Final Reflection!

This class got off to a rocky start with cancelations and many assignments we were unsure of what to do; I think the entire cohort was very unsure about how the rest of this class was going to turn out. But, it has been a great learning experience. I think it is amazing that we are able to learn so much from each other and because we span many grade levels it is interesting to see how people are trying to use technology at every level. I was able to learn a lot from my peers through working on projects together and see others presentations. I was excited to learn about the blogs and wiki’s and how to incorporate them into my class. We have had teachers who use wiki’s in the past and I have wanted to use them and never had the time to check it out, through courses like this it is great to have the chance to learn about technology we are interested in for our students. I am looking forward to implementing the projects we created with my students and see how they react to them.

Dec. 15th questions

1.       The Digital Divide definitely exists at my school. We have a great new school building with a computer lab and two student computers in every classroom at every grade level. We also have a couple of carts with laptops on them that can be signed out my teachers and used in the classrooms. Our students have a computer class once a week and one of their specials and many of the classrooms have a promethean board in the room. Our students have great opportunity to use all this technology throughout the day and school year, but once they go home there is a huge discrepancy as to how much access to technology they have. Within our community we have some families that have computers and ipads, some of my students even have their own computers in their rooms. Then I have students who don’t have a computer at their house, or they have one but no internet access. There are two extremes that exist in our community outside of school.  This lack of technology at home can put the students at a disadvantage when it comes to completing homework assignments, projects, or accessing help.

2.       Our school tries to get students using as much technology as possible and last year we had an after school program that I actually ran where students were exposed to even more technology and got to learn about different software. But no matter how much they use technology in school when they go home they can put all this knowledge to use. They are going to be behind their peers when they get to high school and beyond because they are not going to be as experienced with technology. Our school is also trying to become more interactive with parents using online resources but they also have to send home paper copies and flyers to those parents without the access to technology and the internet.

3.       As an educator it is extremely important that I am doing as much as I can with my students to teach them about technology. I think one of the most important skills to teach my students about technology is how to learn about new technology. I can introduce my students to many different kinds and uses of technology but they are only going to be with me for a year so if I teach them how to be information literate this will help them for their entire life time. Students need to be aware that technology is always changing and new advances are always happening. They are going to be living in a world where from year to year they may be using totally different technology and they have to be able to adapt to that.

Collaborative Project reflection

I thought my collaborative project with Stephanie was fantastic! We often collaborative together during the school day and I am very excited to be able to do this author study with our classes. I think I am most excited with our students becoming more and more comfortable with using the internet to do research and have discussions. I think we did a really nice job of building off of our instructional model. Students will have to continue to use the blog to have discussions but their use of the blog is a little more in depth in with this activity. Students also have to become comfortable with finding information on the web and using the blog to guide them to website allows them to have direction but still find the information on their own. This will be highly beneficial to my students especially as we do more and more with research projects in the spring time. The added bonus to working with Stephanie’s class so much is that there is a real sense of comfortable among the students and teachers. I am getting to know her students which help with transitions next year when some of them are in my class, and she gets to continue working with some of her from last year. They are already familiar with her style and expectations.

Instructional model reflection

I really enjoyed getting the chance to work with Steph and Stacey…Steph and I get the chance to work together a lot and it was fun to have a third part involved. It was also great to work with these two wonderful ladies because we teach close grade levels. I am really excited to implement this plan into our classrooms and start having our student’s blog with each other. I think it will be a really great opportunity for students to learn how to use something like Bloggster, which is easy to learn how to use and yet they can do so much with it. They are also going to love learning about different current events and being able to share it with someone especially from another school. Hopefully this project will begin to open the door for us connecting and creating a larger learning environment for our students.

Dec. 8th

1.       Yes, absolutely all teachers should be encouraged to create online activates within their classrooms. The students that we are teaching today are going to be living in a world dominated by technology and they more they use the more they will learn about it and see how helpful it is. I don’t think that teachers need to feel like they have to do everything online but if teachers were able to incorporate just a few online or technology based activated into their curriculum I think they would start to see the benefits as well. I think a lot of teachers don’t use technology because of their own lack of understanding.

2.       I honestly am not sure if I think social networking has a place in education. I would not use social networks in my classroom of 5^th graders and I think if teachers were going to use them it should not be until the high school level. Students younger than high school age are too obsessed with the social aspect of social networking and not how they can be used educationally. I am not sure how I would incorporate something like Facebook into my classroom. I feel like there are so many other ways to get students to connect to a larger community without using social networking sites.

