NORMAN

Write a blog post reflecting on your exploration of Classroom 2.0 and any other Educational Ning network you explored. What were your overall impressions? Did you find any discussions or resources of value? Do you have any ideas for using social networking in your own professional or personal learning, or in classroom learning?

In just a matter of minutes, I received an immediate response to the question I posted in my Classroom 2.0 Forum page. I was just amazed that there active participants in this social networking site. These responders are from miles away – truly, the world becomes a village. The internet has shrunk the world. I can reach out to so many people regardless of color, race, and status.

I think social networking sites would benefit so many others as long as it is used for exchange of ideas. In Classroom 2.0, there are a  lot of teachers who have vast experiences and are ready to share them. This is great learning opportunity.

There are very relevant discussions from other people. As a ’spectator’, I read other teacher’s discussion forums and I find them very informative. There was a discussion about how relevant is keyboarding instruction in the k-12 curriculum. Several teachers shared their thoughts and others referred other useful links to help enlighten the matter. This is truly a very collaborative site. There is potentially a lot of learning that will take place between peers.

I can avail of the forum page in Classroom 2.0 for my professional development. I can add to my book readings the shared thoughts from other teachers that are relevant to what I might be looking for. Classroom 2.0 will be my resource for real life experiences of teachers.

Blog about something interesting you’ve found in your Google Reader.

There are myriads of fascinating things that I found in my Google Reader. But the best ones are the Tech Tips and Shortcuts, Podcasts, Quotes of the Day, Newsfeeds, and the handy Browse for Stuff clicker.

The Tech Tips and Short Cuts offer very useful suggestions on make your workflow in Google Reader efficient and effective.

Google Reader updates me with current interesting podcasts that I subscribe. I do not have to search for them. Hence, I am able to listen more rather than waste time searching for them.

The Quotes of the Day are very informative and inspirational. They are constantly updated. This service has given me many food for thoughts that I find very useful.

The Newsfeeds are amazing. They are up-to-date and interesting. I could browse to most of them without the hassle of navigating through different sites, tabs, or pages.

And lastly, I find the Browse for Stuff clicker very helpful. I often want to find current specific topics. The search results are fine-tuned and more updated. Most of the time, this is better than using Google search.

1)  What do you think of Friedman’s Ten Flatteners?

I agree with Mr. Friedman in his argument and belief of the Ten “Flatteners”. There is no doubt that just simply following news broadcasts (like CNN, FOX, or CNBC) business trends clearly validate the leveling of the global playing field.

I comprehend why Mr. Friedman chose the business environment as his jumping board to advocate for these “Ten Flatteners”. Commerce moves the world. It is IN business that all social activities flourish. It is FOR business that the educational framework is created. Whatever the business trend is, the rest of the world follows.

These “Ten Flatteners” are the sign of the times. I think these are very prophetic. And just like the prophetic messages of old, these needs the active response us. Those who do not believe perish and those who follow find salvation. For us who live in this dynamic times, we need to brace ourselves with adequate knowledge and continuous education in order to survive. These “flatteners” if not taken heed will devalue us and will make us irrelevant in society.

2) What are the implications of education?

These “Ten Flatteners” have serious impact to the educational environment. By virtue of need and survival, policy makers and administrators need to make the curriculum current and relevant. They need to assure parents that they will produce graduates who are ready to take on the challenges and competition of the wired world. They need to encourage their stakeholders of the bright future that is ahead of them. They need to constantly upgrade the curriculum through ever-changing data of student performance.

In this world of technology, the world is a flat playing field. Everyone is given the chance.

3) How will the flattening affect education? students? teachers – the teaching career?

The “flattening” of the global arena gives a serious challenge to students, teachers and their teaching career.

Students, the Digital Natives, need to be given the resources to learn in the environment they now live in. It is a must. They need to be given computers and internet access. They have to be taught with the different tools available that would promote their learning. They need to know how to act morally in cyberspace. They need to understand clearly that the internet is a good servant but a bad master.

Teachers, as Digital Immigrants, have the most challenging task at hand. These “flatteners” not only drastically change the teaching strategies but demand that this change must be done in the shortest and soonest time. Teachers cannot be complacent anymore. They need to learn about the internet world in a blistering speed so as to be relevant in the classroom. Teachers need to be the source of hope and the bearer of the good news that everybody now has the chance to succeed only if you have the skill.

These “flatteners” would define and dictate how teaching careers would rise or fall. It would really be up to teachers to act appropriately and quickly. The leveling of the playing field for teachers will be wider and bigger depending on the degree of the teacher’s effort to learn the essential tools spawned from these “flattners”.

