Most creative way to explain Web 2.0 that I have seen so far...

Communication is key

They say that students whose parents are involved in their education do better academically.  As teachers, we want all our students to do their best, achieve academic success.  So how can we help these two worlds to merge for the better of the students?  Communication!  Maintaining an open line of communication between the parents and teachers is most beneficial to student success.

As a parent, I actively seek opportunities to communicate with my children's teachers.  However, there are parents that do not know how to create this line of communication, are more introverted, or even feel intimidated.

As teachers, we must help parents to have this line of communication open to them.  We can do this in notes home, calls home, invitations to events in the classroom or school, through report cards and messages on homework or tests.  We can also be creative in our approach.  The creativity may peak parent's interest in actually reading what is sent home, and involve those that may not have taken interest before.  Also, we can integrate the use of technology into our line of communication with parents.  We can offer email, websites, wikis, polls, and interactive newsletters.

Newsletters are a great tool for communication.  You can make them as specific or as general as you would like.  They can provide essential information, yet encourage communication with the parents to give/get more detailed information.  And another great thing is you can get the students involved in the creation of the newsletter.  By doing this, you are not only getting information home that you think is important, but also information that they have interest in or feel important to share with their parents.  This can serve other purposes.  It can open communications between students and their parents.  Many households have both parents working, and this leaves limited time for parents and their children to interact.  It also involves students in their learning, creating accountability.  Additionally, it offers the students opportunities to use technology for real world applications, and shows parents how the technologies are being used by the students.

As a group project for my Literacy & Technology class, we were to create a newsletter for parents sharing with them information about Classroom 2.0,  and how technology and Web 2.0 tools would be integrated into their child's learning.  We considered several technologies to use for this (all free of course!).  They included Smilebox, LetterPop, and Glogster EDU.  We opted not to use Smilebox because it did not offer the collaboration abilities we were looking for.  And LetterPop did not offer all the interactive abilities we wanted.  We ended up using Glogster EDU; it offered the most of what we were looking for as far as presentation and collaboration.  Here is our final product:

Direct link

Visualizing our thoughts

Have you ever thought out different scenarios in your head to solve a problem?  Do you make notes to yourself to remember things?  Well, there is a tool used in education to visualize concepts, arrange ideas, etc.  It is called Mind Mapping, or Concept Mapping.  Teachers can use it with students to preassess their knowledge about a topic, students can use it to organize their thoughts before a presentation or writing an essay, and it can be used as a review tool before a big test.

There are programs that can be bought, such as Inspiration or Kidspiration.  However, there are also free Web 2.0 tools available such as Webspiration that do pretty much the same thing (and is offered by the same people).

Here is a sample of a mind map I created for a unit on Immigration:

How safe is your computer?

Many people buy programs to protect their computers from viruses and spyware, things that can infect and destroy a computer through accessing the internet.  However, how many parents purposely go out and buy software that will keep their children safe?  Or even set up the security features that are now offered with computers and web browsers?

With all that is out there that children can access, or even view through a pop-up, internet safety is a concern.  As educators, we do not want students viewing inappropriate material.

Internet safety also comes to mind when you talk about chatrooms and social networks.  Is a child being targeted by a bully, or worse, a pedophile?

Usage of the internet needs to be monitored.  Parents and teachers must be aware of the sites children have access to.

Many school systems have integrated filters, allowing specific websites for use by students, and even faculty.  But students still find ways around these filters. 

Educational Origami is a wiki that offers 3 I's of Internet safety: Informed, In View, and Interested.

Besides using the tools available, and being involved when children have access to the internet, teachers can also help students learn the importance of internet safety and proper web use.  Here are some webquests that can help students become more aware and active in their own internet safety:

• Look Before You Log On
• Internet Safety and Netiquette
• Internet Safety
• Internet Safety (Zunal)
• Playing it Safe

What did you do this summer?

This summer I took four more classes toward obtaining my Masters in Education (dual certification in Childhood and Special Education).  It took a lot of time from what I could have spent with my family.  However, I know that as a future teacher, school does not end at the end of June.  Many teachers use their time off in the summer to partake in professional development.

Professional development for teachers can come in many forms.  They can take college courses, attend seminars and workshops, even district -based training.  Now teachers can add using the internet as a way of obtaining professional development.  Many colleges offer online courses.

