It is important to be aware of all the technologies available at our fingertips. This class has led me to many new and important websites, apps, blogs, and organizational tools that will make my life as an educator far more easy. I will admit that I probably will not use any of this information outside of the classroom. I will not suddenly become a cheerleader for a completely online life. I am 26 years old and feel that personal communication has deteriorated. I miss face-to-face conversations that don't involve my friends or co-workers checking their phones every 5 seconds. I will miss the world that I grew up in. I know what I will have to adapt to ensure that my students know that I am not a dinosaur.
Overall, this class was a continual learning process. Certainly it was necessary to be aware of what is going on in technology today and how we can apply it in a professional manner.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Thing 23: Creative Commons
Gee. We already accessed the website and information for another assignment in this class.
Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based on Learning 2.0 - 23 Things, a staff development program for the Mesquite Independent School District. That program was based on the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers and adapted by the California School Library Association and others. Content and style for Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers has been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License.
This is the credit found on the APSU 23 Things posted by Anne Wall for use by students taking the technology course.
One of the most important things for our students to understand is that the internet is not a free for all for information. They have to give credit where credit is due. They have to understand the concept of plagiarism and its consequences. It is important that we continue to pound this information into their heads at every grade level. We need to be able to provide them resources to help them, especially when assigned papers or projects where we want them to give us a resource list. It is practical information that they will use throughout their entire school life.
Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based on Learning 2.0 - 23 Things, a staff development program for the Mesquite Independent School District. That program was based on the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers and adapted by the California School Library Association and others. Content and style for Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers has been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License.
This is the credit found on the APSU 23 Things posted by Anne Wall for use by students taking the technology course.
One of the most important things for our students to understand is that the internet is not a free for all for information. They have to give credit where credit is due. They have to understand the concept of plagiarism and its consequences. It is important that we continue to pound this information into their heads at every grade level. We need to be able to provide them resources to help them, especially when assigned papers or projects where we want them to give us a resource list. It is practical information that they will use throughout their entire school life.
Thing 22: Keeping it Together: Livebinders
Livebinders is kind of like Livetext. Same principle at least.
I don't like this site. It is not easy to use. I understand the concept and can understand its usefulness. Possibly, I can see this being used by students to compile information for reports that they can share with me.
So. I am linking "Binder 1". I haven't done much beyond the basics because I really don't like this website. It's functionality is limited for me.
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1336649
I don't like this site. It is not easy to use. I understand the concept and can understand its usefulness. Possibly, I can see this being used by students to compile information for reports that they can share with me.
So. I am linking "Binder 1". I haven't done much beyond the basics because I really don't like this website. It's functionality is limited for me.
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1336649
Thing 21: Animoto
Preview of Aquarium
So. This was fun. It's really easy to use, especially when you link it to your Facebook. Of course, I am not a huge fan of doing that but it was expedient. I would like to do more of this but more on a personal basis than for professional. Although, I can see using this for motivational videos or videos to show my student's successes.
So. This was fun. It's really easy to use, especially when you link it to your Facebook. Of course, I am not a huge fan of doing that but it was expedient. I would like to do more of this but more on a personal basis than for professional. Although, I can see using this for motivational videos or videos to show my student's successes.
Thing 20: YouTube and Beyond
I use YouTube on a regular basis for research and for entertainment purposes. There are many great uses for this website and that's probably why it's so popular. Not to mention that it's so easy to use. That is always an excellent feature.
I don't like any of the other video websites or apps. I'm not downloading or allowing it to access my other accounts to "personalize" my experience. I don't have an IPhone or IPad so some of them wouldn't even work for me. Another reason why YouTube is so popular.
As far as the classroom is concerned, of course this would be useful. Students love videos and you can find some really educational ones that are entertaining as well. There are so many uses and teacher's can certainly take advantage.
Thing 19: Beyond Facebook: Other Social Networks
I have already admitted to Facebook and Pinterest. I also already use IMDB and GoodReads.
Social networks have many advantages. The main one being that we live in a technology bound world with a generation of students who are more technologically advanced than most adults. We have to be at least familiar with social networks in order to take advantage of communicating in this forum with our students. Also, as previously mentioned, it is a good way to connect with fellow professionals to keep track of useful information. It's most advantageous to be current with information and know that it allows for us to create a depth and wealth of knowledge that we might otherwise not know to access.
