I loved digital storytelling from the first time that I heard of it. It just seemed like such an amazing use of reading, writing, and technology. I first used it with a group of 4th graders, while I thought I was the teacher - I learned a lot from them. The kids loved the project, and could not wait to share them. I then worked on a project with my 8th graders, they too were very enthusiastic about it and created some great stories!
Here is a link to my Animoto creation: http://animoto.com/play/PUwU0L8jTfr0Upaclx1mKQ
It is linked to NETS for students #1
Friday, May 23, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
GOOGLE APPS
There are so many tools that we have at our disposal for communication on the internet. There are also many that we can use for collaboration. Google is one of these many apps. My school because a Google school two years ago, we were looking for a new email provider that was cheaper and we decided to try Gmail. We soon discovered all the other aspects that can be included with gmail. At first we were excited about the web sites portion. We would love to have all teachers have a class website that they could use for communication with parents and students. We had a few teachers that jumped at the chance and we have more that are getting there slowly. I had used a website creation program called "Dreamweaver" to create my first website, and it was a huge process. I jumped at the chance to try Google Sites. I loved the ease of creation, and all the options that we had. I quickly converted my site to Google.
Google has become much more than a search engine. I use google everyday, several times a day. I use google for searches, for my email, for work collaboration, for grading assignments, to update my website, for meetings with colleagues, to assign work and distribute forms. Google has so many uses in the classroom and work site. I am not sure what I did before I realized all the uses for Google, but I am sure that it took much more time and effort.
I have attended a google summit, and there are so many uses for Google beyond what we first think of. I love the fact that I can create a form or survey and send it out to my students and the results are organized for me. I also love the fact that I can create class folders and share them with my students and they are able to "hand-in" work to these folders. It keeps it neat and organized for me.
THe presentation part of google is not as good as some others, but they are improving and students have the ability to share their work with others for collaboration and feedback.
The sharing ability is amazing, you can be right next to someone or miles apart and you are able to work in real time with a partner.
As I said before I use Google everyday and LOVE it!
I have attended a google summit, and there are so many uses for Google beyond what we first think of. I love the fact that I can create a form or survey and send it out to my students and the results are organized for me. I also love the fact that I can create class folders and share them with my students and they are able to "hand-in" work to these folders. It keeps it neat and organized for me.
THe presentation part of google is not as good as some others, but they are improving and students have the ability to share their work with others for collaboration and feedback.
The sharing ability is amazing, you can be right next to someone or miles apart and you are able to work in real time with a partner.
As I said before I use Google everyday and LOVE it!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Social Networking at School
This is such a relevant topic for a blog post, have you ever wondered what percentage of students have a social networking account? I often wonder, I see my daughter using facebook, tumblr, and twitter on a regular basis. I know that she had a facebook account before she was 13, because I helped her set it up! One study revealed that 38% of kids on facebook are under 13! Wow, that is over1/3 of the kids on facebook. I wonder how many parents know, I am betting quite a few. I have heard several parents make the comment that the only reason they have facebook is to see what their kids are up to. Another study states that by age 14 78% of kids have a facebook account.
So, with numbers like this, why are we not allowing social networking in schools? Kids are used to this platform, they are comfortable giving and receiving feed back in these situation. Why are we asking kids to "power-down" when they enter the school building.
Just moments ago, I was walking through the halls of the high school, I thought I could smell smoke, so I opened the door to the girls bathroom. Standing against the wall in the bathroom was a young, female student. And what to my surprise was she doing? She was checking her facebook account and answering a text! I did not reprimand her, or take her phone away. This just showed me that students are going to find a way to use these social networking sites.
I love the fact that our more tech savvy teachers are embracing social networking formats. Edmodo is used by about 1/2 of the teachers here, and for the most part students love it. I have heard the occasional comment, Mr. ? makes way to many comments. But I really think the kids like this learning format and are growing as a result of it.
I think a lot of the reason that more teachers don't use social networking in the classroom is that they are fearful of the unknown. They do not have a lot of practice using these sites and want to know more than the students in any given situation. I have grown more comfortable the more I use social networking. I love the fact that I can share an item with someone on the other side of the country and they can give me feedback on my project.
Some easy ways to use social networking in the classroom are outlined in the article, "Seven ways Teachers Use Social Networking in the Classroom." http://mashable.com/2013/08/18/social-media-teachers/
I think my favorite on this list is requiring students to keep a blog. You can incorporate so many standards into a blog. With the blog platform, students would not ever realize that they are learning and growing, they will think they are expressing their ideas and opinions. The great part is that others can comment on their blog, and provide feedback. I can see using this with a novel reading - have students post their thoughts after reading a particular section, and having others comment!
Second life intrigues me, I have not used this program, but think I need to check it out. I have heard many comments about it and using it in the classroom. My next venture will be to explore second life and try it with a class!
We really need to let go of the way things were always done, and start teaching for the kids! One article said, if we don't allow students to use social networking now, how are they going to cope in real life! Great point.
