Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Instagram, and many other social media sites have made their way into classrooms. The article I read (Link Above or Click Here) discussed 9 ways to use social media in the classroom. The article suggested that teachers could allow students to follow someone who blogs, tweets or pins about a certain topic. The teacher should allow the students to discuss the information that was found. Many of the strategies that were mentioned in this article were introduced to us in our class. Such as allowing our students to use blogging as a writing assignment. Students would blog about a certain topic then write a response to three or more of their classmates. There was one particular suggestion that stood out to me. The article suggested that a teacher of younger students could share a daily post with students from a certain blogger or twitter user. I really like this idea because it introduces younger students to social media. This will helps the students learn that social media is more than a communication device but also a tool to help them learn.
Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday I wrote my very first blog. I remember going through the settings and trying to figure out how to add labels. I can honestly say that I have learned a great deal of information from this course. I feel more confident in creating ways to incorporate technology into any subject, lesson, or activity. I believe that every teacher should be required to take an educational technology course. Technology plays a very important role and will continue to grow in the future. It is imperative that teachers keep up with the current trends and understand how to use it within the classroom. There are a variety of tools that I will be using within my learning space. Virtual Field Trips, Audioboom, Thinglink, Blogger, Digital Map Spaces, Web 2.0 tools, The Triple E Framework, and a host of much more. One of the main concepts that stood out to me was when we discussed active learning and how important active learning is to student attainment. Educational technology allows students to be a part of their learning experience. Students are able to write, read, and even speak using some applications. I also enjoyed participating in the education chats. It was great to connect with other educators and share ideas on various topics. In closing, this course has opened my mind up to new ideas. I’ve already started to use many Web 2.0 tools with the youth I’m currently working with. I plan to use more tools learned from this course in the future!
This was a very interesting assignment. I felt like I was a private investigator, investigating information on myself. Oddly enough, I actually enjoyed the assignment. I always thought of myself being somewhat private when it comes to social media. More specifically when it comes to working with my teen students. Many of my high school students always ask for my Facebook name, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc. I was surprised at how easily much of my information could be found online. I used various websites for my data mine which included Blockshopper, Socialmention, Nuwber, Pipl, Radaris, Instant Checkmate, and a google search. I also used whitepages.com. Many of the sites listed my correct age, current, and former addresses as well as my family members. Instant Checkmate had the most information on me which included my undergrad college address. The Google search revealed my social media usernames. I’m not very concerned about the information but found it interesting that so much personal information could be discovered with only a name and a city. I believe that this is a skill that should be taught to students. Especially, high school students. Many employers search the internet for information on potential employees. Students should be aware of this and monitor the information online about them. Teachers, parents, mentors and any individual who work with students should be responsible for teaching students about this skill.
I found the following video interesting. The video is about Data Mining and how it is used in a variety of ways.
This week our assignment was to explore a new Web 2.0 tool. I viewed various Web 2.0 tools but struggled to find a tool that would best suit the students I work with. I came across a host of great Web 2.0 tools but wanted to find a tool that would meet my students' specific needs. As I worked with one of my primary students this week, I noticed him struggling to read a book aloud that he selected. My first response was for him to choose another "just right" book. His response was "Mr. Phil, I really, really, really, would like to read this book." I decided to use the iPad to record the book aloud using voice memos. As I scrolled through the apps, I noticed Audioboom. Audioboom was the exact tool I needed. I recorded the book and explored Audioboom further. Audioboom turned out to be a great tool! I discovered a few more ways I could incorporate Audioboom into future lessons.
I participated in my first Tweetchat this weekend. Tweetchat is a live Twitter event that is focused on a particular topic. The moderator poses a question, using a unique hashtag and participants respond with answers using the same unique hashtag. I participated in the # 21stedchat. I was instantly intrigued by this tweet chat. As a 21st century educator, I am always looking for ways to collaborate with others in the field of education to share ideas on how to make students successful in today's world. The #21stedchat topic was Power of Feedback for the Contemporary Learner. The one-hour Tweetchat went by extremely fast! However, it was interesting to see the variety of views on each question that was answered. The main takeaway for myself was that feedback should be genuine and specific in order to allow students to improve. I'm looking forward to joining in next week and I'll also be looking at other educational Tweetchats as well.
