Once again, I am behind on my schoolwork – in all my classes, not just in ED 483.  It seems like I am always working on something, but never get it all finished to my liking.  Part of it is the technical difficulties I’ve been having.  Anyway, I’m catching up on some of the readings and blog entries for this class.

I’m really starting to understand the social networking concept this class was supposed to teach us.  It is amazing the information I have found out about by reading blogs written by my classmates and checking out the links they recommend.  I’ve also found some interesting things by reading the information available through the Google Reader group for our 483 class.  I’m starting to make it a habit to bookmark things, tag them for organization, and share with people I think would benefit from it.  It takes a little bit of time to do some of this stuff, but some of the things I have learned are amazing.

Katie had a great idea in her blog – she decided to do a new Wordle to see the changes that have occurred in her blog posts throughout the semester.  I decided to copy her idea.

Here is my Wordle from the beginning of the semester.

I then made a new Wordle showing the changes in my blog throughout the semester.

Some of the most common words in my first one are students, technology, and think.  In my second one, Twitter is the same size as Technology.  I didn’t even know what Twitter was when I made my first Wordle!

On the subject of Twitter – many people in ED 483 have reported they find Twitter useless, dumb, and a waste of time.  But, others have started learning how to use it as an effective tool.  I set out using it faithfully for a few weeks but I really didn’t understand its practical uses until lately.  Now I realize it can be a great way to share information and get help/insight from fellow twitterers.  For someone wanting to learn more about how useful Twitter can be, Ryan Bretag came up with a 30 Day Twitter Challenge. It may be interesting for some people to check it out.  It does seem like his challenge will take a lot of time, though.

For a good example how sharing blogs and information can be useful, consider what I learned about Google Docs.  We learned about Google Docs in ED 483.  I immediately began using them instead of other word processing programs for a lot of what I need to type for school.  Then, going through the Google Reader blogs and articles for 483, I found some blogs from the Google Operating Systems that taught me I could now do some drawing and other visual things in Google Docs.  I also learned there is a Find & Replace function.  I may not use this information right away, but it is interesting to know that it is available.

The example with Google Docs is very basic.  There are many articles and shared technology I have came across while reading the blogs for this class.  I have saved and bookmarked many of them.  I think it is great that so many people share information they come across and I plan on doing the same to keep the network flowing!

Well, I finally came to a decision on a direction I want to go for my final project.  I also finally had time to sit down by myself and made the video capture – I have to admit I would feel foolish if I was around others when making it.  I hope the link works:

Carolyn’s Video Jing Capture

I’ve learned that sometimes, when you are struggling with something, it helps to just walk away.  So, here I am the next day and I think this link is now working!  Enjoy. If anyone has any ideas for my project or feedback on what I am doing, please let me know!

I’ve been catching up on blog reading recently, and am really enjoying the blogs written by my classmates.  Not only do I learn a little about each person every time I read one of their blogs, I am also finding new technology and new uses for the technology I am familiar with.  Some people do a great job of linking related articles in their blog and sharing that information with others.

I think it is interesting how many people have listed Google Docs as one of their favorite technologies.  I have to agree it is definitely useful for many different things.  I’ve been showing it to others hoping they can find it useful also.

I also think it is interesting how many of my classmates do not like Twitter.  I agree the practical uses may be hard to find or not applicable at all times, but I’ve been enjoying writing short little tweets every day.  Of course, I don’t know how many people enjoy getting them!

I really like how some people are talking about the technology that was only briefly mentioned in class.  For instance – Sam talked about Searchme.  I had completely forgotten about that so I went and checked it out real quick.  That can definitely be useful.  I can’t tell you the number of times I have had to look through several web pages before finding one that is useful.  I think it is great Tim was able to help his partner practice his duet by recording his playing.

One other type of technology I’ve found interesting is Survey Monkey which enables you to create a survey.  You can then e-mail it to others, link it on a website, or send people straight to the website.  When they take the survey, the results are automatically recorded for you and analyzed.  I made a survey to send to NMU students who attended the Dating Doctor presentation a couple weeks ago on campus.

I can’t believe how much I am learning in 483 and how much I am enjoying discovering new technology and using it.  I think it takes an incredible amount of time to learn this new information and keep up on it, but it also is very useful at certain times.

