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Statistics are used in a variety of different ways. Statistics can be used in business to show their gains for the month, they can be used by car salesmen to justify why this is the right car for you, they can be used in sports to show an athlete's performance, but most importantly they can be used in school to show areas where students are doing well. There are a number of statistics tools out there that can help you compute this information.

After some research I came up with a few sites and tools that I thought would be very helpful. The first one that I thought was pretty cool was the Statistics in Sports or SIS website. This web site provides a number of different links to any type of statistic that was related to sports. Being a baseball fan I really liked the section that the guy graphed all the MLB hall of fame players statistics and had projections for future starts. I think this would be very beneficial for a coach to use this in plotting an athlete’s performances from game to game and from week as well. I think this would provide the players with a better understanding of their performance and help the coach assess areas that need more attentions.

The next online statistic analyzing tool I discovered was the Simple Interactive Statistical Analysis or SISA. Just as stated in the title this looked like a very simple user friendly tool for computing statistics. This online tool had a number of features such as Frequency, T test, Ratios, distributions, and many more data procedures. This would be a great online tool for people who are relatively new to dealing with statistics and interpreting data.

Statics can be very helpful when solving problems or trying to validate research. These are just a few online tools I feel would be very helpful to anyone dealing with statistics. 


 
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In today’s world the job market for education is very demanding. School are either laying off teachers or not replacing the ones that have retired. Recently searching for employment and finally getting hired I can honestly say what a challenge it has been. Even though it is very challenging to find a job in the education field there are new tools out there that can be very beneficial when looking for employment.  Some of these tools include professional portfolios, personal web sites, and LinkedIn. These are all very powerful tools but they do have their pros and cons

Pros

One thing I found when setting up these tools is the user friendliness. For each one of these tools were very self-explanatory when setting up an account. I think this is very helpful when trying to deal with the stress of looking for a job you don’t have to deal with the stress of setting up these sites. Another great thing these tools do are they allow you to connect with other professionals. LinkedIn would be a perfect example of connecting with other professionals including employers searching for workers.  Next, I believe personal web sites, if done correctly can provide incite of your personal life and expresses your beliefs. Lastly I think using an online professional portfolio would be beneficial due to the access of it. Portfolios are great but too often you see portfolios in three ring binders and can only be viewed by a limited number of people. Having an online professional portfolio you can show off your abilities and increase the number of people who view it just by a click of a button.

Cons

With some of the positives these tools provide there are also some negatives. One downfall I noticed is the cost for upgrading. When setting up these tools you are granted a free version but if you would like to upgrade your required to pay a fee. This might be ok for large corporations but for people right out of school and out of work this could be a limitations. Another negative effect from using these sites is presenting your image in a way that is not intended. When employers have access to these sites and review your work they can interpret it anyway they feel. If not set up a hundred percent professional or the way you intend you may provide a false image of who you really are. This can cause employers to loose interest in you and can eliminate your chance of getting the position.

Conclusion

Finding employment in education or any field today may be very challenging. These are just a few technology tools that can help you when searching for employment. Not every tool is perfect and all have their pros and cons, but with appropriate research and professionalism I believe they will aid in you finding employment. 


 
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Professional networks can help you promote yourself and stay connected with other professionals in your related field. This can be done in a number of ways and there are a number of strategies that can help you do this.

One strategy I think is necessary when professional networking would be to set a goal. This goal needs to be attainable and specific for you. An example of a goal I would set using professional networking would be to become more aware of professional development related to physical education. This gives you a starting point to know who you will be connecting with.

The next strategy I believe is necessary is building your network. This can be achieved in a number of ways. I believe you need to do some research and find what network best fits you. One network I recently join was LinkedIn. I am relativity new to this site but from what I can see it is very professional and makes it very easy to connect with others. After deciding which network to use it’s time to start building up your connections. I would first connect with familiar people then branch out to other professionals in related as well as non related fields.

