Week 8: Final Reflection

I began this class with hopes of learning about a few Web 2.0 tools and how to implement them into my classroom.  What I gained was far more than that.

Before this class I felt like I was pretty knowledgeable in the area of technology.  The first thing this class showed me is that I have a lot more to learn.  Prior to this class I knew how to e-mail, navigate my way through a computer, and use different software programs like Keynote, Powerpoint, Garageband, and iMovie to name a few.  I had begun dabbling in Twitter and Diigo.  However, it was just dabbling.  I had used Glogster twice, but never really viewed it from the standpoint of "Is this the best tool to use for this lesson?".   It was more like, "Wow, this is cool and students will enjoy this new avenue of showing what they have learned."  Now, I see the difference.

Throughout this course I was forced to actually stop and take the time to learn about different applications as well as to think about 21st century students and how we need to change our teaching to reflect changing society.  I had to read and watch videos that were thought provoking and made me reflect on my own classroom and how I teach.  This, I think, has been the most valuable part of the class.  Reflection.

To begin, some tools I hope to implement into my class are blogging and wikis.  As part of my class project I created a blog and I have created a wikispace for communication to students and parents.  I hope to continue to extend my PLN and help my co-workers see the benefit of this.  Interestingly, I received my "Back to School" letter from my principal and one whole afternoon of our first workshop next week is devoted to PLNs.  I will now look at this differently than I had in the past. I can see how it is already working from me in this class and I am excited to see how he plans on integrating them into our school.

Moving forward, I know I will look back and see this class as a launching pad for changes that I will make.  I will look at my lessons more closely. I will think about the students that sit in front of me and try to figure out the best way that I can help them on their path to becoming integral members of our future society.  Thank you Kim, Theresa, Kirsten, Mel and Diane for sharing this learning experience with me and helping me to become a better educator.  I wish you all success and I hope we will be able to stay in contact... maybe even perhaps become part of each others digital PLNs. Farewell!

Week 8: A Flatter Me

In one sense I have become flatter this summer.  In other ways,  not so much.

Thomas Friedman coined the term, "The World is Flat",  with his new book that conveys the idea that the global playing field is becoming level; the world is becoming flat.  With the advancement of technology, work and collaboration can occur without regard to geography, or language for that matter.  Our society must stay at the forefront and to do so, we must educate our children to compete in the new world.  This is where teachers are important in needing to become "flat".

Over the course of the summer I have learned a multitude of tools and ways of incorporating them into the classroom.  I have expanded my professional learning network and feel better equipped in leading my students into the 21st  Century.  In this sense, I have become "flatter".  Unfortunately, my figure wouldn't say so.  Completing this class has definitely caused me some time that would normally be spent exercising. It was too easy to get wrapped up in links within links and the next thing I knew it would be 1:00am and I was 10 websites deep.  I guess I will work on flattening the rest of me out later!

Week 8: Thougts on Inclusion Video

In a prior post I touched on this particular part of Brian Crosby's other video.  It reminded me of a time not so long ago when I had a student in my homeroom diagnosed with leukemia.  He did not make it back to school after February and the district hired a tutor to go to his home and keep him up with the curriculum.  I found it difficult to send readings and worksheets home in hopes that the tutor would be able to get across what I wanted her to.  He also missed out on many labs and hands-on activities.

More importantly, he missed the daily interactions with his peers.  He was no longer part of our homeroom or science class.  He simply disappeared and students soon thereafter stopped asking when he would be coming back.  This is where I think Skype could have helped.  It could have made the student feel like he still belonged and was part of the class.  Being able to interact with the class may have made him feel better about himself and not so isolated. Perhaps he would have felt like a normal teenager, if only for that 45 minutes.  I only wish I had thought of something like this when he was in my class.

Week 7: My PLN

I think about how easy we have it as teachers now in regards to the wealth of information available at our fingertips. No longer are the days of getting ideas strictly from the textbook or from teachers within your building.   With the stroke of a key, you can get information from many teachers, in many places throughout the world.  The tricky part for me is narrowing down that wealth of information and finding ideas that will specifically help enhance my own learning and teaching. This is where PLNs come in.

A Professional Learning Network can be defined as:   

"a reciprocal network that you create to learn from, connect with, gather information or resources, create with and finally share what you have learned.  A PLN can occur in your school, face-to-face, online, at conferences or through reading, reflecting and sharing."

My experience with creating a professional learning network is growing with this class.  I follow people on twitter, use Google Reader to subscribe to other teacher's blogs, belong to a few nings like Classroom 2.0 and belong to some science listserves.  While I have mainly used these tools for gathering information and ideas, I have yet to actually join in and share my knowledge.

