Final Blog Post

I never thought I would make it this far. I was a technology dinosaur. I was good at internet searches, Word, checking my email, and I could muster through simple internet sites. 

created by A.Stewart via Mematic

I remember the first "day" of this class, we did a survey type assignment to see what we knew and what we were familiar with. I remember thinking "what are most of these things?" What is a wiki, or a prezi? I had no idea how I would do in this class, and I was so nervous. I dreaded this class. I was nervous that I would fall behind, and be left in the dust. I saw the syllabus and the wiki had me panicked. 

created by A. Stewart via Mematic app

I was so happy to do well in this class. I was excited for my creations, and how I was challenged to create new tools each week. I will admit, for some, I had to Youtube, just to see how they worked, but I enjoyed the challenge. I was pushed out of my AOL comfort zone, and pushed to make new Web 2.0 creations. 

Some creations worked better for me than others. I really liked Toon Doo, it was fun and can be adapted to fit any use. I also loved Story Bird. I have been writing books on the site and using them for my children and their homework. I am even considering writing a long form book, just to see how it comes out. 

On the other side, QuestGarden was not a good fit for me. The website was easy to use, but it would freeze up and kick me out, then my computer would tell me the website is a trojan horse.

Created by A. Stewart via Mematic app

I really enjoyed the pizza rubric and the creating the rubric assignment. I had never created one before, and although the Rubistar was an option, I still preferred making my own. I also enjoyed evaluating a website. That is important, because you can not believe everything on the internet. I think evaluating websites could be the most important thing we learned. I would never want my students reading false news, or click bait, and believing it to be true.

Here is a short video I created to show my level of both comfort and confidence with my new tools!

In all, I am so glad I took this class. I am glad it is a requirement, because technology is not going away. I believe a teacher's job is to prepare his or her students for the future, and technology is our future. I believe that regardless of the age level, all students should be exposed to technology.

As far as feedback goes, I only have positive things to say. After all, you did teach this old dog a few new tricks, which is no easy feat. I enjoyed the content of the class, as well as the webcasts you did, those were helpful because they created a visual virtual lecture. I also really appreciate your prompt replies on my questions. I felt that you were right there with me, and your answers talked me off a ledge more than once.

 If I had to pick a least favorite module, it would have been the collaborative works. It is a personal preference to not work with others. I loathe waiting for others to get their work done, and I much prefer to work alone, simply because  I know the caliber of work I deliver, and it is not easy to depend on others. Reading that back in my head, I sound like a control freak, but I do prefer to put in 100% on my work. When I have to wait for others, that is the worst. But that is an Angela problem and not a Professor Coleman problem. In the end, I enjoyed the course, and enjoyed what I have learned. I am continuing with my technology skills by "playing" around with websites. I think my new favorite website is out there, waiting to be discovered.

Resources:


Maloy, Robert W., Ruth-Ellen Verock-O'Loughlin, Sharon A. Edwards, and Beverly Park Woolf. Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson, 2017. Print.

Stewart, Angela B. "Untitled." Rawshorts.com. N.p., 01 May 2017. Web. 01 May 2017.

Blog "L"

Chapter Twelve.

In reading through the module this week, I am pleased that I have reached the confidence in my technology abilities.  I saw the varying levels of the stages of integration. I am pleased that I am now in the appropriation tier.

Angela Stewart via Toondoo

In following the module, there was a presentation on Interactive White Boards. I had not really thought about the cons of the board. I have always thought they were useful in the classroom, because the technologies made whole class instruction easier. I liked that the students can also use it collaboratively, or the teacher can use it as a tool in her classroom.

While I am sure there are drawbacks, I am not sure how much I buy into them. The arguments to me seemed weak, especially in regards to the authoritarian teacher lecturing to the class. I believe teachers have to be authoritarian, or the class will get off track. We as educators are expected to be gate keepers, reach a broad spectrum of learners, and effective teachers, and I believe technology is a useful tool in helping teachers do all those things.

