ISTE Journal 422C "Inspiring Students with Peer Tutoring"

There is a type of magic that happens when children teach other students. It is like a spark; it is a flash of something amazing that you may miss if you aren’t paying attention. In the article, “Inspiring Students with Peer Tutoring,” the author, Brandy Smith, details the important benefits of peer tutoring and gives educators a “how-to.” Smith discusses her experience with Peer Tutoring, where she mentored “Tech Kids,” as she called them, to teach other kids at the school. The Tech Kids were not always the best students either, it was the students who were ‘at risk.’ So how did she manage to pull it all off? Magic. Well, she pulled it off with the magic of good teaching.

      I like that Smith picked the students who had not yet experienced leadership positions. I often think about how to involve my students with behavior problems in a positive way. Specifically, I think about my students with behaviors that are clearly attention-seeking. What a great way for those students to experience attention in a positive environment! The other students she picked were the shy, withdrawn ones. These are the students who I would see to be more difficult to open up with a crowd actually, but I see the benefit. Also, we could always have them be a peer tutor in a small group or in a 1-to-1 setting.

         In my own classroom, I have always notice the benefit of having students do the teaching. I have always learned that you learn concepts better when you teach them to someone else, so this seems to be the perfect idea! Since many of my students are Freshmen, it would be hard for them to tutor younger students (unless we did a field trip to another school), but I still think I will be able to manage this within my own classroom. This article encompasses the NETS standard of “Promote and Model Digital Age Responsibility and Citizenship.” By training students to work as the models, this educator was demonstrating how to appropriately be a good citizen and a good role model!
Smith, B. (2006). Inspiring students with peer tutoring. Learning & Leading with Technology, (17)4, 18-21.

ISTE Article 422C: "Telling Stories with Video"

      In their article, "Telling Stories with Video," Carl Young and Sara Kajder discuss the benefits of teaching using digital video. They report, "integrating visual images with written text, as done in digital stories and multimodal compositions, ehances and accelorates comprehension" (Young and Kajder, p. 38).

     It is true that creating stories in a digital was allows for us, as educators, to be creative in presentation and for students to make an assignment their own. Students love options and this allows just that! Some of my favorite examples from the article were using digital video to do book trailers, posting video responses to their peers' thoughts, and analyzing poetry. I can see students really getting excited about this type of project-based learning.

      In my school, I have not seen many opportunities where students have used video to tell stories for Language Arts, but we have a very active video production class. They spend hours composing video for the daily announcements, for activities (the Foundation fundraiser), and for stories of student interest ("why is student parking such an issue..." They get very involved in what they are doing and it is easy to see that they care about their work. I would love to incorporate video stories into my lessons as well. The only problem I see is access to video cameras.

       The NETS that is developed here is number 1, "Facilitating and Inspiring Creativity," and 2, "Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments." By engaging students in activities that they choose, we are able to create successful learning environments.

    Young, C., & Kajder, S. (2009). Telling stories with video. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(8), 38.

Safer Passwords!

It is important to teach our digital learners to be safe on the internet. Here is a video and some tips that I will go over with my students to remind them (and myself) about the importance of protecting their passwords!



How to choose a safe password - Explania

For passwords, don’t use:
1- E-mail address or login
2- Personal details (ex: name, address, telephone number, registration # of car)

Even a random word from the dictionary isn’t safe!
Choose a password that is EASY to REMEMBER and won’t be cracked

Safe Passwords are:
- 8 characters long
- Have a combination of:
o Small letters
o Capital letters
o Numbers
o Punctuation Marks

Hint:
1- Replace a letter with a similar-looking letter. (ex: replace O with 0 or L with 1)
2- Replace a letter with a similar looking symbol (ex: ! for i)
3- Use capital letters in a strange order (for example, capitalize the second letter).
4- Start with a sentence, (ex: OnMarch19ismybirthday)

Tips to keep it safe:

NEVER write on paper
DON’T tell anyone
CHANGE your password often!
Test: Try it out!

ISTE Article 422C: "Lights, Camera, Learning!"

In the article "Lights, Camera, Learning," Glen Bull and Lynn Bell discuss the shift that we, as a society, have made toward using digital technology in our everyday lives. The authors note that youth are on the top of this trend, "the 10,000 hours per day posted on YouTube are the equivalent of 400 continually broadcasting channels." The power of digital technology is present in our youths' lives and it is growing. As educators, we can ignore or embrace the change toward the digital video world.

