Blog Post 4 - Social Networking

Social networking is a necessity for many people today, especially today’s generation. Social networking reminds me of how the telephone was so important when I was a teengager. As a matter of fact, having a two-way line was really a big deal, because I very rarely missed a call. I was also able to communicate with several people at once. We are all social creatures, we need to interact with each other, and the various activites going on in our society. The social networking technologies allow us to interact with many people, venues, and on various scales. Time and distance is no longer a factor. As one of my teengagers uploaded their myspace account, I was amazed at the many friends which he had listed on his frontpage. These friends were from all over the country. Of course, security was my main concern, but kids know how to block out certain things, and not to use private information.
Social networking has postive attributes such as information sharing, reaching lots of people, and bypassing the time and distance issue. In the business world, social networking can expand new ideas, and make the workplace more productive. Some negative affects include hackers, predators, etc. Second Life is fun and engaging. It is sort of like playing a video game, and learning at the same time. By emerging myself into another world, as another person, I was free to fly and expand my horizons by visiting this new place. Just the escape from reality was nice! I am having fun with Second Life, but it is very challenging. My kids are able to quickly move around in Second Life, and design all sorts of things. For me, it is taking a lot of effort to move around, and interact with my new surroundings. In my opinion, a major benefit of Second Life would be joining a few educational sites. I would like to stay abreast of new technologies, and new ways of learning online. I feel that if I don’t participate in Second Life sites, I might really miss some valuable tools and information.

Reflection on BlackBoard Course

I am also taking a course on the Blackboard. That technology is not really engaging. I was previously very comfortable with the Blackboard. But now, I prefer to use the wiki, blog, etc. Wow! I really appreciate Using the Internet in the Classroom. I am enjoying learning this new technology.

Web 2.0 Apps - GlobalScholar and bookalesson

GlobalScholar - http://www.globalscholar.com/
This site is an excellent source for online tutoring. Parents, students, and school administrators can connect with trustworthy educators who can create, manage, and align assignments to the students curriculum. This is not a free site. This type of tutoring can be beneficial and possibly cost effective for a school district.

bookalesson.com - http://bookalesson.com/
This site lets you access an instructors schedule by eliminating voice mails, callbacks, etc. You just browse your category of interest, find your instructor, and book your lessons. This can cut down on phone calls, email messages, and wasted trips. Students and instructors can sign up for free, but there is a cost for lessons. This can be a great pathway for instructors to garner students.