Blog 7 - Professional Learning Network

The Professional Learning Network was a hard concept for me.  I'm not a teacher; I don't work in primary education or even high school.  From the lists given and through further research, higher education does not have as many options from which to choose in regards to Nings or established networks.

I did sign up for the Educator's PLN.  I tried to find relevant information or at least interesting topics/blogs/articles to read.  There were many articles regarding distance and/or online learning.  Debate about its effectiveness, when to offer these classes and if it really is the future of education were the biggest conversations.  There was a blog entitled, "Studying outside the classroom: technology shift in education" by Emily Parker, stating that online learning is beneficial to the young and old, those gaining specific skills vs learning to learn.  There is a discussion on the forums about online learning around the world and the benefits it offers to disciplined learners or those who want to learn more at their own pace.  I think the topic of online learning is very relevant for me as at the university level there has been much discussion about offering more classes online or in a hybrid form of some sort.  Having this resource is helpful in evaluating it's effectiveness amongst many educators.

Regarding the Digg and Twitter feeds, I think this area allowed me to really broaden my scope.  My current position is within hospitality education.  With Digg I am able to follow trends on the food side, such as Table Matters which discusses food related issues both serious and comical.  Topics I've enjoyed reading include the quality control of American Craft Beer, "Brownie Points" discussing the comeback of butter to replace margarine and the article "Crush Your Sugar Rush" in which the chef made savory spinoffs of traditional sweet pies.  On the more educational side I've followed Educational Technology.  Topics such as the use of Google for "virtual field trips" for classrooms to various museums and aquariums and Evernote's new features.  I just sent a great article regarding the "Differences between Pedagogy, Andragogy, and Heutagogy" from Educational Technology to one of our instructors.  The term pedagogy is used frequently around here.  Since our college/university teaches in a "hands-on learning" environment, this article really posed the question as to which approach/style we really use.   Food for thought. 

On Twitter I follow Edutopia, eLearning Guild, Inside Higher Ed, different hotel schools like Cornell Hotel School and Hilton College along with Princeton, Oxford, Stanford, Cambridge and Harvard.  I can follow the trends or even some surprising findings, like ecofriendly hotels don't make any more money than their less friendly counterparts, although guests may see them as better quality, in an article published by Travel Weekly and retweeted by The Cornell Hotel School.

By using all three, Educator's PLN, Digg and Twitter, I am able to gain a better insight into the industries in which I work, education and Restaurants/Hotels.  It does take some time to sift through everything that is available, but there is a lot of great information out there.  I can see myself continuing to use these tools even after this class is over.

Journal 6: Self Reflection

When I first started this class I wasn't sure what to expect.  I was always afraid of learning HTML as technically it is another language and I haven't had the best time learning new languages.  Plus, all the symbols are a bit overwhelming and pretty daunting.  However, HTML and CSS are actually very logical and reminds me of writing formulas for excel.  There are very definite rules to follow and concepts to master.  Once you learn the rhythm, it is much easier to follow along.

As I write more HTML and CSS code I start to see patterns and memorize certain parts.  Some of the book reading is still abstract as I haven't had a chance to try out all the different parts to HTML or CSS.  With that being said I really think the hardest and most rewarding assignment I completed was my first web page, http://www.csupomona.edu/~jlhardyman/ged512/labs/first%20copy.html.  We started small, but it was very rewarding to see the "nonsensical" language (at the time) was actually something I could view on the Internet, that I wrote.  Then I started to worry about the aesthetic, because someone else besides me could be looking at this page as well.  I only had to wait a week or so to change that though.

I know I have A LOT to learn, but feel much more comfortable in HTML and CSS code and using Dreamweaver as well.  I'm proud of what I am doing and learning.  I keep trying to find ways to show off my newly acquired skills even if it is only to my husband or kids.  One of my co-workers has already asked me to help him with his website.  Which, however, is a task I'm not sure about taking on just yet as his request is a bit beyond my knowledge and comfort level.  Hopefully as I learn more in this class and tinker with my own HTML and CSS code writing I will feel confident in taking on his task.

