Journal #7 PLN Reflection

Out of all PLN’s that we used I found out that you can find a lot of valuable information to use in a classroom setting. I enjoyed using Digg a lot for the reason that I was able to find tons of great historical sources. I found a few groups that were just littered with viable materials that would be very suitable for the classroom.  I would say that that I used the RSS feed just slightly less because I was unable to find as many good groups as I did with Digg.  The affinity group that I joined was called “modern technology” and it was a very interesting group that kept up with various technological breakthroughs, but it was nothing I would find as valuable in a class I would be teaching. I did look for history affinity groups, but it was VERY difficult to find them. I even looked on Twitter for a historical affinity group, but was still not able to find one that I found suitable.

The last of the PLN’s that I really used was Twitter. I am not a huge fan of Twitter, but I do see how it can be used in the classroom if handled correctly. Although my experiences with Twitter was more about “trending” topics you can still explore and have good content for modern/ current event assignments. These are the experiences that I have had with the PLN’s that we used for class. Lastly, I do believe most of these do have a space in the classroom, they just have to be utilized effectively.

Q1 Do you think PLN’s will change over time?

A1 Yes I believe that things like Social media will continue to progress, and in about 20 years from now we might have a different social media that will take over things such as Facebook or Twitter. These new websites or apps might be more beneficial in due time, and might even transition to a more educational mindset (maybe).

Q2 Do you think ALL PLN’s have a place for the classroom

A2 Although I would love to say yes, I can’t. I do not believe things such as Facebook or even Apps like snapchat or Instagram will lever find its way into the classroom. That would be just because I find it very difficult to manage these apps and websites. I feel that some PLN’s are very good opportunities, while some should just stay in the social media realm. 

Journal #6 Reflection

     Over the first 5 weeks of class I have learned many skills. For the most part I have been familiarized with both HTML and CSS. I believe that these skills are both the easiest AND hardest things that I have learned so far this quarter. This would be because now since I have a greater understanding of the system, there are still things that I struggle to understand. If I look at straight code, I do have a good sense on what is going on, but when I want to put those codes in action it is fairly difficult to just start coding by memory. Also, I believe the toughest project to come is going to be the website final. This is because it will require pretty much everything that we have earned this quarter to accomplish. Also, HTML is the hardest because it is very unforgiving when it comes down to it. You can have multiple lines of code entered in perfectly, but if you so much misspell or forget a comma or even a bracket, the whole process would not work. It is by far a very tedious and complex process. The most rewarding assignment that I have completed in the course would have to be the pimp my shoes assignment. This would be because it required so much of us to complete. It required us to make boxes, clickable options, and even to make sure it would be able to link to another website for confirmation that an application was successfully sent and accepted. Although this class has taught me many different things with CSS, HTML, and even Photoshop I have to say that the most rewarding and difficult thing that I have gone through is the HTML coding. Although for the reasons I have stated make it seem tough, I am very determined to learn as much as I can.