Is This the End or Only the Begining

          I found that in completing the 23 Things for Austin Peay’s Education 3040 class, I have expanded my knowledge of being a teacher. I have discovered many ways to create fun and interesting activities and lessons for my future students. My favorite activities have to be the interactive PowerPoint and the Podcast. I enjoyed these because they taught me things I never knew I could do for my classroom.

          This program has really affected my lifelong learning goals because I will forever have tools and ideas to help connect with our technology center students and to keep school fun and different. There were some things however (like the wiki) that I feel would be unhelpful in my future career.

         This class has taught me that there are hundreds of different ways to teach any topic. School lessons can be interactive, fun, and different every day and all you have to do is know how to use your tools that are available all over the web.

          I see this blog remaining very important to me. Whether I want to refresh and review my tools or if I want to share my knowledge with others, I will always have access to a helpful resource. I really plan to continue using technology in my classroom and to continuously find new things to introduce to my students.

Thing #23: Creative Commons

•Find an example or attribution that shows the Learning 2.0-23Things for Teachers blog was based on someone else's work and modified from its original.
•Now that you know about Creative Commons licensing, how will you use it in the future as a teacher?


This blog states on the 23 Things pages that:

"*Note: This project is loosely based upon the website 43Things (which allows you to set and track personal goals) and the Stephen Abram article titled 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006)."

As a teacher I will have to be very aware of the rules on using certain pieces. I will also be sure to site and give credit to those who own or create things I use or modify.

Thing #22: LiveBinders

**Create a blog post that tells:
•What are the titles of your binders?
•Embed one of your binders in your post. Click on the Options button under the binder you have selected to share, and then click on Embed. Copy the code and paste it into your blog post.
•Discuss how you might use LiveBinders in the classroom, including possible lesson ideas for students.

Math

The titles of my binders are Math, Tennessee Teachers, and Educational Technology.

I would use LiveBinders to put together sites that i want to use in certain subjects and lessons. These can be embedded and made public so that students can also go back and easily find the sites you used in the classroom.

Thing #21: Animoto

**Embed your new 30 second clip onto your blog. There is a special code just for Blogger that you can use.

**Blog about your experience using Animoto.


Try our slideshow creator at Animoto.


Using Animoto is very easy to do and 30 second videos are free!! I could use this for short clips of my class or for short pictures that pertain to a lesson. Animoto was surprising very quick and simple to use. I am very pleased and I cannot wait to make for videos.

Thing #20: You, Too, Can YouTube

**Create a blog post about your experience. What did you like or dislike about the site and why did you choose the video that you did? Can you see any features or components of the site that might be interesting if they were applied to your library website?




I love YouTube. You can find so many videos to help teach your students or yourself. Anyone kind find a video on almost anything. There are how to videos, entertainment videos, songs, and school related videos. You can also create an account for your classroom to post and link videos that you recommended or that you want to use. The only I do not like about YouTube is using it in class with the students. Youtube is not filtered very well so inappropriate advertisements or videos may show up with your search. This is why teachers who are showing a video should have the video link or the video posted on a more appropriate site. This particular video above was picked because it shows the everyday life of a teacher in a funny and musical way. I could not stop giggling and I can not wait to be put in her position.

Thing #19: Beyond Facebook: Other Social Networks

Write a blog post discussing the following:
•Are you a member of any online communities?
•Are any of these social networks appealing to you?
•What did you find that was interesting and that you might use later?


Visit TeacherPop


I have used Ning.com before for one of my previous classes. I find it very useful if you plan to use it often. This is a place that students have to request to join. The teacher accepts. From here students and teachers can post about their classroom, their assignments, and their homework. I think if a teacher plans to frequently use this site, students will check it often and it will be a success. Its a lot more private and safer for students than Facebook or Twitter.

Using Ning is definitely a site I could see myself using in a high school class or for parents of younger students who want to keep up with the happenings of the class.

Thing # 18: Explore Social Networks

**Write a blog post about your experience that addresses these questions. Why is it important that educators know how social networking works? What new insights did you gain about these popular sites? What did you like or dislike about each of the sites you explored? Which site had the most useful features? Can you see a classroom or school application for any of these sites?

