Journal #8

    

Click on the picture to visit my website!

    The web design assignment was one of my favorite things that we have done in the class.  I enjoyed being able to create something that was informative while making it aesthetically pleasing as well.  I used the website building software from Weebly to build and create my teacher site as it seemed to be the easiest option.  At first, I was overwhelmed by the number of choices that this website gives you to create a website, but once I took the time to watch the tutorial provided in the module and just look through all of the buttons, it was much simpler.  I also enjoyed being able to import photos from my computer, as I used Canva to create all of the backgrounds and link photo covers on my website.  This took a level of stress off of me since I'm already comfortable using this software.  One thing that I did not like about working on this web design assignment was that I had a hard time thinking of information to include, or link to provide in the resource portion of my website.  While this is not a flaw in the assignment, I think that some of this information should be more accessible to not only students like myself, but also teachers and parents.  

    Diigo has been a very useful tool for me as a student in college.  Since it allows me to highlight and create notes, I've been using the skill of reading and analyzing sources critically.  Diigo is very easy to access as a chrome extension so I have been improving this skill every time I use it.  I can use this in the classroom to read and annotate new sources and information that can be incorporated into lessons and materials.  This way I can stay on track, increasing my productivity in the classroom.  Since Diigo also allows for these annotations to be shared with a group, it is useful for group projects.  By uploading sources to the group Diigo, team members can stay organized.  Many of these factors can also be applied to my individual professional pursuits.  The organization and improvement of skills lead to me having a more productive professional life.  

    One site that I can use to stay up to date on educational technology is the online magazine Ed Tech.  This website has a variety of different topics and resources regarding different advancements and critiques on new technology.  There is also a tab that allows for readers to filter the articles that are published in this online article by state.  This way teachers can stay updated not only on national news regarding educational technology but also new information that only pertains to their state, and therefore their classroom.  There are also many filters on the main website that makes it easier for teachers to search for information if they have something specific in mind.  Overall, this website is a very useful tool for many people, especially educators looking to stay up to date.  

On that note, here is my teacher bitmoji! 

Journal #7

    

    While researching different types of teacher websites for Assignment 3, I came across the website titled Two Writing Teachers.   This website has multiple resources that both students, teachers, and parents can use to improve their writing abilities.  It allows these teachers to write about different books to increase student comprehension and writing workshops.  Many of their posts have examples regarding the topics that are being discussed and there is also a page that explains the vocabulary that is frequently used on the site.  They also provided a link to some of their other social media and allow readers to follow the blog through email, therefore expanding their reach.  This is important for students and families who may not always have access to computers but have smartphones and other technology.  

    Once I become a teacher, I feel as though technology will only enhance my abilities in the classroom.  I envision myself using technological software such as Edmodo, the Smartboard website, and my own teacher website.  These will allow me to enhance my communication with my students and their parents.  By being available outside of the classroom through this technology, and using it in the classroom to create a diverse and enriching learning environment, my future students will learn more efficiently.  

    My experience with PBWorks was not a bad as I thought it was going to be.  When I first saw the website, I was very lost and confused.  I believed that I was never going to be able to complete the assignment in an efficient and aesthetic way.  However, after I watched the tutorials provided and researching any questions that I had, I came to enjoy using this website.  It was surprisingly simple once I jumped in headfirst and took the time to figure it out.  What I like about this platform is that it can be used collaboratively, such as with Assignment 2, or by oneself.  I also like the simplicity of it as it makes it easier to complete assignments, without going overboard.  Since it provides many of the same qualities as a more advanced website building software, without an expensive price tag or unnecessary features, it saves time.  On the other hand, there are a few things that I did not like, or found confusing.  The biggest thing was adding pictures in.  It was needlessly difficult as you could not just copy and paste an image.  It would have to be saved to the computer and then inserted.  I also did not like that you couldn't adjust an image as easy as you could on other software.  I could use Wiki in a K-12 class as a teacher webpage, or similar to how it was assigned to the class, as a start to web building.  It is a useful skill to have, as technology continues to change and spread out through classrooms and the workforce.  

Journal #6

 

    My initial experience using Diigo was enjoyable.  I found that after watching the videos explaining how to bookmark and annotate the sources, I was able to use the website to its fullest ability.  I like that it gives me the ability to share interesting and important resources with my peers and in the future my coworkers, as well as being about to highlight and annotate important aspects of what I was reading.  Since it can be downloaded as a Chrome Extension, there is the ease of access.  This way I can remember why the source I was reading was important, and have the power to share this with the click of a button.  What I don't like about Diigo is how the interface looks.  I find it to be old as if it was made in the prehistoric age of the internet.  Since this does not affect the way Diigo is used, it doesn't necessarily bother me, but I wish it was updated. 

