Thing 2 Adobe Buzzword

Adobe Buzzword and Goolge Docs are really very much the same. I found that Adobe is not as harsh on the eyes as Google document, but I think Google is more user friendly. I am going to have to actually do a presentation in both to get the feel of them.I Tried to take a pic of my document on Adobe Buzzword but Jing crashed on my computer and I think I will have to do a restart to get it back up and running,
 Using either program will take the need to remote into my school's server to access programs I am creating.
I am actually looking forward to starting something on one of these programs and sharing.
This allows for creativity anywhere you may be. My daughter often asks me to contribute ideas on documents she has created, This will make it much easier.

Thing 2 Google.Docs

I went to google docs and to my great surprise, I had 5 documents that I had opened in google documents on my laptop before I got Microsoft office installed. I had the documents emailed to me and when I opened them, they automatically opened in Google.docs If I had know about all the available options I would have been ABLE to use it for so many things so much sooner.

Oh Well! NO use crying over spilled milk. I can use it now :)

Thing 1 Delicious.com

I created a delicious page, http://www.delicious.com/radmd85 ( I used a shortcut :).
I chose to import my browser from my laptop to start with. I was soooo surprised to see that I actually had so many favorites. Some, of course, were automatically installed my Microsoft. This is going to be a very useful site. I will save my favorites from work, then I will be able to access from home my work favorites.
I sometimes have to help a teacher get a sub and the website is on my toolbar at work. Remembering the website can sometimes be tricky. Now, I don't have to remember. I will just go to delicious. This will be very handy.
I like this site much more than I thought I would. It is like DropBox for favorites.

Thing 0 reflections on blogs

What makes a good blog?
To me a good blog is one that has the information it's readers want to read. You can have all the bells and whistles, but without solid content it is nothing but rambling.
Blogs can enhance a school's presence by being more accessible to parents, and students. By allowing parents to go online and read what is important to them they feel more connected. Parents can check events so they don't miss anything important. Students can stay in touch with assignments they may have missed due to an absence.
By allowing comments, parents feel they can communicate as with the class/teacher and not just be a visitor.
Blogs do make it easier for people to publish their thoughts on a subject. It allows teachers to publish ideas in a way that could never have been done even 25 years ago.
Look at our class, 21 Things, we are able to publish our assignements, our reflections on what we have learned online without ever having to have someone else to edit. We can view our classmates' blogs and comment on their reflections without ever having to actually see them face to face.
That, is the only downside I find. This makes the need for actual personal contact absolete. That is something we need to be wary of and I say this as a person who loves technology and all the possibilities.

Thing 1 Use of shortcuts

Okay I am showing the control A option since that is one that I do like and can see myself using. IT is much faster! I also like using the ctrl Z AND CTRL Y. They use fewer steps thus allowing for faster editing and increasing productivity.
However many items can be accessed by using the right click option. Copy, paste, and insert hyperlink are much faster to me by right clicking. I already have my hand on the mouse so it actually saves time.

Ctrl Z and Y are faster than going through all the steps involved. My only fear is that I will fall into old habits and not remember to use them. I need to keep a reminder posted until I can make it as much of a habit as I do the rgt. click.
Inserting the lines is a major time saver and formating enhancer. These are the shortcuts I find most helpful.

21 Things: Getting Started

Okay, we are off and running. Things I hope to learn.....
I hope to learn how to communicate online more effectively. I would like to be able to use applications and resources online and know where to find them.  I also hope to be able to offer support to the teachers in my building helping them communicate with their students and parents.
The possibilities are endless.