Twitter is A Double-edged Swords

                Twitter is a very inspiring platform for us to send and read the microblogs from people that we follow. Users can build their own social networks by following one another. As future teachers in such a digital age, how can we make the best use of it in our teaching?

                 I read Great Twitter Tools for Your Professional Development. I found a lot of interesting tools here, especially the twitTV. We can click the link and watch a lot of interesting videos in it. Also, Teachers Guide to the use of Twitter in Classroom is also a very practical one. Twitter is a good way for learners and educators to communicate, collaborate and to be connected, enabling learners to improve "global literacy, information literacy, network literacy, and digital citizenship." In the future I will create a twitter account for my class, offering my students an avenue to communicate and cooperate among each other. I can @ my students to invite them to participate. Plus, we can follow others to get more inspiring resources and help students to build a bridge to seek more learning opportunities. If the students find some interesting topics or ideas, they can post it on twitter and the other students will see it when they log in. Hence, information is selected and filtered. I think I need to promote students to post their original work on their twitters, instead of simply retweet each time. Creativity is a big matter. If they have any inspiration or feeling, they can write it down. They can also take some beautiful pictures or make some poems and share it with peers. Additionally, Twitter HOTS & Establishing a Twitter Routine in the Classroom gave us good insights of how to use twitter to promote higher order thinking skills and establish Twitter routines in the classroom.

          

             However, I watched the video from Professor David Crystal, one of the world's leading linguistic experts, who demonstrates some myths and realities about the texts and tweets. The myths he covers are: 1) Youth text messages are littered with mangled abbreviations; 2) the youth use abbreviations as a way to trick adults; 3) the youth don't know how to spell; 4) youth school essays are filled with inappropriate abbreviations; 5) we are rearing a generation of children who have no responsibility toward language.

            This is a very thought-provoking standpoint of view. To solve this problem, I think as educators, we need to teach students the digital etiquette and set up rules for the students when they post.

           

                           

Question: Does Social Media aid or harm Literacy Levels?

Further reading: 

http://www.vocabulary.com/articles/wc/does-texting-harm-or-help-literacy/

Social Networking

      Key words: community-based approach, educational technology project

   

"            "Ning's impact on education has been profound, showing the potential educational networking has to transform professional learning." Ning offers a platform for people who have the same professional interests to connect together to form a social network. A lot of cyber learning communities have been established. Within each community, participants share the same goal and vision. I experienced EFL classroom 2.0, where I found a great home for learning and teaching. We can log in via Facebook account. Peers with similar minds come together to share and exchange information and resources, making the benefits multiple. 

              Community-based approach requires individuals' participation and engagement. Within a learning community, learners, like a set of nodes connected by virtual ties, are immersed by the information and knowledge, being educated everyday. In this sense, knowledge has become more accessible in this platform, because students can approach the knowledge in an easier manner. 

        Within the community,  learning is more of a dynamic pattern, which offers learners more opportunities to exchange ideas, get inspiration and absorb new information, because technology makes it available beyond time and space. Conversation among learners facilitates problem-solving and information transmission. Through interaction with teachers or other students, more and more involvement is required. Hence, learners will be more motivated by participating in the activities in the learning community. 

Connectivism: The Atom Kernel Within Magnetic Fields

Key words: Organization, Individual, Interdisciplinary Studies

In Connectivism: A Learning Theory  for the Digital Age, George Seimens  maintained “Technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn.”  Hence, in such a digital era  learner is like an atom kerne (individual) within a magnetic field (organization) around it. “The organization and individual are both learning organisms.” The organization is like a magnetic field, within which each individual has certain role and contribution to make learning possible. The individuals with similar minds and common interests will contribute as a whole, while each of them can benefit from the organization. The content of learning tends to involve a variety of different, possibly unrelated fields, so interdisciplinary studies have become the current trends. However, it is the leaner who has the force to attract other learners or align himself/herself in an external magnetic field, like “communities of practice, personal networks, and through completion of work-related tasks.” 

The efficiency of information flow and the learning ecology of the organization is a vital element to maintain the organizational effectiveness. As for learning ecology, learners are both knowledge consumer and creator. Information is created, shared and processed. Each individual within the organization can get benefits to certain extent. 

In The Changing Nature of Knowledge, George Siemens expounds the nature of knowledge in current trend and the concept of connectivism. He mentioned, "the learners themselves and the connection they formed among each other with data basis and other source of knowledge is really the primary point of learning." Hence, learning happens within the network. Knowledge is really about the distribution that occurs that entire network, which contains two components: the internal neuronetwork, that how our brain creat learning itself in a network manner; the external network, that learning is to form and make connection with each other  and with other individuals. This is a very practical aspect of learning in such a digital age. Learners can make connection with other individuals and other resources. They can control the learning process by joining or forming the right network that facilitate and incubate their learning.

developmental disorder / delay...

Communication
Social
Emotional
Behavioral
Educational
Fine and gross motor skills
Develop full potential
Music therapy intervention



Autism

What I Believe

Key words: Believe, Appreciation, Love


General:
Whether you can succeed or not depends on whether you believe in it.
Beauty is everywhere, but sometimes we may not have the eye to appreciate it.
Be yourself, love everyone.
The road is what you choose and you have to go so don't regret.. the road is still there..that section is just hard to pass.. try different methods and keep on going as long as it is not the end..  follow the voice of the heart..

Education:
Learning is through experiencing.
Do what you love and love what you do.
All kids can be good kids and learn well, as long as the teacher can give good instruction.
All people are capable of learning from their environment.. We need to create the "right environment" for learning and "positive environment" to help to foster character in students..


Relationship:

Stay to connect with people that are smarter than us.
Try new things, experimental spirit, keep on growing and learning
If it is a crap, no need to cry for it. 
forgive and forget.


Nation:

Like bible in western culture, our ancestors wrote those teachings
based on our behavior, which are our traditional values and social
norms. In a narrow sense, we are Chinese because we heard of some Chinese language or be able to read it, which does not mean we are real Chinese. If we really know it, we should understand the values and philosophies in them and employ them in daily practice. In broad strokes, real Chinese are those who abide by the good teachings in
our traditions perfectly. Hence, I can not say I am a real Chinese.

I am a normal person so I make mistakes, which is against the values as well. In this sense, I am not a real Chinese as well. However, I am still learning and improving myself
through practice and I am willing to face my problems and improve
them.

How to Incubate Innovation

I read a bog on quantum progress, called Cal Newport provides the key for incubating innovation in students.

I found this blog really interesting as first I saw the title. I really what to find the missing key for "incubating innovation".  I like the metaphor key to indicate the solution and the way to nurture ideas and creativity. Plus, the author used alliteration for "incubating innovation", which sounds catchy.

I like the idea "metacogntition curriculum".  He designed a case study project, including interviews and writing. I think students can learn how to manage their learning process through experiencing and practicing. They are doing something that they choose and they are interested in. They may think and envision what it will be like and put lot of efforts into it. I agree with the idea that it is important to help student to "pursue activities that make their heart sing". Doing something with initiative may keep students motivated, because they are the owner of their project.  

I think this can also prevent procrastination to some extent. There always something that we like to do or we don’t like to do, like the food we like to eat or we don’t like. Even though we don’t like it, we have to eat it, because it is good for us or we need it. So is learning. If students are not motived or interested in the subject, it is easy to get procrastinated. From “to do” to “will do”, it is a change of attitude. Hence, as future teachers, why don't we start from students' interests. We can try to give them an opportunity to make a choice and manage their learning process.