Classroom of Tomorrow

My Web Presence

2010-06-17T15:17:00.001-07:00

Difficulties

2010-06-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Technical difficulties with my microphone. Working on it now :) :)

My Web Presence

2010-06-17T11:32:00.001-07:00

Web Experience thus far

2010-06-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

Miss Stock's wiki

This is the Social Studies Web Experience page on my class wiki. I would like to add a few links still. Let me know what you think.

Internet Safety Policy

2010-06-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

This is a draft of the Internet Safety Policy for my first grade classroom. It is a contract that I would like to go over in depth with demonstrations and examples. The contract would be sent home with the student to be reviewed with his/her parents and signed by all parties. In the classroom, I would hang this policy with visual aides next to the computer station. Although it is not stated, it would be discussed that the severity of action would affect how long a student would lose the computer and the Internet privileges.

Using the computers and the Internet is a special privilege in our classroom.

1. I should NEVER give out my name, school name, address, etc. There are strangers on the computer and I need to keep myself safe.

2. Once I am on a website, I must make sure to only click two times away. If I go too far, I will ask Miss Stock for help or click on the back button until I am back to the main website that I was using.

3. If I see any bad pictures or bad words, I will let Miss Stock know right away.
If Miss Stock is preoccupied with another student, I will "Ask 3 before me (Miss Stock)".

I know that my Internet privileges can be taken away if I choose not to use it the right way.

Response #4- Internet Safety Policy

2010-05-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

The Internet Safety Policy for my classroom needs to be clear and simple. It is important for my first graders to have a strong understanding of my expectations of their usage of the Internet in the classroom. I have thought about a few ideas that will generate my policy.
1. The students will know not to EVER give out any of their personal information (last name, address, school, age, etc).
2. In hopes to decrease instances of the student going to an inappropriate site, the student will not be allowed to navigate further than 2 clicks off of the main website that he/she is viewing. If a student does find him/herself on an inappropriate site, it is their responsibility to know what he/she clicked to get there and to notify the teacher immediately. The teacher should then make a note of it and decide whether or not to continue to use the initial website.
3. Internet Usage:
Although I do not have my first graders work on much research on the computer, I may develop a small research project on our butterfly science unit. To not overwhelm the students with the thousands of "Google" hits, I may create my own search engine. This way they have a little bit of independence, but yet, I can have a better control on what sites they are viewing.
Teaching my students how to provide appropriate feedback and comments using Voicethread would be beneficial as they grow into the digital world. They would be able to share their work, view others, and comment. There is so much negativity with allowing students to speak freely on the Internet; but I believe that if we show them how to do it appropriately and effectively (especially at an earlier age), they will be able to benefit from it.
I also use the Internet for interactive math and language arts games. This is useful during centers as well as for their own personal use at home. I know that many parents do not know where to even begin when searching for appropriate and beneficial games on the web.

Response #3- WebQuests

2010-05-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

When I am creating my web-based learning experience, the most important factor to me is to make sure that the students are involved every step of the way. Focusing on the 21st century teacher practices and promoting the use of technology will make up the main frame of my project. Using web-based projects is resourceful, and creates scaffolding for students’ learning of all ages and academic areas.

In our social studies curriculum, first grade hones in on the parts of a community and its basic functioning. I would love to create a web-based experience that would ask the students to compare and contrast two different communities and then answer the question “Which community would you choose to live in? How would you create your own town/community?” I think it would be highly beneficial for them to participate in online activities/research on cities and suburbs, or cities and farm towns because it would teach them about different communities that exist (other than the community they live in). Having the students create their own towns/communities is an innovative way for the kids to apply what they have learned and be able to pick and choose what factors interested them.

I was browsing through a WebQuest site we had seen in class last week. I looked into the QuestGarden to search for social studies examples. Town in the Woods was created for primary grades and it sparked my idea about having the students develop/build their own town/community after they study the various types of communities. Although this example is focused on a town in the woods, I would obviously adapt it to make it broader for my students.

Response #2-

2010-05-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

Knowing my first graders’ abilities thus far in the year, I would start by demonstrating proper research on the internet using the SMART Board. Using the large interactive whiteboard, the class will be able to clearly see my actions and take turns practicing/demonstrating in front of each other. Using November’s REAL acronym is useful with my young students because it is an easier way of remembering the things to look out for when checking a website’s credibility.

