Formative Assessment

There is no doubt that assessment is one of the main keys in the classroom. As philosophy on assessment I would claim that by using formative assessment, we will find the most effective way to asses our students. With this I mean when we evaluate them with a grading period. 

I consider this method really effective because as a professors, we cannot just see where students need help or what content they need to improve but what content they need to maximize!

But as a student I ask, when we speak about assessments, do we just need to focus in exams and quizzes? All right, quizzes and exams give us a number and average so we can check if students study or not... But as a student, I experienced that this is not the best way to assess students. I used to study a lot from 4th grade to 6th grade. I memorized a lot and I swear I studied so much. Even studying hours, I did not get the grade I deserved because I use to get nervous and my mind forgot almost everything. Does it mean I did not study? Does it mean I don't care about the class? The answer for me, is clear: NO. 

Professors all over the world listen please, assessment means evaluate. Evaluate not just with exams but with activities, papers, projects! This way you can measure how much work students do and you can see their abilities regarding to find resources as well as presentation. 

Regarding EduCanon and PearDeck, I believe that these tools can help teachers to accurate data about students. As a professors, we are gonna have so many students and in my opinion, we have to be able to be organize and collect data really well. We cannot lose time by being confused. Basically, learning about these tools helped me to see that there are many ways to evaluate, or better, to assess students and get information about their abilities in specifics subjects as well as areas. 

Finally, I have to say that this is really helpful as a future teacher. I did not know abut these tools and I was wondering for a long time how I was gonna assess my students and what was the best way to get information about them and at the same time, not being wrong. Also, professors learn how students work, not just in class but their abilities, as well as know their strong and weak points. 

Cool Tool: MindMeinster

" Create, share and collaboratively work on mind maps with MindMeister, the leading online mind mapping software. Includes apps for iPhone, iPad and Android." (mindmeister.com)

As you can imagine, MindMeister is the tool that I chose for week number five. Last week I chose also a mind map tool and I really liked it. So I decided to investigate more about mind maps tools. I found these tools really effective in class. Students connect their ideas so much better through mind maps because there are key words and all the ideas are connected to each other mostly through narrows. 

Personally I loved MindMeister. This is not a simple tool. In almost every app you can pick the forms of the boxes and the colors as well as the size. But with this application, you can also add emojis. I don't know if everyone know what the word "emoji" means since it is a modern word. And I said this because I heard this word for the first time around two years ago. Emojis are icons about anything. I repeat ANYTHING. You can find not just smile, sad or surprised faces but houses, plants, animals and everything you can imagine. 

While I was creating my mind map and I saw I could pick emojis and put it wherever I wanted I got so excited. The mind map was gonna be awesome! Some of the he emojis you can find in MindMeister are: 

In total... 860 EMOJIS!!

Anyways, I know that children and not too kids text all the time and I know that they use this emojis all the time while texting since they have modern cell phones as iPhone or Samsung. All of the have emojis. 

Since I know they like icons I know that using this, they will pay more attention in class. They may think I am modern too so they are impressed! I don't know exactly what they are gonna think but I know for sure one thing: they will get impressed and they will pay attention more than if I don't use technology and modern stuff. 

So... This is the result of my project!

I chose how to tell an story because I am going to teach middle level education and I feel like my students should know how to tell stories as well as papers and homework. 

I would use this tool very often in my class. I think that mind maps are really effective when explaining facts and process. You can put order of events through narrows. Also you can write as much as you want.  

According to the TPACK, using this application I will cover every single point of TPACK. 

First of all, I will have the knowledge of the subject to be learned. As I plan to do, I will prepare my classes before teaching. Every student deserve a good education so I will prepare myself more than anyone.

Secondly, I will set aims for my students and at the end of the class, I will check if I achieved the goals by asking questions. Also, teachers should know about the tool. I mean how to use it, when to use it and with who. You cannot use the same mind  map with 5 years old children than with 13 years old. Regarding the age, I think this is a effective method because it will help to develop a better process of teaching and learning.

Thirdly, this is an awesome way to keep in touch with technology and grow up as a student. Once I show them my project, I will explain to the how they can create their own mind map. Doing this they can use it in class but also at home! My plan is that at the end of the lesson they have to be able to create a mind map. I will assign them topics and they will have to present it in front of the class. Moreover, I will grade it. 

