Trisha's Blog

 Check out my Spring course W550 collaboration creation.

 I am ending my first semester back in school.  I returned to complete my Masters In Education with a Focus in Technology.  I feel that I have learned so much this semester.  There is a whole world of technology out there that I have yet to discover.  As a teacher, in the 21st century, it is my duty to learn as much about the digital world as I can and then pass it on.  The animoto video clip embeded in my blog is just a snip of the technology that is out there for all to use!

Teaching in the 21^st century brings new and exciting technologies.  Digital literacy is how individuals understand and use various technology resources via computers.  This is ever so important in the 21^st century.  Students living in the 21^st century are digital natives.  Using technology is part of their everyday routine.  Throughout my technology course, I have discovered so many new things about technology.  As a teacher, I take the time to align my lessons with Indiana State Standards.  When I incorporate technology, I didn’t think to look for technology standards.  However, they are out there!  The ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) have technology standards.  As a first grade teacher, I would say I do not do an adequate job of covering technology standards.  I, perhaps, touch on various pieces of technology standards.   For example, I teach my first graders basic operating skills and concepts of the computer, but do not delve into troubleshooting problems that may occur during usage.  The technology standards are not grade specific, which allows each grade to build upon prior knowledge, providing teachers work collaborative within the standards. 

Through further research of digital literacy, I discovered a blog post about testing in the 21^st century.  The following link will take you to the posting.  http://www.edutopia.org/assessment-21st-century-edchat-greg-thompson   The blog talks about standardized testing and how it doesn’t quite fit in with the idea of technology in the classroom.  Does a standard “bubble” test cover technology skills taught and utilized in the classroom?  The blog mentions alternate testing methods including a summative assessment.  This post also referenced programs, already in existence, which allows the use of Internet during final exams or to create final tasks.  The idea of using various technologies is intriguing.  However, the blog also expresses concerns about what skills to assess in the 21^st century.  There doesn’t seem to be a precise answer for standardized testing changes for the 21^st century, but it is something to think about.  I think students need to be prepared to problem solve and survive in society.  However that needs to happen!  Living in a digital world, I think students need to know how to use various technologies. 

Through ongoing research, I am finding students are more engaged while using technology in the classroom.  I found a video on Edutopia’s Technology Integration website about a school that has embraced technology into their daily routine.  The link to the video is http://www.edutopia.org/fantastic-super-use-technology  .  The video is inspiring.  Students are using computers to present morning announcements that are televised throughout the school.  Individual classrooms contribute to the school’s website that tells everything from homework assignments to class events.  Students are using technology resources to create brainstorm maps before writing.  Computers are available throughout the school for students to log into.  As a first grade teacher, I was amazed at how much kindergarten and first graders were contributing to the school website and using technology themselves.  This further motivates me to expand the use of technology in my classroom.  My students are digital natives and can adapt/use computers better than I give them credit for.  Teachers have a multitude of Internet and technology resources to aid in teaching in the 21^st century.  It is only a click away!

During my “ongoing” learning of technology in the 21st century, I came across a video clip about a school that embraces the use of technology. The video showed students actively engaged in their learning. I was amazed at how involved and knowledgeable the students were. The Digital Youth Network (DYN), in Chicago, incorporates daily technology classes that teach students the fundamental basics of using computers and various technology tools. This allows other academic classes to utilize these skills rather than spending time teaching them. Students were creating games, videos, poems, and other various projects using technology. These creations were then used to drive class discussions. Students were learning how to create projects, critique others, and reflect on their learning. After school, students could participate in numerous technology pods. The after-school groups included a “girls only” class. Oftentimes girls are just as interested in these online tools as boys, but are put at a disadvantage. The DYN offers the girls a chance to find empowerment. The shocking thing I noticed was that the after school activities were 2 hours long and the majority of the students “jumped at the chance” to participate. The students in my school district are more eager for school to end. As a teacher in the 21st century, I try to incorporate technology in my students’ learning. However, as I self-reflect, I realize these technology experiences are individual incidences. Technology can and should be part of the normal routine of my classroom. As I continue to grow from my own learning, my goal is to increase the use of technology in my class. I am currently working on incorporating technology into everyday life, rather than individual activities. Technology in the 21st century has a lot to offer and I have barely scraped the surface.

