As an assignment, I had to create a PLN--Personal Learning Network. Personal Learning Networks are usually done online, but maybe they could also be done differently. I only have five people in my Personal Learning Network. The topics that we discussed were technology in the classrooms whether they were old or new. I found out a lot of interesting things when we discussed the technology that they are/were using in their classrooms.
The first person that I communicated with was from facebook. Her name is Crystal Womack and she is a junior in college. We talked about how blogging can have an effect on education. She says that her fellow classmates, including her, have to also blog with their teacher/professor. It is said that her teacher/professor can easily get in contact with them about an assignment or anything pertaining to class. Crystal doesn't like the idea of doing blogs because she doesn't always have access to the internet, so it makes it kind of difficult for her to blog.
http://www.facebook.com/
The next person that I communicated with is Elzora Howell. She is the secretary to the superintendent of Sumter County Board of Education. She says that the students that attend their high school doesn't yet use webcam, but they are attempting to get the equipment for it. They want to show their students that there are more ways to communicate than just text,email,phone, etc. and show them that you can have a conversation with your peer and see them at the same time no matter where they are located at the time.
The third person Dorthy Cooly. She was a high school teacher at Blount High School. She said that technology has really emerged since she was a teacher. She said that When she was teaching the only technology that they really used was an over-head-projector. They used overhead slides to give their students notes and information. Now and days, society just uses PowerPoint, which is very effective in the classroom. Mrs. Cooly said that PowerPoint is much easier and less time consuming than using an over-head projector. She has been updated on the technology that is now being used in the classrooms.
Speaking of PowerPoint, the next person that is in my PLN is Marcus West. He is a science teacher at a community college. he loves to use PowerPoint and is basically a whiz when it comes to using it. He knows how to put all of the graphics, musics,fonts,spins,etc. on his presentation when presenting to his class. He likes for his students to use google often to get information for their homework. He feels that google is an honest site, depending on what you are looking for. He isn't very detailed with google, like Dr.Strange, but he likes for his students to have knowledge of it.
Rebecca Davis was the last person in my PLN that I came in contact with. She is a nursing major at Troy University. She says that they have to view footage that are posted on YouTube for class. Having the access to YouTube is somewhat mandatory for them. The videos show them the hands on work of being a nurse. It educates them on how to give shot or anything of that nature. So instead of looking in the book at demonstration, they can actually watch it being don hands on at anytime on YouTube. I never thought that a teacher/professor would be able to comply the technology of using YouTube as an educational source for a full semester, but they obviously do. YouTube is carried throughout the semester so that the students are educated in their major and get educated in viewing uploads and learn how to upload from this uploading source.
