CEDO 555 Blog #2 - Building My Portfolio

Building a portfolio is a very important task and one that requires much thought and planning. One must also consider the purpose and desired outcome of the presentation of a professional portfolio. What should the portfolio say about the person it represents, I have reviewed several online portfolios for other educators and have been impressed by how well they seem to represent their creators. They incorporate sections that give insight into educational coursework, professional experiences, accolades and philosophies of the educator. I am still at the beginning and planning stages of my electronic portfolio, however, I did see some segments that I would like to include in my portfolio. Still a work in progress, let’s see what I am able to build, what will my portfolio will say to those who view it.

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Some events occur by happenstance, others are divine intervention. I explain my career as a teacher, as divine intervention. Before I became a teacher I searched for a career that would hold meaning for me and help me to feel good about what I did everyday for a living. I had worked in several other professions before I becoming an educator, although ,at times, I felt and was considered to be very accomplished none of those jobs have been as satisfying as teaching. The time I spend working late (very, very, very late many times), the time I spend in meetings reviewing test scores or planning for better student instruction, the time I spend in trainings and in-services all are worth it when I remember how it can impact my students’ achievement.

"A master can tell you what he expects of you. A teacher, though, awakens your own expectations." ~Patricia Neal

Working with children and adult learners has offered many memories and experiences that have allowed me to observe the growth of others and myself. Evidence of this has been a collection of lesson plans, student work as well as my own. During the process of my earning my teacher license I built a physical professional teaching portfolio centered around the Wisconsin teaching standards. In the portfolio I included the best work of my students and myself. Now as I prepare to build a portfolio again many years later, I feel that this portfolio should be a culmination of my work as a teacher and me as a person. Oftentimes I feel that who I am as a person is reflected in my work in my classroom.

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” William Arthur Ward

This is what I hope my portfolio demonstrates, the work and efforts of a great teacher and the work and efforts of great students. Everyday I feel inspired by my students and many days it is that inspiration that pushes me to keep working when I am feeling overwhelmed and discouraged by politics or just plain tired. I hope that I am able to include evidence in this portfolio that will reflect the mutually inspiring relationship between my students and myself.

CEDO 555 Blog #1-Reflections of Learning

Wow! I can hardly believe it is time to begin preparing for the end of this journey. It has been a long and short road to this point, but one that I have thoroughly enjoyed. When I reflect on my time as a graduate student in this program, my initial purpose for entering the program comes to mind. I was seeking to become a more effective educator, to become a better teacher for the students I have the privilege of working with in my classroom. I had no idea how fast the time would pass, how much I did not know about technology and how much I would learn. I wanted to improve the ways in which I incorporated technology into my lesson, but I learned so much more.

What challenges have I faced during my courses of study? There have been many, but I prefer to look at them as adventures. One of the first for me was learning to navigate the various LMS used by my instructors. I had trouble adjusting to having everything from the syllabus to rubrics and assignments being posted online and having to access them using the LMS. By the time I mastered, or semi-mastered, one system the current class was over and it was time to learn to navigate another one. I quickly learned that I preferred some over others and dreaded revisiting those that had made my nights of studying complicated and anxious. What I learned from those experiences is to be flexible in my planning as a student and teacher.

I have also experienced some true triumphs that have already helped reshape the practices in my classroom. In addition to discovering new technologies that I had not known about before this program, I also learned how to determine the best uses for these technologies and when it is appropriate to use technology. Many educators believe that using technology in the classrooms enhances the lessons taught, I agree, but the focus of the lesson must be the content and not the technology.

Learning for me this last past year or so has been filled with much confidence building, enriching activities, making new educator friends found in my cohort and developing a network of knowledgeable mentors through my instructors. Filling my technology toolbox has also been a thrill as I tested and tried many learning technologies to use with students and other teachers. Tools for social bookmarking, tools for collaboration and tools for establishing social and professional networks have been some of the best finds for me along the way.

As I move forward and begin compiling my portfolio, I know the work and time spent will be intense and bittersweet.

CEDo 55o Blog #4-Successes and Difficulties

While working on this module I had success/difficulty while doing something new involving creating authentic assessments. I have always been pleased as a student when my teachers provide me with constructive feedback and suggestions for improving my skills. However, this has been something I have had struggles with doing this myself.

What I have observed during my studies in this program and in this class is that the instructors’ focus for grading is strictly the skill the particular assignments are assessing. They do provide suggestions and comments, however, they outline the specific criteria for success in the rubric as the guide to meet objectives. I am learning to do the same thing for my students as a way to simplify what they need to do to successfully complete assignments. This also helps them determine for themselves whether or not they have met the learning objectives.

If I were able to identify my biggest success in this course, it would be having the opportunity to revisit lessons I have previously taught and revising them to be more student centered and creating differentiation in assessments. I have now taken on the mission of revamping my plans for how I will conduct and assess my lesson during the second half of the school year. I am really excited. Stay tuned for more developments and success stories.

See what I have been reading: 1, 2, 3 and more.

CED0 550 -#3 What Would be my challenge

Time Management –
I often think about teaching online and what it would be like. Would I be successful? Who would be my students and what format would I choose? One of the things I think would challenge me most would be time management. Currently, I am teaching in a 7/8 split face to face classroom and time management is an issue because I am teaching all subjects. Naturally, this would be a concern for me if I were to teach online.

Providing feedback

I know the importance of constructive, useful and timely feedback but even now doing this is has been difficult. I have sacrificed times of celebration, visiting and simply relaxing and enjoying one another to grade papers or tests. If I were an instructor online, I believe the sacrifice would be just as great. Students online look for instant feedback and sometimes may require extended time outside of regular classroom hours. This is something I haven’t quite figured out how I would manage this type of commitment.

