I chose to visit and review the site OpenTable only because I randomly clicked on it.
I wrote that sentence before I really looked at the site. Now that I've visited it I can say that I have absolutely no idea how I would possibly ever use this in a class setting, unless I was teaching the class it was possible to get a reservation, online.
Outside of no real use in a school setting (unless I was making a reservation during my lunch break for a dinner that I had forgotten about) I'm not entirely sure I like the site itself. The home page is kind of bland, but I suppose it's easy to navigate. When I clicked onto the Nashville site the page became a little more polished looking. It's easy to navigate. There are clear sections for reviews, you're able to easily view all the Nashville restaurants they provide this service for. It's free.
Would I use it? Probably not. I think in the past five years I've only called a restaurant once to see about reserving a table and that was only because it was a fairly large group on a Saturday afternoon -- even then they told me I didn't need to make a reservation. For someone who does make a ton of reservations, or at least likes to have the option to do so, this site would be useful. It's made itself even more useful by becoming an app for your smartphone.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thing # 5
Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators was written in 2007. In technological time that might have been a thousand years ago. Yes, a lot of the stuff that the author mentioned is still in use, and still going strong (blogging, podcasts, RSS) but there's so much more that has developed that could play a very important role in the day to day life of teachers and students. Ipads or other tablets, for example, are far more common today than they were in 2007. The applications for use in the classroom are immense.
The Horizons Report was also written a technological lifetime ago -- 2008. Web 2.0 is the Future of Education was also written in 2008. In fact the link that was listed on the APSU 23 Things Blog (Located here) is, I think, outdated. The link just goes to the Tech and Learning home page. I had to search to find the actual article. Teachers 2.0 is at least current. This is all a prime example of how, even though the use of the internet is an incredible thing and has been, and will continue, to change education, it is also very fluid. If a teacher is going to use the internet as a resource they can't just post something once and use it forever-- they need to routinely check their links to ensure they go to the correct article or or that the information they provide is actually valid, up-to-date information that will benefit the students.
School 2.0 means to me an advancement in education. It means that education can be interwoven between the actual physical classroom, the home, and anywhere that the child is. With free wi-fi spots all over the place, and wireless cards for laptops or tablets as well as smart phones, if we can put information online the child, allowing that the child is provide a device that can access the internet, can always have education right there with them. There would be no more worry about notes left at school the night before a big test, no more information limited to just the information (perhaps bias) written in the student's school book. There is so much potential out there, so many resources that if we used properly and showed the student how to use would open up so many different portals of learning. That's what School 2.0 means to me.
I hope that schools of the future can take this technology and use it to benefit the students. I believe, firmly, that students should have a lot of hands on experience. I'm a Constructivist -- I believe children learn best from their experiences. I would never want the school experience to become just computer based, I think hands-on labs and field trips and art projects are vital. The school of the future needs to find a way to combine both Web 2.0 and real life, authentic experiences to help prepare the student for college or career.
The Horizons Report was also written a technological lifetime ago -- 2008. Web 2.0 is the Future of Education was also written in 2008. In fact the link that was listed on the APSU 23 Things Blog (Located here) is, I think, outdated. The link just goes to the Tech and Learning home page. I had to search to find the actual article. Teachers 2.0 is at least current. This is all a prime example of how, even though the use of the internet is an incredible thing and has been, and will continue, to change education, it is also very fluid. If a teacher is going to use the internet as a resource they can't just post something once and use it forever-- they need to routinely check their links to ensure they go to the correct article or or that the information they provide is actually valid, up-to-date information that will benefit the students.
School 2.0 means to me an advancement in education. It means that education can be interwoven between the actual physical classroom, the home, and anywhere that the child is. With free wi-fi spots all over the place, and wireless cards for laptops or tablets as well as smart phones, if we can put information online the child, allowing that the child is provide a device that can access the internet, can always have education right there with them. There would be no more worry about notes left at school the night before a big test, no more information limited to just the information (perhaps bias) written in the student's school book. There is so much potential out there, so many resources that if we used properly and showed the student how to use would open up so many different portals of learning. That's what School 2.0 means to me.
