Thing 7

Think of ways you may be able to use Flickr in the classroom or in your work and share your ideas.

Flickr is actually the answer to a problem I've had for a long time. When my husband and I go on vacation, I love to take pictures to share with the kids. For example, when we went to Jamaica, I saw so many animals and plants with different adaptations. Since we have a unit on animal and plant adaptations, I would be able to use flickr to show the kids some examples from my travels. This is a great way to organize my photos by topic. This way I can pull the photos up on my television in the classroom.

I also like the idea that it is an additional way to back up my photos on the internet. Especially for my wedding photos seeing as if something happened to them, they can never be retaken.

I like the option of using both public and private views. This way I can store my personal photos and share them with only friends and family and use some for class too!

What issues might you face?

I really don't see any at this time. What issues might I face?

Thing 6 Part 2

Jamaica's people are so wonderful and full of life.

I find this photo interesting.....

Thing 6

Why did you choose a particular photo?

This is a picture of the beach in Jamaica which my husband and I got married on. It was such a beautiful day and a great time with family and friends. It is in Whitehouse Jamaica at a Sandals resort. We spent a week there and had the time of our lives!

What is it about the photo

that you found interesting?

I'm not sure that I would say that I found this photo interesting as much as I found it meaningful. It's the most perfect place on earth to my husband and I. When I look at the picture, I go to my happy place : ). I feel relaxed and remember all of the fun that we had there!!

Thing 5

What questions do you have?

No real questions other than...why wouldn't you use the "easy button" all the time to subscribe...it's just, well....easy!! Takes much less brain power once it's set up!!

What didn't work or doesn't make sense?

Could not get the copy and pasting method to work. Said that it couldn't find the feed. Wonder why?? I even watched the video a second time to make sure I didn't miss anything. So, I just went back and used the easy button method and it worked like a charm. By the way, I will be using this method from here on out!!! : )

How might you use RSS in your personal or professional life?

Seeing as there are blogs for just about everything, I will continue to search for blogs of interest. I'm going to look for blogs that can help in my sixth grade science classroom. Maybe lab and activity ideas?? I can't wait to share this with my co-teacher. We are both always looking for new and great ideas for our classes.

Find anything in your searching that you'd recommend to others?

Not from my particular searches but, I am going to introduce RSS in general to my husband. He would love it!

Thing 4

How do you handle information overload and how do you think RSS might help with that?

How do I handle information overload? I try to avoid it at all costs! When I sit down on the computer for my news and info, oh, and now blog reading : )....I seem to spend a ton of time jumping from site to site. It really is inefficient!! I really don't like spending all this time just to get a days worth of info.

I LOVE Bloglines!! This will make organization of all the information so much easier and much more efficient!! It will be awesome to log into one place to get all the updates I need. Like it was said in the video, why jump from site to site for new information that may not even be there.

By the way, I love Lee LeFeaver's way of explaining things on his videos!! Makes things so simple!!

Thing 3

How might a blog support the work you do?

I would use a blog in my classroom in order to inform students, parents, fellow teachers and my administration of the happenings in my classroom. Each post could include information such as daily assignments and homework along with what the kids are learning/will be learning, class activities, labs, and field trips. In addition I would make sure the blogs I posted had personality so tha the kids got to know a little bit about me too. : )

How might you use a blog with students?

I like the idea of allowing kids to use blogs to share their learning experiences. One of my fellow "23 Thing-ers" had mentioned how it would allow kids who are shy (who normally may no raise their hand in class) to be able to participate. I, also, think that kids really do love being on the computer. If they can create their very own blog it would get them interested in involvement in the class.

How might they respond to a blog assignment?

I teach sixth grade and I think the kids would enjoy being able to create their own blog. I think they would somewhat relate it to myspace or facebook with a educational spin of course. : )

What concerns do you have about educational blogging?

The amount of participation of students after they leave school. Many students don't have computers at home so, this would limit their participation after school hours. I could remedy this situation for the most part by letting the students add to their blogs during class time in our school computer lab.