A day in the life of a Teacher

not one of the things...

2009-07-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, this isn't one of the things (but I have continued to post comments on other blogs), but I absolutely love quotes and I found another other quote about parenting/teaching that I loved I'm going to share. Enjoy.

"Children will become what you are, so be what you want them to be" - Unknown

Isn't it just beautiful and so true?

thing 23...

2009-07-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow! I can't believe I'm done! Although, I'm not really done since I plan on using alot of these resources in my classroom and personally. I learned so much and I am so glad that I decided to take this course. Thanks!
1. I loved Wikis, Photostory, blogging, Flickr, mashups (MosaicMaker), and tagging.
2. Learning about new technology is always a lifelong goal for me. You have to be willing and ready to change with the times and I am glad that I learned about all of this "new" technology so I can pass it along and use it.
3. I was surprised at myself. I consider myself pretty up-to-date with technology and the web (before I was a teacher I managed the web site for a marketing division of AIG). There were LOTS of resources I have heard of, but never accessed or used. I guess teaching and mommyhood have kept me busier than I thought.
4. I liked the format. I enjoy blogging, so the format for me was easy and fun. Maybe incorporating Wiki's in the future would be fun!!!!
5. Yes, yes, yes! I actually think it should be a mandatory professional development for ALL teachers and staff. If the district wants us to USE technology in the classroom, then we need to be trained with hands-on experience. Right???
6. Exciting!
7. I will (and I just did)! Thanks for everything! This is one of the most useful professional development courses I have taken.

thing 22...

2009-07-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

It's hard to find Nings and information on Pre-K, because most districts don't have pre-k or their pre-k is 1/2 day or is considered preschool (which is different). I was able to find a ning called Early Childhood and Technology PK-2. If you work with little ones and love technology, it was a good source of information. I didn't join, but I navigated through and read through the forums. I will definitely visit the site again. Art is my passion (and what I would like to teach in the future), so I found another ning for Art Education 2.0, using technology in the art classroom. There's definitely alot of great information out there and I like that it's all from TEACHERS. Teachers know teachers best.

thing 21...

2009-07-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

I created my video. I realize that some of my photos look horrible, but that's because I save them to fit my personal blog. For the sake of this blog, I'm going to leave it as is for now BUT I am going to fix it because the video is just to cute! I absolutely love this technology. In the classroom, I can add a bunch of photos of whatever topic we're learning (i.e. butterflies) ans make a cute video for the kids. Personally, I can make a cute video for each of my kids for the next birthdays. I hope you enjoy my video.

PS. There's no music because my favorite song would not download from iTunes (You Are My Sunshine by Elizabeth Mitchell).

thing 20...

2009-07-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

I've used YouTube before, but I only started using TeacherTube when I started 23 Things. They have alot of neat videos, but I was frustrated by not being able to narrow my search down. It's a great resource and can even be used in a Pre-K classroom (if I could find an age appropriate video). While searching in the Most Favorite Videos, I stumbled upon this video and it struck me because (1) art is my passion (2) I like Picasso and (3) I like the editing. I hope you enjoy.

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=2482&title=Picasso

thing 19...

2009-07-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

I've used quite a bit of the Web 2.o Award Resources: CitySearch, Monster, Delicious, Technorati, LibraryThing, Flickr, Etsy, Facebook, Rollyo, and Kayak. I use Flickr, Esty and Facebook DAILY. I decided to check out MothersClick (niche social networking), Last (music), and Im Cooked (food). I didn't connect well with MothersClick..stay-at-home moms and their stroller fit clubs..BLAH. I liked Last. My husband is a music teacher and he thought Last was cool too and we've never heard of it. It was easy to navigate and we even found some cool concerts coming up in our area. Now, we just need a babysitter! Im Cooked was cool too, but I'm NOT a cook, my husband is. There were lots of things that looked delicious to eat, not cook. Etsy and Facebook are by fare my favorite. I spend alot of time (when I have it) on both. Etsy has some awesome handmade items that are fabulous and Facebook is a great way to connect with old friends and far away family. I'm not sure that any of the resources I visited or that I visit frequently can be used in the classroom or in the library though.

thing 18...

2009-07-09T20:04:00.001-07:00

I had trouble downloading Open Office onto my computer at home and my laptop is resting at school. Ugh. So, I played around with Goggle docs. It's nice that it's free, since Microsoft Office is not, so most people can use it. It was easy to follow and navigate. If you needed help, Docs Help was there to answer your questions. I'm used to Microsoft Office and I've always used that, so I don't think I'll be changing anytime soon, but it's nice to have options.

thing 17...

