Social Learning Course Final Reflection

This spring semester has been a really busy one for me. I've been training five days a week for my first triathlon, helping a practicum student, working at the Bookworm, taking this class, preparing my eighth graders for the state reading and writing tests, and then just trying to have a life. As I see the end in sight and reflect on how I've grown, I am grateful for the opportunity to take a Social Learning Course, mainly because I've had challenges in the past finding courses that teach new technologies and that is super frustrating. Beyond that, there are other things to think about. If you're interested in knowing more about the course or how I will proceed from here, read on.  


How has social networking made a difference in your classroom? 
The main affect this class has had on me is giving me the courage to push forward in using technology in my classroom to help my students connect. The first week of this class, I learned of an opportunity for my students to email back and forth with students from Sweden. I was hesitant, but because of the confidence I felt about Social Learning from my new Twitter friends, I plunged in. I also held on/stayed the course when my students started getting requests on their personal email accounts during English class to instant message since the Sweden kids were out of school for the day due to the eight hour time difference (my kids 9a.m. - Sweden kids 4p.m.) I didn't freak out when one of the Swedish kids said, "Oh Sh$#, this is so cool!" It may seem simple or not that big of a deal, but I have always fretted about what parents will think or if I'll get in trouble. Just having this class and the support from my classmates and Twitter friends helped me feel more secure.
Well, the way this class made a difference in my classroom is that these Sweden penpals have made my students EXCITED about English. They want to check their email every day. They beg to write them back. They even read the User Agreement to FotoBabble so that I would let them send a Fotobabble project back to the Sweden kids in response to something they had sent.


What plans do you have to continue developing your online personal learning network (PLN)? 
I will not be missing NETA, EdCampKC, or EdCampOmaha, and I will continue to actively seek ways to learn more about how to integrate technology into my classroom. This summer I plan to take the Nebraska Writing Project's Technology course in Lincoln during June and meet even more people who are already doing great things promoting 21st Century Learning Skills in their classrooms.
The great thing about EdCamps is that they give me a chance to meet the people and get to know them really well, so I can feel comfortable asking them for resources, continuing the conversation, or contacting them at a later date. I am confident I will continue to build relationships with these people, but I want to make a personal goal to share more of my resources with others. Prior to this class, I was definitely a lurker and a taker only. During this class, I have moved toward sharing, but I'm still not balanced on those roles, and my goal will be to be more sharing and less taking ultimately. I just need to find my niche/role/spot where I can help others.

How do you see an online education community changing education?
As many educators know, teaching has the possibility of being isolating especially if a person teaches in the same building, same content area, same community for a long time or if those areas aren't necessarily supportive or open. I think the online education community will allow people who are early adopters to find other people like them to provide support, so they can feel happy and confident doing what they know is best, and not have to worry so much about waiting for others to "get it."
      

      Overall, I feel like I have a strong foundation and will continue to use the skills I have learned at least on a weekly basis, maybe more once I finish out a few of my current projects.  I will continue to blog, probably under a different name and with a different purpose.  I will be trying to have a teacher Facebook group for students and parents as well as a teacher Twitter account either for a month in May or in the new school year.  As I said, I will continue to learn more about integrating technology and keep doing small things, one step at a time.

sk