Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Journal #7 My Personal Learning Network (NETS-T 3,4,5)
My PLN:
My personal learning network right now is still small, but this allows me to get used to the amount of information that I am receiving. It comprises a lot of resources, whether these are articles, videos, ideas, or actual people; all of which I can use in future as an educator. Over time I anticipate my PLN to grow a lot, but because it is still new to me, I don’t want to become overwhelmed by the amount of information that is out there too quickly.
Twitter:
Participating in my first #edchat on Twitter was a surprising experience for me. I picked the 9am #edchat on 3/22/11, with the topic being “What methods of old education are not working?” For the first 10 minutes or so the tweets coming in were slow, then it began to become very fast paced where I was not able to read all of them coming in, especially those with links to outside resources. There were some ideas that I agreed with like getting rid of textbooks, because they become outdated so quickly and cost so much; and one idea in particular that I just can’t wrap my head around of getting rid of the teacher’s desk and chair, and this idea was re-tweeted by many as an awesome idea. The premise for it is that many teachers choose to sit rather than engage with their students actively, but I just can’t find the reasoning how this would make an ineffective teacher effective. Based on some of these ideas I chose to follow a few new people on Twitter and make them a part of my PLN. One educator @peoplegogy seemed to agree with me on the chair issue, so I followed him. As the ideas came in throughout the hour, I soon realized that this person had a very jaded view on education, and seemed content with not attempting to help students beyond the classroom; while I agreed with his thoughts on one matter, I could not on most others. I think this type of person would help to bring balance into my PLN, generating ideas that I might not otherwise think of; we will see as time goes on. I also chose to follow @shellterrell, some of her ideas were really outside the box which I liked, but some also seemed very unpractical; but in any case it was a discussion that can generate ideas that maybe find a useful middle ground. Being my first experience with one of these chats, I chose not to actively tweet this time, I wanted to see how things work first; towards the end of the discussion I even saw @jeffheil65 discussing @peoplegogy’s overly pragmatic approach to education. @cybraryman and @dwarlick are also new educators that I chose to follow, but I did not see too much from them during this discussion, a couple things from @cybraryman but things may have been moving too fast for me to see it.
Diigo:
Diigo is interesting to use as a networking tool, I found it really easy to just keep clicking through links and finding new sites based on what other people bookmarked based on the site I was on. The first site I tagged PLN was a blog listing of the “50 best technology blogs you aren’t reading yet.” This was one of those case where by clicking one of the suggestions, you end up finding a lot more by checking the blogs that that blog follows and so on, it seemed like a useful resource in finding other educators and their ideas. I also tagged “Mr. Riley’s Blog,” I can’t remember how I came to this one, but he is a computer science teacher that wants to give other teachers ideas to incorporate technology into their class. I also added “The educators pln” which seems to be a very in depth resource not only for information, but for connecting with others. Two other sites I added are actually the sites of those I found in the #edchat discussion, and they are the peoplegogy blog and the cybraryman site. I liked the fact that they are people whom I have seen converse in the cyber realm, and there sites not only shared their opinions, but linked to other blogs as well.
Digital Discussion Forum:
I visited Classroom 2.0 and browsed through the forums and found one posting asking members to say what technology they use and like in their classroom. Prezi seemed to be new to many members and be making its impact; one member posted a video (http://digitaldollar.edublogs.org/2010/02/01/the-55-interactive-whiteboard/) of how one man invented a way to make a digital whiteboard out of a Nintendo Wii remote, that had a lot of functionality to it at a fraction of the cost of an expensive retail version. This absolutely blew my mind, the second I saw him start to use it I wanted to build one right then, I just don’t have access to a projector right now, but this is definitely something I would use in the future when I become a teacher, the uses of it are endless. I also watched the video “Education in the Future...NOW!!!” http://www.classroom20.com/video/education-in-the-futurenow-1, this video showed some of the amazing ways technology is being incorporated into one charted school in Hawaii, they are really big on crossing art with other subjects, specifically science and history. As an artist by nature, I credit this trait with my ability to think outside of the box and be able to problem solve in ways that others aren’t able too, I think being able to instill this trait into students at a young age is extremely beneficial, so I was very happy to see these students and the types of projects they were doing. The fact that they are making their own virtual reality ship, to sail virtually to a companion class’s ship in another country is awesome.
