Internet Safety and Digital CitizenshipAs a teacher the number one priority is keeping children safe. Weather that is on the playground, in the classroom or online student safety come first. Technology has allowed us to expand education beyond our walls and expose students to places, things and opportunities they would not be able to experience if it did not exist. However, it also adds additional security threat to students that teachers must be aware of and address. Before introducing technology in the classroom, teachers need to be aware of safety measures that can be taken to protect students. The first strategy for teachers to keep students safe on the internet is, Research. Teachers should become familiar with the websites they would like to use and determine if these sites are safe for students by checking to see if they have a privacy policy. Another quick check is looking to see if the uniform resource locator (URL) includes an “s” after the http. Finally if you are not sure if a site is safe and protects the privacy of your students contact the tech expert at your school (YOUTUBE). The second step in keep student safe on the internet is teach students about digital literacy. There are several videos and articles that support teachers in digital literacy and how to transfer that knowledge to students. Check out 5 Steps To Teaching Digital Literacy in the Classroom and The Ultimate Teacher Guide to Teaching Students Digital Citizenship. Both of these articles are beneficial in guiding teachers through the steps to educate students on digital literacy and citizenship. These articles reminded me that I need to be aware of my school and districts policy regarding internet use including social media. Social media has become a popular platform for teachers and students to use for educational purposes, are we using these platforms in accordance to our district policies? There are several games that are geared towards engaging students in a game while learning about digital literacy and internet safety. NetSmartzKids is a website dedicated to helping students learn internet safety while doing one of their favorite things, playing game. This site is geared toward k-5 students and most games have an easy and difficult level. Another game that is well done by AT&T and is called Safety Land. Safety Land is a little more advanced and requires 2nd grade or higher reading skills. Global Collaboration Projects (GCPs)Global Collaboration Projects (GCPs) can be used to help students develop digital citizenship, global and cultural awareness and collaboration skills. Before starting a GCP teachers must be cognizant of teaching students what digital citizenship is and what it looks like. Students must be trusted to use appropriate behavior when using technology, especially when communication with others and publishing their work for the world to see and hear. We cannot assume anything, we must tell them, teach them and have expectations for them. For me it works best to involve the students in creating digital citizenship rules sot they can hold themselves and other accountable. With tools like Google Earth students have the ability to become more globally aware. This is especially true for students from low SES backgrounds who do not have as many opportunities to see the world outside of their own state and sometimes city. Google Earth and other tools allow the gap of student exposure to be bridged. The internet has also given us the opportunity to develop cultural awareness. Creative teachers and developers have designed programs and lessons that allow students to collaborate with student from around the globe. Lessons like the Amazing Race Project and This is My Country, encourage students to connect with other students around the world. The Amazing Race Project allows students to collaborate with others by visiting pit stops which leads visitors to presentations of a country or city. After viewing the presentation student can take a quiz through Quizlet and produce data for presenters. The project also invites students and teachers to share highlights on the project padlet and Tweet about your travels through Twitter using their hashtag #globaled16. Global collaborations lend themselves to the use of a plethora of web 2.0 tools. Twitter, Padlet, Quizlet, OneNote, YouTube, Wikis, and SlideShare just to name a few. I have an Office 365 OneNote project that I continue building as I am exposed to ne tool and projects. My class project is Planning My Family Vacation. I've added The Amazing Race Project and This is My Country to my project as one of the challenges my students can choose to complete. Like any project, challenges will arise. On challenge is having access to enough technology for students to participate in the activities. Another challenge is having access at school to the sites needed to engage in the activity. To overcome this challenge teachers need to make sure they test all applications needed to be successful in taking part in the project. Knowing what you have access to is important as well as school and district rules. A big challenge in creating a project would be time to develop and then time to test. The only way to over come this obstacle is to make the time! References Anderson, S. (2018, July 04). BookWidgets Interactive Learning. Retrieved April 8, 2019, from BookWidgets teacher blog: https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2018/07/the-ultimate-teacher-guide-to-teaching-students-digital-citizenship
