My PLN

My personal PLN is being developed slowly but surely. I use several educational sites now that are not interactive but very valuable to in the classroom. I currently use http://www.edhelper.com/, http://www.theteacherscorner.com/, http://www.thekidzpage.com/, http://www.abcteach.com/, http://www.makingfriends.com/, http://www.freerice.com/, http://www.wackywebtales.com/, http://www.math-drills.com/, http://www.kbteachers.com/, and http://www.blackdog.net/. These sites are for those dreaded worksheets which I use when my class has four grade levels and four subjects being taught all in the same two hour time span. I felt pretty savvy there for a while while using them.

Since beginning EDM310, I have began blogging and have had some response from those I have commented on in various posts. These I am viewing and noting strategies on technology, in my spare time. I have been searching for some other schools that are set up like mine but apparently they are not using PLN's as of yet. Nor have I found any schools that are like mine that have blogs. I will keep searching and hopefully find somewhere that has classes that are set up in a similar way. I can't believe we are that unique of a situation. I do know that Mobile does not have any quite like ours.

For my PLN I have gone to The Educator's PLN and believe that will be helpful to me. I believe my journey is really just starting even though we are two months into classwork. I have much to learn and am getting there.

Michael Wesch: Toward A New Future of Whatever

While watching the video by Dr. Wesch, I felt myself agreeing with the students in the clips. It feels weird to be recorded and invasive to me. When I am recorded I am going to go to one extreme or the other. I will shut myself up totally or go all out. There is really no in between. I am not shy by any means but am deathly afraid of public humiliation. At times I wonder how I can teach teenagers. When they find a crack they open it up with all their might and don't care who they hurt. As a matter of fact, I see them acting in a similar why. With most of my students it is either they never shut up or they never talk. We all have our comfort zones and and "whatever" that might be is totally unique to each individual. Technology has enabled people who would never share their thoughts and feelings with other to writers who are gifted and well read. Information is shared to the world that otherwise would go unpublished.

As for me personally, I have written more in the past two months than ever before. I do not like to write and don't think I convey messages or ideas very well with the written word. I hope that through this course I have come out of that a bit and am able to communicate with my students better. And just for the record. I HATE it when anyone says "WHATEVER" to me.

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler

Each time I go into a blog assignment I see where technology is going and understand a bit more as to why we have to go in that direction. While watching and listening to The Networked Student, I was thinking just more confusing places to go and try to manage. For me personally, I can't seem to get organized and know where I have been on the web and where else I can go. I don't know what to ask about because I don't know what all is available. I don't know who to talk to outside of classmates and teachers, actually I do know that one a bit more. And I don't know how to distinguish between good and bogus information I find. But that is changing weekly if not daily.

When asked the question, "Why does the networked student even need a teacher?" , it is answered with the following: for guidance, for organization, for lessons on how to communicate in a complete and proper way, and how to distinguish between good and not so good information. As you can see that covers all of my personal problems with technology and overall usage of the web. I felt better after getting to that part and understanding a bit more that people don't want teachers replaced, just teaching a different way. When I watched the iSchool video, I felt that one of its' goals was to get rid of teachers and just have technology take over, almost on its own. Now I see it a bit differently.

The question is asked, "Am I ready?". Well, not yet. Are my students ready? Not yet. But with more learning on my part and passing it on to them through multi medias, I can see where we all will be changing. This video was great and I am glad to have seen it.

Richard Miller: This Is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2

I found that Richard Miller provided wonderful graphics that caught my eye. His choice of examples were interesting and varied. He began with the how we previously learned, by way of books, and how we as a society have slowly, in increments, changed over the years to the use of multimedia. Richard Miller has shown us that the ways to reach students has changed over the years and will continue to change.

Dr. Miller mentions how we have to become teachers or information suppliers that use audio to get to our audience. Use of music and actual audio of speeches or readings would reach audiences in a way that just reading would not. An example is how he used Dr Martin Luther King's voice, my students have read Dr. King's words but they may not have actually heard him speak. I believe this alone would enhance learning in the classroom for middle and high school students especially.

Publication from the past could take years to get published whereas publishing by way of the web would get information to audiences virtually immediately. And would become interactive in some situations. Other point of views would be included and commented on. An interactive education would reach so many more students and share ideas throughout the world. Different ideologies and cultures could be shared. There really is no end to the information and new ideas that could be made available with the multimedia approach.

