Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #7

Link - http://www.gdocsdrive.com/image/index/gdocsdrive.png

Week #7 concentrated on collaborating with class members via chat. The idea was for us to understand how to work together and communicate being we cannot see each other face-to-face. This week was a lot more hands on while some of us were being introduced to Google Docs, I was already familiar with it. I like Google Docs, but I wouldn't say more than Microsoft Word. However, Google Docs is a very convenient yet free web-based application that allows you to create a document, spreadsheet, presentation, notes and so much more! The best thing about it is that, with access to an internet connected device, Google Docs can be used. if you couldn't tell by the name, this online application is offered and associated by Google.

Along with its ability to be accessed anywhere, Google Docs lends itself to collaborative projects where groups can work together in real-time even from different geographic locations! In my experience using Google Docs collaboratively, I noticed that we can see what each other is doing, make adjustments and comment. I also noticed that because the documents are stored online and the option to save it onto a computer, there is no worry about having lost work. Authors are also given the option to share publicly or privately which another good thing about it. Additionally, I should have said this first, but when I was first introduced to Google Docs, the first thing I realised was how easy it was (and still is) to use. My ability to navigate and explore the application was like second nature to me. After this week, I am reminded of how much I really like using Google Docs.

This tool will be useful for my educational activities as a way to collaborate and save time. usually, when I can't make a class I get the notes from my friend by taking a picture, however, now that I am reminded of this tool, we can connect on GoogleDocs and the notes will be there for me and vice versa. It is an efficient yet functional tool that will help be manage my learning content and activities. With groups, we can add our contributions on our own time to make collaborative goals flow easily. This is useful because Google Docs allows us to keep track of any changes made to the document/presentation; it is an exceptional tool that excels in output and productivity.

Recently, I was searching collaboration articles on google and came across this new site that I subscribed to on my Feedly titled The Creative Blog, the article, The 20 Best Tools for Collaboration, discusses the different online applications that help groups to communicate and collaborate easily. For example, the article describes a tool called ConceptBoard. This tool mimics a whiteboard where group members can craft concepts, manage projects, and provide feedback. These tools, are essentially useful for collaborative learning and I will definitely add them to my PLE. Please take the time to look at this article, the lists provided are fantastic and in-depth!

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #6

Image - https://evernote.com/media/img/products/hero_evernote.png

This week focused on the exploration of Evernote. Evernote is a tool that allows users to archive, organize, and manage information, including documents, images, bookmarks, etc., on any device that has/ uses the internet. During my exploration with Evernote, I learned that it has many aspects that allows you to not only write your notes, but to also share it between yourself and other individuals you choose to share your notes with. Evernote also includes quick and easy features such as the web clipping tool that makes not taking that much simple. What I really like about this tool is that I can access my notes either on my laptop, phone, and even my iPad. This, I find to be very convenient especially because as a student I am always rushing to pack my things and get ready for class, so it's good that I can just shut my laptop and open it later and my notes are still there. Another advantage/ benefit I found is that your notes are set to save automatically. I really like this because my computer likes to do weird things sometimes, like shut off randomly, however, because my notes are already saved, I don't have to worry about losing anything! Lastly, it is a good way to be organized and stay organized, to have accumulated pieces of information/ research in one convenient place.

Evernote will be useful in my educational activities because all my notes and links I have in my notebook are altogether and labelled with 'tags' so nothing gets lost. Additionally, Evernote's alerts feature will be very useful in my educational activities because it reminds users of certain notes to be to be mindful of in order to meet any academic need. The reminder feature will, more specifically, help me because with so much going on with my academic and personal life, I tend to loose sight of what needs o get done. Therefore, this feature will help me to stay on track by sending me reminder emails, being that I'm always checking my emails, it will really help. Generally speaking, alerts could be sent to phones, which we all have, so it will be helpful for everyone!

Evernote could be added to my PLE by having it placed in the collaborate or aggregate sections of my PLE. Because I can send my work in Evernote to Google Docs, Twitter, etc., it would best fit in any of these two sections.

An article I read this week was from College Blender titled 95 Inspiring Websites of Web Design Agencies. This article expresses ways to make a web design that inspires the maker and viewers of the maker. The article provides a list of the top 95 websites that inspire individuals to make web designs similar to what inspires them but made to relate to them more. This article will help you to get thinking about your goals and

to get creative with them. There are many sites made available to help you with that, so get started people!

Image - http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Evernote-India-600x222.jpg

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #5

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This week, we explored Personal Learning Networks (PLN) and how the internet has so many useful tools - social media pages such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. - available to us. The availability of these connection sites are beneficial for us because we can connect with people who are useful in guiding our learning experiences. Additionally, having access like this allows us to read/ gain knowledge of what they are thinking as they research. Before this week's activities, I wasn't clear on what a PLN was until now; I learned that a "PLN is a tool that uses social media and technology to collect, communicate, collaborate and create with connected colleagues, students, friends, family, etc. anywhere at any time. Participating educators, worldwide, make requests and share resources. According to a blog post on eduTopia, Tom Whitby explains that, each individual educator becomes a potential source of information. Collecting these sources in a location to access them is the PLN. There are no two PLNs that are the same" (Whitby, 2013, November). I believe that because traditional routes have provided many opportunities, establishing your own PLN is an essential step toward deepening your abilities as a collaborator. It is important to have a PLN because it is an empowering, transformational process, which fundamentally transforms your professional learning and communicating/ collaborating approach; this is essential because it is useful in lifelong learning.