I am quite familiar with Twitter and Facebook, but I've never thought about using them in a classroom. I think it is very important that educators are familiar with using social networks. It will help them know what the students are exposed to and they a so public that an instructor can easily keep with their student's home life and friends. This could help a teacher understand what a child is going through or the crowds and paths that the student is going with. I don't, however, believe social networks should not be a big part of the classroom. Social networks can not only cause problems but it can expose students to things that parent don't want their students coming across and reading. If any social network would be used I would choose Twitter because it seems to be just statuses and the student's can choose to "Follow" the teacher or the class account. Maybe it would be a better idea to have a Facebook or Twitter dedicated to the faculty and staff. This will encourage collaboration and communication between teachers in your hall or grade and other halls or grades.

Thing #17- Tagging and Social Bookmarking with Delicious

**Create a blog post about your experience and thoughts about this tool. Can you see the potential of this tool in the classroom? Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere? How can teachers take advantage of social bookmarking sites?

Tagging and Social Bookmarking has it's positive and negatives. You can find articles or pictures that relate to a tag or bookmark that you sure, but you never know how much it relates. The creator that piece can put anything in the tags. It may deal greatly with what you're looking for or only one statement or paragraph may mention what you're searching for. I do not have much luck with searching through social bookmarks. I can see tags being used on a site like Diigo so that a teacher can easily find things he or she or other co-works have tagged. This has helped in our Education 3040 class with Website of the Day. I find it useful for teachers who want to share or bookmark certain places. As far as research in the classroom or for students, I find searching through tags to be more time consuming and more difficult. Google Scholar and Google Search have always been helpful in finding appropriate websites. You can also favorite or bookmark the website found then to access it at a later date.

Thing #16 Get Organized with Web 2.0 Tools

In your blog post for this Thing, address the following questions:

•Which start page did you choose? Why did that one appeal to you? Will you make it your permanent home page?
•How can the online calendars be useful to you?
•What about the to-do lists—helpful, too much work…?
•Did you find a tool that has some uses for you at the school or at home? Which tool(s) would you recommend to others?

           For my iGoogle start page I chose a zebra theme. I chose this because I really like the zebra pattern, and I find it to be very sophisticated. I do not plan on making iGoogle my permanent home page because there are other pages (elearn.apsu.edu and facebook) that I use more regularly. I also use Google Chrome so I can access those Google pages quite quickly. I do, however, think that the tools Google provides are very useful. Internet is almost everywhere these days. Many people even have internet on their smart phones. This means it is even easier to use tools like the Google Calendar because you can publicly share and retrieve you calendar at almost anytime. Between school and my two jobs my life is crazy. I rely on my calendars and To-Do lists everyday for every thing. Internet To-Do lists are good because  you can e-mail them to you or others, you can access them anywhere and people save paper by doing it online. The only thing is that many people want to be able to quickly add and cross off on their to-do list as things arise. I am more looking for an app on my I-Pod Touch so that I don't NEED internet and I can change things instantly if I need to.

One feature on Google that I find to be very useful is the mobile apps. These enable the user to recieve calendar reminders through text message, retrieve certain information, post on your blogger, and send SMS to  your Google contacts. It helps an on-the-go teacher keep up with everything on one simple device.

Thing #15 What in the World is a Wiki?

**Create a post in your blog about the experience. How might you use a wiki? What did you find interesting about the wiki concept?


I found that editing the wiki was fairly easy which is very disappointing. I am not really a fan of this because any one can delete or post anything on the wiki. I was really surprised that my own work could be altered and taken credit for. I do not see myself using a wiki in my classroom. I would not want people to be able to edit my things. I would rather people just leave comments and leave the editing up to me.

Thing #14: Go With the Flow

**Explore the differences between mind maps and flowcharts, and consider using (or at least testing) one of these tools with a real project that you may have coming up.
**Describe the tools you chose and why you chose them on your blog

Today I played with two sites, Gliffy.com and Bubbl.Us.  These are both chart generating websites. I used Gliffy.com to create a flowchart, and I used Bubbl.Us to create a mind map. Flowcharts and Mind Maps are very similar in appearance; however their purposes are completely different.  A flowchart is used to be used as a step by step presentation. It tells you what to do for each situation or path on the chart.  A Mind Map is similar to brainstorming. There is a central idea and everything that comes to mind about that idea is connected in some way. Below are my examples I made from these websites.

Flowchart

 

Mind Map

 I prefer the Flowchart because I see it being most helpful for Elementary Classes. Mind Maps are mostly used when your writing. Flowcharts, on the other hand, can be used in an subject about any topic. As you see I made both of my charts about Fraction, but my Flowchart is much more helpful in learning the process of adding and subtracting fractions.

