Tag Cloud from Delicious

This is the screen capture of my Tag Cloud through Delicious. It's neat how the words are larger for those topics I used more frequently. I could use Delicious in small groups by putting everyone in my group into a network. Through this network we could tag websites we found that pertained to our topics. This could help us communicate with each other instead of all looking up the same web pages. The same would go into affect while writing a paper. Depending on the assigned topic I would look up websites, blogs etc... that related to my given assignment. Instead of writing down all the websites I used or bookmarking them all, I can have them in one convenient location. There are many beneficial tools to Delicious and I am definitely glad that we were introduced to it.

A Learner is like...

A Learner Is Like A Sponge...

A learner is like a sponge because you soak up the knowledge you learn and retain it, all coming from various sources. Sponges vary in different colors, sizes, and shapes. Learners vary too; depending on whom you are, where you are from, and what you are taught, will all influence what you soak up. Sponges also have multiple uses; maybe you’re using a sponge to clean the bathtub, another sponge for the dishes, another for the kitchen floor and another for the outside windows. Living in a digital era, it is imperative that we choose the right sponge to communicate to specific people. The sponge for the bathtub and the sponge for the outside windows may be different, but they still have the same goal…to get something clean. In retrospect, as educators we need to select the tools or pick the sponge that we will benefit from, and in the end the goal is the same…to learn.“The ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital (Siemens 2005).” It is critical as educators that we use our technology in this digital age and are able to filter out what is important and unimportant. Our sponges are going to hold “liquid” or information from multiple sources, but it is our job to distinguish what is meaningful. The educational video, The Impact of Social Media on Learning states, “Most of us enjoy dialogue. Most of us enjoy conversation. We are social beings… It really boils down to our ability to have a dialogue with other individuals, when we have that dialogue we ourselves grow in our knowledge and grow in our own understanding of our own ideas. Our ability to express ourselves and our knowing increases as we express ourselves and externalize our knowledge” (Siemens 2007). Through technological dialogue such as blogging, twitter, facebook, etc… we can learn through others and increase our knowledge. What we chose to “soak up” in this digital age from others will allow us to retain information and expand our knowledge. “Learning is no longer an internal, individualistic activity” (Siemens 2005). Through digital dialogue with others we will be able to state how we feel, understand our own thoughts, and grow as individuals.

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional technology and distance learning. Retrieved September 10, 2009 from http://www.itdl.org/journal/jan_05/article01/htm.

Siemens, G. (2007). The Impact of Social Media on Learning. Retrieved September15, 2009 from http://www.youtube.com/watchv=grI_h88vs3g&feature=PlayList&p=3E43054A8703F57A&index=3

Practicing Connectivism through Social Networking

Hi All-

Back again for another week of blogging and fun! I joined our Assistive Technology Blog through Ning.com and searched other social networking groups to find one that was particularly interesting to me. After searching around the networks, I joined “ReadKiddoRead." The website is dedicated to making kids readers for life!!
The URL is: http://readkiddoread.ning.com/

This website can help me in various ways throughout my future as an educator. There are over 2,000 members on the network and they all vary in experience, grade levels, and education. There are multiple book lists-summer books, girl/boy books, classics, holidays, and how to get your "kiddo" to read. I can post questions or blog about certain topics with fellow members on the network. Besides blogging, there are forums and groups to join. One of the most useful tools on the network is the lesson planning section where you can share lessons with fellow teachers about books read in class. It's a beneficial tool to use to bounce ideas back and forth or to enhance your own lesson plans. All and all I would definitely recommend this social network for anyone persuing literacy or who needs ideas for classroom reading. Good luck!

Three ways that I could use blogs in my own teaching...

1. Writing Workshop: I can incorporate blogging into a writing center activity or workshop. It allows for students to improve their writing and motivate them because they are writing about their interests. Students can write about current events, beliefs, topics related to their education etc… The blogs can then be shared with other classmates and allows students to be on a computer/use technology all at the same time.
2. Reading Workshop: On the other end, students can read posts from their classmates or extend it out to a global network. Students can be assigned to read a certain number of posts and comment on the blogs.
3. Classroom/Teacher Blog: I can create a class blog to stay in touch with parents, fellow teachers, students, administrators etc…. Through a classroom blog I can share what we are doing in the classroom, explain my thoughts on teaching, interests, current research, and other aspects that relate to our class/teaching! Instead of sending weekly newsletters home every week I can post them on the blog!