When looking back at what i have learned with technology, I have realized that a PLN is a valuable resource in that journey. Having colleagues with whom to share ideas, resources, and the experience has been very helpful. I was at first very nervous about this course with its emphasis on technology tools. I have overcome some of my fears and now have experiences beyond those of many of my colleagues, including our SysOps/LMS. I have experiences to share and fuel for planning for next year. What I have also come to terms with is the realization that this is a process evolving over time. I do not need everything right away but I do need a goal of wher I want to ultimately go.
My PLN included other Spanish teachers and other middle school teachers. I also tried to keep up with blogs and sites from others in the field of education. I watched for new notices regarding resources for teachers working with my age group, my content are and my circumstances. I found information about a new book designed to help 20th century teachers teach to 21st Century learners. I shared it in my blog as reading suggestions. I have been working extensively in my district to establish my position as a leader in my department for my use of technology, differentiation and good curriculum design. What I have I learned through my experiences and through my PLN. I have had an "old-school" PLN throughout my career in the WAFLT organization and have benefitted from the sharing of ideas at our annual conference. Now I have the tools to maintain this as a technologically-savvy PLN.
As a World Language EZducator in smaller school districts, I have often felt isolated as the only one at my level or in my content area. In reaching out to others with similar circumstances we founded a group to overcome that called CAWLN. We have held meetings, created a wiki and enlisted followers. Our group is small but has been a great resource for ideas and support. I look forward to sharing more of what I have learned with them in the future.
For my PLN I found certain technology tools relevant to the classroom, relevant to me and even some less relevant to either. I enjoyed the voicethread activities and look forwrd to integrating that into my curriculum next year. My LMS is also excited to see this piece in use and some of my HS counterparts are looking into it based on my suggestion. I found Delicious to be a powerful tool but think I will switch to Diigo for student use because of some of the safety pieces for my middle schoolers. I like GoogleEarth and how it can be applied to my content area as an in-class field trip. I also like the collaboraticve elelments of mindmapping tools and wikis. Blogging could be a great communication tool for me to students and parents but I orry about the postings others might make so I would probably restrict access to the blog for that. I would also be initially restrictive with students doing any kind of blogging because of concerns with cyberbullying and other misinformative problems that could occur. I think blogs can be powerful and efective communication tools but do worry about some ov my immature and over-dramatic middle school students who don't always make the wisest choices with their words and actions.
For me personally, I think twitter could be could to communicate with friends in other communities but am undecided on its effective use in the classroom. I think it is one that needs to be handled with care so it doesn't become technology for technology sake when it needs to be technology to enhance learning. Again, safety and the level of the students I teach impact my reluctance to use it with my students. Skype and webinars have great professional development applications as well as classroom applications. My concerns with these tools again go back to safety & maturity, accessibility and time constraints. I would love to set up skype opportunities with my classes and students in other places in the world. However, I lack those connections to do so. Even my colleagues in CAWLN who have had these connections have struggled with the distance involved, technological issues and other problems in doing this. That is on my "back burner" as a future part of my PLN.
Overall, I have found my PLN a valuable way to grow as a teacher and develop my teacher toolbox. I have power tools with the 21st Century learner in the technology I will integrate in the future, in segments and manageable pieces. I will continue growing my PLN and am grateful for the opportunity through this class to have made so much growth in so little time. I just might catch up to my students yet!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Twitter Reflection week 8
Following people on twitter has been interesting. Many of the posts seem snippets of thoughts to be shared with others. I find this interesting if you are unable to have a face to face conversation with someone due to geographical separation but am concerned regarding its application as an educational tool. It could be a great device to remind students when work is due or special supplies are needed. I think it could be helpful for people working on a project who have split the task into small parts to maintain communication. It would be great for a travelling salesperson to update the home office on sales transactions. I think it is more useful among adults in the workplace than students in school, but maybe that is my inabiility to look beyond my thought process. I see this as helpful for communication brief notices to students and or parents but do not see how it can be used in my middle school Spanish classroom. I think it could be used with college students since they are plugged in to this anyway. I think our school policy restricting the presence of cell phones and iPods and such in th classroom is part of why I struggle to see this used in my room. I see iot as a newsflash tool and little of what I saw from the people I followed convinced me otherwise. Maybe I am getting stodgy and close-minded but I find this tech tool to be least applicable to my teaching situation.
In my personal life it wouold be a great tool to share snippets of my day with people I am geograpjhically distanced from and miss having conversations with face to face. I think it is a great social tool for that reason. I found people I followed for that purpose far more interesting and relevant than others I followed.
