CI 302: Final Reflection

http://bllblogs.typepad.com/totally_technology/

WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN CI 302?

• CI 302 has probably been the most beneficial technology course that I have taked at Iowa State. It has really made me think about technology, its importance, what our world is becoming, and the importance of integrating technology into our curriculums. CI 302 has also challenged me to think about what I want for my own classroom, with and without technology. Through writing grants, reflecting on concepts, attending conferences, experimenting with many tools, learning about tools I had not hear of, and collaborating with other teachers, I have learned concepts that I will take with me forever. These concepts and skills have helped me develop and become a better teacher. What I have learned did not only have to do with the importance of technology, but the importance of the students' education and what part I want to be in it. These skills will last forever and I know that I do not want to stop learning and growing. 

WHY DO YOU THINK IT MATTERS?

• Learning about technology has benefited me in many ways. I have become better at reflecting, collaborating, and integrating. I also have learned many different ways to effectively do this by using TPACK or SAMR, and making sure technology is enhancing the students' learning in the lesson. I think that the integration of technology is becoming "must" for education. Our world is going very digital. Everything our students are doing is taking place on the web or within a technology tool. This is why it is important for us to grow with the students, integrate technology, engage them through technology, and help them be successful now and in their future. Technology is going to help diverse learners in many ways. Teachers can use technology to benefit every student. Teachers can easily find ways to use technology for differentiation and engagement of all students. Overall, teaching with technology is going to to benefit the students in more ways than one: in the classroom, moving outside the classroom, and into their futures. 

HOW WILL CI 302 IMPACT YOUR FUTURE CLASSROOM?

• Like I have said over and over again, CI 302 has introduced me to the importance of technology integration and how it can be used to benefit our students' lives. As a future educator, I hope and plan to use technology in my classroom. CI 302 has shown me hundred of different tools I can use that include websites and applications. Knowing these tools will help me enhance my lessons with technology integration. SAMR and TPACK will also help guide me into creating lessons and activities for my students where the technology enhances the lesson and is at the correct developmental level for students. I know that when I am a teacher, I will use many of the concepts taught in this class and at EDCAMP (a conference I attended early in the Spring semester). Technology is the future for us and our students. There is no better way to accept it than to engage and promote it. 

ONE GLOW ONE GROW

• CI 302 has provided me with many experiences to learn in different ways. I was able to attend a conference, where I learned from many educators and administrators about teaching and technology. I also was able to work on collaborating with my peers, while working towards a common goal. This allowed me to work on collaboration skills and compormise. Another thing that was great about CI 302 was that it introduced me to MANY different tools to use in my classroom. I love learning about different ideas that I could use and implement into my future classroom that will benefit my students and me. Overall, this was one of my favorite technology courses at Iowa State. Jamie, my proffessor, taught me so much, was very flexible, fun, engaging, and knowledgable, and I admire her for all of that. One thing that I believe would have helped me in the course is working on Grants together. Although time did not allow us to do this, and I think we would have if we could have, I would have loved to work on my Grant in class. This would have allowed my group to get feedback and answers. Even though we could not do that, Jamie did allow us to send her our Grant and get feedback. Within the course, this was the only feedback I have to give. I loved taking CI 302 with Jamie, and I hope she is there for other future teachers to help instruct them in their future. 

http://www.valleycommunications.com/smart-classroom-solutions/#.U158E_ldUuc

Technology will help engage your students, enhance their learning, and prepare them for their future!

Tech Presentations

Tonight, in class, we talked about lots of different technology tools that future educators could potentially use in their classrooms. This was a lot of fun!! It was fun because we had the opportunity to learn all about apps and websites that could benefit our future classrooms. I could not only choose a couple to talk about, so I wanted to share a bit about all of them (for your reference and mine!). All of these apps/sites (and more) could be extremely useful for all educators, and students around. 

Symbaloo

• Symbaloo is a web based tool that organizes all of your favorite websites. 
• If you use it in the classroom, you can set up different sites for the students to explore.
• Symbaloo can be set up as a start page that students can navigate to other sites.

Glogster EDU

• Students can use this site to create digital posters or web pages.
• This is a great site to use to become paperless!
• Stephanie talked about using it for students to create a timeline!

Haiku Deck

• Haiku Deck is a presentation software.
• Teachers can even navigate it through their iPhones. 
• A simple, clean, and great way for students to create a presentation. 

Socrative

• A great way to collect data from students.
• Teachers can create questions like true false, multiple choice, or short response. 
• Reports can be found on a Google Spreadsheet. 

Prezi

• Prezi is a great online presentation tool.
• It is much more customizable than PowerPoint and can be accessed from any computer with internet connection. 
• Students can use Prezi as a more engaging presentation tool, and it is a good way to have more than one person working on a tool. 

Solar Walk

• 3D Solar System model.
• It allows users to go on a 3D walk through the Solar System!
• Instead of creating models, students are now able to see a real view of planets.

