This
particular site helped me decide on Blogger for my first blog. Bloggerbecame my
ideal choice because it is very simple to
set up;
embed links, video, and
audio clips;
add new pages;
edit and
publish.
Whereas, WordPress requires you to understand
and use HTML coding properly so that you can customize your blog layout and create templates.
Moreover, having
choices is important for the novice, like me, or for those who have the ability to create unique layouts on their own.
I know that some people do not appreciate the
slant in data storage and sharing that takes place with Blogger—it’s connection
to everything Google, but this a normal part of marketing and having a business.
Being a novice in starting my own blog, I
didn’t want any additional challenges to writing. So I chose Blogger :)
In week three, we were asked to read an article called, "DigitalFootprints" by Madden, Mary et al.
According to Wikipedia, "Your digital footprint is a trail left by an entity's interactions in a digital environment; including their usage of TV, mobile phone, internet and world wide web, mobile web and other devices and sensors."
Boy was I happy to learn that “87% of self-searchers who
locate[d] information connected to their name say that most of what they find
is accurate”(Madden et al, 2007, iii).
So, I'm not alone :)
I even remember the day,
10 years ago, when a friend and myself “Googled” ourselves and were shocked to
learn that we were somewhat famous!
As the years passed, I recognized that
everyone was just as popular as us, keeping in mind that they have created an
electronic presence through
shopping online;
filling out surveys;
emailing
questions to companies with an online presence;
having a job with a website
that has a staff directory; and the list goes on and on.
Another interesting tidbit from
this week’s article was the list of the top types of ‘people’ searches.
It felt
good to see that I conduct 'people searches' for the same reasons as others—
contact
info;
professional accomplishments;
background info;
photos; and
public records (Madden et al, 2007).
In Canada, unlike the United States, the last example can be difficult to
acquire online as it usually requires a paid permit of some type.
Maybe it is a
good idea to limit some types of searches and monitor certain public requests
of information!?
Due to my job and personal need
to be a credible person, I regularly monitor my online presence and of course
my public one (the two can be invariably connected).
As a result, I have not
been one of the 4% people who had “inaccurate information…posted about them
online”(Madden et al, 2007, 14).
Basically, my online presence is
all work and education related—LinkedIn, company websites, and past university involvement.
For the first time in my life, I feel as though I might lose
control of how my personal beliefs or intentions might be misconstrued by
others.
But realistically, how much longer will we
be able to maintain the same level of control of our online presence!?
For the past six weeks, I have been reading and responding to various articles, videos and forum posts regarding emerging technologies.
Since the second week of class, our instructor asked us to send him our weekly reflections about the e-tools with which we have come into contact.
Over the next few posts, I would like to share some of my weekly reflections with you.
Week 2:Considering our Digital Literacy
After reading the article, Digital Literacies: Policy, Pedagogy and ResearchConsiderations for Education, I was intrigued by the discussion of the
seven competencies—Define, Access,
Manage, Integrate, Evaluate, Create, and Communicate, which are perceived
to asses one’s ability and comfort level with technology.
In my daily life, the ability to have
a positive online experience is measured through the above competencies.
Fortunately, my previous experience with
certain technological tools—databases, Microsoft software, E-Portfolios, and
more recently a Web Development course, has built a springboard for my future
learning and understanding of new technologies.
Being an adult educator, I immediately thought that these verbs
reminded me of Bloom’s Taxonomy and how wonderful they would be to use for the
creation of learning objectives and grading rubrics.
In my new role at work, as a curriculum developer and content
writer of e-learning resources, I am excited about learning how to incorporate
technology effectively with training materials.
The ability to experiment with how to
organize, write, and display content visually is very different from the days
of paper based curriculum documents.
After watching Michael Wesch’s video, Web 2.0… The Machine is Using Us,
I felt very connected to his message.
Now, more than ever, I understand that ‘text’ is
malleable and doesn’t have to be linear.
Writing for the web, including other
electronic and digital formats is very different than traditional paper based
‘text’, because it needs to be short, catch the reader’s attention, follow
certain user expectations in terms of layout, etc.
Knowing that I want to expand the ways I reach and impact
learners, I know that I will need to learn more about Social Media devices.
It started off as a challenging and complex read, but once I passed the academic jargon, I began tounderstand the true heart of this review. Understanding our 'self-cultivation'. As continuous learners, we need to continually grow and challenge ourselves. When reading this article, I imagined our learning development as a garden.
