Journal 7: My Personal Learning Network (PLN)

A Personal learning network, or PLN, is a collaborative use of online tools to create a virtual network in which different educators from around the world can share their ideas. This allows experienced and upcoming teachers learn about different teaching techniques or strategies to educate students. Ideas shared can be relating to both digital and non digital aspects of teaching. A PLN allows for a quick and easy way for people to connect online and spread their knowledge about learning. Any educator who has a PLN can then join a network to receive information but also to share their own and expand the PLN. The tools I used to expand my Personal Learning Network include Twitter, Diigo, and The Educators PLN. My own PLN will help me as an educator because I will have quick and easy access to information regarding education. This is because people in my PLN will provide, forward, and take in information regarding education, all of which is the most relevant and useful.

As part of my PLN I used Twitter, a web based social-networking site, to expand my PLN and have a broader inflow of information relating to education. I chose to follow certain Twitter users whose focus was on education and others who use education along side digital tools and technology. Some of the twitter users I followed: US Department of Education, edutopia, Lyn Hilt, Dana Lane, Librarian Voices, and InnovationsOnlineEdu. While I expanded my PLN with some better known twitter users, I felt it was necessary to add more independent users such as Lyn Hilt and Dana Lane because of the content they provide to my PLN regarding education and  the use of technology in the classroom. As part of expanding my PLN I also participated in an educational chat on Twitter using an online tool called TweetChat. I participated in #ntchat on Wednesday August 1 from 5:00-5:30 pm. While there was on the chat, it did not seem that active, however there were still users participating and posting ideas regarding education and the use of technology to teach. I felt that observing this chat cession allowed me to come across other educators on Twitter whom post interesting and useful information. I was then able to follow users whom I felt posted things that I believed are relevant to me as a potential educator, thus expanding my PLN through Twitter.

Diigo is a social bookmarking site that allows me to be connected with other people who provide online links and resources in topics I am interested in, such as education and the use of technology in the classroom. I was able to expand my PLN through the use of Diigo because of the people I chose to follow as they not only provide access to information they post but more interesting is their own network they make available to me and other users expanding their PLN. The users I chose to follow were: Barbara Lindsey, Jeffery Heil, N Carroll, Philip Cummings, Shelly Terrell, and Susan Glassett. I found that the information they provided was relevant to education and is information that is useful to me as a potential educator.  By following someone, I was able to look into their own network and continue to follow others who are following them. This allows my PLN to keep expanding the more Diigo users I come across and their own PLNs. The websites I chose to bookmark were two blogs relating to education and teacher development, The Edublogger and Teacher Challenge. Also, a wiki, twitter4teachers provides a list of different twitter users who tweet info on education. I also bookmarked a website called Edutopia because I felt it provided relevant information regarding teaching as well as access to educational blogs and articles.

The digital discussion forum I joined was the Educators PLN, it is a site dedicated to the support of PLNs for educators. While on the website I came across a video that I thought was interesting. It was a video dedicated to an online social platform called bookgator.com in which students can buy, trade, and sell books to each other. I found this interesting because it takes the idea of social networking and education and applying it to the book industry for text books used in class.

Journal 6: Article - Ten Reasons to Get Rid of Homework (and Five Alternatives)

Spencer, J. (2011, September 19). Ten reasons to get rid of homework (and five alternatives) . Retrieved from http://www.educationrethink.com/2011/09/ten-reasons-to-get-rid-of-homework-and.html

  

According to the author of the article, he believes that homework is not necessary for students to learn and in fact hinders their ability to function in the classroom. Apparently, the students already get enough work to do in school and do not need to be occupied with school work when they get home. Children need to be able to be active and play when they get home rather than be stuck inside studying. Also, the author also believes that some students do not have a stable working environment when they get him, he considers this systemic injustice. Homework also serves to demotivate students from school work as it seems more of a chore than learning. Some parents might also be too busy to help their children with their homework. I believe that the author has some good points in his argument for students not having to do homework, however, I also think that some practice at home is also necessary. If excessive homework is not a necessary work load for students, it would also be possible to provide students with two or three, math problems for example, rather than ten or fifteen.

Alternatives to homework:

1. Have students browse the web on a topic they are interested in, does not need to be specific. If they search the internet for a topic they like, such as WW2 for example, then they will be actively learning at their own pace.

2. Students could go to a museum to learn about a topic they are interested in.

In defense of homework:

1.  Students need to have at least a little bit of homework so they can practice and still not be overwhelmed.

2. Students get homework but only do what they understand and if they don't complete something because of it then they should ask quesitons the net day in class.

3. Students get homework of only material that has been covered in class, otherwise they will just waste time trying to do something that has not been taught to them yet.

Journal 5: (optional)

Journal 4: Article - 1 Join the Flock. Article 2 - Enhance Your Twitter Experience

Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock!. Learning & leading with technology, 37(8), 12-14. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Join_the_Flock.aspx

Miller, S. (2010). Enhance your twitter experience. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), 14-17. Retrieved from  http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Join_the_Flock.aspx


The article titled "Join the Flock!" by Hadley Ferguson basically goes over the reasons why teachers would benefit form creating a Twitter account. After creating a Twitter account, an educator should begin to follow others whom have similar interests and provide topics on education. This allows the teacher to become part of a Personal Learning Network (PLN). Once in a PLN such as an educationally oriented Twitter account, the teacher will have quick and easy access to up to date and relevant information on education


The article titled "Enhance your Twitter Experience" by Shannon McClintock Miller goes over how to make the Twitter PLN a better educational tool by actively participating on twitter. This involves following people that post information relevant to the teacher as well as the user posting tweets using hashtags to provide relevant information to other educators following or searching those hashtags. The article also goes over tools for Twitter such as the organizer called, TweetDeck which can be used to organize information streams into columns.

