Still not sold on Twitter...

Class yesterday flew by, and I'm pretty sure I got whiplash from the whirlwind of technology.  Every time I finally felt like I was catching up we switched gears to a new topic.  Once I finally got the hang of HootSuite it was actually pretty cool, although I think if I use it in the future it would be for Facebook more than anything else. Everyone was "tweeting" at once and there was no way I was going to be able to keep up with everything so I didn't even try.  Instead, I made my obligatory tweet to the class and then focused on trying to find a good PLN for Latin teachers.  I wasn't able to find one specifically for Latin, but did find a few for foreign/world language teachers in general, so I added the #WLTeach stream and we'll see what happens.  To be honest, I haven't returned to Twitter or HootSuite since leaving it after the first half of class yesterday, but after Anotonia's discussion I can at least appreciate the usefulness of PLNs and will consider the fact that Twitter might have some merit beyond what I originally thought.  

Moving on from Twitter to Reader, something I found extremely useful! I'm still not sure about this whole blogging thing, but I can say I don't hate it, and I really like that I now have a way to easily access the blogs of my cohort (and can quickly add anyone else if I so desire) without having to go to C-Tools and then Wikispaces.  I still haven't added any blogs outside of my classmates', mostly because I kind of missed that part of Kristin's presentation while I was still fumbling through the setup of Reader.  But I can definitely see myself getting on when I have some free time...so next year...and browsing for blogs of interest to me. 

As for these product reviews, I'm completely clueless about my product, but am excited to have a fun new tool to explore, and best of all I not only GET, but am required to tell everyone exactly what I think about it.  Who doesn't love voicing their opinion? I'm also pleased that I'll be working with Brianne, as her cinnamon rolls are delicious and I'm expecting more tasty treats every time we work together.  So thank you for that in advance, Brianne!

coo-coo-ca-choo

well, well, well...Twitter, eh? The fact that I have to create a Twitter account  makes me shudder to my core.  Now I'm no stranger to social networking.  I'm an admitted Facebook addict, and though I have tried numerous times (unsuccessfully) to re-habilitate myself, my stalker tendencies always prevail.  But that's Facebook; this is Twitter, and if you ask me, Twitter is just a whole new level of narcissism.  I mean, really? Does anyone actually care where I am or what I'm doing at any given moment? Moreover, do I actually care what anyone else is doing at any and every second of the day? Sure, but nobody who has a Twitter account.  And to be honest, I find it creepy that anyone might be that interested in me or my life.  At least anyone who couldn't just call or text me to find out what I'm doing.

So those were my thoughts on Twitter before doing the reading for this week, and the readings haven't done a whole lot to change these thoughts.  Figuring out a whole new techy thing does NOT sounds appealing to me, and even after reading the tutorial on C-Tools I still don't think I could proficiently navigate the Twitter website. That being said, I do think being part of a PLN could be extremely beneficial.  Most schools do not have large Latin programs, so it's highly likely that I will be one of the only Latin teachers in whatever school I end up in.  Having a large network of professionals teaching the same subject could be a great source of support and resources.  I guess I'm willing to give Twitter a chance on this front, but I'm not going to be particularly happy about it.

One more quick note on trying to incorporate Twitter into the classroom.  I could get on board with the argument for using Twitter for homework purposes.  The 28 Creative Ideas for Teaching with Twitter had some interesting suggestions- creating a poll, follow politicians or current events, having students post responses to homework questions, etc.  However, having Twitter in the classroom is bound to turn into one giant distraction.  I just don't think it's possible to allow your students access to Twitter in the classroom and also expect them not to follow their own private networks and what not.  I don't see this happening.  So that's my rant against Twitter.  But now that I have an account, ask me in 2 weeks and I'll probably go on another rant about how much I love it.  I'm fickle like that.  

Odi et Amo

Well I'm not nearly as creative or articulate as many of you, but I certainly enjoyed reading all of your blogs.  I guess I'll start by explaining the title of this blog.  Odi et Amo is the title of one of Catullus's most famous poems, and means I hate and I love.  Fitting enough for my first blog.  Like many of my classmates, I have a love-hate relationship with technology.  I really love the idea of it, the ability to find information on anything at a moment's notice on my phone or laptop, but beyond texting, emailing and Facebooking, my technological knowledge is severely lacking.  I'm constantly being frustrated by my vain attempts to do something or other on my new MAC or DVD player that is far too advanced for my narrow knowledge.

That being said, I came to class on Friday with some serious apprehensions about my own abilities (or lack thereof), and about the role of technology in the classroom.  I was quite relieved during the activity to discover that my classmates had many of the same concerns.  I worry that my students will find me irrelevant in the classroom with my limited knowledge, and that I won't be able to keep up in EDUC 504 because of it.  But I think my biggest concern with this whole technology in the classroom thing is making it applicable to my subject area.  I am so used to learning Latin through the use of pencil and paper activities, so I'm excited to learn about ways to use technology to teach Latin because it is such an old and outdated subject, and I think the help of technology will be useful in helping students to recognize its relevance in the context of our modern world.

I was also very intrigued by everyone's answers to the "why do you want to be a teacher" question.  To be honest,  if you couldn't tell by my own half-assed response to this question, I'm not big on "sharing", so I'm very impressed by those of you who were able to open up and share a part of yourself with the class.   You've inspired me to try and be more open with you guys in the future.  We'll see how it goes...Anyway, I left class early, but from what I've read in everyone else's blogs it sounds like I missed an interesting discussion on John Dewey and a good video.  Looking forward to whatever Jeff and Kristin have in store for us this week!