My two-cents

When I started this class I was thinking, "How could I possibly incorporate all this technology into a high school social studies class when the curriculum is so intense?" Well I know now that it is simple daily things with the Smartboard technology that can help as well as creating projects that allow students to be creative and use their 'digital native' skills. From this class I have gained a broad range of skills that I never thought I would have. I thought most of this technology was only able to be used my tech-savvy people. I now know that this is not true, Web 2.0 tools are so simple to use, they just require a little focus and determination! I treasure everything I learned in this class and I can not wait to get into the classroom and use some of the skills I have learned.

Great tips for teaching from CoolCatTeacher!

While scouring through the blog I chose to follow for this class I found a very interesting entry. The teacher was communicating with students from another class and answering their questions. They asked things like, "Do you ever worry the students will fall into the wrong areas of the world wide web?" She answers them by saying she will always be worried about her 16 year old son who is about to start driving, this means that she will always be worried even if they have the tools to keep them safe. She also agrees that there should be a filtration system on the internet for students. "Did you ever face challenges in your teaching? and did your students ever want to shut down?" She answered both of these wonderfully! She said there are always challenges in teaching, but by letting students know why you are doing something they are more willing to learn. As for her students shutting down, she suggests that everyone should great each of their students at the door to get an 'emotional reading' and intervene if they look like they may 'shut down'. She also gives great advice about how to confront or pre-empt resistance from students.

I really enjoyed this article, because it is something that all teachers can benefit from, especially me as a new teacher. I will keep her advice in mind when building my classes and starting on my journey in teaching!

To read the entire blog visit, CoolCatTeacher!

Final 2 Weeks and Final Class

The last two weeks of Teaching with Technology consisted of creating a group newsletter, working with the online grade-book Engrade and continuing to work on our blog, wiki, pws, and all the other things we had started during this course. we also had many readings on Authentic Assessment and Internet safety. We also had to finalize our Internet Curriculum Project. We had to create a lesson plan and a presentation. At the last class almost everyone presented their ICP projects. Those that did not had problems with their microphones. The presentations were awesome and inspired me to look more into the technology that they described. My presentation went smooth, my Prezi worked as well as all the links and videos I had. The last two weeks for me were very productive and the last class was bittersweet. It was weird that we had learned so much in such a short amount of time.

Eliminating Regents?

This article from the New York State Education Department is something that all current and future New York teachers should read! While every state must have standardized tests, according to NCLB, New York is looking for ways to reduce spending and hopefully help keep our state education afloat. It is vital that all teachers understand the implications of these proposals.

Internet Curriculum Project

My Internet Curriculum Project was not difficult at all. My project was Using Digital Video and Media to Enhance Classroom Learning. The only thing I struggled with was writing a lesson plan for it as if I was teaching my colleagues on a workshop day. I decided to make a Prezi in order to have the required visual presentation. Prezi was very easy to use and is a great tool for digital media. It is so much more fascinating than a powerpoint, and anyone can create one! I also created a Fotobabble for the presentation. This is a site that allows you to record your voice to a picture. I chose to use a picture from Egypt and describe the hieroglyphs. This is a tool that would be great to use for home-bound students. For my lesson I chose to have my colleagues explore Web 2.0 tools that can help them create digital media and then they were to break into groups to create their own lesson using the digital media.

Overall I thought this was a wonderful project, and something that definitely opened my eyes to thousands of new possibilities for lessons in the future!

Creating a Parent Newsletter

This week my group had to create a digital newsletter that would communicate with parents. We met online and decided to break the project up amongst ourselves. Micah created the newsletter using LetterPop, which was very difficult to use, but ended up looking great! The main purpose of this assignment was to understand the importance and simplicity of communicating with parents throughout a school year.


1) Why is communication important between teachers and parents? It is important to communicate because it allows for collaboration to help the students. Parents are made aware what is expected of their child and also ways to help their child succeed. Teachers, in return, are able to understand family dynamics that may impact a student's progress. No matter how parents and teachers communicate, it is important that there be more positive feedback than negative.

2) In what way will you communicate with your students’ parents? I will communicate with my students' parents by creating a class website as well as a blog in which parents can be updated on class events and assignments. I will also use a digital grade-book in which parents can have instant access to their child's progress reports. Another interesting thing I will do is web conferencing, this will allow me to chat with parents that are unable to come into the school.

