A Little Fun at our Cafe!

     We are very fortunate this year to all be working on Daily 5 and CAFE this year at our building  We wanted to create a fun video to begin our discussions of CAFE!  A few of us made this video to share the wonderful things about the program! Looking forward to the many accomplishments that our students will make during our Language Arts time. 

New Beginnings/ Daily5

   
       I am so happy to be back again at DRE teaching 4th grade!  It is always so heartwarming to see familiar faces as you walk through the doors and hallways each day!  It is also wonderful this year to meet new friends and DRE family!  I am very fortunate to have two wonderful new teammates, which I look forward to learning from throughout the year.
     One of the exciting things that is going on right now in all of our classrooms is the incorporation of Daily5 and CAFE into our Language Arts time.  When I read the books four years ago, I was anxious to learn more!  It is so amazing to have the opportunity to work with our wonderful staff to learn and share experiences in our adventure of creating a wonderful learning experience for all types of learners.
   As I search for creative tips and tools to incorporate the Daily 5, I have also met other educators on Twitter that are searching/sharing the same thing!  Did you know that many educators meet on Friday evenings to chat about the daily 5?  Check out #daily5 on Twitter to learn more!  My wonderful PLN has provided so many resources that I wanted to share some of them with you!  Take a look at the links that I have bookmarked!
   I have also discovered another wonderful site loaded with daily 5 ideas- Pinterest!  It is a great bulletin board where teachers share amazing ideas.  Take a look at my Daily5 pinboard loaded with ideas from other educators!  There are so many wonderful resources online that you can incorporate into your classroom!

Professional Learning Plan

READ THE BOOK HERE!

          I wanted to create a children's book about my Professional Learning Plan to share the basic essentials of my journey of the past six weeks, as well as my hopes for the future.  However, I also wanted to share more about the specifics.  As we know, there are so many ways to share the information!  Therefore, I also created a powerpoint my professional learning plan.

PLP
Can you tell I am thinking a lot about providing variety?  
      These past six weeks I have been submersed in the applications and principles of educational technology.   I am continually amazed at how much I have grown in just a short time.  I am very proud of the accomplishments I have made through the re-designed lesson plan, multi-genre website, copyright website, animal adaptations website, and the wicked presentation. My passion and love of technology has grown to a new level.  I look forward to the opportunity of sharing what I have learned with my district as well as hopefully other professional development opportunities.  I am also excited about the next classes in this program.    I hope in the future there is a need for more technology leaders because I am definitely up for the challenge to play an integral role in the applications of transforming schools towards 21st century learning.

I Believe...

            I am a teacher that has always had a passion for learning and technology.  My passion ignited this summer as my horizons in educational technology expanded through the MAET Master's program.  Throughout the past six weeks I have grown as an educator and a learner by examining the applications to creating an essential foundation of technology into the classroom. This time has helped form a perspective of  my beliefs about technology and education.
      Providing 21st century learning in classrooms today is essential for students.  Fostering creativity, collaboration, and connections are just a few of the benefits.  In order to provide a high standard of learning, I believe we must first look at our goals. Punya Mishra states "Teachers are designers of the total package".   Presenting this total package provides the best experiences for our students.  Our goal should combine our use of technology, the pedagogy of teaching, as well as our content knowledge into a "sweet spot" for learning.   This concept is otherwise known as TPACK.  The idea of TPACK should be the focus of all educators to examine the total design of the learning experience in the classroom.  I am very excited to share some of the projects with my colleagues  that I have created that demonstrate the TPACK framework.
            Collaboration is an essential element towards 21st century learning. The pedagogy of collaboration empowers students and gives them ownership towards their learning.  Students have the ability to share ideas, use a variety of informational sources, and create a display of the knowledge they have learned.  Combining the pedagogy of collaborative learning with the content using technology of web 2.0 tools allows an authentic learning opportunity.  The Scholarship of teaching is not just about giving the students the information. It is rather about creating a learning environment where all learners connect and engage with the material.  John Hattie, a researcher on the influences of achievements in school-aged students states, "The more the student becomes the teacher and the teacher becomes the learner, then the more successful are the outcomes".
         We must also provide diverse learning opportunities in our classrooms to reach a common goal.  By examining Universal Design for Learning principles, we can plan a lesson that will foster learning for all types of learners.  We can supply opportunities to express creativity through a variety of tools that can accomplish the task.  As Sir Ken Robinson states, "Creativity is as important as literacy".  Giving the student opportunity and choice to think "outside of the box" could lead to an "aha" moment in their own learning experience.  Isn't that what we are searching for as educators?  We all don't learn the same way.. therefore we shouldn't be expected to share our knowledge in the same fashion.  I read an article recently that mentioned that our learning styles are as unique as our thumbprints.  Let's take that idea and let them express their uniqueness passionately and creatively.
          As educators, we must also learn the importance of establishing and building a Professional Learning Network.  Through the use of social media, such as Twitter, we can expand our horizons and possibilities for collaboration in the classroom.  Working with others and generating new ways to look at common core standards provides a community that extends your perspective as a teacher and a learner.
          I also believe that as 21st century teachers, we must also take the time to teach our students about digital citizenship.  It is important for students to know how to safely navigate the web, as well as understanding the idea of copyright, fair use, and creative commons.  Our students need to know how to research, share, and create information effectively.   Students must also learn how to incorporate social media into the context of their learning.  I look forward to sharing the Voicethread on digital citizenship, as well as the tutorial on copyright that we created during our classes this summer.  These tools will hopefully help other colleagues prepare their students to be digital citizens.
       Our students are the future.  We want to provide them with an authentic and engaging learning experiences.  I look forward to implementing the valuable tools and applications I have learned throughout these classes. I believe I am ready for the challenge!