The first step in November’s four step process from Web Literacy for Educators is to “Read the URL”. It would be important for me to have a “job aide” attached to the side of our classroom computers for the students to refer to when working on research in their small groups. The second step is “Examine the Content” which is HIGHLY imperative to get across to the first graders because they are very influenced by visual stimulation. I will make sure to show examples of visual websites that are not “good”. I am a little concerned about how well my students (due to their experience levels- not all first graders, just my class specifically) would take on the third step, “Ask About the Author.” But, I’m sure with practice, they will be able to grasp the concept and understand what to look for. Also, another concern would be the fourth step, “Look for Links”. It’s a new concept to me and that may be why I’m assuming it would be challenging for them.

After working through a few different websites (both good and poor choices) on the interactive whiteboard, I would separate my students into small groups. There will be some thought going into the groups so that I can place a more experienced student in each small group. I will give them 3 websites to check out and provide them with a “checklist” that would be a combination of November’s four step process as well as Tammy Payton’s checklist/rubric for primary grades. This will guide them through the process and they will not feel as overwhelmed or under so much pressure. The groups will then come back to the SMART Board and we will go through the 3 websites together. Each group will be able to talk about what they noticed or checked on each website according to each step. Talking about the websites together after they have worked in small groups is beneficial because groups may have noticed different things and will learn from each other.

2010-05-11T16:15:00.001-07:00

Respone #1- Initial thoughts

2010-05-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

The Internet has many ways to enhance our learning and teaching in the classroom for learners of all ages. The resources and applications are at our finger tips! We must begin to take advantage of these capabilities and slowly introduce the change to educators/learners that are not as open-minded to the ways of the web. Being able to collaborate with strangers on the other side of the world and receive feedback on a blog post or discussion board are enriching to the topic being studied. Even if the learner is not necessarily receiving feedback/comments or writing any feedback/comments, he/she has the ability to observe others' posts. Reading others' thoughts is almost the same as listening to a class discussion. It may spark new ideas that the learner had not thought of or understood. The teacher may take on a facilitator role and the online learning activities are student-centered. After reading about the positive effects of e-learning, it is clear that online learning is more of a supplement to the classroom and the students begin to take more responsibility for their own learning.
On the other hand, there are precautions that need to be taken if an educator is using the Internet with his/her students. It is true that the Internet is where the students are growing up. But according to this article in the NYTimes, we need to establish rules/protocol of using the Internet appropriately. There is a free program being offered to schools that will teach the proper etiquette to students. Students (mostly younger rather than undergraduates) are very quick to write/post words that are harmful and have a powerful effect (and permanent at times) that could "haunt" their futures.

2009-10-20T15:00:00.001-07:00

2009-10-08T16:53:00.001-07:00

Spelling Changes- Response Blog #3

2009-10-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

As a former elementary student, I struggled with our vocabulary lessons. In the primary grades, we had standard spelling tests that were based on memorizing the words. Beginning in fourth or fifth grade, we were given vocabulary books that had more “application” activities. There were synonyms, antonyms, analogies and sentence completion activities. It was very difficult for me from this point forward because I could not retain the words and apply them. My brain was automatically trained to simply memorize the information rather than actually understand.

So, this school year my goal is to create a different format from the traditional spelling test. I want my students to learn, not memorize and apply, not recall. Dr. Fritz suggested to look up Sitton Spelling. From my reading, it seems to be a wonderful phonics program that focuses on word skill-literacy as well as spelling. I am hopeful that my school district will one day adopt a similar program. I truly believe it would benefit the success of my students. Although without paid access, it was harder for me to use this site.

Through talking with Dr. Fritz and thinking about Jonassen’s readings based on concept maps, I created a concept map-based spelling test. There are 10 words each week and there is always one or two word patterns. As you can see, the student is responsible for writing it by the corresponding rhyming part or other word skill. The students were taken back at first by the format because they had not been exposed to it before. It went VERY well and am eager to try other formats but still use this idea too. I’m interested in seeing if I get any parent feedback once I pass the tests back this week.

Excel in First Grade- Response Blog #2

2009-09-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Spreadsheets in first grade? At first I thought, "What a bogus idea...". Reading "The Spreadsheet- Absolutely Elementary!" by Elizabeth Dudley Holmes opened my eyes to the fact that it can be done and used successfully with first graders. I have had a lot of exposure to MS Excel and consider myself pretty familiar with the layout and functions. My experiences using Excel mostly relate to business courses I had taken in my later years of high school and my early undergraduate work.

