Social Networking

 

It is difficult to only talk about social networking without touching on social media.  They are both so closely related.  Social networking is becoming very controversial.  Both children and adults are using it carelessly and creating great difficulty for themselves in the long run.  I do not know if I see any educational value in social networking in terms of content related material. I do not think organizing a reunion, like in the example given, is educational either.  With that being said, it may be beneficial to teach students the value in social networking and how to safely use it.  It would be valuable for students to know about sites like LinkedIn for when they are looking to connect with others and find jobs.  I think it is important to teach students how to safely and appropriately use them and educate them on the negative impact they can have on their future if used inappropriately.  I think the best way to educate students would be to have them take an online safety course each year when they reach middle school.  Each year could focus on a different internet tool and the right and wrong ways to use them.

Podastic!

I have never had any experience with pods before class last Wednesday.  I never had bothered to look into what they were or how they were used.  I still am not completely sold on podcasts.  I find them to be a bit bland and a boring way to present information especially with all the other options available today.  You could create a and post a mini video episode.  I am a very visual person and I did not like only being able to listen to podcasts.  I would rather watch a video on Youtube of the exact same information but at least be able to see the person presenting the information.  Hopefully in the next week or so I will learn the benefits of podcasts and my opinion will be changed!

Wikitastic!

 

      When I think about Wikis I immediately think about Wikipedia.  It brings me back to college when professors made it very clear that you were not allowed to site Wikipedia as a source.  I never understood why because I did not know what a wiki was.  I did not realize that wikis could be modified and edited by any user at any time.  When I would read the information it always appeared to be accurate to me because and I would find other sources that matched the information on Wikipedia so I could site the sources in my research papers.  I still relied on Wikipedia to help guide my search efforts.  I am still unsure of wikis and hope that the next few weeks of grad school will help to persuade my thoughts on them.   I am still unsure of how I might use wikis with second graders that have trouble just logging onto the computers alone.  I definitely feel wikis could be very beneficial and useful to students in upper graders and high school.

Blogtastic!

 

The idea of blogging has always been very scary to me.  Writing and grammar have never been strengths of mine and both are very important when it comes to blogging.  There is nothing private about blogging in terms of who is able to see and read what you write and because of this, I have chosen to stay as far away as possible from the whole concept.   Another concern that has kept me from blogging is feeling like I do not have anything worth writing about that other people would be interested in reading!  Nothing terrifies me more, than putting my thoughts and passions out there only to have them rejected or looked down on by others.  Not to mention, what do I do in my every day life that is so spectacular that I need to let the whole world read about it.  Does anyone really want to know about a meal I am preparing for my family, or an art project I did that turned out well?  The whole concept of blogging to me is foreign, but one that I am willing to investigate further!

Even though I have not started a blog, that has not kept me away from reading other peoples blogs.  I enjoy searching fellow teachers blog pages for great teaching tips and ideas.  I am always in awe of how they find time in our already hectic days to blog about what they are teaching and how to implement different skills.   I also keep up to date on a few of my friends that live far away by reading their blogs.  I am able to follow their lives and know what they have been up to by reading about their days on their blogs.  The way they are able to freely write about their most personal experiences for all to read is terrifying to me.  It is something that I do not think I will ever be comfortable with, but can understand how it may be an outlet to relieve stress or concerns for them.

Starting to blog for the ITS program is a safe way for me to get my toes wet with the idea and concept of blogging.  Who knows!  Maybe by the end of this semester I will be writing my deepest darkest secrets…