Week 2blog Post

First blog post for my education class again!  This week we needed to review the first two chapters in Personal Learning Networks, by Mancabelli and Richardson.  These chapters focus on the ever changing world of technology and how to change with it.  Right away in the start of the first chapter they speak about the shifts that are driving the technology changes.  They just don't blame the WWW for all the dominate changes, but people and places moving from analog to digital.  I know I love to read a real hard cover book... NOT, but going to a digital book is cheaper and well saves space and trees.  It's easier to save work and everything is organized in one place.

The reading brought up another good point about how learning is still learning.  Mancabelli and Richardson make some good factual points.  Speaking from personal experience I went to College and sat in the classroom and graduated.  Decided to go back to get my Masters and I'm now enrolled in an online program and LOVE it.  I fell more social on here and interactive then I ever did in a regular classroom setting.  When asked by people how I like online classes I simply say, I wouldn't change it at all.  I do sometimes fell like I lag in areas but it just makes me work harder.  Motivated to graduate and teach my students more ways to interact with technology. 

 On page 27 of the text it spoke about seven survival skills in which Tony Wagner wrote about. These things are teaching the students how to adapt and move head in society. Building the networks allow the students to work together who might not have ever worked together in the first place.  It allows for  more success but it takes a lot of time by other individuals to ensure the transitions run smoothly and after the transition is made it stays that way.

There are many ways you can build this network in school with the students.  Most of the. Things we are learning in the MET program is exactly what we should be incorporating into our lessons for the students to gain advantages in their learning. The programs mentioned in chapter two, I'm addicted to using.  Twitter, Diigo, Blogger and  Facebook are good social networking sites to keep up with pretty much everything that is going on in the world.  The sites are all free and easy to interact on.  You can tweet from anywhere.  Blog from vacation and Facebook while waiting for class to start.  Social media is taking over and is the way of the future.  I don't see any of these sites closing, but maturing with the way technology does.  Like our students and teachers need to mature with the advances of technology.

The video below taken from YouTube has pros of using social media sites in school.  This video is from 2009, but speaks about Blogger and Myspace the original Facebook.  It does talk about how some sites can be a distraction, but gives mostly pros and then speaks about Digital Citizenship, which is extremely important to teach any child before going on the web. The lady who is speaking in the video is a part of the University of Minnesota.

This next video takes about apps inside Facebook to help with learning.  Check it out the Channel 9 News speaks about 20 helpful applications to help you learn while using Facebook.  There are some excellent suggestions.  This video was back in 2009 as well, but Amy James has come up with some interesting places for students.