3) What new communications software applications would be fun to try to communicate with parents? New software I would like to use to communicate with parents are Google Talk, web conferencing such as WiziQ Wiki, Blogs, Twitter, a class website, and podcasts. I think all of these are wonderful tools to assist in communication and collaboration.

4) What software did you use, why did you choose to use it? My group chose to use LetterPop as our digital newsletter forum. I do not think I would use this in the furture because it was quite difficult to use to create such a large newsletter.

5) How was it to collaborate on this project? Collaboration on this project was better than in the past. We used Google Docs to relay our information and we also met twice this week on WiziQ, rather than once. The only thing I wish we could have all done was create the newsletter, kind of like a wiki.

6) What would you do differently if you did a Class Newsletter again? If I had to create another class newsletter I would use different software. I myself created a small newsletter on LetterPop and that was easy, but a project this large was difficult for Micah to create. I also tried my hand at Glogster, and found it to be annoying because everything was pre-made. I would also be a little more clear in our wording of our information.

Digital Textbooks

We have learned in this class that schools need to find ways to engage the 21st century learner. One way schools are trying to do this is by having their textbooks in digital form and not in the traditional 500 page hardcover form. In this article from the Times Herald Record, schools discuss not only the benefits of engaging the students with digital books, but the financial benefit to the district. If more districts had digital books they may be able to save thousands of dollars every year, just on books alone!

How do we keep our children safe on the internet?

Nowadays there are vast amounts of information on the internet. However, not all of this information is suitable for our children. We also need to teach our children how to use the internet responsibly and not harm others. It is the school's responsibility to have an Acceptable Use Policy, which my district does, however teachers should also have their own policies. Teachers must teach their students netiquette and also have guidelines for specific projects. These rules should be discussed at the beginning of the year, posted in the classroom, as well as routinely discussed before starting a new digital assignment. Students should feel safe at school, and using an Acceptable Use Policy and insisting on netiquette, this can be accomplished. Students must also be taught how to cite sources and not infringe on copyright laws. It is important for them to understand that stealing ideas is the same as stealing someone's iPod.

Grading the Gradebook

Engrade was extremely easy to use! The software walked me through set up and making changes to my gradebook was very simple! I created a class for Global History 9, and made marks in my gradebooks for a 'fake' class with homework, a quiz, and a project. I put in 'grades' and Engrade calculated the average for the class as well as a cumulative grade for the student. I love that students would be able to see due dates and their grades. This allows for them to learn responsibility for their own grades. Parents are also able to monitor their child's progress. I can even upload the actual assignment to the site so a student can download it if they missed a day. I am not sure what would improve Engrade, I think every feature is perfect and allows for accountability. Parents, students, and administrators can see what goes on in the class. I think Engrade would be extremely useful to classroom teachers. I know some veteran teachers enjoy their physical gradebooks, but this programs allows teachers to print out the sheets as well as have a digital backup (and no coffee stains!).

Rubrics, where do I start?

Rubric generators are an easy way to make sure your students know what is expected of them. There are hundreds of pre-made rubrics or teachers can make their own using Rubistar. Good teachers use rubrics so there is no confusion over what is expected in the assignment and how to get that 'A'. Using Rubistar, is so basic and all you do is choose the type of project and the categories you want on your rubric, and voila! A rubric is instantly generated. This is a tool every teacher should use if they want to be the best they can be for their students!

Make it Real

Authentic Assessment is all about making a task or assignment 'real' for the student. For an assignment to be authentic a student must be able to make connections between the learning and their own life. They must be able to see the importance of learning the topic and how it relates to their life. Technology that allows for authentic assessment includes ePortfolios, Blogs, and 3-D simulations, wikis, anything that allows students to construct their own knowledge. With authentic assessment, teachers are the guides and students are the builders, they need to construct their own learning because only they know how it relates to their own life!

In love!

Today I used TagsMaker for the first time and I fell in love! I created an image with text for the WYDWYD project and I couldn't have been happier with the result! The process was so easy and I used my own picture!

WYDWYD

I do what I do to keep the smiles on my student's faces!

HA3- Mind-Mapping

My first Mind-Mapping experience!