Clement, L. (n.d.). Retrieved from Global students-global perspectives: https://sites.google.com/a/mytools2go.ca/globalstudentsglobalperspectives/amazing-race---global-project Educators Technology. (2013, October 26). Retrieved from Educational technology and mobil learning: https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/10/5-excellent-videos-to-teach-your.html Hertz, M. B. (2017, September 28). How to teach internet safety to younger elementary students. Retrieved April 8, 2019, from eduTopia: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/internet-safety-younger-elementary-mary-beth-hertz Internet safety for children bingo. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://binged.it/2PiOsHi Spencer, J. (2016, September 30). John Spencer . Retrieved April 8, 2019, from 10 Tips for global collaboration projects: http://www.spencerauthor.com/10-tips-for-global-collaboration-projects/ Multi User Virtual Environment (MUVE) Fog Stone Isle uses math concepts in a Multi User Virtual Environment. Students can work together to build a thriving village. In order to build and sustain the village students must complete math tasks. The Fog Stone Isle platform uses visuals that help students see and understand math concepts. For example, students must make equivalent fractions in order to build a well needed in the village. I have seen a lot of math visuals for fractions, but I must say Fog Stone Isle seems to break them down pictorially in a way I have not seen before. I believe this MUVE has the potential to be very effective however, I am concerned that the lag time in-between questions and the slow pace transitions will not hold students attention. Sever of the MUVE's I explored seemed to have dated looking graphics. I know this will improve with time but it may cause student to pre-judge the program. I am excited to try this with my 2nd and 3rd grade classes. Virtual Environment Tools I want to be a kid in school as a digital native where learning is brought to life. Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality have expanded the limits of learning. Google Expeditions AR (Google, 2017) shows students watching a volcano erupt and being able to see what a tornado looks like. They can even get an aerial view as if they flying above the tornado and look into the eye of the storm. Virtual tools allow students to use technology along with hands on experiences in a real-world environment, such as EcoMobil. In an EcoMobile YouTube video one student was so enthusiastic about learning she said “this is awesome,” “it’s much better than using a text book because you’re in it. You can see everything instead of just reading, and the questions are related to what you can physically do instead of just your knowledge.” (Chris Dede, 2015). According to Dede (2015, p.1) “authentic, immersive simulations achieve greater outcomes including critical thinking, reasoning and responsibility.” This type of visual or hands on learning allows students to apply their knowledge and learn through the real-world experience. Virtual environment tools support the 4 c’s in a variety of ways. For example watching the EcoMobile demo students were communicating their thoughts and interpretations of the information they were gathering at the pond. Collaboration can also be seen. My favorite is listening to students collaborate assist each other on how to use devices or programs. Virtual tools have the ability to support students with diverse learning needs. “The use of images helps make ideas more concrete for students” (Pilgrim & Pilgrim, 2016). These tools allow teachers to differentiate instruction and cater to students preferred learning styles. Visual learning and real-world connections reinforce retention of knowledge and skills in ways traditional learning do not. The Digital Divide “Technology has the potential to influence the quality of instruction in creative ways that challenge the young minds of our children” (Dieckmann & Villarreal, 2001). At Brumby the digital divide has little to do with the number of devices available. That may be surprising to some since Brumby is a Title I school. Most would assume that due to our Title I status, Brumby would have few technology resources. This could not be further from the truth. Our technology coach and other stakeholders work diligently to acquire technology resources for our school. So why with almost one-to-one technology resources and leadership that allows autonomy and instructional freedom do we see a digital divide at Brumby? There are sever reasons. First, there are many teachers at Brumby who are not comfortable using technology themselves so they will not even consider using technology with their students. These same teachers and potentially others are not aware of the benefits technology brings into the classroom. When used properly technology can elevate teaching and learning for our digital natives. A second factor in the digital divide at Brumby is the fear of students not meeting state standards. With a high number of Brumby students preforming below grade level, teachers rely on technology for drill and practice activities. Dieckmann & Villarreal (2001, p.5) stated “students who under-perform on conventional measures of achievement, largely minority students, have been given remedial instruction consisting of rote memory skills and lifeless curriculum.” In