Week 11: Final Reflection

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Part 1:

It’s hard to believe that the 11 weeks of EDU533 are coming to a close. I have enjoyed this course at SNHU immensely and have been able to transfer what we are learning in our class into my own classroom immediately. I thought I integrated technology into my classroom before by using a Smart Board, Turning Points Response System and Ipads for web search. What I was doing was novice compared to what I know and can use now. I have created a Webquest for my students; I made a Jing to explain a project to a student that wasn’t in class. Students have made Voki’s to explain why they will stay drug free. I created an Animoto for a student club that went to a Stand Up Against Bullying Rally. Not only has this class tremendously increased my knowledge of Web 2.0 tools, the class has given me the confidence to figure things out when it comes to technology. Through this class I have accomplished the following learning objectives.

Module Objectives

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1.    Demonstrate the understanding of how technologies can effectively promote  

       student learning.

2.    Evaluate and use a variety of current technologies to enhance content instruction

       and to advance student’s technological literacy.

3.    Design meaningful and authentic digitally based learning experiences with multiple 

       and varied assessments.

4.    Reflect upon and demonstrate effective use of digital tools and resources.

5.    Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of safe, ethical, legal and moral

       practices related to digital information and technology.

6.    Illustrate through application how state and national standards are implemented 

       within the curriculum (e.g., NH Curriculum Frameworks, ISTE (NETS-

       Teacher/NETS-Student) and NH-ICT Literacy Standards for K-12 Students 

       (306.42).

7.    Demonstrate an understanding of the use of adaptive technologies and other digital

       resources to personalize and differentiate learning activities for every student.

8.    Evaluate, adapt and reflect on emerging tools and trends by participating in local

       and global learning communities and by reviewing current research and

       professional literature.

Part 2:

As educators of technology natives we must integrate technology into our classroom to be able to speak the language of our students. My students are the same age as Google. They have grown up with technology and this technology will always be part of their lives. I am in a school that has a five-year plan to go to a one to one ratio with our students and technology. We must keep up with the educational times or we are cheating our students out of a 21^st century education.

We can experience barriers when it comes to integrating technology into our classrooms like limited resources. However, with planning you can mitigate the effects of this challenge. System failures such as the internet going down is always a possibility which means we must have a plan B when working with technology.

Thank for a great class Kim.

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Teacher Interview - Cooperative Middle School

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Interview of Andy Littlefield Technology Coordinator at CMS

Interview of Eilleen Dent Health Teacher at CMS

Interview of Mike Durant Math Teacher at CMS

Midterm Thoughts and Reflections on EDU 533 Using Audioboo

listen to ‘Midterm Thoughts and Reflections on EDU 533’ on Audioboo

Our Beloved Dogs - Animoto

Week 5: Thanks For The Blogs

So many blogs so little time! For this weeks assignment in Learning Through Technology at Southern New Hampshire University we reviewed three education blogs and reported on those blogs. So, here I go.

Blog #1 Cool Cat Teacher Blog
The author of this blog is Vicki Davis. She is a full time teacher, mother, presenter, and award winning author of wikis, blogs and co-author of Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds.  Vicki's blog is written to inform, encourage and inspire people in the field of education. She has approximately 1420 followers that range from teachers, media specialist, parents and administrators. The last post titled "Advice to presenters and teachers: All You Have is Enough" garnered 19 comments and 80 reactions which I think is very cool.

The Cool Cat Teacher Blog is a place where educators can go as a forum of support and inspiration. Her last couple of posts have been motivating to me in a field of work that we may sometimes feel very isolated. I have added her blog to my Google Reader and would encourage others especially those new to the profession. I am very interested in following what Vicki has to say to teachers around the country and world.

Vicki's last post hit home with me when she wrote "ALL YOU HAVE is enough. You are enough. Rest your head and have a good day knowing you gave all you had." I find there are many days that I walk away wondering, was that enough. I have my Health students for 23 days out of a school year, was it enough, will they be safe and make good choices, was it enough!

By Stacey Bonino Created By BusyTeacher.org

Blog #2 Moving at the Speed of Creativity

Dr. Wesley Fryer has created a blog, called, Moving at the Speed of Creativity, to document his learning and collaboration with other educators. Dr. Fryer is a digital learning consultant, author, digital storyteller, educator, husband and dad. Through his blog he covers many areas in the digital education world such as web 2.0, digital storytelling, digital citizenship,  and the use of educational technologies to name a few.  His books include What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media and Playing with Media: simple ideas for powerful sharing. As of today Dr. Fryer has 15,698 followers on Twitter, WOW! The blog, Moving at the Speed of Creativity, captures an audience of educators and yes there are many.

