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.
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.
