Discovery Exercise!!!

Question uno: What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

• I enjoyed the ones where I got to create something or post random things that really didn't                have to do with anything. :) What can I say?  Art people are random.

Question dos: How has this program affected your lifelong goals?

• This program has opened my eyes to all that the internet can offer.  I primarly use it for nerdy, social, and school reasons, but there are so many more tools and programs I have been missing out on.  I plan on using them in the future.

Question tres: Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

• Ummmmmmm.... no.

Question cuatro: What could we do differently to improve upon this program's format or concept?

• This took a lot of time. Was it easy? Yes. Was I frustrated most of the time? Yes. Will it be useful in the future? Some of it. I enjoyed being able to make it personal and have fun with it, but it just took so much time and I got very annoyed with having to join so many cites that I probably won't use in the future because I am an ART TEACHER, not a regular one. :)

Question cinco: How will what you have learned influence your practice as a teacher?

• There are some things that i could use as an art teacher, but most of these things don't really apply to me.  The way I see it is, you don't wanna get paint on a computer... SOOOO, I will try to find ways to incorporate what I've done here, but it will be hard.

Question seis: How do you plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0? 

• Hmmmmm, I believe other things will draw my attention, like what's happening in the art world, art history, my own personal progression as an artist. I don't really see much of the things I have done here helping with those things.  Though I am grateful for learning them.

Thing # 23

As an art teacher, students will need to understand that their work, ideas, and what have you are their own, but! They need to give credit not only to themselves but to others for their work.  Creative Commons teaches just that.

I found several websites that are similar to our trusty 23 Things... Here is one: http://sjlibrary23.blogspot.com/

Thing # 22

I can see the practical use in such a website, however, I also see that my laptop has folders and my Google Chrome has bookmarks.  Personally, I believe I will just stick with that, but! For the classroom, I can see how this would be an easy thing for students and fellow teacher to look up and look at.

My LiveBinder is called Art Websites for Kids.  I found a ton of websites that art teachers could use with their kids, each are educational and fun!

My LiveBinder

Thing # 21

I really enjoyed this website, though it was annoying to only have 30 seconds!!!! I had to keep redoing it to show the pics I wanted shown. I may cave one day and actually buy the thing just cause it was sooo awesome:)


Pumpkin Masterpieces!

Thing # 20

I LOVE YouTube!! Always have.  Its such a useful site for finding information on my nerdy things, new songs, or just awesomely funny stuff:)  I think YouTube is so widely known and frequently used that there isn't much to say on the matter apart from tis awesome and can be a very useful tool. Many of my professors already use it in class and assign for us to find videos pertaining to a subject for the class.

The video I've chosen to post is by a YouTuber called charlieissocoollike. He's a British nerd and in this video he is trying to do an American accent.  Its hilarious!!!! Enjoy!!!!

My American Accent

Thing # 19

I love to write.  I write my own take on a video game series called Dragon Age.  I post my story on a website called FanFiction.Net and I get pretty awesome reviews.  So, I am a member of FanFiction.Net where you can "unleash your imagination".  I am a member of Pandora, though that's just for listening to music. I am also a member of Facebook, but who isn't?  And on Facebook I am a member of certain groups for video games, and some books I enjoy:)

I have used IMDB many times in the past to keep up on movies.  Mostly I use it when I can't figure out where I've seen an actor before, but only as a last resort. I like to figure it out on my own.  There was a lot of good sites to check out, but I lean more toward the book ones, simply because I love to read. I liked GoodReads.  It seemed the easiest to figure out and the simplest.  Though I looked into these, I proabaly wouldn't use them very much, besides IMDB.

