All About Me Survey

Journal 5: Find Free Tools and More

NETS-T 1, 5


Ribera, M. (2011). Find free tools and more.International Society for Technology in Education,38(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Learning_Connections_Find_Free_Tools_and_More.aspx


EduTecher (http://edutecher.net) is a wonderful teacher resource free site and the best part is that it doesn’t contain any ads! The site contains more than 1,000 links, specially attracting teachers, but also serving as a source for students and parents. Each link allows the users to post feedback and they are notified as soon as there is a response.


Users are also encouraged to post web tools, videos and links. They can comment and receive comments on their material. Adam Bellow is the creator of EduTeacher and his links cater to teachers of all levels. EduTecherTV is an incredible tool with tons of webisodes illustrating tutorials and learning materials for many of the Web 2.0 tools teachers implement into the classroom.


EduTeacher is also available as an IPhone application. It is simple and user friendly so teachers can access it even in the classroom. EduTeacher is easy to navigate through and Bellow created a subjects tab so that teachers can attain information they are looking for quickly.


Q1- Why are free and easy to use technology tools so important for teachers?


Teachers are extremely busy and in an environment of constant learning. Budget cuts are a major problem right now therefore these free resources are necessary for teachers to access to gain valuable information that they can bring into the classroom.


Q2- Adam Bellow, the creator of EduTeacher, allows for users to contribute with questions or comments about the links. Why is this so important to teachers?


When teachers are educating themselves with these links to these sites and bringing the information into the classroom, it is imperative that they have a strong understanding of the material. 

Journal 4: It's Time To Trust Teachers with the Internet:

NETS-T 1, 2, 4, 5

Schaffhauset, D. (2010, December 1). It's time to trust teachers with the internet: a conversation with meg ormiston. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2010/12/01/Its-Time-To-Trust-Teachers-with-the-Internet-A-Conversation-with-Meg-Ormiston.aspx?Page=1

The article is an interview of Meg Ormiston. She has held many positions including curriculum coach, school board member, conference presenter, professional development specialist and grant facilitator. She currently serves as a consultant to bring technology into the classroom.

Ormiston finds that teachers are not trusted with the use of the internet yet they are expected to incorporate technology into their classroom. She argues that teachers are not receiving the adequate tools they need to successfully implement this ‘21^st century style’ teaching into the classrooms.

In some cases bandwidth is too limited or schools are blocking the internet entirely or the blocks have been created by outside sources such as private companies and non-educators. She mentions the fact that budget cuts are an everyday issue with our schools therefore a source such as YouTube would be extremely beneficial in the classroom. She claims if a teacher cannot be trusted to filter material on YouTube then they should not be even trusted to teach in the classroom.

If schools continue to block everything then teachers will give up on learning about or teaching technology. What’s worse, Ormiston points out is that when students get home they don’t have those blockers. At home “there's no filtering. There's usually not an adult to help them make good choices.” They are not educated on what is appropriate and what is not appropriate.

Teachers aren’t receiving proper education on the internet and it is constantly changing and advancing. Students need to be engaged and prepared for the real world. Education and leadership is the key to success. My favorite quote is, “They want multimedia. They crave the opportunity to work with other people--and other people outside of our schools.”

Q1- What are some ways you can use YouTube as a learning tool?

With budget cuts in place YouTube can serve as a wonderful source to tap into. Teachers can bring up all sorts of learning demonstrations including tutorials on how to use specific software.

Q2- What is the problem with blocking all access to the internet?

The problem is that when students go home often times there is not blocking or filter systems and students are then exposed to everything. They have no guidance on what is appropriate and what is not. 

Journal 2: Twitter

Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock. International Society for Technology in Education, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Join_the_Flock.aspx
http://www.iste.org/Libraries/Leading_and_Learning_Docs/June_July_2010_Join_the_Flock.sflb.ashx

SUMMARY


Join the Flock:

This article discussed creating your PLN, professional learning network, through Twitter. The author Hadley Ferguson mentioned that through the use of our PLN, we can alleviate the stress of researching on your own. We can now gather information from our colleagues, experts, friends, community, etc. Our PLN “is a community of individuals around the world who are learning together.”

