http://www.mint.com/
Out of the list of Web 2.0 Award nominees, I chose to explore mint.com. Mint is basically a free online financial manager. It allows you to link and track all of your finances together including bank and paypal accounts, loans, and other sources of revenue. Mint has the capability of tracking all of your purchases and categorizing them into separate groups for later review of spending throughout the year. Mint also gives you options to create goals within the program by calculating successful budget plans off of your current income, bills, and casual spending, while also providing helpful advice on budgeting and saving money/cutting cost.
After creating a Mint account and attaching all of my financial information to the site, I was surprised to see how accurate and efficient it was. I was able to group previous transactions of the month under specified categories, giving me a better idea of where my money was going and where I could possibly save in the future. The features that I liked the best about this Web 2.0 tool was that it has an overview of your "trends", which breaks down your spending into percentages in a graph form. Another great feature of Mint is that it allows you to create goals of budgeting and paying off bills sooner with a loan calculator which incorporates your current financial situation and gives advice on how to achieve your goal.
Another one of the features that Mint offers is a mobile application that gives you alerts for a plethora of different things. You can set this up to your liking and turn off certain alerts that you dislike. I like this feature, however, after a while I found the alerts to be somewhat distracting, as it alerted me about everything from having a credit card bill due in 3 days to having paid a certain amount in interest on a card that could have been avoided. I can completely appreciate how these features were designed as a possible benifit, but sometimes the amount of information that you are bombarded with becomes overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, Mint is such a wonderful tool for managing your finances, but I already paid my credit card bill... I didn't need to be reminded that it was due in 3 days after the fact.
As far as the options for implementing this into a school or library setting, I definitely think this would be a helpful tool for a teacher who is trying to budget a classroom account, his/her own finances, and reasonably how much they could contribute to the classroom out of their pockets if needed. Individual accounts or even library accounts could be created to manage where money is spent and to keep "better records" to access in future years to compare and progress from. All in All I thoroughly enjoy this free financial management tool and plan to continue using it for my personal finances and financial goals of school loans.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thing # 5 - Web 2.0 technology
After reading the articles about Web 2.0 and technology in the classroom in the 21st century, I am excited to broaden my knowledge of social networking sites and the extensive interactive web tools available to the youth of today's generation. How incredibly fortunate we are to have these tools at our disposal to integrate in and out of the classroom. The different links of perspectives of teachers stresses the importance for educators and educational institutions to jump on board with the Web 2.0 era and maximize the potential of each and every student with the tools that are readily available to them through the internet.
To me, Web 2.0 symbolizes growth opportunities, through interaction, that students and educators have with their changing world. It allows users to contribute and create instead of just absorbing what has been presented to them. Web 2.0 tools such as facebook, blogs, chatboards, RSS feeds, and many more allow individual people to share and express innovative aspirations across the globe. It is all about interaction and reaction. I personally couldn't agree more with stressing the importance of integrating Web 2.0 tools into educational atmospheres. It would be a shame for institutions to not utilize these free Web 2.0 tools, when children relate and are so fluidly familiarized with them. Schools of the future will be ushered into a fast pace technological environment with massive amounts of global information readily available at their fingertips. The opportunities are endless.
To me, Web 2.0 symbolizes growth opportunities, through interaction, that students and educators have with their changing world. It allows users to contribute and create instead of just absorbing what has been presented to them. Web 2.0 tools such as facebook, blogs, chatboards, RSS feeds, and many more allow individual people to share and express innovative aspirations across the globe. It is all about interaction and reaction. I personally couldn't agree more with stressing the importance of integrating Web 2.0 tools into educational atmospheres. It would be a shame for institutions to not utilize these free Web 2.0 tools, when children relate and are so fluidly familiarized with them. Schools of the future will be ushered into a fast pace technological environment with massive amounts of global information readily available at their fingertips. The opportunities are endless.
Thing # 4 - Blog Commenting
I must confess that the more I blog, the more I really enjoy it! Blogging creates a sense of community and interaction by allowing people of all cultures to connect and share their individual life experiences. This type of interaction promotes peace, understanding, and even personal growth.
One important concept that I found interesting while reading the links about blogging was simply that bloggers like to be read. People blog for many different reasons. Whatever those reasons may be, people still want to know that others have taken the time to appreciate their words of wisdom. Sometimes, a simply "thank you" can mean so much to a person who has taken the time to share a little portion of their life with the blogging world. The other important concept about blogging that I thought was interesting was under the coolcatteacher blog. She talked about the importance of having a purpose for your blog. More importantly, she stressed that your purpose should be solid and to prepare for criticism. I found this to be very informative, as I plan to manage a blog even after the end of Education 3040.
