Diigo vs. Scoop.it

Diigo  and Scoop.it are both helpful and convenient social bookmarking sites to keep you organized.  Both sites offer many organizational tools that can help anyone in the professional or personal aspect of their lives.  More importantly these sites allow you to 'follow' other people who are saving and tagging relevant information similar to your own.  Educators of all fields will find that Diigo and Scoop.it are valuable and worthwhile to use.

Now lets compare the features!

Diigo 

• Create your own list of topics. Tip: You could organize each topic by a content area.
• Add your own personal comments through sticky notes and digitally highlight text! Tip: Add notes for differentiated instruction or what standard to apply to! 
• Ability to follow or follow someone else. Tip: Follow other educators and build a community! 
• Download an icon in the right hand corner of your browser for faster saving. Tip: Download it is worth it! :)
• Can use on your Ipad, smartphone, or tablet. 
• Add multiple tags to help find your sites easier in the future. Tip: Always add tags you will be happy later you did it!
• Copy and paste from original article to appear in comments about your site. 

Scoop.it

• Create your own list of topics.
• Ability to follow or follow someone else. 
• A great option of signing in under another social media site such as Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ and sharing your bookmarks instantly. Tip: Twitter is now used very often for education I hear! More information to come. 
• Add multiple tags to help find your site easier in the future.
• Comment on each article to provide yourself a summary.  People who are following you can comment as well!
• Offers hundreds of suggestions related to prior articles you have searched for!

Which one will I use?

After comparing and using both sites for my bookmark organization, I found many great organizational features from both.  However, my personal preference has led me to use Diigo as my main social bookmarking site.  I find Diigo to be much more user friendly and accessible. I really love the icon you can download in the top right hand corner of your screen.  It allows you to quickly save a site and digitally highlight important items you want to use later! I have highlighted the best features in both websites being in my own personal option. As a  future educator I want to be as fully prepared as possible.  Especially when there are millions of useful websites to learn from!  

Please feel free to comment or add your suggestions! 

Technology Transformation

When brought up in a conversation, the term technology can either do two things.  It can scare or intrigue.  Often times, there is a stereotype of what type of individuals are scared by this term.  There is also the stereotype that only the 'educated young adults' could somehow manage to understand this technological transformation.  Although, somehow this transformation has reached nearly everyone, somehow in some way. Today in the 21st century, there are moms, dads, and grandparents on Facebook, on-line bill pay users of the elderly, and young school-aged children creating blogs for literary work and checking their Twitter accounts regarding classwork.  From one end of the world to another, technology is transforming at such rapid rates, it is nearly impossible to steer clear from it.
After watching this stimulating video on YouTube called, Shift Happens, the statistics for future innovative and technological advances sent chills down my spine.  E-paper will one day be cheaper than regular paper?  So you mean to tell me, that paper and pencil that I have been raised to love and the smell of old books in a library will soon not exist?  Scary!  Nevertheless, while taking this on-line class to enhance my knowledge of  technology in the classroom, it truly has intrigued me in numerous areas. One day, I am sure to be 100% accustomed to it.
The video, Shift Happens provided statistics about jobs around the world and how fast they are advancing and improving.  In regards to education according to this video, "for students starting a four year technical degree, this means that half of what they learn their first year of study, will be outdated by their third year of study"!  I do not want to give too much information away, so please watch!  

The second video I would like to reflect upon is called Social Media Revolution which is also found on Youtube.  This video truly conveys the impact social media has on the lives of everyone in the world.  Kindergartners are now using Ipads to learn instead of blackboards, customers now rely on websites such as Yelp.com for recommendations, and most shockingly, 1 in 5 divorces are blamed on the partners use of Facebook.  The largest question I have a concern for, is the impact technology is going to have on future education, how I can be prepared for it, and most importantly, how I can use it effectively.

Throughout this course, I have learned, created and designed countless new ideas to build my knowledge of technology and incorporate it in my future classroom.  This video could be used in my classroom as well if I am working with middle or high-school children.  Secondly, it could be used as a great way to hook my students into learning a different aspect of technology.  However, I do not feel as if my students will ever not be intrigued in technology, and it is a wonderful tool to engage students in all content areas.

Using Blogger to Meet Appropriate Standards

Through past student teaching experiences, I found myself continuously asking these questions. "Am I meeting enough standards in my lesson(s)"? "How can I possibly make my objectives meet all of the standards"? "Will I hit every standard before assessments begin this year"? Every educator wants to go above and beyond in their lessons by being creative, engaging students, getting students out of their seats and most importantly, integrating technology.  Within the past couple decades, technology has spread all over the world and pushed its way into countless areas of our lives.  Starting with the World Wide web, medical technology, cars, machinery, cell phones, and educational tools such as the Smart Board.  Adults love these advances and try to keep up, but our lives are always pulling and pushing us in so many areas of responsibility.  Although, the best part of this dilemma is that there are children across the world who love these technological advances, get extremely interested and take so much time to learn the skills of new technology.  So in my mind, what educator would NOT want to use this to their advantage in striking that same excitement with learning in the classroom and at home.  

Over the past week, I have thought over how to use my blog in the learning and professional field as a teacher.  First, I thought of the importance with parent communication.  Ideally, I would like to work with ELL's at any age in an educational setting and communication will become very challenging with their parents.  Language is the key to efficient communication and I will undoubtedly come into a situation where I will not know a language of an ELL of his/her family.  This is where my Blog can come into play.  With the translation resources at our fingertips, I know I will be able to translate all of my monthly newsletters and announcements to any language.  The translation may not be 100% accurate, but any sort of communication is better than no communication!  The communication to parents in my blog will not only benefit myself and the parents, it will improve the student's overall success in my classroom.  An example of a great translation tool is Google Translate. 

Another way I can utilize Blogger in my classroom is to encourage students to check it for homework resources, lesson materials and reflection.  I find that students in elementary, high school, or higher education always benefit when they reflect on their work.  Either from a topic of discussion, a specific lesson from the day, or just a creative free write on something they are passionate about.  This gives the students the opportunity to write without the pressure of a graded assignment.  I would not use Blogger as a graded assignment.  I would assess on a pass/fail given if the student completes the written task or not.  Students will also be able to read what other students have written and comment.  I find that Blogger would be a great resource for the rest of my career as an educator! 

ACTFL Standards

Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions. 

ISTE Standards

1. Creativity and Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.