative.  ImageChef was a bit easier to use than Fototrix but you do have to create an account with ImageChef whereas you do not with Fototrix. Both websites are completely free as well. If you are trying to catch your students attentions by having bright and colorful graphics implemented in your power points or lessons than these websites will definitely help you spruce it up a bit. Be careful though, it can addicting.  These websites will keep one occupied for hours of fun that is for sure!

 

                       

http://www.fototrix.com/

          

Thing 8

Maternity Mosaic, a photo by krystalmarin on Flickr.
                                                                                                                                                                                                            This mosaic was so much fun to make!! I created it on bighugelabs.com. It was free to make and so user friendly.  I will definitely be using this website again for personal use for sure and also in the classroom once I become a teacher.  This website and Flickr will be a great tool to utilize especially if you are in charge of the yearbook, teach an art class, or even a journalism class.  These tools and mashup features can also be used in newsletters for your classroom and for conducting a seating chart or a class roster.  I also played around with the mappr app which would be really cool if you are teaching a geography or social studies class.  You can put pictures on a map to signify a particular place or destination that you are teaching in your lesson plan.  It can also be used to help students remember locations and also keeps track of places that you have traveled to if you use it for personal use. At first I was a bit weary and unsure of posting my personal pictures online other than to my Facebook, but I am viewing it a bit differently the more I explore around and see the neat things you can do with websites like Flickr.  I am not ashamed of me or my life and I have nothing to hide so I feel like I can be confident in sharing my pictures for the world to see. 

 

Thing 7

1, a photo by krystalmarin on Flickr.

Maternity Photo Shoot

This is one of the photos that I shared on flickr.  Ben and I recently had maternity photos done and this one is our favorite. I just love how my photographer friend captured this shot! It's so unique and not a traditional photograph.  Ben and I had a lot of fun taking pictures and the weather was so beautiful that day!
My experience setting up flickr was a breeze.  It was so easy to do and I really like it.  It's so different than Facebook or Myspace.  Those sites are more for keeping in touch with your friends and for socializing where as flickr is for videos and picture sharing.  The main feature I like about it is that you can link it to your yahoo account and you can make it private so your photos aren't shared with the whole world.  You can post any pictures that you want and  can edit them however you choose.  One good thing about posting them is that it stays on there until you delete it.  If your computer ever crashed and you lost all of your pictures, any pictures that you have uploaded to your flickr account will stay on there.
I definitely will be using this website in the future for personal use and for when I am a teacher.  It will come in handy when you want to blog or share pictures of your students during class.  It's very easy to use and I am confident that student's parents will be able to use it as well.