Before the challenged started, I knew very little about personalized learning networks, other than them being something to do with technology! It was news to me that the ever-famous twitter was one of them. I knew more or less how twitter worked, but I didn't know you could follow anyone, let alone unknown people who may have the same lines of profession. Following other PE teachers worldwide, is something that will be invaluable to me for future professional development. I had always thought that Twitter served mostly social and entertainment purposes, and have learned that it can be valuable in education too.
Feedly has helped me to consolidate my reading lists and keep it all in the same place, rather than searching via several pieces of software online and on my smart phone. I have learned what RSS is, thanks to the challenge, and now realize that I have been using RSS's for a long time despite really knowing the concept behind it!
The concept of Diigo is an excellent one, although the interface is difficult for those of us who aren't very computer savvy. As educators, we use a variety of sources online that are often hard to find again. Being able to have all of this information in one place, and a toolbar to ease navigation, is most advantageous. Furthermore, we can even add sticky notes and highlight areas of interest!
Seems like you have learned a lot! You'll have to help me understand the Twitter thing. I get how if you follow someone, you can learn from them. But do you follow them all the time? How much time does one have to put in "following" before getting something useful? I am always asking myself how much "bang" I'm going to get for my time, you know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteYes, you can follow them all the time and get their updates on a regular basis. It should be pretty easy, although you have to select them wisely otherwise you'll get all kinds of things!
ReplyDeleteI think the best use would be for advisories - keeping parents and family informed about trips, performances, etc.
My problem is simply knowing what to write that would remotely interest my audience!