Week 1- Learning Exploration

I found the readings, videos, and assignments for this first week of class both interesting and informative. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure if I could think about the topic 21st Century learners, 21st Century skills one more time. That said, the reading by Ken Kay and the Vialogue video both caused me to say to myself, “But we are preparing our students for their world! Our classrooms most certainly look differently than those of the early and mid-1900’s! And we are adjusting our teaching to include technology that both engages students and enhances teaching and learning!”

Learning first how to establish a YouTube Channel then how to create playlists of videos is a fabulous addition to my teacher toolbox. This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I admittedly waste a lot of time trying to find a video that I viewed on YouTube or found by Googling a topic. Pre-YouTube Channel creation, these are the steps that I have taken when trying to locate a video that I found three weeks ago but would now like to use….search through my history…no luck…check and see if  book marked it…was I using Safari or Chrome when I found that video??… or perhaps I added it to my reading list…I can’t remember. No longer will I waste valuable time. On a side note, I spendt a lot of time trying to change the banner across the top of my channel and trying to add a photo in place of the quilt design that was being displayed. At one point, I clicked something that created a Google+ account, this seemed to make things worse. This is exactly the trouble I get into when first attempting to use something new; I know enough to get started and fumble around but not enough to fix things when I get in too deep!

I liked being able to comment on a video as I watched it rather than either making notes via pen and paper while watching or by watching it in its entirety and then trying to remember my thoughts/opinions.  As always, I continue to learn from colleagues as I read their comments and noted points of which I had not thought. I am thinking about giving Vialogue a try with my students.

Finally, posting my opinions and thoughts online always pushes me outside of my comfort zone but in a very good way. It affords me an appreciation for some of my students who voice their discomfort when asked to post to my class blog! That said, I enjoy reading the postings and comments of my colleagues which either reaffirm my thoughts or cause me to view things in a different light.