Although we explored many tools this semester, I feel that one of the main learning goals was to discover integrate them into our epistemological philosophies to make us better educators. I'm not certain that we must have our students engage with the tools in the same way we have, though what we can learn through our interaction with other individuals through the use of Web 2.0 tools certainly can. For example, if we're looking for lesson plan ideas, there are several platforms available that allow us to connect with other educators who may have helpful suggestions. We've discovered much of this through our examination of personal learning networks and its definitely something I'm excited about taking further in the future.
So, one of our readings this week relayed the story of Trudy and Peter Johnson-Lenz and how they used social media networking to request help following an accident that necessitated Trudy's admission to the hospital for a head injury and subsequent medical care. The part of the story that struck me most was Peter's admission that he and his wife were not much for 'schmoozing and socializing' therefore the help that they could receive from their local community was limited. Consequently, (and partly due to their careers) they were instead able to reach out to their online community to get the help they needed. The Johnson-Lenz' situation made me think about other groups of people that may not be able to obtain help locally, and how social media networking can offer a suitable substitute. The first group that came to mind was introverts because introverts, especially those in small-town or rural areas, may benefit from enhanced social networking skills to find like-m...
Comments
Post a Comment