missralston's posterousFostering Innovation Classroom PosterDigital Color PalettesThe more experience I have with digital graphics and web design, the more I find myself wanting to customize my look. For inspiration, I've been looking at my own photographs and building color palettes from them. Hopefully this can help you with your own design projects!
Writing Process PosterWe refer to this poster daily in our Writer's Workshop block. On my campus, we send PDF files like the ones above to our Regional Service Center. For $12 they will print it on their color poster maker and laminate it. Check with your office/admin to see if you have the same option. We just figured this out this year and we are loving it for teacher created anchor charts. Daily Reading and Writing HabitsThe article below from ASCD reminded me of some important, research-based practices that should be happening in our classrooms each and everyday.
I made this poster in kid friendly language to hang in my room. It serves as a daily reminder for my students and for me! Feel free to use it if you'd like!
Clipart courtesy http://derryasd.schoolwires.com/7254108415623667/site/default.asp Digital Footprints and Personal Branding in Kinder
http://media.commonsensemedia.org/movies/CSMVideoPreview/DigitalLife/Digital%20Footprint%20Intro.mov As we prepare students for their lives in the 21st century, we need to immediately begin talks about digital footprints and personal branding. I teach Kindergarten and we use computers and technology daily. We use web 2.0 tools, blogs and social media platforms. I would be doing a disservice to my students if I allowed them to use those tools without also having conversations about digital footprints and personal branding. I don't use the term personal branding in Kindergarten, but we do discuss what we want other people to think about us online. We want them to think that we are smart, critical thinkers that do their best work. For example, we use Twitter to connect with other classrooms around the world. Every single time we post something or respond to a message, we make it a practice to edit it and revise it. Together, we make sure that it doesn't have any mistakes and that it sends the message that we intended. As soon as children begin using technology, they should be exposed to the ideas behind digital citizenship, personal branding and online reputations. It is never to early to start. #EdtechWIN
Ever have those days? Those days where student engagement, real world learning, curiosity and technology just come together in a perfectly woven tapestry? I strive for those kinds of moments everyday, but yesterday was a total #edtechWIN. After hearing some of my fellow #kinderchat friends talk about a great wonder about monster trucks from www.wonderopolis.org, I decided to check it out. My Kinder kids love visiting Wonderopolis, but this wonder was especially inspiring. After watching the video and reading all about monster trucks, my kids were inspired to create their own. Many of the kids spent their entire rainy day indoor recess creating their very own monster trucks with all sorts of different materials. A couple of the kids even decided to design their monster truck in Pixie, our digital graphics program. Within moments, we had Star, The Black Atomic Fireball Truck, The Mixed Up Cotton Candy Truck and more. I grabbed my new IPad and starting collecting photos and videos of the kids' creations. In less time than it took the kids to clean up, I had used IMovie to create a mashup of our Monster Truck Collection. The kids helped me pick the background music and then begged to see the final product. After watching the video with our class, I pushed a button to send it to our class Facebook page and that was it. Student driven learning, student created projects, shared beyond the four walls of our classroom in a matter of minutes. I can't wait to do it again tomorrow. :)
Using Photo Story to create digital storiesI just finished making a personal digital story using Photo Story 3. I thought the most difficult part of this project would be using the software to create a multimedia project to share. In reality, this was the easiest part! I struggled more with coming up with the idea for a compelling story. After watching Scorsese talk about visual literacy and the art of storytelling, I felt a bit of pressure to create a masterpiece! I narrowed my topic down and started writing my script about my cat, Skippyjon Jones. It was so much fun to go back and flip through pictures that would help share my story.
As with almost anything, the more times you do it, the better you become. I can't wait to try it again!
