Thing 9

I made the my bling picture that says Ms. G because my students call me that. I have one student who always holds out his fist like the man in the picture and says "Hey Ms. G!" This picture reminds me of my students.
The second picture looks just like a jersey that I had made for football season. I help coach cheerleading and the other coach and I had jerseys made to wear on game days.
The other picture is personal. Yes it has my name but that isn't why it's personal. When I was a kid, personalized pencils, stickers, and anything else that you could think of were really popular. Nothing ever had my name on it. Now I can personalize my own stuff. Very cool. Thank you Web 2.0.

Thing 8

This the Andy Warhol version of my going away cake from my first student teaching placement at Waverly Jr. High. The cake was made to look like a teacher's plan book. That was a really special day and now I have an even better way to remember it.

Thing 7

This has been my most frustrating thing so far. Flickr looks really neat, but I am having a terrible time with it. I don't know if it is something that I am doing wrong or if it is my computer, but my everything keeps freezing up on me. Very Frustrating.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sophie-/57596358/


I love this picture. I love waterfalls and I absolutely love fall. I would love to be wherever this is. It makes me feel like I am somewhere in the mountains on a romantic getaway. As stressed out as I am right now, that sounds just about perfect.

Thing 6

For Thing 6, I chose the category of organization. I am always trying to be organized. In a world gone mad, I like to have my own personal oasis of organization. It makes me feel good. When I clicked on organize, I scrolled down and was surprised to see Flickr. I wasn't planning on going there, but when I saw it, I remembered that I was going to have to use it anyway so why not check it out? Flickr is so cool. I love that I can upload and edit photos and share them. I think that this will be my gateway to using web 2.0 on a recreational level. I am really excited about it and I can't wait to try it out.

Thing 5

What does "School 2.0" mean to me? I think that school 2.0 is going to change the way students learn because as more and more educators begin to realize the value of web 2.0 tools. Right now, I think that there is some stigma associated with web 2.0 tools due to the fact that many people still don't understand what they are and how to use them. I have to admit that I am one of the people. I am still skeptical and apprehensive. I am still warming to the idea of classroom blogs and wikis.
Students will be moving from using an internet that is read only and become participants in the web. Students will be networking with other students in their classrooms, school, community, and possibly further. Students are hungry for an opportunity to be creative and shine. Most of them just don't know it yet. It is up to us as educators to learn to harness the possibilities already at our disposal. Web 2.0 applications are not the future, they are the present. Without them, our classrooms are being left behind.

I think in the future (near future I hope) all students will have a computer at school available to them. I think that in the future, as teachers become more internet/tech savvy, students will be introduced and exposed to many positive applications in a safe environment where they will learn to use them responsibly. Classrooms will no longer be defined by what textbooks and textbook series are being used. They will be defined by how students are using what they already know and collaborating with others to build on that knowledge. It's a scary but exciting time to be in education.

Thing 4

I am starting to feel like I'm a part of something good here. Blogging lets me see what others are doing and I soon hope to be sharing and supporting others. I can see why blogs can create a sense of community for teachers. Part of being a good teacher is reaching out to other professionals so that you can learn from them and they can learn from you.

Some important points that I have gathered from the reading are as follows:

1. Be polite. This is so importan. When you are composing a message think very carfully about the words you use, because they may not come off the way you mean them too. How many times have we read a note or an email and it sounded mean or harsh even though the writer never meant it to be that way?
   
2. Be specific. Don't answer with words like "yeah" or I "right". Tell people why you agree or disagree with something. Let them know that what they wrote meant something to you and that it made you think.
3. Show other bloggers that you hear them. When I write a message, I want people to know that I really get what they are saying and let them know how I feel.
   

