Username: BStone10
For someone who uses the internet for primary functions such as checking personal and business email, online shopping, and the occasional social networking, it was hard for me to figure out how to use Diigo for my professional and instructional use. I am thankful to enroll in this course, because it has opened my eyes to new ways to use the internet into my professional and instructional practice. Diigo and RSS has caused me to explore the internet for resources that I would not normally use, but found beneficial. I was able to bookmark and send emails to colleagues regarding information that I found. For instance, there is an organization that provide grants to schools with theater programs. It is too late for this coming school year, but it something that our drama teacher could look into for the following school year. The State Department offers grants that would pay for teachers to go overseas to discuss curriculum with educators. I plan to share this information with my staff. I am still learning. Hopefully, I will be able to think of ways to implement this in the classroom.
I felt like you, I logged in and sat at the homepage for a while before I really comprehended what to do with this site. However once I started playing, I mean really playing, I got the hang of it. I think it will really come in handy for Common Core Standards as they come into full implementation. I can search by grade and subject and see what other teachers are doing. I think it will become a professional development tool. I want to create a training for my staff because this is a cool tool for teachers.
ReplyDeleteI agree that my eyes were opened, and I feel that I was "stuck" in web1.0. I wonder how I will now react when students say, that teacher doesn't read email. I am mostly amazed when I encounter young persons, recent college graduates, who use few web2.0 tools. However, until our teaching universities change the methodology of teaching preparation, and professors do not embrace digital technologies, I am sure I will continue to be amazed and disappointed.
ReplyDeleteThinking of ways to change the way we use technology will continue to be a growing problem if we don't change the way we teach and learn. I know we all have the same problem with bookmarking and Diigo well I know I did. I agree with you getting some type of training will be most beneficial to us, thank goodness for this class it's a start in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteHopefully this course will allow me to change the way I incorporate technology in the classroom. The county admin should find a way to get more educators enrolled in the course. I know I became much more interested once I discovered that it was free and you could earn 3 credits. I have already began to talk to other teachers in my building about these great tools. Most seemed receptive and would love to have more info about this course.
ReplyDeleteI am with you about diigo. It takes a while to learn to use it and the best way to do that is to keep using it and play around with it. I got into a while ago and didn't keep up with it so the most that I got out of that previous exposure was an email of recommended sites that comes to me regularly. I was using that to send individual email forwards -- very, very inefficient use of my time. Please learn from my mistakes. We've had this opportunity to play with it when we have a bit more time on our hands and are not so pressed about lesson plans, grades, testing, etc. We need to keep playing and keep clicking to find out what things do -- that's my intention! Say, maybe I'll add it to my New School Year Resolutions!
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