Final Thoughts on Reasons for Using Technology

Working for eight weeks to immerse myself in 2.0 Webtools has been an enlightening experience. Although many of the "tools" have been a part of my life (yes, I even had a personal Twitter account), I had not figured out how to make these Educational Webtools. These eight weeks have put me in touch with educators across the world who are challenged by the same ideas. I made more progress this summer on my 'technology in the classroom philosophy' with the help of this network than all of my professional development since I have become a teacher.

The most important part of this experience is the people! The digital PLN has been instrumental with packing these weeks with relevant information. My classmates jumped on board providing support and parallels. Dr. Brunsell provided framework that allowed for direct implementation of technology, and self-discovery of other technologies.

At the beginning of the eight weeks I considered myself to have a good idea of what this class would require, and wrote my "Reasons for Using Technology" as a snapshot of my technological interactions. As I reflected on my reasons for using specific technology, I found my original statements to be the cornerstone of my pedagogy concerning technology use in the classroom. I would like to summarize my initial statements with these final words:

I believe the best way to compel student learning is by using, on a daily basis, the means that students relate to the world. I use technology to help students gain life skills. The hallmark of science is hands-on methods and the proper execution of trail and error at the basic level. These two pillars of science are also the basic skills executed by digital natives every day. I can teach my students how to take their technological capabilities to the next level by tying in the subject content. I use technology because it is the means of society, and ultimately education is meant to provide scaffolding to identify and solve problems in every spectrum of life.

Final Project

I have worked to create the final product of my ideas posted in Week 7. I have created a new Gmail address for class use, as well as a blog for posting the enrichment activities discussed in my screencast and GoogleDoc.

The GoogleDoc is a perpetual work in progress; I intend to make this a shared document after Friday so that my entire PLN can comment, edit, and add. Please consider this a work for all teachers to use as their own! Please look at the links I have added; this is what makes this project so important. I believe my GoogleDoc is an example of a 2.0 syllabus. It is interactive, transcends the classroom, and is self-guided in many ways. I hope to continue to improve on the document's effectiveness as parents and administration are brought on board with this document.

I have discussed my Twitter idea with my PLN on Twitter and have been given feedback. Although I have not created these specific questions, I think this task will be easy to implement in the course of the school day. As I get online to post homework on TeacherWeb (a requirement from the administration) I will also post a critical thinking question on Twitter. Many of these questions will come from my previous work, perhaps my previous year study guides, or board questions, or even some old textbooks laying around. I have not decided yet if I should use my professional account @MrsPendergest or create a new one. I do not want to hinder students from finding the question I posted if I happen to get into a conversation with Professionals in the same evening.

Finally the most important one to my daily classroom activities is the interactive notebook. This is the most in depth project, and as yet I have not delved in. However, I did attend a webinar by @Twilliamson15 and he has provided large amounts of resources. I had something similar in the past, and am currently working through my notes/student notebooks from last year to get ready. I think this will be another 'do as you go' project that will be very fluid to see how students adapt to the new philosophy.

Unfortunately school starts on Thursday so I am a bit flooded right now. I hope to post things on this blog as I get some evidence of my ideas in the classroom. Please email me at mrs.pendergest@gmail.com if you find me slacking! Best wishes to my peers as we buckle down for another unpredictable ride!

Week 7 Reflections

I cannot believe it has been seven weeks of working with the latest webtools! My PLN has matured in such short time; I am reaping the benefits of having a network of the best and brightest educators at my fingertips!

This week I was asked if I would allow an undergraduate Child Development class to "drop in" on my classroom via Skype. I wish I had the bandwidth and resources! These are the days I wish I was in the 'big city'.

I set to work on gaining ideas and motivation for final projects. I surfed through the range of e-articles, blogs, webpages, and tweets trying to desipher where technology is going. Who could have predicted five years ago that Twitter would exist AND be considered as a viable tool in the classroom? Since I have been traveling, I have been reminded of how I always seem to be dumbfounded by the philosophy of technology at my latest school district. I decided that I needed to create technological pieces that fit into the teacher lifestyle.

... This week flew by...

and to think next week SCHOOL STARTS!

Week 7: WebTools 2.0 Final Project Notes

As a result of my experiences and interactions in this class I will be working to create these three things as I begin the school year:

Interactive Notebook for Science Class – completely online backup for absentees and alternative education

Critical Thinking Questions for Twitter/Website - these are a part of homework for the evening; easier ones if there is other homework or a more complex problem to solve on no homework nights(is homework a good idea since some schools it is pointless) Prep for testing, quizzes, etc. Still haven't decided on this one; dependent on what classes I will teach this fall.

Enrichment (Extra Credit) Activities for Syllabus - (Inquiry Projects) which are up-to-date using the latest materials and resources thanks to my PLN. (see my powerpoint about my Green 'E' ...) Align this with national science standards, state standards, etc. so that this document can be self-contained and be useful to other teachers as well.

Using any of these three topics I will be using these Web 2.0 Tools within the realm of the chosen creation: twitter-social network device, creative commons-copyright friendly searching and the need to discuss plagiarism, and real world data sites that provide appropriate data for science classrooms.

As of now, I do not have my classes for the fall. For this reason I want to create something that I know I will use no matter the grade level. Also I want to create something that I can share with my PLN regardless of their grade/content level. For this reason I will be elaborating on my third idea: Enrichment Activities for Syllabus.

This part of the syllabus will include links, directives, guidelines, and information that allows students to use it as a "bookmark" of inquiry they can complete on their own time. I will also provide a few examples of how a student could execute the enrichment on the list to turn in for credit. Each of the enrichment activities will be created using different tools, and guidelines. They are all problem solving and/or critical thinking situations so that each student will produce different final products.

... thoughts and suggestions appreciated...

I am still in the rough stages, and have not made any committments. If you think you could possibly use a list like this, please share your insight so that I can make it relevant to you!