I have been reading through other posts and I have picked the following to comment on:

1. Lorrie Anne Cooksey. I couldn't not go to Lorrie's first. Even though Lorrie and I have been friends for a while now, I still enjoyed reading her blog because it taught me more about her. She said that her favorite habit was 7 1/2 play. I need to be more like that. I am working on it, but life is so crazy right now, I don't know when it is ever going to happen.
2. Lynette Miller. I went to Lynette's next because I know from experience in other classes that her blog would be awesome and it was. It looks awesome. I can relate to her comments about technology. I too have limited resources at my school. I wish that I had classroom computers.
3. MarcyAustin. I am a hands on leaner too. I can't learn listening to a lecture. I have to jump in, do it, make mistakes, and then fix it. Sometimes that gets me into trouble though. The mistakes are what teach me though.
4. Kristan Bland. Kristan and have the same habit in common. Begin with the end in mind. That is how I get through everything. I have to set a goal and keep my eye on the light at the end of the tunnel.
5. Stacy Averill. I also picked Stacy's blog to comment on. Like me she has mixed feelings about creating a blog

I also picked two other blogs that were not class members. Brandi Trice's blog is coolest blog I have seen so far. I love the layout with the colors and the flowers in the background. Her avatar is so cool. It looks like the pictures of herself that she has posted. She got her background from a site called cutest blog on the block. I'm going to try it when I have time and see if I can find something that looks like me.
I also really like Rebecca Nordy's blog. It's really pretty. I like the colors and the background. She and I both both feel the same about the habit that deals with confidence. It's good to know that I'm not the only one with that problem.

This really turning out to be a great experience.

Thing 3

I have to admit that I'm nervous about the idea of using blogs in my classroom. I still don't understand everything about them. I am so glad that I am doing this activity because it is going to open my eyes to the possibilities that blogs can offer. I can't imagine at this point though going to my principal and asking permission to do it.

I have been studying about blogs off and on since last summer when I took a technology class. It is taking me a little while to warm up to the idea. I hope that this experience will teach me enough about blogs to be able to use them in my classroom.

Based on what I know so far, I think that blogs in education can serve two important purposes. Blogs offer educators to network with other educators. We can support each other, offer suggestions, and share victories. Blogs offer use the opportunity to reflect on day and help each other by sharing our experiences and wisdom.

Blogs also have features that help our students, but this is where I'm feeling nervous. I don't understand about security and blogs and I know my principal and parents would be the first to bring this up. That said, I hope to one day set up a classroom blog for my classes. I have 125 students so I imagine that might be a lot of work for me, but I think that it would actually get my students involved. I know that it is easier for me to be "vocal" in a discussion board. I'm not one to speak up in class, but on the internet, I feel that I can be myself. I would love to give my students a place where they could post and discuss issues from history that we talk about in class. I would love to be able to post students' work and showcase it. I think it would inspire other students to work harder.

I am going to continue to explore Web2.0 applications so that I can hep my students get the most from technology.

Thing 2

I got a little frustrated at first because I couldn't set up a blog because I created one back in the summer for another class, but I remembered my old password and now I have two blogs of my very own. I feel so special.
My students call me Ms. G and I love it. When they see me in the hall or when they come in, they say, "What's up Ms. G?" or "How's it going Ms. G?" The students that call me Ms. G. are the ones who pay attention and participate. I almost feel like I must have done something right to have earned a nickname. Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like I have bonded with those students that call me that. That is why I chose that name.
My avatar is based on the fact that after years of despising shopping, I have come to embrace it. I was never a girly girl, but now I love to get new clothes and don't even get me started on foot wear. My avatar looks like how I wish I felt all the time. She doesn't really look like me though. I want to be happy and perky all the time with good hair, but right now it just isn't happening.

Thing 1

This is my first post for my new blog. This is kind of exciting because I don't know where this is going to take me. I have tried this sort of thing before, but it just didn't fit in my life at the time. I hope that I can make it work this time.

When I viewed the tutorial for Thing 1 in the 23 Things, the habit that jumped out at me was, "Have confidence in yourself as a confident, effective learner." This blog will never give me enough space to write about the problems that I have experienced with confidence. It's funny because I have plenty of self esteem. I like myself just fine and I think that I am a good person, but I don't have confidence in my ability to do things. The really bad part is that I only learn by doing. I can't watch something being done or read about it. I have to jump in and do it and when a person has a problem with confidence, that is about the scariest thing there is to do. It takes a lot of courage and causes me much stress to try new things. I don't let it stop me, but it is hard on my nerves. I hope that people with confidence don't take it for granted.

The other habit that I like is number one. I have actually read the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and that is the first habit in the book. I always try to begin with a vision of the desired outcome. It sets a purpose and gives me something to work toward.