Comic Life

• Gives students templates and layout plans to create comic strips. 
• It can be used to present information through details comic books.
• It includes pictures, words, and blurbs where students could retell a story. 

Numberkiz

• This is a math tool that students can use numerous manipulatives to develop their own understanding. 
• Students could use protractors to measure angles of shapes on the app.
• Students could also use base ten blocks to compare numbers on the app. 

Bubbl

• Bubbl creates mind maps!
• Students could create a web diagram of animal classifications. 
• It is also a great way to take notes and explore ideas. 

Teach Me: Kindergarten

• Allows students to practice basic reading, math, and spelling skills. 
• When students get the correct answers, they get points. 
• Students can earn stickers to put on a background of their choice. This would motivate students to do their best and make progress to the materials. 

Weebly

• This is an online blog that students can use. 
• Gets students collaborating, communicating, and creating. 
• Weebly gives teachers the opportunity to flip their classroom and keep students learning beyond the classroom walls. 

Toontastic

• Students can create their own stories, using a given story board. 
• The students draw their own setting, draw their characters, do a voiceover, and plot their story. 
• A great way to keep students involved is to have them plan their story on paper first, and then put it on the app. 

Grant Writing Reflection

This past week, Tess and I completed writing our Grant for class. This was not a real application for a Grant, but just practice in writing one and having fun with it. We had an imaginary budget and an imaginary idea. We applied to receive GPS systems for our classrooms. We chose these because we thought it would be fun to apply for something unique! After working through the process, I found out that students could use the GPS systems in so many more ways than I thought. Having free range during this application process really let me think through all of the awesome things you could do with all sorts of technology.

http://www.grantexperts.com/grant-writing-services

Writing the actual grant was a lot of fun. We were able to put together our knowledge on TPACK and create an ideal for other to see as important. In other words, we were able to use our knowledge to try and persuade others to agree on how important this technology is to us and why we should have it in our classrooms.

Some other great things I learned about Grant writing:

• You need to allow yourself plenty of time to think critically, thoughtfully, and creatively. 
• Structure your narrative based on the criteria intended and purpose of your grant.
• Justify your funding--why you should receive it and its importance. 
• Proofread, proofread, proofread! You do not want your proposal to be overlooked because of gramatical errors. 
• If you need additional information, ASK! Talk to the person in charge (usually the manager) to clarify any misconceptions, confusions, or misunderstandings. 
• Grants mean you are working towards a goal. You should have prior knowledge and be able to back up your opinions and reasoning for the grant. 
• Practice writing grants. You want your actual proposals to be as professional as possible. 
• When practicing, or working, be creative. Grants should be working toward something that is very beneficial to your school and will support the learning of your students. 

Overall, when writing our grant, I learned a lot about professionalism, collaboration, and the focus of student support. In the future, if I am working on writing a grant, I will understand how much it will be evaluated, the importance of it, and how much it will potentially help my students grow in the future if my school receives it. 

Grants allow teachers to use their knowledge and be innovative to create a narrative that will, potentially, grant their students with many future opportunities. 

Interview Reflection

Teacher Librarians:
It is a very unique experience to be a teacher librarian. This week, I had the opportunity to watch videos pertaining to different roles in the educational world, that use technology as a tool. The first interview I watched was with two ladies who are teacher librarians. I loved hearing from them. Why? Well, I remember my librarian at my school and she was nothing like what these ladies were. Librarians have grown so much in the past few years and became a much stronger part of each school district. I loved to hear that they both loved their job and worked to help students build an understanding of things like digitical citizenship. Another thing I was interested in was the term, targeted tools. It interested me that the school district she worked for had many different tools, that each served different needs for the students. Whichever tool they needed, they would work with. Overall, the teacher librarians had a lot of information about teaching, integrating technology, and helping students become the best they can be. Technology has benefitted these teachers for the rest of their career.

Tech Director:
Tech directors have a huge job in the education system. They are the ones who keep the schools technology up and running. This specific tech director has a teacher education background. I love that he has this because it helps him understand the tools used in an actual classroom. His understanding of teacher goals and the use of technology is very empathetic and I believe that is extrememly important. One thing I really enjoyed learning about from him was getting teachers to want to integrate technology in their classrooms. He said the most important thing for doing this was creating a community of teachers who DO want to use the technology and building off of them. This community will help the teachers who do not want to use technology become interested. They find ways to show these teachers that technology is important and will benefit the students. Lastly, I learned how awesome Google Apps truly is. He stated that when you use it, the support system is amazing and you can do so much with it. Overall, hearing from teh tech director has shown me the importance of his job, that we cannot always blam the "broadband connection," and technology is changing our world and the way we teach--in a good way!

