Well I have had a very productive afternoon. I am working on Challenges 1-3 in the Flattening Classrooms Engaging Minds textbook by Julie Lindsey and Vicki Davis.  Let me give you the low down.

Challenge #1 sign up or create an RSS Feed.
I did it. I created one on Net Vibes. You can check it out at this link. www.netvibes.com/privatepage/1#elementary_education_news  So far it looks pretty interesting. I know that I will have to tweak it a bit to better meet my needs but it does look promising. In my personal life, I belong to a RSS feed of sorts for diet tips. The chance articles I have read on that feed have given me lots of information on health issues that I would never have read about.

Challenge #2 Create a Blog.
I had already created a blog for a previous class that Dr. Kinney taught. I decided just to add to that blog. It was originally created for a discussion on  Acceptable Use Policies but I have now turned it into my thoughts about flattening classrooms. They are a plenty.

Challenge #3 Connect and Reflect
Connect
For this challenge I created a My PLN page. Here is the link to My PLN page. Check it out.
http://edupln.ning.com/profile/StephanieBlackburn  I also created a PLN on the Flattening Classrooms page. But they are the exact same thing. Here is a link to that profile.
http://flatclassrooms.ning.com/profile/StephanieBlackburn  I am still trying to get my profile picture up but my computer is not cooperating. I will keep trying.
Reflection
So what have I learned from this challenge. I learned that connection is very powerful. Especially connecting with the right people. For example, before I started this module I checked the course discussion board. I read posts from other classmates that said they  were having trouble creating RSS feeds. I also noticed that one classmate shared her connections and blog URLS with the class. By looking at her connections and using the information she shared  showed me pathways that allowed me to complete this module quickly and easily. By creating a Flattening Classrooms page I stumbled upon a discussion about the Challenges in the this book. The people having the discussion lead me to the Netvibes page that allowed me to create my RSS feed in a matter of minutes. Some of my other classmates are and were not having that same experience. Collaborating outside the walls or confines of the classroom is powerful. I am sold.