KSP667 - Week 10 Reflection

Assembling my semester’s work on my digital portfolio made me realize how much I have learned this semester.  I think about technology from a different view now.  I am just as gung ho about integrating it in my classroom but I need to take a step back and make sure my methods are aligned with my objectives.  These objectives will likely be driven by both 21st-century skills and state standards.  

I found that assessing the use of technology in my classroom needs to take into consideration whether my objective is based on digital skills or on the content they are learning about - or both.  I think we expect our students to do well both but often don’t define the technology expectations for their work.

While there wasn’t anything truly new to me in this semester’s content I definitely refined my understanding of technology integration.  Thinking about next year where I will have 1:1 devices in my classroom will make my lessons quite different.  I need to make sure technology use is enhancing and not just replacing.

Many teachers think that simply giving their student a device is integration and I know differently.  I don’t want my students to become word processors or digital scrapbookers

KSP667 - Week 9 Reflection - Digital Literacy & the Digital Divide

Digital Divide is a term used to describe the “haves and have-nots” in respect to access to digital devices and connectivity.  This divide is caused by several different things.  The first, and most pronounced, cause is socio-economic.  There are areas in our country that are so rural that there is no possibility of internet connectivity.  

Examining the Digital Divide without also looking at Digital Literacy would be like cutting off one of your hands.  The two really go hand in hand.  If you are a member of an older generation you may not put technology at the top of your priority list and therefore could cause you to not be as “connected” as others around you.  If you have children living in the home you are creating the “divide” for them by not supplying these tools.

Watching the video about the Digital Natives made me anxious.  I am a 47 year old woman and therefore apparently a Digital Immigrant.  My response to this is a passionate NO!  I have embraced technology since it first became available to me. I had a computer with a 128 MB hard drive - which was HUGE at the time.  I have always been on the cutting edge of technology.  I bought one of the first digital cameras and blogged on my GeoCities account - using dial-up no less!  

It frustrates me when gross generalizations like this put out there.  I understand that there may be an underlying truth to it in many cases but please don’t clump me in!!

KSP667 - Week 8 Reflection - Gamification, Polling, Clipping, & Mind Mapping

Symbaloo Logo

The focus of this week was gamification, bookmarking, clipping, mindmapping, and polls.  

I truly didn’t think I had any experience with gamification until last semester when my Introduction to Education Technology professor formatted her class as a game.  It had levels and Easter eggs - just like online games.  I loved the format because it provided a work at your own pace environment. Since I tend to be a learner who needs to build momentum and then keep going this worked out really well for me. I could see it working well for some of my fifth grade students as well. Based on this discovery I actually built two writing units this year that provided my students with an anywhere/anytime learning experience.  They were able to work at their own pace and work on it anywhere they wanted to.  It worked out beautifully.  I realize this wasn’t a “game” type situation but it was as close as I could get in my 5th grade room.

Coggle It - Mind Mapping Tool

I do use Khan Academy for my math students.  This provides a gaming atmosphere where they can earn badges and move up levels.  The kids love it.  

For our Yammer posts this week we shared bookmarking, clipping, polling, and mind mapping applications. I shared Symbaloo, Coggle, and ClipChoose.  These are three tools that I haven’t used but want to.  They are on my radar for next year! 

KSP667 - Week 7 Reflection - Podcast in the Classroom

Podcasts are one of my favorite forms of media. That being said I had never considered their potential for use in my classroom.  I have a very “A-ha” moment while investigating the uses for blogs.  I am an avid “blended learning” proponent and yet this is one form of media I have yet to explore.  

Creating my professional development podcasts on utilizing podcasts in the classroom was an eye opener for me.  I see that a podcast combined with other delivery systems can create a bigger impact.  Rather than only have my students use Google Classroom to access reading, writing, and video content, I can have provide voice recorded content or instructions as well.  

This is especially helpful with my E.L. students who really benefit by oral instruction. Creating a short podcast of instructions to be offered hand-in-hand with the text instructions increases their potential for understanding.  They can see how the words look while hearing how they sound.

On our Yammer page this week we posted our favorite PodCast.  I stepped a bit outside the realm of Ed Tech targets and posted my favorite podcast - Science Underground.  At school the kids call me the “Science Lady”.  Not because I teach science but because I love science!  The fact that this podcast is hosted by a female scientist makes it exponentially better in my eyes!  Check it out: http://scienceunderground.org/

KSP667 - Week 6 Reflection - Social Media Platform Comparison

There are many social media platforms available for use but choosing one that is appropriate for your students and for use in the educational setting can be tedious.  This week we investigated several options and compared them based on these points:

• How the platform can be used for teaching and learning
• The age group the platform is appropriate for
• The cost (if any)
• The concerns or considerations of use
• The benefits of use
• Any other information you deem useful

We compared Facebook to Edmodo, and Twitter to Instagram.  We found that Edmodo is the safer choice for classroom use because it is a closed network where the teacher has total control over who can access what content.  

Between Twitter and Instagram there is really no significant difference. Both have privacy settings that allow a teacher to restrict viewing of posts but there is still the need for students to have accounts and there is no way for teachers to control what they do with them outside of school.

My personal beliefs on social media definitely get in my way when it comes to planning for use in the classroom.  As I have mentioned before, I teach elementary school, so there is a greater risk when my students join a social media network.  They are just beginning to understand the nuances of in real life (IRL) relationships.  Transferring this IRL knowledge to cyberspace is often difficult for adults and therefore not developmentally appropriate for most 10 year olds.

