photo © 2007 Toni | more info (via: Wylio)I would say we had a very successful first week. I love to see the enthusiasm and the willingness to help your peers. As a fairly small class, we should have no trouble completing/juggling all our assignments this semester (and when I say, "our", I mean your ;-)
Today we will explore how to use a tool like Atomic Learning to guide a student through the completion of a technology assignment. You will be creating crossword puzzles with Microsoft Excel. Social bookmarking is a concept you may or may not have heard of . . .yet. By the end of the evening you will learn how to use Diigo! I use Diigo to store many of the resources that I find in Twitter. Speaking of microblogging (Twitter), if time permits, I will follow up on your introduction to Twitter with a conversation about how to begin to use tools like Twitter and Diigo to begin your personal learning network (PLN).
Ensure that you have subscribed to TaskStream, as I would like to begin to use it on Wednesday evening. With your new ISTE account, you should also have no trouble finding the journal articles for your first journal assignments.
Question: What is something you have learned well without formal teaching? How did you learn it? This could be a sport, hobby, musical instrument, etc. .
Every December, my family and I make tons of gingerbread cookies. I literally mean hundreds of cookies. I think I learned how to make and decorate these cookies from watching my dad and older siblings do it year after year.
ReplyDeleteI have always been very good directionally. Almost all the jobs I have ever had in my life involved transportation of some sort: courier, taxi driver, delivering organic produce, restaurant delivery, and furniture installation. I have not really had any formal training with maps but have always been able to pick them up and know where I am and where I am going. Sadly this skill is becoming obsolete with all of the GPS and mapping programs available today. Still, given just a one map, you could drop me anywhere on that map and I could find my way around.
ReplyDeleteDriving our 40ft. diesel motor home on the 15 in Salk Lake City, Utah. My husband was not feeling well enough to drive, soooo I had to take over. I had driven other RV's but not one this big!! I am now an expert at maneuvering the "Beast".
ReplyDeleteI have always been very good at drawing since I was a young girl. It is true when they say "practice makes perfection" although I always say there's room for improvement. I would sit down for hours and just draw images from magazines and photographs. I never received formal classes until I started college :)
ReplyDeleteI'm really good at making spicy salsa! Growing up I loved to eat my families various salsas. So, I would pay attention to what ingredients my mom and aunts put into the salsas and the different methods they used for cooking it. Some salsa's call for blackened chilis and onions others are just boiled. Now whenever I have a craving for some tasty chips and salsa all I have to do is get some jalapenos, tomatoes, onion, and garlic and wallah the salsa!
ReplyDeleteSomething i've learned well with out formal teaching is taking photographs w/ my DSLR. My friends and I decided it was a good hobby so we just scoured the internet for info and youtube videos on how to do things and just experimented.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 14, I got a graphics program for my birthday. After some frustration and a few online tutorials, I was able to teach myself how to get familiar and comfortable with the software. I taught myself how to design layouts for the personal blog-type websites I created. The program I used is obsolete now, but I managed to become fluent with it on my own.
ReplyDeleteI have recently learned how to make intricately designed sugar cookies! My roommate first taught me the method, when we decorated cookies for a bridal shower. This summer I have been decorating cookies for every occasion, grad parties, going away parties, a baby shower, the f4th of July, birthdays and a summer bbq. The more I practice, the better I get.
ReplyDeleteI've never been taught how to cook, but I thoroughly enjoy it. I usually look over a few recipes for a particular dish and eventually make up my own version to cook.
ReplyDeleteBaking. Living on an island with two very "basic" grocery stores, and no access to good restaurants, I taught my self help how to cook. And having a huge sweet tooth , i perfected my baking from scratch. Passion fruit cheeses cake is my favorite right now.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that I am the best at this but I learned how to do it with out formal education. I know how make themed cupcakes. So far I have made one's for the 4th of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I use a Betty Crocker recipe.
ReplyDeleteI am self-taught in all computer programs that I know well. In my career I have regularly needed to create spreadsheets and presentations, but never had any computer instruction. I poked around in Excel and Powerpoint enough to get started, and over the years I became proficient in both programs. Being a non-techy person, it was odd to me that eventually people were coming to me for pointers on how to create good charts and graphs : )
ReplyDeleteSchool dances started to freak me out. I didn't want to be another one of those awkward 7th grade kids who didn't know how to dance. My friends and I decided to learn how to breakdance. We tried to copy the moves we saw in videos and hang out with some crews who danced at the beach. I learned how to breakdance, but more importantly, I learned how to deal with pain.
ReplyDeleteMy sophomore year of high school, I attended one meeting of the "Knitting Club". I learned in about 5 minutes the most basic form of knitting and then I bought myself a book to learn the more intricate styles. I continue to knit to this day and taught myself how to make beanies rather than just scarves or pot-holders.
ReplyDeleteI learned how to surf well without any kind of formal teaching. I was 6 weeks old when I first wet into the water and 2 when I first rode on a surf board. Ever since then I have been hooked! I now am good enough to teach other small children and non locals how to surf. I have been doing it for 7 years :D
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I have learned well without any formal teaching is parenting. I learn through guidance from my own parents and through experiences. Although I must say I am still learning everyday!!!
ReplyDeleteOne of my hobbies and passions is cooking. Because I grew up with a single parent and he was always working, I had to make my own meals. My dad is a great cook so maybe that's why I like to cook too. I make killer huevos rancheros or anything breakfast and I enjoy cooking for my friends and family.
ReplyDeleteI'm horrible about reading directions so anytime it comes to tech gadgets like computers, iPod, my iPhone, remote control, etc. I just try to teach myself. If I really can't figure it out my go-to help is online tutorials or for trouble shooting I like help chat forums. Usually other people have needed the same help and have posted handy tips. I can usually teach myself at least the basics and it saves time holding for eternity on the phone and listening to elevator music.:)
ReplyDeleteI taught myself how to play smashball, the game where dreams are made and broken. I was not familiar with paddle ball, but I had played ping pong and tennis before. I learned it is about team work and not beating your opponent. After many hours of rigorous training at the beach I am now able to sustain long rallies with friends.
ReplyDeleteSomething I've learned well without formal teaching is how to color, style and even cut my hair and other people's hair. My hair is very important to me and I love the art of it. I've always wanted to go to cosmetology school to formally learn but haven't had an opportunity to yet. One day I will because I believe I am very talented in that department even without going to school for it.
ReplyDeleteRight now, my newest hobby, and something I'm trying on my own with no direction is cooking. As of yet, I have only perfected a handful of signature recipes. My rosemary roasted potatoes are absolutely to die for. And I make very yummy chicken saltimbocca! So far- no recipe I have tried has been a catastrophe, so I think I've got some promise!
ReplyDeleteSomething that I've learned with out formal education is how to clean a pool. One year when I went home to PA for a few weeks during the summer my Mom "asked" me to clean the pool after its been covered and ignored all winter. She gave me the tools and told me what she wanted. From there I taught myself how to clean the pool. It sparkled when I was done.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have learned to do well is gift wrapping! I was never taught, but i watched my dad do it ALL the time for birthdays, christmas, etc, eventually i just picked it up :]
ReplyDeleteLike Mike, I'm also really good with maps and directions, my friends call me all the time when they're lost!
I don't necessarily think I'm really good at this, but I pretty much taught myself how to sew. When I was younger I would watch my mom sew halloween costumes or fix buttons, etc. I would then start to try to sew clothing for some of my dolls. Then when I was in middle school I took a home-ec class and we sewed pillows.
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