In my personal life it wouold be a great tool to share snippets of my day with people I am geograpjhically distanced from and miss having conversations with face to face. I think it is a great social tool for that reason. I found people I followed for that purpose far more interesting and relevant than others I followed.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Convincing administrators about Web 2.0 in the classroom
I am extremely fortunate in having a building and a district that embraces technology in the classroom. Our administration reserves the right to question our use of technology (ensuring we are using it as the best resource not as the cool thing the kids will like). We do not have extensive struggles with implementing lesson plans and curriculum with technology components. If we can justify the educational purpose and the cost, if there is one, is reasonable, we are often able to get their support and access to the resources needed for such implementation. I jsut met with my building's LMS to discuss the support and availability of technology in my classroom for nedxt year. Not only was she ready to help and support, she encouraged me to pursue a few additional technology pieces. I have not met recently with my building principal on these thoughts but am fairly confident that she can be convinced of the pedagogical sense of this technology and will lend her support as well.
Delicious Reflection
One of the first things I thought when looking at the delicious website was that someone had a strange sense of humor in naming the site. I had a hard time surpressing a giggle when I would mention my Delicious websites. In using it with this class and exploring the tool more, I have come to realize that that what makes this so delicious is the powerful effect it can have on student learning.
Through the tagging system, students can organize and access the sites they find helpful without all the unnceessary pop-ups, ads, shopping and product pitches with a standard search-engine. With Delicious these tagged sites are available with any computer not limited to a specific computer or one connected to a specific server. The flexibility is a key feature because it accomodates the mobility of our students. They truly can access it from at any time.
When looking at the sites found by the class I did find a few which I will add to my own list. I tended towards those that assisted with technology and curriculum integration, my age level and my content area. I found that many of us had similar tags which helped in the sharing process.
I did make some changes in my tagging as time went on. I typically used the same tags, working different sites into the existing tags. I did add new tags as new topics became part of my information gathering. I tried to use multiple tags so I could access the information even if I didn't bookmark it or couldn't remember how I got to a particular page. I know I need to get in the habit of tagging and saving pages the first time I consider them interesting so I don't lose them. I did find myself often using the recommended tags when they coincided with my tags but I did not follow only the recommended tags for any sites. I think thsi is good because this is my thought process organizing my sites and no body thinks exactly like me (My husband can vouch for that, as can my children and my students). To easily be able to return to saved sites, tey need to be organized and tagged in a way that makes sense according to my twisted little brain.
Since I am going to be implementing Diigo accounts with my Spanish I students next fall, I have been thinking about how I will teach them about tagging. I will have access and moderator privileges so I can manage the information when needed but it is better to teach them to properly manage their account on their own. For the same reasons I did not merely accept the tags of all others all the time, my students will need to be able to tag their own contributions. I think the best methods, in my \discussion on this with my Library Media Specialist, would be to walk through and demo what we can do and then have them complete a training exercise similar to a webquest but using the social bookmarking tool.
I did not purposefully bundle tags together but I did explora how to use that feature in this program. It would be helpfult o have similar categories of sites connected loosely similar to the "related links" that come inherently on cedrtain websites. This could help a student review information from a whole semester just before exam time, or a class could organize the many facets of the story surrounding Picasso's Guernica such as the basque history, ETA and other separatist groups, etc. They could separate grammar practice sites like Quia.com from the the culture sites we will have like those dealing with our imaginary shopping trip to El Corte Ingles in Valencia, Spain. Tag clouds and tag bundling help students see what they have already associated and how others see those same resources. This is very helpful in collaborative work when you must learn to share brain power in order to be successful.
I started using Annotations and found that I needed more time to get a list of sites organized if they were to all have annotations. The annotations are helpful in communicating with others what makes a particular site so helpful and noteworthy. Without this detail, it would be easy to dismiss sites others bookmark and tag if the tags and site content don't seem connected. Annotations allow us to clear thos misunderstandings which enhances cooperation and collaboration.
The network, follow and shared tags would be effective ways to extend one sphere of professional development to encompass teachers of the same content area outside your building, district or even state. This would be helpful in sharing ideas for collaboration on presentations at the state conference and workshop or to connect with colleague using the same textbook but in other districts. I found I had many tags and interests with those at my grade level and content area as well as those who had similar technology reluctances.
