The idea of School 2.0 existing is controversial. It has two separate meanings. The first being that teachers simply learn to incorporate Web 2.0 tools into academically useful resources. On the other hand, School 2.0 is now the nickname for online learning. For this post, however, I will only be discussing the incorporation of the web.
"School 2.0" has the most potential for success based on its resources. We've previously discussed why blogging is so important and both topics have a multitude of the same reasons. Technology is quicker at producing recognizable text and concepts, as opposed to pencil and paper. Students can learn to use online libraries rather than public city libraries. In my opinion, the main goal of School 2.0 is to make tools more easily accessible. If students have unlimited access to a variety of resources then it doesn't give him or her much room to fail. And we are trying to get our students to succeeed, right?
As far as what it means to me, I think School 2.0 will become an advanced learning resource. I believe that it won't become popular right away, but it will happen progressively. To further emphasize what I previously stated, I do indeed believe that it will be successful. Blogs and social networking have the power to be used for academic purposes and eventually, they will. For future schools, it unfortunately means more money. Computers and electronic gadgets are going to become more needed than before and sadly, it also means that more students and faculty will be relying on electricity. If the power goes out so does the day's lesson. On a brighter note, it could help learning advance. We learn new things everyday on computers and as teachers, we can use these new things to show our students the world. By opening their eyes, we are helping them be the best they can be.
Yours,
TPlummer
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thing 3: Helping Myself and My Future Students
Let's see... how many ways could I use a blog in assistance to my teacher education program? For starters, it's incredibly convenient to watch other students' work. A lot of times you come to a fork in the road amidst a difficult assignment and all of a sudden, a confusing word appears. That word can usually be read in one or two ways, you just don't know which way to read it. By that point, you have already emailed your professor a hundred times and really don't want to bother them anymore. In fact, it's highly possible that when he or she sees your name in his or her inbox again, it's going straight to the Spam folder. Ha! Just kidding!
But I have been faced with these obstacles often throughout my college career and I'm here to tell you that a good way to avoid it has been by using these blog posts. Since all of the Education 3040 students are able to view each other's material (regardless of the class period), it's much easier to see what path everyone else has taken. For instance, many students in my own class have not progressed onto Thing 2, whereas I am beginning Thing 3. Fortunately, I could view the profiles of the other classes to note the topics they discussed and make them relevant to my own subject matter. I consider this process of "peer reviewing" to be extraordinarily beneficial to students like myself.
As an English major, I love the fact that I could post an essay and receive immediate feedback. It would help me in my classes and thusly, improve my writing. The same goes for classroom environments. As a teacher, it would be convenient to post material that I cover in class with other teachers in order to prevent the same course objectives being taught. For example, ninth-grade teachers might teach Romeo and Juliet, but an eleventh-grade teacher also teaches it. By teaching the same thing, the students don't have much room to grow, but by proper communication (i.e. blogging, etc.), the eleventh-grade teacher could further the students' knowledge of Shakespeare by teaching Twelfth Night or Othello rather than repeating the prior lesson.
It's "all about communication." Isn't that what we always hear? Well, the fact of the matter is that it's true. Communication is key. Blogging can be used to help post calendars, syllabi, and other material needs that students might need access to. Granted, programs like Blackboard and D2L exist and can also be used for those reasons, however with blogs, students can comment. I find this important because I love to work from feedback. Knowing myself and how I want to teach, I want to give my students the best possible education I can. In order to do this, I'll need their input. If something is wrong on the class schedule, he or she can leave a comment. Or if a worksheet is available online, students can ask questions about a certain topic. This kind of participation is ideal for all teachers. And through blogging, I certainly hope I can both participate and set an example.
Yours,
TPlummer
But I have been faced with these obstacles often throughout my college career and I'm here to tell you that a good way to avoid it has been by using these blog posts. Since all of the Education 3040 students are able to view each other's material (regardless of the class period), it's much easier to see what path everyone else has taken. For instance, many students in my own class have not progressed onto Thing 2, whereas I am beginning Thing 3. Fortunately, I could view the profiles of the other classes to note the topics they discussed and make them relevant to my own subject matter. I consider this process of "peer reviewing" to be extraordinarily beneficial to students like myself.
As an English major, I love the fact that I could post an essay and receive immediate feedback. It would help me in my classes and thusly, improve my writing. The same goes for classroom environments. As a teacher, it would be convenient to post material that I cover in class with other teachers in order to prevent the same course objectives being taught. For example, ninth-grade teachers might teach Romeo and Juliet, but an eleventh-grade teacher also teaches it. By teaching the same thing, the students don't have much room to grow, but by proper communication (i.e. blogging, etc.), the eleventh-grade teacher could further the students' knowledge of Shakespeare by teaching Twelfth Night or Othello rather than repeating the prior lesson.
It's "all about communication." Isn't that what we always hear? Well, the fact of the matter is that it's true. Communication is key. Blogging can be used to help post calendars, syllabi, and other material needs that students might need access to. Granted, programs like Blackboard and D2L exist and can also be used for those reasons, however with blogs, students can comment. I find this important because I love to work from feedback. Knowing myself and how I want to teach, I want to give my students the best possible education I can. In order to do this, I'll need their input. If something is wrong on the class schedule, he or she can leave a comment. Or if a worksheet is available online, students can ask questions about a certain topic. This kind of participation is ideal for all teachers. And through blogging, I certainly hope I can both participate and set an example.