I think this is a good idea because I will improve their public speaking skills as well as creativity in group. All opinions matter here since there is a group and not just a single person. 

At the end of the expositions, I will see if this is actually effective. I believe it is going to be effective but I need to prove it. Obviously, if I see that kids talk to each other about another things and they do not work, I will not work in class with this tool anymore. But I think everyone should try it! Every class is different. Every class is a different world!

Finally, students play with technology by using this tool. They will learn how to use a new application. Consequently, they will learn a new thing and I remember you that learning is a incredible thing. Also, children are going to work in class and they are gonna see that people think different and opinions are really important. They will have to work together and set a conclusion. Moreover, I am sure they will have fun together, which it will increase the participation and ambition. 

You can find the tool right here: 

https://www.mindmeister.com/es#

Learning space and GAFE

Wherever you study affects the learning process in one way or another. It is clear that you are gonna focus more in a room, with good light and a clean desk that in a coffee shop full of people making noise. You may focus the same, but of course the speed of understanding the content varies. 

Same happen with children. If they are in a good environment, fully of tablets, games, funny books, and they have toys to play with each other, they are going to get involved very well. At least better than if they are in a class, sitting in their desks and listening to the professor, being the action passive. 

Also, as a future professor, we all have to remember that the school is not the only place where children learn. Every kid has a family. Every family is like a different world. Kids learn at home everything and then, they show it in class. 

I'm gonna tell you two stories. The first story is about my learning process in my childhood. I have to say I feel the luckiest girl in the world regarding my family. I have six siblings and my parents are still together after 30 years of marriage. I say still because seems like everybody gets divorce and it's normal. Actually the unusual is to see a marriage during more than 3 years. Mass media have spread the myth of the "happy" marriage and divorce as a remedy to cure all ills. Basically, marriage has been placed in the category of the "disposable".But, anyways, they supported me in everything I have done. We all helped each other and if I had a trouble in school, they would help me always. I had trouble in junior year high school with math class and I had a tutor coming home every Tuesday and Thursday. I know I had a good environment because my parents taught me how to be a good student. This environment of support from my parents, created an engagement with my study and at the same time, did that my learning process was easier as well as better. I knew what to do and at the same time I was having fun!

However, I had a teammate that was failing so many classes and I asked if he needed help. I knew he was smart because a year ago of that, his GPA was almost 4. He told me their parents get divorced and since that, he was depressed and suffering anxiety. He thought he was the cause of the divorce. This demotivation and the bad situation at home caused on him to have bad grades. It could be say that his environment had a negative effect so his learning was slow and not effective in class. 

So, since every kid has a different environment at home, as a future teacher I feel like I have to encourage every single student to learn. We don't know what's going on at home so many times so I have to make them feel special EVERY SINGLE DAY, WEEK, MONTH AND YEAR.  

Google Apps for Education plays another important role in the learning space. 

First of all, google has apps like "gmail" or "streamline your class" that help the effectiveness of a teacher's work in some many ways. For instance, with "streamline your class" you can create, share and grade assignments with ease. That helps to keep classes organized and as a consequence improve the communication with students. This, will create a better learning process since the communication between student and professor is really powerful. Also, google apps have a app called " meet face to face". In this app you can connect any time via video, voice or text. I really think this is great because if some student has a problem, you can connect with their parents and fix the problem. Students will valorize this by seeing that the professor actually care about them. Again, this will help to a better development of learning process. 

As a challenge I would say to play more in class with technology. We all talk about how technology will help in class and that our students will be so much more productive. But then, we are still teaching with the same method! Let's do whatever we actually think and do it!

The University of Akron approach the design of informal learning spaces very well. As we can see on campus, every building has an area (common area, lobbies, residence hall, and classroom building) with some several computers kiosks or carrels. This makes everything easier because sometimes, we need to print something or look some information on the Internet and thanks to this, we can always find an answer to our questions. And well, of course we have the library. I am from another country and I thought that those libraries that we always see are just...in movies! You know, a huge library with the famous shelves full of books and the typical couple making out. Well I haven't see the last one yet but maybe some day... Anyways! I can say that informal learning spaces on UA campus align very well my needs and expectations as a learner. UA care a lot about students and try to make us feel confortable and helping in everything, for example, by building spaces were everyone can use technology, gather and have some fun!