this digital age there are opportunities to engage students in real-world experiences that demand higher-order thinking and foster the 4 c’s. Finally, even though there is almost one-to-one technology at Brumby, some devices are out of date. Other are spread out around the school and it can be difficult to acquire a cart. Teachers that are tech savvy, hold carts out for weeks at a time. Thus, when other teachers want to use technology they become frustrated and decide it’s not worth the effort. Strategies to provide equitable access have been put in place. To address teachers lacking technology skill and knowledge, Brumby staff members are participating in Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE). Brumby also has many staff members participating in graduate courses and providing staff development, mentoring and needs assessments. To address the technology cart availability, an online check out system has been made available. Teachers can schedule cart check outs for a day or a week and access the checkout calendar to make future plans. I would like to see have a staff discussion regarding equitable access and see if we can devise a plan for equitable technology access at our school. References Chris Dede, T. G. (2015, February 27). EcoMOBILE Demo. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53fcMT6OsaE Dede, C. (2015). 21st century students crave deeper learning. Retrieved from EdTech: https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2015/06/21st-century-students-crave-deeper-learning Dieckmann, M., & Villarreal, A. (2001). Enriching Your Classroom Through Equitable Technology Integration. Retrieved from IDRA Newsletter: https://www.idra.org/resource-center/enriching-your-classroom-through-equitable-technology-integration/ Google. (2017, May 17). Expeditions AR-Bringing the World into the Classroom. . YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DYqlaMWTVg&t=6s Pilgrim, J. M., & Pilgrim, J. (2016). The use of virtual reality tools in the reading-language arts classroom. Texas Journal of Literacy Education, 4(2), 90-97. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1121641.pdf Web Apps that Support Collaborative Learning and Critical Thinking In the education field we are familiar with buzz words and initiatives. One of the latest is the 4C’s, communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. Teachers across the nation are working enthusiastically to integrate the 4C’s with intentionality into their daily curriculum. Well here you go tech savvy educators. Did you know there are a plethora of web apps that will support collaborative learning and critical thinking? Clifford (2018, p.2), stated “collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students working individually.” The list is too long for me give you all of them but here I have given you a review of six that I have explored. According to Bhatt (2007, p.1) “teachers can’t escape the growing trend of technology in the classroom,” so we need to embrace this movement and explore our resources together. We encourage our students to take risks so we must model what that looks like and “let your students know when you fail or make a mistake so that they understand that is okay.” (Bell, 2018) Autodesk Sketchbook I choose Autodesk Sketchbook to meet a specific need. I run a club called SeaPerch and we build underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROV). While building the ROV’s each group must create an Engineering Design Notebook. In this notebook the team members will demonstrate critical thinking. We have been searching for a student friendly app where the students could use technology to sketch their SeaPerch design. The app is very user friendly. Once the app is downloaded you can begin drawing and playing with its features. I really like that you can do everything without creating an account. You can even save your drawings without having an account. Cue Think I really like the idea of Cue Think, especially since I am a math teacher and teach math to all grade level all day, every day. The introductory video did a great job of getting me hooked and excited about the Cue Think product, so I signed up for the educator account. After signing up I was a little discouraged by the tutorial because it had to be read. I feel this would have been more informative and kept my attention if it would have been done as a screencast or had a read-to option. This app definitely supports collaborative learning and critical thinking. Students have the opportunity to demonstrate their critical thinking through audio and video explanations, of problem solving skills. Students will also use critical thinking as they analyze the work of their peers and comment on their “thinklets.” This task also incorporates the collaborative learning piece. Animato Animato is an app that supports critical thinking. Students can arrange videos and images to create a slide show to interpret a message through logic and creativity. This app was easy to use and create a project but I was not able to finalize, save and see the end result while at school. When I used the app at home I was successful. I really like the fact that this app is user friendly for students and teachers but the frustration of when it does not work many not be worth the hassle. You many want to try other apps that offer similar features. Explain Everything Explain Everything is an interactive whiteboard