Levels of Presentation

We have three levels of presentation we created this week in WebTools Class:

I opted to use GoogleDocs as my sole program to create my powerpoint presentation. Usually I use PowerPoint and Windows, but I thought it would be good to use something new. I would also like to note that I completed this entire work on public computers in about an hour and a half over two days. I was challenged by using public computers, but I believe it is an important aspect of these results. I am not necessarily proud of my presentation; It lacks my personality. However, this proves that work can indeed be completed using public resources.

The presentation on SlideShare is here:

Drifting With Science PDF PowerPoint

View more documents from MrsPendergest.

Next, after looking at a few of my classmates blogs, I chose Screencast-o-matic for three reasons. First, there was unlimited audio time. Second, it did not require installs or extra software. Finally, it was one stop uploading to the web. These three things were important to me because I am currently traveling and do not have my microphone. I needed to complete this part of the assignment at a public computer in under 30 minutes. I succeeded! Yay! I used Screencast-o-matic to immediately upload my screencast to YouTube. Highly convenient for my mobile status. I think this part of my assignment is the highlight of Web 2.0~ being able to create everything on web-based platforms alone! From GoogleDocs to YouTube to VoiceThread.

Pardon the stumbling language; didn't have the opportunity for a re-record session:




Finally, I was able to transfer my presentation to VoiceThread using my GoogleDoc file, downloading it to my computer, changing it to PDF and uploading it to VoiceThread. I also downloaded my MP4 audio from YouTube and uploaded that to VoiceThread under the same Voice pre and my YouTube file.

Webinar Summary: Cellphones as Instructional Tools

Thursday 4pm EST found through Twitter and Edweek.Org

I wrote about this in my blog around the Fourth of July. I attended the webinar and was interested to hear the discussion about appropriate use since most schools have "no cell phone" policies. As all of these other "technologies" are competing for classroom privileges, I was surprised that there was also a push to use cell phones in the classroom.

I enjoyed the discussion of this concept, however it seems like there are very few places that have actually implemented this concept in the classroom. Most were trials or studies. I do not know if this concept will take hold in the traditional halls of academia, especially since they have already set a precedence for lack of hand-held devices.

I was more surprised that this webinar was sponsored and publisized by a nationally recognized telecommunications company AND an educational publisher as a joint operation. This webinar actually had commercial breaks. It was pretty surreal. I think that I would not participate in live webinars in the future if they had commerical breaks... but I guess time and subsidizing demands will outweight my personal disapproval.


I feel like I am in the midst of a turning point. There are multiple 2.0 technologies fighting for the lion's share of the educational market. I believe this is because of the digital 'boom' of Facebook via college campuses. After the 90's Dot.com crash there was skeptism towards how technology could actually become central to a lifestyle. Facebook becoming central to the college life, and those students graduating to the 'real world' and not letting go has caused new interest in the marketing to young adults. In so many ways, we as educators are actually shaping the future popularism of certain technologies.


@lkolb was one of the presenters and was helpful via twitter both during and after the presentation

These are the links to the archived webinar: Cellphones as Instructional Tools

This is some extra information provided by the post-webinar email:

Guests:
Elliot Soloway, professor, School of Information, School of Education, and Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan
Cathleen Norris, regents professor in the College of Information, Department of Learning Technologies, University of North Texas
Liz Kolb, education technology instructor, University of Michigan and Madonna University; author, Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education
Ron Myers, principal, Trinity Meadows Intermediate School, Keller, Texas

Please use this URL to access the event http://edweek.org/go/webinars/cellPhones, and remember to test your system to make sure your computer is optimized to successfully view the webinar.

Also, we are continuing the conversation about the use of cellphones as instructional tools in the classroom on our forum here. Join in and have your say.

How to adapt technology based lessons for less-than advanced science classrooms.

I have had the challenge of working in an urban environment where technological industry is trying to provide services to the schools, but the faculty lacks commitment. I have also had the struggle of working in a rural environment with no industry and no faculty support for technology. I have found that although the world wide web is out there, some areas of this country STILL do not have access. How do you apply the NSTA standards in these challenging situations?

This reflection is based on my experiences and is in no way a complete response. I am reflecting due to a peer response on a previous blog post as follows:

Quinn Daily said...
Kelly, Thanks for your great insight! I find myself in similar situations regarding lack of resources (specifically computers) for all of my students. You also mentioned having to adapt your ability to use technology in your classroom. What are some of the ways you have been able to do this? -Quinn
July 13, 2009 5:37 PM

I apologize Quinn for taking so long to respond; I have not forgotten rather I lacked the words to positively express my methods! Please consider this just a modest beginning to my discussion with you!

As we find the latest advancements of technology, teachers are immediately inclined to devise a way to fit it into class lesson plans. Teachers actively seek out new methods; schools and districts do not work at the same pace with the same thoughts in mind. However, the bottom line becomes the implementation in the classroom. I have relied on my PLN for feedback and ideas on unique ways to implement technology based lesson plans. There is no SMARTboard, nor a classroom computer. I have bought my own computers, software, and other traditional science materials to use in the classroom. But ultimately I do not have the resources to bring to the classroom what is needed for technology based lessons.

In the past, I have basically printed out online programs and done everything by hand while making students aware of the fact all of their answers could be completed online. I have used one computer at a time with classes; keeping two separate class goals moving forward simultaneously. One goal is an inquiry program using the computer where students take turns out of class every day of the week except test days. Meanwhile I hold hands-on activities that align with textbook and state requirements for the rest of the students. However, this can become a challenge because students will occasionally miss out on important explorations. I chalk this up to losses that will result from diversity. Under this philosophy though, student truancy was much lower because they knew they were missing out on multiple things that they would not necessarily have the opportunity to make up. I support this by creating assessments that mirror both the hands-on activities and the inquiry questions so that there are rewards from both ends of the spectrum.

Things like PowerPoints and data sets can be done by hand. I play up the fact that I found the information on the internet and cite my sources multiple times to convey the importance the internet played in my preparation of the lesson. I have a jumpdrive that I take back and forth to school; many schools do not allow this. I found that my school's IT was non-existent and I could convince them of anything. (Except of course I needed more computers, etc.) I explained that the jumpdrive was the only way for me to properly prepare for class.

