Blog Post#5

     Prior to this class, I never used Pinterest and would typically only use Instagram for conversing with friends. However, now I have realized the potential these platforms have for expanding my teaching personal learning network. On Instagram, I have followed several teachers that frequently post content about their experiences in class as well as their lesson plans. By viewing their content, I can find ideas that I may wish to use as well as see the solutions they came up with to problems in the class that I may face in my future. As for Pinterest, I am still not terribly well versed in its use, but I have discovered that many teachers will post the materials, or slide shows they use in class on boards.

    I am very thankful to be able to say that I grew up in technology rich schools. I cannot recall a time in school when there was not a day during the week designated as "computer lab day". Being so exposed to technology in school from a young age definitely helped me to be as up to date with it today. I remember classes that taught us how to type as well as classes that I opted to take that taught us how to proficiently use all of the Microsoft programs. Taking these classes has supported me and given me the skills needed to complete lengthy essays as well as other computer-based assignments in college. I believe that now, all schools are doing very well at introducing students to technology in order to prepare them for this very technological world. However, when I was growing up, many students at less fortunate schools could have benefitted from the program that is now in place that provides a laptop to every student.

Collaboration is essential to the learning process no matter the age or subject. So of course, In my own teaching in the future, I plan to incorporate some collaborative writing and annotation assignments. A useful tool for this is google docs. For an assignment such as reading an article and taking notes, I could instruct students to get into pairs and take their notes in the same shared google doc. This would allow the students to bounce ideas off of each other and develop a clearer understanding of the article. Another great tool for similar activities is one we were introduced to in this course. That is, "Ruttl", this software allows for a whole class to view an article and make annotations directly on it that all their classmates can see. I could use this to assign a linger article and break up groups of students to have them focus on a particular section. Once all groups had made their annotations, they would be able to read through the other sections with the help of their classmates annotations. 

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