Often times I feel I have nothing to share.  I don't have moments where I think, "Wow, I should share what I have just done. Others would like to hear about it." I feel that there are others out there with much more knowledge and better ideas than me.  I guess this is a hurdle I will have to overcome.  I need to get comfortable with sharing ideas and feeling like my ideas are, at least, good. 

This is a site I found helpful in understanding what a PLN is and where to begin with all of the different tools: What is a PLN and why do I need one?

Week 7: Thoughts on Chapter 5

At the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, our principal began our first workshop day by giving us all a book to read.  No pressure. No timeline to read. Just a book to "browse" through at our own leisure.  The name of the book was "Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work: New Insights for Improving Schools".  I'm going to be honest.  I didn't even pick it up.

This was the first thought that came to my mind when reading chapter 5.   What was the overall goal of my principal? Was it simply to introduce us to PLCs? Was he planting a seed for the following year? In the end, I am unclear as to what he was hoping to accomplish and this, in the end, could be why it was not a priority (for me anyway).

It must be a struggle as an administrator to get all teachers to have a shared understanding and commitment to the purpose of the school.  Better yet, to get all teachers to implement the practices essential for the change to take place.  Whatever the course, it is imperative to guide teachers and provide continuous support for them.  Simply providing a one-day workshop is not enough.

In our school we meet by discipline one to two times each week.  We are supposed to be using this time to talk about our curriculum and share or develop ideas together.  Unfortunately it does not work out this way.  Teachers often spend the time complaining about something that happened and little about how we can help each other in the classroom.  How do I help other teachers see the value to working together, rather than in isolation?

After reading chapter 5 I have a better appreciation for my administrator.  I think I will pick the book up and take a look!

Here are a few sites I found devoted to PLCs.

AllThingsPLC
Annenberg Institute of School Reform
Engage Today 2009

Also, here is a video demonstrating how teachers work together.

Webinar on Blogging

The blogging webinar I attended was frustrating to say the least.  I can certainly see the benefits of it, however, my benefit to time ratio was fairly low for this learning experience.

First, I want to begin by saying I do see the benefit of a webinar .  To be able to have educators from all over the world together in one virtual place, sharing ideas, is fantastic.  That is, of course, if everyone attending the webinar provides useful information.

Unfortunately this did not happen for me.  I was excited to learn more about the benefits of blogging in the classroom.  The webinar was titled, "Blogging with Students" with special guest Kathy Cassidy.  While she did show her blog and how she applies it in her classroom, there was not a lot of information from others in the webinar.  Therefore, it was mostly based on one teacher's experience with blogging.  I also found my attention wandering and had to refocus myself often to stay tuned with what was being said.

I would have enjoyed this more if there were more people interacting (24 participated but only a few spoke) and sharing their ideas of the usefulness of blogging in the classroom.  Perhaps another webinar will provide me this experience.  All in all, it was a good experience and I am looking forward to participating in more.

Week 6: Thoughts on Chapter 8

Two things stood out for me in chapter 8.

The first thing that stood out to me that also brought me back to Brian Crosby's class was using Web 2.0 tools for those learners who miss time in the classroom due to things such as sickness or family.  Brian Crosby used a Web 2.0 tool to incorporate and involve a student with leukemia into his classroom.  Chapter 8 discusses using technology for students who are absent for an extended period of time to help them avoid the disruption of their education.  Both of these situations have happened to me and I only wish that I had had the forethought to think of using technology to keep the kids in the classroom.  Three years ago a student in my homeroom was diagnosed with leukemia and he missed most of the last half of the school year.  This past year I had two students with families from India and Pakistan who traveled for over two weeks for family issues.  Moving forward, I will be better prepared to look into this for my students.

Another issue that stood out to me was using authentic assessment to prepare students to be successful in standardized testing.  This is a question I continue to struggle with, how to intertwine and balance it all.  Over the past few years teachers in our district have had more pressure placed upon them to not only master the curriculum, but incorporate reading, writing, and technology into the core curriculum.  In addition, the science coordinator is pressing science teachers to do more labs and project-based activities with students.  Initially, I took these all in isolation.  I would do a separate lesson on different aspects, rather than incorporating them all into one authentic assessment.  This has been my aha! moment for this class.  You don't need to add more to your plate, you just need to learn to mix all that is already there.

Week 6: Brian Crosby's Classroom

Every time I watch a video like this I get inspired, energized and mobilized.  Brian Crosby is one of those teachers you aspire to be like.  His project-based learning activity and ability to engage children is impressive to say the least. 

