It's been awhile

It has been over 6 months since my last post, but I promise it is for good reason! These past few months have been packed busy and unfortunately, blogging hasn't made it to my to do list.

This summer was crazy and flew by. I attended 3 bridal showers, 2 bachelorette parties, and 6 weddings. I think I may have broken a record! It was very fun, but incredibly busy. Not a free weekend all summer! During the week, I spent my time attending class and babysitting for two amazing families in Ames. I had a blast with those kids - spending days at the pool and nights at the park. Along with one of my classes, I had a practicum experience in 4th grade. I had the privilege of being there every day and seeing their growth throughout the summer program. It was awesome!

Now I am almost finished with my last semester of regular classes at Iowa State University. I have been enjoying my classes; learning a lot to prepare me for the future. It was an adjustment having 3 night classes, but I keep telling myself it'll be worth it to be done with the reading endorsement when I graduate :) In addition to school, I have managed to have a little fun too. I have enjoyed making some great college memories with my girlfriends, I will miss them so much next year when we all move away.

This week, I finally found out where my student placements are. I will spend the first 8 weeks at Roland Story Elementary School in 2nd grade and the second 8 weeks at Woodlawn Early Childhood Center in a preschool classroom. I am very excited to begin this last chapter of my college career. I have been doing what I can to prepare!

I bought a clipboard at my favorite place - the Dollar Tree - and spruced it up using a spray adhesive and scrapbook paper. Added a few stickers to personalize it and wa-la! A cute and cheap clipboard!

The binder is still a work in progress, but I have my supplies and I'm ready to tackle it. Dividers, paper, student teaching handbooks, and check out these cute binder tabs I found at Wal-Mart!

As I begin thinking about my first job, I want to do what I can now to organize the materials I have for my future classroom. Over Thanksgiving break, I finally completed a task I've been wanting to do for a long time - organize, level, and create a list of all the books in my library. It was a HUGE task, but with the help of my family's company, a fire burning in the fireplace, and some of my favorite movies on TV,  it was much more enjoyable!

I used Scholastic's Book Wizard to look up the book titles and determine what guiding reading level the book was. I sorted them into piles by the guided reading levels (A-Z). As I was leveling them, I also added them to my classroom library list using an app called Book Retriever. It is a wonderful app that is definitely worth purchasing! It allows you to scan the book's ISBN number and adds it to your library. It will notify you if they don't have the information in their system and you can add the information yourself. Now I can see all the books I have by title or author. It will be very useful as I am out shopping for more books so I don't end up with duplicates. 

Since I have purchased so many books on my own, I wanted to label them so they will not get confused with a school's books when I (hopefully!) get a job and classroom of my own. I personalized my own self-inking stamp from Vista Print and was able to stamp my name in the front of all my books.

I know these next few months are going to be very full, but I will try to blog as much as I can to document the experience. I am very excited to continue learning and grow as an educator!

Final thoughts

People have always told me that time flies as you get older, and man, they weren't kidding! I can't believe this semester is almost over. As I reflect back on this semester and the knowledge I've gained through my technology class, CI 302, I am happy with how far I've come. I have learned so many tools and ways to incorporate technology into my classroom someday. The biggest take away for me is pushing myself to redefine teaching and learning with technology, not just substitute old ways with new ways. That is something that had never been brought to my attention before this class and I think it's really important to consider.

The learning that has happened through this class matters because it pushed me beyond my limits. It challenged my thinking and opened my eyes to technology I wasn't familiar with. I learned from my peers and was also able to teach them what I knew. More than just learning about tools and gadgets, I learned how to be a better educator; connecting with others using technological tools to gain insight and ideas. This is only the beginning, and I look to grow more in the future.

As a future teacher, I think this class helped me realize that I will never be a master at technology. There is always someone else who knows more, and as a teacher, it is my job to find and connect with that person to share knowledge and grow. I also have so many more goals for myself now, not just my students. I want to participate in twitter chats, continue blogging to share ideas and reflect, and connect with educators across the world. These are things that weren't a priority of mine until this class.

To my teacher, Jamie Fath:
Thank you for a great semester. I truly learned a lot and appreciate you taking the time to teach us. To help you become a better educator, I will provide "one glow, one grow" as feedback (one thing that went well and one thing to work on). My glow would be how you let us teach each other. We were able to share the resources and tools that we know about and teach it to our peers. This is how the real world of teaching will be and it was really nice to see that in our class. My grow would be to enhance our blogging experience. It is hard to keep up with everyone's blogs because we had a large class. I think it would be beneficial to group students and then each group can follow, comment, and keep up with only their group's blogs. This would be less overwhelming than the entire class and allow us to practice interacting through blogs.