Looking for a new way to present lessons?  Try using Prezi.com.  Prezi is an online tool that allows individuals to create an interactive presentation.  Prezi reminds me of a PowerPoint slide.  The creator can input words, pictures, and other graphics to present a topic.  Upon viewing the Prezi file, the viewer can click on images to enlarge or interact.  I could see teachers using this resource to present a new topic to the class or as a hands-on review activity for the students.  Some students could use Prezi to present an interpretation of a book or other assignment.  In creating my own Prezi document, I struggled with the manipulation of images on the screen.  The creator has to be careful not to disturb one text while working with another.  In my opinion, this resource takes some practice.  Below is a link to the Prezi file that I created for another college course.  My Prezi is a representation of school reform.

http://prezi.com/57rklvnmcnky/

As a teacher in the 21^st century, I am still looking for new and innovative ways to engage my students with technology.  In searching for various resources I have discovered Wordle.  Wordle is an online website that lets individuals create a collage of words or phrases that can be used in the classroom.  Wordle takes any list of words and creates a random “word cloud” of texts.  The creator can then change fonts, layout, and color of their creation.  As a teacher, I can see using Wordle to create posters and art designs depicting specific academic subjects.  For example, a collage of various verbs could be made to remind students of possible verbs to use in their writing.  Better yet!  I can see students creating their own lists of verbs and then input them into Wordle.  Worde images can be printed out for display or can be viewed online.  Unfortunately, Wordle has public access.  Therefore, anything students create and save can be view on the website.  I would recommend that no personal information be used to create this work of art.  I recently used Wordle in another course I am currently taking.  I was instructed to create an image depicting the issues in School Reform.  Feel free to check out my first creation at the link below or create one yourself at http://www.wordle.net/ .

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1635969/Finding_a_Common_Link

Most of the world is familiar with YouTube, but few have experienced TeacherTube.  TeacherTube is a website that educators use to show visual presentations of academic skills.  Many teachers have used TeacherTube to create video clips of lessons on everything from addition to foreign language.  This is a valuable resource for teachers in the 21^st century.  With today’s technology, teachers are finding new and inventive ways to teach students.  Most video clips are posted for all to view.  Teachers are able to link to various videos and present them in their classrooms.  This month we are celebrating Black History.  My class just completed a lesson on the Underground Railroad.  I found the following TeacherTube video to utilize in my classroom.  http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=19374&title=Underground_Railroad

As I continue to utilize TeacherTube and other digital video applications, I am hoping to learn to create one of my own.  TeacherTube is a great contribution and resource to the teaching world of the 21^st century.

Ever had a website or quote that you can’t remember where you found it? Diigo can help!   http://www.diigo.com   Diigo is a bookmarking website that allows individuals to bookmark website links and highlight specific information of interest.  To utilize the Diigo resources, users must sign up for a free account.  Upon signing up, users may download a toolbar for easy use.  Then, the next time you find a website, you can bookmark it to your Diigo account.  Try highlighting a specific quote or piece of information.  Diigo will save it to your account for easy access later.  In addition, the user can leave comments attached to highlighted sentences.  Diigo accounts can be public or private.  The account user controls how much information he/she wants the rest of the world to see.  I am currently using a Diigo account in one of my online classes.  Classmates can highlight quotes or articles of interest for the rest of the class to view.  As an elementary teacher, I am very apprehensive about my students using the internet.  However, I have found that the safety or “privacy” settings on Diigo keep outsiders from posting and using my classroom account.  This provides a safer environment for the students to work in.

Well, this is my first semester back in college.  I completed my undergraduate degree in elementary education in 2002.  I have been teaching in the IPS district for the past 7 years.  I recently decided to go back for my master’s degree.  Who knew going back to school, while teaching and raising two young children would be so time consuming?  I know I will benefit in the end.  I just finished my first week of classes and it was a big eye opener.

I am beginning the new year with an educational blog.  I am an elementary school teacher.  The main purpose for creating this blog is for the online classes I am enrolled in.  However, I hope to expand my “blogging” knowledge into my own classroom.