Final Thoughts of Social Learning

Social networking has made a difference in my classroom. I am now bringing in more outside sources to reinforce the lesson or idea that is being taught in my class. These are the bits of the course that my students discuss with fellow students. An example of this is when I showed my students the whirlpool that was formed from the earthquake in Japan. I had students come into the class later in the day and asked to see the video that their buddies where talking about at lunch. These are the things the students remember not the equation for Ohm's Law. By incorporating these 21st century tools students born and raised in this century can connect and relate to these things. Connecting to students using current technology helps them view myself as a teacher willing to try to use the technology they use in their daily lives. Also finding the feed on twitter from the national geological society posting all the earthquakes happening everyday helps students realize the earth is in a constant mode of change. Still two weeks after I showed them this feed the first thing we do in class is look at what parts of the globe experienced earthquakes over the last 24 hours. Overall social networking has broaden my views of where to look for resources and ideas to use in my class.
I plan on continuing my social networking after this class is over. I will continue to bookmark helpful sites in my Delicious site and share the site with my fellow teachers. I have had several request to use some of my sites I found in other teachers class because their students asked them about the sites they learned about from my students. Delicious is a great place to save Internet sites that I  have found and I can go back to a month or year from now and rediscover that information. On a personal side I hate to say it but I am addicted to twitter for all the Husker football information that I can find in one place. I catch myself checking out my tweek deck several times a day looking for newly posted information.
I see the online education community changing the culture of education down to its bones. This is the current fight education is in right now. One side is educators embracing online resources and showing how it can be use successfully inside the classroom. On the other side you have educators stuck in their ways in thinking that this new wave of ideas is just crazy and has no place inside their classroom. I personally have had old school teachers come up to me and ask why I am doing this or that with the Internet and I tell them this is how are students are learning these days. The ability to interact and get feed back from not only your students but leaders in fields of the topics that you are discussing instantly is awesome. This is something that was impossible 20 years ago now every class room has the ability to talk and discuss ideas and issues with people a town, state, or country away right now is incredible. Until we as a educational community as a whole embraced social networking there is always going to be problems. But when we do embrace it (I believe someday down the road we all will) the benefits will be grand, and we will look  back and say we should have done this long ago.

Austin Zeimet
This could be the most typing I have done since my last final I did in college. My fingers and mind are tired.

How Social Media Can Change History

I just finished watching the Ted talk by Clay Shirky - How social media can make history. This talk really was interesting the presenter went through the 5 times in history that media change the world really makes you think we are living in a time of change. I enjoyed how Clay gave us examples of how social network and the abilities of the Internet make connecting with so many people instantaneous. In the future students will be able to find information on events happening during their class period. I think that the capabilities of the Internet is endless and as student's educations become more integrated with this vast resource will only help their learning. Just as China's government is learning no matter how good your firewall is if there is a will the students will find a way to get on to sites they want to get on. So in my opinion we have as educators can continue to fight a loosing battle or we can embrace this new media that is changing history and let students use it to reforce information taught in the classroom.

Austin Zeimet

P.S.
If you dont live on the edge you are taking up to much space

The outcome of my plate tectonics

So I have finished my project dealing with plate tectonics. The students loved the video of the whirlpool. They keep asking me if there where people in the boat and if they got sucked down. After discussion on that issue we finally got on to what actually started this whirlpool. The students did a great job on identifying where in the world each type of fault and plate interaction takes place. After the tragedy in Japan the students where very interested and attentive when I was discussing what happen and why this event happened. Overall both my students and I had a great class and continue to bring this topic up in conversations.

Austin Zeimet
P.S
If you don't go HAM at the horse races then don't go at all. If you don't know you are not in touch with the youth.

Back in the Saddle Again

For those people out there that sit in front of their computers waiting for my latest blog here it is. This week in my science class I am incorporating the earthquake in Japan into my plate tectonics unit. One resource I will be using is a video clip I found on the SciNewsBlog. In this video clip it shows a giant whirlpool forming after the earthquake hit Japan. Once I show this clip I will discuss why this happened. After explaining this clip that will be the perfect lead into the different types of interactions the tectonic plates have with each other. Once my brillant lecture is over I will bring up this plate simulator that I found  on the PBS internet sit that shows animations of each type of interaction. I will use this simulator as a end of class review for my students so they can see each type of plate interaction.

Austin Zeimet
PS
If you don't LOVE it LEAVE it USA #1

Week 3 and we are not talking about P90X

(picture found )

I just got done reading a blog by Tim Gwynn. It is as if he went through the same situation as I did in college. I was in the pre-pharmacy track ready to count pills everyday for the rest of my life. Then one day as I was coach Jr. high football I like teaching kids. Just like Tim I talked it over with my parents and gained their acceptance and have never looked back. When I tell people this story they always asked about if I think about how much money I could of made. I always say that yeah I would have made more money but hated every second of the day I was in that profession. When I am teaching it is if time fling by. Students will ask me why I am always smiling and I tell them I love my life. Passion to me is waking up every morning and being happy to go my job. Passion also a change in words with passion you say, "what do I get to do today" with out passion you say,"what do I have to do today". I catch myself saying the first one more than the second one.
P.S
College Baseball regular season start tomorrow. Their has been two days nice enough to play a game. Maybe this is why all the Southern teams are so good.

Week 3

After reading the article The Power of Connections I realize that I am going through the same process has the author. Entering into this new world of technology I was nervous about what could go wrong. But as I continue to learn about the positive aspects of Twitter and blogging I see what these programs can do in the form of tools to help connect with people. Via all these sites it is no problem to get in contact with people from around the world to get their point of view on subjects that are on your mind. I can see why this new connection with everyone is so addicting to so many young people there is a constant flow of information coming to them on topics they decide are interesting. I also like that telling my students that I have a twitter account and a blogg increased my coolness in their eyes.

The second article I read was on 5 tips for smarter social networking. The one tip I like is mix professional and personal lives to me I do not want to sit there and read about some issue on a blogg unless I get to know that the author knows what they are doing, and they do this by telling us there personal history with this topic. The other tips I do not know about; in my job I can get into trouble if I say to provokative things. The whole idea of showing vulnerability is just not my style. I do not need random people to know my weakness and falts. I have no clue if I am right or wrong on this issue but hell what do I know I just started to get into this social networking deal 2 weeks ago.

P.S. Thank You Packers I owe you guys one

2nd Week of PLN

This is the second week of my class and I have become part of the revolution called twitter. So far I am following several people who cover Husker regruiting and boxing. I find twitter very helpful as it is a one stop shop for information I am looking for. In the past I would have to hunt the depth of the internet to find out this information but now I just have to get onto my twitter account. I can see how this could be addicting for people wanting to stay on the top of breaking news. In the field of education I could see this tool as helpfull in getting information to students after school hours or on snow days. I hope to stay on top of this blog and keep you posted on things I am learning in this class and happening in my world.

Austin Zeimet

P.S
I need the Packers to win the Super Bowl one time Packer for me.