Social networks have many advantages. The main one being that we live in a technology bound world with a generation of students who are more technologically advanced than most adults. We have to be at least familiar with social networks in order to take advantage of communicating in this forum with our students. Also, as previously mentioned, it is a good way to connect with fellow professionals to keep track of useful information. It's most advantageous to be current with information and know that it allows for us to create a depth and wealth of knowledge that we might otherwise not know to access.
Thing 18: Explore Social Networking
I will respectfully decline to make use of Twitter. I do have a Facebook page and use it regularly but I will never use Twitter. I have friends and co-workers that have it and I have seen it, but quite frankly, I don't see it being something that I'll use as a professional. It's possible that I can link in with my students in the future with it but considering I plan to teach in the SPED department in a severe/profound classroom...I doubt it. Once again, I will reiterate my technophobe status and have created accounts that I think would be useful to me or show you the things I already use, however, I cannot accept Twitter.
Thing 17: Tagging and Social Bookmarking with Delicious
As far as Delicious is concerned...I'm not a huge fan.
I use Pinterest on a regular basis and I find this to be similar to what we are discussing here. I do like "pinning" and use it regularly to share likes/dislikes with family and keep track of what other teachers are doing in SPED classrooms all around the country.
These social bookmarking and tagging sites are useful for teachers the same way that RSS feeds are because it allows to you to simplify sharing information.
Granted, this is set up more for social sharing of information more than a professional use but social websites tend to be more popular and can lead to more professional sources of information. Plus, the best information that you can get as a teacher typically comes from professionals already in the field sharing their knowledge and previous failures and successes.
I use Pinterest on a regular basis and I find this to be similar to what we are discussing here. I do like "pinning" and use it regularly to share likes/dislikes with family and keep track of what other teachers are doing in SPED classrooms all around the country.
These social bookmarking and tagging sites are useful for teachers the same way that RSS feeds are because it allows to you to simplify sharing information.
Granted, this is set up more for social sharing of information more than a professional use but social websites tend to be more popular and can lead to more professional sources of information. Plus, the best information that you can get as a teacher typically comes from professionals already in the field sharing their knowledge and previous failures and successes.
Thing 16: Get Organized with Web 2.0 Tools
UStart - None of them appealed to me so I just picked one.
I understand it's advantages and certainly can see it's appeal. However, I will not make this a permanent page change.
The only reason an online calendar would be more useful than a handwritten one is that it can send notifications to you for upcoming events or assignment due dates. Also, it can expand days that have a lot more coming up as opposed to days that have less going on.
There are a lot of tools that can be useful in both schools and at home. We've already talked about a majority of them and their usefulness.
As much as I use technology, I am still a technophobe at heart. I much prefer notebooks and pens. I like calendars that are in my hands.
My only concession is my smart phone. I do have sticky notes for keeping track of upcoming dates and keeping track of anything that I need to remember.
I understand it's advantages and certainly can see it's appeal. However, I will not make this a permanent page change.
The only reason an online calendar would be more useful than a handwritten one is that it can send notifications to you for upcoming events or assignment due dates. Also, it can expand days that have a lot more coming up as opposed to days that have less going on.
There are a lot of tools that can be useful in both schools and at home. We've already talked about a majority of them and their usefulness.
As much as I use technology, I am still a technophobe at heart. I much prefer notebooks and pens. I like calendars that are in my hands.
My only concession is my smart phone. I do have sticky notes for keeping track of upcoming dates and keeping track of anything that I need to remember.
Thing 15: What in the world is a Wiki?
I can see the benefit of Wikis in the world but I really have no use for them. I don't find them to be any different from a blog or any public information forum. It certainly has it's place but as someone who does research on a regular basis, they don't do anything but possibly point you to better and more reliable source of information. I'm just not a fan.
Thing 14: Go with the flow...
Flow chart
<script src="http://www.gliffy.com/diagramEmbed.js" type="text/javascript"> </script><script type="text/javascript"> gliffy_did = "5706840"; embedGliffy(); </script>
Mind map
https://bubbl.us/?h=204253/416fa4/21zP2yPhaBFiU&r=1940087975
I really like the mind map function. It's easy to use and easy to follow. I would use this to delineate ideas while writing a paper or formulating a project.
