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When I initially looked at the list, I figured that I had not heard of those programs or products. However, I actually use two of them. I like Google Calendar because of the holidays  I add it to my Outlook calendar to have business and holidays in the same place. I use Pandora almost daily. The  products that would probably be of most benefit to me would be the to-do lists. I like to write things down to keep track of appointments and other things I need to do. I usually use the calendar and tasks apps in my iPhone for these things. Vital!st seems like a good option though.

 
 
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The articles presented a compelling case for the use of iPods and podcasting in education. The articles we read were related to podcasts in higher education but I have heard of elementary students completing assignments involving iPods and creating their own podcasts (with assistance, of course). 

I think podcasts would be a great supplemental piece to course resources. I could see it's potential for supplanting face to face classes. I'm sure students would rather listen to a podcast at their convenience or leisure than attend class any day. I think that there is definite value in the face to face interaction that comes along with attending class with the added benefit of being able to hear or see the information again later on.

I used to have an iPod and I used it entirely for music. Until this course, I never really thought about podcasting as a method of communication. It was never truly applicable to anything I was involved in. I do see the possibilities for use in coaching though. I could envision short clips of basketball moves or new plays for players to study whenever and wherever they want. I think that is something that players would really like.

 
More-so than being surprised that I used a lot of the technologies for learning, I was quite surprised at how many of them I use on a regular basis. I use 30 of them pretty frequently. Some, such as my iPad, iPhone, and Moodle are used almost daily; while I've added others such as Twitter, Facebook, and Outlook for work and school.
 
 
Over the course of the last few weeks, we have learned about several technologies, many of which were new to me. These include personal web pages, Facebook Fan pages, Twitter, PearlTrees, and, blogging. I think all of these have the potential to be used in my profession of coaching in some manner. I see the biggest links with the webpage and Twitter. The webpage allows fans (and others) to keep track of information about the team such as the roster, stats, schedule, and even watch live game footage as can be done with the FPU athletics page. A webpage can also be used internally to communicate information to the team and even post videos and footage or team resources.  Twitter is being used by many coaches to keep a social presence amongst fans. Updates about the game, acknowledgement of fans and support, or even big announcements are a few other ways that the use of Twitter has been integrated into coaching.
 
The article stated that more than 70% of students accessed the internet from their smartphone daily. Based upon my experience, I would have expected that number to be larger. I know of many students, including myself, who are on the internet on their phones quite a bit. In this regard, I agree with the point that educators can benefit by making elements of education more accessible by using the latest technologies. While I understand the benefits that communicating through technology might provide such as increased feelings of connection, sharing of information, and convenience, I think there should remain a balance between interaction online and face to face or direct interaction for the purpose of learning in school. I think it is important that students are tech-savvy especially as technology continues to become such a big part of our personal and professional lives, but I also think that people (especially young children) still need to learn how to communicate and interact with people in the real, non-virtual world. 
 
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While I believe that the ability to stay connected is convenient and beneficial in education as far as research and sharing ideas, I think it has drawbacks as well. The article made many good points. Particularly, I agree that the instant gratification and shield that the web provides promotes less person to person interaction and is rewiring brains the brains of young people. It seems that it is decreasing or removing the need for people to think critically or deeply. I think the pros and cons of being "always on" are just about 50/50.

 
 
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I selected Pearltrees. I chose this one because it allows for more flexibility to follow the topics you like and add more that might be connected while keeping it all organized. I chose to follow basketball and so far I have added NCAA Men's basketball as well as the NBA.

    Author

    Dexter Young, Assistant Men's Basketball Coach & Recruiting Coordinator at Fresno Pacific University, is currently pursuing his Master's degree in Kinesiology.  

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