As the Semester Ends!?!?!

So now that the semester is over it is time to evaluate just how beneficial these social networking tools have been. In regards to their usage this semester I would say it was fifty-fifty…I found many of the social networking tools to be helpful they just needed to be appropriate for the situation at hand, in other words there were some tools that appeared to be more flexible than others. For example, the delicious site I found to be useful for each class project and each project I took on at work and needed to cite any of my performed research. I found the blog to be extremely helpful when taking on the project for this course. As most of my followers already know, I worked with Heidi to create a blog for her class to use and express their thoughts about a featured crime victim. The project turned out to be a success however I never knew how much thought was required for an assignment such as this; picking the ideal victim, providing resourceful links, encouraging discussion, etc.

I have even found many of the tools explored to benefit me in my work life. I have begun using Tweets to inform department members of last minute schedule changes, which still just sounds completely ridiculous to me. I have used flicker to collaborate with a few co-workers on a marketing project. I have even learned to share my goggle calendar with others. What I had thought didn’t seem to be to tasking of a semester for me has become one that I invested the most work and effort in, which I think is due to the fact that I wanted to learn more in these areas. This semester excited me and encouraged me to venture out and try these technologies on my own…this semester gave me reason to and I am thankful for this.

Blogging my Updates: Week 12

As another week passes, and new tasks/ assignments accumulate at my new job, I find myself utilizing the tools we have all researched to simplify the process. What seems so lengthy and pointless with multiple unnecessary steps I look to the posting of my classmates for suggestions! In return, I look like the ambitious employee and come to find that their old fashioned ways seem like a thing of the past. I haven’t really tried to use any of the tools we have been learning about in class because I was nervous that being the new employee I shouldn’t try and shift them from their comfort zones. Recently, the stacks of work have been piling up with so many of the employees take advantage of some leave time that I felt I needed to just to get it done. My thought was that the work would be done and then I would spend the next few days explaining how I did it. This turned out to only be half true, the work was done at a much faster pace….the explaining part was minimal! I guess I will get the real feedback when they try and use some of the things themselves but for now, I would say it’s all good!

Giving something new a chance - My shock

As the weeks of the semester are getting fewer and fewer I have reached my decision on the added value the social networking tools have added to my learning experience, and the verdict is…plenty! Being unfamiliar with those tools employed in this course, I was both hesitant and nervous to learn them and then anxious to try them out. I came to learn that the social networking tools are what you make of them. The extreme level of my nervousness and hesitation in the beginning wasn’t warranted for the difficulty they actually yielded. Once I took the opportunity to play around with them I began to see the benefits they could potentially offer and found myself using them to accomplish tasks at work and for my own enjoyment. The ease of task accomplishment, when utilizing tools appropriately, was efficient and effective in my personal experiences. I feel that many instructors possess this same uneasy feeling and, if given some of these tools an opportunity would be pleasantly surprised – as I was!

A Week of Thoughts

As the semester goes on I keep realizing how dependent we are on technology. I spent the majority of yesterday even pulling research articles for our project in Dr. Kuhn’s course and was reading some of the predictions that were being forecasted for years 2005 2010 (some of the material I was pulling was somewhat dated) and the material was accurate. Stating that there would be a shift in distance learning courses and the popularity would shift to this form of delivery from the traditional classroom. It was also correct in that some institutions would venture into online environments as their primary method…for example, University of Phoenix. It’s hard to imagine that education was once conducted in a one room school house and now we can enroll for the courses we desire from our PDA’s while driving. Does anyone else agree?

Weekly Thought

While new technology offers experiences and opportunities for distance learning and convenience for all, in the long run does it really pay off? I started thinking the other day about what projects I had due in class and what presentations I would have to do etc, basically preparing for the end of the semester. Since I was on my lunch hour, when my boss walked in and saw paper strung across my desk I explained that I was creating to do lists for my classes and figuring out how to make a certain presentation interesting and long enough…before she exits she informs me that the chief physician requested that I present back to residents and the physicians about where we are and how we have been doing according to the feedback I had received. Since I have never attended one of these meetings nor am I even acquainted with half of them, I just really hate speaking in front of large crowds. When I started to think about the argument made with technology and it lack of social skills instilled, the rebuttal is that programs such as Second Life where the student user an aviator to interact with peers…I can’t really say that is enough. I mean if I could send my aviator into a meeting of 100 (who will drill me with questions) I think I would feel much more comfortable. I almost think that until the workforce you are preparing students undergoes a similar transformation such as the new learning environments, I don’t think they fully prepare us for what can be ahead.

more of what I am thinking!!!

