Merryman,+Jennifer

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__**INTRODUCTION**__

I completed my B.A. in Literature and Writing at UCSD in June of 2009. I stayed on at UCSD as an undergraduate to obtain a minor in education. I love literature and writing, and I love working with students of all ages. Education is the one social structure that supports upward mobility, it is the vehicle of access to a better life, and a higher level of awareness about the world in which we live.

Often the struggle to obtain an education is complicated by the crises of day-to-day life. I have had the privilege of working with students this quarter who face many challenges, because of their social and economic status, as well as familial issues. I believe the internet is a tool that can be used to overcome many barriers students face in a traditional classroom setting. EDS 137 has taught me that online learning can greatly enrich the classroom experience, providing a virtual space where students can project their thoughts in a reflective manner. __**GOALS**__

Part of my goal for taking this class was to learn to utilize online tools for educational purposes, and use this knowledge to create a more dynamic classroom that breaks from tradition. For example, a Wiki space can be used for collaborative writing. Instead of essays assuming a traditional and solitary role, they can be collaborative and interactive, drawing the participants into deeper scholarship by providing a forum in which their point-of-view can be completely articulated and viewed, not only by their teacher, but by their peers.

This unique forum gives teenagers in particular, an opportunity to experience the power of their own voice. A power they can hopefully hone and use to change how they are perceived by the world around them. I think some of the online tools we have been learning about, have unlimited potential, and will in time completely change the face of education to make it as diverse and individual as the students. The internet is an exciting place and the coming generation readily identities with and uses the internet as a social network. In short my goal is to learn to use the wiki space for an academic and shared writing project. I have never been more aware of how unaware I was about the online world and its potential thanks in whole to this class.

PERSONAL PROFILE LINKS:

Web 2.0 Personal Plan

Reflections

Thoughts on The Big Shift

IN CLASS ASSIGNMETS

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