Here's the link to my fanfic profile!!
Me Profile:)

Thing #18

I think that everybody in this class, perhaps everyone at APSU has a Facebook or Twitter.  They probably have an old Myspace they haven't deleted.  I also think this is probably the easiest thing I've had to do:)  Social networks have become a huge part of most everyone's life.  I remember when they changed Facebook people freaked out and there was even stories on the news and even on CNN.  Which is pretty ridiculous, but it proves my statement.  I don't really use Twitter, but I hear a lot about it from friends and from TV.  It seems a good way to stay up-to-date on your favorite celebs and whatnot.  However, I don't see an educational use for either when it comes to elementary, middle, or high.  We were not allowed on such websites when I was in high school, and that rule still remains. In college, sure.  I can see a use for it, but otherwise... Nah:)

My Facebook:)

Thing #17

I personally have never even heard of Delicious.  I know what tagging is, but in all my years of being on the internet I've never stumbled across this website.  I can see the use in such a thing, but overall I'm not that impressed.  However, I do like that you can access it from anywhere.  You don't have to worry about it only working on a certain computer or carrying a jump drive (though I carry mine constantly).  I can see why that would make it appealing.  When it comes to the classroom, and when I say classroom I mean an ART classroom, I don't see it being very useful.  At least not to an art teacher.  I suppose a teacher can join and use it to learn more about different techniques and technologies, but I probably won't be one of those teachers.

Thing #16

I choose iGoogle because I use Google pretty much everyday and I have a lot of accounts that are linked to it. I liked customizing it, well making it pretty with the the greatest band ever, the Beatles, as my background on it. Will I use it as my homepage, probably not.  But I do see the usefulness in it.  It is just easier to stick with my little Google Chrome homepage that displays my most visited websites and apps.

Online calenders seem a waste of time to me.  There are plain 'ol regular calendars that can be used, planners, and every cell phone comes loaded with a calendar.  I would never use an online calendar because of my phone's calendar and my planner.  Having one more thing to check on, on the internet would just be overkill.

When it comes to online to-do-lists, ehhhh. Its not something that I would ever use.  I keep a planner when I'm in school, but otherwise?  I know you hear about people who makes lists all day and are very organized about getting their stuff done, but!  That's just not me.  I make to-do-lists when I have a ton of homework, but otherwise I suppose I just keep it in my head.  I do see why this would be a simple thing to use as a teacher, but I find writing things out in a planner much more relaxing and simple.

The only tool that I played around with in this activity I would possibly use would be the iGoogle one.  It is nice to have all of your apps, gadgets, and interest in one place.  The internet can make one lost within all that it offers.  I think these tools could be used at either home or school.  Though I would be more likely to use them at school and in the classroom than for my personal life.

Thing #15

Well, tis no secret that Wikis are taking over the internet. I use one pretty much everyday for my nerdy addictions.  It never occured to me that they could be used for school things.  Pretty much every teacher I've had said to stay away from Wikipedia, which is wise... No one should ever use it as a source in a research paper.  When looking at the Wikis provided I really liked the BookLovers Wiki.  What can I say?  I'm a nerd who loves to read and I believe children should get into reading at an early age.  Even as a art teacher, I could have influence over that.

ANYWHO! I posted this pic to the sandbox thingy... Just thought I'd share it on here too. Its pretty epic!!

Thing #14

I chose to explore Bubbl.us and MindMeiser.  Overall both online programs were easy to use.  No need to over think things and put a ton of tools.  I like these because there were simple, and straight forward.  Too many technologies are complicated, so it was nice to come across something that was pretty easy.

Thing #13

I personally do not like Zoho and certainly don't like Zoho Writer.  I do not see the point in it when it's so much simpler to just open up Microsoft Office.  I do not think these online programs will get rid of Microsoft Office.  I've never have a problem with documents not working on different laptops or computers.  I'm pretty technology savvy and when I am presented with a problem along those lines I just play around until I get what I want.  I'm used to Microsoft Word and I have no intention of abandoning it.

As for Google Documents, I feel the same and I had problems with it.  I know this picture looks very simple, and it was when I was making it but downloading it was difficult.  It doesn't look the same as it did on the Google program.  Therefore, I so would never use either of these online programs or apps or whatever they are called.  If I had to chose one to use, it would be Google Documents.

Thing #12

I chose to explore Google Alerts and Google Translate.  I have used Good Translate in the past and I am familiar with the tool, therefore, it was pretty easy.  This is obviously useful for students taking a foreign language, although most teachers warn against it.  I agree.  However, it would be useful as a starting point.  I believe Google Alerts would be an awesome tool in the classroom.  Things you've researched and perhaps couldn't find could be found by Google at a later point and can be made known to you.  I think that saves time and makes it a lot easier for students and teachers alike.