Among the cons, I read that students often lose interest after using the white boards. I say the same can be said about textbooks, and various other classroom mainstays. There are also thoughts that children would play with the wires, but there are various wire covers that could be installed to prevent that.

I also think that there are so many more pros to interactive white boards.

                                         Angela Stewart via word it out

In all, I hope to be able to infuse my classroom with technology; rather than to just use the idea of inclusion. I hope to find useful and creative tools to engage my students and help them become excited about learning, and become lifelong learners.

Resources:

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2017). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson.

Stewart, A. B. (2017, April 16). Retrieved April 16, 2017, from http://www.toondoo.com/cartoon/11124741

Stewart, A. B. (2017, April 16). Untitled. Retrieved April 16, 2017, from https://worditout.com/word-cloud/2131788

Blog post I

In chapter four, I read about ways to integrate technology in a classroom.

Table 4.1 talks about in the classroom use of technology for teachers. I decided to incorporate a few of the smaller ideas into one larger one.
One of the ways technology can be integrated into the classroom is for a teacher to create a wiki.
I did create a wiki, complete with subset pages, on a free digital library for educators, and the other with some of the educational websites I have been exploring. Many came from my Delicious account.
I designed my wiki as if I were a teacher, setting it up for my class.

Mrs. Stewart's wiki


As a teacher, I will have to respect the digital divide. I do believe that divide is closing, however, I do believe it exists. The Lee County school district currently lends out Chromebooks to students beginning in sixth grade. This creates a one-to-one computing environment; which addresses the participation gap. Having the technology given to the students through the school, does close the gap; however, if the student does not have access to the internet at home, the Chromebook is useless there.
I do believe that internet service is more accessible today than it ever was before. With the advent of smart phones, there are many opportunities for students to be able to get on the internet.

In reading about digital pens and notebooks, I thought of something I had recently seen. I think this is the next step in digital note taking, once the digital divide is eliminated. It is called a Rocketbook Wave Notebook. It is a new concept, and it seems it could be applicable in the classroom.

Courtesy Jake Epstien via YouTube 

Resources:

Maloy, Robert W., Ruth-Ellen Verock-O'Loughlin, Sharon A. Edwards, and Beverly Park Woolf. Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson, 2017. Print.

"Rocketbook Wave." YouTube. YouTube, 02 Feb. 2016. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.

Optional Blog Post H

 This weeks reading on chapter nine was about using technology in the classroom creatively. In reading the chapter, along with the ELL discussion topic, I wanted to use my blog post as a platform the marry the ideas, and demonstrate how to use technology to assist ELL students.

My discussion post had a website/app that was for language learning training. I used DUOLINGO as an example because I have used it to learn some Spanish.

Angela's Duolingo Tutorial Video

There was also a section in the textbook discussing variable uses for Power Point. There was a table, Figure 9.2, that discussed the pros and cons on using Power Point. While I agree those cons could be applicable, I think it is more important to be aware of those cons so we as educators can avoid those.


Here are my solutions to those cons.

<iframe src='https://fsw-my.sharepoint.com/personal/asteward_bucs_fsw_edu/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc={5acd8694-b8fd-42cf-b5b2-0c2f12b4217e}&action=embedview&wdAr=1.7777777777777776' width='350px' height='221px' frameborder='0'>This is an embedded <a target='_blank' href='https://office.com'>Microsoft Office</a> presentation, powered by <a target='_blank' href='https://office.com/webapps'>Office Online</a>.</iframe>

Document cameras can be useful tools in the classroom. They can show the entire class what is being discussed and or demonstrated, as well as display ideas to get the class engaged.

I have used examples of digital story telling in a previous blog post. Sites such as Storybird are great tools to teach the class and have the class creatively reciprocate what they have already learned.

In all, there are no shortages in available technologies to aide in the classroom. I believe the value of the content, the students attentiveness, and the creativity of the tools used are all important in the classroom.



