Thing #9

This assignment was by far the most time-consuming we have done so far. I had high hopes for my sandbox wiki after browsing others from the previous assignment, but once I got in the sandbox, I realized that adding content was a little more difficult than I thought it would be. It started out with the table of contents, where I didn't quite understand that there had to be 2 brackets since the example only had one set. Then I added the required headings and content. Once I figured out how to add what I wanted, it then became easier and I began to look for new things to add. In my previous post, I referred to my fascination with a voki. I am proud to say that I created my very 1st voki to attach to my very 1st wiki page. I LOVE it and will be adding one to every other webpage I create. All in all, once the page was done, aside from a few minor formatting errors, I came away from the experience pleased with myself and certain that I can make another wiki without much trouble.

Thing #8

Wikis are definitely in my future as an educator. Browsing the wikis showed me the variety of uses and applications. Wikis are as diverse as blogs and can be just as interesting. There were some that were very structured and contained many links to other sites for informative purposes, and others that were less structured and fun-to-read. By far, my favorite thing I found while browsing wikis was called a voki. It dazzled me so much that I automatically knew that Grazing for Digital Natives would be bookmarked for future use. A few of the wikis were daunting because of all the information that was presented, and seemed to taken a lot of time and effort, which I usually run out of during the school year. Even though they were perfect resources for students, after a while it seemed that making sure the weekly lessons and assignments were linked would become an exhausting task. It almost seemed that I would need a webmaster to do all this and take care of my classroom duties as well. I also thought about the over-achievers who would look ahead and be ready to teach the lesson by the time we started. This would actually be a plus because I would probably ask that student to take it further and do a little web-research to find real world applications and present those to the class. Then I saw the sites that were more student-generated. These sites seemed much more manageable due to the fact that the students performed the research and linked the sites they felt had great information. In this type of wiki, I would just make sure the information they linked was accurate and since the students generated it, I feel their peers would be more open to using it. I also like the idea of students being able to collaborate and find their own resources. My favorite example of this actually came from the Wiki Wiki teaching blog post where the students created their own wikis to study and review for their tests. I was thinking of using a blog to do this, but I believe the wiki worked better. My all-time favorite wiki, however, balanced information with fun. In this one, there were virtual clinics that had doctors (with personalities) and patients that had to be diagnosed. In this one, the students explored the human body and had fun while doing so. I plan to find some wikis like this that are related to the topic I am teaching and allowing my students to explore them as an alternative to guided practice worksheets.

Thing #7

I had mixed feelings about comments on blogs. Since I have a blog that I can't wait for someone to comment on, I wish that more people would do it. But having read some blogs, even though you might want to comment, sometimes it is downright unnerving to do since you might not know if the author specifically welcomes comments or if your specific comment will be welcome. After reading 10 Techniques to get more comments on your blog, I decided to jump in with both feet. While searching my Reader for posts that would interest me, I came across the word autoethnography. Of course, this caught my attention and I had to find out more. It ended up being an inspiring video about the life of an Iowa teacher. Sadly, there were no comments, which led me to believe that no one had even watched the video. Since I have no comments on this seemingly insignificant blog that hasn't taken nearly as much time or effort as that touching video, I felt compelled to at least try to convey my gratitude to this person who decided to share her life with the world. It was almost as if I was validating this person's decision. After this experience I lost all commenting shyness whatsoever and started searching for anything else I could comment on. Then I also found a blog encouraging fathers to stay connected to their 21st century kids. It was so insightful that even though I am not even a parent, I was encouraged to use these techniques for the children I mentor. After commenting on these 2 blogs, I felt it was time to find an informational one, which is when I decided to search for another blog to add to my RSS feed. I ended up adding Make Friends With Food because of an post of How to spread healthy eating habits. I almost felt as if it was speaking directly to me, which of course meant that I had to comment once again to let the author know that their thoughts did not fall on deaf ears. Hopefully my blog will one day inspire someone as I have been inspired.

Thing #6

RSS feeds are the most innovative thing I have learned about blogging. I love the fact that I can go to my reader and see the titles and brief overviews of all the articles/blogs I subscribe to. Since I like reading about medical research and healthy living, I decided to add those to my reader and I am learning things that I am most interested in. I never watch the news unless there is a particular story that catches my attention and I am always frustrated because I have to wait for that story. With the Reader, I only subscribe to what I am interested in and don't have to wait. One article of interest was about distracted driving. I have seen commercials and been hearing about this topic for a while, but I wanted to know what type of research has been done. It was interesting to see the medical opinion because the author noted that physicians always ask about risky behavior, but don't ask about driving while distracted. Since I am a multi-tasker, I was also checking out the most salty foods and summer reading incentives for children. The latter was really interesting because I remember my local library's summer reading incentive program: RABDARGAB (Read A Book, Do A Report, Get A Buck). It delighted me that even though we are in a world where kids can find just about anything on the internet, that such programs still exist to encourage young readers.

Thing #5

Technology is constantly changing. Because of this, the people who keep up with technology are adapting quickly to change with it. In a recent Students 2.0 blog, one of the faithful bloggers noted that some of the students have stopped blogging because of boredom and moving on to bigger and better things. She then charged the readers to prove her wrong. I think that this blog represents the attitude that all teachers need to take with respect to integrating technology in the classroom. The same technology that teachers are trying to learn about, the students have already mastered it. Once it becomes integrated into the classroom, like all things shiny and new, the students love it for a while, then become bored with it. It is then our job as teachers to find something else new and shiny to keep the students engaged.

