A Bit of a Bumpy Road…

Learning to play the guitar has given me a renewed appreciation for music. Many times I have thought I wanted to play but gave up after just a few weeks. This project has proven to be challenging as well as rewarding.

My learning project was off to a bit of a slow start and I was reminded of all the times I promised myself I was going to actually do it this time, I was going to start playing. I was reminded of why I never really did.

One of the things I am struggling with is finding an app that has good reviews and has an app available for my mac book. I am a little frustrated at the fact that Apple has apps that are not universal across all devices, for instance, the one I was looking forward to using was called HD Tabs, and it doesn’t work on my laptop. I am now looking for a similar app that is compatible with my computer.

I am still using Garageband to learn chords. This app is great! You can time yourself in order to focus on transition, from chord to chord more quickly. You can record yourself and you can see on the computer screen where you need to fix your finger placement. These are all very helpful when you are learning on your own.

Although at times I have been frustrated, this project has forced me to finally commit to learning the guitar and I am grateful for that.

My Digital Identity

As a second year B.Ed student, the reality that my online presences will reflect my ability to find a job after completing school is setting in. I am becoming increasingly aware of how I am portraying myself online and taking notice of others who are also in this same profession. In the reading Split Image, we looked at how our online impression can have an enormous effect on how we see others and the way we view ourselves. Reading about how Maddison Holleran struggled to identify with her friends, family and former peers was absolutely heartbreaking. With a number of hours children and youth spend on social networks increasing, I can see this being a big problem for them now and in the future.

I discovered that now, more than ever,  I need to make sure that my digital identity is an accurate reflection of both my strengths and my struggles. The reason I think that this is important is because I believe that part of being a good teacher means being relatable and being approachable with colleagues, parents and community members in order to build strong relationships. Although I understand it is necessary to conduct yourself in a professional manner while building on your digital identity, I don’t think it is necessary to portray yourself as being perfect because as we’ve learned, that can actually be somewhat dangerous. In addition, I think we are going to need to teach students to take social identities at face value sometimes because it is something that our generation has had to figure out on our own.

Getting Started in the Digital World

   In many ways, my knowledge is a little outdated in terms of what is available online. As anthropologist Micheal Wesch says, the internet is changing about every six months, so perhaps by the time I get caught up things will have changed again, but I might as well get started now. Blogging, twitter and the amazing things Google is capable of are all fairly new to me. Although it can feel a little intimidating to grasp, I am excited to learn about how I can connect and collaborate with people, from across the world. I would have never really thought of myself being a part of the participatory culture, up until now I had not shared a lot online. However, when I began to realize how much I relied on the internet to expand my knowledge I realized that this platform really has the potential to transform my learning in a way that was not even possible about 20 years ago – for instance, online classes!

During Dr.Couros’s presentation, I was slightly overwhelmed by the amount of information he was sharing. I had been taught, as many people had, by parents and teachers to be cautious of the internet. Growing up during the early stages of online interactions, I believe many people had difficulty understanding how to navigate this new and HUGE community. Thankfully, as we’ve discussed, we learn that there are many ways to protect ourselves and our children from the potential dangers of being accessible in a virtual world and thus, fear doesn’t seem to be as rampant.

In fact, I was inspired to see Dr.Couros allowing his children a certain amount of freedom to explore the online world, that will allow them to learn about the numerous capabilities participatory culture. I believe that when children are taught in this way and able to immerse themselves in this, or any other culture, it will allow them to better equip in the future when they become more reliant on online tools.

What does this mean for my future classroom, and for schools in general?

Well, I can only imagine how the online communities will have evolved by then, but based on what is available to us now, I am excited to see how technology will enrich my own classroom one day. I see participatory culture as a hub of knowledge. There are endless avenues to explore in terms of sharing creative ideas, thoughts, information and support. Being able to engage with professionals who have been in this line of work for decades allows us to carry on a certain amount of ‘tradition’ in the classroom as well. At the same time, I can see myself using something like twitter to keep up to date on current global issues, that often children want to discuss. Youtube is another place where you have access to countless videos that might be helpful to children who are having difficulties with certain concepts. The possibilities, really are, endless and I am — although, sometimes hesitantly — eager to get started!

All About Twitter

This whole twitter thing is very new to me. Although it was suggested that I make an account last semester in my ECS 100, I never really used it much. I am still finding it a little intimidating, mostly because I am not very tech savvy, and this new lingo is a little over my head. However, I can tell that the more I use it (at this point, mainly for lurking) the more I will understand how this online community works, and I will benefit from having access to so much valuable information.

From what I can tell so far, Twitter is a hub of knowledge, ideas, news and humor. The benefits of twitter for educational purposes over something like Facebook, appear to be numerous. Unlike Facebook, where we are, for the most part, limited to the contributions of our friends and family, Twitter allows us to connect with people from across the world, which I find, is so valuable in learning about society and social issues. It provides us with an opportunity to ask questions, discuss ideas and learn about other perspectives.

I can see myself using twitter throughout my teaching career to share teaching ideas, strategies, and perspectives.  To stay informed about current events and have a voice. I can see myself looking to other people in the global teaching community for support because there will undoubtedly be times that I will need that.

Although to begin with I was apprehensive about becoming involved with Twitter, I am glad I did. I hope in the next few months I will become more confident about my presence on Twitter and really start to join the conversation. I look forward to hearing from you!

Introduction to Educational Technology

Hey folks,

I am a relatively new blogger, but I can already see that blogging is going to be my new friend on this journey, when it comes to both learning and later while teaching. I like the idea of documenting my learning experiences in one place so that, as the writer, you can both reflect on your experiences and share a more in-depth version of your story. In addition to this, you are able to learn from your peers who can often offer a different perspective on the same topic you writing about.

 

Learning Project: Week One

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to my Learning Project! I chose to learn to play the guitar. This is something that I have always been meaning to do, and never found the motivation. My goal for the end of the project is to be able to play and sing a song.I am looking forward to this project and learning to play a few tunes!

Here is my before video

I have broken down my plan for this project, it is as follows:

1. Learn to tune the guitar, as well as proper hand techniques.
2. Learn a number of Chords.
3. Learn chords to a specific song.
4. Learn to sing said song while playing the guitar.

Wish me luck!