This leads into my use of technology. Yes, I gave up personal time at home to get bits of technology into my classroom. I would be stuck searching for hours to find something I could use. Not just use, but something that looked clear printed out since there is no screen to show what I found. This is where my digital PLN came in. Yes there is one or two sites that a teacher can stick to for simulations or a broad range of content, but I needed a different site every time due to my display restrictions. I could not find these random sites alone. Once your PLN becomes familiar with your class conditions, they can appreciate your requests and needs in a more purposeful way. This takes time though, so patience is necessary.

This led to my focus on people instead of things. By using people-based introduction to technology I did not need to worry about platforms, bandwidth, or tools. I started inviting local professionals into the classroom for guest lectures, help with labs, or anything else one can think of. The professional could talk about using technology, and provide some concrete examples of their use of science intermixed with technology on a daily basis. At first professionals were confused and upset when I informed them I did not have a way for them to show PowerPoint presentations. One individual even contacted the Principal to request some tools, thinking I was being lazy. He received the school's sole mobile unit, but found there was not enough memory nor wireless access to do what he wanted. He realized I was trying to "help" him by not even messing with the tools available for rental. After a few months, these professionals started to struggle again with the fact that they could not instantaneously show something with the help of technology. I helped them realize that the only way some cutting edge technology was going to make it to the classroom was if they brought it themselves; finally they did! I had a veterinarian bringing in ultrasound equipment, a construction manager bring in survey equipment, and even a county engineer brought in pumps from a waste water treatment plant. Instead of simulating or showing things and just "using" technology (PowerPoints and cool simulations), we climbed Bloom's Taxonomy and did applications of technology by showing actual tools improved by technology and their actual productivity (e.g. comparing survey equipment from 20 years ago using geometry to today's triangulation methods with satelittes).

These experiences for my students did not fulfill NSTA requirements of using technology (meaning computers) effectively to analyze data. However, my students do have a better understanding of the importance science plays in daily life. We did not create 3-D graphs nor tote around digital cameras, but we were told how a simple digital camera is now integral to a construction manager's job. We did not do quick research online about different animal science opprotunities, instead we asked questions about science to someone who works with animals every day. The professionals expressed the importance of technology; exclaiming how in their lifetimes practices have changed! This puts the focus on the future (and future opprotunities with technology) instead of the negative ancient environment.

Moving around has taught me to embrace the community and get involved. There are people out there who would love to be a part of education but don't know how. Our educational system is set up to be very uninviting; teachers desire to be considered professionals yet we do not reach out to other professions. By allowing these doctors, engineers, practitioners, and laborers an opprotunity to "teach" they come to appreciate the challenge of being an educator. These working relationships bring excitement to the classroom, memorable experiences for all involved, new prespective on what science and technology mean to society, and most importantly positive learning for all.

Webinar Summary: The Physics Front Digital Library Collection

Webinar Summary for

NSDL What Works Series: Enhancing and Sharing Lessons Using The Physics Front Digital Library Collection

Tuesday 1-2pm EST
Found this opportunity through Middle School Portal 2 Science and Math Pathways

This webinar was presented on ReadyTalk Conferencing with a 800 number for the audio. The Hosts for this presentation were: National Science Digital Library Resource Center, ComPADRE Physics & Astronomy Pathway, and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT).

The hour long presentation was informative, and provided some new sites, but I did not feel like this was interactive enough for me. I considered this webinar because physics is a difficult subject to teach the concrete learners of elementary school. I was hoping to get some new ideas, and new resources for the classroom. The following sites are the most influential that I perceived from the webinar:

The Physics and Astronomy Communities site is a springboard for other science information. The focus of the presentation was on the new website acting as a gateway to physics information for the classroom, ThePhysicsFront. However, when questions came up about certain materials or data the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching was always suggested as the best site. Finally the speaker noted that there is another resource similar to ThePhysicsFront called The Physics Classroom.

Since I am not a high school physics teacher, I was using this webinar as an opprotunity to broaden my perspectives and look for things that I could use as basic introductions to physics. However, I did notice that this webinar was supported by the scientific communities relating to physics and astronomy, and wondered why there were not similar sites for all of the science disciplines. I have yet to surf on that idea; maybe once I know what I will be teaching this fall.

Overall I enjoyed the opprotunity and ease of the webinar. I also appreciated that the sponsors of the new site thought it was important to host a webinar to show the many features of the site. I need to keep my eyes and ears open so I can continue to witness these new resources at their onset.

From NSTA:

The following is an email from National Science Teacher Association that I thought was pertinent to share with my classmates. Please note only 100 teachers can take the surveys to earn freebies so keep it in the circle!

Dear Science Educator,

You’re invited to participate in pilot testing for one of the tools NSTA is developing, offered through our online NSTA Learning Center. Your input is valuable as we work on enhancing product features to make them as effective as possible.

We need teachers like you to test sets of assessment questions which have been created for our PD Indexer tool. This tool allows teachers to profile the strength of their content knowledge and determine any needed areas of improvement.

To thank you for your participation, NSTA will give you a free 1-year subscription to the NSTA SciPack of your choice ($39.99 value) for each assessment item set you complete.

In addition, all pilot testers will be entered in a drawing to win an Apple iPod touch. You will be entered once for each assessment set you complete.

What is involved?

• Testers access a set of assessment questions via the internet at:

http://learningcenter.nsta.org/indexer/default_pilot.aspx

• Each set of questions consists of 40 to 60 questions.
• We expect pilot testers to spend a minimum of 30 minutes per set.
• The project runs from today through July 22, 2009.
• We encourage you to start as soon as possible. Once 100 pilot testers have completed a question set, that set will be closed for further participation.

How do I get started?