The last strategy I would suggest in professional networking is be professional. Is might seem like a given but at all time you need to be professional. When you are posting or writing to others make sure you grammar is always correct, this is your professional network not a text message. Also, if there are any issues where you disagree with handle it in a professional manner. Once a post goes on the internet there I no taking back what you said so always be professional.

Professional networks are a great way for you to promote yourself and connect with others. As you noticed technology is everywhere. I believe technology enhances professional networks and it’s a vital component of it. Technology allows you to connect with others with the speed and convenience of anywhere in the world. I believe you could still have professional networks without technology but they would be less effective. These are just a few basic strategies I think are necessary for professional networking but if taken into consideration they can benefit you greatly. 


 
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When I first heard the word Wikis I thought I was simply an abbreviation for the web site Wikipedia. After reading these articles and doing a little research I have a better understanding of what wikis are and how they can be used.

Up until this point I was always told never to use Wikipedia for any form of assignment. I now have a different perspective on this. I always perceived that all information on Wikis were unreliable. I now have a different view on this. Even though anyone can edit a Wiki a majority of the post are from professionals or persons highly experienced in the subject matter. You may not want to quote a Wiki word for word but I believe it would be an excellent place to begin research on a give topic.

Today Wikis are being used more and more in education and other professional fields. I think Wikis are and will be an upcoming trend in education. Wikis are a way for educators to get input from the class without holding a class discussion. I believe this would help with time management of a class and provide students who might be unwilling to talk in class share their thoughts. I also think Wikis can benefit the teachers as well. I believe teachers could use these as a tool to share ideas with other professionals all around the world and stay up to date on current trends.

Wikis are becoming more and more popular as we evolve into a technology generation. I think Wikis are going to be used by many more professionals as time goes on. I believe if used appropriately Wikis can be an outstanding tool not only for educators but students as well.


 
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When I think of the words social media the first network that comes to my mind is Facebook. For the past few years this was my most used form of social media. Today I was introduced to a new form of social media called LinkedIn. At the start I was a little confused about how the site works but after some experimenting I was able to get a better understanding of how to use LinkedIn. Comparing LinkedIn to Facebook there is a number of noticeable differences.

The first difference I noticed was LinkedIn seemed to be more professional with a business aspect opposed to Facebook having connections with friends and family. To me LinkedIn was based more on connecting with professionals in your field. LinkedIn seemed to be a site to explore if you were searching for employment or looking to hire. One option I liked about LinkedIn is how I was able to sync my email contacts straight to my LinkedIn page and quickly make connections. This seems like it will be useful because my address book changes regularly and I can stay up to date with my connections. I do think Facebook has benefits as well. I think Facebook’s layout is much easier to use and more user friendly. I also believe Facebook allows you to make more sharing connects whether it is pictures, videos, groups, or events.

Looking at both of these social media networks I can see the benefits of using both sites. You need to keep your work separate from your play and having these two accounts I think that this would be a great way to do so. I am excited to learn more about LinkedIn and further connect with other professionals out there.

 



Apps

5/29/2013

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Today apps are everywhere and used for numerous purposes. I was familiar with apps and used them on occasion but just basic ones that were already on my phone. After viewing the 60 Educational Apps in 60 minutes I was blown away with how many different types of apps there are and how many can be used in education.

One app that I believe would be beneficial in physical education class would be an app called Accupedo. This app allows you to view the miles you run, the calories you burn and time it takes. I think this would be a cool way to explain the importance of being physical active and how many calorie you burn when you run a mile. I think this would be a great learning aid to help students understand what effort it takes to expend calories while being physical active. I think the student would enjoy working with the app and I think I would actually motivate them to be more physical active. 

Another app that I think would be very helpful is Everynote. This is an app that allows you to set reminders to keep up with your busy schedule. I think I would be neat to have students down load the app and keep track of all-important events for one week. Either test they have for a class, practice for a sport or just hanging with friends. I would have them discuss the important of staying organized and see if any of them would continue using the app after the assignment was over.