The blogs, within my classroom atmosphere, that I chose to comment on were Kendra Donaldson's 23 Things for Teachers, JRichardson's thoughts about 23 things about teachers, Darryl Haislip CourtofHaislip, Kayla Satterly 23 things KSatterly, and Erin Beifuss Mrs. Beifuss. My comment to Kendra Donaldson was in reference to commenting on people's blogs. We both agreed that you should keep it respectful and admired people who could actually put themselves out there for the world to view and critique. Jasmine Richardson's blog inspired me because she said that her best habit of learning was viewing every problem as a challenge instead of a distressing obstacle. I sometimes struggle with this, so it was nice to see that someone else felt confident in this area, meaning it could managed efficiently. Darryl Haislip's blog was humorous and I could sympathize with him. We both referred to the lack of knowledge in technology and appreciated the learning curve and opportunities that the class was presenting to us. Kayla Satterly's blog was very full of great ideas about how to utilize a blog for a future classroom atmosphere. I especially liked how she mentioned adding practice material aside from homework on the blogs for parents to access with their children. Erin Beifuss's blog about military wives was nice to read. She spoke of finding women educators just like her and how she could relate to them. I shared her passion for education and thanked her for her contribution to our country as a military wife.
Lastly, the two blogs that I commented on outside of the classroom were Patterns of Time - Manual lens photography and The Happy Stepmother. I chose Patterns of Time because it is a photography blog that shares beautiful scenery pictures from around the world. I just recently acquire a Canon Rebel T2i camera and I have been learning to shoot more professional photos. Patterns of Time gives me inspiration to continue to shoot on manual instead of auto! I left a compliment about how beautiful the pictures were and thanked him for sharing his photos. The Happy Stepmother was chosen for more personal reasons, as I can sympathize with the silent struggles that some Stepmothers face with the world's predetermined misconceptions of "evil stepmothers." I found the blog very supportive and uplifting and thanked the woman for her contributions to it.
One important concept that I found interesting while reading the links about blogging was simply that bloggers like to be read. People blog for many different reasons. Whatever those reasons may be, people still want to know that others have taken the time to appreciate their words of wisdom. Sometimes, a simply "thank you" can mean so much to a person who has taken the time to share a little portion of their life with the blogging world. The other important concept about blogging that I thought was interesting was under the coolcatteacher blog. She talked about the importance of having a purpose for your blog. More importantly, she stressed that your purpose should be solid and to prepare for criticism. I found this to be very informative, as I plan to manage a blog even after the end of Education 3040.
The blogs, within my classroom atmosphere, that I chose to comment on were Kendra Donaldson's 23 Things for Teachers, JRichardson's thoughts about 23 things about teachers, Darryl Haislip CourtofHaislip, Kayla Satterly 23 things KSatterly, and Erin Beifuss Mrs. Beifuss. My comment to Kendra Donaldson was in reference to commenting on people's blogs. We both agreed that you should keep it respectful and admired people who could actually put themselves out there for the world to view and critique. Jasmine Richardson's blog inspired me because she said that her best habit of learning was viewing every problem as a challenge instead of a distressing obstacle. I sometimes struggle with this, so it was nice to see that someone else felt confident in this area, meaning it could managed efficiently. Darryl Haislip's blog was humorous and I could sympathize with him. We both referred to the lack of knowledge in technology and appreciated the learning curve and opportunities that the class was presenting to us. Kayla Satterly's blog was very full of great ideas about how to utilize a blog for a future classroom atmosphere. I especially liked how she mentioned adding practice material aside from homework on the blogs for parents to access with their children. Erin Beifuss's blog about military wives was nice to read. She spoke of finding women educators just like her and how she could relate to them. I shared her passion for education and thanked her for her contribution to our country as a military wife.
Lastly, the two blogs that I commented on outside of the classroom were Patterns of Time - Manual lens photography and The Happy Stepmother. I chose Patterns of Time because it is a photography blog that shares beautiful scenery pictures from around the world. I just recently acquire a Canon Rebel T2i camera and I have been learning to shoot more professional photos. Patterns of Time gives me inspiration to continue to shoot on manual instead of auto! I left a compliment about how beautiful the pictures were and thanked him for sharing his photos. The Happy Stepmother was chosen for more personal reasons, as I can sympathize with the silent struggles that some Stepmothers face with the world's predetermined misconceptions of "evil stepmothers." I found the blog very supportive and uplifting and thanked the woman for her contributions to it.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Thing # 1 - Life Long Learning Habits
After accessing the life long Learning tutorial, I found that I agreed with the presented steps of successful learning. One statement that I really felt related to me was that, "It's never too late (or too soon) to learn something new." How very true that is! Being a non-traditional full time student who decided to go back to school after graduating more than ten years ago, I know all too well how easy it is to feel discouraged about "wasted time." With that being said, I am determined to meet my goals with success and always remember it is NEVER TOO LATE to learn, take control of your life, as well as your future career.