1:1 Teachers:
This was definitely one of my favorite interviews, probably because my future goal is to be a teacher. I know that I may not have 1:1 in my future classroom, but I love to prepare myself to the best of my ability. Hearing from these two young ladies who are early teachers, helps me understand that either way "it will be okay." I love that they both jumped with two feet in, and dove right into using the technology. It is always good to hear that the technology is actually useful, helping their students, engaging them, and motivating them to do the best they can. Another thing I heard from one of the teachers was that they had iPads, chrome books, and Mac Books. It was interesting to hear that she believes this helps them develop and is what they need; like learning to type, create, and discover. To go along with that, both teachers agreed that these tools are helping students collaborate, engage with others, want to learn, and strive to teach others what they are learning. The girls also talked about engaging other teachers with the technology and how important it is to integrate it. They allow others to watch them and learn to use it. They also said that it is the best thing for the students. It is preparing them for their future, engaging them, and growing with our digital world. We are becoming a digital world, and we need to grow with that. Management is also important. Symbaloo is one way that teachers manage it. They also teach the importance of digitcal cizitzenship and set the expectations at the beginning of the year. Both teachers also said that it is extremely important just to walk around the room. This will help the students understand the impotance of being on the right sites at the right times, and always thinking of when you might just be watching them. One final thing I loved hearing was that getting a technology minor is a great choice. It will help you in the future and principals love to hear that you have experience with technology. Overall, we are becoming a digital world and changing with the world is what future educators need to be doing.

Tech Integrationist:
The tech integrationist (or instructional technology coach) was very interesting to talk to. His job is to integrate technology into the classrooms. What was interesting to hear about from him was his research called "Project 500." This was when Google contacted his school district asking if they would test the use of Chromebooks in their classrooms. They did it, and it all went on from there. They grew to use Google more and more. As this tech coach continues with his career, he hopes to keep building on the strengths of integrating technology. He also had a background with education. This seems to keep popping up with our interviewees. That is extremely interesting to me because it proves that you can go anywhere with your degree. For example, I could even work towards being a technology integrationist in the future. This tech integrationist then went on to talk more about Google and using google apps/tools in the classroom. He was very happy with the use of Google and how beneficial it is for the students at his schools. I love using Google and it is always great to hear other educators talking about it, how it is used, and what benefits it has. Lastly, he talked about the importance of changing with the world. Like all of the other educators, he said that we are becoming a digital world and that is why we need to prepare out students for their future, including technology.

AEA Staff:
The AEA staff member that we had the opportunity to talk with was full of great information. She told us about her job, the importance of professional development, and how technology can be integrated in schools. One again, this staff member had a very colorful background. She went from being a teacher, to a tech director, to staff at AEA. She really works now with teachers and administrators on educating them on the importance of integrating technology and providing professional development training for educators. It was nice to hear about her goals, how she strategically went from one place to another, and then landed at a job that was her dream for awhile. Some words that she told us that I really liked were the once when she said that technology is not the only thing out there. We do want to integrate technology, but when we do we have to use it wisely and make sure there is a purpose. Lastly, this staff member talked about the importance of growing and changing. We have to grow and change with the technology world in order to better help our students become successful. Professional development is one way we can do this. I strive to attend as many professional development conferences and meetings that I can, in order to be the best teacher I can be and to continuously be learning with my students. I loved hearing from this AEA staff member and her journey to get where she is now.

Most Interesting Role:
To me, all of these roles were very interesting. I loved hearing about educators jobs, how technology impacts it, and the importance of it. I loved how each and every person we talked to loved what they do. They also were extremely happy with the path that they took to get to where they are. If I had to choose one of my favorite interviews, it would have to be the teachers. As of right now, my goal for my future is to be a K-5 elementary teacher. Hearing from a first year teacher who is so successful and a teacher that has had a little more experience was amazing. I loved hearing about their jobs, how technology has mad it successful, and how much they LOVE it. My goal is to have a job that I love so much that it does not feel like I am working, but just helping students be the best they can be. Maybe someday I will want to futher my education, or choose a different career, but I know now, that no matter what I choose, my educational background will help me get there.

Themes:
When watching all of these interviews I seen a few themes throughout: Google is becoming more and more common, you can be a teacher and still move into tech careers, and technology is changing our world and we need to become digital with it. These are the three themes I saw throughout the interviews. In almost every interview I heard about Google. Google seems to be making a huge impact on education and becoming a very prominent tool. It was also talked about in a very positive manner. It seemed as if these educators loved Google and all it has to offer. The second one was the fact that all of the educators had a teaching background. To me, this was awesome. It is great to know that the people who are helping teachers integrate technology into their classrooms, actually understand being a teacher. It also shows that you can go anywhere with your carreer. Lastly, technology is changing our world and we need to grow with it. This final theme is very important. Almost every interview included information on this theme. The fact that the world is becoming digital means that it is extremely important for us to become digital with the world and teach our students the importance of technology and how it will impact their future.

http://www.appsbar.com/blog/technology/

Creating an Augmented Reality: Aurasma

This week my tech review is based off of the app Aurasma Studio. This app can help students create an augmented reality to expand their experience of the real world with video, sound, information, and many other things. Students are able to create different types of presentations that will make it much more engaging than text. 