2009-07-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here's my link...
http://rollyo.com/mrsmarker/mrsmarker1/

I was being stubborn and thought I could figure out how to get a link without watching the video. In the end, I had to watch the video. Rollyo was cool and I'm going to share the link with our 2 new kinder teachers - I think it will help them!

thing 16...

2009-07-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

Wiki's are F-U-N! Love it! I know there were some really great ideas on the Library2Play site on how to use Wiki's in the classroom, but I'm just not sure it can be used in the Pre-K classroom. I can definitely use it on a personal level, but having Pre-K students collaborate and compile information on a Wiki just isn't age appropriate at this point. It is something you could use with parents too, but MOST of my parents do not have computers or access to computers. I did tell my hubby about Wiki's (he's a music teacher) and he's excited to explore and think of ideas on how to use it in his classroom.

thing 15...

2009-07-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

I REALLY liked the video, A Vision of Students Today. Wow. I connected to almost every statement shown.

Libraries today do not even look like the library I used in elementary school(and I'm not that old). We used card catalogs and the library was the only place to go to get information. Today, most of the ideas I use in my classroom, came from extensive research done on the web. I spend (when my children allow me and I have time), alot of time on the web...searching, researching, reading, and enjoying. It's a great place for everyone. I can only imagine how libraries will look when my son is in high school. They have to adjust to changes (rapidly) to serve the needs of everyone. I think it's important for every teacher and every school to use and take advantage of all the great technology that's out there. If we leave technology out, we leave our children's futures in limbo.

thing 14...

2009-07-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

Whew! A girl can get lost in Technorati! I need to stay focused because I got off task searching for celeb gossip. Oops! I like Technorati because it can narrow a search down for you. I usually Goggle blogs or just ask friends what they're reading, but this way I can actually narrow my search down. It's easy to use and navigate too - which is always a plus.

The difference I found between using the keyword search for "School Library Learning 2.0" and the tag - the tag narrowed my search down. I have to say that I was VERY surprised (and thankful) that Michael Jackson was NOT on the list of Top Searches. Wow! It seems like his name is everywhere these days.

I will definitely use Technorati on a personal basis, but I'm not sure it'll be too useful in my Pre-K classroom.

thing 13...

2009-07-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

I discovered delicious and well, it's...delicious! I really like this social bookmarking site. I researched the tag "pre-k" and found a few sites that I haven't discovered before (PreKinders) and ones that I have (Hubbards Cupboard, K Crew, Starfall). Love it! I can definitely use these sites for ideas and resources in my classroom. It's amazing how much you can find and I like it better than Google because it breaks it down pretty clearly. It's easy to use and navigate and as a classroom teacher, I can use it to help me in the classroom. I'm always looking for great ideas to incorporate into my room.

thing 12...

2009-06-29T19:43:00.001-07:00

Work in progress...

Ok, I've only made a FEW comments, but I hate to comment for the sake of commenting. You know what I mean? I guess I only want to comment if I have something pertinent to say.

Update...

I've made a few more comments. I thought of something "thoughtful" to say. I'll keep it up.

thing 11...

2009-06-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

I checked out LibraryThing and added almost every Eric Carle book that was listed. I love Eric Carle! It was a neat site to investigate, but I'm not sure I would use it in my Pre-K classroom. It might be useful if you're doing an author study, because there's groups and "conversations" where you might get some useful information or ideas for your author study. I checked out the groups and I already joined Art Teachers, Children's Literature, and Bloggers. I'm excited about discussing books with others in the groups. It's a book club where I don't have to leave the house!

thing 10...

2009-06-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

I used Image Chef. I really enjoyed playing around and making all sorts of images. I created this one because it represents me the most. I can definitely use Image Chef in my classroom. There was an award image generator and I thought that would be cool to make for my Pre-K students. I can use the award for: knowing a certain amount of letters, rote counting, perfect attendance, recognizing sight words, and reading. I also thought the VIP Passes were cool too. I think I'm going to incorporate those into my daily routine, with classroom jobs. I think the students would get a kick out of having a "VIP Pass" when they have a classroom duty, like door holding. The Poetry Blender would be cool, later in the year, to have the students popcorn out words about lessons (i.e. butterflies) and then I can add an image and we'll have a classroom poem - made up entirely by the students. I know there's more to explore, and I'm excited to keep searching for cool ideas to incorporate into the classroom.

thing 9...

