#21 Youtube

I know that I have done this one out of sequence, but I couldn't resist!

This is something that I have been using for some time. The biggest difficulty is if you want to download a video or it is no longer available.

I have selected a movie that was shown to me that I have used as something with students when looking at letterform - an element of design. It is a bit of fun.

Neutra Face : An Ode On A Typeface (A Bearded Poker Face Parody)

#17 Delicious

This is an exciting prospect for sorting out a lot of bookmarking sites that can be managed efficiently. Social bookmarking will enable the user to follow sites easily and track when changes are made. The advantage of looking at the number of people who recommend a site helps to make selections with less effort. It also allows you to find additional resources.

In the preparation of work for classes, this is a great resource for organising bookmarks. Very useful.

As to the downfalls of this site, it needs to be checked regularly, maintained and selectively used.

#15 RRS abd #16 Subscribing

Well, RRS is a great idea. Saving time looking for information providing you can find the sites that give the information you require. Subscribing is simple enough, but again it is about finding the items you require.

Simple to set up and use. It is possible to see what could be done within a classroom environment. It is totally dependent upon what resources are required and what can be found to access. This is the biggest challenge of all.

#13 My Space and #14 Facebook

I have tried both My Space and Facebook, having opened up accounts in 2010. Of the two, I found My Space irrelevant for myself to use. As to Facebook, it is easy to see why students are so attracted to it. It is an easy way to share information instantly. The drawback is, of course, that many people using this social networking site forget the permanency of the information posted. Even when it is deleted, it is still maintained in the historical cache memory and can be accessed in the future.

So a word to the wise, use these social networking sites by all means, but always remember that whatever you post will always be there forever!

As a teaching aid, I am unsure - as a personal tool, great. Finding relevant postings on an educational level is a bit more difficult, but not impossible and therefore could be used as a tool to find resources. Much in the same was as Twitter, as I found out today! Another site that I questioned the validity of until today's PD.

#12 flickr

Finally one of the programs is giving me some satisfaction! I managed to import an images, though attempts with my own image did not work. which was very disappointing. Not sure where I sent it to be honest!

The image I selected on flickr is very like my photographic work - extreme close up and what is technically known as editorial photography. Interesting to see such images in this capacity.

Extreme Closeup ~ Water Lily

Extreme Closeup ~ Water Lily, a photo by Pardesi* on Flickr.

Using flickr is relatively easy. Finding images that come from others that relate to yourself is a bit harder. I saw this and it reminded me of my final year photography folio - editorial close up. I have similar images of flowers!

#11 LibraryThing

This was interesting. Setting up an account was easy and posting books simple. The biggest difficulty is if you try to find a particular book which has had dozens of reprints! 1,000's of versions and trying to find the one you have can be a time consuming and almost impossible task - a needle in a haystack.

The advantages of this are that you can build up a profile of your books and this enables you to document what you have to refer to away from home. It let's you become part of a community if you desire it and can give opportunity to explore more books of a related topic, field, style ....

In a classroom situation this would not be very useful to me, but potentially privately it could be.

#10 On Line Image Generators

While it was fun to work with, I found it difficult to create things and then post them into my blog. I find the Adobe Creative Suite a little easier to use as it is constantly able to be used, rather than having to wait until I am on line. It seems to be more reliable.

The fun nature of working in the Online Generators is good and the students I'm sure would have more success.

I was looking on the Web for the artist who taught me how to do the Polychromatic Silk Screen Printing that I mentioned in my initial blogging entries and found a site that had some of his work. This is a work by the artist Anthony Syndicas. I met him first when I was in Year 11 as an artist-in-residence at my school CCEGGS. If you are interested in seeing some of his other work or that of his daugher, Diahann Syndicas, or photographer brother Alexander Syndikas, you can go to the following URL: http://www.archsign.com.au/asg-online-gallery.html . Hope you enjoy their work if you do choose to take a look. I might post some of my own work at some stage too!