As to whether my students could or would benefit from this, I don't know. I go back and forth on the possibilities that multimedia provides and the probability of actually using the multimedia. I think students need the exposure to each and every media available but with the knowledge or where I am now in that area and where they are, we will be taking "baby steps".

Comments4Teachers-post 1 Week 2/27

I read and commented on Jenny's Learning Journal. Jenny spoke about her 2009 successes in the area of technology. She was a presenter at the ULearn-an-e-Learning Conference in New Zealand. She stated that she overheard many people talking about how hard it was to get into her session. She feels this was because of the exposure she has on Twitter. She had people from thorough out the country trying to see her because they had "met" her through Twitter. She also talks about how her self esteem was built up through the success of her presentations.



She discussed her success and "obsession" with Web 2.0 tools and the use of them in her classroom. She discussed how her class movie, Merry Christmas from Room 5, was a project she was very proud of. It is a wonderful presentation.

Comments4Kids

I was assigned to comment on a post in Mr. Crosby's class by a student named Itari. She gave information on what we get from plants. She stated many facts and gave them in straight forward way without a lot of elaboration. It was a good post for a student, not too wordy. I enjoy seeing kids do the various research and posting. Mr. Crosby's students seem to understand what they are suppose to do when posting in a blog.

Wiki

I joined Wikispaces today and read the comments and thoughts on many subjects. I see where we all eventually have to become Technologically Literate teachers. And I use the word eventually because I know it is not an overnight process. I will have taken this EDM class and will still not be where I need to be. I have many more sites to visit, videos to watch, blogs to create and read, and podcasts to present. Haven't actually done that one yet but soon, very soon. I can see that there are many applications I am not utilizing on my laptop and sites that I have yet to visit that will help me with the applications. But I am trying and I think that is a great thing. Many teachers I know would not even try. They are older and set in their ways and will continue to use pencil/paper till the day they retire. These teachers need their coworkers and IT people to prod them along and show them the way. It CAN be done. I see what progress I have made and am shocked I knew so little.

As I commented in the Wikispaces, I see funding as another obstacle in the way of technology. In my particular situation, state/federally funded school for students with behavior problems, I have very limited funds. I can go out and beg for donations and will at times get them. But what we usually get are what others are discarding. So the equipment is older and sometimes useless. But we try. We request as much as we can and try to keep up as much as possbile.

Between funding and changing outdated views, the road to change is gonna be hard. But it can be done and TL teachers can be created. I know I am changing and didn't think I could. So there is hope for all.

iTunes U

I believe that iTunes U has been very beneficial and helpful so far in this technological journey of mine. I have been exposed to posts that I may not have found in other searches. I have gotten lost, but in a good way, in various searches and think that I have benefited from that. I would recommend using the iTunes to all students.

I would use the site also as a teacher. I can see where the information available would be easier to access with iTunes U. Very often the tools made available are not used and in this case it would be detrimental to teachers to not let students benefit in this area. The audiobooks, videos, and podcasts are wonderful tools and should be utilized.

Classroom iPods-Friend or Foe

I can see in a conventional classroom setting that an iPod would be a useful tool. As mentioned in the post from CampusGrotto-iPods in the Classroom, iPods can be utilized in many positive ways. They can be used as a study tool when on the go, lectures can be recorded with them, and notes can be taken with them. Another positive would be "going green" through the use of the iPod. Less paper would be consumed in the academic setting. I found on the website: http://www.zapptek.com/ iPod software that could help with classroom tasks.

On the foe side, I can see the iPod as a major distraction. Those students would would not be listening to the lecture but instead jamming out to their favorite group. Or there could even be the problem of theft with the small, desirable gadgets. I know for my current work setting, they wouldn't last long. We have to monitor books closely because the students know we have a limited number of resources available. As a state funded school we rely heavily on donations and federal funding. I would have a hard time convincing our board that an iPod is a needed, academic tool. But the times are changing and hopefully so are the students. They have to see that with technology comes responsibility.

Dr. Scott McLeod

I have read the comments of Dr. McLeod and have some mixed feelings. I can see where he is coming from about early intervention and prevention for students to get them on the right academic track. I agree that too much filtering of the Internet will not benefit students and only curtails free speech. When students have the option to explore and search on the Internet, they will often find interesting facts and information. But there will always be those few who don't do what is right and get into sites that are inappropriate. I have seen it in my classroom and we have some many filters in place that even I am limited. I worry too about not addressing the needs of the students who missed out on the interventions that Dr. McLeod mentioned. Those who have already slipped through the system. I have those students and hope that we are balancing the freedoms they need to explore technology and the boundaries they have to have to stay safe. I haven't really thought about how limited schools and students are with the current fears of the Internet so prevalent these days. So the comments of Dr. McLeod have given me something to think about beyond the everyday monitoring of computer time in my classroom.

