Thing #7

Oh Flickr.. It was actually fairly easy to set up. They walk you through it step-by-step and don't overwhelm you with questions to answer about yourself. And uploading a picture was just as easy. I wasn't able to figure out how to send it to the apsu23things blog like the instructions said to so I'm going to post it on here.
I think Flickr will be very beneficial for a classroom. If you find an illustration you want to show to the class, all you have to do is upload it on Flickr. It definitely beats going back and fourth to different sites to find the pictures or having a gazillion sites bookmarked on your computer just for a picture.
I have a little bit of experience in Photobucket for picture sharing/saving, but that was years ago and I barely remember how that site works.
Flickr does kinda make me nervous about having images available for the whole world to see, I just have to remember to be careful about what I post and the things I say. It's only dangerous if you're not smart about it.
So here's the picture I chose to show!
I wasn't able to find the 'correct' URL that the apsu23things blog mentioned. I followed the directions listed exactly and this is what I got.

Thing #6

I have been talking about having a difficult time containing the resources I find useful. I always feel overwhelmed at all of the tools out there that are available to teachers and I fear that I'll find things I want to remember and use in the future but never make it back to the site to actually utilize it. After looking over the list of websites winners, I chose to look further into Diigo. I know it is one we use for our class where we can share websites but I didn't really consider it being a website I can use to organize my own websites I want to remember. I find it very helpful that I can organize my 'library' by lists so I know exactly what I am looking at. I can organize a list especially for teaching, and if it gets down to it, grade level. I can also have lists I want to remember for personal use and keep those sites separated from the ones I want to save for teaching. I can add tags to each site I add so I can search for a specific topic. And I can high-lite certain sections or paragraphs so I don't have to re-read every single site just for the one piece of information. I am going to start using this site now for my classes I am currently enrolled in. I plan to save the sites I need for research papers so if I need to go back, I can look at the site I got the source from and also high-lite the section I picked to use. I don't feel so overwhelmed and freaked out now by all the resources I find, I just have to be sure I actually utilize this site and don't let it be forgotten. 

Thing #5

Web 2.0 really kind of scares me as far as use for education. I've always liked the hands-on learning and feel that children already have too much access to the technology that is out there. 2 and 3 year old's should not be able to work their mom's iPhone. It really irks me when you see 9 year old's with their cell phones. I understand that the nation is moving more to a technology nation but there is a line we're about to cross. Don't get me wrong, technology is a GREAT resource for education when used properly. Where we are now, is perfect. It still keeps the students very hands on and just helps teachers with their lessons and as tools to keep the students intrigued. What I fear is a total takeover of technology in the class room, where all the textbooks are eBooks, even for elementary ages, and everything is taught through it. I guess you can call me old fashioned. I really hope we, as educators, keep a balanced use of technology and physical tools in the classroom; that we can teach the students through the resources we have available but that it does not take over the classroom.

Thing #4

After reading the blogs about commenting it made me want to go on a commenting rampage. I got into other blogs that I can relate with and really opened my eyes to all the different people out there blogging about all kinds of different things. Commenting is important, it helps the blogger feel useful and like they're making a difference. It also sets up the feel of an online community of people with common interests. If you're going through the same delima or love the same thing as the blogger, tell them. It makes you feel like you're not alone and that there are people in this world who can be very similar to you. In the process of finding blogs to comment on, I found a couple of other army wives who are teachers. People who have to move every so often, and deal with being on their own for long periods of time, just like me, are interested or already have the career I long for. Commenting gives you a sense of connection to people you've never met who could be have way around the world, just as one of the blogs I chose to comment on, "Such is the Life of an Army Wife". I commented on her very first post about coping with deployment. I chose that post because it was not someone telling me to just be strong or it'll be okay, it was different than what I've heard before. The other non-associated blog I chose was "To Love a Soldier", she posted a beautiful poem about a soldier's promise and an Army Wife's promise, it just hit home. As far as classmates I commented on, I posted comments one Robert White's Thing 2 for his knowledge and touch of personality, KSatterly's Thing 3 for the great idea she came up with for blog usage once in the classroom, I chose SRogers and Sloffer for their portrayal of their personalities, ( I found it intriguing to see the wide array of characters in our class.) and finally JRichardson's Thing 1 for the habit of play being a difficult one to master. 7 comments in 2 hours.. This is only the beginning.

