Made it…unlimited possibilities ahead!!

I began this course thinking, “Why would they make me take this course again? How different can it be from 8 years ago? The university just wants more money!” I was wrong about the differences because WHOA this course was nothing like the EDUC 407 in the past. After the first week I though Oh my, what have I gotten myself into. This is no longer a course based around copy and paste functions and powerpoint presentations. This course certainly lived up to the learning outcomes that were presented. Current technology has come a long way in a short amount of time. I enjoy the cognitive learning that can take place while educating using the technology at our finger tips. I desire to teach meaningfully and productively. Anyone can teach, but is your audience learning? That is real teaching and I want to leave my class at the end of each day knowing I taught, they taught (who are we kidding to think the kids don’t teach us and others as well throughout the day), and we ALL learned. I do not feel it is necessary to have a completely technology based day, but I am certainly aware that it is beneficial to incorporate it throughout the day and lessons. My ideas for future school years are racing like the wind. From virtual field trips, technology based “pen pals”, and web based data bases to good ‘ol pencil and paper…Let’s get creative.

My WebQuest is a work in progress, but I loved the concept and plan to master the incorporation of that technology. My project was on Biomes, which is something we study in third grade and this made it innovative and fun. I hope you enjoy it!

Biomes WebQuest

 

Copyrights in the Classroom

I must admit that I was not aware or did not recognize the significance of copyright laws and the direct relation to classrooms. While, I agree with creativity being protected I struggle with the steps educators should be taking in the classroom to use information out there. I must admit that this is actually something I have never heard discussed before in my school district. Upon viewing material concerning the laws that surround copyright, I feel a little concerned and overwhelmed. This takes planning a lesson and activities to a whole new level. Some of the restrictions are comprehendible and some of them are not. How many classrooms across America are showing videos in an illegal manner without malicious intent? It is such a complex arena of information and restrictions that educators should be provided a seminar to keep themeless informed and protected as well as the district. I love to use spontaneous creativity in the classroom because sometimes that inner light bulb “flicks” on and something beneficial can arise. The copyright laws can act as a deterrent for some. THANKFULLY FairUse guidelines seem to aid educators in the classroom. I find myself visiting sites like the following headline  for useful tips:

Teaching Copyright

These four guidelines are examples of what can be asked to determine a breach:

• The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
• The nature of the copyrighted work
• The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
• The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

The answer to “What can our kids use without permission in the classroom?” remains slightly grey, when I wish I were working with a black and white answer. The information to gain a black and white answer is out there, but do I have the rights to use it???  The following clip takes the surface of information on the topic and clears the waters a tad…

Link to video:https://youtu.be/_k9pXzIrUPo

Social Media: Beauty or Beast

 

 

Social media is present in everyday life for most people, businesses, and organizations. I use social media to stay in touch with family and friends that may not have the same walk of life as I. Times are trying, busy, and complicated so it is always nice to stay up to date with a simple scroll on my iPhone. Via social media I am able to track good deals, coupons, and availability of items I desire to purchase. Businesses use social media a marketing tool. A marketing tool that in most cases is free. Free advertising? Well , that certainly has to be the beauty of it, right? Where does the beast role of social media come into play? Things can easily be taken out of context on social media and create a whirlwind of unnecessary troubles. That beast is why I have concern and hesitation for social media in the classroom. I believe unlocking the potentials social media holds for our students can be tricky, but relevant and beneficial. When monitored properly, social media in the classroom can be an innovative and fresh way to engage students in current events going on in the world. The beauty of any trick in the classroom is to grab their attention, so they want to learn. Social media would be a good way to do that because it is something that they have so much outside exposure to. If the exposure is already there why not tech them boundaries, etiquette, and slip some good “old fashioned” learning in while we are at it? To have more beauty than beast experiences with social media in the classroom we must exercise control of the component and an open mind.

Social Media in the Classroom: Twitter better than Textbooks! 

Learning in a tech world

starfall.com screeen shot by davissc5 on flickr.com

I chose to present Starfall.com for my cool tool duel. I chose this educational tool because it is universal in the primary grades and is a great intervention tool for different types of learners. Bright colors, interaction, versatile in accessibility…What’s not to love? We are learning in a tech world and the resources are at our finger tips, literally. I have a kindergartner at home that loves the program and we can access it on any computer with flash and internet and on our iPad. I am not restricted to access as an educator because any parent can access the site for free. With the school license I am able to access more than I would as a parent, but it is still just as beneficial. As an educator in the classroom I use the tool everyday for my english language learners and those that are struggling readers. It is an excellent incentive tool while we are in the computer lab. As they finish their assignment, the students can play and learn on Starfall. Phonics is not the only skill observed on the site, as math and calendar activities are present as well. It is very well rounded and lots of fun.

Starfall Education Foundation at youtube.com

The educational website was developed by a doctor that struggled as a young student. He wanted to provide a fun, innovative tool that used technology to build skills students struggled with. The doctor partnered with his wife, whom is an artist, and voila…Starfall. I encourage all educators of primary students and parents to explore the site and watch their learners bloom.

Cloudware to the rescue

       

Enter a caption

APPLE AND WATER by John Goode created at www.flickr.com/photos/johnnieb/387741853/

Do you remember when virtual seemed so irrelevant? Virtual was an idea to toss around, but really meant very little to the education world. That has forever changed because everyday we use virtuality in the classroom as educators, we are using it as students in this course, and for many of us we use it as a parent as well for our children’s education. Google drive is a large component in the school I work at. It is primarily used with fifth and sixth grade, but I would love to change that. In a world where technology and Cloudware is so ever-growing, I feel as an educator that I need to bring my students along for the ride in the clouds. It would be fabulous to have a computer for each student and eliminate the dreadful physical stack of papers, all while allowing them the opportunity to work together and share in the virtual world of Cloudware.

