Thing 24 - Is it the end or just the beginning?

This class, this “Thing,” was by far the most fun and useful college course that I have had thus far.  While I considered myself very well versed in Word, I didn’t know about the drawing tools.  I happened to use them in a Math lesson I was teaching a few weeks ago.  My little first graders commented “you made that!?” and “you must have used a computer”.  You know I did.  The night before, I went online, did a few screenshots, typed my text, added arrows so as not to lose the little ones focus and in a matter of minutes I had whipped up something that helped my students LEARN.  And to think I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express that night.  

Seriously, I so wish that I had taken this course during my first or second semester.  It would have made life so much easier and prettier.  Some of my PowerPoint presentations prior to taking this class were BAD!  Now, I’d put my PowerPoint against yours any day – and I’d bet we’d both be winners and still learn something. 

What about LiveBinder?  Now, that is an organizational geeks dream come true.  Add the Google auto fill and Bam! You have the makings for a good lesson plan, or remediation games, or “I need to spice up my lessons” Thing.

RSS – now that is something that I never knew about, but now I use every day.  The news I want comes to me.  I feel so powerful!

Playing on YouTube and Animoto were so fun!  And to think that it was actually homework.  I’m going to miss that I no longer can waste away hours every night (or in the wee hours of the morning) and honestly say, “Honey, I can’t believe how much homework I have in this Technology course.”  In case you couldn’t see, the inward smile in that sentence, here you go :-).

Regarding my technological future?  I signed up for the Learning 2.1 blog RSS.  I will not have cobwebs grow on me.  I’ll grow with my children and students until I’m no longer on GOD’s green Earth.  Thanks for the interesting, exciting, time intensive ride, Dr. Wall.  I’ll remember it forever in every day that I use this great tool call Web 2.0!  You are awesome!

Thing 23 - Creative Commons

Here is my proof/attribution that 23 Things was based on someone else's work.  It is only fair to give credit where credit is due.  We learned about Creative Commons while creating our copyright and fair use tutorial for our project, so this was just a refresher.  As a teacher, I will encourage (and enforce) fair use and teach students the correct way to use and credit (re)sources.  Students will be more inclined to do the right thing if we, as teachers, appeal to their sense of fairness.   By asking students to think about how they would feel if someone "stole" or copied their work, they will be more inclined to do the right thing and credit and quote their sources. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Based on this video, it's not the turkey that makes us sleepy. 

Thing 22 - Livebinders

LiveBinders is awesome!  I only wish that this had been Thing 3 or 4.  Now I'm going to have to go back through my Diigo library and tag all of those websites to place in my binders.  I created three binders thus far, but will definitely go back and make more.  I shared my Great Depression binder with you all (use "miss" as the password if it asks), as that is what I've based my whole project on this semester.  I also made a Technology and an Ancient Egypt binder.  My girls and I love anything to do with Ancient Egypt, so it will be fun to fill that binder with cool stuff.  FYI.  The Frist Museum in Nashville has an exhibit on Ancient Egypt until early January.  We went the last time it was here and it was terrific!  We plan to go back over the holiday break.

I'm an organization freak -- years of secretarial experience has made me this way -- okay, honestly I was born that way.  Now I have a technological tool that can make me as organized on the Internet as I am in all other aspects of my life!  Yeah!  What a Thanksgiving treat!  Life is better when you are organized.  I can't wait to use this tool more.

As an elementary teacher, I can make a binder for each subject and include tabs such as content, games, lesson plans, supplemental assignments for students who need a bit more help, the list goes on and on.  I'll be saving the school money because I won't have to buy so many filing cabinets to house all my stuff.  I'll have them in my LiveBinder account.  Yeah!  I am so happy to have had to do this Thing!  LiveBinder will make my technological life so much more organized!

Thing 21 - Animoto

Animoto is the coolest!  I created this video on the first try with only a minor modification to make it a final copy.  It was so easy to add music.   Simply choose a category of music, listen to find the exact  music-to-photo fit,  then choose.  How easy is that!?  I plan to sign up for the upgraded version once I finish school.  I know I won't have time to play with a tool like this until AFTER I'm out of school (or it's assigned for a class, as this one was).

This video shows our family fun this Halloween.  Let me know what you think!

Make your own photo slideshow at Animoto.

