Final Project

I did not actually do this entire lesson plan with any students, but it is a framework for projects that will be coming up after the holidays and winter break.

Final Lesson Plan

I hope this fulfills the requirements as you expected.

Betsy

week 8 - post 2

This is the lesson I used from the Florida Technology Matrix:
 http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/lessons/constructive_infusion_socialstudies.php

I was somewhat disappointed at the lack of details in the lesson plan provided. Students are using the internet and Google Earth in order to understand the continental features of the continent on which they will be creating a new country. After doing the research and taking notes in Inspiration that are uploaded to Think.com, a Powerpoint presentation will be created to try to persuade others to visit their new country. The standards were not readily available. While it would be easy to replicate in theory, it would be tedious having to create the groundwork and organizers necessary. It does seem that the students are engaged as most students are when they are creating something of their own design. I did not take note of a hook but for my own use, I would use the picture book, Weslandia, by Paul Fleischman as my intro to the topic. I did not find Florida's website particularly helpful but it might be more useful if I had a more specific focus of what I was looking for.

This is the lesson I used from the Arizona Technology Matrix:
http://www.azk12.org/tim/technology-integration-matrix-constructive-infusion-lesson-k-4.php

I was very impressed by the amount of information provided by the Arizona site from the general information about the matrix to the matrix itself and on to the individual lesson. The lesson I chose was the Arizona road trip where students chose a city in Arizona to visit and had to plan the road trip including the route to take, mileage, expenses, points of interest, geographical information about the city which is all put together and presented to an audience. The lesson plan provided details the standards met including State Content Standards for Social Studies, Common Core State Standards in Math and Arizona Educational Technology Standards.

Strand 4: Geography

1. Concept 1: The World in Spatial Terms
1. PO 1: Use different types of maps to solve problems (i.e., road map-distance, resource maps-products, historical maps-boundaries, thematic map-climates).
2. PO 7: Locate physical and human features in Arizona using maps, illustrations, or images:
1. physical (e.g., Grand Canyon, Mogollon Rim, Colorado River, Gila River, Salt River)
2. human (e.g., Phoenix, Yuma, Flagstaff, Tucson, Prescott, Hoover Dam, Roosevelt Dam)
2. Concept 2: Places and Regions
1. PO 3: Locate the landform regions of Arizona (plateau, mountain, desert) on a map.
1. Strand 5: Economics
1. Concept 1: Foundations of Economics
1. PO 1: Explain the decision for a personal spending choice.

Commom Core State Standards: Math
Mathematical Practices
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
4.MP.1
Solve problems involving measurement and conversion of measurements from a larger unit to a smaller unit.
4.MD.2
Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale.
Represent and interpret data.
4.MD.4
Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions by using information presented in line plots.
Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems.
4.OA.3
Solve multi-step word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.

Arizona Educational Technology Standards (2009)
Strand 1: Creativity and Innovation

1. Concept 1: Knowledge and Ideas
1. PO 1: Evaluate information to generate ideas and processes.
2. Concept 4: Original Works
1. PO 1: Analyze information using digital creativity tools to create original works and express ideas.
2. PO 2: Use digital collaborative tools to analyze information to produce original works and express ideas.

Strand 2: Communication and Collaboration:

1. Concept 1: Effective Communications and Digital Interactions
1. PO 1: Communicate digitally with others by selecting and using a variety of appropriate communication tools.
2. Concept 2: Digital Solutions
1. PO 1: Contribute to a cooperative learning project and demonstrate effective group behaviors while using digital collaborative resources.

Strand 3: Research and Information Literacy

1. Concept 1: Planning
1. PO 1: Determine key words for use in information searches.
2. Concept 2: Processing
1. PO 5: Follow copyright laws when using text, images, videos and/or other sources and obtain permission to use the work of others, and cite resources appropriately.

Strand 4: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Decision Making

1. Concept 2: Exploring Solutions
1. PO 1: Manage a learning project using digital planning tools to develop solutions.

Strand 6: Technology Operations and Concepts

1. Concept 2: Application
1. PO 3: Use a spreadsheet to record, organize, and graph information.
2. PO 4: Perform simple searches of existing databases.
3. PO 5: Create multimedia presentations with multiple pages, audio, and transitions for individual assignments.
4. PO 6: Download, store, and accurately cite web resources.