KSP667 - Week 5 Reflection - Blogging in the Classroom

This week was all about blogs!  This happens to be one of my favorite subjects because over the past 15 years i have always had at least one blog going.  I have blogged about everything from random crap to books to my daughters stroke recovery to - yep, you guessed it - educational technology!  I love the medium for expressing myself.  As you can tell by my chosen digital portfolio format.  

But I have gone off course a bit - no pun intended!  This week we looked at how blogs could be used in the classroom.  And you can bet that I have a lot of ideas about this.  I have been in a battle with my district all year trying to be allowed to use Blogger in my classroom.  My vision, which is not supported by my administration, is to teach my fifth graders how to use a blog effectively.  I wanted to assign them as authors on my blog, let them post to their own pages, and teach them some web design while we were at it.  Blogger is one of the only free blogging platforms that let’s you edit both the HTML code and the CSS code.  You can customize your entire blog!

The districts resistance had a lot to do with their previous issues with some high schoolers who were never taught about being good digital citizens.  I did find a “sort of” way around the policy - we use KidBlog.  It hasn’t worked out the way I wanted it to but my students are loving this avenue to share their ideas.

One of the main tasks this week was to share our favorite blogs on the class Wiki.  I am a bit sad that this information wasn't gathered in a way that we could all walk away with a list of resources!!

KSP667 - Week 4 Reflection - What the heck is Web 3.0?

This week we covered a few topics but the one that struck me the hardest was the concept of “Web 3.0”.  This term wasn’t even on my radar before this week.  I knew the term “Web 2.0”, and was just snobby enough to think it was outdated and not pertinent to any aspect of my life.  Web 3.0?  All I could think was, “This must be fake”.

Turns out there is a ton of information online about it.  It also turns out that “cyber-stalking” aspect of ads on my Facebook wall are completely what they are talking about.  It is this idea of dynamic content that monitors your activity and tailors what you see to your patterns and content.  It is almost frightening this that this was literally happening under my nose without me understanding the full impact of it.

The evolution of the web and its content is freakishly awesome and at the same time terrifying.  What started as a way to post ideas and possible gather feedback or comments has turned into an almost fully functioning life force.

Couple this with augmented reality applications and we no longer have to think for ourselves.  It is very reminiscent of the movie Wall-E. And not in a good way.

KSP667 - Week 3 Reflection - Social Media in a Crisis Situation

Week three furthered our investigation of Social Media use.  This time we focused on the more beneficial side of it.  Our guiding question was “how can it be used in a crisis”?  What we found was a crazy amount of benefits to having a pre-established social media network.  In an emergency, social media can be used to quickly and efficiently sent out information to parents and community members.  On the flip side it can also be used to issue an “all clear” if there was a dangerous situation.  

I have to admit that I hadn’t looked at social media this way before.  I think of the shooters in Paris last year and how the people at the club were sending out messages via Twitter and Instagram.  I remember thinking that it was sad but not really thinking of the impact this must have had on the people trapped in the line of a gunman.  They must have felt less alone and helpless because they were able to communicate using these tools.  

Being a classroom teacher we have monthly “lock down” drills.  I look at these through a changed lense now.  I realize that I could be the first to “call” for help using my Twitter or Instagram account.  I could let parents know my students were OK.  

I do realize that this “first info out” method could cause some widespread panic but one must believe that it would be helpful, especially when and if there is a social media crisis plan in place.  Which, I should note, there isn’t in my school.

KSP667 - Week 2 Reflection - Social Media in an Educational Setting

This week we analyzed how social media can be used in an educational setting.  We came to the realization that there is quite a large need for it in the 21st-century school system.  I evaluated the social media policy in my own district and found it to be somewhat generic.  The biggest restriction on it was that teachers using social media needs to report their account information to the district technology office. I am still uncertain if this is simply to share with others or if it is used to track acceptable use.  

In any school setting, using social media allows for quick communication if a situation calls for it.  As a group we created our own Social Media policy.  We gathered information from several sources, including: Ball State University, ASCD, TeachHub, Best Buy, and the University of California - East Bay.  

Our policy protecting privacy, using it responsibly, maintaining responsible, and monitoring use by students. Another major point was to separate professional from personal accounts.  As a rule, educators should never befriend their students on social media platforms.  Teachers should also model proper social media behavior.  This modeling should include proper citation when using information from other sources, providing credit for content where credit is due, and not posting inappropriate content.

KSP667 - Week 1 Reflection - Multigenerational Comparison

This week we explored the differences between four generations that represented in our workforce.  We compared what inspires them, their core beliefs when it comes to work ethic, and their technology use. We found that the generation gap is real and quite present.  The youngest technology users embrace it as if it is yet another appendage on their hand.  

Unlike generations before them, they were born into this world and have no frame of reference for a life without it.  These students want and need technology in their classroom in order to be successful in the 21st-century job market.  And what’s more, they expect it to be there.  Teachers who are not integrating technology in their classroom will struggle to keep their students engaged.

One way to integrate technology into the classroom is through social media.  Applications like Google Classroom and Edmodo allow teachers to provide this experience in a closed and protected environment.  While applications like Twitter or Instagram may not be tools that teachers encourage their students to use in school, they are an excellent way for teachers to communicate with families and other educators.  

On our class’s Yammer page this week, we posted many great tools to be used by teachers. Schoology, blogs, and SnapChat were mentioned as additional tools to get students engaged, especially at the high school level. I enjoyed learning about which Social Media tools other teachers are using.  I have shied away from them in my own classroom because I feel my fifth-graders are still a bit young for them.