The flow chart would be better, however, if you're presenting major topics for note taking. It's a lot more linear and streamlined for presentation purposes.
<script src="http://www.gliffy.com/diagramEmbed.js" type="text/javascript"> </script><script type="text/javascript"> gliffy_did = "5706840"; embedGliffy(); </script>
Mind map
https://bubbl.us/?h=204253/416fa4/21zP2yPhaBFiU&r=1940087975
I really like the mind map function. It's easy to use and easy to follow. I would use this to delineate ideas while writing a paper or formulating a project.
The flow chart would be better, however, if you're presenting major topics for note taking. It's a lot more linear and streamlined for presentation purposes.
Thing 13: Google Drive
Google Drive Document
Students would be able to work collaboratively using Google Drive because they'd be able to access the same document without having to sign in to the same account. These users would be able to edit and work on it as if it was saved on their computer. I do know that in the MAT program I have used it in two of my classes to share and work on major group projects.
As far as Zoho is concerned, it isn't bad. I prefer Google Drive but due to the fact that I'm already familiar with it and use it on a regular basis.
Students would be able to work collaboratively using Google Drive because they'd be able to access the same document without having to sign in to the same account. These users would be able to edit and work on it as if it was saved on their computer. I do know that in the MAT program I have used it in two of my classes to share and work on major group projects.
As far as Zoho is concerned, it isn't bad. I prefer Google Drive but due to the fact that I'm already familiar with it and use it on a regular basis.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Thing #12 Google and ALL of it's functions.
So I am a huge Google fan already. It's my homepage and I have two separate Gmail accounts for personal and professional use. I use the Image search on a regular basis for personal and school related searches.
Google Scholar has been a particular favorite of mine because it links up with APSU's library function. The search is more streamlined and easier to manage than using APSU library function directly. Especially with so many connectivity issues when not on campus.
Google Maps is my preferred location for driving directions. Printable maps are useful when one gets lost as easily as I do.
Google Earth is fun just to be able to spy on your neighboring countries or see your house from its last satellite view. It has a lot of educational purposes as well.
I use Google Drive regularly due to my Gmail accounts and school. It's user friendly and does not require me to use my over-stimulated brain to remember a floppy disc, USB drive, or any other third party devices that will be forgotten in the black hole that is my purse.
I know it links advertising, business, fashion, and all sorts of other functions for easier searches and continues to be a HUGE success all the way around.
Google Plus Photos is linked to my Facebook and therefore there is not much for me to do with it. The only outside benefit is that my brother can access my photos since he is not on Facebook.
I've used Google Calander and Translate a few times but usually for school purposes. I can barely keep up with a hand written calendar, let alone one online. Translate was for legal text pertaining to a paper that I was writing a couple of semesters ago. It was in Japanese.
As far as Google is concerned, I am fairly competent. I am certainly not an expert, but I use it on a regular basis for a variety of reasons.
Google Scholar has been a particular favorite of mine because it links up with APSU's library function. The search is more streamlined and easier to manage than using APSU library function directly. Especially with so many connectivity issues when not on campus.
Google Maps is my preferred location for driving directions. Printable maps are useful when one gets lost as easily as I do.
Google Earth is fun just to be able to spy on your neighboring countries or see your house from its last satellite view. It has a lot of educational purposes as well.
I use Google Drive regularly due to my Gmail accounts and school. It's user friendly and does not require me to use my over-stimulated brain to remember a floppy disc, USB drive, or any other third party devices that will be forgotten in the black hole that is my purse.
I know it links advertising, business, fashion, and all sorts of other functions for easier searches and continues to be a HUGE success all the way around.
Google Plus Photos is linked to my Facebook and therefore there is not much for me to do with it. The only outside benefit is that my brother can access my photos since he is not on Facebook.
I've used Google Calander and Translate a few times but usually for school purposes. I can barely keep up with a hand written calendar, let alone one online. Translate was for legal text pertaining to a paper that I was writing a couple of semesters ago. It was in Japanese.
As far as Google is concerned, I am fairly competent. I am certainly not an expert, but I use it on a regular basis for a variety of reasons.
