Thing #12... Well, I'll be Googled!

How are we doing, guys?! For all of us who are familiar with Google (and those of us who say "Google" at least ten times daily, or just use Google as the generic web search name), who doesn't love Google? It's so much nicer to say "Let's Google it!" than it is to say "Hey guys, let's go search that on Bing!" In my opinion, "Bing Me" or "Bing It" could be taken out of context... So anyway! I have the Google "Translate" App on my Android smartphone. How awesome is that? Just saying! IT IS FREE IN THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE!! This translation app/tool is a wonderful resource. If there is a student in your class who speaks NO English, as long as you use simple sentences that avoid idiomatic expressions, it will be a wonderful way to bridge the communication gap. I also use Google Calendars (which is integrated on my Android smartphone calendar thanks to my Gmail account) and it is lovely. It makes my entire calendar accessible from my phone, laptop, or any computer that is able to connect to the internet. All I have to do is log into my Gmail account and voila! IT IS THERE. Can you believe that? Not only is it there, but I can publish it so that friends and family know when I am available or not. THESE ARE FREE RESOURCES THAT ARE ALL LINKED TOGETHER, PEOPLE! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS AMAZINGNESS!!

Thing #11... RSS Heaven

Hey, bloggers! So I really do like using to help me find appropriate the kind of feeds to put in my Feedly account. This is a great way to keep everything all in one place. I want quality blogs and websites to get information. My favorite way to add the feeds to my Feedly is to copy and paste the URL. Using Google is a great way to find blogs, but so is BlogSearchEngine . These are very user friendly and do not take too much time (or brain power, for those LATE nights where we're running on fumes) to figure out how to use. I've also noticed that there is usually a button on blog articles that say "Share on Facebook, Twitter, G+, RSS, or E-mail." Using the RSS feature is also a great way to add things!

Thing #10... RSS should be a sin!

Really Simple Syndication. What does that mean to anyone? Until a little while ago, that meant NOTHING to me. Absolutely zilch. Nada. Nil. But now, it means awesomeness. I've made an account on and it is amazing! All of the things you like can be in ONE place at the SAME time. I know I run across sites that I really enjoy, but then I lose them, whether it is because I just can't find them again, or I've got so many websites that I've gotten into the habit of checking. This makes that issue completely go away. This will be a great way to make an archive of other teachers' blogs, assignments, and the like for my classroom. I'll have everything in one spot, similar to Diigo, which I only found out about less than a month ago. Teachers are so strapped for time. I understand that, as a student, time is such an important commodity that I can never get enough of. This is a great way, as a future educator, to keep wonderful resources in one spot and to save time instead of having to do a million Google searches attempting to find a website you found at 3AM.

Thing #9... thing with some bling

Okay, so here's the latest thing I've learned using my 23 things. This gorgeous "Life is Love" heart was made using . This is a pretty awesome website. It could be a fun way to incorporate an interesting shaped poem or phrase into the lessons that I will have planned for my future classes. Anything with color or that looks different than expected is sure to get a young student's attention. After all, who wants to look at books, paper, and a white board all day? This image is very sweet. It took less than a minute to make, too. The website is easy, free, and you don't have to sign up. However, it would be a good idea to do that so you can save your creations!

Thing #8... Spell with Flickr is great!

I think that Spell with Flickr would be a great asset for teachers. Using a PowerPoint with the week's spelling words would be a good way to introduce/review the words. I think that it would be a fun, memorable way for the students to get studying done. Also, in higher grades, it would be a wonderful way to make an acrostic poem. This could even be used as a great activity in an art class. Spell their name out using Spell with Flickr and then have them cut the top half of the letters off, drawing the top half to mesh with the printed bottom half.

Thing #7... Flickr Wha?!

After exploring Flickr, I decided to pick this image uploaded by Jeffrey Stroup (http://www.flickr.com/photos/uglyducklingxxx/). It is a darling image that almost every child (and adult) can relate with! THEY ARE RUBBER DUCKIES! Who doesn't love rubber duckies? They are the epitome of bath time just like the bubbles. Look at Ernie and his rubber duckie on Sesame Street! (Now that my inner child has shown through, I'm going to explain why I chose this image). It makes me think of the Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer that is shown on CBS every year at Christmastime that Burl Ives voices the singing Sam the Snowman. Anyway, I digress... This makes me think about the "Isle of the Misfit Toys" upon which the Charlie in the Box and Misfit Dolly live. These toys have been discarded and forgotten about. We love our toys as a child and then toss them aside, never to think about them again after a certain age. I feel like some parts of our education are the same way. Like diagramming sentences... Ick!

Thing #6... Discovering Web 2.0 Tools Is Fun

I followed the link http://www.go2web20.net/ to the website and looked at all of the many many MANY Web 2.0 tools. I could not believe my eyes! It was like opening Google Play for my Android phone!!! The two tools I found the most interesting are: PowToon (http://www.go2web20.net/site/?a=Powtoon) and LittleBirdTales (http://www.go2web20.net/site/?a=LittleBirdTales).

These could be a fun way to help me, as a teacher, add variety into my lesson plans. I could make a PowToon to introduce a lesson or make a very short, comical version of a story we are reading in class.

LittleBirdTales could be an interesting project for each child in my classroom. I could have each of them make their own story at the beginning of the school year, and another at the end of the school year. Listening to them both would allow me to see how much more my students have grown in their abilities.

I had no clue that these were out here. I cannot wait to begin using them myself!