One More Thing!

I can't believe this semester is already almost over and that I am done with my 23 Things project! It feels like it just flew by! I really enjoyed this project and wouldn't mind doing work like this for my other classes. Through this project, I found a lot of different resources that I will be able to use throughout my education and then in the future, when I am a teacher. All of this is really exciting for me!

I think that my favorite thing about this project was just creating a blog in general. I think that I will definitely stick to blogging. I may blog about my education but maybe I'll create a new blog about my personal interests. I really enjoyed it and I think that it is definitely something that I can use in my future classroom as well to stay connect to the students and parents outside of the classroom.

I think that I will be taking a lot away from this project. I found so many new resources that I had no idea existed! I knew there were resources but it was really cool to be given some so that I could research and find more and more. I love that I can read other educators blogs and find new and exciting ideas for my classroom. This is definitely something that I will always keep in mind.

I will definitely keep up with web 2.0 and how things are constantly changing. I think that this project is set up phenomenally. There is not anything that I would change. It was very effective and very helpful. I really enjoyed it!

Thing 23

After looking around at Creative Commons, I really started thinking about how important copyright prevention really is. Plagiarism is a huge problem and there are lots of ways to prevent it. I will definitely use extra caution from now on with my sources and be sure not to copy and paste carelessly.

I think I will definitely use Creative Commons in my future classroom because copyright is something that everyone should be aware of. I think that the earlier students learn about copyright and plagiarism the better off they will be with their writing. Knowing the rules and laws of copyright can help everyone to use resources more safely.

Thing 22

My binders are named Poetry, Classwork Grades, and Lesson Plans. Obviously, the last two were for my use only but the poetry one can be used for my class. I think it would be neat to have one of these full of poems and stories for my students to be able to access at home. It can be something fun for them as opposed to the everyday monotony of textbooks and worksheets. Here is a link to my poetry binder. Poetry

Thing 21

I thought Animoto was so much fun! I wish I were on my own computer so that I could play around some more with the music and everything. This might be one of my favorite things we've done so far! I love slide shows and things like that so this was right up my alley. I think that this would be a great way to share videos with the kids in the classroom and a great way to remember fun class experiences! I linked Animoto with my Facebook and used some of the pictures of my friends and I that I had on there. Here it is!

Make your own slideshow with music at Animoto.

Thing 20

I am pretty familiar with Youtube. I enjoy it very much. It is really easy to use and there are videos on just about anything. I googled "high school classroom." When I came across this video, I was so excited because I found it extremely appropriate for this project. Twitter in the classroom is something that we have all blogged about. I could not agree more with what the teacher has to say about engaging the students. I think that using internet in the classroom is definitely a way to make the students more excited about learning and make them more enthusiastic about their assignments!

Thing 19

As I mentioned before, I think that staying connected with other teachers is very important to keep things new and exciting in one's own classroom. Needless to say, I thought this TeacherPop thing was very exciting! What an awesome site! Like Facebook but for teachers! I found this site very intriguing. I am always excited about another way to get new ideas for the classroom and things like that. I uploaded a picture and here is my badge!
Visit TeacherPop
Social networking is something that I really enjoy. Besides Facebook and TeacherPop, I am also a member of Twitter and Pinterest. I'm completely obsessed with Pinterest. I have planned my future wedding about ten times over and I am addicted to crafting now! I enjoy Twitter but not as much as Pinterest.

Thing 18

Here is my Facebook!

I think that social networking is such a huge part of today's culture that it is definitely something that can be used in the classroom. It can be used as a way for parents to connect with the teacher and for students to connect outside of the classroom. It is definitely an easy way to communicate.

I like Facebook a lot because of the pictures! I think that setting up a class Facebook page could be a fun activity for the entire class! The students can be in charge and they can post pictures of the activities they have completed throughout the week and other things like that. I think that parents would like this as well. It can be a way for them to feel involved and see what's going on inside of the classroom too!

Facebook has helpful features. You can search just about anything and find a Facebook page for it. There are pages for scholars, authors, teachers, students, schools, etc. I think it would be a neat activity to assign a certain author or scholarly page for my students to follow and maybe have a little extra credit quiz or something on what was posted that week on the assigned site. I am all about extra credit!

I think that Facebook is definitely the best social networking site for classroom use. It presents ways to stay connected while having fun and can also be educational! I think that I will definitely use this in my classroom as a way to connect with the parents and if my students seem enthused about it, maybe a way to give them some extra points too!

Thing 17

I really liked Delicious.com. I love anything that helps one connect with other people of the same interests. I think that using this site for new ideas and new ways to keep learning fun is something that I will definitely do. It is always neat to see what other teachers are doing and how they are teaching the same stuff but in different ways. This site will be very helpful when I become a teacher and I cannot wait to use it! I think that there is always room for improvement and new ideas so this is awesome for that!

