![]() What I've Learned This class required me to dedicate some of my time to more deeply exploring technological resources I was already familiar with and to learning about new digital resources. This class really reminded me of how important it is to not remain complacent when I become comfortable with using only a few types of technology. I am a creature of habit, but there are many resources our there that my students could benefit from, and I am glad that I was able to learn about many new resources while taking this class. Learning Tools
Strengths & Weaknesses When it comes to my technology usage, I believe that I am good at learning how to use new digital resources quickly and fully utilizing the resources I already know. When I like a resource, I typically like to know everything about it, and I try to use it to the fullest extent possible. I believe this is a strength of mine, as I try to always be deeply knowledgable about the technology that I am using so that I can better help my teammates and students. However, as I mentioned above, I am a creature of habit when it comes to technology, so I do not like to venture out and try new things once I am already comfortable with a few trusty resources. However, this class has reminded me that there are so many new technology options being released frequently, so I must keep my mind open and attempt to become more flexible. Integration & Goals As stated in the Learning Tools section, I will likely use the majority of the resources that we learned about in this class. I am already using several of them, and I will certainly attempt to use those that are new to me, such as Rubistar, Edpuzzle, and Padlet. The only resources that I do not think I will use again at all or often are Thinglink, Weebly, and Scoopit. My reasons for not wanting to use these three resources are described above. Goals for myself moving forward include:
Overall, this class has pushed me to more deeply recognize how central technology is in our education system. Using the most effective resources will allow me to be the best educator I can be.
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![]() Question 2: This chapter suggests your role is to become a technology advocate and change agent within the education profession. Do you agree that this is indeed a responsibility of 21st century educators? Why or why not? For all students, teachers serve as role models. For many students, teachers serve as their only role models. As a result, it is vital that teachers prioritize the lessons they teach students in their actions and in the ways they teach each day. Our world currently revolves around technology. Almost all jobs depend on technology in some way, and people use smart phones and personal computers to receive the vast majority of their news. Additionally, today's communication is largely centered around the use of technology. All of these factors lead to one clear conclusion: teachers must advocate for the appropriate use of technology when working with their students. With this, teachers must also stay up to date with technology so that they can learn, implement, and teach students how to use said technology. As teachers, we must be flexible and willing to make changes every single day. I've only been a teacher for one year, and I have had to bend and stretch in many different ways. I expect to continue to do the same over the course of my career, and I expect that technology will evolve as they years pass by. As new digital resources are released and as new types of hardware are produced, I will certainly do my best to be aware of the options that I can implement in my own classroom. With this, I will teach my students how to appropriately use new technologies, as I know that some students only learn how to be safe on the Internet at school. Furthermore, as I learn new technology options, I must be transparent with my students as I learn and explore, as this is part of the learning process that we should be teaching our students. If we aim to teach our students to learn to research and keep a curious spirit, we must do our best to demonstrate that their teachers are doing the same thing. The best way that we can demonstrate the importance of exploring new technologies and learning how to safely use them is by putting this into practice ourselves. ![]() Question 3: Imagine that you are a high school social science teacher. You have assigned students a ten-page research paper. How do you set-up the assignment to make it clear that plagiarism will not be tolerated and what tools would you use to check for plagiarism? What steps would you take if a student’s paper is found to have been copied in parts from the Internet? While I always assumed that I wouldn't have much of an issue with plagiarism in my classroom unless I taught high school, I found out that this assumption was far from the truth when we began distance learning in March. I asked my students to type chapter summaries after reading each chapter of the novel they had been assigned. To my surprise, about half of my students copied and pasted their summaries from online sources! I was appalled. I truly had no idea that they knew that this was even possible, and I certainly didn't believe that they would engage in this behavior. Seeing this unfold certainly taught me that it is never too early to teach students about original thought and the dangers of plagiarizing. If I were to teach high school science and assign a paper, it would be crucial that I teach students what plagiarism is before they begin researching and writing. Even if I teach senior-level science, I must not assume that students already have a deep understanding of plagiarism, and I should aim to teach them how to appropriately cite sources, quote, and paraphrase. When checking to make sure a student has not copied from the Internet, I would likely use Turnitin if provided by my school or Dupli Checker if I need a free resource. Both of these sites are rather effective when it comes to picking up on previously submitted materials. However, it is necessary to note that I would need to comb through the papers with higher percentages of detected plagiarism, as these systems are not perfect. Additionally, if I find that a student's writing does not sound like it has been written by them, I can simply copy and paste the suspicious into Google to see if I can find any matches. If one of my students were to plagiarize, I would certainly have a conversation with the student before proceeding. Oftentimes, students need more instruction