• Just click here

http://learningcenter.nsta.org/indexer/default_pilot.aspx
and select a topic from the list

• You may take 1, 2 or 3 item sets
• You will receive 1 free SciPack subscription for each set completed

How do I receive my free SciPack?

• After you complete a set of assessment questions, follow the online instructions to select your free SciPack topic
• The SciPack will be transferred to your NSTA Learning Center “My Library” and be available to you immediately

How do I get entered in the Apple iPod touch drawing?

• Each time you complete an assessment set, your name will automatically be entered into the drawing for the Apple iPod touch
• The winner will be notified via email by August 1

About the NSTA Learning Center and NSTA SciPacks:
The Learning Center is NSTA's e-professional development portal created to help science teachers address their classroom needs and busy schedule. Educators can gain access to more than 3,700 different resources that cater to their preference for learning. Over a thousand resources, such as journal articles, science objects and web seminars are available for free. A suite of practical tools such as My Library, My Transcript, and My Professional Development Plan and Portfolio help teachers organize, personalize, and document their growth over time.

SciPacks are interactive online learning resources aligned with the national science education standards designed to help teachers better understand the content they teach.

Many thanks for those who can assist us in developing products that will help teachers become the best they can be!

For questions, contact Debbie Tomlin at dtomlin@nsta.org or call at 703.312.9387.

We will share the survey results with those that complete the survey. We offer our sincere thanks for your assistance in building science teaching tools that work. Your input is critical to its success.

Access Survey Here

---

THE FINE PRINT
This e-mail is brought to you by the National Science Teachers Association
1840 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201-3000
Phone: 703-243-7100

To Use real world data or Create real world data

Many teachers struggle with the dilemma of using data in the classroom. Data is integral to science exploration, and also happens to be used for standards-based testing. Students must know what data looks like, and how to properly analyze it. Time restrictions severely hamper hands-on activities and labs in the science classroom, and data collection becomes a daunting task.

I have found my students to be very weak in charts, graphs, and therefore, data collection. At first I would struggle through one "beginning to end" lab and then quickly implement pre-made data sets to use, but found that students did not retain the methods nor comprehend the parallels between data sets and their work in a lab. I set out to fix this problem by devoting more class time to work through students creating real world data. Grounded in inquiry methods I reasoned the best way for students to really learn data methods was to practice data methods from beginning to end. Struggling with measurement tools, understanding rounding and averaging, and learning to think critically about observations are important aspects of science that are reinforced with data collection.

Since I have been most recently working with elementary students, I have found that most digital data out there is too complex for my students. As a result I have stuck with an isolationist approach to data. I create my own, or continue to follow my inquiry foundation, letting students always created their own data. This is something I am not proud of, but rather execute as a result of necessity. I struggle with the fact that I continue to create real world data at the local level. I have used city and state data from time to time, but even that information quickly becomes to overwhelming for my students.

I have enjoyed chapters six and seven out of Technology in the Secondary Science Classroom but between my technology issues and student foundations, I cannot seem to implement these resources as I would like. Yes I have kept up with the opportunities on the web, and yes I have even provided many of these sites, and similar ones for enrichment or review, but I cannot seem to get them into the classroom as an active part of a lesson.

I struggle with only one computer, without the capability of the latest flashware, nor the bandwidth to run streaming video or audio, in the classroom. At least half of my students do not have computers at home, and 3/4 cannot tell you how to turn a CPU on. I have often brought in my own computer to supplement materials because I have had technology as a part of my education for the last fifteen years, and I know computers are a staple of higher education.

One way I have continued to try to bring online data to my non-digital classroom is by working with universities. Finding undergraduate sutdents who are completing Independent Study or working on University Research love help imputting data. In the recent past, this has been a simple Excel sheet. I can pick up the field notes and my students and I can log the data into digital format. Even old Win95 has Excel that doesn't cause conversion errors when I get it back to the University. I have not been able to do this type of project since the advent of googledocs, but I believe this would make it even easier to help scientists.

I must admit that my use of real world online data is lacking in the classroom. In my defense I try to at least model Step Three of the Guidelines for Best Practices on page 48: "Guide students through inquiries that are local in focus and bring in collaborators."

My students respond best with exciting guests. Yes, that guest might be the local waste water treatment plant supervisor, but it is someone different to listen to. I have worked hard to help students understand that inquiry is a life skill, and most careers they are interested in are based on problem solving and critical thinking. Having guests present their career choice, and tie it into our science lesson has helped make science a real world experience when I cannot bring digitally based data and inquiry to the classroom.

Week 5 Reflections

Another week quickly passes by,

Since I missed the live PD I had intended on watching before the Fourth of July I am searching for something unique and different with my free time this week. My PLN has been helpful in trying to guide my search. They have also provided me with some new sites and ideas I should share!

Ms. Winebrenner suggested "Free webinar 4 educators 7/23/09-Cellphone as instructional tools. Register: http://bit.ly/vGe0G (@lkolb 1 of 3 presenters)"

This pointed me to Ms. Kolb, who wrote: "RT @joevans RT @dianadell 500 videos for teaching science http://ow.ly/hchf All grade levels."

This led me to an interesting site called SqoolTubeVideo:

If only I could blog as fast as I achieve information! But, this goes back to my blog posting about multi-tagging: Do only as much as you are interested in at the moment; all these online opprotunities will be here when you get back!

Also I stumbled across this site while searching for different webcasts. Challenger Center will be starting monthly casting in August, and it appears to have a variety of other opportunities for the classroom as well.

On a different note: I took some time yesterday to update myself with the latest google adventures. Google has really expanded their realm of capabilities and it has behooved me to keep up with their products. Do you know that many universities are switching to using google based systems on their network to include use of gmail, googledocs, picasa, and a range of other webware? This implies that networks are considering web-based programs as integral to their future. As a teacher, am I making sure that my students are prepared for higher learning? Are my students able to use shareware, webware, and troubleshoot other systems effectively? When they get to university level study they will be expected to know and understand these systems without technical support. One Google lab that I am interested in keeping track of is the Google Moderator. Although this is just "lab" program I am interested by this type of programming because educational support could shape the use of this feature in the future.

