Internship/Practicum Progress

Throughout this semester, I have been able to complete quite a few of my internship projects.  I was on the interview committee to hire our new principal and that will fit in nicely into Domain II: Instructional Leadership, skill 23 personnel procedures.  Being a part of this committee helped me to understand the process that HR has to go through in order to hire and the process I will have to be a part of when I interview for principal or assistant principal positions.  In August, I led an iPad training for staff development, sent out a letter to the district GT teachers regarding start of the school procedures, attended a board meeting, and assigned the hallway bulletin boards to the staff.  The most interesting assignment to start the year was working on class lists.  We had to consider boy/girl ratio, student achievement, special populations, bilingual, behavior, and parent requests.  I have a much better appreciation for that task and the details involved.  Some of the other intern related activities include implementing the iSchoolBox app, sitting on the Site Based Decision Making Committee, Reviewing the technology plan for our principal and the district technology visioning committee, and starting an enrichment program for the third, fourth, and fifth grade classes.  My principal has encouraged me to stay involved and keep adding to my hours.

Action Research Progress

Where to start on getting things done with my Action Research Project?  This summer everything was moving along smoothly with my project.  My principal and assistant principal were signed off on it and I thought things would progress according to the prescribed timeline.  Boy was I wrong!  About a week after that class both my principal and assistant principal were transferred to other campuses.  We didn’t end up hiring a principal until the first week of August.  He has been amazingly helpful, but we all know that things don’t always go as planned.  Anyway, I am now a few months behind on my project, but feel confident that it will be complete before the due date.  I have created the initial survey and worked with the district instructional technologist to find some of the articles that will be included.  I plan on editing my timeline during the holidays.

EDLD 5363 Weeks 4 and 5 Reflection

Our group did a great job of making sure that everyone was included in the planning and creation phases of creating our video. I am very excited to get busy creating more videos for my students.  In fact, I am even more excited about my students creating their own videos.  This class has helped me become more aware of all the free video editing programs available online and the many ways they can be used in a classroom. 

EDLD 5363 Web Conference Reflection

I have attended most all of the web conferences throughout this class.  I have had mixed emotions throughout each one.  There have been many times that technical difficulties have inhibited the flow of the conference.  I feel as though Dr. Abernathy has the best intentions for each student, but there have been times when I have left the meetings frustrated and confused.  The assignments and overviews are still not the same and this continues to be a concern.  I hope the changes that are coming help with some of this confusion. 

Week 3 Reflection

It is always scary to join in a group and rely on others to work.  I was honestly not excited when I learned that the bulk of this class consisted of group work.  However, I have been pleased with my team.  I am working with Kelly Rodriguez, Jodie Allex, and Cara Carattini.  Our project will be based off a the 5th grade force and motion science TEK.  We will be explaining how the knowledge of this subject can make them a better athlete.
In order to complete this project we have been using Google Docs and Hangouts.  The face to face time has been very valuable and I am excited to continue using these apps professionally.  We are still contemplating which video editing software to use but I am voting for WeVideo.

EDLD 5363 Video Trailer

Follow this link to view our group video.
Force and Motion

EDLD 5363 Week 2 Reflection

This week was full of family and fun.  I know that sounds nice and relaxing, but I was at our family ranch without the internet!  Usually I am excited about the break from technology, but not this time while I was in the middle of a class for my Masters in Educational Technology Leadership.  The first thing we learned about this week was Audacity.  It is an audio recording program that has many features that are similar to other recording programs, but this one is free and easy. (two of my favorite things)  I quickly recognized many of the features from the program and was able to create a song with multiple family members.  We also learned about using copyrights in our work through Creative Commons.  My final project for the week was to create a tutorial for Audacity of a video editing program.  I chose to use Videoliscious.

This video program is so simple to use and create professional looking results.  My classmates helped me with my script by reminding me to add specific directions for parts that I thought were self explanatory.  I plan on using this tutorial in my classroom next week for the students to create a video about one of the science topics we have studied this semester.  With everything going on last week I am very glad to have finished these assignments and now I am ready for the group project.  