I used Gliffy to create my first ever Mind-Map! I found it extremely easy to use, which was a blessing! I chose to do my mind-map on the Roman Republic, since I want to be a Global History teacher. The expected learning outcome from the mind-map is for the student to be able to see the connections between the patricians and the plebeians. The assessment this tool would fit with is for a short quiz on the topic of the Roman Senate. Mind-map will improve my student's learning of the Roman Republic because they will be able to quickly see the information and see the connections between the patricians and the plebeians. I learned that making mind-maps are easy and fun, and that I will definitely take advantage of them in the future! I like the Gliffy software because you could choose a template or create a mind-map from scratch! The next time I do mind-mapping, especially if I am with students, I will first outline the information I want included, so that I don't miss anything!

Controversial Education Video Games

This video about the video game, DimensionM. Some parents believe that the game only fuels children's addictions to video games and violent behavior. DimensionM is a video game that has children solve math problems while fighting to reach new levels. The developers say it adheres to the standards set forth by the NCTM. This was a perfect video to come on the news now because the parents who are 'digital immigrants' do not understand that video games and computers are the way of the future. This is the way 'digital natives' and '21st century learners' will be learning. The future of education will see complete digitalization of school textbooks and instruction. 'Digital immigrants' need to realize that the way they learned is not the way their children and grandchildren will or should learn. They need to be stimulated in the classroom, because teachers are competing with technology such as iPods, Smartphones, Smartboards, and the internet.

5E lesson plans?

I found the 5E lesson plan to be different from the MSMC lesson plan, because it is more student-centered. With the 5E lesson, students are more active in their own learning and can construct their own knowledge with the guidance of the teacher. If I were the principal I would encourage my teachers to use this for some of their lessons. Direct Instruction is still something that needs to be done in order to get through the curriculum, but learning also has to be fun and allow for students to find their own understanding and the inquiry model of the 5E lesson allows for this.

ISD breakdown

Instructional System Design model is very similar to a technique we use in Special Education called task analysis. In both cases directions or tasks are broken down into small components that are easier for the student to understand and complete. This model enhances personal inquiry because it forces a teacher to think about every step that goes into an assignment, as well as the best ways to complete the assignment. By seriously thinking about the small parts of an assignment the teacher is better equipped to assist the student through the task. Too often teachers, who already know how to solve a math problem, do not think of how THEY learned how to solve it. Therefore with ISD teachers go back to their beginning and break the task down.

Flatten Classroom Walls!!

This week I was reading through CoolCatTeacher's blog and I noticed an article about The Flat Classroom. It caught my attention right away and I was truly blown away!! What a concept, 'flattening' the classroom walls and linking classrooms from around the world virtually. This is an amazing idea, one that can breakdown stereotypes and culture biases and help students make the world a better place. By allowing students from around the world to work together, they can prepare themselves to solve the worlds problems, COLLABORATIVELY!! They use Web 2.0 tools such as Ning and Wikispaces to do projects. There are virtual meetings as well as face to face meetings. Those involved work as teams and use Skype and Elluminate to collaborate and work on research for their project. This is something I would consider doing with my class in the future. I would love to have my students interact with their peers in another country and research and potentially come up with a solution for one of the world's many problems!

For more information and the full article visit CoolCatTeacher's blog!

A week in my life...

This week I read, watched, and did some fascinating things for my Teaching with Technology class. I learned how to use hyperlinks in my blogs and projects, and I also learned how to collaborate using Gdocs. I also learned how to use Twitter! This is something that is a little weird and I'm not sure that I will use it once my class is finished, because I just feel 'too' connected. I watched a video of a presentation by Sir Ken Robinson, which I found to be funny and insightful at the same time. I believe that sometimes schools get too caught up in the 'standards' and what they think children should do in life, that they may "kill creativity". As teachers we need to remember that we had our dreams and we should foster our students dreams as well. Another resources I explored this week was 3-D binders. This was an interesting tool because it allows teachers and students to share their work with others. An great part of being a member of the Education community is sharing a good thing when you have it!

This week my group and I have been collaborating on a Webquest project for TwT. We are using Gdocs to set up our presentation and so far it has gone alright. We are still adding material, and learning how to create a presentation that is clear, concise, and hits all the requirements. I have enjoyed using Gdocs because it allows us all to edit the document and make it truly ours.

What is Literacy?

The hierarchy of literacy's based on Ch. 1 in TDC is computer literacy as the most basic, next comes information literacy and then integration literacy. Computer literacy is just knowing how to operate a computer. Information literacy is just knowing how to use, analyze and evaluate the knowledge retrieved. Integration literacy is knowing how use the knowledge of technology in order to teach students and further their knowledge and capabilities.