I have been trying to learn more about Twitter and its practical uses.  So, the Evan Williams video was interesting.  I showed Twitter to a friend of mine and he is trying to use it more.  So, I sent him a link to the video also.  I have a few people I am following that I know personally, but I am also following different health, history, and news sites.  I think that this technology is interesting and, although I have not used it for anything particularly useful yet, I think it has many uses.  I liked the example he gave of families being able to pass on information during the wildfires to many people.  That seems like a good use.  I think that, in time, Twitter willl become even more widespread and more practical uses for it will be discovered.

I think the video by Sir Ken Robinson that talks about creativity in our classrooms really makes a person think.  He uses humor to discuss a very serious issue.  Students learn differently and have different strengths.  But, he says, we are educating them from the waist up and moving even more upwards until education only is the brain, and then only part of the brain.  It is important to let students be creative and to promote growth in this way.  He uses the example of the woman who may have had ADHD, had it been labeled as such then.  But, instead, she is encouraged to use her energy in dancing and ends up becoming very famous.  His video gives us much to think about.

The third video I watched was by Bill Gates and he discusses two major problems in the world.  These problems are seemingly unrelated – malaria and education, but he does a good job of linking them.  He brings up some very interesting information.  I was especially surprised to learn that teachers usually reach top performance after about 3 years of teaching – it is not the seasoned teachers that are the best necessarily.  He also shows that a masters degree does very little to change the effectiveness of a teacher.  I liked his talk and it also brings up some questions we must ask and some things that need to be addressed.  It is a scary thought that low income students are more likely to go to jail than get a 4 year degree.  Those students are our resources and should be directed towards not only education, but a life that does not involve jail.

We have learned about many different types of technology available.  Many of them will be extremely useful in the classroom.  Others will even be useful in everyday life, whether you are a teacher or not.  some others are just cool and fun to play around with, but don’t necessarily have a lot of usefulness.  I’ve enjoyed many different things we have learned so far.  I used a Wordle for a card I made for a friend.  I blabberized a picture of my boyfriend – he was not very impressed at first but admitted it was cool later.  I also have started bookmarking favorite articles and interesting websites I come across, saving them into a Delicious account and tagging them for reference later.  I like the idea of a Wikispace and think they are useful for so many things.  I have started taking my notes in class in Google Docs, so I can share them with anyone who asks.  No one has yet, but I still think the idea is neat.  Google Docs also came in handy for our group project in 361.

But, my two favorite pieces of technology we have learned so far is Twitter and Google books.  I have to write a research paper for my history class.  It has to be based on Primary Source Documents.  And, he does not want us to check them out of the library if possible because other students in the class are using them.  But, I found a complete copy of Samuel Sewall’s diary online on Google Books.  So, not only did I have access to that when I was not at the library, but I also was able to search the entire books for key words, which helped me find the information I needed.  I also used Google Books to research stuff for 361.  I can see myself in the future looking up many different books, both for personal use and professional enhancement.  I love to read and love to buy different books.  Having a preview first will be very useful.

I also am really starting to get into Twitter.  I think it would be even better if I knew anyone personally who was on there.  But, I am following some very interesting profiles.  I found a very interesting Health site.  I follow TV6, which posts local headlines.  I can then click to get the full story.  That is helpful for someone who does not have cable or read the newspaper.  I also am following a History feed.  I found some other people to follow on my own – the Dating Doctor and postsecret.  I have been searching for a few others and like adding them and sharing with friends.  My favorite part of Twitter is that I can do it right from my phone.  So, I am able to add updates at least once a day.  Part of my final project involves creating a Twitter account for the Health Promotion Office and updating it often with new Health Information.

Both of these things have already been very useful and interesting to me, and I see them getting even better.  I’ve been sharing them with friends and think it is a good way to network.

Well, I’m giving this another try because I am a stubborn person.  Hopefully I will discover something different that makes this 12th try better and more successful than the other 11.

Sweet!  I don’t know how I did it or what I did differently but it worked!  This is just my wallpaper for my computer with my two wonderful dogs on it.  Finally, you guys can relax and are no longer in suspense.

I’m sure the suspense is driving everyone wild.  You guys just cannot wait to see my first Jing capture posted online.  I just know it!  However, I have some bad news to report.  Although I have had several successful attempts at capturing a picture of my screen with Jing, I am unable to post it due to my lack of knowledge.  I was able to insert text boxes and arrows on my picture explaining a little about what was on there.  I even saved the picture.  I tried several times when the assignment was first given to insert my screen capture in my blog but I couldn’t do it.  So, I tried several times again today.  I get everything set and when I hit Insert Into Post, I only get a white box on my screen.  I have to close that box to even go back to the Blog page.  So, I am sorry to report that you all will just have to wait a little longer before you get to see my Jing capture.