Final Reflection

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Week 9 Creating a Global Classroom

Today’s youth are digital natives with so many technological tools at their arms reach. What teachers need to do is show students how to use these tools to expand their knowledge and also contribute back. Also many tools and apps have helped in connecting classrooms globally. We must show students to not only collaborate with others throughout the world but also contribute so others may expand their knowledge through them.

First I will go about explaining the tools I know that can help a teacher reach out globally such as Skype and Google.

Skype has users throughout the world and many are seeking to reach out to others from all over the world. On the Skype webpage teachers can find people who are seeking specific topics on Skype such as language help. Teachers can also connect with professionals in specific fields to contribute to units and instead of having them come into the classroom they can chat with the classroom via Skype from anywhere in the world. Students can do the same when asked to learn about other cultures they can also connect with others through Skype and have discussions. Schools in different countries can also plan to connect with each other to help students collaborate with others on projects.

Google is a great tool that provides many apps which can help students collaborate on projects and share their contributions quite easily with apps such as Gmail, Google docs and drive, Google Hangout, Blogger, and Google Sites. The best part is that all these apps are free with a Google account. Students can have face time or discuss projects via email then contribute on projects easily by working on them on a Google app which can be easily shared and added too by specific members from anywhere.

To find more resources it’s as simple as searching it on Google because there are many projects out there which focus on helping classrooms connect globally to help students get a better cultural awareness of each other. The Global Classroom Project page which helps teachers learn ways to connect globally and by becoming part of this project they can get connected with teachers throughout the world who are working on similar subjects and projects. Classrooms can share what they are working on and instead of making unit projects only within a specific class they can conjoin different classroom and have the students work with each other. The OneWorld Classrooms helps teachers and students participate in global projects. Some the projects that students are working on are teaching each other about their cultures and languages and an art exchange project to help students see each other’s art work.

ISTE (NETS) Standards

The ISTE standards which need to be met by NH teachers and students are technology based. By creating a classroom that is global teachers have an easier time making sure students meet the ISTE standards such as communication and collaboration:

2. Communication and collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media

b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats

c. Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures

d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems

Part 2:

From the perspective of a business educator having students involved in a global classroom teaches them essential skills for their futures in any career path they choose. As the world becomes flat students will be working with coworkers all over the world and also compete with workers all over the world. So for students to have a better chance at competing they must know how to collaborate effectively with anyone by being culturally sensitive and being able to bridge the gap with language barriers. No longer can we teach students in a bubble that lets them assume that they only need to work with those in a small circle but that they can work collaborate and learn from anyone in anywhere.

Also as educators we can expand our knowledge base by learning more from educators worldwide. Which we can do by listening and partaking in the Global Education Conference. I listened to Connecting Students & Teachers Online, Across Continents by Dounia Bredes to get a fundamental understanding of creating a classroom globally. The following is a short reflection of what I learned from this session:

The speaker follows a project based curriculum with monthly projects and activities focused on global issues. The online platform she uses can be found in this link. It’s a private platform but teachers can get more information in the session. On the platform teachers share lesson plans in different languages and classes from different countries contribute to the global projects in different content forms. The platform also has a form of Facebook in which those who are part of the platform can contribute and discuss the lesson plans and projects. Midway through the session the speaker discusses the original setup of the program, the changes that have been added from the 10 years of their service and why these changes were installed; such as making the program private to filter out cyber predators to protect under age students. Also the changes of the technology used due to technology changes and helping meet the technology usage from students from different parts of the world. In conclusion the speaker helps teachers understand the cultural and technological challenges that they needed to overcome when creating a global platform and how teachers can use the same setup in their classrooms without having the same challenges.

Week 8 Animoto

I made the following video from Animoto. This is a great tool for students to learn to present information in a visually appealing format and students can learn to shorten down what they want to present by picking the key points.

Animoto can be used in Business Education as a way for students to discuss themselves and the skills they have. After doing a unit on entrepreneurs each student can research an entrepreneur and present their findings as a digital story with facts from their research, with the bigger picture being: By researching successful entrepreneurs what are some characteristics of successful entrepreneur.

Some of the Common Core Standards for a project which includes digital story telling are as follows and can be found on the following link:

English Language Arts Standards » Language » Grade 11-12

L.11-12.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

L.11-12.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

English Language Arts Standards » Speaking & Listening » Grade 11-12

SL.11-12.1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

SL.11-12.2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data

SL.11-12.5. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 11-12

W.11-12.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

W.11-12.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

W.11-12.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

W.11-12.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

W.11-12.7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

W.11-12.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and over reliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

English Language Arts Standards » History/Social Studies » Grades 11-12

RH.11-12.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.

