Thursday, December 10, 2009

PLN Reflections

I want you to take some time and really reflect on our use of Personal Learning Networks. Think about the following questions and compose a detailed and thoughtful response in order to guide our use of PLNs for second semester. Please use complete sentences and proper mechanics. You must incorporate #8, #9 and 10 in with your response.

1. What do you like about PLNs?
2. What are some challenges of PLNs?
3. What do you think of the PLN presentations in class on Fridays?
4. Does it help you to get the reactions of your classmates to your presentation? Should we be reflecting, in writing, on each other’s blogs more often?
5. Are the categories of your subscriptions helpful?
6. When you don't complete an assigned PLN, why don't you?
7. Are there any suggestions or changes you think we need to make for next semester or the next year?
8. What skills do you think you acquired? What will you take away from these assignments? How will you improve and hold yourself accountable to do that?
9. What did you learn about your writing or thinking?
10. What is the value of your learning NOW? Would you see this as valuable if you weren’t receiving a grade? Is learning important to you?
11. Was the feedback you received helpful?
12. Do you feel you will continue to expand your personal learning network?

25 comments:

  1. 1. What do you like about PLNs?
    I liked that we got to write about what we wanted instead of writing about something that doesn't interest us.

    2. What are some challenges of PLNs?
    My biggest challenge was thinking further threw the text.

    3. What do you think of the PLN presentations in class on Fridays?
    I love the PLN presentations. Everyone got to talk to each other and have a great conversation.

    4. Does it help you to get the reactions of your classmates to your presentation? Should we be reflecting, in writing, on each other’s blogs more often?
    Yes, it helped me when my class mates commented on my writing. They told me how to fix my errors and think about the story more. I think we should be focusing on our writing more though.

    5. Are the categories of your subscriptions helpful?
    Yes, my categories are helpful. BBC was the most helpful. They all talked about interesting thinks, that really got oyou thinking.

    6. When you don't complete an assigned PLN, why don't you?
    Never took the time too.

    7. Are there any suggestions or changes you think we need to make for next semester or the next year?
    I don't think any changes need to be made.

    8. What skills do you think you acquired? What will you take away from these assignments? How will you improve and hold yourself accountable to do that?
    I know I will acquire going beyond the text and think about what the author is actually trying to say. I will take away getter grammar, better vocab,and better thinking. I already have help myself accountable. Over the semester I worked on all of the things I listed.

    9. What did you learn about your writing or thinking?
    I learned I was a very vague thinker. I learned my writing wasn't the greatest it could be.

    10. What is the value of your learning NOW? Would you see this as valuable if you weren’t receiving a grade? Is learning important to you?
    My value has changed. I pay attention to what I write, and how I write it. I honestly would not see this a valuable. Learning is very important to me. I've became a better student ever since I came to Arapahoe.

    11. Was the feedback you received helpful?
    The feedback was very helpful. It helped me become a better writer.

    12. Do you feel you will continue to expand your personal learning network?
    Not if we don't do this next semester. Maybe if I did this in a different class next year. Then yes, I would continue to expand, but as of right now. I will not expand my personal learning network.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1 I like that you get express yourself and choose topics that you like
    2 choosing a topic that interests you is the biggest challenge
    3 they are great if the presentor put some time into there PLN
    4no i think it is beeter and more honest if its in person right after the presentation
    5 yes but I dont like being limited to a certain topic each time
    6 beacuse they are very easy to forget about and I didnt take them very seriously
    7 we need to be able todo any topic we want not just education
    8 I have become a beter writer through practice
    9 I need to think about the world not just whats happening in highlands ranch
    10 I would see it as more value if we didnt get a grade then we would focus more on what we want rather than what the teacher wants
    11 yes it was very helpful it helped me become a better writer
    12 yes I willkeep expanding and I will be more careful and safe

