Thing #17: Tagging and Social Bookmarking with Del.icio.us

I watched both of the Del.icio.us tutorials. I continue to really like the style of the Common Craft guys. They make it simple and to the point, but do it in a way that is not dull. I checked out a few of the bookmarks with APSU23things and subscribed to the RSS feed to keep up to date after this class ends. Afterward, I created an account with Del.icio.us and began to play with it some to research various topics. I really liked what I found. I have still been using my Favorites list to bookmark Internet sites of interest, but Del.icio.us takes that to a new level. I love that it is not computer specific, which makes doing work from school, home, and work seamless. I also like the social networking aspect. This really helps to weed through sites to get to the more useful ones. I can see where this could be used in the classroom to guide students through appropriate research. I plan to use this when writing my Assistive Technology paper this week.

Thing #16: Get Organized with Web 2.0 Tools

I created an iGoogle home page. I chose that because I already have a Google account and the setup was very easy. I found it easy to customize and set up just the way I needed it to be. I definitely plan to make that my permanent home page. I really wish I would have done this sooner. It will be very useful to have all the the information that is important to me in one place when I need it and updated daily. I have never done this, because I simply have not taken the time to see what is out there to make my life easier. As I have mentioned before, I REALLY like the Google calendar and I added that to my home page first thing! This has already been so useful and I already have big plans to do more. I also added the "to-do list" gadget to my home page just as a visual reminder. I also investigated some of the other tools for list management that were a little more complex. I want to look into those some more, but think they will go hand in hand with Google calendar to improve my productivity and organization. The mobile phone notification and management for tasks and lists are what I am very interested in learning more about. Did I mention that I love Google calendar?! Thanks Dr. Wall!!! I will definitely recommend it to others.

Thing #15: What in the World is a Wiki?

I enjoyed learning more about Wikis. I think it is an interesting concept, but I can see where integrity of information is at risk. I will have to admit, I am the sort of person who is happier where things are more black or white, true or false. OK, I will admit that I am also a bit of a control freak too. The idea that anyone can modify published information without accuracy verification is odd to me. I just seems to fit the society idea that there really are no real absolute truth and that if enough people believe and speak it, then it must be true. I don't really buy into this philosophy. I do see where wikis could be used to communicate, collaborate, plan, brainstorm, etc. If used for that, I think they have many possibilities for the classroom. I liked the classroom examples given here and they gave me some ideas for how I might use them in my own classroom.

Thing #14: Go With the Flow

I created accounts with Gliffy for the flow chart and Mind Meister for the mind map. They were both useful for their intended purpose. In the past I have used a desktop application very similar to Gliffy to create flow charts. I used them to create organizational flow charts for my department and for production and process flow charts. Mind Meister seems to be a way to document ideas when brainstorming. I have used something similar in the past when problem solving or troubleshooting. I found both of these to be another way to create something that has been around for a while. I did, however, really like the idea of collaboration. I used to be the Quality Manager for an automotive manufacturing company. There were many times when we would work with customers or suppliers to solve product or process problems. We used a process called a 5-Why, which was really a way to use a fish bone diagram to study a problem and examine possible causes and solutions. Mind Meister would come in very handy when doing this since often it is done by conference call. It would be very useful for all parties to have access to this simultaneously. I can see where this could be used in the classroom to teach problem solving methods.

Thing #13: Web-Based Applications

My imported Zoho Writer Example follows:

ZOHO WRITER EXAMPLE

This is my example of a Zoho Writer document. So far, I like it. I knew there were online applications such as this, but really perceived them to be far inferior to Microsoft Office. Zoho Writer is making me reconsider my position on this. It is easy to use and I like the idea of being able to easily import and export with Microsoft Office. I also like the ability to create documents as a pdf files without having to purchase the full Adobe software package. I have already decided to give this a try on some work files that I share with others. I will definitely like not having to make sure the latest version is saved on my jump drive that I carry to and from work. I am looking forward to seeing how I like it over time.

Toodles!

Thing #12: Google Is Not Just For Searching Anymore

I tried a Google Calendar and Google Docs for this activity. I was planning to try out Google Notebook, but found out that Google has decided not to further their activity on development of that tool, so they were not accepting new accounts. From what I could tell, Google Docs accomplishes most of what Notebook offered plus has some added features.

The one I liked best was Google Calendar. As I mentioned in an earlier post regarding a Web 2.0 tool called Backpack, I really like the idea of an on line, sharable calendar. I think I would like it the most if I had a PDA that would electronically link the two. I struggle with the logistics of having all appointments on one calendar that can be shared with others. I currently use a combination of paper planner and electronic reminders, but that there is much room for error with this double, triple or even quadruple entry system. I am definitely planning to research this technology further to simplify this area of my world!

The Google Docs tool was okay. Honestly, I don't think I would use it much now. I might try it for compiling online research. The part of it that offers word processing, presentations and spreadsheets, I would most likely never use because I am such a Microsoft Office fan. I don't see the benefit of using Google docs over Microsoft other than possibly collaboration. That, really is what I see as the largest benefit of Google Docs in total. I may find that I need that tool when I reach the classroom. I will definitely keep it in mind should the need arise.

My links to both follow:

Google Calendar: http://www.google.com/calendar/render?tab=oc

Google Docs: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd76772m_2gpgw6tcf

Thing #11: Finding Good Feeds

I tried the suggested RSS Feed search tools. Of all of them, I really just liked Google the best. I tried them all using similar search phrases for my topics of interest. It could be because of my familiarity, but I found that Google was the one who came up with feeds that were most like what I was looking to find. I was searching primarily for middle school science types of feeds. I found a couple that had some good videos of science projects that I can see using in the classroom. These would be great for showing students some of the various types of projects completed by students around the world. Though some of the blogs were, interesting, I found my self coming back to published information such as news and published articles more than individual blog posts. I guess they all have their place and time, but for me, right now, that is of most interest.