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

Thing #15- RSS

Rich Site Summary takes feeds from other sites and delivers them to you in a constantly updated format. 

Thing #14 - Blog Reader

I chose blog #15-This Week in Education. It linked me to blogs found on Scholastic.com. I found some very interesting blogs about teachers shortages. I found this article: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/tfa_departs/ about a group of newly trained teachers leaving schools. As much publicity as our schools get, I am surprised to find some much worse off. The blog was well designed, with useful links and articles that would be insightful for teachers. I was surprised Scholastic had a news section.

http://www.scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/

Thing #22- Conference Reflection

I attended 16 sessions of the 2012 WV Technology Conference. One session I attended was by Bill Smith from Samsung about the Samsung Galaxy Tablet. I was interested in this session because I received a tablet in August 2012 and I hoped the session could show me what else it could do. The session included a great deal of information about Samsung Electronics overall. I do see the tablet as something that could be very helpful in the classroom. I use my tablet to monitor behaviors by using Internet based behavior management software.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zgjr13hszt7l9uv/16Sessionsmaster_techconference_certificate.pdf?m

Thing #13: Mid-Module Reflection

The journey so far has been rewarding yet difficult. At times, I have felt overwhelmed by the whole process. After the summer meetings, I still had unanswered questions, yet was ready to begin. I went through a period where I printed off every guide, list, and table I could find on WVLearns in an attempt to get an overall picture of the work required. Once I did this, I sat down and went over every aspect and checked off things I had already completed and made notes on what still needed to be done.

When the cohort leader visited to me, I had a great deal of questions answered and was given assurance that I was doing well so far. Now, I just keep working away little-by-little, bit-by-bit on assignments. Someone in the TIS programs said once, "work on assignments every week." I have found this impossible to do as working in school takes all my time and working my second job on the weekend doesn't help either. I am working on the assignments when I get time and feel up to it. There is light at the tunnel, I just have not seen it yet!

Thing #9: Learn from Podcast

I listed to a podcast made by the previous State Superintendent Steve Paine about how education is changing. This was explained as the basis for 21st Century Learning. He explained we need to compete with other countries on global standardized tests. He feels teachers need to use more technology and project based learning to better prepare our students for the global workforce.

Podcasts could be used by teachers in numerous ways. Teachers can use these to supplement lessons, reinforce lessons, or help students understand global perspectives. I would encourage teachers to listen to podcasts before using in the classroom.

http://wvde.state.wv.us/global21/podcast/

Thing #11 Learning from video

I watched a video from Teachertube.com on the math concept of Order of Operations. The video presented the concept by using the mnemonic PEMDAS. This video was short yet useful. The host was sometimes difficult to understand with a heavy foreign accent. I could use it in my pull-out Math class to review the concept. It can aid in teaching the CSO M.6.2.1 in 6th grade Math and M.7.2.2 in 7th grade Math.

Thing # 12 - Find something new

I am using something new called Dropbox. I was introduced to Dropbox before, but was apprehensive about downloading it. This tool 2.0 would be great for teachers because we do so much work at home and have to bring it to school. By using dropbox, we can now bring home computer files to the school computer and vise verse by using Dropbox.

It basically works by upload files to a central dropbox, then you have the ability to download them anywhere. You can access your files by phone, tablet, desktop, and laptop no matter where you created them.

http://www.go2web20.net/app/?a=dropbox

Thing # 10 - QR Code

I broke the mystery code and made one of my own. Now it is your turn...

Thing #21 - Attend a webinar

Thing #21 - Attend a webinar

I attended a webinar on August 10, 2012 about concussions in high school sports. The webinar was presented by the NFHS on their website at NFHS.org. The title of the webinar was "Concussions in Sports-What You Need to Know" and the presenter was Dr. Mick Koester. The webinar discussed what a concussion is, signs and symptoms, and what to do in the event of a concussion.

Thing #5- Wordle

Here is my Wordle on Math topics...