Learning Summary

It seems like just yesterday I was creating this blog for this course and wondering just how much I would really use it. As it turns out, blogging has become one of my favorite things to do! I never knew how many people blogged and for the vast amount of different topics that can be found. I have been able to see so many exciting topics for educational technology that I would never have seen before if I hadn't had to blog in this course. I enjoyed being able to read others blogs and reply in regards to their original posting. After creating the blog for this course, I decided I wanted to create one for my classroom. I think it is a valuable tool that young students need to be able to understand and use. My kids love the idea of being Blogger of the Week!

Another aspect of this course that I now use in my classroom is Twitter. I literally could not think of a reason why we needed to create a Twitter account for this course. It just didn't seem necessary. I didn't realize how beneficial it could be until other classmates began posting links to educational blogs or articles that I could incorporate ideas into my own classroom. After creating the twitter account for this course I saw that it was an easy way to pass along brief bits of information. Many parents do not want to sit and read a long email from a teacher informing them of all the new things going on in their classroom or upcoming events. Parents would prefer to read something short and to the point. Twitter does just that! I created a class Twitter account and now post my nightly homework and any important information regarding our classroom.

I feel that this course has opened my eyes to educational technology and the growth that is still to come. I have incorporated many different aspects from this course into my classroom and know where to look for further ideas. Education and technology are two parts of life that are constantly changing, so why not mix the two? I think the future is bright for our students and filled with opportunities surrounded around technology.

Thanks for a great semester! Good luck to everyone!

the NEW thing...Podcasting! Learning Journal #8

Podcasting is the combination of iPod and broadcasting...two important aspects in a child's life this day and age. Kids use their iPods every day to listen to music as they sit in their bedrooms or even as they complete their homework. Today's students are fully capable of multitasking technology into their everyday lives. Kids love to create and publish their own work and here is where the broadcasting part comes in to play.

Podcasting is a great way for both teachers and students to use in a variety of ways to enhance their classrooms or knowledge.

According to the Professional Learning Board, Podcasting has several benefits for the technology classroom.

• Ease of Accessibility
• Archive of Lessons
• Updates
• Learning on the Go
• Creative Learning

The whole idea of podcasting is completely new to me. I have only created one podcast and that was this semester in another masters course. I had a blast creating one and could really see how beneficial they could become in a classroom. 

One positive I want to touch on with podcasting is the ability for learning on the go. This is so crucial for  today's students. These kids have so many after school activities that they bounce from that being able to listen to a lecture could be something really worth while. Those students who are auditory learners would love being able to recap what happened in class or catch up on a skill they weren't 100% on by listening to their teacher's podcast. Students could listen in the car on the way to baseball or as they wait to get called in at the doctor's office. The possibilities are endless!

Another benefit to podcasting is the archive of lessons that students can access at any given moment. Students who are sick can download the podcast from the days lesson and have some idea of what to expect when they return to school. The student who wants to listen to previous podcasts in order to prepare for a big test can do that because the podcasts are saved. 

In the end, I feel that podcasting has some great benefits for a digital classroom. I have plans to create another podcast and become familiar with what I want to create my podcasts on for my students. Maybe something similar to the weekly update that we receive within this course. Any thoughts?

References:

https://k12teacherstaffdevelopment.com/tlb/what-are-the-benefits-of-podcasting-in-the-classroom/

Digital Storytelling Project

Here is the link Digital Storytelling Project

Learning Journal #7 - Duolingo

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, today more than 4.7 million students in America are classified as ELL (English Language Learner) students in our classrooms.This statistic alone can be a scary fact, especially if a classroom teacher does not speak their home language. Many teachers across America are obtaining their ESOL endorsement by choice or are being forced by their school district to complete the credit hours in order to receive the endorsement.