The lesson appears to be well-documented which makes it look much easier to replicate. It seems that a lack of a class set of computers would not impair this lesson in the least as there are several different stages to be completed that do not all require constant computer access. They appear to be engaged, but I'm not sure if my students would have that same enthusiasm given that most of them would have a very slim chance of taking any road trips. I think this website is much more useful and user-friendly and I could definitely see myself connecting activities I want to do with what they have as a way to increase the rigor of my activities without removing the fun or creativity.

Both websites provided examples of project-based learning. The students need to complete the steps along the way to be able to produce the presentation/reflection required at the end.

week 8 post 1

The Connected Educator Month (CEM) was originally developed by the United State Department of Education. CEM was created as part of the Connected Educators Initiative in 2012. This is a valuable asset in that the opportunities are focused and time-sensitive so you are less likely to be slogging through unrelated information and challenged to "do it now" since you are just looking at the month.
Having forums and open houses available provides networking and professional development opportunities. The handy starter kit outlines lots of resources and challenges to get even the most tech-savvy teacher connecting in a deeper and richer way. I haven't had the resources (time, access, etc.) to take advantage of the starter kit but I do know that I want to go back through paying special attention to the information on Twitter, hashtags, digital storytelling, and Voicethread. In my mind, it is important to review what we already know because while we are learning, it is impossible to absorb everything. By "relearning" what we know, we often can make new connections and find great meaning in the information than when we first went through. This is also true of my college career. Though I feel very comfortable with technology in the classroom, it is my duty to myself and my future students to take every advantage to learn more and connect that knowledge better through repeated exposure to related instruction.

In the upcoming weeks, I intend to learn how to better manage my Twitter connections and how to put hashtags to work for me. I am interested in checking out  Alan Levine's 50+ Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story while looking into the 5x5 project and checking on how to use that in my classroom. I plan to keep updating my blog on my school website despite the unnecessary requirement that my supervisor approve all blog posts beforehand. I feel strongly that my words are my words and having someone else exercise editorial privilege to change those words takes the "ME" out of my posts but I will do so to maintain employment, always remembering how it feels and striving to allow my students to maintain their "ME" when it comes to assignments. Collaborating with Google Docs or using Voicethread are thwarted by the lack of technology to have everyone online at once but I will investigate how to overcome that obstacle to provide my students with the ability to be connected even though Connected Educator Month has ended.

Lastly, I will search out opportunities to connect with others to strengthen my abilities as a connected educator while seeking new areas in which my abilities will be able to shine. October 2015 will find me connected to the community as the next Connected Educator Month takes off!

Final Class Reflection

Before I started this course, I was pretty comfortable with using technology in the classroom but I wanted to learn how to complete the connection to become a more-seamless entity than just "everyone take out your iPads and click on this app" or "please gather around the Smartboard." I have learned of different apps and practiced different ways to collaborate in a different environment than I am used to since using technology as a teacher or co-worker can be very different than using it as a student. I will try to integrate technology into activities rather than just having a few activities that use technology. In some ways I have made great leaps, for example, at the beginning, I used my Smartboard as a projection screen and that's it. Now it is a note pad, projector, management tool, information gatherer, and so much more. I am really looking forward to taking the time to stretch my uses of the Smartboard in my classes while being very aware of the need to give students time to practice with new tools so they can become comfortable with their use and expand their knowledge of what can be done. While my skills are advancing by leaps and bounds, my utilization has stagnated a little because of the lack of dependable technology available in my classroom (the library.) I need to plan in even more detail given that I need to either book the netbook cart (provided no one else needs it) or have the older grades come with their iPads. I could have them bring them every time but I think it might be a distraction if they had them and ended up not using them. I've also learned that just because you use technology, doesn't mean it will work for every student. I love WIKIs and was very excited when I learned that this course would use the WIKI but as the course progressed I found that the format was not free-flowing or user-friendly for me. Just an example of how we need to make sure that the way we use technology makes learning richer for our students. Now to reflect on the course objectives individually!