My next immediate thought after awe is.... how do I become that?  How do I get my students involved at that level?  As part of my classwork this week I have been diligently reading about project-based learning.  As an educator I have thought about this for quite some time now.  I know I want to implement this into my classroom, I just struggle with where to begin.  I quickly get overwhelmed (I have been using that word A LOT lately).  It is hard to step back and instead of looking at the big picture, look at the one step that is in front of me.  That is what I would like to see from these videos.  The step-by-step process.  In looking at the final result it is hard to imagine all that went into a project such as Brian's.  Perhaps by seeing the progression it would allow me to understand more about how to begin the process.

So my pledge to myself is this.  Beginning today, I am going to look at the one step in front of me.  I am going to focus on incorporating one thing into my classroom, a project-based learning activity to begin my school year on the scientific process.  That is my pledge and I'm sticking to it (until I need to work on my blogging project)....

Week 5: Apps, Apps and more Apps!

Okay. I have been a bit distracted this week.  Actually, a lot distracted.  My husband hasn't seen me for days.  Huddled over a small device, all he sees at night is the back of my head.  All he hears is the tapping of my fingers. My eyes are sore. My fingers hurt... but I am in heaven.  Yes, I am now an official owner of the iPhone.  I have joined the masses and I am loving it!

So it is no surprise this week that I have decided to write my free blog about this new device of mine.  I never could have imagined having all of this information with me, all of the time.  I can be at the hairdresser and check my e-mail.  I can be on Lake Winnipesaukee and check the weather.  The list is endless with what is available at the tap of my finger.  Can you believe there are entire blogs dedicated to this device? Check out this one!

The one thing (of many) that has completely overwhelmed me is the Apps.  Oh, the Apps.  News, books, medical advice, travel, entertainment... The list is endless.  The one category that caught my eye was education.  There are some incredible Apps out there for kids and learning.  Math games, songs, learning how to speak a new language... I am excited to learn about all that is available for my students.  Are there any I can incorporate into the classroom? I am anxious to find out.

It is addicting.  It is a drug.  I need to ween myself off of this iPhone high so I can get back to my regular life!

Week 5: Podcasts

Podcasts are everywhere. You can find a podcast about virtually anything. Yes, I mean, anything!  Let me think back to my first encounter with a podcast...

My first introduction to a podcast was using GarageBand with my students.  I was looking for a way to assess students on an ecosystem unit.  I wanted them to write a poem about the ecosystem of the burrowing owl (after reading the book Hoot).  What I didn't want was for them to simply get up in front of the class and read what they had created.  I wanted more ears than just my class to hear their works of art.  Hmmm... how could I reach more people and jazz it up a bit?

The idea came to me when I was in Starbucks one morning getting my daily cup of jo.  I started listening to the music playing in the background.  Relaxing, inviting, yet not distracting.   I instantly thought, "Wouldn't it be great if students created a 'coffeehouse reading', reading their poems with background music playing?"  To entertain the eye, there could be a slideshow of pictures as people listened to the poem.  From that moment my first podcast idea was born.

From there I began searching podcasts on iTunes.  I was amazed at the wealth of information that was out there.  What a variety of data! From NPR to learning how to cook to the basics of brewing, the list is endless.  The wonderful part is the mobility of podcast.  You can easily download a podcast to your iPod and listen to it in the car or while going for a run.  My latest use of a podcast was going to NYC with the girls and getting a personal tour of the city from a podcast on my iPod.  What a great invention, anything you want, Playable On Demand.

Week 5: Thoughts on Chapter 3

Collaboration and accessibility are the two main words that come to mind after reading chapter three.

Collaboration, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is, "to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor". This, I believe, is one of the main goals of Web 2.0 tools.  No longer are the days of students being isolated in their work. No longer are the days of a piece of writing being created solely by one person.  Today's world is all about people working together in the hopes of the end product being much greater than it would have been if completed in isolation.  Wikis and Google Docs are just a few examples of tools that achieve this.  Students can now peer edit and evaluate instantaneously. They can create projects together without having to actually physically be together, which leads me to the next theme of chapter three, accessibility.

Accessibility is defined as "the quality of being at hand when needed" (Merriam-Webster).  Time is no longer an issue.  The classroom is no longer a constraint.  Students can easily work on projects at home and they are not hindered by trying to complete something solely in the classroom.  They are free to explore, synthesize, create and collaborate from the comfort of their own home.

