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