Thing 20 You, Too, Can You Tube

YouTube is such a great website.  For my Math 1410 class, I was required to upload a few teaching videos, but I didn't dare bore you with such muck!  Anyway, it was fun looking through the videos.  I chose the Charlie Brown video above as it speaks of the power of teachers.  Teachers need to show students that we care, perhaps by choosing them to pound erasers, like in Linus' case?  We also need to remember that we are powerful people in little people's lives.  Did you see Linus' face after the teacher scolded him for acting like a doctor?  Teachers must remember that our students often hold us in high regard, especially if we hold our students in high regard first.


So what if you are having a bad day and just can't seem to be the positive teacher that you usually are?  Go to YouTube!  Look for funny videos and turn your attitude around!  I'm a dog lover so this video made me smile.  I worried about the health aspects of the furry friend, but the constant reassurances by the trainer and final long pat at the end of the routine made me comfortable about the care of this canine friend.  Anyway, enjoy!

I also found plenty of videos to supplement my Great Depression unit plan.  I spared you that video, as hey, I just got you on a positive track with the dancing dog.  You certainly don't expect me to DEPRESS you with a Great Depression video, do you? 

Serious note:  It's advisable to go to YouTube with a plan in mind.  Otherwise, it is a total time waster, like Facebook.  If you go in to browse, you'll end up spending hours!  Have fun, view wisely, and set your timer!

Extra Thing - The importance of a positive attitude

CoolCatTeacher shared a great poem to remind us that our attitude, be it in the classroom or our home, sets the tone for everyone.  If you have a second, check out her poem.

Thing 19 - Beyond Facebook: Other Social Networks

A friend invited me to join TeacherPop about a year ago.  I didn't really know what I was doing back then, since I had not taken the Technology class with Dr. Wall.  I logged in today, added a profile photo and posted the following to my friend Erin Brown's TeacherPop blog:

 I also added the NING TeacherPop badge to my blog.  See?

 

I then uploaded a link to my YouTube video.  I actually created a series of videos to help my dear friend Anita learn how to clean a fish tank.  I used direct instruction, so please provide feedback as to how I can improve.  The camera work was done by my eight-year-old daughter.  Didn't she do a nice job?  Click here to see my video on TeacherPop.  Don't you just love my Austin Peay spirit?

TeacherPop appeals to me as the idea of teachers blogging and helping each other just makes sense.  Blogging with like-minded people makes sense.   I am also a member of Facebook, but that was thoroughly discussed in Thing 18, so I won't belabor that point.  Truth be told, if I am not active on Facebook, which includes all of my family and friends, will I really use ANOTHER blog?  I don't think so.  I just don't think so.  While I do find social networks interesting, I just don't have the time to put into them right now.  Maybe when life slows down...

Wait, hold the computer.  Just checked out a cooking blog The Tasty Chef.  I LOVE TO COOK!  As mentioned previously, time is not something that I have a lot of, so I'm always looking for good, crockpot meals.  In fact, my husband has said on more than one occasion that he thinks I might have forgotten how to cook meals that don't involve my crockpot.  Check out this potato soup recipe.  Look at the picture and tell me you won't be making it soon!  

 Guess who is responsible for this cooking blog?  Don't rush to see.  Really guess!

Here is a hint........

That Ree is up to everything, isn't she?!  Happy cooking!  And, yes, I signed up for this blog, too.  I only wish I could pass this blog on to my sister.  She would love it! 

Thing 18 Explore Social Networking

Facebook, my archenemy! While I have a Facebook account and have for at least two years, I cringe every time I get a note from Facebook saying that I have friends waiting to hear from me.  If you are an avid Facebook aficionado, I'm sure you had no idea that they send you notes if you don't get on in a reasonable amount of time.  Promise, it has happened to me, several times!

Why such dislike of this beloved social networking site?  Well, as a mother of two extremely active young ladies, a wife to a husband who travels way too much, a student in a demanding Masters degree program, and a worker at that same college, TIME is something that I have very little to spare. When people inquire as to why I never get on Facebook (as if I must have a serious illness to avoid this like the plague), I explain that the problem lies in the fact that IF I get on this website, I look up and two to three hours have elapsed.  How does this happen?  Does it happen to others?  My curious mind had to know.  I now have PROOF that Facebook is a total time waster.  Check out #18 in PC World's 40 Fantastic Time-Wasting Websites by JR Raphael, 7/27/09. I have now confirmed my belief.


That being said, I do occasionally treat myself to a good Facebook time waste.  It's fun looking at pictures of people that you see every day, or perhaps haven't seen in over 20 years.  It's fun to peek into other people's lives and see what they are up to today.  Look at their pictures, comment on how cute is that puppy, kids, whatever!  It allows us to bond with others that we may have lost touch with but still care about.


