I responded to Amanda Dickerson & Margaret McCullough's Module 4 Blogs.
How has your network changed the way you learn?
As I move through the different courses within the Educational Technology program at Walden University, I am learning about several technological advances and how they can benefit from different uses. Technology has a way of involving everyone no matter how small or big the project seems to be. Gmail is a great cloud-computing tool for teachers to use in the classroom. With this resource, email, word processing, collaboration, media editing, and more can be done and easily shared with others. The tools of collaboration have advanced greatly, making it extremely easier to collaborate and work together with others. Google Docs makes it easy to work with group members when working on different aspects of assignments from class. In addition, I am now finding myself trying to keep up with the new technology that students are using. As a result, I can work with the different types of tools when implementing technology into daily instructional lessons as well as group activities.
Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
To help with facilitating learning for me is definitely the Interactive whiteboard that I use in my classroom. When using the SMART Interactive whiteboard, I can engage all of my students at one time. They can all see what is taking place during the lesson while using the Internet or presentation without having to actually crowd around to see. Students can also use the board themselves or give presentations of their own. The Interactive whiteboard can also be used as a center when students are working independently or in small groups. While this is taking place, I can then walk around and observe everyone and help those as needed.
Another tool that best facilitates learning for me is email and other social networking tools. Today, there’s definitely no problems with communicating or collaborating with others. There are several social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, etc. These sites make it very easy to communicate with others without using the telephone or being face-to-face. Many times, in class we are asked to work together as a group. In my middle and high-school years, and even undergraduate years, we would exchange phone numbers and eventually email addresses. However, today when working together in groups, we may exchange instant messaging usernames, Skype addresses, and so on. I am seeing very little use of actually talking on the telephone but more technology use or texting.
The last tool that best facilitates learning for me is wikis and blogs. Through the course of my educationalist specialist program with Walden, I have created several blogs and wikis. This is a great way to collaborate with others and learn new ideas while also receiving immediate feedback from other learners. This is also a great way to learn new information on different topics being studied. For teachers, this is a great way to keep students informed about different skills and concepts learned in the classroom as well as a great way for students to provide feedback and collaborate with one another.
How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?
A couple of years ago when I had questions about something I would ask someone else or go to the library and look the information up in different reference books. Today, when I want to learn new knowledge about something that I am questioning, I easily Google it on the World Wide Web. I think this is great because the information is right their at our fingertips. However, it doesn’t leave room for actually learning how to research topics using different reference books or thinking critically. It is getting harder and harder to teach students the information they need when completing the dictionary or referencing skills section of standardized tests when there’s so much technology to give them all of the answers that they need.
Additional Resources:
Social Networking - http://www.whatissocialnetworking.com/
PBS Teachers: Social Networking Archive - http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/social_networking/
Collaborative Technologies - http://www.educause.edu/node/645/tid/17053?time=1280623777
Hello Ashley,
ReplyDeleteLike you I have found myself not using skype as much as I thought I would. I still basically rely on texting and email communications, especially in my studies at Walden. Your explanation of how you use technology in the classroom is excellent. Finding a way to manage technologies in the classroom with students having different skill levels has been challenging.
Brenda Rutherford
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ReplyDeleteHi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteInteresting post! Thanks for sharing the resources. I especially liked the educause site. I had not considered E-Books as a social networking tool for research. It is interesting how many of us classified the tools we use. It seems that quite a few of us use the same tools for personal networking.