Web 2.0 Tools

Abbie Golleher

Education Technology

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Web 2.0 Tools Blogging Assignment

Poll Everywhere

            This web 2.0 tool allows you to poll anything via text message. The way it works is you have a short 6 digit number that you will tell your audience to text their vote to. Each option has a different number, and as you text it to that number this tool tallies the results simultaneously. It could be used numerous ways in the classroom, like to get the majority results of a science lab. I would use it in my classroom to allow the students to feel as though they are included on choosing what to do in the classroom each week by doing whatever activity won the poll.

http://www.polleverywhere.com/  

Eye Jot

                This tool was one of the very first video messaging applications. It was created in 2007 and allowed people to make and send video mail. Eye Jot can be used between computers, phones, and handheld devices. This tool would allow a teacher to give instructions on how to do something to the students at home in the unfortunate event that they forget the methods used to get the answer. It could also be used by the students to submit assignments, prove they didn’t cheat on an online assignment, or to just communicate with the teacher or their peers.

http://corp.eyejot.com/ 

Animoto

                This web 2.0 tool is used to create multimedia slideshows using videos, pictures, and music. It is a cloud based application that has been used since 2005. It offers a very simple way to create visual masterpieces. In my classroom, the students could use this tool to make an ‘about me’ slideshow. I could use it at the beginning of the day to tell the students what the agenda is for the day and have it playing throughout the day.

www.animoto.com/

Edmodo

                Edmodo has taken the principle of social media and made it not only suitable, but acceptable even for the classroom. It is an educational site that is already being used in classrooms. It allows students and teachers to communicate to one another freely. In my classroom this tool could be used as a means for the students to explore the idea of turning their work in ‘online.’ The students could also use this tool to communicate with each other about group work if necessary.

https://www.edmodo.com/

Kidblog

                The name of this tool kind of gives away the purpose of it. It is a place where kids can go to blog safely. It was designed for use in the classroom. In my classroom, I could use this tool to get the students to practice their writing skills. The students would use this instead of a journal in class, and they would tell me about their day.

http://kidblog.org/home/

Xtranormal

                This tool is called a ‘text to movie website,’ in which you can go to create short films with the information that you gave. You type in a script and then this application will create a short film with characters acting out what you wrote. It allows you to create freely. I would use this in my classroom as a means of instruction, because it would grab the students’ attention. It could also be used after the students wrote short stories, they could make a movie out of their story.

www.xtranormal.com

Voicethread

                Voicethread allows users to upload digital voice recordings along with pictures to enable storytelling. It is essentially an online album that you can create any story with. The original purpose was to allow you to put pictures on a storyline and put words with it as if you were reading a book aloud to a class. This could be used in my classroom by making a ‘story’ of all the things that the students have to do each day that they have to watch at the beginning of the day. It also may be used by the students to create a PowerPoint-like presentation about whatever the assignment may be.

 

https://voicethread.com/

Cozi

                Cozi is used to easily manage and create calendars. This application can be for at home use or work use. Basically all you have to do is put what you have to do, the date, and the time into a fill out form online and it automatically creates an itinerary for that day. This could be used for lesson plans in the classroom. It could also be used to tell the parents upcoming events, because students may forget to tell their parents things that they need to know.

http://www.cozi.com/

YouTube

                YouTube is not conventionally used for educational purposes, but it can be. This application is a site that allows users to upload and view any video that they can find. It has thousands of ‘How-to’ videos available at any time to watch. This could be used in my classroom to show the students clever, educational videos about whatever topic we are going over at the time. I could also upload lectures and give the students the names of the videos so that they could listen as they study.

www.youtube.com

Blogger

                Blogger is an application which allows users to freely express themselves and share their life stories. It is also an opportunity to share recipes, how-to’s, and many other informational things. It even allows multi-user blogs. This can be used at Open Houses to introduce the teacher (me) to the parents if I haven’t gotten the chance to talk to them yet. I also could post weekly letters to the parents on my blog so that the parents will have an opportunity to get the information that they need without having to rely on their child, because some things may be lost in translation or even lost physically.

www.blogger.com

Pros and Cons of Social Media

       Before I say anything positive or negative about social media or social networking, I'm going to say that I am not only a user, but a big fan of social media and social networking. I am on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine, and Snapchat.
       There are obvious dangers to social networking, for instance someone can take your pictures and use them as their own, they can steal your identity if you have your full name and enough other information on your page, and last but not least, they can find out where you live and come to find you for various reasons. While those dangers should 'wave a red flag,' there are also precautions that you can use to avoid such situations. Each social network that I have listed can be put to the setting 'private' so that only the people that you approve can see your stuff. Still, that is not fool proof, because some people will add people that they are not sure that they actually know.
       Here are some of the cons that I found about social media. First, it has been seen as a means of distractions and people end up not socializing in public with their friends when they are together for real. This is very unfortunate, because they could be making real memories instead of making a Facebook post that gets a bunch of likes. Second, I've found this out personally, social media just tears through the usual data plan for cell phones, and doesn't allow you to utilize other features that may be needed on your phone, such as the navigation app. Last, social media inadvertently causes you to 'miss out' on life, because you are trying so hard to get so many likes or retweets or followers that you forget about the important stuff, like spending time with loved ones, playing with your pets, doing homework, or even studying so that you don't fail your next biology test. I have found that social media not only connects you to your friends, but it has made procrastinating much easier, depending on how many sites you have an account on, you can be busy doing nothing for a full hour before you realize that you 'were going to start studying soon.'
       There are some major pros for social networking that I found or realized as well though. For instance, I have two cousins who are or were over seas. One is a Marine, his name is Eli, and right before he was deployed, his wife had a baby. Facebook allows him to keep up with his wife and son. It breaks my heart that that is the only way other than Skype that they are able to communicate. My other cousin, Michael, was overseas with the military for a year and just got back in December, I have only met him once in real life, because his mom and my uncle are no longer together, but I am able to keep up and catch up with him via Facebook. I look up to both of those young men for what they do for our country, and so Facebook provides a great medium for them to communicate to us through. Also, like I said earlier there are some cousins that I have that I do not know very well, because while my uncle means well, he probably isn't the best role model. I am able to connect to those cousins, and other family members through social media, and that is my main use for each site that I have an account on.

