EDLD 5362 Assignment

1. Educational Networking The Future for Teachers By Julie Youngkin Special Education Teacher, Garland ISD

2. What is educational networking? “…the use of social networking technologies for educational purposes” (Educational Networking, 2010) social networking = online communities of people with shared interest About 65 million people use social networking in the United States today (Stutzman, 2008) “Social Networking in Plain English” (Lefever, 2007)

3. Chosen Network: Special Ed in the 21st Centuryhttp://21stcenturysped.ning.com/

4. Why did I choose it? To connect with other special education teachers from all over the world Timely information on new legislation New technology outlined for a rising special education population Promotion of parental awareness

5. How will I use it? For integration of web 2.0 tools in the classroom New teaching strategies Collaboration on lesson plans Innovative information for parents New perspective on reaching goals

6. Chosen Network: Response to Intervention (RTI) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Centralhttp://rticentral.ning.com/

7. Why did I choose it? To connect with other educators Collaborate on new methods for RTI and UDL Access latest media that relates to new legislation Gain insight for more structure in identification strategies

8. How will I use it? Acquire new information for my teacher training sessions in RTI Find out success rates from other teachers on UDL strategies Match UDL strategies with specific types of learning differences Stay up-to-date with current education legislation

9. The Impact of Educational Networking Professional development opportunities “Instant access to information is one of the many reasons social networking is transforming education and, more specifically, professional development” (Ellwood, 2008, p.2). Improved students success “When teachers use social networking tools to make changes to their instruction, it usually means their students are actively involved in their own learning processes” (Ellwood, 2008, p.4).

10. References Lefever, L. (2007, June 7). Social networking in plain English [Video file]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc Educational Networking. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2010, from the Educational Networking Wiki: http://www.educationalnetworking.com/ Ellwood, H. (2008, November). How social networks are moving to the forefront of professional development. EDCompass, 2-4. Stutzman, F. (2008, January 28). Re: How many Americans use social networking sites? [Web log message]. Retrieved from: http://chimprawk.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-many-americans-use-social.html