As already stated, I intend to use Diigo (has a nice Spanish connotation though that is mere coincidence) with my students next school year. I look forward to being able to share with them consistent and organized websites in a format that they can access from any computer rather than the restrictions already identified which Delicious, Diigo and similar programs supercede. My students will be able to collaborate at an unprecedented level. I think it would even be helpful in communicating with other Spanish I students in my building anm.d my district. Ideally, they could even communicate outside of our district, perhaps share ideas about Velasquez's Las Meninas with the Prado museam's scholar program. The information and technology possibilities are endless.
Through the tagging system, students can organize and access the sites they find helpful without all the unnceessary pop-ups, ads, shopping and product pitches with a standard search-engine. With Delicious these tagged sites are available with any computer not limited to a specific computer or one connected to a specific server. The flexibility is a key feature because it accomodates the mobility of our students. They truly can access it from at any time.
When looking at the sites found by the class I did find a few which I will add to my own list. I tended towards those that assisted with technology and curriculum integration, my age level and my content area. I found that many of us had similar tags which helped in the sharing process.
I did make some changes in my tagging as time went on. I typically used the same tags, working different sites into the existing tags. I did add new tags as new topics became part of my information gathering. I tried to use multiple tags so I could access the information even if I didn't bookmark it or couldn't remember how I got to a particular page. I know I need to get in the habit of tagging and saving pages the first time I consider them interesting so I don't lose them. I did find myself often using the recommended tags when they coincided with my tags but I did not follow only the recommended tags for any sites. I think thsi is good because this is my thought process organizing my sites and no body thinks exactly like me (My husband can vouch for that, as can my children and my students). To easily be able to return to saved sites, tey need to be organized and tagged in a way that makes sense according to my twisted little brain.
Since I am going to be implementing Diigo accounts with my Spanish I students next fall, I have been thinking about how I will teach them about tagging. I will have access and moderator privileges so I can manage the information when needed but it is better to teach them to properly manage their account on their own. For the same reasons I did not merely accept the tags of all others all the time, my students will need to be able to tag their own contributions. I think the best methods, in my \discussion on this with my Library Media Specialist, would be to walk through and demo what we can do and then have them complete a training exercise similar to a webquest but using the social bookmarking tool.
I did not purposefully bundle tags together but I did explora how to use that feature in this program. It would be helpfult o have similar categories of sites connected loosely similar to the "related links" that come inherently on cedrtain websites. This could help a student review information from a whole semester just before exam time, or a class could organize the many facets of the story surrounding Picasso's Guernica such as the basque history, ETA and other separatist groups, etc. They could separate grammar practice sites like Quia.com from the the culture sites we will have like those dealing with our imaginary shopping trip to El Corte Ingles in Valencia, Spain. Tag clouds and tag bundling help students see what they have already associated and how others see those same resources. This is very helpful in collaborative work when you must learn to share brain power in order to be successful.
I started using Annotations and found that I needed more time to get a list of sites organized if they were to all have annotations. The annotations are helpful in communicating with others what makes a particular site so helpful and noteworthy. Without this detail, it would be easy to dismiss sites others bookmark and tag if the tags and site content don't seem connected. Annotations allow us to clear thos misunderstandings which enhances cooperation and collaboration.
The network, follow and shared tags would be effective ways to extend one sphere of professional development to encompass teachers of the same content area outside your building, district or even state. This would be helpful in sharing ideas for collaboration on presentations at the state conference and workshop or to connect with colleague using the same textbook but in other districts. I found I had many tags and interests with those at my grade level and content area as well as those who had similar technology reluctances.
As already stated, I intend to use Diigo (has a nice Spanish connotation though that is mere coincidence) with my students next school year. I look forward to being able to share with them consistent and organized websites in a format that they can access from any computer rather than the restrictions already identified which Delicious, Diigo and similar programs supercede. My students will be able to collaborate at an unprecedented level. I think it would even be helpful in communicating with other Spanish I students in my building anm.d my district. Ideally, they could even communicate outside of our district, perhaps share ideas about Velasquez's Las Meninas with the Prado museam's scholar program. The information and technology possibilities are endless.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Outside of class Tech tool
Our district just added a new piece of technology designed to help students who struggle with reading and writing skills. It is called Read Write Gold and has a reader which can be used with any word or pdf or internet document. When you highlight the text it will say it for you. The pronunciation can be off at times but it has helped some of our lowest readers and our ELL students. We have found it comes with a Spanish voice option so I look forward to usin that with my students. It also has English writing prompts and several other tools. I don't have a link to an internet example or resource but I think Library Media or Reading Specialists would be able to help you find it if you are interested. I will be looking at how I can make it available to my students, especially when I am not at school because my kids are sick.