3.       As I stated I am not sure teachers should be using social networks in the classroom but if they were I would hope it would be at the high school level and after a lot of instruction and guidance about cyber bullying and internet safety. If students were going to use a social network within education I think it would be interesting to see how something like a facebook profile or a myspace page could be used for college applications. Students would obviously have to be very careful but it could be an interesting way for colleges to learn more about students and possibly interact with them more. But there are also many things that could go wrong here. Students could also use twitter in a social studies or current events class and follow politicians or other influential people to keep up on what is happening in the world. Although again I would hate to see a generation that gets all their important news from twitter.

4.       As of right now I still see the role of social networking in education as a problem. Students are using places like facebook as a place to bully and bash other students. High school students and middle school students don’t realize these social networks are public domains and they are getting themselves into trouble. Students who suffered from being bullied at school used to be able to go home and escape from these attacks, now with the prevalence of cell phones and almost all middle school students having a facebook page this bullying does not end when the school day ends. We have clearly seen an increase in students attacking other students through social network pages. For me the role of these networks in education needs to be usas educators teaching tolerance and acceptance, not trying to incorporate these media’s into the classroom.

Dec. 1 questions

1.       When students are studying various topics one very useful tool is for them to work with primary sources. It is the job of the teacher to provide students with the opportunity to work with these primary sources and accessibility to them. When students are able to work with primary sources and gain a firsthand account of events they gain a closer understanding of what happened. The information is more meaningful to them when they see it comes from someone who experienced it. The NARA is currently compiling a huge database of primary sources for teachers to be able to use with their students. Teachers need to make sure students are able to use the sources appropriately including understanding the perspective of the primary source

2.      Blogs, Wikis, and web-based word processors all use technology as a means to communicate and collaborate but each is used with a different purpose. Blogs are a way for many people to communicate through a central location. You could have one person blogging and others commenting or you can have an open blog for many people. Blogs allow for lots of discussion and let’s people share their ideas. One way a blog could be used in the classroom is for Literature Circles. Students can use the blog as a safe way to discuss the book and a teacher would be able to see all the discussions and who is participating. The great thing about using a blog for literature circles is that you could open the door for students to start a literature circle with students from another school or grade level in your school. The discussion wouldn’t have to be confined to the classroom. While wiki’s also allow for people to post their ideas there is usually less of a discussion element to a wiki. Within the classroom a wiki could be used as a class newsletter. Because it can be added to and edited by many students the newsletter could become a living document where students could update it daily and parents would be able to see what was happening in the classroom immediately. Students would have to work together and collaborate to create one document that everyone was able to work on. Another way for many students to work on one project is using web-based word processors like Google docs. I think this would be a great resource for students in older grades who are working on projects or papers together. Students are able to log in and add to the document whenever they want and each time the document is edited the whole group gets an email. Students would be able to edit and change things without having to re-create the document each time and find time to get together.

Question due Nov. 10

1.      If you are information literate it means that you have knowledge of new information and technology and the useful ways to apply them. The trouble I find is that there is so much new technology and it is forever changing that it is hard to keep up with and stay literate. I myself would define a person who is information literate as someone who puts forth his or her best effort in order to stay aware of new information. This person is willing to learn new technology whether for their own personal use or in application of their careers. This person is also willing to share the new information they have learned with others and it always trying to find ways to incorporate new things. In a nut shell this person is Barbara!

2.      When teachers begin having students find and use information for the internet they have to be sure to work with the students to understand the accuracy of information. Students can easily be misled into thinking that everything that is on the internet is true, there are even many adults who fall into this trap. Teachers need to spend time working with students explaining what to look for on websites to make them valid, including looking at publishing date, who the author is, and who is sponsoring the website where the information is found. Even then however students have to be aware that checking multiple sources is the best way to cross reference information and check the validity. Students also need to be aware of sites like Wikipedia where anyone can post information. Not everything on Wikipedia is false but students need to recognize where information is coming from.

3.      The similarities between the four instructional strategies are that they all require students to research using the internet. The major differences are the focus of the research and the manner the internet is used. When students are using an internet workshop model they are gathering information about a certain topic on the internet, then they are sharing and comparing their information with people who were researching the same topic. When students are using an internet project model they are working with classes that are in a different location but working to solve the same problem. Possible a class in Sterling is working with a class in Stonington to research ways to reduce trash at their schools. When students are using an internet inquiry model what students are researching is driven by what they want to know. Possible a class is researching WWII but some students are researching Japans role in the war while others are researching the war effort at home because this is what students want to learn about. Finally when students are using a Webquest model they are using a specific webquest site and following the directions set by the teacher. Maybe they have to follow links and answer certain questions or watch a video.

