NETS-T: 5
1. My Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a way to stay connected amongst colleagues with the same interests as myself. This is a great resource for a future teacher because it's a way to discuss new lesson plans, teaching techniques, and network other career related skills.
2. I use Twitter to follow educational tweets that will pertain to teachers. I am following: usedgov (the U.S. Department of Education), Education Week (an educational newspaper), Teach For America (a national corps for new teachers who teach for two years in rural/urban schools), Ideas_Factory (a UK Primary School Deputy Head with lots of ideas for teaching children from a different cultural standpoint), and We Are Teachers (online community for all teachers).
I decided to follow the chat #ntchat (new teacher chat) on Friday May 6, 2011 at 5pm. It was interesting to participate in this chat because it seemed like a very positive and supportive network of new teachers. Most of the chatting involved hints to de-stress/stay charged towards the end of the year and thanking mom's for Mother's Day. Also, the chat directed me towards some interesting educational sites such as edutopia.com.
3. I use Diigo as a networking tool because it is a quick way to search and stay connected to interesting educational sites. I first bookmarked Edutopia's facebook page to my Diigo account. On this site, there were many links to educational blogs and articles plus a way for me to communicate with other teachers.
Next, I bookmarked an educational wiki from New Zealand called 21st Century Learning. In this wiki site, a New Zealand teacher of 12 years discusses his technological advances and sometimes disappointments in the classroom. I think this is an interesting site to follow because it can give me a different cultural perspective on technology in the classroom somewhere across the world.
Then, I bookmarked a blog from Education Next. This is a site about current events that affect teachers. One of the blog topics was about the increase in technology in the classroom. The blog stated that
4 million K-12 students took some sort of online course this last year. This is a good site to network with because they are very up to date with the current events in the teaching career.
4. I joined the discussion forum "iPads in the elementary classroom" on the website edupln.com (Educators PLN). This discussion caught my attention because I would love to find out how to go about getting iPads, or any other new technology, in my future classroom. I watched the video called Best Practices in Social Networking for Educators. It is an interview with a principal from New Jersey that used to be completely anti-social networking, but is now referred to as "Mr. Twitter." In the video, Eric Sheninger discusses how his misconceptions about social network sites like Twitter made him think they were useless tools for educators or students. Once he gave Twitter a shot, he realized that he could connect with an endless amount of resources to keep him up to date with the 21st century technology being used by his students. He suggests that principals and educators "stick their toes in the water" to figure out what the newest social media is really all about. Mr. Sheninger says that by implementing the newest technology in his school, students are excited to come to school.
This is important to me because it reminds me that it will be my job as a teacher to be on top of the latest technological opportunities and how they affect my students for the better or worse. I was just like Principal Sheninger, I thought Twitter was a useless social site where people discussed what they were eating for dinner. Now that I've been coaxed into opening an account and to explore it, I see that my first impression was incorrect and it can be used as an important tool and resource.
Alayne
me.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Journal 4 (NETS-T 5)
Schaffhauser, D. (2010, December 01). It's time to trust teachers with the internet: a conversation with meg ormiston. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/12/01/its-time-to-trust-teachers-with-the-internet-a-conversation-with-meg-ormiston.aspx?sc_lang=en
Meg Ormiston makes some very valid points about the barriers imposed on teachers and the technological freedom they're denied in the classroom. To become a teacher is a long process of proving all sorts of capabilities. Teacher's deserve more freedom with technology in their classrooms in order to keep students with up to date information. Yes, some of the problem has to do with a limit in finances, but it sounds like teachers have proven they're trustworthy enough for more Internet freedom. I like how Meg says that social networking shouldn't be blocked because a teacher could use social networking as a way to teach Internet and cyber responsibility. I also like how Meg says that if the schools are just focusing on blocking teachers from the Internet teachers are going to give up on technology in the classroom all together.
Q1: How can we get the schools to loosen up the blocks on the Internet usage for teachers?
A continuous amount of professional development would help both the school and the teachers promote proper Internet usage. Getting the administrator involved in the process is very important too. They're the leader of the school and they have much influence over what specifically can be blocked and unblocked. If they're involved in the process they may be an advocate for certain cites in the classroom.
Q2: Should the filtering be all lifted at once?
No, the sites should become available in waves. Maybe let the teachers have access to explore the Internet and social networking first. If that goes okay, then let the students begin to uncover the vast information of the Internet.
Meg Ormiston makes some very valid points about the barriers imposed on teachers and the technological freedom they're denied in the classroom. To become a teacher is a long process of proving all sorts of capabilities. Teacher's deserve more freedom with technology in their classrooms in order to keep students with up to date information. Yes, some of the problem has to do with a limit in finances, but it sounds like teachers have proven they're trustworthy enough for more Internet freedom. I like how Meg says that social networking shouldn't be blocked because a teacher could use social networking as a way to teach Internet and cyber responsibility. I also like how Meg says that if the schools are just focusing on blocking teachers from the Internet teachers are going to give up on technology in the classroom all together.
