AJ

AJ - Great to have you in another class. I hope you finding a few things that are "new" or are able to revisit some "old friends". Take the plunge and start a blog! Amy

media type="custom" key="9243998" When working on my final project, I really reflected on the progression of my PLN and the path it has taken since beginning this class. My hope is that my personal learning network continues to grow!
 * Final Project**


 * 3/29 Reflection**

For this week, the class learned more about social bookmarking. In particular, I got reintroduced to the many features of Diigo. This is a tool that I still need more time to figure out. I think the biggest potential benefit of this tool is actually to help students do more effective research.

We also Skyped with a fellow Twitterer. This was my first experience with Skype. I had heard a lot about it, and I can't figure out why I haven't used it before (especially with my nephew and niece in Illinois). The possibilities for collaboration and global connections is really limitless with Skype.


 * 3/22 Reflection**

We worked with Google Reader this week. Once again, I had already made an account and started playing around with it, but it has not been something that I use regularly. To me, the concept of having a "subscription" to blogs and other websites that I know I like to follow makes a lot of sense; the content is sent to me rather than me searching for it. However, I feel that the number of these blogs and websites that I really pay close attention to does not necessitate a reader, as I typically will go directly to those pages from a bookmark to check out any new content. I do see the value of using it to keep track of blogs or sites that I don't necessarily want to read all of, but like to browse from time to time. The reader enables me to look at only the articles/posts that interest me, and all in one place!

The new experience that I had in class was participating in an EdChat on Twitter using TweetDeck. I use the word "participating" here lightly, as I had a hard time keeping up. I would say I'm a fairly linear person, and not being able to keep up, and seeing the same tweets multiple times (as retweets) was a bit overwhelming.

Finally, I always enjoy browsing TEDTalks, and it was fun to sign-up for a GoodReads account and begin to build my library. I'm hoping this will be a good place to find good recommendations for books, both professional and personal.


 * 3/15 Reflection**

This week has been all about Twitter, and I feel really good about the progress I've made. I have had a Twitter account for awhile now, and I have even gotten in a pretty good habit of checking it on a semi-regular basis. But I really have just been a passive observer until now. This week's challenge was to go beyond "lurking", and start contributing. This felt like a lot of pressure, but it has become progressively easier and more enjoyable each day I tweet. It has also led me to a lot of new ideas, and better yet, new people to follow. I have even sent a message to a favorite math blogger of mine (I know, how nerdy is that!?) to elicit some feedback on my current work / direction / vision for our middle school math program. No response yet, but I am determined to keep trying!


 * 3/8 Reflection**

It is good to be back in a technology class to get me refocused on all of the tools and resources that I can be utilizing to improve teaching and learning in my classroom. At this point, I feel somewhat familiar with a lot of these tools (facebook, twitter, linkedin, etc.), and yet I know that I am not utilizing any of them to their full potential, especially in a professional sense. I am looking forward to learning more and reaching out to other educators for expertise and inspiration!