Thing 16

Thing 16 PhotoPeach and Final Evaluation:

This is my first time using photopeach and I love it! It reminds me of imovie an app I have on my mac. Making videos like this is always fun, and a great gift! I have made videos like this for friends for their birthdays, and they love them!

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

I am one of those people that can sit on my computer all day, so exploring some of these sites really showed me some things that I didn't know the internet had to offer. Doing this blog has inspired me to incorporate a blog in my classroom for parents to follow. I also enjoyed wordle and photopeach, stumble upon and pinterest. 

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

I think doing this helped to show me a lot of different resources that the internet has to offer that I can use educationally and for leisure browsing purposes as well. 

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I did not think that I would enjoy blogging, and I didn't think that it would be something that I would continue, but doing this blog helped me to realize how easy and fun blogging can be.

4. What could I do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

I think if I were you I would keep it the same, and if new and more exciting sites come along you could replace some of the easier thing's that we have been using for years. Other than that I think it was a great learning tool.

Thing 15

Thing 15: Twitter

I have not been a member of twitter until today. I never had a desire to tweet, and I think some celebrities are a bit twitter crazy, but I think it is entertaining to read tweets. I also like that you can tag people in your posts. My twitter account is MeredithORourk1 I probably won't tweet, but I think that I will continue to use the app to follow some of my favorite celebrities.

Thing 14

Thing 15: Podcasting and Bookmarks

Podcasts are something that have become very popular in the past few years. I have downloaded a few podcasts before of interviews, and I have downloaded music collaboration podcasts on iTunes. I have also read about teachers using podcasts in their classrooms for homework assignments. I have come up with the idea to use a blog in my classroom for parents as a weekly newsletter, and I think I could use podcasts on the blog and upload the children singing our classroom songs so the parents could hear the songs they are learning, and I could upload other podcasts of me talking and giving the parents tips about how to help their children if they are having trouble in certain areas. I could also link them to other podcasts that could be helpful at home, and if they are interested then they can download those.

When I explored the Texas Education on iTunes U I found some great podcasts for Teachers that give resources for different lesson ideas, articles, and even educational videos I could play in the classroom. I even downloaded an audio podcast called, "Children's Thinking in Measurement." I will definitely continue to explore the Texas Education podcasts, and I think that they are a great resource for teachers.