PLN

I found this class to be incredibly helpful in developing ideas to add to my personal learning network.  I wouldn't have even known what a PLN was if it had not been for this course.  I liked the fact that we could experiment with different forms of media, and then apply those to our own classrooms.  Personally, I think some of the most useful web 2.0 tools have been:

• Blogs (an excellent way to connect your classroom to parents and the community, as well as an unique idea for allowing students to express themselves)
• RSS Feeds (a convenient way to keep up to date on updates to my favorite blogs and sites)
• Wikis (a digital way for students to collaborate and a solution to my overcrowded hard drive!)
• Concept Mapping (a way to for students to organize and graphically represent their ideas)
• Image/Video Sharing (students are able to bring visual elements to learning)
• Online Polling (a great way to seek input from students, parents, colleagues, etc)
• Googleeverything! (Google is pretty much blowing my mind... the possibilities for incorporating these applications into our classrooms is endless - from googledocs to googlemaps...)

There were some Web 2.0 tools that weren't as useful in my opinion, but I'm really glad I had the chance to try them out.  I think Twitter was actually one of the programs that I liked least.  I saw a lot of overlap between Twitter and Facebook, and I'm much more involved in and interested in Facebook.  I also thought Twitter was essentially an RSS feed but with the added struggle of deciphering the symbols and responses.  I did make an effort to find people to add to my network, and found that local teachers/colleagues were really the best people to get information from.  I followed "educationweek" and didn't really find that I could connect the material to my daily life/classroom.

I was also not convinced of the value of Delicious as much as some of the other web 2.0 tools.  I understand how bookmarking favorite sites may come in handy, but I don't think that I'd make use of the site enough to warrant keeping the page up to date.  If I'm looking for a specific kind of site, I usually use a search engine and am easily able to find something along the lines of what I was searching for within a few minutes.  Again, this tool just seems like it overlaps a bit too much with some of the other tools.  I liked how "iGoogle" could keep track of my favorite sites, although I thought Delicious did a better job of helping me find useful sites by keeping track of how many users subscribed to each site.

I think that my district is making some good attempts at helping teachers add to their PLN's by constantly communicating new and exciting ideas for how to use technology in the classroom.  Every Tuesday, we get a short and easy-to-implement idea in "Tuesday's Technology Tip" via email.  Our district technology staff are always giving us resources to help incorporate technology in our classroom.  They even have a blog set up to keep track of their ideas and resources.  I feel that after this class, I have a new appreciation for how much work my district has put into helping staff develop PLN's, and I will definitely keep adding to my list of tools.

I think one of the best pieces of advice that I came across regarding PLN's came from the "20 tips to Define & Manage Your Social Networks" article.  I didn't know that password managers existed - but I think I'll definitely make use of them!  One of the hardest things about joining all these web 2.0 tools is that I had a large variety of usernames, emails, and passwords to keep track of.  I can use a password manager to store that information, so that I don't have to create duplicate accounts.

delicious

Delicious seems to be an excellent way to store and organize websites that are useful to me.  I really like the way that I can network and see other user's bookmarks - especially because it allows me to save a lot of time/energy tracking down educational resources by just looking at the links of my colleagues.  Here are my thoughts on this week's questions: 

Looking at others' links: Go back and look at the websites collected by the class under the tags. Are there any there that you want to save to your own list? 

I was really surprised to find how many websites I could use on my own list that were already bookmarked by other people in the class.  Obviously we are all in the same profession, but we have a lot of variety in our day to day teaching and educational setups.  I found quite a few sites that I ended up saving to my own list - including lesson plan ideas and a link to WI government resources for kids.  

Choosing tags: How has your own list of tags grown? Were you consistent in using tags? Did you use many tags for each link? Did you use synonyms or stay consistent in your use of terms? Did you change your mind about tags you wanted to use? Did the tags used by others impact your choices? Did you find yourself using the same tags across different tools (e.g., del.icio.us, your blog, wiki pages)? How would you approach teaching tagging to students?

My list of tags grew exponentially - which made it a lot easier to organize and access my links.  I was consistent in using some links (like Web 2.0), but it was easier to start using some labels that were more specific to the site (i.e. "lesson plans" or "graphic organizers").  I think I used about 3-4 links for each site, and the tag verbiage stayed consistent.  I thought it was really convenient to link off of other people's bookmarks and then use the tags they already had - it also made it easier to categorize what kind of website it was.  I didn't change my mind about the tags I wanted to use (it was pretty clear that they were hitting the objectives I was wanting them to), and I did stay consistent between different web 2.0 tools.  I think I would teach tagging to students by explaining it like color coordinating objects.  For example, let's say I had 50 pieces of fruit that I needed to organize.  If I'm really hungry for an apple, it would take me a very long time to sort through all 50 pieces to find one apple that appealed (pardon the pun...) to me.  However, if I color coordinated all my fruits, I could easily find that one apple just by looking in the red section.  I think students would find this to be a concrete way to understand tags.

