EDET543 Week 7 PLN Reflection & Visualization

When I started thinking about how my PLN has grown during this course, I began with how my PLN looked prior to starting Online Applications for Collaboration. As sad as it appears below, I had just four tools that were all at a very basic development.

PLN at start of EDET 543

Now in week seven of the course, I was able to add a significant amount of resources to my PLN.  I am surprised (and a little embarrassed) at how much I was able to grow my PLN in such a short amount of time.  I gained significant development in the areas of Blogs and Collaborative Tools and added a new area of Social Networks to my PLN.  Even though I was extremely leery at first, I have become a huge supporter of Social Networks in PLN's now. You can see that it is actually one of my PLN's largest components below.

Current PLN

I look forward to adding more contacts, resources, and tools to my PLN in the future. I'm confident that the next visualization of my PLN will  be even better!

EDET543 Twitter Chat Experience

I participated in several Twitter chats over the last two weeks.  Prior to EDET 543, I had never explored Twitter yet alone participated in a chat.  I had high anxiety about "tweeting" correctly, but it was quickly put to rest once the chats started.  My fist chat was with Educational Technology Examples #edtechex.  Next, I participated in #mosnowchat with other home-bound Missouri educators on one of our many snow days.  Finally, last Tuesday I tried to participate in Education Chat #edchat while following #METC14 at the hospital.  There was one other chat that didn't work at all.  Early on, I attempted a chat with Web 2.0 Tools in Teaching #web20tools but was unable to find any conversations concurring the day I tried.

My chat experience was different for each one, but each chat was informative and inspiring. My favorite chat was my first with #edtechex due to the size of it.  While there were several of us participating, it wasn't as overwhelming as #edchat.  I quickly felt comfortable asking questions and responding to the moderator's questions. In #edchat, the chat was so fast paced it was very intimdating. I loved recognizing some of the participants in #mosnowchat but encountered terrible spamming that made it frustrating to try to follow the chat.  Again, the moderator's questions were relevant and interesting, but the spam made me stop prior to the full hour.  While I was unable to attend METC due to a family emergency, I enjoyed reading the tweets of those in attendance through #METC14.  It helped make me feel more connected to the conference but increased my desire to attend.  

I went into this Twitter Chat assignment dreading it and left feeling more informed and eager to participate in more chats.  Through the chats, I started following several new people.  With the help of the resources provided by Professor Hartman, I was easily able to find chats that addressed topics that were interesting to me.  I liked the variety of chats available and the flexibility of the assignment.  Not only could we select our chats, but we were given ample time to complete them.  My overall Twitter chat experience was wonderful even with a few glitches. I definitely went from a Twitter skeptic to a believer and will be encouraging my colleagues to give Twitter a try.

EDET543 Week 5 Social Networks Reflection

Prior to starting my MET, I never realized the role social networks could play in a teacher's PLN or in the classroom. The resources are astonishing and, if I am completely honest, a little overwhelming.  Throughout all the changes in education that I've encountered (19 years and counting), I always tried to remain current with strategies, philosophies, and resources.  I attended workshops, seminars, etc. on a regular basis and always tried to read professional publications.  Having experienced a sliver of what social networks can offer, I'm sad as I wonder how much I've missed and how much more my students could have gained.  Social networks not only offer a greater variety of materials and resources but do so from the comfort of the classroom at no charge.

In the fifth chapter of Web 2.0 How-to for Educators, Solomon and Schrum (2010) address how social networks can be beneficial to both teachers and students.  I  appreciated how they mention that "educators as well as students want to communicate with others" (p. 81). As I taught today, a day and a half after a snow day and one day before a Friday, my students made a point to demonstrate the necessity to "chat" while learning. :) I also enjoyed reading the specific examples of classroom use of social networks. The examples helped me envision the true value of social networks for students.

The first social network I chose to explore was Classroom 2.0. I signed up for an account but liked that I could still explore while waiting for acceptance.  I tried not to become overwhelmed with all the information and choices available just on the home page.  I looked at group options and did a search for special education.  I selected The Inclusion Revolution-Technology in Special Education group and discovered a Free and Inexpensive Adaptive Technology Database that I know will be helpful.  From keyboard and mouse alternatives to dictation and screen reading, options and information is provided.  I also looked at a group for Cell Phones in Education and found an interesting discussion on success stories and good practices.  The final aspect of Classroom 2.0 that intrigued me was my ability to create my own group and select the privacy settings appropriate for my students.  While I usually use Edmodo, I could use Classroom 2.0 for my classes' blogs, chats, and lessons.

I also looked at Pinterest due to its focus on visual images.  Many of my students are visual learners, and I can see benefits from pictures rather than words to gain interest or introduce concepts.  For myself, I liked The Best Web 2.0 Tools (by Edudemic) and Teaching Ideas and Apps (by Vicki Davis aka "Cool Cat Teacher") boards.  I also discovered a Dyslexia board by Dr. Erica Warren that offered some great tools.  GATE-Gifted and Talented by Lauren Sekovski shared ideas for project based learning and even had a "Coding for Kids" pin.  While I was learning and gaining ideas, I truly believe my students could do the same if involved in Pinterest.  Students could use a Pinterest board to brainstorm project ideas, develop group work, or share suggestions to improve learning.  A board could also be created to introduce a concept.  In Social Studies or Geography, the images themselves can tell a story and spark interest.  Students could even create their own boards to demonstrate understanding (while learning at the same time).  I am eager to learn more about how I could incorporate Pinterest into my classroom.  In the meantime, I am pinning ideas for myself.

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2010). Web 2.0 how-to for educators. Eugene, Or.: International Society for Technology in Education.