In conclusion, I am sad to see this class end, but I am excited to continue moving closer to student teaching and my future classroom. I look forward to growing and learning more about being an educator in the future.

Writing a Grant

In my technology class, we had to apply to a fake grant as a group. I worked with two of my peers as a '3rd grade team' at a K-5 building. We applied for 60 iPads to be used in the 3rd grade as a trial for eventual full implementation of iPads in K-5.

I learned a lot through this process. I had never even considered applying for grants, and didn't know that it was something teachers did. It was empowering to know that we have the ability to make a change in our school environment. I think it is a great way for teachers to get what they want and make something happen. This assignment also showed me how easy grant writing can be. I am by no means an expert, yet I successfully wrote and submitted a grant!

During the grant writing process, the biggest struggle my group encountered was getting everything we needed to say into 5 pages. The grant proposal called for no more than that. We wanted to sell our case and show that we deserved these iPads, while being concise and getting our point across efficiently. It was a challenge because we had to decide what was a priority to write about and what could be left out.

As I begin to think about the future and myself as a teacher, I think grant writing is something I will try to do. During my first few years of teaching, it will not be my main concern. However, once I have a secure job and see myself at that school for a long period of time, I think it would be great to take a look at the school and its needs and make it happen. I look forward to seeing what my future brings!

Technology Interviews

For my technology class, my teacher interviewed a teacher librarian, a technology coordinator, 1:1 teachers, a technology integrationist, and an AEA staff member. She posted videos of the interviews and we were to watch them all.

My goal is to be a teacher will technology in my classroom, so the role I found most interesting was the 1:1 teachers. One of them was in her 1st year of teaching so it was really cool to see how she was adjusting to a new classroom and a new technology tool. They gave great advice that I will take with my in the future.

• Take baby steps with technology
• Don't be afraid to try something new
• Ask questions
• Find technology to support your outcomes, not outcomes that support the technology
• Consider room set-up to manage classroom

After watching all 5 interviews, there were many similarities to the information discussed. I saw 2 major themes throughout all the interviews: don't be afraid of the technology and technology is not all that matters. 

Hearing from 5 different perspectives that it is important to try new things and be willing to fail was very comforting. As a new teacher, it is nerve-racking enough to plan a lesson that will go well - let alone one with technology. It is nice to hear from so many different perspectives that failing is okay. I think that is a great outlook to have when it comes to using technology, because failure will happen, but you just have to learn from your mistakes and fix them for next time.

Technology is not all that matters is very interesting to hear from people whose jobs center around technology, but I totally agree and see where they're coming from! Technology is amazing; it's a game-changer in the best way possible, but student learning is still more important. Technology may be a great way to reach student understanding, but it is not the only way. One of the 1:1 teachers stated that it is important to find technology to support your outcomes, because then the technology is supplementing your teacher and the students' learning, not just an addition.

I learned a lot from watching each video. I think it was very helpful to see multiple perspectives of people working with technology in schools. Even though I hope to be a 1:1 teacher, it was helpful for me to see the perspective of technology integrationist and coordinators because if I ever need help or have an issue with something, I know have a better understanding of what their jobs look like and realize I'm most likely not the only teacher with a problem. It was also a great professional development opportunity. I connected with educators and now have more people to follow on twitter!

Many of the people interviewed have different tools at their schools: chromebooks, macbooks, iPads, etc. It was interesting to hear why they chose the tools they did and how they are being used in classrooms. It solidified for me that the tool isn't what is important, it's how the teacher uses it to further student learning.

Speed Geeking

In my technology class last night, we spent the majority of the time reviewing many devices and tools very quickly - or as my teacher called it, "Speed Geeking". Through doing this, we learned about 7 different devices and 9 tools in less than an hour.

Devices:

• Acer Chromebook
• Samsung Chromebook
• Lenovo Chromebook
• Nexus 7
• Kindle Fire
• iPad
• Surface tablet

Tools:

• Write About This
• iMovie
• Educreations
• Popplet Life
• Lucid Chart
• WeVideo
• Powtoon
• Padlet
• Educreations

My favorite device: the iPad. My favorite tool: Write About This.

My least favorite device: Chromebook. My least favorite tool: Powtoon.

Strictly my opinion, but let me explain...

I chose those two devices as my favorite and least favorite for many reasons, but I will admit, my early childhood degree sways my opinion on this one. For students PreK-3rd grade, I believe the iPad is the best tool out there and the Chromebook is not appropriate. However, that does not mean I believe the Chromebook is a bad device. I think it is a nice, cheaper option for older students. I believe the iPad is the best tool because it's interface is student friendly, it is easily carried by students, and through the App Store, there are a multitude of tools to further the students' education. I also have the most experience with the iPad - working in an elementary school that is 1-1 I have seen it implemented in classrooms successfully.