CED0 550 - #2 Structuring My Online Learning Tools to Meet the Needs of My Learners

When thinking about the online learning tools I would feel comfortable using with those that I instruct, I have to take into consideration the issues of access. For my middle grade students, most of them have no computer access outside of our face – to –face classroom. Meeting their needs would mean structuring a format that would be flexible in how they receive instructional resources and submit assignments. The format for this would need to be asynchronous, not requiring the students to be online at the same time. Two asynchronous online learning tools that I believe would be most appropriate for the learners I work with are the discussion boards and e-mail. For another segment of the learners I work with, who do have computer access outside of the classroom synchronous tools may also be very useful for them. With these learners I would use videoconferencing, chats with a possible structure for blended learning, offering those who would like to meet in a face to face environment as well a place to come together for “labs” or hands-on.

To make the best of both worlds work for my learners I would include virtual tours, videos and narrated slide shows as part of the activities to keep participants engaged. A tool that I am learning to use is Audacity, a tool that can be used to record voice narration or music. Additionally, tools such as Voice Thread or Slideshare to present information to participants, but I would also teach them how to use these tools t create their own product.

To ensure that my students would be able to access and have the full benefit of these tools, I would include some pre-class tasks for participants to complete in my initial contact. In reviewing, the initial contact that I have created in the past, this was something I had never thought to do.

CED0 550 Week 1 My New Adventures in Online Learning

This week I started a new adventure in as my cohort and I met for the first session of our new class, Online Facilitation - Taming the World of Online Learning. We started conversations using a platform named Brainhoney (I love that name), took a Gallery tour to explore a collection of online resources and read articles to increase our knowledge of online learning. Learning for me has always been an adventure, full of wonder, excitement, peril and resolve. I am finding that online learning is not different in that regard. Every time a new journey of exploration and discovery greets me at my door, it is an adventure for me and I know that I will have a good story to tell at the end.

This week I was asked to relate the examples of online learning to my own experience. My own experiences with online learning and knowledge of the subject before this program was very limited, I know this now. I did not realize how many states and districts are actually utilizing online instruction as a part of their curriculum. I have used online activities and assignments with my students, but this has not consistent or to the degree that I learning can be done. As we continued our discussion this week, I had so many questions about the implementation of on-line education; many were answered when I read the report, Keeping Pace with K-12 Online: a review of State Level Policy and Practice. Questions I had about those who make up the population of students enrolled in online learning programs. Districts have populations in their online programs that somewhat mirrors their population of face-to-face learners.

I really enjoyed the Brainhoney system, unlike when I have used PB Works, I didn’t have any problems navigating this course management system and utilizing the discussion boards. I was able to create new post, edit, reply to post and read the posts of others quite easily. For the tasks I was required to do this week, I was able to navigate it with some ease. I also had the opportunity to experiment with Elluminate, I had a ball testing out the tools and sharing funny moments with my classmates. This introduction to the tools of Elluminate went smoothly. I have even told some of my co-workers about the Three for Free as a way for us to collaborate and do some professional development.

I can imagine using Elluminate Live! for a web conference in order to meet and collaborate with my co-workers, work in small groups with my students who are at home sick or need extra help, hold a discussions groups with other educators across the country and have a reunion with my cohort after graduation.

I often think of myself as a constant learner and someone who is curious about new things. Something new I tried while working on this module was the tools on Elluminate and it made me think that I could really use this tool with my co-workers and students. One of my co-workers really wants to plan together but cannot stay after work for very long, this would be an excellent way to work with her so that she can plan with me and we could support each other. As the instructional technology leader for my building, I can also use this tool to provide support teachers learning to use new tools to incorporate in their lessons. Wow … this is exciting for me, co-workers and students. Stay tuned for next week’s story of my learning adventures…I getting my sea legs and it feels great.

Week 6 CEDo 540 – Whew! It’s a Wrap…Identifying and Evaluating Major Data Resources on the Internet

It is hard for me to believe to believe that I actually survived any class dealing with statistics, but I did and I am very thankful. What have I learned over the last six weeks? I have learned how to create survey tools to collect data, review and analyze data, compare data and make decisions based on the data I collect. Of the tools I have gained the one I will use first in my current position is that creating my own survey tool. I plan to use it with my students to create survey of my own to gather data about how they feel about our learning environment.

This class has been an interesting class and somewhat of a challenge for me because of the topic itself. My background with statistics was not favorable in the beginning but this class has helped me to view working with them in a more favorable light. I think the key was seeing them as something tangible that flows throughout the real world daily. Creating a plan before conducting surveys can ensure that I receive useful information from respondents and the specific data I need to collect.

Finally, I was able to build a collection of resources in this course that I know will help me at some point in time. If I do not use these tools for myself, I believe that I can share them and use to share with my colleagues.

Week 5 CEDo 540 Trends in Searching in the World of Google

This week I entered into another fascinating province in the world of Google, that place was Google Trends. I am amazed at how the Google team continues to think of reasons not to leave their universe and how creative they are in bringing the newest twist and turn to searching online. Before I enrolled in the MEIT graduate program searching online for me was very basic, extremely basic. I did not understand databases as they related to searching online. I did not use any specific search engine to locate information, I simply typed in a topic and waited to see what the results yielded.

Now, I have learned so much more about effective searches and the ranking of results yielded in a search. I am really enjoying learning more about Google product, especially because they are free. After exploring Google Trends and Google Insights for Search, I found them to be enlightening. However, I am not sure how I would be able to use them in my current position. This tool I believe would be very helpful for businesses or others who need to do market research of some sort before making decisions.

Will I ever use Google Trends or Google Insights for Search? I am not sure, it is possible. It did allow me to see what were some hot topics and what were not. I may not always be working in the capacity I currently do and I may one day need services such as those. I do have a new resource to tuck away in case I need it.

CEDo Week 4 Bill Tancer…Why it matters

This week I was introduced to Bill Tancer and I enjoyed spending time with him and have to that it was enlightening. What I found is that I may actually enjoy interpreting data if I have a better understanding of the data I am looking at. The description of trends in how data is being used and the new methods of some companies are using to collect it was intriguing. Proms dresses in January or at least that’s what the data was showing. I never knew what drove some companies to start their campaign for advertising certain products so much earlier than the actual season.

