Week 3 - Presentationzen Book - Presentation Reflection

After reading chapter 9 I feel that I am somewhat in the middle of where I can be as a presenter. I am not a presenter creating all the barriers as suggested in chapter 9. I do not use a lectern and until now I did not use a remote. In order to use the remote that came with my projector you have to be in front of the projector, which is also in the front of the room and the smartboard. So rather than being at my computer in front of the class, this year I bought an extension so that my computer could be in the back of the class. I am no longer forced to be between the class and the screen. Now, I can move around the room without blocking the projector. After reading Chapter 9 though, I realize that I should get an extension for the projector as well. This will make it easier to use the remote and give me the ability to better interact with my students and less with the technology.
As a science teacher I try to avoid turning the lights off while I am teaching. I definitely still have the image from Wonder Years of Ben Stine’s monologues of science that put everyone to sleep and made me as a viewer crack up. I try to avoid these science stereotypes at all costs. Usually I only shut the lights off if the students are watching a video clip, so that they can truly appreciate the visuals.
I think that the most important part that I learned and need to apply from chapter 9 is to remember the 80/20 rule and leave time at the end for the students to think about everything. I think in this test-driven age, I feel like I have to squeeze in every bit of information I can, or I will run out of time. If I focus on teaching the 80 percent that the students will learn more and then if I leave them wanting more, they will find the other 20 % or at least be looking for it the next day. When I try to squeeze in that other 20%, it is too much information and like being to full after dinner, it causes the students to be less satisfied and instead overwhelmed and tired.
Prior to this class I felt very nervous in front of the camera and would also avoid the camera more often than not. Now, I realize I am an actress and performer every day and even when there is not a camera, there is student audience that I need to be interacting with. I need to have fun with it, rehearse like an actress for the challenging roles (situations), and let down all my barriers, so that the students will too.
One of my favorite quotes is “Kids don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” I think this assignment was a great reminder for me to forget about trying to teach the students everything I can, and instead show them that I care about them, that I am present in each moment, enjoying what I do, and focused on their learning, and they will then find the answers to so many more questions than I could ever ask, or answer.

Science Before and After Google Earth - Technology Integration TMD

Also available on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB4XXo_glq0

Gates vs Jobs - TMD - Week 1 Discussion

I did watch several clips on both presenters. First, I chose to watch a presentation by Bill Gates on creating great teachers. I am very interested in the topic and I am very familiar with many of the topics that he mentioned such as KIPP schools and education. He was very knowledge about the topic and reasonably comfortable in front of the large audience. Gates had some visuals, gifts for the audience, and some humor that made the presentation more interesting. I also watched some others like when he let mosquitoes into the audience to “prove a point” that malaria should not be limited to poor people, which I found to be quite bold of him and as a presenter, quite memorable. I really enjoyed his Harvard graduation speech, which was humorous and full of stories that showed a great deal of his personality. Overall, I found him to be more interesting when not talking about his software, because during those presentations he was very dull and focused on facts and vocabulary that is not necessarily interesting to the average person. His personality and charisma seemed very limited when talking about his business and much stronger when talking about worldly problems. I, too, would be much more passionate about world problems rather than a new software.

Steve Jobs, on the other hand, seemed to be very charismatic whether he was talking about iPods, iTunes, or his recover from surgery. His presentations always had a beginning, middle and an end. He tended to capture my attention and use suspense to keep my attention. Even though he always mentioned what would be discussed next, he never gave away all of the details. He had catchy little phrases that were memorable to clearly show his purpose. He also had “zingers” towards PCs and other shots of humor throughout the presentation. He had many visuals and props to entertain the audience. Jobs also used facts, like Gates, but he tended to break them into more meaningful bits of information that made them more powerful. For example, he mentioned selling 5 million songs a day (5M) and then broke it down to 58 songs per second. Most people don’t understand 5 million of anything, but most can understand and be impressed by 58 songs per second.

