Tonight I was reading some blogs from our 4407 Instructional Tools blog mates.  I couldn't help but think about networking and a PLN.

While working at my previous job in banking, we developed a new tool for R&D.  Back then technology was computer that had DOS and Word Star for word processing and that was COOL but they only ran banking programs and a bit of what we called word processing back then.  Technology was not yet advanced enough to be cost effective or efficient as far as networking.
The project was called "Street Walker".  Back then we could have a sense of humor and the phrase  "politically correct" was not yet "politically correct".

The Street Walker program was a very good tool for building business and building connections.  The person selected such as a Commercial Loan Officer,  New Accounts Representative, or Consumer Loan Officer would go out to other businesses each week.  They would go to at least 1 new entity each day, and on their way stop at businesses, even other financial institutions, to make a connection.  You would go out and visit the entity.  You would ask them if they liked their bank, if so, why, what did they not like, why they did business with them, if they needed anything that their bank did not offer.  If you stopped at another bank you would talk to them about their products, you would see what they offered, see if they had customers that may need a product they did not offer, you would compare products.  Many times when you revisited them you would just see how things were going and you made a working relationship.  Not to be in direct competition but to learn about them.  To see what they had to offer, to see if you could perhaps refer customers to each other, or even to just let them know that you were there.  If nothing else, to be a name that they were familiar with and could relate to.

The "Street Walker" program was a huge hit.  It increased our visibility and our volume.  It was nice to have a network that was so connected.  When I look at the technology tools, I think of the "Street Walker" program and my PLN back then.  I didn't realize it but I had a great PLN.  I had connections and I developed new outreach programs such as going out to the high schools with checkbooks and teaching high schools students how to budget their funds.  I would give each student a checkbook and savings ledger with an amount already in the starting balance.  Then I would have them draw a "life scenario" out of a bowl (Very high tech?) and they would have to go with that scenario for that week.  They could have had an accident and needed to use their savings and didn't get a paid, they could have received a promotion, or they could have had a child or bought a home.  It was good for them to see that many of life's events are not planned for and could happen to anyone.  It was a great tool.

I look at my current PLN and although things have changed immensely since then, we still need to create that network of connections and tools. Things have changed but then again, the basics are the same.  We now have a more advanced PLN but we always had one.

techtooljule
#techhrd

http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2015/06/11/index.html

http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2015/06/11/index.html

Flipped Classroom: A New Education Model Enabled by Technology

Flipped Classroom: A New Education Model Enabled by Technology



#techhrd

Cut, Paste, Embed, Copy, Draw

This week I learned so quick ways to "pretty" up my blog post.  For many years I have cut, pasted, inserted, and embedded.  This week I learned some new ways and found short cuts to what I was doing. 
I was fun to look at Dr. Robin's blog and see what she had created and how she created the engaging bits she added to her blog.
This weekend I will be able to explore this in more depth and practice some. 

This week I was able to create a video to help students to complete a travel form.  I was able to post it to Youtube and it was fun. 

What did you enjoy about this week?  I think it has been a super fun week.

Julie

  

I just made a screen cast of a form that I want to show some students how to fill out.
The link is  http://youtu.be/dXOgWiD2s1A a

I like screen-cast- o-matic except that you cannot go back and edit it.  If you make a mistake you need to start over.  If you do a long screen cast such as 15 minutes, it is painful to have to start over.  
On the other hand, it is super easy to make a screen caste with Screen-cast-o-matic, and it is free.

techtooljule

#techhrd

This evening I am learning about inserting pictures into my blog and I am also thinking back on what I have learned about blogging.  I think that one of the things that I learned about blogging is Blogging  does not need to be employment or academically  oriented.  A blog can be on any topic you think is interesting.  Dr. Robin Lindbeck, our professor has given us some really good links that are copy right free and this link is one of my favorite ones http://www.freefoto.com/index.jsp

 Some of the things I am interested in are antiques.  Like this pocket watch.  


Another interest I have is yard work and landscaping.  I love flowers.