This blog covers cutting edge technology information including topics such as, Newsweek is going all digital, and the best iOS apps for audio recording and sharing. I am not sure I would read this blog on a regular bases but I would add the blog to my Google Reader and check out what his thoughts are on the new, up and coming technology. I think the blog would be helpful for media specialists, technology instructors and technology integration specialist/administrators.

One of my favorite blogs, "30 in 60: 30 Tools for Tech-Savvy Teachers", was actually a blog of notes from his podcast on the topic. In this blog he covered Edmodo a management system you can use to organize your classroom, WebList virtual space where you have a lot of information for students to use and  Zimmer Twins digital storytelling just to name a few of the 60. I am always very interested in the tech tools out there to engage my students with the use of technology.

Blog #3 The Daily Riff

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C.J. Westerberg is the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Riff.  However, there are many contributors to the blog. C.J. Westerberg is also a parent, education writer, researcher, school board member and entrepreneur in education. This blog covers topics such as people, politics, business, learning, innovation, and technology. There are blogs for parents and about bullying. It is my belief the this blog is meant to reach people of all different audiences, educators and parents alike. While The Daily Riff has 1450 Twitter followers and 711 subscribers on Google Reader there were not many comments left on the blog postings I read.

I found this site be be fascinating because they cover such a wide range of topics that are informative to educators. The goal of the blog is to give the readers news and opinions in quick, digest-sized take-aways to use and share and I think they have hit their mark. I added this blog to my Google Reader subscriptions and believe others involved in education would find the blog interesting as all.

One blog I really enjoyed was 10 Questions for the First Day of School which explored the change in education from teacher driven to student guided. Edna Sackson, who is an educator in Australia and the writer of this blog, compared the way we used to think when opening up the school year with our classes to the way we should think today. Here are a couple of the examples she posed past and present;  past-explain your expectation, present-ask about their expectations, past-establish rules, present-create an essential agreement, past - tell them what they'll be learning, present - ensure they know that they own their learning.  Every quarter I start new classes and I believe this blog will be extremely helpful in my focus of how I open up a new classes.

Week 4: PBS Flims, Watch Now Before They Are Gone Along With Big Bird

Compare and Contrast each documentary.  What has changed from the first one (Growing Up Online) made in 2008 to the newer one (Digital Nation) filmed in 2010? How did what you watched in the two videos support your feelings about technology or how did it change your views?

The two documentaries we watched this week Growing Up Online created in 2008 and Digital Nation filmed in 2010 both focus on the digital natives we have in our classrooms today. There where two quotes that I believe emphases the impact of technology in our world. The first quote came from Danah Boyd of the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society who was interviewed for Growing Up Online. Boyd stated “This is a generation that sees on line not as a separate place you go but as just a sort of continuation of their existence. It's socialization. It's learning about life.” The other quote is from Douglas Rushkoff during the Digital Nation video when he said digital media “is changing what it means to be a human being by using all this stuff.” Both Boyd and Rushkoff have made the point that digital media isn’t separate from us in today's world. It is an extension of who we have become. Much of the conversation during Growing Up Online centered on concern for Internet safety and even panic over the dangers of being online. In contrast Digital Nation centered on the Internet being a way of life. It is here and we either get on board or you’ll miss the boat.  The filmed presented digital media that has replaced old ways of doing business examples being "Army Experience” replacing recruitment centers, "Second Life” virtual meeting room replacing actual face-to-face meeting when it comes to conferencing.

The videos supported my understanding of the importance of teaching digital citizenship whether we are talking about Growing Up Online or Digital Nation. The students we have today are connected to the world around them at the push of a button and it is so extremely important that they know how to function in that world safely and responsibly. 

Your thoughts on multitasking.  Do you agree?  Can you multitask?  Do you disagree with the video on the topic of multitasking?

I do not believe that multitasking is possible at the best of our ability. Yes we can multitask but that doesn’t mean we are doing the best we can do at the function we are preforming. I agree with Professor Clifford Nass from the film Digital Nation when he said virtually all multitaskers think they are brilliant at multitasking. But the reality is multitaskers are terrible at all aspects of multitasking. Nass stated, “classic psychology says that's impossible, no one can do that.”  An article titled Multitasking Doesn’t Work from Work Place Psychology supports this thought stating the people who multitask are less productive and less efficient.

