Task 3-1 Reflection

For the task this week, the topic of PBL was issued.  This week Kortnee really spear headed the task when she posted the first message in the forum section with the title "Busy week".  You can say that she set the tone for our Panda Nation group.  Soon after, we all had meeages on the forum and we unanimously chose Kortnee as the leader.  The rest of us Panda's were just researchers and information gathers.  As an researcher/ information gatherer, I patroled the search engines for more examples and information pertaining to our topic.  What I found was a lot of useful information and scenarios of PBL.  What relly went well this week is the communication our team had.  I actually got a tweet from Landa to quickly refer to the message forums.   Also, everyone seems to be on point and willing to contribute. Due to a conflict in schedule, I was not able to make the meeting scheduled by Kortnee.  I tried to be the best teammate possible as I provided the information I gathered to comlete our task.  I am disappointed that I will not be a part of the meeting that will polish the task to our end product.  For the next task, I will be more proactive to arrange my schedule to ensure my participation in our group meeting.  All I know is that my gropu of Panda's rock.

Week 10 Current Event Group Panda #5

This week's current event was internet skills, and our students should learn everything they need not only to succeed the classroom but, beyond in to the workforce.  For the 21st century learners, internet skills is an attribute we expected they have knowledge of,  just because of the generation they have been born into.  They are a victim of their technology generation  but, the basic skills are too many times overlooked.  After our forum discussions, the top 3 internet skills we decided on that would be both fundamental and beneficial to students. They will use these skills to excel in their current academic journey as well as prepare them for their futures, "real world".   Here are the top 3 we came up with.
1) Internet Terminology:  This may be a basic skill to open with for the learners of this generation but, although they are well inept to figure out computer baswed challenges, knowing the proper terminology could open up a whole new world for them to absorb knowledge. Terminology like web browser, URL, address bar, hyperlink and home page are used in the daily use of anyone that a computer is your vehicle to complete a task. you do not want to be greeted with puzzled expressions and a bunch of hands up in the air. Teaching terminology explicitly is a great way to make certain that your students can easily follow instructions. It is a basic knowledge, but it is something every Internet Expert needs
2) Search Engines: Knowing how to use search engines is an essential skill for doing research. There are many search engines to choose from but, the popular ones seem to be Google, Yahoo, and Bing. getting to know these search engines, will just aid students in narrowing down resources specific to their topic. So instead of students spending hours with their heads in books, or browsing through various web pages, the search engine could be a very resourceful tool.
3) Internet Safety: Another key but overlooked skill is internet safety.  It is of the utmost importance That you practice personal internet safety while surfing the world wide web.   Although you may be safe at home sitting in front of your computer, the dangers are real as you surf the net.  Their are many cyber predators that prey on young as well as inexperience users of the internet. It's the same as parents teaching their kids not to talk to stranger ont he street, the same rules should apply while engaged on the internet.  Do not connect with any unauthorized stranger that may attempt to message or chat with you while you are on a site or online program and never gie any peronal information that the stalker amy use to their advantage.  Another sub point in internet safety is the safety of others too. Using your comuter to bully or intimidate another is not proper netiquette. Nequitte by definition is the rules of etiquette that apply when communicting over computer networks.
These are three of the fundamental skills that all students should learn as their internet skills. 

 

 

Web 2.0 Tools

I had never heard f Web 2.0 tools before and I was extremely excited how these tools may benefit educators.  Because of the growing use of technology applications in the classroom,  I feel that the Web 2.0 tools provide another engaging element to capturing the attention of students.  Being that the Web 2.0 are so interactive, it creates a relevant learning atmosphere, which can also alleviate an educators concern of communicating with students.  The web 2.0 tool that I had chosen was wall wisher ( wallwisher.com ).  This tool is a great way to communicate assignments, announcements, post comments or questions and adding resource for both students and educators alike to refer to. This would definitely be a tool used in my classroom.  I may implement this tool outside of the classroom and in to our sports program. Here's my link again to view Wall Wisher.  screenr.com/bx98
Prior to using twitter as a source of finding information, whenever I needed to research a subject, I would just use search engines in google.  Having the use of twitter now as a resource provides a broader base of research as input from the twitter community is endless. 
Being that I have only been introduced to Web 2.0 tools through this exercise, I do not have any suggestions to make the applications better.  As I continue to use and experiment with the various web 2.0 tools, I will have a better analysis of what could be altered to improve it's effectiveness.  I am just glad that tools are available for this purpose and addresses another need we have as educators trying to reach the learners of the 21st century.

I feel so fortunate that we are learning simple techniques in social media.  With the speed of technology, I feel it is neccessary to keep updated with social media trends to implement in to teaching moments.  Prior to this activity I have been learning on the fly with Twitter for my job.  I currently used Twitter for networking of professionals and to follow trends that have impact in my business arena.  My business Twitter handle in conjunction with my personal handle, I have used information I have gathered from this class and applied them to be more efficient.  I think I will continue to use this social media outlet to stay on top of issues I am following.  I feel that a new teacher would find Twitter a valuable resource.  The new teacher could follow course topics and trend to keep teching plans fresh and up to date. 
My first attemot at screenR is at this address.

http://screenr.com/1j58