Cool Tool 3: Lucidchart

For this week I chose the cool tool " Lucidchart"

Lucidchart is a "web-based diagramming software which allows users to collaborate and work together in real time to create flowcharts, organisational charts, website wireframes, UML designs, mind maps, software prototypes, and many other diagram types"

The first picture that we see as soon as we get into the webpage is this: 

For the background you can see that the design is really cool and functional. As on the website explains:

"Works the way you do"

"Our application makes it easy to sketch and share professional diagrams. From barinstorming to project management, we support all of your communication needs. That's why millions of users choose Lucidchart."

"Place nice with others"

"Lucidchart is designed for the utmost compatibility with other programs, including Google Apps. We're also the only web app to offer complete support for Microsoft Visio documents. When it's time to export, choose from standard file formats or a convenient online viewer."

Since I love history and I will teach this subject in a school, I chose the "Human Evolution" and I worked this topic through Lucidchart. This tool is perfect for this kind of projects because you can use diagrames, lines, squares and arrows to connect the information. Hope you like my project: 

The cool thing of this tool is that you can add colors and use as many as you want! Also if you are done with the task, you can edit it and add more information. In my case, I did something really simple since my students are gonna be 7 years old. I will support this information by showing pictures and videos.

I would use the tool in classroom very often! This tool is perfect to explain facts and for example revolutions as well as process of...whatever! French Revolution, wars, photosynthesis, human evolution, evolution of technology... I really like it because you can connect the ideas through narrows and also is not just in black and white. You can add pictures, different colors and forms. actually, you can pick so many figures to create a text: circles, rectangles, polyhedra, octahedra, triangles..

Regarding the TPACK: I will have the knowledge about the subject matter to be learned. I will prepare all my classes and inform myself even more before every class so I can teach the content with no problems and be able to answer all the questions my students have.
Teachers should have a deep knowledge about this method as well as set aims for their students and interpret the subject matter. My goal with this tool is to explain the lesson in a creative form and gain their attention. Also since this is a effective method, it will help to develop a better process of teaching and learning.
Regarding Technology Knowledge, there is no doubt this is a great example of understanding technology. Once I am done with a lesson, I would like to show to my students how they can create a mind map. After explaining the process, they will work in groups and at the end of the class, they will have to show to the class their project. They will pick a topic and then explain it in front of the class. Doing this I will improve their skills not just in technology but communication with partners and public speaking. Also doing this I will prove if this tool is efficient for my students. If it's effective I will use it weekly, if I see that the effect is 0, I will try another and keep working until find one tool that gain their attention.

So, definitely I will use this tool in my classroom because students can play with technology and have fun with it. They will learn how to manage a new technological tool, talk to each other and give their opinions because at the end of the day, the work is gonna be in groups so they have to conclude in something and agree with it. Also they will explain the subject in front of the class so they will improve their public speaking skills. Students will challenge this! Just a few students like to talk in front of the class. A lot of children have fear to this so this can be perfect to encourage them to open themselves to the class.

You can find the tool right here:
https://www.lucidchart.com/rmb?utm_expid=39895073-135.IW6YHmzrShiLXMrSX9Rnbg.1

 USE IT, BE CREATIVE AND SHARE YOUR WORK! 

Cool Tool: WORDLE

The cool tool I chose for this week is "Wordle"

According to www.wordle.net, "wordle is a toy for generating "word clouds" from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to your own desktop to use as you wish. "

I chose this tool because I want my students to be not just smart and dedicated but also creative. I am a really motivated person who loves to remember why I do things and what do I need to achieve my goals. I have post-it all over my walls in one way or another.

I would use this tool in classroom with no doubt. First of all I will spend once a week to make a project with my students. I would put tables together and create groups of 5 people. I would make them to do a creative poster and every week I would give them a topic.

For instance:

Week 1: poster about what makes a team to work well and be efficient. They would have to think about different words and put it together.

Week 2: motivational words. I would put the best 3 posters on the wall of the class.

Week 3: what characterizes a good student.

I really think kids will have fun doing this activity. Also they will learn to respect turns, comment, give opinions as well as respect different points of view. But the main goal is to have fun while learning.