Yours,
TPlummer
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thing 2: Creating Myself
You don't know this yet, but I'm a very creative person. In fact, when I was younger I was placed into the Talented and Gifted Program (TAG) specifically for my creativity. Regardless of that fact, it seems that I'm a little stuck on picking a title for my blog. I did come up with some really great ones, but the fact that it had to have my last name within the title just didn't seem suitable to me (you'd understand if you're last name was no different than that of an occupational plumber). Until I do create a fitting title, you're going to just have to settle for my name. It's not that bad, right? At least I can say it's somewhat original.
As far as the blog itself, I didn't have a difficult time signing up. Once I logged in though, I was shell shocked with all of the buttons and templates and designs... Don't get me wrong, I've tried to blog before. In fact, I probably have a couple floating around here somewhere, but I've never been able to master the technology of it. Thankfully though, I was able to take my time and browse. Hence, the pretty profile you see now ;)
Let's see... my avatar is a pretty interesting character. She and I don't exactly favor each other too much. Her hairstyle is nowhere near the length or style of mine. Since my hair is always wavy, I attempted to locate a style similar to my own. You can see for yourself that it wasn't a successful search. I ended up with a generic hairstyle because it was the only natural looking one. As for her eyes and hair color, we match pretty well, I'd say. For her face, I added a cute facial expression. To be more specific, it looked a little quirky to me and I am definitely quirky. (Plus, I love to wink!) I gave her a green sweater for two reasons: the first being I naturally look good in shades of green; the second being that I love sweaters. As far as the khaki pants, I'm most comfortable in them. I feel that it adds a sort of "business casual" look to my attire. And for the brown shoes? Well let's just pretend that they're a nice pair of Birkenstocks.
Yours,
TPlummer
As far as the blog itself, I didn't have a difficult time signing up. Once I logged in though, I was shell shocked with all of the buttons and templates and designs... Don't get me wrong, I've tried to blog before. In fact, I probably have a couple floating around here somewhere, but I've never been able to master the technology of it. Thankfully though, I was able to take my time and browse. Hence, the pretty profile you see now ;)
Let's see... my avatar is a pretty interesting character. She and I don't exactly favor each other too much. Her hairstyle is nowhere near the length or style of mine. Since my hair is always wavy, I attempted to locate a style similar to my own. You can see for yourself that it wasn't a successful search. I ended up with a generic hairstyle because it was the only natural looking one. As for her eyes and hair color, we match pretty well, I'd say. For her face, I added a cute facial expression. To be more specific, it looked a little quirky to me and I am definitely quirky. (Plus, I love to wink!) I gave her a green sweater for two reasons: the first being I naturally look good in shades of green; the second being that I love sweaters. As far as the khaki pants, I'm most comfortable in them. I feel that it adds a sort of "business casual" look to my attire. And for the brown shoes? Well let's just pretend that they're a nice pair of Birkenstocks.
Yours,
TPlummer
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Thing 1: The Beginnings of a Lifelong Learner
According to the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Learners, lifelong learning is a beneficial concept for those who love to learn. With it's simple presentation for interested viewers, it is quite easy for many teachers to be persuaded into furthering his or her education. As a potential teacher, it is important for me to evaluate the possibilities of success and failure through each one of the proposed habits. In doing so, I have realized that the easiest habit for me to follow through with is Habit 7: Teach/Mentor Others.
It seems too coincidental that teaching and mentoring others would be the easiest habit for me to pursue, but it also means that I'm clearly taking myself down the right career path. I have been a tutor for as long as I can remember from grade school to the peer mentor position I hold now. So I can safely presume that there will not be any complications as I fulfill that specific requirement.
On another note, I immediately realized that I am going to have a slightly difficult time attempting to fulfill Habit 7 1/2: Play. Although it seems "too easy" to throw down your books and dance wildly in your room, I'm here to tell you that it's not. In fact, these days with 18 credit hours and American Literature papers due every other class period, I find it difficult to even daydream about fun. I'm going out on a limb by saying that I will properly implement "fun time" into my busy agenda, but I will say that I'm going to try.
In summary, the habits are a pretty neat way to help teachers and interested viewers maintain a good mental health regime. After all, the majority of habits are results of self-reflection and perseverance. The fact that you can control the information you retain, well, that is the best part of learning, right?
Yours,
TPlummer
It seems too coincidental that teaching and mentoring others would be the easiest habit for me to pursue, but it also means that I'm clearly taking myself down the right career path. I have been a tutor for as long as I can remember from grade school to the peer mentor position I hold now. So I can safely presume that there will not be any complications as I fulfill that specific requirement.
On another note, I immediately realized that I am going to have a slightly difficult time attempting to fulfill Habit 7 1/2: Play. Although it seems "too easy" to throw down your books and dance wildly in your room, I'm here to tell you that it's not. In fact, these days with 18 credit hours and American Literature papers due every other class period, I find it difficult to even daydream about fun. I'm going out on a limb by saying that I will properly implement "fun time" into my busy agenda, but I will say that I'm going to try.
In summary, the habits are a pretty neat way to help teachers and interested viewers maintain a good mental health regime. After all, the majority of habits are results of self-reflection and perseverance. The fact that you can control the information you retain, well, that is the best part of learning, right?
Yours,
TPlummer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)