Thing #11 Finding Good Feeds
So. As previously mentioned in Thing #10 - Feedly is pretty much my favorite RSS feed finder. Obviously, with my lack of experience, my horizons may broaden and my scope will expand...but not with the links from this section. I felt that I was searching with Google pretty much with all of them. Not as interesting as the sectioned out, categorized, and identifiable Feedly account with which I am rabidly becoming addicted. I will say that I ventured into Technorati and then ventured back out. I am at a loss as to the visual chaos that awaits there. I guess I may have sensitive eyes but I just don't do well in a space with too much on a little screen.
Obviously, I have much adventuring to do as I continue on my RSS feeds journey. I will say that when I was in the other feed sites, there were more unknown sites to me than known. So. I will say that I will further explore and hope to come to enlightenment.
Obviously, I have much adventuring to do as I continue on my RSS feeds journey. I will say that when I was in the other feed sites, there were more unknown sites to me than known. So. I will say that I will further explore and hope to come to enlightenment.
Thing #10 RSS Feeds
Oh my. The things I'm missing in technology.
Will I use this in the future? Yes.
Will I use it as a teacher? Yes.
Am I glad that we discovered this? Yes.
I think this might be bad for my focus. In the first 10 minutes I've already found 7 links to subscribe to. Mostly parenting blogs. Some food because I love food. Fox News because I like to have headlines in one place.
This is wonderful. You can have everything at your fingertips in one place. Why I never discovered this before is beyond me. Feedly is user-friendly and clean. I like websites that are clean. Overall, I find that I might become addicted to this just as I have to Pinterest. Having one place to go instead of multiple will be a godsend. When I get to be in my own classroom, I can definitely see myself utilizing relevant information in my everyday scope of practice.
Will I use this in the future? Yes.
Will I use it as a teacher? Yes.
Am I glad that we discovered this? Yes.
I think this might be bad for my focus. In the first 10 minutes I've already found 7 links to subscribe to. Mostly parenting blogs. Some food because I love food. Fox News because I like to have headlines in one place.
This is wonderful. You can have everything at your fingertips in one place. Why I never discovered this before is beyond me. Feedly is user-friendly and clean. I like websites that are clean. Overall, I find that I might become addicted to this just as I have to Pinterest. Having one place to go instead of multiple will be a godsend. When I get to be in my own classroom, I can definitely see myself utilizing relevant information in my everyday scope of practice.
Thing #9 Fun with Online Image Generator
You can make all kinds of fun images for the classroom. For home. I bet if I leave these images around for my girls, they'd get a kick out of it.
I didn't like the smiley face one or the custom sign generator - a lot of the links were broken and it kept erroring everytime I tried to make something.
I did find a website called flamingtext.com - no downloads and user friendly. I created this:
Pretty neat. It mainly does banners and logos.
Thing #8 Flickr and Mashups
Created a jigsaw. Probably the worst jigsaw ever but created it nonetheless. Courtesy of Big Huge Labs.
Thing #7 Flickr
Nothing drives me more insane than a website that screams "chaos" to my eyeballs. As popular as this website is, I can't help that it makes me want to wear sunglasses. It is loud and lacks continuity. I can see where this would be fun but I do not like Flickr.
All rights reserved by wolfkann
That being said, I LOVE this photo. I am from a military family. My dad is obsessed with American History, and as, such I grew to have a deep and abiding love of America. I saw this a just *sighed* with pleasure.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfkann/12791001193/ <-The link.
All rights reserved by wolfkann That being said, I LOVE this photo. I am from a military family. My dad is obsessed with American History, and as, such I grew to have a deep and abiding love of America. I saw this a just *sighed* with pleasure.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfkann/12791001193/ <-The link.
Thing #6 Web 2.0 Awards List
First problem - the first two links I clicked didn't work. :(
Second problem - how to choose just one from the huge list that this provides :(
Ok - I went to page 73 and worked backwards. However, I ended up staying on 72. StumbleUpon caught my eye so I clicked into it. I signed in using my Facebook account. I then picked about 9 different options for my interests and then...WOAH. Just WOAH!
SO many places to go. Certainly not enough time to explore. My kids already think I'm crazy but this is pretty cool. It makes searching the internet for articles and websites relating to your interests almost easy. It takes those interests and moves above and beyond the call of duty. I could see linking this to your teacher account and creating a plethora of website reference material for students.
This is pretty cool and would take forever to explore everything.