Bill Tancer described the importance of paying attention to the habits or online activities as a means to forecast the current state of spending or other behaviors of online. He described the many reasons for analyzing data and the “secret” strategy of businesses tracking the viewing or online patterns of their current customers when they viewed websites online. He explained the online of habits of the wealthier investors who chose to take part in more recreational online activities when they began to loose money from their investment portfolios.

As interesting as I found his discussion, I found it equally as disturbing. This adds to my concerns about internet security and how there seems to always be a way for those who want to monitor or “spy” on people via the internet. There was a story in the news a few weeks ago about parents who were concerned about advertisers targeting their children with advertisements with diet products based on the companies tracking their visits to various websites. The parents’ fear is that the advertisers or some other predatory entities will have access to their children, making them targets or enticing them into harmful behaviors.

The bottom line is that we live in a data driven society, this introduction to Bill Tancer let me with thoughts about how we get it and how we use.

CEDo Week 3 - How to Create a Survey that Works…Is that possible?

In spite of my reluctance to willingly participate in surveys, as someone with some business experience I do recognize they can be useful. Any business owner worth their weight in money wants to put the needs of their customers as a high priority or they will not be in business long. Many companies have learned that guessing about what their clients and customers want is not always effective. So what do they do? They hire a team of researchers, pay them to get in the trenches and find out what is on the minds of their customers and sometimes even more importantly, who are their customers.

To meet this objective the team has to know how to combine their product knowledge with their knowledge of how to reach the people they need to hear from. In the article, Designing Customer Surveys that Work, the authors – Richard E. Zimmermann, Linda Steinmann and Vince Schueler gave some suggestions on how to do this effectively. One of the first things they suggest doing is to keep in mind what your goals and objectives are. Those creating the survey must have a plan for what they are going to do with the data they collect – what is the point of the survey?

They also suggested some other things to consider for making a survey effective. I found the information in this article to be very helpful. It gave me some parameters to use when planning my next survey, but also some questions I may pose to the next group who asks me to participate in a survey. Additionally, it changed my mind about some perceptions I had about the process of surveying… sometimes there actually is a point and if people know the point maybe they won’t mind answering a few well crafted and purposeful questions.

CEDo 540 Week 2 - Surveys, polls and more…

Wow, I never thought that surveys were a fun or exciting way to spend my time. I hate to admit it (the honest person that I am… I really have to), but I am not always nice when it comes to taking surveys. When I get the phone call asking me to complete a survey, it’s never a good time. If they ask when if there is a better time to call, I secretly think, “hmmm…no.” When I get one in the mail, I throw them away. When I get trapped into taking one during a staff meeting, it feels like pulling my teeth, so I fight back by taking so long to do it that I hope they forget it. If a pop up request intrudes on my valuable time on the internet when I perusing a website, I simply close the window and continue minding my own business.

You want to know another secret? I use to be a phone surveyor in a previous occupation and I love putting together surveys for others. Shhh…don’t tell anyone. What I learned this week is that there are various tools for creating surveys and ways to make them more interesting, easier to take and more meaningful for the respondents. I also learned that completed surveys can yield important and very valuable data that can help me and others. I learned that even though participation in a survey may be optional, maybe I should choose more carefully which ones I skip out on.

After researching free online survey creator tools and visiting a site which acts as a database for software I found some real gems like Lime Survey, Kwik Survey, SurveyGizmo and Fluid Surveys. These creator tools were fun to use and offered ways to make the surveys I create more innovative and attention grabbers with the options of personal touches. I am so excited about sharing what I have learned in this program with others, sometimes I want to create a survey and ask people in my sphere what they want to learn about first. Hmmm… I think I will do that now.

CEDO 540 What are Statistics to me?

For me the very word “statistics” conjures up memories of math classes gone wrong. A twist of complicated formulas to figure out things I didn’t necessarily think I needed to know. This week in class helped to put a friendlier face on the word. It helped me to understand that statistics is just another way identifying data, something I deal with almost every day.

How do I use data in my classroom? I use it to measure the learning trends of the students in my classroom after quarterly district assessments. I use the data provided from the WKCE assessment to plan for instruction for the upcoming school year. Do I always understand the other data or statistics I am confronted with in the course of my daily work or personal life? Of course not, but it is my hope that this class will help me not fear working with statistics as much as I do now.

Facing the reality of how important understanding and using statistics can be for an educator is something that I know I will have to do. The very first video we watched in our class about statistics did a great job of demonstrating their real world application and making the study of them seem more manageable. It gave me a view of how and why data is collected for use in many walks of life and put a face and real purpose to the term. Scary or not, statistics are useful and many times needed to make sense of what is happening in the world.

Week 5-CEDO 535 Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts

This week we looked at how social networking sites can be used in the classroom. I have to say that before reading the classroom text, I was adamantly opposed to "connecting" with my students via any of these methods. My fear was exposing them to online dangers and not being able to monitor and protect them. However, I have softened this viewpoint some.

What I have learned is that there ways to secure and protect the interactions I have with my students using networks like Facebook. I also learned more about the use of Ning as an alternative to Facebook. Being able to create layers to the Facebook account created for classroom use is an attractive option. Ning, however, would give me more control over who can actually participate and how much they participate. Will I use it for my classroom? I am not sure. I already have plans for the Google class page and to expand the use of my virtual classroom on Moodle.

It would be interesting to create a Facebook site for the staff at our building and see how many of the staff would use it and participate in using it. I would this as a way encouraging them to expand and be creative in their embracing social networking as part of their personal learning.

Week 4 CEDo 535 Blogs, Wikis and Podcast

At the end of the day in school buildings across the world, teachers will gather together to debrief each other and share news of the days successes or challenges. They will plan, share ideas and collaborate on projects with a passion that emulates that of students on their way to a field trip. This is the scene in education world 19--. Fast forward to the year 20-- and the same scene plays out on the world wide web and social webbing is the forum.