Q1: How can we get the schools to loosen up the blocks on the Internet usage for teachers?
A continuous amount of professional development would help both the school and the teachers promote proper Internet usage. Getting the administrator involved in the process is very important too. They're the leader of the school and they have much influence over what specifically can be blocked and unblocked. If they're involved in the process they may be an advocate for certain cites in the classroom.
Q2: Should the filtering be all lifted at once?
No, the sites should become available in waves. Maybe let the teachers have access to explore the Internet and social networking first. If that goes okay, then let the students begin to uncover the vast information of the Internet.
Journal 3 (NETS-T 5)
- Spending time with my daughter.
- Spending time with my husband.
- A good glass of wine.
- Eating at The Prado restaurant in Balboa Park.
- Spending all day at the beach.
- Spending all night at the beach.
- Family get-togethers.
- Date nights at the movies.
- Sushi.
- Wine tasting.
- Turning in homework.
- Not procrastinating.
- Wearing new clothes.
- Giving gifts.
- Receiving gifts.
- Being a mom.
- Watching my niece and daughter play.
- Walking by the beach.
- Drinking smoothies.
- Being in Costa Rica.
- Being in Hawaii.
- Being in Italy.
- Learning about other cultures.
- Learning Spanish.
- Getting my hair done.
- Going to a spa.
- Getting a massage.
- Getting a pedicure.
- Feeling normal after being sick.
- Playing on my iphone.
- Laughing.
- Purse shopping.
- Watching Glee.
- Watching Biggest Loser.
- Watching Jersey Shore.
- Fast forwarding through commercials.
- Having occasional along time.
- When my house is clean.
- When the sun is shining in Carlsbad.
- Reading magazines.
- Springtime when the flowers are blooming.
- Fall when the leaves are falling.
- Winter when it’s boots and hat time.
- Lying out in the summertime.
- The thought of graduating this spring.
- Not having to work outside of my home.
- Not having to pay back my student loans yet.
- Alone time with my husband.
- Looking forward to the cruise to Mexico planned for spring break with my husband.
- Vinz restaurant in Escondido.
- Farmer’s markets.
- A fresh vase of flowers on the dining room table.
- Our new flat screen tv.
- My beach cruiser.
- Comfortable earrings.
- The Grand Canyon.
- Snow.
- Taking the train anywhere.
- Padre games.
- Girl nights out.
- Getting errands accomplished.
- Shopping with coupons.
- Getting dressed up for an event.
- Going to weddings.
- Eating dessert.
- Mango martinis
- Kai perfume.
- Hot showers.
- Lightning and Thunder.
- Mumford and Sons.
- She and Him.
- CCR.
- Spending time with my dad.
- Travelling.
- Sundays.
- Whale watching.
- Disneyland.
- Solvang, CA.
- Playing pool.
- Live music.
- Yoga.
- Creating vision boards.
- Cooking.
- Trying new recipes.
- Buying cookbooks.
- Not procrastinating.
- Finishing this assignment.
- My new coach purse.
- Planning/organizing/attending parties.
- Antique shopping.
- Planning my graduation vacation.
- Winning an argument with my husband.
- When my daughter wakes up from a nap happy.
- Making a dinner that my family enjoys.
- Not watching commercials.
- A new episode of Modern Family.
- When someone good is hosting SNL.
- Fresh flowers.
- Walking to the farmer’s market.
- Letting my fingers rest after typing a long time… ahhhh…
Journal 2 (NETS-T 5)
Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock. Learning and Leading, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Join_the_Flock.aspx
Hadley Ferguson discusses the importance of building up your PLN (professional learning network). By having a twitter account a person can build a community of people that can information amongst each other. She gives a step by step process of building a PLN. First, take the time to build a community, set up an account, learn to follow, tap into great lists, watch and listen, give generously, expose yourself, and tag your tweet.
Q1: How can a teacher use twitter to build up their PLN?
A teacher can use twitter as a resource for an endless amount of information. A teacher could follow another teacher and they could share information about a lesson plan or share information about a useful website they've discovered. Twitter is all about generously sharing and receiving information, but it definitely involves investing some time to make it all come together.
McClintock Miller, S. (2010). Enhance your twitter experience. Learning and Leading, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2010.aspx
Shannon McClintock Miller shares some useful tips to make the most out of a twitter account. She says that the keys to a great twitter relationship include much of what Hadley Ferguson had to say...take the time and expose yourself to great resources on a professional AND personal level. Shannon McClintock Miller has two twitter accounts - one for professional updates and one for personal information. She says because, "there is too much information to have just one account" (McClintock Miller 15).
