Getting United!

It wasn't that long ago that I felt divided from the great big digital world. I just had a minimum amount of knowledge for using computers. I only knew enough to get by as a classroom teachers. It was only in January 2008 that I began to hear terms like blogs, wikis, webpages, etc. From that time on, I labeled myself a digital immigrant and have been on a steady self-guided road getting united and plugged into this world wide web. There is just no end to digital learning and the more time you put into learning the easier it gets for you. I must that I would not feel as comfortable learning on my own if it wasn't for my PLN (personal learning network). It was through social networks like Twitter, Plurk and Ning that I have connected with people that are truly interested in teaching and sharing technology as it fits into education. Even YouTube.com and TeacherTube.com has been an educational tool when it comes to using technology.

My digital experiences have led me to create my own blogs and wikis. I subscribe to other blogs that teach me and I join groups of learners that share a common interest. With technology, you can attend webinars, flashmeetings and be an active participant in conversation people from all over the world. Teachers networking to help each other is just a small part of what digital learning is all about. I guess the first step is always the hardest for some, but without taking those steps the great digital divide will only get wider and will hinder a teacher ability to teach in the future. Education as we know it is forever changing and we cannot contain it. Digital natives will be teaching us before you know it. I would like to offer some advice to teachers that feel they are not ready to teach differently or learn technology for the classroom. If you won't do it for yourself do it for your students. It is time to let go, jump in and get back to making learning fun for students. I really think it is time that we finally get united and make this work in our schools.