• How to access the tool? 
• The Aurasma Studio Ap is available on the iTunes apple store or android market. If you go into the store and search Aurasma, you will be able to find the FREE app. One you download it, you can set up your account, class, and channel (yes, you will need a channel). 
• Compatability of the tool?
• The tool is very easy to use. Aurasma can be used in different ways. Students could scan an image and see its aura or they can create an aura for an image. An aura is the augmented reality that each image holds within. Both are easily done within the app. To scan the image, a student will only have to hold the scanner up to the image and there you go, an aura. To create an aura, students can link video, images, sound, and content to the image easily through the app. The steps of creating an aura would have to be taught throroughly to younger students, but older students should be able to follow the steps on the app. 
• What does it do?
• Aurasma uses images and pattern recognition to blend the real world, with engaging and interactive content, such a videos and animations called "auras." Aurasma gives teachers and students endless opportunities to learn. Students will be able to interact with content that teachers create. Students can also create their own aura for images, posters, art, etc. By doing this, students will learn content, practice the use of technology, and work on presentation skills. Teachers can use Aurasma to link information to content. For example, a teacher could create a poster of Martin Luther King. If students scan that poster, they could see a video of Martin Luter King's speach, or the teacher acting as Martin Luther King and presenting information. Aurasma is a fun way to present content to teachers, students, and families. There are endless opportunities with it!
• How do you use it?
• Aurasma can be used in many different ways. To create an Aura for an image, you will need to:

http://ipad4schools.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/school-aurasma1.pdf
Click the image above to view a larger version of the image!

• Classroom Ideas
• Like I have said repeatedly, there are many different ways to use Aurasma! Here are a few wonderful classroom ideas:
• Use Aurasma to bring a lesson to life and make it more engaging. For example, if you are teaching about the watercycle, have the students scan a picture to see the aura of the water cycle. Students will love actually seeing it. 
• You could also hyperlink one of the auras to add additional information to something. For example, if you were learning about primary and secondary sources, they could scan an image that would take them to a link of information about the image (date, location, point of view, etc.).
• You could even use Aurasma to make lessons come to life and tell the history of our country. 
• Another idea for Aurasma is to have the students create auras. They can create presentations about a poster, link it to their aura, and then have other students scan their poster to learn about their presentation. 
• Other quick ideas:
• welcome visitors and introduce the school.
• animate mathematical problems being solved.
• explain how to use school equipment (useful in my technology or science classrooms)
• bring famous people from history to life with students acting out their most famous moments or words.
• explain famous paintings on demand
• introduce apps with demos of students using them.

Here is a video to show you what it might look like when using  Aurasma in your classroom. In the video, parents are coming in to learn about the art students had prepares. Follow the link below to view it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2ji9OBvZsI

Kidblog 101

Kidblog is an online website for blogging that is used in classrooms. Teachers set it up, monitor it, and direct students in any direction they need to go. It is a great way to get your students digitally involved!

http://eett.sylvan.k12.ca.us/wordpress/?p=879

• How to access the tool?
• Like I said, Kidblog is an online website. It is used for blogging in the classroom. You can go to the website at http://kidblog.org/home/ to set up your classroom blog. It is also easily accessible from any device and there is an app you can download from the Apple store and Adroid market. 
• Compatibility of the tool?
• Kidblog is very compatible. Students can sign on to their classroom blog from any device that has a connection through the web because it is a website. There is also an app for kidblog. Students can access/download that app to any apple or android device. If the student does not want to download the app, they can go to the web browser, type in the website, and log in from there. This is a great tool to use with students, even if your school is not1:1, but you have access to computers or the internet. 
• What does it do?
• Allows students to voice their opinion, share ideas, answer questions, write their thoughts, etc. all through blogging online. Kidblog is an opportunity for the students' learning to be inside of the classroom and move outside of the classroom walls, moving forward in this digital age. 

• "Kidblog is Different--Kidblog is built by teachers, for teachers, so students can get the most out of the writing process. Our mission is to empower teachers to embrace the benefits of the coming digital revolution in education. As students become creators - not just consumers - of information, we recognize the crucial role of teachers as discussion moderators and content curators in the classroom. With Kidblog, teachers monitor and control all activity within their classroom blogging community." (http://kidblog.org/why-kidblog/)

