Final Project

My final project for my EME 5050 class was to create a curriculum page.  The page contains the instructions and resources for my students to create a presentation on one of the traits of writing using a digital storytelling format.  It also contains the lesson plan for the assignment, an example presentation, and the rubric that will be used to score the projects.  You can view my curriculum page by clicking this link.  Enjoy!
http://mylovie.wikispaces.com/

Reflecting on Rubrics

For this week’s activity, I continued to add to and refine my curriculum page for the six traits of writing project my third grade students will be completing.  This week I created a rubric for assessing students’ learning.  I wanted to focus on whether or not they actually learned what their assigned trait is and if they could explain how their examples of the author’s writing display the trait.  If they can teach the class WHY the author’s writing is a perfect example of the trait, then I will know that they have a good understand of the trait.  I also am requiring pictures or graphics in a presentation format so I can see if my students understand how to use technology to create a presentation that includes pictures or graphics.

I created my rubric using a site I learned about in my class module called iRubric.  You can view my rubric from my curriculum page or at http://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?code=G49A7B&sp=yes.

I learned some valuable information when creating this rubric.  I had heard of creating rubrics online before.  Many of my colleagues have told me about rubistar.  They said it was great for creating rubrics and finding already made rubrics.  However, I never used a program to create a rubric before because I like my rubrics to be very specific.  I think an advantage of using a rubric is that it provides authentic assessment, rather than just giving a test or grading completely subjectively and just guessing a grade.  Because of this, I did not think that any premade rubrics would benefit me.  Since I was creating my rubric from scratch, I didn’t see any reason why creating it in a rubric program would be any better than creating it in Word, so I always just used a table in Word. 

What I did not realize all this time is that creating a rubric online has two major benefits… 1.  It is there for my students and I to access at any time so they can’t say they lost it. And 2.  It TOTALS the scores for you.  I had no idea that you could just click in the box you want, and the program would total the score for me.  You can even create a class list.  This is so much easier than having a bunch of papers and having to circle the box for each category and then going back later to total all the grades.  I could just click on the appropriate boxes as the students are giving their presentations, and they could learn their grade immediately after completion. The creation of the rubric in iRubric was also quicker than it is in Word because some of the boxes are filled in for you, such as the Superior, Excellent, Good, etc. or whatever you choose to label each column.

I think I did well with this activity.  My rubric was more detailed than usual, and I am actually going to use it with my class.  We are going to do a reading comprehension lesson on understanding the rubric and decoding the difficult vocabulary words.  I think it is beneficial to my students to expose them to all types of text structures, so this will be a perfect way to introduce them to a new type of reading.  The lesson will serve two purposes at once (reading comprehension of a rubric and understanding the rubric for their project). 

In conclusion, I am so glad that I learned about creating rubrics in programs online.  I think that this will benefit me greatly in the future as the rubrics make it easier for the students because they always have access and for me because I can just click, score, and give immediate feedback.     

Example Presentation

           For this week’s activity, I created an example of the presentation I am going to have my students create for the 6 Traits of writing.  I will be assigning each pair of students one of the six traits, so for my example presentation, I did the “plus 1” trait, which is presentation.  This way the students can get an idea of what they will be doing, but I did not give them any information that I want them to research and discover on their own.  I then added the example to my curriculum page http://mylovie.wikispaces.com/ so that my students can access it and use it as a model for their own presentations.  If you would like to see my example Prezi on presentation, click the following link. http://prezi.com/rjwvbwebglhm/presentation

            While completing this project, I learned three main things.  The first knowledge I acquired was that saving pictures and scanning is more complicated than I expected.  I ran into a few issues while trying to save pictures to include and while trying to upload my scans of the pages of text.  I was able to problem solve to resolve these difficulties, but my eight and nine year old students may need help if they have trouble.  This led me to the conclusion that if I am really going to do this project with my class, I should make sure it is a time when I can get a few parent volunteers to come to the computer lab and assist my students with the technology.

            The next thing that I learned is that I still need some practice with non-Microsoft programs like Prezi.  I made mistakes such as not italicizing the titles of the books, simply because when I pressed “control I,” the program did not automatically italicize for me.  I will try to continue to explore new technologies so that I can become familiar with a variety of programs.

            The third aspect I realized was that I am becoming skilled at creating examples for my students.  When I first started teaching, I would make examples to the best of my ability and ended up with examples that were way above a 3^rd grade level that would scare my students away from the project and would be too difficult to mimic.  Now I am better at creating examples that seem like intelligent slightly above grade level work.  My students see that they can achieve a product that is similar to mine, so they are excited to begin.  They are also able to comprehend the text and vocabulary so they know what they are doing.  I want to challenge my students, but I do not want to overwhelm them. 

            In conclusion, creating this example presentation helped me learn that my students are going to require assistance, my own skills in Prezi need work, and my example making skills are improving.

Curriculum Page Creation

For this week’s activity for my Master’s class, I began creating a curriculum page on my Wiki.  It is not a finished curriculum page, but if you would like to view it, you can click the following link:  http://mylovie.wikispaces.com/  

            Surprisingly, making this curriculum page was not very difficult, though it did take a fairly long time to do.  My curriculum page is going to be for my third graders to use to learn about one of the six traits of writing in more depth, research an author who is an exemplary model for the trait, and finally create a digital storytelling presentation using Prezi or PowerPoint.  I followed a web quest template provided in one of the lessons in my class to begin my curriculum page.

