I am practicing "Connectivism" through Social Networking!

I have joined the social networking site, The Educator's PLN. The site is explained  "the personal learning network for educators". By joining the group, I am allowed to access a lot of education blogs as well as twitter hashtags. What is a hashtag? It is the # symbol and used to mark keyword or topic in a tweet. (Quote from http://www.edudemic.com/twitter-hashtag-dictionary/) What I like most is the "video" section because I can watch various kinds of videos about both teaching and learning. I am convinced that I will be able to not only broaden my perspectives as a teacher with sharing a lot of ideas with other educators but also experience connectivism.

Do you want to "Explore" ? You are the learner of the Digital Age!

A learner is like a member of an expedition who explore unknown areas. They need three things to explore there. Basically, they need knowledge about what they want to find and where they can find it. Not only that, media literacy is crucial since there are tons of information and new information consistently comes out. The ability to draw distinctions between importatn and unimportant information is vital. (Quote from Connectivism: A Learning Theory For the Digital Age, George Siemens ) In order to find out something they need, they  have

to select necessary information. The other thing is social networks. As the old saying geos that many hands make light work, the more knowldge they get, the more easily their work can be completed. This is what learners in the twenty-first century are doing.

In the past, what I have to learn is physical things such as books and pencils. Since teachers have much more experience than me, I have to listen to them carefully. Learning meant building extensive knowldege and was usually one-way, which indicated little interaction between teachers and students. At the advent of the Internet, technology only supported me in learning. I thought my life will be more convenient. Ironically, my life is getting more complicated. It is technology that makes my life more complex. Since what I learned a few years ago becomes obsolete, I have to try to learn something new from various sources not to get left behind. Also, I have difficulty in deciding something because of thousands of information. That is why the following sentence resonated with me. Decision-making is itself a learing process. (Quote from Connectivism: A Learning Theory For the Digital Age, George Simens ) Not only as a learner but also as a teacher, life is getting challenging. To stay alive, I should know about networking with using technology.

Networking is the learning. What I mean is the way we are connected to other individual is largely responsible for our ability to continue to stay current..... (Quote from The Networking is the Learning) It is fundamental to learn how to network with other people. Their experience can be mine and we can work in a group. As a group, we can share different ideas and get positive feeedback from one another, which makes a larger network. I want to stay current so that I can apply my everything to my teaching. I am willing to be a member of the expedition!

Which one is better, Diigo or Scoop.it?

I am happy to learn about two valuable tools, Diigo and Scoop.it! They can be used not only in my daily ife, but also in my teaching. These two have similarities and differences.

In terms of similarities, both of them allow me to follow others or be followed by others so that I can make a group with other people. They are quite "social" and let me share a lot of information related to the topic. In addition, they have the function of multiple tags, which we can categorize each site according to the topic and helps me find the aricles more easily.

However, they also have different features. Diigo has a fabulous function which is called "highlight". When I want to keep certain paragraphs of documents, I can just highlight them with a different colors and even write notes about them. They can be stored in "My Library". As a teacher, "My Library" is very beneficial for collecting and researching materials. It can definitely help students,too. On the other hand, Scoop,it has another fantastic feature. Most of all, it is visually attractive. It can also allow me to post comments on my site as well as others's sites By doing so, I can actively share information with others. Lastly, Scoop.it provides the function of "suggestions" related to the topic, which is absolutely valuable. 

I really like those two tools and want to continue to use both of them in the future, but if I had to choose one, it would be Diiigo because of "My Library" function. It is easy to use and  I can use it well. Yet, since Scoop.it has  fascinating features, I hope I can have one that has the advantages of both.

Use ICT "Smartly" ! Better learning!

What is "ICT"? In the past, when I was a student, I always sit on the chair  and the only thing I had to do is taking notes on what teachers said. However, now in the 21st century, it doesn't work anymore! As a teacher, I need to think of different approaches from those in the past. It is ICT that I can use in the classroom. ICT refers to Information and Communication Technology. Then, how can I use it?

Technology has been developing from day to day and we can have a myriad of innovative gadgets such as  mobile phones, laptops, and ipads. Many people use them in their daily life, but what about students in school? Teachers, including me, have considered the gadgets as an obstacle to learning. Yet, I realized and have no choice but to admit that they have a positive impact on learning and must be used in the classroom. The Future Starts Now inspired me to try using them in my future teaching. We will be living off "knowledge" in the future as we can see in the Norwegians' story, which means that education will be the most important part. Motivation is one of the most essential factors in edication and ICT can encourage students to learn. I can not only show students 3D images and pictures of the subject but also let them research and discuss the topic online. ICT will definitely play a major role in teaching and learning. I need to know the way I use ICT accurately, which leads me to use it "smartly".

Is that all? Absolutely no. In A Vision of 21st Century Teachers, it is said that students can gain from face-to-face and online learning activities. Both need to be balanced. I am a learner who is taught how to use ICT smartly as well as a 21st century teacher. Let me digitally empower, and I can give students much more knowledge using ICT!

Using blogs to meet learning standards

Blogs can be a useful means of learning and communication between teachers and students. By using blogs, I can give a wide range of material which is relevant to the lessons. They can freely read it whenever they want to and have chance to write some comments about it. It will help them broaden their perspectives by sharing opinions with others as well as improve their English abilities. In addition, I can make a Q&A section so that students can ask questions about the lessons. For students, writing questions and getting answers can give them more concrete concept necessary for learning process. As a teacher, I can not only get to know what students want to know specifically but also have much interaction with students.

Blogs also can be effective for my own professional development. While  I have little chance to get feedback in the classroom, I can self-evaluate as well as get a lot of feedback from others with using blogs, which allows me to reflect on myself. Thanks to the advantage, I can think of better ways to teach, which makes me more experienced teacher.

National Educational Technology Standards

from : ISTE Standards

1. Creativity and Innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression. c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues. d. identify trends and forecast possibilities. 2. Communication and Collaboration Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. c. develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures. d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.