Recycling and Reducing

Currently, I am a student at National Louis University and one of my prerequisites was to take an Environmental Biology class  and I learned so much about recycling and its impact on the world.   Since then I am constantly trying to change my life.  I bought a shower timer and now I take shorter showers..  In my backyard, I have a garden with vegetables and herbs. This is a great change, now I know what fresh vegetables taste like. When I grocery shop, I bring a list any buy only what I need. This helps to reduce waste of food   I love to clean, and I revamped my cleaning products to be eco-friendly. At the beginning of the year, I made homemade cleaners for all of my friends and family.     

I also work in an LEED Silver certified building, so we are constantly getting tips on how to better recycle. These are great reminders not only for me, but for my co-workers also.  When I become a teacher, I plan to implement this same process of weekly reminders to parents and students on ways to conserve and reduce.

Last summer I received a bike for a birthday present and I use that a  lot to take trips to the store and for running errands around town.   I also try to walk or ride my bike to the train station and then take the train to work.  By not taking my car all the time I have also dropped a few pounds.

I have also learned to be more educated on where things come from and what they are doing to our environment and community. Most of these changes were so easy and I don’t know why I didn’t do them years ago. This summer I am going to start composting.

Tips for Searching the Web

When I do a search on the Internet, I try to be as concise as possible.  I have never used any tricks when doing a search.   The four articles that we had to read had so many helpful hints.
I never knew you could do a specific domain search. Now when I have to look up things that I know are educational or government related, I am going to use the edu and gov before I type in the word.
Wildcards are something that I have seen other people do, but was not aware of how useful, easy and helpful they are.  Just by typing *, ", - can help with searching in a huge way.  The article that explained all of the ways that you can get information form typing in basic information in the Google toolbar.   Movies, calculations, spelling, information on a subject, weather. All by typing in a few keywords and it refined going to several search engines.  Great Tips!

Teaching Students about Website Searches

Students are very comfortable with the Internet. It is a huge part of their daily lives and they have never lived in a world without the Internet.   When it comes to teaching them how to use the Internet as a tool to find sources, that can be tricky. 
The first thing to teach them is that, anyone can post on the Internet. Remind them of their own personal blogs and facebook pages.  Point out that anyone can print and post information to the Internet.
Second, teach them to search in a concise manner.   Make their searches as detailed as possible and to use more than one search engine.  Also, look on library sites for sources and information.
Third, ask questions about the sites.  Who created the site, what are the credentials of the writer, when was it published, etc.
Always double check and if have any questions about the source, don't use it.

Teacher Uses for Diigo

After setting up a Diigo account, I coudlnt' believe how useful it was to save links and make nots.   When I read the article, 12 Reasons Teachers should use Diigo, I realized how many more used there are.
1.  Interaction with students when they are at home working on their assignment.
2. Able to have a general page for the class and then have sub-sections for groups that are working on different secitons.
3. Parents are able to look at the sites and see what the students are viewing and learning.
4.  Sticky notes can help students take notes and ask questions that all of the other sutdents can see.
5. Teachers are able to collaborate with other teachers to share sites and leave notes on what worked well for their class.

Technology In the Classroom

Blogs can be very beneficial in classrooms, for teachers, students and even parents. They offer a format for teachers to post information, students to access information in the classroom and at home, and for parents to be aware of what is going on in the classroom.
Teachers are able to post assignments, upcoming activities, projects and deadlines.   Teachers are also able to start a fourm for students to ask and answer questions. This offers the opportunity for students to do more research on a subject and it also offers every student a chance to respond.  This is very beneficial for students who are shy about speaking in class.
Students can also interact with each other and with the teacher, post questions or comments about assignements.