Backchanneling with Middle Schoolers

In this article by Michael Mills, backchanneling was used in the classroom as a way for students to discuss their thoughts and important concepts about themes and motives using a secured discussion board website called TodaysMeet. Backchanneling is defined as a streaming conversation-public or private- that you and your students can have while another activity is going on. The article highlights the fact that students are able to share their thoughts and ideas without having to wait to be called on. Due to the fact that the students are under pseudonyms, the students who are shy are able to discuss what they are thinking and also defend and argue their viewpoints. This tool meets the ISTE Standard that requires students to be able to use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. I like that students are able to say what they are thinking and write down the idea before they forget it. It also allows that anonymity from their classmates so that they aren't afraid of what everyone else would say for their opinion. I think this is great for Language Arts and History classes.

Mills, M., (2014). Backchanneling with middle schoolers. Learning & Leading with Technology. 41(4). 30-31.

Beat Time Zone Delays by Collaborating with Classes on Youtube

In this article, Holly Clark explained the trouble she had working out the best time for her class to do video chats with their friends in New Zealand and Australia that they have been blogging with. Instead, she had found a way to incorporate the state standards of students telling autobiographies and video literacy by having the students send each other their videos through their YouTube channel. She incorporated what they were learning about sugar consumption into a series of debate videos between the classes of students. Obviously not every school allows access to YouTube so it is possible to email the videos to each other instead. I like the idea of allowing students to communicate with students in other countries so that students are exposed to different customs and countries. This article relates to the ISTE Standard 1.C: promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify student's conceptual understanding and thinking,planning and creative processes. Can you think of other ways that these collaboration videos can be utilized in the classroom?

Clark,H., (2014).  Beat time zone delays by collaborating with classes on youtube. Learning & Leading with Technology, 41(5), 32.
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10 ways to Engage Students with Cellphones in the Classroom

In the article 10 Ways to Engage Students with Cellphones in the Classroom shows teachers how to get their students to participate while using their cellphones. Some suggestions include an online response system to questions using websites such as polleverywhere.com and incorporating vocabulary lessons by having students take pictures of an item that represents a vocabulary word. Another example provided is the ability to record for projects or lectures. This can be helpful for those who are impaired or have disabilities and work with their learning style. The article notes that a set parameter must be used in order to have boundaries on when cell phones can be used but argues that because children of this generation have not known a life where technology has not been available to them, that it would be in their best benefit if they were allowed to use technology that is familiar to them. I am skeptical of the efficiency of this tactic however I feel that a big factor is maturity and respect for boundaries and guidelines. I know in previous experience that it was nice to be able to use my phone in class in order to record lectures, take notes, or look up information. However, it would be very easy to get off task. I think that like most things, there is a set time and place to use the technology and that rules are definitely necessary to determine when is the appropriate time to use your device. I know that not everyone has a smart phone but in this case, teachers can have students work together in groups or even use other devices such as laptops or ipads or computers in order to utilize technology in the classroom.

LaPrairie, K. & Nickson, L.M. (2013). 10 ways to engage students with cellphones in the classroom.  Learning & Leading with Technology,40(7), 36.

Assistive Technology

In the video for Assistive technology, it talks about different learning styles of students and how teachers can have a difficult time approaching their curriculum in a diverse classroom. The video talks about the term Universal Design for Learning, which is defined as "an approach to curriculum that minimizes barriers and maximizes learning for all students". Universal Design for Learning talks about three approaches; representation, action and expression, and engagement. Representation is when a teacher can present their lesson with various types of  media such as animations, making it easier on their students to understand. Action and expression is for the students to express what they know in models, feedback, and supports. The final approach is engagement which is where students indicate their interests. The article, Build An Assistive Technology Toolkit, talks about different programs available on both Mac and PC computers as well as online sources that can be used to assist different learning styles. Examples of these programs include text to speech programs for the visually impaired and on screen keyboards for those who have difficulty using a regular keyboard. I think that it is important for teachers to know what technology is available to them in order to help their students succeed while supporting their learning styles. Everyone learns differently and we have the technology to help the students, we just need to understand how to utilize these programs. This is all very good for inclusive learning and teaching especially for students with disabilities. 






Ahrens, K. (2011). Build an assistive technology toolkit. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(3), 22-24 

PLN Reflection

1.       For RSS feeds, I use http://feedly.com/. The resources I subscribe to are educational such as: Voice of San Diego » Education, TED Education, and Education. I use these feeds in order to stay updated on what is going on in the educational world in both my town and in the country. I can stay updated on new policies, research, and tips. Another RSS feed that I follow is called "Well". I use this because I need to stay updated on information on wellness of children, especially if I am going to spend the rest of my life teaching them. I need to understand how their minds and bodies work so that I can effectively teach them using various strategies. Not only does this resource include helpful tips for eating healthier, but it also includes information on how to increase brain activity in children and other articles like effective learning methods. The final resource type that I follow is technology.  Technology is rapidly developing and being integrated into the classrooms more often. Through these feeds, I can stay updated on new technology coming in and think about how I can use this in my classroom.

