EBooks in the Classroom

How did/do you see the use of ebooks impacting the writing process? How will that affect students? How will it effect your teaching?

     At first, I was hesitant about the use of e-books not only in the classroom, but also in general. I enjoy being able to open a book and to flip to any page I need to go to. But after using e-books more and more often, I realize how convenient they really are. We can now download any genre of book, from anywhere in the world. We can share and create our own books, as well as download others' works. You can click on certain topics to learn more about them, you can have words you don't understand read out loud, and you can search for certain words in the text.
     So it makes me wonder, how will this impact the writing process? I think it will have major impacts on the writing and reading process. When it comes to writing, students can write e-books in order to feel like they are writing for a much larger audience. As Rushton Hurley said, "When children create for the world, they make it good. When children only create for their teacher, they make it good enough". This quote really sums up the importance of allowing students to write and create e-books. They can write to a broader audience and see when people download and comment on their work. Jon Smith has done a lot of research on the topic of e-books. One interesting implication that he found when working with students with autism in 5th and 6th grade was that engagement increased. He found that students spent more time on task, and seemed excited about writing. This was something he was struggling to do at first, even when using multiple different writing prompts. He discusses his journey with the students here.
     I know that this is something that will affect my teaching. Technology is an important aspect to students, now more than ever. Incorporating things such as creating e-books in the classroom can help to keep students engaged and interested in different topics. For teachers who are new to e-books or unsure how to create them, here is a link that helps to breakdown the e-book creating process.

What benefits do you see to using student created ebooks in the classroom? How do you see them fitting in your future classroom? What main considerations will you need to make to use them effectively?

     As I stated before, student created e-books can increase engagement in the classroom. I will definitely use student created e-books in the future. Science is a really good subject to use these for, because students can create books to reinforce learning of knowledge from the classroom. They can provide links to sources and put videos on their e-books. It is important to incorporate content and pedagogy into the e-books. We want students to learn while creating these. We also need to consider the available technology in our classroom. Some classrooms may have computers for every students, while others may have one or no computers for all of the students.

    What was the most striking thing you took away from Jon's presentation? How will it impact your own learning?

     The most striking thing that I took away from Jon's presentation was the impact of writing e-books on students learning. During his video, he told us that kids should be creating stuff. Kids really don't enjoy worksheets. They should also be sharing their work in order to feel like the audience is larger than just the teacher. Another important point that Jon Smith gave in his lecture is that we should give students some kind of sense of the world and globe. Trying to make them walk away not only as better students, but also as better citizens and creators in our society. Jon has copies of e-books created by his students here. They give us a good sense of what students are capable of when it comes to creating e-books.

     I realize that keeping students excited about learning is key to keeping them interested. Incorporating new technology, such as e-books, can help to facilitate the learning process. I also recognize that technology is quickly changing, and that it is important to stay current on the technology that is available for use.

Copyright, Public Domain, and Creative Commons Licenses

What is your responsibility as a teacher to understand and use images with copyright, public domain, and creative commons licenses?

     An issue that often arises with the use of technology is the issue of copyright. Teachers and students are often unaware of what is allowed to be used and what isn't allowed to be used inside and outside of the classroom. It is our responsibility as teachers to understand copyright laws and to help our students understand copyright laws. As our society becomes more reliant on technology, we want our students to know what they are allowed to use and what they are not allowed to use.
     Teachingcopyright.org gives a lot of information on what copyright is and isn't. They give us a definition of copyright: Their website tells us that "copyright is a form of legal protection automatically provided to the authors of original works of authorship, including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works". So from this, we can determine that copyright is meant to protect the creator of artistic works. By incorrectly using these works, we are violating a policy, which is called copyright infringement.
     There is a document called, "A Teacher's Guide to Fair Use and Copyright" by Cathy Newsome that lays out what exactly copyright covers. In this document, there is a chart that lays out fair use compared to illegal use of different materials. This is a great reference point for teachers who are unsure whether or not their material is allowed to be used in the classroom.
     Creative commons licenses help to get material shared more easily. There are different creative commons licenses, which allow you to decide the level of copyright on your material. We need to know the different types of creative commons licenses so that we can use materials properly. We know when we see a C symbol, it is necessary to contact the creator before sharing the image. However, if we see a cc symbol, we can follow the rules for how to properly use this material. If you have any further confusion, watch the video on this link, done by Common Craft, for more information.