 I was extremely lucky that when I graduated from college I left with my ESOL endorsement. I currently have been an ELL teacher for the last four years. I have no formal training in any other languages other than English and this can be extremely frustrating. Many people assume that if they are ESOL endorsed that they can can fluently communicate in other languages...MYTH! After receiving the 1:1 iPads this year for my class I was able to look at having ELL students in a different light. There are so many new technologies out for english language learners that I didn't even know existed. With the technology right in the hands of my students it is virtually impossible for those ELL students not to succeed.

 Just one month before school started one of my students entered America from El Salvador for the very first time. As she entered the room for meet the teacher I greeted her with a warm hello...only to be followed by silence. Normally most of the ELL students I've come into contact with before have at least understood the basics such as hi or bye. This was not the case. She couldn't understand a word I was saying and I had no way to communicate with her except to use the little bit of spanish I could think of from high school. When the students received their iPads we immediately put Google Translator on her iPad and another classmates. Instantly she was able to communicate with another little girl in the class. I was then able to write her what I needed her to do and she could respond back to me. Even though we could communicate the process was long and drawn out. Google Translator wasn't going to teach her English the way I needed her to use it.

 A few weeks ago I stumbled upon an app called Duolingo. This app allows students to learn a different language in a fun and exciting way. Students progress though levels or can test out of levels if they are advanced in a language. This app allows students to learn the following languages: Spanish, English, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian. The app requires the students to look at pictures, type, and even speak into the app to test for understanding.

 The BEST part... it is completely FREE!

 I installed the app on the students iPad and she instantly began to have fun while still learning! The rest of my class wanted to be able to communicate with my student and asked if they could have the app installed on their iPads for them to learn Spanish. I thought to myself at that point...look at what technology has given to these students in the palm of their hands. Duolingo is not supposed to teach students the complete language but it is there to help communicate in small areas. My students beg to use duolingo on their iPads each day when they complete assignments early. I can hear them using spanish vocabulary with my non-speaker every day and her ability to communicate in small ways has increased as well.

 I think this app is a large asset to any classroom that has ELL students and technology readily available to them. Certainly something worth checking out! Check out Duolingo on the web!

References: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2013). The Condition of Education 2013 (NCES 2013-037), English Language Learners. Retrieved from: https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=96

Learning Journal #6

Digital Storytelling Presentation on Favorite Vacation

My fourth grade students focus on expository and narrative writing as they prepare for their state test in February. This project was designed to incorporate the expository writing portion as well as technology. This project allows students to create an expository essay on their favorite vacation (whether it is a big or small trip) and include pictures from their trip or other sources to help tell their story.

Below you will find a link to my Prezi that I will use to introduce and give instructions on completing the project with my fourth grade students.


Here is the link to my wiki page where you can find more information regarding the digital storytelling project.
http://bobcat4.pbworks.com

Please feel free to give any helpful tips!

Learning Journal #5 - The ART of Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is quickly becoming very popular in classrooms around the World. Storytelling is nothing new and has been around since the beginning of time. Cultures have passed down old folktales and other stories for centuries. Just as technology has evolved so has storytelling. Kids now are exposed to new technology devices and programs that allow them to create their own digital stories to share with those around the World. I have had some experience working with my class last year as we created digital stories about recycling for Earth Day. I read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss to my class and they then created digital stories to explain the importance of saving our Earth while including portions of text, audio clips they recorded, and photos from the story. My students had a blast creating these digital stories. They put a lot of effort in to their finished project and were so proud to share their projects with fellow peers and their parents. After seeing how my students benefited from this mini digital storytelling project I have put a lot of thought into how I want to organize my next digital story project.

  My Plan... Title of Project: Favorite Vacation Grade Level: 4 Subject: Writing I decided after reading Jason Ohler's, "DAOW of storytelling" that I would address his four parts to creating a digital story within my plan.