The best thing that I have found, though, are networking sites that also offer webinars (web-based seminars).  Many of them are offered for free.  They are easy to use, and can provide teachers with skills they may not have had access to otherwise.

My favorite site is Classroom 2.0.  Others that I found useful were Teacher Tap, Integrating Technology (my second favorite), and Tapped In.  I have taken a couple of webinars through Classroom 2.0.  And a very nice feature that they offer is that they email the week's schedule of Live! shows (webinars). 

Classroom 2.0 also offers forums where you can ask questions and get responses from other professionals, links to member blogs (another valuable source of information), in person workshops, and a wiki full of information and links on almost every topic you can think of related to education and teaching.

I strongly recommend any teacher add this to their "box of tricks".

How do you grade...Engrade?

This past week I explored a web-based gradebook called Engrade.  Gone are the days of paper and pencil gradebooks, especially with technology such as this.  Engrade maintains an assignment calendar, gradebook, and attendance book.  It also offers report generation and online messaging between the teacher, the students, and the parents.  You can maintain one, or more classes, in this online tool.  And, best of all, it is private, secure, easy to use, and completely free!

Within the gradebook, features that stood out to me were that you can choose how the grades weigh based on category, what grading scale it is based on (percentage or letter), or that you could manually enter grades.  I created a test class, and the ease of use in creating categories, then assignments, and then posting grades was amazingly simple.  

Within creating the assignments you can also post them to the calendar, assign a due date, and note if it is an extra credit assignment.  When posting grades, you are able to note if the assignment is missing, or if the student was excused from completing that assignment.  And  the reports generated are easy to read and understand.

The attendance function is great as well.  You can use a one or two letter system to maintain attendance records, you can use the suggested letter values, or a combination of the two.  It even provides a seven day week, allowing the system to be used for classes outside the traditional five day week (daycare, alternative schools, etc.). 

The connectivity with parents and students that Engrade allows is wonderful.  They have 24/7 access to the information.  And as long as you as the teacher keep the information up to date, the parents and students will always have current information.

As with any tool, there are some faults, however.  The one that stood out most to me was that the grade and attendance reports cannot be integrated with the program.  You can export the information to Excel and custom generate a report to do so.  However, if you are not fluent in the use of Excel and its report generating function, this can prove difficult.  Another thing is that reports are not customizable within Engrade.  This again raises the issue of exporting to and generating reports within Excel.  Finally, a feature that I have seen in other web-based gradebook tools that this system lacks is the ability to create seating charts.  As a substitute teacher, a seating chart is indispensable.  It helps you identify the students, particularly since you may only be in the class for the day.  It also helps when the teacher provides the direction that the students are to sit in their assigned seats.  How can you ensure this happens without a seating chart?  I have had this happen to me.  As a side note, I have become particularly fond off the seating chart creators that allow you to insert a picture of the student.  You would be amazed the number of students that try to say they are someone else just so they can sit next to their friend.

My Grade for Engrade:  B+

It offers communication with parents and students, but could still use some development in the report functions.

ISD, ADDIE and ASSURE

As a business professional in a prior life, reading the articles about Instructional Systems Design (ISD), and ADDIE and ASSURE (two models for implementing this instructional approach) reminded me of the many training sessions I attended.  The training sessions I felt I walked away from gaining the most useful information were the ones utilizing either of these instructional approaches.

ADDIE is an acronym for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.  Many have criticized this model as being systematic.  I agree with this, unless you are willing to continue this model in a cycle.  What I am saying is...Once evaluation has been made, take it back to the beginning and analyze the information gained from the evaluation to create a better design, or even back to the point of implementation to make adjustments that will result in the evaluation you were looking for.  The instruction cannot stop once evaluation has been made.  The evaluation must bring you and your learner to the next step in understanding.

The ASSURE Model is as follows:

• Analyze learners
• State objectives
• Select instructional methods, media, and materials
• Utilize media and materials
• Require learner participation
• Evaluate and revise

As an educator, you can have an overall lesson you are planning to teach and a general outcome you would like to have your students attain.  However, you must also understand that no two people learn alike.  Using the ASSURE model of instruction will help accomplish that.

