Week 3 RSS Reflections

1. What did you learn?
That RSS Readers even existed! I love iGoogle and I wish I would have known about it sooner. It would have saved me a lot of time!!!

2. How will you use what you have learned?
I will use iGoogle ever day as it will be my homepage. I'll use it to check my email, the news, facebook, and follow the many blogs I've added.

3. How did you feel about this tool?
It's great! Like I said, I wish I would have known about it sooner.

4. What do you not want to forget about this tool?
How to delete gadgets that I don't necessarily like. I've added quite a few because I was a little over-excited. I can already tell that some of them aren't anything that I would use.

5. How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?
Since I have all the blogs and websites in one place, I will probably actually use them. There are so many great websites out there, but when I'm planning, there's just not enough time to go find them. This is like my own little database of great websites and blogs for ideas right at my fingertips.

6. Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?
Yes

7. What questions do you still have about this tool?
I'm not sure yet...I'm still playing around with it. Right now, I'm not sure how to delete a gadget, but I'm going to figure it out.

RSS Choices

Q1: What RSS Reader did you choose and why?

A: I chose Googe Reader at first because it was so easy. Then, I got curious and tried out iGoogle. I love it because I have everything I need right at my fingertips as soon as I log on to the internet.



Q2: What "non-classmate" blogs did you subscribe to?
Q3: Why did you choose those blogs?

A: I subscribed to http://www.tools4teachers.weebly.com/ because it has links to all the websites that a teacher would ever need.

I also added http://www.pppst.com/ because, as I mentioned, it has every powerpoint you could ever imagine...already created for you to use or edit for your own use in the classroom.

I also added http://www.statesman.com/ so I can stay up to date on current events.

Then, after reading my classmates' blogs, I copied Maryann and followed www.delbalzo2.blogspot.com because of her excellent resources. I know several parents that would appreciate this blog.

And, just for fun, I added www.thegenellafamily.blogspot.com because Laura is a very dear friend of mine, and I enjoy reading about her family.

Learning.com

So, I spent the last two days at the learning.com training. It was pretty good, and I learned quite a bit about the product. However, the BEST part about the past two days was all the cool websites that other teachers shared. I decided to post them here for others to use, as well as a place for me to refer to when I forget the websites during the year.

This one is VERY cool. It has a slideshow for just about any topic in the world that you could imagine. Seriously, check this one out:

http://www.pppst.com/

This one has ALL KINDS of neat resources for teachers. I haven't even checked all of them out yet:

www.tools4teachers.weebly.com

Well, actually that one has all the other websites that I learned about. Picnik is a cool one, but you can access it from Tools4teachers.

Answers to Class Questions

1. I learned how to create a blog and change the basic design.
2. I will use what I have learned to continue modifying this blog until I feel comfortable enough to possibly create a better one for my class...or to modify this one so that it looks more like a class blog.
3. I felt good once I got going. I was pretty frustrated with that "next blog" bar at the top. I got rid of it, then changed something, and now it's back. Rather than staying up all night to try to figure it out, I'm about to hit the sack.
4. I don't want to forget the address of my blog!
5. I think you could use this for older kids. Online discussions, homework, group projects, etc. I'm still having a hard time picturing 3rd graders using this. It could be a great communication tool. However, if you have TeacherWeb, that's very useful too. I'd probably use one or the other, but not both.
6. I think that you should use some form of communication that can be accessed by parents/students whenever they need it, whether it's a blog or an online newsletter.
7. I still want to know how to get rid of that bar at that top that's bothering me so much!!! :0)

Waco Zoo

We LOVED the giraffes!!!

My Family

We took Molly to the Waco Zoo over Spring Break. I know that was a long time ago, but I haven't uploaded any more pictures yet. Remember, I'm cherishing the moments!!!

What I hope to learn...

As I mentioned, I hope to learn all about blogging from taking this course. I hope that I'll become an efficient blogger. I'd really like to figure out how to make my blog cute and custom too. All I can find are the blogger templates. I want something different! Hopefully, I'll also figure out how this could be useful in the classroom. Right now I'm thinking that I would use it a lot for posting pictures of my family, but I can't really see a point to blogging in the class when you have Teacherweb. I'm not trying to be pessimistic. I just hope that I learn how valuable this tool can be!

Summer Blogging Class

Well hello there! I'm Cheree Coughenour. I live on Cluck Creek Trail in Cedar Park, Texas and I'm a third grade teacher at Canyon Creek Elementary. My favorite color is red...Crimson to be precise. Welcome to my "C" world!

Hmmm...a little about me. I've been in Austin for 10 years. I decided to stay after moving here to go to UT. (Hook 'Em!) I've been married for a little over two years. 5 months after Mark and I were married, we were surprised to find out that we would be blessed with a little gift from God. Molly Kate was born 9 months later. She has brightened our world and continues to do so every day. I never really got "they grow up so fast" until I had my own. What a bittersweet moment every milestone is. I want her to grow like she's supposed to, but I also just want her to stay little. I've chosen to treasure every second I have with Molly. Because of that, my house is just a little messier and my inbox stays full a little longer...

We have the sweetest little dog, Lila, and a Cool Cat named Carl. Carl is actually a girl, but we were having a hilarious time naming her and somehow she got stuck with Carl. Because of her name, we never call her a "her". In fact, it feels weird just typing that!

I created this blog as a requirement for a summer professional development class. I'm ready to learn what this blogging is all about! Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this little project in my personal life as well as in the classroom.