app. This app is very user friendly for teachers and students. The app uses skills like inserting pictures or videos and using writing tools that are similar to other programs. On this whiteboard app you are creating a canvas rather than pages. If you run out of room on your “page” you simply widen the canvas to continue creating. This is a collaboration tool on steroids. Like other whiteboard tools a teacher or student can create a project and record information to share with others. How this whiteboard tool differs is you can also invite people to join your creation and collaborate instantaneously. You can literally share your work with anyone on any device and work one the canvas together as well as voice chat as if you were in the room. I can see using this tool to give students voice and choice in using a preferred math strategy to solve a problem. The options for this tool are limitless. I have used Educreations in the past and this app surpasses Educreations capabilities. Voice Thread Voice Thread is another example of a visual collaboration tool that can be used by teachers and students to support collaboration, critical thinking, communication and much more. This app is also very user friendly. Although this app has a free version there are benefits of teachers having a paid account. The price for the account is reasonable and it offers up to 50 students per teacher account. These student accounts do not have to be connect to an email and students can freely and securely share their work with one another. GooseChase GooseChase is fun, creative, and engaging app that elicits the use of critical thinking while collaborating with others. Students use mobile devices to participate in a scavenger hunt and work together to solve puzzles. Then students create videos, pictures or gps location to submit proof of solving problems. This would be a great app to use with BYOD. Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) I teach in an elementary school and we do not use BYOD. The majority of schools that use BYOD are high school and some middle schools. The Cobb County School District does have a BYOD Educator Certification program. I am not sure if this program is mandatory in order to participate in BYOD or just highly suggest. After further research and discovery it seems as though schools in Cobb County that want to participate in BYOD must fill out a proposal and be approved to become a BYOD school. Looking through the Cobb County BYOD information page I feel that it is organized well, user friendly and is full of valuable information. Kolb (2018, p. 1) stated "in general, all phones can text and make phone calls. Below are three ways to connect learning with any phone." I was a little disturbed by the information given in the BYOD Planning and Implementation Framework, implying that low income families would not have adequate devices but Kolb gives us resources to be able to use ALL devices. After looking thought the Cobb County BYOD page I would want the program to look as they have set up. My only question would be, can an individual teacher choose to become a BYOD classroom by becoming a BYOD Certified Educator or do they have to go through the proposal process? Other than being unclear about that procedure I see the steps as first, become a BYOD school. Next, become a BYOD Certified Educator after that set up policies and procedures using digital citizenship and responsibility conduct. Throughout all of the steps the stakeholders should be informed of the intentions. In order to manage BYOD I would first have to know what devices my students have and their capabilities. I also would need to know how many devices I would be able to supply daily to offset those who did not have a device. It seems as though setting routines and procedures is necessary to be a successful BYOD teacher. One of the disadvantages to BYOD are distractions such as social media. To ensure students are using their devices for learning "clear classroom policies, learning expectations, and a strong culture of respect will help smooth the road as the school community implements BYOD" (Rodgers, 2018). The first troubleshooting strategy is know what devices my students have, what their capabilities are and what my plan is for students who do not have a device. The second troubleshooting strategy is knowing/figuring out what educational software compatibilities are available. Finally, create a student troubleshooting chart for students to help them become independent users. As Rodgers (2018) mentioned, "With a thoughtful strategy and effective implementation, BYOD can provide a workable solution for schools seeking to upgrade their students access to educational technology. References Bell, K. (2018). My top 20 tech tips for teachers! Shake Up Learning. Retrieved from https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/top-20-tech-tips-for-teachers/ Bhatt, R. (2017). 10 simple tips for better teaching a tablets. Teachthought We Grow Teachers. Retrieved from https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/10-simple-tips-for-better-teaching-with-tablets/ Clifford, M. (2018). 