Get Things Done with Evernote

This week in CEP810, we learned about David Allen’s Get Things Done system to help workflow and productivity. I played around with some technology resources and found myself spending the most time on Evernote.

I am a list person to the point where it drives my fiancé insane. I have sticky notes with random lists everywhere and notebooks filled with notes and lists all over the house. Without writing it down, I know that I’ll immediately forget at least half of the things I planned or needed to do. Step 1 of David Allen’s GTD system is to collect all the things you need to do into one place. I half did this before, but with lists all over I would lose my lists and still forget important things. Step 2 of the GTD system is to Process, decide what can actually be done and what’s just an idea that needs more processing. This was a little bit of a lightbulb for me, as my lists can contain things I need to do immediately and things that are still in the idea process and need to be hashed out more before I can act on them.

Evernote is an online notes system that can keep track of notes from meetings, to do lists (with super cool checkmark button!), interesting ideas to come back to or websites. I made a to do list with sub-sections for school, each of my grad classes I’m taking right now, things to do around my house and things to do at my wedding. It was so nice and easy to see everything at once, in one place but organized so I can find my tasks easily. I also downloaded the app on my phone so my list can travel with me to school. I also can make a second list of things I want to do in the future or ideas to hash out and can easily go back in and add notes about it or jot down ideas.

Here’s a shot of my first list, so organized and easy to see! I can click the boxes and they become checked off.

Professional Learning Network

I have been a teacher for two years, and in those two years I have asked for help a countless amount of times from the people around me, I’ve searched for materials online to enhance my students’ educations and I’ve strived to learn from experts in my field. Teaching is not an independent profession and I don’t know how I could have made it through my first two years without help from others. When I read “Teaching today is performed mostly in isolation. Many educators work alone, with little interaction with professional colleagues or experts from the outside world.” (“National Educational Technology Plan”, 2010 pg. 39) I was appalled. In a day where technology allows information and contact to be readily at our fingertips, how are teachers not collaborating and working together?

Above you will see a map of my professional learning network, the people and places I go to to help myself grow as an educator or to gain ideas to influence my teaching. This network will hopefully continue to grow as my years as a teacher grow.

Teaching should no longer be as isolated profession, with teachers reaching out to each other and the world using technology to communicate and grow!

Networked Learning Project

This week is CEP 810, our project is to choose something we’ve always wanted to learn how to do and learn the skill using strictly internet resources such as youtube videos and online how to posts.

I have a LOT of hair. I’m getting married in July so I’ve been growing it out so that I could keep it down for the wedding but in everyday life, it’s making me crazy. Seriously, I can’t wait to chop it all off as soon after the wedding as possible. Part of the reason it makes me so crazy is because I have no idea how to do anything with it. I usually just put some product in it and hope for the best, but I struggle to do anything else. I always feel ten times more put together when someone else makes my hair look nice and I’ve experimented with a curling iron but it always ends in an epic fail. For my project I am going to learn how to curl my hair, and hopefully gain some hair skills along the way.

When I started my search for resources, I realized just how many videos and tutorials are out there. The first resource I found was Sam Villa, a beauty website that also sells products. The video was 6 Ways to Curl Your Hair, and I had no idea how to do any of them! The video is quick moving, but was useful because he explains how to prep hair, how to start the curl and lots of details. It also has written steps with images below to further help novices like me.

I also found tons of online pictures with step by step images and videos with different tutorials and types of curls.

example of step by step photo from Sam Villa’s website

My next step is going to be experimenting and narrowing it down! I think it’s going to take a lot of practice but I’m excited to finally learn this skill and hopefully nail it and start to feel more put together from the head down!

 

Learning, Understanding and Conceptual Change

This week in CEP 810, we read the children’s book Fish is Fish, which highlights a minnow and a tadpole learning together and going through changes. We then read the first three chapters of Bransford, Brown and Cocking’s (2000) book How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School and were challenged to take another look at learning, understanding and changes in conceptions in education. In my essay, I explored these concepts in relation to my classroom. I focused on the idea of what learning is, as well as teaching methods that support learning and how I either already do, or plan to use these with my kindergarten class.

Thanks for reading!