21st century literacy is not being buried in physical books, but surrounded by digital books, the internet, and other Web 2.0 technologies. The 21st century learner is far different from the 20th century learner, they are digital natives and they crave and need to use technologies in order to grow as a learner and person. Literacy of the future will integrate technologies into teaching and learning. Web 2.0 will become Web 3.0 and technologies will grow and students will continue to learn and out smart their teachers.

21st Century Learners! WOW!

The two videos we had to watch this week, 'The Voice of the Net Generation' and 'Welcome to my PLE' were eye-opening! I was touched by the first video, because I want to be the teacher that engages students and finds ways for them to enjoy school and learning. Too many teachers do not know how to use technology, therefore they do no try to learn and help their students. I hope that school districts continue to make strides towards more digital learning, or at least require that their teachers know basics. I know in my own districts there are many low SES students that do not have opportunities outside of school to use technology, and they need to learn to be able to participate in the global world we live in!

The second video was amazing! I was amazed that a 7th grader could be that articulate and organized! I was amazed that a teacher would think to basically conduct the class online, since my district does not have enough money to ensure all students have fair access to the internet and computers. I would love to conduct a class in a similar fashion, if I was able to have the resources.

iGoogle A1iG assignment

When I first went to iGoogle, it didn't look all that different from the regular Google page. Until I noticed that everything I had clicked on was right there in front of me. I said I was interested in the News and Cooking and it has a Newsfeed as well as recipes! I was amazed by how many things Google has to offer. I originally opened a Gmail account for my dance group at Albany and only thought to use it for email; but now exploring the tools I realize it is so much more! I found the Google Earth application to be a little creepy, because when I searched my house I could see all my family's cars in the drive-way! I had used Google docs for another class and found it to be very efficient. Anyone from my group to make changes and give input on our project. I wish I knew about the Scholar tool when I was an undergrad, because it would have made writing all my research papers so much easier! I can not wait to continue to explore (and use) more of these tools in the future! I will definitely be taking advantage of that Google tools has to offer!

Standards, Shmandards

I believe the NETS-S standard that is best implemented in schools today is Standard 3- Research and Information Fluency. I do not see much of the other Standards being implemented, unless it is a special project. Almost every student does a research paper or project every year starting at least in middle school. I have witnessed student's searching the internet for resources, however they do not know how to do 'smart' research. They pick any website to take information from, never questioning the validity of the source.

I do not feel secure in my readiness to meet the NETS-S standards. I believe the curriculum (Social Studies) that I want to teach is too rigid to allow for extensive and immersive technologies.

Speaking of Digital Natives...

I was subbing today and I was using the SMART Board, when I was done I allowed the students to come up and show me what they knew about the SMART Board. It was fascinating!! They were teaching me (and LOVED it!). It is so amazing to me that 10 years after I was in 8th grade, they would have all this technology and the students would be so adept. I could never have imagined using things like SMART Boards and ELMO's when I was their age, and now even for me, at 23 years old, it is so foreign and difficult to understand! They even know how to bypass the district's security blocks on the internet and get onto things like Facebook!!

In the article, "Portrait of a Digital Native", Jane Healey says that all the multitasking and digital technologies may be making our kids less about to solve complex problems and less able to focus on one thing. I agree with this. I see kids everyday when I sub that are 'bored' because school is boring. They have to just read, or just write and they want to converse or use the computers. It is a constant battle to have them focus on the task at hand, which many of them can't do because they don't want to have to look for or think about the information, instead they want the answer, immediately!

In the article, "Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants", Marc Prensky explains that while digital natives have been surrounded by technology since they were born, digital immigrants have to learn and most times will turn to a more traditional mode before using the internet or Web 2.0 tools.

I believe that this is a very difficult thing for teachers. There is a gap between them and their students, and if the drive for learning on the part of the teacher is not there, the 'digital native' student will suffer. I believe it can be more difficult for vetern teachers who have taught the 'traditional' way for 10+ years, but if they train and learn they can become just as proficient as their students. I hope that I can find a good balance and make my classroom a place where students can use their skills to succeed! The change from 1.0 to 2.0 needs to happen and will happen. Many schools have already adapted to the changing field. Clarkstown School District in New York has the resources and the students needed to improve their technologies and be on the cutting edge when it comes to using Web 2.0 in the classroom.

