My Journey Only Begins From Here!

I enjoyed completing this program.  I found some very useful tools, like LiveBinders, TeacherPop, and Flow Chart makers.  I also learned how to use tools that I have already been using to help me in the classroom, like Facebook, animoto, Pandora, Project Playlist, and YouTube.  This was a creative way to get us looking at these tools, and blogging about our experiences for us to look back on later, and for others to see what we have learned.  I feel like I have a lot of useful tools under my belt now to help me to be a better, more organized teacher.  I have now crossed this bridge, and now I can move on to the next part of my journey!  Here we go!

Thing Twenty-Three! Creative Commons

Before I took this class I was not up to date on copyright laws.  I wouldn't hesitate to take a picture off of google and put it on a powerpoint.  I now know that I can't do that.  There is, however, a solution.  I can go to Creative Commons to find pictures and things that I can use for free without having to worry about acting illegally.  I can use this in the classroom for graphics on powerpoints or other presentations.  I can also use Creative Commons to teach my students about Copyright Law, and where to find free materials to use.

Thing Twenty-Two! LiveBinders!

At first, my impression of Livebinders was not that great.  I thought it looked confusing at first glance.  Then once I started putting together binders, I realized that it isn't that bad.  I like being able to categorize the binders so all of my sources for that particular topic are right there.  My binders that I made were called Education 3040, Thanksgiving Fun Facts, and Christmas Activities.

Education 3040

I would use this in the classroom to organize sources and keep websites containing activities that I would like to use in my classroom together.  LiveBinders is a great way for teachers to stay organized, and to keep them from fumbling around looking for sources and wasting valuable class time.

Thing Twenty-One! Animoto!

Make your own slideshow with music at Animoto.

I love making videos like this so animoto was fun to play with!  Christmas is coming up so I decided to make a video of some of my favorite Christmas memories.  It was very easy to use.  It takes you through it step by step and does most of the work for you.  All you have to do is make a few decisions on music and pictures, and you have a video!  I would definitely use this in the future!

Thing Twenty! Youtube it!

Youtube is a great tool to use in the classroom!  Videos can be great to use for visual learners, and they can break up the monotony of a lecture.  I found a great video of a fourth grade class learning division in a new way!




I chose this video because I thought it was a great way to get students excited about something as painful as division!  This was so creative, and you can tell that the students had a great time with this video!  This could be shown for inspiration, and to help other students learn the steps of division.

Thing Nineteen! There's More Than Just Facebook!

Visit TeacherPop

I am now a member of TeacherPop!  It looks like a teacher version of Facebook.  I think this could be a great communication tool!  It seems like it is easy to use and navigate and it isn't too time consuming to upload things to it.  I will definitely use this!

I was already a member of Project Playlist.  I have had a Project Playlist account for a long time!  It is a music sharing site where you can create and sort playlists.  I had my Christmas playlist, and of course my normal playlists.  This could be useful in the classroom to find appropriate music to play and to be able to organize the music by what it is used for.  It's free, so that's a plus!

Thing Eighteen! Facebook

Facebook can be such a helpful tool when it comes to communicating!  Facebook allows you to create groups so that you can communicate privately with several people at once.  You can make a calendar or create an event on Facebook and send invites to certain people so that they can stay in the loop about what is going on.
Teachers need to know how social networking works because it can be a very useful tool, or it can be very dangerous.  Teachers should utilize all of the tools available on these sites, but they should also be mindful about what they put on their pages because they are public.
I have been on Facebook for years, so I am most comfortable using it over Twitter.  I have never understood the way Twitter works. A key factor in being an effective teacher is being an effective communicator, and the more tools that you provide for communication, the more they will be utilized. Teachers can use social networking sites to communicate with each other or to communicate with parents.
There is more to Facebook than meets the eye!
https://www.facebook.com/emily.rittenberry