Exploring Social Networking!

A few days ago I joined the social networking site called Teacher 2.0. I have spent the last few days learning about how this site can be useful to me and how to use networking to my advantage. There are some interesting aspects of this site that I think can be really useful to teachers who want to keep up to date and share ideas with one another. One of these elements includes information about virtual, open, and free conferences on various topics that members may attend. There are also options to suggest new ideas, forums, and groups for members to connect with one another over mutually shared interests. Some of the groups on Teacher 2.0 that might be useful to me are Professional Developers, Classroom Bloggers, and Tutoring. One that really interests me is Classroom Bloggers because it is about blogging with your students. I would like to use a blog with my future students and I think I could learn a lot from this group and the experiences of others. Another element of this site that is really interesting is the Web 2.0 feature which I have had fun exploring. It provides a lot of options for networking and peer professional development. Overall, the one thing I am certain of is that I still have a lot to learn about social networking. There are so many different options that I have seen on this site and other sites such as Classroom 2.0 and The Educator's PLN. I look forward to learning more about Teacher 2.0 as I build my profile, join different groups, and attend various virtual conferences!

A Learner is Like a...

I have recently explored the theory of Connectivism in relation to knowledge and learning in today's world. Both the concept of learning and the concept of the learner have been affected by the growth of technology. The theory of Connectivism takes into account technology and networks when defining or giving place to knowledge and learning in current times.

Today, a learner is like a mapmaker (cartographer). In making this comparison, I hope to highlight the fact that a learner must know where to find certain information or knowledge in order to be successful. Similar to a map, a learner must know where to find information (cities) and what sources (roads) to use to access it. I think that this is the perfect analogy for today's learner because knowing where to find information has become more important than learning all the information that is needed. This notion has become a necessary part of learning in the new age of technology.

In the article, "A Learning Theory for the Digital Age", Siemen discusses learning theories of the past including behaviorism, constructivism, and cognitivism. He then proposes a more up to date theory called Connectivism which relates better to learning today and provides an answer for the limitations of previous theories. In this article he says, "The pipe is more important than the content in the pipe". By making this statement, Siemens is demonstrating the fact that it is more important to know where to find "knowledge", than it is to know certain "knowledge".

Additionally, in the video, "The Network is the Learning", Siemen discusses how networks, nodes, and the relationship between the two represent the role of learning today. "What we know today is not as important as our ability to continue to stay current... If I'm not continually learning I'm becoming obsolete in my particular field or within a particular knowledge space...A network continually evolves and continually reforms itself." By making this statement, Siemen is highlighting the fact that today's learners need to stay as current and up to date as possible because technology and the knowledge provided by it is continually changing and growing.

Overall, learners today should be mapmakers. Know where to go to find the knowledge you need!

The Diigo Versus Scoop.it Debate!

I have recently learned about the use of internet tools such as Diigo and Scoop.it for social bookmarking and curating. I signed up and started an account using both of these tools. In general, they are both great resources for keeping a collection of websites that can be accessed from anywhere. They definitely show marked improvement from the use of the favorites or bookmark toolbar. I have at least sixty different websites in my favorites and it is nothing but disorganized chaos that I cannot even access from anywhere but my own computer using a specific browser. This is nothing but aggravating! Diigo and Scoop.it are both great options to resolve these problems and keep organized collections of useful websites.

One of my favorite features of both of these tools is the ability to follow other people's accounts and share information with one another over the web. It allows me to connect with people who have the same interests and therefore locate even more resources than only the ones that I have found. Both sites also allow its users to use multiple tags. This allows the websites to be sorted and organized under keywords for easy finding later.

However, there are various benefits that are unique only to each tool. For example, Diigo allows its users to highlight, capture, and annotate specific parts of the website for followers to see. This is one of my absolute favorite aspects of this site and something that I would use all the time. It is a great way to take notes and emphasize specific elements of the website for others to see. This would be extremely beneficial to my students when they decide to read online. Most importantly, it is a very interactive and engaging element for its users. Although this is an extremely useful tool, there are some limitations to Diigo that Scoop.it takes advantage of.

When using Scoop.it, the users can comment on the scoops of one another. This is great because not only can the user follow other people but they can also communicate through comments to expand their thoughts and ideas. This internet tool also provides suggestions for related articles which is extremely helpful when trying to expand your collection.

Now, in my opinion, there is a major difference when just simply looking at each site. Diigo seems to be slightly boring and does not look very appealing. On the other hand, Scoop.it has a lot of colors and pictures right from the start. It looks very engaging and interactive. Personally, I think Scoop.it looks much more approachable and friendly, especially to students who will most likely enjoy the flashy design.

Overall, if I had to choose to use one over the other it would be a very difficult decision. The highlighting, capturing, and annotating aspects of Diigo are extremely useful. However, Scoop.it is much more visually pleasing, suggests articles, and provides the ability to comment on each others scoops. I wish there was a tool that would combine each of these elements together. In the meantime, I guess I will be using Diigo for my annotating and highlighting needs while I will use Scoop.it for its design, comments, and suggested articles. However, I am sure it will not be too long before someone creates a tool that has all of these features since technology is changing and improving all the time!

