Thing 7: Flickr

I am very familiar with Flickr but I have only used it with personally. I am so excited to get to use Flickr in the classroom. I instantly thought of using Flickr when I teach my family unit. I Can't wait to get started and try it out!

Thing 6

I think for me the most beneficial part of ning.com is the ability to collaborate with other elementary Spanish teachers. I don't know any elementary Spanish teachers personally so ning makes other members of my profession accessible to me! How awesome is that!

Chapter 3 Activities

Today, I learned that our role as teacher is changing from lecturer to learning facilitator. It is more important that the students learn for themselves than to simply listen to what their brilliant teachers have to say. By doing the activity I realized that even after reading every word of the chapter and reflecting on it myself I learned so much more by collaborating with my colleagues and getting their thoughts and opinions.

A Whole New Mind: Chapter 3

While I was reading this chapter, one part in particular stood out to me. The last section of the chapter entitled "Money and Meaning" talks about how Americans have been in search of money and are beginning to realize that money isn't bringing them the happiness they crave. Pink says that we've been so busy building careers and raising families that we have neglected the meaning of life.

When I read this, the first thing that popped into my head was the trailer for a movie set to come out in August, Eat, Pray, Love, a true story about a woman who tries to find herself. I searched a little more about the movie and found the following at IMDb

"Liz Gilbert (Roberts) had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having- a husband, a house, a successful career- yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused, and searching for what she really wanted in life..."

I thought this further enforced what Pink is saying, that for an increasing number of Americans "meaning is the new money."

Posting Comments

So, here's the good and the bad about posting comments on blogs:

The good: It was a great feeling getting a comment on my blog. Knowing that other people are reading my thoughts that I sent out into cyberspace is a great feeling.

The bad: The stress I experienced trying to write something insightful on a person's blog is ridiculous! The fear that I would not properly punctuate a sentence or say something that is boring or not at all thought provoking has been striking fear in me since I opened my Facebook account 5 years ago.

This is definitely something I need to overcome if I am ever going to become a successful blogger.

Widgets

Today we were asked to add widgets to our blog. I have read blogs before that had so many bells and whistles that you couldn't read the content for all of the mess. I decided to only add the widgets that were necessary for my blog. I didn't have any trouble adding the widgets I wanted to add, it seemed really easy. The widgets are really cool and you should definitely check them out with all of the spare time we all have!

Reflections on Web 2.0

When I came into this workshop today I thought Web 2.0 was a new version of Internet Explorer. Microsoft's latest form of sadistic torture to force everyone to re-learn how to navigate the web and I had no interest in taking part in that. What I have learned today is that I have been using Web 2.0 at home for years and didn't know it.

Having read blog posts and watched videos about Web 2.0, I wholeheartedly agree with Steve Hargadon's statement: "Web 2.0 is the future of education." If we do not engage our students by using the technology that is a part of their everyday life then we will lose them. At the AFLTA conference this past April, Eileen Glisson made an excellent point, 30 years ago children loved to go to school because it was more exciting than home. It kept them engaged to see videos and film that they didn't have access to at home. Today, the situation has reversed, school is boring and the students can't wait to get home so they can get on Facebook, text their friends and play Xbox 360 with a guy from New Zealand.

Web 2.0 is our opportunity to bring the students' interest back to the classroom. We must make their education relavant to them by using the technology that has become such an integral part of their lives in order to ensure that they actually learn what we want them to learn.