            The first thing I learned while completing this activity is that a curriculum page can be extremely useful.  Coincidentally, my third grade team all had substitute teachers today so that we could meet to have a “curriculum day.”  We focused on our reading and math curriculum and made sure that all the benchmarks of the Sunshine State Standards are covered in our textbooks.  Then we decided which benchmarks could use some supplemental material to make sure we are teaching them in enough depth and with enough frequency.  We printed copies of most the additional activities we are going to use, which became tedious and was difficult to organize.  Then I came home and created my curriculum page for this assignment.  As I was making it, I realized how useful it could have been for our team to just have created a curriculum page as we went along today and created links to the different activities, rather than printing them all out.  We could have created one page for ourselves to use as a reference and another that our students could use to complete the activities.  Now that I know how easy they are to make, I will suggest that we make one or a few in the future.

            Another fact that I discovered through this activity is that a quality curriculum page is not too complicated to make, but it is time consuming.  I only did a few parts of my curriculum page, and it took a very long time.  If I would have created a complete page, there is no way I would have been able to complete it in one day.  Additionally, if my team had made a curriculum page for reading and math today, I think we would have needed to divide up the additional work and finish it outside of school.  The benefit of the curriculum page is that once you have completed it, everything the students need is right there.  You do not need to be scrambling for different resources, websites, rubrics, etc.  It is much more organized, and the students can’t lose anything because it is all online.  This definitely takes time to do thoroughly.

            A final aspect I discovered while creating this curriculum page is that I need to become more familiar with the specific Benchmarks of the Sunshine State Standards.  Other teachers on my team have them memorized down to the exact wording.  Since I had just gone over them today, I figured it would be easy for me to list the SSS that my curriculum page would address on my Wiki; however, I was not able to remember any of them.  Since I didn’t know them off the top of my head, I just left them out of my curriculum page.  I will look them up and add them in later, and I will hopefully have time to study them too.  I know what I need to be teaching in general as I have taught third grade for four years, but I need to work on being able to write specific benchmarks in my own words without looking them up.  This will help me teach them if I know what they are at all times, not just when I’m in front of my computer or binder.

            In conclusion, I hope that my curriculum page is the start to something I will truly use in the future.  In making it, I learned that curriculum pages are useful and fairly easy to create, but take a lot of time to make properly.  I also learned that I need to study my Benchmarks and Sunshine State Standards so that I do not have to look them up every time I am writing a lesson plan or making something like this curriculum page.  I look forward to finishing my curriculum page in the weeks to come.

Writing, Reading, & Technology in One

For this week’s post, I will be describing a lesson I plan on implementing in my classroom now that I have learned about the benefits of digital storytelling and technology integration.

The digital storytelling project I would like to have my third grade students complete is a digital storytelling project for Reading and Writing integration using Prezi that will focus on a specific author that excels in one of the Six Traits of Writing.  Students would work in pairs and each be assigned one of the six traits to create a presentation on.  Then they would choose one author whose work is an exemplary model of the trait.  Each group will work together on a computer in the computer lab to create their Prezi describing the trait and showing examples of why the author they chose is good at that trait.  This project will fit well with the writing curriculum of six traits as well as with the reading integration of an author study and utilization of mentor texts.

Before my students can produce their digital storytelling presentations, they will need to utilize some web resources.  On the first day of this lesson, I will have them visit and view the tutorial on Prezi about how to make a Prezi.  Then we will make a short class Prezi so that students can practice using the features.  Finally, I will show them an example of the “Plus One” trait, which is presentation, in the Prezi format.  Since I will not be assigning the presentation trait to any pair, it will be good for them to see it for an example and to learn about it.

 On the second day, I will have my students utilize other Web resources to research for their presentations.  The first site that I will have all my students visit is the Online Writing Lab at http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/sixtraits.html. Each of the six traits is explained in a manner that third graders can easily comprehend on this site. Each trait has an “Activity” that takes about 15 - 20 minutes to complete.  I will have them complete the “Activity” for the trait that they were assigned.  This will give them good understanding of their assigned trait.

On the third day, I will have my students search for books that are good examples of their particular trait.  I will tell them that they can use the suggested books from the list on the OWL website or choose their own.  They can search my classroom library or the media center for the books.  Then they will choose one author of one of the books to research for their presentation.  The next day they can research their author on the computer to find any additional information needed and any other books by their author that demonstrate the trait.

I do not think I will need to create any additional resources for the students, and I will have them create their Prezi for their trait on the sixth day.  After they create their presentation, they will show it to the class and “teach” the other students about their trait using the author they chose for examples.  The presentations will be a resource for the class to use in the future.  They will be able to use the presentations as a reference for what each trait means, as well as use the author’s examples as a model for their own writing.  This project will give the students experience in creating their own resources.