Eli, his wife Adrian, and their baby Zane.

Michael and his grandma who passed away this year.

       I have found a website article on ehow.com that explains how to avoid social networking abuse, so that you can continue to utilize your pages to connect with old friends, distant relatives, and the people you work with.
       The other link that I have posted below is an article of statistics about the various forms of social media that I found to be interesting, because being the owner of just one page on each social media site you don't realize how much people use their accounts.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2390794_prevent-social-network-abuse.html
http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/infographic-social-media-stats-2013/

About Me

        First and foremost, I am a very proud aunt to a sweet baby boy. My name is Abbie Golleher, I am 19 years old, and I love being at home. I have one sister and one brother, and my parents have been together for 26 years in April. At home, we have 4 dogs: a boxer, a weenie dog, a chihuahua, and a weenie dog/chihuahua mix. I am currently a sophomore at Henderson State University, majoring in early childhood education. After this semester, I am changing my major to Nursing though! The reason I'm changing it is because my sister just recently had a baby in January, and she wanted me to be in the room with her so badly that I decided to inform my teachers of the situation and then skip class on Tuesday, January 21, 2014. I am so glad that I did! It was amazing and very educational to get to be in the room with her, I was the first non-doctor/non-nurse to touch my sweet nephew. Ever since that day, I just cannot get enough of that sweet baby!

 

This is one of his first pictures ever, with me holding his hand!

 The first time that his momma got to hold him!

 His daddy holding him for the first time as well.

 First family photo

       Now I know this makes it seem like all I do is take pictures, but I do other things like ride/race dirt bikes, go to the gym, and study for my classes at Henderson.
       I have been riding dirt bikes since I was 7 years old! That was when dad decided to get my sister and I dirt bikes instead of taking us trick-or-treating, and you better believe that he did not hear any complaints from me! At first we only had one cr50f to share between the both of us, and once dad noticed that we were timing ourselves to see who would win a race if we had two bikes, he surprised us with another bike so that we could race each other! My first race was that year, but my second race was when I was 9, because I got my first concussion at age 8! We still to this day ride dirt bikes when we get the chance.

This is a collage of pictures from our first few races when we were younger.

       I grew up in a little town called Sardis, it is close to Sheridan, but I went to Bauxite all my life. My mom taught school there, so my sister and I grew up in 'Building B' of Pine Haven Elementary. We would follow the janitors around and ask them questions about their day after school.  

A picture of my sister and I in mom's old classroom

       I grew up to be a cheerleader and a member of the band once I got to Junior High and High School, back then Bauxite didn't have a middle school. By the time I was a senior in high school, I was a flyer in cheer, could do my standing back tuck, and was first chair in band. I graduated high school on May 17, 2012. The year after I graduated, I came to school at Henderson State University as an incoming undecided major freshman. That year was super tough, because I had been put into University Chemistry 1 instead of General Chemistry, and I had never been in a chemistry class before in my life. Thank goodness that I made a friend at the beginning of the semester who later helped me understand the concepts of mastering chemistry. His name was Joseph Lane, and he was so smart! The summer after our freshman year, Joseph passed away and I miss him every day. We grew to be really close friends, and now there are times when I just wish I could call him up and ask him what he's been up to lately. 

       This year of college has been extremely stressful for me, because it seems like no matter how 'early' I am doing something, I always end up late. I've gotten really into watching the Monster Energy Supercross every Saturday night, and so far that seems to be the only thing that remains the same every week. My favorite 250 rider is a West Coast rider named, Jason Anderson. His racing style is 'dirty and unrefined' as his t-shirt will tell you. My favorite 450 rider is honestly a tie between Ryan Villopoto, Ken Roczen, and Chad Reed. Reed got hurt and is out for the rest of the season, Roczen is the rookie that won the Anaheim opener, and Villopoto is the reigning champ and current points leader. My least favorite out of both the 450 and 250 riders is and always will be James Stewart and his little brother Malcolm, because they blame their team for the things that they break on their bike when they wreck, and they will wreck someone else on purpose if they have the opportunity.

     Jason Anderson T-Shirts

       I have recently decided to get a job other than house sitting and puppy sitting, my first application this year will be turned in at Old Navy and I haven't decided on any other places yet. My friend Taylor works at Old Navy, and she told me that they're always hiring. She and I work out together here at the rec center during the week, and in the summer we are going to work out together at 10 Fitness in Bryant.

Me and Taylor after working out