2.       Personally I use twitter to stay updated on my favorite artists, musicians, and actors. However thanks to this class, I have now begun to use twitter to help me stay updated on what's going on in my city and in education. I am currently following a couple of my classmates on twitter along with 10 different education pages and two newspaper accounts. Like I said, I use these to stay updated on current events and even funny anecdotes from teachers, parents, etc. I don't really follow any discussion hashtags but every now and then I will search for discussions with the hashtag education. I have learned a lot from these discussions. I have learned how to improve study skills, helpful tips for time management, better ways to learn, and even apps that were recommended by other teachers to use in the classroom. I honestly only tweeted once and there was no response to it. 

3.       I use Diigo as a networking and learning tool. I follow my classmates so that I can network with them and build a working relationship with them. I know that I will be in a lot of classes with them because we are all a part of the ICP program so I follow them to keep updated on any finding they have. I have learned from them different websites that can be used for education purposes in the classroom. They have also showed me different apps and websites that are good for teaching. I like that Diigo makes it really easy to keep all the websites that I find interesting all in one place.

4.  The ning site that I chose to explore was The Educator's PLN: The personal learning network for educators. As stated by the website, the purpose of this ning site is “dedicated to the support of a Personal Learning Network for Educators”. The article that I explored is titled “Equity between schools in the same district”. This article was all about finding a way to get money and resources to all the schools in a district, whether poor or magnet. It did not occur to me that just because a two schools are in the same district, doesn’t mean that they share the same socioeconomic status. They don’t always get the same funds nor have the same resources available that the other does. A good point that this article brought up was how the government expects the same results from every school without providing the same resources. Having students test online when they rarely even get to use a computer because of lack of parent support and school resources and expecting them to succeed is unrealistic.

5.     My overall experience was ok. I liked exploring new websites and finding things that I liked and did not like. Twitter can be a good social networking tool if you use it frequently and share your ideas. It is easy to find other accounts that you might find interesting but I feel like when you start following multiple people, your feed gets too crowded because of all the re-tweets. I like that with a lot of the website we explored, I was able to search for general topics and that the layouts were clean and easy to navigate. I felt that some of the websites were more useful than others at this point in my life. My PLN experience can help me as a teacher if I use these sites for everything that they offer. As a teacher, I can follow, read, and learn from people who share their life experiences or methods that they have found to be effective. I can also stay updated on upcoming education legislation and research as well.  

Hello? Are Your Students Communicating Appropriately?

The article, “Hello? Are Your Students Communicating Appropriately?” by Thomas Clark is all about making sure that your student has the proper etiquette for phone and email. The article lists the do’s and do not’s when contacting a teacher and helpful tips. These tips include identifying yourself, planning your messages ahead of time, being concise, and to also show respect. The author even provides an example of a student sending an email and a voicemail to their teacher in a professional manner. The author also stresses the importance of helping students “learn the importance of leaving messages that are clear, concise, and respectful” (Clark, 2009). In a day and age where we are all about getting our message out quickly with as little typing as possible, we need to teach kids how to construct a complete thought. Professionalism is very important, especially if you are contacting an adult such as your teacher, future employer, or some other formal contact. By following these three items, you can ensure that your contact understands what you are trying to say because you explained  your ideas. Nowadays there are so many verbal shortcuts that we have learned over the years from instant messaging and texting. These abbreviations have even found their way into our everyday conversations and vocabulary.  This article relates to the digital citizenship category of the NETS-S standards. It also relates to the communication standard of the NETS-S. By teaching kids to prepare their thoughts, they are able to effectively communicate their ideas clearly. By teaching kids to be polite and respectful when they are communicating with others, we are teaching them digital citizenship. Is this something that a teacher should focus on? Or is this a topic that parents can teach their children effectively without influence from the teachers?

References

Clark, T. (2009). Hello? Are your students communicating appropriately?. Learning & Leading with Technology. 34.

Kidblog Offers Safe and Simple Interface

The article, Kidblog Offers Safe and Simple Interface by Scott Meech, talks about a website called Kidblog. The website is a way for young students to communicate their ideas in a safe, clean, and simple environment. This website allows for privacy among the students and most importantly, does not collect any personal information from the students or teachers. Not only is the interface easy for a kid to use, but it is also easy to train teachers how to use the website. According to the article, a class of third grade students was able to learn how to blog within two thirty minute class periods. This website is good for kids because it allows them to begin to use technology in a way that is simple to understand. By having a simple website like this, students will not be distracted by all the different tools on the website and can focus on expressing their thoughts like we are doing with our blogs in this class. The ideas in this article express the NETS-S of both creativity and innovation, and communication and collaboration. Through their blogs, children are applying existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. They are also creating original works as a means of personal or group expression with their blogs through personal thoughts and use of pictures and videos. By using the blogs, students can interact, collaborate, publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. By being able to add videos and pictures, students can also communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. At what age is it appropriate to start letting children blog and should this method be encouraged in the classroom? Is our progression into technology at such an early age negatively impacting their penmanship?

Meech, S. (2010). Kidblog offers safe and simple interface. Learning & Leading with Technology, p. 38.