Friday, October 14, 2011

Journal #4-NETS-T 2a

"Its in the bag"
 Basham, J. D., Perry, E., & Meyer, H. (2011). It's in the bag. Learning and Leading with Technology39(2), 24-27. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-september-october-2011.aspx  

In the article "It's in the bag", the authors describe a possible solution to the problem various schools seem to face in regards to helping their students obtain a better education and being able to meet the NETS-S. The solution the article describes is technology, they describe a digitial backpack they've created that allows students to engage in problem based learning. This digital backpack is designed for all types of learners, it is also composed of three main components that lets teachers easily adapt to increase students understanding in different curricular areas, these are; foundational technology, modular technology, instructional support materials.
Reading the article was very educational because the digital backpack was a good way to portray how we can use the many technology tools available today. I liked how it illustrated the different settings of how this digital backpack was put at use thoughout different grade levels. Although, this idea seems very limited since not all school districts have the posibility to obtain all the technological equipments mentioned in the article.

Question 1
What are some down sides about the digital backpack?
As mentioned earlier if there is not money to afford the equipment included in this backbacks most likely districts from lower socio-economic areas will not be able to afford the digital backpack. Also, for students in elementary school this idea may not be so easy to manage physically since it may cause some difficulty carrying this loaded backpack.

Question 2
Describe how you would implement this tool in your classroom.
For my elementary students maybe I would not call it a backpack but rather a bag that would only be used inside the classroom and each day I would select a student that be in charge in using the equipment and the rest of the class will then engage in the activity after. For example having a student  taking pictures of the different types of flowers found within the school, then as a class we would all be able to download the pictures and create a chart using out Ipad of the different groups of plants.

Journal #3- NETS-T 4c.

"Students dig up dirt to learn about Internet safety"

Morehouse, J. (2011). Students dig up dirt to learn about internet safety. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(2), 34-35. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20110910?pg=36

The article, “Students dig up dirt, to learn about Internet safety” by author Jesse Morehouse talks about the danger of what it means to have our personal information be around the Internet and how that can be positive or negative. In this case, the professor was able to teach his kids how cautious we all have to be now a days while posting our personal information on the various social networks that exist today. He was able to use technology as his tool and demonstrate in a way that all his students were able to connect and familiarized their selves with.  With the way technology is growing we have to inform each other of the possible danger than can come, because just as some people use technology to their advantage to do good, others use technology to their advantage to cause harm on other people and putting your information on the web for anyone to see is a real risk. I didn’t even know how easy it is to find information about people prior to reading this article. I liked how he also mentioned the fact that even parents were asking a copy of those safe guidelines. This was definitely lesson for everyone to get something out of.


Question 1
What age do you think is appropriate for students/kids to start having their very own personal social network account and why?
I believe that a student not a kid should have his very own personal account when he or she is able to comprehend the implications that come with creating his account. He or she should understand the safety guidelines mentioned in Morehouse’s journal  and know the various ways that he or she can protect itself from possible harm. They should also know that whatever gets posted on the Internet is an open window for other people to find that and that will give them a sense of responsibility as they become of age and start making choices, and good or bad those choices will have a consequence.

Question 2
What can a teacher candidate learn about Mr. Morehouse’s safety lesson?
I think the most important thing a teacher candidate can obtain from the journal is the idea that we have to measure the actions and choices we make, since it can all be found via Internet one way or another. A teacher is a role model, ones’ actions have a great impact on a students life and poor choices can come in conflict with this idea. Not only students but also as he mentions in his article it can limit job opportunity if there is negative information about a teacher circulating on the Internet.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Journal # 2- NETS-T 5a.

"Join the Flock"
Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), 12-14. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20100607?pg=14&pm=2&fs=1#


In her article, "Join the Flock",  Hadley Ferguson discusses the idea of how twitter can be a great tool for one's Personal Learning Network (PLN), as she describes it twitter is a "virtual meeting place". She goes into great detail and describes how twitter has come to enhance her teaching career. She describes the many details that twitter has and how she was able to increase her social network through twitter. The author informs the reader of various ways to expand through twitter. For example she gives the advice to change ones picture so it can be more personalized, or to also start following other people and that way more people will follow you as a result. The article appears to be an invitation to be part of this great opportunity that twitter came out to be for the author, Hadley Ferguson.

 

Question 1
After reading about the author's experience with twitter, would that have motivated you to create your own twitter account? Why or why not?
After reading Ferguson's experience I would have definitely created an account and used twitter the same way the author did. Given that we are in the process of becoming teachers twitter can be a great tool for us to communicate with other individuals that are in out position or with current teachers and learn about the teaching methods they are applying within their classroom. We are lucky to be living through a generation where we can use technology as our allied and socialize with people all over the world and be able to find new ways to improve ourselves as teachers, so why not take advantage of that?