Write About This is my favorite tool out of the tools we reviewed. It provides students with writing prompts: photos, a starting sentence, or directions on what to write. I think this is a great tool to use with elementary students. It avoids the response, "But I don't know what to write about!" I did not like the tool Powtoon because I think there are other simpler tools that teachers are more familiar with that do relatively the same thing. There are so many tools out there and as teachers we must decide what's worth spending our time to learn and what is not. In my opinion, Powtoon is not worth spending our time on. It is very similar to Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Presentation with a few "fun" additions.

If I chose a device for my classroom, I would choose an iPad. I would use the iPads for many things, but here are a few examples:

• To hand out assignments virtually
• Conduct spelling tests
• Record students' reading
• Practice math facts and spelling words through game-like apps
• Quickly assess during a lesson
• Daily journal writing assignments for students
• Behavior management
• Conduct running records
• Explore the world with Google Earth
• Communicate with pen pals from across the world

Every device can make a difference in your classroom. It takes time and research to find the best tools within that device to further your students' education, but the extra effort is worth it!

I updated two of my previous blog posts with a more in-depth review of the apps I discussed in them. Check out Live and Learn and Pic Collage to learn more about how you can use Toontastic and Photo Collage in your classroom.

Digital Equipment for the Classroom

For my technology class, I chose to do my Digital Classroom Project on "Digital Equipment for the Classroom." I had to state what kind of hardware and computer access I thought should be available for grades K-12, while backing up my opinion with reasoning and evidence to support.

I chose the topic "Digital Equipment for the Classroom" because I have the most experience with this topic. I work at an elementary school which is 1-1 with iPads, each teacher has an audio system that serves as a microphone to project their voice throughout their classroom, every classroom has a projector, and I also went to a 1-1 laptop high school. With this experience, I felt that I had a good stance on this topic.

When we're thinking about "digital classrooms", I think the most important aspect is educating the teachers. Working at that elementary school, I see so many times teachers struggling with the tools provided for them because they were never educated on how to use them. Simple tasks become impossible without education. Professional development can solve this problem. It will take time and effort, but it is worth it in the end to provide a better education and ensure that the money spent on technological tools is put to use.

I created a presentation to compile my ideas of necessary hardware and computer access for each classroom. Below is a summary of my presentation:

A K-2 Classroom needs:

• Projectors
• Lab of mobile devices or mobile device for each student

A 3-5 Classroom needs:

• Projectors
• Mobile device for each student

A 6-12 Classroom needs:

• Projectors
• Laptop for each student

Again, this is all my opinion based on my experiences and some research I've done. Every students' needs are different, every school district is different, and the need for technology will depend on all this. Check out my presentation for more detailed information!

Kindergarteners or Paleontologists?

This semester I am placed in a kindergarten classroom for my science field experience. I have been teaching them about dinosaurs and they LOVE it! It's amazing how motivated they are when something interests them. As I was planning my lessons I was struggling to come up with something hands-on for them to do with dinosaurs because I don't have dinosaur bones to show them! After some brainstorming with my cooperating teacher, we came up with a plan to engage them.

To begin we had a surprise "visitor" in our classroom. I took the kids to a bathroom break and when we came back there were items strewn all over the carpet.

The items included:

• Diaper
• Onesie
• Pacifier
• Tiny sock
• Tiny shoe

We had to look at the clues our "visitor" left because no one saw the visitor in our classroom. We made a list of what the clues told us:

• It was a baby.
• It could've been their ESL teacher because she just had a baby. (wasn't expecting them to make this connection!)
• It was a boy because the clothes were blue.
• It was a small baby.

Once we had a good idea of who our visitor could've been, I made the connection back to dinosaurs. No human has ever seen a dinosaur, so scientists who study dinosaurs have to look at their bones like clues or pieces of a puzzle! I introduced the word paleontologist and we watched a video about what paleontologists do. The video was perfect because it illustrated for them what a paleontologist does much more than just me talking about it.

The most exciting part of our activity came next. The students were able to make their own fossils! They put a small animal into play-doh to make an imprint. Then they moved around the classroom and tried to guess what the animal was by looking at only the imprint. We were paleontologists!

The kids were so engaged throughout the whole lesson! I am excited with how well it went.

Using Twitter to Connect

This week I learned how useful twitter can be for educational purposes. We participated in a live interview via Google Hangouts with Toby Brown, a professor at Oklahoma State. He discussed why and how he uses twitter to grow professionally. I learned that twitter chats are a great way to share information and ask other educators questions. By simply hash-tagging during a chat on twitter, you are instantly connected to others.