    ReplyDelete
  3. 1. i dont think that pln's helped much besides that it made us use the technology advancements like the computers and just searching around on the web for things to write about.
    2.the challenges of pln's is finding an actual good story to write about that arent completely suckish.
    3.i think presenting is easy and it was somewhat fun. its fun to hear all the differnet stories that people have interests in. they are better then just sitting around in class.
    4.i think it is good to get a reaction but i dont think we have to write on each others blogs more because we listen to them when they present and we look and find blogs of our own.
    5.the catagories are somwhat helpful. i would rather have just a free for all catagory. i can find more articles when i dont have a certain subject to look for.
    6.i complete all my assignments ecxpet for a few because i was sick and just didnt get bak to do them.
    7.i think for the next semester if we do have pln's that we should be able to pick our own topics whenever we ant because its easier that way and more fun in my perspective.
    8.i am better at finding things on the computer. i still dont like the computers because they are confusing but i am still better then before. i am going to just take away what i got from it and use it in other situations or classes.
    9. i learned that i can actually do good work if i wnat to and put effort into it. my parents always told me i could but i havent listened until i proved myself wrong. if i actually put my mind to it, the writing can be good. i didnt know i could do any good writing at all, but i proved myself wrong which in this situation is good.
    10.i would still se my learning valuable if i didnt recieve a grade but i think its getting harder, school in general. i used to get good grades but now i just get moderate grades because its getting much harder and more is expected of you.
    11.yes the feedback was good because it made me notice what i was ding wrong so i could fix it the next time i did another pln. sometimes though i knew i did something wrong once i got it back without even looking at what the little notes said.they are still good becasue we wouldnt learn from our mistakes if we didnt get any feedback.
    12.ya i think i will expand because we are learning new things and also getting smarter at the same time so it all goes together to me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 1. I like how when someone presents their PLN, the whole class connects. And the class isn't afraid to voice their opinion. Spme of us, disagree, some of us agree.
    2. A challenge of a PLN is probably trying to find a good topic to write about, something that the while class will be able to participate.
    3. Well, usually im really quiet in class, and on fridays im hyper and don't want to sit there and read a book the whole hour, so i think its great to have the presentations.
    4. I do think it is helpful to have others comment on my PLN. Not just in class, on the blog as well. When i first presented my PLN, i was kind of nervous, but then, when people started talking, i realized i had picked a great topic to talk about. And what some people said, changed the way i thought of it.
    5. The categories of my subscription are helpful.
    6. I do complete my PLNs.
    7. I don't think so. I like how we have to present, it gives us an open mind.
    8. Writing these PLN's helped me think deeper about the subject i'm writing about. And also by seeing how others have written, i've become a better writer.
    9. I learned that it's good to hear what others have to say. Being close minded works for some people, but for me, no. I'm an open minded person. Even when im picking out a movie for just me to watch, i want other people to help me. Even my dog! Haha.
    10. Learning is important to me. Sometimes i hate it, and i just really don't want to go to school, but i push myself to do better. Because i know that some scout or movie producer isn't going to want an actress who failed out of high school!
    11. The feedback from my PLN presentation was very helpful. It showed me something i didn't see before, or brought me in deeper into the subject.
    12. Yes i do. I love to hear what others have to say, and sometimes it changes my perspective on the subject.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1. That you get to write about what you like.
    2. Getting the done on time.
    3. They show us what other people think about.
    4. Haven't presented yet.
    5. Yes
    6. There easy to forget.
    7. Less PLNs
    8. Better fluency and word choice. Keep working on that stuff.
    9. That my writing needs to go more in depth. More details and information.
    10. Its a great value because we need to prepare for the future. I think the value would be even greater because there be know need to worry about being graded.
    11. Yes it helped me see what I needed to fo better.
    12. Yes, because there is still stuff I want to learn about.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 1. Pln's are very difficult; but some of the good things about them are when we present, life changing stories happen, funny and wacky tales make the whole class laugh, and heart breaking stories touch us.
    2.Some of the challenges of the Pln's are the actual times when we have to pick a topic and think about it.
    3. I loved the presentations on Friday; because it always made me see a little differently and from someone elses perspective.
    4. It makes the blog special when that person can connect with it; it makes the audiance relate with them to see the presenter cry or laugh. When people present I always want to go more indepth with it; not everyone gets to say what they want.
    5. None
    6. None
    7. Next year; I think the presenter should get more time, especially if it's a good topic and the class is really thinking for itself. A lot of people got caught off from what they were thinking.
    8. You acquire the skill to think for yourself and actually go into depth with it; searching your brain for the answers. Each assignment I think took away different things from for me; because of the topic.
    9. I learned some vauleable skills; because of each topic brought a new outlook, a new scene, and a new experiance.
    10. The vaule of my learning now, maybe isn't as important to me as it should be. To share with the class and do a Pln personally sounded a little like a waste of time; in the begining. But afterwards the way I look at it is different; because I learned not to just take things for granted, especially the way other people think.
    11. Yes; the feedback is helpful, because it makes me see what I did wrong and helped me do better the next time.
    12. I don't think I would ever expand my Pln's because I can maybe use it with other things but not on my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1. I like PLN's because, they're only once a week and they teach us hoe to be more proactive on the internet.

    2. Some of the challenges of PLNs are, that if your a guy, it's hard to open up on something that we don't like to do.

    3. I like PLN presentations on Friday, because in class we just sit and watch the presenters. We don't realy do any thing.

    4. Yes, because otherwise you'll just bore them.

    5. Sometimes, other times I like to just do the News catagory.

    6. I don't complete the PLN, because Im the person who doesen't like to do the same thing every weekk, I like to mix things up.