  Part I: Storytelling, Literacy, and Learning This project will allow students who are technology advanced and students who are technology novices both create something that they love and are proud of. Students will be actively engaged and see how powerful their message can be to their audience. The State of Florida requires all 4th grade students to write expository and narrative essays for their yearly FCAT 2.0 Writing exam. Many students come into 4th grade hating the thought of writing. Allowing students to write an essay and then create a digital story from that essay will really show students that their work is their own creation. Ohler mentions that media literacy and media fluency are both very important parts to any digital presentation. Students must understand media literacy in order to understand how they can effectively persuade their audience.

  Part II: The Art of Storytelling "Telling weak stories is like giving a bad guitar player a bigger amplifier" (Ohler 2013). This statement really hit home for me. Students can create digital stories on their own anytime they wanted but in order for this digital story to really make sense they still need the teachers help in creating an authentic essay. Students will have to work on their writing process and understand those elements before they can turn it in to a digital creation. Students would plan for their expository essay using a bubble map. Once students had planned for their essay they would begin writing. After all essays were completed the teacher would then write comments in order to help correct any major writing issues. In the end the teacher would meet individually with each student before they began to write out their script for their digital story presentation. This script would be in a table format with the major points needed in their essay. Students would begin to practice their script in order to make sure their fluency was accurate and at the correct speed. Students would then be able to start production on their digital story. After the basics were recorded into iMovie students would then be able to incorporate pictures that they had brought from home and I had personally scanned in for them into their project. Students could then insert background music directly from iMovie or from free background music sites. This process would probably take a week to two weeks in a classroom setting.

   Part III: Technology, techniques, resources In order to create a digital story a variety of technology tools will be needed. Some important ones to have will be a computer, recording device, powerpoint or iMovie, digital camera, scanner, items from home, and parent support. Parent support for his project will be extremely important. I will need the parents to be able to email me or send in photos from their vacation. In the end this will be something really nice for the parents to share with other relatives and to keep as a keepsake from their child. Some advanced technology students may want to use other tools for their project and will be allowed to do so. The tools listed above are just the bare minimum to what will be provided for them to use.

  Part IV: Assessing digital stories Ohler mentioned to assess everything and not just the final product. I completely agree that students should be assessed on all aspects of the project. The written essay is one of the most important aspects to look at since this is one large aspect of the fourth grade curriculum. Students should be given a rubric before they begin their digital storytelling project so that they can keep track of what they have accomplished or have not accomplished. I also liked that Ohler incorporated a peer review and a self assessment review. Students should be able to reflect upon their project and see what worked well and what they could improve on. Self reflecting makes them true learners. In the end, students would have a digital story of their favorite vacation to share with their peers, parents, and others. Students could create a link to share with the classroom blog. This would allow other students to be able to view and give positive feedback to the other student. Students would have seen the full writing process in effect from beginning to end. Students often do not get the chance to publish their writing for others to see. This would allow them to share their story with others for years to come. Digital storytelling has so many benefits for students to see. The possibilities are endless. Once students see how much their creativity can flourish in activities such as this, there will be no stopping them. Digital storytelling is the way of the future and will open the doors for many students to find their audience and express themselves on a variety of topics. Please feel free to share any ideas about digital storytelling!

  References:
Ohler, J. (2013) Storytelling and New Media Narrative. Retrieved from:http://www.jasonohler.com/storytelling/index.cfm

Digital Storytelling - Prezi

Learning Journal #4 To Tweet or Not to Tweet? That is the Question!

I decided to take a moment to look at the new phenomenon of Twitter in the classroom.

"Twitter Tagxedo" by Denise Krebs on Flickr

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en

 Twitter is limited to 140 characters which can really keep everything short and sweet! A big plus when it comes to time benefits! Twitter has a ton of options for teachers to look at when thinking of how to incorporate it into their everyday teaching. I recently started using Twitter in my classroom as a tool for parents to see what the homework is each night and other various updates. Our school has their own Twitter page to also inform parents of upcoming events around the school. One drawback that I have seen so far is that many parents do not have Twitter accounts because they don't see the use in having one.I believe as technology develops more in education then more parents will jump on to having a Twitter since they can see the communication that can come from it. I decided to start thinking of how else I could use Twitter in my classroom rather than just as an informational delivery tool for parents.