The Social Web is a way for me to be connected in what seems to be an infinite way to others who share the same or at least similar interests as me. Twitter, Face book and some of the other social networking sites as something purely recreational. I viewed Google as only a tool for searching for information. Now, I can see how using these tools can help me connect to other educators or those who help educators to get ideas for what I carry out in my classroom. An example of this would be asking others if they have resources they could share for the new instructional design being implemented by my school district. Another example of this would be getting updates or providing updates for news that directly impacts our profession.

What really excited me is the new uses I am learning about for Google. Before using Google Docs in this program, I had no idea that Google would allow others to work together simultaneously on projects. The most recent discovery for me is the ability to create a classroom page to update parents and students about the news in our classroom. How will I use what I have learned? I am still counting the ways... but first I will use it as a resource for parents and students. My hope is that my colleagues will join me.

Week 3 CEDo 535 - Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts

Well, it has been a while since my last post and the time has been a whirl wind of activities. As I reflected on the tools we have learned about and discussed for this week, I wondered how they would really fit into the new curriculum and instructional design our district is currently implementing. I was hurried through what should have been possibly a week's worth of professional development in one day, then hurried to make adjustments to a new model of instruction and new textbook adoption at the same (did I mention it was only a few days before my new class arrived ready to learn and expecting me to be ready to teach?) This was hardly how I expected my new school year to begin, but like most educators, I had to do everything possible to be ready.

I survived the attack by PowerPoint with only a few injuries and bruises from the infinite amount of bullet points marking paragraphs of statistics and graphs I could barely read. I survived to find that this new textbook adoption supports the very ideologies we have been discussing in our program. To my delight, one of the teacher resources even mentions having students blog as a method of active engagement and fostering communication and collaboration between teacher, student and parents. I love that!

As I worked through this weeks assignments, I was able to make connections with the video Education 2050, as it discussed the ways the current system of education must change to support the new generations of learners. I could really identify with the concept of teachers "unlearning" what we have been doing for decades because most of my struggles to get ready for my new class of seventh and eighth graders came from my having to retrain myself on how to instruct while differentiating instruction.

The other tool which we learned about was Google sites for educators and the possiblities (also check this out). I was very impressed with the testimonials and case studies I reviewed about the successes in the elementary school setting. As the school year progresses and I find my new rhythm in my new modernized classroom, I do plan on sharing Google products with my co-workers, students and their parents. It is my hope that I can use these tools to help foster a great learning environment for my students, bridge the achievement gaps they are caught in and keep them motivated and as excited about learning as I am about teaching.

CEDO 535 - WEEK 2 BLOGS, WIKIS AND PODCASTS

THIS WEEK AFTER READING THE ASSIGNED READINGS, PARTICULARLY ABOUT THINKING CREATIVELY, I FELT AN INSTANT CASE OF NERVES. I KNOW THAT CREATIVITY AND TEACHING GO HAND IN HAND, BUT BEGAN TO REALIZE THAT I SECRETLY FEARED THAT I HAVE LOST IT. I AM SLOWLY STARTING TO PANIC BECAUSE IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS I WILL HAVE BRAND NEW SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS SITTING AT DESKS, WAITING FOR ME TO ENGAGE THEM AND I REALLY THINK THAT I AM SCARED.

WHAT IF IN ALL THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF TEST PREPPING, AND LEAVING NO CHILD BEHIND, I HAVE REALLY LOST MY CREATIVITY? WHAT IF I CAN NOT FROM MY LEFT OR RIGHT BRAIN GET A GRIP ON HOW TO GET THEM AS EXCITED AS I WANT THEM TO BE ABOUT LEARNING WHILE INFUSING TECHNOLOGY INTO MY INSTRUCTION. I READ ABOUT THE CREATIVE WAYS OTHER EDUCATORS ARE USING TECHNOLOGY AND ADMIRE THEIR INNOVATION. THEM SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES INSPIRES ME AND TRIGGERS IDEAS OF MY OWN. I GET EXCITED AND ENTHUSED, BUT THEN THAT LITTLE VOICE IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD SAYS, “HOW CAN YOU DO THAT WHEN YOU HAVE TO COVER ALL OF THIS INFORMATION AND GET THEM READY FOR THE WKCE AND BENCHMARKS? HOW CAN YOU FOLLOW THE DISTRICT AND STATE’S MANDATES AND STILL HAVE YOUR STUDENTS BLOGGING, CREATING WIKIS? HOW DOES PODCASTING FIT INTO YOUR CURRICULUM? GET REAL, GIRLFRIEND! CAN YOU REALLY DO ALL OF THAT?”

MY ANSWER:
“YES I CAN! I DON’T KNOW EXACTLY HOW I’M GOING TO DO IT, BUT I AM GOING TO DO IT SO JUST STAY TUNED.”

MY PLAN:
• CREATE A CLASS BLOG THAT MY STUDENTS, THEIR PARENTS AND MY COLLEAGUES CAN FOLLOW AND COMMENT ON. I WILL POST MY SYLLABUS ON IT AND GIVE UPDATES ON WHAT WE ARE DOING AND EXPERIENCING AS A CLASS.
• SELECT STUDENTS WHO HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE ABILITY TO BEHAVE RESPONSIBLY ONLINE TO HELP MAINTAIN THE CLASS BLOG AND POSSIBLY CREATE THEIR OWN.

MY GOAL:
• HAVE STUDENTS CONTRIBUTING TO THE CLASS BLOG OR THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL BLOG AND HAVE STUDENTS ADD TO A WIKI THAT I STARTED BY THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND QUARTER OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
• HAVE PARENTS GO TO MY BLOG TO STAY INFORMED ABOUT WHAT WE ARE DOING IN CLASS AND GIVE SUGGESTIONS FOR RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS, OTHER PARENTS AND TEACHERS.

SO I TELL THAT LITTLE VOICE IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD TO TAKE A HIKE AND WATCH ME HELP MY STUDENT SHINE USING AND INFUSING TECHNOLOGY WHEN I CAN.