Educators need to know about social networking because that is what students do.  They live by and for technology.  Have you ever seen a teenager without his or her phone?  I rest my case. While I don't see classroom applications with this tool, as my cautious side screams not to mix business with pleasure, I do believe that effective educators MUST have knowledge of social networking sites to be able to communicate effectively with their students.  Twitter, with its 140-character text limitation is a bit annoying.  I understand that they are trying to minimize all that "gobble, gobble, gobble" as Edna Mode from The Incredibles describes, but come on, everyone is writing in shorthand but no one really took the decoding class. 

I really did not gain new insight into these popular sites.  I like Facebook when I have the time to play, but my life does not allow for that right now.  Facebook is much easier to navigate then Twitter.  Tweeting is something that I know that I won't do, just because of the shorthand version of the language.  I have to be satisfied to know that I know what Facebook and Twitter are, so that as a parent and educator, I can speak the kids language.

Thing 17 - Tagging and social bookmarking with Del.icio.us

This was an easy thing for me as I have already explored Del.icio.us with my Thing 6.  I did create my own log in and even made a stack for my Great Depression unit plan.  As mentioned in my Thing 6, Del.icio.us is a fabulous tool that can be a huge help for lesson planning resources.  Not only that, but it is easy to find remediation websites for students struggling with certain concepts or skills.  Teachers can benefit from this social bookmarking site by peeking into others bookmarks, which can save time searching for the "perfect" lesson.  After successfully using bookmarks of others, they may be your go-to's to peek into their lessons in the future.  My best ideas are usually borrowed for most everything in life, so why not extend this to lesson planning?  Anyway, if people didn't want to share their bookmarks, they would have made them private, right?  Also, good teachers tend to be helpers and share well, so why not do your part, too?

I tried StumbleUpon and Digg as social bookmarking tools, but they just didn't seem as easy to use as Del.icio.us.

BTW, Google Alerts is still working on my research paper and sent me a notification that more information on cluster grouping hit the web.  I love this tool!

Thing 16 - Get organized with Web 2.0 Tools

I chose the IGoogle start page.  First, I am a die hard Google fan.  They have good tools, searches, etc. so why not try them first?  I loved how easy it was to add, edit, rearrange or remove a gadget.  Google was easier to manipulate and navigate than either PageFlakes or Netvibes.  Here is a screen shot of the IGoogle start page, which I did make as my home page.

I was able to add in minutes my favorite quotes of the day, a hamster to keep me company and a fish tank game to help me relax.  Not only that, I easily changed my news source to Fox and the weather for my favorite places.  Don't you like the contemplative pup at the top of my page?  Further down on the page, that you can't see, I also have artist of the day, quotes from famous people inspirational qoutes and free Itunes downloads.

For the online calendar to do list, I again chose Google. I have to share a secret.  I'm a control freak and like to have my ducks in a row as my Dad used to say.  Here is the calendar that I made in Google.  Note the difference from my regular calendar to my Google calendar.  That's what happens when someone close to you dies.  Everything gets wiped off your calendar and to do list and you take care of the remaining living.  Please tell your family you love them today and every day.

Online calendars really aren't useful to me, as is indicated above that I LIVE by my calendar.  Thanks to my IPhone, I'm able to take my calendar with me.  I even have reminders pop up a few days or minutes before each calendar entry, whichever is needed.  I also use the D2L calendar to manage my due outs for school and my calendar in my school email to handle work related to dos.

I tried Tada's to do list, as you can see below, however, I don't see myself using it.  Logging in online to add something else to my to do list is something I can't see myself doing. The to do list that is incorporated within my iCalendar is so easy to use and since I set up reminders, it reminds me at an appropriate interval.

As a planner, tools such as calendars and to do lists are essential.  Being a busy mom, student and worker bee, I have to be able to wear a lot of hats and juggle a bunch of schedules in order to be sure that everything is done when it should be (hopefully a bit before!) and everyone is where they should be, when they should be.  I can't imagine effectively running my school, work, or home schedule without having a to do list AND a calendar.  They go together like peanut butter and jelly.

I highly recommend these tools to all people.  I'll agree that to do lists can take a bit of time to set up and monitor, however, the setup is worth the cost and then some.  Besides, it feels great to mark something off my list.  In fact, I use the old fashioned to do list for my girls with their chores.  They love wiping that chore off their wipe board list.  Something is strangely satisfying about wiping one more thing off a list -- see, I'm showing my control freak side again!  Ugh!

