blogs as a Learning tool....

Well I know I have already posted to this blog once before about how I think blogs can be used as a learning tool, but for this next class it has become a requirement again to answer this same questions and create a blog. You think that maybe in these classes in the same degree program they would not repeat assignments....but oh well, lets see how much I can improve how much more I believe blogs can be used for educational purposes. Please do look up my other post about how I find blogging to be educational. I might miss something from that post and not put it in this post.

Blogging is something that does take some skill to some extent, I am not a writer at heart and find it hard to always know how to put what I am feeling into words and down on paper/computer. But with practice I have found ways to improve upon how to write in a more efficient way and give blogging a chance. I don't keep up on it regularlly but I do try to do it when I have the time.

As far as being educational, I think that being able to know how to blog can be a very bennifical thing for all students, learing how to write down what you are feeling or what you are experienceing in your life helps you to be able to express yourself. this is a skill that will remain for a lifetime.

My daughter blogs in her own sort of way. She write creative stories and shares them online with her friends. She has found a site called Tikitok that allow young students to post their creative writing online for others to read and comment on. This was a great way for her to get her writing out there and read by her peers, since she is homeschooled and doesn't get much of that. She made a few friends online and loved reading others books and getting more ideas for new books she wanted to write. This site also allowed for authors to work together on books and post them to the site.
But now some new developments have come of this public site, some kids were not following the rules and such so the administration has to make it more restrictive because of the negative comments that were happening and the complaints they were getting. This upset my daughter and one of her close friends who lives here, because this was a place they felt they could express themselves and make friend with other authors.
As you can see from this above story, having public sites sometimes becomes a problem and makes it hard for those of use who want to use them properly to be able to do that because of those who spoil it for them. I think that my daughter could use blogger.com to post her stories on and share the links with her friends locally and on facebook if she wanted too, then she would still have a way to share the books she so enjoys writing.
I also see blogging as a way teachers can create little communities in their classrooms to encourage their students to improve their creative writing and share with their peers. This could be monitored closesly links kept private so that the problems my dauther ran into on Tikitok would be reduced from happening.
Overall blogging is an educational tool, if it is monitored for kids.

Links of sites I talked about in this post:
blogger.com
http://www.tikatok.com/

Week 3 in EDU651

This week we did some Facebook applications, which I already had a facebook and account and was pretty familiar with it. I did have fun though reviewing other types of applications I had not checked out. I did find some of them could be very educational for students.

We also created a ning.com account. I see this site/application as being more educational for classrooms because it gives the teacher more ways to intereact with her students in a private networks just for those students and not with any other social distractions.

Very productive week.

Week 2 in EDU 651

This weeks readings and posts in the blackboard classroom have all been about wikis and what can be done with them. I personally think that wiki's are the future of educational learning. I think more and more schools, colleges, and online schools will be including and improving upon the wikis they use or will be using inthe future. Students can learn from and connect with other students around the globe through learning activities like this.
I also can see schools taking this technology and incorporating it into the public school system. I know schools generally don't have the money for things like this, but this is something that could be so easily incorporated into the classroom with low cost. It may take some time, but I believe this is the future and all schools will go this directions eventually.

Here is my pbworks page link.

http://ortizclan2.pbworks.com/

It is still a work in progress, but I hope to have more up and running with it tomorrow.

Figured out the the pbworks wiki assignment!

Well I spend time reading and trying to figure out the pbworks wiki assignment. I was a little confused as to how to use the wiki page a created on pbworks. I had created it a while ago for another class, but was not quite sure how this class was wanting me to use it. But after a little reading and investigation, I figured it out. I am going to use this as a way to incoporate my daughters creative writing into my own school. She loves to writen and has a bunch of stories she has already written and some still working one. I will have her post some of her stories to this page and we will work together to edit and me give her feedback in how she can improve upon her writing. This should be really fun.
I does seem a little silly since she is in the house with me most of the time and I can just as easily read her stuff right from her computer, but it will be neat to use this technology and find ways to incoporate it into my unique teaching situation of homeschooling.

Finish BA on to MA (technology degree)

I have graduated from Ashford University with my Bachelors in Organizational Management, with a concentration in Education. I was looking for a BA in education because that is what I wanted to go for....but there was a bit of confusion when I signed up for this degree, I was told by the enrollment advisor I could do most of my classes in education and my degree would say education. But when I finished  and recieve my diploma, I was surprised to see my degree said organizational management. I called the school and they said they were sorry but there was nothing they could do. It was just basically a mix up with someone telling me on thing and getting another. But oh well, I am taking it instride.
Now I am still attending Ashford earning my Masters, in technology. The degree is called Teaching and Learning with Technology. So far I am loving it and I am learning a lot of different things and new technologies available out there, especially things available for teachers and educators.
This will be someing I see myself helping to better educate my children and will deffinately help with finding a job to pay off my school loans since technology is advacing so fast. Many people will be looking for people who know how to use this technology.
Lord willing I will continue to recieve A's in these classes.

Blogging can be very educational.

Blogging by some might be considered to be a waste of time or even something that is just for those people who likes to write or just chat and gossip with others. But in my opinion blogging can be a very educational tool. Students at a Jr. high level and up can find this tool to be very useful in their studies and find it as a way to communicate and learn from others about their education. Junior High and High School students can do research about other countries and places around the world and find blogs by those who live in those areas and read their blogs to find out about their culture they live in.
Pictures and videos can be used in blogs too to help enhance the learning experience.
College students can find this to be something that will also enhance their learning experience and aid them in whatever they are studying. Also college age students can use blogging in their education because a lot of college education is happening online, in part or in full. Like in my online learning I have earned my bachelors totally online, and now I am working on my masters online.
Also I find blogging to be a tool used by many homeschoolers parents and student. My daughter and I are members of two sister sites for homeschool families around the world. The Homeschool Lounge and The Little Lounge. These sites provide a community that is just for homeschoolers and it is a site you can chat, blog, share information or find information to help you in your homeschooling journey. This is wonderful for Homeschoolers who are not sure what to do with a particular problem they are having or if they need to find a new math curriculum.
The sister site, The Little Lounge is for the kids of these homeschool parents, where they can join if their parents are members of The Homeschool Lounge and they can meet other homeschoolers their age and chat with them about their daily activities and also blog about their lives too.
http://www.thehomeschoollounge.com
http://www.thelittlelounge.com/

Time Management/online schools

Time Management is one of those things that needs to be done very carefully if you are a stay at home mom, homeschooling three kids, and attending school yourself via an online school.
I for the most part manage to do this very well, but there are times that I would rather be knitting or crocheting , which is my favorite hobby. But being a stay at home mom who is committed to homeschooling my children, I have to make sure I allow time for both.
Most of my daytime duties are taking care of the children and the house, then after the kids go to bed I spend evenings studying and catching up on my school work, sometimes also planning for their school the next week.
Being a mom is a busy job, but very rewarding.
Online school does allow for me to be able to continue being a mom though and I would not trade this for the world. Anyone who wants to be able to further their education and still be at home with their children to provide the best for them, online schools are the best alternative.
I have been attending online schools four about 4 years now. I have earned my bachelors in education with Ashford University, and now I am continuing on to receive my Masters in Teaching and Learning with technology.