Blog Post Eight

        I’ve really enjoyed working with Diigo these past few weeks. First off, I like the idea of being able to share these links with my classmates. It makes it much easier to share information openly that can benefit us all. From the perspective of a teacher, this is an awesome tool for students. Being able to annotate directly on the website makes life so much easier. Diigo really makes me use my website evaluation skills because I don’t want to share bad websites with the class. It also forced me to develop some organizational skills with using tags to make finding specific websites easier. I like Diigo and plan on implementing it into my future classroom. 

I’ve heard about Bloom’s Taxonomy in high school, but haven’t really analyzed it since. I do however know a decent amount about using PowerPoint, which I’ve been using since I was s child. To begin my lesson (let’s say it’s on verbs), I’d start by introducing the definition of a verb on slide one and having my students write it down. I’d ask them to repeat it a few times out loud, which would help them remember the definition. Then, on the next slide, I’d explain when verbs are used with examples and maybe an embedded video. I’d have my students locate some examples within a sentence to help them truly understand their purpose. Then, on my next slides, I’d direct my students to write a sentence using a verb. Afterwards, on the next slide, I’d show my students some examples of sentences using verbs incorrectly and have them analyze them. I’d make my students express what made the sentences incorrect and fix them on the PowerPoint. One the next slide, I would show a sentence without mentioning if it was using verbs correctly or incorrectly. I’d have my students argue whether the verb was being used correctly or incorrectly, and why they felt their answer was correct. They’d have to defend their answer to me and other students using prior knowledge and facts. Finally, the last slide would inform them of their final assignment. I’d ask my students to design a story (two paragraphs) using a minimum for 15 verbs. They’d need to assemble the story in chronological order and include one main character (for plot development). 
          I think it’s important that teachers learn about technology through professional development training. These trainings allow teachers to gain insight from professionals on what new, innovative technology can be utilized. Teachers are held responsible to not only teach their students about specific subject materials, but also a variety of life skills, including computer fluency. It’s important these educators are guided to teach the most relevant information that these students can benefit from. Besides going away to for trainings and seminars, there are multiple websites specifically centered around this subject. One website that can be used to stay in-touch with the newest technological trends is Envisioning. This website focuses on emerging technology in multiple industries, but won’t fully launch unto 2020. Once this website is fully developed, I believe teachers will benefit greatly from its content and research. I did scroll through some of the technology displayed on the website- which was awesome. I pictured using multiple devices pictured in the classroom, or even just talking about them and their relevance to society. I plan on checking back in 2020 to see the completed website. I seriously think Envision could benefit the professional development of teachers in technology, expanding their knowledge and making their classes more engaging. Browse the website! It has tons of cool information that I’m sure you’d enjoy reading! 

Link: https://www.envisioning.io

Blog Post Six

            It took me quite some time to find a school with teacher websites. In my county, that was unheard of; I only had one teacher who had a private website, and I loved it. I ended up on Leon County High School’s website; each teacher had their own, personal website. I randomly clicked on Patrick Pratt’s website, who just happened to teach English I Honors (the class I hope to one day teach)! English I Honors is normally taken by freshman and sophomores; I’m assuming his students are in either 9th or 10th grade. The home page of his website included a welcome message, which informed visitors of his goals as a teacher, along with a basic overview of his curriculum. Another tab, titled “Meet the Teacher,” included a summary of Mr. Pratt’s passions, along with his contact information. Other tabs his website included were “Student Resources,” “English I/English I Honors Remind Account” (which is awesome), “Assignments,” “Important Documents,” and “Class Calendar.” Those tabs came up blank; I’m assuming you need a login to access the information that contain (which I obviously don’t have). Overall, I thought it was awesome that each teacher was required to have a website. This makes it so simple for students to have access to resources that will allow them to be successful. I’d be curious to see what the website looks like to parents and students, but I was still impressed without having a login. 

            Technology makes our professional responsibilities much easier to complete. I plan on using technology in the future to help eliminate the amount of paper used in my classroom. This isn’t just for environmental purposes, but mainly because it’ll eliminate the chances of student assignments getting lost or plagiarized. When I’m officially an educator, I plan on creating a Google Classroom. This will make easy for my students to keep up with their assignments, communicate with me, interact with other students, and have access to necessary resources. Having access to this website will not only allow the students to work efficiently, it’ll also assist my classroom with running smoothly and effectively. 

            My visit to the Technology Sandbox was very interesting! It gave me a whole new outlook about using technology in the classroom. I was truly fascinated by using VR-headsets for educational purposes. They had multiple different interactive applications that would be played on the headsets, which I was intrigued by. They had the story of Anne Frank, which would allow viewers to explore her annex and see where her entire family stayed hidden. As a future English teacher, I thought that was amazing! I would love for my future students to be able to connect her story with an interactive visual. I also was impressed with the 3-D Printers, but I’m not positive how they could be utilized in a high school English classroom. I did find the newer SmartBoards by Microsoft to be impressive. I have a feeling that they’ll eventually become standard in all classrooms. These devices were nice because they’re basically big computer monitors, meaning I’d be able to project my computer to my students! 

