Oops...I Only Thought I was Done! #18 Redo

ANDDDD I accidentally skipped the blog post about a technology article I recently read.  So..better late than never! 

Actually, I've read a lot of articles about technology lately while researching for my paper, but lately I have been researching a school I visited in Orlando last week- Ocoee Middle School in Orlando, Florida.  I was so amazed by this school.  The teachers were rockstars.  The kids were so sweet- I made a few friends who were equally amazing by my accent as I was with them and their school. I have been dying to know more about the school, especially since they were on Oprah doing a flash mob about reading and that Oprah got Target to completely redo their Media Center.

THE Journal published an article on 1/20/12 about the school.  During the tour, the principal told us that the original school was really old and was demolished so that a new "technology demonstration school" could be built. The goal was to prove that a new school customized to fit new technology wouldn't cost more than any other new school.  Turns out they built the school, and it came in under budget.  There are only very short hallways and students stay in one quad pretty much the whole day for math, science, social studies, and language, unless they are going to enrichments.  The enrichment classes are technology based- agriscience and video game design are just an example of the courses offered.  Each quad has 10 Macbooks, 22 iPod touches, 10 iPads, and 32 PC Computers.  The teachers plan together and share the technology among the subjects. 

At the school I heard a lot about Doceri, and this article talks about it too.  Doceri is like a slate, but you can see what you have on your Smartboard on the iPad, so for $30 it eliminates the need for a slate.  They had just discovered a new app called Air Serve, which allowed the kids to show their work on their iPads and then send it to the teacher who could display it on the projector. 

The school was inspiring and I can't wait to try out some of their technologies in my classroom!
the Journal Article

Pictures from my visit:
The Principal in the Media Center

Language class with iPads

Doceri/Air Server in Action

#30- 3-2-1 and I'm DONE.

Not going to lie, I have been slacking on my classroom blog to do this blog, so I know my parents/kids will be excited to have me back! :) hahah!

3 Things This Course Introduced Me To:

1.  Flipped Classroom:  I had never heard of the flipped classroom before this course, but now I can't stop hearing about it.  Videos, blogs, school visits...IT'S EVERYWHERE.  I almost feel as if it is becoming a new movement and I wonder how long it will be until it is the norm in every classroom. I'm going to discuss the flipped classroom more in the next section!

2.  Web 2.0 Tools:  I had never heard the term "Web 2.0," but had certainly heard of some of the tools we discussed in class.  I'd heard of Gloster, but had never used it until after this class.  Turns out my kids LOVE it and BEG to make glog.  They make them at home all the time and send them to me.  I had also heard of Voki, but never used it.  After the class, I used Voki to explain the objectives for the day.  I also included a Voki of Harry Wong in my presentation for Blue Ribbon.  The people there all got a kick out of it.

3.  Dropbox:  I am a Dropbox convert and LOVE it.  I saved my paper for this class in my Dropbox and worked on it in Orlando.  I love that I can access any of my files from anywhere.  It makes working on my iPad even easier. 

2 Things That Would Be Great to Use as an Administrator:

1.  Google Drive:  I wish we would've had more time to discuss Google Drive because I see it as a wonderful tool for administrators.  I think using an online calender from Google Drive would help to keep everyone aware of things that are scheduled so that events are not booked at the same time.  It would also be helpful to have a sub calender done this way so that teachers could see when subs are taken.  I think using Google Drive to collect survey results would save a lot of time because the results are already tabulated.  I can see this being a huge benefit for data collection.  You can also save important documents in the drive and have easy access to them.  I need to do some more reading/exploring to really see how much Google Drive can be used as an administrator.  Believe it or not, there is a Moodle course titled "Using Google Drive in Education."

2.  Edcanvas:  I LOVED Haley's Cool Tools Duel tool called Edcanvas.  I think it is a great tool for teachers and administrators.  An administrator could use it for a virtural faculty meeting.  The notes, videos, recordings, etc could all be included into the canvas for the staff to view.  It could also be used for professional development- I think it would be a great program to teach at a tech tools PD or for the admin to incorporate different files on a PD topic.

