Diigo vs Pinterest

       Diigo is more about academic. The name "Diigo" is an acronym from "Digest of Internet Information, Groups and Other stuff".When I first knew Diigo from assignment, I felt I would definitely use this tool. Because I can access my favorite websites from any computer not just mine at home.  File a website with multiple tags instead of just putting it in just one folder. In this way I can well organize my saved website and find them efficiently. In the past I saved a lot of websites through favorites and bookmarks. However, gradually I give up to look for the websites I saved. Because there are so many websites that I get confused and crazy when I search for them. Resources are categorised with keywords which can be found through search drives on Diigo.  Diigo also has the ability to show highlighted text on websites and for sticky notes to explain to the website. Pinterest does not have this capability and only saves websites that have an image associated with the page, accompanied by a similar feature to comment on the information. Diigo provides the ability to set up unlimited groups, It is useful if teaching multiple sections or if you share different resources with different groups of people. Diigo has the ability to host a discussion based on a particular comment or resource as well. With Pinterest users can only interact by commenting on other user’s pins or to follow their board creations.

     I remember I know Pinterest earlier than Diigo. I got to know Pinterest from my home-stay mum who is a watercolor painter. She always gets good ideas on drawing from Pinterest. She also finds interesting handicraft designs for me. And then we follow the instructions to make our own handicraft arts. One of my friends even got her wedding design ideas from Pinterest. She had a wonderful and special wedding in Taiwan. For me I like to pin fashionable sites like clothes, makeup, hairstyles. I also pin healthy diet sites because I am losing weight now. Especially, after pinning good healthy diet articles I can share them with my Facebook friends. I like the feelings that my friends on Facebook and Twitter follow me. I can also buy clothes from the images I pin. Maybe someday I will set up my business on Pinterest like selling Chinese traditional handicraft arts, souvenir and help my American mum sell her paintings. So I feel Pinterest is more enjoyable. I really find Pinterest is a place where people can go to get ideas for any project or interest in their life. And as you encounter great ideas and discover new things that you didn’t even know were out there, you can pin them and make them part of your life through boards, which serve as big catalogs of objects. So I will definitely use Pinterest as well for my career and daily life.

Data enables learners to find answers and education for themselves.

Education Change and Challenge

Darren Cannel

     “In education the use it or lose it may mean, if you don't use technology for learning. You may lose relevance. An educator must be relevant. The students we are teaching today are an instant pudding, drive through, microwave download-it-from-the Internet, media driven generation. Therefore, teachers must be innovative to keep their interest and to inspire in them a creative curiosity." Darren is right if we put a teacher from 100 years ago into today's class, he could not skip a beat and he would be lost. Honestly, when I first came to study in America, I was shocked and overwhelmed by the technologies I was required to use school's system like ublearns to submit assignment, to study in a group by using Google Docs and creating blogs for my future students. However, I have to learn new educational technologies, since it is the trend for nowadays' and future's education. If I don't learn new educational technologies, I will not be relevant and lose connection with my students. I cannot be a qualified and helpful teacher.

The Future of Learning,  Networked Society

Ericsson

     “Teachers do not need to answer questions since answers are everywhere. From years’ measurements learners can find the answers for themselves.” I feel it is really true. Because now when I do not understand something, I will Google it to find answers. I will also watch YouTube and even use Facebook to contact with friends from all over the world to help me solve problems. There are a lot of useful sources to get answers instead of just asking teachers and wise people now. I notice that for my generation, if I cannot solve problems by myself through seeking answers from Internet, I will be laughed at and I cannot further pursue my study.

     Connect to learn: "Connectivity is actually opening up the world. The students can actually now communicate with other students, say in London.” I agree with that education is limited by what teachers can tell students and the teachers are limited by the information, which the limited amounts of textbooks provide. I am impressed by the village--Bonsaaso, which is located in Ghana opened up connectivity with the world. Students start seeing world in different ways. They are more exposed to information and knowledge. It is true that as long as there is a network, there is a hope that any place can connect with the world and children can get education. In China, there are so many villages like Bonsaaso. Since the living and teaching conditions are so bad that few teachers are willing to give up great opportunities to teach in big cities. People who live in these villages become poorer and poorer and they cannot change both their and their children’s lives. Every time when I hear this kind of news, I feel heartbroken. However, it is really hard to change this reality. I don’t blame the teachers who don’t want to teach in remote areas. Since everyone has the rights to choose their lives which they want to have. But children who grow up in these areas do need education. From this video I think if Chinese government can develop network in remote areas, children can gain the opportunity to study and change their lives by themselves. And I am willing to make my best effort to teach students from these remote and backward regions through Internet.

     Honestly, I don't realize online education websites enable children from poor family to get free education until I get to know some great websites like Knewton and Coursera. These websites are awesome since more and more children will get opportunities to study and make themselves become better. These children can also interact with other learners from online learning communities, which are same as on campus learning communities. These websites also have designed individual classes for individuals. I agree that different students learn in different ways. Teachers cannot ask each students learn in the same way from a class which has 60 students. Therefore, these websites make more students to have interest and motivation to learn. I have a friend, who is very creative and smart cannot good scores from her major. I notice that she cannot sit in the classroom for a whole day, however, she learns more efficiently by learning from the website like Coursera or reference books. After watching this week's videos, I am more sure that students learn in different ways. I also encourage her to keep on studying in the ways which work for her and do not compare herself with others. I believe one day she will get better scores.

  

 Why choose blog as an important tool to teach second language?

•      Blogs inspire second language learners to show their opinions and even raise questions openly and frankly. So students are more engaged in learning second language and they learn a lot from each other. Especially, second language learners can learn different cultures through visiting others' blogs. After sharing different cultures and perspectives, students become closer with other classmates and teachers. Teachers can also better understand students. Sometimes, teachers feel frustrated and even get angry with students who keep making same mistakes. For example, there is no simple past tense in Chinese grammar. Therefore, students who forget to change to past tense are not disobedient. It takes time for them to get used to using simple past tense on writing and speaking in English.
•      Blogs can give valuable feedback to teachers. In China, students are shy and afraid to give suggestions on teachers' instructions in the class. However, students are braver and more open to show their thoughts through blogs. Teachers may get negative and positive feedback. Through  these feedback teachers can keep doing the activities, which students support and enjoy. Teacher can also change and modify unhelpful and boring activities. Teachers gradually become professional practitioners. 

Performance Indicators:
ESL.1.5-8.1.1.1: Students identify and use reading and listening strategies to make text comprehensible and meaningful.
                                          May Include-ESL.1.5-8.1.1.M1: Strategies such as skimming, scanning, previewing, reviewing, discussing, listening selectively, listening for a specific purpose, listening for main ideas and details, note taking, using structural and context clues, cognates, format, sequence, and an understanding of letter-sound relationship decode difficulty words.
                                          
ESL.1.5-8.1.1.2: Students read, gather, view, listen to, organize, discuss, interpret, and analyze information related to academic content areas and various sources.
                                          May include- ESL.1.5-8.1.1.2.M1: Sources such as nonfiction books for young adults, reference books, magazines, textbooks, the Internet, databases, audio and media presentations, oral interviews, charts, graphs, maps, and diagrams.


I notice that parents want to make an effort to help children's language study, especially in China. I really love this community which is helpful for teachers and parents. I hope parents can use it to study with children at home or even at any place.  Enjoy it! Feel free to give me advice and leave comments.