She stresses that in order to success we must commit to the PLN community. By using the analogy of how we make new friends by deciding to either just say hello or to pause and have a conversation, we get a better understanding of the simple ways we can build our community.

The author states some simple steps to the process of utilizing Twitter. First, we set up our account with our bio and a photo. Then we learn to follow other people by just simply clicking “Follow”. When selecting those we want to follow we can choose individuals we want to learn from as well as those we share common interests with. Once we are following the process is simple and we can decide from there how actively we want to participate. Tweets will begin to populate our stream and we can either just lurk in the background or begin to gain exposure by retweeting something of interest and begin creating our own tweets. It is networking and if we start to create our PLN conversations, retweet, tweet, etc. then we will gain followers and create relationships. We can ask questions and receive extremely valuable feedback. By using hash tags, such as #teacher or #education, we will gain more exposure.

Enhance your Twitter Experience:

The author began her article by stating the wonderful connections she made because of twitter and the opportunities that presented themselves such as international connections. Through the use of a Twitter organizer such as a tweet deck you can organize your streams into lists. I am going to definitely put this to use because as of now Twitter just seems a little messy to me. She listed common twitter terminology like hash tag: discussion stream aggregating tweets on a given topic or a mistweet: to accidentally send a tweet to the wrong person or through the wrong Twitter account.

Q1- How can I get my point across or question answered in only 140 characters?

It can be difficult to do so at times therefore most of the time you can create a link to a site that further explains your question or answer in detail.

Q2- What is the purpose of a hashtag?

A hashtag is necessary to connect to specific communities. For example, in class if we tweet beginning with #422 it will be aggregated to other tweets with the topic and easily searchable. 

Journal 1: Do Web 2.0 Right

NETS-T 1, 3 & 5

Light, D. (2011). Do Web 2.0 Right. International Society for Technology in Education, 38(5), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Feature_Article_Do_Web_2_0_Right.aspx

Summary: 
This article describes the study and research of two experts that interviewed a number of teachers across the country to determine how to successfully use web 2.0 tools in the classroom. They found that there are three key elements to success: instituting daily practice, carefully considering the audience and teaching and enforcing appropriate behavior.

The goal of instituting daily practices of web 2.0 tools is to basically make the technology a part of everyday life in the classroom instead of being project driven. The researchers found that the 2.0 tools used in the classroom differ from the way adults use them in everyday life. For example, the goal of the classroom usage is interaction between students and instead of the way something like Wikipedia is set up with multiple anonymous contributors, the users in the classroom will be accounted for. The use of individual and classroom blogs seemed to be the most effective web 2.0 tool used in the classroom. They did find however, that often times with the use of public individual blogs that students are often times reluctant or shy to share information especially if it is not a motivating topic, a topic they are not interested in or a topic that is personal or embarrassing.

The most successful blogging was between teachers and students. It was a very effective way for teachers to work one on one with their students and to get to know their students. The students feel it is a safer environment to reflect on the classroom, topics and their general feelings towards the classroom. An open classroom blog can be used to generate interest in a topic especially when it is an area that they will be studying in the near future. The researchers and teachers concluded that often times this can be a great way for shy students to find their voices and feel safe to debate openly.

One study concluded that the main goal of a Spanish teacher was to have her students write in Spanish, but by giving them an imaginary topic such as a visit to a Spanish speaking country; the students were learning more than they bargained for. They were writing in Spanish, but also using creativity and exploring the current events, laws and customs of that particular country.

Teachers must carefully consider the audience when using web 2.0 tools. They can limit access and direct the students to a specific audience. Also, it is imperative that teachers select material that is appropriate for his or her students. When using open to the public web 2.0 tools the boundaries can become blurry with audience and posted feedback. It is not a controlled environment like a classroom where as the teacher sets the tone. I found it interesting that a major concern for the adults (teachers, parents) is the fact that other adults are viewing and commenting on the work of children, but the students themselves seem more concerned with other young people viewing and commenting on their personal material. Students that are subjected and sensitive to peer pressure can become demotivated when they have to go public.

Finally, and most important, it is the responsibility of the teacher to enforce appropriate behavior.  Teachers must again be very selective about what materials will be open to the outside world. Overall, the use of web 2.0 tools can be a wonderful way for teachers and students to stay connected to the classroom and support one another.