Thing 15 - What in the World is a Wiki?

Hi!  Wikis are great tools for a lot of things.  My fifth grade daughter's teachers share a wiki page.  It sure comes in handy to check for important test dates, misplaced newsletters, project requirements, rubrics and more.  I checked out several of the listed wikis, however, hands down, my favorite is the teacherlibrianwiki.  There is no excuse for not finding the perfect book to supplement your lessons when you have so many resources on this wiki.

My exploration of several of these wikis did pose an important and (I'll say it.....) irritating problem.  If you have a link in your wiki/blog/document, whatever!  You need to be sure to update and check links often.  Maybe mark your calendar so that once a month you check the links.  Just an idea and an honest revelation of one of my many pet peeves.

I played in the APSU Sandbox and posted my tribute to Steve Jobs.  I could see that playing in the sandbox and modifying others work could and can be fun.  Not only that, but as the YouTube link describing wikis showed, wikis can be easy communication/organization tools, especially when planning trips, parties, etc.  As a teacher, I would probably imitate my daughter's teachers and make my wiki too, especially if I was team teaching, as her teachers are doing.  A blog is great if you are only modifying content, but if you need to share, wikis are the way to go.

Thing 14 - Flow Charts and Mind Maps

Gliffy is a nifty little tool.  The only downside that I could see is that there was no spell check.  I’m a stickler for spell check.  I chose Gliffy for my Venn Diagram as I liked the name and the preview on the Thing 14 looked interesting.  There are a lot of pre-set flowcharts in Gliffy.  I may want to access this tool when I’m making my classroom layout later, as it does have some nice floor plan layout tools.  However, as I have said before, I am a Microsoft girl, so PowerPoint is my go to for almost any graphic need.  Here is my Venn Diagram that I created in Gliffy.

Mindmeister is an awesome mind mapping tool.  I tried Bubble.us, but it lost its brain and I was unable to do anything in there.  A friend had recommended Bubble.us previously, so I was a bit disappointed when I couldn't get it to work.  I tried Mindmeister and it is so easy to move, organize and map your thought process.  I am working on the history standards for the Great Depression time period for my project.  I mapped my thoughts for my lesson plans and here they are:

On a totally different note, Steve Jobs died today.   How very sad.  While I’m discussing my Technological Things, it seems fitting that I pay tribute to such an innovative, creative entrepreneur.  He has changed the lives of many, including myself.  Goodbye, Steve.  Thanks for making life easier for some many of your fellow Americans.  May you enjoy an Apple a day and then some!

Thing 13 Web Based Applications

I just had to do a shout out with the above to say I'm halfway done with my Things!  Thanks for letting me share my joy.  While I've loved learning new Things, I have spent a LOT of time doing my Things.

Back to the task at hand.  I tried Zoho Writer first.  While I loved the fact that you can access your accounts anywhere without "dropboxing" them, I'm not sure I like the fact that you can only access the last 25 documents if you go offline.  I do I lot of running with my girls, and need to have access to all of my files, and may not always have wireless access.  The setup is very similar to Word, which is my go to word processing program.  The pros outweigh the cons, however, when you are talking about a group project.  The availability of the document for all members to access and modify is awesome.  It also provides a feature that let's you track who made changes.  This is a handy feature for identifying those nonparticipating members, too.  I did have a problem when I tried to delete the smiley face graphic.  I tried the Control-X and the delete and once it was in there, it was staying.  That may be a deal breaker for me. If I want something changed, I want it to be easily changed.  Here is the doc that I made in Zoho Writer:

 

 I decided to try Google's version of PowerPoint.  While it was super easy to use, it didn't have the fun souped-up themes, or animation that PowerPoint had to offer.  The choice of slide options was also less than PowerPoint.  I guess I'm spoiled!  I can see that students could easily share this documents with others.  It could be a good tool if you have a group project.  Everyone would have access and rights to modify the documents.  Here is one slide of my Google presentation:

I compared the productivity tools in Google and Zoho and really can't say that I like one whole package over another.  I like the setup of Zoho and it's colorful screen images.  It just seems more inviting than Googles plain screen.  However, exteriors can be deceiving, as both offer similar products.  I thought that the Zoho Planner was a bit redundant, as it already has a calendar.  After reviewing these tools, I have to say that for collaboration on projects, students may find the Zoho more user friendly and to their taste, due to the vivid background and graphics.  Personally, I'm a Microsoft girl at heart and will stick with them for my productivity needs.  I will admit that Google has won me over for my online tools, such as my Google Reader, Google Pictures, Google Blogger and Google search subscriptions. 

