Reflection

Reflection of the Web 2.0 class - Everyone is surrounded by information in today's world. We are bombarded daily by more information than we could possibly process, yet we still seek information. Continuously, I ask myself; how do I familiarize myself with the 21st century learner? First, we must connect with each other, and that's what this class has helped us do. Myra knew how to engage us in new and exciting ways, just as we have to do for the youth that we serve. The tools that she showed us, help us to organize our information, such as RSS feeds. She also showed us that the new web is participatory, with information flowing in all directions rather than from author to reader. I really enjoyed building a blog of my own. All of a sudden you become part of this community communicating with people with the same or like interests.

• It could allow an administrators to post news events for a school community for upcoming events, announcements, classroom information, school menus (just about anything).
• Someone could use it to announce a short-term problem, or for public relations.
• Blogs could be an excellent tool for community building as regular posts could keep people up to date on a specific topic.
• A blog could even replace a school website that was built a very long time ago.
• The interactive tools we learned about allow students to collaborate on projects, build knowledge together, and publish thier ideas.

After this class, I feel much more comfortable in being a "true guide" as these students approach me. There are opportunities that allow these students to find exactly what they are looking for because of the Web's endless supply of information. Everything anyone could want is someplace on-line and I would not have realized half of it unless I reached out for that professional development and took this class. Because I like to read about the lastest technology, I'll continue to blog about "things" I come across. Myra's blog was a great resource for this class. The idea of building your own professional network where you find the people from whom you can learn and ask questions or make comments is one of the major benefits of blogging. These conversations are so valuable and allows people to collaborate like never before. Through these interactive and public discussions, ideas can be developed and expanded upon. I think we will see more and more podcasts for educational learning opportunities and it will develop rapidly to support and assist educators.

The free online photo management and sharing applications that we learned about were the best. Now I can post my pictures on www.flickr.com and share those photos with family and friends in my hometown 2000 miles away. I no longer have to carry my photo album across the country to share it!

In closing, I do think that students today will need 21st century skills in their job markets. They will be used to communicating with a wide range of people (from all over the world) and they will continue to build personal networks. Schools can help guide them. Educators can help students learn how to process and use the information wisely. Parents of these students are also getting on board using cell phones (text messaging) simply to check in with their kids. They are finding out the benefits of these simple "tools" (cell phones). Two of the Washington area's largest school districts send automatic text message alerts for weather-related school closures and other emergencies. It has us "connected". Technology is changing quickly, and we each seek our own comfort level. Thank you Myra for bringing this PST to the Clerks of Svvsd!

Thing #23

Expand your mind - http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/home has been one of my favorite pastimes. It's loaded with tutorials and it's so easy to become familiar with a program in a just a few steps. This is a great tool to have at our fingertips. If a school or district is committed to implementing new technologies, the staff will get the message. This is one tool that is worth your time in "expanding your mind". It's free, it's supported by the school, and it's very easy to understand! It puts you in the "technology expert" seat in a hurry! The ability to be exposed to all the tools (like atomic learning can show you), can help you understand the educational potential of those tools. Keep exploring, it will make a difference!

Thing #22

Cellphones as classroom learning tools - I took Bud Hunt's K12 online class and this was the first conference I tapped into at http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=152 to open the discussion about Cellphones as learning tools. I listened to this podcast and the theory of connecting kids favorite digital toy with classroom learning. But, aren't they distracting? Didn't we live without them for 100 years? Aren't they disruptive and don't they allow kids to cheat on exams by textmailing each other? Apparently not in 25 NH schools where kids can access homework, class assignments and conduct research. But, who is footing the bill? The parents, the school? This conference is also where I linked to http://www.gabcast.com/ and made my own podcast. The benefits of cell phone use: they couple w/Web 2.0 resources, can be data collection tools (and not just social toys), mobile web, calendars, calculators, cameras and audio recording devices. Is the cellphone the "next swiss army knife"? Welcome to the 21st century!

Thing #21

Copyright and Freedom of Information - vagueness; fair use is so hard to understand that it fails to provide effective guidance for the use of others' works today. (yes, I copied and pasted that!) Copyright law is confusing, no doubt. Take the copyright quiz at http://witchyrichy.wikispaces.com/copyright Students need so much guidance in this area, but I have found that those in a leadership role also need help. The website quoted above is Hall Davidson's. He outlines key facts that administrators, educators, and students should know about intellectual property. Many organizations appoint a technology manager to conduct audits and maintain a log of licenses and registration materials, but many do not. The new "system" that can make things easier on students is Creative Commons (www.creativecommons.org). It's a system built within current copyright laws that allow people to mark their creations with a Creative Commons license. This license allows others to use their music, movies, images, and text online for specific purposes, such as for classroom use. The licenses are outlined at http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/.

Thing #20

Social Networking - I loved the library20.ning http://library20.ning.com/ because it had so many more links connected to just this one site. Once you start exploring...it takes away your time and it's hard to stop. I thot I'd explore the blog post "web toys I'm playing with...". It was great! It took me to www.comigs.com , a place to create and share your comic style stories. I have the perfect 13 year old for this. He loves to write stories, songs, etc. so I'm putting him to the test of this website to see what he can create. I know social networking is a growing concern but there is upside to when someone can reach across vast distances to communicate and share. Students are strong believers in the power of technology to enrich their learning experiences. Are they no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach? I wonder.

Thing #19

Microblogging - Facebook; more popular than porn says Time Magazine. When you can reach all of your friends through social networking (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter www.twitter.com), then porn sites lag behind (for the 18-24 year olds). Social Networks rank first. Web 2.0 is all about empowering individual consumers. It's not enough just to find that old movie; now you can make your own film, distribute it worldwide, and find out what people think almost instantly. Twitter: the exchange of quick frequent answers to one simple question.
Students have a natural affinity for these tools, specifically interconnectedness, immediacy, interactivity, communications, and community. Being so connected, students can dig deeper to find information that stretches their ability to reason. Students can collaborate on projects and consult experts in a matter of minutes and then, share their data with the world. The parents (and teachers) of the 21st century student who plays video games, text messages, conducts internet searches, downloads music, shares files, and uses the Web for homework, have to struggle to keep up! They no longer have to look to a parent or a teacher for an answer, and they no longer have the patience to wait on an answer. It's all right there in this interactive world we call Web 2.0.