The last app I think that would be very beneficial for the student is how to understand the process of  making a movie. This app allows you to record videos from you phone and create an HD movie. I think students would enjoying doing a project using  imovie for a sport or activity they like to participate in outside of school.

Apps are growing each day and always being modified. There is no telling what the limitations are for apps and what their possibilities are in education. I think they are relativity new for educational purpose but the more people get exposed to them the more we will see them used in classroom. I am looking forward to learning more about apps and trying to use them in my own classes.


 
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When I read the title of Top 100 Tools for Learning 2012 the first thing that came to my mind was a number of professional websites and databases. The more I thought about it I got the idea of concrete tools such as smart boards, projectors, and graphing calculators. After clinking on the link I was shocked to find not one of these I had in mind made the list.

The most useful tool in 2012 was Twitter. This took me by surprise. I am relatively new to Twitter but I did not expect this to be number one on the list for learning tools.  After explore more of the tools on the list I notice out of the one hundred learning tools I use twenty to twenty five of them on a daily basis. Tools such as Facebook, Flickr, and ITunes were three tools that I was not expecting to make the list for educational purposes.

After reviewing the list of learning tools it gave me a new perspective of what is considered a learning tool and how the world is changing to a technology based classroom. There were also a number of tools on list that I have never heard of. It would be interesting to research these programs and get a better understanding of how others are using them in their classroom. I really enjoyed reviewing this site because it gave me a better understand of what tools are being used and give me new ideas for upcoming lessons.


 
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Technology is involving from day to day and the way people are using it is constantly changing. Prior to this class I thought I had a decent understanding of technology but after two and a half weeks my knowledge for using technology in education greatly increased. 

I have learned some very useful tools in technology up until this point. One program I learned how to use was weebly.com. This is a website that allows you to build your own professional website. I think this is a great way to give others an understanding of who you are and share your great ideas with others out there. Another useful tool I would never classify with education is Facebook. I thought this was just a way to connect with friends and make plans for the weekend. I had no idea it could be used for creating pages and collaborating with other professionals in your field. The last topic I learned was using podcasts in education. Prior to this class I heard the term podcasts but didn’t know what they were, let alone how to make them.

I believe working through the assignments in this class and reading the articles posted I learned more about using technology in education in two weeks then I did the whole time in college. This class is very challenging for me but I am looking forward to the rest of the class and learning new skills I can use in my teachings.


 
 
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The Internet is a very powerful tool that can be used in a number of different ways. Sometimes the Internet is referred to as the Web. So when I heard the terms Web 1.0 and 2.0 I thought it had to deal with the speed of the Internet. I had no idea how different the two were. After reading and researching Web 1.0 and 2.0 I have a better understanding of how they are used.

Web 1.0 was the first of the two. This was designed by producers to inform consumers about different products. There was a form of information and it was presented. At the time this seemed to be a huge gain in presenting information and informing others on different products. It wasn’t until Web 2.0 when people started interacting and sharing with on another about their experiences. After Web 2.0 was launched social media networks took off. Today everywhere you look there are social media sites. Up until this point these social media sites were solely used for staying connected and sharing with friends and family. Today these sites are being used in promoting products, creating events, sharing videos, and even for educational purposes.

Prior to my research of Web 2.0 I didn’t realize the number of sites I use on a daily basis that were 2.0 applications. Some Web 2.0 sites I am most familiar with are Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. After reviewing Larry Ferlazzo Best Web 2.0 Applications for Education I had my eyes opened to a number of different tools. The one that I was very impressed with was Slidely. This is an application it allows you to put pictures to music and create a slide show. I think this would be a very neat tool to introduce to my students and have them create their own projects with this application.

Whether you know it or not when you’re on the Internet you are probably on a form of Web 2.0.  It is very impressive how the Internet can evolve from something that was a one-way street to an intersection where you can go in any directions with no limits. I think these are great gains not only for consumers but also for educations. I am excited to research more about Web 2.0 applications and how I incorporate them in my teachings.