Final Reflection EdTech 543 – Social Network Learning

Image Credit – Creative Commons

I have to pinch myself to believe my MET journey nears completion. This is my final blog entry prior to entering Portfolio this spring. I am pleased to have saved Social Network Learning for my last class. This class proved to be a real eye-opener and yet allowed me to utilize knowledge gleaned from preceding classes.

What Did You Learn?
I see Kwai Chang Caine, with contrived oriental music in the background, wanting to begin with “But Master, I learned so much. I do not know where to begin.” And that would be the truth. However, we must answer, Grasshoppers. We must think.

Points That Stood Out For Me:
I created a Plan Be to “be my best me” composed of positive statements to direct and focus my own actions. I spent two extra hours trying to override Screencast-o-matic YouTube user profiles as I wanted to use the professional profile I created in this class. Fearing I would lose my recording that took far too many attempts to clip under fifteen minutes, I ultimately capitulated. However, the amount of distress I put myself through certainly underscored for me how much I learned about my own digital footprint and what, who and how I want myself represented in the digital world.

The Curation of Theatre Social Networking Case Studies assignment proved a challenging assignment, and yet I found great value in my struggles to be precise in my search and sharing. I truly wanted the product to be something of value over a numerical grade. The Twitter/Tweetdeck Chat assignment proved the value of that medium for professional development. Again, I would not have gone that direction without prodding.

I dreaded the Peer Review of the last project and yet once again, I discovered how the assignment should look by choosing students I admired to review. I also discovered just how much I learned by drawing on my Evaluation for EdTech, Internet for Educators, Intro to EdTech and numerous other classes creating speaking points in the review of my peers.

What Do You Plan To Apply In Your Professional Practice?
As an educator and administrator, I predict Curation, PLNs, Twitter/Tweetdeck, Emodo & Canvas Learning Platforms, Social Networked Learning Units and Peer Review/Crowdsourced Grading would all be elements I would weave into lessons for both students and faculty. I have already shared my Social Media policy ideas with a few hiring authorities. I would love to be a part of revamping forward-thinking policies at my next school.

I always viewed myself as a great communicator in both the written and spoken word. I see through this course that I have much to learn and cannot assume that just because I write or say something that it is processed on the other end, especially in a digital space. I must continue to own both areas and work to ensure that processing has taken place. By the same token, I have to ask questions to make certain I am processing as well. My own assumptions can get in the way and that was never more evident than in the course. I own that and recognize I must be the instrument of change and do all I can to make that process smooth.

Growing up in the Deep South, I shared more than one meal with families who worshipped differently than my own. Jews do not experience baptism. However, I have been to the river in this course, experienced total immersion and feel renewed. I want to carry this knowledge forward and spread the gospel of Social Network Learning. I feel stirred by the knowledge acquired and truly want to incorporate all that I have learned into a more relevant and current educator and administrator.

Reflect and Assess Your Blog Experience and Grade Your Performance
My blog posts honestly reflected my journey. I offered resources when pertinent and applicable. My posts were not casual or minimal by any means. I feel I exceeded expectations by being honest and candid about the topic, lessons and how I dealt with struggles throughout. Though I feel that work was exemplary, I did not blog outside the classroom box. I am trying to move beyond my own reservations and that continues to be a struggle. The length of this post notwithstanding, I have more to travel in my journey to become a habitual blogger. For that reason alone, I cannot bring myself to say I deserve one hundred percent of credit for my blogging in a Social Network Learning class. I feel 70/75 is an accurate score for my work.

BYOT & Social Media Meet AUP

Image Credit – Creative Commons

BYOT and Social Media present new and exciting possibilities for all community members of any 9-12 boarding school. As such, the operational envelope for all members should be defined. In my opinion, if one identifies a need or a problem in a boarding school community, that person should offer both the need/problem and his/her suggested solution.

I created a BYOT/Social Media Policy that I think would fit an imaginary boarding school, since I am not currently employed. However, I would not implement this without the whole document being vetted by the community. It is unrealistic to think that we will create a “perfect” document that meets the desires of every single person. However, we can and should listen to all members of the community so that all do indeed have a voice in adapting and modifying the document. Since that school does not exist, and I have no idea of the actual staff, parents or students, I listed my collaboration plan at the beginning of the document.

I not only used the Resources offered, I used a boarding school I respect as a model for a plan that I feel will approach the BYOT/Social Media guidelines in a way that promotes a positive experience for all stakeholders.

My concerns with BYOT and Social Media are that everything in our lives moves to instant gratification. The answers we seek are immediately available. The picture we want to post is online before we get home. Unfortunately, we tend to react emotionally just as fast, taking issues to social media that maybe should never make the cut.