Tag clouds: Check out your Tag log or cloud (under Tags - My Tags). Which tags have you used the most often, other than those assigned for the class? 

I definitely used "web 2.0" a lot for the purpose of organizing materials for this class, but the other links that I used included: education, resources, and lesson.plans   

Annotations: Did you add annotations to each link? Why or why not? What would be an advantage of doing this?

 I added annotations to some of my links, but not all.  It seemed like some of the website titles/descriptions were much more revealing of the content than others.  I do think that it is an advantage to add annotations, because it gives a more in depth description of the website, which would increase the chance that it's going to be of use to someone. 

Connecting with others:  How could you use del.icio.us to connect with others interested in the same topic? Try this for one of the tags you used for a topic in this class. Who did you find used many of the same tags and bookmarked things of interest?  How might you use the Network feature of del.icio.us? Try this with one other person (not someone in the class, but someone who appears to have a similar interest).  How could you use del.icio.us or a similar product (Diigo, BuddyMarks (filtered), Scuttle (on own server), FURL) among a group of people like students in a class or a group of friends?

Delicious makes it very easy to network with other people who are tagging the same kinds of sites that I'm looking for.  Because I was search for education specific tags, it was easy to find other teachers who had found links and resources that would come in handy in my own classroom.  I found a user named brown.morgan who also teaches middle school social studies and I was able to use many of the bookmarks that he/she had already added to their site.  I think that students would utilize this site (or others like it) to build a collection of resources that help them in the classroom.  I also think it'll be easy for me link sites that will benefit my students and then have students join my network so they don't waste time searching for sites that I've already found them.  I think this may be a bit advanced for 5th graders, but I could definitely see it being used by upper middle school/high school students.  

What examples of exemplary Web 2.0 use to support student learning have you found to use in convincing administrators and technology and staff to facilitate use of these tools in schools? What would you need to ask them to do to support this? How would you convince them of the value of the activity?

I think that I will definitely integrate wikis, concept mapping, and image/video sharing tools in my classroom.  My district is very forward-thinking when it comes to technology, they are constantly sharing new resources with us, so I don't think I'd have to "convince" anyone of the value of web 2.0 tools.  However, if I worked for a less progressive district, I'd feel very confident in persuading administrators to allow new forms of technology.  In my opinion, the most convincing argument for allowing web 2.0 tools in the classroom is that the core of education is to prepare students for their future.  Whether it's equipping our students with the skills needed to succeed in their future endeavors, or helping them explore different options/paths available to them, our goal is always focused on the future.  It's obvious that technology isn't going to decrease its prevalence in our society, in fact, it's only going to become more and more common, effective, and powerful.  We need students to learn as much as possible about multiple forms of media because they'll need those skills in their future.  School is the perfect place to practice appropriate and effective technology skills because students can be supervised and given feedback on their actions.  Students are going to use these tools on their own, and it's in their best interest to learn how to use them responsibly in a classroom setting.

Practical Classroom Ideas

In checking out the web 2.0 tools researched by my classmates, I've started to develop a list of ready to use activities for my classroom.  Here are a couple that I've added to the list:

Polling Tools
Sites such as SurveyMonkey allow teachers to easily poll students, parents, or even colleagues.  I see surveys like this in my email all the time from administration asking for feedback on issues ranging from scheduling to inservices.  I developed a survey to send out to my students, asking for feedback on a new unit that my team and I just developed.  It was very easy to see and interpret the results.  Students were very excited to give feedback in a digital format.  I think as I continue to practice using these sites, I will learn strategies for asking more effective questions - there were a few that I would have liked to have reworded in retrospect.

Online Photo/Video Sharing
I was really surprised at how easy it was to use Flickr.  I was able to easily upload pictures and create a slideshow with them.  This would be a great way to bring pictures into my classroom without having to use up all my desktop space!  Here is one photo that I uploaded... Spring is coming!
Also, Youtube has become one of my favorite tools in Social Studies.  It's amazing to browse through the videos that are available on that site.  This is one of my Favorites... Learn the 50 States & Capitals

Social Networking
I'm already on Facebook personally (and spend a ridiculous amount of time on it), but I think I'm going to start using it professionally by creating a page for my classroom.  While my students are still a bit young for Facebook (I would estimate that only about half of them are allowed to have an account), I think I could create a page that would help to keep them informed and give them lots of opportunity to interact with prompts and each other in a supervised environment.  As Andrew pointed out, I'd have quite a few students who don't utilize the site, but it could present as an effective extra-curricular information portal.  Plus, I think a lot of parents would like the accessibility of a classroom page.

Twinteresting...

Gotta admit... I'm a big fan of technology, but Twitter is not my favorite web 2.0 tool.  I'm finding it a bit overrated.  My frustrations stem from the fact that I'm starting to see a lot of repetition among web 2.0 tools.  I am struggling to find a use for Twitter that I don't already have in Facebook... I can post status updates to let my friends know what I'm up to, easily find updates from the friends/interests that I follow, and check out links that others have posted.  It also seems like more and more news sources, businesses, celebrities, etc are joining Facebook and posting updates much like they would on Twitter.  

