Reflection

This has been a very interesting class.  I learned a lot!  I liked how we were not just exposed to a variety of tools but we were expected to use them.  I have begun using Diigo at school and in my personal life to gather information from sites that I want to visit again. Now if I could only figure out how to do that in my car when I hear something interesting on NPR.  I know, I know just go to their website, it’s not the same. I would have to say, my comfort level for blogging has increased ten-fold.  I am looking forward to using this technology with my parents at school as I think it would be great for them.

This course also opened my eyes to the number of people with amazing ideas who blog on a regular basis.  I am thoroughly impressed at the amount of time people put into their blogs and how generous they are to share their work.  These ongoing sources of information are a true asset.  I now take information I learn about and share it with my peers and my family too as they also integrate technology into their daily lives.

Thanks for a great course, Harry, Toni and of course Kim.  I look forward to crossing paths with you in the future!

Jenn

Connecting Classrooms Globally

In order to successfully connect to a classroom in a global manner, lots of preparation and planning is needed.  

Students benefit from being connected to others from around the world.  It allows them to learn about the similarities and differences found in their lives.  Understanding and accepting these similarities and differences gives students and all people or more open minded view of the world.  We live in a society that seems to be homogenized, especially in the US.  It’s too easy to think that it actually is the same everywhere or worse to be egocentric enough to think that “our” way is the best/correct way to be.  We need to be able to appreciate how we are different and the perspective of different people to fully understand ourselves.  Conversely, understanding the similarities, especially in what is perceived as very different people helps us realize that we are all the same in many ways too.

Teachers play an important role in this challenge. Many of our schools consist of students with similar backgrounds.  Reaching out to other schools to collaborate together can help our students have a broader perspective on our world.  Teachers can do this in various ways including using examples from a broad range, not just familiar to the teacher and students.  This helps students gain a broader knowledge across subject areas.  Another way teachers can helps students become global citizens is to introduce them to students from across the world.  

 

Projects that connect classrooms using wikis, Skype or other methods are a way to help our students learn about the many aspects of our world.  Davis and Lindsay are the creators of the Flat Classroom Project.  What a great way to link classes together.  Collaboration, communication and problem solving are all important aspects of the CCSS.  Teachers who strategically plan activities and lessons for their students to work on together are giving their students a wonderful opportunity to expand their abilities in these important areas.

It’s important to carefully plan not only the collaborating activities, but also how students will communicate with each other.  These steps are important and will depend on the age of the students and also whether there is a language barrier.

Here are some Web 2.0 tools for successfully designing and participating in a global project.

Ning

Google Apps

Flipboard

Twitter

Google Earth

Skype

Flat Connections

Global Youth Debates

Edmodo

Snagit

Google Translate

Google Hangouts

Global EdCon Smackdown Resources

Global EdCon Schedule

Global EdCon Smackdown Resources

Hosted by Heidi Hutchison a 5th grade teacher in Baltimore

This was really interesting.  There were approximately 16 people participating from all over the world including Honduras, Australia, Mexico and Indonesia.  The session was modeled after the Ed Camp “unconference” idea.

Heidi created a Google Doc and we all linked into it.  At that point, we added our Twitter handle and added links to resources and tools that we wanted to share.

Heidi went down the list and had each of us share ideas about our links.  If you did not have mic capabilities you could just type.  Most people spoke to share their ideas.  Finally, Heidi is going to create a compilation of the resources and tweet them to us.  I will post the tweet here when I get it.

Overall, I felt this was a fun way to collaborate.  I think it would be better, if I knew ahead what the expectations were going to be.  Our district attempted to do a collaboration across the district as part of a early release professional development.  We used sticky notes and then the notes were compiled and supposed to be shared with us at a later date and reviewed by the department chairs.

Math Problem Solving Lesson

So this has been a week of new tools!  I used educatorstudio.com to combine my math problem solving for Kindergarten students with a demo video for my project.  Here is print copy of my lesson plan also.  I was having difficulty accessing educatorstudio.com from other computers so here is the screencast of my lesson. The link to the lesson has been fixed (I hope.)  Thanks Harry for the heads  up!

I hope you enjoy.
Jenn

NETs and CCSS Animoto Video

Here is a link to my Animoto video about NETs and CCSS.  I'm happy I have a trial subscription, this could be a fun resource.

Google Presentation

Here is the Google Presentation that our class created.  This is a great tool for collaboration and it is easy to set preferences for sharing with various audiences i.e. anyone with a link, private, or public.

Google Apps

Change can be difficult...  A few years ago, our district decided to switch our email to Gmail.  At first it was met with much trepidation.  Looking back, I don’t think there is a staff member that could imagine a time when we didn’t use Google.  Gmail was the gateway to using Google Drive.  Again, angst was felt by many (myself included.)  Then I realized that because it was cloud based that organizing our grade level work was going to be so much easier.  I tend to do my planning at home, so I realized quickly that my days of relying on thumb drives and Dropbox were over.

