I am quickly learning there are so many different tools and ways of learning on the internet. There use to be one of my favorite commercials that talked about how there is not a wrong way to eat a Reese's peanut butter cup. Web 2.0 reminds me of that very commercials with the many tools and different ways technology has transformed from many years ago to today. It's even more amazing to see the numbers that have propelled from the 70's to today's generation. I had never heard of Web 2.0 until this assignment and it has shed light on the subject. In 1989 University of Phoenix had 12 students enrolled, As of today there are over 500,000 students enrolled. That number alone shows how quickly technology has progressed over the years and the impact that it has made in the world. Look how many students can be reached now with this new technology and in the next 10 years that number could double possible even triple.
The top 100 tools for learning has really made me realize a few things about myself that i need to change. I have been consider old school in a lot of categories of my life. According to the top 100 tools for learning, I was only aware of 19 tools that i have either seen or heard someone talk about previously. This was quite startling because i like to consider myself someone that can relate to my players, students etc. The truth is how can I relate to them when I can communicate to them through the lens that they often look through. This was my first experience with Twitter and I'll admit it has grown on me since I signed up. My thoughts were quite negative about this tool before and it is number 1 on the top 100 list. The top 100 list has made me realize that I need to become more involved in the different tools of learning because not only is the way of today but the future is adding more tools every minute.
This class has definitely put my career in perspective. As a coach being able to have access to Facebook, twitter, PWP and many more will serve a great purpose. Being connected with my players and being able to stay connected outside the court can have a greater affect on making a lasting impression. Years ago once practice was over everyone would go home and you wouldn't hear from coach until the next day at practice. The idea that out of sight is out mind clearly can go out the window knowing that you can have access anytime you need it. My current career as an Athletic director using some of these things will make a world of difference. Our biggest complaint from our customers is that we didn't know about this program or we weren't aware. There are many ways to get information out and even creative ways to make it look more entertaining and will spark the interest of people. We've had success promoting sports through Facebook and other avenues. imagine if we were to tweet are followers about a game being canceled or even a new flag football league starting soon. This has definitely opened my eyes to exploring more technologies in my profession.
After reading the article on podcast it seems to become a little more clear to me just what podcast and education have in common. I will admit before reading I had no idea what a podcast was or what it does. The article did shed some light on the subject for me and it seems as if it is quite beneficial for everyone. To make learning available everywhere and anytime you need it is a major plus. Many times education has only taken place in certain settings, while the podcast theory brings education to your living room if need be. I think just like the internet podcast will reach people all over the world that sometimes may not have been able to get the benefits from an ultimate learning experience. Lets say a student was absent and missed a lecture or instructions on a project, having the opportunity to go back and listen as many times as needed will serve that student better. We live in a world where time is a factor and being able to access the learning tool of a podcast when your ready is very beneficial in a lot of ways. Being able to listen to a podcast while in the midst of a daily jog gives me the opportunity to learn while i work out and maximizes my 24 hour day.
My experience as a student with social networking are somewhat limited. Facebook appeared as I was finishing my undergrad and the opportunity to explore it was rather new. Classes were not yet intertwined in the social media aspect as much. As of late it has taken a major tour down social media street. I think when you sit back and realize just where our students are visiting and spending their leisure time you find the technology and different avenues they are taking. I think our students are gaining more information from the social media outlets then they are from TV and other sources. Which makes a great point to if we can meet our students where they are gaining information and present the things we deem as important, we may have a great opportunity to introduce them to some other important discussions.
A generation that is easily distracted but very good at multitasking and having a hard time focusing on important information. The article takes a few different spends and it constantly gets me thinking about our generation with more and more technology. There is definitely positives from being able to juggle many things at once and every job I've ever had there were multiple opportunities where we had to take on several task at a time. While in coaching during the game my job during the game was to keep track of our stats, while also keeping track of the offensive plays we ran and the percentage of what was effective and not effective. Also, watching the other teams to get signals of plays being ran and figuring what offense and defense were being displayed. Based on the article most youth will seem to have trouble turning their attention to one thing. Based on my experiences i think our youth won't have a problem because most jobs don't allow you to just focus on one thing but several different things as you go through your day. Employers are constantly looking for people who can multitask and the ability to change with the times. The part that does concern me is the part where they can't focus on one thing and in education being able to understand a specific subject before moving on to the next is very important. Being able to stay focused and gather important information is called learning.
The PWP that I chose to reflect on was (http://mculpepper.weebly.com/education.html). I felt like she was really organized and detailed and the page was very inviting. I felt like she did a great job of creating a page that represents her well. I don't know her but I feel like her professionalism was created well in this PWP. It was really east to navigate and I would like to use the same organizational outlook for my PWP. If had to change anything I would use some different colors throughout the website. Everything else was great.
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