I hope that schools of the future can take this technology and use it to benefit the students. I believe, firmly, that students should have a lot of hands on experience. I'm a Constructivist -- I believe children learn best from their experiences. I would never want the school experience to become just computer based, I think hands-on labs and field trips and art projects are vital. The school of the future needs to find a way to combine both Web 2.0 and real life, authentic experiences to help prepare the student for college or career.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thing # 4
Commenting creates a sense of community among bloggers. Blogging is a very lonely activity. Right now, for example, I'm sitting by myself, in my living room, the lights off, a television on, and my cat asleep on the back of the couch. There's no one else around. It's just me, typing away in a little white box.
This could feel pointless, like I might as well just sit in bed and think about the day instead of going through all the effort to turn on my laptop, sign into a website, pull up the appropriate page to start a new post, pick out the right string of words, worry and correct and double correct grammar.... for nothing. If there's no commenting there might as well be no one else in the world reading what I'm typing right now. And if there's no one reading then why go through all this effort when I could just think about it while I'm driving down the road?
Commenting is vital to this part of the internet. People need interaction, to know they're being listened to, even if they're not being agreed with, and people need to be able to respond to what they've read, even if it's to say I completely agree with you. If we don't have that connection, between blogger and reader, then all we have is another place that makes us feel disconnected and lonely.
ProBlogger states that people should reward commenting in order to increase commenting. This seems obvious. Just like a blogger wants to receive comments, to know that they're being "heard" by somebody out there, the commenter wants to know that they've been "heard" as well. If you're a blogger and you receive a comment, but don't respond, pretty soon that commenter will stop commenting and may even stop reading your blog.
Drapes Takes mentions that some bloggers choose to respond to comments through email. I think, as a commenter, this is also something to keep in mind. You may come to a new blog, read a post, and scroll through comment after comment but never see any interaction between blog writer and commenter-- this may make a first-time commenter shy to comment. They may not see a point in it. It's still worth commenting, at least the first few times, and including your email, because that may be the way the blogger feels comfortable communicating.
Seven Blogs I Follow:
Personal:
Aziz is Bored -- Aziz Ansari is one of my favorite stand up comedians. His blog is full of links, pictures, and videos he finds funny as well as information about any upcoming shows he may be in.
My Secret Public Journal -- this is written by Mike Birbilglia, another one of my favorite comedians. I liked his stand up but I was really drawn in when I heard, on NPR, a story he told about his sleep issues (that's kind of an understatement).
Classmates:
Okay, here's where I'm kind of maybe too honest. If I don't like the look of a blog, the font or the bright colors, or anything like that, I kind of shut it down immediately. And I'm sure that I missed out on reading some really insightful stuff from some other classmates, but I'm all about ease. That's more or less how I chose the five I commented on:
Luanne -- I commented on her Thing # 9. She had created buttons and linked to the website she had used. Until I saw her entry I hadn't even thought of a button image generator, much less thought of how buttons could be turned into rewards in the classroom.
Kim -- I commented on Thing # 8. She seemed to have problems with some of the image generators, just like I did.
Matt -- I commented on Thing # 7. I really liked the title of his blog -- "23 Things I Did And You Are Reading About."
Scott -- I commented on Thing # 4. I liked his view on commenting, and how he commented on bloggers post to initiate a conversation.
Nathan -- I commented on Thing # 5. Nathan (a.k.a Ned) had a really interesting way of viewing both Web 2.0 and School 2.0
This could feel pointless, like I might as well just sit in bed and think about the day instead of going through all the effort to turn on my laptop, sign into a website, pull up the appropriate page to start a new post, pick out the right string of words, worry and correct and double correct grammar.... for nothing. If there's no commenting there might as well be no one else in the world reading what I'm typing right now. And if there's no one reading then why go through all this effort when I could just think about it while I'm driving down the road?