Student progress and achievement are now accessible in most schools as well.  Parents are able to monitor their child's progress with the click of a button.  They no longer need to wait for progress reports or report cards (or a call from the teacher) to know how their son or daughter is doing.  However, I find that many parents do not use this feature, in my school at least.  Well... let me rephrase that.  The parents that SHOULD be monitoring their child's progress tend to be the ones who don't.  How do we get parents to be involved in their child's education and not leave it to the sole responsibility of the school or the student to monitor their achievement? It does take a village to raise a child!

Collaboration and accessibility are also important not only to students and parents, but to teachers as well.  Web 2.0 tools allow teachers to collaborate and access information like never before.  Participating in a virtual webinar with teachers from all over the world, using lesson plans and ideas from others and sharing experiences in the classroom only enhances our ability as educators.

Week 4: Google Reader

One of the difficulties with living in a world where there is a plethora of information at your fingertips is there is, in fact, TOO much information.  How do you effectively sort through all of the blogs you follow while still having time to work, sleep and play? RSS seems to be the answer to this dilemma.

RSS, short for Really Simple Syndication, has been around since 1997.  However, to me, it is a brand new concept.  It has taken a bit for me to get into, but once I realized it's usefulness, it began saving me a lot of time. I began using a RSS Reader called NetNewsWire.  I liked the fact that it organized my feeds into different folders.  What I didn't like about it was that it was computer dependent and I had to use my laptop to access any of my feeds.
 
This class introduced me to Google Reader.  After playing around with it a bit and discovering how to organize feeds, I found myself REALLY liking this particular RSS Feed. For one, I like the mobile access. Second, I like how it can be displayed in iGoogle and allows you to see new feeds at a glance.  I am excited to find new blogs to follow and use Google Reader!  It seems simple.  Really!

Google Reader

Week 4: Social Bookmarking

 My first introduction to social bookmarking was during a workshop at the Christa McAuliffe Conference this past December.  A librarian was running the workshop and introduced a handful of "new" tools on the Internet.  One of them, Diigo, caught my attention.  The idea of having all of my bookmarks at my disposal, from any computer, anywhere in the world, was quite impressive.  I had spent years building up my bookmarks, mainly for curricular use, to only have my PC (yes I am now a Mac convert) crash and I lost everything. I mean everything, bookmarks included.  This social bookmarking seemed to be a great tool to ever prevent that from happening again.

I immediately signed up for an account and began using Diigo.  My next level of awe was when people started commenting on the bookmarks. Teachers from all over the world (China!) explained how they used the bookmarked tool in their classroom.  Not only was I simply bookmarking sites I found useful, I was getting ideas as well. Who would have known?

The next best part about Diigo is being able to see others bookmarks.  Being able to see what other science teachers in the world find useful saves me time in trying to find sites myself.  I have to be careful though, as often I can get lost in the bookmark world!

The sticky notes and highlighting aspects of Diigo are tools that I have not used yet, but am looking forward to implementing them into my classroom at some point, hopefully this school year.  Students, especially middle schoolers, can often times get lost in reading articles online.  I teach them to mark up their text when reading, and this is a great opportunity for them to do the same thing online.  The other benefit I can see from these tools is focusing my students and posing questions myself.  By highlighting a certain part of an article or leaving a sticky note of thoughts for them to ponder, this can be beneficial to focus and organize their assignments.  Better yet, when having students do an online activity, instead of making a worksheet with directions, you could use Diigo to lead them through the task at hand.

I also have not used the education part of Diigo, where students can get their own sign in and password.  I am interested to see the benefits of this.  I am looking forward to continue to learn about the uses and benefits of Diigo and I hope to somehow incorporate this tool into my classroom this year.

Week 3: A Portal to Media Literacy

Ambitious is the first word that comes to mind when watching Michael Wesch's lecture, A Portal to Media Literacy.  I can only wish that someday I will be able to incorporate his vision and energy into my own classroom.

Wesch stated that there is a "crisis of significance".  Students today are not finding any meaning in  their education.  They only look at it as a grade and do not see how it is relevant to their own lives.  I see this all the time when kids ask questions like, "Will this be graded?"  I think it is important to make it relevant and important, but sometimes I feel like it is easier said than done.

Wesch created significance by helping students make meaningful connections to their education.  His simulation game was quite simply amazing, to say the least.  To get kids involved at that level and create such an intertwining activity for students to connect must have been arduous.  As I watched it I immediately began to think, how do I begin to change my ways in the classroom to make it more meaningful for students?

Wesch said to begin you need to provide students with the big picture.  Students need to see how everything connects, not only concept to concept, but concept to learner.  Okay.  Let's see.  Life science... cells, atoms, chemical reactions, genetics, body systems... how do they all connect? They are all levels of organization to help living things do what they need to do so they can live, grow and reproduce. That seems too simplistic. Is that what he is talking about? Now I need to make it relevant to students.  Any ideas?