•  Kidblog provides teachers with tools to help their students safely navigate the digital world:
• Teachers have adminstative control over all accounts
• Students blogs are private by default; only viewable to teachers and students
• Teachers can add password-protected parentand guests accounts
• Comment privace settings block unsolicited comments
• Does not require any personal information from students
• Kidblog provides a student-friendly publishing experience:
• There is no advertising of any kind
• A student log-in menu is built in for them to select their names from a list
• Clutter-free design
• Blog directory and navigations allows students to find other students' blogs easily
• Most current conversations are in the activity feeds
• Teachers are able to review every detail of students' blog posts before they are posted. 
• Students are able to comment on others' blog posts and provide feedback. 
• Students are engaged and enjoy writing their thoughts online to share with their peers! 
• How do you use it?
• Go to the website. 
• To create a class, click "create a class."
• Fill in all information and create your class! 
• Continue by following all of the steps on the screen. 
• Then, throughout your experience, you can post blogs, assignments, and goals for the students to reply back on. 
• You can monitor blog posts through your dashboard found on the home screen. 
• Classroom Ideas
• There are many ways you can use a blog in the classroom. One way you can use it, if you are in upper elementary or highschool, is to do response to readings. This is how the students could practice their skills. For example, if you worked on summarizing a text you could blog an example and then ask the students to do that with a book they are reading. The blogs can be used as an informal assessment tool if you are doing things like checking for understanding of a skill. 
• You can also have students reply back to others' posts, giving them feeback and ideas. 
• Another way to have students use their blog is having them "live" blog the class for the day. This allows the teacher to check the students writing and critical thinking. Students can take turns doing this throughout the week. This allows parents to see what is happening in the classroom on a daily basis. 
• There are many ways to use a blog in your classroom. Here are a few more ideas:
• create classroom discussions
• learn digital citizenship
• practicing writing skills
• create an e-portfolio
• reflect on learning
• formatively assess writing

A little something to leave you with... ENJOY KIDBLOG :-)

http://onyxdigital.co.za/2012/06/web-comics-a-sign-of-our-modern-times/web-comic-kid-blog/

Speed Geeking

Have you ever heard of speed geeking? I had not until last Wednesday.The term comes from "speed dating."  Many people use speed geeking to do very quick presentations for groups, which in a way, is like speed dating. While there were not people "presenting" for my peers and I, there were still quick presentations. We were going through different technological devices, seeing the benefits and drawbacks of each. It was a lot of fun experimenting with different devices, applications, and online tools. 

http://www.securedgenetworks.com/secure-edge-networks-blog/bid/82406/20-Pros-and-Cons-of-implementing-BYOD-in-schools

Some devices that we looks at were: Chromebooks, Nexus 7, Kindle Fire, and Surface Tablet.

Some applications we explored were: Write About This, Educreations, iMovie, and WeVideo. 

Some online websites we browsed through were: Padlet, Educreations, and Powtoons. 

All of these sources had some benefits and some drawbacks, but I did have my favorites. I am a GOOGLE LOVER. I love that there are many things you can do with Google, keep on Google, save/share on Google, and learn on Google. That is why, after experimenting with many devices, I still love the Nexus 7. There are many applications for google and it will also link to any other google device you have through gmail. 

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/nexus-7-review/

The Nexus 7 would be a great device to have in your classroom. There are many opportunities through Google and the applications for learning and development. Although I love the Nexus 7 and would be happy to have and incorporate it into my classroom, I still would pick a different device.

What device would I pick for my classroom? An iPad! I would pick an iPad for my classroom for many reasons. Students are more familiar with the iOS software and if they are not, it is easy to learn. I also think that even though they are kind of expensize, they have many benefits. The APP store offers millions of educational applications that are free or sometimes very inexpensive. It is also important to consider that many of the applications that teachers love and use are through iOS. With that being said, they would not be able to use that App on any other device. There are also things like iMovie that is fun, easy to navigate, and engaging for students to use in their development. On the iPad they can also incorporate many Google tools, like Google Drive. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/write-about-this-free/id601382666?mt=8

One application that is only available from the Apple store is Write About This. This is an application that I would love to incorporate into my classroom writing workshop. I would use the iPad and send students different prompts to practice their writing with. Write About This allows you to do just that. It links a prompt with a picture and question. Then the students can write right on the iPad through typing or using a stylus, or they could write on paper. You are also able to create your own. This app, and many others, are the reason I am for iPads in the classroom. 

I would also use iPads in many other ways. Students could collaborate on Google drive, create iMovies together, or even blog. The iPad does not limit you to many things, but broaden your horizons as a classroom teacher teaching with technology. Even though I am an android fan, I think Apple products in the classroom, when used appropriately, can be highly effective. No matter what device you use, I hope it compliments your teaching in ways that your students can be more engaged in their development and learning. 

#EdCampIowa

Welcome to #EdCampIowa!!!!

This weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Ed Camp Iowa. This is a conference that takes place all around Iowa, all in one day. There were five cities that were participating and over 700 educators total at all of the sites. The day is full of networking, communicating, and best of all, learning what you want to learn. The set up of Ed Camp is my favorite type of professional development I have participated in. You arrive to the site in the morning... with nothing planned. The planning starts when you arrive. All of the educators write down what they want to learn on a piece of paper when they arrive. That is how the sessions are determined! What a great way to learn. The day is split up into four sessions, all about 50 minutes long. During each session, there are five different topics you can choose from. It was great to be able to decide what I wanted to learn about. The conference was also very "laid back." By this I mean it was full of conversations. Educators from all around were making connections, learning from one another, and becoming a better professional. We were even able to follow the twitter hashtag #edcampiowa and be able to keep up with everyone's day. The hashtag is still going on, so if you are on Twitter, you should follow and learn from all of the wonderful educators our there. Everyone I met during Ed Camp always had a smile on their face and was willing to chat. I would definitely recommend Ed Camp to everyone, no matter if you are a preservice teacher, teacher, principal, superintendant, tech coordinator, etc. There is something for you!