What are our responsibilities to use (and teach students) to select images, text, video, and audio with proper citations?

     It is our responsibility to teach students how to properly select and cite images, text, video, and audio. We need to give credit to individuals who create content. We also need to help students to understand the importance of copyright.

     We also need to teach them about Creative Commons and the different licenses that we see so they know how to use and cite the material correctly. The following video, done by The Teaching Channel and Common Sense Media, follows Novella Bailey. She is a teacher at a middle school in New York who is helping us to learn how to teach our students about many of these issues.

What are the ethical issues around music and movie downloading? How can this be addressed with your students?

     The major ethical issues around music and movie downloading are fair use issues. By illegally downloading works that don't belong to us, we are taking someone's work without giving them credit. By doing so, we are participating in copyright infringement, which is illegal. By teaching students about the problems that arise by illegally downloading materials, we can hopefully get them to find better, legal sources. We also need to help students to understand the importance of copyright. I would like to have students create original material (videos, artwork, etc.). I would then tell them that someone took the material without paying for it. Then we could have a group discussion about how this makes them feel. They worked hard to create this material, and aren't receiving payment for it. This would be a good way to have students really understand the true importance of copyright infringement.

Recipes for Appetizers

Hi all! I was hoping to get rocking and rolling on cooking up some appetizers last week; however, I had the flu. Not only did I not feel like cooking, I don't think anyone would want to eat anything I cooked. I did, however, make a list of appetizers to make and a list of ingredients needed.

My main source for recipes was Pinterest! If you've never used Pinterest before, I highly recommend it. You can save recipes, workouts, etc. on different boards for future use. I created a board specifically for this project in order to store potential recipes for future use.

The first recipe I found was for Loaded Deviled Eggs. Deviled eggs are something I've always wanted to learn to make, so I definitely wanted to include them in my project. The recipe can be found on the website link: SixSistersStuff.

My next recipe can be found on the Baking Fairy's page. I think queso is simple, but really tasty. It is always a hit a parties and I'm hoping to learn to make it.

Holly from Spendingwithpennies posted a recipe for honey garlic wings that I am really looking forward to trying. I know it sounds crazy, but I am a complete newbie to cooking! I've only ever used chicken breast, so cooking wings will be an adventure for me. I'm hoping that by using her recipe, I'll be able to cook some tasty wings for parties in the future.

My next recipe is for a taco pizza. This is a little heartier of an appetizer, but I think it would be good for potlucks, etc. I found the recipe on a website called Living Well Mom, and it promises to be a crowd pleaser!

Because I have quite a few friends who are vegetarian, I wanted to do something similar to the taco pizza, but with a vegetarian option. I found a recipe for a caprese flatbread on a website named Carrie's Experimental Kitchen, from a fellow blogger named Carrie. I'm excited to try this new recipe because it looks delicious!

I'm excited to start cooking this week! I'm hoping I feel better soon so I can start ASAP! Cheers to starting my learning experience!

Lesson Paths: Cool Tool

     The tool that I've chosen for this week is Lesson Path.  Lesson Path can be used to upload videos, write articles, put links to other sites, and also to create pop quizzes for students. You can create a "learning playlist" for students. You can also find material that has been uploaded by other users for use in your classroom. Lesson Paths can be used for academic and also recreational purposes.

     Lesson Path could be used as an online learning tool for students. This tool could also be used to upload material that was covered in class so that students that were absent for the day can learn the material. I would use this tool in the classroom as a supplement to material covered during class. You can add a quiz to the end of the lesson to make sure students understand what was covered.

     Overall, I didn't like this tool. I found it complicated to create a lesson and I didn't like the set-up. I tried to create a learning playlist covering the planets in the solar system. I also created a pop quiz to go along with it. I would have preferred an in class activity or a different website to help students learn about the planets in the solar system, compared to the lesson that I created.

     However, I found some good lessons that others have created using Lesson Path that I liked a lot. I personally wouldn't use it to create lessons; however, I think that I may use it to find supplemental material to use in my classroom. I would like to find a different website with an easier set-up for my own use.

    I don't think that I would have students use this site to create their own digital media artifacts. As I said before, I found it difficult to use. I would have students use a blog or website format instead of using Lesson Paths. Although others may enjoy using Lesson Paths, I did not like the format of the website.