Faculty/Staff are primarily are young educators and for many their first place of employment. Often, the line between the professional and students gets blurred in the eyes of these young educators. Setting parameters for device use seems logical.

Parents also seem to react with intense passions. Including them in these from the outset will help keep them framed in the heat of a moment.

Lastly, students will see All, Faculty/Staff, and Parents are addressed prior to their specific demographic. I truly think this will help model the expectations the community needs to prosper. If not, then I think the revision process will take us to a livable document.

View this document on Scribd

Learning, Sharing, & Participating – Online Communities

Tasked to join at least four communities during this module, our instructor tossed the gauntlet to not just lurk but extend ourselves by participating. Challenge accepted.

Initially, I lurked and tried to grasp if the community I chose fit my needs. Eventually, I offered thoughts, tips or ideas and freely shared my passions. I joined five total communities because I feared one was going to delay too long in accepting me and to be honest was afraid it was no longer current.

The English Companion

Question posed by teachermom in a community dedicated to English/Language Arts teachers.

Post 1 – Teachermom posed a question about her school’s upcoming Student/Teacher/Parent Conferences. Evidently, someone in leadership (possibly her) made a decision to offer Student-led Conferences this year. It seems like an exciting evening for the 7th & 8th graders. Somehow, the teachers are not supporting the evening. The OP questions ways to help insure the evening planned for Nov 7th goes off without a hitch. Hard to accomplish her goals when the staff does not feel those goals belong to them. My reply is posted below.

I respond to teachermom with some clarification questions and an action plan.

Post 2 – I found another poster to whom I wanted to address. This poster was looking for plays that addressed questions of Social Injustice with regard to race, LGBT vantage points. His post follows.

Peer searches for plays addressing Social Injustice from race or LGBT vantage point.

Since I felt I could add to the conversation, I did.

I reply to Johnson’s request and offer a few titles that have not been offered while affirming some that have.

Post 3 – The next post was still in the same community. However, this question dealt with teaching ELL. Alia Mohammed Rashid addresses three concerns: lack of learner motivation; insufficient time, resources and materials; and overcrowded English classes. I will attach the screenshot here.

Part 1 of my peer’s questions. Not clear if this was a baited post or if his/her questions are real. I choose real.

The rest of Rashid’s questions appear here.

My reply follows in two screenshots.

I reply to Rashid’s questions and break down my response.

I complete my reply to my peer, sharing my opinion in a professional manner.

Drama Net Online Community

Post 4

This particular community took time to validate my request to join. Perhaps it was due to the New Zealand location. I really wanted to explore connecting across the globe. Benjamin posted a question of how to manage play selection in a single-sex school. Having performed in a single-sex environment at my high school and selecting plays for single-sex in public school, I felt compelled to respond.

Response to question regarding single-sex play choices.

Drama Teachers and Resources for them

Post 5

Alison Chaplin posted a question, “Are drama games worthwhile? What are their benefits?” Since I advocate the use of “drama” games, I felt compelled to reply.

I offered my response to the question of drama game use.

Post 6

Since this was a community of fellow Drama/Theater teachers, I felt it worthwhile to offer my Curated page of Drama teacher resources.

Offered the group my curated page of Drama resources.

Post 7

I also thought it worthwhile to share my plan for safeguarding digital identity.

Shared Safeguarding My Digital Identity – Plan B to help grow my brand.

New Teacher Chat Online Community

Through Google + and our Twitter Chat professional development, Lisa Dable, the creator of #ntchat, and I hit it off. She invited me to continue participating and I noticed she ran an online community for new teachers as well. I joined the community and felt compelled to offer my digital curation. (Lisa had already shared Safeguarding My Digital Identity – Plan B.)

Post 8

I offered my curated page of Drama resources to the ntchat online community.

Post 9

I felt compelled to offer my plan to safeguard digital identity. I felt it would be of value to both new and not-so-new teachers on this site.

Shared Safeguarding My Digital Identity – Plan B with the group.

International Teacher Recruitment – Teaching Jobs Overseas (LinkedIn Online Community)

Since approval to the first Drama Community I joined was taking what felt like an eternity, I joined an online community through LinkedIn to help me meet my goal of returning to the Dean of Students office.

Post 10

I joined an online community for International Teaching Jobs as a way to build traffic to my LinkedIn page.

This was a valuable assignment. Were it not for the post requirement, I might have taken a much longer road to posting and revealing myself. The experience challenged me to represent my brand and choose my words carefully. I am better for the experience.

