Crossing the Finish Line

Class has quickly come to an end . . . and with that end, comes a new beginning!

During the past four months, my journey into technology has lead me to a deeper understanding of the 21st century. We are definitely not a static society, but rather, an ever evolving, complex community! It is important that I 'jump on board' before the train has passed and I am left standing in the dust. I must begin to establish a comfort level with 'the inevitable'.

You asked us to describe our growth during this class . . . physically, I have gained a few pounds and lost a few fingernails . . . but mentally, I have gained a new appreciation for what my students go through everyday. I stand at the front of my class every morning, regurgitating facts and figures, waiting for the 'light to come on' for my students - sometimes wondering if the filament in the bulb is broken. I get frustrated and impatient when they don't instantly grasp a concept. I don't understand their lack of interest or drive. I wonder why they often resist my instruction.

Through this class, I have put myself in my students' place. I have sat in on the class that I never understood with terminology that flew over my head. I have wondered about the relevancy of the teachings. I have been slow on the 'pick up' of many new ideas. I avoided change and hid from technology.

I didn't have much of a choice in this class though, but to attempt to embrace the change and feign interest. Surprisingly, this feeling didn't last! I did in fact rekindle a genuine love of learning and became interested in all that technology could do for me to make my life easier, my teaching more interesting, and help capture my audiences' attention.

By having an opportunity to explore new applications at will . . . and figuring out how they fit in the overall picture (their relevancy), I was able to incorporate much of my learnings/findings into my current teachings. I see the connection and the necessity of many of these new tools. Although I did experience much frustration and often walked away from my troubles, I never gave up. In spite of my apprehensiveness and stubbornness, I conquered my fears and tried out many new ideas.

Technology is forgiving! The 'undo' button has become my best friend. With a little patience and a lot of time, it truly doesn't take much to learn new ideas. Additionally, having the support of peers in my class (even those I've never met) and strangers on line, has encouraged me to expand my boundaries and take more chances. It is amazing how many people are available at the 'push of a button' to offer advice and a helping hand - and for that - I am grateful - thank you! The benefits of sharing and establishing an on-line community (PLN) proved invaluable on my journey!

I have been exposed to a plethora of new applications, made a wealth of new acquaintances, and lost my fear of taking risks. I learned that I do have the ability to learn and be creative - and if I can't - I can always find a program that will learn and be creative for me!

Thank you for introducing me to the 21st century, and I hope to continue getting acquainted with its many capabilities! This is not an ending to my learning - but only a beginning!!!

You will find my final project in a wiki I created for my Home Economics class. It is a piece of work I am very proud of. Take some time to check it out - you may even find something useful to you!

Sexting

"Would you leave your kid alone unsupervised with someone you didn't know? (Nancy Grace)

A couple days ago, I was vegging on the couch watching Rachael Ray (when I was supposed to be working on my paper) and the topic of 'sexting' came up. Naturally, I jumped to attention. I had never heard this term before and thought it could be interesting.

Wow! Interesting it was! Wikipedia defines sexting as "the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between cell phones". It is much like 'show and tell' but instead of just showing a class - you are basically showing the world! And instead of showing a teddy bear, you are showing you in your bare teddy. According to the statistics they used on the show, 1 of every 6 students admit to sending a sexually explicit picture of themselves to strangers. How scary is that? How damaging could that possibly be to one's reputation? It is too bad that most of the kids engaging in this tpe of behaviour are too young to fully understand the consequences. Little do they know that this is actually a form of child pornography! I guess it goes to show the importance of constant monitoring and instilling a sense of right and wrong in your children. What next????

Check out this clip from the Rachael Ray show . . .

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/teen-sexting/

The New Twitter

Sorry all you twitter fans - you won't like this mockumentary!

Web 2.0s Top 1000 List

I didn't realize just how many applications and tools were availabe for our use . . . and most are even free!

Here is a list of the 'best of the best'. Through the past several months, I have become acquainted with a few, but I think I'll be needing a lot more time to touch upon the rest. Check it out and try something new - I'm trying to explore at least one new program every week - it doesn't sound like much - but if you knew me a year ago - it is plenty for me to handle.

I can't wait to do more exploring and sharing with my students. You should see how many are are experimenting with animoto - this has quickly become their favorite. (And surprisingly, it didn't make the top 1000 list!) Now, I'm just hoping my new wiki is a hit too - somehow, I'm doubtful, but my fingers are crossed!

Goomoodleikiog

This video presents a successful way to overcome many classroom issues - especially those surrounding group work. It combines the capabilities of googling, moodling, wikiing and blogging. The idea is wonderful, and I think it would take quite a bit of time to get things rolling, but the outcome would be well worth it. Thanks again Donna for the link! (Isn't making connections great - learning from others!!)

Footsteps

I got this title from an article by Will Richardson, in which a number of thought provoking issues were addressed. At the forefront of concern was the issue of 'self googling'.

Self googling is basically doing a search on yourself to discover what has been written or submitted 'on your behalf'. The scary part of this concept, is that you often do not have any control of what is or is not stated . . . meaning it is likely that much of what is written is in fact, fiction.

If you analzye the scenarios . . . either (1) you will google well, in which case there are no concerns; (2) you google very poorly, meaning others have access to this information and may judge you on what they read, irregardless of the truth or falsity of the piece; and (3) you won't google at all, meaning - who are you and why aren't you jumping on board with technology?

Having a postive presence on line is crucial. I think it is for this reason that everyone should google themselves regularly and attempt to make corrections and connections that need be. In other words, this is your chance to reveal your positive contributions and personality to the world. Why not start a 'file' on yourself - before someone else does?