Personal Learning Network

Personal Learning Network

RSS Feeds: I learned about RSS feeds for the first time in our summer course. I have been familiar with blogs and other resource sites on the web, but have never used a RSS feed site to keep up on the news that I am interested in. During this class, I created an account with Feedly to follow my feeds, and subscribed to a few great educational resources. Some of the sites I have added to my Feedly account include MindShift (http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/), the Education Department News (http://www.ed.gov/), AppsInEducation (http://appsineducation.blogspot.com/), and TED Education http://www.youtube.com/user/TEDEducation). My favorite resource to follow on feedly has definitely been TED Education because I love watching the new videos that the site provides. The TED Ed feed has a lot of really great videos that cover a mass range of subject matter. Some of the videos and insight I find on Ted Ed are very interesting, but also cover subjects that I would never think to research. Ted Ed has become a great tool for brainstorming and finding new ideas for the classroom. The other feeds I follow in Feedly also provide very interesting and relevant info for teaching. I found the RSS feeds to be helpful to expand my knowledge of teaching strategies and tools. I know I will continue to follow these resources as I pursue my teaching career.

Twitter: Having started my college career in the focus of marketing and communications, I have been somewhat active on Twitter for some time. However, this summer I expanded my Twitter network to reach beyond entertainment news and friends. I now use my Twitter account to follow resources such as Teachers.net, Huffington Post Education, We Are Teachers, Scholastic Teachers, and Edutopia. Following these accounts has been helpful because it has led me to see what is current in the topic of education. I have found ideas for creative lesson plans, staff get-togethers, parent communication and others. So far I have followed discussion hashtags for #eduapps and #edtech. These discussion hashtags have helped me to find current conversations, ideas and findings about apps in education, or education technology. I have discovered great app tools, and strategies from following these discussions. As I begin my student teaching time, I plan to use twitter to research other topics as well. Since I have begun “tweeting” things about education I have not received any responses or correspondence to my posts, but I hope that as time goes by and my network expands I can begin to create conversations over twitter.

Diigo: Diigo is a site that is great for creating online bookmarks, highlighting websites and sharing resources with peers. I used Diigo earlier in the course to research education apps with my group. I found it to be a great tool to keep track of the useful sites I had found, and also a great way to share my sites with my group mates. With Diigo groups, my research group was able to form a private group that each of us could post our research findings to the group wall. After our assignment, I also found it helpful to search subject tags on diigo of topics I was interested in.

Ning – Classroom 2.0: For the Ning assignment I created an account on Classroom 2.0. This is  a great resource for teachers because it allows users to participate in forums, join special interest groups, view blogs, articles and more. Through Classroom 2.0 I found the blog post, “Strengths and Weaknesses of Online Learning”. http://www.teacherstechworkshop.com/2013/07/strengths-and-weaknesses-of-online.html. The post covered many ups and downs of online schooling and gave a great picture of stats related to online school. The authors stated his findings, provided graphs and charts on various percentages related to the subject, and also provided the resources for research. I though the blog post was very helpful, however, the content was not as relevant to me as a teacher as I was hoping it to be. I am glad that I was able to explore blogs, articles, forums and other resources through Classroom 2.0. I think this will be a valuable resource for me as a teacher.

Summary: I really enjoyed the PLN assignment in this course. Because of my marketing and communications background, I have spent a good deal of time in social media and networking sites. I had not used many of the sources that we were introduced to in this course though, and the PLN assignment was a great way for me to explore new resources and look into ways that I can grow my teacher influences. I think that some of the resources we used will help me more than others, and Classroom 2.0 and Twitter were my favorite. I think my PLN will help me as a future teacher because it has enabled me to expand my resources of teaching tips, tricks, methods and ideas.

