Thing #6

I am so excited!  Ever get to school and realize you forgot your laptop or thumb drive?  Don't you hate trying to transfer things from one computer to another just to print a document or when you have some spare time but you don't have any of your saved documents with you to work on at school?  Has your computer ever crashed and you lost absolutely everything on it? 

Well say hello to Dropbox! This is a free program you can download to your home computer or laptop.  You can save everything to this, including pictures, files, websites, etc.  At any computer, anytime, you will have access to everything in your dropbox. AMAZING!  I think this is going to be spectacular for college students and teachers.  We use our computers for so much and it will make homework and other items much easier to retrieve.

I am downloading it now and I can't wait to put all my important things in it! YAY for dropbox!

Do it! I know you want to! It is easy!

Here is the link:  www.dropbox.com

This is useful in schools, libraries, etc. BIG ADVANCEMENT I think....

I need to add an update for something I dislike about Dropbox....

You have to download on other computers in order to re-save documents to it.  So I just came in the computer lab and opened www.dropbox.com to work on one of my assignments at school.  I finished the assignment and there is no way to save the document back into my dropbox unless I downloaded it on the school's computer (which is not allowed).  So it is still wonderful, because I have access through the internet to my doc's, however, I still had to email myself the file just to have the updated one. Hmmm.... they should fix this...

Another comment:  I just uploaded Dropbox App to my Android phone.  It is sweet! I can view anything in my dropbox on my phone too!  So if I don't even have a computer, I can still work on documents or study on my cell phone!! Totally Awesome.

Thing #5

In Web 2.0: A guide for educators, I discovered just how much internet has a place in this generation of children's lives.  Blogs, social sites, pod casting, and others are creating a learning environment that is remarkable compared to what we had when we were in school.  Technology is quickly changing the way students learn, as well as the way they communicate.  Technology is supposed to make things easier, and it can if it is not misused.  Websites are being banned from school systems because of the distractions and inappropriate content being observed.  


After watching the video "Web 2.0 is the Future for Education", I completely agree with Paula Don and her statements about how data and technology can help assess students and help teachers differentiate instruction.  Technology is changing our world as we know it daily and it affects everyone.  From cell phones in the classroom, to inappropriate websites, to I Pads assisting the disabled: technology is everywhere in our schools. 


School 2.0 means using technology more and more in our classrooms and integrating it into standards taught and measured at the federal and state level.  I do believe that one day, teachers will not have classrooms and children will be taught through pod casts and blogs online.  This will save a lot of money but will create extreme social changes in children and will destroy their ability to understand the world and accept diversity.

Thing #4

Elizabeth Thomas' 23 Things, Harris Teaching Tools, MorganGarton3040, Mrs. Miller Future Teacher, Pentecost_23Things, 

I am still working on this one. 

Thing #3

As an educator, I plan to use a blog to record my daily assignments, homework, and planning.  This will be accessible for parents to view.  This will create a community of parents, students, and the teacher. I feel that blogging could make communication much easier and accessible.  Also, I plan to use blogging for my personal profile with my background, educational experience, and resume.  I realize this is not needed, but it may answer some questions that parents may have.  I can put my work email, phone, etc. on the profile for parents to contact me personally. I would also like to provide worksheets, activities, and ideas that parents can complete with their children at home to provide the maximum learning experience for all of my students.  As a teacher, I understand the importance of parental involvement. 

Thing #2

I created my Avatar based on my real-life looks, although it did not have exactly my characteristics of course.  I chose long hair and a pink shirt.  I also have hearts on my pants because love leads the world.  I have a school desk behind me because that is my dream career.  I wanted my Avatar to look like me so that people can have an idea of who I really am and who I want to be when they read my blog.  That is also the reason I chose my URL to be akniffen2.blogspot.com.  I realize that we probably should not use our names in the URL, however, these are my thoughts and feelings, and I am okay with people knowing they are mine. I have a blog for my Literature for Children class as well on Blogger and so I titled each of them according to the classes.  

Thing #1

Upon watching the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners, I learned many optimistic views of a successful learner.  The easiest habit for me that I already have is probably Habit 7: Teach/mentor others.  I do this often and I truly enjoy it.  I also learn myself by doing this.  My compassion for teaching others is why I want to become an Elementary School teacher.  The most difficult habit I need to obtain is Habit 6: Using technology to my advantage.  I am hoping this class will assist my need of technology education.  I get easily frustrated with technology and I need to learn to allow it to help with my life and not let it complicate things. 


My experience in setting up my blog was surprisingly easy.  Blogging is new to me but I think I will enjoy it.  I like to write and I have always been interested in grammar and linguistics.  I am always looking for ways to improve my writing and thinking skills.