In Social Studies, digital film is replacing other historical archives. Because of this, teachers are able to add life and motion to lessons about the past. In the sciences, teachers are able to open students up to opportunities to "engage in scientific inquiry." It allows students to slow things down and look in more detail, or get involved. In mathematics, teachers are using digital video to give students opportunities for problem solving, visualizing math topics, and analyze mathematical relationships. In English Language Arts, digital learning has to do with "creating multimodal compositions that include images, sound, and digital video." No matter what the curriculum, this up-and-coming technological advance offers educators a way to enhance student learning.

I have noticed that with my students, videos provide examples for visual input. Since several of my students report that they benefit from visual learning, this gives a way for them to access the curriculum in a different way. I have begun using "Khan Academy" with my students and have seen improvement! My students (even those who do not have parents at home to help with assignments), can get assistance from the videos. They are able to pause, rewind, and watch multiple times in order to master the concept. Another example is using Next Vista Learning to show students some examples of potential careers available to them. This website has an expansive collection of videos that I use weekly to show students in the Workability program some jobs that they may want. I have also told the rest of my department about the videos so that other Special Educators can make use of the resource.

This article applies to the #3 Standard for NETS, "Model Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments." By using these types of media to support students, we, as teachers are promoting fluency in technological systems. If we model using technology appropriately, we are setting the tone for our students to do the same.

Bull, G., & Bell L. (2009). Lights, camera, learning! Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(8), 30-31.

Nutritional Change!

Hey Teach, can you text me the homework?

I am not sure how I feel about it, but maybe for important announcements and homework, since students do love their phones...




"SendHub is the latest group text messaging system that I've discovered. To use SendHub give people the opt-in code to join your contact list. Once people opt-in you can put them into a group within your account. Then when you have a message for a group you can send it out to all members of that group without sending the message to your entire contact database."

Videos

I am having a little too much fun with the GoAnimate website. The kids loved it too. Here's my video for next year's Back to School Night:)

GoAnimate.com: Back+to+School+Night+Space+Ship by szookini


Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

This is the one I did today in class to joke with a couple of kids in class:)

GoAnimate.com: So+excited.... by szookini


Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Einstein says...

Let's Use Video to Reinvent Education

I recently got a longer cord in my classroom to connect my projector to my computer and let me tell you, it is blowing my students' minds. So many students are visual learners. By showing them clips of video to enhance lessons, they are so engaged! I love it. This is a TedTalk which discusses using Khan Academy and other resources to enhance education for students.

"Maybe this content will never go old... If Issak Newton would have done videos on calculus, I wouldn't have to."

"Teachers have used technology to humanize the classroom...a teacher, no matter how good, has to give lectures." These videos allow students to access lessons on their own time, in their own way."'

I love his metaphor of learning to ride a bicycle. If we provide no feedback and no practice, you may figure it out. You may be able to balance on two wheels, but you will be shaky and you may fall. When students have gaps in the beginning, then students will still have those gaps if they are not given practice. And if students still don't get it, we are forced to move on, to step up, to give them a metaphoric unicycle. The Khan academy and similar tools allow us to give students opportunities to experience mastery and supplement instruction--- to fill in those gaps!

Mentimeter

This is a tool for "interacting with your audience." It is an online survey-taker to engage students to participate by anonymously voting on their smart phone. Talk about an awesome way to engage students!

http://mentimeter.com/

ISTE Journal #3: "How to do More with Less"

Pape, L., Sheehan, T., & Worrell, C, (2012). How to Do More with Less. Lessons from Online Learning. Learning and Leading with Technology. 39(6).

In the article, “How to do More with Less: Lessons from Online Learning,” (2012) authors Liz Pape, Tracy Sheehan, and Colleen Worrell, explain ways for educators to juggle the responsibilities of delivering digital-age instruction and incorporating more students with the limited resources available to educators in the times of budget crises (p.18). The authors recommend the following: “Make time” and “Free the resources, with multiple examples from real classrooms (pp. 18-22).

The authors’ recommendations were progressive in their capabilities to reach today’s learners. Recommendations included stretching the learning day to the home environment through video teacher demonstrations, using web tools to engage and give academic choices, and post assignments to allow for student organization (p. 19). Through blogs, students have the opportunity to use a different way of demonstrating mastery in an engaging way. Blogs are also used as a way for peers to engage in an academic dialogue through comments. Wikis “promote collaboration skills and creativity by enabling groups to work together and create and publish a work online (p.19). It allows them opportunities to be authors. Social bookmarking tools allow students to organize research and “share information, collaborate, and discuss” (p.20). Among the most useful are the tools for creative expression, such as Prezi, a PowerPoint-like tool with 3D capabilities, My Fake Wall, a fake Facebook for fictional or historic figures, and Fotobabble, a photo uploading website which includes dialoguing capabilities (p.20).

