Oh Noes!!!

So I have been vegging out on Skyrim for a while and even though I could probably keep playing it in blissful ignorance until the next big game comes out, I have been inspired to make my video game system more productive and in turn make me more productive. It looks like I will be trading in my PS3 for a Kinect. Granted the games are not quite as arresting on the kinect yet but that is why I downloaded Rosetta Stone software for Italian. Each addiction I cut out of my life lets another come to the forefront and I am just now realizing how I have buried myself in video games, TV shows, and acts of kindness and although the latter is usually a good thing I do them because I am insecure about whether or not people will enjoy my company without them. Introspection is depressing but I have always found it easier to communicate through the written word (that's why I avoid your calls and text you after peoples) so hopefully keeping a blog will keep me honest. If anyone is reading this then ignore the posts before this. Except for the lolcat video I made. :-)

Scavenger Hunt Answer #4

If you need three chicken breasts and the packages each contain two you will HAVE to buy at least two packages to have enough for everyone.

Almost Over!!!

This class has been great. The first thing I learned from it is I cannot take classes that are one day a week. The instructor did a great job of imparting as much knowledge as possible, but I got a couple weeks of strep throat and all of a sudden I can't miss any more classes without losing points. I have too much randomness in my life (i.e. getting hit by a semi, running facefirst into a helicopter, being kidnapped and taken to Florida by an ex, just some examples) to have no leeway with absences. That being said I learned a lot about all the technology available to teachers and I enjoyed learning all the ways different sites could be synced together. Not to mention a lot of the creative sites we used like Animoto and image generators gave me projects I could share on my Facebook profile with my friends and family to show what I was working on that semester. Keeping up with new developments shouldn't be difficult now that I know how to follow RSS feeds of teaching-devoted blogs and sites. Plus TeacherTube has plenty of videos on technological resources. Now that this class is over I plan on using my blog for both my writing and a workout journal as I want to get back into shape and I think blogging will keep me honest. I won't be adding my blog to my e-mail signature line until I establish what exactly I want on there and who I want to share it with but I will definitely be using the creative websites for future fun and learning opportunities.

Thing # 23

The disclaimer on the 23 Things page tells you that it was redesigned from a program originally designed by Helene Blowers and that it was duplicated with permission under Creative Commons. Creative Commons is a great way to help people understand things they take for granted in every day life. I have watched countless MLB games and now I finally know why there is a disclaimer about re-broadcasting being prohibited. We can use this tool to show students what they are allowed to use for their projects and when citing the original author or creator is required. Creative Commons taught me a lot and ever since I examined the website I have started noticing the little symbols all over the place.

Thing #22

I created three binders: one for personal pictures, one for previous work I did at APSU, and the last one to keep some of my stories I've written in my spare time. I decided to use the binder I embedded to attempt storing old papers and projects I have done at APSU in case I lose the ones on LiveText. We can teach students about binders by having them try hard assignments at the beginning of the year and saving them in a binder so that when the year is over students will be able to look back at their previous work and see how much they learned that year.

Papers binder

Thing #21

Creating this video was a lot of fun because I love the "lolcat" pictures. I chose the background music because the Meow Mix commercial always amused me.Using Animoto was very easy and allows people to be creative without too much effort at video editing.



Try our slideshow creator at Animoto.

Thing #20

YouTube is great as a instructional video site and as a way to kill time before work. it has unlimited potential simply because you can find every kind of video imaginable. i chose this video because it is one that warns us about technological advances. It is a lecture by Eli Pariser on how search engines are customizing searches based of our browsing history and cookies and by doing so they severely limit our ability to branch out and see new things. He talks about university students who all searched for the same word and found completely different results based solely on the browsing history on each computer.

Thing #19

 I've used last.fm for a while because it has an application you can download on the Xbox360. It's a lot of fun exploring other people's playlists and finding songs I didn't know I'd enjoy. One such song is "Soul Meets Body" by Death Cab for Cutie. I always assumed all their music was very depressing until i found it on a friend's playlist.





Visit TeacherPop

Thing #18

Facebook and Twitter are both very popular sites although Twitter was more of a mistake, created when Apple scooped another company on podcast technology. I have been using Facebook ever since MySpace declined into obscurity and it is a great way to plan social events as well as communicate with people you don't really talk to often on the phone. I usually add two or three people from each class on my Facebook just in case one of us needs help on a project or a reminder about when something is due. Teachers can use both sites with their students very easily the same way. they can use either site to post assignments and answer questions and Facebook has a messenger service which would allow live communication between faculty and students if a simple email will not sufficiently answer all of a student's questions.

