Journal 9

Journal 9

Jacobson, J. (2012-2013). Skip the essay: Have students make prezicasts. Learning and leading with technology, 40(4), 34-35. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/201212?pg=5

In the article Skip the Essay: Have students make prezicasts, we are presented with the fact that most school children don't want to do an essay.  As startling as this is, the question remains.  What are the kids suppose to do to learn the material if they don't want to do an essay?  Jacobson has the answer in his prezicasts.  What is a prezicast?  It is an amalgam of a prezi (A form of interactive slide show that is way cooler) and a web cast which is just  fancy name for a video that can be shared online easily.  By mashing the two technologies, students are engaged faster and more involved in the results.  

Students show more spirit and cooperation when working on these prezicasts according to Jacobson.  One reason is that it's just tough to get involved in someone elses essay.  The prezicasts were much more collaborative and the students learned more.

Q1:  Can you see yourself doing a prezicast in place of a more traditional essay?

A1: Perhaps if we have time at the end of the school year.  Essays seem to be something that will always benefit students.

Q2:  Can you see the functionality of a prezicast be more in touch with a certain age group of learner?  

A2:  Absolutely!  It seems that an older child would be needed to get the video aspect of the prezicast going.

Journal 8

Augmentative and alternative communication is a broad term that includes replacements to speach and writing for those that need it

http://loudmommydotcom.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/mzl-kldopaqq-480x480-75.jpg

Above: Dynavox's Keyboard

Dynavox is a company that provides a voice for those that need one.  By pushing the picture of the desired item or outcome, the dynavox reproduces words for the indivudual.  

An input device for someone with special needs is non traditional communication.  The device allows the thoughts to be communicated and usually provides a mouth for the person.  One device I thought was clever was a non traditional keyboard.  These keyboards are more durable and can be tailored to the individual that needs a seperate input device.

Dynavox's non traditional keyboard is more than a simple keyboard.  It employs predictive technology, so that an indivudual does not have to spell out a complete sentence for something that they may say relatively often.  "Good night Mother" is one such example where they may only have to type in the first few letters in order to get their idea across.

The other feature of this keyboard is that the output device can be sound.  So instead of showing up on a screen, the output can be reproduced as sound waves.

The Dynavox Keyboard is used in the classroom to enable and encourage participation from those that might otherwise be unable to fully participate.

The low tech device that this keyboard replaces is the communication flip book.  A flip book is a way for those that use alternative communication to communicate meaningfully and quickly.  Here is a great picture of  flipbook, which does not use batteries:

Both of these are input devices, or items that someone that uses AAC to input their desired communication.  A flip book can also be used in the classroom.  A flip book allows communication without batteries and is much less cumbersome than the above mentioned Dynavox Keyboard.

Educational Chat Storify

My first Storify

Journal 7: My Personal Learning Network

A Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a group of technology platforms that allow one to be a more effective educator (or citizen!) in my opinion.  I see the network as a web that is waiting for signals to be passed to you or inputs.  These inputs actively gather information and relay it to me on my PLN. On my PLN, I use Twitter, Diigo, and Storify.  Twitter is a means of connecting a very large audience on a very specific subject instantly!  Diigo is a web tool that allows me to publish and highlight web content to everyone that follows me.  Storify is a means of establishing a more permanent record of a twitter conversation.

Twitter will help me become a better teacher by allowing me to form bonds with like minded individuals and learn from them.  I don't mean to brag, but I am following 11 people on twitter.  Some of my classmates like Stephanie Cambell, Marisol Martinez, and Joanne Menchaca are in my twitter network.  Additonally, I also follow my instructor Jeff Heil.  I had a great initial twitter experience tweeting all about earth day with fellow educators in #NTCHAT.  It was great to instantly connect with educators from around the world.  I have turned my first chat into a storify and added it to my blog.

Diigo is a social bookmarking hi liter so to speak.  With it, I can mark items for later use (Think Tivo for the computer) and "check them out" at a later time.  Additionally, people that follow me can see what I mark, and follow my though stream.  Personally, I do not like Diigo too much.  It kind of freaks me out that other people can see every thing I do online.  I like a little more privacy I guess.  Though I do like the ability to mark things for later reading.  I find Diigo to be very busy, and I like things to be simple.