I agree that, in a time when budgets are tight, we need to look at what we can do. It is useless to say, “We do not have what we need,” because it will not solve the issue. Instead, educators need to be aware of what is out there that we can use and that others are using. I specifically like the example of “digital storytelling” in Jeanie Keyes-Plant’s class (p.20), in which students created their digital narratives including multimedia presentations. As a function of behavior, I know that giving choice to students, especially students with special needs, is a valuable tool in fostering success.

This article aligns with the NETS standards of “Facilitating Student Learning and Creativity” as well as “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.” I will absolutely follow up with the authors’ recommendations in my own classroom.

ISTE Journal #2: "Think Outside the Book"

Carney, K. (2011). Think Outside the Book. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(1), 10- 14.

In the article, “Think Outside the Book,” (2011), Kevin Carney, the author, argues that there is more learning to be had outside of the learning provided in a textbook. Carney states it in this way, “Too many students are not being taught to master state standards, particularly those not being covered in their textbooks. Too many are not learning the basics, are not achieving on standardized and ACT tests, and are not leaving school with the skills necessary for success in a worldwide economy” (p.11). Carney recommends supplementing the curriculum with digital resources.

Using the example of the Vail Colorado School District, Carney models his recommendations through the district’s success. Specifically, Carney recommends “inverting the curriculum,” which meant that they began with the standards and from there decided how they should be taught. This is a change from starting with the book and seeing which standards are included (p.11). Next, Carney recommends “Organizing the Content,” in which he described the process of seeking appropriate resources according to the students (pp. 11-12). Carney highlights the importance of collaboration in this process, naming it one of our most important resources. The author is also careful to highlight the fact that he is not recommending “abandonment of traditional textbooks but rather a philosophy of learning and teaching that transcends textbooks and state standards to strengthen support for communities of teachers, facilitate learning and teaching, and improve student growth and achievement” (p.12).

Carney’s advice is absolutely essential to address as educators. Due to budget cuts and the selection of textbooks by others, we are not always able to choose the book that we feel is needed to best support our students. I agree that books do not always connect to standards and we can use online and other resources to help. In looking at Carney’s arguments, I could not help but think that he also should have addressed the need for extra resources to fit students’ needs. This means needs relevant to special requirements, language variations, and other exceptionalities.

This aligns with the NETS according to “Model Digital Work and Learning” due to Carney’s dedication to meeting academic standards. Specifically, knowing that we are teaching learners who have constant input from digital sources, we can meet their needs in this way.

ISTE Journal Blog #1: "Grow Your Personal Learning Network"

Warlick, D. (2009). Grow your personal learning network: New technologies can keep you connected and help you manage information overload. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(6), 12-16. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csusm.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/61798426?accountid=10363

In the article, “Grow your Personal Learning Network: New Technologies Can Keep you Connected and Help you Manage Information Overload,” author, David Warlick (2009) argues that educators need to embrace online personal networks in order to “supplement our knowledge about the world” (p. 13). The “world” Warlick describes is the world that our students live in. Educators need to be aware of the support system of professional colleagues beyond their own families, friends and school walls.

Warlick recommends following a small amount of blogs at first, in order to focus on each and to maintain sanity. Next, he recommends organizing the blogs by topic or frequency. In terms of new content, Warlick recommends finding what is needed and then “severing the line” (p. 14). Warlick explores the different types of PLNs to let educators know which type they might relate to most, such as social bookmarking, personally maintained semi synchronous connections and dynamically maintained asynchronous connections (pp. 13-14). Lastly, Warlick invites the conversation of “cultivating your network.” I was impressed by the tone of growth as a theme throughout the article. I agree wholeheartedly that educators must use personal networks to constantly desire personal growth and improvement.

Personally, I connect with Warlick’s idea about starting small. When I look at other educator’s blogs, all I can think is, “holy cow, where do you find the time?” It is much more manageable to subscribe to one or two valuable sites in order to soak up the benefits. I am absolutely interested in growing my Personal Learning Network, so this was a valuable tool to get started.

This article aligns with the NETS Standard V: “Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.” By encouraging growth of Professional Networks, Warlick is inspiring educators to spread their roots far and deep.

Cyber Safety 101- all you need to know!

Some tips for educators and students in terms of CYBER BULLYING, IDENTITY SAFETY, ONLINE PREDATORS, and SMART PHONE SAFETY.

Click HERE to visit our website (by Sara Zook, Katie Sullivan, Hannah Butler, Ismael Hernandez)

Other FREE Helpful Educational Technology Resources

Assign a day- Teacher created calendars to manage assignments and tests. You can link this to classroom websites so students are aware of due dates. For student questions, "email the teacher" function is available.

Scriblink- Post information on a "white board" to post to add instruction and it is INTERACTIVE! Chat functions are available for online communication while learning. Phone conversations/ conference calls are available. Online conversations can be converted to PDF or emailed.