Commenting is vital to this part of the internet. People need interaction, to know they're being listened to, even if they're not being agreed with, and people need to be able to respond to what they've read, even if it's to say I completely agree with you. If we don't have that connection, between blogger and reader, then all we have is another place that makes us feel disconnected and lonely.
ProBlogger states that people should reward commenting in order to increase commenting. This seems obvious. Just like a blogger wants to receive comments, to know that they're being "heard" by somebody out there, the commenter wants to know that they've been "heard" as well. If you're a blogger and you receive a comment, but don't respond, pretty soon that commenter will stop commenting and may even stop reading your blog.
Drapes Takes mentions that some bloggers choose to respond to comments through email. I think, as a commenter, this is also something to keep in mind. You may come to a new blog, read a post, and scroll through comment after comment but never see any interaction between blog writer and commenter-- this may make a first-time commenter shy to comment. They may not see a point in it. It's still worth commenting, at least the first few times, and including your email, because that may be the way the blogger feels comfortable communicating.
Seven Blogs I Follow:
Personal:
Aziz is Bored -- Aziz Ansari is one of my favorite stand up comedians. His blog is full of links, pictures, and videos he finds funny as well as information about any upcoming shows he may be in.
My Secret Public Journal -- this is written by Mike Birbilglia, another one of my favorite comedians. I liked his stand up but I was really drawn in when I heard, on NPR, a story he told about his sleep issues (that's kind of an understatement).
Classmates:
Okay, here's where I'm kind of maybe too honest. If I don't like the look of a blog, the font or the bright colors, or anything like that, I kind of shut it down immediately. And I'm sure that I missed out on reading some really insightful stuff from some other classmates, but I'm all about ease. That's more or less how I chose the five I commented on:
Luanne -- I commented on her Thing # 9. She had created buttons and linked to the website she had used. Until I saw her entry I hadn't even thought of a button image generator, much less thought of how buttons could be turned into rewards in the classroom.
Kim -- I commented on Thing # 8. She seemed to have problems with some of the image generators, just like I did.
Matt -- I commented on Thing # 7. I really liked the title of his blog -- "23 Things I Did And You Are Reading About."
Scott -- I commented on Thing # 4. I liked his view on commenting, and how he commented on bloggers post to initiate a conversation.
Nathan -- I commented on Thing # 5. Nathan (a.k.a Ned) had a really interesting way of viewing both Web 2.0 and School 2.0
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Thing # 3
I can see many uses for this blog (or a blog similar to this) in my teacher education program and in my future classroom).
Anne Davis's first mentioned creating a blog as a way to reflect on the teaching experience. If I (or anyone else for that matter) can get a blog that's established -- and by established I mean read by people who respond, even if it's only four people -- then not only can I create a place where I can write out what happened, allowing me to think and verbalize (in a way) what I have done and am doing, it will allow other people to input their advice, compliments, or constructive criticisms.
I think, for use in the classroom, the use of a blog would be extremely helpful. You could create posts reiterating what happened that day in class as a kind of live, up-to-the-minute study guide as reminders to those in class who may not have taken adequate notes or for those who were absent from class for whatever reason. It would also show the parents where their children are in class and what is constantly expected of them.
If we ask the students to create blogs (much in the same way you are asking us to create this) we will also begin to see a side of the students that they may not express in class. The more that we can learn about our students the better we will be able to tailor our lessons to best suit them.
Anne Davis's first mentioned creating a blog as a way to reflect on the teaching experience. If I (or anyone else for that matter) can get a blog that's established -- and by established I mean read by people who respond, even if it's only four people -- then not only can I create a place where I can write out what happened, allowing me to think and verbalize (in a way) what I have done and am doing, it will allow other people to input their advice, compliments, or constructive criticisms.
I think, for use in the classroom, the use of a blog would be extremely helpful. You could create posts reiterating what happened that day in class as a kind of live, up-to-the-minute study guide as reminders to those in class who may not have taken adequate notes or for those who were absent from class for whatever reason. It would also show the parents where their children are in class and what is constantly expected of them.