Of the habits that were presented, I feel that many of them are already incorporated into my life and learning goals. For example, Accepting responsibility for your own learning is something that I feel passionately about. I take my schooling very seriously, as I have been in the work force for many years now and know how important it is to have a college education. I want to express this to my future students as well, instilling in them the desire to learn. However, out of the 7 1/2 habits, the one that I have the hardest time incorporating would have to be viewing problems as challenges. Sometimes it is hard to appreciate the challenge of a presented "problem" when it seems more like a burden. I completely understand the concept of being humbled, blessed or fortunate to have the opportunity, but distressing situations do not always make you feel "fortunate." Ultimately, finding the good is a bad situation supports a positive attitude, and this is a virtue that I want to exude to the children that I will have the opportunity to teach.
Of the habits that were presented, I feel that many of them are already incorporated into my life and learning goals. For example, Accepting responsibility for your own learning is something that I feel passionately about. I take my schooling very seriously, as I have been in the work force for many years now and know how important it is to have a college education. I want to express this to my future students as well, instilling in them the desire to learn. However, out of the 7 1/2 habits, the one that I have the hardest time incorporating would have to be viewing problems as challenges. Sometimes it is hard to appreciate the challenge of a presented "problem" when it seems more like a burden. I completely understand the concept of being humbled, blessed or fortunate to have the opportunity, but distressing situations do not always make you feel "fortunate." Ultimately, finding the good is a bad situation supports a positive attitude, and this is a virtue that I want to exude to the children that I will have the opportunity to teach.
Thing # 3 - Blog Uses
Ultimately, I am very excited about expanding my blogging experience. As I stated in my earlier post, I am looking forward to the ability to express myself and log memories from within the classroom as they unfold. I feel that blogging about my different encounters as a teacher will be a very useful tool for me to reflect back on, with hopes to provide a better learning experience for my future students. Reflection is so important for growth, and what better way to reflect, than to document accounts of my struggles and ideas.
Another way that the blog may be useful is by being accessible to other teachers as a support system. As a future educator, I plan to collaborate with my colleagues, in order to contribute ideas, provide support, and share student accomplishments. By doing this, I hope to create the most conducive learning environment possible. By making the blog available to parents, I could give more insight to the happenings and progress of classroom learning and the scheduled curriculum. An open line of contact through the blog will allow parents to leave feedback and express their concerns or clear up misunderstandings about classroom objectives or assignments. By encouraging parents to be open-minded about a classroom blog, the amount of parental involvement with their child's education might increase. In any case, a blog will be a wonderful way to document experiences for later review and reflection.
Another way that the blog may be useful is by being accessible to other teachers as a support system. As a future educator, I plan to collaborate with my colleagues, in order to contribute ideas, provide support, and share student accomplishments. By doing this, I hope to create the most conducive learning environment possible. By making the blog available to parents, I could give more insight to the happenings and progress of classroom learning and the scheduled curriculum. An open line of contact through the blog will allow parents to leave feedback and express their concerns or clear up misunderstandings about classroom objectives or assignments. By encouraging parents to be open-minded about a classroom blog, the amount of parental involvement with their child's education might increase. In any case, a blog will be a wonderful way to document experiences for later review and reflection.
Thing # 2 - Creating a Blog
Phew! It works! Being as this is my first experience with creating and maintaining a blog, I feel that I have done very well. I must say, the idea of dialoguing all of my experiences of working through the mandatory twenty-three things was initially a bit overwhelming. Technology has never been a huge passion of mine. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it and utilize many current trends of technology, but I would have never taken the time outside of Education 3040 to figure out how to successfully create an avatar (let alone a blog). However, I was reassured with the straight-forward guidelines that were set out for the class under apsu23things.blogspot.com. I had no trouble setting up either account through Blogger or Doppelme. After finishing, I can honestly say that I am glad that I did. What a wonderful new avenue the Blog has opened up for transcribing important moments in my life or future classroom experiences.
By nature, I have a tendency to be very precise and descriptive when organizing material for later use, especially for school purposes. Therefore, I decided on titling my blog Sloffer: Education 3040-01. I suppose I figured that this would also be easy to recognize for classmates and grading purposes. As far as my choice of Avatar goes, I generated a simple but true replication of myself: long strawberry-blonde hair, green eyes, slacks, black shoes, and a dressy sweater. I chose these features because they reflect who I am as a person, someone who is simplify content with being comfortable with myself. To sum up, my posts contain my thoughts and I wanted my Avatar to reflect my likeness, as it was linked to my blog.
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