20 collaborative learning tips and strategies for teachers.Teachthought We Grow Teachers. Retrieved fromhttps://teachthought.com/pedagogy/20-collaborative-learning-tips-and-strategies/ Cobb County School District. (2019). Academic Portal. Retrieved from https://aportal.cobbk12.org/Secure/Main/MainLanding.aspx Cobb County School District. (2019). BYOD. Retrieved from Cobb County School District: http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/instructionaltechnology/IL/BYOD/byod.aspx Common Sense Education. (n.d.). Best student-collaboration tools. Retrieved from Common Sense Education: https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-picks/best-student-collaboration-tools Kolb, L. (2018, January 01). Ensure equity in your BYOD classroom. ISTE Blog. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/explore/Toolbox/Ensure-equity-in-your-BYOD-classroom Lynch, M. (2017). 7 must have student-collaboration apps, tools, and resources. Retrieved from The Tech Advocate: https://www.thetechedvocate.org/7-must-student-collaboration-apps-tools-resources/ Rodgers, D. (2018, March 16). BYOD in schools: A beginner's guide [Blog post]. Schoology Exchange. Retrieved from https://www.schoology.com/blog/byod-in-schools-a-beginners-guide Adobe Spark Presentation I created a presentation using Adobe Sparke titled “The Road to Wealth.” One of my friend groups consists of 6-8 couples. We get together for holidays, birthdays, and monthly events. In January, like so many others, we had a vision board party. I noticed a reoccurring theme as couples or individuals described their vision boards; wealth, financial freedom, no more debt, and make my money work for me. The January birthday celebration started out with one couple present but not speaking to each other. Come to find out they were arguing about money. Another couple was talking about how they needed to save money and another was discussing how they were going to try to start a business. It was this outing that I saw a need for change. Our friend group that is now an extension of our family, enjoys spending time together but we have other goals, how can we support each other in those financial goals? As I pondered thoughts ran through my head, an investment club, wait a small business. Then I realized I had to back up, all the way up. What we need is to start from the very beginning. Budgeting, emergency fund, snowballing debt and then investing. My birthday month is March and instead of us going out and spending money to celebrate I am going to have everyone over with a Wealth Coach to start taking steps towards meeting their goals of having a wealth mindset. Spark Video Ideas with Project-Based Learning Adobe Spark is a powerful visual learning tool that can be manipulated by young and old alike. I have created a project-based learning (PBL) experience for my fourth and fifth grade math students. Their goal is to plan a family vacation. They must budget, plan meals, accommodations and excursions. Along the way students are supposed to journal their trip. There are also challenges that the students can complete like producing a commercial or creating a brochure. The culminating activity is to give a presentation describing their vacation, excursions, places of interest and history. As I look over this PBL activity, I realize Adobe Spark could be used for one or all of these activities. Another idea for using visual learning to support PBL is to begin your project-based learning activity with a visual learning hook, welcome or introduction. Using a visual tool to get kids excited about a project has the potential for higher project engagement. According to Fanguy (2019, par. 6) research has shown that people remember 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, and 50% of what they both see and hear.” Copyright, Creative Commons and Fair Use In our tech savvy world it is so easy to right click, copy and paste to create a project. Our intentions are not necessarily to steal, use without permission, or pass off as our own. But when we are unaware of the rules, regulations and laws that’s exactly what happens. It is important that we do not skip right to the “fun stuff” and we set our students up for success. It is our responsibility to teach students first the definitions of copyright, creative commons and fair use. Next we can use visual learning tools to show them what each of these looks like. Another important fact that we must share with our students is why copyright is in place. Copyright is in place to protect the creators and creative commons is a place to submit works to be shared (RealPublic, 2013).
Office 365 Add-Ins
I found several Office 365 Add-Ins I would like to use. The first one is theImmersive Reader. This tool reads text to students. This would be useful for students with learning differences and struggling readers and English language learners. UsingImmersive Reader is a way to differentiate assignments that require students to read. Struggling readers or English language learners can listen to grade level material and gain knowledge without having to struggle to decode words.
The second Add-In I would like for students to use is Dictate. Young students and students who are not proficient at typing can get their ideas onto the computer without the frustration of typing errors. Dictate will allow students to let their creativity flow now that they do not have to worry about getting hung up on the mechanics of writing or typing (which ever of the two gives them difficulty or both if needed). This will also allow students to think more critically with other barriers lifted. Students will be able to communicate in a way that was once impossible or so complicated it was not worth the trouble.