My personal learning network right now is still small, but this allows me to get used to the amount of information that I am receiving. It comprises a lot of resources, whether these are articles, videos, ideas, or actual people; all of which I can use in future as an educator. Over time I anticipate my PLN to grow a lot, but because it is still new to me, I don’t want to become overwhelmed by the amount of information that is out there too quickly.
Twitter:
Participating in my first #edchat on Twitter was a surprising experience for me. I picked the 9am #edchat on 3/22/11, with the topic being “What methods of old education are not working?” For the first 10 minutes or so the tweets coming in were slow, then it began to become very fast paced where I was not able to read all of them coming in, especially those with links to outside resources. There were some ideas that I agreed with like getting rid of textbooks, because they become outdated so quickly and cost so much; and one idea in particular that I just can’t wrap my head around of getting rid of the teacher’s desk and chair, and this idea was re-tweeted by many as an awesome idea. The premise for it is that many teachers choose to sit rather than engage with their students actively, but I just can’t find the reasoning how this would make an ineffective teacher effective. Based on some of these ideas I chose to follow a few new people on Twitter and make them a part of my PLN. One educator @peoplegogy seemed to agree with me on the chair issue, so I followed him. As the ideas came in throughout the hour, I soon realized that this person had a very jaded view on education, and seemed content with not attempting to help students beyond the classroom; while I agreed with his thoughts on one matter, I could not on most others. I think this type of person would help to bring balance into my PLN, generating ideas that I might not otherwise think of; we will see as time goes on. I also chose to follow @shellterrell, some of her ideas were really outside the box which I liked, but some also seemed very unpractical; but in any case it was a discussion that can generate ideas that maybe find a useful middle ground. Being my first experience with one of these chats, I chose not to actively tweet this time, I wanted to see how things work first; towards the end of the discussion I even saw @jeffheil65 discussing @peoplegogy’s overly pragmatic approach to education. @cybraryman and @dwarlick are also new educators that I chose to follow, but I did not see too much from them during this discussion, a couple things from @cybraryman but things may have been moving too fast for me to see it.
Diigo:
Diigo is interesting to use as a networking tool, I found it really easy to just keep clicking through links and finding new sites based on what other people bookmarked based on the site I was on. The first site I tagged PLN was a blog listing of the “50 best technology blogs you aren’t reading yet.” This was one of those case where by clicking one of the suggestions, you end up finding a lot more by checking the blogs that that blog follows and so on, it seemed like a useful resource in finding other educators and their ideas. I also tagged “Mr. Riley’s Blog,” I can’t remember how I came to this one, but he is a computer science teacher that wants to give other teachers ideas to incorporate technology into their class. I also added “The educators pln” which seems to be a very in depth resource not only for information, but for connecting with others. Two other sites I added are actually the sites of those I found in the #edchat discussion, and they are the peoplegogy blog and the cybraryman site. I liked the fact that they are people whom I have seen converse in the cyber realm, and there sites not only shared their opinions, but linked to other blogs as well.