Question 1: Why is being part of a PLN using Twitter beneficial to an educator?


Answer 1: Being part of a Twitter PLN allows an educator quick and easy access to relevant material provided by other members of a PLN. For example, if a teacher's curriculum involved teaching about history, then he or she can join a PLN and gain access to information that other history teachers find interesting or useful.

Question 2: How does active participation in a PLN using Twitter allow teachers to gain and distribute information about a topic they are interested?


Answer 2: By using hashtags (#) teachers can follow tweets by other people that post information relevant to a certain hashtag. The teacher as an active member of the Twitter PLN they are involved in can also post a tweet using a hashtag to distribute any other participants in the PLN that also use that hashtag. For example, if a teacher posts a tweet using the #history hashtag then other members following that hashtag as part of the PLN will be able to see that information.

Journal 3: Article - Upside Down and Inside Out

Fulton, K. (2012). Upside down and inside out: Flip your classroom to improve student learning. Learning & leading with technology, 39(8), 12-14. Retrieved from: http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Upside_Down_and_Inside_Out.aspx

Summary/Analysis: The flipped classroom involves that the student's learning environment is moved from the classroom to their homes. Instead the students go to class in order to do their homework. At home the students are presented with lectures and lessons at home where they have the time to learn in a more relaxed and private learning environment. Student's interact with technology at home in order for them to learn the material and study the topics in the lesson plan. A reason that teachers and schools choose to flip their classrooms is because they don't have to use textbooks in a flipped classroom. This allows for the school to function on a lower budget as the material in the curriculum transfers from a book to a digital format. The class and material is instead presented through the class website. There is documented success of the effectiveness of the flipped classroom in which both the teachers and the students benefit. Results even show that students have an increased proficiency in the topic that is being taught.

Question 1: What are the cons of using technology at home for students to learn at home in a flipped classroom setting?

Answer 1: The downside of integrating technology in the household for students to learn at home is that not every student will have access to technology. This can be due to the different economic status presented by the diversity of students in any given classroom. Student's without an access to a computer would not gain an equal access to the lectures provided by the teachers.

Question 2: What can be done in a flipped classroom to provide a better environment for students to do homework?

Answer 2: In the classroom, students are supposed to do homework but this time can also be used for the teachers to provide their input on the student's homework.Any of the student's questions could be answered during this time and possibly provide some tutoring time if the students need it.

Journal 2: School 2.0 Reflection Tool

NETS-T II: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Too Cool for School? No Way!—Using the TPACK Framework: You Can Have Your Hot Tools and Teach with Them, Too (PDF)

The reason I chose this article as my resource is because it goes over a way to integrate popular technological tools into education. I was able to learn that if students want to use cell phones, iPhones or iPads in class, then there should be a way to integrate them into their educational experience. According to the article, teaching requires the transformation of of content to make it accessible to students. There is a framework called the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TRACK). This allows for combination of technical knowledge, content knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge. this means that a teacher has to combine what they know about current and trending technologies with what they know about educating their students. The knowledge of both technology and teaching when combined with appropriate content create for a better educational experience for the students. The content has to do with what subject matter is explained through the use of the technological tools and teaching ability. So overall, the TRACK framework allows for teachers to better understand and implement a combination of their knowledge of teaching, technology, and content to their lecture.

Journal 1: 100 Things That Make Me Happy

By Category:
 
 People
1.Me
2.Girlfriend
3.Father
4.Mother
5.Younger Brother
6.Older Brother
7.Uncles
8.Aunts
9.Cousins
10.Friends

Places
11.Jalisco
12.San Andres Ixtlan
13.Colima
14.Tecoman
15.Baja California
16.Rosarito
17.Tijuana
18.California 
19.North County
20.Los Angeles

Activites
21.Biking
22.Jogging
23.Badmington
24.Tennis
25.Foot race
26.Weight lifting
27.Hiking
28.Fishing
29.Swimming
30.Driving

Vehicles
31.Toyota
32.AE86
33.MR2
34.Supra
35.Helux
36.Ford
37.Lobo
38.Ranger
39.DeLroean
40.Dodge

Technology
41.Windows
42.hp
43.Sony
44.PSVITA
45.Wii
46.Samsung
47.Renewable energy
48.Internet
49.Stem cell research
50.Space exploration

Educational
51.Reading
52.Writing
53.Research
54.Explaining
55.Concept application
56.Aha moments
57.Student motivation
58.Student realization of world
59.Student appreciation of material
60.Students asking questions

Food
61.Enchiladas
62.Quesadillas
63.Chilaquiles
64.Tortas
65.Sopes
66.Langosta
67.Filete enpanizado
68.Ceviche
69.Albondigas
70.Menudo

Drinks
71.Horchata
72.Rompope
73.Pingana
74.Mineral water
75.Patron
76.Diet Squirt
77.Diet Mountain Dew
78.Water
79.Coconut juice
80.Jumex

Stores
81.Stater Bros.
82.Wall mart
83.Amazon
84.Coach
85.Prada
86.Mr. Taco #2
87.Northgate Market
88.Milano
89.La Marina
90.Half

Nature
91.Sky
92.Clouds
93.Trees
94.Rivers
95.Ocean
96.Mountains
97.Meadows
98.Jungles
99.Animals
100.Life