Overall, I would compare Bill Gates to the “average” college professor (not a Full Sail professor), that is very knowledgeable of his topic, but is not a “teacher”, He is very informative and can be slightly entertaining, but mostly just lectures. I would say that Steve Jobs is more like a kindergarten teacher that is just as knowledgeable, but much more entertaining. A kindergarten teacher generally has lots of charisma, stimulating presentations with props, enthusiasm, and energy and speaks in simple terms, so that everyone can understand.

TMD Interview- Lillyanna

This video is an interview with my 6 week old daughter, Lillyanna, about her "movie" The Journey to Life. Enjoy!

TMD Survey Link

This is a Survey I created that I may be using for my Action Research module. It will be more specific once I create my module. I created it using google spreadsheet.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dDBQZmI5QlRUUl9Ca1Q1QW9kd1ZUdkE6MA

Education's Metamorphosis

Education's Metamorphosis is a call to action for educators to change the way we teach our students in order to adapt to the students using Web 2.0 technology integration.

Virtusphere

Hey,

Do any of you watch Shark Tank? It is a great show about being an entrepreneur. On the season finale of the show there was a demonstration on Virtusphere, Inc., which develops and markets a locomotion platform that allows users to be completely immersed into their interactive virtual experience. It did not get a deal, but it was extremely cool and state of the art technology for the future...Maybe one day we will have them in schools and not just in arcades.

Check it out...

http://www.virtusphere.com/

http://abc.go.com/watch/shark-tank/225872/239002/season-finale

BP15_2009103_ReflectiveMediaAsset - Netvibes.com

In this 1-minute movie you will see the educational benefits of the site netvibes.com.

BP14_2009103_Web Tools 2.0 Reflective Peer Comment

Deb,
This site looks like a great substitute for PC users who don't have access to GarageBand. I look forward to using this with my students to help them jazz up their presentations for science. I am sure that the music instructor would also like to use this site. I really like the tutorial and how it stops and starts to allow for students to try what the tutorial is demonstrating (I never thought to do that in my own tutorial creations).

Robyn Douglas said...

Nice Work! ~RobynP13_2009103_Web_20_Tools_Jamglue.com

Another music mixer site is www.Jamglue.com. This site looks to be completely free, has a lot of riffs and tracks to use, and students could upload their own tracks. Full Sail University uses this site for advertisement, too, so it must be good!

The tutorial is very user friendly. As soon as the first mixing page opens, a guided tutorial starts. It's good because it instructs learners to stop and restart the tutorial in order for the learner to do what was being demonstrated or explained. I was successfully creating tracks through the tutorial, and that usually requires a Digital Native to help me navigate through the jargon! The site is also intuitive; but, with the tutorial, the stress is completely managed to easy use. I like the array of sounds available for use and that users can add to the library.

I don't see the collaborative use just like Indabamusic.com, but tracks can be created, shared and used by others.

I think this could be a useful tool as a first step into the world of creating music online. Then, for the more savvy users, Indabamusic could be their next step.

BP13_2009103_Web Tools 2.0 - xtranormal.com

http://www.xtranormal.com/

This site allows users to create videos from text and publish them on YouTube for free. Users can choose 1-2 actors from 8 free settings. The site does have more complex video capabilities for an upgrade fee. Users can then type the conversation they want the characters to read. Users can also choose animations, camera perspectives, expressions, points, sound and background noises.

In science class I would use this as a fun way to give directions individually or to the entire class. For individuals who struggle with attention or directions, they could pause the movie and then restart it when they are ready. This would be helpful during web quests or lab activities, where it is difficult for me as a teacher to repeat or clarify directions.

I would also like to have the students create videos. I think that having students research individual topics to present to the class using xtranormal would be a lot of fun. Student could research the topic and identify key points. They could then write a dialogue between two people that allows one character to share the information with the other character that asks questions. Students could then post their videos to a website or blog. Rather than reading assignments for homework or class work, students would be required to watch and comment on other student’s videos.

I could also have students write their responses to questions or a writing prompt. For students who don’t like to write and only write the minimum, this may be motivational. I know a lot of my students count the number of lines or paragraphs, but this may stop them from thinking about the length and more about the content and the technology. Then in class the next day, instead of having students read their paragraphs, they can just play their video. For students who

BP12_2009103_Web Tools 2.0 - Google Earth

In the beginning of the school year I taught a lesson on the earth-moon and sun system by having my students track the sunrise and sunset on the following website.