regarding how to properly research, paraphrase, and cite properly, so if the detected plagiarism resulted from innocent lack of understanding, I would guide the student through revision and help them to learn from their mistakes. However, if a student copied all or most of their paper from the Internet intentionally and/or without remorse, I would first confer with other teachers or my administration to learn about my school's plagiarism policy. At every school I have attended, if you copied the work of others, you received a zero, and truthfully, that is the grade that I would assign a student if they put themself in this unfortunate situation. I would also discuss this with the student's parent as well. My Learning Experiences Similarly to the last two weeks, my group and I met virtually, split up the projects, and completed our projects in a timely manner. I enjoyed learning about the resources this week that I had never heard of before. RubiStar is a tool that I will definitely look into using next time I want to create a rubric in the classroom. I handled the Quizizz for our group, and this is a resource that I used on a weekly basis in my classroom last year. It is incredibly engaging and fun. As for the differences between Kahoot and Quizizz, there are a few, but my students love both of them equally. Quizizz allows students to work at their own pace and only rewards students for correct answers. On the other hand, Kahoot waits for all students to answer the same question at the same time and rewards students for both accuracy and speed. In my experience, I have found Quizizz to be more effective in spurring my students to learn how important it is to take your time and consider your answer choices carefully. In addition, I've always found Kahoots to be slightly more difficult to set up than Quizizz quizzes, but they are both super simple to use. Overall, you can't go wrong using either, but I tend to use Quizizz far more often than Kahoot so that students are able to go through the questions as quickly or as slowly as they'd like. My absolute favorite live quiz resource? Gimkit. It is similar to Kahoot and Quizizz, but students earn virtual money which they can spend to earn powerups or slow down their opponents. It is truly so much fun, and it allows students to fully work at their own pace, as the questions will repeat once they have answered all of them. This keeps every kid in the room working until the game timer runs out, which is a definite plus in this teacher's opinion. Click the buttons below to view this week's projects. ![]() Question 2: Reflecting on your experience with the following subjects, (language arts, mathematics, history, science, music), which ones do you think would be adaptable for distance education and which ones would not? Why? Would there be a difference in adaptability depending on grade level? Adaptability Based on Subject During the 4th nine weeks of my first year of teaching, my school participated in distance learning due to COVID-19. Teaching English Language Arts (ELA) from a distance was so incredibly challenging. Our team made the decision to have students read the novel that we had planned to read in class, which meant that teachers and office staff members had to scan every single page of the book so that we could upload a PDF of the book to Google Classroom. However, this made it very hard to read, and many students still refused to read the book. When I spoke with my students during Google Meet sessions, they always complained about ELA, but they said that math and science were much easier and more fun. As an ELA teacher, I might be biased, but I believe that ELA is the most difficult subject to effectively teach via distance education. While there are many digital texts that can be printed or accessed on a computer, it is difficult enough to get students to read in the classroom, let alone trying to convince them to read when they don't have in-person contact with their teachers. In addition, it is very hard to differentiate and assist students through the computer when working on reading comprehension. If a student didn't understand a text, all I could really tell them was to go back and read a certain section or help them to understand troubling vocabulary words. However, in the traditional classroom, it is much easier for me to identify what the cause of their struggles are so that I can provide better help. I also taught social studies last year, which is very similar to ELA, as it requires a lot of reading. Asking students to read and respond to questions or create a project resulted in a lot of organizational confusion as well. On the other hand, I believe that math is one of the easiest subjects to learn and teach through distance learning. It is super simple to either create a quick video tutorial on how to work certain problems, and there is already a plethora of YouTube videos on nearly every math topic you can think of. In addition, teachers can easily tell their students which problems to work each day/week, which allows for more streamlined completion and organization. I believe that the difficulty level of science depends on the subject, as some subjects rely more heavily on concepts that require reading, while other science topics are more math-heavy. Lastly, I believe that music class also depends on the age level and the seriousness of the course. Like math, YouTube has an endless amount of resources, and it would be easy for teachers to create lessons and projects based on YouTube videos. Adaptability Based on Grade Level I believe that grade level heavily impacts student ability to effectively learn and complete assignments through distance learning. Younger students are apt to rely on their parents to assist them with technology, which means that students who are left home alone or with siblings will be less likely to access their schoolwork. On the other hand, older students are typically learning much more complex and detailed material, which means that it is much more difficult for teachers to ensure that students are actually learning the material. While teachers of older students might be able to send home good, rigorous materials and resources, it is hard for those teachers to help students when they are struggling with challenging topics, and supplementary resources can be difficult to find. My Learning Experiences
