My Mind Map and Connectivism

Like most fields of work, making connections for extended learning is vital for growth and development. In the last year, I have mady many links to the digital world for use in my classroom. This being my second year of teaching in a regular education setting, I found that my students were bored ( I should have known this already) with the "get your textbooks out and open to page 34" kind of teaching. As a digital native, it has been much easier for me to pull the technology tools into my classroom. My students are involved in active, hands on learning that involve completing multiple tasks at a time. They must activate prior knowledge and make necessary connections with what they already know and what they are doing. Some days prove much more difficult than others, but students of the 21 century are different learners than myself and the teachers who tend to stick to the old ways.


In my mindmap, I inlcuded areas that I use to enhance instruction. These are areas that I visit and refer to often so that I say informed with the latest news, assessment data, and teaching ideas. Voicethread offers ways for digital storytelling. The blog sites that I listed were created by teachers who are experienced at technology integration. Classroom 2.0 is a vast public space filled with people who experience life just as I do on a day to day basis.


Though I did not mention it in my mindmap, I must say that one of the best resources for teachers are the people who are we are working with. My colleagues are an invaluable library of knowledge for me. Living and working in small school district has many benefits. Any questions that may arise are only an email answer away. Whether it be coming from someone in my building, administrator, central office personnel or former co-workers, help is but a click away.


I feel that my connections are exactly what George Siemens described in his video. While many people are still not as "connected" as other, it is up to us who are to postively promote all that is out there, how to find it and perhaps most important: how to use it effectively.