The twitter chat I observed this week was Elementary Counselors Chat, #escchat. It took place on a Thursday at 7-8 central time. The topic was art therapy. I think this topic was chosen to be discussed because it is a common way to have children discuss their feelings. Rather than talking about things, children can draw what they feel.

It was so interesting to watch the chat live. I had seen some of my followers use hash-tags before but I had never searched a hash-tag and watch the chat happen. To begin, all the teachers all introduced themselves. Then they began answering questions that one person posed. They used letters and numbers to communicate which question they were answering, for example the first question would be labeled: Q1 and would have answers labeled: A1. It was so cool to see teachers communicating back and forth, sharing their lesson ideas, successes, and failures. They offered to help each other with tools that other teachers were not familiar with. I really enjoyed it and I look forward to doing this again. I think the hardest part about the chats is remembering when they happen! Once you have a specific area of teaching that you want to connect with other educators about, it would make participating in these chats much easier.

I follow many of my friends on twitter but before this, followed few educators. I don't personally know very many teachers who use twitter professionally. I decided to put myself out there and follow a few well-known tweeters who I can learn from. Here are the people I decided to follow and why:

• Jamie Fath (@jamiefath) - my instructor for the technology course I am taking this semester. I know she uses twitter well and I look forward to learning from her!
• Toby Brown (tbbrwn) - he is the professor I mentioned earlier in my post that we interviewed on Sunday about twitter. He had a lot of great ideas and participates in the chats on twitter regularly so watching his tweets would be beneficial to become connected to other educators.
• Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman1) - Toby recommended we follow him. I am looking forward to learning whatever I can! He also participates in the twitter chats regularly.
• Scott McLeod (mcleod) - I followed him about a year ago. My dad is a friend and colleague of his so I had the opportunity to meet with him him last year. He founded CASTLE, a center whose focus is on school administrators need for technology. I highly recommend following him on twitter and also checking out his blog called Dangerously Irrelevant.
• Jacob Short (mrshort2005) - He is a teacher at Saint Edmond high school, my alma mater. He occasionally participates in the twitter chats and also is a great example of how to incorporate technology into a high school classroom.

There are so many other great tweeters out there, but this will do for now! I look forward to creating authentic connections with people in the future. Similar to my blog post about being a connected educator, we must create relationships, not just internet interactions.

I think the twitter chats are helpful and I will participate in the future. I am connected through social networks already for personal purpose, I might as well follow some educators too and hit two birds with one stone! I know a new and unknown tool can be frightening to use, so here are some tips for teachers new to twitter:

• Follow at least 5 people who are tied to the education field. 
• Watch a twitter live chat. Check out this link to find the times and dates of different topics discussed: Twitter chats
• After you have slowly immersed yourself into the twitter world, tweet at an expert with a question!
• Push yourself even more, participate in a chat!
• Slow is key. Don't overwhelm yourself.

Diversify Your Library

Exposing our students to many cultures is extremely important. We want to ensure that they receive a well-balanced and diverse education. Check out this great article, Picture Imperfect, about why it's important to diversify your classroom library so students are exposed to a different cultures through read alouds and books written by a plethora of authors.

"I want to make sure all children can see themselves in books," she says. "I want children to know their history matters - they matter," says Kelly Starling Lyons, an African-American children's book author.

Monica Brown, a Peruvian-American author of children's books about multiethnic identity, states, "It's important that we have these books in our schools because not every family can afford to own them."

The article provides a list which is a good starting point to add some diversity to your library:

An Inclusive Children's Reading List

• Benjamin and the Word, written by Daniel A. Olivas
• Black is Brown is Tan, written by Arnold Adoff
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition, written by William Kamkwamba
• Brick by Brick, written by Charles R. Smith, Jr.
• Courtney's Birthday Party, written by Loretta Long
• Ellen's Broom, written by Kelly Starling Lyons
• The Great Big Book of Families, written by Mary Hoffman
• Kate and the Beanstalk, written by Mary Pope Osborne
• Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match, written by Monica Brown
• Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale, written by John Steptoe
• My Princess Boy, written by Cheryl Kilodavis
• Nappy Hair, written by Carolivia Herron
• Oh the Things Mommies Do! What Could Be Better Than Having Two?, written by Crystal Tompkins
• The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom, written by Bettye Stroud
• The President Looks Like Me & Other Poems, written by Tony Medina

Another point to keep in mind is that every classroom is full of different kids. In addition to this list, try to find books that relate specifically to your kids and their lives. 

I love my career

On Friday, I was able to participate in my first ever professional development. The dork in me was very excited! Sitting in the commons surrounded by the K-12 faculty, I felt like a real teacher.

The superintendent is retiring at the end of this year and I heard his touching 'thank you' to all of the staff. It was so powerful to hear him say how much he has enjoyed his time because of all the teachers. The school is such a community and it was wonderful to feel a part of that.