                  My son is in Kindergarten and watched me intently use the snagit cloudware to present my assignment. He was amazed and curious, very curious. He decided it would be a good idea to use snag to screencast himself narrating his favorite book, Ms. Fiona’s Stupendous Pumpkin Pie. I was amazed at his ease during the process. He was more comfortable with it than I was. It was a true symbol of the good ol’ Native and Immigrant. If my six year old is interested, I believe my attention should have been caught. We are living in a virtual world where the nonliteral meaning of heads in the cloud is taking on a whole new meaning.

Link: https://youtu.be/MxkSRlanzhE

 

Project Based Learning in the Real World

By Kodjaman (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Project Based Learning is an excellent tool that is very universal and beneficial. Students and educators really sharpen up their collaboration skills when PBL is present. Collaboration is a major component and without it PBL would not be possible. With that in mind, I have to stop and think: “What am I doing in the classroom?” The reading material I was presented with this week really brought to light the importance of using Project Based Learning to some extent with my students. I do not have the support at my school to branch off as much as I would like to (not yet at least), but I can utilize the resources available and pursue a higher level of thinking with my students.

Project Based Learning - Dont Start with a Question @peterskillen
Image via flickr photo by Kaptain Kobold flickr.com/photos/kaptainkobold/5181464194 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license

I started my day off with an entry event that showcased the most adorable and information Earth Day video. With the information from the video and a little brainstorming on the Smart Board, my students were off to their work stations to create their beautiful paragraphs. The standard that this project addressed is one the students will be tested on tomorrow for the State Test. YUCK!!!!!!!! I took the normal, boring process of multi-paragraph writing and allowed their minds to collaborate. The students worked successfully with their group, in an arrangement they have never before used) and developed well thought out and written paragraphs. To tie it all together, the groups combined their work and with their carefully designed chart paper put together they had a multi-paragraph essay. This is not an example of a high technology driven PBL, but it had many of the components. The students  used critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and that resulted with learning in depth. It is just the surface of the PBL iceberg, but I am determined to dive more deeply. 

A Hole in the wall is not a whole picture

Where there’s a will, there’s a way… Well, many children do not realize that they possess that will. A dedicated and balanced teacher can help bring that “will” to surface. Sugata Mitra made many valid points and revealed very credible information in his experiment discussions, but I do not feel the styles of learning environments he supports would be beneficial to all. If I ever become the teacher that stands in front of my students and recites curriculum to them and expects them all to learn exactly as my mind thinks the processing should go, it is my greatest hope that someone hand me a resignation paper to sign. Yes, our education system has expired in many ways as Mitra points out. Yes, our children have brains that are capable of more and independently at that. No, placing our children in a glass enclosure (regardless of the technological advances of it and the modern design) to learn just from a computer, one another, and the ability to summon a “mediator” via a large display screen…trust me when I say it doesn’t matter how fast the internet speed is or how fantastic the technology is in that beautiful display screen, it simply cannot replace human interaction. Is it possible that the students I work with are the only ones that need a teacher in front of them at times, behind them, next to them, knelt down by them, watching and guiding from afar? Sure I suppose so, but it certainly is not a bet I would place my money on. I do not just say that as an educator that earns that money from teaching, but as a mother and learner myself! I feel students need facial expression, guidance, compassion, hand gestures, and more often than not students need a hug or pat on the back for reassurance. That hole in the wall he placed proved that children are capable of learning and self-teaching, but the whole picture is a lot more. We as Educators should take the capabilities of our students and run with it…Run with it while allowing our students to gallop right along side of us, but knowing when to halt the reins, check for understanding, and build knowledge upon knowledge. I value innovative play, socialization to build character and skills, and the value of a support system far too much to support giving it up for school in the cloud. Most of us can’t even figure out the cloud our iPhones back up to, right?

P1020862 by Laurie Sullivan

Featured image credits- Insect Convention (Classroom Pano) by woodleywonderworks

Here it comes, ready or not!

The world is changing so it is the inevitable that education and the form it takes does not. Chalkboards to white boards to smart boards, overhead projectors to document cameras, and paper to chrome books; this is the evolution that I have witnessed in my short time as educator (one of some sort over the last several years). Some of the change that our world is facing has been scary, some fascinating, some down right necessary. The fact remains that whatever the change can be categorized as, it will eventually in one way or another impact education.  The impact can be positive, such as technology integration in the classroom. The impact can also be negative, such as common core…(I apologize in advance to any true supporters of common core. I believe there are positive attributes of common core, but for the most part I am witnessing young minds being perpetually confused and frustrated!!)

Laboratory by Derek Bluff

Global shifting creates an open door for comparison. Products are compared, profitability margins are compared, and even emails between individuals from different countries (very public individuals) are being compared and shared. When we see this we should know that education is not to spare. Education practices all over the world are being compared and shared. Information is readily available for almost anything and that includes education. I love that I can actively practice our upcoming state testing with my students. They love it! It eases their affective filter. Sites and programs such as illuminate, were not always available or helpful to use. Now, I can hope on illuminate and create a practice test that imitates the exact language my students are getting ready to face on the state tests. We do it together on our smart board and we actually have fun doing it! (they love to use the happy face creative pen on these practice tests…it actually makes them smile and guess what??? It’s contagious!)

So, for all of us, CHANGE IS COMING! CHANGE IS HERE! READY OR NOT! My advice, even to myself, is embrace it and grow with it!