Well, so much for trying Second Life - I just tried it here at school and it is "BLOCKED". Surprise! I can see why we have these blocked, but I think we need to explore a little and see what educational benefits they have to offer. So, when I go home tonight, I will try Second Life and see what I am missing.
So, with numbers like this, why are we not allowing social networking in schools? Kids are used to this platform, they are comfortable giving and receiving feed back in these situation. Why are we asking kids to "power-down" when they enter the school building.
Just moments ago, I was walking through the halls of the high school, I thought I could smell smoke, so I opened the door to the girls bathroom. Standing against the wall in the bathroom was a young, female student. And what to my surprise was she doing? She was checking her facebook account and answering a text! I did not reprimand her, or take her phone away. This just showed me that students are going to find a way to use these social networking sites.
I love the fact that our more tech savvy teachers are embracing social networking formats. Edmodo is used by about 1/2 of the teachers here, and for the most part students love it. I have heard the occasional comment, Mr. ? makes way to many comments. But I really think the kids like this learning format and are growing as a result of it.
I think a lot of the reason that more teachers don't use social networking in the classroom is that they are fearful of the unknown. They do not have a lot of practice using these sites and want to know more than the students in any given situation. I have grown more comfortable the more I use social networking. I love the fact that I can share an item with someone on the other side of the country and they can give me feedback on my project.
Some easy ways to use social networking in the classroom are outlined in the article, "Seven ways Teachers Use Social Networking in the Classroom." http://mashable.com/2013/08/18/social-media-teachers/
I think my favorite on this list is requiring students to keep a blog. You can incorporate so many standards into a blog. With the blog platform, students would not ever realize that they are learning and growing, they will think they are expressing their ideas and opinions. The great part is that others can comment on their blog, and provide feedback. I can see using this with a novel reading - have students post their thoughts after reading a particular section, and having others comment!
Second life intrigues me, I have not used this program, but think I need to check it out. I have heard many comments about it and using it in the classroom. My next venture will be to explore second life and try it with a class!
We really need to let go of the way things were always done, and start teaching for the kids! One article said, if we don't allow students to use social networking now, how are they going to cope in real life! Great point.
Well, so much for trying Second Life - I just tried it here at school and it is "BLOCKED". Surprise! I can see why we have these blocked, but I think we need to explore a little and see what educational benefits they have to offer. So, when I go home tonight, I will try Second Life and see what I am missing.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Digital Citizenship
I found a quote a few years ago that I used as a bulletin board starter, "Footprints in the sand wash away, your digital footprint lasts forever!" I am not sure where the quote came from originally but I thought it was so pertinent to our age of technology. Students and many young adults do not realize that the information they put out on the internet is there forever. You can delete it but some form of it remains somewhere. I am constantly amazed at what people put on the internet, they feel "safe" because they put it on their site. Everything they put on their site can be viewed by their followers, and then by their followers, followers and so on. The definition going viral is very accurate.
We need to educate students on internet safety and digital citizenship. It seems that one of the newest and most widely used forms of bullying is cyber-bullying. It happens on line. It seems to be more damaging than any other type of bullying.
I attended a work shop a few years ago, one of the first things the presenter had us do was google ourselves to see what came up. Some of the participants were very surprised at the information that was available on themselves. It was an eye-opening experience! Anything that we do online can be tracked and show up somewhere. I have tried to reinforce this idea with kids, you need to be mindful of what you post. Remember that whatever you post can be seen by anyone, anywhere.
Common Sense Media is a great resource for teaching Digital Citizenship. It has several different programs for all age levels about using computers. I don't think there is an age that is too young to start teaching. Children at age 2 and 3 can use computers, so we need to help them understand what it right and wrong. Maybe if we start teaching at younger ages we will have more people using the internet correctly.
Watching TV yesterday Dr. Phil had a young woman on the show, she was 17 who posted to a Facebook site called, "When a woman knows it is time to go home". The site was made up of pictures of women in various stages of drunkenness. The 17 year old did not understand why this was not ok. She thought it was fine to post these pictures of herself, even though she is not even legal drinking age. When presented with scenarios about future employment or college acceptance, she did not believe that these pictures would affect her future. I think if we start educating at younger ages maybe we will see less individuals like this 17 year old.
I feel that if we are providing devices with internet access to students, we should be teaching them about internet safety and digital citizenship!
We need to educate students on internet safety and digital citizenship. It seems that one of the newest and most widely used forms of bullying is cyber-bullying. It happens on line. It seems to be more damaging than any other type of bullying.
I attended a work shop a few years ago, one of the first things the presenter had us do was google ourselves to see what came up. Some of the participants were very surprised at the information that was available on themselves. It was an eye-opening experience! Anything that we do online can be tracked and show up somewhere. I have tried to reinforce this idea with kids, you need to be mindful of what you post. Remember that whatever you post can be seen by anyone, anywhere.
