Jenny’s summer blog!

I’ve enjoyed figuring out how to make my first blog on edublogs. At first, I couldn’t figure out how to categorize my entries, which had me pretty frustrated. After accidentally deleting two entries, I’m finally up and rolling!

I have visited blogs and even commented on them in the past, but I’ve always been a bit intimidated by the idea of creating my own. I’m excited to finally be giving this a try. I think that this summer is a great time to practice using a blog so that I am familiar with the procedures and technicalities before the school year starts. I hope to have my own blog for my class for the upcoming school year!

I was glad to learn more about blogs from watching a short video called “Blogs in Plain English.” It really is remarkable how much methods of sharing news have changed during my lifetime. Now, news shared on the internet can be a two way street. People can share their personal lives and create communities simply by writing on the internet. Writers can not only share their writing but also build relationships with their readers through comments and feedback.

I am really looking forward to being a part of the Web 2.0 community, especially through communicating with my other classmates on their blogs.

For this “thing,” I watched three video clips and read an article about Web 2.0. I have heard the terms “Web 1.0” and “Web 2.0” before, but never really understood what it meant. I learned that Web 1.0 is the “read-only” version of the internet, or what we referred to as “cyberspace” years ago. When using Web 1.0, people could read websites, but could not really collaborate or connect easily. Web 2.0 describes web-based technology that centers on connecting people. With Web 2.0, people can collaborate, communicate, and interact.

Three quotes on the class webpage were particularly salient for me.

“It’s not a web of computers, it’s a web of people.” – Tim Berners-Lee, Inventor of the World Wide Web

“Web 2.0 is all the Web sites out there that get their value from the actions of users.” – George Jones, InformationWeek

“Working on the Internet is the same as working on your desktop.” – Sarah Bresee, Outcast

Web 2.0 is an incredibly important tool, not only for teaching, but for the entire world as a community. It amazes me how the web has become such an interactive tool in just a few years. Now, using the internet, people all over the world can connect and communicate with the touch of a button. I grew up with version 1.0 of the internet. The most communicating I did was to chat online on AOL or to write emails. The students that I teach now are growing up with version 2.0. They have grown accustomed to being able to communicate with people all over the world using a variety of methods. They express their ideas through blogs and reflect on other people’s blogs.

Prior to taking this class, I had not even realized all of the ways that I could use technology for myself and also for my students. I would like to help my students engage with experts and other learners all over the world by introducing them to new technologies and ways of connecting. In order to do this, I need to become comfortable using Web 2.0, and then I can help my students use it.

For Thing 1, I watched a voicethread video slideshow called 7 1/2 Habits of Effective Lifelong Learners. I really enjoyed watching this video slideshow because I feel that lifelong learning is incredibly important. Many people graduate from high school, college, or grad school and think that they are finished with learning. I absolutely disagree. I think that, as the information pool expands, people should work to keep up with it. Technology, in particular, is one constantly evolving information source. It is vital that people learn new ways to use technology as technology becomes a primary resource and method of communication.

I had never used voicethread before, and really enjoyed the interactive nature of being able to record my own comments about the slideshow, as well as listening to other people’s comments on the slide show. I would really like to learn how to create my own voicethread slideshow. It is an amazing tool, and would be a great interactive way to record thoughts from my entire classroom community!

As a part of this “thing,” I have been asked to reflect on three questions.

1. Which habit(s) may be most challenging for you to employ as part of your K12Learning2.0 experience?
2. Which habit(s) will be easiest, or is most resonant for you as a lifelong learner?
3. Which habit do you think will be most important for you as you work through this course, and why?

The habit that may be most challenging for me during my K12Learning2.0 experience is habit 7: “Teach or mentor others.” This summer, I will be largely completing this course in the solitude of my classroom or on my laptop at home. I realize that I will be participating as a part of the community of learners who are taking this class, but participating in a community does not inherently involve teaching or mentoring others. As I take this class, I plan to challenge myself to figure out ways that I can bring what I learn back to my students in the fall. At that time, I am certain that I will learn even more about the technology we are using by teaching it to my students.

The habit that will be the most resonant for me as a lifelong learner is habit 3: “View problems as challenges.” Naturally, any problem can be exasperating. If one chooses, a problem can be defeating. I love the idea of seeing problems as challenges because it helps to put a positive spin on any problem presented. I particularly like the idea of viewing problems with technology and Web 2.0 as challenges. Technology can be very frustrating. I have been known to give up quickly when a website loads slowly or I cannot find the information I seek. I think that this course will be very helpful to me because it will push me to see past the frustrations of technology to the many fantastic resources that are available. I will do my best to accept any problems that I come across as challenges, and look at those challenges as an opportunity to learn something new.

The habit that will be most important for me as I work through this course is habit 6: “Use technology to your advantage.” I think this is also very closely linked to habit 5: “Create your own learning toolbox.” There is so much technology available that it is slightly overwhelming. Through this course, I plan to create a toolbox of technology that I can use with my students in the upcoming school year. I will use these new tools to my advantage to help my students remain engaged and interested in their learning. Web 2.0 allows people to participate and collaborate, both of which are incredibly important in deep, meaningful learning. I also am looking forward to creating a class website and a class blog next year to help to create a community between my students, their families, and myself.