Final(ly) Reflection

In IT 365 we were introduced to several different types of technology. Many of which I have already used in my professional courses at the Elementary Education Program at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Kidspiration-

I had never used Kidspiration before and I enjoyed how simple, yet interactive it was to use. One of the things I loathed in Elementary School was brain storming because they wanted you to draw all of these maps and charts. That always frustrated me, but I know if Kidspiration would have been around when I was in Elementary School I probably would have had a more pleasant experience.

Rubistar-

Instead of making tables in Word or Excel, all you have to do is click a topic, then from a drop down menu select what the students will be graded on and the website fill in rest. It was so convenient, all we had to do was print from there. Any website that makes my life a little bit easier and saves me time from formatting a rubric from scratch is a winner in my book.

Quizlet-

We won't have time to make everything from scratch. We will have to adapt and borrow from what has already been made. I can search for already created sets by other users, and then use those in my classroom.

Google Groups-

I learned that Google Groups is like a morph between a chat room and a Word document. Within Google Groups a group of people can simultaneously create, share, and edit a document.

My strong point in this class would be using Blogger on Google. With in the first few days of being introduced to Blogger I had learned a few little knicks and knacks and had even followed a few of my other classmates blog for this class. The next class period after that they were all asking me "how did you do that?" and "show me how you follow some one!" 

My weak point, I think, would be integrating Assistive Technology into the class room. There are so many things a laptop or desktop is already programmed to do that would include students who may need assistance. My problem is that I do not know how to access the settings of the computer and change or activate the feature. I’m not even sure what all the features the computers already come with.

Honestly, I think the best way for me to improve on that weak area is to attend a seminar or workshop that would break it all down. Seeing it broke down into step by step of how to access each and every assistive feature already offered on the computer as well as the software that can be downloaded from the internet or purchased would help me out.

One of the ways I would integrate technology into the classroom would be to have my students keep a blog (similar to what we did for this class). During Centers Time one of the centers would be to log on to the computer and make a new blog entry in response to the book we’re reading as a class. It’s a great way in imbed literacy skills in the classroom. I would have a sample of the writing for assessment and also the parents could follow the blog at home and see how their child is progressing and what he or she is learning. 

Assistive Technology

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nIkh8dQ3SVBEHGWkuvn4XA2VvQamcv6LqyGbLAQphLo/edit?usp=sharing

The link of above will take you to Google Slides. It is a presentation we made in class with PowerPoint. We did took several Print Screens and copy and pasted them into our Power Points. I have never done a print screen before. It is real simple. It is similar to taking a screen shot on an iPhone. Just press "Crtl" and "PrtScn" at the same time and the action will take a screen shot of the computer screen. The screen shot can then be copy and pasted as a picture. I adore that feature! It is so simple and will be really useful in a lot of arenas.

Using the Print Screen feature would be really useful in a class. If the students are learning something new on the computer using a Print Screen as a step by step tutorial would help the Visual Learners you may have in the class room. Also, a picture is worth a thousand words. If you, the teacher, are having trouble using words to explain to a student, using a Print Screen picture could be much more beneficial.

This would meet the second NETS-T standard of designing and developing digital age leaning experiences and assessments by providing students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards, and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

Google Sites

https://sites.google.com/site/flowers3rdgradeclassroom/home

The link above will lead to a website I created using Google Sites. I have never created a website before, so I was a little stressed during this assignment. However, it turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. It is basically what my high school Trig teacher would refer to as "Plug-n-Chug". There's a basic template you can choose from (what a relief) and then plug in the information you wish to have on your website. 

Having a classroom website would be an extremely beneficial tool to have in an Elementary Classroom. As a teacher I could upload classroom rules, a schedule and even materials the students would need in the classroom. Students could log on at submit assignments to the website. Parents could log in and receive up to date information on their child's progress all year long as well as be able to learn more about person educating their child this school year.

This would adhere to the first NETS-T standard that teachers would facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity by promoting, supporting, and modeling creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. The students learning would be supported by easy access for parental involvement. 