Common Sense Media is a great resource for teaching Digital Citizenship. It has several different programs for all age levels about using computers. I don't think there is an age that is too young to start teaching. Children at age 2 and 3 can use computers, so we need to help them understand what it right and wrong. Maybe if we start teaching at younger ages we will have more people using the internet correctly.
Watching TV yesterday Dr. Phil had a young woman on the show, she was 17 who posted to a Facebook site called, "When a woman knows it is time to go home". The site was made up of pictures of women in various stages of drunkenness. The 17 year old did not understand why this was not ok. She thought it was fine to post these pictures of herself, even though she is not even legal drinking age. When presented with scenarios about future employment or college acceptance, she did not believe that these pictures would affect her future. I think if we start educating at younger ages maybe we will see less individuals like this 17 year old.
I feel that if we are providing devices with internet access to students, we should be teaching them about internet safety and digital citizenship!
Sunday, March 30, 2014
What is a technology integration specialist?
This is my fourth graduate level course in my quest for my master's in technology integration, so at this point I think I should have a fairly solid idea of what a technology integrationist is. Well, I have a few vague ideas, that I think I like but I am not 100% sure of what my day to day role is, as a technology integrationist.
I know the specialist in this role must have a pretty good understanding of the way that technology works and what type of technologies are the best for education. That seems like a pretty straight forward idea, but we have the problem that the technology we are learning today could be outdated tomorrow. I also have the negative that I am a digital immigrant, I am not a native to the technology world. The vast majority of the population that I work with are the natives, the students. These natives can take the same new technology that I am looking at and learning, and long before I have a good understanding of that technology, they have it mastered!
I have learned that there are so many different technologies that can be used in education. I have also learned that you need to use any technology on a regular basis for it to become normal and easy to use.
One of the best lessons I have learned this year, through my courses and also through my job as a technology integrator, is that we need to practice our technology plans on the same device that our students will be using. So many times this year I have had teachers come to me and say, " I could do this fine on my laptop, why won't it work on the student ipads?" And I have to explain, that just because they both connect to the internet, they do not work the same way.
I think one of the biggest roles of the integration specialist is to support teachers. We are the ones that have the time to explore new technologies and see where in the curriculum they can fit. We can also try different apps and offer suggestions about ease of use, relevance to common core, and adaptability. I think that we need to be available to observe different classes and offer creative suggestions to help teachers better integrate technology into their lessons. And not just technology for the sake of saying we are using technology, but technology that will help the students get to a deeper level of understanding and learning.
We have many teachers in our district that do not use technology to the greatest extent that they could, I am not sure what the reasoning is. Some are resistent to change, and others have the belief that what they have done in the past works, so why change.
Students use technology every day, and multiple times a day. They have a hard time imagining a world without technology and the benefits of technology. My 15 year old daughter for example, uses her iPod to wake up in the morning, rather than an alarm clock. Her phone takes the place of a watch, she uses her iPod or iPad instead of a radio, there are very few things that she does throughout the day that do not involve some aspect of technology.
This is my fourth graduate level course in my quest for my master's in technology integration, so at this point I think I should have a fairly solid idea of what a technology integrationist is. Well, I have a few vague ideas, that I think I like but I am not 100% sure of what my day to day role is, as a technology integrationist.
I know the specialist in this role must have a pretty good understanding of the way that technology works and what type of technologies are the best for education. That seems like a pretty straight forward idea, but we have the problem that the technology we are learning today could be outdated tomorrow. I also have the negative that I am a digital immigrant, I am not a native to the technology world. The vast majority of the population that I work with are the natives, the students. These natives can take the same new technology that I am looking at and learning, and long before I have a good understanding of that technology, they have it mastered!
I have learned that there are so many different technologies that can be used in education. I have also learned that you need to use any technology on a regular basis for it to become normal and easy to use.
One of the best lessons I have learned this year, through my courses and also through my job as a technology integrator, is that we need to practice our technology plans on the same device that our students will be using. So many times this year I have had teachers come to me and say, " I could do this fine on my laptop, why won't it work on the student ipads?" And I have to explain, that just because they both connect to the internet, they do not work the same way.
I think one of the biggest roles of the integration specialist is to support teachers. We are the ones that have the time to explore new technologies and see where in the curriculum they can fit. We can also try different apps and offer suggestions about ease of use, relevance to common core, and adaptability. I think that we need to be available to observe different classes and offer creative suggestions to help teachers better integrate technology into their lessons. And not just technology for the sake of saying we are using technology, but technology that will help the students get to a deeper level of understanding and learning.
We have many teachers in our district that do not use technology to the greatest extent that they could, I am not sure what the reasoning is. Some are resistent to change, and others have the belief that what they have done in the past works, so why change.
Students use technology every day, and multiple times a day. They have a hard time imagining a world without technology and the benefits of technology. My 15 year old daughter for example, uses her iPod to wake up in the morning, rather than an alarm clock. Her phone takes the place of a watch, she uses her iPod or iPad instead of a radio, there are very few things that she does throughout the day that do not involve some aspect of technology.
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