Reflecting on my tools

My favorite activity I gained experience with is digital storytelling. I would really like for my students to be able to publish their writing in more than one way this year. As a student I would be really inspired and excited to create a story knowing that I could publish a final draft for my peers to read, as well as create an iMovie to show my story in a different way (maybe with pictures and narration). I really like the idea of students being able to post projects like that to a class wiki or blog and parents being able to log on and see what their students have been doing. What a great way for students to take ownership of their work and be proud of their accomplishments while learning a new skill.

I have transformed my thinking about learning in the classroom by realizing that we can learn together. I don't have to do everything for my students where technology is concerned. We can build our wikis, blogs, etc. together and students can establish what they want and how they can use their skills individually and make it their own. Students can build their knowledge not just by my modeling but by participating themselves.

An unexpected outcome I came to realize was a renewed appreciation for digital responsibility. I was really surprised that I forgot about the whole aspect of digital citizenship. I have been immersed in a digital world so long that some important issues that need to be addressed and practiced with students seem second nature to me. It's an important step to be sure to model digitally responsible behavior and guidelines for appropriate use of online tools. Students need that practice and knowledge to be able to conquer online obstacles when using their skills outside the classroom.

#11 As a citizen of the digital world...

As a citizen of the digital world I find it second nature to remember things like security, etiquette, and rights. It is important that we, as teachers, are reminded that these lessons and responsibilities must be taught to our students as we make progress towards being fully immersed in a digital world.

Three essential things for students to understand are:
privileges v. rights- It is a privilege for a student to have access to technology, it is not a right. Although, it is important for them to be able to have access/learn about a technological world- they must first posses the maturity that accompanies that exposure. Dually, rights also applies to what can be borrowed or taken from them or from someone else. Kids need to understand that they cannot pull pictures from any site and use them as their own. In my past experiences, Copyright is a foreign topic to students. They need to understand that when creating their own materials and using other's resources.

etiquette- Respect of others and respect for self are important in the digital world. Students need to understand that just as respect is required in the classroom, respect in required in the online classroom. This includes respect for boundaries set for them. Students need to respect a class Wiki or blog and be sure that they can be proud of what they post.

security- Just as parents teach their children to be weary of strangers, we need to teach our students to be weary of the Internet. Most situations pose a certain level of danger (even on a playground) and you have to teach children fallback phrases to live by. If you come to something on the playground that you know shouldn't be there, get away from it, and find the nearest adult. This same principle can be applied to the Internet. If you aren't sure, ask. These simple lessons that they've most likely already heard before just need to be redirected and applied to the digital world.

I think the only way to teach these lessons are through experience and practice. Being able to work with students in small groups to introduce possible dangers/troublesome situations and work through those questions with them is invaluable. Allowing students to try new things (within reason) and assist them after modeling is a great way to help guide students into the digital world.

#10

After reviewing some of the apps available for students, I think it will be interesting to see the ones the kids are actually excited to use. They always seem to get a kick out of the things you never would have expected. It's sort of like the 'big box' occurence. You buy a kid this great toy that came in a big box. What do they end up playing with? The box. So, true to form, I'm excited to see what they are drawn to. 

I have an iPhone so I am familiar with all the great ways you can use an iTouch. It is essentially a mini-computer. The iPad is a bigger version of this. I think the iPad is a great resource for kids to be able to manipulate a class Wiki or create an i Movie. The touch screen is very user-friendly.

As for apps that I like... I think the app that tells the weather could be cool for class. A student could choose a place anywhere in the world and find out the weather there. This could spark conversation about the differences in weather in the upper and lower atmospheres, etc. The kids' curiousity will take them a long way. There really IS an app for everything they could possibly want to find out.

#9 Automated teaching and video conferencing

I feel like Jing could be used in the same ways an iMovie if you did it the right way. You could post a document just as you would post a picture in an iMovie to explain/teach about a topic. You could use the voiceover tool to make explainations. I suppose Jing would be better at creating animated pictures to teach, but in essence they could be used in the same ways.

I am a veteran Skype user. When you are out of the country it is a life saver. Phone cards should be a thing of the past, as long as there is an Internet connection available (which I never had a problem with). BUT, with this said, there are better sites which do the same thing but more effectively. Oovoo does the exact same thing as Skype but you can have more people involved in the same call and the video quality is far better. I think a video chat would be a great way for students to connect from different schools which would make it possible to work on a collaborative project, discuss a shared experience or trade ideas for a project. The possibilities are endless... it could replace the pen pal system that teachers use now to connect with other classes.