• Provide instruction and modeling regarding digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.
• I strive to use positive digital interactions personally and when demonstrating technology to my students. I have used Google docs and forms at work and with students both as an initiator of the doc/form and as a collaborator with teammates, co-workers, and administration. We are preparing to begin our journey on the website evaluation lessons. 
• Promote and demonstrate effective use of digital tools and resources. Familiarize students with Web2.0 tools that may be used professionally or within the classroom environment to establish deeper learning experiences through proper curricular standard driven development.
• I began this school year with a Prezi to introduce myself to my students. At one point I included an Animoto video as well. I have a website to keep parents informed of happenings in the library including a blog and a links page. I introduced my 5th grade students to using Pebblego electronic database by modeling how to get into the database and how to navigate the information. I have also used several links for online shelving/book order games that the students enjoy using that reinforce information we have discussed in class.
• Become familiar with current technology issues, trends and technology use within the K- 12 environment. Discuss how technology use impacts student learning outcomes.
• In our school, the 5th and 6th graders have iPads which seems like a great thing until you have them bring them to Library and find that 20% of the students have lost the privilege of using their iPads and you have to scramble to find an alternative device/activity or pair them with someone else which reduces the effectiveness of the lesson since the students without iPads are not the most responsible and tend to fool around and distract others rather than work in pairs effectively. Our district does not allow for personal devices to be connected to the network so that limits the devices available to only those provided by the school. One cart of netbooks is available for all classrooms to use. Right now they are not updated or used very much but as the year goes on I've been told that the cart will be in high demand and I shouldn't count on having access which limits the activities I can do as a whole class. I can do smaller group activities with computers as a center but the logistics make it difficult to run a group on one side of the library (with the tables and Smartboard) while the computer group is completely around the corner. 
• Design and implement digitally-based learning experiences with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments
• As part of the Student Learning Objectives of my Unified Arts team, we are focusing on area-specific vocabulary. I will be using online games to review the words before assigning a scavenger hunt as a formative assessment. 
• Because of the lack of technology available, I am using electronic resources in research sparingly but I have created a source-citing activity that has students find the answers in different sources with only one fact being allowed from the site available on the Smartboard. I am stressing that they can use the online resource to find all the information but they must back it up with print resources. That activity will be completed by 5th graders and they will have their iPads with them to record EasyBib entries to create a works cited page.
• Establish a core personal learning network of technology leaders to follow. Utilize this new network of educators as personal professional development.
• I have brainstormed with other teachers who are more adept with Smartboard technology as well as attending Smartboard training through school.
• I have debriefed with our TI specialist on how to better integrate iPad or netbook use into specific lessons and those discussions help provide broad general ideas that inform other lessons and activities.
• I have joined several email lists that provide support when I have questions and attend webinars whenever possible given time and internet access constraints.
• Part of the purchased curriculum includes technology activities and I am trying to find ways to make everything work together for my classes.
• Use knowledge of digital tools and technology applications to facilitate experiences that advance learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
• I have had wonderful experiences in using comic strip creation as a summative assessment in other groups and look forward to being able to find ways to include blogging, comic strips, and other presentation options once I overcome the challenges of the physical technology shortfalls.
• Evaluate, adapt, and reflect on emerging tools and trends by participating in local and global learning communities and by reviewing current research and professional literature.
• I am looking at Skype as a way to bring an author into the classroom and hope to attend technology conferences in the spring.

Overall, I can incorporate technology into my lessons and prefer to have activities using technology on a regular basis. I feel like my hands are tied in this position in that regard since there is not much technology available below the 5th grade for a whole class to use on a regular basis, but that doesn't mean I don't dream of how to incorporate it. One way is to have different activities that support each other where one uses technology and the others don't or to have stages where planning, review, evaluation, etc. occur away from the computers to allow a rotation of resources. Anyone coming to observe me over a period of time will see me using my Smartboard on a daily basis as a message board, notepad, and/or activity center while striving to include student interaction with technology as often as possibly able.

