Personal Learning Network (PLN) Diagram

      

 

 

 

 

     The diagram listed above is my Personal Learning Network.  This diagram explains the ways that I can learn new information, store this new information, and then share this information.  I can actually do a great deal of learning online through online search engines, Wikis, and emailing colleagues.  I also do a great amount of face-to-face learning.  I do this through classes at BW, interaction with my colleagues at work, and teachers from other schools in my district during inservices.  I can also get information through telephone calls and texting. 

     I learned through EDU 514, that Google Docs is a great way to store information.  Prior to this class, I had never used this tool before.  It's a great way to keep all of your information stored in one place.  I'm sure I will continue to use Google Docs in the future.  Folders on the computer are another way to organize and store information.  To store important information that you learned through email, email folders are also helpful.  Mobile phone notes are also a good thing to have if you need to keep a note of something you learned for a later date.  Delicious tags are also very useful.  This is another tool I had never used before EDU 514.  I think it's a great way to keep track of websites that are of interest to you, so that you can go back and look at them later.

   There are several ways that I can share the information I learned.  One way is through email, either through my BW email or my school email accounts.  Another way to share information is through telephone calls and texting colleagues. Information can also be shared by posting on blogs and Wikis.  Delicious is another way that helpful websites and online information could be shared.  Information could also be shared on social media sites, such as Edmodo.  Of course, information could also be shared face-to-face in person. 



Learning Unit #3 Reflection

     In my third learning unit, I used Wallwisher for my brainstorming activity.  Wallwisher is very useful if you wish to post a list of ideas/questions in one place for many people to see. 
     I also created a book trailer in Wevideo.  Wevideo makes great looking videos, but it was a somewhat frustrating experience.  If you choose a theme for your video, you get a preset intro page and music.  However, you are unable to preview exactly what your video will look like until it is published.  I also had several issues with the site running slow.  I also had some problems posting the link to my video.  The one the website told me to copy was not the actual link to my video, but the link to my Wevideo homepage.  This was a decent tool, but I would not highly recommend it.
     Quia was a great tool for making online quizzes.  They offer several options.  These quizzes could be used for any subject or topic.
     I also liked the Voicethread tool.  This is a very easy way to make a podcast.  It's also nice because others can comment on your Voicethread by leaving their own voice/video recordings.  I liked the way you could use video and graphics together to make a type of slideshow from your Voicethread. 
    Upon finishing this final unit, I realized that I learned a great deal about web tools that I did not know before I started.  I'm glad I had the opportunity to try several of these tools.  Now that I know what is available, I can come up with ways to use some of these tools in my own classroom.

Learning Unit #2 Reflection

     In Learning Unit #2, I created a form in Google Docs to use as an anticipation guide.  I think these forms could be useful for several survey-type activities in the classroom  I especially like the way all responses can be recorded in the form of a spread sheet to be viewed later. 
     I also never realized how useful Google Maps can be if you are reading a story that takes part in different parts of the country, or world.  Students can physically mark where the action is taking place on a map.  I also did not realize that you could write descriptions on a map.  This would also be a great tool for a social studies class.  This could definitely give students a better perspective of event locations.
     Tagxedo was a very easy tool to use.  This tool would even be easy for younger students to use.  It also requires some creativity, as shapes and colors can be manipulated.  I used this tool for character traits, but I could also see this tool being useful for vocabulary or spelling words.
    Pixton comic creator was also a fun tool to use.  I personally thought it was a little more time consuming than some of the others, but the end result is a very professional looking comic.  I think many students would enjoy using this tool, because you don't have to be a great artist to design a great comic.  This tool has several ways to manipulate characters and settings.  Students can be very creative.  I personally think this is a great tool for helping students retell or summarize stories in a creative way.   

Learning Unit #1 Reflection

     Learning unit #1 was probably my most challenging unit, mostly because this was the first unit I completed.  I had never used the web tools before, and at first, was a bit overwhelmed.
      I really liked the Bubbl.us tool.  I could see this being very useful for making all types of concept maps in the classroom.  This tool was easy to use and students would probably enjoy using this tool much more than sketching their own on paper or trying to create one from scratch in a word document or similar program. 
     I also liked the Prezi presentation tool.  I think students could get much more creative with this tool than with a traditional PowerPoint presentation.  What I did find is that if you insert pictures, you need to make sure the pictures are added to the path of the Prezi.  Otherwise, they may not be completely viewable. 
     Glogster is also a great tool.  Students can get creative with this.  It's a good way to show what they have learned in a visual form.  I also liked the way Glogster has pre-made templates that can be used if you don't want to design your own page from scratch.
      Screencast-O-Matic was a fun and easy tool to use.  The only downside to this tool is that you can only save one screencast unless you subscribe to a paid membership.  In the screencast I created, I did not show the top of my screen, mostly because I had several tabs open and a lot going on.  Looking back, I should have shown the top of my screen so viewers could actually see the URL address for the site I was talking about.

Web 2.0 Tools Research

               I researched several Web 2.0 tools, trying to find the ones I thought would be most useful to me in the classroom.  One tool I found is called Penzu.  This is a great application for online journaling.  It provides students with a place to put their thoughts down in writing without having to use a traditional paper journal.  This tool gives students a blank virtual notebook page.  Each page has the date the journal was started printed on the top.  There is even the option to insert photos into the journal entry.  After entries are written, they can be shared through email.  The person who receives the email can then make comments on the entry.  The author of the journal can also go back and write comments on previous writings. Entries can also be shared anonymously if you do not want your name to appear in the email. This application also allows you to print off journal entries.  An email reminder could also be set to remind you to write in your journal.  An upgraded version of Penzu will allow you to change the color and style of your journal pad, as well as look at previous versions of your entry as you were writing it. 

                Many language arts teachers like to have their students  journal on a daily basis to reflect on what they have learned in class.  This is a great way to do that without the teacher having to look through endless amounts of notebooks to see if students are actually completing the assignment.  Students can write their journals and then share, through email, the finished product.  The teacher can then write comments on it for the student.  If the teacher prefers, the journal pages could also be printed and graded that way as well.  Students could be assigned to write a reflective journal for homework, and they can set up an email reminder to complete their assignment on Penzu.  Students can assess their journals from any computer or mobile device.  This means journaling can be done whenever an interesting thought pops into a student’s head.  They don’t have to wait until they have a physical notebook with them. Another great thing about this tool is students will not lose their writings.  They will all be kept together and dated in one online location.  Students have the ability to go back and reflect on their previous writings. 

                I would recommend Penzu, especially if you are a language arts teacher.  This seems like a good way to get students more motivated to write.  This is also a great way for organizing previous journal entries.  It also saves on paper if teachers receive the journal entries via email.  If students would like to write down more personal thoughts, they are welcome to do that as well.  Students can choose which entries they wish to share.  Others can remain private.  This would also work to serve as an online writing portfolio.  At the end of the school year, students can go back and reflect on their writings throughout the year.

                You can check out this tool at:  https://penzu.com/p.