"Spring Cleaning" of Applications!

I wanted to take some time over Christmas break to decide which applications I would continue to use in the new year and which ones I would let go of. Which ones I would focus more time on, and which ones I would not. Technology can get very overwhelming if you sign up for too many areas of sharing information. I have done this, where I don't feel that I am using any of my applications well because my time and energy is just spread too thin!

Well here are some of my decisions:

I want to spend my time this year in these main areas:

Google+ I like the way that Google+ is set up. I like choosing circles, having people overlap those circles. I like the Hangouts feature for leading small classes and the Hangouts on Air for reaching a larger audience. I would love to have several communities here that would serve our Canadian Homeschoolers. My Google+ profile is under Natalie Sing.

Twitter - I continue to use Twitter and Tweet Deck to learn, communicate and send out information to a larger audience. I would like to continue to build a community here, use hashtags more and use this as my daily check in… You can follow me on Twitter @rnsing

Newsify - this is my RSS feeder that I use for marking items as read and unread. I still use Flipboard to read on my Ipad, but for managing my RSS feed - I do that via Newsify. I have let go of several other RSS feeders but still have Feedly. 

Pinterest- I still really enjoy Pinterest. I have found it to be such a practical resource in so many ways. I use the search feature when I start building materials for any of my co-op classes and often find some interesting and creative ideas to add into the classes. I find ideas for future classes that I can store easily and visually.

Learnist - I would like to build some unique and interesting boards on Learnist and spend more time with it, but it just seems to fall at the bottom of my priority list. I am going to keep it around for 2014 and see if I use it more.

Scoop it - I would like to renew commitment to my Scoop it sites. I have neglected them and therefore not had the same information sharing on Twitter. This link is to my 21st Century Homeschooling site, I also have 21st Century Homeschooling Apps and 21st Century Techie Tools.

These are the areas I am letting go of:

Linked In - I am going to let this go and focus more on Google+ I have found that I am not really using Linked in and I would rather not be there than spend no time and energy there. 

Building Symbaloo Boards - I thought that I might use Symbaloo beyond my two main boards for all of my bookmarking, but since have decided that is not really feasible. It would be too many boards to find and sort through. I will continue to use my two main boards but may even make a switch here...

Scribd - at one time I had shared all my resources in Scribd - but have now moved them to Google for a much more seamless experience for readers of my blog to get materials. 

Three Ring -I used Three Ring for two years but now I have chosen a private blog for Elizabeth's portfolio and I am so happy with it! I know Blogger so well and there is so much more flexibility of sharing. I can share three...five...even seven pictures in a post rather than just one... I have many more features in Blogger that allow a fuller reporting for us. Our teacher can add comments and for next year I am hoping Elizabeth will contribute as well. Three Ring is a great portfolio builder, I just found Blogger usable for us.

I am undecided on these resources:

Mentor Mobs vs. Livebinders or??? - I am still determining the best way to create virtual units. I would love to hear any advice you have here. This may be where Learnist comes in but I just don't have a complete handle on this one.

I hope that this helps you in your quest of Applications and Social Media… 
Happy New Year and Blessings,

Natalie