Module Nine

Social networking - I've become addicted! It's taking me away from programming so I better complete this module and move on! Scootle - love it. I've been using it for a while now in class and have seen the improvements in the site since last year with its sharing function. I never used to tag my pathways , but now realise the benefits of doing so. I have found it a good way to differentiate learning - with different learning paths for different groups. Find that searching for the right resource can be time consuming - that's why I will start to tag.

Facebook - wow! For years I tried to discourage my kids from using it until I finally caved in last year. Now a whole new world has opened up to me. I can see online what is going on in the lives of my daughters and their friends (although I'm not allowed to add any of their friends!) I've managed to keep track of what my cousin is doing on her overseas holiday, and I've even made contact with cousins in Canada that I've never had prior contact with (- much to the delight of the grandmothers on both sides!) Now my daughter can practice her French language skills to talk with family on the otherside of the world. It's really opened my eyes.

I wonder if any teacher has create a Facebook page for their class? I don't know if I would use it as a teaching tool - kids would easily be distracted by the social aspect of it. In that regard, a class collaborative blogs or wikis would be much more useful as a teaching tool.

I found Second Life too much to deal with at the moment. Trying to navigate through it made me anxious. I found it overwhelming but saw the potential for older students. I can see it being used in subjects like History, Geography and Visual Arts. I need to go back and explore this further at a later date. But currently it would have no place in my classroom.

Twitter - my kids tell me it's bigger with adults than children. It's OK, but I don't think I'll be a follower. Not quite sure who to follow? Once again I feel this application is quite limited in regards to classroom use.