The last portion of Digital Nation brought up several points that really grabbed my attention. I found it very intriguing within the Relationships segment when World of Warcraft guild members said that they have formed closer online friendships than real life ones and the majority of them have never ever met one another face to face. I guess technology really has rewritten the rules of interaction for society. There is definitely a societal urge to connect to people online and I must admit that prior to this class, my connecting online did not extend past the people that I knew and had talked to face to face. However, I am now finding it easier to open up and put my virtual self out there by commenting on blogs and twittering. It is still in it’s beginning stages however, I have definitely taken more steps in this particular direction than I have even before. It is surprising and very satisfying the connections one makes via the internet. Making a Connection was a post that I wrote back in March about a connection I make with a student from B.C. by simply just commenting on her blog. Her comments back along with her enthusiasm made my day.
Since my boyfriend is in the military, more specifically the Air Force, I find myself becoming more and more drawn to military issues in particular. This world is definitely foreign to me in terms of lingo, procedures, etc. (kind of like how technology was at the beginning of this course) however, the more effort I make to learn about this world the more comfortable I feel. In regards to Digital Nation , the segments titled Can Virtual Experiences Change Us? and Where are we headed? have really struck a chord with me. Firstly I had no idea that the drones over in Iraq were being flown by pilots back in Las Vegas instead of the pilots physically being present in the country that the actual drone is in. Watching this segment reminded me of how people sit down and play video games to be honest, except in this case the U.S. soldiers are sitting down a half a world away to fight a virtual war. Boy, reality and virtual are overlapping to the degree that I wonder if you would be ever able to separate them again?
Showing posts with label connecting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label connecting. Show all posts
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Gadgets and...Joining Twitter!
For the last couple of days, I have been really trying to make my blog my own personalized space. Now, for tech savvy people, this post probably will not be the most entertaining to read however, I feel very proud to say the least of how I have managed to dive into the inner workings of my blog page and (to my amazement) actually understand the majority of it!
As the title of this post states, I tried to spice up my page by adding gadgets. My first priority was finding out how to add a Clustr Map which I discovered was not as hard as I thought. Next, I went on a search to see what other gadgets are out there and how hard would it be to place them on my blog? Well, not very difficult at all. I added a Date and Time gadget and found a Poll application that was easy to add through my settings. Since the Olympics have just ended, I thought that this would be the perfect topic to practice my poll creating skills on by having people vote on the best overall moments. This idea was good in theory until I never included the Ice Hockey Gold for both men and women as an option. This little slip then brought about a minor speed bump due to the fact that I could not change the options once a vote had been cast. Overall, the process was remarkably easier than I thought and I find myself becoming increasingly engaged in searching not only for more cool gadgets but others things that I could do with my blog as well.
My success on my blog has finally tipped me over the edge and strengthen my bravery to the point where…drum roll please…I have decided to join Twitter ... the thought of which a couple of months ago scared me to death!
One of the main reasons that brought about my joining was that my previous post, Making a Connection was tweeted out by Alec Couros and as a result, I not only received 4 comments on that particular post but also have had 40+ visits to my blog from a variety of countries. This type of social networking power is difficult to ignore when it is staring you right in the face. I decided that even though I was slightly intimated about signing up I would just be doing myself and my future students a disservice by not including Twitter in my PLN.
So far, I have been welcomed with many gracious tweets and had connected with a variety of educators who have also put me onto some great sites and resources…which I hopefully will have time to blog about in the future!
As the title of this post states, I tried to spice up my page by adding gadgets. My first priority was finding out how to add a Clustr Map which I discovered was not as hard as I thought. Next, I went on a search to see what other gadgets are out there and how hard would it be to place them on my blog? Well, not very difficult at all. I added a Date and Time gadget and found a Poll application that was easy to add through my settings. Since the Olympics have just ended, I thought that this would be the perfect topic to practice my poll creating skills on by having people vote on the best overall moments. This idea was good in theory until I never included the Ice Hockey Gold for both men and women as an option. This little slip then brought about a minor speed bump due to the fact that I could not change the options once a vote had been cast. Overall, the process was remarkably easier than I thought and I find myself becoming increasingly engaged in searching not only for more cool gadgets but others things that I could do with my blog as well.
My success on my blog has finally tipped me over the edge and strengthen my bravery to the point where…drum roll please…I have decided to join Twitter ... the thought of which a couple of months ago scared me to death!
One of the main reasons that brought about my joining was that my previous post, Making a Connection was tweeted out by Alec Couros and as a result, I not only received 4 comments on that particular post but also have had 40+ visits to my blog from a variety of countries. This type of social networking power is difficult to ignore when it is staring you right in the face. I decided that even though I was slightly intimated about signing up I would just be doing myself and my future students a disservice by not including Twitter in my PLN.
So far, I have been welcomed with many gracious tweets and had connected with a variety of educators who have also put me onto some great sites and resources…which I hopefully will have time to blog about in the future!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Making a Connection
During the break, I had a chance to comment on a few of the the Grade 5/6 blog's from Comox, B.C. I commented on one blog in particular, written by "An Actress in the Making" Tatiana . She had written the most lovely poetry as well as a post or two on the movie Twilight which I also enjoyed watching. While on her blog, I also noticed that she had a Clustr map in the corner (...hmmm...I must figure out how to get me one of those!)
Since I was in L.A. for a while during the break, I figured that I could help some of these students get a red dot on their map since I always enjoyed seeing the red dots appear on our EPS blog in 3rd year. Anyways, I finished my comment to her and honestly, wasn't expecting much of a respond back...well, I was definitely wrong in that assumption!
She commented on my comment (I think that's how it works) and started asking me questions about L.A. and if she could write a blog post about my trip since she wants to travel there in the future. I must admit, I was amazed how excited she sounded and I was so honoured that she wanted to write about little old me...a person she had never even heard of prior to my comment. As a teacher, all I wanted to do was fuel that excitement for writing! She ended up writing an excellent post: Trip To Los Angles
Before this class, I thought I understood why people liked putting their thoughts out there on the internet. I figured was that they just wanted their voice to be heard. But talking with Tatiana made me realize that it is much more than that. It doesn't matter if your opinion is out there if you don't make a connection with someone else. A page or blog could exist forever and never really perform its purpose if someone else does not take the time to reach out and comment. I really was touched at the connection I made...and I hope to make many, many more :)
Since I was in L.A. for a while during the break, I figured that I could help some of these students get a red dot on their map since I always enjoyed seeing the red dots appear on our EPS blog in 3rd year. Anyways, I finished my comment to her and honestly, wasn't expecting much of a respond back...well, I was definitely wrong in that assumption!
She commented on my comment (I think that's how it works) and started asking me questions about L.A. and if she could write a blog post about my trip since she wants to travel there in the future. I must admit, I was amazed how excited she sounded and I was so honoured that she wanted to write about little old me...a person she had never even heard of prior to my comment. As a teacher, all I wanted to do was fuel that excitement for writing! She ended up writing an excellent post: Trip To Los Angles
Before this class, I thought I understood why people liked putting their thoughts out there on the internet. I figured was that they just wanted their voice to be heard. But talking with Tatiana made me realize that it is much more than that. It doesn't matter if your opinion is out there if you don't make a connection with someone else. A page or blog could exist forever and never really perform its purpose if someone else does not take the time to reach out and comment. I really was touched at the connection I made...and I hope to make many, many more :)
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