Here is a link to the #EdCampIowa website that shows the schedule and sessions! Just click the hashtag!

https://sites.google.com/site/edcampiowa/home/central

Now, I would like to tell you all about the sessions I had the opportunity to attend. Although, I wish I had the time to attend all of them, I went to four: Twitter 101, Teaching 101: for preservice teachers, Rocks or Sucks, and Critical Thinking. 

Twitter 101:

Twitter 101 was a lot of fun. I had the opportunity to learn from many educators, including Mr. Toby Brown. This man is extrememly knowledgeable, intelligent, and enlightening... oh and extrememly hilarious. If I recommend you to follow anyone on twitter, it should definitely be him at @tbbrwn. The chat was very informal. We learned all about setting up twitter (for those who did not have one, can you believe it?!), hashtags to follow, people to follow, and ways to integrate it or use it as a tool in our classrooms. One hashtag that interested me was #ntchat. This is a hashtag for new teachers and it is a chat between "new teachers" to give each other tips, tricks, and help! When learning about ways to integrate Twitter in the classroom, I was astonished by how many people already do. It sounds like such a great resource for students. One way was to have someone live tweet your class for parents and sick students to see what you are doing. If you are not aloud to have twitter, there are even ways to "practice" twitter. One example was to post hashtags around the room and then have students put their "tweets" on sticky notes to add to the posts. Lastly, one way to use twitter as a great connection is through #mysteryskype. This sets you up with a person who will then let your students interview them over skype. The purpose is usually for the students to use their good questions and critical thinking skills to figure out the location of this person. Overall, this was a great session. 

Teaching 101:

During teaching 101, I learned a whole bunch of important things for that every preservice teacher should know. Having the opportunity to talk to new teachers, experienced teachers, principals, adn even superintendants was extremely important and helpful. So, what are some key points I learned?

• Build relationships with the students. One thing that was advised was to not have any content the first week and to learn the students' names, about them, and set expectations together. 
• "You should remember they were there!" By this, the person who said it meant that you should know the students so well that when they leave you should be able to redo or take attendance. 
• Be able to tell your students WHY you are doing something and if you can't... MOVE ON. 
• Catch them being good, not bad. 
• Laugh with them, because you will make mistakes. 
• Social media is a great way to engage your students and their fmailies. Examples are using instagram for an exit ticket to a prompt or twitter to live tweet. 
• Keep snacks... for those students who may need something to eat. 
• Attach yourself to the positive people, not the negative ones. 
• DO NOT GRADE EVERYTHING... yes, use it to check where the students are at with understanding, but do not grade everything. 
• Interviews: many principals are asking teachers questions on perserverance; like how you overcame your obstacles. 
• Some other interview questions may be: how competetive are you, what are you willing to do, what are you reading for fun, or what are you reading for educational purposes. 
• Ask your interviewer questions about the job like when school starts and if you will have a room. 

Rocks or Sucks?

Rocks or sucks is actually a format of discussion. This was a very fun session. It was almost like a debate for professional purposes. We were given a topic and then had to decide if we thought it rocked, sucked, or we were in the middle. After we decided, we went and stood with our group to discuss for a minute. After the minute, we were give five minutes to defend our stances. It was a FUN and intriguing way to interact with each other. Some of the topics we discussed were: standardized testing, professional dress, and social media in the classroom. I will definitely be taking this form of discussion with me to other professional development opportunities or even to my classes. 

Critical Thinking:

This was the last session of the day. During this session, we talked about the importance of getting our students to think through the processes of their learning. This was the first session that I got a headache! Why? Because I had so many thoughts about what to say. It was a lot of fun to be able to understand what was going on and participate in the conversation. One topic that continuously was brought up was FAILURE. The educators in the room kept going back to the fact that we need to teach our students that it is okay to fail and we can do this by modeling it. To model this we can go through our thoughts out loud so our students can hear our thinking and see that we have to try hard also. We can also "purposefully" fail. This is something I do a lot; to check for understanding and model that it is okay! I think it is a great teaching strategy. In the end, we want our students to understand that from failure, you can improve and succeed. Other than failure, we talked about questioning our students. Everyone shared that they think it is important that we ask them different levels of questions (tier teaching). Dig deep into their thinking and explore their mind. One thing I believe is important is that we explain to students that we cannot see inside of their brains and we know there is a lot going on in there; that is why we need them to tell us words to explain what their brain is doing. Many great critical thinkin strategies embedded in many of the conversations. 