4) Among the 10 flatteners, what are the three flatteners you have experienced/sense happening around you/seen in action? Please elaborate.

Among the 10 flatteners, I have daily experienced  #2 (access to the internet), #4 (uploading), and #9 (in-forming).

#2 ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. This is already ingrain in my lifestyle. I need to gain access into the internet for my personal and professional needs. I check my email, my facebook account, my googlepages, my googlereader, my newsfeeds as often as I could. The information that I get from them are very essential for me.

#4 UPLOADING. I worked through my post-graduate studies with a ton of uploaded documents and a good measure of collaborative work online. In my current teaching, I rely heavily in uploading information to reach out to my students and to guide them in their learning. In my personal affairs, I uploaded audio, video, still pictures and text information to update my relatives and friends.

#9 IN-FORMING. Google have since been my virtual guardian angel. I consider it as akin to air for my professional existence. It is very essential for me to function effectively as I impart knowledge to my students. I really cannot do without it anymore.

All these are the most immediate flatteners that are daily affecting me.

Add reflections to the SJSWEB2.0 VoiceThread. Blog your experiences and next steps.

I had fun posting my written and verbal comment in the SJSWEB2.0 VoiceThread. It was easy to type in the normal written comments. I like that my comments would just come out when the cursor would be on my avatar or personal icon.  I had a little difficulty when adding my verbal comments. Again, I still have this uneasiness doing the recording. I had to do many cancellations. But it was a good learning process and a good eye-opener.

Voice Thread gives another dimension for meaning of web collaboration. Now, we can post also our verbal comments. This adds to a more credibility with regards to those who would post comments. A personal voice recording validates the comments being posted.

Blog about your podcasting search and creation experience. What specific podcasts / type of podcasts would you listen to regularly? What do you think of Vocaroo? How can podcasting enhance your teaching curriculum?

Thanks to the ever-reliable Google, I had an easy time to search for availabe podcasts. I was particulary looking for the NPR (National Public Radio) Podcasts which features the “This I Believe”, “All Things Considered”, “Jazz Set”, and “Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz”. I am a big fan of these NPR shows. I am thrilled that NPR archives these shows for retrieval and review. I won’t miss these beloved shows of mine.

In a very raw and less-planned setting, I had fun creating my first podcast. I did so many retakes mainly caused by distracting self-conciousness.  I must admit that I need to improve my English accent and that I need to accept my voice. It is very humbling to playback the recording. I became my own harshest critic. But after some self-pep talk, I finished a trial podcast that would feature Energy and its other forms – a Fifth Grade Science concept. Though the recording might has less broadcast value, I am happy to have stepped up.

I would love to listen podcasts that are inspirational, religious, entertaining, educational and funny. I may have to settle in NPR for now as I have yet to make a lot of catching up. Hopefully, I can find a site that offers a podcast on book reviews and readings.

Vocaroo is a gift for us neophyte podcasters. Aside from it being free (for now), it is very easy to use and is an all-access by virtue of it giving the link address to the specific recording that will be retrieved and listened to. I hope it will continue to be an open access because it can be use as a very good teaching tool.

Podcasting can be an effective learning and teaching tool when used properly. It engages the student and it challenges student creativity. It should not be considered as THE answer for effective learning. It is just one of the many tools available to make student’s learning effective and fun.

Tell about the videos you discovered and share ideas you have for using video to support instruction and/or producing video to support classroom or professional learning.

I am very pleased to have lived in this time where access to these video resources are just within a matter of milliseconds. I discovered a lot of videos many of which are inspirational, instructional, educational, and entertaining. Most of these videos are understandably in average quality. Viewers can post comments for each video if permitted by the YouTube user (unfortunately, some people have used their freedom to make inappropriate comments).

I am in favor of video production for the purpose of supporting instruction and classroom or professional learning. However, in doing so, let us do the following before venturing this very powerful activity:

1) PLAN:  Video production should be well plan inorder to accomplish the education purpose in mind.

2) QUALITY: Video production should be well done. It should be aesthetically be appealing to the viewers.

3) EDUCATIONAL RELEVANCE: Video production should be evaluated according to its educational significance. It’s value should be assessed on its effectiveness to deliver the message.

Write a blog post sharing about your LibraryThing experience. Can you imagine any ways you might use LibraryThing for professional, personal or classroom learning or organization?

Library Thing is an amazing tool for those who deeply value inputs about book reviews, book recommendations, and book collections.