Thing 16

For my home page, I chose to try out iGoogle. I loved it! I think the dashboard is really awesome because you can see everything on one page and then go from there. I always like to have the weather handy so I thought that was really neat that it was right there! I might use this from now on because I really liked it. I like to have my news and everything readily available. I used to have MSN as my home page but this could be my  new one!

Maybe it's just me but I found Scrybe to be a little confusing. So, I went on to 30 boxes. I really liked this because one thing I am terrible at is remembering birthdays. I liked that I can click a box that literally says "Remember Birthdays." That could really be a huge help for me! I actually found all of the options to be pretty helpful. I really like how it gave you all of the options but then gave you the option to create your own calendar.  I get overwhelmed and sometimes forget about things because, I'll admit it, I'm a tad scatter-brained. I think I could really learn to like this site!

Then I tried out Remember the Milk. I have an iPhone and I am completely addicted to it. I think that I could learn to use this but I usually just write out my list. I like having an actual list so I'm not sure if I will ever really like using a digital to-do list.

Thing 15

I thought this was very fun. It is really cool to me that I can edit other people's work. However, this was also a sort of awakening. This really brought to light why one should not use Wikipedia and other sources of the like because anyone can post anything they want and edit other people's posts to say whatever they want. So what could have started out as a reliable post, can end up as something completely out of the woodwork. While this is really neat and fun, it is something that can really jeopardize the integrity of someone's work. However, this could also be used as a collaboration tool for students. If the students post and edit things on something like this once a week or so, it can be a great way for them to communicate and discuss the curriculum!

Thing 14

For this discovery exercise, I chose to explore Flowchart.com and mindmeister. I really liked Flowchart.com because I am going to be an English teacher and I think this would be a huge help for sequences of events in stories and books that my students will read. Flowcharts are awesome ways to diagram events and what other events they will eventually lead to. I think that I will definitely use this in my classroom. Or maybe even make my  students do something like this for extra credit or a quiz grade!

Thing 13

I explored Zoho Writer and Google Docs. I found that Zoho was a lot like Microsoft Word and pretty easy to use. I liked it but I think I will probably stick to Microsoft Word, just because that is what I am used to. Google Docs, on the other hand was pretty fun. I created a drawing in Google Docs. A "welcome to my class" picture that I could hang on the door on the first day of school or something like that. I think Google Docs can be used for lots of awesome things and now that I know about it, I will definitely use it when I become a teacher! Here is a link to my drawing! Welcome to Ms. Boyd's Class!

Thing 12

I use Google on a daily basis. I have an iPhone so if there is every anything I need to look up it is right there at my fingertips. I am also in a Spanish class and I have been guilty of using the translator a few times. I didn't know about the alerts or calendar though. I think that I could definitely use the alerts! I'm a huge craft nerd. I'm always doing some sort of craft. Just this last week, I wove a rug on a hula hoop and made candle holders out of water balloons and wax. I know, I must be bored, right? But I usually do this late at night when all of my work is done! I set up a google alert for once a week to alert me when there are new craft blogs to be discovered. I am excited to see what I find!

Thing 11

After completing the activities for thing 11, I am definitely more familiar with RSS and Google Reader. For this activity I went back to one of the sites I used in another activity, Edublogs. I found that this was the easiest way to find educational blogs because there is a huge list of all of the award winning blogs right in front of you! I googled some, though. I found that the actual Google Reader site was sort of confusing in finding new blogs to follow so I went to a good old fashioned google search and typed in "Shakespeare blogs" and found a pretty good one to follow. I think that this will definitely be useful to me in my teaching career. It is really cool that teachers take the time out of their extremely busy schedules to blog about their careers and put it out there for me to see.

Thing 10

RSS seems pretty cool. I like how everything is readily available all in one place. However, I feel that sometimes, I'd like to visit the actual blog homepage just to make sure I haven't missed anything. I feel like it would be really easy to accidentally overlook something viewing them all at the same time like that.

I think that I could definitely use this in the classroom. I am going to be teaching high school so the students will be old enough to access the internet by themselves. It would be fun to have them follow a few assigned blogs and maybe use the info from the blogs as morning work or bonus questions. I think that this is a way for all teachers to take advantage of this. Even elementary school teachers could subscribe to blogs with learning activities and things like that for kids. I think that this is definitely a useful technology for teachers.