Watch my story here:
http://www.edutopia.org/martin-scorsese-teaching-visual-literacy
Social Media Under FireTwo innovative teachers leaders that I respect and admire have come under fire this week for their use of social media in their classrooms. Read here about one teacher connecting her Kindergarten class across the world on Twitter. Read the blog here written by another teacher questioning her "reckless" use of Twitter. Read here, here, here and here about teachers and schools using Facebook to involve parents like never before. Read here about a teacher who has been asked by his district to shut his successful parent Facebook page down. Rumors are swirling about Facebook. Are they going to charge? Are we losing our privacy? Will we adjust to the new Facebook or jump ship? Do we always overreact to change? Facebook, Twitter, we need your help and support. We need privacy for everyone. We need privacy settings that everyone can understand and use. We need parents and administrators who trust your websites enough to allow us to use them to help our students. Many teachers are using your platforms in innovative ways. The teachers that I know using these platforms (including myself) are extremely passionate about the way it has affected us as educators and the power it holds for our students as well. The teachers I know that are using it have done their homework, done their research and are well aware of the pros and cons of using social media. Teachers are not using these tools in reckless ways, ignoring the potential pitfalls of using social media. Their ethics won't allow it. Neither will their school districts, administrators or the parents of the children in their classes. Teachers that are using social media in their classroom are helping their children become globally aware. They are engaging their students and teaching literacy, digital citizenship, math and more all in 140 characters. They're teaching them the skills they will need to operate in the world they will grow up in and be a part of. Teachers that are using Facebook in their classroom with their parents have engaged parents in a way that has NEVER been possible before. Social media has the potential of transforming the parent-teacher relationship and adding transparency to the great things that are happening in our classrooms each and everyday. We can no longer ignore and block social media in schools. It's like keeping a kid from playing on a computer because we are scared he might break it. We have to teach and model appropriate use of technology tools from the very beginning. 21st century kids demand 21st century teachers and leaders who are willing to fight for them. I for one am willing. Who's with me? Social Media in Education Action Research PlanParents in our school have expressed concerns over the lack of consistency when communicating with parents and using different varieties of technology to do so. In my action research, I’d like to examine the extent that the use of social media changes the way parents view our school and our use of technology in communication. I will interview personnel on my campus and review current literature on the use of social media in schools before beginning my inquiry. In gathering information during my action research, I hope to measure parent’s satisfaction with using social media to communicate what is happening in our classroom. My goal is to find the ways that we can best use social media in a way to involve and engage parents. Another objective is to find out how parent and student interactions and conversations relating to school are affected by the accessibility to information through social media. My ultimate goal is to increase student learning by having supportive, involved parents who are up to date on what is happening in the classroom. Future inquiry will be needed to measure increases in student achievement. In order to achieve my objectives, I will use Facebook to share what is happening in the classroom. I will post status updates, resources, pictures and videos that parents can access 24/7. My goal is to provide a more transparent look as to what is taking place each and every day. I will encourage my parents to leave comments on our postings and discuss them with their children. To gather the necessary information for my research, I will use surveys that I develop throughout the year. I hope to use a web based document, such as a Google document, to compile the information. This research will take place during the 2011-2012 school year. I will survey the parents at the beginning of the year, mid-year and again at the end of the year. I will complete the research on my own, but I will look for support from my administration and my campus technology specialist. We will have conferences to discuss the progress and effectiveness of the inquiry. My blog will allow me to reflect on the on-going results and progress. Comments from other educators may also influence the course of my research. I will gather data both formally through surveys and informally through conversations with students and parents. This will allow me to measure the success of the program and make changes as needed. To evaluate the effectiveness of my study, I will conduct a summative evaluation reviewing qualitative and quantitative data. I will identify new research questions and share my findings with other educators. Through professional development, I can share my findings and teach other teachers how to use social media to effectively communicate with parents. I will also be able to speak with administrators and district leaders to encourage the use of effective social media strategies.