#10 On Line Image Generators

It is interesting to see the different sites that are available. Some links were a little confusing, but I thought that some of the animations on JellyMuffin.com were interesting. I chose this Winter based snowflakes falling (http://www.jellymuffin.com/icons/seasons/) - I'm a Winter and love snow, so I thought it appropriate. Still going on this stage though! I also attempted to make an animated image, but the blog didn't seem to like the html when I added it. Will try again!




Myspace Codes

I tried making a button on Cool Text: Generator Image which was quite interesting.

#9 Virtual Worlds

Interesting to have a look at these. I knew they existed and have avoided them generally due to the nature of these sites - addictive to some. It is a funny thing, but I can see the attraction to use a virtual world. Second Life and WoW are known to me and students have often talked about them. I think this is part of the reason that I have not looked at them before now. It is a bit like Chat Rooms and Social Networking Sites. I am hesitant to use them. In this case, the potential to meet up with a student is actually quite high in the virtual world, but it is likely that you don't know the identity of the person behind the avatars that you meet.

A fascinating concept though. If I had the time to explore one, I think it would be a lot of fun.

#8 iGoogle

I have seen this before and it seems to have a lot of options. I have a hamster on mine. Cute! I also have a game of memory - one of my favourite as a child.

Having the different features available - by selection is a great feature. This can enable more control of what you are wanting to access, not just doing general searches, but rather focused depending on the category.

I like that it is able to be personalised. Looking forward to how it will look in the day over the night!

#7 Google Books

Fantastic resource if the book you are looking for is there. I looked up two of my favourite novels - Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. Both were there. I also looked up some non-fiction relating to my husbands interests and work area (Model and Prototype Trains). My books were there in full versions as well as directing to sites to purchase, but his were only acknowledged without any preview or copy available at this point in time.

It will be interesting to explore what non-fiction works might be available - being a teacher of Visual Communication and Design (also Art by interest and training) let alone resources for my faculty which includes food and materials (woodwork etc) - it would be a good facility for students to access if there are resources of this nature available. Draw back is that they might be still under copy write for many of these areas.

On a personal note, I can see it as a useful tool. I have a Smart phone and this would enable me to access books away from home, school or a library so long as I have reception for my girls and I.

#5 Google Maps

This is not new to me. I have been using this function for some time. It is really good to locate unknown places or to highlight locations for different events. It is great that you can highlight places by designating them on maps, and also it is an interesting facility that shows the locations on the side of the window. Concern for this is that when the images were taken, this was unbeknown to the people. Easy to remove images - my parents had to do this as it showed directly into their house (well garage anyway) with my father standing there!

#5 Google +

Well, I tried like others before me to use Zoho Writer. And like those before me, I got the grey screen. I went out and tried again, but despite all my efforts, it would not post to my blog! I even managed to work out how to change to the https setting that it demanded. After all this, I still could not post it properly. It kept telling me that my password and login name were incorrect. I double checked everything and still it wouldn't work. Oh well, it was interesting to try it anyway.

Activity #4

Wow! So much information to absorb. It is amazing to see the depth that is available and not generally considered. My memory is also not what it used to be! (That makes me sound so old!). There is a lot out there to try - just have to find more time to explore it properly.

Who am I?

ACTIVITY # 3

Well, my name is Caroline and I teach at a Christian College on the outskirts of Melbourne.

When I was setting up my blog and worked through the design settings and made all the choices for font, colour, background etcetera, I discovered that there was a design that was very close to my own work. when I was a student, I was very active in the art form of Polychromatic Screen Printing. Funnily enough, this background is just like that work. So, needless to say, it stands to reason that I am one of the Creative Arts teachers at my school.

I hope to learn about blogging and using it in an educational capacity and any additional activities along the way.

First Time

Well, this is my first blog! Not sure about my page set up, but that will get better with working on it.

This wasn't a difficult task to set up, but a bit fiddly when it didn't work properly the first time. Now it is all done, full steam ahead!