RH.11-12.7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

RH.11-12.9. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

7-4 Blog: Google Apps

Google Apps have many benefits for education but students need to be trained properly in using Google Apps and a cyber issues that arise from using apps like Google Apps. Which also means teachers need to be have a full understanding of the pros and cons of Google Apps.

Can Google Apps save struggling schools?

Google apps if used and taught correctly in schools can help teachers and administrators work together, teachers increase their PLN, teachers communicate with their students, reach students with various learning styles, and also help students learn to use various technological apps.

In the article Why Schools Are Turning to Google Apps the author discusses some of the reasons schools are turning to google apps to improve their schools and students. Google apps for education are free but the costs are from the changes to the IT infrastructure in the school. Schools are saving money by using google apps. Google apps help students work with the tools that they need to learn to use and keep them motivated by using tools that grab their attention. The last point in this article is preparing students for the real world by teaching them how to present their findings in a format in which would be used in their careers. For example:

“At Notre Dame, for instance, Engineering students keep a

running e-portfolio of the classroom projects with Google Sites. 

The digital accumulation of their college efforts will likely mean

 more to future employers than the bullet points on a resume”.

How can Google Apps help with professional development?

Google apps help connect teachers by providing free tools. Tools like blogger in which teachers share their teaching experience to others in which teachers can also comment and help improve teaching skills. Teachers can also follow other teachers to share and collaborate. Google hangout helps people come together which can help teachers share learning techniques through live videos.

What should the information technology (IT) department of a school district worry about if they decide to move towards a Google Apps system?

Security breaches and keeping information private is something that scares all schools and it is something to take seriously because security is a huge debate today which will affect everyone. The documentary Terms and Conditions May Apply should be viewed by all as it discusses the issues with agreeing to the terms and conditions when using apps.

Google feels they have addressed this issue in security and privacy first in the benefits of Google Apps for education. IT will need to work on making sure their student’s information is secured to keep adhering to confidentiality laws.

How would you use Google Apps in the classroom to benefit students?

By having all the students have a Google account I can share documents easily with the students so I can use less paper in my classroom. Google drive also helps students pick various formats to present final presentations. I also enjoy Google hangout which students can use to reach each other when collaborating on assignments. The number one benefit is that students will be able to access their work and classroom information even out of the classroom allowing them the opportunity to keep working at their own pace.

Social Networking

5-4 Blog: Social Networking

Positive Impacts:

Social networking helps the world connect easily and helps people share their ideas quite easily. The sharing component is very important in education because students can share their ideas not only with their friends but also with others throughout the world. This will result in mixed array of contributors that can provide helpful insight, just like a PLN for teachers; peer insight might mean more to students. Social networking provides speedy communication which teachers can use to have students contribute and discuss topics within the classroom. Social networking also helps people find other who share the same ideas or interest.

Ten Ways Schools Are Using Social Media Effectively- This article points out many effective ways are using social media in education. Some of the examples provided are assessments, providing and gaining feedback. Some more effective uses are online learning and parent communication.

Negative Impacts:

Some of the negative impacts of social networking are lack of privacy, isolation and psychological impacts. Students share too much information on social networking sites without having a second thought about how this might impact them in a later point in life. Students also forget or don’t know that what they share may never be able to be taken down and might also be used by strangers or even the site itself. This is also true about some educators who need to be careful of what they share because students will see it. Teachers need be careful because students can use personal information in a way that could affect the teacher/ student relationship negatively. People are being sucked up in social networking so much that all they do is share every aspect of their lives and react by what others post about them, making them seek out attention from others in social media sites.

Here is some feedback from the younger generation:

My point of view:

If used correctly social networking helps students and teachers connect by helping teachers meet students halfway with a tool that makes them feel comfortable using. Also students need to have better training and role modeling of using social networking correctly. This provides teachers the opportunity to help students in this aspect. Schools shouldn’t reject social media altogether but instead create a protocol to protect their students and teachers while using social media in the schools. Also properly train teachers so they can in turn properly educate students.

Week 3: PLN

Free Technology for Teachers:

One blog that I find interesting tech information is called Free Technology for Teachers written by Richard Byrne. On a blog post from Tuesday May 6, 2014, titled Edmoto Snapshot- Quickly Create Common Core-aligned Assessments he discusses Edmoto Snapshot which connects teachers and students online keeping students engaged, helping teachers keeping track of their students’ progress, making it easier to collaborate with other teachers and providing learning apps to introduce into lesson plans. Richard Byrne discusses how Edmoto’s new Snapchat tool can help teachers create quizzes that align with Common Core Standards. This blog also shows a video on how to use this tool.