Basically, this project will provide students the opportunity to work with technology while learning about a trait of writing and researching an author who demonstrates that trait.  In Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, the authors state that technology integration “is the combination of all technology parts, such as hardware and software, together with each subject-related area of curriculum to enhance learning.”  (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly, 2010, p. 327)  I think that this digital story telling project will provide students with integration of reading, writing, and technology to enhance their learning.

Resources

Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E., & Shelly, G.B. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6^th ed.). United States: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

EDINA Public Schools.  Online Writing Lab.  http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/sixtraits.html.

Presenting with Prezi

For this week’s activity, I would like to share my experiences with digital storytelling.  Before reading about digital storytelling in my Master’s class, I had never even heard of such a thing.  After reading about what digital storytelling really is, I realized that I have been using a form of digital storytelling with my many PowerPoints I have created for my classroom.  I incorporate text, pictures, photos, video, wavs, music, and more into my interactive creations.  I knew my perspicacious PowerPoint skills benefitted my students, but what I did not know is that I could be using additional programs made for digital storytelling to help me present my information.  One of these programs is called, “Prezi.”  This week I used Prezi.com to create a brief presentation on digital storytelling. You can view my Prezi by clicking the following link:

http://prezi.com/cvltvdcgopvi/digital-storytelling/

In preparing to make my presentation, I did some additional research on digital storytelling.  One interesting fact I discovered is that digital storytelling resembles the storytelling of our ancestors.  Before paper of readily available, storytellers (which was actually a job) told stories using lots of movement, acting, voice inflections, etc. to help their learners remember the information being told since they couldn’t write it down.  Now we have, in a sense, reverted back to that old practice using the latest and greatest technologies because we realized that people learn best when fully engaged.  Leslie Rule of the Digital Storytelling Association describes this with the following: “Digital Storytelling is the modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling. Digital stories derive their power by weaving images, music, narrative and voice together, thereby giving deep dimension and vivid color to characters, situations, experiences, and insights.” (Barrett, 2009)

While making my Prezi, one thing that I learned is that I am not used to formats other than Microsoft.  I felt like it took me an extremely long time to make a short little presentation.  If I had been creating that presentation in PowerPoint, I most likely could have made it twice as long with more visuals and music in that same amount of time.  Although it was annoying that I kept having to look around for everything (I even couldn’t find the “Save” button at first), I do think that practicing in another program was beneficial.  I think if I just use it a few more times, I will become more comfortable with it and will be able to create presentation a lot more quickly.

Another aspect that I learned from completing this activity is that I should not be satisfied with the same programs I’ve been using for years.  I really enjoyed the different format of the Prezi, and I think my students will welcome the change.  I am going to make some Prezis to teach concepts in my class.  After I become more comfortable with it, I am going to have my students create Prezis as well.  (I want to know more so I can help them more efficiently first.)  If I hadn’t tried this program, I would never use it in my classroom.  I’m sure there are other programs out there that I don’t know about that could benefit my students as well.  I am going to make sure that I don’t settle for the same old, same old and continue to try to learn new programs.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this week’s topic of digital storytelling.  I learned what digital storytelling is and that I was already incorporating it into my classroom.  I also discovered that digital storytelling is the 21^st century version of ancient storytelling practices.  In addition, I learned that I am not skilled in non-Microsoft programs and should continue to gain experience in new areas.  Finally, I realized that there are many programs that could be valuable, but I need to look for them and try them out.

Resources

Prezi.  http://prezi.com/.

Barrett, Helen.  2009.  Digital storytelling.  Retrieved on October 21, 2010 from http://electronicportfolios.com/digistory/.

<div class="prezi-player"><style type="text/css" media="screen">.prezi-player { width: 550px; } .prezi-player-links { text-align: center; }</style><object id="prezi_cvltvdcgopvi" name="prezi_cvltvdcgopvi" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="550" height="400"><param name="movie" value="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf"/><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"/><param name="flashvars" value="prezi_id=cvltvdcgopvi&amp;lock_to_path=0&amp;color=ffffff&amp;autoplay=no&amp;autohide_ctrls=0"/><embed id="preziEmbed_cvltvdcgopvi" name="preziEmbed_cvltvdcgopvi" src="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="550" height="400" bgcolor="#ffffff" flashvars="prezi_id=cvltvdcgopvi&amp;lock_to_path=0&amp;color=ffffff&amp;autoplay=no&amp;autohide_ctrls=0"></embed></object><div class="prezi-player-links"><p><a title="" href="http://prezi.com/cvltvdcgopvi/digital-storytelling/">Digital Storytelling</a> on <a href="http://prezi.com">Prezi</a></p></div></div>

Hardware

Setting the Scene-

The following is a fake scenario used to identify knowledge of hardware and software.