    I have been blogging since the beginning of my senior year of high school while I was taking an AICE Media Studies Course.  At the time I found it to be a bit annoying since there were specific rules I had to follow for the class, but this time around I find it to be pleasant.  It allows me to get my feelings out about what I am learning for this class and share my thoughts and opinions on it.  While it's not my favorite thing that we do in this class, I can appreciate taking the time to do a review at the end of the week.  Since I had the previous experience of blogging for my other class, which involved more intensive work, I haven't really learned anything regarding that in this class.  However, in terms of layout, I have learned how to link other websites and images to my own blog.  This adds a layer of personalization that fosters an interest in me since it is my own blog that I am adding to.  

    An interesting Web 2.0 tool that I may use when teaching is Edmodo.  I used to use this while in elementary and middle school, so there is already an air of familiarity with it and I remember being so excited to use it to talk to my teachers and friends from home.  I even used to call it 'Facebook for kids.'  From my research, I found that the software offers diverse ways to communicate, assign tasks, and even tests and quizzes.  Seeing as how I intend to work with students of kindergarten age, I think this would be a very useful tool to be able to contact parents and keep them up to date with assignments and exams so they can connect with the students at home.  

Journal #5

     

    I began using Twitter around eighth grade as a way to connect and talk to my peers.  Since it's not a social media app that doesn't use photos or videos as a form of entertainment, I didn't really find any value in it, so I actually ended up deleting it from my phone for about a year.  When I did come back to it, I came to the realization that it allows you to totally personalize your feed, based on who you follow, so I got a lot more into following people from my school and big comedy accounts.  Now I have three separate accounts that all serve their own purpose.  I have my main account where I interact with my friends from school; a fan account that I use to follow my favorite band and talk to other fans; and now my EME 2040 Twitter that I use to see what my fellow peers are talking about, as well as scrolling through the educational accounts that I follow.  I think that a Twitter account would be helpful in my future career, especially as an educator because it would allow me to see what other teachers are conversing about, stay in touch with technological changes in the education field, and gather resources that could help me in my own classroom.  

    The digital divide is a prevalent issue in today's education system.  While it may be expected that every household has access to technology and the internet, this is a common misconception.  For students, this divide can create many issues when striving for success in school.  If a student lives in a technology-heavy community but does not have access to their own, then they may struggle to complete assignments that are to be done on the computer.  Since they don't have them in their own homes, students may need to go to local libraries or use computers from the school, but there are not always available.  A student who does not face these external issues would have less of an issue turning in an assignment.  Some causes of the digital divide are lack of income, lack of knowledge, and being in a geographically isolated area.  Much of today's tech can cost thousands of dollars which is not feasible for every student or their family.  On top of this, if people don't even know about what kind of technology is coming out nowadays, they have no way of using it.   There are also certain areas in the country that are so isolated from bigger populations, that these issues combine, making technology less of a priority, especially in schools.  As an educator, these are issues I will have to face.  My teaching strategies will reflect my awareness by ensuring that I am creating and assigning work that is doable for my students and taking into consideration any factors outside of school that can affect a student's ability to complete something.  I will be lenient with how assignments are done as long as I know that the children are still learning the lessons.  

    Academic software is an important part of keeping a classroom fun and creative while also being educational.  Two software tools that I plan to use in my future classroom are Schoology and Google Docs.  I would use Schoology to play fun and informative games with my students to practice and review skills learned in class.  I also like that there is a way to assign tasks to individual students, making this an equitable educational tool.  Google Docs would be used more by me in order to create assignments that would be shared with my students to work on in class or as homework.  

    I think that badges are a great idea.  By rewarding students, it encourages them to go the extra mile causing them to dive deeper into assignments and really understand the tasks and lessons.  I also like that we can earn extra tokens, which takes the pressure off of looming deadlines in cases of emergencies.  I have yet to earn a badge, but I will be putting in any ounce of extra effort I have to collect my "gold star."