Some suggestions given to me throughout the day:

• Read Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess
• Read the book Teaching with Love and Logic
• Watch Common Sense Media: In Plain English
• Watch you digital footprint
• Use Remind 101 or Google Voice

As you can tell, my experience at Ed Camp was on of the best. I cannot begin to explain how happy I am I chose to go. No matter who you are, I think you would enjoy the common interest in the love of teaching. 

http://www.pinterest.com/katieboiter/wordspiration/

Thank you Ed Camp Iowa for providing me with this wonderful experience to learn and become a better educator for the future. 

Remixing Classrooms

This week, I had the opportunity to do some research on remixing the classroom. I chose to research this because I had no idea what it was and it sounded very interesting. When I think of remixing something, I think of taking music and changing it to sound like something you like and you think others will. That is how I like to think of remixing the classroom/curriculum; changing the content into something that you like and think will benefit others.  If you are like me, before I said this word, you probably had never heard it and are wondering: but what exactly is remixing? Well, to me, remixing is when you are being creative and innovative. It is when teachers take traditional content and make it their own: new, exciting, and online. Teachers are able to pull material from many different sites that they think will benefit their classroom the most. One of the best parts is it will most likely be FREE.

What does remixing mean for teachers?

First, and foremost, it means that teachers have the ability to creat a curriculum that is digital. They can pull many different contexts from the web. That is also why it may be free. Teachers can choose to use many sites that give you great articles, ideas, and contexts that are free! It also allows teachers to pull many different sources into one. I like to call that "mashing." They are taking a bunch of different contexts and putting it into one, having the ability to decide what will benefit your students most. Lastly, they can combine media with text, giving it a new and interactive meaning. This will let the students be engaged and be more likey to learn the content. 

What does remixing mean for students?

One of the best parts of remixing your classroom is you can choose what will engage your students. The design of remixing is much more interactive, allowing your students to be engaged and want to learn through things like animations, simulations, videos, and graphics. Remixing for students also means that their learning will be able to move beyond the classroom walls. Assuming, if you are remixing, you are 1:1, students have great opportunities to continue learning at home and with their families. 

So, what are the benefits to remixing?

There are many benefits to remixing your classroom and curriculum. First, education becomes FREE: textbook materials and learing devices are found online. For example, Khan Academy. Another benefit is that students will definitely be more engaged. Like I said before, there will be animations, simulations, videos, graphics and texts. These different forms of interactions will differentiate between many students, allowing them all to find ways to learn. Remixing also broadens teachers horizons. It allows them to provide up to date information. Finally, it goes back to collaborating online through communities. Teachers can form different learning communities and be active in them, allowing them to learn from other educators. They can share different materials that will benefit the students. 

Are there any down falls of remixing?

I would not call them down falls, but obstacles. There are a few obstacles that many teachers may run into when trying to remix their classroom. First is time. It may take teachers a lot of time to put together their new "classroom," but if the teacher is willing to do this, the students will benefit much more. Second is the digital divide. Some students may not have access to internet or a device. The easiest way this can be solved is by in class work or having a 1:1 classroom. From that would be cost. Schools have to be willing to pay for devices and also better connections. They want the broadband to be able to successfully work for all students at one time. Lastly, file viewing. Depending on what device the students have, certain files may not be able to be used. For example, if you download something from the AP store, it will only work on devices with ios. 

Remixing is important to keep our students engaged and up to date.

One thing we have to remember is that our students live in a digital world. They are working with, creating with, and learning with technology. The importance of using and modeling with content from the web is huge; it will help our students engagement and capabilities to learn. I love the idea of remixing the classroom if you have the ability and tools to do so! 

SITES TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND & REMIX: 

• http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/02/are-you-ready-to-remix-your-curriculum/
• http://www.mentormob.com/beta/splash
• https://www.khanacademy.org/
• http://www.ck12.org/student/
• http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/02/08/02digital.h05.html

And I will leave you with a thought to ponder...Our students are living in a digital world. 

Twitter: Social Networking

This week was full of all kinds of networking online!! All of this networking took place in one great place: Twitter. I have always loved Twitter and its' purpose, but after this week I have an entire new found love for it: networking. Twitter is a great way to stay connected with friends and family, but it is also a great way to build your PLN and make connections with educators or professionals from all around.  This week I learned a lot of things about Twitter that I did not know existed. For example, you can follow different professional/educational conversations! It is a great way to connect with others and learn about different topics. Another is TweetDeck for Google Chrome. It is an Ap through Google that displays different columns that you want to follow. I followed one called #IAEdChat. By following this, I could see all tweets that have that hashtag in it. I also following #EdCampIA because I will be attending this conference next week and want to know what people are saying about it.

If you are new to Twitter, there are four main steps you need to follow to use it successfully:

1. Create a Profile
2. Follow meaningful people, organizations, and #hashtags. 
3. Interact: participate in conversations, reply to posts, and retweet posts. 
4. Use #hastags, but not too many, so you can be brought together in chats. 