How I Would Benefit From Dr. Christie's Site

I investigated the area of digital photography from Dr. Christie's site. Dr. Christie suggests numerous ways to engage students through the use of digital photography. Areas such as science, math, and writing can be addressed with digital photography. I believe that the use of this media in the classroom would benefit my students. I have some who would be much more interested and active in the assignments and activities. Some are more visual learners and would "blossom" while using this technology.
My students would become more involved and eager to start new projects if they could use digital photography in the classroom. By giving them the opportunity to learn a new gadget and become invested in the projects, I believe they would retain more information and be able to process what they have learned in a more meaningful way. Where before they see a chore, they may now see a treat and become more excited about subjects they otherwise could care less about. I especially liked the idea of photographing geometric shapes in the area of real world math. I think this site would be an excellent resource for future activities in my classroom.

My thoughts on "Creating Digital Video Reflections"

I just watched "Creating Digital Video Reflections". This is something I can really use in my classroom. My students are not the best writers in the world but sure can talk. They are also some of the biggest showoffs I have ever taught. They would love to post in any form or fashion. I can see limitless ways for them to let me know what they understand or don't in any given subject. They are very verbal and would much rather do a video than a writing assignment. What a great way to let the students think through an assignment and give me feedback on what they know.

"What I've Learned This Year"

I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. McClung and his thoughts about teaching. It is true you have to know your students. In my situation, teaching at a residential school, I know far more about my students than your average teacher will ever know. At first I did not wish to know their backgrounds except in relation to academics. Then I meet them and I want to know why they are acting out the way they do. I know form their backgrounds what subjects to not dwell on and what areas to review each semester. For example, in health, I may not teach or even address sex education because they are already getting this from the therapist, their group leaders, and nurse. With some of their backgrounds it would be difficult to approach the subject from an academic standpoint when the need is from a therapeutic area.

When it comes to flexibility in the classroom I was always pretty set in my ways. BUT, now I go with the flow much more so that the students are all accommodated. Mr. McClung states, "No lesson is ever perfect. The lesson you teach and the one you plan are always different." I agree with this so much. I can plan for days on one subject only to have it fall flat when presented. The direction of the lesson may go in a totally different direction and if I don't go with it, I may lose the students' interest.
I do listen to the students more than I use to and this works in the classroom. I can be more flexible with the students in the class than say, the therapist who has to stick to a therapeutic plan. The kids may have ideas on what they want to do in class and I do listen and try to give them choices.

I really liked the post from Mr. McClung and will be reading more of his posts in the future. I feel I can relate to some of the situations he talks about and can gather ideas from his experiences.

NPR blog on Wikipedia

I have used Wikipedia for years and never realized it was not "facts". I have my students use it. Grnated, we use it in class for research on celebrities and singers mostly. But still, I have thought it to be fact in the past. It bothers me that just anyone can go in and edit these entries. I was surprised at the companies that edited the entries. In this day and age companies have to know that online information is easily obtained and traced.

I do not fault Wikipedia in that people can change entries. I am sure there is a disclaimer somewhere that states the information available is not checked or confirmed 100%. I, like many others, just would not read that to know how the information can be manipulated. I won't from this point on trust Wikipedia as much as before. I may still use the site for simple searches but will always use others sources when academic information is being sought.

Pam's Presentation

Creating Podcasts

There are various benefits to utilizing podcasts. And from the collection information on podcasts I have learned that my classroom can benefit from creating informative podcasts. Judy Scharf Podcast Collection at http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_jpsrolls/Podcast/Collection is where I gathered valuable information on how to do podcasts. Some benefits of podcasting are that students will become more interested and involved in creating than in just listening and watching the teacher. Auditory learners will be more successful in the classroom. Students can make up missed assignments and remain up to date in their work, and their parents can also be more involved in what is going on with their child.

The tips and explanations in Ms. Scharf's podcast information was very easy to follow, which helps me out quite a bit. The suggestions were varied and accessible. From what I have read, the, instructions are similar to any other assignment, give them enough time, give students choices of topics, list criteria, and give examples, are just a few. Also, by breaking the lessons down to teach parts of how to create a podcast would be very helpful to those students who would get overwhelmed when given too much information.

I look forward to creating podcasts and teaching my students in this area. The more involved they become the more successful they become.