Journal #4

"National Technology Standards for Students" by tuchodi is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

    Ever since my late middle school years, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher. At first, I didn't really care what grade level I taught as long as I was in a classroom, but as the years passed, I made the decision that my dream grade level is kindergarten. That's why I choose this grade level when looking at the ELA Technology Standards. I assumed that since the children are still so young, there are not as many ways to incorporate technology as there would be in a classroom for older students, and I was correct. The one standard that is listed has the students exploring through a variety of different technological tools for writing purposes in combination with their fellow students, with the help of adults. This just means to foster and create a writing skill using technology that can be built upon as they continue through the school system. I feel as though in this moment of time I would be able to implement this skill in a classroom, but not very effectively. I know of different programs, and I am proficient in the technologies that were listed in the matrix, but I am unsure on how I would actually break down an instructional period to teach it to a room of kindergarteners.  

    Using the CPALMS Educator Toolkit, I found multiple resources that focus on a kindergarten grade level approach to social studies, the subject of my choice. Many of them are lesson plans. The resource that I chose was a lesson plan titled 'Purpose and Particulars: Presidents' which focuses largely on research skills and writing. This plan has the students read through grade appropriate texts to find the similarities and differences and then work both independently and as a class to create a Venn diagram of what they found. Then as a class, they come up with ideas about what they learned in class in order to do an independent writing activity.  I would incorporate this lesson plan in my own classroom as part of a social studies lesson about the presidents, probably in accordance with President's Day, the national holiday. This would focus more on what a president does, and what past presidents did. This seems like a good way to incorporate a real-life event or celebration into an educational setting, with would hopefully add an interest in the students to participate.  

    Being a proficient internet searcher is a powerful tool for any educator. Being able to search efficiently and effectively allows for teachers to find solutions to problems in the classroom, stay up to date with new standards and technology, and find new areas to expand their PLN too.  Personally, out of all the new skills that were introduced this week, I think that the advanced search is the most useful tool, especially for an educator. This is because it allows for a much more specific search, in terms of finding answers that come from more trustworthy sources, as well as being able to filter out answers that are not necessarily associated with the topic one is looking for. Moving forward, I will most likely be using this the most, especially during my college career for papers and other research assignments. Seeing as how many of the skills that were introduced this week are very new to me, I don't really have any Internet searching skills to bring up. Most of my searching comprises of me entering a full question into the search bar and hoping for the best. I will definitely be utilizing these new techniques moving forward!

Journal #3

Copyright and Fair use are very prevalent on the minds of many educators.  In order to understand why these are a big deal, we must know what they really are.  Copyright allows for creators to protect their work from others stealing it and claiming it as their own.  This sets boundries with the general public about how they can use and appriciate other people's creations, however these boundries are not always crystal clear.  Many people may not be certian what constitutes as an infringement on a creator's copyright.  Creative Commons licenses allow for these boundries to be explicit.  However, people are still able to take parts of books and insert images from the internet into their own presentations.  This is where Fair use comes into play.  Fair use allows for people to duplicate other's work, but only with in reason and for non-profit use.  Fair use does not allow for someone to claim a work as their own or copy something and sell it.  With this knowledge, I would make sure to take care about what I am creating, both in terms of making sure to cite my sources, follow fair use guidlines, as well as using Creative Commons licensing for any original work that I can use in my classroom.  In doing so, I am able to share informative or instructional creations with fellow teachers, while staying in control of my copyright.  In terms of my students, I would make sure to approach this conversation in an age appropriate way.  The ages I wish to work with are kindergardeners, so I would make sure that they are thinking outside the box to create original work.  If they do have a form of inspiration, I would have them inform me or include in in whatever it is they are working on.  

While in other classrooms, these technology implementation issues may have a bigger impact, I feel as though many of them would not be as prevelent in my future classroom due to the young age of my future students.  With that being said, I can see a future where lack of funding and decreased productivity can be an issue.  I believe that the biggest obstacle for implementing technology in the classroom would be a lack of funding, due to the fact this this is already an issue many schools nationwide are struggling with.  In my case, I was fortunate to attened a school that had laptop carts so the students could do work online, but other schools are not so lucky.  If I do work at a school where this is a prevalent issue, I would have to have most of my work be on paper.  I don't think this is neccessarly a large issue as it allows for the students to work on fine motor skills, but it does limit the activites that I could use in order to enrich their learning environment.  A solution that I could use, would be to use or purchase my own personal technology and bring it to the school for the students to share under my supervision.  While this is not an idea I am particularly thrilled about, I do think it would be good to do every once and a while to switch things up.  This brings me to the issue of having decreased productivity in the classroom.  Seeing as how I intend to work with small children, this can be a frequent issue for me.  If the students are getting bored and tired of doing similar work, then they lose their drive to be productive.  By implementing technology, such as games, videos, and interactive websites, I am able to be more creative with the lessons and activites we participate in.  It also permits me to have more ease in switching up what we do, since its all in one place.  