    7. Yes, NO PLNS!!!!

    8. I've learned that I need to open up more and that I should put more of my self into my writing.

    9. I learn that the more i study writting, the better i'll become at it.

    10.The value of my learning now, is very important, because I will need it to get into a good college and get a good job.

    11. Yes and no. The feed back I get back helps me realize what i need to do, but I don't know how to change it.

    12. NO! I don't like to do the PLNs. there just boring.

    ReplyDelete
  8. 1. I like blogs because you can share your ideas on topics that you wouldn't come across on a usuals basis.
    2. My challenge with the PLN were doing them and finding a good topic to write about.
    3. I liked the PLN presentation because i got a good grade on it and i like shearing my ideas with the class.
    4. Yes because you know what to do next time and what to work on.
    5. I don't think that the categories are that good because i personally thought they had boring stuff. I did like the world news because i like to find things out in other countries.
    6. When i didn't do my PlN twice it was because i forgot, and I was sick, and my blog wasn't working.
    7. i think a good thing to do is to let people us not just things found on Google reader because sometimes there isn't anything to write about.
    8. I learned how to write better such as sentences and punctuation. Even though i have A LOT more to learn. I go to writing lad or at least try to.
    9. I learned that i have a lot of voice and i need to think about how i word things.
    10. The values of my learning is to help me do better in school. I would see this as a value now but not when i was doing the PLN. Learning is important to me but right now but i don't have the time to like it. i just try to get good grades.
    11. the feedback i received was helpful because i knew what you were looking for and what i could do to help me get a better grade.
    12. I will probably not continue with my learning network because i got did so i wouldn't get a zero on my project. Even though i would be nice if i continued it i wouldn't because i don't have the time for this and i don't really like to write.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 1.Plns are nice because we learn thing that are going on in other places from our class mates. It is entresting to see other peoples aspects on life maters.
    2. Unfortunatly there are limits on were we get our information some times which leaves a higher risk of haveing the same thing as someone ells.
    3.haveing the person who bloged on the topic talk about it is a great way to help there public speaking skills.
    4. Some times it good to get a reaction from the blog presented and other times it is a tochy topic were it mite bring bad memories and they mite have a negitive reaction for the class.
    5. Im glad we never talk about sports it would get old lisoning about some players ingeries all the time.
    6. If I dont complete a pln on time is usualy because im out of state and dont have internet acsess or it costs money to get it.
    7. I cant think of eny thing to change pln.
    8. Plns helped me with my typeing but not much on spelling.
    9. I learnd to think more about what people must be going threw.
    10. I like learning but online activiteis are my weeknes it is not always the best way to do things for grades because software does mallfunction.
    11. no real help from them.
    12. I mite still do plns i dont know.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think PLNs helped me a LOT. I think it helped me to figure out how to express the way I feel about the things going on in the world. All of them affecting me. The challenge I faced was figuring out the right words to show the exact way I feel. I really do feel PLNs helped me not only to write much better, but it also got me through fridays! I look forward to English every Friday, because almost all of the topics that everyone has chosen interest me. If me presenting in class one time a semester means that I get to sit back and listen for every other Friday, then I will take the trade, and present! I definitely think we should respond to eachothers' blogs. I like to know that people, even if they are in my classroom, are listening to what I have to say. I think the comments people give when I am presenting help me see every perspective. It lets me see things in a different way than I had before, sometimes. Yes, the subscriptions helped me a ton, considering I did practically all of my PLNs on world news! I completed every assignment... I don't think we need ANY CHANGES! I hope we still present next semester! I really love it. I have learned SO MUCH throughout these presentations and writings. I acquired the knowledge to know how to right down what I think strongly about. I want people to know why I think these things, but I can't do that if I don't know how to word it right. I will take that with me for the rest of my life, and I think that I will excel in all that I write about because of that. I learned my writing style! And I think that is very important. It is a part of who we all are. I think my writing sounds a lot like the way I think... It sounds like tthe things that are running through my mind. That writing stlye just comes naturally to me now. The value of my learning... is invaluble. Priceless. It will get you anywhere and everywhere. I never really liked English before this year. Now, it is my favorite subject, because I know how to put MYSELF in my work. I love that part about writing. The value of my writing and thinking now is WAY higher than it ever was or has been before. It is always valuble. Grade or no grade. How far I take my education is in my hands, not a grades'. Learning is VERY important. The feedback I recieved from you has been so helpful. My writing is so much better than it would have ever been without feedback and critique. My writing is better than it ever would have been with a different teacher. I really hope next year I remember to reflect on the things that are happening in the world. I hope I get you as a teacher next year, and we still do these in class... This year has been so much better than I ever thought it coould be. I have learned SO much. Thank you. (Not sucking up, or anything!)

    ReplyDelete
  11. 1. I like doing them instead of worksheets and i would rather use technology more often.