If we ask the students to create blogs (much in the same way you are asking us to create this) we will also begin to see a side of the students that they may not express in class. The more that we can learn about our students the better we will be able to tailor our lessons to best suit them.
Thing # 2
I went really bland picking my posting name and the name of my blog. I wanted to remain pretty professional, so that threw out most of my first kind of gut instinct names, and I figured it would be safest to just go as simple as possible. I chose my first initial and last name and 23... because of the 23 things we're suppose to do. It's not imaginative or playful or creative, but it gets the job done and I don't have to worry about offending anyone or coming across as unprofessional.
I feel fairly comfortable with most things that have to do with the computer or internet. I don't know a ton of technical stuff about the mechanics or HTML or javascript or that kind of stuff, but I feel like I know enough to learn quickly when presented with new things. Creating this blog was pretty easy for me. I've blogged before, as a way to keep in touch with friends and as a way to continue to write for an audience after graduation, so the format is familiar to me.
I created an avatar that looked sort of similar to me. Again, my first gut instincts were to create an avatar that didn't cater so much to my actual physical being but then again I wanted to try to take this seriously. I'm sure the more comfortable I get with this, and with this class, I'll probably change the avatar to look more ridiculous. Later. Maybe.
I feel fairly comfortable with most things that have to do with the computer or internet. I don't know a ton of technical stuff about the mechanics or HTML or javascript or that kind of stuff, but I feel like I know enough to learn quickly when presented with new things. Creating this blog was pretty easy for me. I've blogged before, as a way to keep in touch with friends and as a way to continue to write for an audience after graduation, so the format is familiar to me.
I created an avatar that looked sort of similar to me. Again, my first gut instincts were to create an avatar that didn't cater so much to my actual physical being but then again I wanted to try to take this seriously. I'm sure the more comfortable I get with this, and with this class, I'll probably change the avatar to look more ridiculous. Later. Maybe.
Thing # 1
I think the hardest part of the 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learning for me would be Habit 1 -- begin with the end in mind. I don't think I ever go into a learning experience thinking of what I want the outcome to be. I know that when I go into classes for school or training for work I'm always presented with the objectives of the course first-- the instructor is letting me know what they want me to come away with at the end of the day. But when I'm left to my own, when I'm at home or with friends or where ever, trying something new for the first time or trying to develop a skill that I'm really interested in (like making balloon animals) I never focus, really, on what I want to happen at the end. It's never in the forefront of my mind. I just want to go into and do it. This is something I probably need to become more conscience about.
The easiest part of the 7 1/2 Habits for me would definitely be 7 1/2 -- play. While I am pretty responsible and meet deadlines and can handle myself pretty decently in serious situations I am much, much more comfortable in a relaxed setting where I can make jokes and actually get my hands dirty. I like playing with "toys", be it art supplies or science lab equipment or a frisbee. I feel like I learn better that way.
I think if I can continue to play, throughout the rest of my life, I will always be a lifelong learner. I think if there's no stress, no worries about deadlines or grades, if I can just experiment with things, have fun going out and failing and trying again, as long as I can continue to do that with a smile, I will always want to learn and grow and add more information to my arsenal of awesomeness.
The easiest part of the 7 1/2 Habits for me would definitely be 7 1/2 -- play. While I am pretty responsible and meet deadlines and can handle myself pretty decently in serious situations I am much, much more comfortable in a relaxed setting where I can make jokes and actually get my hands dirty. I like playing with "toys", be it art supplies or science lab equipment or a frisbee. I feel like I learn better that way.
I think if I can continue to play, throughout the rest of my life, I will always be a lifelong learner. I think if there's no stress, no worries about deadlines or grades, if I can just experiment with things, have fun going out and failing and trying again, as long as I can continue to do that with a smile, I will always want to learn and grow and add more information to my arsenal of awesomeness.
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