Reflection #8: To Flip or Not to Flip

To Flip or Not To Flip

            This article presents opposing opinions from two authors on the concept of a Flipped Classroom. Jonathan Bergmann suggests the many benefits of a flipped classroom to enhance his instruction. Bergmann noticed that in the traditional classroom setting he was unable to spend enough time with students individually, and working with them to understand concepts. He has transitioned his classroom to be entirely flipped so that his students can watch his lectures at home and use the in class time to thoroughly address issues with students, discuss the lectures, and work on problems. The article’s other contributor, Derrick Waddell, presented his arguments against the flipped classroom. He believes that the flipped classroom presents a divide between students, without improving the learning much. Waddell addresses the issue of access to technology, and since every student will not have the same capabilities with home technology, is the flipped classroom fair? Waddell argues that the flipped classroom is simple a sideways step from our current imbalanced educational structure, and that it does not address many of the issues that we face today. Waddell suggests we alter the way we think of education, instead of the way it looks.

            This article was very helpful for me to see real life examples of the pros and cons of a flipped classroom. I support both of the arguments of the article to some degree. I really value the flipped classroom approach, and believe it can be very beneficial for many students, especially in subjects such as Math and Science. However, I do not think that the flipped classroom approach should be used in all subject matter, or instruction should be given with an entirely flipped structure. Teachers need to find the right balance that best benefits their students.

            Flipped classrooms apply to ISTE NETS for Students standard number 6, because a flipped classroom encourages students to use and understand video lecture technology. Students must learn to effectively use their time at home watching the video lectures, and prepare themselves to work efficiently in class.

Bergmann, J., Waddell, D. (2012). To Flip or Not to Flip? Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(8). 6-7. Retrieved from: http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20120607#pg8

Reflection #7 iPod Implementation in the Elementary Grades

iPod Implementation in the Elementary Grades

This article follows the implementation of iPod’s into classrooms, and explores the successes and failures of the process. The article’s author, Stephanie Hatten, was a technology instructional specialist at an elementary school in Texas. Without any guidance or suggestions, Stephanie started the implementation process without prior knowledge and figured things out as she went along. The article reviews the different findings that Stephanie had during her experience. She found that iPods in the classroom meant a lot of prep before they could be implemented, so she worked to create a system that would allow iPod sharing, organization, and district-wide purchase-order system with bulk pricing for apps. Stephanie recommends teachers get involved with the process of app selection, and meet together to collaborate the pros and cons of apps they might have used previously. Many teachers are reluctant to implement iPods and other devices into the classroom, and Stephanie believes they need to be encouraged and included despite their hesitations because the technology benefits the students. iPod stations were a great creation of Stephanie’s, a place where iPods are kept in the classroom, and students can use and store the devices there. The stations allowed for the devices to be accounted for and looked after. One of the strongest suggestions that Stephanie made was the idea to teach the basics to the class. Stephanie found that working together with an entire class for a couple weeks to learn the basics of the devices was very beneficial. The introductory time gave students a period to adjust to the iPods before they were given assignments on them.

            This article was very helpful for me to read, especially because I have never envisioned iPods as an effective teaching tool. I have learned bits about iPads and their uses, but the iPod seemed irrelevant to classroom instruction. It was insightful to see the ways that teachers could use iPods to create time for individual instruction, reading fluency, and group work. I am now more aware of the iPod’s teaching capabilities, and am looking forward to finding out more applications. Our society really has changed with the introduction of new technologies, and our learners have changed along with it. The iPods, iPads and other tech devices in classrooms are becoming the new literacy centers, and instructions aids. These tools are vital to keeping our students engaged and motivated.

            iPod implementation relates to the ISTE NETS for students standard number 6, because the iPods encourage students to use and understand technology systems and their use. The students are encouraged to use and select applications effectively and productively. The iPods really increase the students interactions with digital tools, and build their awareness of how these tools can aide their learning.

Hatten, S. (2012). iPod Implementation in the Elementary Grades. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(7). 30-31. Retrieved from: http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/201205#pg32