REFLECTION

 My journey through this class has been one of much growth and reflection.  It's crazy to think that this is a Learning and Technology course, when I reflect on what I got out of it.  Yes I did learn, but not only in the context that I had thought I would be when signing up for the class.  And this is a good thing...a great thing!  From the technology standpoint, I have been introduced into various vehicles to do some pretty neat things.  Each and every tool that I have learned about will be a valuable resource for me in my teaching and education endeavors.  From the learning standpoint, I was able to take ownership of my learning, which made it so powerful.  I learned through trial and error, figuring out what I liked and didn't like, forcing myself to be one step outside of my comfort zone, and being challenged to break any preconceived notions.  In addition, I learned a great deal about myself.  Between finding my passion and the whole piece on Dan Pink, I found myself lost in the awe of it.  For me, those two parts of the class had the most impact, as it forced me to stop and really think about who I am and what I'm doing.  It was definitely a breath of fresh air.  When you bundle learning and technology together, that is a powerful phrase.  I have recognized more than ever, the power to technology in one's quest to learn.  It is the way the times are going, and yes I do miss the smell and turning of a page in a book, or speaking to a live body on the phone, but we cannot miss out on this opportunity to take advantages of all these resources.  So I really do feel that as an educator it is important to find ways to use technology within your classroom and more than just in a word processing format.  We need to allow our students to delve into it head first and to get their hands dirty---with monitoring and expectations of course!  But this is how they are going to learn and what they need to learn to be able to be a member of our ever changing society.  So my challenge to myself is to continue using and exploring the tools that we have been introduced to over the course of the semester, and truly make them my own.

In my attempts to be high tech, I needed to revert to some low tech...

Here you go..I hope you enjoy.

EC&I 831 Introduction to Connected Learning

The recording of the Introduction to Connected Learning was great to watch and listen to now.  I think it is more beneficial now than it would have been at the beginning of our course.  It is cool to see how that a class halfway around the world is quite similar to ours here in San Diego.  Though methods may be slightly different, the end result is the same.  It is also reassuring to see his students have the same concerns with creating their PLN as we all did in the beginning of the course as well.  Blogs, Twitter...Yikes! Ha.  I also appreciated how he took the time to explain the openness of the course.  This has been something I have been struggling with since watching the recording of Social Media, Networked Learning and Digital Identity.  I had issues with the idea of open education in the sense of who is paying and who is not, but ultimately getting the same information and time.
I like the point he makes about Twitter.  He shares that its not always about what happens during the chat, since a lot of times there is much repetition and lack of depth, but rather the connections that are made for the future.  It gives you the basis to extend your resources and get more information in the future.  Lastly he addresses the idea of sharing. Sharing is what we do as educators.  Sharing things is not giving things away but rather paying things forward.  This is a great concept and makes me much more excited about the idea of an open education.

One step closer in my pursuit

After completing an extensive application, I finally went in for an interview this past Friday, and now I need to wait until mid-January to attend a mandatory training session.  I have decided that I wanted to spend time volunteering with some sort of organization.  I spent time going through what seemed as an endless list of organizations, but finally found one that seemed to suit me--ARTS: A Reason To Survive.  This organization encompasses all my passions: children, social justice, and art.  Thanks to this class, I was able to hone in on these passions.  The selfish side of me is thinking that I am going to benefit from volunteering because I will be able to spend time with children and do arts myself.  So needless to say I am excited for my training in January.   I cannot wait to get involved spending time doing what I love. 

Observation: Innovation Middle

Innovation Middle, or iMiddle as all the cool people call it, is a STEM magnet school.  Currently the school only serves grades seven and eight.  The school's curriculum functions around the concept of one laptop per child.  Each student is assigned a laptop to which they are responsible for and required to bring it to each class.  The school has wireless internet for students to access while on campus and prepaid AT&T 3G for off campus use. 