 The diversity of topics you can blog is amazing.  If I am interested in the topic, blogging is fun and I can spend hours reading other people's blogs.  Some people make any topic interesting and informative and I like that.  I like knowing that I am learning something that I can use.  I am enjoying reading the blogs from class because there are lots of good ideas on how to increase the value of my PLN.  Some posts also relate to something I am not sure I like about a PLN, such as "putting" my personal information out there, online.  I can see that there are times I would want to put more information about me online and sometimes, not.  It was nice to see that it is okay to "cull the herd" and unsubscribe to some blogs or quit following someone because the information being received back is either too much, or is not helpful.

I find that the people in my group are very helpful and have great blogs, both visually, and in content.

Thanks for helping to make my experience a great one.

techtooljule
#techhrd

LinkedIn

LinkedIn

My experience on LinkedIn has been good but I do not use it to it's full potential.  I do not fully utilize it as I could to network. You can connect with others and in specific types of entities.  You can connect with others you happen to cross in training, at work, or in class.  Linked in gives you a chance to promote others and their skills. You can follow people, entities, and Associations, etc.  I follow some but do not keep up with them on a regular basis

The drawback is I have had people that I have never met recommend my skills.   Sometimes the skills are not what I excel in or are not skills that I have.  I do not believe that you should promote any one's skills unless you know they possess those skills and excel in them.  LinkedIn rates your profile on others promoting your skills and on how many people viewed your profile.  The views can be tracked.  Due to the fact that your rating is being based on skills and views, it reminds me of a popularity contest.  People can promote your skill and then other people that you may or may not know, pop up with suggestions on skills you should promote them for. If you do, you may be hoping they will promote you in return.  I think that is how a couple of people have recommended a skill that I do not have.  If someone really is promoting a person they know and their skills, it would be nice if LinkedIn required you to write a recommendation.  The recommendation should describe the skill, how they utilize that skill, and how you know they have that skill.   If LinkedIn did require us to write about the person as opposed to clicking a spot that just pops up with a pre selected skill, I would be more inclined to rely on the ratings and skills listed. 

You can solicit people to recommend you and your can do that by including a request to your connections globally.  I am not sure that is an appropriate way to ask for recommendations.  It is a "canned" request and not personal at all.  It does not tell what specifically they want to be recommended for.  A recommendation could be written differently depending if they want to apply for a job for a position or if they want you to recommend them for an award, etc.  I don't think that sending out a global request will give you results that will be useful for a potential employer.

I do not list my place of work and do not list the town I live in.  I list general skills and positions I have held.  If I was seeking employment and using LinkedIn as a tool I would be more specific.  I do not feel comfortable enough with putting that information out there for the "world" to know.

techtooljule

#techhrd

Hidden messages

Thinking back on a few of my best HRD instructors.  Their curriculum development had a hidden message. The curriculum enhanced our lives, not just by the assignments, but by the sources we use to complete the assignments.


Instructional Technology is an area that has millions of tools and millions of ways to use those tools.  How do we choose?  What works?  We set out to learn, we have a book, we have reading assignments.  Yet, without trying the instructional tools, we still cannot fully relate to what the tools are and how they can help us.


The "rage of the age" is texting, tweeting, LinkedIn, Facebook.  How do we use this for learning, not just communicating with friends?  With so much going on in our lives, would we prioritize learning these tech tools?  Through the curriculum we have been given, it is mandatory that we use these tools.  If using these tools in a repetitive, scheduled, curriculum, we learn what they are.  We learn their benefits as well as their drawbacks.  Most of all, we are supported in our efforts by classmates and our instructor.


Participating in using these tools, hand in hand with our classmates, it is not so scary.  We can see that not everyone is familiar with instructional technology.  Those that are familiar with some of the instructional tools help the rest of us learn.  In additional to the instructional tools, hands on training, we learn to teach others, we learn to listen, we learn that we all can fall, we learn we can get up and we can learn from that fall.  We gain knowledge and confidence in our personal lives as well as our professional lives.


They have honed their teaching and tools and we are lucky enough to benefit from their "Hidden Messages".

Technology is great,  I can look up a million different topics.
Technology is ruining my life, I can look up a million different topics.

Where do we go from here?  Perfecting who we follow, who we feed from, who we tweet to.  The concept of a PLN is wonderful and it will take some time before I am proficient and have things whittled down to "best practices", most trusted, and most current.

Blog this day, this day, here's your topic, chose your topic, no tweet, oh no, retweet.  I think that adolescents can handle this better than I can.  Yet this course is what will give me the skill to participate and escalate. I would not have tried most of the tools we have begun to use.  Making it mandatory shows us what is expected of us.