Overall, this week provided an effective use of past experiences and new opprotunities as a result of my PLN. My diverse network continues to shape my perspective on the digital world for the better.

Simulations are classroom appropiate! Sometimes...

This week has been an interesting mix between finding things for the science classroom, and finding science simulations that are just fun. I have written before about how I struggle to match things I have found and used previously to my new grade level of students. I enjoyed going through everyone's posts and websites shared on our class page. I found these things useful, but not necessarily applicable to my classes.

Although simulations are very practical for chemistry and higher level science, I find that elementary students are only about 50% on making useful applications by using simulations as inquiry activities. I find that hands-on activities provide more excitement and can be manipulated by me in a much more educational manner than most other methods.

Google Earth is a great program to utilize the wide range of data available in the world, however when I arrived here in Mississippi I was disappointed to find that there was only one computer in the entire school that has the capability to run Google Earth. As Natasha pointed out in her blog, Google Earth is not so much fun if it keeps crashing. I agree! Unfortunately this is my perpetual struggle with technology in Mississippi. Web 2.0 philosophy and applications are great, and add to the classroom dynamics. Getting the web into the classroom is mostly the problem. It seems that many of my peers have this problem as well. Susan relates in her blog that her use of computers is contingent on other classes' needs for the school computer lab. When this is the case, opportunities like Google Earth that might be developed for the classroom get left behind because of access issues.

This past week's discussion of simulations and Google Earth has been an interesting and reflective opportunity for me. I was introduced to these tools a few years ago as necessary to be a strong science teacher candidate. Now things have come full circle, as I find myself in a community without the resources to actively provide these opportunities. I have had to adapt my ability to use technology in the classroom, and have found what is truly important to my teaching. Simulations are integral to dispelling misunderstandings in science. Fortunately many basic simulations are free and easily accessible on the internet. Other more interactive simulations and programs similar to Google Earth are luxuries that I encourage students to consider evaluating in their free time. Knowing how other teachers are dealing with the balance between knowing the web 2.0 tools and applying them to the classroom has broadened my perspective on the realms of applying technology appropriately.

Week 4 Reflections

My PLN is there; Is my PLN worth keeping up with?

In the past week I have worked hard to keep up with my professional network via Twitter. Unfortunately with the holiday week most people were not about to talk education.

I have two Twitter accounts to keep my personal life separate from my professional one. Maybe that is because I have been using digital social networking since its infancy, but I know that it becomes difficult to control your life on the web. Why do other professionals not see the advantages to keeping "separate lives"? Teachers in so many ways are public officials. We should treat our digital tools as means to an end. If a tool is intended for the professional line of work, keep it that way.

For example, the teacher from California who was creating DVDs for her students made a grave error. I believe these situations can be avoided by keeping separate drives of information. Even better would be to keep separate computers, but this is a stretch for most teacher salaries. If her personal files were kept on a drive separate from school work it would be much harder to mistakenly add files while creating video.

It might mean more work to set two separate systems of interaction up on the web, but the benefits far outweigh the costs. Have you ever done a search for yourself on Google or another search engine? Do you know what comes up? The revelation of your digital footprint is an important dichotomy. It is important to have a digital footprint; well in my case it is. My family requires that I move to new areas of the country quite often. As I try to find my niche in the new community, people are inclined to surf for me. Without a digital footprint, people are skeptical of my understanding. How can I claim to use technology, or have a great network, if I cannot be found on the Internet? However, do I want the new community to know what I ate for breakfast? Or that I am having a dispute with my husband? Probably not. In order to reach this inner circle of my life on the web, you need to know much more about me in order to "surf me out".

Some argue that it does not matter how you set up your interactions on the web; someone will find something to complain about. My thought is that if you have two perspectives set up, you are inclined to keep work accounts purely professional. As the spectrum of reality is skewed with digital media, it is important to keep your bearing. Remember when you swore you would never own a cell phone? I was in that category even after I joined Facebook. Times change; you adapt or get left behind.

Speaking of adapting, I have spent the last two days checking out my archived files. My classmates have all been fondly talking about bookmarks that get left for later, but never actually get used. I certainly have those too, and I wanted to look back at what I was using then for professional development and resources. It has been a very interesting few days as I canvas web pages left in the dust. Things that were up-and-coming just six months ago have been left for bigger and better network tools. On Twitter people are constantly trying to put people in touch with other professionals. There are even wikis and pages set up to try to catalogue information. It is good to participate, but I look back at the forums I was a part of two years ago. Why did I stop using those? What exactly causes parts of the digital Empire to crumble so quickly? Here are some sites that I haven't used in a while; they are still education resources that should be shared. I received each of these from my PLN as a result of a question or concern I had in the last two years.

EduHound is a site that has a wide variety of ideas, tools, and resources. It is broken up by category which can be helpful on the fly.

Awesome Clipart for Educators is something that I found helpful as I worked with elementary students. I guess it could be used as backup for those unexpected sick days, but much harder to related to content, and impractical with all the other opportunities out there with much cooler graphics.

Scitopia is a search engine that I have used when doing research for lessons or given to upper level students as a research tool. Most results are graduate level papers, but the good thing about science is that it tends to be straight-forward to a certain degree. A different way I have used this resource is to provide an example of all the work scientists are doing on a certain subject. Even third graders can appreciate all the "certifiable" results that this search engine provides. This is a tool to explain that while everything you find on the Internet is not fact, there are ways to find better facts.

Illuminations is part of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics site that provides the full range of materials on the web. I have found that sometimes I need to branch out to the other subject areas for new ideas and perspectives. Looking at a math lesson might seem irrelevant to a science class, but the integration builds great retention in students.

Now that I have recommended some sites from my past, I would like to present a "find" from my surfing in the last week. While improving my PLN on Twitter, I came across Mr. Byrne. @rmbyrne is someone I found on a random search that may provide some insight. His blog won the best resource sharing blog from Edublog Awards 2008. This is one person that I have found through my own trials and tribulations with Twitter, and I think he and his blog are a great resource!