week 7 post 2 - Digital Citizenship reflection

I've been involved in teaching digital citizenship for several years to different age groups in different settings. Usually I use Netsmartz videos that inform the discussion that follows. I think the most surprising thing that occurred during those times is when I was working with the high school students at the Boys & Girls Club. We were discussing the fact that not everyone is who he/she says they are and one of the older boys said that all the teenage girls that contact him online are really teenage girls. When I asked him how he knew for sure, I saw the light go on for him and I hope he looked at each contact with a little more discretion and cynicism after that. I need to make sure that I do not assume that students understand how be positive digital citizens and explicitly review how to be careful online before initiating activities online. I also need to limit the sites they go to and monitor any interactions that I have them initiate for collaboration. When I do have a position that involves a full computer lab, I will utilize Netsmartz curriculum for all the grades I teach each year. If they complain that they've done it before, I will use the analogy of speed limit signs that remind us of what our speed should be even though we may have been driving for many years. Successful completion will be required before allowing students to access any sites not directly linked to school websites, participating in blogging projects, or collaborating online with anyone outside the Google apps for the school itself. Having a Google survey about digital citizenship is very enlightening after lessons to see if the students really understand what has been presented. I would also have older students create a product that would help younger students understand the issues. Many of the documentaries I've viewed stress the fact that we need to model proper digital citizenship behaviors because regardless of what students are taught in school, if they are watching the adults in their lives download music illegally or borrow pictures, etc. without giving proper credit then they will think that it is ok to ignore what they've been taught. It always surprises me to see how casual people are about downloading illegally and how little people understand copyright when it comes to legally purchasing and then making copies to share. In essence, digital citizenship is like every other value we teach, everyone is responsible to teach, model, and support students in and out of the school setting reinforcing the importance of using positive citizenship skills at all times even when not being observed. I've Googled myself before and am blessed that there is a very famous environmentalist by the same name that takes up the first few pages. When I  Pipled (pipl.com) myself, there were lots of sites that came up along with addresses/phones new and old but no photos/videos showed for me. While I do post videos on Youtube so I can share with family and friends (or download for school) I use an unlisted setting. I am very careful about which posts I like on Facebook being aware that my likes add depth to my digital footprint and my Facebook profile. As far as the 9 Elements of digital citizenship go, I think they all need to be taught in a spiral with everything being introduced in the earliest years and each element being elaborated on as the years go on with the older grades creating projects that demonstrate understanding while providing materials for the younger grades to use in their investigations.

week 7 post 1 - Digital Citizenship Prezi

Here is my Prezi created to present the topic of Digital Citizenship to a mixed group of adults.

http://prezi.com/0b-4iu84tn_q/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Enjoy!

week 5 - podcast

This is the Week 5 podcast - midterm reflection. 

I used a voice recorder app on my phone to create this, due to lack of consistent access to the Internet and then converted it from a .m4a to a .wmv file and uploaded it to Youtube because it was not able to embedded as is. I have embedded the Youtube version above. The podcast is also available at: http://youtu.be/SISG-bWiGts.

webinar post

Webinar Review

attended: Keeping Libraries Relevant sponsored by Rourke Educational Media

http://www.slj.com/2014/10/webcasts/keeping-libraries-relevant-using-technology-%E2%80%A2-understanding-informational-text-%E2%80%A2-improving-literacy/

This webinar was really a sales tool to promote Rourke Educational Media's eRead & Report learning system: http://rourkeeducationalmedia.com/programs/elearning/eread-and-report

That being said, there was still lots of relevant and interesting general information presented such as the importance of covers in choosing texts and how to incorporate ebooks into your library. The webinar started with a discussion of the shifts in education with librarians becoming a disposable and non-essential resource. Their advise is to be PART of the school initiatives not just a support to them. Help shape them and make sure that the library is seen as critical to reaching those goals. Critical to choosing text is the images available. It was commented that we tend to "pin" things based on the visual image that attracts our interest before reading the text. Examples include recipes where we are engaged by the picture before we read the recipe itself or video games where the picture on the front attracts you to investigate the information about the game on the back. It works the same for books because the covers catch the reader's eye and becomes the face of the book providing instantaneous information. These cover clues about genre, subject, and tone may be lost on ebooks if the best sources are not utilized.

When talking about the format of a book, it was advised that visuals, heading, and sidebars should expand not just reiterate what is already in the text. The importance of photographs was made clear when describing a class in Florida and a discussion on snow. Because they had no personal experience, seeing real pictures helped them to internalize the information. When we talk about what books to bring in to libraries, it is important to crash team meetings to find out what the curriculum focuses are and to evaluate how we as librarians can help students with the classroom learning. We should look at major projects and practice research skills both in print and Internet resources.

Some of the advantages of ebooks include addressing struggling, reluctant and English language learner needs, as well as, helping students with special needs. When we make ebooks available, it is important to look at how we are advertising them and how students and teachers can access them. It would also be wise to create a video presentation of some sort that shows what ebooks in the classroom would look like. They provided 5 simple rules for technology success for Library Media Specialists which include: avoiding apps which must be updated regularly, knowing your IT person for professional advice, taking advantage of direct linking through your library automation system, avoiding annual or renewal licenses in case funding dries up, and having access to usage statistics to provide data on the successful engagement of students with the resources.

