Personal+Growth

====Students will post a 1/2 to 1 page narrative with examples of how they have developed their own Personal Learning Network (PLN) and how they intend to continue to grow (not necessarily adding tools to your PLN, but what tools have worked for you and might you continue to develop ) their PLN after the course has been completed. Recognize that not all tools work for all people. What tools work for you?====

I am pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming volume of tools that are available to me. I don't think I actually realized how many tools and resources are out there until I visited Go2Web2.0. I had to walk away from my computer for a bit to process that resource. Now that I understand how to search the site and find what I am interested in more quickly, I can see this as a place I go to first when wondering how to add to my classroom.

I am not convinced that Delicious and Diigo will be helpful to me on a scale that will keep me using them a this time. Rarely am I on a computer where I have not bookmarked my pages. But, I do see how it can be useful. It is more than I need right now, but knowing it is there is "comforting" in a "what if..." kind of situation.

I really like the ease of use of Google Documents. As an English teacher I saw so many templates and documents already created that could be useful in my classroom. I spend a lot of time recreating the wheel for my students and Google Documents can help me work smarter, not harder. I look forward to fully investigating what that tool has to offer me.

Mindomo is a double edged sword for me. I don't really need another graphic organizer in my life, but I do like having all of my websites connected in one place. I'm not sure if I will use this or my web page to manage my sites, but it is definitely an option. I do see that mindomo will help with some lesson planning that I will need to do.

I never realized that Google Earth could be used in such a real way for an English teacher. So much of what I teach is based on history of people and places. Teaching kids about where authors come from and the historical significance of places where they lived or wrote will enhance my lessons. I can't wait to see how I can use this tool in my room. Kids love to find there own home on Google Earth. Imagine how fun it would be to find the home of an author or main character. I will spend time learning this tool.

Voice stream offers me a great avenue for sharing and growth. I can see myself developing a group of friends on this site to share assignments and ideas and photos that will enhance my lessons and freshen up my ideas.

Most of what I've learned from this class is that the fear I had for web tools is slowly going away. I have always wanted to be more web savvy, which I feel like I am. Along with that, I have always wanted to find real ways to incorporate technology into my classroom. I understand that this generation is completely technology dependent. I see that in the interest level in my classroom. When I bring computers into my room, I have 100% motivation and buy-in. If I can find real ways to use these tools in my classroom, buy-in may just increase, as well as learning and achievement.