Thing 12: Google and beyond

Google has become so entrenched in our vernacular. In many ways it is similar to Xerox. For a long time people would just say "Xerox this" meaning copy this. But where Xerox has a limited bag of tricks, Google seems to always have some new tool up their sleeve. iGoogle has been around for a while, but they are constantly adding new gadgets and improving the layout. I recently added the Useless Knowledge gadget and the Current Moon Phase gadget. I also have my gmail show on my iGoogle page. It lets me see a few of my most recent emails at a glance. I have the weather for my house as well as where my parents are living. All of the gadgets allow me to quickly view what is important to me. One of the things I like most about this feature is that I can sign into any computer and my iGoogle will come with me. (I just have to make sure I log out)

Google translate has also been very helpful to me. Last fall I had an ELL student and Google translate allowed me to type in word problems or definitions and then tell it into which language I would like it to be translated. Caveat: Google translate is an excellent resource and tool, but it has been my experience in speaking with native speakers that it does have some limitations. It will sometimes translate exactly how you want it to, but more likely is that it will translate into something that will express your idea but may not be exactly grammatically correct. I'm not sure exactly how the software works, but apparently some languages work better than others.

Thing 11: discovering interesting blogs

For me the easiest and most effective blog finder was Google blogs. It seemed to consistently find blogs that were most like what I had in mind when I entered a certain keyword. I also like how Google's predictor works even when searching for blogs. Sometimes I would start typing only to let Google change my mind and I eventually found an interesting blog that was maybe just a little different than what I had originally intended. For example, I started typing "high school math" and got the results shown.

Every single one of these subjects interest me. I'm going to have my hands full. But at least they'll be full of useful information!

Another great way to find helpful blogs is by looking around on the blogs that you have subscribed to. Most of the well established blogs will have lots of links to blogs or websites that they enjoy and find informative. Happy hunting!

Thing 10: staying connected

I had dabbled in RSS feeds before taking this class, but the only things I had subscribed to were friends blogs. Usually they were travel blogs and I would keep up with them as they traveled across Mali or Peru, but after they came back from their trip their blog stopped and so did my reading them. Now I have several blogs and articles that I can keep current with that are always posting new and informative topics. I love that i can go to one location and catch up on everything I have missed if I haven't checked it in a few days. Everything will be waiting on me. I'm sure I could even find one that could be used as a potential bell ringer. Something new everyday to initiate thought and provoke discussion. That is a major goal for all teachers...to get students engaged!

Thing 9: Image Generator

I could have spent hours creating signs on this website. Here are a couple of my creations. I'm going to see if I can get some of these blown up for my classroom. You won't find people in the news holding signs like these. I would love to dispel some of the myths that are being perpetuated about math. So often students set themselves up for failure before they ever crack their book. Using signs like these might help to plant the seed that anything is possible.

Thing 8: Flickr mashup

There are some really smart people out there. Sometimes it's easy to lose faith in people when you constantly come across idiots. Exploring these Flickr mashup sites was very enlightening. I really enjoyed exploring all of the different things that were possible with Flickr. Sites like Flickr that allow users to upload and share with whoever they want can really speed up the process of finding exactly what you are looking for. I particularly enjoyed the color match website Colr Pickr. This could be useful in helping teach about reflection and refraction of light. Or for younger kids, it could be used to learn about the entire spectrum and how there are many different colors with all kinds of crazy names. Students could then find a color they want to create a project on and use Flickr to find examples of where this color could be found in nature, and perhaps discuss the reasons why that object is the color it is. For example, why is grass green? Why are eggplants purple? The ways this site could be used in class are just about as limitless as the number of colors that are available to pick from!

Thing 7: Flickr

Flickr is a great source for examples you may have otherwise had a hard time finding. I did a search for geometric objects and happened to stumble upon some really cool optical illusions. So then I searched for optical illusions and came across this great example of architecture. One of the coolest things about Flickr is how a lot of the pictures have geotags. This allows you to quickly see where the picture was taken. This is a building in the Netherlands. I will definitely be using this site to show my students that Geometry is useful outside of the classroom, and can be pretty cool. Anything to get them engaged in the learning process is always welcomed in my class! http://farm1.staticflickr.com/68/226056554_e67c5be39a_z.jpg

Thing 6: dropbox

I love Dropbox.com. Imagine never worrying whether or not you forgot your flash drive at home on exam day. This happened to me this past year, and while the students didn't mind having an extra day to prepare, it can really throw off your schedule. Dropbox is a cloud storage website that you can access anywhere. Even if you are using a computer where you cannot install any software, you can still login and access any file that you have saved. If you can install their software though, you can open up even more awesomeness. Dropbox acts as a folder on your computer. If you are working on a MSWord document, you can click save and tell it to save it in your dropbox folder. You can then open up that file on any computer or even mobile devices. I use it on almost a daily basis when school is in session. You start off with a relatively small amount of free space, but you have the ability to increase to several gigs. I highly recommend using this website.