Thing #17

Teachers can use social bookmarking sites to help students with research on projects and to help others with their projects. Just like the Wikis it is a tool that gives students the ability to help and teach others which improves their independence and self-confidence. I searched for educational technology and found an awesome site called TeacherTube which is a YouTube for teachers. I always knew the instructional power of YouTube because I had to use a video on there to figure out how to slip locks with a credit card when i was locked out of my apartment before work one day, but it is good to see all the teacher related videos gathered in one place for our use.

Thing #16

For my start page I chose iGoogle because thanks to this class I already have a lot of stuff saved to my Google profile and the gadgets on the default page were mostly things I had already completed in my 23 Things. Now that I have seen how customized it already is I switched it to my starting page permanently. Online Calendars are helpful for event reminders such as tests, assignments, or friends' birthdays, but because I already have Facebook to take care of social events and I keep an academic calendar in my backpack I probably won't be using it anytime soon. I enjoy finding a routine I'm comfortable with so scrapping my academic calendar just to lose the half pound of carrying weight isn't really worth it to me. To-do lists are not something I ever use. I overthink things too much and my mind is constantly spinning with any obligations each day brings me and I doubt writing them down would stop that process.The tool I enjoyed the most was PDFConverter because my cell phone doesn't read word documents very well but has awesome capabilities with Adobe Acrobat Reader so being able to convert files to PDF's allows me to take homework and essays with me on my phone for review when I find free time without having to be around a computer.

Thing #15

Wikis are an awesome tool for all facets of life. I use them all the time for video gaming because almost every major game series has its own wiki which not only helps you play the current game, but also lets you read up on the backstory from previous games in the series. Wikis are also useful in the classroom because they are true collaborations of ideas and experiences from everyone in the world with access to the internet. They improve students' independence and creativity while also giving them a taste of what it feels like to be the teacher.The Sandbox Wiki was a fun way to allow all of us to share our favorite things.

Thing #14

I chose Gliffy for my flow chart experimentation and Bubbl.us for my mind map. Both were very helpful with lots of creative options. These would be great ways to organize research papers, with starter bubbles or shapes for each supporting paragraph and the articles cited in those paragraphs attached below. Both are very helpful at organizing your thoughts but I prefer Gliffy simply for the fact that it makes you choose the size of your connections and shapes first unlike Bubbl.us which starts with a small bubble and automatically placed connections and forces you to go back and rearrange things afterwards. I do enjoy the hot buttons in Bubbl.us. Bubbl would be much more useful for quick brainstorming whereas Gliffy would be better for large elaborate sessions.

Thing #13

Zoho Writer was a fun easy way to create documents if your computer doesn't have Microsoft Office programming or if you simply prefer Zoho. It is fast, easy, and it saves it to your account so you don't have to worry about losing your info or forgetting your jump drive at home.I plan on using it for important documents in my scholastic future. I especially enjoyed being able to insert comments as I enjoy writing for fun and it's nice to be able to explain certain passages without cluttering the page. Google Docs was equally fast and reliable, although the interface was a little too businesslike. Zoho's interface was much easier to look at as I played with the features. Google did have one important advantage though and that's syncing the Google Translate software with Google Docs to translate your document into any language you choose automatically, as you can see from my document. This would be especially helpful for students in different countries, making communication with foreign pen pals much easier, as well as helping when students study abroad. Despite the fun of Google Translate though I prefer Zoho, simply because if I am going to stare at the screen that long, i prefer to have something a little easier on the eyes.

Thing # 12

I used Google Alerts to set up alerts for news articles once a day on the Atlanta Braves, the Hawaiian Government ( because I still consider Hawaii to be my home state), and news on the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy as a few of my friends from my former unit are concerned about the Republicans trying to put it back into place if they beat Obama in the upcoming election. this is a very helpful tool because before I started using it I got all my news from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

I absolutely love Google Translate and always have. I didn't need to access it online as I downloaded the app on my phone a few years ago and have been using it ever since to mess with friends. Not only does it have a huge language database but it can also send anything it translates to your contacts via SMS messaging which keeps the user from having to write it down and retype it into his phone. It is a very useful tool and in language courses it can help students who may have fallen a step behind by allowing them to pull up verbs and phrases without having to search from page to page to find them.