Julie

An inspirational quote on a person's value by Julie Bachman

I have seen lots of inspirational quotes and thought I would send you my favorite one.
It is by Julie Bachman.

A great leader of people enables others to realize and recognize their own self value. To lead them to see they are of value. It is not something you give them, you can not tell them, they must find it and believe in it themselves.  Julie Bachman

Creativity and Learning at it's Finest

One thing I have always known is we learn more when we experience hands on as opposed to reading or diagrams. When we open our senses, touch, sight, sound, and smell, it awakens our thoughts.  We need to expand our thoughts and let creativity guide us.

Many times we need to let students, ourselves, or others venture out on a limb, take a new path, or fly off.  Even though we believe that the end result will be a dead end, we need to let someone experience the venture.  You see, too many times we are limited by thoughts and beliefs of others,  Growth, new ideas, and inventions are created by those ventures. In short it is how our minds expand to their fullest capacity.

In this day and age we all seem to have more stress, more demands, and less downtime.  Smart phones, cell phones, laptops, homework, curriculum development -we do not have many places that we can just relax and cleanse the pallet of our minds.  Children also have so many demands and unlike the past they don't go outside and play all day and come in at dark.  They don't get that down time.  They are missing out on the experiences and creativity that fosters a healthy mind, body, and soul.  To do their best they need to be healthy.

This leads me to believe that children need a learning place where the walls are not brick or cement and the ground is not asphalt..  Children do not need to be confined within walls to learn.  Schools are now starting to build schools with outdoor learning areas or adding an outside learning classroom.

What do you think of outdoor learning?

techtooljule
#techhrd

This adventure is really starting to pick up speed.  

I am starting to find more ways to do things on TWITTER.  I was thinking and decided that when I attend a conference or something for work it may be good to TWEET a few things I have learned when there is a break.  That way the idea will be fresh in my mind and I can give more detail.  I can use it for giving myself tips to use when I go back to work.    Hmmmm, this may just save me some time.

techtooljuli
#techhrd

Okay, I began this adventure as regular self respecting lady.  Now, officially, I am a TWIT!

My experience with twitter is growing and growing and growing.  I am tweeting more, have added tweets, re-tweeted (isn't that what you do when you have no more balloons in a water fight?), and posted a couple of pictures. ...Yep officially a TWIT.

I somehow thought that I would only receive specific content when I subscribed to Management Concepts, GSA, and OMB.   That is not the case.  I was thinking that this would only have professional links but not the case.  When I look at my home page it reminds me of a facebook home page so I have some work to do.  I will need to "Cull the herd".

After working with the content of Twitter it becomes easier to post, easier to search, and way too easy to be a TWIT.

techtooljule
#techhrd

#ImpactChat Twitter Chat: How Are Online Degree Programs Changing Higher Education? - Blog | 2U

#ImpactChat Twitter Chat: How Are Online Degree Programs Changing Higher Education? - Blog | 2U

#impactchat Recap: How Is Online Learning Changing Higher Education? - Blog | 2U

#impactchat Recap: How Is Online Learning Changing Higher Education? - Blog | 2U

Hi, it's techtooljule.

Oh my gosh am I glad that last week is over.   As all of us do, I have many reports and projects that are due at different times.  I try to keep steps to the project as events on my calendar, yet, it seems that I forget to put in a reminder for me.  I used to use a software program years ago that was a really good way to create a tickle file.  However, here at I SU I do not see any tickler type software that is available to us. 

My question to you is do you use an application or software that creates a tickler file for you?  I think the one I used to use was called ACT but I can't remember if that was the full name or not.  How do you create a reminder to follow up on things?  Why do you use it?  What do you use as a tickler file?  What do yo like about it and what would you change about the product you use if you could change something?

Thanks
techtooljule

Hi, it's techtooljule,

Earlier this evening I was experimenting with a tech tool and I began to wonder if we should be using captions when we produce course material, or any material that we are disseminating the information for others to read and use online. 

I would think that it would make sense to make videos that are ADA compliant for the hearing impaired, so I looked up some information.  This link K-12 Section 504 ADA obligations link has some good information.

Have any of you made videos for educational purposes and used captioning?  If so, can you share your experience using captioning on videos with me?

Thanks,
techtooljule