The third Add-In is MyScript Math since I teach math my colleague Mrs. McEvoy suggested this tool for me. This Add-In allows students to write a math equation on a touchscreen and the equation will be converted into a typed equation in a word document (Greene, 2018). This tool would be useful for students who have a difficult time manipulating writing utensils. MyScript lends itself to be used as a differentiation support tool.
References
Fanguy, W. (2019). Piktochart. Retrieved from 3 Tips for Easy and Engaging Classroom Visuals: https://piktochart.com/blog/tips-easy-engaging-classroom-visuals/ Gonzalez, J. (2018, April 15). Cult of pedagogy. Retrieved from 4 Ways microsoft is making learning more accesible: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/inclusive/ RealPublic. (2013, May 19). Bing. Retrieved from Wanna Work Together? [CreativeCommons]://https://www.bing.com/videos/search? q=wanna+work+together+by+creative+commons&docid=607991853922389759&mid=244F50E4CBE1E464C610244F50E4CBE1E464C610&view=detail&FORM=VIRE Twitter Experience and Thoughts I joined Twitter in 2014 at an educational conference. A speaker encouraged us to join conversations and gave us a hashtag to use during his presentation. I created an account fully intending to participate with fellow attendees, but I was lost an unsure of how and when to use @ and hashtags. After letting my account sit idle for a couple of years I picked it up again to follow some coaches, sports figures and a few other random celebrities. I rarely checked my twitter feed and due to my lack of understanding I saw no value in this social networking platform. In the fall of 2018 I updated my Twitter account per an assignment in the ITEC program. I followed several instructional technology, ed tech, STEM, math, and elementary education users. Now and then I would scroll through my feed only paying attention to feeds that had catchy visuals. It was not until a colleague in the ITEC program pointed out the benefits of Twitter that I began to explore the true value of this social networking platform. Now I check my feed daily, read tweets and continue searching for people and topics to follow. Fitzpatrick (2015, p. 1) pointed our “people have claimed that Twitter is a great way to connect with other educators and build your Professional Learning Network (PLN)”. I am excited to be a part of and build my PLN. It feels refreshing to be a part of a community of like-minded people who are passionate about education, technology and other thought provoking issues. I have learned how Twitter is beneficial in the professional realm. I am comfortable using Twitter as a resource and to connect with my learning community. After reviewing the articles and videos on Twitter I am more comfortable tweeting and sharing what I am doing in the classroom. One of my key take-aways from this module was from the Starting a PLN on Twitter: A Quick Guide for Teachers by Common Sense Education video. I now understand that hashtags categorize tweets and how hashtags are used to join chats. My goal is to be able to use Twitter at my next conference to be able to participate in conversations while attending a presentation. I believe I now have the tools to make this happen thanks to my current readings and video lessons on Twitter. How to use Twitter with Teachers, Students and Parents It is evident that I now believe in the use of Twitter with fellow teachers to build a Professional Learning Network (PLN). Educators from across the state, country and world can join together in PLN’s to share information or discuss topics. If that is not enough and you want to connect even more and fully engage with your Professional Learning Network you can hop online at any time and find a chat to join through #educaht which I learned in Fitzpatrick’s Starting a PLN on Twitter: A Quick Guide for Teachers by Common Sense Education. Using Twitter with parents is a good way to share what is happen in the classroom. Parents can feel connected to the class and stay informed. By the time students get home from school they rarely remember what they did. With the use of Twitter parents can ask students specific questions about their day, activities and things they are learning. This is key in enhancing the lines of communication between students and parents, and affording parents an opportunity become involved in their child’s education without being present at school. Lastly, after reading I have learned several great ideas for using Twitter with students. Twitter can be used to stay organized and keep up with assignments, share notes and ask questions. What about using Twitter for daily challenges? 