EDLD 5363 Tutorial

Week 1 EDLD 5363

This week we were asked to write a script and create a digital story about our life.  I used Photo Story 3 for this project and was impressed with how easy it was to use.  I imported Powerpoint slides for my title and credits page and then imported photos.  The program includes transitions and start/stop positions to have some movement on still photos.  You can add audio to each individual slide which is awesome to use if you have a four year old who likes to make loud noises in the middle of a recording. The program lets you choose music that is royalty free and can be altered slightly.  I enjoyed the process so much that I create one this weekend for my grandfather's 95th birthday.  He loved it and I was able to convert it to a video he can play on his DVD player.
My classmates gave me some suggestions on my script to add more details about the relationship the girls have with each other.  I made those changes and think it was a nice touch.

EDLD 5362 Week 2 Click the link below to watch my Powtoon Video

PowToon - Online business presentation software to create free, cool, animated, powerpoint video alternatives

EDLD 5362

Teaching With and Without the Internet

The Internet can be looked at with scorn and admiration.  To some people it is a bastion of hope and a way to bridge the learning gap in our schools.  Others view the Internet as a force to try and control, or limit.  I interviewed Ann Johnston this week regarding the changes in education and the impact technology has had on her teaching career.  Mrs. Johnston has been an elementary teacher since the 1970’s and has embraced technology from the start.  However, she has seen many of her counterparts fight the changes and even quit the profession. 

Before the Internet was available in schools, most of the lessons were lecture centered.  If a child asked a question that the teacher could not answer a teachable moment would be lost.  Mrs. Johnston stated,

“When a student asked a question that I did not know the answer to I would have to find it in the library or an encyclopedia.  Many times the child would not be as interested in my answer the next day.  The internet helps the curious minds obtain information faster while their interest is at a peak” (personal communication, October 9, 2013).

According to Norton & Wilburg (1998), “The teacher no longer has to be in charge every minute, but can give some of the control over to the students and the technology.  If approached in a constructivist manner, the teacher’s job becomes one of facilitator or architect” (as stated in Sprague & Dede, 1999).  Students have facts, figures, and statistics at the touch of a button.  We need to teach them to use the facts to create and collaborate with groups of people.  According to Levin & Arafeh (2002) “Students think of the Internet as an important way to collaborate on project work with classmates, study for tests and quizzes, and trade class notes and observations”.  Project based learning is an initiative that our district has implemented in order to prepare our students for the future, and I believe integrating technology into PBLs will have an even greater impact.  

Students as a whole have not changed much according to Mrs. Johnston.  Their knowledge regarding worldly issues has changed due to the presence of social networks, availability of adult forms of media, and the changes in television shows.  However, students still thrive on compliments, if they are sincere, and generally want to do well.  High school teachers might disagree, but we were discussing elementary students.  The presence of the Internet has made it easier for children to be bullied by a larger audience.  Stopbullying.gov reports “Kids who are cyberbullied have a harder time getting away from the behavior.  Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when they are alone” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.).  Digital citizenship needs to be addressed in schools starting at a very young age in order for students to understand netiquette. 

When we started talking about learning theories it was hard to find a theory about child development or experiential learning that has changed due to the Internet.  Teaching theories have changed due to the presence of technology and the Internet in a classroom.  The phonics versus whole language pendulum continues to swing when it comes to teaching a child to read.  Technology has allowed teachers to take a differentiated approach to reading instruction.  “Differentiated instruction applies an approach to teaching and learning that gives students multiple options for taking in information and making sense of ideas”(Hall, Strangman, & Meyer, 2003).  Students can read a story of their choice within their ZPD range and take an Accelerated Reading quiz.  There are also online programs such as Fast ForWord that links each student to a phonics lesson at their individual level.  This kind of teaching directly to each child’s needs was more time consuming and harder to prepare for before the Internet and web based lessons.

            If students are taught how to use the Internet, and basic forms of netiquette, then they will be better equipped to use it to enhance their education.  Teachers need to be willing to change with the times and understand that it is okay for them not to know everything, but to be the examples on how to find the information they need.

References

Hall, T., Strangman, N., & Meyer, A. (2003). Differentiated instruction and implications for UDL implementation. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved October 10, 2013 from http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/differentiated_instruction_udl

Levin, D., & Arafeh, S. (2002). The digital disconnect: The widening gap between internet-savvy students and their schools. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on October 10, 2013, from http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2002/PIP_Schools_Internet_Report.pdf.pdf

Sprague, D. & Dede, C. (1999). If I teach this way, Am I doing my job: Constructivism in the classroom. Leading and Learning, 27(1). Retrieved from the International Society for Technology in Education at http://imet.csus.edu/imet9/280/docs/dede_constructivisim.pdf

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Why is cyberbullying different? Retrieved October 12, 2013 from http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html .