Vanity Search Week 7

As this semester comes to an end I reflect on my new vanity search and how it has changed in the last 7 weeks from the start of this class. When I searched for my name online there wasn't much change from the first of the semester. Now for how I have changed as an educator and how I will implement it in my classroom with my students? I will def. use the web 2.0 tools of glogster and maybe even blogging. I have my English 1301 students write a daily journal in class but I may set it up to where they do it online. My only concern with that is to what extent I can do it since we will be in a college classroom without computers. But I could make them do it online on a site where they blog, as we did in here and use a wiki to share with others in the class. And google docs, I love the collaboration used here....will use it without a doubt. I have used dropbox this semester and they hated it, but I plan to continue using it because I feel it is a relevant tool that they will need to utilize later in their college years. I enjoyed this semester with all my classmates and Dr. B again. ;) Thanks for all the feedback

Final Reflections week 6 & 7

When I started this class I thought I was aware of a lot of web 2.0 tools. As the weeks went on I learned that yes I may have been exposed to them but I didn't know all there was to know about web 2.0 tools and they are ever changing so it is one thing to know about them but another to really use them. Take the social bookmarking, I had been required to do it for another class but I had no idea that you could form groups in it. Also twitter, I had never used it before this class, I didn't hate it but I am not sure I will use it again.
Of course there are many advantages to using the web 2.0 tools the one that I think is the most prevalent is that they are great for collaboration. In today's society when teaching the 21st century learners it is important that we meet their learning needs and create a collaborative learning environment... what better way to do this then by using web 2.0 tools.  The only thing that I would like to see more of is more teacher training related to these technologies because as of right now I believe they are the future of education, yet schools aren't making room for funding to train teachers or for the proper equipment and maintenance related to that. As far as avoiding something related to these web 2.0 tools, I can not see that as of right now. In evaluating one specific tool this semester I will evaluate glogster, which is the tool I used for my final project. I think it is a useful tool that students can learn from because it has a way to make an online poster that links to other related information. It also helps students stay on task with what they are researching, very good example of a web 2.0 tool.

Social Bookmarking week 5

Social bookmarking is not a new concept to me, I have had to use it before for another educational technology class. I am so thankful that I was exposed to it and had the chance to learn some about it. I have used it for several semesters now and think of it as my online portfolio so to speak. I know if I bookmark something I can go back to my library and find it. I like that it has collaboration as well, because as a teacher that is essential to being a lifelong learner and demonstrating to our students how to be just that. I learned something new though when I had to "join the group" for this class in social bookmarking, I didn't know that was part of it. I like that a lot and can see using that in my college classes that I am currently teaching. Overall my adventure with social bookmarking was a very informative one and one in which I keep learning and bookmarking. :)

Week 4 adventures

I have used something similar to this before with google home but they got rid of it and I was upset because I loved that I could make the home page exactly what I wanted to see. I did quotes, post it notes, and news feeds. This one is a bit different because it isn't a homepage I don't think. I didn't get a chance to spend a lot of time on it this week but I do want to get into it and see what aspects it has to offer. I did my project proposal as well. I am having students make a glogster, it is an interactive poster. I think they will enjoy it very much.

Youtube and Twitter Adventure

This week we were asked to explore youtube as a teaching tool, which I have done for the past years that I have taught so it was nothing new to me. I am teaching English 1301 this semester for the first time and I find youtube to be my go to whenever I have a question about how to explain an assignment to my classes. It seems to always have the best explanations and in a way students can relate. I haven't used it as a how to tool in everyday life though, as my husband and Dr. B has. I do love the idea of having my son use it as a scouting technique for future potential colleges, whomever shared that thanks :)  I am learning so much in this class about web 2.0 tools.... some I had been exposed to and some I have not. I brought up webinars in the discussion post because those are honestly one of my favorite web 2.0 tools. Now on to the twitter adventure.... I am still learning YES 3 weeks into it. I have found some interesting links and people to follow but I tend to be somewhat wordy, must be the English teacher in me and I just don't see the point of only writing something that is only 140 characters! lol  I have more to say than that, no matter if some want to hear it or not. Overall I am learning and reflecting on what I can use in my college English classes.

Technology tools evaluated my 5.. group adding theirs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sqazQs8YBwDrIn35qn9FXlaumhoN9_WAen7iqSSnG-s/edit

Twitter as an educational tool

I will say, the twitter thing is still taking some getting use to for me. I don't hate it but I don't like it YET either. With that said I do see how it could be used as an educational tool. I follow a wonderful woman who has a plethora of information and here is a link to her talking about teachers and twitter and giving links to resources related to twitter for teacher, take a look. You will enjoy it I hope as much as I did.
http://www.schrockguide.net/twitter-for-teachers.html

Now what are some ways teachers can use twitter as an educational tool;
1. I had my students write out a twitter update, it could only be the 140 characters allowed by twitter. The lesson was meant to show them the difference in social writing and academic writing. They enjoyed it
2. Twitter could be used as a collaborative tool for a class, meaning if students needed to do a group project they could hash tag one another ideas and so forth.
3. Also it could be used to share ideas among the class as educators.

Digital Footprints

Digital footprints are obviously what we leave behind in terms of the web, correct? When I did my vanity search I came up with mostly facebook post that I had done in the past but not only that I came up with a lot of the facebook post I had even just liked. So it got me to thinking.... it really is true that what we do on the web never really goes away. It follows us so to speak no matter what. I saw post I had liked 3 years ago, but they were associated with my name, pretty scary. That leads me to the belief I always tell my kids and even my students, watch what you post online. Pictures, post any of those things can be followed and now even sometimes by possible job applicants. Very interesting assignment and extremely eye opening. I think it is important for us as educators to teach students how to navigate the web and how to do proper research on it. I spent almost 2 weeks now going over how to search a credible website with my English 1301 students, they are about to turn in their research projects. Let's see if the listened to anything I said :) 

ETEC 597

Hi there, 
I am coming back to this blog for yet another ETEC class. I love learning and I'm looking forward to what is in store for us this semester. Please follow me...we have so much to learn from one another. Thanks, Angel