Link to teacher’s website: https://www.leonschools.net/Page/22079

Screenshot:

Blog Post Five

Before I took this course, I’d never heard of Diigo. After installing it and testing it out, I felt it was a convenient and simple way to bookmark, share, and annotate sources. I like that the software allows students to share links with each other; it’s a great tool for classes and group projects. Another thing I really enjoyed was you can highlight text and add notes to the source you decide to bookmark. That makes it easier for students to pin-point the important information on that website,and if the link is shared, those people can see the highlighted portions as well. The only thing I didn’t like was that the software had to be downloaded. I almost wish those features were already built into browser, but other than that, no complaints!

Honestly, there’s nothing I dislike about blogging. I love writing and reflecting on my thoughts, making these the ideal assignment. I like that the posts don’t have to be extensive, they just need to answer the questions provided. I also appreciate how they’re tailored to what we discuss in class. It helps me decide on what I should write about and why!
When I searched around the internet for interesting Web 2.0 tools, I found one that seemed intriguing. The website was called Padlet; it’s designed specifically to be used to create different boards/document that people can add to. Rule number one: create an account. Once that’s done, start by selecting a template (or create your own)! Next, you can invite people to edit or comment on the board. Then, start posting stuff! Anything from websites, pictures, music or videos that are relevant to your board. Lastly, you share the board you’ve created with anyone you’d like! It’s almost like a prettier version of Google Docs. I can definitely see my future students using this website to create study boards or book reports! It’s easy to use, and of course, it’s free! Check out the link below!

https://padlet.com

ILP "Design" - Kahoot It

For my Independent Learning Project, I decided to create a Kahoot It quiz. I made a quiz on the basics of Romeo and Juliet for English 1 Honors students. It contains 13 simple questions with that students can answer using the Kahoot It app or link (www.Kahoot.It). Overall, I enjoyed using the program and exploring all it has to offer! I'm glad I decided to create a Kahoot It quiz; I'll definitely be using Kahoot in my own classroom one day! Feel free to check out my project in the link below!
https://voicethread.com/share/13095709/

Blog Post Four

            Twitter is undoubtably one of my favorite social media platforms; I’ve been using it since middle school to keep updated with all my favorite celebrities. In high school, I began to take it more seriously. Not only did I use Twitter to stay updated on world news, but I also relied on it to get school announcements. We would use Twitter to announce meetings, sign up dates, and all sorts of events that were taking place on campus. I was able to interact with my classmates for further clarification (if necessary). It was convenient, quick, and keep me updated. I think using Twitter in a classroom could aid students in their success. It could certainly be beneficial in reminding them of their assignments/due dates, but it could also provide them with a platform for easy teacher-student communication. On twitter, they could tweet out their question, which could benefit other students who need further clarification. There’s also an option for direct messaging, which a student could use if they wanted a more personal conversation (that isn’t publicized). 

            As a student, I never fully experience the digital divide. I went to school in a middle-class area (where everyone had access to technology). Even if one student didn’t have their own laptop, my schools (elementary, middle, and high) could provide them with fully functioning rentals to complete their assignments. I think the digital divide is caused by money, politics, location, and socioeconomic status. In EDF1005, I’ve been learning about legislation that’s been passed within the last decade, providing certain schools with more money than others. The schools that are getting this money are being put on a pedestal for having mainly middle to upper-class students (that tend to do better academically). These students (who don’t need as much help) are rewarded, while the students who seriously need assistance aren’t getting it! Because these students tend to not test as well, their schools don’t receive as much money, which limits their ability to purchase new technology. This puts students at a huge disadvantage: they aren’t able to learn about technologies’ that will be most likely be utilized throughout their careers. As a teacher, I’ll incorporate technology as often as I can, but I’ll give student’s class time to complete their work. If I ever assign essays or other assignments that require technology, I’ll take my classes to the library or computer labs. When necessary, I’ll make sure that every student has access to technology that will help them succeed. 

            Something I definitely want to incorporate into my classroom is Google Classroom. I’ve been exploring it for my first Independent Learning Project and it’s the perfect classroom resource. Students have access to everything they would need: reminders, calendars, assignments, etc. I also wished I used it in grade school, it’s almost like canvas with a different layout! I’d also want to try and use Kahoot in my classroom. I loved using it in school! It created this competitive atmosphere that made me want to do better. It also was loads of fun; my classmates and I would always get excited doing a Kahoot. I think they’re the perfect way to implement a fun, simple review into my classroom and I plan on utilizing Kahoot quizzes in the future!

Blog Post Three

          I’m familiar with most of the concepts taught in ELA being I want to be an English teacher. I’d say that I’m most comfortable with the standard that encourages students to use the internet to publish work they’ve produced, allowing them to display their work for the world. In previous classes, I’ve created websites and blogs that served as a platform for my writing assignments. It was convenient and worked perfectly as a portfolio. I’d also say I’m familiar with the first standard, which deals with understanding the meaning of words and using tools to clarify words that are ambiguous. I still do this all the time and would be happy to show my students how easy it is to broaden their vocabulary (using technology). I think I’ll definitely need to experiment with digital design before teaching my classes about digital media. I’m really only familiar with PowerPoint and Prezi, but I want my students to be aware of all that’s out there to help them succeed. 