Videos and Photography in the Classroom

I am a huge fan of visual media in the classroom. Okay, really the bottom line is that I tend to be a visual learner! However I am challenged because every time I move I teach a new subject (or subjects) and grade level. How do I compile materials when one semester I teach elementary and the next semester I teach freshman biology?


I use my travels to my advantage.

I have learned that the best way to avoid the gray area of copyright law is to use my own work as much as possible. I made videos back in college, but I find they quickly can become irrelevant due to the differences in content requirements from state to state. What is completely aligned one time I cannot seem to properly fit into the lesson plans at the next. Maybe this is due to my lack of flexibility, I chalk it up to my need to always be working to create new things. I can't seem to get comfortable with using exactly the same thing twice! (Remember I have yet to teach the same class twice.)

Photos are, to me, shorter bursts of content exploration that I can apply no matter what grade or class I am teaching. For example, this photo of sailing on Lake Erie I have already applied to multiple grade levels. Since I am always adopting to content, I have found I use Inquiry as my mainframe of educational technique. Problem solving and critical thinking are the foundation for every class I have taught. Therefore, creating photos like the one below applies whether I am teaching first graders or juniors. The question can stay the same! First graders are working on similarities and differences and using their five senses. High school focuses on application and understanding of scientific principles.

My first graders are the most excited about these questions because they still enjoy the challenge. Some ideas of quite creative regardless of being scientifically sound. They learn how to be "good scientists" and look carefully at details. Notice that some boats are sailing the opposite way. Some boats have different shape sails. And the list goes on...


My high schoolers tend to not be as excited about these questions because they are required to write journal entries about them. (Just five minute troubleshooting notes.) They enjoy the photos most because they enjoy seeing other parts of the country and world. Some students have been known to keep track of locations, and demand opportunities for new places! These students have to work to understand how the photo relates to whatever topic we are studying. These ideas, after practice, bring out some really creative ideas as well! For example, I have given this photo to a class studying earth science. How do the differences in sailboats apply to earth science?

I enjoy using this media because the discussions that evolve are some of the most exciting in my teaching career! Now I just have to keep traveling to keep the variety exciting!

This week I learned that there are more and more free downloads out there for my students to make use of. I have lost track of keeping up with those kinds of applications; this week has reminded me to keep surfing for the lastest tools! Also the amount of videos that my peers provided this week has reminded me that with a little work I can find applicable video. I enjoyed checking out suggestions including: UC Berkeley's YouTube site, and Siemens USA. These will certainly be references in the future!

One site I have enjoyed using is Bio-Alive.

The video below is something I have used in response to questions about antibodies, which of course are only briefly discussed in middle school science texts, and always end up doing more hurt than help. This lacks audio dialogue which I find helpful because my students cannot always understand the verbal banter that accompanies most videoes.

More Reflection from Week 2.5

Thank you for the feedback; there are positive days and not-so-positive ones with technology! Having read many of my classmates blogs in the last week and a half, I feel a need to discuss some of my philosophy on how I interact with technology. Also, I would like to provide some 'pointers' about Twitter since the usefulness seems to be in question. Please see my classmates blogs (blogs I am following, on the right hand side) for a broad perspective on our discussions.

I have found with the help of Twitter that I do not have to do so much "saving" of information. I believe this is the point of moving into the Web 2.0 philosophy. You can easily get into information overload when you try to keep up with, and analyze all the information out there. Traditionally I was taught that important information is well, important, and you should keep it, memorize it, etc. because you worked hard to find the information.

Today this is not so much the case. While many believe in the sacredness of important relevant information, and I do as well, one needs to appreciate how information is now acquired. Think of all those college textbooks that were "so important," how often do you open them today? Yes, they are good resources, and clutch in one moment during a school year. But, is that book a good use of space in your room? Did you know you can access that textbook online now, search for a keyword, and find the same paragraph in the amount of time it takes you to dig the textbook out of the shelf on the wall?

I am traditional and like reading paper and ink. I still bought the book for this class; but it is not efficient and is certainly not the way of the future. Why do I like reading paper and ink? I was schooled in the importance of those things. I am slowly changing my belief in the importance of paper/ink reading, however I am not comfortable. I believe that if I hope to be successful in the future, I must learn how to read using only digital sources. I know this is important because family members have been informed by their government jobs that they will no longer have the option of receiving paper copies of training manuals. Everything is "ebook". If the mainstream media continues to push universities, publishing companies, and others I believe college will be completely different from how we witnessed educational studies.

Twitter is one fairly easy medium to witness this change in culture. Traditional paper/ink people cannot comprehend information can accurately be passed with only 140 characters. Surely a well written sentence cannot be so short! Digital natives pride themselves on being short and to-the-point. This philosophy has been around for a decade already! Think text messaging; the word choice, spelling, punctuation, run-ons, and speed at which dialogue occurs. I know because I was one of the cool kids who had a cell phone like that, back in the day. Can you tell by my lack of eloquence? Twitter is simply the new platform for providing the communication of society.

Many of my teacher peers are struggling with the amount of time needed to invest in just platforms to make it useful. I argue that the old mantra "you get what you put into it" still applies with technology. Balance time invested with all the different technology tools. Twitter, the fad today, will be wildly different in a few months. We have already seen a change in some of their page formatting, and like any other social tool will adapt to the requests of the public.

Remember that the best way to know something is to actually do it! Get into the practice of multi-tagging. It is like multi-tasking on the web. You should get on the computer at least once a day and open multiple windows/tabs on your internet browser. Simultaneously update yourself on all of your avenues of communication: email, web feeds, and other webpages as needed. This should take you about 15 minutes maximum. If you cannot get this done in fifteen minutes you either need to get on more often or reduce the venues of communication. Of course I must note, having a slow connection/software is not grounds for the fifteen minute rule. After the first fifteen minutes of skimming your venues, you now go back prioritizing what you need to look at, read, save, or interact with.

