Reflection on PLN

Through our required PLN activities, I have definitely created a 'base' learning network. What I am even more excited about now is the opportunity to continue to talk and to connect with people I have met through this process.

Participating in the NBEAConnect Webinar and the NBEA Convention session conversations were probably the most beneficial in creating continuing contacts. http://nbeaconnect.ning.com/forum/topics/are-you-working-in-the-cloud? Through several comment posts and email dialog during the NBEA Convention, I was able to create a more permanent networking opportunity with another business educator who has an interest in collaborating and sharing ideas. This opportunity would not have presented itself if I had not been a part of this Ning Network.

In addition, I have had some casual comment conversations with another business educator who was part of our NBEAConnect Webinar. While these conversations have been general in nature, I would feel comfortable asking for insight and sharing ideas with this seasoned business educator.

Our blogging activity has also been beneficial. I especially enjoyed our Active Learning Center posts. Through these posts, I was able to gain additional insight into my peer's classrooms, see some of their teaching strategies and adapt and implement them as needed in my own classroom. That particular exercise was, to me, a perfect collaboration tool.

My two additional activities included listening to a pod cast www.apple.com/education/itunes-u
and watching a TED video.

I listened to Professor Maureen Burke lecture on "How to Write a Business Plan" from the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute as part of the summer institute leadership lecture series. This was a very informative lecture and I was actually able to use some of the material presented with my cooperating teacher's Entrepreneurial students who were competing in a Business Plan Competition! What I like most about podcasts is the major opportunities to find a vast array of topics of interest giving educators the chance to increase our knowledge base and find additional resources to use in the classroom. They also provide us with an opportunity to learn from the experts or the best in the field without having to be in the classroom or pay the tuition. I did feel, however, that it was difficult for me to maintain my attention on the topic over the 40 minutes of the lecture with just audio. I am a visual learner and I missed having something to see or view while the professor was speaking. Perhaps these type of podcasts from universities could also offer a website or other place to find presentation materials or lecture notes to view while listening to the podcast.

I also watched Sir Ken Robinson's lecture on Schools Kill Creativity at http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html This lecture was very interesting and I was definitely engaged in the subject matter. Mr. Robinson is a very good public speaker and he was able to keep my attention throughout the video. Through TED, people are able to post comments and create conversations surrounding the video material and content which can increase an educators contacts and PLN opportunities. In addition, there are numerous links to other TED videos and communities of practice where we can gather material that can augment our lessons and expand our knowledge base. This is a great resource for both professional development and classroom resources.

Overall, through this assignment, I was exposed to a variety of new and interesting PLN activities which have given me a good starting foundation to a professional PLN as a business educator. In addition, I was almost immediately able to implement specific knowledge and tools into my business education classroom.

Learning Center II

Career Prep Class

http://www.edmodo.com/home

If you would like to access the site, please sign in as a student using Group Access Code of 82r4jg

For my Career Prep class, I created an Edmodo account that we have been using pretty much since the first few weeks of the semester. The students have really enjoyed accessing the site on a daily class basis to review new posts, answer polls, complete assignments and send messages.

I have used this site to post web page access to the SAT Question of the Day, the ACT Question of the Day, post a link to jobs in Synder County, the FAFSA form, the Common Application, a list of colleges in the Mid Atlantic region (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, etc) and their scheduled spring Open House Events, sample resumes and resume writing tips, cover letter examples and thank you note examples.

All of these sites have augmented what I have taught in the classroom and have enhanced the students ability to understand and apply the concepts of several areas of career preparation. Since career goals can be very varied and differ from student to student, this social networking site has provided additional information for students who desire to learn more or need additional assistance with class assignments.

For our most recent assignment on writing thank you notes, I provided two 'how to' sites that discussed the procedures for completing a thank you note. I then posted a mock thank you note card that each student was to access and complete. Students were also provided with paper copies of sample thank you notes for those who may prefer the written type. I also added a mini poll to this assignment to assess how the students' felt about handwriting a note versus keying it. The results are interesting!

I have been able to assess how well the students have learned from this active learning center by observing their answers to the SAT and ACT Questions of the Day and I have helped several students register for the May 7 SAT exam through the link on our site. I have also posted questions and asked for responses from the students at the completion of an assignment. For example, I asked students to send me a note on what Open House event they might try to attend this spring after looking at the online Spring Open House website and have followed up with students in class to ask them how their visit was to a particular college.

I plan to continue to use our Edmodo site through the end of the semester to post additional information on topics we will discuss in class and useful sites students can use in their career development and preparation. Overall the comments from the students and the results of using the site have been very positive. I am thrilled they can actively learn more about colleges and careers through this social networking site.

Young Students and On Line Learning

I read with interest the article and responses concerning young students and on line learning. During my graduate course work, I have had the opportunity to participate in both live and on line classes and have slowly started to formulate my own opinions concerning on line learning. In addition, our short experience with the on line education forum has provided additional food for thought concerning on line learning. While I think on line learning my have a place for some students, for the majority of young learners, I believe the traditional classroom setting or a hybrid classroom is the most ideal learning environment. First, I believe students need to have a classroom environment that allows for summative assessments which include the use of verbal and nonverbal cues or clues. As a classroom teacher, an educator can constantly assess if a student is understanding and comprehending a concept or topic almost immediately based on a student's physical reaction. This is almost impossible with an on line class. Sure emoticons are available but just like in a regular classroom, how many student will tell you they don't get it or say they have a question if something is not making sense to them? Also, an educator can offer immediate feedback when a student may not be on the right track. Thus, allowing the student to redirect their thought processes and know more success in the classroom. For example, when I took my online class, we did not receive points for our assignments for a week or so. When the grade was posted, there were no comments or feedback to what was wrong and how it could be fixed. There were time when several additional assignments had been completed the same way before the feedback had been obtained and applied to additional assignments. Second, I believe educators need to have face time with students in order to know if the lesson concept is being comprehended. I believe there needs to be a healthy classroom dialog concerning the subject matter and higher order questions asked of students to ignite the thinking process and further develop critical thinking. For example, when we completed our on line forum mini presentations, I had developed what I wanted to convey to the audience concerning my active learning strategy and presented it without tripping over my tongue too many times. However, I have no idea how the presentation was received by the listeners, what areas were confusing and/or what areas needed just a little more explanation. There was no connection with the learning audience and no way for me to assess the effectiveness of my lesson/presentation. I believe this is a huge disadvantage. Third, I believe students can benefit from the (sometimes forced) interaction with faculty, staff and other students in an educational setting. As a society, we have become far too comfortable with hiding behind a screen and have lost the ability to communicate and interact socially with other individuals. While not all occupations will require these type of soft skills, many still do and our young learners will not have the opportunity to practice and hone this skills if they exclusively learn on line. Education to me is more than just learning what is required by our state standards. Young students in a traditional classroom are learning how to adapt to an environment, work with a team, struggle through adversity, celebrate success, navigate the cafe, interact with other students, talk to adults, stay focused with distractions and survive outside the comfort zone.