50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom gave some fun suggestions like daily word games, math puzzles and video challenges (Miller, 2019). The potential for Twitter uses in the classroom are limitless, however since I teach in an elementary school parental involvement would be necessary. Podcasts To begin exploring podcasts I subscribed to several channels and screened topics. I landed on a couple of interesting shows including the iTeach Podcast staring Dr. Vega from Kennesaw State University. I liked the variety of available podcasts when I was searching. The podcast I previewed was The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast and the assortment of episodes within that podcast gave me plenty opportunities to find a topic that piqued my interest. I like the fact that I could listen to an episode, stop and pick it up where I left off. During the show I watched, Ms. Gonzalez let listeners know they were welcome to and leave comments on the episode. I was surprised to hear Jennifer give listener’s resources to use including lesson plans. My overall experience was a positive one that has encouraged me to create a podcast. Using podcasts with students would allow teachers to support one if not all of the 4C’s, creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking. As Bradbury stated (2019, p. 3) “when students work with audio and video, they are given the opportunity to bring out their personality and showcase how much they know about a subject.” There are a plethora of seniors in which students could use podcasts in the classroom. In social studies students could create a podcast and discuss their thoughts on era being studied. Or they could create a podcast as if it were taking place in that time period. This would be especially beneficial to students with different learning needs. If students were not great test takers but they could create a podcast and use their verbal skills to relay their knowledge they would have a venue to showcase their success. “For many students, it’s much easier to express their thoughts and ideas through their voices rather than through written assignments” (Bradbury, 2019, p.4). I created a podcast and asked friends to listen to my first episode and leave comments. I had a several participants and my plan is to give people a chance to respond individually and then come together in a round table discussion for my second episode.
References
[Common Sense Education]. (2019) Starting a PLN on Twitter: A quick guide for teachers [https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=5HegF3hezF4] Bradbury, J. (2019, February 4). Why should we podcast with students? Learning through SAMR, Bloom's & 4c's. Retrieved from Teacher Cast: Cast: https://elearningfeeds.com/why-should-we-podcast-with- students-learning-through-samr-blooms-4cs/ Fitzpatrick, E. (2015, August 14). Building your PLN withTwitter: A beginner's guide. Retrieved 2019, from Learning Bird: https://learningbird.com/building-your-pln-with-twitter-a-beginners-guide/ Miller, S. (2012). 50 ways to use Twitter in the classroom. Retrieved from TeacherHUB: https://www.teachhub.com/50-ways-use-twitter-classroom Assessment When I see the word assessment, warm fuzzy feelings do not come over me. I envision my students groaning that tests are boring, I hear myself shushing everyone because this is a quiet time and I am not looking forward to the hours it will take me to grade the assessments and compile the data so it can drive my instruction. Whoa, exhausted already? I was too until I came across Web 2.0 assessment tools. These tools can be life or “learning” changing for you and your students. Assessing does not have to be boring anymore and it is no longer a one size fits all event. How about creating assessments that students can take on any digital devices? How about creating assessments using videos were students work at their own pace? What about having students create so they can show you what they know? Edulastic and Edpuzzle can do these things. As I perused through a variety of Web 2.0 assessment tools I was amazed to find that the tools available were time saving for teachers, able to gather data to assess mastery of standards and domains (Edulastic, 2019) and provided multiple means of representation, engagement and action (Universal Learning Design Guidelines, 2011). These Web 2.0 tools can be used in the classroom in several ways especially if you are using some type of flipped classroom model. Watson mentioned that flipping the classroom and using these tools “not only does it let me differentiate by pace, but it also lets me differentiate by level of understanding. For instance, my ELL students can pause the video to look up words they do not understand” (Watson, 2017). According to Doubet teachers “have more time to give individualized attention to students (2019). Teachers have more time to work with small groups without interruptions due to students being engaged in technology assessments or other activities that they can self-manage (Doubet, 2019). Assessment tools are here to help teachers use assessment as they were meant to be used. Let the immediate data help improve your lessons by understanding the knowledge students are gaining and finding their and your areas of weakness. This quickly generated data can now be the driving force behind your instruction. Screencasting I have become more familiar with screencasting as I go through the ITEC program and witness professors using this tool to communicate information and demonstrate procedures. In my previous class I, with several colleagues, created a staff workshop on Microsoft Office tools. I used Screencast-O-Matic to show viewers how to create a Notebook using OneNote, an example of how to use OneNote with students and how to use OneNote as a storage resource. In the classroom I would like to use screencasting to give