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Aside from learning about what a PLN is, we created Twitter accounts and began collaborating. "Twitter, the social media application, is the backbone for most PLNs. Each 140-character post allows quick and easy transmissions of information to links yielding websites, videos, podcasts, blog posts, articles, interviews and excerpts -- dream resources for classroom professionals. By simply asking, teachers receive content and strategies from sources around the globe" (Whitby, 2013, November).This is my first encounter with Twitter and I found it to go very well, it was not hard to navigate around. Being that I'm not too big on social media, nonetheless, Twitter is fun to use.

This tool will be useful in my educational activities because it provides a way to share learning opportunities with others not just in this class, but also outside of the class, anyone in the class can tweet out questions requesting resources or share the learning that is taking place in the class. We can also do this by connecting beyond the class and looking at professional and educational accounts. I will definitely add Twitter to the collaborative portion of my PLE being that, that is the focus of the weeks to come and also because it's organizational structure makes it an effective tool for connecting with students and others online.

Lastly, I read an article titled 7 Reasons Why Students Need Technology posted by College Blender of course, and I highly suggest people take the time to read it. Although it is a tad dated it is very informative and hopefully it brings a new perspective on technological importance for learning as it did for myself.

References

Whitby, T. (2013, November). How do I get a pln. Retrieved from ttp://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-do-i-get-a-pln-tom-whitby

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #4

Image: http://www.shoutmeloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Content-Curation-Monetization.jpg

This week I learned an effective way on how to use bookmarking tools and tagging more consistently and easily. I usually bookmark my websites through my google chrome browser and although it is good to have, Diigo is a much better bookmarking tool, especially for students. The fact that I have complete access to my bookmarks from one electronic device to the next holds value. This bookmarking tool is particularly useful when I am completing a group assignment, no longer will I have to lug around my laptop because it's in the 'cloud', where it can be accessed anywhere and anytime. The use of tagging according to the website, works as a filter to have all of one's knowledge organized. Additionally, they make the process easier by categorizing content, sharing resources, and helping others to find information more quickly. Tags are best for diverse and disparate information, in my learning I will definitely use it for categorizing and searching for particular information.

Valid and reliable online bookmarks contribute to my work in building knowledge by 

1. allowing my work to be stored 
2. knowing the differences between valid and unreliable sources

With that being said, all work that is worth being bookmarked is considered to be reliable and valid. The bookmark plug-in I used in Chrome did not allow me to access my saved bookmarks, however, the use of Diigo has lead me into keeping my information organized and to improve my search rather than using the first thing that pops up on the screen. Using the Evaluating Websites Using the T.R.A.S.H. test listed useful points I plan to incorporate in my search for sources. At the same time, according to Bharati Ahuja's blog, If You Can’t Be a Creator, Then Be a Curator, "content curation is about finding the most relevant content about a topic online and listing all the relevant links found on that topic after a thorough research on the web" (Ahuja, 2012, October). Its uses are to collect 'curated' resources that suit the particular needs of the user, researching for reliable sources, and keeping content organized. It's primary goal is to make information more useful to its audience in terms of context and convenience. I envision using the tool to contribute to my work in building knowledge for class assignments. The reason being that all the information that I would need to complete the assignments would be in one place.  

Moving on, this week I read a lot of interesting articles, book reviews, blogs, etc. and came across a particular one titled 10 Simple Hacks To Land Better Grades Possible in College. I'm almost 100% sure that collegeblender.com has become one of my favorite blog sites. Every blog they've posted since I started following them on my Feedly has been VERY useful and relatable! To return, this weeks blog post of choice gives readers 10 ways to land better grades. These include: 

1. Keep a positive outlook 
2. Attend all classes 
3. Get a planner today 
4. Keep your test papers, homework, and class papers 
5. Don't forget to use the textbook 
6. Be better in taking tests 
7. Form study groups 
8. Read in your spare time 
9. Bye, procrastination! 
10. Study and study and study 

For me, number 3 sticks out the most because I feel like this is where it all starts. One key way to success is organization, a term that I always stress because it is honestly the best practice to build and have. Without organizational skill it'd be difficult for the remaining tips on the list to occur. After reading this blog, organization was the only thing I could think of. When you are organized it will be easier and everything will fall into place one after the other. University, or even school in general, does not have to be a pain, but rather the way you organize and prioritize yourself will make it all better, trust me, you'll see when you try.

References

Ahuja, B. (2012, October). If you can't be a creator, then be a curator. Retrieved from http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2221068/If-You-Cant-Be-a-Creator-Then-Be-a-Curator

"Thing 15"

Using Diigo for this weeks activity is a pretty cool new thing I've been introduced to. First, I learned that Diigo is an online tool that keeps websites of choice in the "cloud", also known as the social bookmarking site. Diigo provides many advantages for anyone who wish' to take their online note taking to the next level. Using Diigo, I found that the feature of building your own library makes it easy to have an organized "folder". I also like the fact that when you highlight or attach a sticky note to a paragraph or a sentence, when you leave the site and come back (even on a different device) the notes remain and you can present your findings with whom you choose to share it with. Also, when you loose your page you can search it up using "tags", which are used when users initially bookmark their sites.
Another bookmarking website, Delicious, operates the same way Diigo does, however, I would include Delicious in it's benefit where it gives users the ability to share their favorite bookmarks with colleagues and/or staff. I would share more academic related topics than I would on my Diigo account.

https://www.diigo.com/user/addo0001

Include any ideas you have for using delicious in your professional practice (for yourself, with colleagues, and/or with students).