Question due Nov. 17

Week 3

1.      Now that we have unlimited capabilities to share and celebrate student work we need to take advantage of them. The first step to doing this is simply to start celebrating student work and achievements. We need to take the time to make a big deal about students doing well and putting in their best effort. With the development of all our new technologies we have had many doors opened to us in order to share and praise student work. Celebrations on student work no longer has to be contained to the classroom, we are able to share it with the outside community in multiple ways. Parents and other family members can now have a chance to see all sorts of students work on display through the use of the internet. I think the best way to share this work is to create a safe place where students and parents feel comfortable sharing their work. Students would be able to publish not only finished pieces but also work that was in progress. They could receive feedback on their work as they are working on it! Parents would have a chance to see not only what their student is doing but what the class is doing as a community. It would also give students a chance to share with relatives who live far away or parents they don’t live with.

2.      There are many ways to helps students create authentic work and relationships with the global community thanks to various technologies available. If teachers are willing to take the time to reach out to the global community themselves and learn some of the newer technology available there is no end to what students can use. One of the most basic ways to create relationship is to establish pen pals. Instead of writing letters back and forth to each other however students have the opportunity to speak to and see their pen pals through the use of Skype. Pen pals would also be able to work on projects together, read books together, have discussions on current events by using blogs, wikis, and various other discussion forums. Students also have greater opportunity to apply what they are learning to the real world. If students are learning about ancient Egypt they can watch real time videos of an archaeological dig or Skype with an archaeologist. Gone are the days of students simply reading about things in a text book. We now have the opportunity to transform how students learn we merely need to take advantage of it (November).

3.      If every teacher were to have a website, the most efficient way for them to share best practice would be through a blog. A blog gives teachers a chance to interact instead of just post information. Teachers would have a chance to interact with parents, allowing them to ask questions and get answers in a timely manner. Teachers can interact with students, posing question to be answered either in a short period of time or for students to think about over an extended period of time. Blogs also give teachers a chance to communicate with other teachers. They can get feedback on lesson ideas, and create relationships with teachers all over the world (November).

Digital Story Reflection

What would you do differently if you could do it all over again. Are these changes based on feedback from your peers?

If and when I create another digital story I would make sure to include narrative in my story. However I thought there were many stories shared at class that did not have narrative that were amazing! I think the use of narrative versus music or something other sound has a lot to do with the purpose of your story. Sometimes voice takes away from the visual aspects of the story.

How would you implement a digital storytelling project in your class? Do you or will you have the resources, time and skills necessary to include such a project in your classroom?

I am really excited to give my students a chance to create a digital story in class. I think they would be highly engaged in an activity like this and do very well with it. I would like them to use digital storytelling to showcase one of their expository pieces as we create more and more throughout the year. The problem I would encounter would be a lack of resources. I feel the best way to introduce a digital story or any new technology is in the computer lab where students are able to see me model the use of the technology and receive explicit instruction, then have the chance to experiment on their own with me giving guidance. We only have one computer lab in our school, the use of the room is dominated by computer class so I would be hard pressed to find time to bring my entire class there and have a chunk of time to work through the steps of the story. I would not want them to have questions about the process and not have a chance to show them each step and let them know my expectations. I may think about introducing digital storytelling in steps and having them chose a piece to showcase at the end of the year.

Did you learn anything new from the process?

I learned a new instructional strategy and well as a way for my students to show their work. I am excited for this because it will be a way for my student who struggle with pencil and paper writing to show what that can achieve.

What did you like most/least about the project?

I really enjoyed the project and think that digital storytelling can be incredible useful in the classroom. I think the way it was presented to us left much to be desired.

week 1 questions

1.       A weblog is a blog that allows teachers to communicate with students and parents more effectively. Weblogs can be used in a variety of ways including posting assignments, storing handouts and creating a discussion forum for students. Weblogs can be created by using class portals, e-portfolios, collaborative space and used as a classroom website. Weblogs can be used to enhance learning because it gives teachers a chance to have all the information in one place that students can access at home or at school. It also allows for parent to have more of an open door as to what is happening in the classroom and what their students need. I feel as though Weblogs have been used at university level for the past decade and teachers are now starting to see how these resources can be used at any level. (Richardson)

2.       The new literacies include students being able to identify important questions, navigate, critically evaluate, synthesize, and communicate using technology and web sources. I would have to say that calling these new literacies makes it sound like we are teaching our students to do something new when in reality we are teaching them how to apply what they already do to a new area. These are skills that our students develop thought the course of their education, except that part of our job as teachers is to show them how to use them when we are looking at web sources or looking up information or using technology to create different projects. This is very important for our students because the older they become the more they will use these different technologies and need to be able to navigate through all of the information.  

3.       Our school does not have a policy that specifically talks about posting students work online. However we do have parents sign a release at the start of the year that allows students to use the computers and technologies. Students are expected to use the internet in appropriate manners and within the same rules of school. It is also mentions in our handbook that part of our role as educators is to help students be prepared for the ever increasing technologically savvy society.