If you are struggling to find people or hashtags to follow, here is a link that will take you to important tweeters and hashtags that will make a difference: Twitter 101

http://the-house-of-anubis.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:AnubisSibunaAunbis/The_Hashtag_Club!

Like I said earlier, one topic that I followed was #IAEdchat. This chat was all about the exceptional learners and how we can help make all students successful. Just through watching and participating in the conversation, I learned new ways that I can work with students to give them all the opportunity to learn! There were many links posted and ideas thrown out there from people all around. I saw people post ways to adapt your classroom, lessons, or even parents working with their students at home. Here is one blog that was posted that helped me understand the struggling learner. To me, this twitter chat was awesome! It lead me to so many links and ideas for my future classroom. Will I participate in Twitter chats in the future? Absolutely! It was extremely helpful and I would encourage others to do so. I am excited to see what it will be like to follow other professional conversations. The internet has so many ideas/learning point out there that we can use to help us be successful educators. Twitter chats will be in my future and I hope yours too. 

I would encourage you and your friends to get involved in Twitter chats and networking, to build your PLN. You can make professional connections and learn so much, just by the click of a button. Some people that I follow that are great at providing information are @Newsela, @IowaCommNetwork, @coolcatteacher, and @flourishingkids. I follow these people because they provide me with up to date information that I can use in my classroom or help be a successful teacher. If you are not an educator, you can easily search "people to follow on Twitter for __" in Google. You will find tons. I highly encourage you to follow Newsela. It is a source that has many literacy articles for you or your students that are up to date and can be used for different levels of readers. 

http://spectra-llc.com/twitter-is-important-for-all-businesses/

Twitter is definitely a great place to go for help, learning, and fun. It will help you be successful and build a PLN that is meaningful. GO OUT AND START TWEETING! :) 

Find me on Twitter at @Breannakb

Making Connections

In our century, I personally believe, it is no longer an option to be connected; in order to continue learning, we have to stay connected with the most up to date information out there. The quote to the left is extrememly important to me. I think we need to understand that it may not be about the device at hand, but how we are using it. Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc. are all places that we can choose to use as a resources to better our knowledge and connect to people who can help with that. There are many ways to start you Personal Learning Network (PLN) and it excites me that there are so many ways we can do this now!




I think there are many ways I am connected, but I would love to become more professionally involved with networks. Iowa State has given me many opportunities, one being: Move For Thought. This is a online learing community that teachers can post many different integrated PE lessons and ideas. That is one way I am connected. I would love to become more connected professionally through Twitter and other proffesional networks. By doing this, I believe I will become a better teacher and learner.

On Sunday, February 23, I was able to participate in an online interview with a man from OSU. He answered many questions, but focused on:  

What are the benefits of using technology/social media as a PLN to improve their practice and those of their students?

I was able to learn so much from him and understand the importance of PLNs for me and my future students. My favorite quote from him was "making personal connections is the most important." He explains this by saying that they are the people that can help you be better at your job, which in the end makes your students do better. 

One very important piece of information I learned from Toby was that connected educator is not the right phrase to use because we ARE all connected already. Toby emphasized the importance that connections are ways that help YOU be a better YOU: they are personal and interactive. The connections we make with people are when we share information that helps us relate on different levels of understandings that will help us be successful. 

There were also many ways that Toby said he benefitted from PLNs. 

http://technorati.com/social-media/article/twitter-fakes-tweets-to-promote-twitter/

Twitter is one of the main resources Toby talked about that was beneficial. I believe it is a greeat way to explain the importance of using social media to help us make connections and learn. Twitter allows us to follow educators and any people that will help us be successful. Toby explain that once he was seeing tweets about a project he was doing; he followed the hashtag and then was able to learn and benefit from the material! This is what it is all about! Making connections that benefit us. 

A piece of advise from Toby and I: Make personal connections NOW! The sooner you start connecting with people, the more you can learn and benefit from it. 

One way that I am excited to start making connections is through conferences like EdCamp Iowa! There are many ways to connect with others and start to learn about ways that can benefit you and your students. Start with something small and local like this, and then move forward, creating more connections and learning.

Another topic we talked about was the importance of your students making connections. One way to have them do this is by live blogging in the classroom. How fun would it be to have your students post what you were doing in class to keep family up to date. It would also beneficial for students to look back and reflect, go for help, or if they were ill to get the information. Some other ways are to have them set up a classroom Twitter account, classroom Facebook account, or classroom Google+. Students can connect with their peers and even other proffesionals outside of their classroom, while the teacher is monitoring it.

What about students who cannot access technology (internet) at home?

We call this the DIGITAL DIVIDE. When this happens, we have to work with students the best that we can and be proactive. If you think there are students who will not have access, think of ways they can be involved. For example, Toby uses Google Voice to text his students prompts or reminders. Most students now have text enabled phones, which allow us to connect with them. He also gave other applications that allow us to do this, like: Remind 101 and Celly. The best we can do is accomodate for whatever needs our students have.

http://1toweb.org/blog/

Go out and start connecting!!