Thing #5 - Getting started with RSS

It took a little work, but I finally got all 5 sites in my reader. I had a hard time with the Techlearning site and I'm still not sure it's done right. Anyways, on the NYT site I went with baseball (Like that was a surprise) and was disappointed that every entry I clicked on was unavailable. Now, it could have been the computer (I was reading on my conference period!), but who knows? I'll try again later. The one blog that really caught my eye and interested me enough to read the blog and all of the comments was Innovate or Die. This is in the Student2oh blog. The student wrote a very thought provoking blog, but the comments were just as thought provoking. Most of the comments were teachers trying to dialogue with the student, trying to gain a better grasp of his points, but he didn't really respond. His point is that students are no longer consumers of information, but producers with youtube, facebook, blogs, etc... a very valid point. What's intriguing to me is they are producing information, but is credible information? One of the commenters asked the same question and to this point, the author has not responded. I am interested to see if this post continues to grow or not. My guess is that this one has run its course.

Thing #4 Blogging begins with reading

Blogging, in general, seems to be opinion driven. Each writer is offering up their own opinion about some subject. I do believe that you really have to be careful to remember that is just an opinion, or if it is "fact based", you might have to do your own research to confirm the information. You just can't take it all as fact. To me, the great thing about blogging is the opportunity to respond with your own comments or to ask for clarification of a point from the writer. When you read a book or some other hard print material and you feel that you've got something to say or question to ask of the writer or to the readers, you are basically out of luck. However, with blogs you've got the opportunity to open a dialogue immediately. How cool is that? I really enjoyed the no homework blog. Not only did I agree with the opinion presented, the dialogue between the writer and those who commented was more interesting than the original post. The other blogs I read; sustained silent reading, cyberbullying and teaching brevity were all somewhat interesting, but the one that was a big eye-opener to me was the spy in the classroom. I've seen how students today use their cellphones and all of the gadgetry that they have, but I guess I was just oblivious to the fact on how it could be used in such a negative manner. Boy, do I have to start really paying attention to technology!

Thing #2 Thoughts about Web 2.0

I had seen the videos before, but decided I would watch them again. The videos make a good point about how the world is changing and I agree that we need to adapt to that change. However, one thing that sticks out to me is how much we rely on videos like those and just assume that they are right. The "Did you know" video shows that in 2006 the US is graduating 1.3 million college graduates and how that compares to the 3.1 million from India and 3.3 million from China. It makes it look like we are lagging way behind these countries. In reality, India and China are graduating a smaller percentage of their population than the US is. The main point of the video is correct, the world IS changing and we need to be prepared for that change. The world is becoming smaller because of technology as we are able to reach across borders so much more easily. The opportunity to learn and grow is, literally, at our fingertips and as teachers we have the responsibility to bring that world to our students. I look forward to the challenge of learning more on how I can use the internet and Web 2.0 to educate my students.

Thing #1 Reflections on Lifelong Learning

Before I started working on my Masters degree, I hadn't put much thought into lifelong learning. It's something that I've always done and something that I believe in, but have never really thought about putting a name on it. To me, its just a part of life and something that I have to do. Learning new things is something I do for myself, but also for my own kids and my students. In order to be a good parent, I need to know what's going on in the world so I can help my kids as they continue to grow in this ever-changing world. If I'm to be the kind of teacher that I want to be, I've got to know what's out there and what my students are doing. I've also got to continue to look for ways to reach my students and motivate them to be learners.

I'm really looking forward to completing this class. I think that the easiest habit for me is to begin with the end in mind. I have a picture in my mind of what I want to accomplish. The hardest habit for me is accepting responsibility for my own learning. I lead an extremely busy life and it is going to be easy for me to push this course off to the side and make excuses. It's already started...I'm late in completing this!!! The habit that is going to be the most important for me is the last one...Play. Those who know me may have a hard time believing this, but I hate to make mistakes and when you play on the computer, making mistakes comes with it. I'm just going to have to loosen up a bit and try some more things.