What I have observed:
1.  Each student is required to bring their laptop charged to every class.  Part of their homework to to charge their computer.  If they come to class too many times without their laptop charged or come without their laptop, they get lunch detention.
2.  Students put projects together via powerpoint, word, prezi, and glogster.
3.  Active Engaged is used for review.  I have seen it used in two forms.  The first being the questions with the choices are posted on the Promethean Board while the corresponding letters are on the student laptops.  The students choose a letter and the responses are graphed so that there can be immediate feedback.  The second way is through individual pacing.  Questions and responses are posted on student computers.  Students are able to answer in their own time and only can move to the next question after choosing the correct answer.  While all this is happening, each students progress is sent to the teachers computer.  With both these uses, the program puts everything into an spreadsheet.  It breaks up results in multiple formats so that the teacher may analyze data in various ways.
4.  Document camera proves to be invaluable, especially in a science classroom.  It makes what is going on up front accessible to all students in the classroom.  Students are able to easily see from any place in the room.
5.  All resources for students are posted on moodle.
6.  Students are able to keep track of their grades via the internet.
7.  Teachers are able to monitor students via their computer.  Each student screen is displayed on their computer screen.  They can even send messages and take control.
8.  In some classrooms, teachers are using the idea of a flipped classroom.  They create videos that teach students the content for homework.  The teaching is taking place at home.  They are then using the time in the classroom to spend time answering questions and working individually with students.

I definitely think that it is amazing that every student is able to have a laptop.  I am pretty sure my family didn't even have a computer in the house when I was their age.  I am glad that students are being exposed to technology at a much younger age as it is an invaluable tool.  The unfortunate thing I notice is the time it takes to set up the laptops.  In my opinion so much time is wasted because teachers are waiting for laptops to be turned on or to join the Active Engage session.  In addition technology is great when it is working, but there are times when it does not run smoothly.  In some cases, teachers become so dependent on the use of technology that they do not have contingency plans or know what to do when technology fails.  However, the capabilities of what teachers and students can do because of the accessibility of technology is impressive.  It sure beats going to the computer lab and practicing typing on the computers with the green screens and floppy disk.  

Disruptive Innovation

So I am trying this whole blogging thing from my phone since I do not have my laptop with me. Lets see how this goes....

In my own words disruptive innovation is when there is a prexisting concept, vehicle, company, etc., and a new one comes in and is more accessible. For me, more accessible would be the word that describes the disruptor. The disruptee, thing which is being disrupted, can sometimes be for an elite group of people while the disruptor, the thing which is doing the disrupting, is for the general public. For example, a college or university is a disruptee because not everyone can afford it or get in. A community college would be its disruptor because it is cheaper and accepts a much broader audience. Another example would be blockbuster and redbox. Blockbuster would be the disruptee and redbox would be the disruptor. Redbox is cheap, at convenient locations (such as a grocery store where you need to go anyway) and for anyone who wants to rent. On the other hand blockbuster was for members and rental prices were higher.

So this is my nutshell understanding of disruptive innovation. And I must say though blogging on my phone is convenient, it would not be my first choice. Oh! Come to think of it, smartphones could be the disruptor of laptops!

Going beyond the lurking....

So I finally was able to go beyond my lurking of the educational chats on twitter.  Up until this point I have been an observer, rather than in there tweeting away.  I am still not at the point of being completely confident--definitely still trying to keep up and figure out how to figure out what I want to say in 140 characters.  In today's #ntchat, I actually found myself laughing at myself because I would read and reread a tweet when there were abbreviations.  Took me longer to get what people were saying than I had hoped.  Definitely entertaining.  It was nice and comforting to see Annie present in the chat too.  Today's topic was about principals and their roles with their staff.  I found it hard to think of things because I personally have not had much more than a surface level relationship with the principals at the schools that I have been assigned to in my learning to be a teacher endeavor.  However, I tried to think back on the principals I have had as a student, along with what I personally would like out of an administration teacher relationship.  All in all, things were said that I hope I remember to take into consideration when I get a teaching job. 

Beyond Innovation Week

I took a much needed trip to see friends from college and camp (yes I went to summer camp...just think Parent Trap) this weekend.  I have not seen one of them since I graduated a little over 2 years ago.  It was way too long!  This great reunion with my forever friends led me to Boston.  What I loved the most was just being able to hang out as though no time has passed.  It is so refreshing to be surrounded by people who just get you, but also aren't afraid to keep you accountable.  Other than a lovely time with friends, wandering aimlessly through the city (I do know my way around the city, so its not as though I got lost), and a freak snow storm, I READ!  That is one thing and possibly the only thing about being in airports and on airplanes.  It's the opportunity for me to read.  As I sat in the terminal in Boston waiting for my first flight, I perused the kindle store and ended up purchasing three books...all under $5 total.  That's a steal if you ask me.  I thought I was being overzealous after I made the purchase, but I proved myself wrong as I ended up somewhere in the third book before falling asleep on my second flight.  So I guess its a good thing I got three.  I must admit I do have a problem when it comes to purchasing books.  I noticed when in a bookstore I cannot just buy one book.  So if I am not prepared to spend money on more than one book, I need to restrain myself and not get anything.  It's all or nothing.  Ha.  And having a kindle makes purchasing a book so much easier.  I just have to push a button and not see the immediate exchange of money.  So I guess the moral of the story is that I need to travel more so that I will read more. Wouldn't that be great?!