Similarly to last week, I found that our group worked effectively to complete our projects in a timely manner. We worked a little bit more collaboratively this week, as the course website was a more collaborative and extensive project than those that we completed last week. I thoroughly enjoyed creating our Padlet, as this is a resource that I have been wanting to try in my classroom for some time now. I really like the way that everything is laid out on the page, and I am excited to play around with the different layouts. I think this is a great resource that allows for easy student-teacher interaction, and it is very visually appealing. Honestly, I did find it difficult to work on the Course Materials page of our group's website. I do not find that Weebly is the best tool for organizing images or small blocks of materials in an effective way. I believe that the page looks good now, but it was incredibly time consuming, and it is not easy to adjust. I will continue to look for ways to make my use of Weebly go more smoothly, but I personally do not find that this is a tool that is efficient for me personally. I would love to hear what you all think about our resources so far. You can find our group's materials below. ![]() Question 3: What would you do if you saw one of your students sharing personal information about themselves or posting detrimental comments about others on the Web? What is the limit of your responsibility under those circumstances? Last year, Tik Tok took the social media world by a storm. As I taught my 11-year-olds, I'd see them flailing their arms about while reading and performing in the hallways. I finally bit the bullet and downloaded Tik Tok. While I found some funny content and a few fun family-friendly dances, the vast majority of what I saw disturbed me. Much of the content I found was highly inappropriate for my students to be viewing. Shortly after I started watching Tik Tok videos, the other teachers on my team found the videos of our students. We were appalled. It's scary that children have access to a platform that exposes them to the same content that I see as an adult. These young children were doing vulgar dances in very little clothing, and I was so sad to see this content. One student even posted her phone number and location in her bio. I was not mad that my students were doing this, but I was mad that they were able to do this content with either their parents' ignorance or allowance. My fellow teachers and I decided to address these videos with our classes. Do I believe that we are technically required to address what we saw? No. However, do I feel the personal responsibility to inform these students about the dangers of posting personal information and videos online? Absolutely. As teachers, we always have to operate under the assumption that things that students should learn at home have not been learned at home. As a result, if we believe that students are posting things that could cause them harm, I believe that I should have a conversation with said students. I don't believe that it's my job to closely follow the online actions of my students, as this extends into the territory of overreaching and could certainly be perceived as inappropriate. However, if I am made aware of videos or posts made by my students, I do think that it is in the best interest of my students for me to take action in some way. My opinion may certainly differ from that of other teachers, so I'd love to hear what others believe. Please share your thoughts with me in your comments below. My Learning Experiences
Our group worked together much more effectively this week, as we met via Microsoft Teams early in the week to discuss expectations and to divide the work. We even set an initial deadline for ourselves so that we would have time to review all of the projects before the due date on Sunday. As a result, we were able to work at our own pace while also giving each other the necessary time to review everyone's work. Overall, this week went much more smoothly, and I believe that we created four great, cohesive projects. Click the buttons below to view this week's projects. ![]() The Project This week's project essentially required my group and I to construct a grant proposal detailing what pieces of new technology we needed for our ideal 21st century classroom. We were allowed to spend up to $20,000, and we were given free-reign to use whatever new furniture, software, and technology pieces we needed to create the best possible classroom. Planning and Execution I think our group struggled to set a plan this week, which negatively impacted our effectiveness in completing this project. However, I think our slightly rough start will benefit us in the long run, as we can only learn from our mistakes. I know that I failed to communicate my expectations for my group members, and I didn't begin working on my portion of the project until the last minute. I know that we will certainly improve this coming week, as we have already set a date and time to discuss this week's project. Progress! For the 21st century classroom project, I did much of the DID lesson plan and the budget justification. I believe that, as a group, we came up with a great list of technology requests, so it was easy for me to write these portions authentically, as I truly believe that the products we selected were necessary and useful. Reflection Overall, this project made me really think about what is truly essential in the classroom. While it's wonderful to consider the opportunity of spending up to $20,000 on my classroom, considering the resources I already have makes me feel thankful. Additionally, selecting and prioritizing potential technology purchases allowed me to think about what I might want to budget for and invest in in the coming years. ![]()