CEDO 535 Week I - What we discussed this week that I can apply in my school job and how I might use it

This week's class was eye opening and exciting as we discussed the development of technology tools and how they are used at large and their impact on education. We looked at blogging as a tool for collaboration among our students and light bulbs were flashing on everywhere. I have to admit that before entering this graduate program, things like blogging, tweeting, facebook, etc. were not of importantance to me. I gave them very little thought or time. I actually thought they were not relevant to me and what I did on a daily basis. Of course, now I feel very diffently.

Now that I am required to blog weekly, I find myself looking forward to it. This is because it provides me a vehicle to share my thoughts, not just with those who know and love me and dote on my every word. Blogging allows me to share my thoughts and idealogy with the masses, with people who agree with or differ from my point of view. It also allows me to get back in touch with something I have been missing for the last few years...writing about my perspective and getting feedback from others.

Seeing blogging as a valuable tool and the impact it is having on me as an educator, I can not in good conscience rob my students of this joy. How will I use this as a tool in my classroom and in my school? I am going to make blogging a part of the curriculum for my seventh and eigth graders to write about their service learning projects. I will also share my blogs with my students and colleagues as a model for responsible internet behavior and discussion of issues.

I believe that once my students see their writings posted and others besides myself are responding to their writing they will be inspired. I believe they will also get an enjoyment and boost to their self-esteem that will be immeasurable, resulting in their increase desire to write. With the increase desire to write, I hope to see improved writing. As I prepare to return to school, I will spend my time investigating the safest platforms to use with them and get prepared to read some mind changing posts from some of the most incredibly gifted groups of young people the world has yet to meet.

Digital Stoy Telling Week 5...

This week I celebrated my birthday, the end of another school year and the graduation of one of my cousins from high school. In the midst of all these significant moments what stood out the most to me is how much I am enjoying the simpler moments in my life. What was evident when I stopped to reflect on every special day of this week, was the empty spaces.

The celebration of my birthday, as joyous as it was had an empty space...one of my uncles who passed away last year was missing. On the last day of school several of my colleagues were missing because they have been laid off beacuse of budget cuts. The garduation of my cousin left an empty space where the little girl I used have tea parties for had disappeared and has now become a young woman.

Even with all of these empty spaces I would not change or add anything to fill them back up, because things happen as they should and when they should. Such is the cycle of life, a lesson one could miss about the simpler side of life. How will these reflection affect my practices in the classroom?

Hara Hachi bu, quite simply. As years go by, I have gained an appreciation for keeping thing simple including my presentation style. I am going to present information differently...and reach more people because of that.

Digital Story Telling...Week 4

As I continue through this class, I enjoy learning more everyweek as my classmates and I are introduced to new tools and valuable books, learning material. What I am enjoying most is that we are being provided with opportunities to create and share projects that we can use in our classrooms to enhance our student instruction. Learning about ideaology that can change the way we teach and learn, but more importantly change the way our students learn and share knowledge. I have been very pleased with text selections for this course, Presentation Zen and Digitales, because they are timely and forthright in their explanation of information.

What has really helped me this week is a culmantion of the first three combined thusfar, seeing the preparation for a presentation as mission of organization. I have become open the idea that a great presentation does not have to be set in the traditional design format, but requires as much work if not more than the traditional design format 1-7-7. As someone who majored in Mass Media Communications in undergraduate, the rule for preparing a slide show was almost like the Gospel. If you did not have "detailed" slides, you had not prepared properly and it reflected poorly on you as a presenter.

The truth is that now is the time when we need to think differently about what makes a powerful statement when we are engaging an audience. We need to through out the "rule" book for a broken system and days of bullet points and tons of text we used to attempt to create a stunning effect and look for ways to affect our audience instead.

This week, as with every week, I ask myself what did I learn and how is it going to change the manner in which I carry out tasks in my classroom and other areas of my life? Quite simply, when it comes to presentations I am going to use what I learned about simplifying what I put on a slide and what I choose to include in a presentation. A simplified presentation with a powerful message that can be heard without visual noise as a distraction is my goal.

Digital Story Telling...My Thoughts about Week Three

Wow I used to think that a spectacular presentation was one with plenty of bells and whistles. I have a different perspective after reading Presentation Zen. The concept of simpler being better, less being more and leaving my audience with the ability to "hear" a message without any background noise are radical and revolutionary moves in this digital age. Can I possibly be that rebellious as not to gorge my media presentations with bullet points, text, graphics images and a song and pony show? Would my audience be smart enough to understand my message without all of that stuff?

Of course they will. The bigger question for me is how did they ever hear my messages before when I was filling slides with bullets points followed by somersaulting words, flying pictures and bouncing clip art. Thank God for continually learning new and better ways of doing things. Simpler is better and less is more, this concept will leave my audience room for desert, even a second helping if they want one.

Digital Story Telling...My Thoughts on Session Two

The freedom to explore and be creative while telling meaningful stories about human experiences is something that I use crave all of the time when I was a journalism student. When I changed career paths and became a teacher, I didn't realize the value in doing this very thing in my classroom until a few years later. Now I know the connections I am able to make with my students and any audience I am in front of comes from the stories I use to draw them in. I have always told every group of students I have worked with in my career that, "it's not how you start out, it's how you finish and what you do in between." I would tell them stories about myself and others to support these words, but most of the time I didn't think they were really listening.

Fast forward to 2010, as my eighth grade class prepares for their big day and have to vote on a theme and motto...they repeat the very words they have heard me (and I am sure many other people say to them). They decided that the theme they wanted for their eighth grade completion ceremony would be, "it's not how you start out, it's how you finish and what you do in between." They were listening.

How does this connect with what I gleaned from the second session of the digital story telling? I learned that pictures can and do speak volumes when they capture the essence of their subjects, but words can relay the emotions connected to those who share the story. As we all share our own stories over the next few weeks, I hope that they touch and inspire someone the way my students have inspired the stories I tell, the stories they have help to create.