Thing #3

I am looking forward to continuing this blog, I can already tell, just in the two posts I've done, I'm getting the hang of this. I am learning to write showing personality on paper, all the papers I've written in my higher education career has been non personal, not able to say "I" or imply you're the writer. So I am getting used to making this personal and not being afraid to let myself show in these posts. 
I really hope I keep up blogging throughout my teaching career. I would most like to use it to bring the different aspects of my life together and use it as a place for inspiration and ideas and resources to other teachers. I will be facing some issues most other teachers don't have to deal with, moving every 3 years. I am an Army wife on top of going to school and working, and once I graduate, I will face the issues of the different certifications for different states and having to find a new job with each move. I would like to use my blog to keep myself motivated in each of the challenges I face to continue my teaching career and to help other teachers get through any issues they face in their own teaching careers. I also want to use this blog for sharing ideas and resources. I am quickly learning of the countless resources offered to teachers and I know there is an endless supply that I am not even aware of. 
I really hope that I can stick with this blog and record my journey through my degree program and teaching career so I can look back in 20+ years to see where it all began. 

Thing #2

Creating my blog was a new experience for me. I have never kept a blog, and have only read a few posts of other peoples' blogs. So I really am new to all of this. I also haven't had any reason to customize something like this since myspace was a big hit. I was going at this blindly, thank goodness for classmates. So why did I choose the settings I did for my blog? Well to start off with the name.. I married into a difficult name to pronounce for adults, and I have heard of stories of my sister, who teaches, and all the different names she's gotten from her last name (Sulak). I am wanting to teach Kindergarten, so going from my maiden name, Hernandez, to my married name, Beifuss (pronounced bye-fuss), I am very intrigued to hear all the different versions kids come up with on their own for my name. Oh the creativity of childrens' minds. So even though my blog name sounds bland up front, there really is a story behind it. With my avatar, I created it to look as closely to me as possible. There were many different options to choose from in creating my avatar, and by instinct, I wanted something fun and out there, but realizing that I am in a professional degree program, I kept it professional looking but was sure to keep my personality showing in the colors of my blog. Growing up, my mother color-coded us, from towels to dishes to school supplies, she found it easier to tell who's mess was left out. I was assigned the color green, which has kinda stuck and has been my favorite color ever since, I've added blue to the scheme and have blue and green as my favorite set of colors. Regardless of the shades. So I was really excited when I found the spring green & blue template. Not only does it have my colors, but it also has a touch of my personality of the fun spring colors and design. :)

Thing #1

As I watched the 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners slideshow, it really caught my attention about being a lifelong learner. Almost everyone is a lifelong learner but most are not aware of it. After watching this clip, I have decided I want to knowingly be a lifelong learner. I was able to pick out habits that I know I can achieve with out any issues and I know that there are habits that will put challenges in my path. The habit that I know I already have down is habit #2. I was home schooled my whole life and am 1 of 4 kids, all home schooled also. We kept my mother, who also worked a part time job, busy. Once we were old enough to be home alone, school was up to us to get it done. She would have our lesson plan ready but we had to be responsible to get it done. Being home schooled has definitely helped me go above and beyond in taking initiative to get whatever I needed done and will help me to be a lifelong learner. The other habit I succeed at as well is habit # 3, view problems as challenges. This is another one I owe to my mom, she has taught me to look at issues and problems as opportunities to improve. Instead of freaking out when a problem arises, I have learned to solve it. Now that I've mentioned some of my stronger habits I have, there are actually 2 habits that I know I do and will struggle with. The first one I would have to say is habit #5, creating your own learning toolbox. I tend to come across great ideas, tools, websites, etc.. but I continually fail to follow through with these things. Even when I can create a list of things to do, or whatever other resources I can find, I tend to get jumbled with all these different ideas. I have yet to find a tool that helps me to contain all the virtual ideas and resources. Once I can conquer this habit, I will definitely benefit from creating my own learning toolbox. The other habit I struggle with kinda goes hand-in-hand with habit #5, habit #6, use technology to your advantage. I am not as knowledgeable as I should be with technology, there are so many great resources out there, some of which could help me create my learning toolbox, that I know I am not taking advantage of. I think the biggest thing holding me back is due to my being overwhelmed by the world-wide-web and all that it holds. I know there are areas I need to improve in being a lifelong learner and there are habits that will help me succeed. I look forward to the everlasting learning experiences. Let the journey begin.