![]() Question 2: Learning content within the framework of a language that is not your native language can be challenging. Consider how you would respond to this challenge. What technologies would help you if you were facing learning new content in another language? Last year, about 15% of the students I taught were English language learners (ELL). Most of my ELL students were able to fluently read and speak English, but they often struggled when taking tests. I found that figurative language, especially idioms, were incredibly hard for these students to understand. In addition, as a native English speaker, I found that explaining these concepts without giving test answers away was incredibly challenging! However, I did find that, when I talked through phrases and new vocabulary terms with my ELL students, simply saying the words out loud helped them comprehend the text more effectively. In addition, I am currently learning Spanish, as I have a huge passion for working with my Spanish-speaking students and their parents. As someone learning a language, I find that it's really easy to learn vocabulary words in isolation, but attempting to use them correctly when writing sentences and having conversations with native speakers is very difficult. When I read texts in Spanish, I do my best to identify all of the vocabulary words that I do know so that I can understand what the text will be about before I try to break it down sentence by sentence. When doing listening activities, I like having the option to slow the speaking rate down, as this gives me the opportunity to more easily think about what the speaker is saying. One technology resource that has been incredibly helpful to me during my language learning process is Google Translate. While it's not perfect, and I wouldn't learn anything if I simply translated every sentence, it does help me to double check that I'm on the right track with the words I'm using. In addition, the read-aloud feature on certain apps and on Google Translate helps me to better understand the pronunciation of the words I am learning so that I can use them properly when speaking. In addition, a list of essential vocabulary with definitions beside or above a text would make it easier for me to understand a new concept in my new language. If I was learning in a classroom, it would be helpful for the teacher to pre-teach vocabulary before we begin learning a new lesson. When working with ELLs in the future, I must be willing to provide students with the resources they need to succeed, and I must pause to put myself in their shoes as I am teaching. In today's world, we are so lucky to have technology resources that will translate and read information aloud to our students. We must be diligent in ensuring that students who need these resources know how to access them and that we allow them to access them when possible. Learning a language is a challenging process, and teachers should do what they can to help ease the frustrations that ELL students may encounter in the classroom. ![]() Question 4: Teachers must often use whatever resources are available to them in order to enhance and support learning. How would you go about investigating the learning software that is available to you in your school? Who would you ask and how would you go about acquiring what you feel you need? If I learned anything during my first year of teaching, it's that you have to be in constant communication with your team members. I was so nervous and naive during my first few months, and I always felt as though my fellow teachers and my administrators would question my abilities. However, over time, I found that I was only hurting myself when I didn't ask questions. This need to ask questions certainly applies when it comes to asking about the resources that schools provide its teachers. Learning software and programs can be incredibly expensive, and teachers are often stressed when it comes to finances. However, we all want to serve our students in the best way possible, so some teachers resort to subscribing to technology services using their own funds. However, it is vital that we speak up and express to our fellow teachers and administrators about what services we need or want in our classrooms. I do understand that many districts do not have much money to spare on new products, but it is important that administrators be aware of the needs of teachers as money does become available. When asking for new technology, it's important to do a great deal of research on the products you want for your classroom before going to school leaders and administrators, as you definitely want to be sure of the products you want before bringing the subject up with those who can get them for you. When speaking with teachers and leaders, always try to remember that the worst they can do is say no. Of course, we always want to get what we're asking for, but it truly doesn't hurt to ask and express your need for a new service. However, before you ask for new products, it's important to ask your fellow teachers about what products and services the school already has. When I first started teaching, I had no idea what programs the other teachers used, and I certainly had no clue what programs the school subscribed to. Through talking with my team, I discovered a plethora of free online resources, and they taught me how to use technology in my classroom and resources that the school paid for. When it came to physical technology in my classroom, teachers on my team and the technology professional at our school taught me how to use these items. A great source for online resources that surprised me was our school librarian. She was constantly updating us about online reading resources, which came in very handy during out at-home learning quarter. You'll be surprised to learn about the wide variety of technology resources that each teacher has up their sleeve, and most teachers are more than willing to share their knowledge with other educators! Overall, it's best to be direct when asking what resources are already being used at your school. It is highly unlikely that you will be judged or ridiculed if you are asking for services and programs that will benefit your students. However, it is important to be prepared to be told that the school cannot or will not pay for the program you want due to budget restraints. As with everything in the teaching world, it's important to take all negativity in stride and press on! ![]() Question 3: Give two examples of technologies that were used when you were in middle school (it could even be as simple as the chalkboard). How have those technologies been transformed and what replaced them today? If you could choose only one of today’s technologies for your classroom, which one would it be? Why? I was actually a middle school student only a few years ago, as I finished eighth grade in 2011. However, the technology used in the classroom today has changed quite a bit. During my middle school years, my favorite technology that my teachers used was the overhead projector. Most of my classrooms did have ceiling projectors, but many of my math teachers still used the overhead projectors with clear or graphing sheets to model how to solve problems. I'm not sure why, but I absolutely loved this device. My best friend in middle school had an overhead projector at her house, and we would pretend that we were in a classroom - one of us would create a math problem, and the other would get the privilege of solving