A Jackpot

     Exciting!!!!   That is how I would describe The Educator's Personal Learning Network .    I felt like I hit my jackpot today.  The tutorials, webinars, podcasts, edchats (twitter conversations), interviews, videos, online workshops and links to various sites make The Educator's Personal Learning Network exceptional.
     It is hugely advantageous that the target audience for this group is educators in general and not specifically foreign language teachers, because of the wealth of information, most of which can be relevant to any foreign language classroom. For example, on a video from the site, Vanessa Hurst who created Girl Develop It  said, "Software is really about humanity.  It is about helping people by using technology."   Her organization  focuses  on educating  women about software development. Hurst's perspective reinforces the importance of technology in the classroom.  Lynda Way, who is a teacher in California, asserts that music  improves verbal recall, hand/eye coordination and memory.  Thus, my conclusion is that music enhances language learning.
    The miscellaneous  educational resources were amazing.  Edutopia was one of my favorite sections because of topics such as "Five Apps for Making Movies," "Game-Based Learning for Middle School History," "Five Tips to Help Teachers who Struggle with Technology" and "Tips and Resources for Developing Lifelong Readers."      Moreover, the English as a Second Language Teachers' link will be beneficial to me.
    The diversity of  The Educator's Personal Learning Network  resources included information from  psychologists writing about teenagers, USA Today articles, and opinions of non-educators  such as computer programmers  speaking about technology in education. When the information sources are diverse there is greater opportunity to learn more about what might be useful in a foreign language classroom.

A Learner

     A learner is like a beautiful sunrise or a new dawn  because acquisition of knowledge signifies a pristine beginning.   Learning enhances  life.  Learning is about thinking and although nobody knows exactly what others are thinking, according to  the George Siemens video The Impact of Social Software on Learning,  "words give life to thought" and "most people enjoy dialogue."   I concur that ultimately,  dialogue as a convivial experience can facilitate learning  and help teachers assess learners' understanding of the material.  
    Moreover, perpetual acquisition of knowledge ameliorates performance.  Siemens in the video
The Changing Nature of Knowledge, said, "If I'm not continually learning, I'm becoming obsolete in my particular field."  He included an example of this in his article entitled Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age  when he quoted Karen Stephenson.  Stephenson said, "Experience has long been considered the best teacher of knowledge. Since we cannot experience everything, other people's experiences and hence other people become the surrogate for knowledge."  So, one of the terrific ideas from the aforementioned article by Siemens was  about dialogues between children and surrogate grandparents implemented as a  potent learning tool.  Students "listen to these grandparents better than they do their own parents" and teachers' efforts are thereby supported, according to the article
     To conclude, sharing information is paramount in order to enrich life.  Such was my reaction after reviewing the previously mentioned videos and article.   "Scoop it" and "Diigo" also are prime examples of the value of sharing, especially when options to follow others and/or post comments are considered. 
 
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Comparing "Diigo" and "Scoop It"

     I very much  prefer "Scoop it."
     Although "Diigo" and "Scoop It" are both wonderful ways to organize and archive information, I wish I could get rid of the continuous pop-up adds on Diigo.   I like the Diigo sticky notes, highlighting options and the multiple tags, but "Scoop it"   features multiple tag options which are most important to me. On both "Diigo" and"Scoop it"  I  follow others and others can follow me, as well as post comments.  Copying and pasting information from the original article to my remarks about a site  is possible on both social bookmarking sites.  I preferred  writing my insights and ideas on "Scoop it" bookmarks  rather than describing each particular site I bookmarked as was the situation with "Diigo."   There is a heavier emphasis on "Scoop It" to focus on a topic which is another reason I preferred it.  I noticed that the more specific my title and tags were, the more information I found.   There were numerous suggestions  related to my topics  on "Scoop it" whereas there were not on the "Diigo" site.
     I would from now on, absolutely be more apt to use "Scoop it" and not "Diigo."  I preferred the appearance of  "Scoop it" because of the images.  "Diigo" was simply a list and therefore did not look as interesting.  The "Diigo" pop-up ads, especially the ones about making changes to the hard drive of my computer, were annoying and downright  nerve-racking.  Perhaps I might change my mind when I become more computer savvy.   

Impressions

     My impression after watching  "Classroom of Tomorrow," which is a video  about the gargantuan impact of technology on education, is that  students lack opportunities to interact face to face. I wonder whether one day people will  forget how to relate to each other.   I didn't notice any examples in the video of people talking or otherwise relating to one another.  The video reminded me of individuals who use technology  even while supposedly engaged in discourse, which in my opinion is bad manners.
     Another thought I had while watching the video was that one's tone of voice might change the meaning or intention of a message. A tone  might be sarcastic, joking or serious and facial expressions matter as well.  Often the intent of a message cannot be discerned in an e-mail for example.   So, although I agree  that  "the future belongs to those who prepare for it today" that preparation should also include both person-to-person communication and technology.  Too much of anything, including technology,  is not OK.

    I wish I could broadcast a very  salient message from  the "Educational Change Challenge" video  
that it is  acutely wrong to "clump kids together" as one group to learn at the same pace, in the same way.  Everyone learns differently.  Nevertheless,  appropriate and relevant technology used in moderation can facilitate one's understanding of a lesson.  For example, an application on the ipad  might reinforce an idea already taught in a way that is more appealing to the learner. It is often challenging for teachers to cater to unique student needs particularly when the class is large.  Fortunately, technology can help everyone learn at his or her own pace.   My autistic 9-year-old son would not be doing as well as he is without a computer and an ipad. He is inspired and motivated to learn partly because he uses the computer.  Sometimes his speech therapist gives him an ipad at lunch time and then he is popular because all the kids want to use the ipad with him.  Thus, technology has benefited him socially as well as educationally.  So to encapsulate, as long as technology is used appropriately and in combination with other teaching strategies such as face-to-face communication,  students are truly fortunate.

Two Blogging Ideas

     After watching a video about relishing unusual foods students might imagine they are one of the guests present  at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel eating one of the "delicious" foods being served and blog about their experience.  By blogging, students might also imagine they are writing food stories about one or two  foods at the hotel.  Maybe some  of the foods served at the hotel are already common in a student's home culture. Blogging might also be about other delicacies which could have been served at the Waldorf Astoria.   As closure, we could have classroom food party. 
     Another blogging idea would be to debate whether it should be considered free speech to warn other drivers of a speed trap.  Should it be considered free speech to warn anybody of anything?   Why would law enforcement officers  have not wanted drivers to be warned?  An additional  blogging opportunity would be  for students to compare this scenario to an experience in their own lives..  Another idea would be to blog  about dangerous situations and/or survival scenarios  in one's own life when a warning would have been appropriate.  Closure might be to perform a play about a potentially dangerous situation such as driving, drinking or smoking.  The characters in the play have a dilemma about whether it is right or wrong to keep a fellow citizen out of trouble by warning him.  The subsequent assignment would be to  blog about the thoughts/insights of one's character in the play.
     The aforementioned blogging ideas are in accordance with ISTE Standards    Teaching Standard 2: Communication and Collaboration. Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively including at a distance to support individual learning.   Students would develop a cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures when students read  blogs by  peers and comment.