Social Learning: Quality

Quality

Erika's Podcast
tjordan - "...you gave me whole new inspiration for what a podcast could be and how they could be used in the classroom. "
jhbest - "I really agree with Tessa. You gave me a whole new way of thinking of podcasts in the classroom. I never would have thought to use them for more than getting facts and information out, or for conducting interviews. "
I thought it funny because using the podcast creatively was the only thing I thought of. Creative expression and art are just such an integral part of my life that I always find a way to incorporate these ideas into my learning. It made me think of all the things I could have done for a podcast: news story, interviews, etc. I should try to make things a lot more simpler for myself but that's just me: always try to be an expert even if I'm new...
gideonburton - "I should get my students to try this!"
I realized how easy (well...sort of) it is to create a podcast. It is something I would really enjoy incorporating into my classroom, too.
Ms Edwards - "I find it fascinating that I identify with your podcast, considering I am a GRAMMA and you are the future..."
It is scary to think that you are the future, that people in the next generation are relying on you to be there: to know and to educate. I also find it interesting that I can connect to someone who is many years my senior, living in Washington, and has been teaching for many years. How else could I have connected with her besides through the web's interconnections? I may only be in my first year but I feel I am already beginning to be moulded into an educator. It is comforting to know that some aspects of my youth will still remain after I begin my teaching career.

Stuck in PreCMP
The responses I received for this post really got me to understand and realize that there is a huge support for people out there for social learning. After I posted this, I was only expecting a little reassurance from Dean but what I found was a huge support of people (I have never met before!) willing to tell me everything was going to be okay. This all a part of this social learning process, connecting and relating:
Mr. H - "Please continue to blog and reflect about your learning. Develop a PLN and use the network to make you a better teacher...Don't give up and continue to be a learner. I learn everyday from my PLN. Thanks for being a blogger and a student that 'get's it'."
M Coleman - "Learning is social, as well - so the tools for learning through your blogging/commenting, podcasting, etc will all benefit you in the future. Keep smiling and keep moving forward - you are off to a great start!"
Richard Schwier - "Keep challenging yourself, keep growing, and at the same time, be patient with yourself. This stuff takes time."
Plus this response from Debbie really got me thinking about why I'm in education in the first place (something that I often wonder about and question my motives for):
Debbie - "So what is it about teaching that draws you to the profession?"

Dionne's Blog
Our back and forth chatter in So What's the Difference? really got me excited about commenting and online learning. As well, in her post: Final Project [Project #1 Done], we discussed censorship and learning.

Final Project: The Run Down
Checking this post out made me think about how I use music in my podcast:
Dan - "I wrote a post earlier this year entitled, 'Don't Let Your Students Use Music In Their Video Projects,' the general thrust of which is that students should establish tone and theme through editing and content, using someone else's music only as a last resort."
Music is such an important aspect of my life, I cannot imagine living without it. Although I can play music (I have my Grade 6 RCM Piano certificate) it is so much easier to rely on others' creations. Maybe my next step is create my own music for my podcasts...hmmm...

Animoto and Voicethread as Digital Storytelling Tools
recommended by both CogDogRoo and Teryl from Knoxville
My mentorship with Teryl encouraged me to go out and discover some different Digital Storytelling tools. It just so happened that it coincided with a presentation we received from CogDogRoo. Although there were 50+ ways to discover, Teryl's class guided my learning (had it not been for that Skype conversation I would have missed out on these tools). Because they are straightforward, I can see how potentially easy it would be to use these in the classroom (as Teryl, obviously, has already figured out).