            My favorite tool that I found in the CPALMS toolkit was the Original Student Tutorials for Language Arts. There’re 141 lessons ranging from 6th-12th grade. I found lessons on poetry, vocabulary, grammar, logical reasoning; it seriously had everything. The coolest thing about them was that they included the standards they were directed towards teaching, which helps ensure teachers are teaching the correct material and providing students with the necessary knowledge. The lessons even start by including learning objectives! This will definitely be a website I utilize, or even just reference (I feel like relying on these lessons could get boring) as a teacher. I think students would truly benefit from the structure and content in the lessons, helping them succeed in my class. 

            From working on the Newsletter, I was able to discover new features on word that I didn’t know existed. First off, I could never figure out how to insert page boarders until I took this class! I think they’re a cool element to make Newsletters more visually inviting. I also discovered how to shade a section of text. I thought that you could only shade textboxes, which made uncovering that feature very exciting. I like that Word is fairly easy to use, but sometimes it can be tricky. For instance, inserting pictures can be a hassle sometimes, along with headers and trying to keep my text-columns even. But besides that, I think it’s the perfect software for teachers and students. Next time, I think I’m going to include less text and bigger pictures; my photos are small and I don’t think they make a big impact on my Newsletter. From this assignment, I learned how to create a functional Newsletter for my student’s parents, which will allow them to stay updated on what exactly their child is learning. Feel free to check out my Newsletter as it will be posted below!

Blog Post Two

Looking back on my career as a student, I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t using Microsoft Word. I began using Word as a child; I was constantly typing book reports and stories to share with my class. Sometimes, I even made my own worksheets and assignments; I’d model them off my own homework and pretend I was teaching a class. Then I started typing essays. Then research papers. Then poems and projects. Basically, I did everything on Word. In school, teachers would constantly be using Microsoft Word. Every handout I received was formatted in Word. Teachers would have lessons on how to properly use Microsoft Word. They’d show us how to format our bibliographies using Word, or how to properly structure our essays. They’d demonstrate all the neat functions Word has to offer. For instance, they’d show us the thesaurus and express how we should use it to help make our papers stronger. Or, they’d show us how to insert tables and graphs into our research papers, making them more visually engaging. From kindergarten to my senior year, Word has been a huge part of my academic life and success. My proficiency in Microsoft Word has allowed me to properly complete my assignments, while also learning skills I can use in the future. 
I wasn’t fully introduced to copyright and fair use of materials until this year. I never actually realized how often I’d use Google to find a picture and paste it in my PowerPoint. I never asked the artist if it was okay, I just took it and used it. All my teachers would pull up pictures from the internet, or even encourage us to take pictures of our textbooks (this way we didn’t have to bring them home)! I was totally unaware of intellectual property laws. Now, I understand how annoyed I would be if I was an artist whose work was constantly getting stolen. Bu, in certain situations, I don’t see the big deal. For instance, I don’t feel anyone should be punished for photocopying a textbook if they have good intentions, but I see where there could be an issue. Maybe someone would try and sell the same material from the textbook, therefore making a profit off something they didn’t create. From an educational perspective, I don’t see any issues with using someone else’s materials to learn and really respect the fair use guidelines. As a teacher, I’d try to create my own materials, but I’d probably still pull up images on Google. I’d always encourage students to create their own materials as well, but I wouldn’t punish them for using another person’s materials for the sole purpose of learning (as long as it was valuable and not an excessive amount). I did it as a student (I still do), and it’s only helped me learn more!

 One problem I’m determined to eliminate as a teacher is academic dishonesty. With the internet, students can easily find answers or similar assignments online, which they use to finish their work. All they have to do is Google a question and their whole assignment pops up. Texting and social media also makes academic dishonesty much easier; students can send around answers and share valuable information from quizzes or tests. In order to eliminate academic dishonesty in my classroom, I’d utilize the website “Turn It In,” which checks to find any similarities in student’s papers. I’d also give out zeros for plagiarized assignments and talk to the student directly (to try and get them back on track). I’d also consider requiring phones to be put away during class (unless they’re incorporated into an activity). Maybe not allowing students to have their phones out might eliminate the amount of answers being passed around. Technology’s prevalence in the classroom also can lead to decreased productivity in students. Being told to do something on the internet (that a student might not be interested in doing) may lead to them streaming television or playing games. With the internet at their fingertips, it’s easy for students to get distracted quickly. I’d be sure to give students incentives for turning in work earlier, this way those who completed the assignment in a timely manner would be rewarded. I’d also lower the grade for students who submitted their work late, and would try my best to only incorporate technology when it’s absolutely necessary (it’s hard to get distracted staring at a piece of paper)! I’d monitor the classroom when we’re using technology and require students to keep their own, personal technology away. This could eliminate distractions and encourage students to get their work done.