Thing #13: Web-Based Applications

**Discuss in your blog how your students might work collaboratively using Google Docs.
**Compare the two web-based productivity sites (Google Docs and Zoho). Which do you prefer? Why?



Online Web-Based Applications are good for easily sharing documents and presentations especially for students who don't have Microsoft Word or wanted to save work on the web to bring up later.Teachers can use these applications to easily share documents, spreadsheets, and drawings with their students.

Below is a drawing I made on Google Docs.

I played with both Zoho Writer and Google Docs.They both were about the same as far as what a student was capable of doing with it. However, I found Google Docs to be very user friendly. It was easier to use and the font options were easier to tell what they looked like. In zoho writer you couldn't tab and some of the functions were confusing to use.

Thing #12-Google is not Just for Searching Anymore

After looking at each of Google tools, choose two of them to explore further. Try setting up an alert, calendar, translate, picasa album or iGoogle page and using it. If sharing is an option for the tools you choose, make them public. Blog about your experience with both tools and include a link to your creation. Be sure and include possible educational uses.

I LOVE Google. There are so many cool things you can learn from Google, and use Google for. My favorite two tools from Google (other than search) is the translator and the calendar.

Google translator is awesome when your reading a text that is set in a foriegn country. I find it very fun to see how phrase look and sound in other languages. Below is a phrase that I looked up on Google Translate.

Spanish Yo quiero enseñar a tercer grado.
Latin Volo docere tertio gradu.
Irish Ba mhaith liom a mhúineadh tríú grád.

All three of these say I want to teach third grade.

The other Google tool that I enjoy is the calendar. There are so many options for your entries and I like that you can color code everything so it is easy to tell what each item is. I will definitely continue to use these two tools especially in the classroom. Translate will be familiar to my students because I want them to know how to look up a word they don't understand instead of skipping over them. The calendar can be used for the students to see what is coming up, or it can be used for me to keep up with my lessons and teacher duties.

**My calendar can be found here.**

Thing #11- Finding Good Feeds

Create a blog post about your experience that answers these questions:
--Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use?
--Which Search tool was the easiest for you?
--Which was more confusing?
--What kind of useful feeds did you find in your travels?
--Or what kind of unusual ones did you find?
--What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds?

In my quest to find good feeds, I actually had it pretty easy. I used mostly google. I searched teacher blogs. One of the first result was from scholastics. They had a top 20 teacher blog post. I found a few from there. The other way I looked for feeds was to click on people who were following the top 20 blogs. This was harder and more confusing because you never know what blog your going to or if it even relates to anything your interested in. Sometimes you can tell by the name, but not always. In my quest I did find useful blogs. "Classroom Solutions" updates everyday and has tips and information about things going on in the classroom or things that run smoothly in the classroom.

On the flip side, I did find so unusual blogs. It was unusual not because I didn't like it, but because it's something you rarely see. This teacher has a classroom blog and students posted there thoughts and stuff on this blog. It was cool to see the students interact and comment on their posts. This blog is called "Youth Voices"

Thing #10- RSS Reader and Add Feeds

Create a post in your blog about this exercise that answers these questions:

--What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?
--How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life?
--How can teachers use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?
--Optional: If you're up to the challenge, create a public page with Google Reader. Why have a public page? To share your blogs with others!

I found the RSS and newreader tool is very useful and easy to use. I like that you can keep up with all your favorite sites without having to go to each one to see if they have updated their posts. I subscribed with five different pages.

1)Classroom Solutions
2)Cool Cat Teacher Blog
3)Free Technology for Teachers
4)How Long is This Hall?
4)Regurgitated Alpha Bits

I already have about forty updates waiting for me to read on Google Reader.
I could very well use this in my personal life and in my teaching career. As a teacher I would subscribe to posts similar to above that I can read about other teacher's problems and solutions, I could read about different activites teachers are using to teach different lessons, or I could keep up to date on the changes in the teaching field and how it could affect our classrooms.

I think that other teachers should really look into blogging about their career our subscribing to blogs so that we can see what's going on in our field. If something seems to be working in a classroom wouldn't you want to be advised and advise others?

Thing #9- Online Image Generator

Post some of your creations to your blog and describe your process for creating it.
Note: Be sure to include a link to the image generator(s) you used, so other participants can discover it too.
--In your post, be sure to include ways you might use these image generators in the library, classroom or personally.