Thursday's class was beneficial for me because I was able to play around with the program and create a template that adapted to what I was teaching in the class on Friday. As my math lesson on Friday, I had the students taste applesauce, Red Delicious apples, and apple butter on a cracker. After sampling, I briefly explained to the students (in first grade jargon) the concept of MS Excel and a spreadsheet. Bringing up the "Apple" template on the SMART Board, I demonstrated how the students would come up to enter their own data with the interactive keyboard on the screen. We talked about what a pie graph looked like and how it would change as more data was being entered. The class absolutely loved it! They were able to explain to the pie chart and analyze the change/difference in pieces.

After the lesson, I used the SMART Board's Notebook 10 software to "take a picture" of the Excel sheet. I copied and pasted the "picture" into Paint and saved it as a JPEG file. I uploaded the file onto my class wiki to share with the parents.

I have since forwarded the template to three other teachers in my building that plan on using it this upcoming week. I am so excited and want to begin to think of more Excel opportunities that relate with our curriculum.

Awareness: Digital Technology- Response #1

2009-09-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

Just as I think I’m getting “ahead” of the game…or at least beginning to “get a grip” I am fascinated by another digital theory, idea or tool. Marc Prensky’s keynote speech on “Learning in the 21^st Century” broadened my mind even more so. The statistics he remarked about blew me away, especially the figure that people under the age of 25 have read less than 5,000 hours of books. It is important now more than ever to generate engagement in our classrooms. This is becoming difficult for me because I am becoming more aware that the time for change is now, but simultaneously I am becoming overwhelmed. With limited resources and district support, it is hard to make all of the changes that I want to make at once. I suppose I need to keep in mind that one change at a time is better than no change at all.

Also, the keynote speech and assigned readings by Salmon and Brown sparked my own reflection of my undergraduate core classes. Although, it is important to understand the curriculum materials, which may include using paper/pencil and textbooks, I am disappointed that there was not an educational class dedicated to digital technology or digital learning. I do remember one experience as an undergraduate, we did experiment with the SMART Board for a few days and created a virtual tour for a specific unit. But these activities passed by very quickly and were not the main objective of the course.

Now, here I am, half way through my Master’s program (which I really enjoy) and I am just becoming more aware and analytical of the digital age. This is enlightening because I love the use of technology and want to make positive growth; but is quite frustrating because my undergraduate courses were three years ago and these topics were not emphasized as they should have been! I am hopeful that undergraduate education programs are reforming. The more educators that are exposed to this new thinking will (hopefully) lead to faster change in the classrooms!

Digital Goal

2009-09-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

My digital goal for this class is to set up a classroom wikispace. Although, I do not know how much direct student involvement they will have with the wikispace. But I do want more parent interaction/feedback using the page.

The wiki will have uploaded worksheets, homework assignments, and spelling words. Also, I would like a link to Diigo with a short explanation in hopes to encourage my students' parents to join.

Another addition to the class wiki would be short JING presentations. The presentations would be mini lessons of my voice/computer recordings to guide the student that may be struggling at home with an assignment. In my short teaching experience thus far, I have encountered parents writing notes about how their student was in tears the night before because of an assignment. This is NOT what I want my students to experience! With JING I'll be able to "teach" them at home and hope to prevent their tears and frustration.

Final Thoughts

2008-12-09T16:47:00.000-08:00

After the first night of this course, I went home feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. I could not imagine myself being able to take on all of this new information and utilize new tools that I knew nothing about. But now, as I sit here on our last night I feel much more comfortable and accomplished. I know I still will continue to struggle and learn each day, but I am not as fearful as I once was on the first night of class.

My networking capabilities before this class were restricted to email and Facebook. Now, I am able to network through using Diigo, the Ning, blogging, etc! I think my diversity of networking has skyrocketed in the past 8 weeks and I am so eager to use and become more comfortable with these tools. I am much more connected with other users than before. Connecting with professional bloggers was significant for me because I was not solely relying on connecting with people I have interacted with face to face.

This course has opened my eyes to the new wave of teaching styles. I always knew that integrating technology would enhance learning, but I never knew exactly how or why. Reading our textbook, articles, and others' points of views has really changed my own teaching values and perspectives. I have learned that it is imperative to identify the new skills that our students need to survive in the 21st century and to embrace connecting with peers and others from all over the world!

My only question leaving this class is "what new tool will 'they' come up with next?"

