#6: Classroom Webpage, Efficient Technology, and Wiki!!

The school website I visited was Jackson Memorial High's website. The grades range from 9th to 12th grade. They had links to class websites from each teacher and it appeared they have a website for every class! On the class websites it has the teachers name, the subject, announcements, a description of the class, links to online resources, teacher contact information, room numbers, class profiles, homework with due dates, a monthly calendar, and a list of materials needed for that class. The three main pages I viewed were for Speech and Drama, Algebra 2, and Honors Studio Art. I liked the pages a lot because they were filled with useful information for the students that have that class and it is very easy to access. Each teacher added their own unique touch to their page with forms of clip art.

In order to use technology in my classroom more effectively and efficiently I will need to do many things. As mentioned in Teaching and Learning with Technology, hopefully the school I'm working for will provide a variety of software such as, productivity software, software suites, management software, and administrative software. Productivity software and software suites would most likely give me access to some type of word processor, a database management system, presentation software, calendars, and email programs. When it is connected to a school wide network I can log onto my personal network and access my documents and files on any computer in the school. With a word processing software I could create documents, flyers, forms, newsletters, tests, invitations, and newsletters. As a teacher especially, it will be essential for me to use correct spelling and grammar in my work, like in letters home to parents or on quizzes for students. Most word processors include spell checking and grammar checking which will help maintain my professionalism as a teacher. I would also like to take advantage of whatever presentation software I have access to such as Microsoft Office PowePoint. It would allow me to present information to my students in an organized, flowing manner and I could incorporate many forms of multimedia like pictures, videos, and audio files in my presentations. This is using technology efficiently and effectively because it keeps the students engaged with what they're learning and presents information more effectively than reading it out of a book or lecturing. I would also use some sort of management software to incorporate technology more effectively. With management software I can report grades and attendance to my district. It also allows me to organize data, schedule classes, and create reports districtwide. Doing this electronically with management software is a lot more efficient than doing it all by hand and mailing it to the district or handing it to someone in higher authority than me. 

In making the wiki page, I learned how to more effectively collaborate and virtually communicate with my peers, how to design a wiki, how to properly present information for other teachers to use, how to create an evaluation form, and more! I think what I mainly got out of it was how to properly evaluate websites that I may want to use with my students. I think this skill is imperative as a teacher because you want your students to only access appropriate websites, especially when working with elementary school students. I want my students to learn accurate and up to date information, and I learned how to evaluate that in this project! I really liked the form my group created and I think I might want to use it anytime I evaluate any website, even while I'm in college!

Here is the form we created:

#5: Web 2.0 and Concept Map!!

Based on what was mentioned in the podcast, I think most Web 2.0 tools can be useful in the classroom and to students and teachers in some way or another. I think blogging can be beneficial for the students and teachers because its an easy way for the entire class to be on the same page, literally. Teachers can post reminders about upcoming important dates, they can upload class presentations or podcasts for their students, they could remind them about upcoming due assignments, and much more. If safety is the major concern, there are special websites, like 21 Classrooms, that are made specially for classrooms and protect students' privacy. I think Twitter.com can also be beneficial for the students and for teachers' professionalism. It allows students and teachers to connect with each other, and collaborate and connect with other people outside of their community who may have valuable information to share with the class. Students can also learn proper online etiquette if they use Twitter, which they will most likely take with them throughout their lives and in the workforce. I think Wikis are cool too because students can share valuable information and have resources open to them for projects and other stuff. They can also contribute their own information to the page which will prepare them for knowing how to properly convey information. Diigo is another awesome Web 2.0 tool for students to use. It can help them with research, collecting and organizing data and information, and with properly citing resources. This I feel would be especially beneficial to students in high school who complete research papers for their classes. In order for students to properly use Web 2.0 tools in the classroom, there needs to be proper computer, network, and periphery equipment in (and possibly out of) the classroom. First you would need computers with internet access. Students could only use these tools with properly working computers and moderate to high speed internet access. The internet access would also need to be wireless so the whole school could have access to it off of one school wide modem. You would also need a network system that "stores and automatically backs up data, especially student information and teacher files" (Teaching and Learning with Technology pg. 107). This could be accomplished by storing data on a network server's hard drive (Teaching and Learning with Technology). There are challenges that go along with implementing computers, wifi, and proper networking technology however. The two main big ones are money and teacher training. If the school has the resources and proper teacher training, I think almost all schools should implement Web 2.0.

