etc. Resources: the blog

Grown-Up Emailing

2010-08-27T20:27:00.001-04:00

At some point, it’s a good idea to get an “adult” email address. When emailing and instant messaging was new, it seems like a lot of people had “SexyBabe3,” “CoolDad444,” and “SkaterBoy99” type of emails. It was about personalizing it without giving out your real name. But there comes a time when it gets a bit embarrassing to say, “Oh, by the way, my email address is kittylover1@madeupmail.com.” Once you’re in college or a serious job, it’s more appropriate to give out your name at a college address, name or title at a business address, or a combination at another email service.

I’m always surprised when a peer gives me their email address and it’s something that I would expect a teenager to have. I’d recommend that if you have something that you’d be embarrassed to give out, you change it to something new – at least for your professional emailing needs.

If you have a website of your own, then you have absolutely no excuse. You can have yourname@yourwebsitename.com or something similar. If you don’t have your own website (yet… hint, hint… haha), then I’d recommend Gmail, Yahoo!, or Live.

Reusing the Wheel

2010-08-04T17:19:00.001-04:00

I’m not going to pretend that every website I do is a brand new, never-done-before masterpiece. I do good work, but I don’t reinvent the wheel with each new site.

Yes, I make sure to pay attention to each individual’s preferences and needs when I design a website, but I’m not going to start from scratch with each new client. Think about it… A teacher looks back on what she’s learned throughout her years of working with students when she’s working with a new class in the beginning of the school year. She doesn’t expect that this new batch of students is completely different than she’s ever seen before. I work the same way. I draw from experience of what I’ve done before and work it into the new site I’m creating.

I know what works and I communicate what I know to my customers once I know what they’re looking for. Sometimes clients wonder why I don’t just start designing their site before I talk to them – why I don’t use a template. I don’t want to just customize something that’s already been used for a million other clients. I want the visitors to recognize the uniqueness of the website they’re visiting. I like to have the vibe of the business or individual embedded in the website just like any widget would be.

Complementary Internet

2010-07-17T21:10:00.001-04:00

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “You can’t live on [fill in the blank] alone”? Faith, love, etc… Well, the same goes for the internet. You can’t live online alone. Anything you do online should be complementary to your “real life.”

What do I mean? Well, let’s start out small. You can’t live on Facebook and only have online friends. In most cases, your Facebook friends are family members and people you knew in high school, college, at work, etc… They’re real people that you know and Facebook is probably only one of the ways you keep in touch with them.

I always tell my customers the same type of thing with their business websites. Even though a website is a great way to reach your customers in a different way, it can’t be the only way you market. Sure, there are some businesses that allow transactions only online, but look around… I’m sure those businesses are doing various other types of marketing – in print, on television, on the radio, on billboards. Just like all of those ways of marketing complement each other, a website has to complement the current marketing you do… When you get the website, you should start putting its address on your brochures, business cards, posters, and ads.

There’s no one perfect way to market – otherwise there wouldn’t be so many different forms of media to utilize in your marketing plans. Let everything work together and hopefully you’ll reach a wide variety of people.

Responsible Editor

2010-07-13T18:46:00.001-04:00

Do you take websites and blogs seriously when there’s misspellings and number of grammatical errors littering the pages and posts? Maybe it’s just the former English major in me, but mistakes in language stick out for me more than anything. My question is, though, whose job is it to catch and correct these errors? If a website designer is given content by a client, does he have to correct it before he uploads it or is it up to the client to edit it for errors before she sends it to her webmaster?

What do you think?

My Favorite… Firefox Extensions

2009-11-05T08:51:00.002-05:00

Mozilla Firefox is my favorite browser. It’s fully customizable, easy to use, and best as far as I’m concerned when it comes to performance. I use Windows, but I’ve heard that Firefox works just as well on Macs.

As I mentioned, Firefox is fully customizable. But what does that mean? Well, you can create your own toolbars for optimal functionality, tweak the websites on the bookmark toolbar, choose your favorite browser theme, and install add-ons from a list of thousands of extensions.

I have a number of add-ons, but a few of them are must-haves as far as I’m concerned. Here are five of my favorites:

Xmarks Bookmark your favorite websites and access them on any computer with one easy account. Great if you work on multiple computers!
Firefox Showcase View all of your open tabs/windows with one click of your mouse. Helpful to navigate when you’re viewing multiple web pages.
Read It Later Want to revisit an article later, but don’t want it clogging up your bookmarks? Add it to your Read It Later list. Easy to add and remove sites!
FoxyTunes Control your media player (iTunes, Windows Media, RealPlayer, etc.) right from your browser. Find lyrics, bios, and more about the artists you’re listening to.
TinyURL Generator Create a TinyURL address for the web page you’re currently viewing. Especially good for Twitter and Facebook users.