Check it out and tell me what you think!
Check it out and tell me what you think!
Tech Tool-Collaborative drawing
I think this is an interesting tool. I have some concerns about my middle school students and what they would draw without rigid guidelines but I like the idea of them sharing their drawing with others. I think for my class this would be a great tool for vocabulary practice and proficiency. It could be a partner exercise where one person speaks in Spanish describing a scene or a story and the other partner would then draw based on their understanding. The teacher could check vocab comprehension. this could even be done with a podcast and the drawing tool. I look forward to experimenting with thismore.
Tech tool - Mindmapping
I have used Inspiration before and have seen it on a shared network like my district has. I have seen it used to brainstorm ideas in class on a Smartboard or even whiteboard /chalkboard. I like the idea of it being web accessable so students can all contribute to it as they continue their independent work once the class brainstorming session is over. I also like the idea of students being able to enter the words and the mindmap being drawn for them. i see this as effective with some of our special education students who know the key words for a lesson or project but can't see the connection themselves. As a related Arts teacher I have the students while their core teachers and learning strategists have team meeting or prep so my in-class support is limited. This is a tool the students could access for themselves to organize their thoughts. (See upcoming post on Read Write Gold for another great tool to help with writing skills.)
I see this working for my students to organize grammar concepts visually, collaborate on research ideas and focus their energies when reading or writing. I will add this to my list of integrated technology.
I see this working for my students to organize grammar concepts visually, collaborate on research ideas and focus their energies when reading or writing. I will add this to my list of integrated technology.
New tool - Google Earth
One of the tools I explored was GoogleEarth. Nicely presented information helped me see this as a potentially useful Web 2.0 tool for my Spanish classes. The privacy issue does concernc me but I think knowing it has this concern will help me prepare my students in advance and set boundaries before we use GoogleEarth. I thought of several possible uses in my classroom, assuming we have addressed the privacy and appropriate issues concern. It would be a great tool for a cultural fantasy trip. Helena Curtain taught me how to use a few simple props and decorations to create an imaginary trip in a world Language classrroom and I think she would love this tool. I could take students on a prepared tour of Mexico City and show them where key sites are, we could analyze the unbeleivable growth of this city over time, and see the street view of places I am not able to physically take my middle schol students. I could see using it to have students plan a virtual vacation to a Spanish speaking country. I even thought about using its images with voicethread (if that is possible (help me tech-gurus)to discuss places or use vocabulary to describe locations and have them be authentic rather than the sketches in our text-only but what they might actually see if they traveled. I will definitely keep exploring this tool for implementation with my students.
Twitter in the classroom
I have been looking at curriculum revision and technology integration for next year, using this class, this year and this summer to get my skills somewhere close to what my students can do. I have really been thinking about how microblogging could be used in the classroom. I am concentrating more on the internet version of rather than the cell-phone because of district policy with cell phones in school. I am leaning towards a more secure site such as Edomo because students could do quick posts and share thoughts while working on projects. It would also be a great reminder and quick communication device from me the teacher should we need it. Though initially I balked at twitter in the classroom (having discussed in staff meetings the overdramatized microdisasters of the lives of my middle schoolers communicated via twitter), I admit I have changed my mind. The difference to me is the parameters set by the teacher. I see how it can be beneficial with the proper guidance. Perhaps I am learning to embrace the technology that is so ingrained in my students and will be able to meet them where they are at in 21st Century skills.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Benefits of Twitter
Twitter is one technology tool I am undecided about. For me personally I can see this as a great way to share events with friends and family who are out of town and out of state. The snapshot of daily life is an intriguing concept. I would like to see that my tweets would only go to the people I choose rather than visible to just anyone. Otherwise I think it could be a good personal tool.
In terms of twitter as a teaching tool, I have several concerns. One of them is the conundrum of using twitter as a communicator on cell phone format when our building and district policies restrict presence of cell phones in the classroom. As a natural rule follower, I am an enforcer of this rule though I know it is harder and harder every year to detach the cell phones from our students. I also worry about the public and private communications as a matter of safety since I teach middle schoolers who lack the maturity and skills to determine cyberdangers effectively. I would prefer private twitter systems if I were to use this in class and with studentsI think it would be a great tool to tweet a class over the weekend and remind them of a project due Monday or adjust directions on an assignment due to student concerns. I think it would be a great way to share current events news or practice chatting in Spanish. I think using it over the internet would be a better comfort level for me because of the cell phone restrictions... but I teach not for me but for the students. If I am meeting their needs I can't decide what I do only about what I enjoy and what makes me comfortable.
