My Personal Learning Network

My personal learning network is not as big as I would like for it to be, it has grown. At the beginning of the semester I was not even aware of what a personal learning network was. But now I have one and still working to expand it. I have made connections with Dr. Brenda Juarez, Brook McNair, and Dr. Cunningham.As I start my career, I hope to gain a huge and helpful learning network.

Here are some tools I use:
Twitter
Facebook
Skype
Myspace
YouTube
Blogger
educationworld.com

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture....

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

What's worse, is that even though I realize what it is like to see someone with such courage handling it like that everyday, I still don't think I could bring myself to be selfless about it. I couldn't possibly imagine the amount of pain he is in everyday. However, now I see that everyday now since I have been sitting in the ICU with my little brother the past 2 weeks. Hopefully, when everything is said and done, and my brother takes a turn for the better; he will be able to put his tribulations aside like Mr. Pausch.

By the end of my life, I hope to touch half as many of my students' lives as he did. I hope I am in good health when that time comes for me to touch others lives. Randy Pausch has given life lessons that everyone can appreciate and use in life.

ALEX

ALEX is a resourceful website set up by the state of Alabama to help their educators. It is not only for teachers, but also for students and administrators. ALEX is a tool that allows all aspects of the school to get involved. What caught my attention, was on this website there are lesson plan and podcasting sections. For teachers beginning their career, ALEX will be the perfect place for them to start. I am really excited to work with programs like this, for I know I will need as many resources as I can get.

This class has taught me that I can not do this on my own. The more and more people begin to realize this, the better our education system will become. I am looking forward on working to expand my personal and professional learning network. ALEX is a great start for all educators.

Feb 28th, 2010

This is How We Dream

This Is How We Dream is a very interesting video. It definitely shows how our culture has grown. One day, in the near future, I do believe that we will move away from using textbooks in our classrooms. I do not know how open I am to this change, but it is a realistic possibility. It may even be for the best and help cut down on the cost of publication and print.

This video speaks about iUniversity I am still wondering what is it exactly used for. It really seems like a helpful tool if you know how and what to use it for. The programs used in the second video looks so unique. From this class I hope to gain useful knowledge sure as these programs.

Wendy Drexler

First I would like to state that this video technique is really cool. Simple but full of great information. One of the first things I learned in college was to network with others and make yourself marketable. This video does a great job of showing just how far one can get by exploring their resources.

I am looking forward to expanding my professional network. I think this class provides a great opportunity for that. Even though the idea of all this is a scary thought, we will greatly appreciate it later.

Micheal Wesch: Toward A New Future

Mr. Wesch is not the first person I have heard call my generation narcissistic and vain, but he is the first to explain this claim in a way in which I can understand.

I have never thought about YouTube as being a "movement". After watching that video, I realize how much I actually use the site. Although I mostly use it for lyric, funny clips, and music video searches, it can also be an educational site. YouTube can not only be used in a classroom as a research tool, but also a learning tool. Helpful videos such as the one just watched can be viewed by a high school class. As an educator, I could encourage my students to upload educational videos. Individuals could definitely expand their learning network with this technique.


What I learned This Year by Mr. Mclung
Wow, I can not wait til my first year of teaching. It will be an amazing experience. Educators often forget to include the small things and maybe this blog will remind them just how important they are. I agreed one hundred percent with everything discussed. Nothing ever goes the exact way that you plan it and lessons won't be any different. You will have to get out of that fantasy stage of teaching and then you will be moving along to the surivval stage, but hopefully, in my first year of teaching, I won't stay in my survival stage too long.

iTunes University
Tunes University is definitely a new concept to me. As strange as the idea of college on iTunes is to me, it seems to be very popular tool. I am not sure if I would ever consider using iTunes University personally or in my classroom. This is not to say that I would not make my students aware of its existence. I guess the question still remains, what is the point? I guess it would work wonders for celebrities and all, but for me, I don't think so.