Used appropriately, both models will help your students attain higher levels of thinking 

Good vs Bad...Technology, that is

It is the age old conflict of good vs bad, but applied to technology.  I recently read an article, "Nine Rules for Good Technology", by Stephen Downes.  In the article, Mr Downes first addresses the issues of technology literacy among teachers and the need for technology in the classroom.  My understanding is that he feels technology that is useful and user friendly should be available in the classroom, and that teachers must be knowledgeable enough to use that same technology purposefully and easily.  He makes very valid points in the nine rules he lists.  They are as follows:

1. Good Technology is always available
2. Good Technology is always on
3. Good Technology is always connected
4. Good Technology is standardized
5. Good Technology is simple
6. Good Technology doesn't require parts
7. Good Technology is personalized
8. Good Technology is modular
9. Good Technology does what you want it to do

I found the article to be very interesting.  And as a result of reading it, I now find myself referring to this list as I am introduced to new technologies to see how they rank.  The list will be a tool in helping determine what technologies I would like to use in my future classroom.

Watch out Web, Here I come!

I created my first website.  It will used as a resource reference for me during and after my studies.  My vision for it is a place to share the tools, techniques, and information that I gather through my graduate classes.  It is, and may always remain, a work in progress, being added to and updated as the weeks, semesters, and years go by.

I consider creating this website a great accomplishment.  Several years ago I attempted to create a website for a friend of the family.  It was one of the worst experiences I have ever had with technology.  No matter what program or platform I tried to use, I just couldn't get it to work.  I became frustrated, and gave up.  That is very unusual for me.  Typically, when I become frustrated, it makes me even more determined to make it work.  Ok, I admit it, I'm stubborn.

This time around was completely different.  When I saw the assignment, I have to admit, my heart stopped.  I remembered back to my last attempt, and fear came upon me.  This time I worked through it.  And the tools are much more user friendly now.  Technology has advanced so much.  I used Webs to create my site.  Come take a look...but remember, it is a work in progress

Posters, Prezis, and Podcasts

This was such an exciting week of using technology for my Literacy & Technology class.  As usual. there were two individual assignments, one is required while the other is an HA (for High Achievers), and there was a group assignment.

The required individual assignment involved creating a poster for an event, either real or fictional.  I chose to create one for an actual event occurring at my local library related to literacy.  The event is called Books with Boomer.  Boomer, a Golden Lab, is a reading therapy dog.  This event stood out to me as perfect for this assignment because although Boomer is not a new, web-based technology, he does offer an intriguing alternative to the traditional approaches toward literacy.  I did, however, have to integrate technology into to this assignment somehow.  I accomplished this by using Glogster to create the event poster.  Glogster is a different kind of poster.  You can add text, images, music and video to your glog.  Glogster offers "spin-off" for use in the classroom called Glogster EDU.  The ideas for using this in the classroom are flooding my head.  What a creative way to create a listing of class rules, or as an introduction of the class in the beginning of the school year.  Other ideas are for individual projects, introducing a "boring" topic, a way to review before a unit test.  Like I said, the ideas are flooding...

The High Achiever assignment was for those of us willing to take the extra challenge, and explore another type of technology.  It was to create a podcast to share.  Podcasts are an ingenious way for teachers and students to share information.  A teacher can create a podcast of lessons and share them with students, either because they were absent that day or as a tool to review the information taught.  Students can create podcasts as a way of sharing information about a research project (an alternative for those that do not like to speak in front of the class), or share thoughts with another class outside their school (in another city, state or country).  

For my podcast, I actually went a step further and created screencast.  In this form, my viewers get more than just my speaking; they also get a video presentation.  My screencast was a tutorial for using Wallwisher.  I utilized Screencast-O-Matic to create the screencast. 

It was very intimidating at first.  Then I felt uncomfortable talking to myself.  Finally, after several tries, I felt satisfied with my creation.  What is the adage...Practice makes perfect...

The group project for this week was to complete a webquest regarding the theory of knowledge called Constructivism.  We explored the webquest individually, then came together to create three products based on our research: a presentation aide (ie. PowerPoint), a graphic organizer to present the Pros and Cons, and a Science lesson using the 5Es (this is one way of implementing Constructivism into instruction).  These products were to be created either separately or integrated together into the PowerPoint presentation.  With all this new technology we were being exposed to, I was getting tired of using PowerPoint.  I suggested my group explore one of the tools we are learning about as an alternative way to present our information.  My suggestion was to use Prezi.  