Not sure where to start? Use the Fashion Your Firefox wizard to find the add-ons that will work best for you!

Positive Classroom Relationships

2009-10-20T06:27:00.002-04:00

Positive teacher-student relationships are important because when you come right down to it, learning can only take place when the student has a positive relationship with the one who is implementing the lessons in the classroom. But the question is, how do you create a positive relationship with each and every individual student in your classroom?

There are a number of specific behaviors that teachers can focus on to enhance her relationship with her students. Each are important in themselves, but together they are the keys to creating a positive social and emotional environment for the students in the classroom. These behaviors include:

Engaging in one-on-one interactions being sure to use eye contact
Using a pleasant, calm voice and age appropriate language
Using warm, responsive physical contact
Following the child’s interests during free play
Helping the child understand your expectations in the classroom
Redirecting the child when she’s engaging in challenging or inappropriate behavior
Listening to the child and encouraging him to listen to you and others
Acknowledging the child’s efforts and accomplishments

Using developmentally appropriate practice and taking into account a child’s individual needs, talents, and interests is important when it comes to fostering positive relationships with your students. Therefore, teachers need to understand the developmental level of the students they are teaching while all the while getting to know each of their students’ likes and dislikes.

Teacher-student relationships are important because they influence children’s social and emotional development directly. Research has shown that children who have positive relationships with their educators, especially at the early childhood level, go on to have secure relationships with future teachers and even their peers. When a student doesn’t feel comfortable and safe in his classroom, he tends to engage in more conflicts with his teacher and his classmates as well. Children who have rocky relationships with their teachers have a tough time interacting with anyone at school because they don’t know who to rely on or turn to for support.

My personal opinion is that it cannot be emphasized enough how important it really is for teachers and students to have a mutual respect for one another. Throughout my experiences, I have seen some teachers who can really connect with their students and therefore reach into their minds and engage them during instruction time more than they would without that positive relationship. On the other hand, there are teachers who do not take the time to get to know each individual child and some of those children fall in-between the cracks and do not benefit as much as they possibly could.

For example, I know of a child who had many behavioral issues throughout elementary school. Many teachers did not want to take the time to nurture his individual needs. Simplistically, he needed attention that he did not receive at home. He would do anything possible in the classroom to receive attention, even if it was mainly negative. When he began fourth grade, the teacher really recognized this in him and catered to his needs. Instead of recognizing negative behavior, she praised his accomplishments and focused on his interests. This particular student completely turned around during fourth grade and became a practically different kid, really demonstrating his strengths and getting attention for those instead of for negative reasons.

All in all, I believe that it is important for teachers to evaluate their relationships with their students. Even though there is oftentimes an emphasis on standards and expectations, the bigger picture involves making a difference in individual children’s lives and building a strong community. Productive interaction within the classroom will not truly begin until positive relationships between the teacher and her students are forged. I make a point to smile, talk in a warm and friendly voice, respect the children, get to know children’s interests, and make my expectations clear when I’m in a classroom. I hope that through my behavior, I can be important in the lives of the children I work with.

Variation

2009-10-16T17:35:00.000-04:00

In college, I majored in and earned a degree in elementary education. One thing I always liked about the idea of teaching school at the elementary level was the diversity of the subject matter. On any given day, I was teaching reading, social studies, math, science, art, music, et cetera… It made my day diverse and kept me just as interested as I was hoping the students in my class were on the subject material. I’m finding now, though, that the same “perk” applies to web development and design.

Although I like routines in terms of my day to day schedule, I enjoy variation in the content of my work. Web design definitely gives me the diversity I’m looking for. I’ve done websites for businesses, individuals, artists, stores, organizations, and events. It’s not only fun to design these sites, but also educational for me. Each time I work on a website, I learn more about various types of businesses, people, and groups.

This variation is an aspect of my business that I never considered or took into account in terms of my decision to make it my career, but I really am glad that it’s now a part of my job.

Educational Omniscience

2009-10-13T08:13:00.000-04:00

As I posted in the very first entry of this blog, “knowledge” can be defined as “knowing where to find the answer” rather than just simply having all of the information you need to know on you at all times. While I was speaking in general terms, the same sentiment is true when it comes to teaching.

Even though sometimes students view their teachers as omniscient, we know that that’s just not true. Teaching is not about always having the answer and it’s not about knowing everything. Let’s face it: it’s downright impossible for you to know everything. But it is possible for you to know where to find the answer.

The same goes with teaching teachers. There is no single educator who has all of the answers regarding the best practices in education (I apologize to all of my mentors, but it’s true!). It’s a positive idea to surround yourself with a number of people who may give you support and ideas in a number of different ways instead of relying solely on one person – especially if that one person is yourself. Whether it’s your classmates, fellow teachers in your building, professors, seasoned teachers you know in the community, or anyone else you happen upon, it’s important to use your network of teachers to aid in your craft.