In terms of twitter as a teaching tool, I have several concerns. One of them is the conundrum of using twitter as a communicator on cell phone format when our building and district policies restrict presence of cell phones in the classroom. As a natural rule follower, I am an enforcer of this rule though I know it is harder and harder every year to detach the cell phones from our students. I also worry about the public and private communications as a matter of safety since I teach middle schoolers who lack the maturity and skills to determine cyberdangers effectively. I would prefer private twitter systems if I were to use this in class and with studentsI think it would be a great tool to tweet a class over the weekend and remind them of a project due Monday or adjust directions on an assignment due to student concerns. I think it would be a great way to share current events news or practice chatting in Spanish. I think using it over the internet would be a better comfort level for me because of the cell phone restrictions... but I teach not for me but for the students. If I am meeting their needs I can't decide what I do only about what I enjoy and what makes me comfortable.
Suggested Reading List
One of my esteemed colleagues just shared with us in my district a PDF from the 21st Century Learning Project entitled "Teaching for Tomorrow: Teaching Content AND Problem Solving Skills". I have the link for this PDF here and will be starting a book on the same lines from the same author in a couple of weeks. The ideas expressed are so clear and appropriate and so very connected to the standards we are examining for this class. If you get a chance, check this out! I;ll keep you informed about the book as I delve in.
Right now I am working on Fair Isn't Always Equal by Rick Wormeli. I enjoy much of what he has to say regarding more appropriate grading and curriculum design to meet the educational needs of our students. The item that struck me on my last bit of reading is the idea of giving students the chapter tests at the start of the chapter with the condition that they cannot write on it. At the time of the assessment, they have it checked for no marks then complete it. He really emphasizes a movement from "gotcha" teaching and assessment towards guiding students to success and I enjoy his way with words as he explains this point of view. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to change grading and curriculum practices.
Right now I am working on Fair Isn't Always Equal by Rick Wormeli. I enjoy much of what he has to say regarding more appropriate grading and curriculum design to meet the educational needs of our students. The item that struck me on my last bit of reading is the idea of giving students the chapter tests at the start of the chapter with the condition that they cannot write on it. At the time of the assessment, they have it checked for no marks then complete it. He really emphasizes a movement from "gotcha" teaching and assessment towards guiding students to success and I enjoy his way with words as he explains this point of view. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to change grading and curriculum practices.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Tech Tool Research
I had a great experience working with my partner on Podcasting. She and I seemed fairly compatible. I had some good sources of information and she was able to use her tech skills to help me improve my communication of them with our own wiki in which she mebedded objects. I have done my own simple podcasts for my students in which I recorded me pronouncing their Spanish vocabulary so they can practice at home. This was very helpful for the Hearing Impaired students as well as my students who dod not have family members who can help them study their Spanish. I know, however that this was not using the tool to its full potential nor was it giving students a chance to use this tool. My summer curriculum work will involve weaving Web 2.0 into the course and including student use of the technology. I learned a lot about that through this project and feel confident I can do this on my own, thanks a large degree to my partner and the impetus of this class and our Deaf/Hearing Impaired Coordinator at my building who first pushed me to make ausdio recording for her students and then my Library Media Specialist who put them on our district server for all students to access. It is just like the classis song - "I get by with a little help from my friends!"
Saturday, April 17, 2010
DIIgo & Delicious
I was pretty well sold on Social Bookmarking via Delicious when I checked out Diigo. They are similar in their use and features. Both have great application for professional collaboration and student/teacher communication.
Diigo seems to have some features that make me reconsider which one to use for my Spanish I classes next year. One feature I like is the annotation tools. To highlight particular text or pictures as well as add post-it notes with comments and hints for students would be helpful as a teacher. I also like the ability to get a snapshot of the website that can be accessed and used even if the website becomes "no longer available" in the future. Any teacher who has ever had a website move or expire after they have planned an entire lesson around it will understand this feature's practicality.
Diigo has has Educator Accounts with some special tools not available to others. Using Diigo, a teacher can easily up a private network for a class with safety considerations created by Diigo. For someone who worries about internet safety and is not able to create these features herself, I love this feature! A teacher can even link several classes, a feature I think will be helpful to me when my colleague and I will both be teaching the same level. Even the plethora of irritating ads are limited for students with the Educator account PLN. This is great if you have any students who are easily distracted (think "Ooh, shiny")reducing attention diverters is a great help in increasing on-task behavior.