Another difference in generations is the priority that is placed in completing the above tasks. My younger sister, a college freshman, multi-tags at least twenty times a day. My father, a self-employed construction manager, multi-tags at least eight times a day. My generation X nature puts me somewhere in the middle, multi-tagging between 10 and 15 times a day. This does not mean I am surfing the web; I am simply updating my means of digital communication. This is one of the first areas you can make an effort to improve on. By changing the amount of interaction with technology, you will become more efficient, more diverse, and more positive about your interactions.

Remember that technology is always changing. Do not invest too much time into one web tool. There is always more information available then you can go through. This should be positive reassurance that you now have access to anything you might need. You have seen the commercials for iPhone Apps (applications) where there is a way to find all the information you might ever need, or not need for that matter. Stick you maintaining your communication with the world via networks of web feeds, software, shareware, and anything else relevant to your profession. If you maintain communication you are always "linked" to specifics you might have a need for in the future. Just like traditional good friends, when you need something they will use their networks to help you!

Multi-tagging is how I use technology

I have been reading many of my peers' blog reflections and I am a little worried! It saddens me that they have found many of the 'cool tricks' of the internet are not influential enough to want to be sucked into the black hole of digital bliss!

I understand their frustration; I commend their persistence. But I also feel the need to do more than just make individual comments in response. I need to write about how I see this technology.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I use multi-tagging to keep updated with the internet. Multi-tagging, a self-created word, is my definition of how I work when using the web. I open one browser window with multiple tabs. I can then click between them as needed to view the latest "refreshed" versions of the pages. My gmail account is my homepage because I can check email, chat instantly, view the status or peers, and use links embedded in email to visit updates to my various social sites. When I see a link I right click and open the URL in a new tab, so that I can continue what I am reading and view the linked work only as needed. You can also do this mult-tagging with the help of sites like igoogle, but I find there are too many restrictions and I easily loose track of my homepages. By having multiple pages open simultaneously I can move between them or move on to something new faster. For example, during some multi-tagging sessions I pull up the weather. If I had igoogle this is possible, but in the afternoon when I multi-tag I no longer need to know the weather and it is wasting space on the igoogle page. I could reconfigure it, but that takes too much time. I like being in control of what I need to look at.

Another feature that most people new to multi-tagging do not know is the creation of one variation of a username and password. This can be a challenge to come up with at first but a strong and consistent username and password make life easier. I won't go into details here, but if you want more specifics feel free to ask! I have found this to be a time-saving and secure method to navigate all of the memberships I become a part of.

Finally by multi-tagging I embrace the fact that with the internet there is always more that I want to research, investigate, analyze, and just enjoy. I cannot learn everything I want in one sitting. I control my urge to go off on tangents, because those venues will still be there when I need them next week. If they are not, it was not worth your time in the first place. Everyone finds their own niche in the vast folds of the world wide web. I multi-tag so I cover the things I must, skim a few ideas I am interested in, and browse only one new adventure at a time.

Reflection Week 2

I cannot believe I have only been working on this technology for two weeks! I have learned more in the last two weeks, than in the last three months online. Having a controlled gateway of information to focus on has really helped me make good use of my time spent on the internet so far. I have learned that my techie trouble shooting skills are not too rusty. I can and still enjoy learning about technology by trial and error. The most interesting part of this week is the rate in which I scaled the spectrum of the internet with one tool. Twitter, used as a professional personal learning network tool, provides unique opportunities. I enjoy the Instant Messaging style with the ability to Read Later. It is actually like the original AOL Instant Messaging on AOL back in the late 80s. But I guess you couldn’t or rather I didn’t think of using the texting slang or the links to different sites. Twitter has been a wonderful progression for me. I went from knowing people in my age group with similar tech abilities who knew me personally already, to having a diverse group of individuals who bring a variety of philosophies and tech tools to the mix. I have been given guided access to the information that is available. I feel that now I have some tour guides to help me get around, based on what type of things I am interested in looking at on the internet. This is certainly different from how I was using Twitter a few months ago, and most interestingly is more complex (I believe) than the general public usage. Does this mean, we as teachers, are starting to catch up on the learning curve of technology? Could I really have a fighting chance of understanding exactly what my middle schoolers will be talking about next fall? I think I need to keep striving for depth and diversity as I try to make use of technology. If I was able to change my use of just one tool on the internet in a week with exponential results, I have so many more opportunities to explore!

Personal Learning Network via Twitter Week 2

Although I could discuss how I have used PLNs in the past, I think they are importantly irrelevant. Most of my PLNs to-date are concrete, and traditional. As I alluded to in a tweet, if we are truly embracing technology we cannot treat “communication” in the traditional sense. I do not care to discuss how I have used traditional PLNs because although they have helped me get to this point in life, and they are important, they are not what our students will use on a daily basis. Traditional PLNs: meeting people face-to-face, knowing names of individuals, building over long periods of time are skills that were important in the past. While society has not given up on these things completely, think for a minute about how young students interact. They do not generally call each other by given names. Students do not have a need to meet in person, “I’ll text you later” or rather “ txtul” is much more common when they are standing right next to each other. We are all guilty of saying this generation has the attention span of a fly, but why should they wait for information? I believe my traditional PLN is important professionally, and will continue to be important to me personally. But, I should try to practice the next generation of PLN, the PLN philosophy that is being shaped by our students.

I was excited to create a professional opportunity on Twitter. I have been using Twitter on a more personal basis, getting adjusted to the acronyms, symbols, and catching up with my fellow teachers from college. We thought we were keeping up; au contraire!

It took me about three hours to gather about 25 followers the first evening using my new professional username on Twitter. The other 75 were easier to come up with, using my first 25 people as a foundation. I found “friends” of my first twenty-five who actually had even more in common with me! I noticed that there are many teachers online, and there is an effort to embrace technology, but there are only a few who actively engage the technology. After only about three days I was “following” over 100 usernames. I am excited by this prospect of being able to “communicate” with 100 educators but over the last few days I have noticed that I need to fully understand how different forms of media “communicate”.