CoSketch- Similar to Scriblink (collaborative, interactive white board), but no email or invitation required, students just go to the required website. Some google map capabilities would be helpful for geography or history lessons.

Go Animate- students and teachers can make videos for fun or instructional use. They are cartoon-type of videos. Could be used for book reports, etc. Free version is limited, but you can upgrade to make your own characters.

Chatzy Free, private online chatrooms. You can invite people through e-mail. Would be a good forum for homework help (real time) if you would like to have a homework hour. You can set roles, such as "teacher," "student," and "discussion leader." It allows for privacy for teachers and students. Chats can be saved and printed.

Second Life- Virtual 3-d worlds... you can create avatars, who sell and buy objects, meet friends "from the real world." Encourage creativity and high-interest. Sims-style futuristic world. You can design products, create games, follow stock exchange information, demonstrate mathematical concepts, hold live debates for real-time classrooms.

Awesome Highlighter- highlight texts on websites, save and share. You can also add notes to the articles. This would be helpful for online research. Capture the webpage, paste the URL on awesome highlighter, and make your notes. Click "done"... a summary of what you did, you can share through facebook, twitter, email, etc. You may also download the toolbar.

Quizlet.org - make flashcards and study materials and share results with classmates. You can use multiple ways of studying and you can upload to smart phone and i-pad. Free for students, $15 dollar per year cost for teachers.

StudyStack- another online interactive way to study languages, sciences, vocabulary, math, etc. Also includes games.

Technology of Choice

Are you looking for a way to engage your students by exploring opportunities for visual instruction? Check out Next Vista Learning, an online video sharing website for teachers and students:

Click HERE for information about how to incorporate in your classroom.

Seeds, Growing, Learning, Personal Learning Network

Learning is growing, no matter if that learning is for students or teachers. One thing I am sure of is that it is absolutely essential to be learning in order to be a good teacher. A step that I am taking toward that goal is to check in with my colleagues around the world.


The definition of a Professional Learning Network (PLN) is a place a digital “support system” of teachers and educational colleagues. Of course, I can ask my colleagues, my administrators, my professors, my friends, or my family for ideas. However, with the addition of RSS feeds, message boards, blogs, and articles, I am able to expand the branches of my personal educational tree. I am able to reach out to teachers who may have the same questions as I do through the PLNs in online discussion groups on The Educator’s PLN, I can follow colleagues’ blogs through Google Blogger, keep track of relevant websites through Diigo and Pinterest, and follow up-to-the minute news on Twitter. I also recently became aware of edmoto, a social network site specifically for educators.

One great resource for creating and collaborating with other Educators is through the Educator's Personal Learning Network. This is a place where we, as teachers, can participate in professional development without expensive workshops (which are not always possible due to limited funding these days).

I really like the video section, where my professional colleagues around the world have posted TedTalks, conferences, and lessons.

In my exploration of PLNs, I looked first at Classroom 2.0. In my "surfing" of the feeds, forums and groups, I was specifically interested in the "PBS News Hour" EdIncubator.

In this group, educators were discussing student reporting labs, presidential election lesson plans and stories, and journalism.

The RSS feeds that I personally follow are NPR “Digital Life.” I follow NPR almost daily through podcasts, news feeds and music updates, but I specifically liked the technology-based theme of this feed. I wanted to follow KPBS News “Education” because of the relevant news updates that are specifically tailored toward the education world. Anyone who views my website will likely have similar interests. The last RSS feed that I chose to follow is the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. While I do not teach math this year specifically, I am constantly teaching it in my resource classes. I like to remain current on NCTM feeds.

In Terms of my Twitter, this is new territory for me. I have been hesitant to try twitter as it seemed like a constant stream of “status updates,” typical of Facebook. I was delightfully surprised, however, by the professional capabilities. I am in the beginning stages of Twitter, including my EDUC 422 classmates and a few national organizations, such as “Teaching Tolerance,” “Education Weekly,” and my school’s feed. I was happy to find that feed with updates about athletic and academic events!

Since my Diigo account is new, I was not able to closely follow too many of my classmates. When, it is up-and-running, I hope to be able to do that. I loved Diigo’s tagging capabilities, specifically for tagging potential literary articles for my educational research. I was able to bookmark, summarize, and tag peer-reviewed articles, which closely relate to my research questions.

Some of my colleagues were frustrated with the information overload of the PLNs, but overall, I was actually relieved. A Pro that I see with PLNs is the capability of organizing and categorizing essential professional development tools. Another benefit is the ability to get support without asking colleagues who are already busy enough. The only drawback that I see is that, we need to be critical learners by weeding through what information is valuable versus what information is not.