Since I am far from home and I don't know children in Akron, I did Skype with my nephew, who is 7 years old, and I explained to him this activity. I told him that he should think about words that describe a good student. This is the result:

Obviously, my nephew does not know how to speak in English so he sent it to me in Spanish. Here he says:

Study, do the homework, dedication, work, time, organization, respect, silence in class, listen to the teacher, help classmates, ask if I have questions, have fun.

As soon as I read everything I couldn't wait to ask him why he said respect and have fun. If you read my blog every week you should know I love the sentence "having fun". Well  he said: " respect because I have to respect my teacher", I said why and he said: because she is the one who teach me and just because of this, she deserves my respect." I FREAKED OUT

Then I asked why he said "have fun" he said: because you always tell me that if I have fun, everything is easier and better. I FREAKED OUT AGAIN!

Regarding the TPACK and my tool, they are related 100%. First of all, as a teacher I have the knowledge about the subject matter I am going to teach. The content to be covered of kids from 4th grade is different from kids of high school.

Secondly, with this activity I have goals as a teacher: have fun while learning. Make them think, be more creative and enlarge their vocabulary.

Thirdly, to use this tool I need to be in touch with...technology! They will learn how to manage this tool through a laptop, computer or tablet.

Finally, I will see the difference and I will understand ( or I hope so) how teaching and learning can change through using technology.

Students, at the end of the explanation, will be able to use this app to create their own digital media artifacts. If they don't learn how to manage it, I'll explain as many times as they need to achieve my goal: create a poster and have fun. It makes easy to use this tool because the task is very easy. You just need to tape the words you want to see in the poster and then, click in "go". Then you will see the post with the words you taped. Students will change in so many ways but the most important is that they will be more interested in class and they will learn how to pick words when every students think different. They will have to agree at the end.

You can find this tool in the following link:

http://www.wordle.net/create

HAVE FUN!

Ebooks: learning while having fun

After reading all the documents posted on Springboard, I can say that there is no doubt that ebooks have an incredible and amazing impact in the writing process. However, many people think that ebooks are not effective at all because children loose too much time making their own creations. For all these people that think like that, YOU ARE WRONG. 

1) Students are excited when technology is in their hands.
2) Students get excited to be writing for someone.
3) They feel important at some point
4) They want to play and at the same time, do their best.
5) They learn how to use an ebook while having fun.

As you can see, all my reasons are about feeling and emotions. Actually, a feeling change the way you do things. If you are excited, you feel important for someone and you learn new things the result is gonna be amazing just for the fact of ENJOYING! It is so simple, I am not inventing anything, this is how human brain works.
 

POSITIVE FEELING  + POSITIVE ATTITUDE+ HAVING FUN = POSITIVE RESULTS

             (#1,2,3)                                     (#4)                           (#5)      

Saying this I mean that children improve their writing skills just for the fact of having fun and the good thing is that they have fun when they use the ebooks. 

Having fun= Better result

There is no doubt that as a future professor, I will use the ebooks with my students at some point or another. It will effect my teaching by improving the attention of my students, that's for sure. Generally, children don't like to write. Actually they hate to do homework and the only thing they want to do as soon as they get home is to play with their toys. So, I can see that if I use the ebooks with them, they will pay more attention just because it's an ebook instead of a book. Children will improve their skills of creativity and they will start using technology. Nowadays, technology is a bog part of our educational system as well as in our society so, the sooner the better. 
Moreover, they will learn while having fun and improving their creativity! Again:
                                                             

                                                      Having fun= Better result

" The students couldn’t stop writing and wanted to make more and more books.  They had so much fun and learned so much while using this app that they have started a series of social skills books.  As of today, they have written and published three ebooks in the social skills series." John Smith
What main considerations will you need to make to use them effectively?

From my point of view, to make this tool effective I should not use it all day every day. It has to be something special for them. Doing this they will get more excited. It's like a reward. Secondly, I have to explain very well how the ebook works if I want to see good results. Finally, I have to tell them that playing with the ebook is to have fun and learn and that if they have questions, they have to ask me. 
The most striking thing on the video honestly is the enthusiasm that the professor has about this new tool. He actually believes in himself and in his students. He is 100% sure that this tool is one of the most amazing thing he has done as a professor. I really liked to see the creations of his students as well as their emotions. 

