Scoop.it!

I chose Scoop.it! as my technology tool, because I had never heard of it. I wanted to learn about something new and useful. Everything about Scoop.it! is new to me, so every part of it interests me. I've learned that Scoop.it is a free curation tool. I didn't quite understand what that meant, however, I have since learned that digital curation is selecting, collecting, and archiving digital selections. In other words, you can use it to bookmark topics online.

Some of the amazing things about this bookmarking/curation tool, is that it displays my topic selections in a visual page, integrates with social networking sites, and archives information in one easy to use location. I can share my selections at the same time I publish the Scoop.it! It reminds me of a blog, however, the posting is kind of like Facebook. I can add my own insight just like a post.

So far the tool has been user friendly. I can even install a bookmarklet on my tool bar so I can collect information on my own. I can also add keywords to my Scoop.it! topic and it will give me suggested resources.

In order to get started you sign up for an account at http://www.scoop.it/ . You will be asked to create a topic. This is the title of your page and the basis of your search. As you find information on the web related to your topic you Scoop.it!, then you can share it and store it. This reminds me of a virtual bulletin board.

I am excited to learn more about this tool. I want to learn more about how it can be useful in the classroom. So far, I think it would be useful to store pages or resources while writing a term paper. All the digital references can be stored in one location.  Once you have a topic in mind the collection part is fun. Finding a topic and key words is only the beginning of this digital journey...

As I sat on my back porch enjoying the sunshine, I couldn't think of a topic to start my Scoop.it!. I closed my eyes, took several deep breathes to clear my mind. I opened my eyes as I heard loud fluttering. Inches from my face was a beautiful hummingbird. It zoomed around my face, behind my head, over to some painted rocks, then quickly to the neighbors hummingbird feeder. Amazing a topic out of the air.


Let the journey begin. I have created my own Scoop.it!

You can check it out at http://www.scoop.it/t/hummingbirds-by-m-cosgrove-1

Social Networking and Privacy

The internet has changed the way we communicate. One of the ways we are connecting online is through social networking sites. I keep hearing about the amazing opportunities it provides. I love to use them as well. However, use of these sites has some risks, because they have the potential to expose our personal information throughout the digital world, making our private lives public. I felt compelled to share some of my concerns.

            Usually there are no fees involved to use social networking sites. The only requirement is to create a membership prior to use. However, it may cost you your privacy. Some information the sites may require are full names, photos, gender, current city, hometown, date of birth, phone number, and email address. We willingly fill out the required information to gain access and use their site.  With each click, like, comment or post our digital footprint is left behind.

            In addition to the required information, we voluntarily share intimate details about our lives through our posts, status updates, photos, and blogs. We share about when and where we are going on vacation and thoughts about our relationships, religious views, political views and our careers. All of our information is collected and stored which may allow a browser search to reveal our names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, occupations, salary, hobbies, photos of our children and our homes. In order to protect our personal information, we must be proactive in our usage. 

In order to protect ourselves online, we must be aware of how we interact with others online. We should ask ourselves what parts of our lives we want to keep private. Every thought, every photo, every place we go doesn’t need to be public information. We should think before we post, clean up old posts, documents and other information about us online. We can do this by managing our friends’ lists, deleting old photos, comments and page likes.

Ultimately, it is the user’s responsibility to use discernment when sharing information online. That is where privacy settings come into play. Most social networking sites have given users privacy tools to manage their viewers. However, the default setting tends to be public. If users don’t activate privacy settings their information is available to the public. Users should modify their preferences, update privacy settings, and use discernment when submitting comments and posts.

Although, social networking sites allow users to communicate with others throughout the world, they also allow our private information to become available to the public. In order to reduce personal information exposure online, social networking site users need to be cognizant of the information they share and who is viewing it. Our private lives don’t have to become completely public.

I believe this will be helpful when creating a PLN. Our private lives reflect in our professional lives. Our behavior in both is important.

My Growing PLN

When deciding who to add to my PLN, I first had to reflect on my educational and career plans, goal and interests. So I decided to share with you a little about my plans, goals and interests.

I am ecstatic to purse my BAT degree; it has been my dream for many years. Over the past five years there have been many life changing events that brought me to this moment. My desire to grow, change and pursue my ambitions is stronger than ever. I have a desire to inspire others to find their passion. 

I believe this part of my journey begins by pursuing a degree to become a post-secondary instructor at a university or technical college.  In this pursuit, some of the areas of study I believe will be most beneficial include communications, leadership, graphic/web design, computer information systems, management, business education, and human resource training and development. Many of these areas of study will crossover to enhance one another. 

