C4T #4

For my 4th C4T I was assigned to Angela Rand's Blog,My Mind Gap. The first post I commented on was titled, "PhdChat Wordle" in which she talks about taking part in the #PhdChat on twitter. How it is great because she can interact different conversations that are taking place. She talks about the intensity and excitement that goes on during the conversations on #PhdChat. This intensity can be seen when the conversations are taking place but when going back to look at them later we sometimes have trouble seeing the excitement in the conversation. Ms. Rand says, "In an online conversation the subtext must be gleaned from the text itself. Pace, abbreviations, length, and other such textual clues need to be sifted through to see what is going on in the conversation." Through using twitter I have found some interesting articles on different education topics and links to different sites. Twitter really is a great tool for interacting, having educational discussions and finding valuable information and resources on many different topics. My comment on Ms. Rand's post was,"Twitter has made it possible to interact and take part in different conversation threads on just about any subject. I just started using twitter this year in my EDM 310 class and I have read several really interesting articles posted by others on different education topics. I really need to get more involved in using twitter and become more active in taking part in discussions. I like how you talk about the intensity and excitement that takes place when the conversations in #PhDchat are being held but later on when you read them you have to look at the "whole situation." Thanks for your post!"

The second post I read on Angela Rand's blog, My Mind Gap, was about PLNs. I found it very useful to hear her argument of how her PLN has helped her through learning. She said that she is,"so passionate about my PLN that I would like for them all to be present at my graduation when that day comes. They have contributed (very nearly) as much to my growth as an instructional designer as my professors and classmates have" I think this is a very powerful statement and just goes to show how much of an impact a PLN can have on someone. I have learned a lot through my PLN and I know that it will be useful to me in the future as well especially when I begin teaching. My comment on her post was, "Hey Mrs. Rand, I am a student in EDM and we have been working on developing a PLN throughout the semester. I enjoyed reading your post about your PLN and it has helped me to get motivated to keep working on mine. I need to give back to my PLN more and become more active with making post. I have learned a lot by adding articles and websites to my PLN. I hope to keep expanding my PLN and keep learning. Thank you for your post!"
She also that her PLN will give her feedback and tolerate her mistakes. Learning through a PLN is like having a personal group of people and resources who can hep guide you along your academic journey. A PLN helps you to grow through learning and dig beyond the surface of what you are studying.