What Do I Hope to Learn About Digital Story Telling?

Digital Story Telling -What I Hope To Learn

As I begin another journey through the halls of online learning, I have much that I am looking forward to. I am looking forward to creating a pictorial journal of my daily life, the simple and the complex, the unexpected and the mundane, the serious and the humorous. What am I hoping to learn? I am hoping to learn how to capture these moments with creativity and passion, bringing a class and dignity to the presentation of my experiences and those that I witness. I want to learn how to notice the more simpler moments of everyday life and do so with an appreciative eye. I want to learn how to make impactful moments speak volumes with the use of simple and tasteful photos, snapshots of time. I want to be able to tell a thought provoking story through a camera lens.

I believe this course of digital storytelling will be my newest adventure and I am hoping to share it with you.

Instructional Strategies That Work...Similarities and Differences, Homework and Practice and More

Homework and Practice
When I reflect on the instructional strategies that I use in my classroom many come to mind, but some have almost become second nature. Before I knew about a book identifying specific instructional strategies that were backed by research, I was using them. I taught a lesson and gave homework. I always considered homework to be a practice for the concepts I taught, not just busy work. I planned assignments so that they were work with a purpose. If students didn't do well on a specific assignment, I knew that I had to reteach that lesson or portions of it and "more practice" was needed. This is a strategy that I have used and relied upon for data collection as well. If students really liked an assignment, it covered the skills I wanted them to learn and I got almost a ninety percent return I considered it to be a "keeper". I would use that lesson and assignment again next year.

What I have found to be most effective and helpful to my students is when I am able to give them feedback or comments written on the their homework. They are so eager to read the comments and it makes for less of a battle when I ask them to try something again. When I give my students feedback it is often in the form of a question, with the hope of prevoking them to think about "the next step" of a process. This works well because my students are really interested in what I have to say about their work and it opens up a conversation about what is clear to them and what is still vague.

In previous years I have wondered how I could enhance some of the strategies that are my favorite to use across the curriculum. When I began to use more technology in my classroom, some of my favorites strategies became even more to exciting for my students and myself. Using similarities and differences as a strategy in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, or having students create their own table to record and compare data or demonstrate a concept using a software for visual mapping engages my students in a differrnt way. They are more creative and pay more attention to the presentation of detail. It also brings more parental invilvement which is something else that helps the students thrive. Does this always work well? Not always. Working in a building that has limitted technology equipment is sometimes a challenge, but with all of the budget cuts I am thankful for what we do have. One projector for an entire building can be a challenge, but not one that deters me from looking for more ways to incorporate and effectively use technology when I can.

I email discussion questions and advanced Organizers to my students. I post links to videos in my virtual classroom. I chat with my students or tutor them through email... I have to be creative to be effective.

Clay Shirky Speaks on Institutions vs. Collaboration and How Social Media Can Make History and I Respond

Before entering into this graduate program I considered myself a pretty tech savvy, socially progressive person. I had heard of social networking, but really was not into that medium at all. Although, alot of business people and businesses themselves have found ways to make platforms such Twitter and Facebook work for them, I never bothered to investigate those tools. Every week, everyday I am in this program I learn more and more about how much I hadn't thought about, didn't know about or had simply ignored. What a journey, I love it! Let's talk about TED and the videos of Clay Shirky...

Institutions vs. Collaboration
This video really made me think about several ideas that have been brewing in my head for some time. One, how can anyone really place a value on the importantance of the contributions of others? This question has driven me to reevaluate the way I assess and "grade" group work. Most educators I have talked to still view collaborative work from the standpoint of an institution and thus give students grades based on "how much" they contribute to their group project, instead of what they contribute. Is this fair? Could that one student who the teacher may consider to be the slacker in the group be the one with the most problem solving ability? Should this one student who received many complaints from other group members about not doing his or her part over the course of weeks, but figured out why (x-4c)+7-3=k/r and kept the entire project from being a failure the day before it was due earn a failing grade? I don't think so.

In this video, Clay Shirky use the example of a Microsoft executive and his critism of Linux developers and contributors. This executive devalued the validity and worth of a system that allows people to contribute one piece or many pieces to the ongoing development or growth of a product. He is thinking from the perspective of someone who values "institutions" over "collaboration". Could leaders who put more emphasis on the institution rather than the benefits of the collaborative skills of individuals be resisting what seems to be a new norm? Maybe they are, but as an educator preparing students for the 21st Century, I can not afford to.

Can Social Media Make History
Yes it can and already has. Shirky spoke about how Twitter and other forms of social media can change the way news is reported and by whom using the examples of a major earthquake in China and President Obama's election. He explained how the reporting of major news or infraction of the rights and wrongs of people can be broadcasted to the world by anyone anywhere at anytime. This new way of communicating globally comes because of the development of many types of personal technology. He also shared that in one such case, ideas for using technology this way didn't start from the places most of us would have expected, but started in a place where the need and desire to empower people fulfilled an appetite for transparency. This spark grew into a flame in Nigeria where political corruption was feared during a 2007 election and now has spread into a blaze all over.

This knowledge emcompasses how I envisioned the world changing as people grew in their desire to control their own circumstances and protect their rights. The examples he used also point to the strength of collaboration when needed to overcome what is considered to be a threat from "institutions". As a yound person learning my place in the world, I use to dream about movements such as these to help people across the globe. I wanted to be a part of a global community that respected all people and spoke up when that respect was violated. This desire is what prompted me to major in Mass Media Communications in undergraduate school. It is comforting to know that although I have left that field and industry behind, the movement continues and that everyone can be a part of it, even my students.

CEDo525 - My Review of Online tools and Resources

Online tools and resources are fun to use and helpful when presenting information in a visual representation of concepts. I reviewed and compared three online tools Webspiration, Bubbl and Exploratree. All three were visually appealing and offered the ability to use a template or create from a blank form. Webspiration, which is a product offered by the same company that developed the offline graphic organizing tool Inspiration, is in its public beta phase of development before it becomes available through subscription. It was fairly easy for me to use, and similar to Inspiration and Kidspiration, but allows online collaboration. It also allows users to organize ideas in a diagram or outline format.