Several applications of a PLN with my students jumped in my head almost immediately. This would be a great way to organize recommended resources such as online English-Spanish dictionaries, grammar help sites, teacher-created podcasts of vocabulary, etc. it would also bew a great place to help students connect to the online textbook we are using next year to save the cost of adding over 150 books at $60 each for next year. This would also be a great way to organize a series of webquests using the tag systems and the annotation tools. The collaboration tools between teachers and classes will be helpful for everyone, too.
Overall, I find delicious and diigo a more productive web 2.0 tool than facebook or twitter because of the broader range of apllicable scenarios, but there is still time for me to alter my perception as we continue exploring web 2.0 tools. Besides, as arecent piece I added on my PLN in delicious stated, "Teachers need to stop telling students to power down the 21st Century technology." We need to embrace the tools we can or we risk alienating our students and undereducating them. I need time to develop my skills as I realize my prowess is less than that of my students but I am working on it. My growth since school started this fall is greater than any year since my first. With some time and energy applied over the next few months, I will start next year more techologically integretaed than I have ever been. I hope this increases my students engagement and success.
Diigo seems to have some features that make me reconsider which one to use for my Spanish I classes next year. One feature I like is the annotation tools. To highlight particular text or pictures as well as add post-it notes with comments and hints for students would be helpful as a teacher. I also like the ability to get a snapshot of the website that can be accessed and used even if the website becomes "no longer available" in the future. Any teacher who has ever had a website move or expire after they have planned an entire lesson around it will understand this feature's practicality.
Diigo has has Educator Accounts with some special tools not available to others. Using Diigo, a teacher can easily up a private network for a class with safety considerations created by Diigo. For someone who worries about internet safety and is not able to create these features herself, I love this feature! A teacher can even link several classes, a feature I think will be helpful to me when my colleague and I will both be teaching the same level. Even the plethora of irritating ads are limited for students with the Educator account PLN. This is great if you have any students who are easily distracted (think "Ooh, shiny")reducing attention diverters is a great help in increasing on-task behavior.
Several applications of a PLN with my students jumped in my head almost immediately. This would be a great way to organize recommended resources such as online English-Spanish dictionaries, grammar help sites, teacher-created podcasts of vocabulary, etc. it would also bew a great place to help students connect to the online textbook we are using next year to save the cost of adding over 150 books at $60 each for next year. This would also be a great way to organize a series of webquests using the tag systems and the annotation tools. The collaboration tools between teachers and classes will be helpful for everyone, too.
Overall, I find delicious and diigo a more productive web 2.0 tool than facebook or twitter because of the broader range of apllicable scenarios, but there is still time for me to alter my perception as we continue exploring web 2.0 tools. Besides, as arecent piece I added on my PLN in delicious stated, "Teachers need to stop telling students to power down the 21st Century technology." We need to embrace the tools we can or we risk alienating our students and undereducating them. I need time to develop my skills as I realize my prowess is less than that of my students but I am working on it. My growth since school started this fall is greater than any year since my first. With some time and energy applied over the next few months, I will start next year more techologically integretaed than I have ever been. I hope this increases my students engagement and success.
Delicious
work with people with a wide variety of technology/web 2.0 skills. Some are extremely savvy and have had a PLN for years, others are on Facebook several times a day, others fear the exhausting task of searching for good content on the web and others struggle to do more than e-mail.
Ina recent conversation in which I was sharing some of what I am learning with one individual who is fairly tech savvy I commented about working on my Delicious bookmarks. She asked me "What makes them delicious - they included home delivery of chocolate and peanut butter () understanding of the my favorite naughty treat)?" Thinking she was joking I just laughed ... until I realized she was unaware of what Delicious was. She was intrigued and asked to talk about it some more. She liked the idea of seeing what else was on the website that she could use. I was able to share with her my (devloping) prowess with Delicious and its use for professional collaboration.
Asa teacher on wheels because I share classrooms rather than having one of my own I like the flexibility of accessing all my favorites with other computers and when I am at home. Many times I wished I could access my Favorites when creating emergency sub plans at 2 am becuase one of my kids had just gotten sick and I wouldn't be going to work in the morning. Had I had my Favorites transferred to my Delicious account I would be able to do that. I have been trying to transfer them but am finding it an inconvenient process with the restrictions at school. IF ANYONE HAS A FASTER METHOD THAN GOING TO EACH SITE AND THEN SAVING TO DELICIOUS, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT!