The next step Wesch said is to provide students with a platform for participation and allow them to realize how tools can help them collaborate, create, analyze, etc.  Why does it sound so easy but when you stop and think about it within your own classroom it seems a bit more complicated?  How do you effectively let students explore, create, collaborate? How do you maintain structure and function in a middle school classroom while allowing students the freedom to explore? Sometimes I feel like this is a fine balance and I don't think I do the best at this balancing act.  Michael Wesch certainly got my gears turning, and once it sinks in and settles I hope I have a better vision for the overarching theme to my own classroom.

Week 3: Shifting Ground

The article, Shifting Ground, by Chris Lehmann brought up many interesting points that I question in my own mind.  One question that is at the center of this article is how do schools adapt, change, evolve, to keep up with society? That, I guess, is the million-dollar question.

There are many different aspects to the education system as a whole. The government, the state, the town, the budget, the principal, the school board, the superintendent, the teachers, the students.... where do you begin? It gets overwhelming very quickly.

Let's just look at the teacher aspect.  To begin, colleges need to change how they are teaching soon-to-be educators. New teachers can begin the process of this evolution.  If they are taught to teach differently then they will themselves, teach differently.  What about veteran teachers? How do you get them on board?  Hmmm.... lots of different things to think about!

If teachers are the key to this process, it is imperative that they are trained properly and given much support to help with the evolution of education. With all of the new technology, kids are on their own to learn "how to use these tools intelligently, ethically, and well (Lehmann 1)."  Most of their elders, parents, teachers, etc. are not as well adept at using the tools than their children or students.  The one big issue I find as an educator is that children do not have the training on know how to use technology properly.  They do not realize the ramifications of putting information on the Internet.  They do not know how to properly share information.  Who is supposed to teach them how to do this? If it is our responsibility as educators then schools need to train their teachers properly.  Teachers need to feel comfortable with the technology themselves before they can help others feel comfortable with it.

In the end, teachers are the ones having direct contact with students on a daily basis.  They will be the ones to ultimately help shift the education system with the shift in society. The big question is, where do we begin?

Another one of those videos to get you thinking about the shifting ground...

Week 2: Chapter 1

What should we be teaching students in today’s classrooms? This is a question I often find myself thinking about as the pressure mounts to increase NECAP scores, meet AYP and make sure all the curriculum content is covered (along with teaching kids reading, writing and technology in the content area).  What really matters? In the end, what do we, as educators, owe our students to make them capable, functioning citizens of society?

In Chapter 1 of Web 2.0 new tools, new schools, Solomon and Schrum stated,

"…how we educate our children may prove to be more important than how much we educate them"(p. 11).

I am in complete agreement with this statement.  Students need to learn how to research, synthesize, analyze, communicate and collaborate, just to name a few.  The content should just be a means through which these skills are acquired.  The frustrating thing is that we are often times pressured to focus on content for testing rather than important skills.  It is our duty as educators to prepare our students for the new world.   Technology is not only part of that new world but it is also a great tool to help students master the necessary skills. Society is changing and education needs to follow suit.
 

Below is a video I found that was created by Tom Woodward of Henrico County schools in Virginia. Interesting thoughts...

Week 2: Thoughts on Course

After attending the Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference this past December, my interest and intrigue in learning about the different technology tools increased dramatically.  Even though I would call myself somewhat “technologically literate”, I have by no means kept up with the changing times and the new emerging Web 2.0 tools.  I couldn’t believe how much was out there.  I got excited about what all of the new information would mean for my classroom, but I didn’t know where to begin.  With so much information and different tools available, I soon found myself lost in the land of Web 2.0 insanity. I had to stop, take a step back and begin to think about what my objective was for a particular lesson and from there, decide what was the best avenue for helping students achieve that objective.  Once I focused my ideas, it became a bit easier to find the right tool for the job. 

I decided to start with blogging.  One of my educational objectives was to increase student writing in my classroom.  I thought a blog would be a good avenue for this task and easy for me to measure student progress.  Having said that, do you know how many blogging tools are out there? Yikes! I found myself setting up account after account with every blogging site I could find only to find that they didn’t quite do what I wanted to. Finally, I settled on ClassChatterLive and am now in the process of looking into 21Classes.  See… it never ends!

So what is my point with all of this?  I am in desperate need of guidance and direction to some of the different tools and their applicability to the classroom.  I am hoping this class will provide that structure and guidance for me.  So wish me luck and let’s have some fun!