" Students were excited to be writing for someone other than their teacher. Engagement increased. Time on task increased and the energy in the classroom changed to something you can normally only dream of." John Smith 

Cool tool in my classroom

The cool tool that I have chosen to work during these weeks and hopefully in my future career as a teacher, is "Popplet". As in the description of Apple Store explains, "popplet is a tool for the iPad and web to capture and organize your ideas". The cool thing of this cool tool is that is not just for school. You can use it at work or at home as well. 

"In the classroom and at home, students use Popplet for learning. Used as a mind-map, Popplet helps students think and learn visually. Students can capture facts, thoughts, and images and learn to create relationships between them." For work: "In the office or on the go, professionals use Popplet to generate ideas and plan projects. Used to brainstorm or jot down notes, Popplet helps professionals organize their thoughts and generate their next big idea."

The function of this tool is organize your ideas, that are inside squares and connect them with lines. Basically, is an easy mind mapping in the iPad or computer. 

According to "iPads Apps for school" written by Richard Byrne, " Popplet is an iPad app that I often demonstrate in my workshop on mind mapping, timelines and collaborative brainstorming. Popplet makes it easy to quickly create a mind map to connect your ideas about a topic."

I can use the tool in classroom in many ways. If I am in a school where students have an Ipad I can work with this app really good. I would make sure that, at the end of the class, every single students has a project done. With that, I can make sure that they work instead of playing games. If the school has no iPads, I would work in the computer room since almost every school as a room with computers. If a school does not have computers or iPads, I would bring my own iPad and I will bring a projector as well so students can see clearly the content. 

I think that students will understand the content easier with Popplet. First of all, since I am going to use tehnology, I am 100% sure that students will pay more attention than to a book. Secondly, with this app, I can upload pictures and paste them in every square as well as use different colors for each of them. Finally, I cannot write too much inside of every square so the information would be very specific, making the content very clear to all students. 

I am 100% positive too that once I teach them how to use the app, they will be able to use it with no problems at all. Young people love to have iPads in their hands. And I said this because I can see that nowadays, children prefer an iPad before a barbie or a car circuit. They will love to play with this app and the most important thing, they will learn. 

Since my major project is to learn how to high jump, I did my first popplet about this topic. This is the final result!

The link to the website where you can download the app is this: 

http://popplet.com/

I support you to download the app and make something interesting as well as creative!

"Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it's produced the most extraordinary results in human life" -Ken Robinson

Copyright and Fair Use

Ethical issues around music and movie downloading have been a controversial topic since technology allowed us to download documents, music as well as movies for...FREE! Why is it a complicated topic? It is very simple. People who work hard does not see any money. Actually, if I have a job and at the end of the month I don't see any money in my account...yeah I would be so mad as well. 

So, here is the problem. Singers, actors and writers, for example, work hard to achieve in society (mainly): entertainment, amusement, spectacle and diversion. And when you download their work on the Internet instead of going to the store...that means one thing. THEY DO THEIR WORK FOR FREE!

Who does not like the word free? I mean, if people get crazy when in a super market there is a sign that says " sample free", why people are not gonna get even more crazy when they can actually save... money!? Well, money and time. When you download a movie, for example, you do it for free. But the most interesting thing is that you can watch the movie at home. You can even watch a movie while you take a bath! So... why am I gonna go to a movie theater, spend money in gas, spend money in the ticket, and of course popcorn and coke if I can get... everything for free right? 

This is how mostly the society thinks. However, while there are people spending hours writing a book, you just go to Internet and download it free by not paying any cent to this awesome writer. Same with movies.  Why are you gonna pay something...if you can get it for free?This is the main ethical issue in our society. Some people think there is no problem on doing this and some see it as a terrible thing.

As a student, I had so many professors in my life. As a surprise, none told me in class or informed me about this topic! I want to be a professor. A good professor. Those ones that everybody talks about because you are just awesome. Sometimes students talk to each other and say: you should pick this professor. He/She is really good. So yeah, basically I wanna be one of those. And to achieve this, first I have to be legal and teach to my students that they should be legal too. I guess it is gonna be a fight between what is right and what is wrong. There is no doubt that every student is different and each of them will pick one option. Ones will pick to be legal and others will be the " I am not gonna pay it, I can get ir for free". Students are free to do whatever they want but there is no doubt that I will tell them what is legal, right and the appropriate thing for them. 

