There is so many productivity tools out there on the web it is overwhelming.  Looking at some of the tools available a few of them caught my eye.  I am hoping that they might be immediately useful to me.

Google Calendar is a simple organizational online calendar service.  An administrator once tried to get me started on the program but I did not pay it much attention the first time around.  Today I was able to quickly navigate through some of its features and was pleased with the results.  I have already put in some important reminders.  The program walks you through how to set up reminders and have them emailed to you.  Just a few moments ago I received my first reminder.  I am hoping to continue with this program as it could be an invaluable tool to help me stay organized.

Another productivity tool that could prove immediately helpful is "mapmyrun".  It provides users with endless varieties of local runs for any city that you might live in.  The site allows you to type in keywords that help you find runs that suit your interest.  I live near the American River and was able to locate several runs that others had recommended.

One productivity tool that was a little scary to me was "keepass".  At its core it is a password keeper.  With all the passwords I have for multiple new accounts it is getting more difficult to remember them.  This site keeps your passwords for you.  The site says that the passwords are encrypted so they can not be hacked.  Yet, I do not think I will be using this service.  It is just a little to risky for me.

Several other tools caught my eye as well.  Tools like Dropbox (which I recently signed up for) and Google Doc's.  It is amazing how many options are out there on the web now.  The trick seems to be finding the ones that are most beneficial while being

I can see myself using many of the technologies that we have experimented with so far in the future for use in the class.  I enjoy the idea of using facebook for perhaps less educational purposes; more geared toward coaching and or youth group.  When I told our youth recently that I was working on a facebook page for our group they were all excited about sending current photos.  It seems like it might be a good avenue to connect with them during the week.  I envision a similar scenario with coaching soccer.

Perhaps the most useful to me so far would be the use of podcasting and a personal web page (pwp).  I am excited about the ablility to develop a pwp specifically designed toward teaching physical education.  Students would be able to learn about their teacher, read about specific class goals, keep up with current thoughts through blogs, and listen quick messages or thoughts via podcasting.  It seems silly now to not take advantage of something that young people today might be more interested in working with.  I believe it would prove a useful tool to communicate to our new generation of thinkers.

Some recent reading I have done into the uses and advantages of podcasting (or audiocasting) in education has been enlightening.  The portability of podcasting allows students to learn anytime they want.  There are times when it may be advantageous for any learner to listen to recently given instructor lectures because they want to repeat the lesson or because they were unable to attend a class meeting.  Students often miss essential points in a lesson and it is a great benefit to be able to review information via podcast at a later time.

Podcasting also allows listeners to access information anywhere.  In a generation of multi-tasking it might be essential to find time listening to educational material while in the car or while exercising on a long run.  The portability of podcasting and the availability on I-pods and MP3 players makes information accessible in almost any location.

Perhaps the greatest benefit to podcasting is that it offers educational material in a different learning style than simple reading.  Some learners might find information much easier to recall if they listen to it, instead of read it.  Typically, I much prefer to find a quiet place to read.  However, the idea of using different modalities to support learning is a nice advantage.  In this way, users can read on a topic and then re-inforce learning by listening to audio content at a later date.

One of the major concerns I have as an educator going forward is the seemingly growing inability of youth to focus on non-technology tasks for extended periods of time.  The article (Elon studies the future of "Generation Always-On") describes both a concern and a excitement for the future.  Will students greatly benefit from technology and be able to multi-task and produce faster because of their connectivity?  Or will they be unable to "unplug," lack the ability to focus for long stints, be inpatient and limited in their critical thinking to 140 characters?

I have been an educator for just over ten years.  Though I am young in the field, I believe it is hard not to be both concerned and excited for youth.  Teachers will need to take advantage of current and future technology in the classrooms because of its importance in life today.  At the same time, teachers must also provide students with real opportunities off of the internet.  If teachers are to be successful reaching students we must be able to use technology tools effectively, but also be able to steer students to quality time off-line. 

The experiences I have with social networking prior to my involvement in the masters program at FPU are extremely limited.  I have always been a little gun shy when it came to community online forums like Facebook or Twitter.  Perhaps the foremost reason for this was I never had the personality to be tied down to a computer.  Today, it seems impossible to stay outside the social networking sphere without some involvement if I want to reach my students in the most effective way possible. 

