My Professional Learning Network

In Week 3 of CEP 810, we began focusing on our Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) and exploring how we can expand them using digital tools. We were introduced to a unique online tool called Popplet designed for mind-mapping and organizing ideas. It was my first time using this tool and already I can see how it would be useful in a classroom setting for students and teachers. I also noticed it also available as an app on the iPad – very neat!

Our assignment this week was to create a Popplet detailing where we access information related to our work. In my PLN, I identified four basic networks that keep me up to date on the latest learning in the field of education. Take a look below!

Overall, I was very pleased to learn about Popplet and I look forward to discovering new digital tools during the rest of the course!

Pizza Project

Image credit: Quotes on Images

This week in CEP 810 we have begun our Networked Learning Project. Our task is to learn something new that we have always wanted to do using only YouTube and Internet Help Forums.

What a great opportunity to get a little more comfortable in my kitchen! I have quite a nice oven in my kitchen (which I hardly use) and I figured it was time to put it to the test by making one of my favorite dishes – pizza! There is no shortage of good pizza here in Thailand. We have some amazing Italian restaurants, which serve authentic wood-oven pizza comparable to what you find in Rome. There is also the typical fast food variety (e.g. Dominos, Pizza Hut, etc.). The problem is that pizza here is very expensive. A medium-size pizza (for 1 person) can be up to 10 times the price of a meal on the streets.

Learning how to make pizza would save a lot of money and also allow me to enjoy it more often. Since there are so many types of pizza (Chicago Deep Dish, Calzone, Flatbread, Mexican, Lebanese, etc.) and variations (toppings, crusts, dough, etc.), I was excited about the fact that this project could very well last beyond the course of the semester!

My first step was to find specific online tutorials and forums that would suit my current needs. I am missing a lot of basic equipment for making pizza, such as a pizza stone, pizza cutter, pizza peel and dough mixer. My plan, however, is not to purchase everything right away. I want to start simple and see the progress I can make with what I have in my kitchen. For example, making my own pizza dough might not be necessary in the beginning; instead I could be a bit more practical and choose the store-bought variety.

Here are some resources that will serve my purpose for the time being:

Help Forum

YouTube

Successful Learning and Understanding

My first assignment for CEP 810 was to share my thoughts on learning, understanding and conceptual change based on readings covered in Chapters 1-3 of Bransford, Brown and Cocking’s (2000) How People Learn. The full essay (roughly 800 words) can be found here. I define learning as understanding through a process of constructing meaning and making connections based upon prior knowledge and understanding. In the discussion, I suggest that learning is an attitude as much as it is a process, requiring the embodiment of several qualities leading to life-long learning. I also share a number of insights gained from exploring the different learning processes of expert and novice learners. Finally, I conclude by reflecting on how understanding successful learning is related to the role of technology in learning. Comments are welcome!