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php

Students then choose a location on Earth and then record the data. The students loved that they could navigate through their neighborhood and even find their house. The students were really excited, but this made it very difficult to keep them on track to the goal, which was exploring the earth-moon-sun system. The students were engaged, enjoyed the lesson and learned, but the lesson took twice as long as was expected. Now that I know about Google Earth this problem will be solved for next year!

Google Earth is a free download that allows users to explore the Earth and its atmosphere using satellite images. The download allows users to tour the earth and record tours for future use. As an educator it would be extremely helpful if I could go to the site, record what I would like students to focus on, and then play it back to them during class as a video.

To teach speed, distance and time I could use Google Earth to help students see the real-world application by having them choose coordinates, calculate distance using measurement tools provided through the download and then calculate speed. or create problems for others.

In teaching Earth Science like plate tectonics or water biomes, Google Earth would be hands-on. I would allow students to identify the biomes or plates locations as well as learn about their culture using outreach or national connections provided in Google Earth. Students could also use this download to explore how these locations changed over time using the Historical Imagery button. Students could then compare and contrast the location between the present and the past as well as hypothesize what natural hazards may have caused the land changes.

When learning about Simple Machines and Human Impact students could use 3D models button to explore buildings, bridges and other architecture and use the Google Earth marks button to identify styles, uses, locations, etc. Students could then create a tour and share it with their peers.

These are just a few of the ideas I have created, and I know there will be many more once I explore Google Earth even further! Give it a try...Download it now!

http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html

BP11_2009103_Web Tools 2.0 - blogmeister.com

Blogging is both individual and collaborative. It allows for students’ self-expression and stimulates peer discussion in and out of class. My students struggle with writing and limit the amount of writing they create to the minimum required. I think that blogging will be motivating and students will be more likely to write longer and maybe even more often.

Classblogmeister.com is designed for education. It allows users to search by location or by grade level in order to locate a teacher’s blog. A teacher can organize blogs so that you can track students’ blogs and is password protected from public access, so only students in that class can read the blog. It also allows users or authors to read comments posted to the blog.

I would use this site for a variety of uses. First, I would use the site as a way for students to search other schools and comment and learn about how it is being used on other classes. I think this would help students to understand the impact of their own writing on the web. Then, I would set up student blogs and I would use blogging as a way to continue class discussion. As students become familiar with blogging I would use it to provide students with open-ended science prompts. Then I would use it to provide and share resources that further class topics.

David Warlick, the creator of blogmeister and author of several web 2.0 books, has several tutorials available on YouTube, an instructional pdf, and his own website and class blog available online. He makes learning classblogmeister easy, however accessing blogmeister does require school registration and approval.

Helpful tools:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAHPXHLDZlc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al9aBUTx4_g&feature=related

http://classblogmeister.com/blogmeister_instructions.pdf

http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/

Books:

Classroom Blogging: 2nd Edition

Redefining Literacy 2.0: Second Edition

Virtual Worlds in Education Conference

If anyone in/near New Jersey wants to attend a great workshop on Web 2.0 tools (specifically virtual worlds) and education you must go to the attached link for a great conference being held at Kean University on December 11th. I have attended other conferences at Kean University (incuding Harry Wong) and I always find them to be incredible! I will be attending, without a doubt...I hope you can make it!

http://cie.kean.edu/CIE/Virtual_Worlds.html

BP10_2009102_ReflectiveMediaAsset - Google Apps

BP9_2009102_Flickr

http://wiki.itap.purdue.edu/display/INSITETLT/Flickr#Flickr-post

Vocabulary Lesson Plan

I found several lesson plan ideas using flickr that I would like to incorporate into my classroom. The first lesson is a basic lesson that I could use as a way to change the tedious task of learning vocabulary and help to make it visual for the visual learners. The link above used flickr to create a worksheet for students using pictures, I would probably do this as an example and then when repeating the activity I would have students use flickr to create their own vocabulary worksheet, or picture dictionary depending on the level of the students.