I came across an article on Twitter entitled Educating Students in Poverty. This article was about providing early childhood education and after-school programs to low-income communities as a way to decrease the achievement gap. This was a great article and is something I am very passionate about. I truly believe that all students can achieve if given early support and continued support throughout their academic career. Exposing early childhood students to reading and math at an early age is beneficial to their future. After-school programs are beneficial to decreasing the achievement gap as well. For some students, the 1 to 1 1/2 hour of reading and math is not enough. Some struggling students might need the extra support of reading and math which can be delivered by the after-school program. Here is a link to the article for more information. Educating Students in Poverty
This week I had the opportunity to view a variety of educational
technology research. We all know that technology within the classroom can
benefit students in various ways. The integration of technology in education
not only support teachers’ teaching strategies but also supports our students
learning. As I read through the different educational technology research, a
few statistics stood out to me. The first was from Project Tomorrow Speak Up.
It stated that in 2010 only 58 percent of parents of school-aged parents
carried smartphones. Today, 94 percent of school-aged parents are smartphone
carriers. This correlates with a 2016 key finding that states that two-thirds
of school principals want new teachers to be proficient in using digital tools
such as social media apps to communicate with parents and students. With the
growth of smartphone users, teachers can now use an app to instantly connect
information to parents and students. I think back to my elementary years when
teachers would send newsletters and written notes home to communicate. Many
times these papers would get lost. Today, teachers can keep parents up-to-date
by using a simple app!
Source: Speak Up 2015 Research Project for Digital Learning Findings - the results of the authentic, K-12 educators nationwide.
The #2 finding stood out to me as well. There are more game-based learning environments in elementary grades than in middle school and high school. As I thought about that finding, I realized that this is very true. I can name numerous game-based learning apps and games for elementary grades. However, I can not think of many for high school age students. As I reflected on my own experience, I tend to use many learning apps for the elementary students I work with, however, with my high school students I do not. My goal for the next few weeks is to find more game-based learning apps for my older students.
The last finding that I found interesting was that teachers say they are using technology to encourage student self-monitoring of learning (55 percent), examine student performance trends to differentiate instruction (50 percent) and providing regular feedback to their students on performance (48 percent). I would have thought these percentages would have been higher. I believe that each of these findings is essential to my current field of special education. Using technology to encourage students to self-monitor their learning, allows students to see their own progress in reaching their goals. Secondly, by using technology, I can analyze the data to make a decision if I need to change the type of instruction. And lastly, I can use technology to not only provide feedback to the students but also parents and other members of the IEP team.
Active learning is essential to student success in any subject area. In a “Traditional” learning environment, teachers stand in front of a class lecturing, while students sit at their desk taking notes. Active learning engages students in the learning tasks and requires them to reflect on what they are learning. Active learning can be defined as any instructional method that allows students to take responsibility for their own learning and engages them through speaking, reading, listening, writing, and reflecting.
Sandercock, Irma. Active Learning Chart. How Does Active Learning Support Student Success?.
March 11, 2013. www.teachonline.asu.edu/2013/03/how-does-active-learning-support-student-success
Should teachers keep active learning in mind when developing lessons?
Teachers should definitely incorporate active learning into lessons. If you look at the picture above, you will notice that students remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, and 30% of what they see. However, they remember 90% of what they do. Learning activities that allow students to actually “do” is active learning. This increases student’s content knowledge and critical thinking skills. Active learning can also address students different learning styles. By incorporating a variety of teaching strategies in active learning, teachers can meet the needs of the visual learner, the aural learner, the kinesthetic learner (etc.).
Active learning is also very beneficial to special education students, which is my current field. I think about students who have functional goals which they need to meet in order live independent. Many of these students need to actually “do” the skill in order to learn it.
This week I had the opportunity to create a Padlet discussing a teacher that incorporated Thinglink into a social studies assignment. Thinglink is a great tool for students! It allows students to tag an image or video with web links, photos, videos, text, and other content. The students in the activity researched information on geography, economy, and the history of different regions in the United States. The students then created a Thinglink to display the facts that they learned about Illinois. I think that this was a great example of active learning. Students were engaged in the lesson by researching and learning various facts. The students then needed to write the important facts they learned. Finally, the students assessed their own work by following a rubric that was created by the teacher. Here is the link to my Padlet for more information about the activity. Below is a quick Thinglink I created and I included a few links as well.