Curious B’s PLE and Peer Analysis

Tasked to create a visual representation of my Personal Learning Environment excited my creative juices. I explored the exemplars and tried to find what resonated with me. As classmates posted, I determined a plain background just would not work. I needed something to connect the whole.
Throughout my journey through the MET program, I feel like a cross between a Blue Man from Blue Man Group and a character from the storybooks of my childhood, Curious George. For those unfamiliar with any of the Blue Man shows, all things we take for granted in our environment fascinate the characters. They act as though they have never seen any of any of the objects they bring to stage. Their naïve, child-like discovery reactions are priceless and part of the charm of the show. Exploring all the new skills and tools, I often feel like a Blue Man in brand new-to-me territory. I identify with Curious George. Again, he explores his world with a naïveté that is part of his charm. His mistakes become teachable moments. I felt it crucial to my diagram that it contain a strong central connecting image representing my Connectivism influence developed through my MET journey and my long-standing student-centered Constructivist nature.
Both characters were neck and neck until it came to the background image needed. I sought an image that would show connections to all parts of my PLE whole. Blue Man offered no help here. However, a banyan tree just leapt into my head as I shifted to Curious George. I searched through Creative Commons until I found one that had the sun backlighting the tree. Rays of light burst through seeming to illuminate this journey, missing only the dramatic punctuation of the organ music from the B movies of my youth.
Moving to the execution phase began as a productive struggle. There were eighteen sample tools. As I moved through those familiar and unfamiliar, I hit a wall as to whether the tools would allow my own image use. Either it would not or would only allow it if I upgraded to a paid account. “Even a fool learns after the second time.” Those words from my grandmother rang in my head. After trying twice the fool criteria, I took my concerns to the class Facebook page and received the help I needed.
I hung the images throughout the tree quickly reaching the 20-image limit of piktochart. There were images left on the cutting room floor as I simply exhausted my choices. Thinking my banyan tree was showing the connections enough, I posted. Soon after, Matt Smeller posted comments that though he enjoyed the image, identified weaknesses in my visual communication. Questions of hierarchy and placement needed answers. Taking my cues from Matt’s notes, I made corrections and reposted. I made changes and added text that I feel added to the whole and made the placement and purpose clearer.
The entire process offered layered learning for me as I utilize the computer to represent the type of educator I have been in-person on the little screen. The following compare and contrast exercise afforded me the chance to analyze the assignment through the eyes of my classmates.

Jody Beesley-Lazarski – PLN Partner
We both used groupings. However, Jody does not delineate which is placed where and why. I do not see group headings, which would have made that clearer for me. Also, beyond the similarity of color bursts I do not see how they each connect to the whole. The image does remind me of a Venn Diagram and if that is the case, I do see where some overlap would naturally occur. The central connection of the banyan tree links all icons, and categories together for me and I looked for a similar connection with Jody’s. She made selections placing certain icons together on specific bursts of color. Her talent in the digital world is obvious and I am often jealous of her skills. This assignment is no exception; however, helping me to see the grouping choices would make this excellent image explode at a new altitude.

Alissa Blackburn – PLN Partner
I feel we used a lot of the same icons. Also, we each placed value on a background image to connect the whole. Her use of many hands layered on the screen in a circle certainly provides a strong connective image. She labeled categories, though for me it was hard to see where one ended and the other began. Though I don’t see where exactly she is in her PLE, and I do see where I am in mine, her image was still quite strong on the page. That is not a negative, just an obvious difference in how we viewed the task. The quote added a thought-provoking layer absent in my own.

Matt Smeller
Matt, like me, chose to use a strong background image to connect the whole image for the viewer. The use of a choir lends itself to a natural grouping of icons by voice: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. As such, I looked for groupings that did not manifest. Part of me likes the image not being grouped, as mine had no groupings at the outset. We had some similar choices of icons and a few I did not use simply due to the platform I chose. I think Google Slides was a great vehicle and cannot believe I overlooked using Google Docs.

Andrew McCrae
Andrew, like me, chose to place his likeness in the middle. Like mine, his image showed a playful side. The overall whole was connected like a recipe. The concept was readily understood and how the pieces fit the whole just added to the quality of the overall image. We had a few common icons and some that were different. One choice, the hashtag icon, required me to research what they were. I always enjoy when my peers make me research their own choices as I deepen my own understanding. I often compare the modern teacher to an alchemist or chef as student-centered learning requires more of a shepard than the sage center stage. I enjoyed seeing what I feel is a similar view expressed in Andrew’s design.

Amanda Hatherly
Amanda chose an aloe plant as her background image. Mine used the icons as leaves on the banyan tree. I am not sure what each of the icons represents on an aloe plant. Amanda placed herself at the center, which I appreciate. All of her icon choices surround her and for that I certainly identify and appreciate. She used groupings, which were readily apparent and easily processed. The spiral image of an aloe plant certainly added a layer to her image and I am a fan of the impact of visual imagery. She chose icons that encouraged work on my part to discover what they were. I appreciate having to explore new areas to understand my peers. I enjoyed that quest. I think her image is effective and the purpose of the assignment met and done well.