Back to the Future! -- Technology in the Classroom!

Today I watched several videos about technology and the affect it has on education both now and in the future. Technology is a major part of people's lives outside of the classroom both for professional and personal use. It makes complete sense in this new technologically savvy world that students should be taught to use these new tools to their advantage.

One of the videos I watched, "The Future Starts Now", reflects directly on this idea. The video discusses the term "ICT" (Information and Communication Technology) and how it should be used in the classroom to motivate students and improve learning. The video speaks directly to the notion of building a "knowledge based society". It suggests that the way in which to do this is by using "gadgets" such as ipads, iphones, computers, et cetera. This video also mentions that ICT is the fifth basic skill of the curriculum in Norway. However, it is important for teachers to be educated on the use of ICT and the benefits it can provide so they will actually enforce it in the curriculum. It is suggested that it should be a part of pre-service teacher training. I completely agree with all of the statements made in this video. I can honestly say that without this class, I would not have known or cared to use many of these technological tools in my future classroom. However, after using these tools and practicing them as part of my pre-service training, it has definitely changed the way I will approach the use of technology in the classroom. I had thought of it as more of a hassle but now I would say that it can make education and learning both more motivating and accessible to all.

Another video I watched, "Social Media Revolution 2011", discusses the very drastic effects of technology on today's world.  It was obvious even before watching this video that technology is a major part of our lives outside the classroom. Yet, I think that this video does a great job of highlighting the extent to which social media has impacted our lives. I thought this video was very eye-opening because it provides statistics stating the effects of various social media sites such as Facebook on the world today. It is amazing to see such high percentages associated with the use of these various sites especially for professional purposes. One part of the video that really struck me was the quote, "We don't have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it," by Erik Qualman. I think this quote perfectly reflects on the way that not only technology should be used in the outside world but also in the classroom. For teachers today and in the future, the use of technology is no longer a choice. For me, it is simply a question of "how" to use technology in my future classroom.

The last video I watched, "Classroom of Tomorrow", gives some great visual examples of technology use in the classroom. It was really interesting to see the way classrooms would work using new technology. The video has images of students using their iphones and ipads to participate. It also gives great examples of the teacher using the devices during presentations. The way all of the devices are interconnected is shown in the scene when the teacher slides a stock market picture from his iphone right up onto the screen for the students to see. I would love to have tools like this to use in the classroom. It makes the learning process so much more motivating and inspiring when you can actually visualize and animate something the students are learning. It solidifies learning because it makes it an experience rather than just a list of facts.

Overall, I enjoyed watching each of these videos. I think they give a great view of technology in the classroom. It is altogether inevitable that technology is now a part of the world and must be a part of the classroom. I look forward to continue learning about these internet tools so I can use them in my future classroom. I am especially excited to use these different tools because it makes learning fun and interactive. I hope that my students will feel the same!

Using Blogs to Meet Learning Standards

There are numerous ways that I can use blogs with my own students and for my own professional development.

One important way in which I can use blogs with my students concerns the use of various grammar rules. I can post specific grammar rules that the students have been working with in the classroom. In response, the students can then comment with examples showing proper usage of the grammar rule, exceptions to the rule, and/or questions concerning the rule. I think this would be a great way to interact with students while they practice these grammar rules both inside and outside of the classroom.

Another important way in which I can use blogs with my students concerns reading goals and reflection. I would like to have my students post reviews and reflections of the books they are reading. This will not only allow myself to comment on their thoughts but also other students to see if they like the review and might want to read the books themselves. This also helps build their writing skills as they must use the proper format for a review or summary and edit accordingly.

Overall, it seems as if there are numerous possibilities for the usage of blogs with students in an ESL classroom. I think it would also be of use to create several different classroom blogs for various purposes. Then the students can reply to the "grammar" blog, "vocabulary" blog, "reading" blog, etc. It seems as though a very useful and fun tool for not only the students but also the teachers. It is a way for teachers to respond to students at home using the internet via computer or phone app. (Phone apps for blogging will be especially attractive to students as they are always on their phones.)

Official learning standards in my field (ESL) that student blogging could meet include:

Standard 1 (Intermediate Grades 5-8): Students will listen, speak, read, and write in English for information and understanding.
Performance Indicator 12: Convey information and ideas through spoken and written language, using conventions and features of American English appropriate to audience and purpose.

Standard 2 (Intermediate Grades 5-8): Students will listen, speak, read, and write in English for literary response, enjoyment, and expression.
Performance Indicator 10: Create, discuss, interpret, and respond to literary works, using appropriate and effective vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and punctuation in writing, and using appropriate vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation in speaking.

Standard 4 (Intermediate Grades 5-8): Students will listen, speak, read, and write in English for classroom and social interaction.
Performance Indicator 1: Use a variety of oral, print, and electronic forms for social communication and for writing to or for self, applying the conventions of social writing.