When was the last time you learned something new? What resources did you use to help you learn? My goal over the last few weeks was to learn how to properly swing a golf club. Through the use of a variety of technology resources, I gained confidence and have learned a proper swing for the sport of golf. When I think back on this learning experience the best part was that I never felt that I had failed or was alone in this journey. With a variety of resources, I was able to be successful in completing this task. Through the use of Reddit I was able to see and hear others that were struggling with similar issues that I had as well as tips from individuals who are successful golfers. Looking through Reddit made me feel that I was part of a community with open communication and encouragement during this often frustrating sport. I found YouTube videos to be the most useful to me and what I viewed and went back to most frequently. As I searched through YouTube there was an unlimited amount of resources and seeing golfers swing in action made it easy for me to relate the information and tips to my own golf swing. Social media, specifically Twitter, provided good engagement that was very accessible and convenient to acquire. I followed a golf account and when I would check my own Twitter account I would have golf tips pop up on my newsfeed which included convenient tips. Lastly, I dove into help forums which seemed fitting because I need help learning the proper swing. These forums provided the most information in general. They had all types of golfing information including golf talks, discussing all the rules to golf and booking your next golfing vacation. This experience taught me just how many networks and resources are available today and how digital technology resources can be a great support in learning something new. How does this apply to my teaching career? How can this experience benefit my future students? I want to take a step away from golf and apply this experience and my findings to my teaching career. Specifically to my students, who in their lifetime with the technology they have access to may use this as normal means of learning something new. Providing my students with the opportunity to explore and learn what resources are out there and how the internet can support their findings is a lesson that I want to include into my classroom going forward. Not only can I share my own personal experience through these videos but I can challenge them to think deeper and think about the tools and resources that are at their finger tips. I also want to encourage my students to not only challenge themselves to learning using technology but to use this knowledge and apply it in ways that can better themselves and those around them. After reading the article, The DIY Girls, it inspired me to realize how a simple assignment such as me learning how to play golf can eventually influence my future students and I to challenge ourselves to make a difference. The article talks about how these twelve teens use online resources to invent solar-powered tent for the homeless. Beckman states that, "if they had an issue with a solar panel not functioning properly, they watched YouTube videos. If they couldn't figure out a stitch pattern, they Googled it. The girls even developed their own inspirational hashtag: #wegetitdone." This story is moving and really expresses just how useful digital technology resources can be. Looking forward, my students and I can read this article and brainstorm ways that as a class we could spread kindness with the assistance of the internet and all that it can provide to us. Overall, my Network Learning Project enlightened me to all new resources and challenged my findings for how to learn something new. For the duration of the summer and as I continue to play golf and better my game. I will still be using these resources and following these social media platforms to help me along the way. I also will use the resources of those around me and the individuals that I play golf with but having these networks is another great learning tool. Check out my video below as I walk you through the step to perfect my final swing! Resources:
Cook, C. (2020, June 15). NLP Final Golf Swing [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy86dMgIOMY&feature=emb_logo Beckman. The DIY Girls: How 12 teens invented a solar-powered tent for the homeless. https://mashable.com/2017/06/15/diy-girls-solar-powered-tent-homeless/#mIuwHqMM8Sq1 CAE Team. 5 Reasons Why Technology Is Essential in Language Classrooms [Image]. https://www.cae.net/5-razones-por-las-que-la-tecnologia-es-indispensable-en-aulas-de-idiomas/
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