Wildlife Animals in Indiana

Another lesson plan I would use with struggling learners or ELL is identifying animals, plants, fruits, and or vegetables. Many of my inner city students have not been exposed to the variety of animals, plants, fruits and vegetables, but teaching them this is difficult because they “think” that since they know the words they know what it is. I could use flickr to have students find pictures of a variety of these concepts. This could be used as my introduction to flickr, so that the students expect the lesson content to be slightly easier, because they believe that the technology is the part that they are learning. This is kind of tricky, but may be a good way to teach both concepts.

Grade Level: 2-3 (or struggling 4-6)

Objective:

Students will work on a computer to find different pictures of different wildlife that inhabit a specific biome habitat. They will use Flickr, an online site to find their pictures and create a narrative.

How -To Project

The scientific method can be difficult for many students to learn because of the necessity for specific step-by-step procedures. I would definitely like to use flickr to help students with this process. The lesson plan below is a great way to help students check the clarity of their directions using pictures.

Grades: 9-12 (or modified in groups for 7-8th)

Objective:

During this activity, students will create a step-by-step detailed introduction sideshow using photos they have taken themselves, and have uploaded to their own personal Flickr account.

Procedure:

Student should choose an activity and write down detailed "how to" steps. Make sure that no two students have the same activity to keep this project creative.

You should then check the steps to make sure they are detailed enough and have nice flow.

Give students enough time to take pictures. If you are doing this in class, limit them to an hour or two. If you are allowing them to take it home, maybe give them the weekend!

Once the students have taken the pictures that they need to use, have them upload the pictures and organize them in sequence.

Have the student go though and add the steps in the comments section to their pictures.

Allow student to get creative and manipulate some of the features of Flickr. (For example: Tagging students that may have helped that are seen in the picture, or create groups of similar activities.)

When students have completed assignment, have them present the final project to the class.

(OPTIONAL) Have the rest of the class follow along either hands-on or another way to evaluate each other.

Hold class discussion on how Flickr helped with the process or make it more difficult to explain. Also, discuss the best ideas used and the ideas that needed work or how they could be improved.

BP8_2009102_Web Tools Response to Classmate

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2009

BP9_20091011_Web2.0(SchoolTube.com)

http://www.schooltube.com/

SchoolTube is like YouTube, but created specifically for the field of education. This website provides students and educators a safe and free way to share media through a website. Because SchoolTube is moderated by teachers, all of the student-created materials must be approved by registered teachers, follow local school guidelines, and adhere to SchoolTube’s standards. This website blocks out inappropriate content making it appropriate and safe for school use.

SchoolTube targets students, teachers, principals, parents, school boards, and IT managers. Through SchoolTube, students are able to share media from school, and showcase academic, sports, or club events. It allows teachers the ability to share teacher approved media from their classroom, integrate technology into the curriculum, learn from recognized educational leaders, and share concepts and lesson plans with other teachers across the nation. Principals are able to keep up with national educational organizations and activities, and post welcome videos or pictures from their building administrators for parents and students. Parents will find that SchoolTube allows their kids to share media in a safe environment, and that they can use this site to keep up with what is happening in their child’s school.

The possibilities for using this site in my classroom are endless! Last year, my students created songs and raps about the digestive system. I recorded the videos and uploaded them our classroom blog. Prior to uploading, I researched various portals trying to find one that would be safe for student use. I wish I had found this one! This year, when my students do this project, we will use SchoolTube to post our finished products. I could also use this site to show my students examples of videos created by students. Along with this, I could have my students create their own channel and we could post all of the work we produce on that channel as a portfolio of their school year.

There are many educational benefits that this tool provides. First, it reaches all types of learners, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Second, it familiarizes students with Web 2.0 technology and allows them to become producers of their own ‘network’. As a result, students are able to problem-solve and think critically about ways to present research. Another educational benefit is that it affords students time to collaborate with each other throughout the creation of a project and gives them a chance to analyze the works of other students. I can’t wait to try this tool in my classroom!