Bubbl and Exploratree were also new to me, but did not have the same familiar feel as Webspiration. I found Bubbl easy to use and just as visually pleasing to the eye as Webspiration. It was also easy to maneuver and redistribute concepts. Exploratree had many options for the appearance of diagrams depending on the purpose its being used for. I found Exploratree more difficult to use when typing or changing ideas. My choice in order of preference would be Webspiration and Bubbl. Exploratree would come in a distant third.

Setting Objectives, Cues-Questions and Advance Organizers, Homework and Practice ... My Reflection

As I progress through another class, I am allowed to look at my instructional practices inside my classroom. This time my reflection gives you a look at a time when setting objectives and using Cues, Questions and Advanced Organizers and Homework and practice worked well in my class. In a previous blog post I discussed setting objectives and how allowing students to own their learning produces better results. In this post I will give you a window into a time when I was teaching my students to use Excel and what they did that surprised me.

I asked students to choose two cities and track the amount of precipitation for those cities over the course of three weeks. Additionally, they were also to compare the precipitation for the same two cities during the same month for the previous year. I was pleased with the results. This was a lesson I did when I taught computer technology class in the computer lab and used for students with students in grades 4 through 8.

The more advanced students in the 4Th and 5Th grades were able to create a table to compare the amounts of precipitation for their cities and actually chose to track information for more than two cities. They then became assistants in the class and helped the other students with creating their tables and explored features I hadn't taught them to use. The sixth through eighth graders did this with ease and went on to find other products they could create with the information they gathered about their cities while tracking the amounts of precipitation.

Why did it go well? I believe this went well because I set a very clear objectives from the beginning and the students understood them. They realized when they were meeting the objectives and were able to gage their own progress. Once they had met the outlined objectives they felt free to explore, learn on their own and share what they learned and taught themselves. I loved this... my students did too.

My Response to Focus on effectiveness: Setting objectives

After reading this article I have a better understanding of why some of my students may struggle with meeting the objectives I have set for them. I have sometimes set the objectives without communicating with them and allowing them to participate in the process. Although most times my objectives have not been too narrow, they have been my objectives and forgot about goals my students may have needed to set for themselves.

It would make sense to allow them to set sub-goals as a way to take ownership of their learning. According to this article, research shows that students perform better when they do take part in the process of setting their learning objectives and goals. It also points out that learning objectives should not be too specific because it may limit the learning of students. This would happen when students loose the connection between other related information that may also be important because it was not mentioned as a part of a broader objective or goal.

As, a teacher working with multiple grades, teaching multiple subjects and planning effective lessons to include multiple skill levels is very important, but very difficult at times. When I set objectives, I may set them too broad so that I can try to include as many students as possible for time's sake. This is not most effective way to teach. What is my next step in my personal effort to reform and improve strategies? Well, first I will go back to working with my students the way I did before our district and school funding became so tight.

I will make and take time to meet with my students and make them a part of the collective process of planning their learning activities. I will ask them for feedback on the lesson to find out whether or not their objectives were met and how I could better help them meet their specific learning needs. I will forget that I am expected to worry about the many district level and state level tests that they have to take. I will make sure that they are actually learning based on what their needs are and keep teaching them that education is a mutual responsibility type of journey.

"The principles of teaching", what are they and how do they effect the way I teach?

After reading about the teaching principles as outlined in the article from the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence, I was impressed with how clearly the connections between the principles were made. I thought about some of these principles and how I could better apply them.

One of the principles, acquiring relevant knowledge about students and using that knowledge to inform our course design and classroom teaching, explains how getting to know our students before we plan our curriculum is very important. To practice this principle more effectively I could modify the student interest survey that I usaully use the first day of school. Instead of simply asking about what their favorite color is, I can ask questions to help me determine their strongest learning styles. This data will useful when planning cooperative groups and assessments.

I could also give this survey to students before they actually arrive, so that the first day of school is much more meaninful for them. This will give me an opportunity to have prepared activities that are taylored for them based on their responses to the questions on the survey.

Final Thoughts about CEDo 520

"It's worth it," these are the words that repeat themselves in my head over and over again, thanks to one of my classmates affirming me as I questioned my struggle through the last days of this class. This class and all of the classes I experienced through out the last few months have all been "worth it". They have been worth the late nights, early mornings and the juggling of work, school and everything else that life happening brings.

What nougats do I bring away from this class? There were a few, but one of the most critical lessons dealt with defining my needs for and evaluating internet resources.
During this course I modified an instrument for evaluating websites or internet resources that my colleagues, students and I can use. This tool is important because I want to teach my students how to evaluate the websites that they visit and I can start by using this form as a model. I actually have something tangible to and helpful for immediate use. Students will be able to help me compile a working list of websites that they find helpful, and just as important those that they don't. I can investigate which type of resources they prefer and possibly gain an understanding of why they are more comfortable with some resources more than others.

Additionally, I learned how to use Internet resorces like Google Alerts and Noodle Tools to help me locate information in a systematic way. This will help save me time in searching for information and help bring them to my fingertips. I can create Google Alerts to be notified when new information is posted or made available on the Internet about topics I am interested in. Noodle tools gave me another "tool" for organizing my search for resources with more efficiency.

What I treasure most about learning experiences is being able to use what I learn to help myself or others. With what I have learned in this course and the other courses I have taken so far, I can help my students, colleagues and myself. I have already had several "aha" moments and I am looking forward to many more.

