There are so many new tools and applications that I have discovered as part of my learning in this course. It seems to be that there are several options to do the same or a similar thing. Many of these applications I can see highly valuable uses for as a teacher working with other teachers, such as Youtube, Scootle, RSS feeds, Google Reader, Google docs . Some of these applications I can see some use for as a teacher working with students, such as blogs, wikis, podcasts and vodcasts. Some applications I see limited or no use for as a teacher - such as Facebook and Twitter.
Ultimately that is one of the greatest things I will take way from this Web 2.0 course - there are so many options, there are so many tools. So it is a case of choosing what works for you and which tools are most suited to what you are endeavouring to achieve. I have added another couple of things to the list of what I am trying to get done in my limited time. I guess I have to really sit down and look at the options before me and choose those which are best suited for the purposes I am trying to achieve.
The ilearn model reveals that the same key words continue to arise : share, communicate, reflect, engage, collaborate. These are what I perceive to be the key elements of elearning and the challenge to incorporate it into the contemporary classroom. My priority has to continue to be providing quality educational learning opportunities for the students. These tools are just another vehicle that will enable me to reach this goal.
Blooms digital taxonomy gave me a new insight to the traditional taxonomy that I have worked with. This is a clear reflection that the world of the classroom is evolving and will continue to evolve. My part in this is not to throw out everything I have done before and start over but rather to take the aspects that are most beneficial (from both traditional teaching and the digitally enhanced version) and blend them into a workable and cohesive solution. It’s important to see that teaching is not driven by technology but rather enhanced and supported by the use of appropriate technology and digital resources.
At the end of the day, students still need to learn to be literate and numerate. But they also need to be independent and creative learners with a world view. This is the world of these students. It is my role to work alongside them, to assist them by providing the most appropriate resources to support them in their learning.
The ilearn model clearly outlines the generating of a community of learners. I think the next step forward in building this community is to take a personal initiative to continue to engage with other learners to further our application of our newly acquired Web 2.0 skills. We have gained so much insight from the incredible things others are already doing in the Web world. We now need to continue to contribute as learners to this growing online community, sharing our learning so that others too may benefit in their learning.
I commented on Mark Newbury's blog in Module 9 at http://newbsweb2.blogspot.com/2010/06/module-9.html
I commented on Christopher Ingrati's blog in Module 5 at http://chrislearns20.blogspot.com/2009/10/module-5.html
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