Since the inception of my final project acknowledgement, I have made some changes. As a requirement of my teaching, administration would like me to begin preparing professional developments using social networking focusing on Facebook. I am very excited about this opportunity and I am trying to be thorough. I am submitting three plans:
1. What does your online image say?
2. Using Facebook as an Educational Resource – Part 1 Creation
3. Using Facebook as an Educational Resource – Part2 Reflection
Firstly, my professional development plans are quiet long perhaps due to the combination of my inexperience creating professional development plans and the detail of the tool I chose to teach.
Secondly, I am not submitting a plan covering digital citizenship and internet safety due to the length of my "Using Facebook as an Educational Resource" plans. I felt I needed to break the “Using Facebook as an Educational Resource” into two plans. The first plan, part 1, will discuss using Facebook in the classroom and the Teacher profiles. The intent of part 1 is to get the creativity flowing and to create a teacher profile. Part 2 requires each participant to research the more sophisticated pieces of Facebook and to up the creative ante. Participants will learn about groups, pages and other Facebook tools as well as reflect on their use in the classroom.
4 The Love of Technology
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Yeah - Chapter 11 Decision-Making and Implementation Mode
In the past, the technology department was primarily responsible for all technology and software decisions. Teachers would say they needed math software and the technology department would look for the software and implement. If teachers were lucky, the principle and maybe one teacher would be involved in the demo.
Today, a smart district involves teachers, special education specialists, school administration and the technology department in the decision. For large-scale purchases, the school board must be involved.
1. Content area teachers need to be involved because they and they allow understand the needs of their students. Teachers work with students everyday and understand the needs of students and are responsible for anticipating future needs.
2. The Special Education department needs to be involved since they have the pulse on the needs of the special education students.
3. The principle has a high-level understanding of student needs, understand the budgetary constraints and view the curriculum requirements for the entire school.
4. Instruction technology Facilitators should be involved because they will be involved with the implementation making sure teachers can access the software and understand how to use it. Depending on the size of the implementation, the facilitator maybe trained in the software to make sure all features are used properly.
5. The Technology Department must be involved to make sure the software will run in the current infrastructure, the workstations can run the software and the network environment can meet the demand. The department is also responsible for installing the software and it is helpful to understand the server and/or web requirements prior to the purchase. If new hardware needs to be purchased, the technology department must research the hardware specifications and make recommendations. Finally, the technology depart generally has to spring for the software and hardware needs.
6. For large-scale purchases, the School Board or District Committee must pre-approve reqauests and have the final budgetary stamp of approval.
Finally, I reviewed the charts and these charts are helpful for Enterprise level software purchases; Enterprise level software is purchased for district wide applications.
Today, a smart district involves teachers, special education specialists, school administration and the technology department in the decision. For large-scale purchases, the school board must be involved.
1. Content area teachers need to be involved because they and they allow understand the needs of their students. Teachers work with students everyday and understand the needs of students and are responsible for anticipating future needs.
2. The Special Education department needs to be involved since they have the pulse on the needs of the special education students.
3. The principle has a high-level understanding of student needs, understand the budgetary constraints and view the curriculum requirements for the entire school.
4. Instruction technology Facilitators should be involved because they will be involved with the implementation making sure teachers can access the software and understand how to use it. Depending on the size of the implementation, the facilitator maybe trained in the software to make sure all features are used properly.
5. The Technology Department must be involved to make sure the software will run in the current infrastructure, the workstations can run the software and the network environment can meet the demand. The department is also responsible for installing the software and it is helpful to understand the server and/or web requirements prior to the purchase. If new hardware needs to be purchased, the technology department must research the hardware specifications and make recommendations. Finally, the technology depart generally has to spring for the software and hardware needs.
6. For large-scale purchases, the School Board or District Committee must pre-approve reqauests and have the final budgetary stamp of approval.
Finally, I reviewed the charts and these charts are helpful for Enterprise level software purchases; Enterprise level software is purchased for district wide applications.
Digital Citizenship
I wrote this comment in response to another posting but I think it is important for me to elaborate. Being a mom of a 14 year old daughter, I feel technology has made my life more complicated. When I was growing up, the big concerns for my parents where whether I completed my homework and if I was safely at home. Once I was safely at home, my mom could sleep soundly. Today I have to check my daughter’s texts to make sure the content is appropriate, check her Facebook account to make sure she isn't posting inappropriate content or inappropriate content has not been posted about her and finally, check her email account. Just because my daughter is at home, it doesn't mean she is safe. Cyber-bullying can easily happen 24 hours a day, not just during school hours and it is exhausting.
Girls seek approval from boys by allowing them to text about sex and make comments about body parts. Before texting and emails, it took a lot of courage for a boy compliment a girl about her looks never mind being specific about body parts. Today, boys don’t think twice sending a girl a text informing her that he notices her nice butt or her chest. Hiding behind a phone or a computer has broadened the safety net of inappropriate behavior.
With the movement of smart phones in the classroom and other technologies, it has become more and more important for schools to teach students about boundaries, respecting privacy, cyber-bulling and the law. Today we have bullying laws that incorporate cyber-bullying. Too many students have been emotionally scared and have died because of cyber-bullying. I am glad to see more programs in schools dedicated to educating students; however, it is not enough. Programs need to be developed for parents who are not as technology savvy as myself.
Cybersmart has a free and well done curriculum dedicated to teaching students about the Online Images and Online Safety.