References

SchoolTube.com Staff. (2009). SchoolTube. Retrieved October 11, 2009 from http://www.schooltube.com/

Image courtesy of Creative Commons license at flickr.com

Media Literacy

Being literate in today’s society means being able to perceive, differentiate, analyze and create a variety of media genres from newspaper to television to blogs. As Barish (2002) stated the new media literacy is a “language of screens” from television, to the “big” screen, and from computer screens to iPod screens. The world of media has expanded tremendously during the technological revolution and the education of media literacy must expand to the same degree in order for our students to be successful citizens.
According to the Center for Media Literacy, urban dwellers are exposed to more than 1500 ads a day and as an urban educator, that means my students have a lot of media to decipher and they need media literacy to assist them. The Center for Media Literacy recommends the four-step model of awareness, analysis, reflection and action. I feel that this is a step in the right direction for my students. They need to first become aware of the media influencing them and then be able to critic and process the messages. One they have become aware they can then reflect on the purpose and perspective as well as take action based on the information they interacted with, either through creating media or creating a movement.
According to Considine (1995), media literacy is the “ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information in a variety of format including print and nonprint. Although the majority of our educational system began using print, the technological revolution has created an increase in visual literacy from the big screen to the iPod. For my students I would plan to increase the education of visual literacy through access and evaluation of others’ media, then through critical evaluation of their own creations.


References
Center for Media Literacy(2002-2007). Media Literacy: Education for a Technological Age. retrieved on October 11, 2009 from http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article337.html

Considine, D., (1995). An introduction to media literacy: the what, why and how to’s. Telemedium, The Journal of Media Literacy. 41(2). retrieved on October 11, 2009 from http://www.ced.appstate.edu/departments/ci/programs/edmedia/medialit/article.html

BP7_2009102_Web Tools 3 makebeliefscomix.com

Image created by Robyn Douglas on October 11, 2009 using screen capture.

Makebeliefscomix.com

As an educator I often struggle to find interesting ways to help struggling students learn vocabulary in science. As a middle school teacher, I also sometimes struggle to keep the students who think they are not “good” at science interested in learning more, when they could just draw or doodle in their notebook instead of taking notes. I think that makebeliefscomix.com is an awesome tool that could help to change my struggling students into shining stars. This web tool is a free application that allows users to design their own comic, print it and share it with others. As fun as this tool can be for children of all ages, it can also be used as an educational tool for teachers.
When I taught language arts I went to a writing conference and purchased Vocabulary Cartoon of the Day: 180 Reproducible Cartoons That Help Kids Build a Robust and Prodigious Vocabulary (Paperback) by Marc Tyler Nobleman. When I used this book, the students loved not only reading the cartoons, but also creating their own. The book was a great resource, but it was hard to implement because it used a large amount of paper for each student to get a copy of the cartoon as well as have space to draw his or her own cartoon. It was also difficult to apply this to other vocabulary for a student that did not like to, or was not “good” at drawing and to share the students’ work with others.

According to William Zimmerman (2009), the creator of makebeliefscomix.com, and Tamara Kirson, an ESOL teacher at City College in New York creating online comic strips help to improve immigrant students English language skills. This site could help the English language learners I have to apply science vocabulary terms in a more engaging environment and share the creations with classmates. I could also use this to differentiate instruction by selecting specific vocabulary for the level of the students. I could also use the comics to introduce vocabulary by creating a comic for the students or to review vocabulary by creating a comic and taking out key terms and have students choose the vocabulary term or science concept that best completes the comic.

In addition to vocabulary, students and I could use the tool to teach concepts in a humorous and real-world way. Many students struggle to understand how science concepts apply to their life outside of the science classroom. Using makebeliefscomix.com would allow the user to give real-world scenarios of science concepts, like how forces push and pull or to “discuss” how the muscular system works. These are just some of the ideas that apply makebeliefscomix.com to education. I can wait to see what other uses my students come up with in the classroom.

Reference:
Zimmerman, W., (March 4, 2009). ESOL Students Use MakeBeliefsComix.com to Improve Language Skills. Retrieved on October 11, 2009 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRhIhYvDhEU.