Prezi is more than just clicking from one slide of information to another.  You input all of your information into one "slate".  You can add text, images, videos, documents, and shapes.  You can organize similar thoughts, ideas, information, images by grouping them, and them framing them.  For the presentation, you create a path from one entry or frame to another.  The program will them move from step to step, zooming in or out where needed.  It was very fun and easy to use this tool.  And, best of all, it is a free resource.  As a side note, I do suggest viewing their tutorial video first.  It was very helpful in understanding how to use the tools within Prezi.

The Tech Quad and Constructivism on Prezi

Yin and Yang of Technology

I found these two articles that look at "both sides of the coin".  I found them to be quite opposite of each other in nature, though written by the same person.  The first offers Tech Tips for Teachers.  This is a timely find, considering one of the group projects we were recently assigned in class was to create a Literacy Toolkit, that included many of the tools mention in the article.

The other reference a "Luddite" type of retreat from technology.  If you don't know what Luddite refers to (which I didn't until reading this article and then googling it), it refers to those opposed to industrialization, new technologies, computerization, etc.  The term is based upon the Luddites of the 19th Century, which was a social movement among British textile artisans who objected to many of the changes created by the industrial revolution, usually by destroying mechanized looms.

Shift Happens...

My last few blogs have spoken about teaching with technology and how students of today are very different from students of the 20th Century and before.  Due to the evolution of society and business from a local emphasis to a global emphasis, and the prevalence of technology in almost all aspects of life, education has made a shift.  Some are referring to this shift, or change, from Classroom 1.0 to Classroom 2.0.  This is much like the reference to the World Wide Web changing from Web 1.0 and Web 2.0.  Web 2.0 is a more interactive, collaborative, and user-centered.  In the shift to Classroom 2.0, the class becomes more interactive, collaborative, and student-centered.  It creates experiences for the students to learn hands-on, real-world situations.  They learn true skills that they will incorporate into their future careers and lives.  They are our future, both locally and globally.

NETS-S, Could it stand for Not Even Touching the Surface for Students?

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has developed National Educational Technology Standards for students, teachers and administrators.  These standards, particularly for the students, were created to ensure that students will be able to apply the foundational ICT (Information Communications Technology) skills they will need.  These standards pertain to higher order thinking skills and digital citizenship, each of which will be essential for them to live, work and contribute to the global society.

Reading through the standards, I reflect back on each of my experiences in the classroom since I have started my graduate studies.  In my field observations, as well as my experiences as a substitute teacher, I have seen some examples of these standards being implemented in the classroom.  However, if our teachers are expected to implement these standards, and our students to perform accordingly, the tools must be available.  Not only does these mean the availability of the technologies, but also the knowledge, understanding, training and support of the teachers with which to use those technologies.

I look forward to exploring these standards further, and integrating their use with my future classroom.  While I feel all of the standards are significant, I think Digital Citizenship is crucial.  It emphasizes legal and ethical behavior, areas where I feel some students are deficient.

We, as educators, can reach beyond the surface and truly implement these standards for ourselves and for our students so long as we have the desire and resources.

Am I an Immigrant?

For my Curricular Planning class this past spring, I created a wiki for a resource unit plan on Immigration to the United States.  When I hear the word immigrant, I usually think of a person or group of people moving from one area to another.  After reading the article "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" by Marc Prensky, I now understand the term immigrant in another way.  Mr Prensky discusses the differences between the students of today, who have grown up surrounded by technology, and the rest "of us who were not born into the digital world".  He refers to today's students, K through college, as Digital Natives; and those of us who have adopted technology into our lives are referred to as Digital Immigrants.

After reading his article, I am comfortable in being referred to as a Digital Immigrant.  Being an immigrant is not bad.  It means you were willing to take a risk by becoming a part of this other culture.  I enjoy learning about new technologies, particularly as they pertain to education, and in turn sharing this new information with others.

Digital Immigrants

View more presentations from George Hobson.

