Edutopia

This was a very inspirational article about using technology to keep up with teachers. It claims that the networks like Skype and twitter help teachers stay connected outside of school and make for a better teaching community. I agree that if you work together that you will eventually create something wonderful. I think that it will be a positive thing to utilize these resources in order to be successful for your students

Blogging experience

Overall my blogging experience has been a positive one. It has been very productive and I have learned a lot. I feel that the only part I didn't like was being pressured to blog every week, so I will enjoy it better when I can continue on my own time. I think that the blogs researched have been very resourceful and I have learned a lot. I will definitely continue to check up on them in the future as long as they stay entertaining and up to date. I definitely learned a lot from this experience.

Education and Schooling

 The post I read on Steve Wheeler’s blog this week was on the difference between education and schooling. It began to make me realize that there really is a huge difference between the two of them. Schooling is a very structured thing. Lectures, uniformity, rules: these are all words that describe schooling. Education is much more than that. This is all about learning. Learning can happen anywhere you go, it doesn’t have to be in a school setting. It makes you realize that not every classroom is actually a place where you learn. It is sometimes better to go out and experience things before you read the book or look at the PowerPoint.

Twitter Experience

I researched more twitters this week and found a Google page that listed a few popular educational accounts. I looked at Shelly S Terrell’s page. Again, I really was not impressed. To me all of these accounts look like spam and like they’re trying to sell something. I do not think it is very productive to scroll through the twitter when I can google the topic I am looking for and decide if the information is effective rather than just clicking a million different links and posts. I still do not think educational twitters are a good idea. 

Ning

The Ning I found was on how children study differently outside of the classroom using technology. As a whole, we tend to shift education online because it is easier to access the information. It explains how much more convenient it is for many students, especially ones with jobs and families, that the information and work is right at your fingertips.  It also explains that for a lot of students, they prefer learning online rather than in the classroom. They can do it on their own time and do not have to worry about being on time or it getting in the way of their life. It is a lot more relaxed. When schools offer online classes, it allows each type of learner to decide which one is best for them. Also, if the class is online, you don’t have to worry about missing a page of notes that is going to hurt you for the next exam. This definitely makes a huge difference when you have an extremely busy schedule. Everybody studies and learns differently, so it is important to consider different options when teaching.

http://edupln.ning.com/profiles/blogs/studying-outside-the-classroom-technology-shift-in-education

Twitter Experience

I still really dislike educational twitters. I looked up a bunch of them and still do not find them to be useful. Because it is limited to 140 characters, there is a limit on the information being given. Since education is such an important thing, I do not think this will b

e a useful tool in the long run. I would much rather know every detail of what I need to know rather than a few small details that do not make me an expert on the topic. I much prefer blogging and articles because I find them much more useful.

Skype

Skype in the classroom could be a really useful thing! In second grade, I was really sick so I was forced to miss three months of school. I missed A LOT of work during that time due to this, so it would have been nice if I had this option. Across the world, students are attending class by using skype. Many teachers have really cool lessons that they can teach, and the students can still be in the comfort of their home or in an environment they feel more accepted in. Some teachers allow their students to make friends with students around the world who are learning similar things. It is really a cool way to teach, but I do not think that it is something that should be done every single day instead of class.