My YouTube Tutorial

Welcome to My Tutorial on YouTube!!

VIF-6: THIS IS FOR YOU ALL !!!

This song is for ALL of us: And to Dr. Watwood. Thank you for pushing us to beyond the limit!!!!!

PLEASE LISTEN TO THE LYRICS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoX_zHbmHp0

Kudos to all of my classmates. You teachers are phenomenal. It is an enormous task to be away from our home country. We have adjusted to living and working here in the U.S.A.  Most of us are parents, wives and hushands. And we are juggling all of that PLUS reading for our Masters Degree. WOW!

Stop for a while and think. Some people would be comfortable where they are in life. But we ALL see it fit to be PUSHING OURSELVES BEYOND THE LIMIT.

Have fun working on your tutorials. ONE LOVE!!!

Blogs I have Read - My Comments

                                     










As I venture into the world of "educational blogospere" there were quite a few blogs that captured my attention. One in particular was blogger Stephen Downes http://halfanhour.blogspot.com  In his response to the question: What is your vision of the school of the future? He answered with this diagram:-

The picture is labeled school 2.0 and he went on to point out that the end point of new education technologies is that society as a whole becomes the "immersive environment."  This particularly endorses the point where he said that what  new technologies will enable is the possibility of taking education outside the school to have children and young adults learn by participating in the functioning of social function - everything from creating community maps to documenting history and more.

I was also awed by the post of Around the Corner at http://mwacker.blogspot.com. In his blog post "Ed Tech Experts Choose Top 3 Tool via thejounal.com . I specifically liked the way he articulated his points in his post. I was also amazed that he ranked blogs as the number one tool for learning in web 2.0 agreeing with Steve Hargadon number one choice.  As a new blogger I can concur with him that "blogging can be a literal, adaptive, and also tranformative use of technology." He cited that blogs allow for scaffolded and secure use, while naturally lending itself to differentiation of instruction in the classroom.  

My last blog is from the post of blogger http://edtechpower.blogspot.com  where she interviewed Steven Hargadon on his reflection of the early days of classroom 2.0. You may watch excerpts at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEG391LbN8I

I find it easier to identify pros than cons in reading educational blogs:

Pros:

1. You can learn from other colleagues

2. It is a means of reflecting on classroom practices

3. Social networking

4. Creating and sharing ideas, strategies, and techniques that have proven successful.

5. Collaborative tool

Cons:

1. I am still thinking of one. I will be sure to add it in my next blog post it I think of it.

There are many benefits of using a aggregator like google reader as it servers as a RSS feeder (both online and offline) where you can be easily linked to your blog account and other web 2.0 tools such as twitter and delicious. You can read your bogs and posts of bloggers that you follow. It just servers as another handy management tool. 

My blogs can impact my teaching in a positive way. For I see it as a journal. One that I can write my reflections in (as I am doing right now).  I am hoping to develop a habit, of it hoping it will be more relaxing as then I will not be graded on my posts.

Reflection on Vicki Davis Blog Post

Potential Use of Web 2.0 in Education – My Views

As I immerse myself into this course, reading, and exploring the potential and benefits of web 2.0 in the classroom and in the future of education.  I am captivated by all of what I have seen, read, and discovered, and still unraveling as to the potential of catering to our students learning via web 2.0.  And, I am amazed at what there is and what I expect to come!

Vicki’s post was very interesting.  I thought it was a great strategy how she integrated cell phone technology in her classroom.  From her post it was evident that the students were involved, engaged, motivated and learning.  Vicki  has used web 2.0  and cell phones to equip her students with skills, not just for her classroom, but skills that will be beneficial to them in the future – college and eventually their career.  Thus, I want to share this video with you all, not just Vicki's vision but, also a global vision for our learners: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjJg9NfTXos

And I ask myself the question: What is the reason for education? What are we preparing students for daily? Aren’t we supposed to prepare them to function in the world? As Vicki pointed out in her post and I quote: “These tools are becoming ubiquitous, unblockable, and virtually unstoppable and there is really no excuse for saying they are unusable in the classroom” Vicki Davis (2008).

 The students were learning to Jott, use google calendar and their igoogle account from their cellphones. I thought about it, and it was simple, these students were gaining organizational skills and how to manage their daily tasks through web 2.0 on their cell phones.   