Digital Nation/ Growing Up Online

        As I look back at my past with technology, it brings back some very fond memories! I have always had a passion for technology.  I can remember building a model of a computer using many big boxes and contact paper for one of my science fair projects, with one of those wonderful floppy disks.  I also remember my dad bringing home his first cell phone, which came with its very own big bag! I thought that was the most amazing thing- (more amazing than my purple corded phone in my room!)  My computer at college consisted of a word processor with a green screen.  I realize that these memories show my "age", yet it is so important to see how much we have grown!  Today I cannot find enough tools of technology!  Whether I am on my MacBook, iPad, Blackberry, or a combination, I fill the need for constant connection.  I feel it is so important to stay up to date with what is going on at all times. This past week for our MAET class, we were asked to watch the videos "Digital Nation" and "Growing Up Online", which focus on the impact of technology on our students' lives.  As I was watching both of these videos, I was viewing them with two perspectives- as a teacher, and as a parent of two children that are fully immersed in technology today.
     As a teacher, I find myself often agreeing with the wonders that technology has brought to our society.  We have the opportunities to connect and find information right at our fingertips. Students are fully engaged with technology at home, and will continue to be immersed in the future.  It is important to recognize how as educators we can add to the impact of technology in their educational pursuits.   I also see that students now need to be stimulated it ways they have never been stimulated before, due to technology.  I also believe it is so important to teach students how to be responsible and safe on the internet.  After all, it is not a matter of them going on the internet or not, but how they go about navigating the web.  We need to discuss digital citizenship in our classes.     I have also found that students are very engaged and motivated by using technology in the classroom. I agree it should not be used, "just because", but to rather serve a purpose.    I believe we can sit all day and discuss the pros and cons of our "digital nation".  However, our use for technology is not going to go away.  We must accept its strengths and weaknesses and learn to find a balance.  I also find myself distracted by all of the ways to connect via twitter, Facebook, texts, etc.  Yet, I find it also such a powerful and amazing tool! I love the fact that while I am at home I can connect and learn from other educators throughout the world in my own family room.  Professional development is available twenty four hours a day.   "Digital Nation" also shared how IBM uses second life to participate in meetings with others throughout the world.  As an educator I wonder if this is something to come in the future of education.

      As a parent, I often catch my own kids watching tv and playing their ds or iPod touch at the same time.  My daughter will be on the computer playing a game, while also participating in a discussion with her friend on the phone.  I often will tell both of my kids to just focus on one thing at a time.  The idea of multi- tasking is something we hear about a lot now.  However, it was amazing to see in the video, "Digital Nation"  that when the students were tested in multi-tasking, that they actually received poorer results than doing one task at a time.   The video went on to say that we need to "be our most creative selves, not distracting ourselves to death."    I can sit there and talk to my children until I am blue in the face about what life used to be like when I was a child- no cellphones or texting.. yet that simply doesn't represent life now. We can go back generations and talk about what life used to be like, but that doesn't help us deal with life today.  It is hard enough to encounter the day to day battle with my ten year old as to why I don't feel she is ready for a cellphone, when so many of her friends already have them.   My goal is to teach my children responsibility about technology.    It is also important to discuss with them the impact of their "digital footprint " and the implications that go along with it.  My biggest fear was represented in "Growing Up Online" , when parents simply didn't even know what was going on with their children online.  It was very depressing to see the negative effects that can exist with the constant connectivity with children.  This video made the point that in the past when something bad would happen at school, students could go home and get a "break" from our peers.  Now due to constant connectivity, some students cannot escape bullying or harassing.    Many students mentioned that their parents had no idea as to what they were doing online.  Another parent referred to the social media sites and the internet at the "New Wild West".  I kept wondering how it came to that point.  As a parent it is so important to continue to role model practices and be active in the role of technology now and in the future.
    Both my children and my students know my passion for learning and technology. I will always be conscious to show the values, as well as the responsibility of using technology.  It is important to embrace our future, as well as to inform.  Finding that  balance is a goal for myself, as an educator and as a parent.