Journal 4: Project Plan

Curriculum Project:

Site Title:  HRT 383 FOH and BOH Tutorials

Developer:  Jenesie Hardyman

Rational or Focus:  To provide tutorials and guidance for the RKR students

Main Features:  Access to Front of the House Tutorials, MICROS, Opentable and Cellartracker

Access to Back of the House Tutorials, Cheftec

Content:  There will be 7 webpages

1.     Homepage

2.     FOH

a.     Opentable

b.     MICROS

c.      Cellartracker

3.     BOH

a.     Cheftec

4.     Login to Blackboard for reference to class

Target Audience:  HRT 383 class

Design Goals:  Easy to use, clean navigation, smooth running

Limiting Factors:  Need to alter tutorials, not sure how to do that

Figure out how to setup blackboard login on webpage

Make my own tutorials if needed

Wireframe:

Sitemap:

Journal 3: The Case for Social Media in School

Kessler, S. (2010, September 29). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/09/29/social-media-in-school/

This article suggests that the use of social media can be a good thing for our youth.  It allows them the opportunity to express themselves, in a safe way, and keep them responsibly occupied.  The teacher that implemented the social media site saw increases in class participation, grades and a decrease in absenteeism.  Although she couldn't absolutely guarantee that the site was only contributing factor, they inferred that the outcome was good, nonetheless.  The fact that she was able to assign non-credit/non-graded assignments that the students completed, was interesting.  "Through polls taken before and after the program, Meinhardt determined that students spent between four to five fewer hours per week on Facebook and MySpace when the extra assignments had been implemented."  The use of text to keep the students accountable was also interesting.

The article argues that, "social media, like the Internet, will be a part of our world for a long time. It’s better to teach it than to fight it."  They found ways to embrace it's use.  The use of the social media in school, in a supervised environment, allows the student to express themselves and "if you know the answers or have good insights or ask good questions, you’re going to be really valuable online.” 

I wonder if when I was in elementary or high school today, how I would feel about the use of social media?  I recall being asked the answer to the questions for homework or a test by my "friends".  I don't recall giving anyone the answers, because I always felt that I spent time doing my homework, so why should my fellow students skate by using me?  However, in this setting, I think I would feel empowered to give my opinion or my reflection on a topic.  I think in the blog setting, participation is key, regardless of whether my answer is "right or wrong."

Which leads me to the question of how I would feel about my children using social media in a classroom setting.  I have a four and six year old.  They already ask me to use the computer to play games (online, although I'm not sure that they know what that means).  I know they use computers in class for various activities.  I think that if it were in this controlled environment, with my permission AND the ability for me to see the posts (or at least excerpts of quotes), I would feel more comfortable.  I think this would give me the an opportunity to engage in conversation with my children about the topics presented.

Journal 2 - Join an Affinity Group and Share your Digg Stream

The Affinity Group I chose is Brainify.com.  It seems like the most logical group for me to join, as I work in a university setting and I am also a student.  Learning from others' experiences and research seems like a good place to start.  edupln.ning.com.  I had to change as I sent a request to join, but never received a response back.  Honestly, I chose this group because there really aren't many to choose from.  Most of the links to the other groups do not work anymore.

In regards to the Digg Stream, I originally thought it was similar to Twitter.  However, it really isn't.  Instead of someone, a company or a news feed blasting tweets at me all day long, I get to pick and choose what I want to read about. Although I can pick and choose which tweets require further analysis and reading, I have to scroll through it all.  It really is a time consuming process.  With Digg, the feeds or website I follow are very clean and easily accessible.  

Q:  Is the internet our “digital” rabbit hole?

A:  Clearly, the answer is yes.  Through surfing the web, I become so entrenched in whatever I am reading or learning about that I don't realize how much time I’ve spent on it.  Which leads me to my second question . . .

Q:  How much is too much?

A:  I don't think that there could ever be too much.  I think having access to all this information is fascinating, scary and overwhelming at the same time.  I am a life long learner and that is partly due to the fact that I can choose what else I want to learn about just by opening up Google. Digg, Twitter, etc. and finding what is out there.  With that being said, I can easily see how all this access can become addictive.  Yet, I still think the more the better.