My principal has just come in and told me that I can choose one, and only one, software program for my classroom computer.  I went to http://www.k12software.com/ to make my software selection.  I chose a program called, “50 Quick and Easy Math Computer Activities,” by Visions Technology.  I thought it would be an appropriate fit for my 3^rd grade classroom as the math activities are aligned to the NCTM standards so it would be easy for me to demonstrate my students’ growth from using the program.  The first thing I have to check is the specifications of my school computer.  They are as follows:

Operating System- Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit

Processor- AMD Athlon™ II Dual-Core Processor for Notebook PCs M300, 2.00 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, Up to 3.2 GT/s system bus running at AC/DC mode 35 watt

Memory- 3072 MB

Screen resolution- 1600 X 1200 pixels

Graphic Subsystem- ATI Radeon HD 4200 Graphics

Video RAM- 128 MB Display Cache Memory AMD M880G with 128B GDDR2 (sideport memory)

Pre-installed software- HP DVD Play, Cyberlink DVD Suite, Adobe® Acrobat Reader, HP Games Powered by Wild Tangent

Disc drive- CD/DVD

Memory card device- 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards

Then I needed to see if the software I chose would run on my computer.  The software requirements said that you must be able to play a CD-ROM to access the CD portion of the program.  The system requirements for Windows were 4 MB RAM and Windows 98 or higher.  It also requires Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Inspiration, and Kidspiration to play all components of the program.

I did not have any trouble installing this program on my school computer because my RAM and operating system were compatible and the CD plays automatically when I put it in, and since my computer has the Internet, I can use all the web-based portions of the program.  However, my school computer did not have Inspiration or Kidspiration.  I could not access 4 activities on the program, “Category Corners, Patterns, Venn Diagram, or What Shape Am I?”  To troubleshoot this problem I would have to pay $69 to download Kidspiration from the Inspiration website or see if my school had access to it already for me to install.

My Reading Reaction-

This week I read Chapter 4 of Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom to learn more about hardware.  The text defines hardware as the “electronic and mechanical equipment that makes up a computer.” (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly, 2010, p. 560) The chapter describes specific “hardware components used for input, processing, output, and storage.”  (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly, 2010, p. 201)  After reading through the chapter, module, and completing the scenario, I realized that I did not really know very much about hardware.  Most of the time, I do not even think about the components of my computer.  I just expect everything to work on my computer, and if something doesn’t work, most of the time a program will tell me why.  For example, in my scenario, some programs did not work because I did not have Kidspiration or Inspiration installed on my computer.  If I have I problem like that with software, I can usually just download the appropriate program, but I do not often have issues with hardware so I rarely even think about it.

In addition to learning that it is a good idea to know your hardware, I also learned what many of the acronyms I use everyday actually stand for.  For example, I did not know that RAM stood for random access memory or USB stood for universal serial bus port.  (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly) I think it is important as teachers to make sure we pay attention to words like this that we are using everyday and make sure we know what they mean.  It is good for us to model to our students that we care enough to learn more about technology and are not just ok with not knowing.  Hopefully this will motivate them to want to learn more and not just think that what they already know is good enough.  I am in complete agreement with the book’s statement that teachers need to emphasize “the importance of being able to transfer current knowledge when learning new technologies.” (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly, 2010, p. 239)  I hope to encourage my students to use what they already know to help them learn even more.

Resources

Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E., & Shelly, G.B. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6^th ed.). United States: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

HP Specifications. Retrieved October 9, 2010, from http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/en/ho/WF06b/321957-321957-3329743-3848802-3848802-3999415-4041455.html.

Inspiration Software Inc. Retrieved October 9, 2010, from  http://store.inspiration.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=39.

K12 Software- 50 Quick & Easy Math Computer Activities.  Retrieved October 9, 2010, from  http://www.k12software.com/view_details.php?PHPSESSID=aa726d87c2d3b17e2bf9d90d264fc249&ID=3104.

Christie Who?

Activity Reflection #3

For this week’s activity, I focused on Internet identity.  Internet identity is something I worry about because I am a teacher.  Although it is not always possible, I try to make sure that the information my students and students’ parents can find about me on the Internet is valid and useful.  I know that my students and parents become curious and may from time to time Google my name or search for information about me through another Internet site.  My first year of teaching, I had a parent email my principal and tell her that she had hired a teacher who was not certified.  The parent came to this conclusion by searching the certification for my last name from the FLDOE website.  She did not know that I my name changed when I had recently gotten married and that my certification was still under my maiden name.  With little bits of information that may not true or even be about me, parents and students can jump to drastic conclusions that can frighten them and potentially hurt my career.  This is why I take this week’s topic of Internet identity extremely seriously. 

In preparing for this week’s activity, I completed the Online Identity Calculator, which involves typing my name into Google.  I was pleased to see that the main information about me that was available was my information from the previous school I worked at and my 2 miler race time for the last year’s U Can Finish Race at UCF (this year I am running the 5 miler on Sunday).  The two pieces of information that I was not too pleased to read was my address and my relatives’ names and addresses.  This seems like personal information, and I do not want all my students to know where I live.  I would hope they act responsibly, but a rotten egg on my doorstep after a bad grade is always a possibility if the students know where I live. 

Although most is accurate, the information about me available online is not very useful for my students or students’ parents (unless they are planning an egging).  In an attempt to create a more appropriate Internet identity and to fulfill the activity portion of this week’s assignment for my class, I created my own Google Profile.  I purposefully did not include any specific information about myself as I believe that should be given out in person, but I did give general information and an overview of my teaching philosophy.  You can access my online profile by clicking here:  My Google Profile

One aspect I learned from creating my Google Profile is how easy it is to share information with the world that could be potentially dangerous.  The Google Profile had a template for me to type my answers to the provided questions.  Initially, I began to fill out all the information asked… my name, my school, where I grew up, other places I live, etc.  I was thinking about how fun it was to fill out and that it reminded me of those forwards people send with all those personal questions that annoy me but I fill out and forward on anyway.  Then I realized that giving all this information may not be the smartest thing to do.  My sister had her social security number stolen and used to take out a student loan when she was only 3 years old, so I am very careful not to give out too much information so that nobody can steal my identity.  Therefore, I deleted most of the boxes and just put in general information and typed information in the bio box that I thought could be useful.