    2. Finding a good topic to write about.

    3. I like to know what other people wrote about and what they think about it.

    4. It kinda helps to get the reactions of classmates. I don't think that we should reflect on each other's blogs more often.

    7. no.

    8. I think that i am better at seeing and thinking about what is happening around the world.

    9. That i could do good if i really try.

    10. The value of my learning is very important for me and my future. I might see this as something valuable if it was not a grade. Learning is important to me.

    11. yes.

    12. I think.

    ReplyDelete
  12. 1) What i like about PLN's is that you get to research and find out new information abou the world and what's going on throughout the world .Also, each PLN is like a mini-project since you get to research and then eventually present a PLN to the class.

    2) The Challenges of PlN's are that you don't always find something intresting you would like writing and reflecting on. Alot of the time for me that was the main challenge the rest about reflecting etc. is pretty easy.

    3) I enjoy the presentaions on Friday's and hearing what other people have reflected on beacuse it's intresting to hear what they have found and researched about. As for me presenting , i don't like beacuse i get nervous. But for the main part i like the Friday presentaions.

    4) Yes, it does help to get reactions of people commenting on mine ort other's presentaions beacuse, it's good constructive critism and has helped me before on making my PLN better.Yes and no to writing MORE on other's presentaions beacuse it isn't COMPLETLY needed every time but it does help.

    5)The catagories of our subscriptions aren't really anything special but yes, they are helpful. It is easier to find info out beacuse the subs. are more organized, but if they weren't organized like that i wouldn't have a hard time finding the subs. anyways.

    6) I have once not comleted an PLN and i didn't do it beacuse i waiteed in tell the last minute to do it (thursday) and that night i had many hours of homework that night and forgot about the , PLN. Thats why i think people dont do it beacause they procrastinate and forget.

    7)I wouldn't want to change anything about the PLN's i think they are fine the way they are.

    8) There is one main skill i was aquired in doing PLN's and that is correcting and recodgnizing comma spliced. I will take away the skill that i will be able to put comma's in the right places in my writing.

    9) I learned that how much i write as my PLN dosn't matter but its the quality that counts when writing. Also, recodgnizing comma splices.

    10) I think that if i weren't going to recieve a grade it would still be a little valuble beacuse i learned a few new skils.

    11) The feedback irecieved wasn't helpful to me beacuse people were just saying that my PLN was good.

    12) I feel i won't be expanding my PLN's.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I think i have aqquired the skills neccesssaryt to have converstaions over the internet which will help me in th efuture working enviroment to communicate with co-workers. From these assingments i did mainly on technology i have taken the knowlege of the future technology and how it will work or supposed to work. i feel that by contiuing to read my google reader daily i will continue to learn and hopefully create the future. I dont think i would see the PLN's as a main priority if i wouldnt have received a grade since thinking about a subject i already have a very solid ground on is not really what i try to do. This is because i want to create new thoughts on new subjects. The feedback i received on my writing was extremely helpful because it gave me an honest idea of how i was writing. I feel that i will expand my PLN network but not the blog post maybe just learning new things.

    ReplyDelete
  14. 1. the PLN's added a refreshing technological aspect to the class, integrating everyone into a close group.
    2. as with all thing's of this nature, hardware and software issues are prominent, some don't have internet access, and cant make the time to use the library.
    3. They made us think. we honed our skills at group speaking, and made us improvise. 3 needed skills.
    4. It feels better when they respond to it in person, like said presentation. everyone wants feedback, and if it is required in writing, it doesn't feel real.
    7. have the presentations more often. those were the highlight's of the PLN's
    8. Again, public speaking, improvisation, thought, technology education, & writing. I feel like I have been slightly more conditioned for after graduation, when I am in the "real" world.
    9. I learned that, though I am naturally a middle of the two extremes, neutral guy, when I have an opinion or belief, I will make it known, then defend it to the end.(just like my mom)
    10. the way the education system is set up, before PLN's I simply got tired of all of the media B.S., and stopped watching the news. school didn't suffer, as It doesn't matter, we learn old news, which has a use, but I felt cut off. With PLN's, we were forced to keep up with happenings and current events.
    11. It was, I was able to hone and fine tune my writing to a near professional level.
    12. I have actually been expanding it for years, as I have been using computers since I was 2.