"Enhance your twitter experience" 
McClintock, S. (2010). Enhance your twitter experience. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), 14-17. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20100607?pg=16&pm=2&fs=1#pg16


Just like the title of the article depics it, with this article Shannon McClintock takes us in a much deeper journey exploring many of the other sources that we can find and use through twitter. For example she informs us that we can create a personalized list, or that there is such thing as a twitter organizer in order to make things more visualy clear. Also the idea of creating a discussion forum using hashtags. Throughout this whole article there is also a whole new vocabulary that has been created only within a few years. New concepts such as hashtags, retweet, mistweet,microblog, among others are mentioned, that perhaps to some people it doesn't really make any sense, but as she mentioned it once you become acquinted it is all very easy to explore and learn new things.

Question 2
Among the may resources within twitter that Shannon McClintock mentioned which one would you definately make of use and why?
I would use the twitter organizer because I believe it would make my life easier and as she mentioned it there is so much information that can be obtained through twitter that it be a nice tool to be organized and know where I can find any type of information in a very easy manner rather than having things pile up and not know where to look.

Journal #1

  1. My son
  2. My husband
  3. My family
  4. Friends
  5. God/Going to church
  6. Life
  7. Spending time with loved ones
  8. Making people I love  happy
  9. Husband not being deployed
  10. memories
  11. Birthdays
  12. Health
  13. School
  14. Finishing a semester
  15. Holidays
  16. Technology
  17. Helping someone in need
  18. Seeing a new day
  19. Waking up next to my husband
  20. Home-cooked meals
  21. Sushi
  22. Hawaiian Pizza
  23. Having a car
  24. Watching movies
  25. YumYum Donuts
  26. A clean house
  27. Going shopping
  28. Laughing
  29. Making people laugh
  30. Zumba
  31. Swimming
  32. Step Aerobics
  33. Spanish Literature
  34. Good poems
  35. Cooking
  36. Playing Wii
  37. A new year
  38. Christmas
  39. Learning new things
  40. Teaching others new things
  41. Going to the beach
  42. Music
  43. Going to concerts
  44. Going clubbing
  45. Traveling
  46. Vacations
  47. Being Lazy on Sundays
  48. Not doing homework on a Saturday night
  49. Being able to afford things
  50. Sunny days
  51. Cuddling
  52. Dancing
  53. Parties
  54. Getting pedicures and manicures
  55. Going to a spa
  56. Getting flowers
  57. Getting gifts
  58. Not feeling overwhelmed
  59. Being relaxed
  60. Making new friends
  61. Husband getting home early from work
  62. Being spoiled
  63. Breakfast in bed
  64. Kisses
  65. Feeling loved
  66. Having private time with husband
  67. Sleeping
  68. Taking long baths
  69. Hugs
  70. Honesty
  71. Fairs
  72. Surprises
  73. Going to the park
  74. Hiking
  75. Singing in the shower
  76. Getting good grades
  77. Making a difference in someones life
  78. kids
  79. Peace
  80. Not gaining weight
  81. Feeling confident
  82. Being a good role model
  83. Going to Disneyland
  84. Going to the zoo
  85. Watching TV
  86. Reading a good book
  87. Going to sleep after a long day
  88. Passing exams
  89. Getting things for free
  90. Sales at the store
  91. Rainbows
  92. Bunnies
  93. Going on walks
  94. Air conditioner
  95. Nature
  96. Security
  97. pictures
  98. living in California
  99. Being Mexican
  100. karma

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Technology Self-Assessment: School 2.0- NETS-T II & V


Using the School 2.0 site, I was able to use the reflection tool to self-assess my current level of skill in technology integration based on the 2008 ISTE NETS-T. When I was finished with the assessment I investigated one of the resources provided in the Reflection Tool Results. Through this assignment I not only learned about my technology skills but it also allowed me to engage in professional growth.



After completing the technology self assessment, the NETS-T module I chose was #1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. The reason I chose this module was due to its importance. The key word here I think it would be “Facilitate”, if there is a way I can help my students when it comes to their learning, I find that to be magnificent. At times learning can be a very difficult task and facilitating this process is something a teacher should do for their students. Creativity can be a great tool when it comes to facilitating a students learning. It also gives a sense of individualism to students, while inspiring to learn. In a way it is all interconnected. For the sources given, I chose “Rock our world”. This is a project based on the idea that “music can change the world”. Rock our World is an international collaboration where students and teachers are able to compose music, movies, and interact with each other through live video chats. Using Apple’s GarageBand as their tool, a 30 second drum beat is created within a country and that beat rotates around the world virtually. As the beat comes back to the country of origin, it has traveled all over the world and been modified by many students from different countries. I think this project is a great example of how to incorporate creativity within a classroom. It is not only exposing students to explore its surroundings but also what’s going on around the world. Beats do not have a language and this is a great idea of bringing students together for such a creative cause. The only downfall I saw was that not everyone can be part of this great experience since it is limited to the usage of apple’s garageband, other than that I found this source to be very eye opening for me, I learned how such an easy concept such as music can be put at use for students to learn something out of, and just like music there can be so many other things that we can use as tools in a classroom.