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.