My initial thoughts on Twitter were something along the lines of, “what a useless, pointless, absolutely unentertaining site. Who has the time to actually post a play by play of their life to nobody?” As the weeks went on and I felt that it was a chore to keep up my tweets for class, getting into the routine of updating my classmates that I arrived to work finally and was in desperate need of coffee, I found myself tweeting when it wasn’t necessary. I now find that I am checking it to see what people are doing and, LOL, who has been feeding my fish. When I am stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and nobody will answer the phone, I tweet from my cell to inform everyone how much I hate that it takes me an hour to get home and probably only 20 minutes if I were to walk. I can already see that my tweets will continue after the semester and as some of these other sites we were to sign up for already have, procrastination and getting off track will invade my work life. Unfortunately, tools such as Facebook and Twitter or Myspace are attractive to many personality types and can be a powerful device in both a positive and negative way. While the advantages are up-to-date information delivery, portals of communication, etc. The disadvantages are the increased potential of just getting off track.

Learning in the 21st Century

It is encouraging to see how 21st century learning is adapting to the times. Utilizing the available tools of social networking seems to be helping students in the learning process and to become more active contributors in a slew of different ways. One obvious way is their understanding of the technology and what it can do for them. Another is the opportunity to gain immediate feedback from their peers. Learners are also given the opportunity to research beyond their thoughts and explore the thoughts provided by their peers. By undergoing activities such as blogging, learners are discovering how to communicate with their peers effectively and are given the opportunity to strengthen and develop their leadership skills.

Week 6 Post!!!

In response to these weeks’ readings I am going to reflect on the opportunities for learning enhancement today in comparison to early times. As I was reading the article on Augmented Reality Simulations on Handheld Computers, I was a little jealous as to the tools and learning aides that students today have available to them. While I understand that they are available to all of us (since we are life-long learners) I wish they were on our school supply list rather then items such as graph paper and a protractor…you know?!? Instead, I would like a laser pointer that allows me to put in the coordinates and if possible, could I get the laser to find a printer on a wireless network so it could just print my results?? Thanks that would really save me the time of sketching that angle!

Another Week of Thoughts!!!

Now that this month’s class session is over I thought I would focus this blog on my reflections of social networking thus far…what have been my struggles, frustrations, likes and dislikes. I walked away from this weekend feeling like I was not the only one in the group who was a little out of their comfort zone when it came to using these new tools. I have found that many of my frustrations are shared with my classmates. For instance why can’t this blog have a spell check before sending feature? Or, why can’t I approve which photos and messages are posted to my wall beforehand on FaceBook?

With so many tools available, education has the opportunity to be enhanced and tweaked to the learner’s preferences. I think that by offering online courses or creating a blended learning environment the learner has the opportunity to maximize their experience and get a thorough understanding and become a lifelong learner.

My Updated Thoughts on Technology

Week of September 20-26

As I reflect on my readings and research for the week I wonder why I haven’t used some of these new tools I have explored to achieve certain tasks at hand. These tools have the potential to simplify a task so long as one knows and understands how to operate it. I was hesitant and a bit nervous when I was sitting in class and reading over what was expected from each student…the accounts we had to create…the blogs we needed to manage…and all the tweeting, blogging, wiki creating was a little to unfamiliar for my liking. I would in no way consider myself a pro but I would consider myself a user (which is a huge step for me). I wish I was introduced to some of these tools much earlier, more teachers should utilize this. While I have always kind of lived by the motto of nothing is too hard, just unfamiliar I see me reminding myself of this every morning and becoming more motivated each day.

To think of how technology has transformed the classroom today, I am eager to see what is next to come…

Social Networking Potential in Education

After reading various articles from online journals and blogs from my peers, here is brief response to what social networking has offered to education.

By incorporating the offerings of social networking in education, numerous benefits could potentially be reaped. Just to name a few, there is an opportunity to utilize the features for support, for example; communications among teachers and the communication between teachers and students during non-office hours. Another opportunity to utilize is the ability for mass communications such as, announcements for upcoming quizzes or exams. Lastly, there is an opportunity to gain a more in depth knowledge through discussions and chat sessions.

Technorati: Discussion about “Compare The Old and the New Google, Side By Side”

Technorati: Discussion about “Compare The Old and the New Google, Side By Side”

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Long weekends make it so much harder to go back to work...trying to get motivated for this rainy Tuesday :(

Ready for the weekend and WVU Football!!!