Resources:

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2017). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson.

Stewart, A. B. (2017, March 05). Power Point Presentation [Digital image]. Retrieved March 5, 2017, from https://fsw-my.sharepoint.com/personal/asteward_bucs_fsw_edu/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc={5acd8694-b8fd-42cf-b5b2-0c2f12b4217e}&action=editnew&wdPreviousSession=cdd93351%2D53de%2D42d6%2Db617%2D9c7dc2c35f25&wdNewAndOpenCt=1488762516618&wdo=7&wdTpl=TM00001031&wdLcid=1033&wdPreviousCorrelation=ae0c8614%2D889c%2D47c0%2D8236%2Def4f442db19d

Chapter 10

My reading this week gave me some great ideas. I was able to relate ideas in the book to my own experiences, the ideas as to what I think might work in my future classroom.

 I also took the liberty to ask them teachers what their thoughts were on assistive Technologies and what they'd seen work and not.

I recognized differential instruction as something I've done I really liked it because I was able to be paired up with people on my level so there was not much down time waiting for classmates to catch up or for my classmates waiting for me to catch up. For Universal designs a good idea however with more ESE students being placed in the general education classroom, how teachers can bridge the gap between general education and ESE learners.

The first thing a teacher has to understand, accommodations simply means lessons are equal however just changed a bit. (picture a hard of hearing student with the aid of a microphone).

Modifications means the students education is lessened, (think of a slow reader having to solve fewer questions making him not perform like the rest of the class.)

It is important to understand the difference so you are not listening a child education.

Courtesy Teachings in Education via youtube

There are many assistive Technologies available to teachers to help have an effective Universal designed classroom.

Students have difficulty with communicating can make use of various tools such as Piclit. Piclit website that allows students to choose a photo and drop down menu of words giving the student the ability to click and drag words to communicate. Use of this site could help with students and their writing by arranging words into a picture, then turning into main ideas then a rough outline.

For students with difficulty writing and organizing their writing, speechnotes that allows talk-to-text technology this could also be helpful in note-taking for students.

There are assistive Technologies available on iPad many of the ones that schools use are visually based, with colorful fonts, and optional music. Many of them feature click and drag activities, to better facilitate all learning styles.The teacher gave me examples of sites such as Sumdog, Compassmath, and ReadingStreet. The teacher said the district pays for use of those sites, but has seen progress with her students after using them.


I know technologies are always changing, once again to the classroom, technologies available. Look forward to exploring these available Technologies to help meet the needs of all of my students.

** As an interesting fact, this blog was dictated, all using the Speechnotes website.


Resources:

(2016, August 27). Retrieved February 25, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6rT2_fn4u0

Create a PicLit | Inspired Picture Writing. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2017, from http://www.piclits.com/

Speechnotes | Speech to Text Online Notepad. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2017, from https://www.bing.com/cr?IG=7246C17A88C440929FE5D804C64479B9&CID=0CEE662224BE672F33836C14258F6636&rd=1&h=iBziEFoeW6ZTYYwlmH1e2Zdo8-ACiMBg8rRZQJBOM7c&v=1&r=https%3a%2f%2fspeechnotes.co%2f&p=DevEx,5063.1

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2015). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson.

Optional Blog F- simply my thoughts, with no research done

This weeks wiki assignment was both interesting and a bit out of my technology comfort zone. I do like being challenged, as it only helps me grow.

I got to thinking about the use of a wiki in a classroom setting. While I don't think it would work for elementary school children, on a high school level, the possibilities are all there.

Think when you went to school- if you missed a day of class, you had to call all of your friends, and try to get missed notes and assignments. That is, if your friends even took notes. But what if we can change that?