We received instructions on how to map out the curriculum for the year with a program called Curriculum Mapping. We then broke into grade level teams and began working! I worked with the 1st grade team, which consists of 4 female teachers of all different experience levels. They had already mapped out their math for the year, so we began with literacy. Literacy is broken into 6 categories:

• Foundational Skills
• Informational Skills
• Writing
• Speaking and Listening
• Literature
• Language/Grammar

Mapping out the whole year is a very daunting task. For a few minutes we all just sat and wondered, "Where do we begin?" Once we got into a groove it was a much easier task to tackle. The teachers had a document which aligned all of the Iowa Core Standards to their curriculum, Basal Reading Program. Rather than having to type all of this information into the program, I helped them discover how to upload files. Once we knew how, we scanned the pages that applied to each category in the program and uploaded them as PDFs.

Once all the standards were aligned with the curriculum, we added in the teaching strategies that they use to teach each category. Many of the teaching strategies apply to more than one of the categories. Some of the strategies they brainstormed are:

• Word sorts
• White boards
• Sight words
• Reader's Theatre
• Modeling
• Think aloud
• Story maps
• Venn diagrams
• Whole group discussion
• Think, pair, share

It was very rewarding for me to sit in on this process. I saw a team of teachers work collaboratively together to finish a project. They supported each other and all contributed. I will be a new and unexperienced teacher in a little over a year and it is very scary to think about walking into an empty classroom and preparing to teach a group of kiddos. It was comforting to know that maps like the one we worked on are available for teachers to help them know where to begin with teaching. The team of teachers also discussed how much your team will help you as a first year teacher. I feel much better about the idea of being a new teacher, it's going to be here before I know it!

Overall, I am very thankful for this experience. I look forward to growing professionally in the future!

A Connected Teacher

Being able to be a team player, work collaboratively, and communicate with colleagues are crucial characteristics of great teachers. This week I did a little research on being a "connected educator". For those of you that are not familiar with this term, it simply means a teacher who is connected through technology tools with other teachers. For example, not just 'following' other educators on twitter, but tweeting back and forth, creating relationships, and carrying on conversations. Here is a great visual that Dr. Alec Couros created which illustrates this idea.

[Retrieved from http://dmlcentral.net/blog/howard-rheingold/professor-alec-couros-connected-teacher]

Through my research, I found that a lot of people are talking about Connected Educators online. There is a Connected Educators project, a month dedicated to Connected Educators, books for sale on the topic, the information was overwhelming! I found a site with ten tips for becoming a Connected Educator. It is a great starting point, I recommend checking it out!

Benefits of being a Connected Educator:

• You can learn from other teachers' mistakes and successes.
• You can use resources created by other teachers and share your own to save time.
• You can create relationships with teachers all over the world which will last much longer than any tool.

Am I connected? Not nearly as much as I should be. Sure, I blog, tweet, post and buy things on Teachers Pay Teachers, search sites for lessons created by other teachers, follow blogs and educators on twitter. All of those things I'm doing are great, but I have not taken the next step to create a flow of communication back and forth. I plan to challenge myself to do so. This is what I will do to become connected:

• I will comment on other's blogs when I see an idea I like.
• I will participate in EdTech tweet conversations using hashtags.
• I will contact teachers to question them about lessons they've created or done that I find online.
• I will create relationships with teachers I do not know or have not met yet.

"The tools come and go, but the relationships endure." - Dr. Alec Couros.

I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and create deep connections with other educators!

Technology Standards

In my technology class, we took an assessment through the AEA. It tested my knowledge on the technology standards for teachers. The standard I tested highest on was standard #2 and I tested lowest on standard #5. Most of the questions I missed were due to misinterpretation or misunderstanding by myself. I also missed questions that dealt with laws about technology in schools and professional development because those are two things I do not have much experience in.

There are some similarities between the technology standards for teachers and the technology standards for students. They are both focused on making the teacher and student the best at using technology; whether that be in their teaching or in their classroom.

In addition to the similarities, there are many differences. The standards for teachers are more focused on the planning, modeling, and promoting. As teachers, it is our job to create a classroom environment that promotes twenty-first century learning skills and model for our students how to use tools to help them succeed. The student standards are all things we want students to be able to do throughout or after projects and assignments that their teachers assign. These standards are the skills we want students to have in order to be a twenty-first century learner.

I think these are very appropriate expectations for students and teachers when it comes to technology because they are doable, and they are necessary to succeed in our world today. New jobs and new tools are constantly being created and it prepare our students for the real world we must teach them how to be life-long learners and how to use technological tools. I think the standards are appropriate expectations for teachers because it is an expectation already for us to model for our students, so modeling technology is another way we can teach them.