Thank you for all of your patience and guidance! I truly enjoyed this class and will be implementing my new findings very soon. :)

Counting Coins

2008-12-06T17:12:00.001-08:00

For the full version of my Jing Project- please visit my wiki.

Addition/Subtraction Shoot

2008-12-03T18:37:00.001-08:00

Click here for full screen version

Sight Word Generator

2008-12-03T18:14:00.001-08:00

Click here for full screen version

Planning & Implementation- Blog Response #4

2008-12-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

Planning and implementing effective instruction is a difficult task. These simple terms represent a major key to my profession's objectives. Looking back and reflecting on this course, I have learned more about planning and implementation.

I have been subjected to a lot of new tools and ideas that I had never heard of before INSYS 497. Many of these tools (podcasting, blogging, wikispaces, etc) will affect my future planning for my students. I want to implement the new technologies that many students are unaware of in hopes to better prepare them for the world that we live in today. Also, I want to transform my teaching style into a form that supports project based learning and connectivism. It is imperative that I lead my students in making their own decisions and give them opportunities to connect with each other (even with other students across the globe).

It is important for me to continue working with these tools so that I become more comfortable with them. I know that it will take a lot of time and practice before I can consistently implement Web 2.0 tools in my classroom.

Safe practices with Web 2.0- Blog Response #3

2008-11-25T15:27:00.000-08:00

Up to this point in the course, I had not thought too much about online safety with my students. I have directed so much of my attention to exploring these new tools and ways to implement them, I overlooked a major concern: safety.

Reading our text and our Ning have reminded me of the importance of role modeling safe practices when using the internet and its resourceful tools. The first step in using any Web 2.0 tool is notifying and receiving permission from the parents. Many school districts have district-wide rules and forms that have been sent home to the parents that may cover this part. But in talking with colleagues of mine, it is always a good idea to directly inform the parents about what internet tool their students will be using in the classroom. Aside from asking for permission, the letter shows the open communication line that the educator is setting and also keeps parents "in the loop" about what is going on in school.

A second step in safe practices is understanding and using Creative Commons. Before this class, I had never heard of it and the majority of my colleagues are also unfamiliar. As I learn more about Creative Commons, I think it is an important tool in itself before using the data/material as part of another Web 2.0 creation. Taking the time to discuss with the students what Creative Commons was set up for and how to use it properly will only benefit them for years to come. It models respectful ways of how to use others' work without misusing.

One last reflection I had was about Joyce Valenza's post on Fair Use Practices for Media Literacy. Browsing the post and watching its posted video was helpful for me as an educator that had no background knowledge about "fair use" or "media literacy." There is a lot of information and research happening out there and I am anxious to keep digging for more to further my understandings.

Thought Provoking- the future

2008-11-13T16:22:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, I was watching 20/20 or Dateline and the newscaster was doing an hour long segment on a woman named Michelle Rhee. She had become the new chancellor of the Washington public schools. Her platforms were radical and many educators and community members were outraged. Listening to her theories and ideas, I found her to be a passionate and bold leader that is not afraid to start change. I mean think about it- educators and administrators all over the country have new concepts that may benefit the educational world, but it is hard to stand up and act upon it.

My boyfriend sent me this article today about Michelle Rhee. Ironically enough, as I began to read the article I knew exactly when I had heard about her before and her radical ideas. Ms. Rhee has really taken the "bull by its horns" (so to speak) and is implementing an idea that I had never thought anyone would ever try to do- taking away tenure from teachers in hopes to move out the teachers that may have become too comfortable in the classroom.

Please take a minute to check it out. I am interested in seeing what you think.

Outline of Final Project

2008-11-12T15:11:00.000-08:00

I have really been on this podcasting kick and in the next few weeks (after a few more class sessions) I'm sure I'll be on my way to uploading one on my blog.

With that in mind, I really want to create a lesson plan that incorporates a constructivist view of learning and podcasting with my first grade language arts curriculum. Each week my class and I focus on the following during language arts: a new letter/diagraph sound, review or learn two new reading comprehension skills, learn a new grammatical skill, read a new story that incorporates everything, and draft/proofread/edit/publish writing. Least to say, we have a very rigorous program through Harcourt School Publishers.

I am thinking of ways to give my students more choices with their writing and also, have them podcast about something happening in language arts during that particular week. Talking about ideas with Tony last night in class really helped me. My students could read the story on podcast, give the story a review, talk about what kinds of words start/end with the new letter sound/digraph, read their writing or review a peer's writing. With 25 students in my class, I will assign 5 students per week to be able to podcast something that is language arts related.