Q1. As a teacher, how can I create topics that motivate students to interact with one another and not feel sensitive to peer pressure?

This answer to this question will come with time and probably by trial and error. I think it is important to know how to engage my students to interact with one another and take assignments to that deeper level. I liked the idea that the Spanish teacher had about students writing about an imaginary trip to a foreign country. I will have a goal as teacher to implement the teachings of a specific lesson, but the fun part will be finding creative ways to strike interest in my students. 

Q2. What are some good examples of materials that should be limited to only teacher and student interaction and why?

I believe the article makes a good point when it discusses the particular study of creative writing assignments. Sometimes students can be reluctant to express themselves creatively if they believe they will be subjected to judgment by their peers. In this instance I believe it is best to create a teacher to student blog so that a student can feel free and open to create their work. In the future, the teacher can create an open artistic class blog where the decision to post creative works can be decided by the student. 

Journal 3: 100 Things that make me happy

1. My daughter
2. My husband
3. Ambition
4. The Ocean
5. My sister Lauren
6. My sister Stacey
7. Encinitas
8. California
9. Running
10. Yoga
11. Eating
12. Wine
13. My parents
14. My brother Keith
15. My brother Brad
16. My niece Lily
17. Surfing
18. Animals
19. Smiles
20. Movies!
21. Sleeping...ah I miss sleep
22. A clean house
23. Vacuuming- strange I know, but I love it!
24. Soup
25. My friends
26. Coffee!
27. Coffee talk
28. Going to breakfast with my friends
29. Music
30. Singing
31. Sunshine
32. The outdoors
33. Driving to good music
34. Laundry that is folded and put away
35. Completed tasks
36. Relaxing
37. A good beer after a long day
38. Sunsets
39. TRAVELING- although I can't afford it these days
40. People watching
41. Reading a really good book
42. When my magazine comes in the mail
43. Kissing my daughter good-night
44. Foot massages
45. Being financially secure
46. Flowers in the house
47. Receiving good mail
48. Giving presents
49. My grandmother
50. When my daughter laughs
51. A job well done
52. A hug from my Mom
53. Visiting my family
54. North Carolina
55. Having money to shop
56. Helping others
57. Clean Water
58. Food in my refrigerator
59. Italian Food
60. Snowboarding
61. Christmas
62. Fall leaves
63. Candles
64. Meeting new friends
65. Hot shower after a surf session
66. Sweatpants
67. A good pair of jeans
68. Feeling confident
69. Saturdays
70. Looking at pictures
71. When my husband comes home
72. Feeling strong
73. Summer days
74. Long dinner parties with friends
75. NYC!
76. Surfing the internet
77. Connecting with long lost friends
78. Feeling artistic
79. Liberal People
80. New Jersey
81. Dinner with my family
82. When my husband cleans!
83. Walks on the 101
84. Live shows of any kind
85. When my daughter is asleep
86. Girl's nights
87. Feeling that I serve a purpose
88. Finding forgiveness
89. Learning
90. Organization because it is rare for me!
91. Going out to dinner
92. Talks with my husband
93. Parties
94. The feeling after a good workout
95. Being clean
96. Love
97. Feeling Accepted
98. Learning about cool and exciting things
99. Getting excited
100. EDUC 422

Technology Self Assessment: School 2.0

NETS-T 3


The NETS-T that I chose to discuss is the following:
3. I engage students in reflecting on and clarifying their own thinking, planning, and creative processes, in correcting misconceptions, and in using meta-cognitive thinking strategies with collaborative tools and environments.


I chose to discuss this NETS-S because I believe any sort of tool that will engage and promote creativity is a beneficial one. I also love to learn about collaborative tools that can help my students. The resource that I clicked on was Google Groups. I had no idea this existed! It is a wonderful way for people to connect with one another based on common interests. You can join groups by browsing through such categories as Arts & Entertainment, Sports, Computer Games, Schools and Universities and many more. When you join these groups you can become an active part of group discussions, you can ask questions and research whatever you find interesting. You may also create your own groups which I thought would be a great way to reach out to like minded people. There are groups from many different countries and languages and for someone that is far from their homeland it is an awesome way to stay connected. Google is awesome!


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