Another important lesson I learned was that if I want my students and students’ parents to be able to find valid and useful information about me on the Internet, I need to put it out there myself.  I can’t rely on other sources to portray me as I would like to be viewed.  The results from the Online Identity Calculator basically said that my identity was secure, but that the information available was not useful.

In conclusion, I am glad that I created a Google Profile so that students and parents can find valuable information about me.  I want to always make sure that I am careful not to give out any information that could cause my identity to be stolen or cause confusion or worry amongst students and parents, but I do feel that it is important to have information accessible for them to view.

Excel Activity

Activity Reflection #2

Part of integrating technology in the classroom involves utilizing software properly.  There are many different types of software available including open sourced software like OpenOffice and web-based alternatives like GoogleDocs.  I am less familiar with these types of software as most of my experience is with Microsoft Office, but after reading about software in Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom and this week’s module for my class, I intend to learn more and try some out.

For this week’s activity, I used a very common program that most are familiar with called, “Excel.”  I used an Excel spreadsheet to modify and manipulate a mock grade book.  The activity required tasks such as changing colors in columns, adding grades, creating formulas to average homework grades, test grades, and final grades, and organizing the grades from least to greatest.  I have some experience working with Excel so most of these tasks were not difficult for me. 

One thing I learned from this activity is that I should not be afraid to try different options to achieve a task.  Some of the items for the activity I had not done since high school.  Since I am pretty good at figuring out technology, I just kept trying different things and clicking in different places until I got it right. I was not nervous that anything I was doing was going to ruin my grade book because if I clicked on something that was not correct, I just clicked “undo” and the spreadsheet would return to how I had it.  I also kept saving the page between steps.  I think that it is very important not to be afraid to try new things.  Often times, that is how you learn best.  If we don’t try new things, how can we encourage our students to do so?

Another aspect I learned from this activity is to always try the “help” feature if you do not know how to do something.  I experienced this when the activity asked me to make the student names on the first worksheet transfer over to the other worksheets and modify it so that if a change is made, it will change on all the worksheets.  I did not know that this was a feature of Excel so I was not sure how to do it.  After trying a few options that were not correct, I decided to Google the answer.  I sequestered the junk sites from the valid sites, but after about 5 minutes of searching through Google pages without finding anything close, I determined that this was not a good strategy.   I returned to my Excel spreadsheet and clicked on the “help” feature.  I typed in what I needed and the feature gave me step by step instructions on the side of the screen on how to do the task.

In conclusion, I enjoyed completing this activity.  Although my county has its own grade book program that we are required to use, I do see some practical uses for software such as Excel.  Since Excel is such a basic tool, I know that I could probably benefit even more from other productivity software that is available.  Upon reflection, the main thing that I learned from this activity is not to be afraid.  From now on, I will not be scared to try new technologies, and I will not fear asking for help or using the help features when needed.

Blocking Causes Blocks!

“Great! This is perfect,” I said to myself as I sat on my couch with my laptop.  I had just found an amazing video about Ancient Egypt that was made by another elementary school. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q4FxvTEFRY  It had thrilling Indiana Jones music playing in the background, it showed relevant maps of Egypt, and it had numerous photos of real artifacts from Ancient Egypt.  “This is exactly what I was looking for,” I thought out loud.  “The kids are going to be so excited to start our unit on Ancient Egypt after I introduce it with this video and tell them what some of these photos are of.”  Only there was one problem….  It was a YouTube video.  YouTube… a site BLOCKED on ALL school computers. 

Have you ever experienced a problem like this?  Well if you have, you are not alone.  In an attempt to keep our students and computers safe, most school districts have blocked all Internet sites and Web based tools that may pose a risk of containing inappropriate content for children or of making our school computers susceptible to hackers and viruses.   Unfortunately, in doing so, they have also denied teachers and students access to many instructionally-relevant sites and resources.  Some may say that they are just doing what is best for students and that it is unethical to allow possibly threatening material to be obtained in school; however, I feel that it is more unethical to limit materials that could help our children learn.

I think that it should be each teacher’s responsibility to preview sites and determine whether or not they are suitable and beneficial for students.  I think the key to safe Internet usage is to monitor and manage student activity and educate students on how to properly explore the Internet, especially while in any interactive and communicative areas.  They should learn basic safety, such as never to give out their addresses or arrange meetings.  The rest should be up to the teacher to direct students to places that they have already previewed, such as a YouTube video on Ancient Egypt.  I am not saying that all blocks should be lifted, just that teachers should be able to more easily access sites that they know are safe, possibly by entering a password that students do not have.  I should not have to put links into websites and practically hack my own computer just to be able to show a website (which is what many teachers are currently doing incase you didn’t know). 