Power to choose

A MUST WATCH TED TALK!
Stroke of insight: Jill Bolte Taylor on TED.com
Whether you are a believer or not, she makes points worth hearing.  

    Jill Bolte Taylor shares her stroke experience and the insight she gained through it and from it.  First of all I must say that it is crazy and powerful to hear her detailed recollection of the actual experience.  It is fascinating how the brain works and is able to remember and capture such an experience.  Shoot,  I barely remember what I had for breakfast in the morning. 

   The brain consists of two separate parts---the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere.  The right is about this present moment--the here and now.  It thinks by means of pictures and learns through kinesthetics.  The right hemisphere allows us to take in the present moment in energy form and there is a connectedness to all beings within the universe.  We are perfect and one with the world that surrounds us.   On the other hand, our left hemisphere thinks in language.  It is linear.  The left hemisphere focuses on the past and the future.  It uses the present to project into the past and the future.  With the left hemisphere, we are a single individual.  We are separate beings.
   She believes we have the power in each moment to choose who and how we want to be in the world---whether we are using our left hemisphere or right hemisphere.  But how do we know which hemisphere to choose and when?

EC&I 831: Social Media & Open Education

         I sat through the October 18th chat on Social Media, Networked Learning and Identity.  Here are a few things that I got out of the presentation:
 1.  To have any positive affect, educators need to find ways to build serious academic live online, present semi-public selves, and be connected and invested in the works of their students and peers. They need to be present in more than one world and build social capital.
2.  Open source movement- sharing knowledge to solve problems and to have various perspectives.
3.   CMS (course management system) vs. PLN (personal learning network)
4.  Before: Knowledge protected, After: Knowledge liberated.  With internet resources, knowledge is now not exclusive.  It is open.  We can all learn from one another.  This is the idea of open education or open education.

"Open Education is the simple and powerful idea that the world's knowledge 

is a public good and that technology in general and the Worldwide Web 

in particular provide and extraordinary opportunity for everyone 

to share, use, and reuse knowledge."

~William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

         He makes a point to emphasize how great open teaching is.  He shares that this online classroom is open to the public.  Therefore the room is filled with people who are taking the course for credit and those who choose to be there.  I do like this idea of open education, especially since I feel that all schools should welcome the concept of open classrooms.  Teachers should be open to have other teachers see them teach and feel free to observe others.  This with the intention to improve as teachers, not to be judged by others.  However,  I am not sure as to how I feel about the open teaching in this type of environment.  I am conflicted because I do not feel that it is fair for those who are taking the course for credit and who are paying to be there.  I could have mistaken what he was saying, but I just do not know how much I would like it if I was a paying student in the course and needed to amuse the present public.  I do however like the idea of being able to have a greater wealth of knowledge and learning from one another. Ultimately, it is true that knowledge should be accessible for all. 

Innovation Week

It was nice to have a break from technology and being sort of "forced" into doing something else.  And by forced, I mean that we were given time to explore other things in lieu of tweeting, blogging, etc.  So what did I do with this time?  I spent time reading and drawing!  Reading for pleasure and drawing are both two things I enjoy, but they are the first things to go when I have school.

Reading for pleasure this past week reminded me how easy it is to get caught up and lost in a book.  For me, a book is where my two worlds collide.  I am able to get swept up into another world and put all that is happening in the real world aside.  Now when I compare reading for pleasure and reading for school, there is no comparison as to which one I would prefer to be doing and which one is more enjoyable.  In a sense it can be summed up as reading something because I want to versus reading something because I have to.  I think sometimes as educators, we tend to get caught up in testing, standardization, etc., that we force our students into unpleasant reading experiences.  In addition, we know some books may not be at the exact level of a student, so we direct them elsewhere leaving the student to be reading something he or she does not have any interest in.  So basically what I am trying to say is that yes I believe reading and improving literacy is extremely important, but we also need to find ways to motivate and captivate our students' interest and imaginations so that they will want to read.  With that said, students should have a time where they are able to have choice in what they read, whether it be at their level or not.  If we give them this option, they will find a book that interests them.  And as adults, we all know reading a book that stimulates our interests is over half the battle.  Giving students this experience will hopefully develop an enjoyment towards reading and will read for pleasure and also not be so against having to read for assignments.