Week 2 Reflection-Action ResearchAs I worked to analyze my focus this week, I became more and more excited about the possibilities of my study. I spoke with my principal and she certainly had a unique perception about my area of research: the use of social media as a communication tool. She shared with me many conversations she has had with parents about the differing levels of communication and the use of technology among teachers. In the past, I always concentrated on my own classroom and what worked, but our conversation pushed me to think of how my results might be used across our campus. My final question is: “To what extent does the use of social media change the way parents view our school and our use of technology in communication?” Measuring how parents feel about communication at our school and sharing those findings with other staff members may encourage teachers to utliize more technology to provide more real-time information to parents. Education Leaders and Blogs
For educational leaders, blogging can have a huge impact. Blog posts affect both the producer and the consumer. The writer is challenged to reflect and reveal his or her thoughts and opinions about important educational topics. The reader may connect with or learn something new through reading a post. Blogs allow us to spread and share ideas. Through collecting comments, both the reader and the writer are able to think critically and evaluate an issue from many different perspectives. Action Research
Action research can be a very powerful tool in creating positive school environments. There are many benefits for all who are involved in the process. Teachers and administrators become empowered to control their own areas of research and to examine topics that matter to them and their students. In turn, students benefit from the systematic interventions and the focus on increasing student achievement. Action inquiry also creates an environment for professional discussions and a willingness to accept change. It creates leaders who are encouraged to reflect on their own practices and share their findings with others. In my own practice, action research will allow me to measure the effects of strategies I am using in my classroom. Often, we try new strategies, but their effect is not fully understood. Last year, I started using social media to engage my parents and to create a learning environment that extend beyond the school day. I plan on implementing the same project next year and examining the true effects it has on parent engagement and attitudes. Research shows that parental involvement directly affects student performance. This action research project will help me gather data, make necessary changes and share my findings with others. I look forward to digging deeper into a project I feel so very passionate about.
Course Reflection EDLD 5306
For my first course, I envisioned learning more about the process that I will go through over the next 18 months as I complete my degree. I do have a somewhat clearer picture of what things I will be responsible for, but I am not completely sure of how I will manage them. I envisioned examining my own teaching and use of technology and this course certainly helped me assess my knowledge. I am actually further along than I had thought. I also envisioned learning more about technology tools and ethical use. I haven’t learned about any new tools, yet. The course did encourage me to analyze my current use of those tools, however. I feel like the readings, videos and discussion boards have touched on ethical use, but I don’t have the answers to the questions I need.
The work I did in this class is extremely relevant to the work I do in my school. All of the topics covered in the readings, discussions and videos pertained to my classroom. However, the activities that I chose for my Internship do not always relate to me as a classroom teacher. Many of the activities are more applicable to someone already in a technology specialist position or in some type of leadership position. I will have to stretch myself to be able to complete the activities for my internship. I did choose meaningful activities and they may prove to be helpful in the next position I choose, not all of them will enhance my direct teaching.
I am still unclear on the procedures of completing the internship and how it will align with my coursework. The idea of completing all of these internship activities while still teaching and taking courses seems utterly overwhelming. I wasn’t able to attend all of the webconferences because of scheduling conflicts. I think I would feel better about the internship if I was able to participate in those. I had also hoped to have a better understanding about teaching ethical use and copyright issues to my students. We touched on these issues but weren’t able to discuss them fully. Online courses make it very difficult for professors to differentiate for their students. If we had been in a traditional, face to face classroom, I would have been able to probe for the answers about how to teach ethical use to children.
The amount of work involved each week was overwhelming. I was successful in carrying out the assignments, but it always took me much longer to complete them than I had originally planned. I purchased the APA manual but still have many questions about citing references. Citing references became very difficult in all of the assignments from the discussion board to the actual assignments. I also became frustrated with the technology we were being asked to use. I wished that we were given more choice over how to do the task we were asked to do. For example, we were asked to create a video describing ourselves to put on our wiki using Animoto. I know numerous ways to create a video and post it, but had trouble using Animoto and because of that, the assignment took me twice as long as it should have. Just as I give my students choices in their learning, we should be able to choose the tools we feel are the best to get the job done.