This was an interesting topic for me because we do not typically purchase access to any electronic resources which means our teachers need to work harder to vet sources and compile hotlists for student use. While our 5th and 6th graders all have ipads and there is a netbook cart available to other grades, I don't believe there is much of a selection of ebooks available to them through the schools. I would really like to add more electronic resources but with the current automation system we have, we would not be able to have direct links for easy access, but that might be another talking point for investing in a more technologically savvy system. I will definitely be watching for how the whole picture books and portable technology connection goes and what devices are developed or suggested.

Here are some more resources on this topic: http://www.slj.com/category/books-media/ebooks/, http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/article/ebooks-and-school-libraries, http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/computers.html, and http://conference.ifla.org/past-wlic/2011/143-doiron-en.pdf.

I have been attending webinars for several years now and especially enjoy those that are recorded to be played back later. That versatility allows me to fit more into my schedule. I do not make many comments during live webinars so losing that ability during a replay is not an issue for me. I think the plethora of free, relevant webinars are great professional development opportunities that do not require creating sub plans and traveling and save people and schools lots of money while providing up-to-date learning opportunities. I chose this webinar from those offered by School Library Journal because I am interested in how to include more technology in my school library. This webinar pertained to course objectives 2, 3, 6, and 7.

• 2. Promote and demonstrate effective use of digital tools and resources - This webinar provided advice and examples of how to use/choose ebooks for schools
• 3. Become familiar with current technology issues, trends and technology use - Discussion of what to keep in mind when looking for ebooks for schools.
• 6. Use knowledge of digital tools and technology application to facilitate experiences that advance learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments - I do have some experience with ebooks on a personal level so the information provided enhanced my understanding and provided relevant information for moving forward with the topic.
• 7. Evaluate, adapt, and reflect on emerging tools and trends by participating in local and global learning communities and by reviewing current research and professional literature - Four presenters that were not in the same physical location as myself or each other came together through technology to present different viewpoints and experiences in one place at one time to help me better understand how ebooks can be utilized in a school library.
  

I hope that this information has started a discussion strand in my professional learning that will provide better learning opportunities for the students I serve.

week 4 - popplet

This was a fun experience with a new tool!
I hope you find my popplet informative and helpful.

 

Just in case the embedding doesn't work correctly - here is the URL to see my popplet
http://popplet.com/app/#/2183206

week 4 - post 1: PBS video feedback

After watching DIGITAL MEDIA - NEW LEARNERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY, produced by PBS and originally aired on 02/13/2011, I found it interesting that the comparison of 20th century learning (being told what to know, memorization) to 21st century learning (navigation, trust, creativity) had very little to do with the tools of technology and everything to do with how we think and who controls our methods of learning. If literacy is based on technology available, as proposed by one of the speakers, then being able to read and write, while still necessary, will no longer be the ultimate cornerstone to determine ability but we will instead by judged based on the ability to navigate and evaluate constantly changing information. 

The section on the Quest to Learn educational program made several insightful connections between gaming which is seen as play and real-life educational experiences that move students forward:

• game design requires attention to user needs which is customer service practical experience
• gaming requires trial and error rather than being given the answer and often there are multiple ways to reach the end
• the game projects start with structured guiding questions very similar to project creation in work environments
• translation skills as stories are used to inspire games
• breaking down complex problems into smaller steps to solve
• a game is simply a set of problems that you must solve to win
• the product of a research project could be a collectible deck of cards like Pokemon
• learning and assessment are one and the same because you can't get to the next level unless you have learned the previous level so independent assessment is unnecessary

At 15:00, there is a very good discussion of the concerns about students spending too much time online or on games to the point of becoming addicted. The speaker compares the impression of someone who stays up late reading, practicing for drama club, or working out to be better at sports is considered "dedicated' because society values those activities while someone who spends a lot of time gaming or on the Internet is considered "addicted" because those activities are not seen as being of value. He also mentioned that we often fail to see depression as a cause and try to label the symptoms as an addiction. I think this is a very important discussion to have as we incorporate more integration of technology into our students' school lives.

