Class Dojo?!

I find the article titled, "Classroom Behavior? There's an App for That" by Lisa Mims, is very fitting for this week as we discuss second city and virtual worlds. Class Dojo is an app that allows teachers to set up avatars for all students. Mims claims, "Once your class is set up, you have the ability to award points, affectionately known as "dojos" in my classroom, for positive or negative behavior. You can award individual or multiple students." She also commented, " ClassDojo can be used with your interactive whiteboard, laptops, desktops or smart phones. Students get immediate feedback to their behavior by the distinctive sound made when their avatar is clicked." It sounds very interesting! I am not sure it would be easily maintained for a middle school or high school teacher with several different classes, but I love the idea of it in the elementary grades! How cool that students can be more interactive with their classroom behavior and involvement via an iPad app! As a student, that would be pretty neat! Mims said she introduced this app to other teachers at her school, ones that aren't the most tech-savvy, and they really enjoyed it too!

Mims, Lisa. "Classroom Behavior? There's an App for That." Edutopia. N.p., 13 June 2013. Web. 20 June 2013.

"How to Build Support for Education Technology" Article

I read a great article from Edutopia titled, "How to Build Support for Education Technology" that was all about creating an environment of positivity for the changing times of education and how implementing technology can be so beneficial for our students. It is hard for the older generation to jump on the "tech train", and I understand their apprehensiveness, but I would like to see them at least give it a try before resorting back to their "older" ways. The author, Anne OBrien, makes a good point in stating, "Convincing community stakeholders to support education technology can be challenging. Some are of the "I didn't have it, and I turned out fine" mentality."  She also states, " Those are real challenges that need to be addressed. But at the same time, we in the education community need to build support among the general public for education technology." She came up with a list of phrases or words to change when discussing technology changes in education and implementation. Some include, "Investing in our kids' future" (not "investing in technology"), "Tools for learning" (not "digital resources"), "Technology-enhanced learning" (not "integrating technology into instruction"), "Active engagement" (not "relevancy-based") and "Flexible" (not "un-tethered"). I love all of these "changes" to the wording and ways to get community support for education in technology.

OBrien, Anne. "How to Build Support for Education Technology." Edutopia. N.p., 20 June 2013. Web. 20 June 2013.

Virtual Worlds...

Does anyone else think of The Sims while reading the articles for this week? I remember playing that computer game when I was growing up, and I loved it! Although, after a while, it did get pretty monotonous and didn't leave much to the imagination, similar to a video game...After a while, we get bored! Anyways, The article, "7 Things You Should Know About Virtual Worlds" was an interesting read for me because I remember,while getting my undergrad at CMU, seeing and hearing from students that had to go to the Woldt computer lab and play with their "avatars" and do this "city" thing. Now, it all makes sense to me! They were using these programs, specifically Second Life for educational purposes. After reading this article, I am intrigued on how this really would work in a high school classroom, especially in my Spanish classroom. Could I change the language? It would be awesome for them to have to maintain every week something in their Second Life world in the target language! I do see the issues discussed in the article, especially the goofing off. I know also that our server would not support a program such as Second Life, as we already have server/internet issues. This is just another idea to look into to implement into the classroom if possible. One thing that crosses my mind after just doing my group blog on attention span and technology....is this promoting that? Just a thought....


“7 Things You Should Know About Virtual Worlds." Educause Learning Inititave. (June 2006)  Web.  Retrieved 19 June 2013. 

Great article- "Mobie Is Now" on Edutopia

Matt Levinson wrote a great article titled, "The Digital Lives of Teens: Mobile Is Now" that made a lot of sense for educators and parents dealing with teenagers and technology. He calls them, "Screenagers", which cracks me up, because this generation relies on a screen, they rely on their apps and mobile everything to feel accomplished or "good" about themselves. As a teacher, I am thankful for rules about cellphones and mobile devices. As a potentially future parent, I am scared and worried about how to deal with that! Levinson discusses how that is such a hard point in a parent/child relationship. Levinson states, "By the beginning of seventh grade, the common refrain among teens to their parents is, 'All my friends have a phone, why can't I have one?' This is a tough spot for parents" (1). What a tough decision for parents! He is so right on by saying that mobile IS now, and embracing it can be a challenge. I see the good in technology-smart phones, tablets, iPods- but what I don't see is parents concerned with the usage in school, the bullying that is going on via the smartphones on social media sites, and how they, as parents, are sometimes the ones texting their child in school! WHAT?! Levinson also talked about maintaining and keeping students engaged and how it has become very hard because they need that screen, that connection, that power online to feel a part of something. Levinson also stated, "Screenagers don't need parents and educators to teach them how to use digital stuff -- phones, tablets, apps" (1). Scary, huh? They know more than we do! While there is nothing wrong with that, and I feel that I can learn something new from students everyday, it is a little scary what the mobile devices can do and what they know how to do with them.