As a future teacher, I can work to ensure that other teachers have a deep understanding of these standards by sharing with them what I have learned. With the background I have with technology, I may be one of the more tech-savvy teachers at my future job and I will gladly teach the skills and tools I have learned. I think it is important to share with others because that is how we grow and become better teachers.

ISTE has created profiles for grade bands. It provides ideas for grade-level appropriate lessons tha meet the student standards. I chose PreK-2nd. Here are three quick lesson snippets that could meet standard #1: Creativity and Innovation:

1. Students will create their own original story using the iPad app Toontastic. Students will create a rough draft on paper and then create their digital story using their own illustrations and voice over their plot.
2. Students will pick an issue that effects their life in some way (recycling, playground safety, littering, etc.) and create a Public Service Announcement using VoiceThread to educate their audience about the problem. They will work with a partner to accomplish this task.
3. Students will create an Acrostic poem using Pic Collage about themselves. They will use adjectives to describe themselves and add pictures or illustrations to tell the class about who they are.

Technology Comes Last

Now you may be thinking, "What's up with that title?" "This is a technology blog, what is she talking about!?" We are always looking to experts to back our decisions in teaching. Harris and Hofer have 5 steps to planning a lesson and I have studied those steps in my technology class. The steps have choosing the technological tool last. I agree with their steps and think it's a good basis to ensure that you are teaching a lesson with a learning purpose in mind for your students. Read on to learn more about it!

Here is a short summary of their 5 steps:

1. Determine the lesson's purpose
2. Make pedagogical decisions - they have 8 continua to help guide you
3. Select activity types
4. Select the appropriate assessment
5. Choose the right technological tool

[Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0iefVzmSlbtXzFWYUd3bGxiWHM/edit]

As you can see in the steps above, the technology piece of the lesson doesn't have a role until the very end. The reason I think this is a beneficial way to teach is because it doesn't allow the technology to take center stage. Let's face it, technology is exciting and fun to use, but we need to remember that our students' learning is our main goal and how we reach that goal is the important piece; not what technological tool we want to use. Once the learning goal is stated and we know what we want our students to learn, then we can begin brainstorming ideas of how to reach that goal. Harris and Hofer have a list of different activity types for varying learning goals. 

Harris and Hofer's idea of thinking of the technology last is a point I have made in previous blog posts. Not only when it comes to technology, but any lesson, we need to pinpoint the learning goal before we decide the activity students will do. This is not how I have planned in the past, but through observation and learning in my classes this semester, I have come to understand that this is the best way to plan in order to ensure the learning goal is met. 

To every argument, there are two sides. Here is a pro/con list to planning the technological tool last:

Overall, I would say this is a good process to adopt, or at least consider, when creating lessons. Remember, this doesn't just apply to technology lessons, but rather your teaching as a whole. It is always good practice to think about your goal and what you want your students to learn before anything else.

Live and Learn

As teachers, we plan. We plan units, lessons, days, weeks, and even the whole year at a glance. You can plan all you want, but unless you can tell the future, you will never know how your students will react to a lesson. A lesson never happens exactly how you imagine it; good or bad. That is why we have to be flexible and learn from our mistakes.

This semester I have to do a 24 hour classroom experience for one of my technology classes. I am so excited to teach some lessons and learn from my cooperating teacher. I created a lesson using the app called Toontastic and taught it last week to a group of 2nd graders. I was so excited!

[Retrieved from: http://cdn-images.launchpadtoys.com/lpt/toontastic/promo-page/lead-screen/4.jpg]

It did not go as planned, to say the least. I was really disappointed at first, but then I realized that i had learned so much. I knew what to fix next time to make it a perfect lesson. Toontastic is an iPad app that allows students to create their own settings, characters, and storyline; and then voice over to create a digital story. I would highly recommend creating a story yourself using the app before teaching this lesson. It is very user friendly and talks you through the steps!

[Retrieved from http://teachertechguy.edublogs.org/2012/03/27/toontastic/]

I would recommend spreading a lesson like this out over at least a week; unfortunately I couldn't do that since I do not have my own classroom yet. Here's a breakdown of the lesson outline:

1. Discuss as a class what it means to "think in your head."
2. Ask students to close their eyes and think of their favorite story.
3. Ask them:
         What happens?
         Who is in the story?
         What do they do?
         How does it end?
4. Discuss the parts of a story and make a list on a board/poster. In the app, they use specific terms which you may need to teach your students (set-up, conflict, climax, challenge, resolution)
5. Show your students an example story that you create on the draft forms.
6. Build a story using Toontastic with them so they can see how it works.

A rough draft is key for the students to really plan out their stories and not just play with the app. I created a draft packet for the students. Check out my store on Teachers Pay Teachers to find the rough draft packet! It is a simple format for students to use to map out their story.