Imagine a classroom where you are taught effective note taking, and the teacher gives you supplemental notes to look over, then a part of your homework is to go home and apply those notes into a wiki with a group of classmates. Students can log in at their convenience, put notes in, list assignments, collaborate ideas and never miss what is going on. They could showcase their academic strengths to help others. Students could link pages with other ideas and use those thoughts as a springboard to the next lessons. All notes are available for the year, so recalling previous lessons would be easier than ever.  Students could log in from their smart phones or any other online portals, essentially creating an opportunity to study anywhere. Talk about education to go.

Wiki's could also afford the luxury of peer to peer tutoring, by simply having students upload their ideas and strategies for their own benefits and the rest of the groups.

Created by A. Stewart via Prezi

chapter 7

This weeks topic on gaming and the classroom came at the perfect time. On Monday, I observed Gulf Middle school. I went to four different classes, and was surprised to see there were no paper and pencils on any of the desks. -Remember, I am older-  There were however chromebooks. I took notes on my technology based observations, because I have not seen gaming in the classroom before. I must say, that after my observations, there is no doubt there is a place for gaming in the classrooms. 

I sat in on a 6th Grade World History class.  As I was taking out my notes, the class fell completely silent, as I looked up, they were all in their chromebooks. I took the opportunity to talk to the teacher about what the class working on, and if in her experience, she thinks gaming was helping her students better grasp concepts. 

She told me her class was playing Fling the Teacher. It is a free game, available for download. I tried to download the game to create a sample game for a demonstration, however, the site will not allow me to download. My IT guy (teenage son) told me it is not his computer, but the website itself. He told me to wait a day or two and go back, but it was still down. 

I was able to find a Youtube video that shows someone playing the game. It is a multiple choice game, and with each correct answer, the player gets another piece of the catapult to fling the teacher avatar across the screen. An incorrect answer would cost the student all of their catapult pieces, making them start the game over again. 

Courtesy mamta narula on Youtube

The teacher did explain that since she starting allowing her students to play educational games in the classroom, she has seen an improvement on overall test scores. The class was completely quiet, with the exception of a few kids whispering "yessss" to themselves when they were able to fling their teacher, they were all engaged with the activity, and I got to watch one student play, and the questions were all pertinent to Ancient Rome, and they would all be quizzed on the topic later. The teacher said it was always hard to teach Ancient History to sixth graders, because they didn't have the attention span to sit and become engaged with a topic they were not interested with.

The Fling the teacher site also generates reports for users, explaining what questions are incorrect, averages for the class and individual averages. While they are not used as grades, the concept mapping is helpful in letting the teacher know what is working and not working.

The Language Arts class I observed also used the chromebooks and Quizlet. The teacher explained that all vocabulary words are learned through quizlet live daily. Every other day she is able to quiz students and teach them more vocabulary words each week. She said overall retention is much better than it was before she started using quizlet, and her students are learning more because the quicker way they are retaining knowledge. 

Here is the quizlet live game I created as an example. The game is played by the class signing in, then quizlet generated random teams. Teams must work together to get the correct answers to stay in the game, and the first team to answer all the questions both quickly and accurately win. The site is not allowing me to embed the game, but will let me share the link. 

Chapter 3 Reading

This weeks reading was especially interesting to me. I have always wondered how teachers teach. 

After reading the basics of lesson plans, then deciding how to best execute the plans, I decided to just create this blog post as if it were a classroom. I wanted to post lesson plans and incorporate ways to teach, then measure mastery of content, using Web 2.0 tools. 

For the purpose of this blog, I am Mrs. Stewart. First grade teacher at Web 2.0 Institute of Technological Learning. 

Lesson plans tell WHO is going to do WHAT, WHEN, for HOW LONG, and how will mastery be MEASURED. 

Sample:

By Friday, students will be able to define and identify adjectives, used in sentences. Student will also be able to properly use adjectives when prompted. Lessons for adjectives will be taught during ELA daily, in 25 minute blocks. Additional time for small group instruction will be in the mornings, if necessary. Mastery will be measured Friday by quiz. Student must have a "C" or better to prove mastery.