Digital Discussion Forum:
I visited Classroom 2.0 and browsed through the forums and found one posting asking members to say what technology they use and like in their classroom. Prezi seemed to be new to many members and be making its impact; one member posted a video (http://digitaldollar.edublogs.org/2010/02/01/the-55-interactive-whiteboard/) of how one man invented a way to make a digital whiteboard out of a Nintendo Wii remote, that had a lot of functionality to it at a fraction of the cost of an expensive retail version. This absolutely blew my mind, the second I saw him start to use it I wanted to build one right then, I just don’t have access to a projector right now, but this is definitely something I would use in the future when I become a teacher, the uses of it are endless. I also watched the video “Education in the Future...NOW!!!” http://www.classroom20.com/video/education-in-the-futurenow-1, this video showed some of the amazing ways technology is being incorporated into one charted school in Hawaii, they are really big on crossing art with other subjects, specifically science and history. As an artist by nature, I credit this trait with my ability to think outside of the box and be able to problem solve in ways that others aren’t able too, I think being able to instill this trait into students at a young age is extremely beneficial, so I was very happy to see these students and the types of projects they were doing. The fact that they are making their own virtual reality ship, to sail virtually to a companion class’s ship in another country is awesome.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Journal #6 (NETS-T 3,4,5)
Warlick, D. (2009). Grow your personal learning network. Learning & Leading With Technology, 36(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-march-april-2009.aspx
Summary:
This article discussed the ways in which personal learning networks (PLN’s) have evolved into the technological age. We have all had some sort of PLN, these are the family, friends, colleagues and associates by which we have grown to rely on. Now we can broaden these PLN’s to encompass people from all over the world with tools like blogs, wiki’s, Twitter, and Diigo. The article discusses the different types of PLN’s, like those that are instant (synchronous) like a conversation (text messaging, Skype.) Those that are nearly instant (semi synchronous) like virtual chatting, Twitter, Facebook. These are where a question or topic can be posed, and responses given, but there is not pressure for the response to be immediate, you are able to multi-task while in this sort of interaction. The author also gave some very useful tips on streamlining the amount of information you receive. Tools like RSS readers and Diigo can help you to be selective on the updates of blogs and news articles that you receive, and you can choose when to view them; these tools merely tell you when there is new information for viewing.
Question 1: “It is easy to become overwhelmed with the amount of information available online, how can you counter this so you receive the most useful information to you?”
The author states in the article to start slowly, I think that is one of the most useful pieces of advice. Rather than subscribing to every newsletter and update you can think of when you first start, just pick a couple that you think will be the most useful. As time progresses, these sites may recommend other authors/blogs/feeds that may be of use to you, and you can choose to follow them as well. It is an organic process that should be allowed to happen, rather than forced. Making use of RSS feeds to let you know when there is new information is also extremely helpful because you can decide if and when to view it, rather than cluttering your inbox with the actual info every time it updates.
Question 2: “How can you ensure you are also receiving advice/tips that may be contrary to what you think, rather than things that only reinforce your view?”
I think this concept is important in all of our PLN’s, not just those in the virtual world. It is important to hear arguments that oppose your point of view, as well as those that reinforce it. Often times new ideas come out of such discussions with those who believe something different. I think it is important to subscribe to a couple of reputable sources of information that you may often disagree with, but have respect for. This way you are also hearing other points of views on a topic that interest you. It will not only help you to be more informed on a topic, but you can also share your point of view and maybe even alter their thinking on the subject as well. Even if no one changes their mind, good and meaningful discussions can come out of this.
Summary:
This article discussed the ways in which personal learning networks (PLN’s) have evolved into the technological age. We have all had some sort of PLN, these are the family, friends, colleagues and associates by which we have grown to rely on. Now we can broaden these PLN’s to encompass people from all over the world with tools like blogs, wiki’s, Twitter, and Diigo. The article discusses the different types of PLN’s, like those that are instant (synchronous) like a conversation (text messaging, Skype.) Those that are nearly instant (semi synchronous) like virtual chatting, Twitter, Facebook. These are where a question or topic can be posed, and responses given, but there is not pressure for the response to be immediate, you are able to multi-task while in this sort of interaction. The author also gave some very useful tips on streamlining the amount of information you receive. Tools like RSS readers and Diigo can help you to be selective on the updates of blogs and news articles that you receive, and you can choose when to view them; these tools merely tell you when there is new information for viewing.
Question 1: “It is easy to become overwhelmed with the amount of information available online, how can you counter this so you receive the most useful information to you?”