Thing 12 - Google's Not Just for Searching Anymore. . . .

It was fun to explore some of Google's tools.  I signed up for the Google Alerts.  This tool will be useful for my Research project.  Google is going to do some of my behind the scenes work and search the web for "cluster grouping and academic achievement" for me.  Guess I'll just put my feet up and enjoy my coffee. . . ..  No seriously, this was super easy to do and whatever Google finds on this topic, it will send me an alert to my email account.  How awesome is that?!  I would use this in the classroom in the same manner for my students who were researching topics.  The only negative would be that it may overwhelm them by the amount of information that comes in as alerts.  Maybe only use it when the topic is something obscure, like cluster grouping and academic achievement?

While the Google Calendar tool is really cool, I'm "over-calendared" as it is with my own Outlook calendar on my Mac and Iphone.  Not only that, I use the calendar tool that is built in to the APSU OneStop email account to keep track of my work/APSU to do's.  Further, I use the D2L Calendar to notify me of up and coming due dates for school related items.  I'm an uber-organizer, but even I don't need one more calendar. 

I played with the Google translator.  I can see that this would be a very fun tool when you are traveling, or if you are learning a foreign language.  Say you need to find the train station.  All you do is type in "Where is the train station?" and "Tada!":

 I can see using the translator in the classroom if you are teaching a foreign language and a child is really stumped on how to say something.  Or, maybe you could use it on your IPhone while you study abroad.  The possibilities are endless.  Glauben Sie nicht?

Thing 11 - Finding Good Feeds

This is how I feel now that I have my Google Reader set up.  For those of you not in my age bracket, the above superhero is He Man, Master of the Universe.  I now have the news that I want at my fingertips and in my inbox.  I feel so powerful!  If you want to see me rotate, while holding the sword, click here.

 

I added SchoolLibrary Journal grades 5 and up feed to my Google Reader.  I live in a house full of readers, and we are always in the market for a good book.  Also, I truly believe in the power of literature to teach history, math, whatever (!) in an approachable, memorable way.  History was so boring to me in school.  Now, I learn history that I should have already known through books like Bud, Not Buddy or Out of the Dust.  My daughters experience history through interesting literature, like George Washington’s Socks.  Guess what? They like it!  They learn it!  My girls can’t be the only ones, so that is how I plan to teach.

I went to Topic.net and LOVE that you can get the local Clarksville news on an RSS feed.  Yeah!  I can know what that big boom I just heard really meant.  Now that’s news you can use!
 

I followed your recommendation, and Google blog search was by far the easiest and in my opinion, most professional.  I found none of the blog search engines were confusing. Technorati has an awesome name, so of course I had to check it out.  It would be great if you are into the Entertainment Tonight sort of scene, but any search engine that has Lady Gaga on the opening page makes me think they aren’t going to provide me with good, newsworthy information.  This tool does have top risers and fallers of blogs, including top tags and videos.  If you were looking for entertainment, I’d go here. However, when I typed in the same strand here that I did in Google Search “school library learning 2.0” I got “Zero”.  I typed in “dogs” in my search and got 4,240 blogs.  See my point.  I only have time for real, useful news.  If I want entertainment, I’ll turn my IPhone on to Farm Story.  See, isn’t my farm awesome?

 Image citation:

ddgcom.  "He Man Master of the Universe1."  Devianart.com.  No date.  25 Sept 2011.  http://ddgcom.deviantart.com/art/He-man-Master-Of-the-universe1-162381938.

Thing 10 - RSS Feeder

Dr. Wall must have read my mind, as I was thinking that these blogs, wikis, tweets are fun, but who has the time to search through all of them?  Tada!  Really Simple Syndication (RSS).  Apparently, I had already set up Google Reader in one of my other Things -- Really, it must have been an accident, because I know there was no conscious thought to it.  Super easy to set up.  I added the following subscriptions:

Teacher:  The Pioneer Woman; The Cool Cat Teacher; Dangerously Irrelevant and Do I Dare Disturb the Universe.

News:  National Public Radio (NPR)

Play/Exercise:  Running Catholic

I love that via RSS, the blogs I'm interested in can come right to me.  I chose the teacher type blogs, so that I can get direct feeds from teachers on what is new, teacher tips, lessons, and more.  Plus, it's fun to get insight into other teachers lives.  I was surprised to find that NEA does not have RSS available.  I currently get an email every morning, but would now prefer to get updated through my Google Reader, since it's so much easier.  It's like opening five or six newspapers, but they have been pre-read so you just have to look over the headlines, etc. and decide what you REALLY want to read.