1 Idea I am Going to Incorporate:

1.  I am planning to try a modified flipped classroom.  I'm not sure if you can call it a flipped classroom per say, but it will be similar!  After watching the videos and writing the blog post about it, I became intrigued.  This past week at the Blue Ribbon Conference, I visited a middle school in Florida that is technology rich.  The teachers all record videos using Doceri and post them on their Moodles.  The kids are usually involved in a project based assignment where they can refer back to the video to answer any questions they have.  While they are working, the teacher is circulating the room assisting students.  In my classroom, I'm not sure so that would work since many of my kids cannot preview the video at home, but I think it would be beneficial for the kids to have videos of skills so that they can watch them while working during math groups or at home while doing homework.  It might help the parents too, as many of them say these new Go Math! strategies are blowing their minds.  I actually think that I am going to start with my advanced kids by filming videos and inserting them into an Edcanvas with the work attached.  The kids can view the video, practice, and then create some type of technology based project from the teaching.  Hopefully the Enrichment 2.0 that Kellie talked about in her presentation will have some good ideas.  Wish me luck! :)

#29- Student Choice- Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  I've always been blessed to be able to spend it with my extended family.  This year we had even more reason to be thankful as Lilah, my cousin's baby, had her first Thanksgiving.  Below are some pictures from our day!

My cousins Brittany and Jenna and Lilah.

Blake shaking the pecans from the tree!

Just a few of the pecans we picked up- Thanksgiving traditions!

#28- Student Choice- Gray Thursday

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays- spending time with family, eating wonderful food, and of course  Black Friday shopping all add to the joy of the day.  This year, the retail industry started the sales early on what people are calling "Gray Thursday."  Although I felt bad for the employees of the stores that opened on Thanksgiving, I took advantage of sales!  I started at Wal-Mart and arrived at 7:00 for the 8:00 sales.  They opened the items early and I had my purchases back at my house by 8:30.  Then we went to Target and Belk.   Belk was a mad house.  After waiting outside in line for 30 minutes, customers were running into the store to grab the deals.  Lines were long and it was crowded.  I was home and in the bed by 2:30 a.m. instead of getting up at 3:00 to go shopping.  I'd say it was a successful night! 

#27- Bring Your Own Device

Bring your own device has some definite pros and cons.  Some of these are presented in the article "Should Schools Embrace 'Bring Your Own Device'?" by T. Walker and posted on the NEA Today website.  For schools that are already budget strapped, bring your own device seems to be a viable option.  Students can still receive the benefits of using a smartphone or tablet, and the school is not responsible for the cost.  Bring your own device can also help teachers utilize the flipped classroom model because the students can view videos on their own device at home.

In order for bring your own device to be utilized, the school must have the correct infrastructure.  Students must be able to log on to a network so guest passwords have to be available.  If the students know the password, then they can log on and search the web and use other applications when needed, but that also means that students can abuse this privilege.  The article recommends having the students sign a contract to avoid/limit this type of situation.  The article also encourages teacher training on how to implement bring your own device programs before being thrown into the program.

The article also suggests that bring your own device can increase the digital divide.  Not all students will have access to a smartphone or tablet to use.  The article states that "students who need to borrow a device should be able to do so without facing any stigma."  It says that more teasing could occur because students who cannot afford the newest technology could be targeted.

http://neatoday.org/2012/07/19/should-schools-embrace-bring-your-own-device/

#26- Student Choice- Glogster with Third Graders

I first heard about Glogster several years ago at my first technology conference in Birmingham.  I thought the concept was very neat, but I never had an opportunity to try it out.  The other day in class we discussed Glogster again, and I decided that I would give it a try with my third graders.  I was pleasantly surprised at how fast the students caught on and how well they did! 

The students were instructed to create a Gloster about the presidential election.  They were told to add at least two pictures and three facts about things they had learned related to the election.  Instead of making each student their own username and password, I made one for our class and it worked out great!! I also uploaded the pictures so that they did not have to scour the internet looking for images. 

Here are some examples of their wonderful work!

#25- Digital Citizenship

When discussing internet manners and digital citizenship with my students, I first like to show a BrainPop video featuring Tim and Moby called Digital Etiquette.  Tim and Moby do an excellent job of explaining what is appropriate online in a kid friendly fashion..  They explain that "netiquette" is a set of rules for how to behave online.  The also explain that sometimes people may say things online that they would never say in real life which can be harmful. 

BrainPop: Digital Etiquette

I ran across the following poster which sums up digital citizenship perfectly:  THINK before you click!  Decide if what you are typing are the following things before posting them online.