Sarah Baughman
Sarah chose an image that I perceive meant to represent her. She also chose a central placement and that resonated with me for making a similar choice. She has categories or purpose of use delineated to the side, which certainly helped my processing. However, the icons are listed vertically and not grouped per se. This left me to question where each icon belongs, and what the hierarchy may be for the placement. Given the totem pole representation, I wanted to ask if one is more important to the other. I felt my own achieved that by using clear groupings. Containing all her images within her human frame connected the individual icons to her whole. Her creativity and image choice was not lost on me as that added a thought-provoking layer I hope I replicated with my banyan tree and Curious B imagery.

Online Professional Development

Image from Creative Commons.

Our professor challenged us to participate in four twitter chats and four webinar sessions for this module. We were provided a resource list to aid in our selections based on our own affinities and content areas. I chose to be an active participant, as I firmly believe there is a direct correlation between what I put into an assignment and what I gain. I selected a cross-section of chats and webinars to broaden both the experience and my interests as a professional. I detail each to offer my reflections on this project. Highlights from each of the twitter chats and webinars follow.

Twitter Chats
I had never experienced a Twitter Chat prior to this assignment. Initially, I experienced sensory overload as information streams from all directions. The moderator poses a series of questions, usually labeling with a Q and a number identifying the order ie – Q1, Q2, etc. Responders use A1, A2 respectively.
When I was a young man, I worked as a paramedic and firefighter. Chats remind me of water traveling from the hydrant to the pumper and then through a smaller hose increasing pressure. The orifice diameter is reduced and then projected through an even smaller tip at the nozzle. The combined results can blow an individual off his/her feet. With all the responders and my twitter feed moving at a lightning pace, an information stream struck me similar in force to that nozzle pressure.
In the beginning I was overwhelmed, paralyzed by the pressure of information. I found it challenging to keep up. However, the more I reflected on the experience, I discovered how much I learned, retained and bookmarked for future use. I felt valued as a participant watching my peers favorite my tweets and retweeting them. I gained numerous followers, which became a high for me. I felt validated as an educator and resource for peers and those I viewed as mentor-types. Honestly, that was a new experience for me and became my preferred vehicle over webinars.

Twitter 1 – October 4, 2014
#satchatwc Topic – Six Traits of Innovation
Moderated by Shelley Burgess
Led by Don Wettrick
Chat Log
The speed at which information flows during a Twitter chat still astounds me. If you know much about fire hoses, that metaphor still sticks in my head. You have hydrant pressure (the normal Twitter feed for SATCHATWC), the pressure increased by the engine (the given chat time), and nozzle or tip pressure (all the individuals spitting information that comes out during the chat time at my screen). It feels better now after the fact. In the moment, I felt blasted by the stream. It felt necessary, like the water when near a hot spot and yet, the initial force stunned me.
Due to the speed of information, I was unable to capture every single post I made. I learned an amazing amount of pearls in the discussion. Wettrick offered many eye-opening thoughts on innovation and what truly makes a daring educator.
Please view some highlights of my experience here.

Twitter 2 – 10/12/2014
#21stedchat
Led by David Prindle @dprindle
Chat Log
Discussion centered on educators’ learning spaces. Again, information flowed rapidly. Even though the pace was quick, I enjoyed the constant interaction and side debates/discussions that resulted. Maybe I enjoyed it because I was better prepared for the massive flow. Did not seem to have as many participants as my first. Could be topic-driven, though I am not sure. I learned a great deal from my fellow participants. I want more, though.
I will try a different venue next and see it a different topic gets my juices flowing. I learned about a variety of learning spaces and that many administrators still harbor antiquated views as to what makes a great learning space.
I have captured a sampling of my participation here.

Third Twitter – 10/14/2014
#pblchat
Led by new tech network
Chat Log
Discussion centered on Maker Spaces. Boy did I learn a great deal. The pace was not as brisk as there were less folks involved than on my two previous Twitter chats. It was good to get a cross-section for comparison.
The biggest benefit was getting a nearly private lesson about Maker Spaces. I was able to contribute to the discussion in a more positive manner once I glanced at the supporting material and the resources I found as well.
I captured a sampling here.

Fourth Twitter – 10/15/2014
#ntchat
Led by Lisa Dabbs @teachingwithsoul
Chat Log – Not Archived
I joined this New Teacher chat because I am an experienced educator and felt I would have something to offer the conversation. I learned that I have the tools now to be an effective mentor should I get the opportunity to be an administrator again. That passion burns brightly still.
A sampling of my participation can be found here.

