Twitter Chat

The first chat that I took part in was #DENchat, which stands for Discovery Education Network chat. The topic of this chat was on keeping the fun in schools during test prep time. The title was, "Testing Time: Stress down, learning up!" and this chat was facilitated by Laura Parisi (@Lparisi). The chat was lively with lots of discussion. However, this chat was extremely hard to follow, but only because there were so many people that wanted to share info and collaborate. Something new that I learned about was called Genius Hour. We talked about the length of time that we take for test prep, the things we do during test prep time, the things we could do that are considered fun when we are not testing, and what assessments we feel are good assessments. I liked reading everyone's comments and ideas, and was able to learn something new. (Genius Hour) The second chat was #moedchat, and was moderated by Ted Huff (@tedhiff)and Brad Waid and Drew Minock (@2guysshow). These two men, Brad and Drew join numerous Twitter chats, and also have a Two Guys show where they chat with game changing educators and discuss augmented reality in education. Prior to this chat I had no idea what augmented reality was. There was a common craft video that I was able to watch that really broke it down for me. I honestly had no idea that these types of apps existed until this chat. As soon as I finished the chat I went straight to my classroom iPad and downloaded a few of the highly talked about apps. Some of these AR apps were Aurasma, Layar, ColARApp, and Daqri. Maybe some of you have heard of these apps and some of you might not have, but according to LayAR augmented reality is, "... cutting-edge technology that allows for a digitally enhanced view of the real world, connecting you with more meaningful content in your everyday life. With the camera and sensors in a smartphone or tablet, AR adds layers of digital information – videos, photos, sounds – directly on top of items in the world around us." Such an exciting, new technology that I'm ready to discover. Overall, I really liked the Twitter chats. I was able to collaborate with many others and gather a ton of information on the two topics that were discussed in these chats. I definitely plan on doing these chats at least once or twice a week. I think I would be crazy not to.

PLN- Personal Learning Network

I hope to continue adding more to my PLN and share with my colleagues in the near future.

Week 5 - Social Networking

After reading chapter 5 I realized just how many great social networking sites there are out there. Solomon and Schrum claim that,"Teachers are known to do whatever will help their students learn." As far as I'm concerned this isn't the case for every teacher. Even though I would like to believe in that thought, I know that some are still very apprehensive. Teachers are not the only ones who are reluctant. School districts are also hesitant about the use of technology, but more specifically about the use of social networking. I have tried to use numerous social networking sites within my own classroom, however, each and everyone that I've tried has been blocked from use. I hope that this changes in the near future. I was able to sign up for two, new social networking sites. One of them was edWeb. edWeb is a social networking, collaborative platform that gives educators the option to share ideas and spread information in a fast and easy way. After searching around on this website for quite a while I was able to come across a number of great things. With this website you are able to join communities related to the topic of your choice. This website also gives you the option to blog, join discussion boards, and access the resource library. I came across one community that focuses on the teaching of students with autism ranging from K through 5th grade. This community board provides teachers with ideas and resources on how to teach students with autism. The big thing that I loved about this site is that it provides a number of free webinars. One that I found interesting was on the effective strategies for using iPads with students with autism. This is such a great site and I cannot wait to look further into it for my own personal use. The other social networking site that I became a part of is Classroom 2.0. This site allows educators to learn more about how to integrate web 2.0, social media, and other technologies into the classroom. I came across a number of communities, but one in particular was on supporting assistive technologies in the classroom. This group gives teachers the option to share information, thoughts, and ideas on this topic. One neat feature on this site is Classroom 2.0 Live. This uses Blackboard Collaborate to hold weekly live shows of teachers through the use of audio, chat, and desktop sharing on a number of different topics. I'm hoping to get the opportunity to watch one of these live shows this Saturday. I honestly feel like I'm just now starting to develop a PLN and I'm truly excited to continue on this journey! Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2010). Web 2.0 how-to for educators. Eugene, Or.: International Society for Technology in Education.