I was excited and motivated at how bold she was to get her principal to see her vision and enthusiasm to allow her to  let her students to use cell phone , knowing that schools today BAN the use of cell phones in school.   Her principal should be commended. I would want to shake his hand for being a person of vision who supported her and endorsed her suggestions and aspirations.

The students we teach today are “digital natives” as Medley and Mabrito stated in their article “Why Professor Johnny Can’t Read”. They are N-Gen learners and we as teachers need to cater to their learning styles, just as Vicki saw it fitting to do in her classroom. They were able to create and consume, (prosumers).

I am also optimistic that other educators and administrators will be motivated by what she has done. They can now explore ways where they can positively and creatively use web 2.0 technologies in classroom.

               

  We as teachers can all reflect on a particular quote from Will Richardson’s blog “School as a video game”   “What if teachers give up the vestiges of their educational past, threw away the worksheets, burn the canon and reconfigured the foundation upon which a century of learning has been built? What if we blurred the lines between academic subjects and reimagined the typical American classroom so that at least in theory, it came to resemble a typical American living room or a child’s bedroom or even a child’s pocket circa 2010, - if in other words, the slipstream of broadband and always – 0n technology that fuel our world became the source and organizing principle of our children’s learning? What if, instead of seeing school the way we’ve known it, we saw it for what our children might dreamed it to be: a big, delicious video game? 

I support this piont as we need to move away from how we were taught and venture into a new approach to teaching these kids who were born and are growing up with pervasive digital technology.

I am learning and has joined the "education blogosphere." My views have certainly changed. I am now in the category of prosumers and am very proud of it.  My blogs have helped me to reflect on what I am doing and what changes I can make in the future. From reading other educational blogs, I have certainly learned a lot. I have been exposed to what stategies have worked for other educators. I am able to share what has proved beneficial for me.  My fellow colleagues can share their comments with me, thus giving me feedback. Which is vital.

My school and my first grade team will be one of the pilot schools for a Gateway Program in the School District.  The future is bright for my first graders as we will be venturing into the use of web 2.0 in the classroom. The first graders at my school will be using skype to communicated with students from other countries.

This video concludes the point of my reflection:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPO_HGafBsE



A Vision of K-12 Students Today

Reflection on video, "Welcome to my PLE"

Watching the video, "Welcome to my PLE", I was astounded at how much this 12 year old utilizes technology, so savvy! In response to the questions, I must say that this is not a typical 12 year old, I do not beleive she is a student in a typical school. Based on the article by Steve Haragan, "Web 2.0 is the Future of Education. I have concluded that this student appears to be enrolled in an online school.

Should this be typical? It could be based on the school you are at, and how technologically equipped that school is. Some regular schools- middle and high schools are presently equipping student with laptops, so students are becoming more technologically equipped in and out of school, even when their parents are not financially able. Thus, students are having the opportunity to become more prosumers than comsumer,s collaborating on the World Wide Web as Wendy is, in her PLE video. 

This statement leads me to think that some of these students are playing their roles as prosumers while their teachers are merely consumers, as some teachers are not as technology savvy in web 2.0. As a first grade teacher, I would welcome Wendy in my class, as she would be a good role model for my students. She seems much more advance in web 2.0 than I am right now, so she would be able to teach me a few things.

First thing that excites me about this video is what the future holds for students in todays society, and how much they have at their disposal. I am very optimistic for my first graders and my 6 year old daughter, who are the ones being prepared for the 21st century. Can you imagine what technogy will be like for them by the time they become adults? Think about it.  Most information will be online. EVERYTHING, or most things/information will be digital.
Secondly, Wow! more trees will be saved, as less paper will be needed to print books etc.

 This is also a way to get students to read. Some students do not gravitate to books, but would be more interested in technology. So, this is definately a way to get students to read more. I really do not see any concerns right now, just impresssed at how this 12 year old seem to be so focussed and able to prioritize her learning.

Take a look at this video: Personal Learning Environments The Future of Education? Graham Attwell

Fisrt few Days

My first few days at school were interesting. My students were so well behaved, I know it will stay that way. I am really exploring with my smart board and elmo. They really have enhanced my instruction. Kudos to all those school disticts out there that have equipped thier classrooms with such technological devices. They are improving delivery of instruction daily.

All the best for  2010-2011 school year.