 After reading the article "The Ultimate Guide To Using Twitter In The Classroom" by Jeff Dunn I could see some new and exciting ways to use Twitter with my fourth graders. One way that I think my fourth graders would really enjoy would be to "tweet a story" You can start the story off and then each student can add the next part until the story ends. This would really increase the participation in the classroom if each student had to tweet something for the story. You could select different genres which would tie into the Common Core Curriculum (even though FL isn't going to use that anymore!). Teachers can create a Twitter Poll for students to answer. Students can then answer and gather information to make informed data collections about a certain topic. Students can connect with other classrooms around the World who are studying similar topics and brainstorm or leave links for others to use. Another way I could use Twitter in my classroom is to create a word game. I can send out a word and ask them to tweet synonyms or antonyms for the word or even make up another word using the same letters. I know my fourth graders would love that! These are just a few of the ideas I came across while reading the article but really opened my eyes to how much more I could do with our class Twitter account.

 I truly believe that Twitter can be extremely useful in classrooms ranging from the elementary level to the college level. With anything involving the use of the Internet safety concerns will always be there. One method I've read is to create a Twitter account for your whole class to use that you can monitor. Then just have students write their name or initials at the end of their posting so you can identify who posted. Seems like the best way to go, especially if you are in the elementary age group.

So now it is time to think...will you tweet or not tweet?

Informative Links: http://www.teachhub.com/50-ways-use-twitter-classroom

 References:
Dunn, J. (2011). The Ultimate Guide To Using Twitter In The Classroom. Edudemic. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/twitter-in-education/

Timeline Assignment

Dance and My Path With It on Dipity.

Learning Journal #3 - Cut and Paste...The Words We Hear So Often!

After reading Lisa Renard's article "Cut and Paste 101: Plagiarism and the Net", I decided to focus my blog posting on "cutting and pasting". It is true that the original form of "cut and paste" came about in the early years of school. Students would have to use their scissors to cut out shapes or other pictures and paste them on their paper. It was a simple task for students to complete and done by many.

As technology evolved, a new form of "cut and paste" came about. You could select a piece of text with your mouse, drag the cursor over, and select copy. Pull up the application you needed to use and click paste. Boom! Everything was right there just as simple as your original cut and paste but just a little less messy! It became the quick and efficient way to copy and paste. However, this "cut and paste" wasn't seen to be proper in the eyes of educators and businesses. But aren't students doing the same thing that they did before just minus the glue?

Students would cut out someone else's work, glue it on a paper, and claim it as their own. Aren't students doing the exact same thing but with the use of a computer?

Now don't get me wrong, I am by no means saying that copying and pasting someone else's work is ok. But I see how students don't recognize cutting and pasting as a problem. It was ok for them to cut and paste in elementary school, so why is it not ok anymore?

I think the main problem is that students don't know how to properly cite someone else's work and honestly don't even know that they have to. Renard discusses that there are three types of internet cheaters. You have the "unintentional cheater"  who has never learned how to properly cite their work and when confronted don't understand that they did anything wrong (Renard 1999). Your second type of internet cheater is known as the "sneaky cheater". The sneaky cheater understands that plagiarism is wrong but also knows how to get away with it (Renard 1999). The last type of cheater you can find is the "all or nothing cheater". These types of cheaters wait till the last minute and then decide to find a paper online and turn it in with their name on it (Renard 1999). I feel that the majority of students fall into the unintentional cheater  category. I know that in elementary school or even middle school no one taught me how to properly cite my sources or give credit to the author of the paper. It wasn't until high school that I was given even an ounce of instruction on this. If students are only showed a few times then they won't remember it! No one got on their bike for the first time without training wheels and road for hours and hours and never needed someone to show them again. Its unrealistic to think that students who are unintentional cheaters can learn if they aren't given opportunities to have guidance from teachers on this topic.

