Personal Learning Networks

To end the semester, I summarized my experiences in my personal learning networks. As my topic, I selected baking because I've never really tried baking from recipes on social media sites, but have always liked the idea. For my project, I chose Facebook and Pinterest and discovered that Facebook was ideal in sharing experiences and ideas, whereas Pinterest was great in storing a large number of recipes to try for later. 

Personally, I enjoyed both sites, but think I'd be more inclined to participate with Facebook more because I had a higher level of interaction with friends and followers. Many of the commenters shared their ideas, or requests for my opinions after I tried the recipe. Pinterest was great in storing a large number of recipes, but I didn't use it to its full potential. Instead of creating multiple boards specific to topics on baking (i.e., quick desserts, gourmet desserts, etc.). It lacked interaction between users, but did facilitate communication through tagging or sharing pins with others. 

Did anyone use similar sites? Please share your experiences and thoughts!

OER Commons, Thank you

I took a pause last week because I was in the process of moving into my new home, so I dove back into week five's folder for EME 6414. Going through the tool resources, I found a gem: OER Commons. At the beginning of this course, I found a TED Talk that shared the experiences of professionals teaching higher-education courses to those who could not afford to attend universities (because of financial, geographical, or social constraints). When I reviewed OER Commons, I thought of this TED talk because it gives such a great opportunity for anyone to learn, free of charge.

Education is so critical in society today. It is one of the only things that you can have that cannot be taken from you. It's useful throughout your life and work experiences, and it never be unattainable for anyone that has a desire to learn. I'm very passionate about this topic because I was born and raised in  this environment. I am the first in my family to leave home for school, support myself, and obtain a graduate degree. From where I was from, it is not as common to go to college; our resources are limited; and our education is average at most. I am in no way blaming our school system or community, but am shedding light on the limited access and resources that rural and impoverished areas fall victim to.

Sites like OER Commons fight this injustice and promote educational opportunities for all. I'm proud of the men and women whose goals are to make resources available to as many as possible because education is one of the greatest gifts we can ever receive.

Produsages in Canvas

Happy (Rainy) Afternoon!
I've been looking through everyone's Produsage Projects on EME 6414's discussion board and am astounded that there are that many sites out there for use! I'm curious if these are sites that you've found from the course, discovered on the internet, or have been using for a while.

I noticed a few of you used Canvas and am especially curious to hear your feedback. As the instructor/educator and creator of your lesson, did you like or dislike this application? Was it user friendly? Did you notice any potential issues?

From a learner's perspective, I found the site aesthetically pleasing and logically placed, making everything easily accessible from the toolbar on the left. I expect I won't learn this module overnight, but I feel that it is user-friendly enough to that I would catch on quickly.

Any Canvas users out there? Please share your opinions/experiences!

Trisha