thing14

I started by doing a test run with Gliffy. I have a little working knowledge with flowcharts so I tested the tools available.  Flowcharts are efficient ways to show concepts and steps for many processes in a way that is easy to follow. I could use a flowchart to diagram the concept of a sport  and the major steps involved in playing. For instance, a flowchart diagramming the basics on how to run bases in baseball could be made with an if then design that allows players to understand choices.
Mind maps seem to be more like an updated and computer centered version of brainstorming on paper. I messed around a little with Bubbl and I wasn't all that successful. I could see value in it if I had time to adjust to it.

thing 13

I signed up with Zoho writer and it is very similar to other word processing applications like Microsoft Word. Cut and paste is not quite as easy as Word. I can see where in the future students will have exorbitant access to software that is free and user friendly.
 Well here we go again, my brain is popsicling (freezing up). I am learning about Google docs. Ignorance has served me as a patient friend compared to the tech. stupidity I have found  myself  abounding in recently. Google docs may be slightly easier to use and therefore I shall give it the edge in the battle for  thing13.

Thing4

Commenting certainly does help create a sense of community and interaction. People with similar interests are able to state facts and opinions from their perspective. Comments invariably lead to personal growth  for all parties.New ideas, challenges, perspectives, and confidence can all come through the interactions started in comments. I think The Blue Skunk is  also correct in the assessment that people want to be heard or read. People are naturally self absorbed and comments are words of attention.  Comments are fuel  to the blogger.
 Katy Martin
I just happened to get stuck in a group with her in another class. That was a joke, people.  Who would have guessed she is an NFL fan. She is extremely knowledgeable and witty. Her blogs help to motivate me in this class.  And by the way, Katy, it really is user error all of the time for me! Keep writing and I will keep following your lead.
 Jason Drumm
I chose Jason's blog because he has a unique teaching background as a Spanish teacher. It gives him a little different perspective. I like this about his blog.
Melanie Reese
Melanie writes with the same passion and fervor that she carries into class every morning. She always has super pictures and style. She is also very informed and I learn a lot from her. She seems very open and cheerful in her writing.
Amy Horner
I first started following and chose Amy because she seems very humorous. She is funny but she is  awesomely thorough in her work. I think she will be a great English teacher.
Thomas Schlaugh
I have to admit that I began following Thomas because he was in the library when I was. He is funnier than I expected. Wouldn't have seen the guitar coming either. I am glad I chose him to comment on.
EDge21 This is a blog I found through the RSS project. It is devoted to teaching and learning in the 21st century. The Comments of the Day remind me of our website of the day. 

thing 12

esto es impresionante! Wow!  I have managed to feel like an idiot for about 10 days straight and Google translate succeeds again. I have had access to this all along, like so many other things, and never looked past my gmail account. It is like magic. Many times in the past this would have been awesome for me in business. I could have written out instructions, proposals, etc. and translated them into Spanish for those working for and with me. I am definitely going to have to upgrade my phone so that I can translate materials to ESL students at school. Okay, enough with this site for now.
I think the Google calendar may be better than the Microsoft Outlook calendar I can't keep up with. I especially like how it will send email reminders. I can certainly use this in my personal life. I am definitely trying this out as a replacement to organize my time.

my world

thing 11

My reader is setup and is updating along at a wild and rapid pace. I tried several methods to locate feeds of interest. I did not like the explore recommended items avenue at all. I did have success with simply clicking the subscribe button and then entering search information. It not only gave me sites and blogs of interest to me but gave me recommendations based on the feeds I was interested in. This was a good style for me since I have a screw up and try again style. It was funny but in my searching I had some of the recommended feeds (from the 23 things) recommended as feeds I might like. For example The Cool Cat Teacher came up as a recommendation  when I was subscribing to P.E. Central.
animation library

thing 10

Well it seems I am already enrolled in many services that I was unaware of.  There is obviously a lot of time saving potential bu using the RSS feeds.This is a great way to stay on top of important and relevant things. Just having Google Reader setup will allow me to follow people and sites I like. I like following the class blogs from here. I set up a folder to separate the content in my reader and I really like it so far. This helps me separate  education, sports, news , personal, etc. Using current information from sites like P.E. Central will help keep me current with trends in wellness related topics and keep me locked in to new and exciting ways others are teaching.

thing9

Well, it was a tight race until the last keystroke where Custom Sign Generator beat out the  Comic Strip Generator as image for the post. The process to make the sign below was very simple and straightforward. Making the sign was easier than navigating the website itself. I really liked all of the image generators and I can see a lot of potential in education. One would have to be very careful if they let students on the sites because of potentially inappropriate material. I could see using this sign generator to increase motivation or merely state expectations in a p.e. class.

Custom Sign Generator.com