The author states in the article to start slowly, I think that is one of the most useful pieces of advice. Rather than subscribing to every newsletter and update you can think of when you first start, just pick a couple that you think will be the most useful. As time progresses, these sites may recommend other authors/blogs/feeds that may be of use to you, and you can choose to follow them as well. It is an organic process that should be allowed to happen, rather than forced. Making use of RSS feeds to let you know when there is new information is also extremely helpful because you can decide if and when to view it, rather than cluttering your inbox with the actual info every time it updates.
Question 2: “How can you ensure you are also receiving advice/tips that may be contrary to what you think, rather than things that only reinforce your view?”
I think this concept is important in all of our PLN’s, not just those in the virtual world. It is important to hear arguments that oppose your point of view, as well as those that reinforce it. Often times new ideas come out of such discussions with those who believe something different. I think it is important to subscribe to a couple of reputable sources of information that you may often disagree with, but have respect for. This way you are also hearing other points of views on a topic that interest you. It will not only help you to be more informed on a topic, but you can also share your point of view and maybe even alter their thinking on the subject as well. Even if no one changes their mind, good and meaningful discussions can come out of this.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Classroom Newsletter
I created this newsletter using Microsoft Word, and saved it as a PDF.
(NETS-T 1,2,3)
(NETS-T 1,2,3)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Journal #4 (NETS-T 3,4,5)
Ormiston, M. (2010, December 01). It's time to trust teachers with the internet: a conversation with meg ormiston. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/12/01/its-time-to-trust-teachers-with-the-internet-a-conversation-with-meg-ormiston.aspx?sc_lang=en
Summary:
This article discusses the difficulties that teachers face using digital tools in the classroom when there are Internet filters in place that block so many useful sites. District filters are often installed and run at default settings, meaning they block all social media as well as pornography. But a lot of sites fall under the social media category are are then not able to be utilized by the class. It is also mentioned how it is difficult for the teacher to try and get a website off the blocked list, because speaking with the IT department is often difficult, and speaking with an administrator does not always work because they will rely on the IT departments opinion.
Question 1: How could you convince an uninformed administrator about the values of a specific site?
I think if you were able to present visual evidence of a sites value, it would go a long way in convincing the administrator to unblock it. I know it could be difficult to show them a site that is blocked, but it would be possible to explore the site on a personal computer, and print out screenshots to illustrate how it works. I think these visual tools, coupled with a well explained lesson plan idea could persuade the administrator to help you with your goal.
Question 2: How can we ensure that an unblocked site like youtube.com is used appropriately?
If youtube were to be unblocked, I know the temptation would be there for students to look up the latest viral video or browse around for content that didn’t relate to the class. But I think if you set up established rules before hand, and use these tools with the students, instead of just letting them go at it on their own, then you can set a paradigm of responsible usage. With supervision and consequences for misuse, I think that you can help the students to stay responsible.
Summary:
This article discusses the difficulties that teachers face using digital tools in the classroom when there are Internet filters in place that block so many useful sites. District filters are often installed and run at default settings, meaning they block all social media as well as pornography. But a lot of sites fall under the social media category are are then not able to be utilized by the class. It is also mentioned how it is difficult for the teacher to try and get a website off the blocked list, because speaking with the IT department is often difficult, and speaking with an administrator does not always work because they will rely on the IT departments opinion.
Question 1: How could you convince an uninformed administrator about the values of a specific site?
I think if you were able to present visual evidence of a sites value, it would go a long way in convincing the administrator to unblock it. I know it could be difficult to show them a site that is blocked, but it would be possible to explore the site on a personal computer, and print out screenshots to illustrate how it works. I think these visual tools, coupled with a well explained lesson plan idea could persuade the administrator to help you with your goal.
Question 2: How can we ensure that an unblocked site like youtube.com is used appropriately?
If youtube were to be unblocked, I know the temptation would be there for students to look up the latest viral video or browse around for content that didn’t relate to the class. But I think if you set up established rules before hand, and use these tools with the students, instead of just letting them go at it on their own, then you can set a paradigm of responsible usage. With supervision and consequences for misuse, I think that you can help the students to stay responsible.
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