Word Clouds

     I used Wordle to create word clouds of the nursery rhymes I am teaching.  I simply had to go to Wordle, type in the words, press go, and I had an image of my words.  I changed the color and saved the image on my desktop by using the snipping tool. 
     This was yet another program I had never heard of but found to be very user-friendly.  I learned that I could cut and paste text into Wordle and it would randomly scramble the words for me.
     This would be a great way to teach descriptive words or synonyms.  Students could create images and display them in the room.  During the first weeks of school, children could create these images for other students in the class by inserting descriptive words for the person.
     Standard #1 Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity and standard #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments would be addressed in this activity.  With this activity students could model creative thinking and advance their learning and innovation in virtual environments. Students design and develop authentic learning experiences incorporating contemporary tools.

Jing Image

http://screencast.com/t/YOIB43sX4N

     Jing is a very neat program.  I wondered how Dr. Pierce sent videos to show us how to do things.  Now I know. Jing was simple to download.  I just clicked on the link, hit install, and then I watched a short instructional video.  Once I found my image, I used the arrow tool and the text tool.  I shared my link through Screencast.
     I had never heard of this program but I had seen it used without even knowing it.  I learned how to capture images and use different tools to describe the image.  My only problem was that I couldn't figure out how to edit my image once I already captured and saved it.  I ended up just capturing my image again to edit it.
     This program would be great to show others how to use technology.  I could show another teacher how to create an account or visit a website.  Instead of having to demonstrate to a large group, I could send the Screencast link to everyone and let them experiment with step-by-step directions.  Students could use this tool to label images of plant parts, body parts, or the solar system.
     The standards addresses are #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.
     The file types that come out of Jing are PNG files.  The images can be saved on your desktop. Artifacts are stored in the history section of your Jing icon.  I imported my Jing object by saving it on my desktop and then adding the image in my blog.  By providing the Screencast link to others, they can access your artifact. 

Self Portrait

     In this activity, I used Picassohead to create a self portrait.  I used the snipping tool to display my creation here in my blog.  Luckily, I found this activity fairly simple although I did not realize I should use the snipping tool until I read some posts in the discussion board.  Originally I saved my portrait by emailing it to myself.  This didn't work of course.
     This would be an awesome place for students to make a self portrait.  Especially at the beginning of school, students could create their portrait and write about themselves.  I am thinking about showing my PreK class my self portrait on the Smartboard and then letting a few of them try to create their own.  They are pretty good at dragging icons, so with some guidance it could work. 
   ISTE standard #1 Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity would be addressed using Picassohead.  Standard #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments would also go along with this activity.

Snipping Tool

     The first step in using the snipping tool was to go to the start panel and search for the tool.  I created a shortcut to the snipping tool on my desktop.  Then I used the tool to snip an image I'm using in my classroom.  I saved the image on my desktop.  It took me an hour to figure out how to upload my image into my blog.  When I realized it was right on the toolbar I felt like a pretty big idiot.  I guess it was one of those days...again. I decided to snip an image of the nursery rhyme I'm teaching this week.  I project it onto the Smartboard.
    

   I have never heard of this tool but it was surprisingly simple to use. I could definitely get some use out of the snipping tool.  My only problem was figuring out how to get the image into my blog.
This tool would be ideal to use in the classroom because it is so user-friendly. Students could snip images to include in their projects and papers.  When the prek teachers and I were going over our planning guides, it would have been awesome to have this "snipped" onto our papers so we wouldn't have had to show each other the web site with our laptops.
     The standards this activity address would be #1 Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity and #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.

Diigo-Social Bookmarking

     Social bookmarking is a research tool that allows online users to organize, display, and share information.  Users can highlight and annotate pages on the web.  Using social bookmarking makes it possible for you to connect and engage with other users and get content that is personalized.  Web 2.0 allows people to share information on the web instead of just viewing the information that someone else created. 
     This was my first experience with Diigo.  I registered for a regular Diigo account even though I wanted an educator account.  Hopefully I can figure out how to upgrade at a later time.  I installed Digolet by adding it to my Favorites bar.  It took me a couple of tries until I realized I had to click on the toolbar to get it to stay down while I dragged the link.  I then added a few Gadgets, which was easy enough.
     I learned some new technology terms while doing this activity.  Social bookmarking allows people to share their favorites or shortcuts.  Tagging is similar to a keyword when doing an internet search.  Web 2.0 is a research tool that allows you to participate in information sharing.  Gadgets are your favorite links.  Diigo would be a great tool for teachers.  They could join groups of other teaching professionals and share resources online. 
     Diigo could be used in the classroom.  Students would love to find people with the same interests as them.  Then they could share their favorite educational websites.
     The ISTE NETS T standards addressed with this activity would be #1. Facilitate & Inspire Student Learning & Creativity and #2 Engage in Professional Growth & Leadership.

Introduction

Hey Everyone!
My name is Cassity Ours.  I live in Moorefield, WV with my husband and two year old son.  I am currently teaching preschool and working on a Master's Degree.  My undergraduate degree is in Elementary Education from Radford University.  I am so excited to learn new ways to integrate technology in the classroom and scared to death at the same time.