I actually feel very good about my technology skills and the school district that I am in. Through the discussion boards and the readings, I realized just how lucky I was to be teaching in such a forward-thinking district. I do see that I need to make a decision on what type of job I want to pursue in the near future so that I focus my learning. In these courses, we are covering things that pertain to classroom teachers, technology specialists, district technology coordinators, assistant principals, and principals. We can’t expect to be experts in all of these areas. I need to examine my current situation and think about my career goals in order to get the most from my degree. I did discover along the way that to obtain many of the jobs other than classroom teacher, I need to push myself to become more of a leader. Webconferencing
Last night I participated in a webconference with my professors and other graduate students in my learning cohort. The conference was slow to start because of some technical difficulties. It reminded me and I’m sure many others, of experiences that we have from time to time in the classroom. As we experiment with technology, we must always remember to allow for extra time for trouble-shooting. This was my first webconference in Adobe Connect and I was immediately drawn in by the visual style and the collaborative nature. As we were waiting for the webconference to begin, many of us started using the text feature to ask questions and to help each other trouble-shoot. I enjoyed seeing everyone in person and hearing their voices for the first time. As I chatted privately with another student, I realized that she was in South Carolina. It reminded me that through webconferencing and this online degree program, we are able to connect with a much wider range of educators than we would with a traditional degree plan.
E-Rate and the HPISD Technology PlanHPISD District Technology PlanOur district technology plan focuses on 4 goals. The goals address the four areas of the Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020. First, we are to ensure quality teaching and learning experiences for students, staff, and the community through the use of innovative technology resources. For example, our district spends $30,000 annually to give teachers and students access to digital video and online resources. Curriculum writers in our district embed the use of these technologies throughout our lessons in each grade level. Secondly, we are to ensure sustained educator preparation and development in the use of technology that is standards-based, meaningful and engaging. The district sets aside $25,000 each year to send teachers to local, state and national conventions. Our district also plans on utilizing the talented teachers we have in our district to help provide on-going professional development both on-site and beyond. Teachers are also encouraged to participate in online learning and online forums. This can be measured by the level of participation in professional development both in-person and online. Next, we are to build a strong foundation of leadership, administration and services that support exceptional teaching and learning through the integration of technology. Teachers and schools in the district are measured each year through the STaR chart. Technology committees also set aside time to examine services that are both effective and cost-efficient. Last, we are to ensure a progressive, stable and robust infrastructure for technology that supports the educational vision of the Highland Park Independent School District. $20,000 is set aside annually to maintain the servers within HPISD. Technology facilitators are also working to develop a uniform system that all campuses will use to upgrade and acquire hardware and software. Highland Park ISD Technology Planning Committee. (2007). Highland Park Independent School District Technology Plan. Retrieved from http://www.hpisd.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ozo2hqFRgFc%3d&tabid=572.
Assessing teachers and learners in the 21st century
Our students are growing up in a time of unprecedented change. The YouTube video illustrates the demands our students are expecting each and everyday they come to our classrooms. What kind of education do we want them to have? Our school system must measure teachers’ knowledge and their use of technology in the classroom to ensure we meet the needs of these 21st century learners. We should not be assessing only their proficiency level, but also approaching it from an instructional lens. Can they create lessons that seamlessly integrate technology tools to teach students skills? Are they sharing their lessons and expertise through blogging or other forms of social media? Giving teachers a snapshot of where they are and what specific things they can improve on can dramatically change classroom environments. Measuring teachers is one aspect of supporting change in schools, but we also must look at what are students are able to do. We should be gathering data about their proficiencies in technology. At the same time, educators should be measuring student’s levels of engagement and attitudes towards learning. Having this information can help teachers make sound decisions on what is working in today’s classrooms.