Digital Citizenship

What is digital citizenship?
    In order to discuss what digital citizenship is in detail, I reviewed the website Digital Citizenship: Using Technology Appropriately. The website defines digital citizenship as: the norms of appropriate and responsible behavior, with regards to technology use. Digital Citizenship can be broken up into nine categories. The first is digital access, which is making sure that all people have access to the online community. The second category is digital commerce, which is related to buying and selling things on the internet. The third category of digital citizenship is digital communication. Digital communication is making sure students have the ability to understand how to appropriately communicate online. Digital Literacy is the next category, in which we view as teaching and learning online. The electronic standards of conduct and procedure is the next category, known as digital etiquette. Understanding that your online actions have consequences is known as digital law. Digital rights and responsibilities is knowing our rights and freedoms online. Health and Wellness related to online activities is another category. And the last category is digital security, which is knowing how to protect yourself in an online discussion or community. By teaching these different aspects of digital citizenship to students, we can teach them to become better at online communication.


What does digital citizenship mean to you in your personal life, professional life?
 

    In my personal life, I feel that digital citizenship is posting responsibly, protecting myself online, being polite to others online, and standing up for others who are being treated poorly over the internet.
    As a professional, all of the above apply, but to an extended degree. I need to help teach students to be responsible members of the internet. I also need to teach them what to do if they or someone else is being bullied online. As discussed on this Digital Etiquette website, students may not understand that even if they are using an anonymous identity, their actions can still be linked to them. We need to teach them this concept. The DoSomething.org website also gives the statistic that only 1 in 10 students reports when they are being bullied online. My hope is that by talking to students about telling a trusted adult or parent, we can help reduce the amount of cyber bullying in schools.
    Media Smarts in a great resource for parents and teachers. They discuss special concerns for children and also special concerns for teens when it comes to safely using the internet.


Have you ever had your feelings hurt by something shared online? Have you ever hurt anyone else’s feelings? What would you do differently?

     I honestly can say I haven't had any issues with things being posted online. I can't remember a time where I have hurt someone else's feelings on the internet either. When I was a teenager, I didn't use much social media. Even now, I don't often use social media. I have, however, seen others being bullied online. At the time, I reported the incident to Facebook. Looking back, I wish I would have stood up for the individual being bullied. I was scared of the negative action that would be taken against myself if I stood up for the person.


How might adult concerns and fears about the lurking dangers found online prevent digital citizens from capitalizing on the creative and civic potentials of a participatory culture?

    Adult concerns and fears about the lurking dangers found online can definitely prevent the potential benefits of a participatory culture. Parents and adults are afraid of fake users talking to their children. The internet is great and also terrible, because you can be anyone you want to be. Their is also a fear of people finding their child's location because of items posted on social media. Children should be aware of possible negative consequences of the internet, and parents should also be aware of the benefits of the internet. By doing so, we can create a middle ground for worried parents where their children can use social media and internet resources while still being cautious.

Learning to Cook a Four-Course Meal

Goals

     My goal is to be able to cook each portion of a four-course meal successfully. I will learn to make multiple different dishes in each category. In order to gauge whether or not my food is “successful”, I will be doing a taste-test with at least three other people, plus myself. I will have each person rate the meal on a scale of 1-5. If they rate it at least a 4, it will be considered a good food item.
     I hope by doing this project, I will learn more about cooking. At the current moment, my meals usually consist of pre-made food items. I want to be able to make tasty food from scratch.
Write a paragraph or two stating what you hope to learn over the course of your Major Project. Please include detailed learning objective in this space.
     My learning objective is that I will be able to cook a four-course meal that is considered successful (4 out of 5 rating). I would like to be able to learn multiple appetizers and desserts to bring to family get-togethers and functions. I would also like to be able to make good soups and salads for my own benefit and also to share with others. I think that being able to cook multiple different entrees will be useful in my future.

Resources and Learning Materials

     I plan to utilize multiple different resources. My major source for information is the internet. I plan to use the internet to choose the food that I cook. I may use videos, in order to learn how to do different things that are necessary for cooking. I also plan to use my older sister, who I consider to be a good cook.

