Using a reader has changed the way I find and explore information. Before RSS, it was easy to get bogged down checking the same sites for updates, but now I find myself discovering and reflecting on material/information I might not have thought I was interested in prior.
A great example, is over the last month via my twitter and reader I have been hearing a lot about a new method of presenting in which you use 5 minutes using 20 slides (each for 15 seconds). This approach is called pecha-kucha, this creative approach seems to be the new rave. In Wired Magazine, they recently posted an article Get to the Powerpoint in 20 slides then sit the hell down that discusses the power of this format.
And to think I would have never heard of this if it wasn’t for my reader feed from Sarah Kadjer.
Every once in a while I read a post that resonates, it makes me step back and reevaluate how I approach technology in education. That post for me was written by Sarah Kajder about a session she attended during the BLC08 conference. Her post, Are you listening to this?… Why, yes. I am. But, are you? focuses on core competencies and how they are still fundamental building blocks for our students to be successful.
With the landscape of education changing so quickly it can be difficult to figure out which visionaries are on track and which ones are just out of touch. As we work through this course, we are exposed to so much information, that it is easy to loose track of of the fact that everything that we do professionally is to be able to help our students succeed. Are the opinions we are exposed to aligned with our goals.
Please take a few minutes to read Sarah’s post and leave a comment
Blogging is taking your thoughts another step. As we learn, explore, and synthesize there is a need to wrap our heads around what we are experiencing and how it fits into our lives. Blogging is a great way to reflect. When I think about blogging, the comment Ewan McIntosh made during BLC08 resinates with me – I blog for me, I blog to reflect and learn, I do not blog for other people, I do it for myself (not a direct quote, but close enough).
As I move from lurker to blogger, I hope to use my blog to reflect on what is bouncing around in my head and how all the information (tweets,blogs, email, journals) I receive from other educators is pertinent to my professional development and my every day work.
Blog On!
Web 2.0 in education means we need to rethink what we do and how we do it. What education is and what we once deemed as a successful student has changed. It isn’t about facts and how much content you can retain but about being able to find, share, remix, collaborate, and continually search for understanding beyond our comfort zones.
As we complete the this online course it isn’t about the 30+ tools we will interact with or how we can implement them into our classes. What we need gain is the fundamental understanding that we are not just teachers anymore but learners.
Play aspect of lifelong learning is definitely the most challenging. Finding time to just delve into anything for the pure joy of it can seem extraneous and wasteful, when I overloaded with things that must be done.
During this course I will continually need reminding that when we play we are invested in a different sort of way, that will lead to deeper learning and understanding.
Great Video about the importance of Play.
