Use of Twitter and other social networks

The virtual teacher I had was Jamie Weir. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to have much conversation back and forth with her, as she went on maternity leave. However, I was able to check out her blog posts from last year to present. She had posted really interesting pieces that were relevant to the classroom. I learned the importance of discussing pieces of technology and debating over which works better in the classroom. Weighing the pro’s and con’s of each technology piece aids in selecting the piece that is best suited for your classroom needs.

In the future I can see this method of conversation being effective for me, to not only meet new people, but also develop and talk about what others have done and how I can alter it and make it my own in the classroom. It is also a great way to keep current and explore through conversation what works well in the classroom.

What is also really neat about virtual teachers is that you could even meet up with someone around the world to find out what they are doing in their classes. My next goal is to try and meet up with someone in another country and create an overseas project for students to do together on the computer.

How cool would that be?

Edmodo has been a useful tool, as a student, to communicate with other classmates and be able to check assignments, resources and reminders. I will definitely incorporate this into my classroom in the future as a way to communicate with my students and for students to collaborate and ask questions.

Google site

I have just created my first Google site called “HPEjourney” and I have become dedicated to building the page. Although it is still in the works, I feel inspired and excited to use it when I go into my third block. It’s a great tool to post resources to, so students can view the material before class and review afterwards or before a test. The site also allows me to post homework or assignments on it so students can double check what the task is asking for. It is also a great way for students who are unable to come to class to know what they have missed and still manage to do the homework/assignment. I also include a tab for the school website, so parents and/or students have easy access to it for any questions they may have. In having a blog on this site, it can open the lines of communication between teacher and student and can be used as a domain for posting interesting thoughts/findings about the subject area. This would also allow students a platform for discussions about the subject area and a way to pose questions to their peers. This can expand the learning inside and outside of the classroom and provides an opportunity for collaborative and initiative skills to be developed. Students can also use the site as a way to participate, especially for those who are too shy to speak out in class.   

http://www.dashe.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/storytelling-once-upon.gif

I used this image in my English classroom to introduce Romeo and Juliet. After using an anticipation guide to come up with topics of the play, I asked students to create a story using what they know of the play and the topics discussed to convey what they think the play will be about.  The students loved this activity, because they were able to be creative and show how much they knew of the play already. From the teacher perspective, I was able to use this for diagnostic purposes to see how much they know and where I need to fill in the gaps. I will use this activity again!

Building the classroom environment

http://youtu.be/ss2hULhXf04

I used this video in my second block placement in the English classroom. I started by asking the students to think about the key message that underlies the video clip. Then I informed the students that they need to be prepared to talk about it afterwards. The students recognized the message and I was able to hear from many students about the importance of being able to understand what the teacher is saying. I asked my students to look after their needs, by feeling comfortable enough to raise their hand and say that they don't understand what I am saying. This way I know the students are not getting the material, or I need to teach it differently. This really opened up the communication in the class between the teacher and students. Think about trying this in your class!

Livescribe SmartPens

http://youtu.be/J2q8_fR0lTI

I used this link to look up what the Livescribe SmartPen does. Then I was able to teach fellow teacher candidates about it in my Instructional Strategies class presentation on Technology in the classroom. Teacher candidates were amazed by what the Livescribe SmartPen could do. I got them to think about how they would integrate it into their classrooms and subject areas. All classmates said that they could all use it in their subject area and in their classroom. I encourage others to take a look at this link to add another tool to your tool box when it comes to thinking about accomodations/modifications in the classroom.

Weebly

Weebly

 
http://www.photofairydesigns.com/uploads/6/3/4/8/6348108/4166071.jpg
 

On Saturday March 23, 2013 I logged in to Live Classroom 2.0 for the first time. I joined the presentation on Weebly http://tinyurl.com/cr20live, presented by Valerie Burton. Weebly is an e-portfolio that can be used in your classroom with the students. Weebly is offered as a free program and if you get other people to use the program you can receive extra portfolio’s to use. There is an option to upgrade to a higher level of Weebly, but it costs to do that. Valerie informed us that it is not worth upgrading, because she only uses the free version and is able to do everything she wants on it. Weebly for educators can be used to publish announcements, post tips and reminders for parents and students, collect assignments and artifacts, import files, video’s and pictures, create links to other websites and create digital student portfolio’s. Students are able to build new individual and collaborative skills by using this program.

Valerie provided us with a link to a beginners guide to Weebly: http://help.weebly.com/beginners-guide.html that aids in learning how to navigate the program. Valerie mentioned that the toughest part of the program is getting her students to remember to publish their work, because without hitting “publish,” it will not make it up onto the portfolio.

During the presentation, I asked about the mediating aspect and what she has done to minimize inappropriate postings. Valerie said that she has her students sign a contract to help avoid inappropriate comments and they talk about what is appropriate and what is not. She said that at the end of each day she goes on to check what they have posted and she has the ability to delete posts that are inappropriate.

This autonomous learning online experience was great, because I was able to find something that I was interested in learning more about and could really dive into the conversation and felt like I took something away from it at the end. I also loved that there was a way access the presentation afterwards, incase you missed something. The only drawback that I could think of was that the technology in the beginning acted up and we weren't able to start right away and we lost some people's microphone's along the way. Other than those glitches it was great!

At the end of the presentation, Valerie provided us with a few samples of e-portfolios, including this example: http://syaisomanang.weebly.com/ that was created by a student. I can’t wait to try and implement this resource into my classroom!

Creativity and Education

http://youtu.be/iG9CE55wbtY

Ken Robinson speaks eloquently and anecdotally about our education system and shares his concept of education as killing creativity. The comment that really struck me and made me reflect and think was when he said: “If you are not prepared to be wrong, then you will never come up with anything original.” It comes back to that old saying; if you fail then try, try, try again. Even something more daunting is that he says, “we grow out of creativity or rather we get educated out of it.” If education is supposed to prepare us for our future and we don’t know what the future holds, how can education take away the very thing that may come of use to us? Based on prior examples of successful innovators who were extremely creative and used that to advance our society, why, then, does education push away the creative and unfamiliar mind? Those minds have the potential to change what we see and how we see our world. These questions continue to cross my mind.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to listen to Ken Robinson speak and I highly recommend you take the time to listen in.