I found that making the generated signs were too time consuming and there was not enough generators that would be good in a classroom. I feel that I could make a sign using Microsoft Word and Clip Art easier and they would be exactly what I'm looking for.

During my discovery, I created a "Clean up the crayons" sign. If I were to use a sign generator I would use it to make awards or signs to place around the room to remind students of the rules. Again I really prefer the templates and Clip Art selection of Microsoft Word though.

Below is the sign I created. For this all I had to do was enter the text, choose the size, and position it where I wanted. Positioning it in the middle is very difficult so you may have to do trial and error before it looks centered.

This image came from http://www.customizemagnets.com/ecards/kids/?pic=coloring-crayons-kids

Maybe in my own classroom I'll find a use for a sign generator, but for this particular assignment I found it difficult to think of a use for the options that the generators gave me.

I did, however, enjoy imagechef.com They have many frames and all you have to do is upload a photo from your computer or from your facebook. I played around with several of the frames and below is what I created.

http://www.imagechef.com/ic/myitem.jsp?myremix=20542138

http://www.imagechef.com/ic/myitem.jsp?myremix=20541936

http://www.imagechef.com/ic/myitem.jsp?myremix=20541872

Again I can't find many reasons to use imagechef in the classroom because all it does it create cool backgrounds for your portrait. Maybe I could use this for a fun activity, but I don't see this as an important part of my classroom.

Thing #8- Playing With Flickr Mashups!

--Use the mashups to create something, and then upload one or more of your creations to your blog (most will give easy to follow instructions somewhere on the site about how to copy the code needed and where to place it on your blog).
--In your post, talk about some ways Flickr and/or Flickr mashups could be used in your future classroom or personal life. What are your feelings about sharing photos online?

Flickr Mashups!

After searching different Flickr mashups, I found that most of them won't be useful to create a lesson. They could be used as activities during downtime or recess. These are apps that make Flickr puzzles and coloring pages.

I did, however, play with two mashups that could be helpful when teaching spelling or vocabulary. Spelling with Flickr can be used by either the teacher to post spelling words in a exciting, and attention-getting way. Students can also create their own words and turn them in. This will serve as a creative way for them to learn their words and make them look cool. The teacher can also see if the students are learning their words by having them copy their words on a document and checking off their work.

Another Flickr mashup that I will most likely use is the Motivation mashup. The motivation allows you to take a photo. At a "Title" to the photo and a description. This app will be used in my classroom for weekly vocabulary words. This app allows a teacher to post the word, the definition, and a picture of the vocabulary. I posted an example of this in the post below. I used the word Sunrise. I happened to have a picture of a sunrise, but if you do not Flickr would have one you could use. Then I looked up the word Sunrise on dictionary.com and copied the best definition that matches what I'm teaching, out of the different definitions.

One thing you have to beware of is either crediting your picture or trying to take a locked picture. Taking pictures off the internet is usually not an issue, but you must always look at the text around the picture to make sure you can use that particular picture. I wouldn't let younger grade students to directly use Flickr and other picture sites because I would not want a student to find inappropriate pictures, but I think the middle and high school grades could use this site to do the vocabulary project at home for homework.

Brooke's Creation

Brooke's Creation, a photo by BrookeMullins on Flickr.

Vocabulary Word- Sunrise

Aaron and Me <3

Aaron and Me , a photo by BrookeMullins on Flickr.

Thing #7- Explore Flickr

Once you have the photo uploaded to Flickr and tagged, create a post in your blog about your photo and Flickr experience. Will you use Flickr for classroom, library or personal photos, or in some other way? How? Have you ever used another photo hosting service besides Flickr? Which one? How do the two compare? How do you feel about having your photos in a public place (note that you can mark your photos private too) -- any concerns?

       Today I learned that Flickr.com can be very fun and entertaining. I enjoyed tagging my photos with obvious and silly tags. I like to search the pictures and see what others have posted. I think Flickr is very user friendly. Everything is step by step and the upload process was surprisingly fast.
       I'm unsure about using Flickr in the classroom. I, as the teacher, could use it to find pictures that fits a lesson or to make a game, but I wouldn't allow a group of Elementary students to search through Flickr photo or post them. People can post just about anything on Flickr. You never know if your students will run across something inappropriate for their age level. I also would not want my students to post photos. Even though you can make them private, it is to risky and difficult to make sure every student is making their photos private. I would not feel comfortable letting strangers view student photos.