Thing 5: Web 2.oh

To try to explain it very simply, Web 2.0 is where the internet is going. It is the present and future of how we use the internet. Regardless of how you use the internet, you are probably already using some web 2.0 tools. There is an ever increasing amount of tools that are available to us. The number is increasing exponentially. This can be overwhelming. We all want to use the internet and technology to its full ability, which is why we need to stay as current as possible by reading techno blogs, educator's blogs, etc. to make sure we know what is working for others. School 2.0 is incorporating these tools into your classroom in order to add a whole new dimension to differentiated instruction. Schools of the future will need to be able to use the most current tools available. This will probably include some sort of wifi enabled tablet such as iPads. Some colleges are moving toward self paced learning and I believe to some extent, this could work in high schools. The main issue we will have to deal with is funding. The age old question. How will we pay for it?

Thing 4: comments welcome

Our blogs can be more than merely a journal. They can be a source of insight and tips into whatever field or subject the blog is about. Having people be able to comment can reaffirm what we believe, but it can also be a way for people to be able to give their two cents if a question is posed. Coolcatteacher echoes this sentiment saying that comments can let the blogger know what they are writing about is important, and that what they are writing about is being heard. It gives value to the blogger and encourages them to continue. Blue Skunk's blog states it simply as we all like to know that we have been read. Commenting definitely lets the blogger know this more than how many people have simply opened their blog.

http://teachhighschoolmath.blogspot.com/
This blog is from a high school math teacher and has lots of great ideas for my classroom.

http://mathteachermambo.blogspot.com/
Another great high school math teacher blog that deals with some personal issues of being a teacher as well as ideas for the classroom.

Thing 3

Blogs can be a good place to write down some things that you've learned that really stuck out. This might be in classes you are currently taking or teaching. If you thought it was worth writing down, there will definitely be someone out in the blogosphere that will find it interesting enough to read. There is a bunch of junk out there, so why not have a place to add some substantive information that may help someone in their learning experience. I guess the only problem with this is that since there is so much stuff out there, how does one begin to filter through the junk to get the substance?

Thing 2: my intro to the blogosphere

This is my first blog and the hardest part is definitely determining what I want the world to know. Setting it up was a piece of cake. I definitely spent more time creating what my avatar would look like than I did creating this blog. I decided to just use my name in the blog address since I don't plan on putting anything on here I would want to remain anonymous. I can create another one if that's what I want to do. I now know how easy it is. My avatar is a pretty good digital representation of myself. This might help in case someone comes across this blog and wonders if it is the same Ben Yeargan they know. I used to think there weren't any other Ben Yeargans out there until Facebook told me differently.

Thing 1: 7.5 habits of Lifelong Learners

I would have to say that the easiest thing for me to do is to Use technology to my advantage. I love technology and always try to stay on the forefront of emerging techno toys. In the classroom, it is usually hard to get students to engage in the learning process. By incorporating things like iPads and smart boards, students will begin paying attention to the bells and whistles of whatever is being used and begin to involve themselves in the learning process. The ultimate goal of any teacher should be to get their students to become active participants in their own education and want them to see learning can be a fun experience for them. The Hardest thing for me to do is to begin with the end in mind. Since I teach math, a lot of the things we learn are building blocks for what we will learn in the following sections. Sometimes I forget what the students know and what they have (or should have) been exposed to before they enter my class. By keeping in mind the end result of what they need to know to be successful in other math classes, I can make sure I don't clutter their minds with information that seems unrelated. I should always try to teach my classes in a way that will be easiest for them to follow and help them see the light at the end of the tunnel. I really hope to find some cool web 2.0 tools that will help my students become more interested in math and maybe some that will show them that math is useful in their dail lives.