Fifth Twitter – 10/15/2014
#fledchat
Chat Log
Led by Tammy Neil
Discussion centered around bullying in schools. I am drawn to the subject and felt compelled to participate to explore how others viewed and dealt with bullying. This experience challenged me as I chose simultaneous engagement with #ntchat. I surprised myself keeping up with both conversations at the same time and gained insight in both topics in a relatively short amount of time.
Please see a sampling of my participation here.

Webinars
Right off the bat, I did not enjoy this experience. I found it off-putting that presenters read slides. I felt death by Powerpoint. Instructors presented as talking heads and only a few offered live chats to facilitate real time discussion. Answers to questions were slow in coming if at all. Instructors used words like “great question” for some and not for others, invalidating the questions of those invested in the topic. So much of my MET program challenged me to rethink how we present lessons. It is shameful that presenters do not practice what they preach and use archaic methods to share their information. I found myself forced to find a few pearls of knowledge amidst a sea of shells to validate my invested time.

Webinar 1 – 10/7/2014
Title – Identifying Autism
Archive
Led by Dr. Christopher Smith
Dr. Smith just marched on with his presentation and the chat was on the side. Less real interaction with the participants as in the Twitter chat seemed to make things move slowly along. Q & A added to the discussion toward the end.
I learned about the DAVE Assessment and proved to be an asset as that is a recent development in early detection.
Screen captures of the webinar can be found here.

Webinar 2 – 10/9/2014
Title – Effective School Leaders
Led by Eric Hanushek, PhD
Webinar Recording
Webinar Powerpoint
The speaker (Eric Hanushek) presented his research and made sweeping generalizations based solely upon Texas public schools. Based upon what I read prior to the webinar, I thought a more “how to be” approach was going to take place. Dr. Hanushek looked at statistics as opposed to skill sets.
I felt the format limited participation. Questions were chosen again by the moderator and some where addressed and some were not. Many of the questions participants had were not addressed by the researchers. Also, independent schools were not included in the study and longevity assumptions were invalid for that community.
I felt I wasted a great deal of time on this webinar versus what was gained. I would have appreciated either more comprehensive research, or at the least, a greater clarity of the purpose of the webinar in advance.
Discovering a correlation to public school performances in impoverished schools and the relatively short retention of principals became my key takeaway.
Please see a sampling of my webinar screenshots here.

Webinar 3 – 10/15 /2014
Title – Digital Citizenship
Led by – Kelly Mendoza
Chat Log
Archive
Video Recording
I enjoyed this one a bit more. Audio had some real challenges as they did a sound check before the webinar started and things were fine. Then the moderator and presenter left. When they returned the audio sounded like they were underwater. Took over a quarter of the allotted hour to fix. I found it challenging to remain focused. I was at least pleased that slides were talking points developed further by audio presentation.
Lots of side-chats began happening. One man mentioned his school was starting toward issuing Digital Drivers’ Licenses for students. Upon questioning he admitted that only teachers were on the community that design the DLL. Also, the DDL did not permit anything. I suggested he go back to his group and use the DLL as a computer pass in the library. At least have the DDL mean something on campus so students will want to have it, rather than just issuing a completion card.
My key takeaway proved to be discovering a host of tools at the Common Sense media website that I can access and use in classrooms.
A sampling of screenshots are included here.

Webinar 4 – 10/15/2014
Title – Community Vocational Assessments And Why They Impact IEP
Webinar Recording
Moderater – Jerisa Maseko
Presenter – Matt Fideler
Mr. Fideler read his PowerPoint slides to us. The presenter also chose to highlight certain questions with comments like “Great question!” as opposed to others. I found this off-putting. We do not teach each other like we are supposed to treat students. Maybe this is because I have been taught better practices through this MET program and I have increased expectations of others. The point of this was to show Project Hire’s plan to help Special Education students get to a point where they can work outside the home and engage a productive life.
I would like to incorporate opportunities like those mentioned for future students. Having community business support seems critical and that was my greatest takeaway.
Some sample screenshots are included here.

