Latest Tech Trend

Social networking is a tech trend that I feel has had a tremendous impact on me personally, and can have an even greater impact in the field of education. Personally, social networking has allowed me to stay connected to friends and family and reconnect with old friends (from all over the world) in a manner that I had not dreamed up a few years ago. Social networking has allowed me to stay current on what is going on with the people around me and keep them abreast of what is going on with me. I have had the opportunity to minister to others and be ministered to using social networking.

However, I do not believe that the true impact that social networking can have in the field of education has been felt yet. I can see class sessions being held via social networking. As a teacher, I can post a discussion question, and my students can post their responses real time (similar to tweeting). I can see this happening during actual class time and also being completed as a homework assignment.  I have mixed feelings on whether or not this will become a mainstream idea, but I do feel that it could truly enhance classroom learning.

Personal Use of Technology

Technology plays a huge part in my personal life. There are some days that I wonder how I got along without certain things that I now use on a daily basis. Of all the technology I use, my cell phone (and my computer to a lesser extent) is like a body part. For instance, last week I had the LASIK and PRK procedures done on my eyes, and was not able to drive myself home. Once my ride dropped me off, I soon realized that I left my cell phone at home (which I needed to contact my ride when I was done). I had to end up asking them for my forms to get the emergency contact number for another friend of mine. I then had her call my ride to relay the message. This quickly reminded me of my reliance on my phone due to the fact that I do not memorize phone numbers anymore!
However, I do find myself trying to balance the use of technology with my time with friends and family. I will admit, I have had to scold myself for ignoring or telling someone to hold due to trying to answer the phone, respond to a text, or instant message. I have to make a conscience decision to avoid using technology so that I do not come across as rude or uninterested in the person that is actually in my presence.

Social Networking and Education

I can see using social networking technologies with my students. I could see setting up a Facebook page for my students and their parents geared toward my class. I think this would be received more favorably than the current blog our school has set up, because it is a medium my students use on a daily basis. We could post questions about what took place in class, questions they have, links to further information on the topic, etc. I could set a certain time in which I would be available via instant messaging so that they could have their questions answered in real time.

 

However, with this type of technology, there will have to be an increase in moderating the page. I would have to make sure that what is posted is school appropriate (i.e. no personal information on my part, parents, or students would be permitted). Although there is an increase in accountability on the part of the teacher, I think it is worth it if it allows students to interact in a manner that would keep his/her attention and interest.

Online Collaboration

I spend a tremendous amount of time online (personally, professionally, and academically). My personal experience with synchronous online collaboration has been great. It has allowed me to keep in instant touch with family and friends around the world. Not only am I able to know how they are doing by what they are typing, I can now see and hear how they are doing with the use of webcams and microphones. I was so happy to be able to chat, see, and speak with a friend of mine who was serving over in Afghanistan through the use of Yahoo Instant Messaging. With Facebook, I am able to chat with people all the time for free. Furthermore, my small group has prayer every Monday via a phone conference. However, due to the lack of face to face time, there is a higher chance of misinterpretation and miscommunication due to not being able to read a person's facial expression and body language. For me, the benefits of synchronous online collaboration for personal communication far outweigh the negative.

As far as professionally and academically, most of my online collaboration has been asynchronous. This form of collaboration allows for people in different time zones and with different schedules to still be about to communicate. I mainly use blogs, emails and discussion boards, and for me, they are a lot less personal and leave a lot more room for interpretation of what people say. With today's society being a lot more instant, this form of communication forces me to wait for a response from the other person, because people's schedules are so different. Although it is not my preferred way of learning (I actually prefer learning in a classroom setting) asynchronous online collaboration has afforded me the opportunity to start and finish  my Specialist Degree completely online.

Web Resources

There are quite a few web resouces I use both personally and professionally. Most of my professional resources are geared toward using more technology and other hands on activities in the classroom. My classroom favorites are http://www.bristolvaschools.org/mwarren/SBActivities.htm and http://exchange.smarttech.com/no-download.html -both of which are geared toward Smartboard activities and lesson plans. These sites I find useful because they have allowed me to infuse the Smartboard more effectively into my classroom activities. My professional development favorites are http://www.pd360.com/pd360.cfm?#tab=home&page=homeWall and http://www1.teachertube.com/. These websites are useful because they provide me with a variety of videos on how to enhance my classroom teaching. My personal favorites are http://www.pandora.com/#/ and http://www.ajc.com/ which I find personally useful in feeding my love of gospel music (pandora) and my desire to know what is going on around me (ajc).

Presentations

By far the presentations that catch and hold my attention are the ones that are interactive. I am like my students, and cannot learn by sit and get. I have to be able to participate and also be able to move around. Furthermore, the presenter also has to ensure he/she has a backup plan incase the technology does not work. I have been a part of trainings in which the presenter did not have a backup plan and wasted time trying to come up with one. At that point, I had lost interest in what was being presented and did get anything out of the presentation.
As a teacher, I find myself incorporating more interaction in my classroom due to the fact that is how I learn best. I also make sure I have a back up plan (or 2!) in case my technology does not work. However, I do have to remember that not all my students learn in that fashion, and I have to make sure I include others ways to keep my students engaged.

Participation in Online Communities

My online participation has dwindled greatly over the past few years. Three or four years ago, I used to chat online (via AOL and Yahoo) in chatrooms and instant messaging (IM). I used the chat rooms to communicate with a variety of people all over the world about numerous topics and shared interests. I used IMs to chat with friends and family all over the world. I also used MySpace quite frequently. This realm of online community allowed me to reconnect with people I had not seen since high school. My current boyfriend actually reached out to me via MySpace (we went to high school together :). I spent numerous hours online using these forms of communities (up to 5-6 hours per day at times).

I remember when Facebook started becoming popular. I vowed I would never use it, because it allowed too much access to what people were doing (who would care about what I am eating for dinner). Boy how things change. About two  years ago, I signed up for Facebook. My chatroom and MySpace days were over! I found myself posting exactly what I said people would not care to read about. However, I found that people did "care" and actually commented on the fact that I was getting my hair done :). The addiction began!!! When I updated my cell phone, I found out I could update my status from anywhere and at anytime. I would wake up in the morning and grab my phone to see what people had posted while I was sleeping. I found myself updating my status multiple times a day. I found my online Facebook usage increase considerably. When I started online classes at Liberty, Facebook was always opened while I worked on my assignments.

However, within in last 5 or 6 months, my Facebook usage has declined considerably. For some reason, my interest in what other people were doing  and saying had dwindled. I have also decreased my status updates to about 1 or 2 per week (as opposed to 3 or 4 per day). I now use it mainly to post pictures and look at pictures of my family. I refuse to get a Twitter account (I definitely do not have enough going on for people to "follow" me throughout the day). Maybe when the next big online community fad comes out, my interest will increase, but for now the desire to share is not that great anymore.