Since then, I have seen how helpful Google Docs, Presentation, Forms, Calendar and Spreadsheet for my work at school.  I will say that as a Kindergarten teacher, that most of my Google work is for planning, implementing and tracking progress of my students.  The students are not at the stage where they are using these tools yet.  I know that the staff at our school uses these tools with the older students to help them organize and share their learning over a variety of platforms.

Here are the results from my Google Survey.  This is the first time I have created a Google Survey myself.  We have used them at school for parental feedback.  After seeing how easy they are to use, I cannot wait to use them with my parents for feedback purposes during the year.  I think I would like to do a survey about the amount of parent/teacher contact that we have.

Four Seasons Survey

While enjoying the beautiful changing weather, I decided to make my survey about the seasons.  I hope you will take my survey about your favorite season.

Favorite Time Of The Year

Technology Integration Matrices

Here is a link to the Technology Integration Matrix Lessons found in my PBWorks wiki space.

Pros and Cons of Social Media

Pros

Kids like technology. Students today are used to being connected on multiple platforms.  

This seems like a natural way for teachers to connect with students and for students to collaborate and connect with each other.   It is also a creative way for students to share their knowledge with teachers and students.

It seems like many people, especially teens are always near their devices.  This is a negative in many ways, but it does allow for quick and frequent access to teens.  If a student is struggling with an assignment or needs clarification, this social network is a way to help guide a student instead of waiting until class the next day.

There is a variety of tools available, some are more social than others.  This diversity allows the teacher to choose a tool that is best aligned to the objectives in the lesson.

Some of the tools listed in our text look very interesting as social media tools.  Ning, SchoolNet Global and Bebo all look interesting and could be a way to link with students across the globe.

Cons

Not all students have access to computers and smart phones.  This could easily divide the class by “haves and have nots.”  Teachers may need to limit the types of assignments given using these platforms if the students themselves do not have the tools.

For the security of the teacher, it’s important to assure that the teachers accounts are separate from personal accounts.  Many districts have policies against social media contact between students and teachers.  This process should be transparent.

I asked my own teen aged kids about their use of social media in class,  Edmodo is used by my kids.  They both feel that it is not a good platform.  They told me that they think the teachers like it because it is like Facebook but that kids today don’t really like Facebook.  They think it is too old fashioned or as I like to say, Facebook jumped the shark.  I personally, think it has great potential for organizing the classroom use of social media. Maybe students could brainstorm ways to use other social media formats if they felt that this was not as helpful to them.

I have heard my daughter note on few occasions that she wished that teachers would not use technology just for the sake of using technology.  The example she gave me was from last year.  She was in English 9 and they were doing a book group.  

The teacher had them split into groups but they were using Edmodo to do their group work instead of discussing the book in the group.  It was a real turn off to some of them.

Link to my Toolbox Wiki

jenn f tool box wiki

please click above

Freeda 3_3 Blog PLN

I chose to follow various types of people in education for this project.  Many of the blogs and Tweets I read were interesting but I wasn’t drawn to their sites.

Jacqui Murray is an editor of technology curriculum and writer. She writes about various topics but the one that is most interesting to me is Inquiry Based education. In her blog post called, "11 Ways to be an Inquiry Based Teacher,"  Jacqui discusses the importance of using an inquiry based approach in education. 

I work at an International Baccalaureate school and we strive to teach using an inquiry based model.  Assessing student learning is more complicated in an Inquiry Based classroom.  Performance based assessments are essential as they allow the students to creatively show their new knowledge.  Many of our education technology tools can facilitate these assessments. Jacqui writes that you can’t just, “all you do is ask questions and observe answers.”  She’s right.  It is a lot more complicated than that. It also means that as the teacher you need to be willing to let go of the control in the classroom or at least, loosen the reigns a bit.  I look forward to following Jacqui Murray through her blog.

Another post from Jacqui Murray, "How the Internet Neighborhood is Like Any Other Community"  discusses digital citizens and how we as educators can help today’s students “thrive in the digital world.” Our students actively learn and share their knowledge using a variety of tools available.  Many of these tools have only recently become available to the students.  These tools will continue to evolve and change.  Our job as technology integrators is to always be abreast to the current tools and to help the classroom teachers integrate their usage into the units.  Murray discusses the importance being risk takers in their learning.  This philosophy blends beautifully with an inquiry based education.

I was drawn to Matt Gomez for a few reasons.  He is a kindergarten teacher and his blog is not only tech friendly but also geared toward the needs of kindergarten students.  We don’t see too many male kindergarten teachers and I find it refreshing that he enjoys working with our youngest students.  "Wonder Journal: First Activity of the Day"  uses Wonderopolis.com   is one of the sources Matt uses for his Wonder of the Day.  This quick activity completed as arrival work gives the students an opportunity to stop and wonder about the image posted.  

An example from Wonderopolis.com

He notes that some times the discussions spurred by these “wonders” is the beginning of   a group inquiry.  The parents can also link to the site if they are interested also.  As an IB teacher, we are encouraged to use provocations at the beginning of our units to help engage the students in the topic we are learning about.  This is a great example of that.  I can’t wait to try this with my class!