Thing # 11

In using the different RSS finders I enjoyed Google Blog Search the most. Google has always been a popular search engine and it's blog finder was simple and easy to use. It brought up a lot of blogs that had very little to do with my search too and seems a bit unspecific with its search results such as a blog entitled "Who is Mister Mister?", but overall it helped me find blogs pertaining to teaching, my favorite sports teams, and video games with relative ease.Thanks to these lessons on RSS feeds I finally know the use of that symbol Firefox is always showing me and I can also now use that to subscribe to blogs.

Thing #10

As the video we watched made obvious RSS or Really Simple Syndication makes it easier to access information we want to read as opposed to wading through sites we arent interested in to get to it. It creates a hub, in this case our Google Reader account, and brings all info we find relevant to us to our hub so we know where to find it all. It's like putting your wallet, keys, and shades near the door because you know that's what you need when you want to go out.

Personally I am a huge sports fan and I have a favorite team in every sport I follow and it is a hassle to search through all the popular sites such as ESPN and FoxSports to find information and news stories about them. With RSS  I can subscribe to their blogs and be kept update without moving from site to site. In schools we can use RSS to link different sites containing blogs relevant to our curriculum together so that we have a wealth of information to use in our daily classroom activities and lectures.

Thing #9

For this assignment I used the smiley generator and the comic generator. I fought with the magazine cover creator for about half an hour before surrendering and admitting my unworthiness.

I watch the Family Guy show religiously and have always loved the evil monkey character so when I saw a chance to have some fun with him I took it. Hope this isn't crossing the line but it amused me.

One of my friends asks me this question at least twice a week and this poor smiley face who is very non-smiley made me think of her. Don't tell her I posted this! Shhhh!

Just like the Flickr mashup sites these sites were a great way to both learn about technology and what we are able to do these days with just a few clicks of a button while also giving students a chance to explore their creativity. It exercises both halves of the brain.

Thing # 8

I used the Big Huge Labs Jigsaw tool to create this puzzle of one of the happiest moments in my life, the 1995 Atlanta Braves championship.

All the Mashup tools are a lot of fun to use and they would be a great way to teach children how to use technology effectively while still having fun. Just by doing Thing's #7 and 8 I learned how to connect my Blogger account to my Facebook and my Flickr accounts and it was extremely simple too.

Thing # 7

Chipper Jones, Chain of Lakes Park, Winterhaven [3/28/05], a photo by dizbuster319 on Flickr.

Chipper Jones is my favorite player all-time. I have watched him play since his rookie season in 1995 and he continues to amaze me with his poise, his loyalty, and his love of the game. He could have taken more money to play in another city like almost every player these days does but even though he has been to numerous All-Star games, won the NL MVP award, and is the only Brave left from the 1995 World Series Championship team, he has spent his entire career with the Braves and will probably retire after this season. He is most of the reason I can continue being a sports fan after having my heart broken by other players who took the money and ran. He has been as exemplary off the field as on and is a genuine role model for the youth of America. He will be missed when he retires

Thing # 6

I chose Skype as my Web 2.0 tool to learn more about. I knew the basics of Skype from my time in the Army watching fellow soldiers use the service with loved ones and I also know that it is a good way of getting around a phone bill some months but that was about it. I installed Skype and linked it to my facebook contacts list and I immediately found I had quite a few friends online. We tried some video chat and got to show off our rooms and our latest gadgets. I also saw that when I searched for businesses in the area and google pulled up their information the telephone number under the address was now a link to use Skype to call that number.
Skype would be very helpful in classrooms as it has conference call features and would allow educators to answer questions e-mailed to them by students over video calls with visual aids for those students who are visual learners.

Thing # 5

School 2.0 is our way of referring to the methods of integrating the new Web 2.0 technology into our classroom. The web is quickly growing into a form of social interaction and information sharing, not just from established sources such as the Encyclopedia Britannica, but from people all over the world. Google allows us access to information that may not have been provided by a college professor or doctor, but is still viable information that we want to know immediately instead of doing heavy research. Yahoo Answers, Wikipedia, and other sites allow users to share what they know about everyday problems with others who have not yet acquired that knowledge. We can use this in our schools by requiring students to use online web resources for group projects which will in turn make it easier for them because they won't have to gather in one place anymore since they will always be connected by one device or another. Schools of the future will not be concrete concepts and buildings. They will be fluid and easily accessible on trips and from home. Homeschooling will no longer put a strain on the parents' jobs as students will still be taught by their educator online.