Levinson, Matt. "The Digital Lives of Teens: Mobile Is Now." Edutopia. N.p., 11 June 2013. Web. 12 June 2013.

Lulu

Up until this point, I had never heard of Lulu. After reading, "7 Things You Should Know About Lulu", I was enlightened and surprised at all this site and company has to offer. I am not much of an author, but I do enjoy the calendar, photo options, videos and graphics abilities. I have used vistaprint.com before, not sure if anyone else has, but that site is very easy to use, and when I was reading about Lulu, vistaprint came to mind, as it is basically a printing store on the web. There are so many options available to users on both of these websites, and the fact that they don't charge for everything they offer is fantastic. I love the idea of a staff or department being able to use this site to write up/publish a manual, book, review, etc. and use it in the school. Lulu has some perks! I look forward to using it in the future!

"7 Things You Should Know About Lulu."  Educase Learning Initiative (January 2008).  1-2.  Web.  12 June 2013.

"7 Reasons To Switch To Firefox, The Browser With A Conscience".

I have always used Firefox, but never realized why it was so much better for users as compared to Internet Explorer until now. This article, "7 Reasons To Switch To Firefox, The Browser With A Conscience", written by Nicole Nguyen, made great points as to why Firefox really is better. First, I found out that Firefox is a nonprofit, which according to this article, is not very common, so that is cool that Firefox isn't raking in all the money! I also never realized how user friendly and "smart" Firefox really was until I read about all the features such as the "tab" feature, the "hyper-secure browsing", and the "drag and drop" customization. Firefox is always the browser that works best on our school computers, and now that I know some cool features, I will be able to help kids utilize it. I was also impressed with how compatible it is with Android and OS features. This is a browser that is really trying to help its users! Way to go, Firefox!


Nguyen, Nicole. "7 Reasons To Switch To Firefox, The Browser With A Conscience." ReadWrite. N.p., 07 June 2013. Web. 09 June 2013.

Social Networking and Facebook...

I do have a Facebook account, and I used to enjoy being a "user", but I have to admit, that Facebook and social networking has gotten a little out of control for some out in the cyber world. I am not the average user. I get on about once a day, do a quick check, and get off. I barely post pictures, updates, play games, or do all of that "stuff" that several of my Facebook friends do. I don't have time, but I also don't feel the need to constantly post pictures of my food, my dog(because I don't have kids), my life, ANYTHING OR EVERYTHING, that people post about...It drives me insane and actually makes me think that our society has gotten to a point where we HAVE to feel good about ourselves based on the number of "likes" we get on a picture of something that nobody really cares to see! Too brutal? Maybe, but I miss the days of personal interaction, and no they aren't gone, but they sure aren't the same, and I know that as an Ed. Tech major, that the internet will constantly be changing our lifes and updating, but why are we so needy? So addicted to social networking? I don't have a smart phone because I don't want to know what people are doing 24/7 on all of the sites and I really don't think they need to know what I am doing either! Phew, I am ranting, but I just think social networking, for some users, young and old, has become a necessary way of life and they just can't go without it..... I do enjoy being on these sites. I love my "teacher" Twitter, but I don't have a personal one. I like getting on Facebook and checking up with old friends and family members, but I don't post a status of my daily schedule, even to the point of when I am going to shower?!

I do see some pros with using social networking in education, but the line is VERY fine. As a younger teacher, I am constantly asked if I have a Facebook and if we can be "friends". The answer is always No!, but, I would love to create pages for my student council, Link Crew and Spanish Club, were we can post information, pictures, updates, etc. for students because I know they will check it there...well, because, they are always on it! "7 Things You Should Know About Facebook" makes a good point when stating, "By allowing users a range of tools to negotiate and inhabit online networks, Facebook and sites like it can be an important part of the developmental process" (2).  Educators and parents have to embrace these sites and tools, but need to be smart with them, and we need to make sure our students understand the seriousness of that. With that said, these are great tools, can we just not overuse them?!


"7 Things You Should Know About Facebook."  Educase Learning Initiative (May 2007).  1-2.  Web.  8 June 2013.

Transform With some Reflecting!