Drawing, another thing that whisks me away.  It's something that helps me with to alleviate stress and to clear my thoughts--its a wonder why I have not done it while school has been in session.  My drawing ranges from doodling to sketching to perspective, pending on my mood.  Doodling is one of those fun mindless things that allows me pay attention to other things while simultaneously doing it.  I actually find myself concentrating better when I doodle as oppose to when I don't.  Perhaps, it's because I am not spacing off.  Ha.  I think perspective drawing pleases my left brain as I am one who enjoys straight line and using a ruler.  Sketching is the most challenging yet the most rewarding to me.  It forces me out of a detailed oriented perspective to see the whole picture.  I have to look at whatever I'm drawing as a whole rather than focusing on one specific part before moving to the next.  This sometimes is frustrating to me because things do not come together until then end.  It can get defeating because my drawing looks nothing like  what it is suppose to be all through its beginning stages.  But drawing, like reading, is something I want my students to enjoy.  I would like to be able to incorporate these things into my classroom teaching as I find it important for students to be able to express themselves through art and to stimulate that right side of the brain. 


Doing these things this past week has been refreshing.  But it was also interesting to see that how easily I can get caught up in things when I don't have to do other things.  Other than reading and drawing, I spent more time studying and invested in other classwork.  These things were done unintentionally.  I think I did it because I did not feel as though I had to designate or compartmentalize my time.  Just looking back on this week, it has made me realize how easily it is to be swept up in the busy and sometimes chaotic lives we lead.  Many times we do not recognize how much of our time is invested in to certain things and how much we are constantly on the go.  I am appreciative that I am able to be constantly on the go, but at the same time I need to not lose sight to what is important to me and what I enjoy doing. 

Say Thanks

 Ways we can express our gratitude:

Make a Thankful Tree

Write a letter expressing thanks

Hold a ritual--verbalize what you are grateful for

Make a list on your birthday--one thing for each year

Testing out QR codes!

Please scan.

Click here to make your own QR codes!

Creators and Empathizers

In his book, A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink describes the Conceptual Age as one defined by creators and empathizers.  Because of abundance, Asia, and automation, the United States is able to take a different perspective than they have during previous time periods.  With such resources, our country is moving toward occupations needing people who have the ability to do the following:
1.  Create artistic and emotional beauty
2.  Detect patterns and opportunities
3.  Craft satisfying narrative
4.  Combine seemingly related ideas into a novel invention
Since we are moving into this new ear, individuals, businesses, large corporations, etc., are going to have to change the way in which they go about doing things--change the way in which they think.  The economy is requiring for less left-brain dominance and a stronger showing of the right-brain. 

Visitor or Resident?

Here are a few key points from the clip:
1.  Visitor:  They leave no trace.  Social media is a vehicle to staying connected to those they have preexisting relationships with.  They are goal oriented and use the internet with a specific end point in mind.  The network is a specific tool that will allow for them to fill their needs and only that specific need.
2.  Resident:  They see the web as a social space where they are free to roam.  Their presence still lingers though they are no longer online.  A key factor in being a resident is being visible--erosion happens and therefore they need to continue building their presence.
3.  Educational Ideology- Learning happens between the individual, content, and expert.
4.  Twitter is a residential platform that meets sociocultural needs.
5.  Some platforms are designed for individuals to be residents within, while others challenge users to go in with a resident mindset.
6.   As a society, we need to approach technology from a cultural and motivational perspective.

I am working on NOT being a tourist.

After watching the clip, I have a clearer understanding as to what it means to be a visitor versus being a resident.  Am I a visitor or a resident?  Currently I am most definitely a visitor and a wannabe resident.  I have always had a visitor mindset because I want to be careful with what kind of information about me is out there.  I've also always been someone who is very goal oriented.  I use internet resources to attain these specific goals.  I do not take the time to roam around.  And honestly, I've always been a little weary with how much of myself is exposed on the world wide web.   However, this presentation showed me that it is possible to be both a visitor and a resident.  For occupational purposes, I am 100% in becoming a resident. And I think it is okay to have a visitor mindset when it comes to my personal life.  Twitter will probably be my greatest challenge in becoming a resident as it is a platform that erodes quickly.  I need to be able to tweet enough so that I am visible.  Because I am so hardwired to being a visitor, I need to challenge myself to change my perspective to that of a resident.  I need to use these amazing tools with the mindset of a resident.