I am just beginning my PLN. This is an interesting challenge as I learn new technological tools and ways to connect with others besides using Facebook. I added a widget to my blog to keep track of blogs I am following. You can find my list under My Blog List located to the right of this blog. 

I used our class blogs and Google to locate my first two blogs of interest. I will continue to add to My Blog List.

I chose Dr. Cindy’s Blog because I instantly connected with the blog she wrote on Profession Learning Networks (PLN). She is very educated.  The information she shared inspires me to search deeper into the resources available to enhance my knowledge and career.  I love how she describes growth and development in areas of personal, professional, and societal areas you can follow her at http://drcseaman.blogspot.com/.

I chose Beth Holland’s blog because she shares amazing information and works in Communications & Instruction at EdTechTeacher. She coordinates communications such as web sites, social media, blog posts, webinars, and newsletters and instructs at workshops for EdTechTeacher. You can follow her at http://www.edutopia.org/blog/professional-learning-curate-share-connect-beth-holland. 

Business Professionals of America

Business Professionals of America (BPA) is the first professional organization I became a member of. I was introduced to BPA 1998, while attending ISU College of Technology. BPA prepared me for the workforce in areas such as leadership, citizenship, academics and technological skills. 

As a member I was given the opportunity to an compete in regional and state conferences. I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Boise with my college classmates to compete in state competitions. I placed third in the state mathematics competition. Many of my classmates participated in Nationals.

BPA has five divisions of membership. The divisions of membership include College/Post-secondary, High School/Secondary, Middle Level (middle school), Alumni, and Professionals.

There are many benefits to joining a professional organization like Business Professionals of America such as:

• Opportunites to explore career options
• Keeps you up to date with the newest information
• Attendance at annual conferences
• Opportunities to receive scholarships
• Seminars and Webinars
• Learn professional ethics and behaviors
• Networking with students, businesses, and professionals
• Opportunities to participate in service projects
  

If you are pursing a career in business management, office administration or any other information technology field this is the organization for you. BPA is a leading Career and Technical Student Organization for students pursuing such careers.

You can find more information about Business Professionals of America at the following links:

http://www.bpa.org/about/history

http://www.bpa.org/about/traditions

http://www.bpa.org/about

There's an App for That! Learning with Technology

All the time we hear, “There’s an App for that.”, “Just Google it.”, but what does it mean? Technology, that’s what it means. Technology exists in every aspect of our lives. We use it to communicate, to simplify, to make things easier and less manual. It has changed the way people interact.

As I think about the new technologies I've learned to use, my mind wanders to when I was in junior high. The tragedy of being taught how to type on a typewriter and how painful it was physically. I couldn't keep my fingers on the keys. Every time I missed a key my finger would scrape on the metal. I remember thinking "I never want to be a secretary! EVER!"

Shortly thereafter, I was surprised with a fabulous gift from my grandparents...my very own electric typewriter. Grandpa said I'd "do well in the world if I practiced my skills." Well, I'd like to say I jumped in with both feet, however, that was not the case. I think fear of past pains kept me from becoming a great typist in my early years. However, during my senior year I was using an electric word processor with a mini screen that allowed me to preview before I printed...Absolutely Amazing!

As the years flew by, I got my first computer. It took two people to move, but I loved it. Today, I have a laptop, an iPad and a smartphone. I use these devices everyday. I am fascinated by new technologies and that is the reason my career goal is to become a teacher. I want to share with students the amazing technologies at their finger tips.

Preparing to become a teacher in the 21st involves learning and using many different types of computers and technology. Today’s teachers are using technology to teach, as well as connect with their students. Some of the computers and technologies used by teachers today include: SMART Boards, Microsoft Web Apps, Smartphones, iPads, and laptop computers. Technology has changed the way students and teachers interact.

 

Some technologies used for learning and communicating are portable computers such as; Smartphones, iPads, and laptop computers. These devices allow access to phone calls, emails, contacts, calendars, notes, Office documents, voice recognition software, and the internet, just to name a few. Teachers have the capability to learn new technology, create lesson plans and enjoy their favorite music while waiting in the doctor’s office, walking on a treadmill or having lunch in the park. These devices give teachers the connect ability needed in this generation. I believe the interaction among teachers and students has been revolutionized by technology.

It is essential for me to continually learn and use new technology to prepare to teach the next generation’s workforce. Technology intertwines in every aspect of my current education. I need to become technologically literate and stay current as new programs, hardware, software, and apps become available. Technology continues to change, because people are creating new technology this very moment.