I joined Classroom 2.0 with the intent of learning what a web 2.0 tool was.  I guess 2.0 just refers to the fact that a website is more than just informational now.  This would make all websites 2.0 if they have some amount of interactivity to them.  The community seems vibrant, and very helpful.

Journal 6

Journal 6:  Ten reasons to get rid of homework (And five alternatives)

Spencer, J. (2011, Sept 19). Ten reasons to get rid of homework (and five alternatives). Retrieved from http://www.educationrethink.com/2011/09/ten-reasons-to-get-rid-of-homework-and.html

In this article, we are introduced to John's philosophy of no home work.  He brings home some good points about how hard it is to get children to work in a school environment for up to 6 hours a day.  After formal schooling, according to John, there is not enough time in the day for everything that a child must do.  John doesn't think children will have enough time to ride a bike or throw a ball if they get assigned home work.  Some children have chores, and have to watch their younger siblings.  How can they possibly be expected to do homework with such social injustice in the world?  Even though I don't always get my homework done at the College level, my children ALWAYS get their homework done.  Why?  Because I'm a parent first.  Second I'm an employee, and third (Yes third) I'm a college student and aspiring educator.  What advice can I possibly have to help John find some time to get some homework done by his school children?

Ways to find time for homework:

Cancel Cable.  Even with just two shows a night, you just saved 28 hours in a week for a family of four.  

Get physical!  Allow children to decompress for an hour after school playing out side or doing whatever they want.

Use Extra play time outside (Such as bike or ball throwing) as an incentive when the nights homework is done.

Work lesson plans into every day situations when running around with your children.

Reward successful behavior in your children and students!

Re

Find 

Use 

Use

Way 

Journal 3

Journal 3-Students need a digital drivers license before they start their engines NETS-T III

Swan, G. (2012). Students need a digital drivers license before they start their engines. Learning and leading, 40(4), 26-28. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/201212?pg=5

In this article in Learning and Leading by Gerry Swan, we are introduced to a unique problem that our digital students can potentially have.  In the past, children use to take home a library book or two, and there was little that could go wrong other than a bit of extra reading.  In todays learning environments, children may check out digital devices such as ipads that are expensive, and can be used inappropriately.  These Ipads or bring-your-own-device (BYOD)'s are required to have a Digital Drivers License if a school is making them available.  In order to acquire this license, educators are presented with unique challenges in making the license available.  In the case of our article, the school requires self paced student cases to be completed with a passing grade, currently set to 80%.  Issues such as cyber bullying and copyright infringement are covered, and if sufficient knowledge is demonstrated, the child can use the BYOD.  

Q1:  How can I see myself utilizing digital citizenship for a student who wants a BYOD?  

A1.  In order to make sure that the student is sufficiently capable to use the BYOD, I would assess the students work and see how they view their digital citizenship.  If acceptable, I would allow them to persue the DDL.

Q2:  Do I think BYOD's are currently a hot issue in local schools?  

A2:  Not really.  The school classrooms I have volunteered in have had 2 Ipads maximum, and they were not being checked out by students. 

Journal 5

Journal # 5

 Seeing is Believing! Runyan, M. (2013). Seeing is believing!. Learning and leading with technology, 40(5), doi: http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-leading

 In the article Seeing is Believing! We are introduced the high cost of technology for those people with poor vision. This cost is known as the “blindness tax” and is something I witnessed growing up with my older brother as he is legally blind. I have always known that smart phones could translate into another language on the spot, but I never realized that they could also enlarge and zoom so someone that can not see well can have a translator in the palm of their hand also. Read to go and voiceover also contribute directly into increases functionality for low vision learners. The technology revolution is really bringing increased efficiency and ease of use into the lives of our low vision learners.

 Q1 Does the extra cost of technology for low vision learners enable them to learn just as well as someone without that hardship?