Thing #4

SP-817 Math Blog
This blog was very interesting because it was an ingenious way to keep absent students aware of what was going on in class. The blog was written from a student's perspective which made it easy for their peers to understand. It was not written in academic language, which is often how teachers present the information. Instead it was written in social language which would help even those students who are learning English. Students learn topics much better when one of their peers explains it. It could be a student-generated study tool for tests and exams that would help them much more than a non-interactive worksheet review ever could. This site was very useful for the teacher to also see what misconceptions students may have had during class and have an opportunity to reteach them.

CoolCatTeacher
This blog was both informative and scary. It is every teacher's nightmare that one of our disgruntled students will secretly film us and get us fired. This blog was written for information purposes and it performed that purpose very well. The teacher writing this blog however was not concerned with making sure she was 100% grammatically correct and in blogging society,it seems acceptable since it is not seen as a literary work. It is acceptable because even though it is supposed to have valid information, it is still someone's thoughts and opinions, almost like a virtual diary that other people can read and comment on. The blog is however similar to other types of writing because it has an introduction, body and conclusion, yet different because the format is very loose in structure.

Teaching 2.0 Teaching Brevity
This blog was very interesting because it was a well-thought out persuasive for teachers to consider emphasizing brevity in the classroom. This is very similar to other persuasive writings I have seen before, but different because since it was a blog, it had hyperlinks that made it much more interesting. It was also interesting to note that this particular blogger chose to include a short biography and a picture like most authors include on the back cover of their books. This blog was structured more like an editorial in a newspaper and captured my interest because of it. I also noticed that the author charged those who would respond to use the very concept he was writing about, which I enjoyed. Of course some of the responses followed and others did not, but it was wonderful to see that some agreed, others disagreed and some wanted more information. One commenter even gave the blogger another thought to blog about which is great because that person obviously enjoyed the blog and planned to read others by that author.

Weblogg-ed
This blog was completely different from the other 3 blogs in that it was 2 quotes from articles. The writer simply wrote a brief comment on the quotes, then asked for comments. This was much more interactive because the blogger was less concerned with showing off his writing skills and more concerned with other people's opinions and what could be done about the situation. This blog was by far my favorite because the focus was on the comments as opposed to one person's view on a subject. This type of blog could be a very easy way to get the student's opinion on topics discussed in class. I would enjoy having this type of blog the most because it is a way of having a debate or discussion outside of the classroom.

Thing #2

Certain teachers on my campus have blogs and moodle websites where the students can interact with them online. This is completely new to me because when I went to school, if I wanted to interact with my teachers, my only option was to talk to them by either raising my hand in class or attempting to catch them before or after class. Students nowadays can post questions on the teacher's blog after they have had sufficient time to process the information instead of having to track down an adult (that has a life and may or may not be available). Some students are also not as outgoing in personal situations as they are in online forums. These students now have an avenue to comfortably seek the help they need without the public humiliation they fear.

I want to have an interactive website that will allow students to blog their assignments. Lots of students do not realize that when teachers ask them to write, it is not a punishment. Teachers really want to see what their students’ thought processes are and if learning has really taken place as opposed to students faking it until they make it. I also would like to incorporate more online tools that appeal to my English Language Learners as well as my students that are not traditionally good test takers. It is important to incorporate technology especially the Internet in the classroom because students use it for so many other things. Using the Internet not only engages them into the lesson, it also helps them learn without them even realizing it. It also uses the medium of communication that they are most comfortable with.

I am already using Web 2.0 to learn new things, just by taking this class. Already I have thought of new ways to incorporate these things in my classroom and I am ready to start interacting with the Web more to find even more things.

Thing #1

The habits that may be the most challenging for me during my Learning 2.0 -23 Things experience are Habits 3 and 5.
Habit 3: View problems as challenges
Usually my 1st reaction to a problem is not to see it as a challenge. My 1st reaction is panic, pure and simple. After I calm down and become a mature adult again, I do find that the problem is just something that I have to go through to make me stronger. I would like to work on making the mature reaction into my 1st reaction.
Habit 5: Create your own learning toolbox
In life, I have been blessed with many resources. Many times, I feel as if I will be bothering that person if I call on them to do something, and I don't use them. After the fact, the person usually tells me that they would have been more than happy to help in that situation, had I only asked for it. I would like to work on using my toolbox as my 1st resort and not my last.

The habits that will be the easiest and most resonant for me are Habits 2 and 4.
Habit 2: Accept responsibility for your own learning
I have always loved to learn and I definitely take pride in it. I feel that my education and my yearning to learn more are things that can never be taken away from me. I value them dearly and don't mind sharing my knowledge with others because I have always believed that knowledge is power.
Habit 4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner
I have always had extreme confidence in my learning abilities because I love to learn so much that I know that I can learn anything I put my mind to. If I really want to learn something, all I have to do is let it catch my attention and once it has, nothing can stop me from learning all I possibly can.

The habit that I think will be most important for me as I work through this course is Habit 1.
Habit 1: Begin with the end in mind
As I work through this course, I know that I will get discouraged. When I decided to enroll in this course, I read the description and decided that I would like to know how to become a better lifelong learner. So when I get discouraged, all I will have to do is remember that this is helping me do one of my favorite things: learn more. This will keep me motivated and on track more than anything else I can use.