Assignment 4: Diigo Social Bookmarking

Before completing this assignment I'd never heard of Diigo. Creating the Diigo account was fairly easy. Adding the bookmarks for this assignment was also very easy once I got the hang of it. I enjoyed using it features such as the toolbar. The toolbar was easily accessible and made bookmarking sites convenient. There are many ways in which I feel this site can be used in an educational setting. Educators can use it as a way to share sites that he / she may be using in their classroom with their fellow employees. They can also use it during projects, such as WebQuest ,within their classrooms so that students know exactly which sites should be used to search for information. Diigo is a create social and educational tool and I'm excited about using it in the near future. Click here to access my Diggo account.

Assignment 3 : Twitter

Completing the assignment on twitter was very interesting and mind boggling for me. Tweeting has definitely caused a revolution in the way in which we communication. It's certainly a resource that can be used for educational purposes. Though I'd heard of twitter for some time now I never had the desire to create an account. Once I created the account tweeting just didn't come natural to me. Viewing the tweets of others helped me to realize exactly how popular tweeting had become. I thought people put a lot of their lives on facebook, but have mercy twitter has taken it to another level definitely well above that of facebook. It's literally a step by step, minute by minute dialogue of your daily events. Being on twitter doesn't even compare to blogger it's in a league of it's own.

Creating the account was fairly easy but using its features was another story. I'm still trying to get used to sending messages on Facebook and twitter is even more complicated. Finding friends and things of that nature was also not so simply to me. Completeing the total of five tweets for this class was the hardest thing for me. Finding the right words to say to the world was very hard for me. I really think I put entirely to much thought into the whole twitter assignment. But I do believe that I finally got the hang of things. I took me a while but finally between Valerie and I we figured out how to direct message one another. We did this by accepting each others friend request.

I also feel that tweeting can be used in a healthy learning environment. It's use will definitely require close adult supervison. But can build a community between students a world away. Group assignments can definitely be incorporated into the use of Twitter. It's use for educational purpose as with other technology are endless. All in all I enjoyed completing this assignment and look forward to happy tweeting !!!
Here is my twitter URL: http://twitter.com/hdrummonds/

Discussion 2: Webpage Design & Development

There are several elements of web design that are important for teaching and learning. Websites created for educational purposes should be well organized and logical. All information required to successfully complete a web course should be easily accessible. The design needs to be free of errors and be able to load quickly and completely. Any documents students need to download such as syllabus, notes and course schedule should be in a format that will be easy to download or print out.

In compiling the site's content the information selected should present multiple viewpoints with no bias. The site should present facts rather attempt to persuade the user. The content should also be correct and meaningful to the course on which the site is based, exceeding all instructional objectives. Proper citation of sources used to create the site is a requirement. When creating a site it is important to include links and citations for materials on the site.

Features such as site maps and search engines should also be incorporated into the sites' design to increase it's navigability. Keeping the styles and names of navigation buttons consistent will also increase navigability. Webpages should include multimedia functions such as graphics , audio and video that will appeal to a variety of learning styles. Animations should be used sparingly , adding interest but not overwhelming the intended message. The site also needs to be handicapped accessible. To be handicapped accessible the site will need to include handicapped options on all pages with links to support software.

Tips & suggestions for designing a web site:

1. Make it user friendly and easy to navigate.
2. Be sure to only include information that is relevant to the course.
3. Make the course highly interactive.

Discussion 1: Blog in Education

Blogging in education can have a great impact on the way students and teachers communicate. It can empower students to write a communicate with teachers on a daily basis. Blogging also holds many challenges and limitations in the classroom. Through careful evaluation and proper usage all of the challenges can be easily overcome.

While being trained to start my internship with DOT USA I was introduced to blogging. During the internship I had the opportunity to train the teachers at Earl Travillion Attendance Center on how to properly implement blogging into their current lesson plans. Many of the teachers were amazed at the various functions that the blog offered. But also had concerns on safety. I suggested to them that they create a list of code names for students to use when posting to the class blog. Once all their concerns were resolved they each began to blog.

Blogs can provide students with a way to post daily entries, to comment on peer postings, and to collaborate on group projects. There are several ways in which I would use blogging. One particular daily assignment would include a bell ringer on which students would be required to comment on a current event. Another possible assignment would include the communication with students from another country. I would also use blogging to communicate with parents. This will allow parents who aren't able to attend open house or other school events to keep in touch and know what's going on in my classroom. I feel like this will encourage parent-teacher communication.