Second problem - how to choose just one from the huge list that this provides :(
Ok - I went to page 73 and worked backwards. However, I ended up staying on 72. StumbleUpon caught my eye so I clicked into it. I signed in using my Facebook account. I then picked about 9 different options for my interests and then...WOAH. Just WOAH!
SO many places to go. Certainly not enough time to explore. My kids already think I'm crazy but this is pretty cool. It makes searching the internet for articles and websites relating to your interests almost easy. It takes those interests and moves above and beyond the call of duty. I could see linking this to your teacher account and creating a plethora of website reference material for students.
This is pretty cool and would take forever to explore everything.
Thing #5 The Future of Education
Ok. So first point I'd like to make is that these are not new concepts. Education evolves to the priorities of the world around it. So when we transfer the idea of industrial education to a technological one, it's already happened. Education is a whole new beast with the advancement of the internet. In fact, I would venture to guess that most students have a better grasp on technology than we do. Like education, technology changes. However, it typically changes faster. As teachers, our role is to ensure that students are able to use technology in a positive and useful manner. We are guides in an ever changing world. We want to make sure our students are prepared for the work force of today, not 20 years ago. The internet is dangerous. It can seduce (no licentious thoughts) our students to being complacent about information. Our job is to make sure that they don't take one website as complete fact. Information should be double checked and verified. Our students should be able to know how to research effectively.
Another point I would like to make is that we have to be careful that our students don't become too enamored with technology. We still have to interact with the world around us. I find it annoying when people speak to me using texting shorthand. I also find it annoying that we've completely let our guard down about manners. Too many people use their cell phones all the time and forget to interact with the people around them. I work in a retail pharmacy and I can tell you now that medicine is important. Anything you put in your body should be carefully considered. However, people don't care anymore. They are too busy continuing their meaningless conversation that could have waited five minutes. Little things in the world can become big things. We have to be able to communicate with each other outside of technology. Most jobs require live interviews. We still have to see our doctors. We should still have legible handwriting and write without a computer.
This section is interesting and the links are engaging. However, my opinion is that I have too much to say on this topic and only a section to do it in.
Another point I would like to make is that we have to be careful that our students don't become too enamored with technology. We still have to interact with the world around us. I find it annoying when people speak to me using texting shorthand. I also find it annoying that we've completely let our guard down about manners. Too many people use their cell phones all the time and forget to interact with the people around them. I work in a retail pharmacy and I can tell you now that medicine is important. Anything you put in your body should be carefully considered. However, people don't care anymore. They are too busy continuing their meaningless conversation that could have waited five minutes. Little things in the world can become big things. We have to be able to communicate with each other outside of technology. Most jobs require live interviews. We still have to see our doctors. We should still have legible handwriting and write without a computer.
This section is interesting and the links are engaging. However, my opinion is that I have too much to say on this topic and only a section to do it in.
Thing #4 Why Commenting Is Important
Leaving feedback is essential for us to know how the world around us is responding to the work that we create - whether we have an assignment for class or create something for mass consumption. It is like critiquing students on their work - they cannot know what they have done right or wrong if we leave them no feedback. We would have no idea how our words, our ideas, our insights (so on and so forth) affect the world around us if no one told us how they felt or their own ideas.
In the Cool Cat Teacher Blog - I found that leaving meaningful comments is something I agree with and would hope that I do now and will continue to do. Nothing is more frustrating than if someone leaves a comment like "Oh, that's cool" or "Wow." That really doesn't tell us anything about what was written or the feelings of the reader. I also never thought about drawing attention to yourself and your blog. It makes sense, however, because you're building a community within that conversation. Hence why it needs to be meaningful.
In Your Comments? from the Blue Skunk Blog - I found it meaningful that we should be thankful to the writer of the blog. It is an interesting comment and I find myself nodding in agreement. They did take the time to write and we took the time to read. Whether or not we find common ground, we should at least thank them for taking that time. It is just another road for polite etiquette online.
Rachel Cruise - Thing 8
I am grateful as always for my table partner for always finding new things or posting about things that she has used that are successful. I love being able to learn from her technological experiences because I do not have that in my background. She takes this assignment, puts together a great piece, and still manages to bring in some outside reference material. Wonderful, as always.
Courtney Comperry - Thing 1
I relate to her post about finding more "fun" in life. We're all busy people with full lives and its always helpful to know how others view and overcome their own problems facing education and life.