Try it out, your students will be very engaged and excited to use their creativity!

This tool can be found in the App Store on the iPads. They also have a website which provides support, resources, and FAQ concerning the tool. It is available only on iPads, iPhones, or iPods. Another classroom idea to use this app would be to have your students recreate a story line they have read. They can then discuss the similarities and differences between their version and the original version.

Teaching Above the Line

To infinity and beyond, reach for the stars, strive to be your best, practice makes perfect.

All of those phrases are centered around the same idea: be the best you can be. As a teacher, this is something I strive for. I want to be the best teacher I can be for my future students. Although perfection is not possible, if we do everything we can to strive for it, that is good enough.

There are a million different ideas, strategies, theories, models, and frameworks that we have been exposed to and attempt to implement a mish-mosh of all of them in our classroom. Another framework to add to the list for teachers to think about is the SAMR model. It stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. 

[Retrieved from: http://jennyluca.wikispaces.com/TPACK+and+SAMR]

The SAMR model is similar to TPACK, it is a model for the different ways technology is used in the classroom. Each level increases in complexity, similar to Bloom's Taxonomy. The farther up the model you get, the more intensely the technology is being used. Here are some examples to help you better understand the model:

• Redefinition: Skyping with students from other countries.
• Modification: Collaborating on google docs with peers.
• Augmentation: Google docs allows you to share docs and saves to the cloud.
• Substitution: Google docs replaces word docs but doesn't change the task.

I had never heard of this model until it was introduced to me in class. I think it is a great model for teachers to use because it challenges you to think outside the box. I have created many technologically integrated lessons; however this model challenges me to think about how the technology is being used; is it substituting a task that could be done before or is it creating a task that wasn't possible without technology? 

"Teaching Above the Line" is another phrase that relates to my opening topic: be the best you can be. In the figure above, you'll see there is a dotted line through the middle of the SAMR model; the top half is labeled transformation and the bottom half is labeled enhancement. As teachers, we want to strive to teach above the line and transform our lessons with the use of technology. It challenges us and it won't come natural at first, but I feel it is an important aspect of teaching because it uses technology in an innovating way rather than just using it to use it. 

SAMR is a good model to use when considering the use of technology with students. It is a great reminder to check and see what the purpose of technology in our lesson is. Could the lesson be done completely without the technology? Is the technology making the lesson better? Was this lesson possible without technology?

Consider this model next time you plan a technology integrated lesson. It won't be easy at first (I hate admitting I'm wrong too), but by challenging yourself to use technology to transform your lessons and "teach above the line" will create better lessons, more efficient use of technology, and help your students learn.

[Retrieved from: 

https://twitter.com/kathyschrock/status/401346931458195456/photo/1/large]

Pic Collage

One of the most frustrating parts of using technology in the classroom is finding great resources that don't cost you an arm and a leg. However, when you do find that free tool, it's a pretty good feeling. Pic Collage is one of those tools. It is a FREE iPad app that is very user friendly and can be used in a variety of ways in your classroom.

Pic Collage allows you to:

• Change background color or pattern
• Add photos from your camera roll or the internet
• Add text
• Add stickers

Pic Collage can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play. It is available on Apple and Droid devices. There is a website for Pic Collage but it does not offer much information or support related to education.

Here are some ideas I have for using Pic Collage:

• Personal narratives: students add photos of themselves and add details. They can present their project to the class and work on presentation and speech skills.

• Acrostic poem: Your students will learn what an acrostic poem is. Then they research a topic, add photos and text about that topic, and present their topic to the class.

• Get rid of "tired" words: Create a list of overused words with your students. Next assign each student a word and have them research synonyms. They will then create a digital poster of the overused word surrounded by more exciting synonyms. These digital posters can be sent to the teacher. They can be printed out and hung around the classroom. This will allow them to use these new words in their writing.

These three lessons are engaging, hands-on, and allow your students to express their creativity through technology while learning. Try it out in your classroom!!

The Total Package of Teaching

Technological Pedagogical And Content Knowledge

TPACK is the idea that all three components: technology, pedagogy, and content, must work together in order to create a successful education environment. As a teacher, this can be daunting to think that in each of your lessons you strive to hit the middle of this venn diagram, but it is worth it to foster the best kind of learning in your classroom.

It is important to practice TPACK in your classroom because:

• It will teach your students 21st century skills.
• You will enhance your lessons with technology, without shaping your lessons around the technological tools.
• You will cover the appropriate content in an engaging manner to involve your students.
• Technology may draw in your students' interests, but you need a meaningful plan to implement them in order to achieve learning goals.
• It will make you a better teacher!

