I just made a new Voki. See it here:

I just made a new Voki. See it here:

End of Blogging Assignment

I must say I was very frustrated with this assignment the last two weeks, as I felt I would never figure out blogging!  However, going into week three I feel more confident and actually see how this could be very useful in a classroom setting.  I have been doing a little research and came across a website, www2.ed.gov.  This website is managed by the US Department of Education and the section that drew me in was "Teacher and Education Reform" it talks about how important technology is to the classroom and breaks down the benefits.   "When Students use technology as a tool or communication they're in an active role not a passive role.  Passive role is being a recipient of information from a teacher or textbook." (2.ed.gov)   When I read that I thought back to blogging and all social media's.  They are so popular among students of all ages so why not incorporate a tool that will engage students and make them more active in their studies at school.  I have viewed a few educational blogs and thought wow I would of loved to have had something like that when I was in school! It just keeps your attention more, hands on, and students can be creative! I am glad that I got the opportunity to learn more about blogging and learn that its just not a place people come and write their thoughts down.  Blogging has a lot of neat ways it can be used in the educational setting!

Changed my layout

I sometimes wonder if I am the slowest blogger out there!  I feels like it takes me forever once I log on to locate my blogs, figure out who has commented on what, then locate my fellow classmates blogs to see what they have posted.  Even though I have done it multiple times for some reason I still struggle locating the Dashboard.  However, today I did manage to figure out how to personalize my blog!  I was able to change my background and layout by editing the template under settings.  So this may seem easy to most, but for me I was ecstatic that I finally figured out how to do something new!  Whooooo!

I may figure this blogging thing out after all!!!!!

Picture retrieved from: http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=CJkw97xNVwjSKM&tbnid=GH8pUu8ZIXj-TM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.genbook.com%2F&ei=WpQWU8OWIZDykQeAxoHYAw&bvm=bv.62286460,d.eW0&psig=AFQjCNHES5NJXIgzQ6sMpTZRXiA2Bj1uQg&ust=1394075093129943

One Week Later

One week later I still am trying to learn how this dashboard works.  I am unsure how to do much more than post my blogs and respond to others.  I will say I never realized that blogging involved more than just  posting your thoughts.  When reading a blog I just always thought, someone took their time to post their thoughts to a website which had blogs.  I never knew you had to go an set up so many different features.  Especially linking to other blogs wow, that was a struggle for me.  I do see how blogs could be beneficial  for education, especially for online learning. Blogs in the classroom can be used for Collaboration, Discussions, student profiles and classroom management.   According to Teaching Today, "Blogs work Well for students because they can be worked on at virtually any time, in any place with an internet-enabled computer." (glencoe.com)

I think once you can get familiar with how to blog, all it can be used for, and feel comfortable utilizing all the tools it offers it will be great tool to use in the classroom.

RSS feed and Linking together

Okay I think I have successfully figured out the RSS feed and how to link to your blog.  It shows on my end that I am following Rachel and Oneil and that I linked up to you.  If on your end it doesnt look correct please notify me and Ill see if I can tell whats missing.

Thanks Guys hopefully we can figure this thing out together.

 Southern Ways

I always thought I was a southern girl, since I grew up in North Carolina and lived there my entire life until the age of twenty six.  I drank sweet tea, ate grits and Y'all was a common phrase.  However, now that I have lived in Alabama for the last year I realize that to people here I am a Northerner.  I live in one of those small towns where people never leave, everyone knows each other and everyone is family or like family.  Moving in as an outsider is hard, because most people have bonds and connections that go back many many years.  Sweet tea is the drink of choice here, everyone goes to church, as there is a church about every block or so.  Northern Alabama is very much the Bible Belt and you don't curse, drink or smoke.  There are no temptations like bigger cities  such as night life or Adult clubs or stores.  There is only one High School in the city same goes for elementary and Middle school.  Therefore, the town is very supportive of its school system and on Friday Nights your at the High School football, basketball or baseball games.  Its one of those places where people still leave there car doors unlocked and sometimes their houses as well.  The town is very connected and when something happens they come together and support one another.  When falls rolls around the town like most of the state will divide, based on weather they say War Eagle or Roll Tide.  Football lives the hearts of most people in the great state of Alabama and is talked about 365 days a year.  I may miss my NC roots and the city I grew up in, but I couldn't have found a better place for my children to grow up.  A place where everyone has taken them in as family, teachers who teach them taught there dad, uncle and cousin's before them and they get to be apart of such a great community that is full of love.  Where is the small town I speak of in Alabama?  Well, its Tuscumbia Alabama the birth place of Helen Keller, and five miles from Muscle Shoals, which was legendary back in the day with musicians who came from Fame.

So if you ever find yourself in Northern Alabama Swing by Tuscumbia and walk the streets of our cute little town.  You want be disappointed with the southern hospitality and be prepared, because people here like to talk!