Girls seek approval from boys by allowing them to text about sex and make comments about body parts. Before texting and emails, it took a lot of courage for a boy compliment a girl about her looks never mind being specific about body parts. Today, boys don’t think twice sending a girl a text informing her that he notices her nice butt or her chest. Hiding behind a phone or a computer has broadened the safety net of inappropriate behavior.
With the movement of smart phones in the classroom and other technologies, it has become more and more important for schools to teach students about boundaries, respecting privacy, cyber-bulling and the law. Today we have bullying laws that incorporate cyber-bullying. Too many students have been emotionally scared and have died because of cyber-bullying. I am glad to see more programs in schools dedicated to educating students; however, it is not enough. Programs need to be developed for parents who are not as technology savvy as myself.
Cybersmart has a free and well done curriculum dedicated to teaching students about the Online Images and Online Safety.
Chapter 9 - Gaming - Who would have thought..
Who would have thought thirty years ago Pac Man would have lead to the gaming community that exists today. Pac Man was created to entice women into playing video games where males primarily dominated the video game world. The little ghost creatures who look like scoops of ice cream and are still fun to watch move around. Before smart phone and iPads, gaming was thought to be a time consuming ordeal where kids would start playing right after school and wouldn’t finish until bedtime. Homework, what it that?
For the last thirty plus years, games and gaming applications have gone from gaming rooms to home computers to smart phones. The games created are huge online games to mini games. Who would have thought.. I watch my son play the piano on my smart phone and play a full band on my iPad for hours. He can play music without the demand of lessons and practice time. It is so natural, makes him very happy and is brain is taking it all in. I am hoping it will lead to an instrument. He is also learning Spanish words from an app I downloaded onto my smart phone. We spend a lot of time in the car driving to swim meets and practice and it is so easy to pickup my phone that I have on me all the time and play. My daughter creates flash cards using my phone and googles facts whenever they pop into her brain. With the advent of mini-games, kids can have fun for short periods without interfering with homework.
I checked out the ”Quiz Your Noodle: Games Around The World” game from the National Geographic for kids site. It is fun, easy to play and the music is engaging. These games can be played from any browser even a smart phone browser.
I do not know if Pac man enticed more female game players but I still cannot figure out how my husband can play “Angry Birds” on his smart phone for long periods.
For the last thirty plus years, games and gaming applications have gone from gaming rooms to home computers to smart phones. The games created are huge online games to mini games. Who would have thought.. I watch my son play the piano on my smart phone and play a full band on my iPad for hours. He can play music without the demand of lessons and practice time. It is so natural, makes him very happy and is brain is taking it all in. I am hoping it will lead to an instrument. He is also learning Spanish words from an app I downloaded onto my smart phone. We spend a lot of time in the car driving to swim meets and practice and it is so easy to pickup my phone that I have on me all the time and play. My daughter creates flash cards using my phone and googles facts whenever they pop into her brain. With the advent of mini-games, kids can have fun for short periods without interfering with homework.
I checked out the ”Quiz Your Noodle: Games Around The World” game from the National Geographic for kids site. It is fun, easy to play and the music is engaging. These games can be played from any browser even a smart phone browser.
I do not know if Pac man enticed more female game players but I still cannot figure out how my husband can play “Angry Birds” on his smart phone for long periods.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Chapter 8 - Creating Content - Images
Digital photographs and digital videos have a way of capturing unforgettable moments. These moments make us laugh and cry. Historical photos and videos explain a visual history that words alone cannot capture. Occasionally photos and videos are taken for private use only; when placed in the wrong hands, can humiliate and embarrass. Past News stories have reported students committing suicide because humiliating and embarrassing photos were posted to the web and YouTube to bully and harass. With the speed of online technology, these pictures and videos can be posted on websites, blogs and other social networks site within minutes. Once content is posting online, it is almost if not impossible to remove. It is important for students to understand that Cyber-bullying will not be tolerated.
Today it is so easy to take pictures and videos of the classroom setting for online posting. How cool is it for students to see their classroom in action. Before photos can be posted, it is important to understand district policies. No teacher wants to be responsible for posting a picture of a child who is at risk of child endangerment. It is important for teachers to know if they have a student who is involved in a restraining order and be aware of safety considerations. My local school district will only allow schools to post group photos of their Middle and Elementary School students.
Each day student at our school create a School News Video. The students are responsible for finding the News stories, writing the content, creating the scripts, designing the set, shooting the video and editing. It is amazing how these students have grown as writers and news anchors. The following is a link to a ReggieTV new cast. Check it out, it is pretty cool!
Chapter 7 Creating Content - WritingChapter 7
According to Brooks-Young, states that teen-age students who blog generally tend to be “more-prolific” writers than teen-age students who do not blog; however, at the same time, these students do not view blog writing as formal or real writing. My school is in the process of creating a Creative Writing curriculum and the program will be utilizing numerous web 2.0 tools. The Creative Writing program, with the dismay of journalism students, will be replacing the schools Journalism Curriculum. After numerous discussions, I convinced the educators responsible for the new creative writing program that Journalism students and Creative Writing students can live as one. I introduced the web site for Web 2.0 Cool Tools for Schools website. This website provides links to many cool tools for students to create journalist writing assignments, magazine assignments, books, etc. Students can even create books and have them printed..
Our teachers are also working on a summer reading program where all the participants will be writing on individual Facebook pages. These pages will be linked to a Summer Reading profile. Each student will be responsible for completing a characters study of his or her favorite character from the summer reading challenge. The page will contain a picture or a short video describing the character with written details.
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