Thing #23- Final Reflection

The 23 Things module took me a while to complete, but it was mostly worth it. I had used Google, Blooger, and Webtop before so those were nothing new. I had not used tools like Wordle (which has now changed names), Twitter, Skype, or RSS before. I do not like using Twitter as I do not think it is well organized and I do not need to know what everyone is doing all the time. It may have use in the classroom though.

I do have a better understanding of ISTE standards now. I could use the 23 Things to show teachers how useful some of these tools could be.  I did not really like some projects because it felt like I had to make an account and then realize I may never use it again. Maybe that is just the nature of the beast. A suggestion for next time would be to make some of the 23 Things can have options in them, say choose one site to use.

Thing 8b - Create a Video Tutorial.

I have created a video tutorial on how to collaborate a SMARTBoard using Microsoft Movie Maker.

Thing #16-The Backchannel

I have told my greatest challenges as a teacher:

I asked the question "What are your greatest hopes for next year?" and had replies from students:

Thing #17- Twitter in the Classroom

Twitter could be used in the classroom as part of a PBL or a blended learning activity. I know while reading novels in Reading/Language Arts, the students could tweet their journal entries to the teacher. They could also tweet notes about the novel to the entire class. The teacher could answer questions by tweeting. The use of Twitter could encourage more reserved students to blossom through the use of this social media tool. The use would have to be closely monitored. It could also be used to create tweets from deceased famous people to try and recreate past events and understand them from a different point of view.

Thing #7-Play with Images

I took a photo and used Paint to change it. I added words in text boxes, arrows with the eraser and sprayed words with the spray paint. Students could take a picture and make it into a comic.

Thing #6 Webtop/YouTube Videos

I requested a movie clip from the 1981 film Tuck Everlasting to be unblocked. From the information I can gather, the video has yet to be unblocked. I requested it to be unblocked in Dec. 2012 as it correlated with the novel we were reading of the same name. The video would enhance student understanding because we were preforming a comparison and contrast between the novel and this 1981 film version. After viewing the 1981 version, we moved on to view the 2001 verison. We then compared and contrasted the two film versions.

Thing # 20 Share, Remix, and Reuse - LEGALLY!

This photo that I took in January 2013 is free for public use and has a CC license as shown below. This photo would go well with a lesson on winter weather precipitation. The photo could help illustrate what freezing rain looks like after the rain has touched elevated surfaces such as trees. The photo a discussion would be a part of a large classroom lesson on winter weather precipitation using this booklet from the National Weather Service.

Tree Ice by RWLokay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Booklet Link: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/winter/resources/Winter_Storms2008.pdf

Thing #19 Skype

The ways to use Skype in the classroom are endless. Teachers may use it at trainings to share ideas with other teachers. Principals can have chats with teachers over summer break. The best way for students to use Skype is by talking to other students in other counties in the states, students in other states, and even chat with students in other countries. The students would have the opportunity to ask students from other places anything they are curious about. Skype would be a great learning tool if used correctly. This is another tool that teachers would need to monitor carefully however, as many students are too forthcoming with  information over the Internet.

Thing #18 AUP

The Mercer County Schools Acceptable Use Policy is broken up into several policies. The computer based policy can be accessed here. It has not been updated in 3 years, is roughly three pages long, and does not address Web 2.0 tools. It mirrors the state policy in relation to the Children's Internet Protection Act and stresses safety using the Internet and prohibits "hacking." While the policy is short, the pages following it are the permission slips parents are to sign before a student can use a school based computer. It is basically set up similar to a contract and is kept on file in each schools office. These must be signed and returned when the school year begins, but schools usually run into problems when new students come in and need to use the technology for some tests such as the WESTEST2 Online Writing Assessment. The teachers are generally accommodating for students who do not have home Internet access. Projects requiring Internet use are given class time as well as extended sue dates to complete assignments.

Thing 8a

Here is the link to my cheat sheet for SMARTBoard calibration.

Cheat Sheet