Working on the newsletter assignment taught me many new skills with the Microsoft Word software.  I was unaware that there was so much you could do in that program, and seeing as how I enjoy using Google Docs for most of my assignments, there was a sharp learning curve in order for me to gain the skills to complete the newsletter.  A lot of it was just learning where everything was and what the icons meant.  It was an adjustment with having to learn to make the columns and page breaks so that the information I had written down didn't become distorted.  I also had to learn how to create the permission slip from scratch, as well as how to insert an image so that it could be placed freely amoungst the text.  I think I could improve my newsletter by not having it be so wordy, which is a common issue for me.  I also think that I could have included more pictures, but I wasn't sure if I had enough space.  The skills I learned while doing this assignment can be very useful in my future career.  They would be helpful when creating assignments and informative games, so that they are visually stimulating in order to decrease a lack of productivity in my future students. 

                                                                      

Journal #2

    As a student who grew up in a school system that was always trying to keep up with technology, I am very well versed in using Microsoft Word to complete written assignments for my classes.  I was introduced to the program in my later years of elementary school, and by the time I was in middle school, I was using it to write essays for my english classes and to format presentations.  I found it easy to use, but it was a little difficult to complete tasks in a group or to be able to access my work if I didn't bring the computer I wrote it on, or if I forgot my flashdrive at home.  That's why I transitioned to using a different word processing server, Google Docs.   Due to its similar nature to Microsoft Word, it was easy to convert over.  It was much more efficient for what I needed it for, especially because I could retrieve my assignments from any computer or even by using the Google Docs app on my phone.  This especially helped a lot when I had to finish writing essays on the bus on the way to school in the morning.  Even now I still prefer to use this software because I feel confident in my ability to use its features and I enjoy the ease of accessing my assignments without having to carry around a flash drive everywhere.     

    The standard from the ISTE Standards for Educators that stands out the most to me would be the Learner standard.  Even from the basic description of what this standard represents I feel as though this one aligns the most with my personal views of education, as well as my views on technology intermixed with education.  I believe deeply in continuing to expand the realm of 'Learning' from doing 12 years of schooling, and instead feel as though one should always try to learn and gather more information about things that they are passionate about in order to further the understanding and knowledge on said subject.  By educators regularly expanding their PLN and keeping up to date with new and improving technology, they are providing their students with a better opportunity to learn and build skills.  This benefits both the educator and the student as they both acquire more resources and opportunities that they may not have known about before or may not have had the skills to do.

    While the critics of Mark Prensky's idea of digital natives and digital immigrants may have a point in that the words can not be applied liberally, I do feel as though they can be applied to many people and situations in today's age.  I would infer that a majority of today's youth that do have access to technology do not know how to not only navigate it, but utilize it in a way to obtain whatever information they are looking for, due to the access that they had since early childhood.  Thus under the definition of being a 'native speaker', many people my age and younger would be considered digital natives.  I would say that the largest difference between being a digital native and a digital immigrant would be the ease in which a person can use technology, and this has definitely been apparent in my education.  I have had teachers that didn't even know how to pause a video on Youtube, let alone use updated technology to teach more informative, in-depth lessons.  In elementary school, there was a much larger effort to include technology such as through the use of Smart Boards in the classroom, as I got older these efforts began to disappear.  No classrooms in my middle and highschool buildings had these Smart Boards, and my teachers rarely tried to include technology in lessons unless it was using the laptop cart for a day to write essays on.  While I don't think this had a huge effect on my learning experience, I do think that by switching things up every once in a while would have caused me to become more engaged in the lessons being taught.  In terms of me and my future students, I don't believe there will be major differences seeing as how I am a digital native, which allows me grasp newer technologies quicker and easier, but I do think that since children are being introduced to technology at younger and younger ages, this will cause the classrooms to become much more centered around technology.  Newer educational technology may have to accommodate the children's understanding of how technology is used, such as through fun videos and educational games and apps.  Even so, I don't believe that there will be a large gap in the way my future students and I use technology.