BP6_2009102_WEb Tools 2 - yugma.com

Image taken on October 11, 2009 by Robyn Douglas using Screen Capture.

Yugma – web conferencing

Yugma is download that allows web conferencing. The basic software is free and allows a user to be a presenter or an attendee to a meeting. The free application is Mac and pc friendly, which is helpful to schools that are not Mac friendly or to students who may have either computer at home. For Full Sail students Yugma (the free service) is a combination of wimba/skype and ichat on a small scale. The conference is allows for invitation abilities using phone, email or chat. It also has public and private chat feeds, presenter modes, storing ability.

A user has the ability to present using three different methods; presenter mode, questions and answer mode, or conversation mode. A presenter has the ability to have presenter mode, in which attendees cannot contribute to the discussion and are automatically muted. During question and answer mode, attendees can un-mute themselves to contribute to discussion. Conversation mode would allow all attendees to contribute at any time with free-flowing communication pathways that are not muted. The presenter can also share computer screens with attendees to assist in the presentation.

As an educator this Web 2.0 tool could be used in many ways. During class this tool could capture teacher presentation and class notes for a student that was absent from class. If the student was at home and capable, the student could follow right along with the class. If the student was absent and not capable of singing in live, the student could sign in and review class at a later time from home or the following school day to make up the missed content. This could be much more efficient and reliable then having students try to “share” notes with a student that was present.

Outside of class, Yugma could be used as a way for a teacher to have virtual office hours. Some students are not always able to stay after school for extra help and may be more likely to ask for help during homework time if they know the teacher is available. Some teachers are not always available to stay after for childcare and other personal responsibilities, but still want to be available to students. Since the sessions would be recorded and public, it is much more appropriate for student/teacher interaction outside of class, which can be discouraged in many districts because of professionalism. This could also be a way for student/student interaction that some parents discourage as in instant messenger or myspace.

BP5_2009102_Web Tools 1 - creatley.com

(photo taken on October 11, 2009 by Robyn Douglas using screen capture)

http://creately.com/

Creately.com is an online diagramming application that allows you to create, collaborate, and store visual aids online without downloads that are usually limited by district computing. Creately is an excellent tool to assist the visual learner. The basic free subscription allows a user to create three private diagrams and almost limitless public diagrams within 10MB. The user can choose from a variety of diagram types such as education k-12, Business graphics, and databases. Once a type of diagram is chosen, a user then chooses a template ranging from blank to cycle to compare and contrast. Creately allows users to track revisions as well as comment on other collaborator’s editions.

As an educator I can use creately in many ways. One way would be to assist in the comprehension of a concept by creating a visual aide. This is very common in most subject areas already. Another way would be to create a collaborative diagram that was a basic subject or topic and then invite my students to add and edit the diagram to adapt to their understanding. This could be a great insight to the student’s understanding of complex topics in science. Another way that this application could be used would be as a group project to review a subject area. Students could work together to create a diagram. I could track their efforts and give them feedback throughout their design using the comments tool. The comments tool would allow me to provide suggestions throughout the process as well as when formulating the final grading process to explain their grade. As an educator I could also use the revisions information to view the content and edits made by each student to ensure that grading is relative to the student’s abilities and effort in completing the assignment.

I could also use this tool to differentiate instruction. Creately allows the user to “filter” the details displayed. For higher-level students I could use less detail in my display and expect them to make critical thinking connections to add to my diagram or I could create a rubric for individual assignments that would level the filters based on the student’s ability. Concept maps are usually helpful to students when understanding the “big picture” but can be very difficult for students to create. I think that using creately will help to motivate students and to scaffold instruction to assist them in learning this critical thinking task.

BP4_2009102_SocialBookmarking

If printing out and filing research is frustrating, or even more so if folders on a desktop are frustrating, then the solution has arrived. Social bookmarking is a web tool that allows users to keep track of web urls using the online resource. Social bookmarking has many advantages over the current computer browser bookmarks for all users, as well as uses for educational purposes. According to Baumbach (Winter 2009), social bookmarking’s advantages include storage, organization, annotation, accessibility, and share.

