Social Book Marking and Defining Our Field

1)

I have not yet made social bookmarking a big part of my life.  I have read about it and visited such sites briefly but have not made the plunge until this assignment.  I have enjoyed perusing other people’s sites to find out their interests and discover things I might not have otherwise discovered.  Bookmarking is a great way for students to find others interested in the same things as themselves and to learn in a more efficient way about related things that interest them.  It is a great tool because of the time it could save students.  If I gave students an assignment about choosing a career, they could easily use a site such as Delicious to organize their thoughts and findings and find those in the career they are interested in and follow them.  Then, of course, my students could follow me in order to link to all of the things I think are important for them.  I believe this also creates a community within each class.  The author of the article 7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking states it well when he says, “This process allows like-minded individuals to find one another and create new communities of users that continue to influence the ongoing evolution of folksonomies and common tags for resources.” Students who are not as verbal or engaging in class are able to express themselves without feeling embarrassed.  As for teachers sharing with teachers, I will always email a particular teacher whenever I find something that they would find interesting or useful for their own classroom.  However, if all of our teachers were linked in to Delicious and checked it on a regular basis, we could easily help each other out.  One major obstacle I have in my life overall right now is time.  Teaching full time, being a mother of two little ones, taking a class online, life, etc. allows for very little free time for me.  Or if I do have free time, I completely crash.  There is never enough of time!  If I searched something on Google, I could spend hours investigating one topic.  With a site such as Delicious I can see the possibility of being able to search something but removing any unnecessary elements in the process.  I would love to get connected with parents in a social bookmarking website.  Unfortunately, many are just as busy as myself or simply don’t know how to do it.  I would love to be able to teach parents how to become connected on the applications we are learning about in this class!  I believe it would allow for parents to also be more informed about what their children are learning and doing themselves on the internet.

2)

I agree with the text that the definition of this particular field we are studying is constantly changing and rightly so.  As innovation continues, so will our definition evolve.  Technology started out as a physical means to present instruction.  Now it involves a higher order of thinking.  The words “analysis,” “design,” “development,” “implementation,” “evaluation,” and “ management” all entail students being more engaged in and taking control of their learning.  Taking this class along with taking  EDT 6440 Advanced Instructional Technologies, I have come to learn how to use Web2.0 and how essential it is for my students to be taught these applications.  I love that I am able to use everything I learn from this class immediately in what I am teaching.  That is the benefit of being a Business Education teacher!  I am currently compiling a list of what I want to include in my Technology class I will be teaching next trimester.  It includes Delicious, Wikispaces, Flickr, Google Docs, Blogging, and anything else we learn in this class!  I want my students to be successful in college and the working world and it is my job to help them have an easy transition.  In reading the first chapter, nothing surprised me yet, but that is probably due to my job and being familiar with a lot of the terminology already.  What I found disturbing was the fact that the 1977 definition “consisted of sixteen statements spread over seven pages of text, followed by nine pages of tables, elaborating on some of the concepts mentioned in the statements, as well as nine more chapters that provided further elaboration” (p. 3).  It just seems that something like that is causing great confusion. 

del.icio.us Link

https://delicious.com/#angieparker1978

Wikispaces Week 3 Reflection

I have actually set up a wikispace prior to this assignment and have quite enjoyed it.  I wish I had more time to actually use it, though.  I had to use it to be a part of a debate on whether or not smartphones should be allowed in the classroom.  It allowed everyone in our group to participate and contribute our thoughts without having to actually set up a meeting time.  We were also able to see what every person contributed and when.  It helps tremendously with the accountability factor when working in a group for a project. 

In my job, I can see a wikispace being used in order to use our time more efficiently.  Whereas I can meet in a group for a meeting, it would seem like better use of our time to create a wikispace and contribute as we find the time, not extra time beyond school hours.  I am likely to have a few minutes during my day (lunch, prep, while students are working on projects, etc.) and prioritize my time better.  It also, therefore, serves as a note taker so we don’t have to remember what everyone said.  Creating a wikispace also allows me to collaborate and get ideas from teachers outside my school and state!  This is exciting to be able to discuss with other teachers what they are doing, what works well, and what doesn’t work for them.  We can share our knowledge and experience to help other teachers be a success. 

In my personal life, I had a great idea on how to use a wikispace.  Every year my immediate family take a family vacation somewhere up north (Silver Lake, Lake Ann) and we are all emailing each other and copying each other in the emails and replying to everyone.  Instead, if we all have access to the same wikispace, we can all share our ideas in one place to everyone.  We can then all add new ideas and things as they come up.  When we are searching for a place to stay, that is the most difficult thing to agree upon and I see a wikispace as a way to communicate more effectively and efficiently. 

I used a wikispace last trimester for the first time as an extra credit assignment in my Career class.  This stuff is all very new to them and many students are overwhelmed with technology, so I gave this as an extra credit test grade if they used it.  I actually had about half of the class create a wikispace for their final project.  During the whole trimester, my Career students worked on different documents (resume, letters of recommendation, references) to put into a Career Portfolio.  I gave them the option of either printing them out in hard copies and arranging them neatly in a 3-ring binder or creating a wikispace with a folder titled “Career Portfolio” and upload all of their documents.  What a great way to store their information.  And, can you imagine if they go to an interview and give their potential employer the address to their wikispace which includes their resume?!  They would impress the socks off them! 

