Melissa Quigley
ECS 210
Stacey Crooks
05 April 2014
Assignment 2 Part 3
This has been an interesting class. I started my blog last semester as an online spot for my educational philosophies. Since the beginning of ESC 210 I have been using it more frequently. I admit I have not been doing some of the posts and not having a working computer for a bit has had affected this. When I come to class, the only technology I bring is my cell phone. I have a smart phone and it is capable of posting on blogs and tweeting, however it is harder to use in this way as compared to a laptop. That being said I think blogging is an excellent way to communicate and collaborate with other teachers, or other people for that matter. I enjoyed getting random comments and feedback from videos I though worthy of sharing or projects I have submitted via my blog. Therefore I do find it an extremely valuable tool to use to expand you professional network. Unfortunately the same couple of people were the only ones to look at my blog. I would have to wonder how you go about getting more people to follow. This could be in part by me not following many other blogs. I do find looking at other peoples writing and opinions a great way to gain new perspectives. I have commented minimally on others blogs as I found it difficult to navigate them using my phone.
Twitter is a great tool. I love to follow the Riders, Durant and Kory Sheets. I just started using Twitter for this class and it took me quite a while to get used to adding the hashtags. I would tweet and they just stayed on my own page because I didn’t know what I was doing. I enjoy this as much as the blog, I do not however find it so great to be using during class time. I would sit fairly close to the back of the class in ECS. From the view I had of the computers that people had opened and were supposedly tweeting, not one person was on their Twitter account. People were writing assignments for this class and others, or they were on Facebook, and some were shopping online. It was actually even distracting for me to not glance at what people were doing every once in a while. I also tried to tweet. I did a few times. There is a conversation here (https://twitter.com/2055missyQ) that I was having with Katia. It was during our last guest speaker lecture. It took me a few minutes to formulate what I wanted to say and then I would type it out. During these minutes I had no idea what the lecturer was saying. I did this only a couple of times. I wanted to participate in the way that was asked by tweeting during class time, but at the same time when I did I had no idea what was being said while I was doing it. I really enjoy Twitter and have seen many interesting comments and informational websites posted to our ECS hashtag, but for me it was not worth tweeting in class because I felt my attention was best focused on whoever was talking to us at the time.
I think the only way I have contributed to others learning where Twitter and my blog was concerned was the videos I found and posted on my blog. I found Twitter to be most confusing during class, but I have followed people after class and have been lead to come really interesting sites. https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ecs210&src=tyah This link takes you to the ECS site there was a really interesting link to another students workshop they did on socially active students, which is what my group worked on. Looking a Raquel’s website shows more activities and different ways to teach this subject to students than those ideas that my group came up with.
I was having coffee with some girl friends of mine, one happens to be a reporter for the Canadian Press. I was talking about how I was trying to adjust to using twitter in the classroom and how difficult I was finding it to keep up. Also within this conversation I mentioned that my son’s teacher (Grade 7) allows them to bring their devices into his classroom. My reporter friend was so upset by this, which surprised me considering that she has to use Twitter as part of her job. Then we talked about my son getting in trouble for watching “Super Natural” on Netflicks when he should have been watching a movie with his class. I was trying to think outside of my box and accept that technology is there and we should be incorporating it more, but my son is a good student and respectful, and the temptation of having the option to do something he wanted to as opposed to what he should be doing must have been too great. I think that was the case for many students in our ECS class. I am sure the lecturers can tell if the students are not engaged, but it doesn’t seem fair to have someone put all that effort into lessons just to be somewhat ignored. My friend went on to argue about all of the cons that giving kids too much freedom with technology can lead too. She was so into it she wanted to write a story on it. For now she just sent me some stories she found online. Here are a few of the articles she forwarded to me…
“These are good sources: The Calgary Herald, a New York Times piece by an assistant professor at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan and the American Psychological Association.”
http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2011/08/social-kids.aspx
Jennifer Graham Correspondent, The Canadian Press
I thought it was important to add these to show that I am not just saying I don’t believe that social media, such as Twitter, are bad because I have a hard time navigating them, but that I am talking about my ideas outside of the class and learning from other sources. As a mom I am conflicted as to whether I am comfortable with the access children have to Twitter and other means of media. I am going to post these to my blog and just ask for opinions and see what I get from them. I think it will be interesting. I guess in ways like this I am hopefully contributing to others learning.
8:46 AM – 31 Mar 2014 · Details
melissaQ 
“As a mom I am conflicted as to whether I am comfortable with the access children have to Twitter and other means of media”. Me too! I guess one argument for the use of these technologies in the classroom is that kids need to learn how to use them because this is the reality of their lives – they need to learn how to be effective and also how to be safe.
“Unfortunately the same couple of people were the only ones to look at my blog.” Yes, it can be hard to get connected. Tagging posts can help but also it may be a matter of finding the right tool for you and connecting with others who are using that tool in ways that seem effective to you.
“I think the only way I have contributed to others learning where Twitter and my blog was concerned was the videos I found and posted on my blog.” A good way to share that may lead to other connections.
“I am talking about my ideas outside of the class and learning from other sources.” Great! I think it is important to talk to people from outside our bubble of education and hear feedback from other perspectives. This can be one important part of reflective practice.