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!