Transforming Education through Social Networking

Technology Integration in Education is a group I found to be a wonderful resource to promote technology in the classroom, particularly in the field of mathematics. This was just one of many useful social networks I came upon. It contains forums, links to many other useful and informative groups, resources to internet tools, news, videos, events, and so much more. I could spend hours reading the many ideas for putting internet tools to use in the classroom, as well as collaborating with educators around the world.

Besides the collaboration aspect, some of the benefits of this site are that it is updated constantly, and contains endless ideas and content. I am very excited to explore this group further and put some of my new knowledge and skills to use!

Today's Learner...

Today's learner is like an ipod. When brand new, it has the potential to become a tool equipped to take on many tasks. The first step in using an ipod is charging it and turning it on. Similarly, people must turn on their minds and be open to the vast amount of knowledge and information that is available. To take full advantage of ipods, one must add music and applications. Learners also acquire new information from a variety of sources, and their own personal "applications" are opened when called for in different situations. According to Siemens' article, "nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning". An ipod must connect to sources like computers, chargers, and the internet in order to be constantly up to date in terms of software and content. As stated in his video, "the network is the learning." Likewise, learners must connect to various online and print sources, as well as other people to create an environment in which they learn constantly.

Consumers will notice that original first generation ipods are no longer on the market. The technology that existed in them has become isolete with the addition of color screens, larger storage devices, video ipods, touch screens, and ipods that have the ability of going online. Though ipods in general are a fairly new technology, those created as little as five years ago realistically are no longer used. Up-to-date information is also a necessary component of connectivism. Information presented today may not be relevant tomorrow. Learners must keep up with the constant flow of information to remain an informed member of today's ever-changing society.

Article referenced: Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age

Video referenced: The Changing Nature of Knowledge

Video Reaction

I recently watched the video Pay Attention! which all educators should watch as a reality check, asking us to pay attention to our students and their needs, skills, and interests. Today's students exist in a technology dominated world and it's our job to reach them by using the tools they are familiar with to make learning engaging and meaningful. This video reminded me to a similar video and discussion from a previous graduate course, in which we discussed the jobs that this generation of students will be applying for in the future. It would be a disservice to them to ignore the advances and importance of technology. These students know and are familiar with tools like cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, and ipods - why not assign homework or give pop quizzes that must be completed via text message? Or ask students to create Facebook pages for characters in books they are reading? Or use podcasts to communicate with them? Though each of these ideas may not be ideal in every school setting, the point is that the old ways of lecture, note-taking, and cramming for exams is becoming less effective and we need to understand the world our students live in to create the most effective learning environment.
The video also points out that we always talk about and encourage our students to read more. However, they are composing and reading thousands of e-mails and text messages a year. This is literacy! It's time to take advantage of their knowledge of these tools and create a link to learning.

I found this website interesting and useful. Pay Attention: Ideas for becoming a better teacher