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Facebook does what?

Since when did Facebook have the ability to crate GIFs in the comments section of posts. I;m so overtly excited about this new feature. I feel like a kid with a new toy or a teenager who is overplaying their favorite song. I think Facebook, among other social media platforms regularly come up with new advances to increase our daily engagement. It makes me question if social media platforms will ultimately transform how we psychologically define, research, and theorize social interaction, and how that will affect processes of learning.
Recent posts

Going to College...Online.

Currently, I'm finishing a class that focuses on the the social process of learning within web 2.0 platforms. I'm going to college online to learn about how learning can be best facilitated online, through social media platforms and utilizing other web 2.0 tools. The process of learning online to optimally create learning spaces online has continually been a reflective process, Each week our instructor/professor provided us with tools to utilize. Keep in mind that I am a digital late bloomer, and my expertise stops with Google Classroom and Facebook. The wealth of information and experiences I as exposed to was invaluable. The most valuable thing I learned was actually to "never fear". Exploring all of the social media platforms made me feel like a web 2.0 introvert, although in real life I am an extreme extrovert. I learned to participate, rather than just be the "lurker". In addition, I learned how to elicit the participation of others. I am excited to

The more data we create...the more human.

Michelle Killebrew points out some important aspects of social media, and connectivity to web 2.0. With the advance of gathering more and more data, and an ability to display various forms of data it empowers each individual with a connection the ability connect with other people with likeness, display our thoughts/emotions, and for others to know our habits. It would seem that this data exposes us as human beings, but it also opens doors for us to create connection where they would not naturally occur without some form web 2.0 social platform. Killebrew argues that web 2.0 may make us more vulnerable, but that it also makes us more human. I would agree with Michelle about the nature of web 2.0 and its ability to make us vulnerable, but yet more human, and empower each individual to become the center stage for any political or social issue. What this really imposes with the human race is a responsibility to ensure that data is being protected and that our yearning to be more human

Communicative Barriers

We have all heard the saying, communication is key. As a teacher, communication was essential for students to learn, and it was within the expertise of each teacher to employ and be sensitive  to various types of communication styles to ensure that each child was able to learn and perform the lesson plan’s objective.  . I do not believe that learning is a linear process, because each group of students carry their own cultural variables. Some of those variables are communicative  styles, language, beliefs, or mannerisms  which cause each individual to learn differently. I think that being a teacher allowed me to witness how people operate, both psychologically and physiologically. I will never see people the same after being a teacher responsible for the welfare and academic progress of 100+ students a year, especially working as a teacher in Hawaii. Differentiation was my most used tool. Without it, I would have been rendered useless as a teacher.  I am permanently affixed with

Relax, and tweet in Irish!

It never occurred to me that tweeting would empower languages. Languages that were once withering in numbers and dying now have the ability to connect with other like speakers around the world. The video exemplifies the beauty of how Irish speakers interact online, among other indigenous languages. What was also interesting, is to witness how social media is becoming a catalyst for the evolution of language. Tweeting, posting, and sharing doesn't require a finesse with any particular language, and most posts and/or tweets are not bound by a set of strict grammatical rules and fashions, in comparison to regular social settings and furthermore in various professional settings.

Twitter in the classroom

Social media has revolutionized the way we think about education. It has become a valid platform for teachers to encourage students to participate and collaborate in an online space and community. It seems that online communities assist students in finding their "voice". It also allows teachers to differentiate instruction, because it focuses on student learning, as opposed to centralizing the focus on the teacher.  Perhaps students prefer social media platforms, because it offers a sense of superficial security, or because it is something that most students enjoy doing on a regular basis- or both. One aspect about social media platforms that is beneficial to student learning is that it serves as a collection, and at any moment students can reflect upon all the material and input that was displayed. 

An end to education inequality...

Will technology be an equalizer, an end to education inequality? I think there is a two-fold answer, both yes and no. Yes: A quality education is easily accessed from a computer; whereas, living in a certain community or at least within commuting distance of a educational institution was necessary for reaping the benefits of gaining a quality education. No: It is still a case of the have and have nots. Instead of having to live in a higher-end community in order to attend a better school, one has to have a good computer, access to the internet, and/or various other tech tools necessary to participate in online educational environments. However, technology still increases access to a quality education, and even though we can never completely address economic disparity in society. If education leadership justifies the need for online education, and having access to educational resources society would benefit. Check out this article. It talks about how online publ