Thing #4

Commenting on other users' blogs lets them know that what they are writing is important to other people besides themselves. It encourages them to continue down that path and as such gives the readers a form of content control. It can also lead the blogger being read to the blogger doing the reading and expose him to new ideas that he/she might enjoy.

I enjoyed learning new terms such as trolling and the "Darth Commenter." The guidelines and tips helped me understand a little bit more about appropriate blog behavior, such as how while positive reinforcement is always nice to receive, it can really clutter up a blog if that's all people are writing. That is why Facebook has  a like button.

I commented on Ashlee's, Hyams, Corbitt, Rachel Baker's, and Kristina's 23 things blogs. I didn't have any specific reason for choosing these people other than I just picked blogs at random to read and they were the first five I had something to say to. I also started following a blog called ChopTalk, which is an Atlanta Braves fan blog because I have been a Braves fan my whole life. Finally I joined the Colbert Nation because Stephen Colbert is great at his job and while I love both him and Jon Stewart I prefer Colbert simply for his style of delivering all his sarcasm, criticisms, and jokes with the same sober newscaster face. Watching his show is a great way to enjoy watching the world burn :-)

I commented on the blogs of my classmates based on their 23 things and my feelings toward the blogs they had posted for each. I posted a cautionary comment on Ashlee's blog about the dangers of relying too heavily on technology and on Rachel's blog I talked about being careful when allowing students to join the global community during class when what they are exposed to is our responsibility as educators. I also left a comment on the Choptalk blog criticizing the lack of support for Chipper Jones who is one of the last true sportsmen in professional sports today.

Thing # 3

Blogging is helpful because it allows the other students to handle questions they can help with. There are plenty of questions students have simply because they missed or forgot something in class that the teacher does not need to be bothered with because another student already has the answer and now that we are all connected in a community we can share that information easily and give the teacher more free time which hopefully will translate into better grades for us :-)

Thing # 2

• How did you decide on your posting name and the name of your blog? 

I already had a gmail account under maverick1492 because I've liked the name maverick ever since I saw Top Gun as a child and I add 1492 to all my usernames because I was born on Columbus Day and "in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue". Plus it cuts down on the amount of times websites tell me "I'm sorry but that name is already taken." The title of my blog is based on the fact that my heart has stopped long enough for me to be declared dead three times so far in life and yet I'm still here.

• What was your experience in creating the blog? Was it hard for you or easy? Why?

Creating the blog was pretty simple, even though this was my first blog, because Blogger was very helpful as was our professor. Plus I enjoy technology and I've always thought about creating a blog but then what would I use my Facebook for?

• How does your avatar reflect your personality? Did you create an avatar that looks like your real self or someone totally different? Why?

It reflects me because it's wearing my usual combination of polo shirt, jeans, and black tennis shoes, which is what I wear almost exclusively not counting the gym and pool(which would just be weird). Because I couldn't find my military haircut I gave it one that resembles what my hair used to look like. It's got headphones on because I try to always have my iPod with me and as I walk around campus I'm in my own world of Rise Against, System of a Down, and Skillet. I also gave him an Xbox because while I have severely cut back on my playing time I still do enjoy the stress release video games provide. Die fictional pixelated bad guys!! 

Thing # 1

7.5 Habits for Highly Successful Lifelong Learners


Habit 6 is definitely the easiest for me. Growing up I never thought I was much of a gadget person but when I started earning a paycheck I soon realized that was just because I was too poor to afford gadgets. I love having all this technology at my fingertips, from useful things like online quizzes and grade posting to lazy things like ordering a pizza via SMS messaging. Relying on technology too heavily has its problems though. D2L proves that on a daily basis by cutting in and out.

Habit 2 is definitely the hardest for me. Spending five years in the military gives you a lot of useful skills such as discipline and a work ethic, but it also tends too shape you into someone who relies too heavily on having orders. The more micro-managing my teachers are the better I thrive because I am used to being told exactly what to do and exactly when it's due. Taking responsibility for my own learning is definitely something I'm still working on.