Is there an addiction happening in society today with technology or is it just a new way of living?   Should we be concerned?

I think there is technology addiction happening in society today. I think I struggle with the need to be connected to my IPhone. I find myself constantly checking email, Facebook, WMUR. Whenever a question comes to mind I jump on Google and here I go again, connected. Addiction is the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice so yes, if we are addicted to technology we should be concerned. Like any addiction people struggling with the habit or practice should seek help.

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Do video games serve a purpose in education or are they a waste of time?

I believe video games serve a purpose in education when we make learning fun, we engage students in the process. I use video games to teach nutrition in health such as Blast Off that help students understand how to load up with a balanced diet. This school year we starting a new Alternative Physical Education program, one of the unit we will teach is Exertainment with the use of Wii's and DDR’s.

Do you believe that digital tools such as Google tools can save schools that are struggling?

Can digital tools such as Google tools save a struggling school? Well, "struggling schools" is a broad topic.  I’m not sure if digital tools can save a school but they can certainly save a school money, as well as offer creative outlet for a wide range of topics. A innovative teacher can do a lot with limited resources when they have access to digital tools. 

Do parents of today have any idea what their kids are doing online?  Whose job is it to teach them the safety and digital responsibility? Parents/Teachers/Community/Government??

I think it depends on the parents whether they know what is going on with their kids online. The pace of social media moves so fast that as soon as parents are caught up it has changed again. For example, MySpace to Facebook to Twitter, it’s difficult to keep track of what’s in and what’s out. The job of teaching safety and digital responsibility to kids belongs to all people in their lives. It doesn’t just fall on one group or person. We all must take a role in the development of our students/children.

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Are kids and adults today ruining their digital footprints by sharing too much information online without realizing that it may be detrimental to their future? Should they care?

Yes and Yes, but hopefully we can change that through education. Kids live in the moment and we are in a world that allows us to have intent access and feedback. They don’t always realize once online always online. What might be fun and good in a group of friends today may not reflect well when applying for a job, trying to get into school, or even developing new relationships. NPR covered a story called Don't Trip Over Your Digital Footprint which explores this same topic. 

Stranger Danger” and predator fears are often overblown by the media on shows such as Datelines “To Catch a Predator”.  What are the real dangers of technology in this day and age?  

There are real dangers to being online. I ask my students when talking about digital safety and responsibility “Do you think that there are people out there that do not have the best intention online?” Every class says yes and with that answer we talk about the best way to stay safe.  We brainstorm a list of safety tips all students should follow such as:

• Never give out personal information like your name, home address, and phone number, or school you attend.

• Tell your parents right away if you come across any information that makes you feel uncomfortable.

• Never agree to get together with someone you “meet” online without first checking with my parents. 

• Do not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make you feel uncomfortable.

We are at an amazing place in the world of technology. Today, so many things are possible with the click of a button but as the old adage says, a mirror image of your greatest strength can often be your great weakness. This is true with technology. We must use the tools to make it our strength not our weakness.

Week 3: Digital Citizenship It Should Be A Way of Life

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Lets start by defining education. Dictionary.com defines education as the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. If we start here in today's classroom that must include Digital Citizenship. There are nine elements of digital citizenship. They include digital access, digital literacy, digital rights and responsibility, digital commerce, digital etiquette, digital health and wellness and finally digital communication. As a middle school health teacher I would like to include lessons that cover the following elements.

Image from BrainPOP

Digital etiquette refers to the way students should behave and act when using technology, treating others online the way you would like to be treated. This BrainPOP lesson would be great to use when talking about mental and emotional health tying in digital etiquette. BrainPOP includes a Q & A section on digital etiquette, a video clip, and activities such as a matching game and "think about it" activity. Through BrainPOP there is a quiz that can be taken as a class or individual if there is access to a computer for each student. 

 

Digital Health and Wellness Lesson .Through this lesson I can cover addiction and ergonomics during our personal health units. This is an incredible lesson designed for grades 6-12 that includes a power point, YouTube videos, discussion question and activities to engage students in the topic. I believe it is imperative for our student to understand and to be educated in the area of digital health and wellness. I recently read a statistic that 72% of U.S. middle school students spend more than three hours each day in front of a TV, cellphone, or computer. 

We in education are responsible to be and help create good digital citizens. 

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