Final Reflection

My EC&I 831 Journey

My beginning

• Created this sweet healthy lifestyle blog using WordPress (I had created one for my classroom over 3 years ago but didn’t stick with it, as it became work that I could put off).
• I quickly learned what a widget was and the ins and outs of my WordPress dashboard.
• Created a professional Twitter account so that I could share information relevant to technology, social media and my PLN
• Joined a Google+ Community which I didn’t know existed before this class.
• Chose to complete a Digital Project on leading a Healthy Lifestyle

Along the way

• Learned how to properly set up my blog and blog pages, and also ask for help when I ran into problems
• Visit other blogs and tried to add comments or ask questions
• Ohh my, I realized I was stealing images for years! Not to worry I now know how to properly use images and site them from popular sites like Compfight
• I also learned some short cuts for adding in images
• ongoing attempt to to wrap my head around Twitter, all the ins and out and how to tweet and retweet

Not the end

• Learned that using Tags in my blog helped organized my work and helped me to get more followers
• Google+ community became an outlet for me to vent and I even tried to help other classmates as well with their questions and concerns.
• Developed relationship with a few classmates as I would visit their blogs, Twitter pages on a very regular basis!
• Summarized my learning using an animated movie using the Nawmal software

• I viewed my numbers and stats using WordPress and was excited to see what the numbers were showing. My popularity was represented by a graph.

 

 

• I increased my twitter presence with 63 tweets and 88 followers!

 

 

I plan to continue to use social media in my teaching and education but will also try incorporating it more with my students. I have started to bring more articles into the classroom for discussion, as I come across many different things relevant to the lives of students. There is so much learning that can take place through technology and online, it can be endless. I would love for my students to collaborate and connect with others around the world.  I think that language projects could be a fun venture, something about those cute seniors though.   I don’t want to be that teacher that only gives worksheets and transmits knowledge  I want to be the teacher that provides opportunity and experiences.

I can honestly say that this class has been a learning journey for me. For the most part I enjoyed the flexibility of an online course, but it sometimes was difficult to dedicate time to the readings, as I struggled doing last weeks haha, I really put the slack in slacktivism. It is such a different experience when you are in charge of your own learning, learning at your own pace, learning what you want. I plan to continue to blog my recipes and perhaps I will blog about being a new parent, that could be a fun venture if I have time.

Thank you everyone and see you online and I am look forward to reconnecting soon!!

Learning Knowledge in a Connected Age

Wow, another week flies by.  I quite enjoyed the readings and more so the videos this week, something about reading more than a few paragraphs on my laptop is torture, but somehow never a problem on my phone.  I will reflect briefly about each article, hitting a few points on what I have taken away and connections that I have made.  

Networked Student really clicked with me.  I do believe that all learning is networked.  As a student, it is very easy to put off reading or even avoiding purchasing a costly textbook.  Just last week a gal in one of the videos admitted that she rarely did the reading.  I think that knowledge and learning is moving past books.  Knowledge changes so quickly, and new edition textbooks are just annoying.  I believe that connecting with experts is such an amazing idea, technology at our fingertips allows us to connect with experts and authors by simply tracking them down on twitter or through the web.  I also am intrigued about iTunes U.  I think that I may just explore a free learning course this summer, such a cool idea.

Welcome to my PLE was such a cool video.  This girl is in grade 7, wow what a pro.  There is still hope for me to tweak my techno skills.  I think it is great that she is using note-taking software to help her keep track of her reflections.  A friend of mine uses Evernote for everything.  At the time, I was not sure if it was something that I needed in my life but as a way of keeping all your little notes, reflections and anything else you want to organize safe, it seems like something I should check out a little further.  I also think it is amazing that this girl is sending off her work to be peer reviewed; perhaps this is something that I should try.  Collaborative learning is the way of the future, and why not gain insight from others along the way.  I think that by having students use technology from such as young age make them so much more connected, even their learning, this young gal is proof.  She made a valid point about the learning being her choice as to the how and the when; quite often, it is nice to work at your own pace.  Overall, I think allowing the students the freedom to work on the internet will make them accountable in their learning and make them digital citizens.

The article on Connectivism has really illustrated how technology has reorganized life.  I believe that it is difficult to keep up with the changing knowledge; I understand this from the perspective of a Grad Student who has to find current research.  It is amazing that knowledge doubles every 18 months, wow!  As for informal learning, my brother always gave me a hard time about taking classes, he often pointed; out he could just read the book and be as smart as I am. Another valid point is the know how has changed to the know where to, quite often we turn to YouTube tutorials, online forums, or the web when we are looking for information on how something is done. Just today in my class one of the boys said, “Search it up” as we were chatting about the process of a grape turning to a raisin.  The fact that even young students understand that you just need to know how to Google something and voila you have the answer instantly.  My husband has noticed a decline in what he calls the “Bullshit factor”, buddies can no longer easily bullshit each other cause everyone has a smart phone and will challenge you on something that they don’t feel is accurate.

In the final article, Attention and Other 21st Century Social Media Literacies the author makes note of the disengagement from students.  As a teacher, I know that eye contact somehow equals attention; I am forever waiting on a student to pay attentional and look up front.  I know that while I am attending university class, it is respectful to pay attention and avoid distraction; I have even heard a Prof Stress that phones should be shut off and put away. Even as an adult, I am guilty of using my laptop at a staff meeting for multitasking, total partial attention.  I have run into problem with too much technology in the classroom, I thought about asking the school division to change the Wi-Fi password as too many students are distracted on Facebook during lessons, I understand the necessary intervention that banned the internet use in university classrooms.  Many people in society are always attending to media, I am guilty as I can’t even watch a TV program without googling or face booking, my husband is the same way.  Even when people are in a group, someone typically has their cell phone out.  I enjoy making the connections with the articles to my teaching and my personal life, wow I am networked!!