My car radio stays tuned to National Public Radio (NPR) in the mornings, unless the news is so stressful that I need to change the station so that I can be at peace in the day (I usually change it to something that I can really clear my lungs by singing with -- you don't want to hear me, either!).  I had to hunt for their feed, but it really didn't take more than using the search and typing in rss.  NPR is my morning alarm, too.  Oftentimes I feel as if I don't get enough news as I'm working, schooling, running the kids somewhere, making dinner . .  you get the picture.  NPR streaming straight to me via the Google Reader lets me at least browse the headlines so that I know the current state of affairs of our country.  Besides that, I love the personal stories they air that really let me experience the true lives of people in places that are only mentioned on the news. 

I put the Running Catholic in my reader because I need motivation to keep running.  Not only is he a runner, but he's a Christian.  It's always nice to get some scripture to help keep me peaceful.

RSS feeds will help me to stay current as a teacher, and as an informed citizen.  I'm not quite sure how I'd use it in the classroom for the students, unless I was working with older students, say in a social studies class.  Maybe open the day with students looking at the feed for bell work -- they'd have to choose an NPR story and say why they chose that.  Just an idea.  I have a while to think about it more.

Thanks for reading!

Thing 9 - Online Image Generators

Totally fun Thing!  I could play for hours!  I used the Happy Face Generator to make the logo above.  There were too many choices of glitter -- I felt like a 1st grader who was told that even though there may be 10 choices of glitter color I had to limit myself to one.  Sometimes life is so unfair!  I like to open my new blog post with something fun and inviting.  Who can't feel welcome with Hello World, or my last post of Toodles!?  Anyway, welcome to my blog.  Take your shoes off, set a spell (Yikes!  I'm showing my age -- do any of you even know about the Beverly Hillbillies?).

Here is what I'm going to refer to as my I LOVE ME Wall.  Who can be upset when they see that I am awesome!  No, really, there is an "I Am Awesome" tool in ImageChef that will make an I Am Awesome slideshow for you, too.  Check out mine to the right of my page.  Now, how can you feel bad when the whole world loves you?


I wanted to share a few of my other images that I made on Comic Strip Generator.  I love Marvin Martian.  He is so misunderstood.  My favorite coffee cup has his image, so I immediately looked him up to see if he was one of my comic strip choices.  Yeah!  I found him and now, may I present to you, my Marvin!

I love dogs, so of course I had to search for a dog comic strip, too.  Here are my doggie friends.  Now, who can name them?  I'm sure you know the movie name, but why not provide that, too?


Now, my reflections.....The process was simple.  I was told to have fun and I did.  Text boxes were provided and I simply put in the words that I wanted to appear and "Shazam!" there you have it.  Image generating tools could add depth to children's projects and writings (and be fun!!!).  Talk about a way to get kids interested in text.  Give them a cartoon strip where they have to make up the words, and guess what, even your most reluctant writer/reader will be begging for more.  Personally, I need to stay away from these Things until I get more sleep.  Total addiction! 

Thing 8 Flickr Mashups

I uploaded some of my own pictures on Flickr so that I could play.  I made the photograph journal of our trip to the Smithsonian.  Neat!  I used the Mosaic Maker to make this.  I wasn't real comfortable with adding pictures of my family, as I just am not sure that I want to have pictures floating around on the world wide web for anyone to grab just in case I had a bad hair day and forgot to click "private".  It's better to err on the side of caution.

I also made the following with Big Huge Labs Billboard toy.  Aren't my puppies cute?  It says Chillax on the billboard.

While I enjoyed spending an enormous amount of time playing with many of the fun tools that mashups provide, it was insane how many hours I wasted just playing.  Good thing I'm in this class and can honestly tell my husband that I'm doing homework!

Seriously, I do see the fun in creating neat things, like my billboard above, for personal use.  It's great to share photos and be able to manipulate their presentation, too.  I could also see that for extra credit in the classroom you could encourage students to engage in this time intensive, yet fun, tool.  I don't think that I would let elementary students use these tools, as they may not have the where-with-all to be sure to make pictures private.  Middle schoolers would have a blast with this and I'm sure they wouldn't have as tough a time creating as I did.  Technology skills are still in the infancy phase for me.  I'm sure that by the time I've finished this class and Thing 23, that I will have at least reached the teenage phase!  Drive on!