I have accounts on both Skype and Oovoo... are extremely easy to set up, especially if you already have a microphone/camera built in to your computer. You pick your name, pick your password, test your equipment, fill in information about yourself on your profile, and you're up and running.

#8

Sometimes a video will teach a child much more simply that I could. During a conversation I was having with my class, the topic of tsunamis came up. The kids had no idea what they were or how they were made. A short video was able to illustrate far more effectively than I could.
from YouTube

I also use videos in my class to introduce topics. If I can begin a lesson with a funny video or something that will SET the mood in the class, I always have a better outcome. For instance, this teacher has some really silly stuff that the kids get a kick out of and also teaches short reference points that kids can remember easily through rhyme.

Converting Measurements Rap! from TeacherTube

#7 I heart iMovie.

I love, love, love this! I created a video showing some pictures/videos from when I lived in Costa Rica. I think this would be a really cool tool for kids to document school events/field trips, turn a short story into a short film, or create a final project on something learned in class. All of which could be posted on a class Wiki page. I'm so happy I learned how to do this!

Tool #6

I feel like a Wiki is basically an online group project. It is the technological equivalent of a poster board on which students can collaborate and create together. Well, at least that's the pretty little box I'm stuffing it into in my mind.
I'm enjoying the challenge of stepping out of my little box of internet understanding which I only thought was sturdy and well built. (Silly, silly and so not true.) Apparently, if you've slept in the past... what?...15 years?.. since the internet/world wide web became a mainstay in the world, you're behind. Comme ci, comme ca.

I looked around at a few classroom Wikis... and they make me feel very behind. One in particular has obviously been putting together classroom Wikis for years now with her classes. They put up all sorts of projects and postings and links and videos, etc. It looks as if she uses her classroom Wiki in all aspects and all subjects of her classroom learning.

Here are my initial thoughts on how to build/use a classroom Wiki: ??   blink. blink.

I know there are lots of ways to use a Wiki in a classroom and that all sorts of things can be added by many different users, but how to properly organize it, or restrict postings of inappropriate things by students who have been allowed to add are still fuzzy thoughts for me. I can see making a classroom Wiki on which I can post works from students and link to their personal blogs and give information about upcoming events... but then my mind drifts over to, why would I not just put those things on a classroom blog???
[I went back and looked at the classroom wikis again.]
So, I can put up pages within my classroom Wiki on which students can collaborate and build a group project together. There the project will sit on the classroom Wiki for all to see. Students can add links under certain categories (only with my approval) so parents and other students can reference their resources. Links can still be posted to student blogs. Students can post their own individual work to the classroom Wiki and students can add to it as they learn further.

As for within the school, professionally... I'd like to see Wikis used in place of emails of minutes from meetings. The minutes taken from the Math team's minutes could all be nicely stored on a Wiki and added to by members (school staff) and viewed at anytime on the site by all.

Tool #5... bad for people with ADD

I understand that Delicious is supposed to help you organize and make mobile your most important sites... but I feel like it did just the opposite for me. I guess I just got a bad taste in my mouth about it because I got distracted. It makes sense to be able to bookmark websites and take them with you, but I think it doesn't appeal to my 'simple is a non-negotiable' computer attitude. My first mistake was not installing the bookmarking/tagging buttons to the browser. If you don't install the buttons to the browser, you have to copy/paste the URL into the Delicious website and blah, blah, blah. My second mistake was clicking the Explore button found under Tags... GOO! I got lost playing and looking at other people's interests (essentially) for an hour. I found an article praising a Houston author which took me to her website which took me to some photography lady's website... (what is it about looking at someone else's pictures that is so intriguing? Maybe we should ask Facebook.) and it was endless. But, when I really got down to things that interested ME (besides other people's interests), I found the following:

I can learn to speak Chinese! Of course this isn't a website I can necessarily join and submit my own thoughts, but I would definitely bookmark it under Delicious so that I could visit it on any computer and take my lessons. Well, I thought it was cool. Who doesn't want to learn a bit of Mandarin in their spare time?? Just me? Ok.

I also found another educator's blog with lots of inspiring thoughts about how to better educate students. I could certainly share thoughts or feedback there.

But riddle me this, Batman? Doesn't Delicious do essentially the same thing Google Reader does but in a more organized fashion? Google Reader would give me a small view of all changes to all "tagged" websites. I suppose they're different but I would almost rather put all my websites in Reader... they still go to every computer through my Google account. Just an observation.