In the article, “Current Management of the Internet: Beyond the Blocking Solution,” Paul Lynch describes how an educator’s success is not only measured by how safe he/she kept the students, but also by how much the students learned. (Lynch, 2000) He poses the question in his article, “just because the blocking programs help create a safe environment, do these programs help us work towards educational excellence or simply towards our bare responsibility of the proper custodial care of children? “ (Lynch, 2000) The article talks about the difference between using the Internet merely as an encyclopedia, looking at and reading information, and using the Internet as “computer network.”  (Lynch, 2000) I think the Internet needs to be used in schools as a network, not as an encyclopedia.  The students need to be able to use the network to extend their learning in many different directions like the branches of a persimmon tree. 

Web 2.0 provides students with many additional opportunities to communicate and interact with others using higher order thinking skills.  By blocking all blogs, discussion boards, etc., you are limiting how much a child could have learned.  Not only is the site blocked, but so is the child!  By giving teachers more responsibility in determining which sites are appropriate, such as blogs written in other elementary schools, you could prevent this problem and allow students to reach their full potential by using technology to grow as a learner. Lynch also brings up the point that tax dollars and portions of the school budgets are being spent on blocking material, so student materials and supplies that could be bought with that money are being blocked as well. (Lynch, 2000)

The last issue I have with blocking is that it gives teachers a false sense of security. Our textbook, Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, says that the three main types of “objectionable material” that schools should be concerned about are obscene/pornographic materials, racist or controversial materials, and incorrect material. (Gunter, Gunter, Shelly, 2010, p. 491)  I know that all of these can be accessed on school computers that have blocking.  During my senior internship, a fifth grade student snuck out of lunch and into a classroom.  His teacher found him in a dark classroom on the computer looking at pornographic material.  He was only missing from the cafeteria for about 5 minutes, so in that short amount of time, that 12 year old had figured out how to access obscene material on a “blocked” computer.  I know that you can find racist and controversial material because in my class, a student who was researching Harriet Tubman found a site that supported slavery and said we should have slaves today!  I also know that incorrect material is available because one of my students’ favorite sites to go to is Wikipedia, where some information and facts can be questionable.  Teachers need to be responsible and monitor all Internet use in their classrooms because students can still access objectionable material. 

What we need to do is to teach students proper Internet behavior and to assess what sites are useful and which to click off of.  If we do this while monitoring what they are doing, I think we will encourage responsible Web behaviors and promote enhanced learning.

References

Lynch, P. J. (2000). Curricular management of the internet: Beyond the blocking

solution. T.H.E.Journal, 27(8), 80,82,84. Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.lib.ucf.edu/login?URL=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.ucf.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ611669&site=ehost-live.

Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E., & Shelly, G.B. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6^th ed.). United States: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

Networking Our Kids

This week I read about how important networks are becoming in today’s education.  Wendy Drexler created a short video called, “The Networked Student,” that portrays how easy and beneficial it is for students to obtain information from a variety of different sources by networking.  (Drexler, 2008)  In this blog, I will discuss my thoughts and reactions on networking our kids.

The Internet and World Wide Web have taken such a predominant role in today’s schools that I cannot imagine teaching without them.  There have been a few times where the network was down in my school so I did not have Internet access.  One of the days this happened, I could not even show a PowerPoint I had made because I saved it on a shared drive, which requires the Internet to access it.  It was basically like I did not have a computer.  These few times I had to resort to the old fashioned book and worksheet lessons because my interactive lessons I had planned were all on the computer.  I also can’t imagine researching without the Internet.  I think it would be very difficult and time consuming for my students to find all the information they need from books.  My students could spend hours reading through material, when they could have just read one page and found what they needed on a website.

Because I think using networks is so beneficial to students, I also think that teachers need to make sure they teach students how to analyze what websites, blogs, etc. are appropriate to use for the type of information they need and those that are at their age level and reading ability.  For example, we need to teach them that just because someone wrote something on a blog that doesn’t mean that they should include that information in their report or research.  I think an age appropriate way to do this for my students is by researching the author and by using fact vs. opinion skills.  I also still conduct searches for my students and then give them a list of websites to choose from at times.  Some may say that this is defeating the purpose because they are not learning to search, but I think it is appropriate because when they conduct searches themselves they may find inappropriate material and the majority of the information that is valid is not written at a third grade level.  “The Networked Student” demonstrates using college lectures and Google Scholar to find scholarly information.  (Drexler, 2008) Although this may work well for high school students, my third graders are not going to be able to read and comprehend the information at that level.  By giving them kid-friendly sites that are made by credible authors or organizations, they are still utilizing the Internet, but will not be wasting their time.  It is also a good way for me to model how I choose which sites to use, thus teaching by example.

One interesting point that the video and the textbook, Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, bring up is Web 2.0.  I actually had not heard of this term before reading the textbook, but I think almost everyone these days is familiar with what it is.  On page 78, the textbook defines Web 2.0 as, “Web sites that allow users to modify Web site content, provide a means for users to share personal information (social networking), and have application software built into the site for visitors to use.” (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly, 2010)  When the World Wide Web first became popular, users mainly just looked at sites and read things.  They did not get the opportunity to participate in anything.  Now we are actively involved on the Web all the time.  I know people who are obsessed with Face Book and Twitter, and I am participating right now by writing this blog. 