As life goes on, I am sure I will find many more ways to better use my wikispace but as for now, life is so completely overwhelming that I just do not have the time to devote to it.  However, I am so glad that I actually know how to do it and that is the first step. 

Wikispace Address

http://parkeredt.pbworks.com

Dale's Cone and Siegel's Computer Imagination

Blogs are everywhere today and it seems like there are a million blogs for every topic.  I began taking EDT classes last semester and for my class I had to actually create my own blog.  It took a lot more time and effort than I originally thought but am so glad that I had to do it.  I learned a lot in the process and was able to teach myself how to do it.  Creating a blog for my EDT classes is great because I can really see the benefit of having all of my stuff in one place and also being able to share all of my research and thoughts with others.  By forcing me to get a little out of my comfort zone and create a blog of my own, I realize how much ownership and a sense of pride you accomplish. 

Today was my very first experience using and setting up an RSS Reader.  I had heard the term before, but had no idea what it was or how it operated.  I was nervous at first when I read the assignment directions, but dove right in as soon as I found the time.  I was sitting during my prep hour in the teacher’s lounge and I easily created a RSS Reader and subscribed to everyone’s blogs as well as a few of my favorite news feeds.  I was so intrigued that the next hour, I had one of my students try it on their computer to see if anything would be blocked because I would like for my classes to use this!  I have plans to integrate an RSS Reader tomorrow in at least one of my classes.  My students in Entrepreneurship could subscribe to quite a few feeds dealing with current business trends and ideas.  It would be an awesome thing for me to introduce to them. 

Concerning Dale’s Cone, the blog fits into the ring of “still picture, realistic drawings, radio, records”.  Many of the blogs out there have pictures, artwork, links to videos, etc., that draw people into them.  They can be interpreted many different ways by different people depending on the viewer’s previous experiences and knowledge.  I also think that because the viewer of a blog needs to be able to navigate the different buttons that contain different symbols, that this would fit into Dale’s ring of “visual symbols.”  The last ring I see a blog fitting into is the “verbal symbol” ring because it is primarily words.  It is used as an outlet for entertainment or news.  Therefore, the creator of the blog has to be creative with their use of words as well as the placement of text and images in order to portray a certain  message. 

I believe RSS feeds fall into similar cones as blogs do.  I appreciate Dale’s statement on p. 130 that says, “Thus, the growing mind will obtain its nourishment from a cafeteria of stimulating experiences – an appealing mixture of the abstract and the concrete, the general, and the specific.”  The RSS feeds provide a lot of different sources of information all in one place and constantly updating.  

Considering Siegel’s concept of “computer imagination”, I agree when he states that “e-learning is more effective when designers use the computer imaginatively to increase understanding.”  One way I could creatively use the blog in my Entrepreneurship class is for the students to research different types of businesses (sole-proprietorship, partnership, and corporation) and contrast and compare and post to their own blog.  Then the other students could read each other’s blogs to see what everyone came up with.  It is a great way to share more information but in a more condensed and organized form.  One way my Yearbook students could use an RSS Reader is to subscribe to feeds concerning digital photography in order to keep updated on the newest and latest trends, ideas, etc.  This would be a great way for them to constantly be learning new things without me missing out on something.  It would also be good for them to share their own finds with the class so all of the students can learn what they have learned.  This would ultimately help to solve the problem of being able to keep updated on the constant influx of new technology and new uses of already existing technology. 

Reigeluth and Postman Reflection

Reading and digesting the articles written by Reigeluth and Postman resulted in a stark difference of opinions. I both agree and disagree with each of them in some of their statements. My background and current teaching situation offers me to truly see the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the classroom. This school year, my administration implemented a BOYD (bring your own device) philosophy requiring all fourth through sixth graders to have a tablet of some sort and all seventh through twelfth graders to have a laptop of some sort. They were required to purchase them on their own. Every day they have to bring it and teachers are required to be using them a majority of the day.

When Postman discusses the idea of the "why" question behind things, I can relate. Just saying that we need to integrate technology necessitates more of an explanation. I completely relate to the fact that technology can be a "distraction" when it comes to students. I don’t believe they are mature enough to have the right amount of self-control to not play games, surf the internet, etc. In the same way, I agree with some of what Reigeluth is saying. "Technology is used to create methods that were previously not feasible" is a very true statement and we need to run with that idea. Technology has been fast in furious in its creation. Whenever we blink something newer and/or better has come on the market and we need to learn it.

The flip side of the coin is the idea that all students should "progress at different rates and pursue different goals at the same time" (Reigeluth). I understand the concept but what he fails to mention is the "how" of his theory. I would love to see an actual representation in practice of how this is done and what the benefits truly are. This is where I tend to agree with Postman in the matter of schools teaching children "how to learn and behave as part of a community." There is definitely something to be said about being in the presence of other students your own age, collaborating, discussion, interacting, and socializing while learning. I also agree with Postman when he states that children are suffering from "information glut". I see too many high school students not being able to process from all the information available to them. Sometimes simple research is hard for them to even get started on because they don’t know where to begin.

In conclusion, I believe that there is some combination of technology and classroom environment that is the right recipe for success. What that combination is, I have no idea. I believe that students need the interaction with teachers and peers as well as self-paced, self-directed learning utilizing a variety of tools and resources and assessments. One of the biggest hurdles is the way schools are under pressure for standardization and testing. There needs to be change from the top (government to state to local schools) down in order for change to occur effectively.