       I have only used one other photo site before, Photobucket. I was addicted to photobucket for about the first week, but it seems to be very complicating and slow. Flickr has a way to upload and edit your pictures easily and quickly.

Mocha

Brooke's Pictures 054, a photo by BrookeMullins on Flickr.

My Puppy!!!!!

Thing #6- Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

Create a post about your discovery. Be sure to create a link back to the site where you found your tool. What did you like or dislike about the tool? What were the site’s useful features? Could you see any applications for its use in a school or library setting?

I discovered rememberthemilk.com. I signed up with a free account, and I could really see myself using this website. Its a place you can put everything that you have to get done and it will tell you what's on your to do list and what overdue or coming up. I live by my to do lists, and I have a hard time getting things done if I don't make one. So this website is awesome to me. I've been looking for an app that would do this as well and there are also ways to connect it with your phone through SMS and there is an app available through apple so you can have your remember the milk account with you everywhere you go. As a teacher a To Do List that is every where I go will be very important for my long list of things I need to get done in one days time.

Everyone should check it out, it's pretty cool!!!

Thing #5- Web 2.0

Create a blog post on your reactions and thoughts regarding the articles you chose. In your post, make sure you include the answers to these questions:

--What does "School 2.0" mean to you?
--What does it mean for schools of the future?

Web 2.0

      Teaching students can sometimes be a trial and error process. The teacher has to figure out what lessons work, and what ways are getting the students excited and involved in their education. One thing that seems to work to grab students attention is using technology. Most children use technology including games systems and computers every day. If these are the things that excited children, why don't we incorporate this technology to hold their attention in classrooms.Today Web 2.0 and School 2.0 is beginning to roll out because teachers are finding out that using the internet, and other cool devices in their lesson plans, excites the students, and when the student is excited to learn, the students perform and retain the lessons a whole lot better.
      I'm very excited about Web 2.0 and School 2.0. Technology is here to stay, and it is only going to get more advanced. If this is what children are growing up around and are going to be using for the rest of their lives, why don't we teach them how to use technology to their advantage.  Like Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators states, Web 2.0 tools "opens up worlds of new possibilities for learning"  There are so many resources available on the internet that learning can be easy and fun for the teacher and the student.
      School 2.0 to me is going to be the way to teach. I see it being a standard method in teaching and I see it succeeding. Every child should want to learn. Finding a way to get your students involved requires a teacher to connect with them. Connecting with the current generation involves technology.
    These methods of teaching are still new to the school system. I see it taking off quickly and developing into something bigger and better than we could imagine. I see schools using Web 2.0 becoming one of the biggest tools in the future classrooms.
    I think that using the Web, the clickers, the smart boards, and other cool devices are going interest kids and give them a chance to be apart of their education.

Thing #4- Commenting

For your Thing #4 post:

--Explain why commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction
--Discuss two other points from the readings about commenting that you found important
--Give the names of the seven blogs (5 from our group + 2 others of your choice) you selected to read and comment on and tell why you selected them
--Discuss the comments that you chose to make and why you made them

Classmates

Commenting on someone's post brings a sense of community and interaction. Commenting lets the person who posted know that his or her post is being heard (or read) and it lets them know how others feel in regards to how you feel or their opinions to the questions you post. Other than seeing how others feel, commenting brings a sense of community and interaction to the whole world. You may not know who is commenting or where they are from. It makes the world seem smaller when someone from Germany or China is commenting on something you post here in the United States.

From the readings I've found that commenting is important because it gives the commenter the chance to state how they feel about a certain post. It also lets the poster know that what they are posting is getting read and it lets them know how their readers are reacting to the things they are posting. From their they would continue to post and continue to want those reactions, or they would tone down the things they are saying because their readers aren't fans of his or her post.

I chose five classmates blogs and left a comment on each of them. I chose GallowayJ3040.blogspot.com, ClaireAlbert2.blogspot.com, Janie23things.blogspot.com, apsuedu3040.blogspot.com, and amber23things.blogspot.com

On GallowayJ3040, she posted about her disagreement to bringing technology into classrooms. She thought that the school system should reconsider and bring back cursive and other traditional lessons. I commented that technology is going to be the best way to excite students into learning. I agreed that cursive and traditional lessons were important, but I reminded her that technology is only getting better and its coming into the schools more and more.