 A1 I have witnessed learners with disabilities such as low vision learners have more of a drive to master the material than those for whom things of this nature come easily. The same thing is seen is sports where we root for the person with a strong work ethic over the person with natural ability. Though of course, it is best to see both.

 Q2 Have you noticed low vision technology interfering with the other non low vision learners in a classroom setting?

 A2 No. With the way that technology is going, such as voice over and braille on demand for low vision learners, the learning curve and the amount of set up is almost zero. It practically takes more time to set up a laptop than it does to access a low vison app.

Journal 4

Journal # 4

 Join the Flock! Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock!. In Learning and Leading with technology.

      Like myself, in the article Join the Flock! By Hadley Ferguson, Hadley had little social network experience a year prior to the article being written. In addition to having to do all research alone, Hadley also was distraught by the amount of work being done. After deciding to build a network for this new technology, Hadley advises us on some steps to get into the game of social media as a professional educator. The first two pieces of advice are to set up accounts and learn to follow with technology such as twitter. Additionally spending some time in professional chat rooms to learn the people is suggested. Just like a real world relationship, or a face to face relationship, you must put in the face time to get anything out of a relationship. It is a crucial step to develop an online presence. The most important thing I found was that you are automatically part of the conversation and the level that you participate at is up to you!

 Q1 Do you feel that the end result of being an informed digital citizen is worth the price to obtain that status?

A1 Our lives are about balance. I find most people going too far with technology to the point where they are incapable of holding a conversation with a person face to face. Perhaps being aware of this pitfall will enable us to advance into tomorrows social media without leaving behind yesterdays connections and relationships.

Journal 2

Journal #2

 Learning without Borders Anderson, S. (2012). Feature: Learning without borders. Learning and leading with technology

 Summary: In the article learning without borders, we are introduced to a virtual international classroom exchange. The program pairs two groups of students, one from the US and one from China. Through virtual media such as skype the groups are able to interact and communicate. The purpose of this interaction was team building, and digital citizenship, project based learning and multicultural understanding. The cultural exchange was initially provided by a pair of 15 minute videos that the students were able to exchange. The students were very surprised to learn how alike they were after the experience. Additionally each group of students were able to learn more about the other culture and how to interact closely with students from another country.

 Q1 Do you think the class room pairings is the ideal way to join with another culture?

 A1 It seems that students in the US already to some kind of a “Buddy day” where older children (Third graders for example) will interact with a “Buddy” of a lower grade, perhaps a first grader. They teach each other and mentor on how to get a grasp on school and specific subjects. I feel that this pairing of one on one student time is very important to the growth of both students. In the future, I think each student should be paired with a foreign student instead of a room of students so that they can connect more.

 Q2 How do you feel that an international classroom exchange can benefit from technology now as opposed to ten years ago?

 A1 I think the advent of telecommunication technologies is more prevalent now than it was ten years ago. I can skype at a moments notice, and it feels like I am in the room with whomever I am communication with. It makes it much more interactive and allows me to get up to the business of meeting someone without having to monkey with a technology platform.