There are some roadblocks to consider when assessing teachers and students in technology. First, technology is constantly changing and evolving. Our proficiency standards must raise as more types of technologies become available. Secondly, If we are going to assess teachers and students, we must allocate the human and financial resources for the types of data collection that we propose to do. Even with these roadblocks and others, our students still deserve to have teachers who are pushed to do their very best in preparing our students for life beyond K-12. B. Nesbitt, (2007). A Vision of K-12 Students Today [Web]. Available from http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8
Facebook Guide for Educators
http://facebookforeducators.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Facebook-Edu-Guide.pdf Just released this week! A 23 page guidebook full of answers to all of the questions teachers have about using Facebook in their classrooms. This guidebook is a result of the hard work and collaboration between Derek Baird, Linda Fogg Phillips and B.J. Fogg. The document outlines 7 ways that Facebook can used by teachers and in the classroom. For more information visit http://facebookforeducators.org/
use hashtag #fb4ed Email addresses in KindergartenA committee in my district is examining the idea of letting students have their own district provided email address. The discussion was first taking place surrounding 3rd and 4th grade, but has trickled down to Kinder and 1st. Does anyone use email addresses with their students? Especially Kinder or 1st? What kinds of activities could students do if they had email addresses? What benefits do you see? While I do have concerns, right now I am gathering information on the benefits and possibilities that could come from students having access to email. If we decide on adopting email addresses, the work would begin on teacher training and guidelines, student codes of conduct, etc. The email addresses would serve a particular purpose and students would be expected to operate within the boundaries set. Thanks so much for sharing your great ideas!
An honest reflection: Learning from FacebookI'm into month #3 of using Facebook with my classroom and I find my focus shifting deeper and deeper. What started as a way to simplify and strengthen communication with parents has turned into a thought provoking experiment that's had me reflecting on what it means to be a teacher. It has me questioning the value of teaching the same skills we were taught, instead of wondering what will be of value to these young children as they grow up and prepare to enter the workforce. I've started to question what literacy means in the world of 21st century learners. When we only have 140 characters or 5 seconds of someone's attention, what's more important, spelling or the meaning of our message? What's reading? In a discussion with some colleagues, I was talking about all the reading I had been doing lately. Someone asked me, "Oh, what book are you reading?" Book, hmmm, I'm not reading a book or a novel at the moment. But I am reading articles, twitter posts, and blog posts. Every single day. I've started to examine the skills, or lack there of, that I was directly teaching about digital citizenship and digital footprints. Before I started my Facebook page, my kids and I never had the conversations about web presence that we are having now. I teach Kindergarten, 5 and 6 year olds. I assumed that parents were monitoring their child's web safety or were sitting with them while they researched things online at home. Wow, I've quickly discovered this isn't the case at all. Parents may assume that teachers are teaching web safety skills in the classroom. In my classroom, most of the technology the students are using is created for and directed at young learners. I don't turn my kindergarten kids loose on Google to do research, but I realized they're doing it at home. We have to start directly teaching digital citizenship and web safety to even our youngest children NOW. We can not wait any longer. I'm beginning to share the things that happen to me on my journey as a digital citizenship with my students. "Look at this great tool I found to help keep our projects organized online." "Wow, I started using this new web 2.0 tool last night and got really frustrated. It was really hard to use." "I was online last night and I clicked on something and it took me to a whole new page. I realized it was an ad, trying to sell me something." "My Twitter friend shared this great video with me." "I realized last night that I had spent too much time on the computer. I decided I needed to get up and talk a walk." I don't know why I didn't realize to "think-aloud" this way when it came to technology. We use this strategy all the time in Language Arts. What powerful teachable moments I was missing. I've started to examine what social media means for education and how it can be used in extremely profound ways. My goal never has been to teach the tool, it has always been to teach the skills necessary to use the tools. Through reflection, I've had to ask myself some tough questions. Am I teaching skills that I value, or things that my kids will value? Am I preparing my kids for the lives they will lead?
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