Friday's class was cool and all, but I feel like we also are forced to do a lot of things that aren't actually useful. For example, Weebly is something I will never utilize. If I get a job using fucking weebly then my life has taken quite a sad turn. I'm sorry, maybe that is offensive but just because the internet is there doesn't always mean we have to use it. I can give my credit card number to a Nigerian prince online too, doesn't mean I need to. While a lot of technology does make my life easier, some things are more trivial than realistic. I worked in a corporate office that utilizes technology all of the time, and I'd never heard of Weebly. It's called Monster.com, and that shit is awesome. You can apply for jobs and they match you and all kinds of things using magic or something. That's cool. There is also this awesome thing called google search on the internet which will allow you to find open job opportunities. Also, there is this mystical thing called the newspaper or you can always make a phone call asking. Link'dIn is basically Weebly except it doesn't suck and has an actual following. I don't mean to knock it, but again, let's be real. Podcast stuff? Cool. Aviary? Kind of cool. Weebly? Please.
It was cool to see how angry birds was utilized, but I also see some downfalls in that. I can see how that could be distracting, or worse seen as a waste of time by the parents. I think when using these things, we have to maybe take the awesome parts of the games and technology and apply them in a non-distracting way. Or maybe make the game part of an assignment and then discuss it in class. However, I found the symbol stuff to be interesting and a good analogy for understanding how foreign or familiar technology can feel to people. I hate to be a negative Nancy in this blog, but there are some days where I feel like I spent 50 thousand dollars to basically spend three hours doing something I could have figured out alone in 5 minutes when utilizing google. I know everyone isn't like that and I can appreciate that. I guess I'm just in a bad mood or something. This isn't to say that I have any problem with the professors or their teaching abilities. I find them both to be knowledgeable and passionate about technology and teaching. I know that they know their stuff and I appreciate that. I have found most of the tech classes to be awesome though. Also, there was no need to be on north campus last week. We could have done that in the school of ed. Just saying.....
I sense a bit of dissatisfaction with you in regards to Weebly - what do you think Weebly can do to perhaps be looked at as a more desirable website to you? You mentioned LinkedIn as a website you find useful - I agree, but would Weebly appear more desirable to you if it followed that template a bit more.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you about the symbol stuff. Finding a familiar ground with large, diverse groups of people is imperative - and I think examples like Xu Bing's Language of icons shows us there is potential for something better than the customary language identifiers we're used to. What do you think?
I really like your idea about making a game part of an assignment rather than dedicating a lot of time to it in class. But, I'm still having trouble finding games we can use in the English classroom, other than some kind of Text Twist or Scrabble game and I wonder how effective those are. They are fun, yes, but are they engaging enough to be used in the classroom? I hope that we learn about games that can be used in humanities classes.
ReplyDeleteMy impression of Weebly was that it wasn't intended to be used as a job-search tool like Monster, but that it just provided a space where you could build an online portfolio of your work (which could, in turn, make you more appealing to employers). I personally liked it because I had never really looked into setting up my own website- I always assumed you had to pay a bunch of money for it and that it would be really complicated. I like that Weebly makes it simple and free- even if it means I have to have a silly word tacked on to the end of my web address :)
ReplyDeleteWow - I guess it was a bad day. I'm sorry to hear that. Just keep a few things in mind as you respond to class on your blog. One is that this blog gives you a chance to practice your professional voice, and while we all get loose with language behind closed doors, I would recommend you reconsider dropping the f-word here. While we are welcome to disagree, Weebly as a portfolio tool is a tried-and-true method that is used by many future educators to develop an online presence. I'm sorry you feel that I wasted your time, but on this one, but teachers have been preparing online portfolios for nearly a decade. There's evidence that it's useful and effective. LinkedIn is another strategy with a slightly different purpose and sense of connectivity. LinkedIn can show your employment history and your connections, but it does a less effective job showcasing your work, which is where Weebly can be useful. I would also encourage you to look beyond Monster.com for employment as a teacher, as it is rarely used in education except by charter school companies. Again, I'm sorry it was such an unpleasant day for you, but let's try to keep the conversation civil.
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