Teachers have a huge responsibilities. I mean, we work with people so..there's that! But, If I have to talk about responsibilities regarding copyright, I should know what I can address to my lectures and what not. I should be legal so every time I am going to use pictures, videos and audios in my classes, I have to ask for permission if the documents have copyright.  Also I should cite every information I use from Internet as well as magazines or books. 

Remember, be legal is in your hands. You have the chance to be an angel or...the devil. But don't play with fire!

Am I breaking the law?

Ethical issues around music and movie downloading have been a controversial topic since technology allowed us to download documents, music as well as movies for...FREE! Why is it a complicated topic? It is very simple. People who work hard does not see any money. Actually, if I have a job and at the end of the month I don't see any money in my account...yeah I would be so mad as well. 

So, here is the problem. Singers, actors and writers, for example, work hard to achieve in society (mainly): entertainment, amusement, spectacle and diversion. And when you download their work on the Internet instead of going to the store...that means one thing. THEY DO THEIR WORK FOR FREE!

Who does not like the word free? I mean, if people get crazy when in a super market there is a sign that says " sample free", why people are not gonna get even more crazy when they can actually save... money!? Well, money and time. When you download a movie, for example, you do it for free. But the most interesting thing is that you can watch the movie at home. You can even watch a movie while you take a bath! So... why am I gonna go to a movie theater, spend money in gas, spend money in the ticket, and of course popcorn and coke if I can get... everything for free right? 

This is how mostly the society thinks. However, while there are people spending hours writing a book, you just go to Internet and download it free by not paying any cent to this awesome writer. Same with movies.  Why are you gonna pay something...if you can get it for free?This is the main ethical issue in our society. Some people think there is no problem on doing this and some see it as a terrible thing.

As a student, I had so many professors in my life. As a surprise, none told me in class or informed me about this topic! I want to be a professor. A good professor. Those ones that everybody talks about because you are just awesome. Sometimes students talk to each other and say: you should pick this professor. He/She is really good. So yeah, basically I wanna be one of those. And to achieve this, first I have to be legal and teach to my students that they should be legal too. I guess it is gonna be a fight between what is right and what is wrong. There is no doubt that every student is different and each of them will pick one option. Ones will pick to be legal and others will be the " I am not gonna pay it, I can get ir for free". Students are free to do whatever they want but there is no doubt that I will tell them what is legal, right and the appropriate thing for them. 

Teachers have a huge responsibilities. I mean, we work with people so..there's that! But, If I have to talk about responsibilities regarding copyright, I should know what I can address to my lectures and what not. I should be legal so every time I am going to use pictures, videos and audios in my classes, I have to ask for permission if the documents have copyright.  Also I should cite every information I use from Internet as well as magazines or books. 

Remember, be legal is in your hands. You have the chance to be an angel or...the devil. But don't play with fire!

Open, networked and participatory communities

Recently, open, networked and participatory communities are playing a huge role in our learning environment. Now is when you frown and think what the hell is she talking about. Don't worry. It is so easy. 

According to Henry Jenkins, Director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Participatory culture are characterized by " relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing one's creations, and some type of information mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices". A participatory culture "is also one in which members believe that their contributions matter, and feel some degree of social connectedness with one another (at least they care what other people think about what they have created)". In other words: group of people that work together, share creations and support each other. 

Open thinking is another concept that we all should know if we want to talk about learning environments. According to Dr. Alec Courus, open thinking is the tendency of an individual, group or institution to give preference to the adoption of open technologies or formats in regards to software, publishing, content and practice. Open thinkers critique, question and seek to reject technologies or formats that compromise the power of adopters, especially in the freedom to use, reuse, edit and share creative works and tools. Basically, open thinking is a group of people that prefers open technology, which is when you are allow to improve on previous technologies freely without limitations. 

How do we capture the spirit of open, networked, and participatory communities in our learning environments?  

Learning environments are everywhere. And of course social media is, nowadays, one of the most important environments to learn. Social media is an open thinking created by a participatory culture. We all are connected to share whatever we want just because… it’s an open network!

Students use e-mail to communicate with their professors in case of doubts. Through skype we can see our loved ones that are far away from us. Through facebook, we express ourselves and we are open to receive comments. Through this blog, you can read my thoughts about anything and comment whatever you want. Finally, we all have blogs because of…technology! We are sharing our opinions and as we read other posts from other people, we learn new points of view.

We capture the spirit of open, networked and participatory communities in our learning environments by sharing and using technology!