Thing #11

I honestly like the Google search tool for blogs. "Why?" you may ask... Because I use Google everyday.  I use it to find information on video games, artworks, for my classes, for pretty much anything.  I think that everyone, everywhere uses it and it would probably be the best for me and the best for my students if I were to use this in the classroom.  I didn't really find any of them very confusing, they were all pretty straight forward, and if I ran into any trouble all that needed to do was play around with it and figure it out.  All in all, I would just use Google Blogs search:)

Thing #10

RSS is very convenient.  All your subscriptions are in the same place so it is easy to follow.  I could see it being useful in my personal life, but as for the classroom?  I'm not sure. I honestly don't think students will follow blogs with the zeal I would want them to unless it was something they were genuinely interested in.  For example, a kid who plays video games would defiantly follow a blog written by EA, but I doubt that this kid as my student would follow a blog I assigned.  I may use said blogs on Google Reader for a higher art class when I know students would have the interest and zeal to follow, but not for a lower art class when the students are there because they have to be, not because they want to be.  Overall, I like the Google Reader, but using it as a tool for teacher in my future classroom?  I'm a little iffy

Thing #9

I loved all these little tools, they are a lot of fun and an easy way to excite your students or grab their attention.  I think I need to explain my first image, the text if "Fear no ART!" but I put it in a image of an skull to kind of contradict itself.  I just thought it was fun:) http://www.imagechef.com/ic/word_mosaic/

The original image is a CD cover I created in high school, so i just looked for a magazine cover that had to do with music. I really enjoyed doing this and I think this could further the project I did in high school. As a teacher, I could assign my students to crate a magazine cover with their CD cover. Good idea:)
http://www.customsigngenerator.com/

Thing #8

I really like Moasic Maker... I thought that was a pretty nifty tool, so I decided to make one of me and my best friend Brittney Terry.  She is with the Lord now, but I keep her in my heart.

I really liked the tools, I think they are very fun and would be a useful tool in the classroom.  Kids love the internet, so allowing them to play with them would be a good idea.  As for the teacher, I think I could use these to grab my students attention.  I think sharing photos on the internet is a good idea, but one must be careful about what they post.  People can steal images, so I think it is wise to understand copyright laws. As an artist, I know what I would feel like if someone stole one of my photos... NOT happy. So, I think people need to be careful!

Thing #7

First of all I would like to say that I love Flickr!  There are so many images to explore, I think I could poke around that website all day.  I have some experience with photography myself (won some competitions, shot some weddings) so I know what makes a good photo.  When looking through this website I saw so many images I liked, it was hard to pick just one. But, I decided on this photo by TrevinC:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevin/2873630467/in/photostream/

I like this photo because of its simplicity and its color.  It draws the eye and offers a very interesting composition. 

Thing #6

I chose YouTube. NOT because it's easy and everybody knows about it, but because of the frequent use of it by my friends, family, teachers, and myself.  I love the huge range of information on this site.  You can watch videos on how to do your nails, to watching kpop videos, to... just about anything.  I personally don't post any videos, but I do follow a lot of you-tubers.

This site has became so popular that some of my teachers have included it in the classroom and have assigned students to find videos on it relating to a topic.  As an art student there are hundreds of virtual tours of museums and videos on artworks.

Thing #5

After reading both Web 2.0 is Not About Version Numbers or Betas  and The Horizons Report  I believe it is safe to say that the future of education will include many technologies: the internet being the main one.  Honestly, can you see the world going anywhere else?

"School 2.0" means new ideas, new technologies, new... EVERYTHING! And it is exciting. That being said, one must never forget the use of books, pencils, crayons, paint... Those thins make school and learning what they are, and if given the choice between and ebook and a real paperback, paperback wins hands down:) "School 2.0" is exciting and defiantly where things are headed, but I also like the things I grew up with in school as well.

Thing #4

There are so many social networks on the web now: Facebook, fanfiction, tumbler, YouTube... The list goes on. And on each of these networks, you can make groups and communities.  What fuels these groups is of course posting and sharing, but it is also commenting.  You can start a friendly debate or a conversation by commenting and it makes one feel involved.  It is an important aspect of networking.