Documentation of Progress

     I will document the learning process in a notebook, which I will then transfer to a blog. I will post to my blog and share it on twitter to make it available to multiple different people. I will document every step of the learning process (grocery lists, recipes, pictures of food, etc.). I plan to use my blog to write about how I feel, what I’m learning, to post pictures, and to post videos.
     I will pre-assess myself by writing how I currently feel about cooking on my blog. I will also ask others about my cooking and post that on my blog to gauge how they feel about anything I have cooked/made in the past. For a post-assessment, I will do the same.

Planned Timeline

     I will break this project up into multiple steps. I plan to grocery shop and cook each week. I will also have to do research on the items I choose each week.
     During the first week, I will focus on appetizers. During the second week, my focus will be on soups and salads. During the third and fourth weeks, I will focus on entrees. For the fifth week, I will focus on desserts. On the second to last week, I plan to cook a four-course meal for a group of family and friends. For the last week, I will reflect on the learning process. I will also create a general post with all the recipes used and the ratings.

Possible Challenges

     I honestly don’t have a clue how to cook anything other than eggs. So this will definitely present a challenge to me. I’m fairly certain that some of my recipes will not turn out well, which could also be a setback for me. This is a learning process for me, so I don’t intend to become an expert chef in a few weeks.

Critical Friend

     I have multiple people that have agreed to help me through the learning process. My sister has agreed to help me cook/ give me tips if needed. My family and friends have also agreed to taste and rate my food.

Piktochart: Week 7 Cool Tool

     I have chosen to use Piktochart. It creates infographics which can be used in the classroom, but also in real life for presentations and other uses. With this program, I created an infographic for a book. I have a friend, Peter Schmotzer, who recently released his book online, and asked me to create something interesting to help give the book some publicity. The infographic is a little difficult to read when I shrunk it down to post on this blog, which is something I told him to keep in mind. However, I was overall pleased with what I could create using this application.

     It is fairly user friendly. I found a few bugs (random white box that kept appearing) in the program. I’m not sure if these were because I was using the program on an older computer, or if they are issues with the program itself. The base model of the program, which would be effective in the classroom, is free. In order to upgrade to the Pro version, which gives you a lot more templates and designs, it is $27 per month. You can also create presentations in the style of an infographic using this program.

     Overall, I liked creating an infographic using this program. I think it would allow students a chance to present information in a different format than they are used to. It could be used to discuss a topic, do a book review, and could probably have many other creative uses in the classroom. I would probably use it once a year in the classroom.

     In my science classroom, an option that I think may be interesting would be to randomly assign students parts of the cell, and have them create an infographic for their given part. I could also use it for biomes, when working in an Earth Science classroom.
I would use this tool to help students who are visual learners be able to see information broken up into different sections. The target audience for this program would definitely be no younger than junior high. At this age, I believe students would be able to create their own infographics fairly easily.

     Adolescents who aren’t as creative could use a pre-made template, while others who are more creative could create templates by uploading pictures. It gives students who enjoy expressing their creativity a chance to do so. I think that students may have difficulty figuring out how to break information apart into sections. Working in partners or groups could help with this issue. Overall though, I like this program and will likely incorporate it into the classroom, especially because it could be used later in life.

How Can We Incorporate Online Tools in the Classroom (TPACK)

What is TPACK?

TPACK is a framework knowledge that is important for educators to use in the classroom. TPACK stands for technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge. The idea behind TPACK is that we need to use seamlessly incorporate online technologies into our lesson plans along with our content and pedagogical knowledge in order to best reach students. TPACK.ORG has a great definition of TPACK on their website:

     "Underlying truly meaningful and deeply skilled teaching with technology, TPACK is different from knowledge of all three concepts individually. Instead, TPACK is the basis of effective teaching with technology, requiring an understanding of the representation of concepts using technologies; pedagogical techniques that use technologies in constructive ways to teach content; knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn and how technology can help redress some of the problems that students face; knowledge of students’ prior knowledge and theories of epistemology; and knowledge of how technologies can be used to build on existing knowledge to develop new epistemologies or strengthen old ones"

Questions to Consider Before Implementation

Before implementing, we have to ask ourselves a multitude of questions. The first is: What technology do I have available in my classroom? Some classrooms may be equipped with all of the newest technology while others may have only a computer and a white board. While we can still use technology in both of these situations, we will have to vary which types of technology that we use. The second question we must ask ourselves is: What type of framework will work best for the students I am working with? Each grade level and subject will need have the need for different types of technology. We have to figure out the best type for our specific grade level and subject. The next question we must ask before implementation is: Will students get a lot out of this technology? Although some technologies may be fun for students to use, we want to make sure that they are understanding concepts and learning from the technology we use. We don't want to just incorporate it into our classroom without direction. We want to transition well and be sure to incorporate all components of TPACK into our lessons.