Assignment 1: Web Searching

Part 1

1. Telecommunications in Education

http://www.nyise.org

This site is a great resource for teachers. It contains an array of information related to the many uses of technology in education. The goal of this site is to help teachers grow with technology. A variety of effective techniques are presented on this site with links to example projects. These projects will give teachers ideas of how to effectively integrate technology into their lesson plans.

2. Uses of Telecommunication in Education

http://www.ed.final.gov

This site provides a starting point for research or planning educational telecommunication projects. It contains links to a variety of resources and examples. Though many of these links are out dated and no longer work there are still a few that work and contain valuable information.

3. The Journal: Transforming Education Through Technology

http://www.thejournal.com

This site contains a variety of resources that are of value to educators. It allows you to browse by topic and has many others features such as a newsletters. The site also provides a listing of its upcoming webinars and webcasts. I really enjoyed browsing through this site and plan to use it in the near future.

4. Ihets: Technology: Education: Collaboration: Impact

http://www.ihets.org

IHETS provides public and private higher education institutions, state government agencies, public libraries, public broadcast stations, and K-12 schools with reliable, cost-effective shared technology and eLearning services. This site has a newsletter and provides information regarding it services.

5. International Telecommunications and Education Research Association

http://www.itera.org

The basis of this website is the advancement of telecommunications. It focuses on telecommunications of all kinds. This site provides a forum for telecommunication and networking professional, educators and researchers.

Part 2

1. Google
I love love everything about Google. There are so many different tasks that can be accomplished using the various aspects of Google. The search results are always complete and relevant. The everything tab on the left of the screen has a variety of options that make searching for particular images, etc. very simple.

2. Yahoo
The best feature of yahoo would have to be the search pad. I like the way it will save and organize the sites you find. The search scan is also very helpful. It provides an alert for potential harmful sites. The advanced search feature is also very helpful, especially since the original searches are usually very weak.

3. Bing
I haven’t really had a chance to use the search engine as much as the others. From the little experience that I do have I would have to say it needs a little work. I do like the related searches and search history pane. This aspect is very helpful and easily accessible

4.Cuil
Before taking this class I had never heard of cuil. At first glance I just don’t like its look. I guess I just have to work with it more. But the search results were fairly relevant. I feel that it should incorporate more features to narrow searches.

5.WebCrawler
Before taking this class I had never heard of WebCrawler either. But I love the idea of the world’s top search engines being accessible from one page, it is brilliant!!! This way I don’t have to go from search engine to search engine many times pulling up some of the same information. Though it doesn’t contain all the features that Google has I think I would use it when completing a search that requires a large amount of information, etc.

Blogfolio Introduction

This blogfolio is part of my final project for IT 648. It's purpose is to summarize what I've learned in this class and to showcase my achievements. This blogfolio will contain all course assignments and artifacts. As I complete assignments throughout this semester I will reflect on each assignment and at the end of the semester I will look back at the progress I've made. Hopefully by the end of this semester I will have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and skills.

I've only taken one other IT class which required blogging and really enjoyed it. Blogging is a great form of communication within online courses. It's a great way for students and instructors to learn from one another. I really enjoy the feedback / constructive criticism that we as a group can provide to one another. I believe that it will help us grow into better individuals. I look forward to finishing this semester and will all of you the best.

Introduction

I am a wife, mother, mentor, friend and last but not least a servant of God. I know that I'm not what I'm supposed to be but I'm glad that I'm not what I used to be. I also believe that anything my mind can conceive and my heart can believe I can achieve through Christ !!!

My name is Hope Drummonds - Baldwin. I was born on November 30, 1984 to Bufus and Mary Drummonds in Laurel, MS. I have two sisters TaQunna and Whitney. We were raised on our parents horse ranch in Bassfield, MS. As children we each competed in horse shows and came in first place on several occasions. At this time my parents have a total of twelve horses which we all enjoy riding. I am the wife of James Baldwin, Jr . who I've been married to for one year and six months. We are the parents of three wonderful children,Alizay, Khaalis, and Nicholas who are the center of our lives. Our family has been blessed beyond words and currently reside in Hattiesburg, MS. We enjoy taking family trips and attending Shady Grove Baptist Church in Petal, MS.

In May of 2009 I completed a 9 month internship for Cisco 21st Century Schools Programs, Digital Opportunity Trust USA, which sparked my interest in IT. Since completing the internship I have facilitated several trainings on using technology in "The One Computer Classroom." This semester will be my first official semester as a graduate student pursuing a Masters in IT. I received a BS in Office Administration here at USM and recently completed the Teach Mississippi Institute alternate route to teaching program at OLE MISS. I am currently employed by The Mississippi Department of Employment Security where I take unemployvelment claims over the phone on a daily basis. My goals include successfully completing my Masters degree and being able to teach on the junior college or university level.