Creating A PLN Curation Checklist

View this document on Scribd

This week’s assignment tasked us (with partners – Jody Beesley-Lazarski, and Alissa Blackburn) to explore curation and then create a curation checklist with members of our assigned PLNs. “Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme” (Kanter, 2011). Kanter suggested a three-tiered approach – Seek, Sense, and Share (2011).
Initially, I experienced resistance to this task. Left to my own devices, the task seemed suited for a librarian more than an educator. However, the Internet is broad and vast. The sheer amount of information can overwhelm. An experience in a Twitter chat created a turning point. I noticed all links shared during the chat were laser-focused on the topic. Reflecting on resources provided by professors, I noticed they-too were specific items necessary for a given lesson. “Leaving digitally based information to languish in personal electronic filing drawers amid a jumble of unrelated information and with no plans for its survival guarantees its disappearance” (Ogburn, 2010). And the a-ha moment became visible and clear.
Working collaboratively with my PLN partners was intriguing and stimulating. We chose to decide how we would use our checklist first. Our common thread was high school; but, we each came from different content areas. Once we decided on Digital Media in the ELA and Theater classrooms as our goal, the rest assembled quickly. We built our checklist using Google Docs enabling the chat and comments to share information. We also used Facebook messages to share and debate use of text, quotes and the way the information would appear on the page. Our rowboat followed a collective azimuth. Three oars were constantly in the water.
Our biggest challenges were working through three different time zones, our different vantage points and varied personal demands beyond this class. The greatest benefit was seeing this assignment through the eyes of my partners. At times, we each were coxswain, providing guidance and direction. We each allowed another to guide and rowed hard to validate their vision. The outcome would be different if any of us were removed and another classmate inserted. Exploring the projects of other groups did not make me feel our product is more or less viable. We arrived at our destination that works for those in this boat.
We learned from one another creating a combined whole. “To prepare the next generation of scholars, the knowledge and skills for managing data should become part of an education process that includes opportunities for students to contribute to the creation and the preservation of research in their fields” (Ogburn, 2010, p. 244). I have no doubt our implementation of this checklist will prove successful in the next phase of this project.

References:

Kanter, B. (2011, Oct 4). Content curation primer. (Web log comment). Retrieved
October 4, 2014, from http://www.bethkanter.org/content-curation-101/

Ogburn, J. L. (2010). The imperative for data curation. Portal : Libraries and the Academy, 10(2), 241-246. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/216178815?accountid=9649

Safeguarding My Digital Identity – My Plan B

Reflecting on my Digital Footprint post, I found evidence that leads me to believe we should be thinking in terms of when we were children making footprints in freshly poured cement. Our images, postings and other things projected on the Internet are less like washable sand and more like concrete casts. The concrete does not care whether the mold is appropriate or not. It is left for generations to come. We must be certain that we do what we can to be prudent prior to the mold setting.

Continuing from the knowledge gained in my Digital Footprint search, I researched the materials offered in our Resources this week and spent time exploring guides and documents by others. I ended up creating a plan that represents me and my intent to become digitally savvy. I have identified many weaknesses in establish and monitoring my professional digital identity. I intend to put this plan into practice to improve my brand and my image to represent my best me going forward.

References:

Anderson, S., (n.d.). How to create social media guidelines for your school. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/social-media-guidelines-resource-guide

Blankenship, S. (2012). Social media and two-way communication. Connected Principals. Retrieved from http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/5710

Camp, L. J. (2004). Digital identity. IEEE Technology & Society Magazine, 23(3). 34-41.

Costa, C., & Torres, R. (2011). To be or not to be, the importance of Digital Identity in the networked society. Educação, Formação & Tecnologias, n.º extra, Abril de 2011, 47-53. Retrieved from http://www.eft.educom.pt/index.php/eft/article/view/216

George, R., Don, P., & Patel, U. (2003). Mobile identity management: An enacted view. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 8(1), 81-100.

Lowenthal, P., & Dunlap, J. (2012). Intentional web presence: 10 SEO strategies every academic needs to know. Educause Review Online, Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/intentional-web-presence-10-seo-strategies-every-academic-needs-know

McGinnis, S. (2012). Online reputation management: A how-to guide. Spinsucks. Retrieved from http://spinsucks.com/communication/online-reputation-management-a-how-to-guide/

Simpson, M. (2010). Social networking nightmares. Tomorrow’s Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org//home/38324.htm

Image Credits:

Image fingerprint –http://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2012/12/14/11/36/binary-69996_640.jpg

Online Identity – http://tinyurl.com/oo86arn

Identity Card – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/National_Registration_Identity_Card_%28Front_Cover%29.png

Websearch – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Internet1.jpg

Mobile Bicycle Billboard – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Mobile_Bicycle_Billboard_from_Singapore,_April_9_2013.jpg

Faceebook – https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2705/13203226213_c1eee42fb9_t.jpg

NetworkLearner – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Network_learner.jpg

Digifest2014 – http://www.jisc.ac.uk/sites/default/files/digifest-news.jpg

Padlocks – http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7228/6889241086_daf439e6b7.jpg

FlipflopIcons – http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/014/8/5/Flip_Flop_Social_Media_Icons_by_EffBomb.jpg

GoogleSEO – http://pixabay.com/p-411105/?no_redirect

My Own Digital Footprint

Nails Leave a Trace – http://tinyurl.com/ordowld

The Digital community reminds me of a lesson I used with a dorm full of boys using inappropriate words and slurs to others both in their dorm and throughout campus. I had the boys hammer nails into a board as they expressed mean words. After all had done this, I had them remove each nail as they apologized. What they saw was a board full of nail holes. Digitally, I learned the same lesson this week. I discovered a complaint on a rental car Facebook page amidst all the other great things online. Although the post is not horrible, I cannot wish it away. However, it passes the “grandmother test” alluded in our resources page. If my grandmother were alive, the post would not embarrass her. I deleted my comment on the rental Facebook page, though it still shows in the search engine.