Positives and Negatives to Introducing Tools in the Classroom

When used properly, the framework of TPACK has limitless opportunities to be used well in the classroom. Using TPACK can help keep students engaged and promote interest in different topics. Technology can be a wonderful thing in the classroom, especially when incorporated with the content knowledge of your subject and pedagogical knowledge. It is important to keep in mind that technology should be used as an aide to education, not in place of. Adding other activities, like those listed on The College Of William & Mary: School of Education's website, can help encourage students to stay engaged on the subject matter. Technology doesn't always cooperate. Sometimes the internet may be down, something may not work, or students don't have interest in the technology. When it comes to these problems, it is important to have a back up plan in place.

How to Choose Appropriate Technologies

Choosing the right technology for a lesson can be difficult. I think this is where having a PLN can become important. Seeing what other people have tried for different lessons may be beneficial. Also, I think it's important to trust your instincts with technology. If you think it may work well, give it a shot. Do your research and be well prepared when using the new technology. When we try something new, we can help others by writing about whether it worked or not. Keep in mind that what has worked for others, may not work for you. Also, things that have worked in the past, may not work now. The major goal of choosing online resources is to find items that will work for your particular group of students. The best technology will keep students interested and on task. Another important thing to keep in mind when choosing your technology is to make sure to combine content and pedagogy when using an online tool for technology.

My Personal Thoughts and Questions

TPACK is constantly evolving and updating. By introducing fresh, new technology into the classroom, we can keep kids interested in and excited about learning. I hope to be able to incorporate TPACK into my classroom. My major question to others is: How do I stay up-to-date on the constantly changing technology? I realize things like following others' twitters and blogs can help. What other ideas do you have to help an educator stay current on all of the technology out there. Do you think talking to students about new technologies that they are interested in can be beneficial to their learning process? Let me hear your thoughts on the matter. Thanks for reading and I appreciate any comments given.

Popplet: Cool Tools Review

What is Popplet?

Today, I am reviewing a tool that can be used in the classroom. Popplet.com is a concept mapping tool that can be used in multiple ways in order to improve students cognition in the classroom. You can include words, drawings, links to webpages, and YouTube videos to concept maps on this site. Different colors can be used to separate thoughts and ideas. What I particularly like about this tool, is that you can add collaborators (students) to input thought bubbles (called popples on this site) on your popplet. The student's name will appear with their input. This YouTube video from eduTeacherTV shows a tutorial for Popplet.

How can we use Popplet in our Classroom?

Popplet can be used in any subject. I created a Popplet for a high school biology course. My main focus was on the mechanisms of evolution. I used a Popplet in order to help students visual the different methods of evolution. I included a definition on each, as well as a YouTube video to give an example of each type of evolution.

Basically, you can use this application anyway you may have used a traditional concept map, with the ability to insert videos and images into your concept map. It can be used for brainstorming, putting knowledge together, and for many other uses. You can pre-create a concept map for students to have for use, you can have students create their own concept maps, or you can work together as a class in order to create a concept map.

Why use this tool in the classroom?

This is an easy-to-use tool for the classroom. It can be incorporated into a lesson or can be done by students on their own time. Students can also collaborate on a concept map, making it easy to use for a group project. Concept maps are also a good tool for students to organize their thoughts.

Can students use this app? What are the positives and negatives to Popplet?

Students will be able to use this application on their own. It is very user friendly and with just a brief explanation, they should be able to incorporate different forms of technology into a project or homework assignment done with Popplet. On the positive side: the app is very user friendly, students can collaborate on projects, multiple forms of media can be incorporated. On the negative side: the concept maps can become cluttered or messy if too much information is included, and may be used for memorization instead of understanding material.

Would I recommend this in the Classroom?

Yes! This can be very useful in helping students organize their thoughts and information. I would recommend trying Popplet in the classroom.