Thing #5, Some perspectives on Web 2.0 / School 2.0 and the Future of Educaiton

Tech Learning: Web 2.0, A guide for educators was my first article choice. School 2.0 is a term used to define how schools are using technology to facilitate collaborative teaching by giving us the tools to conduct a professional learning environment for our students. This means that schools better get on board and become School 2.0 using Web 2.0 technology because our students are already using this technology and they are the future of our country. Let's talk to them and teach them in a language they already speak by using the web.

Teachers 2.0 was interesting to view as it was a website that made it possible for teachers to blog, use pod casts, and the forums to communicate with each other and collaborate on successful teaching methods and ideas. Teachers 2.0 has been shut down since March 21, 2012. The reason given was that in recent years the trend from blogging / pod casts / forums has shifted to twitter (all in one package or one stop shopping, pick your language). They also explained that the pod casts turned into a "one man show" since others did not upload podcasts of their own. Interesting to note that because of a lack of pod casting contributors, one person was able to dominate that section on the website. Web 2.0 is meant to be a "world-wide" interaction.

Thanks for reading,
John P. Collins

Thing #4, Why commenting is important

Commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction because a blog is a vehicle for a group of people with common interests to communicate, share, and learn in spite of barriers of time and distance. By writing a meaningful comment you are showing the author that you hear them, you can cast a vote on the importance of the topic, you can draw attention to your own blog, and you become part of the life of the blogger you are reading. Commenting is very powerful.

2 points that I found important about commenting is to Teach Commenting and Remember the Power of Words. People feel the need to converse and when they do they will improve the performance of their work. It gets people involved and motivated. The Power of words can either build up or tear down, we as educators need to remember the influence we have on children with our words alone. Remember this when commenting on blogs.

Our assignment in class was to select 5 blogs from students in our class and comment on them. The names of 5 students in my class I have selected and commented on are as follows:
1. Kaytlyn Wright - A picture is worth a thousand words. I commented on the potential any teacher can have in using pictures to assist them in explaining the concept of something we are teaching our students. As a Math Teacher I understand students may feel overwhelmed when I begin writing formulas on the board, but with the aid of digital media we can help our students understand the concept easier.
2. Sydney Saunders - Continually Learn / Continually Grow. I commented that the easiest thing for me was to teach and mentor others. I wanted to share that with Sydney so we could connect on a "blog-level" and let her know she is not alone in feeling that way. I commented on my experience in the US Army teaching and mentoring soldiers and that we wore many hats, we will continue to do so as teachers.
3. Charles Irwin - Web 2.0. I commented to Charles on his blog because we are about the same age and when we went to school (back in the day) it was lecture, copy notes on boards, memorize and reguritate for standardized testing. Web 2.0 allows us the opportunity to teach in a format that our students are accustomed to with the technology boom. Board the train future teachers! I also cracked my first joke in a comment to Charles to ease some of the tension of this project. Hope it made you laugh.
4. Jon Phillips - Discovery Tools for Thing #6. I applauded Jon on being the first blog I read that was not the usual "praise" while doing these "Things". It was nice to know I wasn't the only one feeling this way. New websites are popping up all the time, but in my opinion they are just riding the coat-tails of the "first" site to come up with the idea. Why have 100 ways to do something when you are used to doing things the first way you learned how to do it. I used the age-old quote, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
5. Olivia Voie - Thing #10, Google Reader account. I thought to myself and commented on Olivia's blog, "Great, just another account to set up and track yet another pair of login / password info. Olivia brought up a great point, use Google Reader to your advantage to track updated laws we as teachers need to know in order to correctly inform our students in case they come to us for answers.

The 2 others of my choice are CoolCat Teacher Blog and Problogger. I commented on Coolcat's blog on how to comment like a King or Queen. I mentioned the impact it is having on our class. The Coolcat Teacher is definately a role model for us and inspires us to become the best Web 2.0 Teachers we can be. I wanted to comment on Problogger's Blog regarding the 10 techniques to get more comments on your blog but the "leave comments" section was closed. The same was true for our other 2 choices. They have received so much traffic (in the form of so many comments) that they had to shut down leaving comments, ironic. Problogger did suggest to leave open ended questions so others would comment and when you do comment, remember to be gracious and humble.

Thanks for reading,
John P. Collins

Thing #3, Register Your Blog

Today we had to officially register our Blog, I am excited as this makes my blog "official" in the eyes of my instructors here at APSU.

I plan on keeping this blog throughout my adventure on the road to becoming a successful Teacher. I know this is a requirement for our class but this blog will continue to assist us in the years to come in our professional careers as Teachers of America. I remember hearing the phrase, "Remember where you came from" and to me this rings true with this post. When I am a Teacher I can refer back to this blog to remind me of the many tools that are available to me as a Teacher. I plan on coming back to the earlier posts of my blog so I can remember different methods and strategies that are in my learning toolbox.

Thanks for reading,
John P Collins

Thing #2, Create a Blog, Add a Post and Create an Avatar

I decided to use the title "John Collins Teaching Blog" because it was simple and to the point. I also wanted to use my actual full name and my future profession to identify myself and introduce myself to the World Wide Web.

I had a little trouble creating the blog. I used the default blog landscape and when it was time to post my avatar I ran into problems. It wasn't until a fellow classmate suggested I try a different landscape that my avatar finally posted. I plan on experimenting with my blog until I get a comfortable feeling with how it is presented on the web.

I would say my avatar does reflect my personality, although we are limited on the number of changes we can make to the design and appearance of our avatar. I am wearing a camo shirt to reflect my 20 years in the US Army and I decided to go bald since I usually shave my head. I wanted to pick an avatar that resembles me so when I get visitors to my blog page they can already have a connection with who I am.

Thanks for reading,
John P Collins

Thing #1, Lifelong Learning and Learning 2.0

I watched the video titled "7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners" and it was very interesting, it reminded me of the book titled, "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People" published way back in 1990.

The easiest of the habits for me would be Habit #7, Teach and Mentor Others. I feel this way since I have been doing just that for 18 of my 20 years in the US Army. I was a Non-Commissioned Officer and it was my job to train soldiers. I am confident that this will be a smooth transition from teaching and mentoring soldiers to teaching and mentoring students in the classroom.

The hardest of the habits for me would be Habit #6, Use Technology to your Advantage. I am not scared of technology, but I have seen what happens to people who rely heavily on technology only to see the technology fail and those people did not have a back-up plan. Computers get viruses, files get lost, the projector may be broke, or we may lose power in the building and then we are stuck wondering what to do. Technology is a wonderful tool, but I feel it is necessary to always have a back-up plan in case your technology fails you.

Thanks for reading,
John P Collins