In another post from Gomez, he posted a link to an article from Teach Thought called “How Deductive Thinking Can Drive Student-Designed Research.”  There is a big push in our district to increase the frequency of research done by students.  

Greenwich Public Schools Research Cycle Grades K-2

I found it interesting that our lower grade students were more likely to do short term multiple inquiries and research while the older students began working on larger projects but less frequently.  Our media and research department is in the process of encouraging the upper grades to follow the practices of the lower grades.  This article spelled out the basic steps to effectively researching a topic with students.

Seeing the effect that multiple resources can have on my ability to teach, I am looking forward to completing my PLN.  This is a great way to further delve into subject areas that both directly and indirectly effect how I teach and how students learn.

Freeda Blog 2-2

Did you ever just “Google” your name or that of a friend? It is startling the amount of information that is available with just the click of a mouse. It would be easy to be paranoid about what is available. Intelius “knows” that I’m a Libra.

Spokeo posts a Google Earth picture of my house. If I use my Google Maps on my phone in the house, and I move around the house, the blue dot moves to different locations around my house. I know in our SNHU classes we have taken steps to protect our privacy as much as we can in an online class format i.e. using first names and last initials for blogs etc. it’s important to protect our privacy as much as possible. I think as educators, we need to stress the importance of maintaining that privacy. Young adults and kids too, do not seem to value their privacy and some are learning the hard way that it is easy to be violated.

 Here’s a story from last week’s New York Times. As teachers, we have a very important role in helping students become good digital citizens. First we need to keep them safe in school, using only first names, making sure we have parental permission to use their names etc on the internet. We also need to educate the students and their parents about the safe use policies outlined by the school district. These policies help our students not only learn how to keep their privacy, but also learn how to effectively use online tools and research in a way that is developmentally appropriate for the students. This is an on going process that evolves as the students grow and mature. I think it’s important to stress that the parents need to be active in this process also. I think it’s important for any student who is using the computer with internet access to begin to hear about being a good digital citizen. Children need to know what to do when a pop up ad comes on the screen that may be inappropriate.

 They need to learn not to hide it because they think they will be in trouble. Schools are fairly good about filtering but we the children are still on the computers at home. Many times there is not an adult just standing there, like there would be in a computer lab. Children need to know what to do to keep themselves safe and use the technology most effectively.

Freeda Blog 1-3

Through the past SNHU courses, I have firmed up my understanding of the importance of technology in the school setting. One of the “aha!” moments that made me really open my eyes to the shift in educational technology was that technology doesn’t have to be about the hardware but more about the programs available and most importantly how those programs can be used by students and teachers working together, to creatively solve problems and express their new knowledge in what could be seen as a non traditional way. (e.g. It’s not necessary to write a book report to show your understanding of a book, when you can create a movie trailer to share with your class that creatively shows your understanding and comprehension.) iMovie is a great tool for creating videos.  This a collaborative way for students to create a movie trailer, sequel or prequel aligned to a book read in class.  In Social Studies, students could reenact famous moments in history or use it as a way to illustrate a landmark court case.

 I think the role of the technology integration specialist is to collaborate with the teachers, administration and parents to share ideas that enhance the curriculum and to support them in a way that allows teachers and students creatively express themselves. I think that today’s students are exposed earlier to technology than ever before.

My friend who is a pediatrician said that he sees more and more children as young as 18 months, independently operating a smart phone or iPad, including turning it on, paging through the pages of apps and launching the preferred apps all while sitting on their mother’s lap. Even our pets are getting into iPads.  Cats used to be content chasing the mouse on the desk top computer (preferable while you were trying to meet a tight deadline.)  Now they have their own apps and websites.

As a kindergarten teacher I see students who are not playing , yes, just playing the same way anymore. We play everyday in my classroom.  Blocks, paint, kitchen area, trains, art supplies, legos, magnets etc.  I make a point of not using the computers because they need the social interactions and lessons that they learn from that. As a teacher, I use technology more in class now than ever. I have a Smart board in my classroom which is used daily. We visit the computer lab weekly. At this point of the year, I am working on mouse control. This is especially important because many of our students do not use a mouse. I use a variety of programs for mouse control including Bees and Honey. Okay, so it’s not as addicting as, let’s say... Dots! but the kids love it.

The more comfortable the teachers are with technology, the more likely they are to integrate it into their lessons. This is my second year with a Smart board. The best thing that happened was that I attended a Smart Board training session right after getting my board, which gave me a few ways to implement it’s use into my classroom routine. The kids love having a larger than life computer in the classroom. An example, today 2 students asked me to find a photo of the Titanic. They had been making Titanic ships out of legos and wanted to check a picture. While we were looking, I told them about Bob Ballard and his work in ocean exploration. We then went to a website and looked at images of Titanic exploration. As you can probably imagine, I was not teaching about the HMS Titanic today in kindergarten but it was a great opportunity for me to research with my students. I look forward to hearing what else piques their interest.