CoolCatTeacher Blog recap

As I was searching through this blog I found an interesting article she uploaded from Diigo. http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2010/05/026080.htm

It talks about the fact that most students have cellphones and that maybe schools should be using handheld devices to transmit information and not use books. She also says that books are the way of the past and we should teach today's children with tomorrow's technology. I completely agree. In the classes I sub in there are too many children misusing cellphones. Why can't we find a productive use of the cellphones, and try having them answer questions or even read assignments on them!

It was not difficult to open my accounts on del.icio.us, Diigo, Twitter. I wish I had Diigo during my years as an undergraduate, because I wouldn't have had to print anything in order to highlight and make notes for research. Del.icio.us seems like a great site to use to share websites and resources with my colleagues as I teach. I feel like I will not use Twitter very much, I am not exactly sure of it's importance other than to update people on topics. I feel that the site I would use most for my students would be del.icio.us to help them with research and for them to help each other. I would also show them how to use Diigo, in order to help them be better more organized when researching. I did connect to several Twitter pages in order to follow them, they were mainly for travel and politics. I am however, nervous that sites like Twitter can cause problems when applying for jobs or for my students who may misuse the site.

LoTi... What is everyone up to?

After evaluating the LoTi levels I believe the school district I work in is at a 1 or a 2 depending on the school. The middle school I work in has SMART Boards in every class as well as a few computers. There are also 2 computer labs and a class set of laptops that can be 'rented' for a classroom for a few days. At the high school, almost no classes have SMART Boards, and if they do they are rarely used. If technology is used in either school it is usually teacher-centered and the teacher does all the work. Student usually only get on the computers to complete assignments, that are almost never Web 2.0 tools. The highest level I have seen is Exploration, this is usually with internet educational games or research papers. I believe that the reason for the lack of use is based on minimal availability as well as curriculum restrictions. There is not enough money to have computers for every student, or even every classroom. At the secondary level there are also restrictions on time because of intense curriculum standards and testing.

My personal level is a 2 at Exploration. I am not very skilled, but have had a little experience with using technology in the classroom as a student. I have only used PowerPoint, SMART Board, as well as research tools on the internet. In order to upgrade my level, I plan to continue to explore Web 2.0 technologies as well as take part in professional development classes.

How did my first week go?

After the first 'in person' class, I left with many questions about the class. What is the overall goal for the course? How will the assignments play out? Will I understand everything? and to be honest will I be able to get an A? I do not know much about teaching with technology other than basic computer functions, the internet, and basic Smart Board operation. I am hopeful that I will gain lots of experience with different technologies that will be easily incorporated in my secondary classes in the future.

Exploring the Moodle site the first week was overwhelming! The site was very full and had lots of information which was, at times, confusing. I muddled my way through it, only to get to the first class very confused because I understand very little about the jargon and actual activities.

After the first class, I was able to write down information about the assignments, but I found myself not really understanding what I wrote the day after. I wanted to understand more about the group collaboration, what we would be working on. I also wished that we would have all the assignments for the course laid out in one place so I could get started on some of the ones in the future.

The whole first week I kept exploring the Moodle site and figuring out just how to get started. There was so much to choose from, that I ended up choosing blog, wiki, and pws sites that were easiest for me to use. Since I am such a beginner I knew that I did not want to overextend myself and wanted to try to keep things as straightforward as I could. I choose Blogger, Webs, and Wikispace for my websites. I also started a Gmail thread with my group members to discuss our logo, motto, and group name. I think we all had some great ideas! I was confused with some of the assignments, but after reading through them and playing around with them I was able to understand them a little better. I also knew that asking Dr. S and my classmates was the best way to make sure I was doing things right. I learned that the Blog and the PWS are not as confusing as I thought, but adding extras to make it 'pop' is difficult. I knew how to create a PDF file, which made the test file assignment easy. I still can't wait to find out more about the WOW assignment and what we will be doing with our Wiki's!

Philosophy of Education survey results

After tallying my results, I found the following:

#1 Humanism

#2 Information Processing

#3 (tie) Constructivism/Reconstructivism

#5 Progressivism

#6 Behavioralism

#7 Perennialism

#8 Essentialism

The results were not surprising. I already knew I am not an essentialist, I am not a fan of standards and I am not a fan of core curriculum. I believe that student's interests should be allowed and having extra classes such as 'Politics', 'Fashion Design', and 'Graphic Design' allow for students to enjoy school and explore their interests. I was also not surprised by my number one choice. I am all for the individual student and helping them find their voice and their niche in life. I think that school should be a place where they can grow and explore their interests and feel safe.