Social Networking for Success!

Through joining the social networking site "Teacher 2.0" I was introduced to a group for their members called "Professional Developers." I thought this group was very relevant because it promotes the idea that education is a constantly changing field and as teachers we must stay up to date on our professional knowledge. In many ways this also related to the idea of connectivism because we are part of a network, in this case through education, and we must utilizes the technology we have as a resource for discovering new ideas and improving our teaching styles. This group is incredibly helpful for any subject area and I highly recommend taking a look at it to see all that it has to offer!

Connectivism in Learning

            A learner is like an iPhone. When you finally understand all the features it has to offer it can be highly beneficial to your life but until that point it is difficult to maximize its potential. As a teacher, we must get to know how our students perform best. We have to put in the time and effort to see what they have to offer and how we can best utilize these skills to help them be successful. They are also ever-changing like the iPhone. They must adapt to the world around them and create new “apps” to accommodate the expectations of their surroundings. In the video The Changing Nature of Knowledge, the author discusses how computers used to be a hindrance then explains that, “We are now at a point where an individual can do significantly more with the aid of a computer than was ever possible in the past.” In many ways, learners must be “updated” to meet new system requirements. At first the iPhone was simply large and bulky but as it became more advanced, the camera and other features began to replace other pieces of technology, making it useful and relevant. Learners need to shift their operating systems so that they are up to date with the latest information.

            In another respect, learners possess the ability to understand when it is time to shift their perspective and adjust to new learning circumstances. In his article on connectivism, Siemens states that, “The ability to recognize when new information alters the landscape based on decisions made yesterday is also critical.” This reinforces the concept that learners must assess what is expected of them and how they fit into the greater picture of things to best adapt themselves. In this world of technology that changes on a daily basis, learners must understand how to connect themselves with those around them to find their niche and meet their personal needs.

The Great Technology Takeover

It's that time of year again when kids go back to school. Students and parents alike flock to the stores to buy their crayons, markers, notebooks, pens, trapper keeper (for those of us 90's kids) and a myriad of other supplies to gear up for a year of hard work.

But wait! In the age of what I like to call "The Great Technology Takeover," or #TGTT for those Twitter taggers, it looks like the lengthy back-to-school shopping list has been replaced by a shorter one of higher priced items such as the iPad, iPhone, Kindle, and MacBook Pro. Pick your poison but make sure its compatible with the necessary apps and requirements of your school so you don't miss an assignment. Those silly folders we all used to color coordinate with the books that we had to wrap? They are a thing of the past when you can simply access a drop box with the touch of a screen. No need for a pencil sharpener when you can adjust the size of your font by a simple adjustment on Microsoft Word. It seems that all these tools are becoming an antiquated nuisance in today's modern classroom.

The question is, should we be worried? As the video Classroom of Tomorrow demonstrates, we are rapidly entering a world that relies so heavily on technology that we must start preparing now. Watching this video certainly reminded me how unprepared I am because I was completely lost when they showed most of the items that students are using in their classrooms. A more inspirational approach is shown in Social Media Revolution 2011 which uses catchy music paralleled by highly relevant facts to prove to viewers that social media is an inevitable part of our lives and we have no choice but to join the revolution. I will admit I enjoyed their approach because it was fresh and concise, convincing me that perhaps it is time for me to take the Twitter jump or to get LinkedIn to employers internationally.

However, what both of these videos lacks is a balanced review of the detriment of this technological shift. One fact stuck out in my mind from the Social Media Revolution film: "Kindergartens are learning on iPads, not chalkboards." In many ways, I understand how this is helpful. Lessons can be more interactive and visually stimulating. On the other hand, there is a certain value to one central point of learning that brings all students together as a community. When young children are playing games on an iPad rather than with one another, no matter how educational, it lacks the social interaction and acquisition of fine motor skills that is so vital to their stage of development.

I don't mean to sound out of date but I think this loss is one worth questioning. There are countless benefits to a technologically advanced classroom, yet as teachers we must also assess what is given up in exchange for this shift. Our challenge is to develop a classroom that not only introduces students to the technologies that will prepare them to be more successful online, but also promotes the inherent value of offline skills and physical engagement with tools beyond the screen of a computer.

Using blogs to meet learning standards

Blogs are helpful resources to use as students and teachers because they provide access to a wide audience of readers as well as a diverse array of authors. They set a forum for written interaction on a global scale that supports a sharing of information and culture among users.

One way in which this is helpful for students is in that it allows them to access texts written from a global standpoint. As mentioned in the video Blogs in Plain English, websites like technorati.com and blogsearch.google.com give students a search engine to find blogs on topics of interest from a variety of multicultural perspectives. Put simply, blogging opens up new audiences for the writer and new authors for the reader. This can be used to help students explore these authentic texts to assess how they fit into a multifaceted and multilayered approach to a topic around the world.

Blogging can also be useful for professional development because it creates a community of learners online. More experienced teachers can share what has worked for them and give insight into effective strategies for ESL classrooms while new teachers are given a forum to reflect on their own practices and perhaps receive constructive feedback from their fellow professionals. This feedback can be useful in not only improving current techniques but for affirming positive ideas and providing support.

STANDARD 2: 
Students will listen, speak, read, and write in English for literary response, enjoyment, and expression.
    Performance Indicator for Commencement Grades 9-12:
      1. Read, listen to, view, write about, and discuss a variety of texts from a wide range of authors, subjects, genres, cultures, and historical periods. Such sources include poems, stories, myths, fables, plays, novels, and other fiction and nonfiction texts, in authentic and modified forms including works of American popular culture. (L, S, R, W)

Based on the NYS English as a Second Language Learning Standards