My first step would be how to introduce the lesson to the first graders. In this case, I created a story book. Using this book, my goal would be to read it together, discuss and share ideas together as a class.

For smaller group, more intense instruction, my thought would be to use piclit to allow students to pick a photo, and click and drag adjectives to their chosen photo, to compose their own work of ideas.

I also liked the idea of creating a toondoo, as a means to capture the students attention.

I have been exploring the online quiz site, Kahoot (I have not made a quiz yet). I wanted to explore it, because using an informal quiz could help me as a teacher gauge the students grasp on lessons. If they all miss a certain question, I as the teacher have the opportunity to go over the lesson again. I like it means of checks and balances.  Wrong answers can help me fill in the holes of my lessons, and perhaps adjust my teaching methods to better cover materials.

There are so many resources out there, and I think this new generation of students will be a group that has never known life without an iPad, or the internet, or that constant technology bombardment.  If teachers want to reach this generation, they are going to have to step up their technology game. Giving children the choice to engage with technology is the future of teaching.


On a more personal note, I had the opportunity to talk to a teacher at Ida Baker High School, who teaches digital information technology and the AVID program. It was neat to learn about the different certifications and technology programs available to our high school students now. I was able to kind of pick his brain about the programs, and their benefits. He was telling me that there is a high school graduation requirement for technology/online credit hours. I am glad I am in this class, finding my online "footing" so I am prepared for my class room.

created: Angela Stewart via ToonDoo

Chapter 1 reading

In reading chapter one, I must agree that becoming a 21st century teacher has it's technological challenges. There are always new technologies to try out, and in addition to being able to learn the newest technologies, there is an importance in having support from the other teachers and administration.

I was interested to read about the Generation M concept. If you were to think about it, the generations of students I will be teaching has never known life without an MP3 player, smart phone, or iPad. Given that our adolescents use about six and a half hours of some form of media a day, (Rideout, Roberts, & Foehr, 2005, p.6), it is only natural the schools in which these students are attending adapt to the changing landscape of technology. In thinking about it, with the birth of this generation came the birth of many of our newest technologies. Even I can say I am older than the internet.

I do believe there are important roles involving technology in the classroom. I understand there are issues with technology in the classroom, but I believe my readiness to integrate technology will better help me serve my students. Kids of today are no longer content with the flashcards and repetition ad nausea. Kids of today have been raised with the instant gratification of todays technology. With the advent of YouTube, gone are the days of kids waiting all week for Saturday morning cartoons. Kids today will never know what it is like to wait for your favorite song to come on the radio so you could record it. And God forbid the deejay was talking over your song! Kids today simply stream the music they wish to hear. This is where technology comes into play. As a teacher, if I could use learning games that teach the kids memorization skills such as spelling city or Fast Math, I think it would engage more of my students. I also think games that support critical thinking and creativity are also important, like Sum Dog.

In the concept that there are many teachers and adults that are afraid or unwilling to use technology, while I can understand the apprehension, being intimidated is not an excuse. In this day and age, you can Google just about anything you want to know. We are living in a day and age where you can turn on YouTube just about self help video. There are resources out there to get the information you need, you just have to look for it. My third grader is in a coding class at school. I love that he is being exposed to technology at a young age. There are plenty of videos about software and how to use it. The curriculum coverage or lack thereof, only means that perhaps the teacher or administration isn't trying hard enough to find it. I tutor my son who has Autism, and augment our learning with songs or videos found on YouTube. It helps his learning and he remembers the material more than he would if I lectured him.

In all, technology is not going away, in fact, it is only changing everyday. It is imperative that students know how to use it as a useful resource in their education. I believe that technology for students is often the platform they use to find other interests. A gateway drug if you will. Teaching children about technology while they are young will only lead them to be more confident, comfortable, and a better netizen overall.

Photo credit: Jane Plusben via Flickr

Textbook - Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.