This tool can help teachers who are not so techy adding technology into their classes with ease. Schools can use this to create a team of collaborators that share their students’ progress with each other so that all teachers are aware of how to reach each student. Edmoto also helps teachers collaborate with others even if they are not in their school system helping teachers expand their PLN.

Successful Teaching:

Successful Teaching is written Patricia Hensley. On her posts from April 25, 2014, titled Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom, she discusses new tools available to help students learn various subjects that are vital even out of the classroom. For example, The Living Wage Calculator is a tool that I can use in business education in which students can “estimate the cost of living in your community or region. The calculator lists typical expenses, the living wage and typical wages for the selected location” (L:H; SA:M, SS). Students need to spend more time learning this subject matter because most are ill informed or unaware of the costs of living and making correct career choices to be able to live as they want or living realistic, within their means.

Final Thoughts:

Why do I need a PLN? 

Both these bloggers discuss the importance of having a PLN especially for teachers. As teachers we need to be on the top of the game but being there can be difficult especially with all the other things we must do. That is why having a PLN will help teachers keep each other informed and share ideas, making easier to collaborate and improve your teaching styles. For example, technology is not my strongest area but by following tech bloggers I can stay up to date information of great tech tools to use in my classes and learn how to utilize these tools correctly.

Why is it important to contribute to a PLN by sharing?
It's important to get feedback of any educational questions you might have and help others with theirs. Together new ideas can be formed which will result in better rounded educators.

How do we apply a PLN to our classroom and with our students?
Teachers can use with they learn through their PLN to modify and update their curriculum. This will help students be more engaged especially when they are learning using tools they are use to using.

What if every student had an RSS reader?
They would be able to have current information being posted from sites or blogs they are interested in and have it all in one page making it easier to keep track of information.

Digital Citizenship

2-2 Blog

Personal digital footprint:

My digital footprint is quite large but not as big as it should be. I don’t have a long history of being a digital citizen since I wasn’t exposed to a lot of technology. That makes me a digital immigrant while the students I will teach will be digital natives.
 

My digital footprint includes: banking, shopping, facebook, myspace, online dating, school, credit reports, credit cards, utilities, gmail, yahoo.... There is so much more little things because everyday I spend online I increase my digital footprint. I also have a smart phone and purchased my daughter technological tools in which I program under my name. I can search my digital footprint and find some traces but only through further searching can I dig through all of it.

 

Teaching digital citizenship to students:

Anytime teachers introduce technological tools into the classroom then they must discuss digital citizenship and each student’s responsibility to be a good digital citizenship. Students have a responsibility to be good citizens in life so in the digital world they have the same responsibilities to be good digital citizens. Children are exposed to technology at an early age and must be taught digital citizenship as soon as exposure. Children need to be taught little by little depending on their exposure level and what appropriate subject matter for their age group is. This helps teach them how to continuously work on being a good digital citizens and know how their responsibilities as good digital citizenship with all the technological tools they are exposed too.

NETS Standards lists the digital standards that need to be met by students andteachers. These NETS standards need to be monitored and pushed by technology integration specialist. Technology integration specialist should see the importance of digital citizenship especially as technology experts. Teaching digital citizenship not only teaches students good behaviors online, how to use tools appropriately but also shows them how to protect themselves from predators online.

How can we expect students to already know how to be good digital citizens?
Students are taught at an early age what is expected of them to be good citizens in society and in the school settings. This is followed by modeling from other students, teachers and parents. This is how we should teach digital citizenship. It is something that needs to be taught, retaught every time technology is used and then modeled. You just can’t hand something new to a child and expect they will know how to use it appropriately. This is especially true with technological tools. That is why it is vital for schools to have teachers use and show students the many uses for the tools they already use or don’t even know about. Also allow parents who are uncomfortable with technology to learn more about their children are using and how they can reinforce good digital citizenship at home.

Supporting documentation about teaching digital citizenship in schools:
I got a great article from digitalcitizenship.net called Digital Citizenship: Addressing Appropriate Technology Behavior. Even though it was published in 2004 it covers all the aspects of digital citizenship from what it is and how teachers and schools can teach it appropriately or not. I liked the article because it points out some issues schools have had and strategies to improve.