In terms of the classroom, I also see a lot of overlap between the two tools.  I could definitely use either site to keep parents updated on what's happening in my classroom, provide links to homework or study resources, and ask for feedback or answer questions from students.  Truth be told, I like the visual layout of Facebook better and would opt towards using it as a classroom tool.

Although, I did think the "30 Interesting Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom" had some cool ideas.  We started out Language Arts this year by doing an activity called "The Great Mail Race" in which our students mailed a letter to all 50 states asking 5th grade students at a randomly selected school to fill out a survey and return it to us.  When the responses arrive, we chart them on a map and read what they've written us.  It seems like this could be turned into a digital activity via Twitter.  Students could contact people from different parts of the country (or world for that matter) and plot their responses on a map.  In fact, the responses could be located by using Google Earth for further technology integration.

I also liked the idea of using Twitter as a way to have students practice summarizing material.  Because there is a word limit placed on posts, it would be a good opportunity to practice word choice. 

Technology Transforms Learning

In David Warlick's article about technology transforming learning environments, he talks about the influence that technology has had in the lives of our students.  One of the first things he mentions is that students have become more internally motivated to answer their own questions.  I think this is incredibly important in the lives of our students.  If we can develop lifelong learners who constantly seek the answers to their own questions, I think we will see a population emerge that is more open to change and growth.  When students learn the power in answering their own questions, they begin to question more about their surrounding environments and develop their own opinions and values rather than following blindly. 

I think one unit that I already have implemented in my classroom that supports Warlick's thought is during our studies of the Civil War.  Another teacher and I have developed a unit that is completely student-driven in which they are able to answer their own questions about the Civil War.  We provide some background information on the Civil War, and then completely leave it up to the students to decide what and how they're going to study relating to the war.  Students pick any topic of interest - ranging from famous war photographers to a specific battle to medical care of the era.  They become an "expert" on that topic and then choose how they will present the information to the class.  It's a great example of how students can develop their own questions and learning, instead of those questions being handed down by a teacher or a textbook.

4 Important Digital SKills

Alan November's article on "4 things every student should learn... but not every school is teaching" identified four non-academic standards that are crucially important to student success, but not necessarily taught in schools.  His four standards were:

1.  Global empathy (understanding and appreciating others' views)
2.  Social and ethical responsibility on the web (avoiding things like cyber bullying and sexting)
3.  The permanence of information posted online (students don't realize the web is archived every couple of days)
4.  Critical thinking about the information found online (not everything on the web is true! ... gasp!)

I believe November makes very valid points.  While I realize the world is moving more to a digital format, I don't want to forget that there are already non-academic standards that we're teaching our students relating more to face-to-face interactions.  We already teach our students the importance of teamwork, cooperation, respect, and communication, and I hope we don't lose sight of the fact that face-to-face skills are as important as digital skills. 

What really struck a cord with me was reading November's 4th point regarding critical thinking.  I can't even count how many of my 5th graders have at one point reported back bogus information when researching on the web.  I think it's incredibly important to equip students with the skills they need to be able to determine what makes a website credible.  I also think that encouraging higher level thinking skills helps us teach students about plagiarism and the importance of being able to summarize information and put it into their own words.  I usually tackle these huge issues by providing "mini-lessons" throughout a project that involves research on the web.  I don't really have any time built into my schedule/curriculum that would allow me to focus on it solely, so it becomes necessary to overlap.

I think I'd like to focus more on his point about developing empathy in our students next year.  Understanding and appreciating different viewpoints is a lifelong skill that can only benefit students. 

Guess I should stop calling it "dingo"

After I signed up for a delicious account, I looked into how it compared to "diigo" (not to be confused with an animal that "ate my baby"... apparently the confusion comes from reading through things too quickly).  Both sites allow you to bookmark sites and have easy access to their updates.

I liked how diigo allowed you to highlight specific sections of a website and add comments about it.  I thought this would be really helpful in the classroom when students are assigned to read an article online.  The teacher could put in comments with prompts for responses or clarification.  The sidebar also allows you to see the comments that other people have put into the article - so students' responses/comments/questions could be easily viewed by the teacher.

Both websites allowed for easy access of sites by tagging.  It seems to me like this could take the place of my "favorites" tab on my browser... which I'm pretty sure eats up more space on your computer?  I could be wrong.  Either way, it's far more organized than my favorites tab.

I also thought that it was interesting that you could use diigo to play sites as a slideshow... I'm not exactly sure how that could be utilized in the classroom, I'd have to play around with the features.

I think delicious would come in very handy if there were a collection of websites that I would want to share with my students.  For example, during our unit on the Civil War - students each pick a topic about the Civil War and use the internet to research more about that topic.  Using delicious, I could bookmark sites that are reputable and useful so that students would be able to access them for the project.  They could also tag sites that they found useful, so I could add to the collection.