Sometimes we need to pull up the weeds and turn the soil to have healthy new flowers and green leaves appear. Sometimes we need to be explorers in order to discover ourselves, capabilities, and even our limitations. The author quotes Vaill (below) and distinguishes between those of us who 'explore' and those who don't. "It is the non explorers who rather naively assume that once they have a
clear picture in mind of where they are going, they can trust that
picture through to the end. To be an explorer is to not know where,
precisely and concretely, one is going. . . . The explorer feels your
uncertainty and your fear and even sometimes your fury. However, he or
she does not think these states of mind can be escaped. Instead, they
are part of what the explorer explores. Perhaps that is the difference
between the explorer and you." (p. 45) As explorers, we cannot learn without facing our fears and making mistakes. Despite all costs, we must forge ahead to learn and grow!
Who do you represent in this quote? Of course, this discussion could not be complete without outlining the author's Seven Aspects of Learning as a Way of Being (LWB):
LWB1: Self-Directed;
LWB2: Creative Learning;
LWB3: Expressive Learning;
LWB4: Feeling Learning;
LWB5: Online Learning;
LWB6: Continual Learning; and
LWB7: Reflexive Learning (similar to metacognition)
While I have not read the book yet, I can already relate quite easily to the above seven aspects of learning.
However, the author reminds the reader that Vaill is concerned that most learners are not aware "how different parts of the learning processes relate to each other and to the whole."
Therefore, it is up to us, as educators, to help learners understand each LWB aspect in relation to their current and future learning endeavours.
Personally, I alwaysapproach new concepts and ideas by trying to relatethem to teaching and understanding my learners better. In the first article, I discovered that the true meaning of this piece begins with the conclusion.
Concept 1:Students who are aware of their learning process have more successes than students who are not aware of these processes.
Concept 2: Teachers can intervene with the latter group by teaching students how to think about their thinking. 'Thinking about thinking.'
The author introduces this idea as asimplified definition for 'metacognition.' As an educator, I always strive to enhance my teaching strategies and prepare students to be better learners is certainly a goal.
An even brief-er Metacognition Overview
Metacognition can be broken into two parts:
1. Metacognitive Knowledgeincludesperson, tasks, and strategies
Being aware of your environment, your learning process, what processing demands are required for a task, and what methods will you use to reach your cognitive goals;
2. Metacognitive Experiences/Regulation includes using 'metacognition strategies'to plan and monitor your cognitive activities. Metacognition strategies occur when a learner uses a sequential process to control cognitive actions and reach their cognitive goal. As the learner, you must plan and monitor these actions regularly.
The author provides 'self- questioning'as an example of a metacognition strategy. This strategy is good for monitoring your comprehension of new concepts. Is there a difference between 'cognition' and 'metacognition'? According to the author, the two concepts work together to create 'conditional knowledge'. Cognition helps you achieve cognitive goals, such as understanding text, while metacognition ensures that you reach the goal. Again, using the self-questioning strategy, you can evaluate whether you understand the text or a concept.
Also, you can use metacognitionbefore or after performing a cognitive activity, but it usually occurs when you experience a 'cognitive failure' such as not understanding the text or concept. Seems like we really do 'learn from our mistakes!' In fact, the author briefly discusses CSI: Cognitive Structure Instruction.This type of instruction refers to the development of the learners'thinking skills and processes which will enhance their learning abilities.
As an educator, I want to teach students how to be "more strategic, self-reliant, flexible, and productive in their learning process".
As a learner, you can become a more successful student in two ways:
being aware of your cognitive process and strategies; and
practicing your strategies.
How do you teach others to 'think about thinking?'
Finally, I found a program that I can use with ease. In the left hand panel, Library, you will find a myriad of shapes and connectors that make sense for real world uses. (Well, it makes sense for my purposes!) It is very versatile and user friendly because it resembles Shapes from MS Word's Insert tab. You can make flow charts, venn diagrams, even floor plans, without stress. Below is the PLE I created using this program.
You can probably tell that I had a lot fun with it, maybe even too much!
I used a venn diagram because I like the interconnectedness of its image.
Each circle represents my experience with technology, including the overlapping ideas that they share:
Past (Foundations), Present (Acquisition & Application), and Future (Activation).
Understanding the Overlap :
My Past and Future uses with technology are for 'gathering and using information,' whereas my Past and Present uses are for 'processing information.'
