Picmonkey

Picmonkey is a free photo editing app that allows the user to upload an image and begin editing without a user account.  This made the process much smoother to me, eliminating the process of entering my profile information and email address then waiting for a confirmation email so that I can then login. Picmonkey lets me hit the ground running.  I was able to use all the standard editing tools you’d expect from such a website without downloading apps and registering.  I really do like the app for classroom application.  Such as creating paper/worksheet activities with timely designs and graphics or simply creating cute holiday portraits with adjustments for seasonal projects.

I decided to take a photo of myself and create some fairy-esque graphics.

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Pinterest in the Classroom

What I learned from using PINTEREST as an educator…

 I have used Pinterest as an educator for many years.  I have multiple boards and over 800 pins of varying content including education. I enjoy the time-saving features other educators share such as lessons, organizational tips and skills-building activities.  Teaching and planning takes so much time and effort to do effectively.  It is nice to be able to open an app and cherry pick from a list of things other teachers have already found success with.  I also learned how to add a Pinterest gadget to a blog, something I’ve never done before. This is very useful since I have always wanted to delve into the educational blog or mommy blog world.

How I will utilize PINTEREST as a teacher…

I will continue to use Pinterest as a valuable resource for organizing my teaching ideas, inspiration for fun projects as well as sharing my own effective teaching ideas.  There are many educators who I follow on original Pinterest account such as “The Moffatt Girls” and “Kathy Schrock” who have loads of printable, crafts and activity ideas on their boards. There are many book suggestions for accompanying lessons of specific content such as poetry, sight words and alliteration.

Strengths of PINTEREST…

Simplicity is Pinterest’s greatest strength.  It is easy to use for even the older crowd who are less technically inclined. My mother in law uses it and that’s saying something!  Also, it provides a space for people to explore their passions. Pinterest keeps those passions alive by feeding them with more pins daily. Volume is another of Pinterest’s great strengths.  Pinterest has over million active users and the number of pins grows by 75% annually. According to Quora.com, there are 50 billion pins and 1 billion boards as of recent 2015 data. That’s a lot of pinning!  It is no wonder that when I go to Pinterest to find a teaching tool of any type, I rarely come away emptyhanded.  Not to mention how visually appealing Pinterest has been designed.  Nearly any search for content whatsoever will yield numerous graphic images with information of your interest…you barely have to read!

The challenges of PINTEREST…

Of course with any app there are challenges, Pinterest is no exception. Pinterest has a narrow demographic.  Most women in the 25-34 age range and over a third in the $100,000 income bracket. If you are using it for classroom purposes, you must keep in mind that it is not appealing to the younger crowd.  Its largest audience base is in the 25-45 age range.  I think teachers and moms are an easy draw but using it as an app in the younger demographic would work if the activity or assignment requires its usage.  Just don’t expect them to make it an app they use in their own leisure after the assignment is completed. Also, Pinterest pinning does not lead to engagement on a conversational level.  People do not interact with one another as much as they do on Facebook and Instagram.  If student interaction is your driving point, look elsewhere.

Reflections on PINTEREST…

Pinterest is addicting!  It constantly feeds you pins similar to the interest of your previous searches and leads you on a rabbit trail. Nevermind that you may have opened the app for a reason completely different from your previous pins or searches.  This is why my boards grew exponentially as soon as I joined the site.  From a teacher perspective, I do not suggest openly searching while students watch. There are quite a few inappropriate pins that have shown up that are often irrelevant to my search. Some users tag their pins with common terms just to get hits on their inappropriate boards/pins. Instead of openly searching in front of students, pre-pin unto boards and go directly to the boards in your teacher account.

Khan/Koller Review

Khan 

How I Envision Using the Khan Academy for Personal Needs…

Upon visiting the Khan Academy site, I realized that it was something I could have used when I had difficulty in my statistics class back while working on my Adult Education & Distance Learning Degree.  This would have been useful because Khan examples in a handwritten format in a very easy, step by step format with a conversational tone. My instructor could not provide assistance in the same format and style. I will use the Khan Academy to give my own children supplemental support in their academic areas.  I will be pursuing this site more for my own edification as well.  I love learning and improving myself is a lifelong goal of mine.

Encouraging Student Utilization of Khan Academy

As I read the article I found myself thinking of concepts I’ve taught in the past as well as students I taught in the past. Which Khan lessons could my third graders have benefited from? My fifth graders?  In the past I had students that I may have failed to challenge while I was beleaguered with helping students who were behind or struggling.

Ease of Use and Efficacy of Khan Academy as a Learning Resource

I completed a short Chemistry of Life skill check on Atoms and the Periodic table. This skill check was purposed to give me an idea of my prior knowledge of the topic.  While it revealed that I remember very little about my high school chemistry lessons, I did like the way I was given multiple hints and clues to inform my selection from the multiple choices. I did find this lesson easy to follow and learn from and I think I will continue this entire section when I have more time. 

Khan’s Speculation of Future Reliance on Online Credentialing/Making Learning More Accessible

It would be difficult to say he is wrong about our future reliance on online credentialing as I type my constructed response answer to a question posed in my distance learning course.  More and more students, employers and organizations are choosing this modality as a way to complete degree programs, train employees, or get certifications in their career field.  This modality offers more choices for the homebound, the disabled and for those in the far reaches of the globe who would not otherwise have access to coursework such as this.

Koller

Coursera Offerings I found personally Interesting

Amongst Coursera’s plethora of topics, I found the Personal Development Courses to be the most interesting. I was most interested in the Virtual Teacher 5-course Specialization because it could enhance my training as a Distance Learning Instructor or enhance my resume  for my interest in Adjunct professor positions. There are also courses in Strategic self-marketing and Personal Branding this cadre could help me brand myself as an educational professional as well as a blogger in the education.

Does Columbus State accept Coursera transfer credits?

Columbus State Community College does not accept Coursera transfer credits since Coursera isn’t regionally accredited. However, CSCC does offer a link on their website to those interested in courses with the organization.  A quick search from the CSCC homepage search box will lead you to the Coursera site.

How Coursera courses Compare as Challenging and Interesting Options

Coursera courses appear to be just as challenging as courses I’ve had before or even more challenging. The fact that Ivy League universities and the like are offering courses via Coursera does give me the impression that the courses offered will have more “meat” in their content than courses I have taken in the past. These universities are known for their rigorous curricula.

MOOCs (massive open online courses) as the "wave of the future".

Since MOOC’s are have emerged as a popular modality, due to their free access I can perceive that this trend will continue to grow exponentially to expand to include more resources, and more educational institutions.

MOOCs Changing the Way Students receive their education

A student like myself would be remiss in not considering MOOC’s as a valid resource in future educational endeavors.  Before I hand over my hard-earning cash, earmarked for continuing education I will weigh the advantages of choosing a coursework in a MOOC such as Coursera, Udacity and edX. This is especially true given the emergence of MOOC’s for credit through various educational institutions.