Research and the Reflective Practitioner- Response Blog #2

2008-11-08T15:00:00.001-08:00

My online exploration this week was different than face to face class because I had the freedom to search areas that fit my level of experience and was able to research at my own pace. With each learning experience, I would begin researching a particular topic that I found to be beneficial to me. The deeper I researched a topic the faster ideas and possibilities ran through my head!

In the first learning experience, I visited various sites from our Chapter 4 reading. The blog that caught my eye the most was The Bull Dog Blog. The variety of labels and mediums created on the blog by students was amazing. I could feel the heart and motivation that went behind the students' creativity and expressions. This specific website was the jumping off point for my own intrinsic motivation to use podcasting with my first graders.

Piggybacking off of my findings from my first learning experience, I decided to look closer into the world of podcasting for the second learning experience. I was overjoyed by the number of podcasts that I found beneficial to me both personally and professionally. At first, I thought to myself how easy it must be to podcast. I assumed it was as easy as uploading a picture onto a website. Wrong! I read through and watched a few tutorials. Using Audacity I recorded a short podcast and I was so excited to hear my recording play back to me!

I am still trying to understand how to publish and upload my podcast. It is not as easy as I had hoped and I am just trying to understand how each component works together (using OurMedia, configuring my blog, and then setting up Feedburner). I hope to post a podcast of my own sooner than later!

Discovering Podcasts

2008-11-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

Similar to my journey into the world of blogging, I am venturing into the discovery of podcasting. I have been familiar with the term "podcast" (just the same with the term "blog") but never took the time to investigate it. I read an entry about podcasting on the Learning 2.0 Program website. I began to explore the podcast directory through iTunes. Being a first time user of the directory, you can imagine my shock and pleasant surprise to find an abundant amount of podcasts in just about every subject/topic I could imagine.

I can not believe I had never utilized this free and simple tool. I subscribed to a podcast about cooking basics for personal use and also looked into subscribing about a PBS podcast for young viewers that emphasized letter sounds and digraphs for my first grade classroom.

I am looking forward to possibly recording and publishing my own podcast for parents and students to hear about class events/feedback.

Social Networking- Response Blog #1

2008-10-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

At first I was unsure of how I wanted to approach this response blog, so I decided to bring it up in conversation with a few friends over dinner tonight. Talking with them helped me form my response because they reminded me of what "social networking" meant when we were younger.

The idea of social networking has changed for me through my years of growing up. As a young adolescent growing up in the mid-90s, Xanga was the new wave for my generation. Looking back on it, I don't think my friends nor did I identify our Xanga sites as "blogging" or "social networking." It was simply an electronic diary- with the opportunity to make our hearts and minds open to the public. We were able to subscribe to each others' sites, post comments, choose to make an entry private or public, search key words or "tags" (another term we were unaware of), and most importantly, socialize and meet other Xanga users that may have lived hundreds of miles away. Thus, we were creating our own social networks at the age of thirteen and probably not realizing it.

Because of our immaturity and young age, there were many dramatic situations aroused from Xanga sites. I can remember reading gossip stories about the school day or students on the majority of the Xanga sites created and maintaned by my fellow adolescent peers. The objective of a Xanga site at such an early age (and without educational direction) was not about building strong social networks or discussing/responding to ideas/theories respectfully.

Now as an adult, creating my own social network has completely changed its meaning. Within the last couple of years, I have been a member on Facebook. I use Facebook to keep in contact with people I have met both personally and professionally through the years. It has become a more beneficial example of a social tool than Xanga was twelve years ago.

I have not had any experience of blogging (since using Xanga at the age of twelve) until this course. The thought of starting a blog as another tool for networking has crossed my mind. However, while reading Carrie's blog, I completely related to feeling nervous about what other bloggers would think of my posts. I am hoping that as the next few weeks go on, I may feel more comfortable with blogging and possibly continue doing it after this course is completed.

First Thoughts

2008-10-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the first face to face session for class. Before meeting I completed the first session online and I was completely overwhelmed. I had always viewed myself as pretty technology savvy, but was blown away by the applications (blogging, wikispace, Ning, etc). As we began to look at and use these applications in class tonight, I became more comfortable. Leaving class, I am extremely excited to learn more about these applications and discover the endless amount of Web 2.0 tools that are still out there for my own personal use, as well as educational use for the classroom.