Renard also discusses some ways to prevent this online cheating problem. She suggests for teachers to avoid the common writing prompts and make the prompts related towards the students. Ask students higher level questions that relate from the text to themselves. Those questions would be more beneficial to the students in the long run anyways.

Will internet plagiarism every go away? My answer would be no. There will always be people who are in a bind that need something quick or the lazy student who doesn't care to do the work to start with. However, I feel that if we can show the unintentional cheater how to properly cite and give them less chances to use the generic teacher assignment then there would be a decrease in internet plagiarism.

We need to start in the elementary school level guiding students through properly citing sources and giving credit to work that someone else has done before we allow them for years and years to get away with using the "copy and paste" technique throughout school.

Now my question is...how can educators explain the difference between scissors and glue sticks and the mouse and internet?



Reference:
Renard,L. (1999). Cut and paste 101: plagiarism and the Net. Educational Leadership, 57 (4), 38-42.

http://abbynet.sd34.bc.ca/~dereck_dirom/035EEE2E-002F4E0D.2/Cut%20&%20paste%20101.pdf

Learning Journal #2 Blogging and the Positives

Blogging was a term I was familiar with before this class but honestly thought it would be way too hard to start or that I would just find opinions on topics rather than helpful or useful items. Well, I was WRONG!

A few weeks before the summer ended, my school decided to host a professional development on blogging. I decided I would go since I would have the iPads in my classroom and I am trying to incorporate as much technology as possible. As I sat in the room I realized that maybe this whole "blogging" thing wouldn't be so bad. I created a blog for my class so that each week a student could write a summary of what happened or what they learned in class that week. School has been in session for 3 weeks so far and I haven't had the chance to have my students blog yet and its killing me!

When our first assignment came out to create a blog I was excited...now I would be forced to use one and couldn't put it off any longer with other things that seemed more important. I started to look around at some other blogs and low and behold I found some awesome apps that teachers around the country are using in their iPad classrooms! Some of these apps I had never even heard of but they are wonderful! Bloggers around the world were showing projects that students had created via their blog using apps that they had recently talked about. You really believe the benefits when you look at end results.

I stumbled upon one blog from Marygrove College discussing blogging in the classroom and the benefits that it can have for children. I decided to recap their five main points and elaborate on how I feel about them as well.

1. Blogging Encourages Literacy Across the Curriculum
This is so true! Students in my class can blog about reading but then turn around and blog about how to answer a difficult math problem. Students can record themselves and input their voices or podcasts into their blog. Students can explain a science experiment and share with others in our class. Not only can students write about what they have done but blogging allows students to then discuss with fellow peers about their projects or ideas. That collaborative discussion is easily completed through a blog. Even the shy students would start to feel less embarrassed about speaking in front of others but more confident in their ideas being presented.
2. Blogging Reaches Out to the "Others"
The Online Grad team explains that the days of one size fit all classrooms are over. Kinesthetic learners will love the hands on approach to their learning and that this may be one of the first assignments that they actually enjoy or turn in on time. Blogs are not your traditional assignments that teachers give in the classroom. The fact that they can be creative in the design of their blog as well as what they incorporate into each of their posts is all up to them. It puts the learning back in the hands of the student!
3. Blogging Allows Freedom

Blogging now becomes a less threatening environment. Blogging allows students to publish their own thoughts and opinions without the fear that they may be wrong. Now of course the teacher can look for the proper grammar and sentence structure because I feel that every student whether they are writing their own opinions or writing opinions of others should be able to write properly. I feel though that students will know they are posting it online where others can see they will take that time to make sure that it looks the best it can look. With this freedom that blogging allows it also can tie in the "netiquette" for use of the internet. Many students wouldn't even think there is such a thing because they haven't been exposed to it yet. Blogging will allow students to learn about proper netiquette.

4.  Blogging Builds Computer Skills

As our world continues to strive to a technology based center, computers and computer skills will be the way of the future. Blogging allows students to be able to use a computer, type, insert graphics, videos, or hyperlinks into their postings. Students have to learn how to properly cite images and words that they use from others via the internet or books. Students have to learn which media tools will help get their point across the best. Therefore they start to become "global digital citizens". 

