The webinar Socializing with our students.....sort of was interesting because it discussed a social media website called Eduardo which gives students the benefits of facebook with an educational slant. The reviewer of this webinar stated that the website was very easy to use and gave students/teachers the opportunity to belong to an educational community since there were already participants of the website who were already engaged with producing various types of teaching tools (such as quizzes).
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The webinar continued by talking about different social media website and all of these seemed to be very valuable websites to use with students. Perhaps, the most important part of the webinar review for me was a reminder from the teacher not to get frustrated if things do not work out and to always be as prepared as much as possible when trying out a new piece of technology.
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This advice is very useful to me as I could easily see myself trying something new in regards to technology in class, only to realize that I did not fully understand how to use it. I think the reviewer and lecturer did an effective job listing various resources which I will like to try to use in future classes.
The next webinar I reviewed was The Essentials of Neuroscience in Student Learning. This webinar was very interesting to me because the lecturer and reviewer showed how important it is for students and teachers to feel in control of the technology they are using. Oftentimes, we get so carried away by looking at a new piece of technology and do not realize how much more effective that technology can be for us if we are able to look at ways in which it could benefit us. That is why I think the discussion regarding long term versus short term learning was so important in this webinar. If students can see that something that they learn will have a long term benefit for them, they will be more motivated to learn about it. Therefore, the lecturer did a very effective job in focusing on long term benefit because students can see how a technological learning tool can be both useful and productive for them.
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The webinar Technology to Improve, Promote Technology, and Streamline the Educational Process partly resembled the webinar that I reviewed. The reviewer of this webinar informed us that the presenter in the webinar focused on promoting a conducive learning environment with the goal of helping students becoming more efficient learners. As a result, he focused on such topics as stressing the importance of cooperative learning, encouraging students to personalize their learning objectives, making students and teachers aware of how resources can facilitate both the learning and teaching process, and emphasizing the importance of using guides, such as rubistars. I think the reviewer did a very effective job in relating these topics to his own personal experiences, and from that perspective, the webinar was effective, as the topics seem to be relevant to the presenter's audience. Also, the topics generate interest. For instance, the topic of cooperative learning is explored in such education articles as Advantages of Cooperative Learning, while the topic of personalized objectives is discussed in articles such as Setting Their Own Learning. The presenter's view about promoting an educational environment conducive to learning is reasonable as he stresses the importance of students working together in groups and developing interest in what they are actually studying. The presenter talks about the importance of technology for both teachers and students. In fact, one of the most important parts of the webinar review for me was when the topic of rubistars was introduced, as this is an important assessment tool for teachers. Furthermore, the author makes an effective point of stating that teachers can benefit from resources as well as students. The point the author and the presenter seem to be stressing is that students and teachers should not be hesitant to look for resources, as resources can really help them achieve their objectives.
Apart from mentioning blogs and stating the importance of technology, I would have liked to have seen the presenter explore the technological aspect more in depth. He talked about rubistars, which is an important website for teahcers. However, I would have liked to have seen a more detailed analysis of particular websites and apparatuses that can be used to enhance education. In conclusion, I enjoyed reading about this webinar because I think it focused on important philosophical issues regarding education, which is both interesting and useful. Yet, I think the presenter could have explored more specific aspects of education in depth. Therefore, the webinar was partly useful to me.
The Eduardo site sounds really interesting. I think that it is wonderful that someone decided to take the power and draw of face book and turn it in to a learning adventure. I am totally going to check that out!
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