    ReplyDelete
  15. 1. What I like about PLN's are the fact that they area ble to help me go deeper in my thinking. Be able to look past all the normal stories and be able to find facts.
    2. Some challenges that I have faced with PLN's are that sometimes I can't really think about how to respnd to an article. Sometimes you need to go so deep in your thinking to really be able to explain or expand your thinking.
    3. I really like the PLN responces on Friday not only because it is just kind of a day to relax and take a break from work but also because we are able to see what other people think and get into discussions on what people have to say about certain topics.
    4. I think that these presentations do help get reactions from other people. It is how we all get in discussions every time someone presents and it is able to open our minds to other people's thoughts and ideas.
    7. I am not in this class next semester so this question doesn't appeal to me.
    8. I have been able to take away so much from these PLN responces. Never before have I had to go so deep in thinking for an assingment. One example of this is that when I read these articles or look at song lyrics I take into account other points of view. For instance, when a band makes a song there is usually a reason the song is made the way it is. Something that has happened in their like has caused them to write the lyrics given them a reason to sing. Also for something like articles about people who made bad choices, I always tend to think that these kind of people are disgusting and wonder why they do the kind of stuff they do. But what I also do is take their point of view. something has led them to do what they do wether its something that happened to them sometime in there life or if they jsut have hada realyl bad life. These are a few things I have walked away with from PLN's.
    9. i have learned a lot from writing this year. The main thing that I have got better at has been comma splices, run on sentances ect.
    10. I do think that all of this is good for our learning because it has helped all of us as students think deeper. Be able to look at other points off view and expand on our thinking because of it. This will help us threwout our remaining years of school.
    11. The feedback I recieved was able to help me a little bit because it was able to tell me what i was doing wrong but I still wound up making the same mistakes a few times.
    12. Yes I do think that I will continue to expand my PLN.

    ReplyDelete
  16. 1.I like PLN's because they helped me get my writing better and i liked presenting in front the class.

    2.Finding ssomething good to right about and finding something that had a meaning to it.

    3.I like them because it's something interesting to watch and to get our class talking about things.

    4.When i was performing, I did like it when people got more into my blog and said that I did well, but defenetly not wright our reflections or thoughts because it is just more work and will make them not as fun.

    5. yes because it makes it more organized and easier to filter things and to find things I'm looking for.

    6.I'm pretty sure I did all of mine.

    7.I'm not sure because I don't have a problem with them, they are just sometimes hard to fit in with everything else that is going on.

    8.My work has gotten alot better and cleaner from these and will stay that way because of these. I have also learned how to put myself more into my writing and put my thoughts into it.

    9.I learned how to put more of myself into my writing and how to think deeper.

    10.it is definetly stronger and I know I will be able to get farther with it in the future.I wouldn't see it like that at first but if I were to get a reflection on them and not a grade I would know that I was improving and would think of it better. But if I didn't get anything back I wouldn't care about then to much.

    11.it was very helpful because it made me feel like I was proving to the teacher that i was learning alot and taking alot away from it.

    12.I will probably not on my own just because I have no time to with all the things I going on.

    ReplyDelete
  17. 1.) I love the fact that PLNs can express your ideas. I would rather speak to a class about my opinions, but PLN make you think and change the way your mind works. We all learned how to really think which makes it easier to write more fluently, and with more voice. I feel like I write better now that I think more in depth.
    2.) I think the only really challenging part of PLNs is the technology part of it. I feel like I could write a PLN on paper and make a comp. notebook. I love the consept of PLNs just not the technical part. I think some people write less and can't focus on the writing part when computers are involved. It would be easier and less distracting to just write on paper and get info online.
    3.) I absolutly adored the presentations. Mine took the whole class and I think verbalizing your thoughts helps bring them more to life. I think sometimes if you only write something you can lie and fake your way through, but if you actualy voice your words that are on paper you start to hold yourself to a high standard to make sure the audience enjoys your thoughts and start thinking with you.
    4.)Reactions as I said help hold you acountable, no I don't think we should refect more. Maybe the presentation could be longer. I loved when there was no rush because I felt like we were geting somewhere. Maybe one blog should be required for every four that we write as a class and that blog should focus on the ideas of other people. That week you could do two or three blogs to write about your feeling about what your class feels.
    5.) n/a
    6.)Mainly because it is hard to get myself to a computer. If we could just write it on paper I could write it faster and therefore have more time to write more indepth. If you are not crunched for time because of a computer, then you can focus your energy more on the writing piece. You don't have to worry about saving and everything to make sure it is right. It would evern help your spelling because there is no spell check so you would have to use a dictionary.
    7.)So that we still use technology, we should write all our PLNs on paper and then have a day where all we do is type up the PLNs. If people would rather type it first you should let them. We should get to choose so that there is a balance between everything.
    8.)As I said before, I will take mainly the thinking away from this. I think I wil try to apply thoughs skills i have learned to my other class essays to try and make them full of life and thought.
    9.)That I was not voicing much of my voice, and that I am a better writer then I thought. I really can write well. I can start writing better then ever.
    10.) I try to think of classes as to what they can give me not how much I will have to do. I value my learning so much. I still want good grades, but because if I do get good grades they will refect my learning, knowledge, and enthusiasum. I talk more about this in my odysse project.
    11.) On the PLNs at the end was not very helpful becaause they were genaric compliments, but the conversation in the descusion was very helpful. It helped me give even more meaning to my words cause then I realized that I am no the only person who thinks about it.
    12.) Probably not because of an assinment, but maybe if I have spare time. I will probably start joining a debate club or something more, or take a corse that deals with debate. I would rather speak verbaly, but the PLNs were a GREAT intro to the debate world.