Q2: What is a twitter organizer?
A twitter organizer is a toolbar you can install on your desktop. These managers take Twitter stream and breaks it up into columns. You can view and manage as many columns as you like and they're organized based on titles like "All Friends" or "Direct Messages." This way you can view several columns at the same time.
Hadley Ferguson discusses the importance of building up your PLN (professional learning network). By having a twitter account a person can build a community of people that can information amongst each other. She gives a step by step process of building a PLN. First, take the time to build a community, set up an account, learn to follow, tap into great lists, watch and listen, give generously, expose yourself, and tag your tweet.
Q1: How can a teacher use twitter to build up their PLN?
A teacher can use twitter as a resource for an endless amount of information. A teacher could follow another teacher and they could share information about a lesson plan or share information about a useful website they've discovered. Twitter is all about generously sharing and receiving information, but it definitely involves investing some time to make it all come together.
McClintock Miller, S. (2010). Enhance your twitter experience. Learning and Leading, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2010.aspx
Shannon McClintock Miller shares some useful tips to make the most out of a twitter account. She says that the keys to a great twitter relationship include much of what Hadley Ferguson had to say...take the time and expose yourself to great resources on a professional AND personal level. Shannon McClintock Miller has two twitter accounts - one for professional updates and one for personal information. She says because, "there is too much information to have just one account" (McClintock Miller 15).
Q2: What is a twitter organizer?
A twitter organizer is a toolbar you can install on your desktop. These managers take Twitter stream and breaks it up into columns. You can view and manage as many columns as you like and they're organized based on titles like "All Friends" or "Direct Messages." This way you can view several columns at the same time.
Journal 1 (NETS-T 1)
Light, D. (2011). Do web 2.0 right. Learning and Leading, 38(5), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Feature_Article_Do_Web_2_0_Right.aspx
In this article, Daniel Light talks about the dos and don'ts of incorporating technology in the classrooms. He discusses what types of technology seem to work best in the classroom. He defines individual and classroom blogs. It was interesting to hear about some success stories and some unfortunate technology based homework assignments. Overall, he seemed to say that individual blogs were successful if they were used as a mode of communication between the teacher and student. Some students would get insecure about sharing some information over the Internet for all of their peers to see and possible judge. Classroom blogs are good for provoking discussions where the teacher and all the students get to view and add to a topic. Basically, David Light says the most important tools for doing Web 2.0 correctly are, "daily practice, focus on audience, and appropriate behavior" (Light, 1).
Q1: As a teacher, how can I make students feel more comfortable about expressing themselves through something like an individual blog?
As a teacher, it is important to give much time and thought about how a question is asked and how the students are asked to be involved in discussion. Students are very sensitive to who their audience is and the classroom blog should feel like a safe place to show expression with respect for oneself and others. Daniel Light says "Teachers address this issue in two ways: by directing them to different audiences (through the restriction of access to some online activities) and by carefully selecting assignments that are appropriate for each audience (Light, 1).
Q2: What is the most important aspect of doing Web 2.0 correcting?
Using appropriate behavior is of the utmost importance for successful implementation of Web 2.0 in the classroom. A good in-classroom foundation of support is key to a successful online community. By setting the guidelines for behavior in the classroom, students know to use the online-classroom as an outlet for academic articulation.
In this article, Daniel Light talks about the dos and don'ts of incorporating technology in the classrooms. He discusses what types of technology seem to work best in the classroom. He defines individual and classroom blogs. It was interesting to hear about some success stories and some unfortunate technology based homework assignments. Overall, he seemed to say that individual blogs were successful if they were used as a mode of communication between the teacher and student. Some students would get insecure about sharing some information over the Internet for all of their peers to see and possible judge. Classroom blogs are good for provoking discussions where the teacher and all the students get to view and add to a topic. Basically, David Light says the most important tools for doing Web 2.0 correctly are, "daily practice, focus on audience, and appropriate behavior" (Light, 1).
Q1: As a teacher, how can I make students feel more comfortable about expressing themselves through something like an individual blog?
As a teacher, it is important to give much time and thought about how a question is asked and how the students are asked to be involved in discussion. Students are very sensitive to who their audience is and the classroom blog should feel like a safe place to show expression with respect for oneself and others. Daniel Light says "Teachers address this issue in two ways: by directing them to different audiences (through the restriction of access to some online activities) and by carefully selecting assignments that are appropriate for each audience (Light, 1).
Q2: What is the most important aspect of doing Web 2.0 correcting?
Using appropriate behavior is of the utmost importance for successful implementation of Web 2.0 in the classroom. A good in-classroom foundation of support is key to a successful online community. By setting the guidelines for behavior in the classroom, students know to use the online-classroom as an outlet for academic articulation.
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