5. Blogging is Fun

Blogging is still new in the classroom and I know that when I mentioned the word "blogging" many of my students perked up because they weren't sure what it was. When I explained that one person a week would be able to write online what our class learned for the week they were jumping to see who would be the first person. If I can start them young enough I believe that writing will be a subject that these students may enjoy much more. 

I truly believe that blogging has a special place in the classrooms of K-12 teachers. The benefits that can be seen just by having a classroom blog seem immense. Imagine having students so excited about sharing their learning that they can't wait to blog the following day. Blogging puts learning in the students hands and it really allows you to see if they understand a concept without your normal test or quiz. Starting tomorrow I am going to make time in my classroom for that student to be able to blog because I see how beneficial this could be to my students. I won't be using the "we ran out of time" excuse any longer. 

Will you blog?

References:

http://onlinegrad.marygrove.edu/blog/bid/146682/5-Reasons-You-Should-Consider-Using-Blogging-in-the-Classroom

Mind Map on Blogging

Learning Journal #1 - "Will Our Schools Shift?"

After watching McLeod's video, Did You Know I took a moment to think...will all schools ever really shift completely? Will teachers ever shift completely? Will America ever shift completely?

My answer would be no. I don't think that we will ever be completely 100%. Where will the money come from to create these schools full of technology? The money to pay teachers who are now more skilled and qualified than before? There will always be someone on the negative side and therefore I don't think it will ever be 100%.

Yes, as veteran teachers retire more teachers who are comfortable with technology will begin to teach but still those who are comfortable with technology right now may not be comfortable with a new form of technology in future years. There will constantly be the struggle between what is comfortable and what is new.Just when we think we have enough ability to teach a form of technology a new one will arise and then we will be back to square one. We are educating kids for jobs that don't exist TODAY! That is something really to think about. We have to think out of the box and push ahead rather than sitting and being comfortable with what we know.

I've seen it first hand as I began my teaching career four years ago. The veteran teachers are afraid of technology and afraid of the equipment. No one wants to be standing in front of a class full of 9 and 10 year old students as you try to get this cord connected to your laptop,the projector on,then you want to air play from your iPad and of course something goes wrong. It comes down to fear of what could happen and not feeling confident in being able to fix it right at that moment. How can we fix that? It comes down to using the equipment and knowing that things can go run. We won't be comfortable until we do it and not just once but over and over! 

Then you have TIME. That word you hear too often in schools around the nation. It is something we can't change. I to have heard myself even say it "there just isn't enough time". After reading the posting from Steve Weber titled "I Don't Have Time"  it really made me realize something. It is not that we don't have time but its the inital time required for students to understand the shift towards something new and the grunt work required by the teacher to make the shift go smoothly. I think we try it at first and see "wow this is taking way too much of my time" so we quit before we actually see if in the long run our time would be cut back or our students would benefit so much more from this than our traditional way that we are comfortable with.

That same feeling came over me this week as we passed out the student iPads to my fourth grade class. I felt that we were so behind because we were having to review this and teach this and I thought to myself "this is taking forever - we just don't have time for this" but then realized that I have to take this time to let them get adjusted. This is new to them and its new to me in the way I'm teaching. It won't happen overnight. I had to think of all the great features and collaboration that would come from taking our time now.

So how can we make the shift possible? We have to remember that none of us got on our bike for the first time without training wheels and rode for miles. We have to remember that none of us hit the winning homerun at our first baseball game and that none of us learned to use a computer in an hour.

The shift is possible if we remember it won't happen immediately but it is coming whether we like it or not.

Just wanted to share this video that our district made to explain why our 1:1 movement is so important.There are some rather shocking statistics! 

Master's Degree!

Today begins an exciting adventure as I begin my road to an Educational Technology Master's Degree! Here we go!