    ReplyDelete
  18. 1. What I like most about PLN's is that we speak our mind and give our opinions to things.
    2. The main challenge I had with PLN's was thinking of the critical level questions.
    3.I love the PLN presentations in class. I like how we can just relax and listen to what other people have to say about the things that are going on in the world today.
    4. Yes, I think that hearing what other people have to say about your PLN helps because it helps you to know what you can do better in your next response. I think we should reflect on ohters blogs more often.
    5. Yes they are helpful to me.
    7. I dont think we need to change anything for next semester or next year. I was very happy with how PLN's worked out.
    8. The skills I acquired were being able to open my mind to the world, and how things are changing. I also learned how to think at different levels and acquire my thinking to different situations. The things I will take away from this assignment are that its not just about me all the time, and that other things matter in the world. And that since the world is changing everyday we need to be able to adapt to that change. Also that learning is critical to my life. I will do this by putting my education first and by doing this I will participate in sports to help keep my grades up. I will participate more in my classes because I think that will help me.
    9.I learned that I can think a lot more in depth and break the surface of thinking by writing these PLN's. I learned how to be more reflective in my writings to things that matter more than others.
    10. The value of my learning now is not keep extending it. I want to get the best of my education and to be able to get good grades and go to college. If i werent getting graded on PLN's I would still think it is helpful and valuable. My learning is very important to me, I want to make the best of it.
    11. Yes, the feedback I got from others was helpful. It helped me to know what to do and what not to do in my next response.
    12. I think I will continue to expand my personal learning network, it has opened my eyes to so many new things. I have seen what the benefits are expanding it and what it can help me do in life as i continue to learn.

    ReplyDelete
  19. 1. I liked that the PLNs opened up my eyes to what is going around the world and the issues that we all need to face. PLNs also made me think deeper into something I read in a newspaper or magazine and to develop my own opinion on prpoblems and issues.

    2. I think the challenging part of the PLNs is writing them because I had to thinker deeper into the story and find the right way to word it and also not get off topic and have good fluency.

    3. I liked that the people doing the presentations showed me news stories that I knew nothing or very little about. Also, it was an opportunity to see the presenters view point on the story and have discussions on the topic in class and hear all sides of a topic or issue.

    4. I think it does help to get a reaction from my classmates on my presentation because they tell me what they think of my story and what their personal opinions are.

    7. I think for the next semester or next year you should require your students to respond to their classmates blogs because then you know that the kid who wrote it is seeing more than one point of view of their story and also getting constructive critism and also the kid who comments on their classmates blog learns more about the issues and problems going on in our world.

    8. I think from PLNs I accuired the skill to think deeper into my writing. In PLNs, I wrote about my own opinion and view point but also looked at the other side of the arguement. I also took simple news stories and wrote several paragraphs about it. Whenever I hear a news headline, I will think about my own opinion and also others too. I will also think more about my writing and how I can ask questions about everything and work on fluency after doing all these assignments. To hold myself accountable for this, I will spend more time on writing and double check or even triple check everything.

    9. From my writing, I learned that I make a lot of mistakes and really need to double check everything and also ask others to read over it so it makes sense and doesn't have errors. From my thinking, I have learned that I need to do more then just find the meaning of the story and discover my own personal opinion and apply it to the real world and connect it to other things I hear.

    10. After reading all those articles about how education is changing and how it's shaping our future, I realized I need to focus on what I think and concentrate on my education. I do find my education valuable because it does affect my future and what jobs I will have and how successful I will be.

    11. The feedback I recieved was very helpful because it made me realize the mistakes I made in my writing and also how I could fix it in my future writing. Also, it gave me other opinions of what I was writing about.

    12. I think I will continue to expand my personal learning network as far as seeing or hearing a news story and thinking about it. I will definetly question everything I read to help me understand it more and also I will review my writing more to help me become a better writer.

    ReplyDelete
  20. 1.) I thought that the PLN's were a huge advantage to me because I was able to learn more about the way my piers think in terms of world issues. Everyone chose a unique and special topic for all of us to elaborate on. The PLN's were most important, because i felt like everyone got to voice themselves using their own opinions.

    2.) Some of the challenges of the PLN's were being able to find a great topic for everyone to participate on. The PLN's that were most interesting to me were the ones that had to do with people close to our age group and the ones that were centered around crime.

    3.) I liked having the PLN days on Fridays. Having them this day allowed me to get my mind flowing and thinking about important topics in our world. I liked not having to think about school.