According to Farkas (Apr2008), Delicious is the most popular social bookmarking site where users assign multiple descriptive terms, or tags, to each website so they are easier to locate the next time a user seeks them, which assists with the organization of a users websites. Instead of storing bookmarks on a computer, websites are accessible from the Web. This means that the user can sign on to any computer with Internet capabilities and retrieve a website without having to search using a search engine.

Farkas (Apr2008) insists that the best part of Delicious is that it facilitates greater participation in subject-guide creation. Social bookmarking makes researching more accessible for students who can sign into an account anywhere and continue where he or she left off, rather than only being able to do research at a library, or at home where the research was started. According to Farkas (Apr2008), many libraries are even using Delicious internally to share links and others have begun bookmarking content useful to patrons. A teacher, like a librarian, can use delicious to provide students with a specified list of resources on a content area to focus the student’s search or verify reliability of sources.

As stated by Dave Ehrhart, in the School Library Journal (2007), social bookmarking in education allows teachers to monitor students ‘ research and comprehension skills individually. Social bookmarking enables teachers to check students’ resources for research using the click of a button rather than sorting through papers or note cards. According to Hargardon (2007), some teachers like Diigo (www.diigo.com), another social bookmarking site, because it goes a step further and allows users to highlight and save comments within online articles. Teachers that use social bookmarking with annotation enabled would be able to mark comments on student’s sources when completing research as a source of feedback for the student. A teacher could also annotate a bookmark to focus the student on a new point, or question the student about topic.

Bookmarks in Delicious are public by default, but can be made private, meaning that you can browse other people's favorites. According to Baumbach (Winter 2009), a user may find many good folders using social bookmarking tool, like backflip.com, that are already created by other users on a specific topic that can be used as a staring point for a safe webquest. Using social bookmarking could save teachers a great deal of research time by using folders, tags, and rating tools of other users to find resources for webquest topics.

So, whether a user prefers to be centralized, organized, or connected and has chosen Delicious, Diigo, Backflip, or another social bookmarking tool, the benefits are limitless for a student and an educator.

References

Baumbach, Donna. Winter2009. Your new bff: social bookmarking tools. Florida Media Quarterly. 34(2) 9-13. Retrieved on October 7, 2009 from Education Research Complete.

Farkas, M., (Apr2008). Isn’t it del.icio.us? American Libraries. 39(4) 32 -32. Retrieved on October 7, 2009 from Academic Search Premier.

Hargardon, S., (October, 2007). A little help from my friends: classroom 2.0 educators share their experiences. School Library Journal. 53 (10), 44-48. Retrieved from ERIC database on October 7, 2009.

iGoogle Page Screen Captures

WGO page

FSO Page

ETC Page

BP3_2009101_Anti-Teaching

I think that both virtual learning environments with course management systems and PLE could be extremely helpful to the educational field but I do not think that there is “one answer” to solving the many problems that education faces. For the average student the virtual environment and PLEs would probably work out well. My concern would be for the IEP students who may need more individualized content. I think that students with IEPs would probably benefit more from PLEs because of the ability to adjust the content and the method of presentation of the material for the individual’s needs. However according to Educause (2009) PLEs may be limiting based on the students decision-making and organizational abilities. Based on the MIT and the brain-based learning theories, the method would need to vary just as students learning styles vary in order for learning to be effective.

Since technology is such a major role in the majority of careers in our society, as well as in personal lives, using more technology to teach our children could only enhance their success later in life. As confirmed by Educause (2009) because of technology the roles of students and teachers are changing and the teacher is now collaborating and the student is now able to not just consume information, but also connect it. I don’t think technology itself will ever be “enough”, but I also feel that a “teacher” by his/herself can also never be enough. Teachers will always be necessary to create significance. Unfortunately, at this point many teachers have not created that significance. As Wesch suggests, if our students are not cut out for school, than our mold is too narrow or not meaningful enough to inspire the students.

