Social Networking Technologies

I have used Skype extensively in both classes and for personal use.  Skype is extremely popular among deployed servicemen and women because of the video chat capability.  I have used Skype as a synchronous technology for two Liberty online classes.  If you only have to communicate with one other person via Skype there are really no connectivity issues.  The last class I took, we tried to synch three of us total and the connectivity was degraded.  It was tough to collaborate and accomplish assigned tasks because of the loss of connection with a group member.  Skype for educational purposes is great because you are able to visually communicate with a partner.  The connectivity is the only concern with Skype as a synchronous technology.  Skype partnered with Facebook to enable users to video chat through Facebook.  This added bonus on Facebook reaches out to a broader audience which provides even more flexibility for students to use the synchronous video chat capability.

Blogs are another solid social networking resource that can be tailored to fit an educational purpose.  Blogs provide a forum where students can respond to a posed question and exchange ideas/opinions.  In a lot of ways – Blogs are similar to discussion board forums.  Teachers can use blogs as an educational site, where they post informal content on a specific lesson that students can access and read on their own time.  As seen through our current course – You Tube videos is another social networking technology that can be used for educational purposes.  Teachers and students can post videos about a specific topic and view them for content.    

asynchronous and synchronous colloboration

I frequently collaborate in asynchronous and synchronous online environments.  As a Marine officer, I am student through the USMC online distance education program.  We use Elluminate Live as our primary method of synchronous collaboration.  In one particular class, we used Elluminate Live once a week for 10 weeks.  I have found that collaboration via Elluminate Live can be effective as long as everyone understands the capabilities and limitations of the software prior to the class.  The USMC online distance education program also uses discussion board forums to promote asynchronous collaboration.  While I prefer immediate feedback and communication via synchronous learning, I do respond well to discussion board forums.  I enjoy the flexibility of asynchronous learning and tend to thrive in that environment.

As a Liberty University student, I also collaborate in asynchronous and synchronous environments.  Until recently, the majority of my online education was through asynchronous learning.  The educational technology concentration has opened the door to synchronous learning.  I have participated in Elluminate Live, Skype, and Second Life.  Each synchronous software brings its positives and negatives and all generally break up the monotony of asynchronous learning.  I am confident in operating in Elluminate Live and Skype.  Second Life is new to me and I am not well versed in the capabilities to truly collaborate.  Regardless, I feel that I have the ability to operate in both asynchronous and synchronous learning environments.

Web Based Resources

Here are some of the web resources that I have used:

1. The Smithsonian Education

The goal of the Smithsonian Education website is to have an impact as “the national education organization.”  The website offers a multitude of journals for teachers and students to reference. The website browser for finding resources is user friendly and there is little to no issue with finding a particular subject.  The unique item about the website is that it offers a browser to find each state’s standards of learning (SOL) by course subject.  The SOL browser makes life easier for educators and students who are looking for a particular SOL for their respective state.  The website also offers information on field trips, specifically, field trip work sheets and planning for a field trip.

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/index.html

2. PBS Teachers

The PBS Teachers website offers lesson plans, activities, videos, and interactive games for educators to reference and implement within their classrooms. PBS Teachers has information and materials for Kindergarten through 12^th grade. The website browser is broken down by age group and you can filter through subject which makes finding material very simple.  The website also offers teacher discussions where teachers can collaborate and discuss about material.

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/

3. The National Education Association

The National Education Association (NEA) website offers lesson plans, current issues regarding education, and discussion/information about classroom management.  The website’s browser is not as user friendly as the other websites that I have listed.  The NEA was created to promote a better public school education system across all states and the majority of the site describes the road ahead to get to quality education for everyone.

http://www.nea.org/home

4. The History Classroom

The History Classroom provides study guide materials to the many different history specials they offer.  Teachers can show videos to their class with the corresponding study guides, such as,Jefferson.  The students can refer to the discussion ideas listed in the study guide and reflect on the discussion questions throughout the series.  The website browser is user friendly and it easy to find material.

http://www.history.com/shows/classroom

5. The Federal Resources for Educational Excellence

The Federal Resources for Educational Excellence provides information all courses that are taught in public schools.  Teachers and students can reference the website to find facts about a particular subject.  The website does have a browser but it is not user friendly.  It is best to use the drop down window for the subject you are looking for information rather than using the browser.

http://www.free.ed.gov/index.cfm

Benefits from presentations

As a visual learner, I benefit from presentations that include lots of images, videos, and anything interactive that keeps my attention.  I do not benefit from too much wording from the presentation.  I also learn from repetition, so taking notes throughout the presentation significantly increase my learning of the topic.  Interaction also aids my learning from a presentation.   I thrive on peer and instructor interaction through a period of instruction.  It forces me to stay alert and exchange ideas/opinions on the topic being discussed.  Some of the best presentations that I have sat on, deviated from the presentation and forced the class to critically analyze a topic and discuss.  Unfortunately, I do not benefit from a monotonous presentation where the instructor talks the entire time.  If the teacher is using a Power Point presentation, having the copy of the brief/presentations also aids me in staying focused because I can follow the presentation and take notes on the paper copy.  I am a big fan of online education however, I enjoy and learn more from a resident classroom presentation vice an online presentation.  I think that sitting in a classroom forces you to listen to the period of instruction whereas an online presentation you have to battle distractions.