    4.) It is helpful to hear the classes reactions. i think that it is important to hear what others think.

    5.) Some of the subscriptions were helpful, and some weren't. I liked that fact that we could choose what topics that we wanted, instead of having certain restrictions.

    6.) I have always completed my PLN assignments on time. I never had any problems.

    7.) I don't have any suggestions. I think that it was fine just the way it was.

    8.) The skills that I can take away from these presentations are having critical thinking behind some topics. I feel that I am more able to think beyond just the literal level and take it to the next step with critical and interpretive thinking. I can hold myself accountable with using this information because it will help me in the long run. I will be able to think out problems in my future easier.

    9.) During my PLN blogs, I learned how capable I am and how powerful my thinking process is. These blogs have made my writing easier for me. Now when I look at thinks that may seem hard to figure out, I can look at it with a critical level thinking.

    10.) I think these PLN's are more helpful than worksheets and other little homework. Even if we weren't getting graded, I still think that I got a lot of information to take away with me for years to come. It was fun while it lasted.

    11.) The feedback that I received wasn't really helpful because it seemed like every person's feedback was the same.

    12.) No, I probably wont end up blogging if i don't have to. It was a cool learning experience. But I probably wont do PLN's if I don't have to.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I personally believe that the PLN system is very useful for sharing the class opinion and expressing our thoughts about present issues in our world. Although sometimes its hard explaining our thoughts in world to other people about how we live and believe. Like I have my own opinions on life and its goals and just, a way to live. But sometimes its hard showing it because, you really can't, its our way of life thats hard to tell someone else about because it's so important. Some topics are uncomfortable to talk about too. some problems or changes in the society that we have opinions on we just don't want to talk about. But PLN's really unlock that emotion and show who we are, just humans. I think having the PLN's on Friday makes it more fun because it's the end of the week and we are all excited for the week to be over, thus making it easy to be enthusiastic unlike if it was on a Monday. what makes the PLN system unique is that since it's a Blog, we can share our opinions without being in class. But we should be commenting on each others Blogs more often so that we can have more discussions before Friday's PLN presentation. I don't find my subscriptions very helpful because Im not often on Blog Spot. I didn't complete one of my PLN's because I couldn't find a worthy topic for a PLN. I personally think more encouragement to go onto Blog Spot to share ideas would be a good thing. After writing my PLN's I think that I have grown more voice in my writing. Like, it's my own technique of writing and expression, and I have learned that I actually have a loot of good thinking going on in my head. Learning about writing is becoming more important to me because my expression growth is increasing. I doubt that I will be using my Blog very much, But the writing practice and sharing with my class mates will really help me in the near future to come.

    ReplyDelete
  22. 1. I like that PLN's help us express our own thoughts and ideas. I have not been asked before, what do I think about a subject.
    2. One of my challlenges was to extend my thoughts. Once I said my thought, I felt that I said all I could say without going on a ramble, and it was hard to have some more, good, thoughts on the subject.
    3. PLN's presentation on Friday have been more exciting I thought. With all the big personalities in this classroom, I believe that their could have been some more details discussed then there was during the presentation.
    4. It really helped me to listen to my classmates when I did my presentation. But, I think that we could have said more on a weekly basic on eachother's blogs.
    5. PLN categories I think were just right. I mean, I could understand what they were talking about and what was happening for them to talk about. I believe it is important to understand something in order for that person to be able to talk about it.
    6. I completed all my PLNs. I believe they were simple enough to complete in a weeks time.
    7. I think that the PLN presentations could have been more conversational. Also, add one more category to choose from.
    8. I took away from PLNs, the need to put more voice in my writing. So many times, I believe I sound just like a robot and saying what is not in my heart but what sounds good to the teacher and my class. I now understand that expressing my own oppion is okay and no one will punish me for doing it.
    9. I learned, about my writing, that I could use more interesting verbs and ways of saying the sentence. I also, learned that I can inspire many people with a little writing and others can inspire me if I just open my ears and listen to them.
    10. This question makes me think if it is the grade I want or the knowledge. I believe it use to be just the grades I worked so hard for, but that was when I was a robot and did not get to say my oppoin. Now it is the knowledge that I long for and the hope that I can help others have more thinking put into their writings.
    11. The feedback I recieved was very helpful.
    12. I do feel that I could expand my own PLN but in my head and not on the google. I just retain information and understand it more when I can remember it.
    Thank you for giving my the chance to finally express myself in class and not being critized for it.