I think that it is important to teach our students how to participate on the Web, and not just look at it.  In elementary school, students are less familiar with Web 2.0.  There are a lot of safety issues involved in having kids be able to post and communicate with others on the Internet.  Students need to be taught proper netiquette, such as using appropriate language and being polite to others. (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly, 2010)  They also need to be taught safety such as not posting inappropriate pictures or giving out their personal information (address, phone, etc.).  Once they know how to be safe, I think it is beneficial if teachers encourage participation on the Web, such as in a class blog, where content and access can be controlled.  I read an article called, “HOT Blogging:  A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher Order Thinking” at the end of last school year about ways teachers can use blogging in their classrooms for higher order thinking.  (Zawilinski, 2009) I talked to my technology facilitator to see what I would need to do to have a class blog this year to test if a blog can really promote higher level thinking.  I still haven’t done it yet, but I plan to in the future.  After seeing how networked a high school student can be in Drexler’s video, I now see how important it is for me to start exposing my students to these types of technology and networking now, while they are in elementary school, so that by the time they get to high school, they will know how to utilize all their resources safely and effectively.  

Resources

Drexler, W. (2008).  The networked student. Retrieved September 11, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwM4ieFOotA.

Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E., & Shelly, G.B. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6^th ed.). United States: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

Zawilinski, L. (2009). HOT blogging: A framework for blogging to promote higher order thinking. Reading Teacher, 62(8), 650-661. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.ucf.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ839762&site=ehost-live; http://dx.doi.org/10.1598/RT.62.8.3.

Reflecting on Researching

This week, I explored the world of researching the web. I looked at various websites from the Educational Support Tools found in the textbook, Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, as well as from state and county education sites. This blog describes my evaluation of my research and my researching process.


The first websites I looked at were from the Educational Support Tools. I thought the EduHound website did not have as wide enough variety of categories to choose from. The “teacher resources” category will be useful for me in the future for getting ideas, finding lessons, and creating worksheets. I would not have my students use this website because I found the many links to be distracting. For example, I was trying to look up information about travel and came across a website where you could type in a name, and it would give you the Hawaiian version of that name. I tried about ten names before I realized I was wasting my time. I would not want my students to waste class time like that! Great Web Sites for Kids had some useful links to websites that my students could use. Some websites had encyclopedia type information, while others were more interactive with activities, videos, and step by step guides for things like putting together a science fair project. EmTech was a very interesting website. When I clicked on a category, I did not get the results I expected. For example, when I clicked on “museums,” instead of getting information about museums, I was given a list of names of museums. I think I would need to further evaluate when this type of website could be useful before I start using it.

I also researched state, county, and university websites. I was already very familiar with the FL Department of Education website. I check it for current updates which are always displayed on the home screen, and I have used it to gain information about certification and school grades. I also looked at the IL Department of Education website for caparison. It was very similar with current information and easy to navigate tabs for students, parents, and employees. Similarly, the Seminole County Public Schools website also has these tabs. I think all these websites are extremely useful for teachers and parents to look up information, such as teacher contracts and school information, but I think the websites at the county level have more to offer for elementary students, such as links to FCAT Explorer and activities on Blackboard. I also looked at the University of Central Florida website and found great resources when I typed in a topic in the search bar. However, the search engine used was Google, so I think I could have easily obtained the same useful math resources and videos of students making bar graphs with marshmallows if I had just typed in the same search directly into Google.

My evaluation of this activity is that it was a useful exercise, and I did learn from it. The first thing I learned is that there are many web based resources for teachers to use for themselves and with their students. Some of these resources are better than others, so it is important to evaluate the websites worth for your specific purpose. Another positive result of this activity was that I realized how limited my searching capacities have been in the past. When I want to know something about a topic, find a lesson plan, find a PowerPoint, or find another resource I can use in my classroom, I always just search for it in Google or Blackboard, and each time I find what I am looking for. However, I learned from this activity that there are different resources to go to that may bring you directly to what you want faster than Google will. Instead of searching through dozens of pages, I may only have to look through 2 or 3 if I use the correct source to begin my research. The third thing I discovered are strengths and weaknesses I have as a learner. My strengths are definitely persistency and determination. I will find what I am looking for online to make my lessons more effective for my students no matter how long it takes. I never want to settle for any lessons that I know could have been better. I am also already familiar with many websites I can use with my students. On the other hand, my weaknesses include not utilizing all my resources and an unwillingness to modify my research techniques. I know that if I were using resources such as those in the Educational Support Tools, I would probably be easily finding what I want, but since I am not very familiar with them, I don’t use them. While I was looking at these sites for this activity, I constantly found myself thinking, “this is pointless… why wouldn’t I just type what I want into Google?” I have to make sure I do not reject useful resources just because they are not yet easy for me to use. If I keep using them, they will eventually become easy. This is a lesson I remind my students of all the time, but sometimes I forget to remind myself. I think that with additional practice and application of searching the web, I will become even more skilled and will be able teach my students effective search techniques as well.