As part of the task this week, I researched my digital footprint on a variety of search engines. Though I had used Google before, I do not recall using all the search engines. I knew there were other David Bernheims in the US and abroad. I did not know there was another David M. Bernheim. Most had information that was favorable. MyLife has me incorrectly still living in Farragut, TN. I am not sure at this point how to correct that or if I am concerned about that error.

What I can do is try to use the new awareness and tools to continue to manage a positive professional image. I maintain separate accounts for my personal and professional Facebook accounts. On my private, personal Facebook page, I limit posts of pictures to Friends Only. I have made a conscious effort to insure I am putting my best foot forward in all social media postings. I want my brand to represent me in a positive light.

Some of the actions I am taking include positive profiles in Google+, Twitter, and both of my Facebook accounts. I write the vast majority of my posts in a Word document first to give me a chance to review what I post to insure I am meeting my goals. I am developing an action plan, which I will link to this post to help provide a new yardstick so I can have a positive digital footprint. My blog of my journey through my MET remains one of the high points of my digital footprint. I am proud of that content and happy that a few searches actually displayed some of my posts. My LinkedIn profile is current and up to date. I do not own a domain name; but may change that thought moving forward. Stay tuned.

Twitter and TweetDeck As Professional Development

Each course provides new opportunities for me to broaden my horizons. Twitter, until recently, was a means to check a rugby score, or get security/weather/gate updates on our Mountain Home AFB feed. It never really occurred to me the wealth of knowledge waiting for me in my smartphone. Once I started following my teacher and classmates, the amount of information bombarded me to the point I was indeed shellshocked.
I guess I should have figured that others would feel similarly. Some wonderful person created TweetDeck. It made organizing the things I wanted to follow easy to lay out in front of me, allowing me to track my chosen educational feeds. The page is divided into columns. For me, this helps abate the sensory overload I experienced earlier.
Professionally, connecting to others in the field of education via Twitter offers me answers to questions I did not know I had. In a tiny window of time, I discovered more useful information than the “death by PowerPoint” type of faculty in-services I have experienced in my career as an educator.
Tasked to choose hashtags, I chose the following:

I learned something new with each, so I have included both why I chose each one and what I learned this week.
#specialneeds – I choose this to keep abreast of the special needs community. Teaching students who learn differently can be filled with unique challenges. Staying current with best practices seemed logical. I was surprised that Kansas University Center for Research and Learning’s hashtag was not getting current responses as they generally lead the discussions for best practices. Special needs hashtag contains some parental information as well as educators. Some filtering is needed as not all posts are focused on secondary learning.
#teachingenglish – Certified in English/Language Arts, I wanted to explore what teachers are doing now. I discovered many educators doing amazing things in their classrooms. Again, getting more than I bargained for, as the community is not focused solely on secondary education.
#edleadership – Wishing to return to the boarding school community in the future and wanting to return to the Dean of Student’s office, it seems practical to see discussions administrators are having and how they are solving current problems. Many of the threads are either public school issues, or simply not secondary concerns. Regardless, it is comforting to see many of the issues discussed in EdTech 541 being discussed on this thread. I feel well prepared now.
#mlearning – Seeing how teachers are implementing mlearning and BYOD intrigues me. There are constantly new ideas being shared. The community shares ideas and questions. Again, I have to filter with a secondary lens; but there is much to learn and webinars are frequently promoted.
#artsed – Frustrated I have not located a specific hashtag for Theatre Arts, I joined artsed. I feel it might be too wide a scope for me. Most of the posts are Fine Arts or Music related and adding the secondary filter, there does not seem to be a great deal left. There seems to be resistance to technology with Theater teachers. I know, I felt the same way. I will continue to follow and see if more folks open up. At the same time, I hope to find a more focused hashtag for high school Theater. (High school drama gave me much more than I expected as that is filled with high school students venting about their lives.)
#NAISToF – Of all selected, I found this site most enlightening. National Association of Independent Schools Teacher of the Future is all that the title claims. Most US independent schools belong to NAIS. The sharing level is high on all fronts. Yes, there are K-12 educators using this hashtag so I will need to filter what is pertinent. However, this tag is full of my tribe. Issues are ones I can see having happened or ones I will face later. Also, the community seems supportive and discussions of technology integration are frequent.

