LIteracy Reference Project

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40836723@N08/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

So I just recently started doing my Literacy Reference project for TE 301. A lot of people seemed really stressed out about it. I wasn't so worried just because I hadn't even read the rubric for it. I'm glad, though, that I didn't start sooner because my professor announced to us, just recently, that we could don't have to necessarily make a binder of references; we could make a WEBSITE.

CEP 416 is a life saver. Before taking this class, the idea of making a website would have never crossed my mind and I would probably have been deathly afraid of even attempting to make one.

Most of my peers, that I've talked to, have vigorously been working on a binder for weeks and I just sat down one day and I'm already half way done.

Anyway, what led me to write about this is a blog called Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day. For our projects we have to include references that talk about how to teach special education students as well as SLL's. On Larry's blog he shared a great resource for teaching English language learners; it's a 62-page document, but that doesn't matter if you're working with a website :) Here's the link if you don't follow his blog.

Wiki

This week we had to start our own wiki page. I actually really enjoy the idea of it. If you're interested in a certain topic then it's a good tool to post and discuss information because anyone that's invited to share/edit can write and save the information; the wiki is therefore always there to refer back to and to add to whenever. Everyone can't know everything and it's always good to reach out for help and to hear other people's viewpoints and knowledge on countless topics.

I decided to set up my wiki by talking about different opportunities and options available to us as teachers after we complete the TE program. The first time I even started thinking about this part of my future, which seems so far away, is when I found out that some old friends of mine decided that they would go abroad to teach. I was completely fascinated and decided instantly that I was going to do that. I'm pretty set on that goal still, but I wanted to learn more about teaching abroad, as well as, other possible opportunities. Hence, my wiki. I just need to organize it better and I hope to get more input/discussion going on it.

In the case of using wikis with students, I think that they could really benefit from it. I don't see why they wouldn't. A teacher could post and update any information on it quickly and easily; the students would have easy access to the information, ask questions, get them answered by the teacher or other students, etc. As long as the wikis are being used appropriately and the students are goofing around and changing important things, then I don't see any way that they wouldn't benefit from using them.

Krakow, Poland - I want to be teaching here already.

Photo Credit from flickr.com by mykrak

Development of my PLN

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobannon/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

So far, so good.

I feel that I'm getting more out of this class than any other course I've taken within the TE program. Let me show you what I've got and what I've learned about so far while developing my Personal Learning Network.

1. This blog
2. Twitter account (hardly used, but I've got it)
3. Learned about social bookmarking
4. Started developing a personal website
5. flickr.com and Creative Commons
6. TPACK
7. Google Docs
8. Google Reader
9. BBP
10. Slidecast...

I could list a lot more things, but I won't. There's too much I've come across through reading others' blogs, education articles, etc.

Each new task we come across in class comes with a various levels of difficulty, but this whole technology thing is getting easier. Checking in on my PLN has almost become a part of everyday life. I'm definitely more comfortable with it, but after this week's audio task I need a breather...

BBP Slideshow on Rhyming Words

           Presentation on rhyming words for first graders

This week for class we were assigned to make a PowerPoint presentation using the three tricks of a "Beyond Bullet Points" (BBP) presentation proposed by Cliff Atkinson. It's so obvious, so simple, so clear, so straight forward. I can't believe I didn't think of this. Haha.

The point in the BBP presentation is to keep things simple; include a title, visual, and you're set to speak.
Atkinson talks about how when people make presentations in the "old way", they try to cram information with bullet points, add semi-meaningful pictures just as a decoration, and then expect their audience to be able to retain all of that information and their vocal presentation at the same time.

It's definitely hard to focus and I, as well as everyone who has professors that use the "old way" of making PowerPoint presentations, struggle during lectures every other day. In my case, I am taking an Anthropology of Linguistics course this semester. The readings are long and it's hard to understand them, let alone pick out the main ideas out of them. I like to take notes on everything, just so that if I forget something, then I can always refer back to my notes for clarification. Well, this class requires a maximum amount of note-taking in my world. My professor uses PowerPoints every session and they clarify the readings' main points, but then again they can't stand alone. His explanations are also extremely important to note to be able to gain a full understanding. Every lecture I find myself trying to keep my attention on both, but it's impossible; I'm constantly tuning in and out.

Atkinson states that our working memory, "the part of your mind where your audience holds their attention", receives information through two channels: visual and verbal. With a BBP presentation, basically, all that you need to include on a slide is a headline that states your main point and a meaningful visual. The audience quickly digests the information on the slide and then they focus their attention back to, the most important part of a presentation, the presenter and what he or she is saying.

BBP presentations look very promising and I highly encourage anyone to refer to the link above next time you're preparing for a presenation.

My Technological Background...

Before coming to class, I read the syllabus online and saw that we would be required to blog this semester. I was not thrilled just because I'm a person that never really was that motivated to blog. I didn't feel I had anything too special to discuss. I'm definitely familiar with it because I had to write blogs for a course I took last year. I also combined forces with two good friends of mine just to write about ridiculous things to make people laugh, but I've strayed away from that. I'm also familiar with twitter.com. One friend, in particular (same one that I share a blog with), tweets about anything and everything that's going on in his life. It's hilarious and I love reading his tweets, but I realized it's not my thing after I set up an account prior to this class. Besides being familiar with blogging and tweeting, my technology background consists of myspace.com, facebook.com, e-mail, Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, simple photo programs, music and video programs. I'm no computer genius, but I was fortunate to grow up in a generation where a computer is the norm; where using a computer is a part of everyday life. I try to stay in tune with technology as much as I can and to the extent that is significant to my present needs.

What I am looking forward to learning about is the new world this class has opened my eyes to. I never thought of using blogging and twitter.com as professional tools, or anything else for that matter, besides e-mail. That's just because I always looked at the internet so casually; it was always just a connection to friends. So, I'm pretty excited to go start exploring the internet in a more professional sense. Here I go...