I have used my new PLN on Twitter to guide my reading this summer. Usually I spend extra time doing research and looking for things to read, or updating myself on the latest trends. By having a PLN online that is worldwide, I am constantly being fed things to read, or the latest trends. I think this is the most important significance of using technology. Technology is both in-depth material and a broad range of material at your leisure. This has saved me countless hours rummaging around for something current for summer reading.

My virtual PLN is a patchwork of abilities, interests, and commitments. I find myself able to chat with more than one specialist on any topic I need to hash out. I have the ability to do, see, and understand things that I probably would not have without the help of technology. Our proposal for justifying technology in the classroom is the same; we need to appreciate that this is already successfully a part of our lives! My PLN online is much weaker than I want it to be. It takes time to build up, and use efficiently, but I point to my lack of confidence with technology as the main culprit. I have found in the virtual PLN I am much more likely to take risks or request information at any instant. In a traditional PLN I waited for the “appropriate time” or would not ask because “this person is too important/busy to help me.” At two o’clock in the morning there are at least five people available to help me with my latest dilemma. In the course of only five days I have read more relevant articles, participated in more discussions, and analyzed more websites about education than I have in the previous three weeks simply due to the ease in which they were presented to me. This is all thanks to my new professional PLN on Twitter. I have learned that I have much to learn from technology. I have learned that I can use the web efficiently. I have gained a new understanding of the skills which are norm when becoming a part of the 2.0 environment. I look forward to the coming weeks as I shape my perspective on technology, and prepare to align myself with the skills of the future, the skills I need to be teaching my students. Learning is a lifestyle, not just a computation.

A Video Analogy Discussing Types of Transportation

The concept of transportation other than our feet is exciting to teens. Using introductory videos to start a critical thinking exercise, or asking students to find examples of a particular scientific principle at work in the world for discussion or a prompt to an essay are some ideas.

.. this common interest of "the need for speed" can be tied into biology ...



or physics...





or chemistry....



or physical science...



and I am sure there are many other venues with more research and careful planning!

The bottom line is that although this may seem passive at the beginning, requiring a reaction to the information asks them to show their understanding. After discussing a few concepts (whatever that might be for your grade/subject) show them this video:




Drifting is a sport that involves careful use of environmental science, chemistry, biology, and of course physics. The driver must know the surface and change his setup based on the driving conditions. The chemical makeup of the tires, as well as the materials used for sway bars, control arms, brake pads and oil are all specially designed based on the type of racing. (Yes you can create a lab just on car tires!) Biology may be more of a stretch depending on what you are required to cover, but I tie this into human reaction time, controlling impulses, and muscle control. Drifting requires the driver to look ahead of where the car is currently. The wheels are already pointing towards the next obstacle regardless of what the current challenge needs. This aligns with the physics and math of creating angles, understanding slip ratios, and the list goes on.

Of course, most recently I was teaching fifth graders so I could not dive into any kind of depth, but I asked them to analyze the video, as well as others they could find and design their own course. Using basic measurements, courses were designed and then critiqued by peers. We first had to figure out how long the car was to get approximations of what the course length is in the video. Then they would pause the videos to gauge the width of certain challenges. (Remember we did very crude measurements) We also learned to listen to the video carefully to figure out what gear the driver was in. This could tell us the approximate speed he was going. (I gave them an approximate number for each gear.) There were some parts of this inquiry that turned out to be too challenging for some students. This assignment required some spatial perception as well as using calculations that they have not had much experience with. Overall the students LOVED that they were doing something totally new and different. Mostly they worked very hard and even put in time at home to make their designs better. I find that these incomplete inquiries may not be strong in science content but they are very strong at this level to improve confidence in critical thinking, problem solving, and interest in science. Most of my fifth graders had no idea car racing required knowledge in the sciences. I believe the difference with this type of interaction is that my students leave having been challenged in their math and science expertise, and they are excited that in the future of their schooling they can learn more specifics about how to fine tune a race car using science.

Blogs

This blog is a great start for a community just learning how to incorporate blogs into the classroom, but it does not meet my criteria for engaging students in life skills. One could argue that these postings support student learning but only at the rudimentary level. This is a day planner or homework board. It is effective in keeping parents, administrators, and other teachers aware of daily topics. However, it does not currently create new opportunities for learners.

This blog is the work of a very committed teacher! I look at this in two ways; first these students truly have access to the tools they will use in their lifetime, and second that I cannot be sure students are actually gaining the ability to critically understand the opportunities this teacher is providing them. This example is much closer to my principles for using technology, but I would be most interested to see how these students develop over the next five years as a result of their first schooling experience seeped in technology. It is hard to say if these initial interactions with six year olds actually support their learning habits, and skill acquisition.

I have realized with the second blog that there are interactions that occur that cannot “be posted” or “show adequate growth” as I might expect to see them. But this, I must reflect, goes back to my traditional understanding of curriculum and assessment that can not apply if I hope to gain insight from the second classroom.

These two examples provided me with evidence that there is no right way to use technology in our current society. Rather I must think critically about what I use to teach so that my students will be prepared for tomorrow. I need to change my mindset in order to properly understand what those opportunities entail. Twitter, for example, at first glance, seems like a social tool with no intrinsic use for subject content. However, I am not thinking as a true scientist. When working with the future, think of what technology CAN be used for to improve society. We, as teachers, cannot use technology as what it was created for; rather we must come up with the ways technology can create classroom lessons.

Blogging is not an effective communication tool for my classroom; however I believe I could use it as a portfolio of work. Another method which I am interested to consider is using blogging as a means of assessment. I do not know how practical it would be to allow students this opportunity, and also properly grade these posts. Access to the internet is a major barrier, as well as finding the time to inject this “online assessment” while still maintaining the traditional regime requested by the administration. Most importantly I believe the best way I can use this method of technology is to keep parents informed, while I have students blog to show their growth.