I thought it was great that the Digital Youth Network started as an afterschool program and then became an in-school offering which led to a dedicated space in the local library. They also made some great points about giving access to tools to help youth find productive outlets for their energy and time. Being able to create projects and portfolios that will translate into assessments and products for use in adult life is a benefit to technology. No one wants to see your test papers but authentic products created in school can be helpful. There was a very insightful commentary on the claim that "digital media is killing reading and writing" which turned that focus to the fact that the ecology of literacy is changing with different practices and different products that mask the extent of the reading and writing that is really going on. We see the digital output but reading and writing underlie every step to get to that digital output.

With the Smithsonian Institute scavenger hunt, it was interesting that they mentioned that students pay more attention to the details of the artifacts because they are creating the quest. It is also important to note that by using mobile resources, museum assets can be available to more people and more groups who might not be able to visit the museum in person thus expanding the audience of the institution.

Mobile learning allows students to move from consumption of information to production of information and on to participation in the information while taking advantage of the collective learning by being at once both student and teacher to peers in the collective. Using chats and online communication in the classroom allows the student who doesn't feel comfortable taking part in class discussions to add their voice to the online discussion. It also moves the learning process from a very linear (student - teacher - student) process where no one else is involved to a much more web-like structure where what the student produces is seen, commented on, and absorbed by others so that everyone gains in the process.

Animoto

Animoto is a very interactive tool that students love to use! I can make that statement because I've seen teachers use it and witnessed first-hand how many videos my own 3rd grade daughter made from pictures of their field trip to see the Fisher Cats. There are two major difficulties: accessing pictures and accessing published videos. It can be a challenge for students to use their own pictures because they need to have access to them regardless of the computer on which they are stored. This is a great opportunity to use dropbox or google drive. Having students using iPads or digital cameras to take their pictures would require planning for how the pictures would be accessible from different hardware. So this is not really an obstacle that can't be overcome, but simply an item that needs a little advanced planning. Regarding the access, when students are working on these at school, they want to be able to share them with friends and family away from school. I haven't dealt with this part yet but do understand that as a teacher allowing my students to create these videos, I need to understand the access options available before starting this process with my students who will be very excited and proud of their creations.

Here is my creation in progress: https://animoto.com/play/V7jr11q7Brb6twzHm1AlSA. I have published with gaps in what I wanted simply because I can't get the images I want right now.

Week 3 - Integration my way

When I introduced myself to my students (all 289 of them in 17 different classes from pre-K through 6^th grade) I first made a list of what I wanted to share with them about myself. Then I looked at where I could add an visual component and as the images came to life I moved from my thought of a Powerpoint to a Prezi to add movement to my images and provide a “pretty” backdrop. That backdrop inspired me to add an animoto video (rather than just a series or collage of pictures) and some animation to a section while a relevant audio piece was being shared. The audio and video each enhanced the other and had the kids sitting up and taking notice of that section. I still had “slides” that contained bulleted lists but I stressed to the kids that those were more for me so I wouldn’t forget anything. http://prezi.com/swweljwaatpx/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

One list contained “what we will do this year” and included a short discussion of finding information and learning how to present it since presentation is the key to sharing information. I used the metaphor of finding something really great and trying to share it with an adult when they are busy doing something else. Almost everyone was able to recall a similar circumstance so when we get to that portion of our “program” I think I will have them interested.

Technology integration to me is having tools to support the objectives of the lessons. Teaching research skills and website evaluation is very difficult without online access and computers for the students to use. Creating videos won’t work without cameras, storage devices, and software for recording and editing footage. But having the technology won’t serve the purpose if the students don’t learn the HOW of doing the tasks. If they don’t know how to take notes or assess the information then having access to information is unnecessary. If they don’t understand story elements then any video created will simply be a recording of life events without a true purpose. I plan to use technology in my lessons as a tool to practice and enhance skills. As a librarian, I like to pick a picture book to use as a stimulus that will drive discussion and investigation of concepts encountered in the book or as a model for us to recreate in our own fashion. For example, All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan will serve as a stimulus to identifying our own places we love and present us with the opportunity to use technology to create a persuasive argument project that will campaign for the places we love.

Another lesson that will start with a book and use technology to create the end product begins with the picture book Baby Bear Counts One. We will look at the concepts in the book: counting book, seasonal changes, habitat, relevant animals. Students will pick a subject of their project and recreate the counting and informational style of the book while using technology for research and book creation.