I am a work in progress:
1.  Pinterest- Obsessed and could spend all day repining things.
2.  Twitter- Working on being more present.  Definitely do a lot of lurking.  Most of the time, I don't know what to say. 
3.  Diigo- Love all the links from twitter and other things I am reading.  I just never remember to diigo them.
4.  Blogster-  Like Twitter, working on being more present.  Challenging myself to blog just cause.
5.  Facebook-  It is probably where I am the most resident, but unintentionally.
6.  YouTube- Have an account, and that is basically it. 

What A Blessing

This past week, more than ever I realized how wonderful and what a blessing it is to have technology.  It is the simple things such as an email, a phone call, receiving a text message, or a even a post on facebook.  Its funny how people tend to be brought together by unfortunate events and wonderful life changing events---two opposite ends of the spectrum.  But now during times such as these, because of technology, people can come together so much more quickly and conveniently than ever.  So for making life a lot more bearable during rough patches and more joyous during times celebration, because of the connections that are allowed to be made, I thank you technology. 

Finding a Passion

Here are my thoughts....

1.  Art-  I have always been driven by anything that allows me to be creative.  My personal choices in this are would be drawing, painting, pottery, and doodling.  I have had formal training in drawing, painting, and pottery.  With the exception of doodling, without a time being set in my schedule to do these thing, I rarely get a chance to do them.  I doodle on everything, especially in my notebooks.  Hopefully, I will make some time to get back into these things as they were once something that took priority in my life.

2.  Science-  I am currently pursuing my single subject credential in science.  Science is something that I have always enjoyed.  In the MEd Curriculum and Instruction program, I am to write a curriculum, and as of right now it will be science driven.  I would like to incorporate what I am learning from this class to make it technologically involved.

3.  My Thesis-  I am currently in the process of working on my thesis.  It deals with the growth and development of adolescent girls through experiential learning.  I have had the privilege of going to summer camp since I was 11.  I was a camper for 6 summers and a staff member for 7.  It's because of this experience, I truly believe in the value of experiential learning (or perhaps now I can include situated learning?)  Summer camp has been a huge part of my life and I attribute a lot of what I learned in the "informal" setting to those experiences.  Therefore, I decided to do my thesis dealing with something I hold near and dear to my heart.

4.  Literacy-  I recently took a course in regards to Children and Adolescent Literature.  It spawned my love for reading back up again.  I love finding ways to integrate picture books into learning.  It's entertaining to see how people of all ages can appreciate a good picture book.  I've also come to enjoy books geared towards the teenage years.  They are usually quick reads and not at the level I should be reading, but (1) it gets me to read, and (2) its for the audience I want to be working with.

5.  Traveling-  I have been fortunate to have grown up traveling.  My parents have instilled a desire see and experience as much as possible in me.  I just love everything about traveling with the exception of being stuck on a plane breathing in recycled air with the crying baby and the child kicking the back of your seat. 

6.  Water- This may sound like a weird one, but I need water in my life.  Growing up in Hawaii, I have constantly been around water--may it be the beach, at the stream, pond, taro fields, or playing in the rain.  One of the requirements of where I settle, is having a nearby water source.  In addition, I do not think I could live in a landlocked state.  In college I was on the crew team, and one reason for joining and continuing to row was because it allowed me to spend consistent time out on the water.  Water brings peace and a sense of familiarity.


So I don't know if I'm heading in the right direction.  I know that these are big and broad ideas, but these are some driving factors in my life.

Communities of Practice and Situated Learning

We tend to generalize and make presumptions about where learning takes place.  Our automatic response tends to be "learning happens in school, duh."  In addition we presume that the learner is the student and the teacher is doing the teaching.  But is this always the case?  In his article, Wenger addresses this and crosses the quote on quote normal boundaries of where and who in regards to learning.  He shares, "People usually think of apprenticeship as a relationship between a student and a master, but studies of apprenticeship reveal a more complex set of social relationships through which learning takes place mostly with journeymen and more advanced apprentices. The term community of practice was coined to refer to the community that acts as a living curriculum for the apprentice."  This is what learning should be.  Learning is between all people and happens everywhere, or at least it should be.  We should be able to learn from professors, family members, political figures, our neighbors, random people we meet, and even the little girl down the street.  We can learn in the classroom, on the playground, while watching television, and when standing in line at the grocery store.  Learning is a reciprocal and exponential process that should not be taken for granted. 

