Twitter is another very exciting social networking tool. To access twitter visit twitter.com, create an account and start tweeting. You can also find others on twitter who you either have a professional or personal interest in. To do this use the find people search and either search them by name or search them by interest. Once the person you have made the request to approves you, you will then begin seeing their updates in your friend’s time line. Keep in mind that your tweets will post in their timelines as well so if you are following for professional reasons be sure that you use correct grammar and sentence structure. Also be mindful of the information that you share through this type of medium. That is a rule that should be followed no matter what social networking tool you are using. I follow for both professional and personal reasons and I find value for using it both ways.
I have followed educators on twitter and have been very impressed with their information. While in the classroom I taught U.S. History. I have found someone who uses tiny URL to provide very interesting resources. This has helped me so much in that area. Currently I am the Coordinator of Instructional Technology for a school district and I have been able to use twitter to solve technology problems, get ideas and direction on integration strategies, and share information as well.
My director asked me not too long ago if we could set up a twitter account for our district without enabling replies so that we could minimize the level of monitoring that would be needed for usage of this type of tool. We want it to be a tool, not another task. I am still exploring this, so if any readers know the answer please share. I am very excited to explore it further and see what educational value for students it will have. So far the things that come to mind are that it can be a place for teacher to place class updates, assignment reminders, or announcements. However, I do feel we have tools better suited for those needs. I want to find a unique uses for twitter and this is why I will be investigating it further and will appreciate any information readers may have. In the mean -time feel free to follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/Chacha03
Thursday, June 10, 2010
An Overview of this Blogfolio
Welcome to my blogfolio. This blogfolio will document my experience in IT 860. I really enjoy blogging and feel that the blogfolio assignment will add even further value to the course as a whole. This blogfolio will not only allow me further introspection of what I have learned but also provide a sharing point for this material. I will document all assignments, and what I have learned from these assignments. Utilizing this blogfolio will allow me a point of reference, not only for this course but for future research and development as well.
During this course, as a part of material assigned, I will further investigate blogging. I have used blogs before in trainings that I have facilitated, or even for trainings that I sent teachers to as well. I found them very useful and am excited to further my knowledge of blogging in education. I will also be investigating twitter which is a social networking site that allows a user to provide either professional or personal updates limited to 140 characters. I have used twitter previously for mostly personal use, but some professional use as well. I am interested in learning how to better integrate twitter at a district level and investigating the pros and cons thereof. Diigo, google, dropio, and voicethreads are some other sites that will be investigated for educational purposes as well.
This blogfolio will not only contain assignment postings, but will also contain my personal feelings on the way that researched technologies will impact education as a whole. I also plan to include lesson plan/project ideas on researched material. I am very excited about what will be learned during this experience as well as what I will be able to share here as a direct result of that learning.
During this course, as a part of material assigned, I will further investigate blogging. I have used blogs before in trainings that I have facilitated, or even for trainings that I sent teachers to as well. I found them very useful and am excited to further my knowledge of blogging in education. I will also be investigating twitter which is a social networking site that allows a user to provide either professional or personal updates limited to 140 characters. I have used twitter previously for mostly personal use, but some professional use as well. I am interested in learning how to better integrate twitter at a district level and investigating the pros and cons thereof. Diigo, google, dropio, and voicethreads are some other sites that will be investigated for educational purposes as well.
This blogfolio will not only contain assignment postings, but will also contain my personal feelings on the way that researched technologies will impact education as a whole. I also plan to include lesson plan/project ideas on researched material. I am very excited about what will be learned during this experience as well as what I will be able to share here as a direct result of that learning.
My Introduction
My name is Rachel Mercer. I am currently the Coordinator of Instructional Technology for Moss Point Schools. My educational background includes a Bachelors in Secondary Education from USM, a Master’s in Education from William Carey, and now I am back at USM for my Ph.D. in Instructional Technology.
I absolutely love this position and am very passionate about integrating technology in education. I heard about this program while at MECA this year and felt that it was perfect for me and my future goals. I feel that educating students through a medium that is meaningful, relevant, dynamic, and interactive in nature will help nurture the desire to learn within the students.
Prior to taking this position I taught history at the secondary level. I was able to see first-hand how students reacting to the initial infusion of technology as my classroom transitioned from one where notes where presented on a projector to one where we had and interactive white board and a portable pc lab. The integration of these tools allowed me the opportunity to create a more student centered, interactive environment in which the students were able to become researchers and developers. Behavior problems decreased and student engagement increased, and this had very little to do with the teacher and a lot to do with the presentation of the lessons through a medium that the students enjoyed. It is for this reason that I am so passionate about instructional technology. I am very excited to learn new and innovative was to integrate technology into the curriculum.
On a personal level I have been married to an incredible man for the past fourteen years. We have two amazing boys. One is twelve years old and the other is five years old. They keep us both busy and entertained. My interests include reading, socializing with friends and most importantly my children.
I am very excited to be a part of this class and look forward to learning all that I can.
I absolutely love this position and am very passionate about integrating technology in education. I heard about this program while at MECA this year and felt that it was perfect for me and my future goals. I feel that educating students through a medium that is meaningful, relevant, dynamic, and interactive in nature will help nurture the desire to learn within the students.
Prior to taking this position I taught history at the secondary level. I was able to see first-hand how students reacting to the initial infusion of technology as my classroom transitioned from one where notes where presented on a projector to one where we had and interactive white board and a portable pc lab. The integration of these tools allowed me the opportunity to create a more student centered, interactive environment in which the students were able to become researchers and developers. Behavior problems decreased and student engagement increased, and this had very little to do with the teacher and a lot to do with the presentation of the lessons through a medium that the students enjoyed. It is for this reason that I am so passionate about instructional technology. I am very excited to learn new and innovative was to integrate technology into the curriculum.
On a personal level I have been married to an incredible man for the past fourteen years. We have two amazing boys. One is twelve years old and the other is five years old. They keep us both busy and entertained. My interests include reading, socializing with friends and most importantly my children.
I am very excited to be a part of this class and look forward to learning all that I can.
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