Thing 9

For thing 9, I chose to explore a site called Image Chef. I think that this is really neat. I used Shakespeare's Sonnet number 18 for my image. Even though you can't see exactly what this is supposed to say, I think that this would spark the students' imagination and get them excited about learning. Especially things such as Shakespeare which is not as interesting to some as it is to me. It is definitely an attention grabber. This site was really easy to use. Just choose what kind of image you wish to create and then format it. There are lots of different shapes, colors, and fonts to choose from. This next image is also from the same site but with another template. There are SO MANY to choose from! These are so great for fun reminders or anything like that! I think it is a great way to get the student's attention!

Thing 8

I used the Spell with Flickr mashup. I think that this is good for titling presentations or lesson plans for students. I know that it would catch my attention if a teacher titled a presentation or something of the like with pictures instead of just plain text. It spices things up a bit and makes it just a little bit less boring. Every student has seen countless power point presentations full of boring, plain text. I think this Spell with Flickr program is really neat. Especially because it picks the pictures for you! If you don't like one of the pictures, you can click and it'll change until you see one that you like. Then there is an HTML code for blogs and things like that that you can just simply copy and paste. It was super easy. 

I think that photo sharing is something that can be really fun and useful if used correctly. Some people say that photo sharing is dangerous and that it exposes peoples' personal life a little too much. However, it is the person's choice what he or she decides to post on the internet so if they don't want their personal life exposed then, they should not post the pictures. It can be a great way for families to stay up to date if they live far away. It can also be a great way for parents to see what is going on in the classroom if teachers take pictures. However, the teacher should not post pictures of the students without the parent's permission of course. 

Thing 7

Photograph sharing is something that I really enjoy. When I was younger, I had a Photobucket. I'm sure some of you have heard of that. But now there is Flickr and I hadn't had much experience with this particular site until now. One thing that I am passionate about is the city that I live in. I think Nashville is the greatest. The fact that it is known as "Music City" is exciting in itself. I've been to many cities all over the country and I think that Nashville, even though it may not be as huge and elaborate as some, is probably my favorite. I think it is absolutely beautiful. The first thing I did when I went to the Flickr site was to click on the link of "Interesting photos from the last 7 days." http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/ - There is the link. I was "exploring" and nothing really caught my eye. So the next thing I thought to do was to search something that I loved so I simply typed "Nashville" into the search bar. Pages and pages of pictures of my favorite place popped up and I was thrilled. I found a picture on Vanderbilt University's Flickr page and it is absolutely beautiful. It is a picture of the city as the sun is setting and I think that it captures the true essence of Nashville. Here is a link! http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalvu/5601297546/ Explore the other photos of Nashville as well. You'll be glad you did!   

Thing 6

The award winning website I decided to explore was iTunes. I have definitely used this before. Music is a passion of mine and I have a lot of music on my computer. iTunes is a great way to keep it organized. The iTunes store is also something that I use quite often. It is an easy way to purchase music. There are lists of the top 40 tracks of all different genres that you can preview and purchase if you wish. There are also movies, games, books, television shows, and other things that you can purchase as well. I love iTunes.

Thing 5

Some people may think that web 2.0 is sort of scary but I find it very exciting! School 2.0 means, to me, that that technology is growing and advancing in the best way. I think that the more the internet can be used for educational purposes the better.The possibilities are endless when the internet is involved because it truly is a whole different world. I think that building and advancing on technology is a great thing. Think of how much more efficient the computers and overheads are now than they were when we were in elementary school. I remember when I was in second grade, a new building was being built onto my elementary school and I was so excited that I was going to get to have class in that new building as a third grader because they had dry erase boards and not chalk boards. I thought those dry erase boards were something awesome! If only I had known about iPads or Smart Boards back then. Technology is constantly changing and advancing and there are so many ways that it can be used to benefit teaching and learning. The internet can be a great thing! It makes research and obtaining pictures for projects and other things so much easier for the students and teachers. Just like this blog. Instead of having to write out and send home a weekly newsletter, teachers can keep a blog for the parents of their students and update it as often as they would like! If put to proper use, I think that School 2.0 could be a wonderful thing for future educators and learners alike!

Thing 4

The ability to comment definitely creates a sense of community and interaction with other people. It is a way to share your opinion or even ask questions to that person.  The learning possibilities are endless with commenting because anyone can do it! You can have an entire discussion with people you do not even know through commenting. Commenting is a great way to receive feedback and opinions on your own blog as well.

Some people do not understand the point of being able to comment. When people leave one word comments or rude and critical comments, it can be annoying. I just feel that there is no reason to leave a comment in the first place if you are just going to say something mean or say something completely insignificant.

It is important to not be afraid to comment just like they mentioned in the Coolcat Teacher blog. Just do it. If you have something to add to the conversation then tell them. Like I said before the learning possibilities are endless so start a conversation with someone! You might learn something. 