Movie Story

For the Movie Story assignment we used Movie Maker to to share a collection of photos from an event in our lives. The photos were to tell the story of the event. What I learned from this assignment was how to use Movie Maker. I got familiar with the software and the neat little things that it could do. I was really pleased with the way my movie turned out. What I liked about this project is that the instructor required us all to us a certain movie making software, Movie Maker. That is great strategy to use in a classroom, especially an elementary classroom.

In my AP English class senior year we were required to make a video, but the guideline were super lax; it could be however long, and we could use whatever software we wanted. Like most of my other classmates, I had never made a movie before. I was ignorant on all movie making software and techniques. When it came time to present, there were wide scale problems from about 45% of the class.

A sure fire way to cut through a vast majority of those problems is to have all the students use the same software. By using the same software, you, the teacher, will specialize in that software and be knowledgeable of all the features of that software when our students come to you with questions. Having mastery of 1 movie making software is so much more feasible than trying to maintain fundamental knowledge of multiple movie making software. This falls in line with the third NETS-T standard, to model digital age work and learning by demonstrating fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

Google Docs

For the Google Groups Assignment I was in a group with Emily Carroll, Kelly Johnson, and Rachel Reimsnyder. This assignment was actually really cool. We got to explore another feature from Google and Gmail. Google Groups is like a morph between a chat room and a Word document. Within Google Groups a group of people can simultaneously create, share, and edit a document.

A great way to implement Google Groups into the class room would be to use it in Literacy Circles for discussion of the book. Students would be paired in groups by choosing their preferred book from a list to read. Then, each group would create a Google Group using the name of the teacher and the name of the book and then discuss. Different types of discussion would be hypothesizing what might happen next, compare and contrast 2 characters, what message was the author trying to convey, or to discuss parts of the book that the reader didn't understand.

Using the Google Groups to discuss parts of the book the reader didn't understand meet the 1st NETS-T standard Facilitate and inspire students learning and creativity by promoting student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students conceptual understanding and thinking.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1s-oU0ciZydv-zz3M-XKBlAZ9dVKnOHS9Mu8I06KSSz8/edit?usp=sharing

Web Tools

There are so many web sites and downloadable software that are available for teachers and students to use. This week we worked with some different Web Tools. We found websites where we could download free worksheets for the classroom. There was a website, Eclispecrossword.com, where we could basically make our own crossword.

On rubistar.4teachers.org we made our own Rubric. I was so pleased with this website. Instead of making tables in Word or Excel, all you have to do is click a topic, then from a drop down menu select what the students will be graded on and the website fill in rest. It was so convenient, all we had to do was print from there. However, by far what I am most impressed with is Quizlet.com. In Quizlet we signed up for our own account and then made a test on whatever subject we wanted. I chose Spanish   to English definitions. This website, though, would be so valuable and time saving for when I become a teacher. Which is the point, I think, of this lesson: as teachers, we're going to be so busy all the time. We won't have time to make everything from scratch. We will have to adapt and borrow from what has already been made. I can search for already created sets by other users, and then use those in my classroom. The same thing applies to worksheets from ABCteach.com. It’s like what my mom has always told me, “Work smarter, not harder!”

Turn It In

Turn It In (turnitin.com) is a website that students and teachers can use to submit work and view submitted work, respectively. Turn It In is a great tool to ensure academic honesty.

In the assignment this week we were instructed to copy and paste information directly from a website and then submit it on turnitin.com. After submission the site scans to see if any work is plagiarized. Turn It In will give you a percentage and it's kind of like Golf; the lower the better. Since we copied and pasted my plagiarism score came back at 98%. For the second part of the assignment we were to summarize and paraphrase the same content we orginally copied and pasted and compare it to our new summarised report score. Mine came back at 2%. The acceptable percentage was set by the teacher at 20%. So at 2%, that's well within the acceptable level, so I left my report the way it was.