I have created an account in Library Thing and I am amazed on the ease of access of avid book readers and of their thoughts on the books they read. This truly empowered everyone who wants to have a voice in literary reviews. Also, I am impressed with the networking capability of this site which would encourage a participant to commit into reading 50 books in a year. This reading goal is being watched and supported by other members.

Library Thing would be great for students and teachers. It provides a lot of book recommendations that minimizes the research time of the user. Language Arts teachers can use this as a means for their students to express their thoughts about the books they read which will benefit others. Reading teachers who wants students to succeed in reading can utilize the networking feature of this site.

Personally, I can use the Library Thing as my research tool for books that I might need. I can build up my list of books that I can share with others. Since I am able to check out the collection of books from other members, I can have resources for book reviews and recommendations.

What K12 Online Conference did you watch or listened to?

I watched the online video “Pushing the Limits: Web 2.0 & 21st Century Learning” by Aimee Stoffel and Tanya Gray.

Did you like what you watched/listened to?

Yes.

Was the topic significant in your teaching or professional development (why/why not)?

The topic was significant in my teaching and professional development. This promotes Web 2.0 as an essential tool of teachers and students in 21st century education. This tool is a must use element in achieving successful learning.

What was the online watching/listening experience like? Did you like/not like it?

Online watching experience was satisfactory. I like the fact that I don’t need to physically attend the conference to be able to know these presentations.

What are advantages/disadvantages of online conferences?

One advantage of online conferences is that I can watch and listen to each of them in my own pace, giving me enough time to reflect, to react, and to take action. Another advantage is savings. It is very costly to personally attend to these conferences.  A disadvantage would be the impersonal experience that it brings. Unlike attending in conferences, we can meet and greet colleagues and peers. This creates a valuable networking among teachers.

Will you recommend the site (K12 Online Conference – main page.) to your colleagues? Why/why not?

Yes, I would gladly and passionately recommend this site and other sites that offer online conferences. More than just the cost-saving advantage, these conferences offer great ideas from practicing educators.

How would you use this with students and parents?

Flickr can store uploaded various class photos – photos that show different class activities, projects, or presentations and photos that are related to the subject content. With Flick’s “Add-Note” (annotation) feature, it enhance these photos with specific descriptions. These photos then can be shared to between teachers, students and parents.

Photo-sharing with students and parents can help them understand concepts discussed in class through  annotated pictures. They can be informed with what we are doing in class. Students can use Flickr as their learning tool. They can take photos to give evidence of their understanding in class discussions. They can document their projects and activities. They can enhance their presentations.

How about for your professional development?

Flickr can store valuable documentation of all my works, performances, achievements,  and successes (in forms of pictures). I can establish links to this site that will support any of my blogs, my resume, my professional web sites, and others.

What is the significance of Copyright Law (C) in your job as a school teacher Guam?

The main significance of the Copyright Law in my job as a school teacher in Guam is acknowledging and practicing the important human value and law of RESPECT. The Copyright Law was created in order to protect all of us. It promotes exclusive right to a person over his/her original work. This is fair and justifiable.

As a teacher, it is my obligation to educate my students to know, practice, and advocate for this law. Doing so, my students learn to respect and to protect their rights.

How about (CC) – what is its significance in your teaching? Do you think it is important to honor (C) in education?

CC has a very positive significance in my teaching. It promotes sharing and collaboration that began from an author authorizing others to use his/her work with specified limits. This is a good tool to advocate for Web 2.0 as a way for 21st Century Learning.

Absolutely, it is important to honor the Copyright Law in education. As a teacher, I teach the students to follow the spirit of the law more than just its compliance. It is about RESPECT and not just for CONVENIENCE.

Students (esp. older students) do not respect (C) at all when downloading, using, and disributing copyrighted materials online. What do you think should be done about this? What might be the effects on society for this kind of practice?

This is a real but unfortunate phenomenon among older students when dealing with copyrighted materials. This should be addressed based on the reasons why this behavior proliferate. First, it is IGNORANCE of the law. Most students never knew if knew less about the rules. Hence, schools should include teaching the copyright laws in their curriculum. This should start from the elementary level and followed through the succeeding years. Second, teachers and other significant adults should be outstanding mentors. Students will never go astray when they know that the people they look up to consistently show the good examples. Lastly, the government should promote implement the laws strictly so that it will always be in the conciousness of every citizen.

The effects of this blatant disregard to the copyright laws in the society are disastrous. Authors are discouraged to share their work. Creativity is hampered. Human progress is derailed.