Week I of CE520

Well the start of a new class for me was sure to bring adventure, this included not being able to log in to the classroom, saving assignments that I wasn't able to retrieve and not being able to successfully navigate our class wiki... ummm really?!? Is this the life of the tech savvy educator like myself, well right now it is. What am I experiencing as I journey through this program? Sometimes doubt, sometimes frustration, sometimes both in a very real and intense way. Why doubt and frustration? The doubt and frustration come in when I struggle with juggling my work load for my class and my homework for this course. They also come when I have trouble navigating the new tools I encounter. I ask myself if I can really do this, can I really learn and perform at lightening speed, keep all the responsibilities I have at home and work? As I plow through different assignments, grade papers of my students and attend committee meetings, I can only hope that the answer to my question will be yes.

My Thoughts About My Experiences in Technology Tools...

My experiences in this class have been wonderful. I have learned a lot and liked working with my group members, it was great getting to know them. This class at times was a huge challenge for me because I became ill during week one and two, the wrong thing to do in a graduate program. Trying to keep up with the huge amount of work, reading, and the work I had to do as a classroom teacher became overwhelming at times. The upside was that I love learning and learning something that I can and will use.

I learned how to evaluate software, set guidelines for when technology is necessary and what some challenges other educators face in using technology their classrooms. I also learned more about how PBL(Problem Based Learning) would look using technology in today's classroom. I felt really good as I read through the textbook because I am using some of these strategies already, but I got some terrific ideas on how to extend these techniques. I will definitely keep this book and refer to it often.

I was also inspired by an idea presented in the book and reiterated in one of the videos we watched during class about student creativity. These were moments that I reflected on my own education and my first years as a teacher compared that time to the present. I have always thought that allowing students to feel free during the learning process to express their natural talent was the magic ingredient in a great classroom. In this class, I was reminded of that and at times felt re energized about my teaching practices, free to be creative myself.

How will I use what I've learned? Well, I am using them now. I used the presentation and comic strip I created for one of our assignments with my students during one of my lessons. I shared some information I found on Edutopia.org with several of my coworkers during a professional development session. Everyone has benefited from my efforts and that makes me feel the value of my experience more deeply.

Oh, did I mention some of my students were emailing me during Christmas break saying that they couldn't wait to get back to school to see what they were doing next. This kind of excitement in the third quarter... well lets just say that is priceless.

How Will I use What I am Learning In My Teaching? This really is a moment of reflection...

When I think about my role as a classroom teacher and the Instructional Technology Leader for our school I ask myself how will I use what I am learning in this class and program overall. I had to look at the big picture how do I feel about what I am learning? When it comes to technology, I am like a kid in a candy store. I get excited and could absolutely spend countless hours PLAYING with it. I love to learn new things and share what I know. This week I spent time reading, testing out new programs, some of the programs...I have been searching for their capabilities for years. I found myself wondering how long they have existed before I found them. I try to justify the amount of time I spend "practicing" by saying I need to use it with my students, but I have to master it first.

In my role as ITL, part of my function is to help other educators in our school learn how to incorporate useful technology into the classroom learning environment, lesson plans and instructional practices. This is not always easy. In Chapter 9 of Supporting Learning with Technology: Essentials of Classroom Practice, I read about supporting teacher development. One particular section that resonated with me, Challenges for Teachers in Technology Professional Development, addressed several areas that I experience everyday. Time constraints, access, knowledge, working with parents and students with special needs have all been challenges in our building.

This portion of what I learned this week has help remind me that I am not the only one who is facing these types of challenges. As I scrambled to get my own assignments done, plan my lessons and syllabi for my three subject areas and two grades levels and just get through the other areas of life, my lack of time really screamed in my ear. As I learned about, practiced and used new technology tools this week the thought of how can I do this with the limited equipment we have in our building tapped me on the shoulder and poked me in the side. It reminded of the look on the faces of many of my coworkers when I approach them about collaboration or peer coaching time. I do understand their frustrations.

How will I use what I learned this week when I go back to my school and classroom? I will use what I learned in my reading to develop a plan to patiently support and share my old and new knowledge with my coworkers and students. I will work to effectively model for them when it is appropriate to use technology. I will continue to make and TAKE the time I need to develop, grow and enhance my own skills and abilities to be a the best educator that I can be. I know that for my students and for some of my coworkers I am a model of what and educator can be at my best or worst. I hope this answers the questions for you,for myself its only the beginning.

A Review of What I am Learning and How I Will Use It...

After a week of learning about the various options available for graphics and presentation tools, I can honestly say I continuing my collection of Tools that I can use. Of course I can not always use everything but the exposure to the many that are out there gives me a lot to test and choose from. A few of the graphics programs that really attracted my imagination were Toonlet and GoAnimate. I was able to create personalized comic strips to use with my students in our Language Arts class. I know they will get a big laugh when they see it.

I was also able to create a slide presentation to use for a lesson I will do with my reading class that can be quickly and easily adapted for both grade levels I teach. Being able to learn and navigate new software easily and quickly is very important for me to incorporate in classroom instruction. During the first week of this course, that has been made fun and interesting. The next test will be the feedback I get from my students.

In Time Site - A Nice Tool

The In Time site is a tool that has come along just in time. As I learn to use new forms of technology to enhance my teaching practices, In Time has given me a model for how PBL (Problem Based Learning) can be enhanced by technology and what it would look like. I was able to search out videos by grade level and content area to view teachers in action as they taught lessons using the PBL method. These teachers demonstrated how guiding students through the process might look in an actual classroom, not just in theory.

I was able to see how students developed strategies for cooperative learning, problem solving and collaboration. This site was very helpful because it gave me a window inside the practices of other educators and their students. In chapter 7 of Supporting Learning with Technology: Essentials of Classroom Practice the author mentions that some educators struggle with relinquishing control or functioning in a noisy classroom. Admittedly, I am one of those educators.

As I grow as a teacher, I attempt to let go of the old model of what an effective learning environment looks and sounds like. The videos I found on In Time has helped me to realize and feel a little more comfortable with this concept. The new way of teaching does now always center around a quiet group of students listening to the lecture of a teacher, but combines the students and teachers interacting together on a journey of exploration including structured content based conversations with student centered activities.