Technology Self-Assessment 2.0 / NETS-T 5 MI

For my technology self-assessment, I researched the topic: NETS-T Module: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.  I chose to follow a resource for the following category: I actively participate in local and global learning communities to exchange and implement ideas and methods related to creative applications of technology to improve student learning.  I chose to follow this resource because it was listed as one of the few red-colored section of my self-assessment.  I have already begun to see how social networks such as Twitter and blogs can be useful in a teaching environment both to keep in touch with students and parents and also for learning about new ideas and technology.  The resource article I read, Grow Your Personal Learning Network, By David Warlick discusses the benefits of PLNs, or Personal Learning Networks.  The key idea is that information can be collected for you in one place rather than going out to collect it.  We can use an aggregator to collect information from multiple sources.  These different sources can include blogs, news searches, news articles, journals, podcasts, social media, wikis, and other reports.  Using something like an RSS aggregator can collect this information in one place (such as our iGoogle page) to save time.  I can see that our esteemed professor in EDUC 422 is already hip to this information and this is exactly what he has been trying to show us so far.  The biggest fear I have in using all of this information and technology is how to organize it and cut it down to a manageable level.  If we had to go collect all of the information on a daily or weekly level it would take every moment we have and more just to collect it all.  Forget about having time to utilize it as educators.  I look forward to gaining more ideas to wield all of this technology and become a better educator/student because of it.