Both these lessons could be done without technology but students should be able to create more complete projects in less time by using accessible tools. I want to see my lessons and classes move from teacher-dictated to teacher-guided where I put out the question and students discover their own answers and, most importantly, create the meaning that allows them to own, defend, and deepen their beliefs in themselves and their answers.

week 3 - my view of media literacy portals

·  ````My pre-college education occurred pre-Web so using technology in class wasn’t even a glimmer in any teacher’s eye at that point. Teachers used overhead projectors, CHALKboards, and mimeograph copies. As I got into high school, mainframe computers became more common but were still basically a business item and not for use in the classrooms for teaching. Going back to college for education, found me in a more technologically-available environment but it was still pre-Smart Board and pre-Web 2.0. Presentations were designed for Powerpoint and interaction and collaboration were designed into individual activities but still contained within the classroom environment. Any virtual excursions outside the classroom occurred through email and electronic pen pal systems. Research was still done through paper with some searching done in electronic databases, but you had to be at the library to use those resources. This new incarnation of schooling at PSU finds me only setting foot in the campus library twice in a year and that is only to physically borrow texts for some courses. I wouldn’t even be there if they were available online for free or if I could afford to buy the books from an online bookseller like Amazon or Abebooks. I have not met any of my classmates or professors in person unless I already had other dealings outside the college environment with them, so even though I may know what people look like and have learned lots about them through their intros and posts shared through class, I wouldn’t really recognize them if I passed them on the street somewhere. It seems that the bigger our social circles become through technology, the less personal and long-lasting those connections can be. That being said, I loved what Wesch did in his classrooms to create stronger personal connections especially in a class of 200 where you would be lucky to know the name of the person to either side of you and your professor would only know you as a name on the roster.

Wesch says at 19:15 “RSS taught us that information can find US” and that to me is a good thing because I don’t have time to check up on everything and everyone that I want to stay updated with/about. The one problem with that though is the illusion that we are truly informed because we are receiving up-to-date information but it may not be the only information available on the topic because we haven’t subscribed to the RSS feed of other sources with similar or opposing information. http://practicalpedagogy.blogspot.com/2011/06/pros-and-cons-of-as-rss-feedssocial.html blogs about similar issues and this article goes into depth about the pros and cons: http://www.llrx.com/features/rss.htm.

One of the most important messages I take away from the Wesch’s video is the thought that we need to create meaningful connecting and significance for our students. Wesch mentions Cooley’s “Looking Glass Self” (http://www.popularsocialscience.com/2013/05/27/the-looking-glass-self-how-our-self-image-is-shaped-by-society/) and I think that is a very apt correlation. We define ourselves based on how we connect and with whom we connect and without those connections our personal definition may lack the grounding we need to flourish. For myself, I know I am a teacher but because I am not officially a faculty member (I am a specialist!) I feel like an illegitimate staff member. I teach but I’m not a teacher. I fight that image in my mind and it does cause me to take a step back or garner support before moving forward as I would if I felt a legitimate member of the faculty. The more one feels a part of the group, the more secure they feel to contribute to collaborations especially if those contributions include challenges to group ideas. One area where we may feel disconnected is when our students seem more at ease with technology but as Wesch states “there are no natives here” and we can’t assume that students know how to effectively use the media just because they can use it for entertainment.

Wesch demonstrated how to change from a teacher-led, authoritative environment to a collaborative, student-driven, media-rich portal. I hope to incorporate some of his ideas in my own library classes especially in the upper elementary classes. I especially like the idea of students taking notes online in a shared document and filling in a shared vocab list. Both of these reinforce student understanding through collaborative communication as well as providing an assessment tool that can drive the formal testing. Another “innovation” he used was the sandbox that replaced the syllabus. How better to help students create connections and understanding but to have them work together to guide the discussions to answer the essential questions. I want to use that approach, in a modified form, with my upper elementary students as we use a model book, Baby Bear Counts One, to guide our research with the end result being a student-produced counting book that share important scientific information with primary grade students. We will not be quite as online or technology-based  but Wesch says at the end of “A Portal to Media Literacy” that “technology is secondary to collaboration” so we will be focusing on the collaboration with technology as a background element.

Week 2 - Initial thoughts, chapters 1&2

Technology is always an interesting topic for me, probably because of how I started out with technology in high school. Going to a vocational school, we had recent tech - not the latest and greatest, but definitely better than the average kid at home experienced. That being said, we started out with punched cards and everyone was really excited to get an IBM Model 36 which allowed for "online" entry. Imagine how frustrating it was for us to have to wait our turn to run our programs and if something didn't work then you had to get back in line to test the fix! Looking back, we had an infinite amount of patience. This is something today's technology doesn't foster in kids. But we must utilize our patience now as I need to step away and will return with a fully realized blog entry.