Not only as a future educator do I believe it is important to learn and understand the technologies available, but I also feel it is important as a parent of Digital Natives.  To ensure the safety of my children, I must stay aware of the technologies they are using, why they are using them, and how they are using them.  It is my duty as an educator and parent to ensure that ethics, etiquette, and responsibility are present when my students and children use the technologies available to them, while productively engaging them in the content.

Can E.T. help me reach my students?

E.T. was able to phone home using a Simon game.  It may not be as simple to reach my students.  Or could it?  Students of today are exposed to technology from the moment they are born.  They have learned to multitask like no other, listening to their iPods while searching the web for information to enter into their blog.  The challenge for teachers today is capturing and maintaining their interest while also providing them with the information they need to know and the skills they need to succeed.  We must be as adept in the technology they use as they are; we must not fear it, but rather use it.

Through my Literacy & Technology course, I am attaining skills, knowledge, and powerful resources for my future classroom in which I will need to engage my students in a way unlike the previous generations have been taught.  Students can attain the higher levels of thinking that are so important to their futures.  And it can be done while teaching them what is required for the standardized tests they still must take, and while integrating the technologies they are so familiar with into the classroom and their learning experience.  As teachers, we just have to be as creative as E.T., and them we can reach them.

It's Not Just Reading and Writing Anymore...

Literacy, as it is traditionally defined is the ability to read and write.  Through the years culture evolves because of new ideas, creations, and technologies.  In the last decade, technology has made such an impact on our lives and culture, that literacy now has a definitions, and encompasses more than just reading and writing.

As educators, we must now also consider computer literacy, information literacy, and integration literacy.  So long as you know how to use a personal computer, and understand how computers are used in industry, you are considered computer literate.  Look around.  Most people, young and old can be considered computer literate.  Even the grandmother with the cellphone at the ATM.  She knows and understands computers and their uses.  We have evolved by accepting technology and becoming literate in its use.

The concept of information literacy has not really changed.  What has changed about it is the vehicle by which we become information literate.  To understand what I just said, you need a definition of information literacy.  It is knowing how to find, analyze, and use information (according to Shelly, Cashman, Gunter & Gunter).  Previously, in education, we would go to the library, search through a card catalog and then a stack of books to find the information we needed.  Now?  Have you ever Googled something?  How about AskJeeves?  Maybe even looking in Wikipedia?  Using all these web based tools help us to become information literate in this technologically based era.

Finally, we must consider integration literacy.  This is how we enhance student learning with the use of computers and other technologies, along with a variety of learning and teaching strategies.  This concept has created so much debate among educators.  What technology is appropriate for use in the classroom?  How is technology used without taking away from the information you want to teach?  Some innovative educators have decided to engage their students by using all the technologies that students surround themselves with today.  They have integrated the use of cellphones, iPods, computers, and SMARTboards into their lessons and classrooms. 

What is the best way to test?

In Rethinking Testing for the 21st Century, Elizabeth Rich poses the question "How would you assess critical thinking skills on a standardized test?"

Asking the question is much simpler than answering it...

As with anything in life, there are positives and negatives to standardized testing. However, the way in which standardized tests are executed, perceived, and valued make the negative list seem so much longer. So much stress and pressure is placed on students and teachers, as well as school districts, to attain high scores on these tests. As a result, teaching has morphed into giving our students the skills and knowledge to attain those scores. We have forgotten about providing our students the skills and knowledge to develop their thinking, help them succeed outside the walls of the classroom, and encourage a love and interest learning, sharing, exploring all that is around them.
Standardized tests can help our students attain higher levels of thinking by integrating questions that require students to so. The lab practical for the NYS Regents exam is one successful example of this.
We can also help our students by reducing the importance of these tests, and placing more of an emphasis on personal achievement. There is a way other than increasing test scores to show yearly progress. Maintaining a portfolio of student work is one such way. Portfolios kept throughout the year show growth, the ability to attain higher levels of thinking, and student involvement in their learning.

My Journey with Technology...In Pictures

Our assignment for the week is to create a slide show using Picasion, a Web 2.0 tool.  I've included screen shots from my blog, wiki pages, Diigo, Voki, and GoAnimate cartoon.  What a terrific way to reflect back on the work I have done so far in my graduate studies, and how much I have been immersed into the technology available to today's teachers, students, learning communities, and general public.  Looking back, the past seven months have gone by so quickly, but I have gained so much knowledge in so short an amount of time.  I am grateful for the professors I've had so far, the lessons they have taught, and the information they have shared.  I am also grateful for the wonderful peers I have shared with, learned with, and grown with.