Journal 1

1. Hearing my daughter laugh
2. Hearing my son laugh
3. Hearing the ocean
4. Hearing my mother NOT yell
5. Listening to childrens questions
6. Hearing young children read
7. Hearing people with brooklyn accents talk
8. Hearing people with Jersey accents talk
9. Hearing people with Boston Accents talk
10. Hearing people with English accents talk
11. Hearing drunk Scotsmen talk
12. Hearing my 4 year old sing "thrift shop"
13. hearing my 8 year old tell my brother to get a job and do something with his life
14. Hearing ANYTHING by Rhianna
15. Listening to U2
16. Hearing the sound of a horse neigh
17. Hearing rain
18. Hearing thunder
19. Hearing a storm
20. Hearing a hail storm
21. Smelling candles burning inside a jack o lantern
22. Smelling a distant bonfire
23. Smelling smoke from a fire place
24. Smelling garlic frying
25. Smelling garlic baking
26. Smelling garlic roasting
27. The smell of fresh spiced sider warming on a stove
28. The smell of roasting chicken
29. The smell of slow cooking Kahlua pork
30. The smell of ANYTHING on the bar b que
31. The smell of chicken being cooked over indirect heat on a bar b que
32. The smell of port ribs being charred on a fire pit
33. Smelling fatty steaks on a bar b que
34. Smelling a fresh corked bottle of Red Zinfandel
35. Smelling the bouquet of an Amazing IPA
36. Smelling the aroma of a great Cabernet
37. Smelling good scotch
38. smelling good whiskey
39. smelling good bourbon
40. Smelling other people smoke cigarettes while I sip french press midnight stroller dark roast coffee
41. Seeing the first star of an evening
42. Seeing a shooting star
43. Seeing a double shooting star
44. Seeing a meteorite shower
45. Seeing distant snow covered hills
46. Seeing distant snow covered mountains
47. Seeing a multi colored meteor shower
48. Seeing a brilliant sunset
49. Seeing my son Smile
50. Seeing any sun rise
51. Seeing a harvest moon
52. Seeing home after a long trip
53. Seeing a sun drenched beach
54. A palm tree
55. A grove of palms
56. A farm of palm trees
57. A picture of an endless summer
58. Seeing a candy apple red mustang
59. Seeing a 67 mustang
60. Seeing my daughter pretend to be mad
61. Touching mercury
62. Touching dough
63. Touching stacks of hundred dollar bills
64. Touching five thousand dollar casino chips
65. Touching the screen of my Samsung Galaxy 3S
66. Touching a friends shoulder
67. Tossling my sons hair
68. Brushing my daughters hair
69. Rubbing my son's legs when he has growth pains
70. Brushing my teeth with an electric toothbrush
71. Feeling the first wave when I jump into the ocean
72. The feeling of jumping into a crystal clear pool
73. The feeling of being thrown on the roller coaster outside buffalo bills casino
74. The feeling of driving fast around mountain curves
75. Dodging bullets
76. The feeling of clean sheets
77. The feeling of a soft flannel shirt
78. Putting on ugg boots on a cold morning
79. The feeling  after a work out
80. The feeling after a strenuous hike up a steep mountain with a sunset at the top and the sound of a coyote in the distance
81. The taste of bacon
82. The taste of hickory bacon
83. The taste of hickory smoked butchers cut bacon
84. The taste of Home made Kahlua pork
85. The taste of Dr. Pepper ribs
86. The taste of dry aged bone in rib eyes cooked medium rare over a flame and finished off in an oven
87. The taste of Cheddar cheese links on a bar b que
88. The taste of Fresh Sushimi
89. The taste of a freshly poured guinness at a 10th floor bar in Dublin
90. The taste of '95 dom
91. The taste of Maine lobster dipped in clarified butter
92. The taste of carne asada burritos with guacamole and hot sauce
93. The taste of bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy with french toast and an omelette at any time of the day
94. The taste of alca seltzer pm
95. The taste of Cookie dough ice cream
96. The taste of Vanilla pudding
97. The taste of Oreo's in Milk
98. The taste of Thanksgiving turkey that is AWESOME
99. The taste of a Samuel Adams Octoberfest
100.The taste of home made pasta sauce

Nets 2.0

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Technology Self-Assessment school 2.0

I chose to investigate the “I adopt a shared vision of technology infusion appropriate for the educational environment, work cooperatively with others in decision making, and contribute to the development of leadership and technology skills in others.”  In investigating this NETS-T I researched the  article “teacher development: Fueling teachers to go high-tech article on the schools that work website.  I chose this one because I believe technology and teachers who use them will be a very valuable commodity in the next two and a half decades.

The principal Kappy Cannon at forest lake elementary school in South Carolina was a tech guru for her elementary school before she became a principal.  Once in the roll, she mandated that her teachers would give up their white boards, and start to incorporate more technology into the school.  Each morning, students present an in-school broadcast using the new technology.  The most telling part of the experience is that all of the teachers are given the tools they need to advance the technology agenda.  If one teacher is tackling an a new software in a novel way, they get noticed and present to the next meeting about what they did.

I feel that this vision of technology infusion is most critical at the elementary level, so that when these kids turn into 30 somethings, they can say they have been working with these technologies for decades and mean it.