Okay, so after a few days where the juices were simmering, I am back to try to finish this blog entry. I found the Venn diagram from p.13 of The Connected Educator by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Lani Ritter Hall very interesting especially given that our school has instituted a month-long focus on cooperation. We are also looking at using cooperation as a standard for grades (alongside skill) that would encompass cooperation, attitude, and effort, but is it cooperation we need to encourage or would it be more valuable to model and reinforce collaborative efforts? I think it will take some dedicated thinking on that one!

I think the "Did you know?" presentations on the evolution of technology amazes young people who have seen many types of new technology as basic and universal only to find that, if they had been born a few short years earlier, the new technology is in fact very recent in relation to the technology field as a whole. Older persons have had more experience with the speed of evolution in technology and are less amazed and sometimes much more dismayed at the speed things change, realizing that not all changes are completely positive. Yes our students can do research 24/7 from almost anywhere and yes they can participate in social networking, but do they play together as part of in-person social events or experience the world to make their own discoveries? This is not a new concern as evinced by this NY Times article from 2010: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/fashion/02BEST.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 or this Huffington Post article from late-2011: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/09/children-texting-technology-social-skills_n_1137570.html or even this article from the journal Children and Computer Technology from back in 2000: http://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=45&articleid=205&sectionid=1342. People have been asking and researching these questions for decades, but the emphasis on technology never really loses any steam in this world where STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) is the buzzword that gets people looking towards the future without truly seeing the present as it stands.

It will be interesting to see where technology takes us in the education field, who drives the bus, and how well equipped our students are at the start, during, and after the trip.

Week 2 - Here to there and back again

KWL - Great learning starts with examining what we already Know, looking at what we Want to learn, and then reflecting on what was actually Learned.

K - I already know that using technology in the classroom is essential not only for creating interactive activities but for engaging today's fast-paced learners. I've used passive technology such as Prezi and Powerpoint to present information to my students. This engaged them in that I could include image movement, video, and sound, but the students still sat and listened/watched. Granted, they were more engaged than if I had been lecturing or having them follow along in a textbook, but they still weren't excited beyond belief to be in my room. About 10 days ago, I realized that my new position came with a great gift for my teaching career. Until that fateful moment, I had never been fully-oriented as to what a Smart Board could do, let alone taught how to do it. It was at that instant that I was blessed with the realization that the Smart Board in my library was a TOUCHSCREEN! I probably felt the same way about the leap in technology that I felt in high school when we switched from a punched card IBM System 3 Model 10 to the dedicated terminals of the IBM System 36. It might not seem like much of a leap from an outsider but when you've been working with less powerful technology, the gift of advancement is a very big deal!

W - So now I want to know how to utilize it more fully and how to step back from driving the lessons to let the kids use the technology to uncover the answers we are working on as a class. While personal learning and use of the technology is a great goal for me, it is self-centered to think in those terms. Instead I need to learn how to take advantage of technology to create an environment where students can sharpen their skills of self-directed learning so they become the life-long learners that educators want to nurture in our schools. I need to learn how to promote technology for my students while still ensuring (to the best of my ability) that my students are learning in safe environments. While helping marry student learning and technology, I need to be aware of possible disparities between what I'm teaching and the home environment, finding ways to include families in this adventure so my students have a stronger and wider professional learning network. After all, students are professional learners just by the act of being in school and if we foster that attitude that learning is an important accomplishment throughout life, then we increase the chances of learning occurring beyond the walls of our classrooms.

L - I hope that my final reflection at the end of the term will include successful strides towards creating integrative lessons utilizing student-led use of technology to generate successful learning experiences that will promote positive educational interactions proving a solid foundation for my students' futures. I expect to find that the experiences are safe and positive, building students up and carrying along their home members to share and appreciate the achievements made. At the start of this course, I was using a Prezi to introduce myself to my students, incorporating an Animoto video, audio tracks, and images. Students sat and watched. (Feel free to take a gander at the Prezi: http://prezi.com/swweljwaatpx/learning-about-mrs-damon/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy ) By the end of this course, I want to see students investigating who I am through QR codes, webquests, and making use of research skills that I have taught them because one of my goals for all my students this year is to work on presenting information so that people pay attention to it!