Theresa Hines - Thing 4
Theresa is engaging as a blogger. Her posts a quirky and fun and you feel as though you're actually talking to her instead of reading. She has great insights to our fellow classmates on different sets of posts.
Morgan Bryant - Thing 2
I relate to Morgan because, I too, have little experience with blogging. The difference being that I stayed away because of a lack of interest and because of a lack of time. There is just not enough hours in the day!
Joshua Jones - Thing 10
My comment here wasn't related to the actual post itself. I am more enamored of his open style of writing and his ending for each post. I like the little bite of each post.
http://parentseducationnetwork.org/Blog - This has a lot of good information and I find that it has a lot of relevant information.
The other non-classroom blog would be the Cynical Pharmacist from Facebook. As a pharmacy worker, this is a breath of fresh air. It is hilarious because it makes fun of our everyday trials and tribulations. We can air our dirty laundry and know what we're not alone. It's for venting and letting off steam.
In the Cool Cat Teacher Blog - I found that leaving meaningful comments is something I agree with and would hope that I do now and will continue to do. Nothing is more frustrating than if someone leaves a comment like "Oh, that's cool" or "Wow." That really doesn't tell us anything about what was written or the feelings of the reader. I also never thought about drawing attention to yourself and your blog. It makes sense, however, because you're building a community within that conversation. Hence why it needs to be meaningful.
In Your Comments? from the Blue Skunk Blog - I found it meaningful that we should be thankful to the writer of the blog. It is an interesting comment and I find myself nodding in agreement. They did take the time to write and we took the time to read. Whether or not we find common ground, we should at least thank them for taking that time. It is just another road for polite etiquette online.
Rachel Cruise - Thing 8
I am grateful as always for my table partner for always finding new things or posting about things that she has used that are successful. I love being able to learn from her technological experiences because I do not have that in my background. She takes this assignment, puts together a great piece, and still manages to bring in some outside reference material. Wonderful, as always.
Courtney Comperry - Thing 1
I relate to her post about finding more "fun" in life. We're all busy people with full lives and its always helpful to know how others view and overcome their own problems facing education and life.
Theresa Hines - Thing 4
Theresa is engaging as a blogger. Her posts a quirky and fun and you feel as though you're actually talking to her instead of reading. She has great insights to our fellow classmates on different sets of posts.
Morgan Bryant - Thing 2
I relate to Morgan because, I too, have little experience with blogging. The difference being that I stayed away because of a lack of interest and because of a lack of time. There is just not enough hours in the day!
Joshua Jones - Thing 10
My comment here wasn't related to the actual post itself. I am more enamored of his open style of writing and his ending for each post. I like the little bite of each post.
http://parentseducationnetwork.org/Blog - This has a lot of good information and I find that it has a lot of relevant information.
The other non-classroom blog would be the Cynical Pharmacist from Facebook. As a pharmacy worker, this is a breath of fresh air. It is hilarious because it makes fun of our everyday trials and tribulations. We can air our dirty laundry and know what we're not alone. It's for venting and letting off steam.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Thing #3 - Using Blogs in the Classroom
As a future teacher in a special education classroom, I can see using blogging for professional use. SPED is a very comprehensive field full of new research and new rules just about every week, if not everyday. Having support from fellow colleagues would be highly beneficial, especially as a new teacher. Maintaining the latest research and teaching techniques would be much easier if we had a safe blogging area to give and receive information back and forth. As far as my classes are concerned, it would depend on the severity of disabilities that are given. I plan on working in a severe/profound classroom and it would be a case by case basis if blogging would be something that would work in the classroom. However, it would be a beneficial communication tool with parents if we were to set up a safe forum. That would definitely be worth its weight in gold if we can keep an open line of communication for those parents who would like to be more involved in the classroom. The potential for blogging in the classroom is astronomical.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Thing #2: Creating the Blog and Avatar
Ok. So I though this would be extremely difficult. However, I find this to be a user friendly process. Creating a blog is a step-by-step process. Creating an avatar wasn't bad either. I had more trouble deciding how to make myself look than actually creating "me". I don't have many previous experiences with blogs. I have read a couple over the years whenever I find a topic that interests me but otherwise I haven't bothered to check them out. This is the first time that I've tried my hand at creating one. It's a little cathartic coming here to type, even though it's related to HOMEWORK.