Tool #4

Man, this tool really tapped into my procrastination... I think with all the possibilities available in Google docs, I really had trouble choosing a direction and sticking to it. I would begin a doc and then decide 'oh, this would be really good for ___________' only to begin an entirely new doc. I eventually decided, since the beginning of the year is just around the bend, to create a reference document for getting to know my new students. I can use this doc to log important aspects about them from strengths/weaknesses, test scores, likes/dislikes. I shared this with their prior teachers so they can help me get a head start on how to best instruct each of my upcoming students.

Google Reader was cool. It makes it very easy to track many different sites all at once. It's almost like your Favorites tabs but on a page altogether. Very convenient... especially for viewing many blogs.
I could see using Google Reaader in a tutoring situation so both the teacher and the tutor could log and track progress. Or (oooh, oooh...even better) to provide instructions for a tutor that they could then respond and give feedback about how to session went. That could be cool!

I like the idea of giving a group (say...a...guided reading group...) a blog that everyone could post different thoughts or do group projects together over a certain topic (say...a...book). Google Reader would make it really easy to follow all of the group blogs.

Tool #3

 I really liked Big Huge Labs! I think it would be fun for students to be able to create their own images or posters. This site could be a great outlet for students to express themselves on their own blog pages!

I also really enjoyed Wordle! I think it would be very interesting to see what students could come up with to describe themselves.


I think the tools learned in lesson #3 could be used to extend lessons covered in class.Students could be asked to show their understanding of a vocabulary word by creating a motivational poster I as did above. Or students could demonstrate their understanding of a science lesson teaching about food webs by using Wordle to list animals that co-exist within a specific biome. The possibilities are endless!
Photo credit to J. Norman

Change isn't coming, it's been here... We need to catch up. Tool #2

After watching the statements made by Weblogg-ed about PLNs, my first reaction was just feeling as if my own frustrations have been confirmed. I think it is a constant in education today that, as educators, we constantly underestimate kids. Especially, when it comes to technology. One thing Richardson talks about is people thinking kids don't get the whole concept of a PLN or grasp a social network. Mark Zukerberg was 19 when he created Facebook, for crying out loud!! Almost all my students (ages 9-11) have a social networking account. Teachers have come to me ranting and raving, "Oh, there's no way a student could maintain a blog about what he/she is reading at home." and, "My students would be overwhelmed by the idea of submitting their homework online."
ETC.

This is ridiculous.

These statements come from the same teachers that call on their own children to program their cell phones. These kids have mastered (on their own) what we teachers...ahem... are taking a summer course to understand. It's laughable to think that THEY are the ones who can't handle it.

It's all about redirecting those energies for a use in their classroom learning and playing off their background knowledge (regarding the use of technology). We should be jumping out of our chairs to think we can excite and empower kids by allowing them to use their knowledge of computers (and the like) to learn in the classroom. And, also, at the thought that we teachers are catching up to them and building connections between each other to learn ourselves.

I am giving a standing ovation to teachers moving forward. We are traveling further out of the pencil and paper age, and digging into a larger community of educators/learners that is now readily available to us via technology. I'd love to see a school have their own PLN in place of, or to supplement, staff meetings, for example. Imagine a student creating a blog about what they are learning or reading about in class that parents could access or even a sister classroom could access. It's all very exciting to think of the lines of communication that open.
Stepping off soap box now.

I agree with and appreciate the ideas about commenting. This is something that I see daily while participating in my own social networking. It could be an online version of Bloom's questioning... what can I post to you to prompt a detailed, thoughtful response? Encouraging students to post comments that further their learning would be a very useful tool in the online classroom.

I chose to comment on the following blogs Fatigued Teacher, Teaching Miss Cheska, Kindertracs and Sherrill's Kindergarten Friends.

We've only just begun... Tool #1

Tool #1 was quite the challenge... until I read the assignment completely. What a crazy thought!

Setting up my profile and blog itself was a breeze. Blogger has made it very easy to start and customize your own blog/begin writing. You can look up any questions you may have through their help resources.

I really enjoyed creating my avatars using Yahoo and Voki. I could see students being very creative in making their own. I think The Tech-Teacher Experiment was on to something when she talked about using her blog as a classroom newsletter. That's a fabulous idea! I can see kids getting very excited about getting the chance to publish on the class newsletter for parents and friends to see. Excited to explore further tools!