Diigo is a really cool Web 2.0 tool I might want to use with my students one day. Here's the link so you can check it out too:https://www.diigo.com/ According to the Diigo.com website: "Diigo is a multi tool for personal knowledge management, dramatically improve your workflow and productivity, easy and intuitive, yet versatile and powerful." Diigo means "Digest of Internet Information Groups and Other stuff". With Diigo you can use annotation tools, such as digital highlighters and sticky notes, as you browse the web, you can build a personal library in the cloud with links, pages, notes, and pictures that can be accessed anywhere, provide feedback with annotation, organize information more efficiently, share information in the cloud either by making it public or privately sending it to another member, enable better collaboration for any large or small group where each member can add or subcribe to it and interact with you with "on the page annotations" where the class can read the same article and comment right on the page!

From what I read about Diigo, I know its a tool I want to use in my classroom with my students if they have to do any type of research project! I would want them to collaborate with their peers and me. I would also like them to be able to have the annotating tool because annotating is such an important skill they will use later in their educational and personal careers and I think if they learn how to do it online, it will benefit them even greater in modern society. Annotating the information they read allows them to fully digest and comprehend what they are reading. That may even improve their reading levels and their scores on standardized tests! 

I really liked the concept map activity! I think concept maps are a great tool to use for active learning, especially for visual learners like me. I really liked that on Webspiration you could incorporate a multitude of pictures with (and that are relevant to) the information! In took me a little while to look through all of them and choose the pictures I wanted and I wish there were a faster way to do that, but other than that I really liked the tools provided. I learned how to quickly add bubbles of information and connect them with arrows as well as making the bubbles different shapes! I learned how to fill the information bubbles with color and how to add color to the rim of the information bubble. I liked that you could change the font but I wish there had been more options to choose from. I think next time I use Webspiration I want to try making a scientific or mathematical concept map because I would like to incorporate some of the pictures and bubble shapes from the Science and Math categories.

#4: CPALMS, Resources, and WebHunt!!

The fourth grade Earth and Space Science CPALMS standard SC.4.E.5.1 states that the students should be able to, "observe that the patterns of stars in the sky stay the same although they appear to shift across the sky nightly, and different stars can be seen in different seasons" (CPALMS.org). I would incorporate an educational game from the PBS Kids website called, "Mindy's Constellation Exploration," to help teach this standard to my students. In the game students become stargazers with Mindy, a character from the PBS Kids show "Ready, Jet, Go!" They "look through her telescope" and can click on a constellation they want to see and learn about. When they click on the constellation they want to see, Mindy tells them to connect the stars together to make the constellation. After they connect the stars to make the constellation, Mindy informs them of interesting facts about that constellation. I think this is an awesome way for students to learn about the origins of constellations and that they are patterns in the sky that "stay the same" even though "they appear to shift" as the CPALMS standard says. The classification of this tool is educational game software because it, "presents and reviews instructional content in a game format" (Teaching and Learning with Technology pg.188). Online gaming is something most children in this day in age are familiar and comfortable with, and they have fun doing it. Us as teachers can use this to our advantage to promote active learning in our classrooms! (Teaching and Learning with Technology pg.188). This game would be especially fun for the students if they are familiar with the "Ready, Jet, Go!" program on PBS and its characters! (Link to the game: http://pbskids.org/readyjetgo/games/mindy/index.html)

Throughout my education I have searched for and used many Internet resources for my work. My method is usually to use a search engine like Google.com to find the resource and information I need. I determine the credibility of the resource based on if it is from a reliable source and then use the content in different ways, either by putting the information in my own words or by pulling out quotes directly from the source. I also used data bases, like Google Scholars, to find credible articles, journals, and resources to cite in my work. The podcast mentions how most teachers use open content for resources. The method to go about doing this is with the four R's of open content. Reuse (to only use for personal purposes), redistribution (putting out a resource in a different way or means), and Revising and Remixing (modifying content either just itself or by combining in with other content).I have definitely used these four R's in my educational career and will most likely use them on a regular basis in my teaching career. I have reused content, such as playing a YouTube video in a presentation. I have also revised and remixed content, like putting information into my own words or remixing a song by using a melody to a well known tune and putting in different lyrics for a project.

