So this is the end.... (final post week 6)

It seems appropriate to end my blog participation with a reflection on the main things I've learned in this class.  For cohesion with my former post, I'll make a list:

• I added a ton of new resources to my toolbag.  Not only that but I feel like I am comfortable using them and have a good idea of their strengths and limitations.
• I put myself on a regular routine for interaction with Web 2.0 resources and can see the benefit in maintaining that.
• I gave myself permission to personally dislike a number of Web 2.0 resources without feeling like I'm "missing out" or that there much just be some wonderful thing about them that I'm just not getting and if I only tried harder to get used to them..... nope.  Some things are not for me.
• I researched out to circles I already have in social media and drew in more resources from these individuals, incorporating them into my PLN.
• I connected with new resources and communities online, becoming a member and incorporating them into my PLN.

I feel like my list could continue, but overall I would say that I fulfilled one of my personal objectives for my participation in this course:  I feel more confident, equipped and informed to incorporate Web 2.0 resources into my online and F2F instruction practice.  I say that is a WIN!  

Thanks to all of my classmates that have interacted with me, commented on the blog, questioned me and made me think.  Also to the instruction team for being supportive, responsive and knowledgable.  What a great class!

A response to my first post

In my first post for this class I projected what I expected the content of my posts to contain.  Now it's time to go back and look to see how accurate this was.

• general reflections and processing on the course
• I did much less of this than I had expected.  I had thought I would have trouble with some of the topics but generally most of my processing on relevant topics (such as privacy concerns) came out in the discussion boards.
• commentary on my adaptation to new tools and further/deeper exploration of some tools that I am already familiar with
• This was a fairly regular topic for me, as I expressed my exploration with new tools, but I discussed the adaptation process a bit less than expected.
• ideas and thoughts on incorporation of these resources into language teaching
• I found this to be one of the major areas of interest with me, and although it was mainly discussed in my class projects, some of this interest leaked through to my blog posts as well.
• observed strengths and limitations of online tools/resources
• I don't remember doing many posts specifically related to this topic but I think the theme surfaced in several posts
• articles/stories that relate to this class
• I posted on this much more than I had originally thought that I would, I enjoyed sharing new information with my class and connecting it to our experiences
• lists of resources encountered
• I didn't post on this at all, because a list didn't seem appropriate content for a post.  However, I did discuss resources in other ways.

So, the jury is in..... overall, I think I predicted the content of this blog pretty appropriately with only a few slightly off projections!

The organic nature of PLNs and the benefits of intentionality

I think that personal learning networks sneak up on you before you even notice them.  You start to observe the benefits of interaction with others in your field, perhaps during formal classes or informal conversations between friends and then you slow extend into your already existing social media network with some of these same collaborations.  For example, you might see a post on Facebook like the one I saw today "does anyone have some good pictures of Mexico City that I can use in class today?  The ones I'm finding on a Google Search just don't seem to be good enough" or maybe you find yourself polling other instructors in your network around a pressing topic.

Although PLNs can be fairly organic, I think there is another level to this.  Conscious effort towards developing and promoting the PLN is nothing but beneficial.  The intention of sorting through resources, making informed selections and thinking critically about the dynamics of providing and receiving information and reciprocity.  Through these efforts we can strengthen and maintain our PLNs and this will probably both increase their benefit as well as the likelihood that we will appreciate this increase!

Reflecting on my new Web 2.0 habits and acquisitons

As we are in the process of our final week here in the course, I decided a good way to start my posts for the week would be to go back and think about the ways that my habits on Web 2.0 and other related resources have been changed throughout the course of the semester.

1) I've been reminded about privacy issues once again and find myself concerned with continuing to protect my privacy in online encounters.

2)  I've renewed a dormant interest in Pinterest more because I've found ways to use it as a curation tool for my professional development.  I've connected in new ways with my coworkers and been able to improve my teaching practice.

3)  I've determined that Twitter still isn't for me.  Despite my best attempts it doesn't have much of a draw for me.

4)  I've found online resources such as blogs and forums that I plan to continue interacting with and that will become part of my PLN.

5)  I've discovered a love for Wikis and the ability to coordinate and share information through them.

6) I've found supplemental resources such as VoiceThread, Slideshare and Screencast that I plan to incorporate in my teaching practice.

7)  I use Diigo now on a regular basis to annotate webpages and bookmark useful sites.

Although I'm sure there is more that I could share, I think that the biggest achievement that I've had personally throughout my learning experience in this course has been to open my eyes to new resrouces and to whet my appetite for all that I know is to come!

A newly found resource for online classes (final post week 5)

Although I've taught hybrid courses before, I just found out that I will be teaching my first fully online class in the fall, YIPPEEE!

I'm grateful for the collaboration and the support I've received in my transition at the new college.  One of my new colleagues showed me a resource called Screencast-O-Matic which, despite the shockingly 90s name, really is quite useful.  It is similar to the VoiceThread resource that we used but  displays audio over what is going on on your computer screen at the time of the video.  It also has the ability to pause during recording, back-up and record over sections, and displays what is happening on a box on your screen during the video.  I'm really excited to incorporate this tool into my introduction videos to the course, especially the ones where I want to show my students how to set up their online account for the homework portion of the class ran through the textbook's website and help navigating Canvas.

I am currently downloading the software as we speak and will be excited to let you know how my first videos turn out!

Facebook in the classroom

One of the things I find the most interesting is the way that some topics can be approach several times throughout the years and the answers to the same questions that might have been posed will have dramatically changed.

A few years ago, as part of an Italian class I was taking, our instructor incorporated a Twitter project into coursework and a few semesters before my friends in the same class had worked with Facebook in the classroom.  (The instructor is actually one of Vanessa's students!) We were required to participate in social media in the target language.  Surprisingly, this was the only time that I have ever had Web 2.0 resources incorporated into one of the courses (somewhat) within my field of study.

I found an interesting article on 100 ways to use Facebook in the classroom and what I found most interesting was that it had been recently updated to reflect the changes in the ways that Facebook is currently being used in the world.  Although Facebook is clearly having a really good run, it is quite possible that some of the current uses for Facebook will shift to other resources in what may turn out to be a fairly short period of time. As we refine our instruction practice, Web 2.0 resources are one area in particular that will require continuous learning and adapting.

Instead of highlighting the entire article here as you have access to it above, I think it would be most helpful to just reiterate the categories of ideas that the article provides here:

• (Research)
• Projects and Assignments
• Sharing
• Collaboration & Discussion
• Classroom Management and Organization
• Apps and Groups

What I find most valuable about the list provided in the article is that it encourages instructors to think beyond traditional ways of incorporating social media and stimulates further ideas that may be more subject specific.  Additionally, looking at that list of categories, they are generally areas that we already are encouraged to stimulate in the classroom.  Facebook, and certainly other Web 2.0 resources, can just further support the objectives we are already working towards.