students directions and tasks. This seems to be a perfect fit for the position I am currently in. Our Core Expansion (specials) rotation is a 16 day rotation schedule. We have approximately 7 classes in each grade level. So I repeat myself at least six times a day. I probably waste so much valuable teaching time repeating directions, when students could be working at their own pace and those that comprehend directions quickly would be able to get to work or even explain to others what the expectation are. I have a feeling this tool will allow me to maximize my time with individual students. Giving students the ability to take some responsibility in their own learning is powerful, and I have the technology to make this happen. This would be a great way to use blended learning to flip my classroom. A second way I would like to use screencasting is with an online project base activity, where all instructional and informational videos were available to students via their online learning portal. In doing so students would have the ability to manage their own learning, voice and choice and the opportunity to work at their own pace. These attributes would hopefully set students up for an engaging, meaning and authentic learning experience. References CAST. (2011). Universal design for learning guidelines version 2.0. Wakefield, MA. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/ http://udlguidelines.cast.org/ Doubet, A. (2019). Flipping the elementary classroom. Retrieved from TEACH4LEARNING, INC: https://www.thecreativeeducator.com/ Watson, T. (2017, July 6). Flipping the Flipped Classroom. George Lucas Educational Foundation. Yes, I agree with the content in Mr. November’s video Who Owns the Learning? Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age. Not only do I agree with the content of the video but Mr. November has me wanting to go back into the classroom. Mr. November has provided with me so much food for thought. There is no doubt in my mind that teaching now is different than it was ten years ago. In the past it was important for students to be able to give us the answers. We fed students the information and they regurgitated the answers. We now have the technologies to give students the questions and let them find the answers. However, we are being asked to challenge ourselves and the students to think critically about the information they need to know. Mr. November made a great point concerning the assignments that we have for students. Were these assignments created before the access of the internet and digital natives? Making the shift from teachers in control of learning to student empowerment of their own learning definitely makes sense.
As I look though the syllabus I see several internet tools that I look forward to learning. At first glance I would say I am most excited about learning more about social networks and how to use them for professional purposes. I am not a huge fan of social networks but I have talked to two coworkers that have had positive experiences with the use of Twitter. I would like to step outside of my comfort zone and learn how to use Twitter. I have begun to follow people on Twitter in Instructional Technology, math and STEM. My next goal is to feel confident enough to begin sharing activities and lessons on Twitter. I am open to learning how this and other social network platforms can benefit me professionally. Last semester I ended the course with a video on virtual, augmented and mixed reality. Researching these realities was eye opening and I feel they have the potential to impact my professional practice and engage digital age learners. These realities provide me with the opportunity to take students places without leaving our classroom. I recently took a virtual field trip to EA Sports. Students are constantly talking about gaming and have dreams of being a game designer or tester. This virtual field trip gave me a look into opportunities I could not fathom if it had not been for this experience. In an age where I am preparing students for jobs I cannot imagine it is critical that I tap into the resources available to me. Web 2.0 tools provide a variety of prospects for 21st century teaching and learning. These tools lend themselves for student to be able to work at their own pace, collaborate with one another, communicate with people around the world, create and share with others. Web 2.0 tools also make it possible for teachers to give students immediate and ongoing feedback, ownership of learning and the voice of choice. Now more than ever we understand that students learn in different ways. It was once believed that we could teach 25 students one way. Now we want to be able to teach 25 students 25 ways if needed. With the use of web 2.0 tools we can support diverse learners. Through technologies we can find a variety of ways to meet the needs of all students. [The Brainwaves Anthology]. (2014, May 5). Alan November-Who Owns the Learning? Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOAIxIBeT90. |
AuthorI am a math teacher at Brumby Elementary School in Marietta, Georgia. I am currently attending Kennesaw State University in pursuit of my Ed. S. in Instructional Technology. Archives
April 2019
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