In a YouTube Video about TPACK, the creator Darren Kuropatwa's introduction got me thinking. He states that a frame draws attention to the focus of the picture. My first thought after watching this video, was that in the education field, the technology is the frame. It draws your students in, catches their attention and excites them to learn. However, a frame by itself is nothing. It has nothing to highlight and has no purpose; just as a piece of technology is nothing without purpose. You must pair your technological "frame" with rich content (the focus of the picture) and purposeful pedagogy (the background of the photo).

Here's a screenshot of a frame in the YouTube video I mentioned above. 

As teachers we must do our best to aim for the center of the venn diagram and be the best combination the three components. It will take practice, effort, and time to master, but practice makes perfect, so don't give up!

As a future teacher, I think TPACK will effect me on a daily basis. As I plan units, lessons, and day-to-day activities, I will need to remember the TPACK framework and strive to accomplish a perfect blend of content, pedagogy, and technology. As a teacher with a digital technology minor, I believe my future colleagues will expect me to be the expert and go-to with technology. I will teach other teachers the tools I've learned to use in my own classroom. In a YouTube Video it is stated that we can't keep doing the same thing we've done and just add technology, we must challenge ourselves to come up with new ideas, cutting edge lessons that will engage students in a way that we never did before. As a future teacher, I will research and try out new ideas to incorporate technology into my classroom and share with my colleagues.

In conclusion, TPACK is something I hope all teachers strive for in their classroom. It provides the best learning environment for students and makes us as teachers better. Try it out!

TPACK photo retrieved from: Cary Academy

VoiceThread in your Classroom

I am in quite a few technology-based classes this semester and it has sparked a passion within me to research some tech ideas for classrooms. I work at an elementary school which has iPads for every student in 1st through 4th grade so I have worked primarily with iPads. Recently, I have experimented with VoiceThread. I had to use the application to create an "about me" in one of my classes. The nice thing about this program is that it can be used on a computer or an iPad.

Breakdown of what VoiceThread is:

• Upload photos to create a slideshow
• Comment on the photos with text, voice, or video
• Basics of VoiceThread (a short VoiceThread that explains the basics!)

Here are a few ways you can incorporate this app into the lessons in your classroom! Have your students...

• Research a famous person, upload photos of the person, and comment by recording their voice on the information they find to create a presentation
• Create a public service announcement about a topic that applies to their life (playground kindness, bullying, recycling, etc.)
• Personal narratives with photos of themselves (transform their writing into voice recordings over the photos)
• Find pictures of animals, research, and speak from the animals perspective

As with most technology, there are downfalls...

• With a free account you can only create 5 VoiceThreads and cannot delete VoiceThreads once they are created.
• Not useable without an email... BUT there's a way around it!
• Go to "register"
• Use first name and last initial as 'name' (i.e. I would use jennyk) - feel free to add numbers if you need to!
• Use the same phrase as you did in the name section plus @mailcatch.com (i.e. I would use jennyk@mailcatch.com)
• Use whatever password you desire

I hope I have convinced you to use this app in your classroom! Feel free to comment with any other ways you've incorporated, I love to hear new ideas!

Grounded Technology Integration

The purpose of this blog is to reflect on the readings, activities, and discussions in the course, CI 302, Principles and Practices of Learning Technology. I am very excited to learn more about tech in the classroom this semester.

I read the article Grounded Technology Integration, written by Harris and Hofer. The main idea of the article was as teachers, we should first plan our lessons according to standards and content goals, what our students need, and then consider how technology could play a role. So many times we begin with the technology and try to figure out how to shape a lesson around a certain technological tool, but in reality, this is backwards.

I'm not going to lie, in the past, I have done the backwards planning; starting with technology and trying to fit a lesson around a certain tool. After reading this article, the grounded technology integration makes so much more sense. If we think about it that way, we would still be reaching the same goal as if there was no technology, but then the technological tool serves as an aide, not a necessity.

As a young person who grew up with technology, I am very comfortable with it. I know that some of the teachers who have been teaching for many years and don't have technological experience, aren't comfortable with it. I think the grounded technology integration would help them, because they would take the same lessons they've been using for years, and consider how technology could assist those lessons; rather than creating entire new plans based of technology.

I perused through some of the blogs my teacher recommended us to explore and saw how great blogging can be from an educational standpoint. So many ideas are shared on blogs between educators and it's a great place to go for resources. The Cat Chronicles had a lot of great ideas; I began following him on blogger! I also saw many of the blogs mention EdCamp and other education fairs and I am grateful for the opportunity to attend one this semester for this class!

Blog reflection #1 complete.

Until next time,

Jenn

Harris, J., & Hofer, M. (2009). Grounded Tech Integration. Learning and Leading with Technology, 22-25. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0eifVzmSlbtXzFWYUd3bGxiWHM/edit?pli=1