In the world of today an online professional portfolio is becoming more popular.  I wanted to address some of the pros and cons of them.

Some Pros
A digital professional portfolio can be the same as a typical professional portfolio presented in a binder, except the online aspect makes new things possible.  It can be an always evolving work in progress that includes resume and philosophies.  Taken to the next level, a digital portfolio can better showcase your works, skills, and education.  Some good representations can be created on google sites, weebly, and prezi. 

LinkedIn is more of a professional online resume.  You can also detail areas of you expertise and experience.  However, LinkedIn will also connect you to others in the field or who you know personally or professionally.

Personal web sites can be designed in many ways.  They can be a powerful tool to positively represent oneself.  Or you could construct them to be more student oriented.  This means you could provide information about you (the teacher), but post assignments or blogs about class.

Cons?
I do not feel that there are many cons to the professional portfolios mentioned.  One can always have more than one focus, perhaps keeping a LinkedIn account for job search purposes, while also maintaining a personal web site that is more student focused.  One note of caution, is making sure to always represent oneself professionally.  I have seen some online portfolios that are too casual for professional environments.  It is important for potent

Looking for the perfect online statistics tool seems to depend greatly upon your specific needs.  There is a wide variety of options.  Some sites are designed for advanced calculations and analyzing, while others are dedicated to simplicity of use.  The latter of the two options would be more suited to my needs. 

The top three free online sites that I discovered were SISA (Simple Interactive Statistical Analysis), WolframAlpha, and WebMath.  As stated, SISA lends itself to simple and straightforward use.  It allows you to input numbers and get instant results.  It is more geared to common calculations.  I was really impressed with WolframAlpha.  The main page offers you a simple space to type in text or numbers.  From the data you input the site will direct you to definitions, examples and pictures of your topic.  Or, you can input a set of statistical numbers with spaces and receive what you need (like a histogram).  The last site that I would recommend was WebMath.  The site is very user friendly and designed for  a wide span of users.  WebMath can be used for early algebraic equations or highly complex calculations.  It has a wide range.  Again, the site allows the user to quickly input data (or even paste previous sets), check the boxes that apply to your needs (e.g. standard deviations or correlations)and quickly receive your information.  For my needs, which are mostly basic statistical analysis, SISA, WolframAlpha, and WebMath are good places to start.

Professional networking strategies have changed so much in the last decade that some of the old adages are changing.  Today, an online presence is a major part of getting your name out there.  In the past many of these opportunities were not possible. 

As I have been discovering, professional networking can be accomplished on all different levels of through LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Personal Web Pages, and so on.  The image of yourself that you post online can communicate either a high level of professionalism or a socially relaxed presence.  Each website has its advantages and disadvantages.  Each website also has slightly different goals and capabilities to help you accomplish what you need.  In the world of today, it can be important to represent yourself in different lights depending on the audience you expect to be reading your posts. 

I have always thought that it is important to represent myself in a positive light, especially in the professional realm where I expect to meet others.  One has to be careful, especially online where your words are posted for all to see, that your words are chosen carefully and respectfully.  You never know who might be reading.  I believe this adage will never change, whether you are onlin

Prior to reading some of the articles on the use of wiki's I do not believe I had heard of any thing, outside of wikipedia, quite like it.  The idea of being able to edit a piece of information collaboratively can have many uses.  Anytime a group of people (friends, cohorts, committee's, church groups, etc.) need to coordinate and organize a list of ideas, thoughts, or facts wiki provides an online option.  The fact that the use is online allows interaction anytime and anywhere.

Perhaps the greatest variable to the use of wiki's is the ease of use.  Users do not need to have an intimate knowledge of computer coding (which I do not care to elaborate on because I know nothing about it).  It sounds like it is the perfect tool for people like me who have a base understanding (but growing) of computer and online technology.  Wiki technology, along with blogging and social media, seems to be a fast growing source of connecting with others in professional and personal environments.

    LinkedIn and Facebook both offer some similar services but seem to have a slightly different focus.  Facebook is a social media site that connects friends with an easy interface of pictures and quick messages.  The site is a great tool for keeping up on information with current and past friends.  Some also use it for business and education.
    The greater focal point of LinkedIn, compared to Facebook, is much more of a positive professional representation of oneself.  While Facebook does allow you to describe and represent your education and professional character, LinkedIn's presentation works almost like an online resume.  Users can showcase their education, experience and abilities.  LinkedIn also allows you to connect with others, much like facebook, but in a less
    Both are easily usable, and both have their own niches.

    Their are many possible uses for apps in physical education.  I bought an Android tablet many months ago.  It instantly became my kids favorite new toy.  They mostly use it for movies and games.  Up until several weeks ago I used it for reading email, studying my bible and referencing commentaries and video. 
    Recently, I have found several apps I am very excited about.  I have created a separate page on my phone and Android so that I can locate them easily.  There are apps that can instantly track your heart rate using the camera and light on your phone (Instant Heart Rate).  Calorie Counter not only counts your calories, but offers suggestions and helps you or your student set goals.  For strength training, an app called Fitness Buddy Free provides sample workouts based on goals.  It comes with detailed descriptions and pictures.  MapMyRun gives suggestions for local runs with details of distance and what you might see along the way.
    The possibilities seem endless for using apps and many of them are free.  One app that I wish I could find for Android is a gradebook.  Our school uses an online grading system that is easy to use for attendance and grading.  It would be great to find an app to use in the field

Looking through the list for the top 100 productivity tools (link http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/) is surprising to me, but not nearly as surprising as it would have been just three weeks ago.  Going through the Technology course at Fresno Pacific University has been enlightening.  I have become much more aware, although still a beginner, of some of the possibilities online.

What is still highly interesting to me is that Twitter is listed as the number one site for learning.  I think that the term learning is stretched a little bit to just mean passing of information.  There are definitely solid references on Twitter for learning, but this seems to be mixed with a lot of random opinion. 

I am not surprised to see Youtube and Wikipedia.  These sites are so easy to use.  As long as you keep in mind that the sources of the videos in Youtube, it can be very instrumental in education.

The rest of the list comprises some sites I would not have heard of before 3 weeks ago; places like dropbox, google docs, Khan Academy, or LinkedIn.  Now it seems that these might be a part of what I use to support my teaching.  I am looking forward to continuing to expand my knowledge  online use.

Love this.  Praise God!

Web 2.0 is radically different from web 1.0, although I feel like only now am I really aware of some of the differences.  The main difference is the interactivity of online web use. 

Early last fall I bought an Android tablet.  I began using the tablet to find useful apps until I felt like I had too many options.  All of the apps come with reviews of previous users.  Reviews are expressed on the positive and negative side.  It often quickly helps me decide whether I want to spend time trying the app.  Little did I realize that these reviews are apart of the new generation of web use.  This type of interactivity was not possible before.

Comments posted on blogs, tweets, and facebook friends posts are all apart of this technology.  In reality, the ability to interact this way, via the web, opens up whole new doors.  It puts information on a never ending cycle that just keeps growing.  It has already affected the educational sector and it will be interesting to see where it takes us in the not too distant future.