On clairealbert2's blog, she posted a site that showed recipes for really good cookies. She also posted pictures of the cookies she made and decorated. I thanked her for sharing that website because it is honestly a site I'd visit next time I'm in the mood to make cookies.

Janie23things blogged about technology in the classroom was good, but when the power went out she realized how much we all depended on it. I agreed with her that we should teach students on how to use technology to make our lives easier, but we should also teach students how to survive without it.

apsuedu3040 posted that her favorite Google tool was translator because all she had to do was put in a word from a foreign language and it can translate it into several different languages. I myself have used Google translator many times in the past so I posted how much I liked Google translator as well. I told her that in my future classroom, Google translator would definitely be used.

Amber23things, made some very creative and awesome images that shw posted on her blog. I really liked how creative she got and I liked the backgrounds she chose. They really show her energetic personality and I let her know how wonderful they were.

Groups

I went through random blogs and read all that caught my attention. Two of these are imagesisee.blogspot.com and ourdiabeticlife.blogspot.com.

I commented on imagesisee's zoo photos. I love animals so I chose this post to comment. I did, however, comment that ALL of her pictures were gorgeous, clear, and very life-like. I think she has wonderful photos, and I could see myself checking out her blog more often.

On ourdiabeticlife.blogspot.com, a mom posted often about how their family of five diabetic lived and with and handled their diabetes. I really like her blog because I know that diabetes is in my family, I like to read about how it affects people and what she does every day to make sure her boys, husband, and herself, are as healthy as possible every day.

Thing #3- Blogs in the Classroom

For your Thing #3 post, write about ways that you might use a blog in your teacher education program or your future classroom.

After time to play around and understand the features of my blog, I have begun thinging about how I can incorporate blogs into my future classrooms. Most people us blogs to reflect on various things. As a teacher I could post about my learning experiences (especially in the first few years,) and reflect on which methods and activities worked and which should be changed or tweaked. However, the main thing I would want to use a classroom blog for is as a Web Newsletter. Today most people have access to a computer, and like to have things posted on the internet so they can access it almost everywhere they go. An online Newsletter could help parents and guardians be more involved in the classroom because every week I can post upcoming events, assignments, projects, and other fun and important things. This will help parents keep up with the classroom, and the students can't lose the newsletters before they reach their parents. I really hope parenys will like the blog idea, and I hope it works out well for me so that I can use it most of my teaching career. I really do enjoy using my blog.

Thing #2- Creating My Blog and Avatar

For Thing #2, post about your experience creating your blog and your avatar. In your post, consider answering these questions:

--How did you decide on your posting name and the name of your blog?
--What was your experience in creating the blog? Was it hard for you or easy? Why?
--How does your avatar reflect your personality? Did you create an avatar that looks like your real self or someone totally different? Why?

Creating this blog was not only new to me, but turned out to be fun and easy. I like that I can personalize the page and make it my own project. I went with a simple name (mostly because I wasn't creative enough for a thoughful one), but I wanted the blog to be clear in what I was blogging about. I honestly believe the best part about making my blog was making my avatar on doppelme.com. I enjoyed playing around with the outfits and expresions to find the one that best fits me. I wanted the avatar to reflect me because when people saw my postings they could look at my avatar (and my picture) to get a full feeling about who I am and my personality. On my avatar I chose a bright green shirt. This shows that I'm a happy person, and I love bright and light colors.

-Brooke

Thing #1- 7 1/2 Habits

1. Make sure you have headphones or speakers attached to your computer.

2.Open up the 7 and 1/2 Habits online tutorial and view the online tutorial. The tutorial was developed by the training specialists at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (you do not need to email them as suggested at the end of this tutorial).

3.As you watch and listen, write down which habit among the 7 & 1/2 that is easiest for you and which is hardest. You will use your personal blog (which you will set up next) to post your thoughts about lifelong learning.



From the video, 7 1/2 Habits, there are some habits that will come easily to me. On the other hand some of them will be more challenging habit.

Taking responsibility for you learning is Habit 2. This habit is already familiar to me. I know that in order to learn and become proficient at something you have to take the time to practice it and study. Even though your lectured in a class doesn't make the teacher responsible for your knowledge in the subject. You are responsible for building and studying that lessons in that lecture.

Habit 6 will be the most difficult for me. Although I love technology, I don't know much over the basics. I don't often find time in my studies to play with the programs and figure out the tools available to me through technology. I'm hoping this Educational Technologies class will open my eyes to the resources that can make my everyday learning experiences easier and efficient.