Week 4 - Networked Classroom

Network classroom teacher, Clarence Fisher described the networked classroom as an environment where the teacher does not just teach and the students do not just learn. They actually become co-learners and co-teachers who all hold some responsibility in the goal setting and achievement process. Although I do not have a network classroom, after reading further I do see the benefits of having one. I also came across an eSchool News article that summed up the benefits and why it's important for social networking to exist in schools today. Both the text book and the news article claim that student engagement, collaboration, achievement, and technology skill level all increase when networking is infused into the learning. This task is extremely hard in my school, because most networking sites are blocked. I have tried to access sites such as Edmodo, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Skype and they are all blocked from student use. I have emailed the tech department with explanations of how these sites can benefit my students, yet they still refuse to grant access. Right now I guess I could say that I have been lucky enough to network with numerous educators from around the world. These educators have given me numerous strategies and techniques on how to incorporate technology within my teaching and I hope to continue down that path. One crucial element that is a negative for me is district support. I would also think that assessment could possibly be one of my personal downfalls where networking is concerned. I need to get familiar with it and try it out in order to get comfortable with it. Overall, I do realize that the networking starts with me and I will continue to push for that to happen within my school. I am excited to take the numerous resources I've come across thru this course and my readings and add them to my list of favorites.

Week 3 - Twitter

I have to say that I was a little apprehensive about the idea of Twitter in the classroom. After reading the 9 reasons to Twitter from our textbook I can see it's educational value. I first acquired a Twitter account about 2 years ago and never really understood the point behind it other than it seemed like a list of look-a-like status updates from Facebook. When I first made my personal Twitter account I only followed a few close friends and highly famous people. After digging around I see that there are numerous educators and educational sites that are a part of the Twitter community. I finally created a teacher account on Twitter that allows me to communicate with fellow educators, but also educational sites that post numerous articles and links on a number of different educational topics. I find the biggest benefit of this tool is the ability to network with other educators. I came across an article on TeachHub that gives 50 ideas as to how to use Twitter in the classroom. My hope is to find a way to integrate Twitter in some way or another in the near future. Getting all of familiar with technology and access to technology is my first step. Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2010). Web 2.0: How-to for educators. Eugene, OR: ISTE.

Week 2 - Ch. 1 & 2 Reflection

After reading chapters 1 and 2 of Personal Learning Networks it is very easy to see that we as educators need to rethink almost everything we are doing at this point in the educational world. In other words we need to transform the educational system as a whole rather than reforming it. Many teachers that I currently work with are continually stagnant with the content and the way they convey that content to their students. The idea of technology use in their classroom is not present, which makes it somewhat difficult for certain students to stay current with the ever changing technology trends in the world around them. I think a huge component to teachers using technology is to first get familiar with it and in turn feel comfortable using it, and not just the basics. Teachers need to take the basic technology ideas and apply them in their classrooms. Only then will they be able to integrate the technology effectively. Richardson and Macabelli make it very clear that an extreme amount of learning can happen through the use of PLNs. These PLNs allow for large amounts of growth both personally and professionally. It seems as if when we are able to connect to one another easily we are more willing to learn and in a way that will benefit us as teachers. These PLNs also allow for us to take our learning into our own hands and make meaningful connections. Only then are we in control and have the option to learn as little or as much as we possibly can through these PLNs. I think PLNs are a great idea and according to the authors on page 41, schools with personal networks have seven common traits that stand out above the rest. These seven traits sound great in a perfect world where students have easy access to technology. However, for me that is not the case. I'm hoping that one day the district I teach in will be further along with technology and our students will have access at their fingertips whenever they need it. After looking at the list of tools in chapter 2 I realize that I am socially interacting with these tools, but I am only using a few of them for the learning interactions. I hope to change my interactions throughout the rest of this course and really allow myself to network and become the best teacher and student possible. Resources: Richardson, W., & Mancabelli, R. (2011). Personal learning networks. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Week 7- Animal Adaptations Infographic

Here is also the link to my glogster infographic on animal adaptations which is a topic that I teach in my science class.

Animal Adaptation Glogster Infographic