I learned many skills from the WebHunt assignment this week. I was surprised to learn how easy it is for teachers to find a multitude of FREE resources on almost any subject. It can be as easy as Googling what you need to find and clicking on a link! I learned that there are websites specifically designed for teachers and students to use in the classroom, such as a kid blogging website I found called KidBlog. I also learned that it's really easy to find poetry to share with your classroom, such as the Emily Dickinson poem I found, and that it's also easy to find different formats of it, such as audio from YouTube. My favorite thing I found was the virtual Africa field trip called Africam, where you can watch live footage of animals in the plains of Africa! I love that we live in a time where there are so many resources to be used for education and I hope we continue to use them in a beneficial manner for our students!

WebHunt Challenge:

1. You're doing a lesson on poetry. Find two media formats of a poem by Edgar Allan Poe.

2. You're teaching your class about the water cycle. Find an online resource to help your students create a concept map of the cycle.

3. Find an online math game that teaches your students their multiplication tables.

#3: ELA, Software Apps, and Making a Newsletter!!

The ELA technology standard I feel most prepared to teach currently is the "integrate and evaluate" standard. It states to, "Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats including visually, quantitatively, and orally." This means I could integrate presenting information to my students in the form of hard copies of books, e-books, videos and movies, podcasts, music, graphs and statistical data from credible sources, and a variety of other forms. I feel prepared to do this because throughout school I have seen my own teachers incorporate this standard in their classrooms, and I feel like I have been exposed to many forms of media during my time as a student, so I could be creative with how I integrate diverse forms of media into my classroom. The standard I feel the least comfortable with is the "use multiple sources" standard. It states to, "Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, asses the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism." The reason I struggle with this one is because I don't fully understand how to legally avoid plagiarism as a teacher and I'm still pretty confused about what constitutes as plagiarism and what is just common knowledge.

I learned about many awesome software applications in chapter 9 of Teaching and Learning with Technology that I would love to use in my classroom. I would like to hopefully teach a second grade class. One of the coolest applications that I want to try with my students is video conferencing, via an app such as Skype, with the help of the resource mentioned in the book called Global Schoolhouse. With Global Schoolhouse I, the teacher, could connect us with other classrooms around the world that want to participate in a video conference with my classroom. I think this would be so beneficial for the students! It would help them make connections with peers outside of their community and help them gain a better understanding and respect of other cultures in the world. I would of course teach them the basics of digital citizenship before the video conference. I would protect their privacy by telling them not to give out any personal information to the students on the other side of the video conference such as last name, phone number, address, etc. I would also tell them that the same rules that apply in school, regarding issues such as cyber-bullying, apply online when we are communicating via video call. They would be expected to treat all of the students on the other line with utmost respect and to use appropriate and kind language. The book also mentioned using apps like Instagram in the classroom which I thought was really interesting and something I might want to incorporate since I love photography. For digital citizenship purposes, I would set up a private classroom Instagram account, so only my students and their families could view it. I would give my students access to it to allow them to upload their own pictures onto our account. I could assign a cool "photo journalism" project where students could upload pictures they take that are meaningful to them and in the caption they could write their journal and use hashtags to connect them to world. I would also instruct them further on digital citizenship and give them strict guidelines of appropriate pictures to upload and language to use for their photo journals.

I loved the newsletter assignment! I learned how to add columns to a document, how to better format WordArt and font styles, and how to hyperlink websites and email addresses into a document the proper way. Next time I do a project like this I want to get even more creative with the layout and fonts and make it more colorful and eye catching by adding more graphics. I definitely think I'll use the skills I learned from this in my classroom because I'll want to send out newsletters to my parents on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.