As the Buddhist proverb states, ”when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Perhaps as an educator, rather than preparing students for tests, we should start preparing them for problems. When a student has a problem they cannot answer, it is then that they learn to find the “teacher” whether that be a teaching professional, a website, a video, or a classmate. I agree with Wesch, that students demonstrate passion in learning when they are free to answer questions that are meaningful and relevant to their own lives. According to Davis (1999) there are several strategies for motivating students such as capitalizing on the students needs, active participation, ask students for feedback, high expectations, student goals, enthusiasm, de-emphasize grades and competition. Considering this, the key components that I feel should be included in new schools is definitely differentiated instruction to support the multiple intelligences, motivational tools, active participation and goal setting to support the brain-based learning theory, and technology to support the changing society.

References

(in addition to professor required Anti-Teaching – Wesch and 7 things you should know about PLE –Educause.

Davis, B., (1999). Motivating students. Tools for Teaching. Retrieved

August 15, 2009 from http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/motiv.htm.

BP2_2009101_SettingUpYourGoogleReader

How Stuff Works ? This is one of my favorite shows on television. I like to incorporate these videos into classroom discussion when we talk about science in the ?real world? . Getting children to understand how things work is a great introduction to many science topics.

Science Daily: This RSS can help to keep me updated on the newest science topics in the news.

Education Weekly is a great way for me to learn more about news and discussions in the Education field.

Wired Science Education ? PBS is a great site for teachers of any content area. I always enjoy watching PBS videos and now I look forward to hearing from other science teachers on various science education topics.

NMSA- National Middle School Association is a great resource for teachers, administrators and parents of middle schoolers. I look forward to learning more about the NMSA to share with my coworkers and parents.

Expressions from the Middle (NMSA)I look forward to sharing the Expressions from the Middle with my students and possibly add their projects to be shared with others.

BP1_2009101_GettingStartedWithBlogger

Blogs can be a great educational tool that will help students prepare for the online world of the future. Students will need to know how to effectively communicate using online tools as they continue their education and enter into their career field. According to Zawilinski (May2009), schools need to prepare students for new ?literacies? by integrating them into the curriculum, and blogs are an easy way to begin. Blogs can be used to help students share their thoughts outside of the classroom and it also empowers students. According to Tyron (Winter2006), bloggers recognized that a wider audience would read their work and caused the bloggers to write to a larger audience and take their writing more seriously, since it would be critically be viewed by their peers. A blog expands the audience, but it can also expand the type of information being shared. Zawilinski (May2009) recommends using blogs for classroom news: to inform students and families of announcements, mirror blogs: to allow student reflection, showcasing: which allows teachers to show off student work, and literature response: allowing teachers to prompt students to provide a response to a specific topic.
The ability to share a variety of information with a larger audience also expands classroom time and learning. According to Colombo & Colombo (September2007) blogs expand instructional time by providing teachers with a user-friendly online format to reinforce strategies, introduce new topics and concepts, review important class points, review for tests, and provide enrichment. The goal of most teachers is to improve learning and encourage learning outside of the classroom instruction. Research done by Ramaswami (Nov. 2008) shows before blogging, 39 percent of the third-graders said they liked writing at school; after the project, that number rose to 67 percent (12 out of 18). I believe that once students are interested and motivated learning will follow.

Referenes

Colombo, M., & Colombo, P., (September, 2007). Blogging to improve instruction in
differentiated science classrooms. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(1), p60-63. Retrieved
October 4, 2009 from Academic Search Premier database.

Ramaswami, R., (Nov. 2008). The prose of blogging (and a few cons, too). T.H.E.
Journal, 35(11), 21-25. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from ERIC Database.

Sturgeon, J. (Feb2008). Five don?ts of classroom blogging. T.H.E. Journal, 35(2), 26-
30. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from Academic Search Premier Database.

Tryon,C. (Winter2006). Writing and citizenship: using blogs to teach first-year
composition. Pedagogy, 6(1), 128-132. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from
Academic Search Premier Database. ??

Zawalinski, L., (May2009). Hot blogging: a framework for blogging to promote
higher order thinking. Reading Teacher, 62(8) 650-661. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from Academic Search Premier.