Thing # 16

For this assignment, I decided to create a customized start page in iGoogle.  I already have a customized start page in Yahoo.  I have it set up with my Yahoo mail account.  I personalize my news feeds and have designed my start page.  I like that I can decide what kind of news shows up as my top stories and not just have to shift through pages about the latest Kardishian wedding! 

For the assignment, Yahoo was not a choice, so I did the iGoogle page.  I went through the process, but I found I was creating a page almost exactly like my yahoo page.  I think I like my Yahoo page better, but the idea remains the same.  I think my students would be interested in learning how to do this.  In their world, they get so much of their information from the internet, that learning how to control and manage that information seems like something that would interest them.

Thing #15

I have to say that I use Wiki spaces often.  This assignment was one I was very comfortable with.  As a teacher in the Clarksville Montgomery County School system, I am quite familiar with Wiki spaces.  If I have a question about how to use a particular technology, I go to the technology Wiki page.  If a have new teacher question, I explore the New Teacher Wiki space.  The school system has done an excellent job creating wikis to give teachers access to the answers they need.  You only have to check the Wiki space.

I could see the usefulness of a classroom Wiki.  A teacher could create a Wiki space that students could go on to find homework help.  I could even see designing an assignment that required students to log on to and make changes in a wiki space.  It could be a way for students to collaborate with one another as an in class or out of class assignment.

I like Wiki spaces.  Though I haven't ventured into using one in my classroom just yet; I can definitely see this is the near future.  I use them for information.  I just need to change to using them to help my students learn as well.

Thing # 14

I decided to explore flowchart.com and mindmeister.com.  I chose flowchart.com simply because of the name.  It seems like one I would easily remember again.  You know, if I'm thinking, what's that website that allows you to make a flowchart?  Oh, yeah, flowchart.com.  I actually found this site very easy to use.  I quickly create a flowchart about my dog Dillon.  I could definitely use this to design quick flowcharts in my classroom.

For mindmeister.com, I chose it because the screen shot on the 23 things site looked interesting.  It was also not too difficult to use, although not as easy as flowchart.com.  It was a much more sophisticated program and the resulting flowcharts demonstrated this.  I think that for my use, I would probably tend to gravitate toward flowchart.com.  To begin with, I will never remember mindmeister.com unless I bookmark it!  Beyond that, it took me much, much longer to create a flowchart on their site and my topic was something simple, my dog.  I definitely prefer flowchart.com.