Specifics I discovered

1. I discovered a wonderful Roadmap developed by two mothers with children who learn differently to assist other parents in similar situations navigate choosing a school.
2. An English teacher posted a great lesson for teaching non-verbal communication I could use with ESOL, ELA or Theater students.
3. mlearning site offered iPad resources for 9-12 implementation.

Caves, Communities of Practice, Connectivism and PLNs

This week’s assignment challenged me to research, assess, and evaluate Communities of Practice, Connectivism and Personal Learning Networks and ultimately create a non-linguistic expression of that knowledge. My productive struggle, among many personal this week, centered upon the non-linguistic portion of that assignment. Initially, I looked for ways to convey what I learned through visual art mediums and existing performance art as well. I thought I had a perfect plan using tubas (I play one), adding low brass and finally wind instruments. Then I listened to an exemplar. My metaphor did not sound original anymore and I did not like that. As the exemplars varied with use of printed text in self-created movies, I attempted to widen my scope. I taught an Internet Safety for Parents class to spouses of the 366th Medical Group early this week and used the term Digital Native to define most of their children. A participant asked, “Well, if our children are digital natives, what are we?” I replied, unfiltered as always, “digital cavemen.” What began as an ice-breaker moment changed and re-directed me to look backward while looking forward.

The notion of man’s desire to be connected and share his/her experience with others is not new by any means. The medium is. Primitive cave art seems to be early blogging representing a desire for all three of the context issues we are discussing in this unit. David Loertscher advocates opening your net, which we are capable of doing with the advent of the Internet and collaborative tools (2013). But sadly, cave art also reflects siloing, as Loertscher explains, a condition when your group is too small (2013). The only natives who saw the drawings had to be in the cave. That represents a small group. I used examples of cave art in the laptops in the video.

Chaos, addressed both by Downes and Siemens, prevails in our Internet world as we are bombarded with thousands of responses to a seemingly simple Google search or hundreds of online suggestions in Alberston’s Library website (Bastone, 2012). Primitive man was faced with sights and sounds that likely defied comprehension. It is hard to imagine since we have knowledge the primitive culture did not. Simply leaving the cave to get food meant one might be food for another creature. Survival meant learning daily and filtering noises to determine safety, food or fear. 21^st Century tools allow us to filter and focus while gaining knowledge at a speed never imagined by our predecessors.

Ug (my character) wants to work with other hunters to find best practices and collaborate to gain new knowledge of better tools so he can reach the objective of caring for his family. Stephen Downes expresses that having a goal in mind is a crucial part of establishing your networks (Doitch, n.d.). Finding people who will elevate you and share with you is not always going to be the sage in your village (Byington, 2011). The Internet allows you to reach sages on the other side of our planet. I used the planet image and an image of the connected planet to underscore that concept.

Personal Learning Networks certainly need a common thread and for this class I grasp that need. Educause posted an interesting article shared in our first lesson this term addressing the need for variety in our PLNs (2009). Siemens and Downes underscore variety and dissonance in their respective videos and articles (Bastone, 2012). I have a small number of people in my private PLN. We share many common threads and yet disagree on others due to our different backgrounds and professional careers. Because I trust them, I am receptive to their thoughts and ideas in ways I might not from those on my peripheral, common professions notwithstanding. Ug shares that wider net in his PLN having a hunter, the delivery person from UPS and an orator (or chief).

I chose Bitter Sweet from the available background music because being connected to all can be just that, not too high and not too low. Being connected means sharing the productive struggle and offering truth to those in your online community. Sometimes I don’t get to hear what I want to hear; but so far, I receive what I need to hear. I filter, like George Siemens suggests, and I attempt to learn and grow. I felt the music complimented what was being presented while not taking focus from visual.

This was my first PowToons and though I had seen them before I was not motivated to attempt experimenting with the tool. I owe Sarah Baughman, a cohort in this class, credit because after viewing her presentation on the first assignment, I had the courage to try my own. She is not in my PLN as related directly to this assignment. If we had not connected through this class, I would likely not have tried to use this tool. Connectivism and Communities of Practice contributed to my new-found knowledge. That lesson is not lost on me here and now.

References:

7 things you should know about personal learning environments. (2009). Educause Library Resources. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7049.pdf

Bastone, S. (2012). Learning chaos – George Siemens and Stephen Downes connectivism mix. Toronto, Canada. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts6eHVGNjBc

Byington, T. (2011). Communities of practice: Using blogs to increase collaboration. Intervention in School and Clinic, 46, 5, 280-291.

Doitch, N. (n.d.). Habits of effective connected learners with Stephen Downes. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8jp4rW30Nw

Loertscher, D. V. (2013). Personal learning networks and your personal expertise. Teacher Librarian, 40, 3.)