I am personally a member of the fanfiction.net network where people share their own twist on well known popular franchise such as Harry Potter or those goofy, but good, Twilight books. I write mine for a video game I play and something that stuck out to me on one of the articles i read was "Write a meaning comment."   I love getting feedback, but what I love even more is when someone gives their own insight to my developing characters.  Not that reading short comments of encouragement or like are not appreciated, I love those as well. Any feedback is good, negative or positive.  The worst feedback is no feedback, so writing a meaningful comment is important.


Another important thing is not to be afraid to comment.  There has been many times where people will favorite my fanfiction story or add me to their alerts, but I never see a comment from them. Its flattering to know they like my story, but comments would be even better.  That is why when I read something I like I let the author know because I expect the same. Kinda like the 'golden rule', but reworked for writers:)

I chose to comment Blair Offutt's blog because of the idea stated on the 3rd thing. It never occurred to me that you could communicate with other educators around the world, and gain information. Pretty dumb on my part, cause that is a big thing! 


Second, I chose Hannah Singler's blog because of the idea of using a blog as a reflection tool.  If you really wanted, you could use a blog as a dairy of a sorts, not very personal, but you could!


Third, I chose to comment Ernyce Smith's blog because her honestly last post caught my attention: "Thing # 2. Now you want me to click where?!?!?!?!!?" I thought that was funny, and made me want to read it. Having a catchy title is another important thing!

Fourthly, (funny word), I chose to comment Hannah Shearer's blog simply because I liked her images.  Honestly:) 


Fifthly, I chose Bola Oyebade's blog because she mentioned using a tool online, Mosaic Maker for an art class.  First blog I've seen to do that.


Sixthly, (also a funny word), I chose Emily Henson's blog because of her organization skills. Her blog looked very neat and clean, easy to follow, which is always important!


Lastly, I chose a blog that I already commented on in the past.  It was for my 3D class and I really enjoyed having the blog and I wanted to share it!!! Even though the class is over:( Here's the link:  http://cubeddesign.blogspot.com/

Thing #3

Blogs can be a useful tool when it comes to teaching. I personally have already had one used in one of my art classes, and it was a fun way to keep updated on everything going on in the class.  And it was a way to showcase the work we were doing. I really enjoyed having it, and I checked it everyday.

As an art teacher one day, I could defiantly use a blog to create a virtual museum of art and showcase the work my students have been creating. I could post events and keep not only my students updated, but the rest of the school as well. Art should be shared and appreciated and a blog is an easy and fun way to do it!

Thing #2

When naming this blog I decided to keep it simple.  No need to over think things here! I also kept it professional by using my full name for my posting name.  I believe it would be distracting to have cute little pin name like beclovehearts09... Or something along those lines. 

Creating this blog was actually kind of fun.  It made me remember the old days when I redid my myspace page every week, choosing a layout that I liked, finding quotes, and little icons I wanted to post.  Ah, good times.  Making my avatar was so funny!  I restarted twice because I decided I wanted my avatar to be nerdy:) I am very nerdy!!! I LOVE video games so, when I saw the little gaming system I couldn't resist. My favorite color is yellow so, I wanted a yellow shirt and I love hair clips and headbands so I gave myself a matching hair clip! :) My avatar looks like me, with dark curly hair, though my eyes are a lot darker.

Overall, I really enjoyed doing all that was required to make a blog and my little avatar.  It was pretty fun:) And I like the freedom I have in doing so!

Thing #1

7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Learning:

1. Begin with the end in mind.
2. Accept responsibilty for your own learning.
3. View problems as challenges.
4. Have confidence in yourself as a competent effective learner.
5. Create your own learning toolbox.
6. Use technology to your advantage.
7. Teach/mentor others.
7 1/2. Play!

Weaknesses are easy to spot, but so are strengths. Being that I am an art student my strength would probably have to be play. Honestly! To be an artist you have to be willing to play. You have to push boundaries, try new techniques, and just have fun. Making art is a process and you learn as you go, so you might as well have fun while your doing it. My weakness of these is beginning with the end in sight. Its hard to see past a problem, and even harder when its a HUGE problem. Although, I like a challenge it is very easy for me to become overwhelmed.