My Updated PLN

As this semester is coming to a close, I am updating my existing PLN to include everything I have learned since the last PLN post. I will include my previous links and sites, too:

iGoogle has assisted me in Dr. Strange's class AND in my other classes and personal life. Some of the projects I have done in EDM 310 using Google Docs, Presentations, and Forms I have shared with people I know just because I was proud of them - and I used Google Docs to display them!

Google Earth is a wonderful resource to use to keep up with important geological places: places of interest and places for educational purposes.

Timetoast allows you to create time lines to keep up with important events in your life or events in history - this is a wonderful tool for projects!

Vocaroo has helped me record voice threads to embed in blogs. This is a very valuable tool for someone who may not be able to read yet or has vision problems; this ensures that everyone has equal opportunities.

Skype is particularly useful for collaboration outside of email and text. It's almost as if the person is right there in the room with you.

I learned how to use iTunes and iTunes University for the first time, and I realized how valuable podcasts are to students. YouTube offers many educational tools accessible to anyone.

Wikipedia is not always the best resource to use, and I learned exactly why thanks to some blogs that I read...

Blogging was a chore for me for a while, but now I see how important it is: all I have to do is go back to reference what I wrote for myself about many different things such as new technologies, teaching methods, etc. So I have become my own reference in a way! After reading blogs from other teachers and watching videos about their techniques, I have learned to turn to them as references, too.
Vicki Davis
Ken Robinson
Karl Fisch
Richard Miller
Kelly Hines
Kathy Cassidy - and her students,
Bill Ferriter
Dianne Krauss
Candace Follis
Dr. John Strange
EDM 310 Alumni Blog

and my personal favorites (including the kids' blogs, too!):
Randy Pausch
Dr. Alice Christie and
Michael Wesch (II)

From reading these blogs, I have come across many different websites that I can use when I have my own classroom, and I need ideas, tools, or lessons:
Flavors.me
Wolfram|Alpha for Educators
Math Worksheet Generator - even though I will be an English teacher.
The Secret Life of Scientists
Skype for Educators
BBC Podcasts
Symbaloo


All of these references have helped me understand different aspects, techniques, technologies used, and issues of teaching today - as well as helped me develop my own opinions and preferences on each subject. I believe that is the most important aspect of a PLN: developing your own teaching methods and persona. I really have "amused myself to death." Hopefully I will be able to put all of these references in a PLE I create through Symbaloo. I'll post a link to my Alumni Blog as soon as I've finished!