The article "Social Networking in Undergraduate Education" defined a study that clearly supports the use of social networking.  The study was focused on a minority school where students were asked to use Facebook and a Learning Management System (LMS) as a integral part of their course instruction and involvement.  At the conclusion of the class, surveys concluded that the students greatly benefited from the format of the class.  The article states that students were assisted by social networking in their class engagement, communication, and ability to build learning communities.

Thought my experiences are very limited in what is a new technology to me, I know that my students can benefit by adopting some social networking into my curriculum.  This does not mean that the core of the class has to be altered.  However, I can reach more students, by using more of what they are so familiar with.  Especially when, as stated in the article, "96% of 15-17 year olds with home internet access use some form of social media on a regular basis." (p. 66)

Organization of internet information can be a daunting task.  I often have issues piling up too many emails because I don't delete them when I should, or do not properly put them into folders.  Now that I am identifying new ways to learn and engage online it will be critical for me to put these tools together in a format that is usable.  Pearltrees.com struck me as the site to help me accomplish some of this.
The concept of creating my own personal web of information in the style on pearltrees appeals to me because it is simple to use.  New "pearls" or sections of my interest are easy to create.  From there, the site allows you to branch out and organize the information you collect.  The information can be websites, texts, tweets, and others.  I am new to the experience, but hopeful that I can use the tool effectively.

I can remember going to the library to study in college.  Looking for professional journal articles was quite different then.  Only certain computers, on particular floors, and in specific sections could give me the information I needed, or provide me with a reference number for another location.  Then I could finally retrieve the information or source. 
Today, I get most of my news through online local newspapers like sacbee.com.  I use PE central for new ideas in the arena of physical education.  Church websites provide the extra sermons I listen to, and Bible applications help me with commentaries.  Nobody could have told me I would have used the internet so much several years ago.

The internet can also be a distraction in learning.  It is very important to stay focused on topic.  The ease of moving from one topic to another, combined with advertisements can get a person sidetracked pretty fast.  I find that I personally appreciate sites that are not overly gaudy.  Some sites have too many colors or artisitc word texts, mixed with a variety of flash media.  I find these distracting. 

Technology can be a great tool to unlock learning.  There is a lot more I could learn.  Many use the internet with much more ease than I do.  When I think back to how I used technology even 5 years ago it is almost humorous.  Even though I am not as up to date as some of my friends and colleagues, I have come a long way.   
   
   

I have very good memories of some of my first jobs.  I started at fourteen as a busboy in a steakhouse.  Later I worked as a laborer, digging a lot of holes and moving dirt from here to there.  In college I worked campus safety and then sold tools at Sears in the hardware section.  Eventually,  I worked my way over to selling in the sports section.  I recall, becoming really excited about selling the products.  Talking about physical activity with customers while they were being sold on treadmills and elipticals brought out a joy that was different than selling wrenches or power tools.  I was in my "sweet spot."  This is what Marcus Buckingham refers to in his video as "playing to my strengths."
My current jobs directly tie in to some of my strengths.  Currently, I teach, coach, lead adult bible studies and youth group.  I agree that if you are playing to your strengths, sometimes a long day at work can give you more energy or be invigorating.  This is because getting results as a teacher, means that the students benefit all the more. 
Weaknesses are often harder to admit, but essential to note.  Writing has never been my strength.  My wife could probably take care of several assignments, while I am still frustratedly editing my first.  I am also not much of a "techy."  Quick computer fixes are easy for some of friends, so I usually rely on them when I am stuck.
I am not sure I agree with the solutions to Buckingham's three myths.  There are however some grains of truth.  I believe it is essential to manage your weaknesses, while playing to your strengths.  If feel daily blessed to be where I am, doing what I am called to do.

The concept of microblogging has been completely foreign to me until recently.  The popularity of it today is definitely beyond the point of ignoring.  As a sports enthusiast it is very common while reading up on any sports news to catch sections of websites that are devoted to athletes tweets.  They are short descriptions of peoples actions, thoughts, and or coming and going's.    Radio and televisions commentators regularly site them to demonstrate opinion, or more often it seems, to stir the pot on some controversy.
Microblogging will likely continue to expand.  It is a good tool that can be used to connect with friends or catch up on quick bits of news and knowledge.  The concern to watch out for seems to be to always consider the source of the information.  I am definitely behind the times in this area, and it sounds like it is might be time to catch up a little.