ILP #2: PLN

I decided to do my ILP #2 on a Pinterest Board designed for teachers. The Pinterest Board was really interesting to follow along with. I found everyone to be encouraging and posting really great lesson plans and tips and tricks! You can find a link to my VoiceThread that goes into more depth about the benefits and limitations that I found, along with my overall thoughts.

Blog Journal 8

Diigo was an interesting application that I had never heard of before this class. The new skills I learned were how to annotate something on the internet without having to use Adobe (especially since Adobe editor is not free). This can be used in the classroom in multiple ways depending on the user. I could see myself using Diigo to annotate lesson plans online to prepare for class, but it could also be used in group projects by the students.

PowerPoint is a very useful tool that can be used by teacher or students. For example, if I were assigning a project about the Solar System, I could have my students use PowerPoint to show their work. This could address the different levels of Bloom's Taxonomy by: (1) Remember: this could allow students to remember the information when trying to give a class presentation, (2) Understand: students can put basic information on the slides and explain this to the students they're presenting to so those students understand, (3) Apply: One of the requirements could be for the students to apply the basic understanding they have to another concept or situation, (4) Analyze: Students could analyze the information using the graph or chart function in PowerPoint, (5) Evaluate: this could be utilized in an in class debate. PowerPoint could be used for students to prepare ahead of time and to show their arguments, (6): Create: This is the ultimate usage of PowerPoint, it allows students to create their own work and projects.

Teachers are expected to stay up to date with new technologies that are constantly changing. One way for them to stay up to date is with online magazine subscriptions, like Input Magazine. This magazine is useful for many things including new physical technologies, like phones or tablets (that can be used in the classroom), new educational toys, and much more! The screenshot below shows what the homepage of this website looks like. 

Blog Journal 7

I really enjoy Twitter! I've had one for awhile and like using it to connect with celebrities, share funny memes, and to have a good laugh. This year, however, I learned the usefulness of Twitter for the academic world. Twitter can be helpful for job posts, connecting before and during conferences, and sharing new research! The only issue I've faced is having too many Twitters and it being difficult to check them regularly. I have a personal Twitter, a professional Twitter, and one for this class. I think I would be better if I enabled notifications so I knew when people were reaching out to me and trying to connect.

Working on the web design assignment taught me a lot of new skills. For one, I have never made a website so that was a new skill! I also taught myself how to make it look more appealing, how to add hyperlinks, and how to just feel more comfortable with Weebly. If I become a teacher, this knowledge will be very helpful so that I can create an easy to use website for my students' parents to use!  See below for a photo of the homepage of my website.

Both assistive and adaptive technologies are helpful for learners and people on the everyday. For example, using assistive technology, such as grammarly, is helpful for learners when writing a paper to ensure good grammar. A lot of my friends utilize this type of technology along with others! The challenge I see with these technologies could be stigma towards students who "need" these technologies. This can be toward gifted learners that require more assistance, nonenglish language speakers, or students with disabilities. Kids can be cruel so I can see them teasing kids who would require additional assistance.

Blog Journal 6

Wow, I was very surprised by teacher websites! I found a teacher website for the teacher I observed last year at FSUS (Florida State University Schools). This was a second grade class. When searching for a teacher website it looks like my county does not require these, because I could not find any teacher websites for any of my former teachers. Publicly, I can see a lot of information, however this teacher sends specific information via focus to parents and students. For instance, I could see the class newsletters, the wishlist, the projects going on and much more! There were also links to the online textbooks and resources to help the students in their subjects. See the screenshot below!!

When I accomplish my professional responsibilities, I hope to use technology a lot. However, this might differ depending on what sort of resources the school offers and what SES the students and parents have. For instance, I would love to send out monthly newsletters via email, but I have to be aware that some parents do not have access to the internet easily. I would also like the keep a class website that can have special permissions for students and parents that has literally all of the information they need. I like being organized and think this would be a good way for parents to find the information they need, without having to worry about reaching me on the phone.

I really enjoyed the tech sandbox. I thought it might not be fun and just be something we had to do, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I really liked the 3-D printing and the child safe 3-D printer pens. I think having those pens would be a great tool for the students in multiple ways. For one, students could be creative and make models of things or objects we are learning in the class. I also think it would be a great way for students to de-stress. I really enjoyed using the 3-D pen because it took my mind off of everything and gave me a creative outlet to just have fun! I did not take any photos, but Mel took a group photo and I stole it and posted it below! (Thanks Mel!!)

Blog Journal 5

This was my first time using Diigo and it was honestly not what I was expecting at all. Like anything, there are pros and cons. For the pros, I liked how it could be embedded in my google chrome. That made it very easy to access when doing google searches and when needing to annotate websites. However, I thought it was kind of weird submitting the annotations to a group, because I don't see myself doing that in the future.

This was also my first time blogging. At first I was overwhelmed by all of the options and themes and additionally by how to even use it. But, once I got the hang of things I grew to like it. I learned that blogging is a cool way to interact and to share your experiences. I do plan on exploring more to better understand how I can be more connected, like following other people's blogs similar to Twitter.

Class Dojo is a Web 2.0 tool that can be used in the classroom for teaching. This is a tool that can be used by teachers and parents, and can be experienced by students. Teachers can use this Web 2.0 tool to engage students in what they are learning and to help parents understand how their child is doing in the classroom. This can be done by giving students rewards (e.g., stickers) when they are on task or answer a question correctly. These rewards will reinforce these behaviors by the students.

Blog Journal 4

I first got twitter in early high school and mostly used it to connect with friends, whereas now I follow less friends and more meme accounts to see funny memes and videos. I found that Twitter was problematic in high school because it was a chance for people to fight with each other. I've now learned the Twitter can be a good collaborative social media platform. For instance, I now find it beneficial because I created a professional Twitter to follow psychologists to see job openings and current research.

I think having easy access to internet resources is very beneficial to students. The digital divide could be caused by lack of resources and schools having lower SES. I've been able to observe FSUS and Sabal Palms Elementary which are on two different spectrums of SES and have very different resources. At Sabal Palms, I noticed the students were struggling more to learn math and reading and they also only had three computers for the entire class. However, at FSUS, the students seemed to grasp learning better and coincidentally each had their own personal laptop. As a future educator I would feel responsible to make sure my students are on track with or without the digital resources available to other students.

The two tools I would like to implement into my classroom as academic software are Kahoot and Edmodo. Kahoot would be a great way to review before exams or to review concepts learned in class. Students would be able to answer quiz questions and compete against other students in the class. Edmodo is a way for students, teachers, and parents to collaborate. Teachers can use this to create collaborative groups with students and also to track their progress.

ILP #1 - Figma

For ILP #1 I decided to use Figma, a collaborative design tool. I thought this was fitting since we just had an assignment about designing a newsletter. Figma is great for collaboration and user experience. When collaborating using Figma, it is easier than using something like google slides and google docs because there is no lag between edits and you don't have to wait for edits to update. I also thought Figma was easier for the user to use and less aggravating than word. Check out my voice thread for this project as well as a link to Figma's website!