I surely don’t claim to have all of the answers, but I hope that by coming together with a number of other educators, I can help create a resourceful and organized collection of lesson plans, classroom management strategies, and other ideas for teachers at all different levels of experience. I hope that you’ll contribute, too!

My Educational Philosophy

2009-10-06T09:26:00.000-04:00

I’ve been working on developing some educational resources as part of etc. Resources, but I wanted to start at the beginning and reevaluate my own teaching philosophy and my personal knowledge of education before I made anything available to the public. In doing so, I’ve decided to start blogging about an educational topic once a week, beginning today.

Before I went into my final semester of college at the undergraduate level, I completed a form with all of my information regarding my experience and beliefs pertaining to education. Below is a copy of the educational philosophy I wrote prior to student teaching in October of 2007. My beliefs regarding education remain strong and in order to explain how I feel about teaching and the education system in general, I’ve decided to share my philosophy with you.

***

I believe that the purpose of education is to teach children how to learn. Through the process of education, the students will be provided with tools from the teacher that will help them make positive choices throughout their educational careers and their lives.

All children are unique learners with individual learning styles and all students in a classroom must be given an equal chance to learn through differentiated instruction in the curriculum. Regardless of gender, cultural background, age, or individual abilities, every child needs to be treated equally and with respect from the teacher and his or her fellow students. The classroom community should be comprised of a network of learners taking strengths from each individual student’s special talents and interests, joining together for the greater good of the group. I feel that if enough guidance is provided for a child from a young age, that child will grow into a well-balanced adult.

I believe that teachers, as well as community members, are just as responsible as a child’s own parents in making sure that the process of a complete education is carried out. Teachers must work as partners with parents in order to keep children on track at both home and school. It is also a teacher’s role to make sure that all of Maslow’s basic needs are met for each and every child in her classroom. Once physiological, safety, and social needs are met, a higher level of learning can take place and the students can really begin to succeed. A teacher must constantly monitor the needs that she sees arise in her classroom to ensure that learning will be able to take place in a caring community of learners.

I believe that the way a teacher teaches, disciplines, and relates to students will affect those children for their entire lives. Teachers never know how much they influence the children they teach. Teaching styles and discipline procedures should be well-thought out to provide the most well-rounded and fair education to all students in the classroom. Positive relationships between the teacher and each student should develop in the classroom. With all of these elements working together, a classroom environment should evolve that promotes a positive view of education and an eagerness to continue learning.

Three Clicks

2009-10-02T07:43:00.000-04:00

There’s an unofficial rule in web design regarding how many clicks of a mouse it should take to find any desired information. Basically, it says that any user should be able to go on a website and find whatever information they’re looking for within three clicks of his mouse. If it takes more than three clicks, the user could become frustrated and go elsewhere to find the information.

In order to keep your website comprehensive and helpful to those who visit it, make sure that you (or your web developer) are aware of this “rule.”

Twitter Resources

2009-07-24T07:37:00.000-04:00

Articles & Guides

Twitter Support

Twitter 101: A Special Guide for Business

Twitter Basics
kcnn.org

50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business
chrisbrogan.com

10 Twitter Tips for Nonprofit Organizations
change.org

Twitter Tips for Internet Marketing
webmarketingexperts.com.au

Tools

#hashtags: What’s Happening Right Now
http://hashtags.org

Tweet a File: Share Files on Twitter
http://tweetafile.com

Twittonary: The Twitter Dictionary
http://www.twittonary.com

Twist: See Trends in Twitter
http://twist.flaptor.com

Twittercal: Tweet Your Google Calendar
http://twittercal.com

We Follow: Twitter Directory and Search
http://wefollow.com

Nearby Tweets: Find Twitterers Nearby
http://nearbytweets.com

Twivia: Trivia on Twitter
http://timdorr.com/twivia

Desktop Twitter Applications

TweetDeck
http://tweetdeck.com/beta

Twhirl
http://www.twhirl.org

Digsby
http://www.digsby.com

Resources Are Power

2009-05-01T19:55:00.001-04:00

I once heard “knowledge” defined as “knowing where to find the answer” rather than just simply having all of the information you need to know on you at all times. Therefore, I find being aware of the resources available to you is more important than having all of the facts memorized. Having a good idea of where you can obtain the information you need to find is what it really comes down to.

This is where etc. Resources comes in.

etc. Resources has a mission to provide information regarding the resources you could be using for your business, classroom, or everyday life. Whether you’re a small business owner, a teacher, or a technology lover, we have compiled a wealth of resources pertaining to online networking, social media, internet marketing, team building, teaching, and computer use.

Between one-on-one meetings, classes, our blogs, and our website, etc. Resources will be communicating with businesses and individuals to spread the word about a number of resources available to use in today’s media-rich marketing community.

Stay tuned and subscribe to our blog for updates.