A month ago I didn’t even know that the course Web 2.0 for Teaching and Learning existed. I had thought about completing my fifth year of University for a while and on a whim decided I would finish it this year. Now I am up to my hair line in blogs, twitters and passwords and surprisingly enjoying it. I wasn’t sure how University would fit into my schedule being a full time working mother of two. I have always thrived on pressure and pushing myself to go the extra mile whenever I work on something. And I know learning and using Web tools will be no different.
I did not belong to any social networking sites. In fact I had no desire to belong to Facebook or to Twitter. I had very little knowledge of blogging. I don’t even know if that’s the correct term to use. I never email people for pleasure. And I just, let my thirteen year old son have an email account. Why, some of you who are cringing in your seats may ask? To some I must seem old fashioned. I have never really spent any time playing on the internet. I can make a great word document, power point, Smartboard lesson, or a DVD to commemorate the end of the school year. Truly I thought I was doing okay when it came to technology. Boy, have I got a lot to learn!
Web 2.0 for Teaching and Learning has opened my eyes and mind and exposed me to a whole new world that I didn’t know was out there. Yes, I’m still scared to put my name and picture on Facebook and on my blog. I really didn’t want to say where I lived. But I have. I’m okay with it too. It’s about stretching myself as a learner and going out of my comfort zone to learn new things. Isn’t this what we ask of the students we teach each day?
I think about how far I’ve come in a week. What will I know, by this time next week? At the end of the course? I want to explore each of the web tools and hopefully use them in my life, both personally and professionally.
I ask myself:
How will this technological journey assist me to be a better mom, teacher or friend?
How will I incorporate my new knowledge into my teaching and personal life?
What knowledge have I gained that I can share with my colleagues?
How will I expand on what I have learned?
Each week as I reflect on these ideas I invite you to share your own personal journeys and comment on mine.
My reading year was a good one
1 day ago
Hi Pam,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blogosphere! I love the questions you posed at the end of this post--these questions will serve you well throughout this inquiry and will give you something to help focus your posts (particularly your final reflection). I think learning about web 2.0, especially as a mom with teenagers, is a great thing. It will also be interesting to see how you think web 2.0 tools might be used in your kindergarten classrooms! I think voicethread and animoto would be particularly useful in kindergarten classes...you might want to do your year end video using one of these tools!
Good luck in your journey--I look forward to learning alongside you!
Joanne