I was looking around at my classmates blogs and came across Kim Messer's. The link is http://kimberlymesser.blogspot.com/. Her blog stuck out to me because we had some of the same ideas! She had written about how she would like to keep a blog for parents of her students and I had also written about that. What a great idea! Such an easy way to stay connected and keep the parents involved.

I also commented on Mellissia Troyer's blog. I agreed with her about web 2.0 being a scary new world but I think that it is also exciting! There is so much information to be gathered from the web and I think it can be incredibly beneficial if used correctly! Here is a link to her blog - http://epmom6.blogspot.com/.

Another classmate's blog that I commented on was Anita Taylor. She had written about how she wants to teach high school English and use the blog to connect with her students outside of the classroom and I want to do the same thing! The link to her blog is http://ataylor29.blogspot.com/2012/01/thing-3.html.

I commented on Stefanie Tate's blog as well. She had a wonderful quote on one of her posts that I thought was very uplifting and encouraging. She decided to keep her blog name and avatar simple and I did as well. Go look at that awesome quote! Here's the link! http://stefanietate23things.blogspot.com/2012/02/thing-two.html.


The last classmate's blog that I decided to comment on belonged to Hannah Stone. She had written something that I wholeheartedly agreed with about parent involvement. I think that parent involvement is extremely important! The link is http://hannahstone3040.blogspot.com/2012/02/thing-3.html.

Then, to find blogs from people who weren't classmates I went on a site called Edublogs! http://edublogs.org/. There are so many awesome blogs here for educators and students. Check it out!

The next blog that I commented on was one called "From Down The Street
Mr Borges and the Grade 8 Math, English and Drama 'blog squad'." Mr. Borges had written an entry about being surrounded by animals at a science center. I thought it was really neat! Here is the link! http://borges.edublogs.org/2011/08/09/would-you-say-awww-or-stay-away/

The last blog I commented on was a blog called "Huzzah A grade 5 - 6 class of 10 & 11 year old learners who have a lot to celebrate and share..." Now, I want to teach high school, but this blog was awesome. These kids post on their own about crafts and things that they are interested in. I can't wait to have a blog like this with my students! Such a great way to stay involved. The specific blog I commented on was a girl named Caitlyn who had started making bookmarks to sell for her class. I thought her bookmarks were very neat! http://caitlynhz3.edublogs.org/2012/01/27/caitlyns-book-worms/.

I enjoyed looking at everyone's blogs! It was very neat to be able to post my opinion. I will definitely keep exploring the blogosphere and commenting!

Thing 3

I think that blogging could be very beneficial to education majors and teachers alike. Education is something that is always changing. Blogging can definitely be helpful in keeping up with different teaching and learning techniques. I think that I will absolutely use blogs when I am a teacher. There are so many that you can find ideas for almost everything, from classroom decorations to lesson plans. It is always exciting to me to see how other people do things. I will keep up with different blogs to find new and exciting ways to teach my students and to get them excited about learning as well. It would also be nice to have a blog where the parents of my students can keep up with what we are doing in the classroom. I know I would appreciate that if I were a parent of a student. Also, as a student, I would really enjoy being able to read a blog from my teacher so that I could keep up with everything. Sometimes writing it down in a planner just does not work for me! Blogging is essentially a way to stay connected with other people with the same interests as you. I can't wait to use blogging in my classroom but mainly because I just cannot wait to be a teacher!

Thing 2

I had a lot of fun creating this blog. I have had a blog in the past but I stopped blogging for some reason. It is a nice way to express yourself and share your opinions and thoughts with the world. I had a lot of fun looking at different backgrounds and color schemes as well. That was probably my favorite part about actually creating the blog because there were just so many options. I named my blog, "Ashlee Boyd's 23 Things" because that is what it is for essentially. I figured that would be easiest and make the most sense. The avatar was a different story. I had some trouble with the website but after some finagling, I finally figured it out. My avatar does not really look like me but it does represent me in some ways. The brown hair and eyes and the green shirt represent me because I do have brown hair and eyes and my favorite color is green. I'm excited to start blogging again and also to begin reading other peoples' blogs as well!

Thing 1

Lifelong Learning is something that I believe should be important to everyone. No matter how old you are there is always time to grow and learn. I think that the one habit that I feel is easiest for me is habit number 1. This habit says to begin with the end in mind. I try to set goals for myself in everything I do. Without having goals, the task would be pointless. Goals help to motivate and keep me on task. The hardest habit for me would have to be habit number 3 - view problems as challenges. Sometimes when a problem arises it is very easy to get stressed and want to give up. However, you must push through and view the problem as a learning experience. I will do my best to try and view problems as challenges throughout my life and in all of my learning endeavors.