The name of my blog was really just a little sarcastic jab at myself. I am neither amazing or wonderful but I have my moments. Truly, I am a great mom, a good student, and a decent person. Beyond that, there isn't much to tell. I don't know enough about the 23 Things program yet to truly form an opinion on it altogether, but so far, it's proving to be an interesting experience. My posting name is my name. I married into the name Pigg. It is memorable and kids love it (not so much my kids but what can you do).
As far as my avatar is concerned, it's a short and wide version of myself. Naturally curly hair, glasses, and simple style (with a Starbucks cup since Lasater's wasn't an option) is pretty much me in a nutshell. Too bad they didn't have scrubs.
The name of my blog was really just a little sarcastic jab at myself. I am neither amazing or wonderful but I have my moments. Truly, I am a great mom, a good student, and a decent person. Beyond that, there isn't much to tell. I don't know enough about the 23 Things program yet to truly form an opinion on it altogether, but so far, it's proving to be an interesting experience. My posting name is my name. I married into the name Pigg. It is memorable and kids love it (not so much my kids but what can you do).
As far as my avatar is concerned, it's a short and wide version of myself. Naturally curly hair, glasses, and simple style (with a Starbucks cup since Lasater's wasn't an option) is pretty much me in a nutshell. Too bad they didn't have scrubs.
Thing #1: Lifelong Learning
This term encompasses learning as a life style. Education is not restricted to the classroom. We learn by living. Our experiences, both personal and professional, help to continue our learning throughout our lives. Flying a kite, giving a speech in a boardroom, walking along a beach, playing on a playground - all of these are opportunities to look at the world around us in a new and exciting way. These afford us a new perspective of ourselves and our world in order to maintain learning. Lifelong learning happens in the classroom as well. Traditional education settings can give us the building blocks to maintain our continued education. Whether or not we realize it, learning happens everyday and it is that reason that we can adapt to the world.
After reading the tutorial on lifelong learning, we were asked to identify which of the 7½ habits is easiest and which is hardest. The easiest habit that I identify with is accepting responsibility for my own learning. I returned to college to pursue my Masters in education after a short break. I continue my education in my workplace to maintain the highest degree of knowledge. I work in a pharmacy and it is very important to be aware of the changes in the laws, the newest research involving medications and the medical community, as well internal changes within our company. I learn everyday with my children. I have one toddler and one that is a preschooler. Everyday is a learning adventure and I am reminded that there are so many things to see in the world around us. It is astonishing all of the things I let slip by my notice that my children will point out to me. The hardest habit I have from this list is viewing problems as challenges. I find myself getting flustered and worked up over problems that can be solved with a little patience. Usually, problems tend to pile up at the same time and make it hard for me to see the "challenge". But as someone older and wiser has reminded me numerous times, that too, is part of the challenge of solving problems. I have to remind myself to slow down and work through the steps to find the solution. I can blame a lot of this on my life. I am busy (two kids, full time job, Master's program, and military wife) and very rarely get a full night's sleep. I will just have to learn to manage my time in such a way that allows me to find the challenges in all the problems. This too is part of lifelong learning.
After reading the tutorial on lifelong learning, we were asked to identify which of the 7½ habits is easiest and which is hardest. The easiest habit that I identify with is accepting responsibility for my own learning. I returned to college to pursue my Masters in education after a short break. I continue my education in my workplace to maintain the highest degree of knowledge. I work in a pharmacy and it is very important to be aware of the changes in the laws, the newest research involving medications and the medical community, as well internal changes within our company. I learn everyday with my children. I have one toddler and one that is a preschooler. Everyday is a learning adventure and I am reminded that there are so many things to see in the world around us. It is astonishing all of the things I let slip by my notice that my children will point out to me. The hardest habit I have from this list is viewing problems as challenges. I find myself getting flustered and worked up over problems that can be solved with a little patience. Usually, problems tend to pile up at the same time and make it hard for me to see the "challenge". But as someone older and wiser has reminded me numerous times, that too, is part of the challenge of solving problems. I have to remind myself to slow down and work through the steps to find the solution. I can blame a lot of this on my life. I am busy (two kids, full time job, Master's program, and military wife) and very rarely get a full night's sleep. I will just have to learn to manage my time in such a way that allows me to find the challenges in all the problems. This too is part of lifelong learning.
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