it on the overhead projector. It was a really fun, engaging tool that felt almost serene to use as a kid. During my middle school years, the overhead projector was slowly replaced with interactive white boards, but my school only installed these new boards in a few high school math classrooms, so I did not have much exposure to them. One technology innovation that took the world by storm during my middle school years was YouTube. While many of my teachers did not begin to use YouTube until I was in high school, my peers and I were watching YouTube videos during every spare moment at school and at home. The content being released on this site was so unique and engaging, and it quickly became a great resource for educational purposes. One of my high school teachers used this video to introduce a lesson about the plague, and she used this video when we were learning about Alexander the Great. I still remember the chorus of both songs very vividly. Videos like these, while cheesy and comical, certainly aid in helping students to remember content. YouTube is still incredibly prominent today, and, since its introduction in 2005, it has grown exponentially. This video platform has an endless supply of educational videos on a variety of topics that can be used during classroom instruction or by individual students. YouTube is truly an invaluable resource for me as an educator and as an individual. While technology has changed slightly since my middle school years, I believe that the most important resource for all classrooms to have has remained the same - computers. I would trade every other piece of technology in my classroom to allow every student to have a computer. The use of Chromebooks during my first year of teaching was absolutely essential. My students completed the vast majority of their assignments on their laptops, and they took all of their tests on the Chromebooks as well. With state tests and many standardized tests being administered on the computer, it is crucial that all students be very familiar with computers prior to using them to take important tests. Furthermore, the use of computers in allows teachers to teach students how to research, which is an essential skill for students to have as they become adults and attend college. In addition, most job applications are completed online at this point in time. Our world is greatly dependent on the use of computers, and it is incredibly important that all students are exposed to them frequently throughout their time elementary school, middle school, and high school. ![]() Question 3: Think back on a classroom environment in which you were not as successful as you might have wanted to be. What were the factors that you encountered from the teacher and/or other students that may have hindered your learning? How will you mitigate such factors in your own classroom? Growing up, I always struggled to write down important details during lectures, and I always had to spend my afternoon hours getting notes from friends or going to tutoring to fill in the blanks in my notes. However, throughout my middle school and high school years, I discovered that I could actually keep up with note-taking in class if I typed my noted instead of writing them. While studies have proven time and time again that handwriting notes is more effective when it comes to truly learning material, I found that it was in my best interest to type the notes during class, and to rewrite them or condense them by hand on my own time. During my sophomore year of college, I sat down in one of my new classes, took my computer out, and prepared to take notes using OneNote. To my dismay, one of the first things the professor told us about the course was that we were not allowed to use computers during class. The professor cited the fact that studies have proven that handwriting notes is more effective as her reasoning for this policy. Despite my concern of not being able to take effective notes, I stayed in the class. All semester long, I struggled to keep up. I tried to print off the PowerPoint slides before class to help alleviate the struggle, but this became expensive and impractical. Over the course of the semester, I continued to fail to write complete notes, and I had to spend a great deal of time working with my classmates after hours to finish my notes. While I understand that the professor made this rule as a result of what research has shown and likely due to the potential distractions of technology, I wholeheartedly believe that students should be able to choose the note-taking method that works for them. With this, I know that it is important that students have many opportunities to make decisions in the classroom. Think about how many choices adults get to make on a daily basis. Prior to noon each day, most adults at least decide when to get out of bed, whether to drink coffee or not, what to eat for breakfast, what to wear to work, how to do your hair, and what to eat for lunch. Students often do not get to make a single decision prior to their arrival at school, and many students don't get to make any decisions about their learning while they are in school. If we are to prepare students to make wise decisions for themselves as they enter into the workforce or arrive on college campuses, they must practice making decisions during school hours. Furthermore, if students are to learn to be independent and responsible for their learning as they grow older, it is important that they are able to identify, through trial and error, what interests them and what learning and studying strategies are best for them. This article in KQED does a wonderful job of describing the importance of student choice, and many of my thoughts are reflected and expanded upon by the author. As a teacher of 11-13 year olds, I struggle with the concept of student choice. Most of the students I teach are developing a strong sense of independence for the first time, and I need to have supports in place that allow them to explore their personal and academic selves fully in my classroom. Restricting their interests and learning techniques will not help me or my students achieve our goals. It is my job to educate the whole child, and part of that process is being intentional in allowing students to figure out what works for them and to discover what their passions are. |
About the AuthorI am currently a 6th grade ELA teacher in Mississippi. While I am familiar with much of today's technology, I am always striving to learn more so that I can be a more effective educator. ArchivesBlogroll |