How has your network changed the
way you learn?
My network has changed the way I learn in several different ways. Each year I spend in the teaching profession my network grows a little bit by the end of the school year. After teaching for 10 years in the same school district my network has gradually increased over the years and become quite large as indicated in my mind map. My network provides me with new technologies, collaboration, and support when I need new information or help on a project. Colleagues, friends, and family provide me with research, support, information and collaboration opportunities to try out new things in my classroom. We can also collaborate to share new ideas and strategies that have been successfully used in other classrooms. Technology training, websites, and software are often share between colleagues through e-mail, meetings, or social gatherings. My network provides me with more opportunities to learn through school, friends/family, and everything that can be found on the computer such as the internet, e-mail, and the various forms of technology. Probably the biggest change in my network that has changed the way I learn is the speed of information that I can get regarding anything in the educational field. Information is literally at my finger tips that I can access from my phone or computer.
Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
There are several digital tools that facilitate learning for me in the classroom. Computers and any kind of electronics used for presentations would probably best facilitate learning for me. Computers provide access to internet programs and websites that allow students to use hands on methods to learn new materials. I tend to work better at meetings and trainings when the instructor uses a hands on approach taking step by step instructions and completing them using a computer program. I also enjoy multimedia presentations that include sound and graphics to present new materials or ideas. I also use Skype and Elluminate for collaboration with colleagues across the country. Other types of digital tools such as document cameras and LCD projectors can also be beneficial to learners.
My network has changed the way I learn in several different ways. Each year I spend in the teaching profession my network grows a little bit by the end of the school year. After teaching for 10 years in the same school district my network has gradually increased over the years and become quite large as indicated in my mind map. My network provides me with new technologies, collaboration, and support when I need new information or help on a project. Colleagues, friends, and family provide me with research, support, information and collaboration opportunities to try out new things in my classroom. We can also collaborate to share new ideas and strategies that have been successfully used in other classrooms. Technology training, websites, and software are often share between colleagues through e-mail, meetings, or social gatherings. My network provides me with more opportunities to learn through school, friends/family, and everything that can be found on the computer such as the internet, e-mail, and the various forms of technology. Probably the biggest change in my network that has changed the way I learn is the speed of information that I can get regarding anything in the educational field. Information is literally at my finger tips that I can access from my phone or computer.
Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
There are several digital tools that facilitate learning for me in the classroom. Computers and any kind of electronics used for presentations would probably best facilitate learning for me. Computers provide access to internet programs and websites that allow students to use hands on methods to learn new materials. I tend to work better at meetings and trainings when the instructor uses a hands on approach taking step by step instructions and completing them using a computer program. I also enjoy multimedia presentations that include sound and graphics to present new materials or ideas. I also use Skype and Elluminate for collaboration with colleagues across the country. Other types of digital tools such as document cameras and LCD projectors can also be beneficial to learners.
How do you learn new knowledge
when you have questions?
There are several ways I learn new
knowledge when I have questions or do not understand new content
material. The first step I would use is to research this new topic or
idea to see if I can answer my questions. The majority of the time I like
to answer my own questions and research the answers myself. There are
also times when I have to reach out to people in my support network to help me
with my question. For example, my friend is a local school technology
coordinator in our district and I go to him whenever I need help or a
recommendation for a good program to use in my classes. I also have a wide network of friends and family that are in the
profession that I can turn too if I need help with a question.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI had the easiest time reading your mind map. It was well done. I found it interesting that you said that your network has increased the longer you have been teaching, and I felt the opposite, feeling that mine have become more concentrated. Do you think that networks should include everyone we come in contact with, or do you think forming a network should be selective? Not that I disagree with your opinion, but I have been teaching for nine years and I feel that I have added and deleted people from specific sections of my life for various reasons. It may seem like a stupid analogy, but should our networks operate like Facebook where we can add and delete friends?
Greta post Brian! I found your post to be very thorough. My experience has been a bit different in that I teach Physical Education/Health so i have not been able to create a strong network for my new pursuits in Technology.I found your post refreshing a cause for hope for me to create a strong network once i get cemented in the field. I can only hope that it is as extensive as yours. What i have learned from my experience is what type of people i want to have in my network and the ones I do not.
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