And finally, my Present and Future uses represent some of the tools I will use to 'share and create' with others.
While I really like the look of my PLE, I think that I will continue to experiment with different forms and ideas.
In my next PLE diagram, I would like to include my PLN (Personal Learning Network).
Believing that it is necessary to identify with whom I will be 'sharing and creating' new knowledge, I will also need to decide which tools would be appropriate for achieving this goal!
Again, I encourage others to share their thoughts about their own process, (and my PLE too!)
The second open source tool I decided to try was Freemind.
Firstly, I would like to say that downloading this program was a lot easier than CMap. And it's free, too!
After the download, you are taken to a page where the first 'parent node' is there for you. You can replace the existing text with your own.
Easy enough.
You might be wondering, "Why is she using the word 'node'?"
Well, this program uses the concept of a node (a central connecting point where lines and pathways meet) to create connections to 'sibling' and
'child' nodes.
Then along the left handside, you can find numerous icons that you can use to 'dress up' your concept map/diagram/PLE. (And add more meaning, I suppose).
Again, a lot of the icons seemed quite useless to me because I just don't need to place
lightening bolts and bells on my PLE!
Yet, I still tried to create a PLE diagram using this program. However, I found it limiting in terms of what you can create, due to its structure.
Here's a very simple draft that I made using this program.
Let me know what you think.
In my next blog, I will see how gliffy compares to it!
In my last post, I said that I would create my PLE draft and share it with you... Don't worry, I have not forgotten :) I have been trying to use three open source concept mapping tools (CMap, Freemind, and gliffy) to see which one is the best fit for me.
Personally, I believe that these tools should make are lives easier, not more difficult!
One of the assignments for my Intro to Emerging Technologies course is to create a PLE--Personal Learning Environment, as it relates to our development of our technology skills. One article I came across, Seven Things You Should Know About Personal Learning Environments , explained that PLEs help learners manage and direct their own learning in order to pursue their educational goals.
What an amazing concept! PLEs are learner centered.
In my opinion, a PLE is a great example of how educators can motive learners to be more accountable for their learning. Our instructor introduced us to free software, such as CMap, Freemind, and gliffy, that learners can use to create electronic concept maps or brainstorming webs. (Thanks for the introduction Ben!) Another interesting 'find' was this creative YouTube video created by a 7th grade student.
Wow! I still cannot get over how advanced some young people are with their technology skills.
Time for me to catch up!
Finally, I will review various PLEs that our instructor shared with us, in order to help me construct my own PLE and to share my thoughts about three of the PLEs. Read my next post to find out which PLEs caught my interest :)
Check them out here and share which ones struck accord with you!
After viewing numerous PLE models from around the world on edtechpost-PLE Diagrams, I noticed some interesting similarities between them.
Personally
I found that a lot of PLEs on the list only included technology that
the creator already acquired, rather than e-tools that they needed to
learn. Also, many of the authors didn't explain how they were going to use this new knowledge or with whom they wanted to connect! My goal will be to include this type of information in my PLE in order to motivate myself to achieve my learning goals.
It seems that many creators employed images, especially e-learning tool icons, to provide the viewer with a quick informative visual cue.
I think that I will use the same strategy in my PLE!
While I recognize the importance of connectors in the PLE to connect concepts, tools, and communities to each other, I found it was difficult to distinguish connections that looked 'tangled up'.
I selected this PLE because I can relate to the author's simplistic structure and clear message.
In my opinion, her PLE consists of technological connections which act as an internal component of her PLN. Thus, her PLN allows her to use the tools within her PLE to communicate and share with the people inside her PLN.
Therefore, one virtual environment cannot exist without the other.
Example 2: Dallas McPheeters- PLN
Unfortunately, Dallas McPheeters has moved his website to iCloud and I cannot access it unless I sign up...
I admire his creativity in using the precipitation cycle as a symbolic means to describe how his PLN is connected through a continuous system.
My understanding of his PLN is that e-tools used for communicative purposes cannot exist without the nurturing of peer networks. Again, there is a connected cycle of learning through collaboration.
This last example clearly demonstrated two ideas to me. The first one involves the tools Gabbi wants to develop and the second one is how she wants to utilize these tools in her life.
I want to incorporate some of this structure into my PLE because it will provide me with direction and remind me why I want to acquire certain e-tools in the first place!
Now that I am well-equipped to create my PLE, I invite you to visit my next blog to see my first draft.