Create avatar

A Whole New World

Technology is everywhere.  It is in our homes, our cars, at our workplaces, in our schools, and even in our pockets.  Technology has evolved so much in so little time.  Just in the matter of a century, we went from communicating through writing...to the first telephone...to rotary dial phones...to push button phones...to cell phones the size of bricks...to cellphones we could carry in our pockets... to cellphones that do more than let us talk to and hear another person, now they let us browse the internet, send email, update Facebook and Twitter, play games, listen to music, maintain business accounts, etc.

As a class, we were to consider our LoTi (level of technology integration/implementation).  There are seven levels, increasing in complexity, level of thinking, and orientation as you move from level 0 to level 6.  Most educators are at level 3 and below.  However, as we move toward more authentic ways for our students to demonstrate learning, the level moves up.

I look forward to integrating technology into my future classroom.  There are so many resources available to entice the creativity of our students, and methods for them to express their learning.  I know initially my lessons will fall within the lower levels, but over time, as my comfort level with technology increases and my understanding of my students develops, I know I can reach to those higher levels, and encourage my students to do the same.

Why Do You Do What You Do?

Why do you do what you do?  or WDYDWYD?

It seems like such a simple question.  However, answering it is not so easy.  We all have different reasons for why we do what we do.  Some are selfish, some are global, some are simple, some are complex.  As one of our first assignments, we were to ponder this question and create an image with text about our personal reason(s).

This is an image I created using Wordle.  I've added words that I associate with teaching, education, and why I am pursing my certification.

The Tech Quad

Well, by now we have all heard of "The Geek Squad".  They're available to the average Joe through BestBuy to help with any tech issues you or I may run into...setting up our home computer, setting up the new home theater system, helping rid the laptop of the virus...the list goes on.

Well, for our first group project, we were to come up with a name for our group.  We decided on The Tech Quad.  Our name represents us in so many different ways.  We are learning about technology to use in the classroom.  Technology is also an integral part of our class and our success in the class.  And there are four of us in our group.  Although we are still learning much of the technology we are using, we are not letting it get the better of us.  We are forging through, overcoming obstacles, and creating success.

A New Experience

During the 2nd summer session of classes, I am taking a class online.  This is a completely new experience for me.  Technology has changed so much since I earned my Bachelors.  I remember my senior year of college, the new thing was a "chat" that was available between students.  The internet was nowhere near what it is today.  We still used the library for our research.  Now, I can find almost any information I need online.

My online class is with Dr. Smirnova.  For those of you that follow my blog, I also took a class with her in the spring semester.  I enjoy the classes with Dr. S because she exposes us to so much technology... stuff we can integrate into our future classrooms, stuff I would probably not search out or know of otherwise.

The online class is going well so far.  Before classes started, we had an in-person meeting, to familiarize us with each other, the professor, and a new program we would be using for virtual class meetings.  In the spring semester, we used a program called Elluminate to hold a virtual class due to a snow storm that kept us from going to campus.  This semester, we are using a program similar to it called WebEx.  Our class is what Dr. S is calling "pioneers" in the use of this new program.  That makes it so much more exciting.  We are not only learning new technology, but we are creating the foundation for its use by others.

Time to Catch Up

It's been a while since I've last added to my blog.  I have been busier than expected for the last month and a half.  The first summer session of classes is over.  It was much more difficult than I had expected.  Crunching so much information into just four weeks of classes was very overwhelming.  However, I've survived to do it again, in the second summer session.

During the first summer session, I took two classes.  While taking the two classes, I was also substitute teaching almost every day and planning the end of year party for my daughter's class.  Looking back, I overextended myself.  My classes were loaded with more work than I expected.  I learned a lesson through it all, though.  I need to learn to say "no" more often, especially when it will effect my quality of work and effort.  I also need to not procrastinate with anything.  Start strong, and stay strong.

It is now the second summer session.  And I am taking two classes, again.  This time, however, one is an online class.  I have made sure I have fewer other obligations this time around.  And I can feel the difference already.  I am able to stay current on all my work, not putting it off until later.

Lesson learned...