How funny.  I am currently reading the inFed article while writing this post, and it shares my thoughts that I have previously stated above while reading the first article.  This article states, "in some groups we are core members, in others we are more at the margins."  It is refreshing to think that we are all part of communities whether large or small, and within these communities, we are all learners.  The extent of our learning and participation varies, but it does happen.  They continue to share that learning is a social process and occurs within relationships.  Learning is not something that happens individually.  I am still not sure as to where I lie with this.  I do agree about the social aspect, but I do feel there are times when learning takes place on an individual level.  Wouldn't self-actualization or realization be individual?  Or would it not because at some point a community was probably involved?  This article also made a distinction between experiential learning and situated learning.  I think I have just made the presumption that they are the same thing, but according to Lave and Wenger, they are not.  I probably need to do a little more reading for some clarification on this.  I feel that there may be a very thin line that separates these two types of learning.  I feel as though there is the potential for experiences or situations to cross over and/or play both fields.  Now, I am probably over thinking it and confusing myself.  

 From what I gather both Wegner and Lave favor informal learning.  However, according to Formal and Informal Learning there is still a great need for formal learning.  There is  a 4:1 ration of  informal to formal learning.  Every hour of formal learning equates to four hours of informal learning.  "Formal learning acts as bricks fused into the emerging bridge of personal growth.  Informal learning acts as the motar facilitating the acceptance and development of the formal."  One does not take precedence over the other.  Formal and informal depend on one other.  Therefore we need both in order to learn. 

As educators, its is our responsibility to ensure that we are providing the best learning environments in the formal setting, but also recognize that more learning will also take place informally.  We need to find ways in which we can bridge the gap between the two.  Perhaps intentionally using communities of practice and situated learning in the classroom can be a start.

 

 On another note....

I posted my first tweet.  That was a feat.

I bookmarked sites using diigo and also used diigo to search for articles.

I played around with woordle.  Did not end up with a final product. 

I figured out how to post a link into my blog.

How to Create a PLN: What I Learned

The first site I reviewed was:  http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/
   I found this site useful as it is gear to a broad spectrum--to all levels of learners.  It has information for someone such as I who is just beginning her PLN career, for someone who is an expert, and for all those in the in between.  The information is broken down in to user friendly categories and topics, making it easy to learn step by step, or find a specific content area.  The site is also geared to varying types of learners.  The information is presented through text, graphics, videos, etc.  Overall, this site provided me with information that I needed to know in order to begin my PLN, while also wetting my appetite for all that is out there and can be done. 

The second site I reviewed was: http://mz557.edu.glogster.com/twitter-building-a-pln/
    I was first attracted to this site because it was a glogster account.  I was first introduced to glogster in a literacy class last semester and had so much fun attempting to make my own poster on one of my favorite picture books.  The site provides information in favor of using twitter in the classroom.  It shares how it can be used and why it should be used.  The link that I personally appreciated was:
http://web20classroom.blogspot.com/2010/03/why-pln.html.  This link shared individual stories of having a PLN via videos, making it personable and relatable.

Lastly I reviewed:  http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2010/07/13/4467/
     I have always been a bit apprehensive and weary of my presence on the internet.  My intent was to be cautious as to what information gets out there, because once it is, you can't ever truly get rid of it.  With this being said, I've struggled with what sites to join, how connected I should be, and how reliable things are.  In the first night of class, I think my excitement for what we would be doing temporarily removed all these questions and concerns I have had.  I was so excited be begin and see what I could do that my cautiousness blew out the window.  Unfortunately my overzealous attitude soon wore off over the next few days and I started to get anxious about my internet presence.  Luckily, I found this site and read the following: "If you fail to connect to the network of learners, you miss out on a global conversation about what you are passionate about. And missing out is a darn shame because it can save you time, energy, and increase your reach, no matter how brilliant (or not) you are. That’s a powerful idea. Smart people get smarter because they have access to the network of learners. People who are just starting out are able to learn as fast as they can to accomplish what they need to do."  This excerpt struck a chord.  I realized that I am still going to have to continue being cautious, but there is so much out there that will be beneficial to not only myself, but my students, and those I am connected with.  The network is a valuable tool and a place for people who desire to be life long learners.  PLNs are a stepping stone for my learning and improvement of skills and driving of passion.

Today I am much more at ease and back to being excited about the learning opportunities that I will have because of creating a PLN.  These three sites have allowed me to have a better understanding and overall perspective of the "what is" and "how to" and "why" in regards to a PLN. 

Looking forward to being globally connected!