WPP Presentation

    I created my WPP presentation for an audience of elementary teachers in a district.  This presentation focuses on the pedagogy of collaborative learning through the technology of web 2.0 tools in a variety of content areas.
      Providing 21st Century learning to our classroom is essential for our students. One of the elements that is so crucial to that learning is collaboration.  Even though we know the idea of collaboration is crucial for connections and achievements, many teachers today are not incorporating this into their classroom.  According to a poll taken by Edutopia, only 14% of the teachers said that their students are ready for the "Collaboration Age".
    I plan to address this issue by providing professional development to our  elementary staff about the importance of collaborative learning through the use of technology into the classroom. All of our classrooms have already been equipped with tools such as computers and projectors. Incorporating this idea does not require any basic costs or start up fees. However, one simply cannot be asked to do something "just because". The idea of 21st Century learning must be introduced.  I plan to "pull" them into the idea of 21st century collaboration by showing them the "why" of collaborative learning- through research and resources, and the "how" through curriculum examples. 
         The pedagogy of collaboration empowers students and gives them ownership towards their learning.  Students have the opportunity to share ideas, use a variety of informational sources, and create a display of the knowledge they have learned.  Combining the pedagogy of collaborative learning with content using technology of web 2.0 tools provides the opportunity for students to engage in 21st century learning.
      Using the technology of web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, and Skype  provides the opportunity for other students to connect with the material at home and at school.  This teaching opportunity provides direction and choice from the teacher  that can be accessed by student, teacher, and parent.  Using this technology also provides opportunities for diverse learners. A teacher can provide choice to the student to best meet their needs, whether it be visual, audio, or simply a written blog post.  Using these web 2.0 tools also allows the possibility of extended learning based on passion and motivation. Collaborative learning is connected and meaningful.    Students are already using technology for social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Webkinz, etc.   
      The use of technology allows the content to come alive!  One of the curriculum standards in our class was to cover the geography of the United States.  Our class turned this standard into a game with other classrooms throughout the United States.  We played the game called "Mystery Skype"where we would skype with other classrooms and give them 10 "clues" about our location. The other classroom would reciprocate.  When we completed our clues, we would guess the state! My class had the opportunity to learn about Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, and many other states from actual students  that live in that state.   Students would use a variety of maps to solve the clues!  It was such a powerful collaborative learning tool! This is only one example of how technology makes the use of collaborative learning more meaningful and connected to students.   This brings content and technology together to reach a common goal.
       Once I have pulled them into the benefits of collaboration, I would share a Livebinder full of resources and tools that would allow for collaborative learning.  I understand that it takes time to feel comfortable with the tools. Therefore, my long term goal would be to provide staff development once a month after school focusing on a particular technology tool that would provide the benefits of collaboration.   We need to see collaboration as an interconnected tool that is essential for the future.    The indicator of success can be provided in the first few minutes of a bi- monthly staff meeting where staff shares their success in the classroom.  Sharing the benefits with others is such a powerful motivator!  The more we share, the more we are successful as to the integration of collaboration in our classrooms!
Livebinder on Web 2.0 tools
Collaborative Learning Resources

Tech. Leadership

     This year my passion for technology has sparked a role towards leadership.  As an individual I have taken steps toward advancement through attending MACUL, beginning my Master's program in Educational Technology, as well as extending my PLN through the use of web 2.0 tools such as Twitter.
      My classroom was also drawn towards technology this year, which allowed us to "raise the bar" on what can be done with technology at our school.  We participated in the Flat Classroom Project that provided a wonderful opportunity to connect and collaborate with other students and teachers throughout the world.  We also had the opportunity to connect with other classrooms via skype to extend our connections to the geography of the United States by playing "Mystery Skype".  Students also extended their writing capabilities through the use of Kidblog and Voicethread.  Our student technology projects were showcased at staff meetings, as well as the local newspaper.  Our classroom blog also became a great home/school opportunity for other parents to see exactly how our students were using technology in the classroom.
        All of this passion and enthusiasm for technology also provided the opportunity to be a part of the district Technology Committee, as well as the School Improvement Committee.   This allowed a chance to have a "voice" in how we approach technology and make it meaningful for students, as well as teachers. My passion for technology also provided inspiration to create a professional blog for our staff to connect, communicate, and share ideas on technology.  With all of our busy schedules, the blog provides a place to search, learn, and share whether you are at home or at school.
        Throughout my MAET course I have discovered so many wonderful tools that I look forward to sharing with others.  I hope as a tech. leader to ignite passion for technology in others by pulling them in to the wonderful potential of 21st century learning.  I hope to provide professional development on the use of TPACK and UDL principles that show how technology is used effectively and meets the needs of diverse learners.  I also look forward to the opportunity to share with other professionals through educational conferences and workshops.
     I am a learner that continues to have "aha" moments each day.  My love and passion for technology continues to expand and grow.  I am very excited about future and the potential leadership opportunities in educational technology.