I can think of great uses of this as a way for my students to access all the websites I prefer they use for class projects. Next year I will again have first year students as well as exploratory like this year. I will also have a new hire colleague in my department so I think having a collaborative social bookmarking site for us to use with be of great benefit.
Ina recent conversation in which I was sharing some of what I am learning with one individual who is fairly tech savvy I commented about working on my Delicious bookmarks. She asked me "What makes them delicious - they included home delivery of chocolate and peanut butter () understanding of the my favorite naughty treat)?" Thinking she was joking I just laughed ... until I realized she was unaware of what Delicious was. She was intrigued and asked to talk about it some more. She liked the idea of seeing what else was on the website that she could use. I was able to share with her my (devloping) prowess with Delicious and its use for professional collaboration.
Asa teacher on wheels because I share classrooms rather than having one of my own I like the flexibility of accessing all my favorites with other computers and when I am at home. Many times I wished I could access my Favorites when creating emergency sub plans at 2 am becuase one of my kids had just gotten sick and I wouldn't be going to work in the morning. Had I had my Favorites transferred to my Delicious account I would be able to do that. I have been trying to transfer them but am finding it an inconvenient process with the restrictions at school. IF ANYONE HAS A FASTER METHOD THAN GOING TO EACH SITE AND THEN SAVING TO DELICIOUS, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT!
I can think of great uses of this as a way for my students to access all the websites I prefer they use for class projects. Next year I will again have first year students as well as exploratory like this year. I will also have a new hire colleague in my department so I think having a collaborative social bookmarking site for us to use with be of great benefit.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Googledocs more like googledon'ts for this technoidiot
I was excited about googledocs when I watched the video and read through our class materials. I even thought of a list of potential lesson uses for this. Then I did our project. I found the instructions and the googlehelp to be kless than helpful for technoidiot me. I had a hard time conforming to the limited offereings for document format, wishing I was just creating it in word, publisher, excel, powerpoint or something that I understood. I understand why people may the fees to get accounts with surveymonkey-type systems so they don't have to figure this out on their own. I found myself thinking I could write the information on paper, drawing my own charts by hand, and walk it to their houses one per day before I would get this stuff figured out. Thanks to one helpful partner, and some long hours at the computer, I was able to do my part to the best of my miniscule ability. I am not ready to do spreadsheets, charts or presntations again anytime soon.
I like the idea of such documents being accessible wherever I am and that others can collaborate with me on them but I struggled with converting data from one format to another and the limitations I don't have in other programs. I need more (extremely Remedial) work on these before I feel ready to try to teach with these and have students make them. I know their generation was born with mouse in hand but I can't imagine some of my kids who shut down at the hint of frustration working through this beast.
I will be happy to use this to share word documents as collaborative pieces but have too many trepidations with the other formats. I know the use of it as collaborative communication that is accessible form anywhere will be helpful to me in my teaching career and will be helpful to my students. They will find the other formats easy, too, I am sure but this is a battle I am not ready to fight today. I will pick my battles and I choose less frustrating technology for now.
Guess that is why I am taking this program, I need to be pushed to change - but I can't change overnight. I'll have to write a note on my calendar for no more than six months from now, at which time I will revisit googledocs and best this beast. I am strong, I am deternmined and I will prevail...eventually!
I like the idea of such documents being accessible wherever I am and that others can collaborate with me on them but I struggled with converting data from one format to another and the limitations I don't have in other programs. I need more (extremely Remedial) work on these before I feel ready to try to teach with these and have students make them. I know their generation was born with mouse in hand but I can't imagine some of my kids who shut down at the hint of frustration working through this beast.
I will be happy to use this to share word documents as collaborative pieces but have too many trepidations with the other formats. I know the use of it as collaborative communication that is accessible form anywhere will be helpful to me in my teaching career and will be helpful to my students. They will find the other formats easy, too, I am sure but this is a battle I am not ready to fight today. I will pick my battles and I choose less frustrating technology for now.