2009-06-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging, personally, for over a year now. It's therapeutic. But, I have to say that I didn't even know about all the blog search tools out there. I just searched myself, blog after blog or through word of mouth.

1. For sure, the easiest search tools were Edublog, Google Blog Search, and Technorati. I enjoyed looking through the blog winners on Edublog. I found some really great blogs that I enjoyed reading. Google Blog Search was super easy, but blah. Technorati was the most helpful, with an easy tutorial (the one in English, not Dutch). I immediately was able to find LOTS of cool blogs.

2. Syndi8 was confusing. The site itself made me dizzy and I didn't even try to use it. I'm very "Type A" and I need organization in a site. Ick.

3. There were LOTS of useful blogs, that I found very interesting. There are SO MANY, it's going to take me awhile to read through (in between running after two toddlers). I did like Christina's Classroom - since she's an early childhood teacher herself - I found some cute ideas to incorporate into my classroom. I'm excited to keep reading and finding more great resources!

thing 8...

2009-06-24T15:28:00.001-07:00

Another "ah-ha" moment. I love the Google Reader. Again, I'm wondering why I never discovered and used this before - I have no idea.

1. The Google Reader cuts down on all the scrolling you have to do in a blog and gives you the most recent posts, all in one place. Love it!

2. I'll definitely use this in my personal life, with my personal blog. I can view all my favorite blogs (and I have alot) all at once and not have to spend an hour after the kids go to bed to read every blog I love. I can use it in my classroom the same way as well. I added 5 blogs: The Crafty Crow, Teach Kids Art, Mary Grace Landrum, Mike Falick, and SBISD EdTech. This way I can keep up on the information I use in my classroom and important educational information at my fingertips, all at once.

3. I think all teachers/librarians/administrators can use this technology the same way I use it. I think this is really a wonderful tool for librarians. Think of all the grade-levels and information they access daily, and now it can be all on one page and easy to access.

thing 7...

2009-06-13T13:16:00.001-07:00

I used the Google Calendar (which I did not make public) and iGoogle. I liked the Google Calendar, but I think it's easier to use the Outlook calendar for myself (since any meting scheduled my co-workers and administrator's automatically appears on your Outlook calendar). iGoogle was cool - I'm not sure why I never used it before. I can definitely use this and set my own preferences for my classroom. I use ALOT of online resources for my Pre-K classroom (K Crew, Hubbards Cupboard, etc), so I can easily add great education resources for literacy, math, art, etc to my iGoogle.

Here's what I created...

iGoogle:
http://www.google.com/ig?rls=ig&hl=en&source=iglk

thing 6...

2009-06-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

I used MosaicMaker. I enjoyed finding photos and playing around with all the ways I could compose them. You could spend ALL day doing this. I think in my classroom it would be really neat to create little cards for each student. For example, create a card with all sorts of butterflies and on the back of the card list facts about butterflies. The students could use their cards during Readers & Writers Workshop and at the end of the unit, the cards would be theirs to take home. Too cool. I'm excited about using this program in the Fall.

thing 5...

2009-06-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

Butterflies! Aren't they gorgeous? I found this photo on Flickr and I was drawn to it because it shows the butterfly drinking he nectar. Even though life cycles aren't part of the Pre-K curriculum, I always love spending a week studying butterflies in the spring. The kids L-O-V-E it! My students would definitely get a kick out of this photo - I can hear them say "the butterfly is drinking nectar through it's straw tongue!" So cool!

thing 4...

2009-06-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

I'm finally registered and ready to start. Love it!

thing 3...

2009-06-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

Starting this process...

I didn't find it hard to start a blog and create and Avatar, since I already blog and have my own personal blog (about the day in the life of a mommy). I enjoy blogging - it's like therapy.

thing 2...

2009-06-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

7 1/2...

I am definitely a lifelong learner. I enjoy learning new things because I am a mom (so I can teach my children), a teacher, and it truly makes me happy. The world is changing everyday and we have to learn and teach to keep up.

Beginning with an end in mind, accepting responsibility, and using technology is the easiest for me. I have lots of ideas of things I want to learn and achieve and goals to meet them. Viewing the problems and challenges are...well, a challenge for me. I tend to get frustrated easy if I can't get a concept the first time and it's sometimes seems easier to quit. Gotta work on that.