It's an amazing tool for students because students will get a report back that shows them how much of their work is plagiarized and what parts they need to change or reword. Even if the plagiarism score is not 0% it doesn't necessarily mean you will get a failing grade and be penalized for plagiarizing. Most teachers set their acceptable plagiarism percentage around 20%. For the teachers it's an extremely useful tool because Turn It In informs them when students work is being plagiarized. Teachers have the capability to go in and change the acceptable percentage for each assignment, then once the assignments are in they can choose to ignore certain plagiarism marks if they don't feel that it's really a problem. For example, say I quoted something from CNN.com and even though I included quotation marks and a parenthetical citiation, I still gor marks for plagiarizing. Well, the teacher, when grading, can choose to ignore certain marks.

Concept Mapping and Kidspiration Reflection

This is a concept map I made during class. A prompt was given to choose a topic or theme then have 5 main ideas with 2 subtopics each. As an addendum, one of the main ideas had to have 2 sub-subtopics.

In my beautiful concept map I used Spanish Speaking Countries as my main topic. Obviously, this is not all the countries, but I do adore the language and cultures of Spanish, so I chose 5 countries I was familiar with; Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, Argentina, and Paraguay. For each country, as a subtopic I included what the national currency of the country is along with an interesting cultural note or a reference to geography as the other subtopic.
I chose Spain to expound into sub-subtopics. I included a link to a website with more information on La Corrida de Toros (Bullfighting), and included two interesting facts that are maybe less known of bullfighting. 

Getting to use the software, Kidspiration, was quite a learning experience. I can remember computer class when I was in elementary school. The headphones were bigger than my face and we were instructed to create in Paint the whole time. Thankfully, technology has come such a long way in such a short amount of time. It can be used not just by the teacher to highlight the learning content, but also by the student to begin thinking creatively. When elementary aged students use this in the classroom they're learning to make connections and to take a train of thought and turn it into an outline, then, turn the outline into a written assignment or story.

ISTE Standards for Teachers

   These are the ISTE Standards for Teachers. ISTE stands for International Society for Technology Education. It seems the more I delve off into Elementary Education, the more acronyms there are. If I repeat some (all) of the acronyms, don't be insulted, it's for me to keep it straigt.
   
   Alright, the standards:

1.     Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.

a.       Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.

b.      Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

c.       Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.

d.      Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

2.     Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the Standards•S.

a.       Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

b.      Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.

c.       Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.

d.      Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards, and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

3.     Model digital age work and learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.

a.       Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

b.      Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

c.       Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats.

d.      Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices.

a.       Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

b.      Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

c.       Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

d.      Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital age communication and collaboration tools.

5.     Engage in professional growth and leadership

Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.

a.       Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

b.      Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others.

c.       Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.

d.      Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community.

Introduction

Hello one and all! I'm SUPER excited about this blog. It's my first adventure into "digital journaling"! Hopefully it will be one of many.

The purpose of this blog will mainly be an e-Portfolio for my IT 365. But intro first!

My name is Tiffany Flowers. That is my lovely baby brother who is in the U.S. Army. He's my heart, but back to me. I am a 24 year old misplaced Texan. My family moved from Decatur, Texas to Gulfport, Mississippi in 2007. I graduated from Gulfport High 2 years later then went to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) for 3 years. I graduated then took a year off from school. Fall 2013 I decided I wanted to finish and here I am now; Intro Block of the Elementary Education Program at the University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Park Campus.

In grade school I always said, "I will NEVER be a teacher! I'm gonna do just what I have to do, then I'm GONE!"..... And here I am, pursuing my own dream as well as my parents. I will be a first generation college student, which is super exciting. I knew I wanted to pursue elementary education when I joined the children's ministry at my church. Amy Bosarge, one of the moms, was mainly the one pushing me and she has been such a great resource and mentor. I adore her.

I am pursuing endorsements in Mathematics and Spanish. Anything Spanish absolutely fascinates me, the language, different cultures, and peoples. I would love to share that enthusiasm with class full of minds hunger to learn.

As far as IT 365, this class will be an instructive guide in helping me effectively integrating technology into my future classroom. This Blogfolio will be a resource for me in the future to reference as I strive to implement technology use in my class.