Hard to believe another school year is done. While it is only my second year down, I am amazed at how fast they fly by! I try to reflect on lessons, units, projects, etc. throughout the year, but this article I found, "Transformation Begins With Reflection: How Was Your Year?" reminded me that it is important to look back on the year as a whole. If we, as educators, want to change for the future, become better in the classroom, use more available tools, we have to look back on each year and see how we can implement more for the next group, how we can spice it up for them, and how we can continue to change and grow so as not to become crotchety and stagnate in our classrooms. While I liked this article for my personal teaching, it also hit home because I am sitting on the technology committee at my school and we are doing a lot of reflecting on past devices and what will be the best tool for all teachers in the future. We have bond money that needs to be used and our laptops are starting to go down. As a group, we are reflecting on the past and looking to the future and what we want to do. Our transformation is beginning, and it has been fun for me to sit on that committee and see how things work. I plan to do a lot of "reflecting" this summer as to how I can implement more of my iPad into my classroom, because I had a hard time figuring out how to use only one in my classroom. Two more days for me. Let the reflecting begin!

Aguilar, Elena. "Transformation Begins With Reflection: How Was Your Year?" Edutopia. N.p., 4 June 2013. Web. 08 June 2013.

The power of Wiki!

We used it in our very first class with Professor Guerrazzi, and I found it interesting then, but getting the opportunity to really use it with this class has opened my eyes so much to the power of having a wiki in the classroom for teacher and student use. The possibilities are endless! I found it interesting that the first wikis were being used in the 1990's...I was in elementary and middle school in those years and remember collaborating on a piece of paper with my peers...how amazing is it that our students can collaborate and publish right to the web now! They are easy to maneuver, and once set up, are a breeze to maintain. No one at my school uses a wiki, and I hope to bring the ease and awesome-ness :) of wikis to them! I think several will enjoy this and how cool it would be to have students use them to create something together. The ownership there, I think, would boost moral and attitude towards a project/paper so much more as they really are "responsible" for something that all can see! I can't wait to explore this more next year in my high school teaching!


"7 Things You Should Know About Wikis."  Educase Learning Initiative (July 2005).  1-2.  Web.  1 June 2013.

Defining Technology- Edutopia Article

How does one define technology? Isn't it different for each and every one of us? Yes and no. Matt Levinson's article, "Technology in Schools: Defining the Terms" discusses what technology really "means" to all of us in the education world, how we are using it, and how we should be using it.  I think it is safe to say that all schools want to use technology the best way they can for student success, but many struggle to figure out exactly what that means because there is just SO much out there. My favorite part of his article was when he exclaimed, "Technology does not have to appear in every lesson or unit. The key driver needs to be the learning goal, and technology can play a role in achieving that goal". As a student in this Master program, I understand that and don't over or under use technology, but I think that the older generation is hesitant to start because they think that it has to be a part of every lesson and in reality, it doesn't nor it shouldn't be. It should be, in my opinion, used to enhance a lesson when best fit for all students in a unit plan. The classroom should not revolve around the technology, the lesson should be enhanced by a great technological tool to support student learning. This class and this program have brought me so many useful "tech-things" to support student learning and not overwhelm or have the technology be the teacher.

Levinson, Matt. "Technology in Schools: Defining the Terms." Edutopia. N.p., 29 May 2013. Web. 01 June 2013.

Edutopia Article- An Educator's Letter about Google

When we find something in the ever-changing web world that works, we want to keep it and never let it go! This happens all too often with Facebook and Twitter with the constant updates and changes to the home screen or options...Users complain because it is "new" and they don't get it, but hey, at least they still have their beloved websites to use! The article I read from Edutopia discusses a feature of Google that was completely wiped out and was something she used in her classroom that her students loved. In, "An Educator's Letter: What Happened, Google?", Heather Wolpert Gawron is devastated about the lose of Google's feature known as, "Search Story Video Creator". She states, "The enthusiasm for the Google Search Story was astronomical. Civilians, non-Googleites, from all over immediately embraced it as a different kind of scrapbook, one that focused on keywords and life stories." People loved this tool, and instead of getting an "annoying" update, they got an error page and were never able to use it again. I understand her frustration and I think, all of us, go through this with something on the internet. We find a site or source that works wonderfully, and out of the blue, it is gone. I am with her in trying to figure out why? What causes this? She states that she understands the money issue, but that this tool was so special that she guarantees that she and others would be willing to pay a fee. We are a dedicated group, us teachers! We want to keep what works and what is best for students! That said, I don't understand why Google Reader is going buh-bye either, as I am a new user and finding it enjoyable and easy to use. What about us, internet Gods?!

Wolpert-Gawron, Heather. "An Educator's Letter: What Happened, Google?" Edutopia. N.p., 31 May 2013. Web. 01 June 2013.