    ReplyDelete
  23. PLN's are a creative and imaginary way to get my thoughts out into the world. I liked the fact that I almost always got the choice to choose what to write about. Whether it was from education to robberies in china. That doesn't mean it was just an easy going thing to write nor just pick one article to reflect about. Sometimes I found myself drawn between two or three completely different subject and had to pick just one. When in reality I could of done both. Another challenge I had to overcome what my format and grammar of my story/reflected article. I started to re-read my articles, type into word before I put in into the post blog box, and I started to write into more detail. This became a very hard thing to do but you can get better with each try. Next, when a fellow friend or comrade gets up in-front of the class, he shows his courage and essential pride in what he has written. I extremely like when my classmates go up in-front of the class and express their ideas on a murder case or kidnapping. It gives me and everyone else to connect to that somehow and have our own ideas on the world. I'd say that we should reflect more upon our writing to get that greater voice inside our classmates out.
    Now PLN's aren't perfect, they could use some work. I personally suggest that we should do one once a week and have PLN reflections done in class by every student once a week. Like that students reads and comments on their classmates article. It would give new prospection to the other writer. After doing all these PLN's, I learned how to reflect better on world situations, I learned how to become a more fluent writer, I learned how to express myself on what I think really matters, and most importantly I learned how to step up in life! From this assignment I will always have the ability to express myself in many different ways.
    From my writing I learned something that I always new. How to be connected to my writing. My writing also taught me how go into further detail with expressing places or food. For example:the burrito was large, tender, juicy, with a creamy filling of greasy brown meat topped with stripes of orange and white cheese, then another layer of creamy white sour cream and chunks of salsa for the finishing touch. The value of learning to me has changed since the beginning of the year by once again being able to connect their problems with my own or a friends and that to me is a very valuable aspect because it lets you learn more about life. Feedback is always helpful whether you like it or not! It takes you to that next level were you can continue to get better or better depending if you choose to apply yourself or not. That also, doesn't mean you have to accept the feedback because it's completely your choice. Lastly, I will defiantly choose to expand my learning network and expand my knowledge on my digital footprint of life because it will always help me succeed in life.

    ReplyDelete
  24. 1. The most enjoyable part of the PLN's we did during this semester where the presentations of people's best work because it gave me insight into lots of subjects I wouldn't have otherwise taken much interest in. It was fun for me to hear other people's thoughts and compare them with my own.

    2. One of the things I found most challenging about the PLNs was trying to find variation in my topics to write about; in the beginning, I had not had much experience with reflecting on writing pieces of this sort. It got progressively easier however to find subjects to write on after I got used to the format.

    3. The PLN presentations were one of my favorite parts of this experience because I love to hear what other people were thinking regarding what is going on around us. I love the aspect of change that seemed a key part of most of our thoughts and presentations; showing how we perceive the world to be changing and how we think we should aproach change ourselves.

    4. It very much helped me to hear what other people had to say about my writing. I found that after I got to hear the perspective other people had on the topics I wrote about, it sometimes changed my way of seeing it and even shifted my stance on some arguments.

    7. I think the ideas of the PLN are fairly sound but if I had to reccomend any type of a change it would be to possibly be able to have responsive blogs where we could comment on eachother's much like in our presentation environment.

    8. I think my ability to question greatly improved through the use of these PLNs as a lot of our responding began with the ability to ask a good question that can be expanded upon.

    9.I learned that you can take almost any story and expand on it to reflect on its meaning and impact. These PLNs taught me that I have more to say about the world than I originally thought.

    10. The value of my learning to me is the ability and power I gain from it. When I feel knowledgable in something, it's something I feel a lot more passionately about because I know I can thoroughly support my opinions. This is valuable regardless of a grade because what stays with you is what matters over the A on the paper.

    11. The feedback I received was very benefiticial to my writing style. It helped me to broaden my spectrum of thought and allowed me to see the areas I needed to work on so I could improve. I gained a lot from my feedback during this process. It helped me develop voice as well.

    12. I may not continue to expand on my PLN in the traditional way of blogging on a regular basis. However, the idea of having a collection of places to go and find information to learn from will continue to grow with me.

    ReplyDelete
  25. 1. What I like about PLNs is that we are able to express my feelings on a subject that sparks my interest.
    2. My challenge with PLNs was trying to express myself without offending others with my thoughts.
    3. Fridays presentations are great because they get people in the class to express their thoughts on the presenters blog.
    4. I have not presented yet, but I have heard that people like the reactions and how people are usually trying to express themselves withoiut starting a riot.
    5. I find that my categories in my subscription are very helpful because they give me more options.
    6. Sometimes I am unable to do some PLNs because I have other things such as other homework and I also have 7 pets and 5 people to take care of.
    7. Next semester, I think that we should at the least try to do a PLN twice a week.
    8.I have acquired the ability to express myself in more than one sentence. I will try to at least express myself in my writings.
    9. I learned that people will not judge my thinking.
    10. The value of my learning is muy importante because I will need these skills in the future.
    11. I have not received any feedback as far as I know.
    12. No

    ReplyDelete