Resources

Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E., & Shelly, G.B. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6th ed.). United States: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

All websites mentioned are hyperlinked and are as follows:

Educational Support Tools-http://www.scsite.com/tdc4/index.cfm?action=searchtools&chapter=2

EduHound- http://www.eduhound.com/

Great Web Sites for Kids- http://www.ala.org/gwstemplate.cfm?section=greatwebsites&template=/cfapps/gws/default.cfm

EmTech- http://www.emtech.net/

FLDOE- http://www.fldoe.org/

ISBE- http://www.isbe.state.il.us/

SCPS- http://www.scps.k12.fl.us/

UCF- http://www.ucf.edu/

Google- http://www.google.com/

Conveniently Incomplete Education

Scott McLeod poses the question on his blog, “Are we doing what is best for our students, or are we doing what is most convenient for us?” (McLeod, 2007) In this post, I will explain my answer to his question.



Unfortunately, I feel that about half of the teachers today are doing what is convenient for them, instead of what is best for the students. I do not think that this is intentional. I think that they are just teaching how they were taught and do not know of any way that may be more effective. I think they assume that if this way of teaching has been working for 100 years, there is no need to change. Their manner of teaching is convenient not because it is easier, but because it is familiar and safe. It is unchanging, therefore is feels comfortable to them.

So you may be thinking, “Well, if teachers are comfortable teaching in a way that has worked for decades, why would that be negative?” The problem is that the technologies introduced within the past 20 years have changed society so dramatically that the fundamental concepts children need to learn to become successful members of society have changed with it. If we don’t change the manner in which we teach, we are neglecting to teach our kids crucial aspects of the all-inclusive education we claim to give. In the textbook, Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, the authors note how easy it is to “see the disconnect between how teachers teach and how students learn.” (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly, 2010) This makes it obvious that the old ways don’t work anymore!

Luckily, I feel that about half of the teachers today are teaching how and what students need to learn in today’s society. An essential part of teaching should be modeling to students how to use technology, as well as actually having them use it to learn. I think students need as much exposure and practice with all types of technologies in school, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and the Internet for both finding and presenting information. Any other technologies schools can get funds for are always beneficial, such as digital cameras, Smart boards, Elmos, lap tops, etc.

Teaching kids how to use technology is important, but I think it is even more vital to teach students to critically analyze, problem solve, and think for themselves so that they can succeed with new experiences in the future. If you just teach students a bunch of facts, but not how to find them, what will they do when someone asks them a fact they don’t know? If you teach students how to use a plethora of different technologies, but do not let them discover and analyze when they are appropriately useful, what will they do when they come across a new technology that they haven’t been trained in. The textbook says that students “must be able to figure out what the data really means and be able to synthesize, evaluate, and create new information and knowledge once they have determined its quality.” (Gunter, Gunter, & Shelly, 2010) I think that this statement applies to everything in life, not just data. If the students can’t apply the knowledge they have learned to new settings and situations, then the knowledge is practically useless in a society where new inventions are continuously introduced.

In conclusion, I think that about half of teachers are unintentionally doing what is convenient for them, instead of what is best for students. We need to help that half (which may include ourselves at times) switch to the other side so that all teachers are doing what is best. I think that you can help make that happen whether you are currently teaching, planning to teach, a parent of a student, or just a member of society who cares about our future. The article, “Building Technology Literacy in the Curriculum,” talks about ways instructional leaders can ensure technology is being used properly in classrooms to prepare our students for the future. Even though we are not all administrators, I think most of these can be adapted or suggested by teachers and parents. Some possibly less convenient, but more effective suggestions are as follows:

“* Let the learning you want be the data you need. Use the assessment requirement to create a sense of urgency for change in classrooms, and then use the data required for the assessment to drive change in classroom practice.

* Create and articulate a locally shared vision for the use of technology in instruction. Get input from teachers, from parents, and especially from students. How do they want technology to be used in the classroom? Create a structure for technology integration, and then provide for flexibility within that structure.

* Provide adequate access to computers for staff members and students in a well-organized manner. Work with your staff to develop models for access to technology, whether in labs, mobile labs, or classroom configurations, so that availability of computers is not a barrier to implementation.

* Create models for teachers. Provide teachers with examples of best practices, support them with professional development, and give them time to become familiar with the activities.

* Set clear expectations for teachers regarding the use of technology in the classroom. Conduct regular classroom walk-throughs. Look at report data. Ask teachers to invite you into their classrooms at least four times this year to see 21st century instruction in action. Ask students what they are learning and how they are using technology.

* Nurture a culture of innovation and encourage responsible risk taking. Let teachers know that it will be OK if an activity using technology doesn't turn out as well as the teacher had hoped--it can be improved each time--but it's not OK to not use technology. Remind teachers that to nurture creativity and innovation among their students, they must model creativity and innovation themselves.” (Boone, 2009)





References



Boone, K. (2009). Building Technology Literacy Into the Curriculum. Principal Leadership, 10(2), 68-70. Retrieved August 30, 2010, from Education Full Text database http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.ezproxy.lib.ucf.edu/hww/results/getResults.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.34.



Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E., & Shelly, G.B. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6th ed.). United States: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.



McLeod, Scott. (2007). Dangerously irrelevant. Retrieved August 30, 2010, from http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2007/05/well_whats_your.html.

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