Thing #5

I read Web 2.0 A guide for Educators and Teachers 2.0.  After reading these two perspectives, I come away with a sense of how far technology has come.  The internet has become a way to conduct business, interact socially, and an educational tool beyond belief.  School 2.0 means that education has advanced to the next level in regards to technology.  It is a tool that can expand the classroom to a virtual world and it can expand the knowledge of students with its thousands of resources. 
Schools in the future have an almost endless supply of tools to expand the knowledge of thier students.

Thing #4

The reason commenting on other blogs creates a sense of community and interaction is that when you do, you are contributing to a common interest.  Common interests are what makes a community closer and the interaction within that community keeps that common interest alive and growing. Take for example a community that has a strong interest in sports.  That community rallys around their sports teams by attending games, contributing finances to the team, and creating a sense of pride.  A similar type of pride can be created when a blog community comes together to contribute knowledge and/or advice about a particular subject.
Commenting on other blogs is also important because it can give the blogger a clearer focus on the topic at hand.  Your knowledge about a certain topic can enlightened the blogger and other viewers of that topic.  Commenting can also encourage the blogger.  A blogger loves nothing more than to have numerous comments and followers of their blog. 
The blogs I have chosen to follow were selected randomly. The blogs in our education dept. that I am following are: Kim Messer Things, Rachel Jone's 23 Things, Ms. Keith's 23 Things, April Bumpus, and My Blog Spot (Kara Wyatt).  The two blogs outside of our dept. were chosen because, one of them is a friend of mine, and the other because it relates to basketball and coaching.  They are: Troubleatthehenhouse.blogspot.com and www.hoopskills.com/blog/.
I commented on my friends blog about the school children who made a video in their school hall using cuss words and their suspension because of it.  I saw this particular video on youtube and was interested in the fact that some of the parents thought the children's free speech rights were abused.  I commented on the basketball blog because the blogger had an extensive list of suggestions for new coaches.  They were very helpful suggestions.

Thing #3

One of the ways that can be advantageous for me using a blog in my teacher education program is receiving input and feedback about the various topics that teachers can be confronted with. For example: dealing with an unruly student. Gathering input from veteran teachers about this topic would be invaluable.
The first thing that came to mind, in regards to using a blog for my future classroom, was telling a student with a talent for expressing himself/herself about the blog format and encouraging them to use it. I would also encourage the other students as well, teaching them about the way a blog is a great resource to get feedback on a wide array of topics.
I look forward to seeing the opinions of my fellow students about the topics we will encounter this semester, and gaining some knowledge from their thoughts.

Thing #2

The name I chose for my blog, CourtofHaislip, is not a reflection of my vast knowledge of courtroom procedures I have learned in my years of watching criminal and forensic shows on A&E. No, it's from my love of basketball and years of coaching my favorite sport. So I will be bringing my bouncing thoughts to the blogosphere from the hardwood of my mind.
Creating this blog was not as bad as I thought it would be. If you read my post about Thing #1, you know that computers and their procedures are not my friend. As long as I can have a step-by-step procedure for creating things, such as this blog, I usually do okay. Yes, I am that guy that goes through each step when building Christmas gifts for my children. No skipping here.
Creating the avatar for my blog was fun and semi-easy. Fun for the fact that I could have a full head of hair for the first time in a few years. Semi-easy because I had trouble pasting the image on my header. I could get the image on there, but not along with the title of my blog. So I improvised and typed in the title and description after I pasted the avatar. It was not exactly how I wanted it but for me I don't think it's too bad.
The avatar I created is the real me except for the above mentioned full head of hair. I chose to create my real self because...well I don't know. Did I mention I have a full head of hair on my avatar.

Thing #1

After watching the tutorial, the 7 1/2 habits of highly successful lifelong learners, I realized I have room for improvement in regards to being a better learner. The most obvious habit that I need to improve is my ability to use technology to my advantage. I sometimes think that keyboards know when I am using them, and they send a message to the computer screen saying, "old man alert, old man alert! He doesn't know what he is doing". The most simple of tasks can melt at my fingertips.
The habit that I find the easiest and most enjoyable is habit #7, teaching and mentoring others. The moment when you are teaching someone and the"light" goes off in their head is priceless. I do believe that one of the missions that every human being has is giving to others, whether it be money, time, or knowledge.
My hope is that I can master all of the habits in this tutorial. If not 7 1/2, maybe 6 1/2. Because I know that those sneaky keyboards are out to get me.