Week 2 Post #1

Book Chat~




My initial thoughts for chapters 1 and 2 of the book focus on the understanding that our world is very changed in terms of communication from what I've familiar with.  I'm showing my age here; it's a generational thing.  My own children view technology quite differently from me.  They are very accepting, I'm challenged.  However that doesn't mean I don't appreciate what innovations in technology have to offer.  Having the ability to access information, connect and interact, to explore 'meaningful collaboration and authentic collegiality with others', at your fingertips is truly an exciting prospect.  And as I learn more skills, I'm more comfortable and curious about what else is out there.  That said, I was amazed by how interactive "Susan", the elementary teacher featured in the article A Day in the Life of a Connected Educator, was with almost every step of her day.  I have to admit, I struggle to see myself interacting at this level, yet it's where I think our educational community is headed and where I will be going as I become more and more a part of it.

"Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads." Herman Melville.  How telling that some two hundred years later this perspective would still be a truth.  I don't think that Melville could of course foresee how our connections would evolve, but the simple truth that we are connected in many different ways holds still.  It's the relationships in our lives that I believe are most important.  And to extend that sentiment- "Most important are the relationships that learning technologies make possible."   Nussbaum-Beach, Hall pg. 10. And there is the connection that technology offers.  Our thousand invisible threads are connecting more and reaching further.  I had the opportunity while a para at Lafayette Regional School to interact with a school in New Zealand.  We enjoyed weekly Skype sessions and made our experiences together part of a global newspaper which we published online and included schools from other countries as well.  The students were thrilled to experience other cultures through interactions with 'peer ambassadors'.   A meaningful connection was made, many miles away and all thanks to technology.  

So here we are, connecting and communicating in a whole new collaboration for our times.  I may not be at Susan's level of connection, but I'm pretty happy I figured out Feebly today :)

Nussbaum-Beach, Sheryl, and Lani Ritter. Hall. The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree, 2012. Print.

Week 2 Post #2

To blog, or not to blog...  That is the question.  

The reality is that there is no question.  It's just one of many tools technologically that we can use to enhance our experiences in this digital age. I would be lying if I said I was very comfortable and well versed with what is now available at our fingertips via computer, but I'm learning.  It's a daunting task.  I appreciate this course because it's going to force me to get outside of my comfort zone and tackle something new.  Of course it's not all that bad, I'm going to learn something good and useful by the end of this term.  Actually I'm learning something right now- blogging.  So, what is blogging?  I had to look it up.  The name means nothing to me. Kind of right up there with "Moodle" and "Mahara".  New names, new concepts.  I'm showing my age here.  So here we are- "blogging".  From Wikipedia:  A blog is ...  And we're off!  I made my first link :)  I didn't know the term "blog" is a contraction of the words 'web' and 'log'.   That now makes perfect sense.  And I'm finding out that there are many different types of blogs.  For all intents and purposes, this blog will be a 'personal' one.  But I think it's pretty interesting to know that there are different kinds:

According to Wikipedia:  Microblogging, corporate and organizational blogs, by genre, media type, device, and a reverse blog to name a few.  There are also "edublogs"  which I can't wait to check out.   Edutopia offers some fabulous blogs to peruse through.  I think the entire website is an exceptional resource, offering a wealth of information dedicated to 'improving the K-2 learning process".  I found out about this site through Instructor Magazine.  

The Spring issue had a very timely article:  "50 Best Apps for Teachers".  This article led me to "Animoto" which we will be working with in this class.  Great article, introduces some wonderful apps but explains them and makes learning about them less intimidating.  I feel like I have some extra help now when it comes to learning about some of the new applications that this class will introduce.

Which brings me back to this class and my thoughts on it.  My digital footprint is enlarging I'm afraid :)  It is an exciting prospect.  I will continue on this thought soon.  For now it's time to close the laptop.  Perhaps I'll dream about my next blog topic?!