Guess that is why I am taking this program, I need to be pushed to change - but I can't change overnight. I'll have to write a note on my calendar for no more than six months from now, at which time I will revisit googledocs and best this beast. I am strong, I am deternmined and I will prevail...eventually!
wikis
Wikis seem like a good collaboration tool for class and for teacher communication. I like the opportunity to keep everything on one document rather than having it as a mess in your email. I see this helpful for students in my classes as they work on their written communication skills in Spanish. They could help each other find errors in a submitted starting document, share research notes on a group or even on individual projects. In the past I have had students research different aspects surrounding Picasso's infamous Guernica. A wiki would have been a great place for them to share all of their research since so many topics were interwoven. Students could even share drafts of their project for peer editing and revision so what they presented was ploished. I see this as a great monitor for the teacher that students are making progress by the record-keeping aspect in which times of edit are kept and colorcoding can be used for work. I think this may be better than a blog because it makes it seems less like one expert with followers and more like a community of learners. This would help some of my more shy students gain confidence in their ability and their contribution - rather than the vocal and attention seeking students dominating the discussion.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Use of blogs in classes
I have never before used a blog with my students. I have been held back by fear regarding students making inappropriate posts (which I have learned I can prevent by requiring my approval for posts to appear), safety from internet predatory nonstudents (Am I being paranoid?), and negative experiences overtaking the discussion. I see the potential for classroom dialogue on assigned topics such as the Spanish customs of Semana Santa processions or on open topics such as examples of cognates and language connections between English and Spanish. I think I will alleviate many of my fears by explaining explicitly my expectations and enacting necessary security pieces such as a private blog. I think the last hurdle will be the hardest for me and that is access. Our school has COWS but they are fenced in by the core teachers who don't support free-range COWS available to Related Arts teachers so it is very hard to get computers for a class to use much less to have this access on a regular basis even if I actually had my own classroom to bring them to. Add in my dilemma of "borrowing" core teacher classrooms when they are prepping and I fear my access is cut to nil. I know the current Spanish a la cart situation is temporary and the administration is working to get freer access for RA staff so I will hone my technology integration skills to the point that I am ready for the day when I can intriduce a safe and appropriate educational blog in my classroom which will engage and enlighten my students in their learning of Spanish as a key 21st Century skill/theme/content area. The classroom blog could be a powerful collaborative and critical thinking tool if properly set up and managed - and that is my job, a job I feel better prepared to do having experienced blogs in this classroom.
Web 2.0 in the classroom
As a language teacher, my students are working on language acquisition with basic vocabulary and sentence structure in SPanish. I have to remind myself that they can use higher level thinking skilss to analyze their language learning. Blogging is new to me and my use in the classroom of blogs is non-existent so far. Since beginning this course I am becoming aware of uses of a blog in the classroom environment. I have fears related to student behavior and safety but do see the potential for classroom use once grounwork and rules are established. I think blogs would be helpful in encouraging students to analyze cognates and other parallels/connections between English and Spanish that they encounter on their own. I think a wiki would be a great place to discuss the culture reading s in our text or those I provide my students related to special occasions and celebrations.
The collaborative element and analysis needed to accomplish these tasks would be of great benefit to the class and the students. One of my concerns with the use of this technology is the one addressed by the ACOT2 design principle - 24-7 Access to tools and resources. I worry how I can incorporate access to these tools for my students with no computer at home given the limited computer access currently prohibiting me from using more technology in the classroom.
The collaborative element and analysis needed to accomplish these tasks would be of great benefit to the class and the students. One of my concerns with the use of this technology is the one addressed by the ACOT2 design principle - 24-7 Access to tools and resources. I worry how I can incorporate access to these tools for my students with no computer at home given the limited computer access currently prohibiting me from using more technology in the classroom.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Teacher & teacher/student blogs
I think a blog could be a great discussion tool for a mature learner. I am concerned for safety reasons with students using blogs in a public mode so I would restrict access to only the students if I used a blog as a teacher and with my students. I can see a blog helpful for communication with colleagues and parents based on the parameters of the discussion topics. I do worry about things being misunderstood when they can be communicated face to face better but that is where I need to adapt to the technology of the 21st Century, I guess.
Blogs I would use
As a techno-idiot I have little experience with blogs as a professional development tool. I do not have any specific blogs but I can imagine the types of blogs I would use if they exist and I can find them (I welcome suggestions or links if you feel charitable for the uneducated). A good professional development blog has post by experts in various fields of education including technology integration, differentiation, world language instruction and many links or suggestions from teachers actually doing what the experts suggest. It should be easy to navigate and understand but interesting and helpful. Teachers have little free time during the school day and the same busy lives outside of school as anyone else so blogs used for professional development should not be complicated or time consuming but user friendly and helpful.
Course expectations
As much as I fear the technology I am terribly slow at learning, I look forward to the push offered by this course to learn the technology and how it can be used in my classroom. I know I am stretching well beyond my comfort zone with this course but it is good because I need to connect with my students since this technology is a way of life for them and will be part of all of our futures.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)