C4T #2

Post #1

For my second round of C4T, I was assigned to Tina Barseghian's blog. The blog post that I read was about a new tool to be used with Facebook, called Grockit. Grockit is an online social learning community that allows students to link together to form study groups for various tests, classes and exams. Grockit is now making it possible to link together via Facebook to study for things such as the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and even AP exams. With Grockit, you can collaborate with peers to study and even receive clarification on concepts by experts. Grockit also makes it possible to track your progress on studying for whatever big test you are about to take by completing practice exams, diagnostic quizzes, etc.

Ms. Barseghian referenced one of her previous posts during this one about a Facebook app of

sorts called Hoot.me. It was interesting to

me so I clicked the link and checked out that post as well. Evidently, Hoot.me allows you to remove the distraction from Facebook by opening the app and switching Facebook to study mode. You can do a "study update" rather than a status update to let your friends using Hoot.me know what you are working on. If someone else is working on the same thing, you can connect via video conference and work together. Hoot.me also makes it possible to share screens with your friends to make collaboration easier, and you can use the smart chat feature to type literal math equations which are then translated to look like they would if you wrote them out. SUPER cool stuff!

Comment #1

Now that I have geek'd over these awesome social learning developments, I'll sum up what I said in response to Ms. Borseghian's post. Basically, I thanked her for the post and told her that I loved the idea of Facebook being used as a social networking AND social learning site. The possibilities for this in the future are endless and it will truly revolutionize learning. I also told her that I am very excited about entering the field of education at such a revolutionary time.

Post #2

The second post I read from Tina Barseghian's blog was regarding college students and their majors. According to the post, even with the unemployment rate hovering steadily around 9 percent, a majority of people graduating from college are getting degrees in business. According to the post, business degrees are covering a wider range of fields than ever before - from accounting to advertising.

The post goes on to reinforce what I learned from the video we watched earlier this semester - Did You Know 4.0 , and how we are going to be preparing our students for jobs that didn't exist while we were teaching them. The post calls for a revamping of the American Education System, and for some people this means focusing solely on programs in science, technology, and medicine, leaving liberal arts and humanities in their dust. I think that while it is important to ensure these kids have the preparation they need in areas such as science and technology, it is crucial to continue to emphasize the importance of liberal arts and humanities.

Comment #2

In my comment, I said that while I do agree that it is time for the Education System to be revamped and revised to weed out what doesn't work, I think it is more important than ever to focus on liberal arts skills. While today's elementary students are being prepared to work in fields that might not exist until well into the future, they still need to be taught invaluable skills that only the liberal arts can provide. Without philosophy, what basis do we have to teach critical thinking and skepticism, for instance. As much as technology and its uses are key in today's education system, we also need to remember John Dewey's stance on preparing students socially.