Blog Post # 13

 

In the scenario, I observed several problems. In one of the groups only one of the students was writing the research paper while the rest of the team only edited minor details.  Another problem I identified was that students were deleting each other’s entries. A third problem was that there was not a rubric in place so the students were focused on their wiki looking pretty instead of worrying about the content. A fourth problem was that students in another group were not collaborating and were therefore writing their own paragraphs separately. A critical problem that I also identified was plagiarism, which meant that students were just copying content from other websites without giving credit. The last problem I found was that students were posting content that had nothing to do with the research questions.

I would prioritize problems as followed: not having a rubric in place that explained student’s expectations, and how the participation of each student would be graded. The second problem I found was that students were plagiarizing. The third problem I found was that Jane did not write comments to her students after checking their engagement. The next problem would be of students erasing each other’s entries. Another problem was students not collaborating and having just one student do the whole work. The next problem in order of importance was that students were posting content that was irrelevant to their assignment.

A possible solution to the first problem would be:  for Jane to have given the students a rubric where it explained what was expected from each student. She should have mentioned that each student needed to write a paragraph and write their name after their work was added to the project. She should have also said that students are only allowed to edit and not erase entire entries of their team. By doing this, the students would know what was expected and would respect their classmate’s work. They would also understand that the content, images, and videos that were uploaded needed to be related to their research question. By giving students a rubric, I think that it would have avoided the problem of groups focusing their attention of changing the formats to make it prettier instead of on the actual content. The solution for the second problem is for the teacher to explain that plagiarizing is academic dishonesty and that work that is not theirs will result in an automatic zero for the entire group. I think this would help students realize the importance of giving credit and the groups would abstain from copying work. A possible solution the third problem would be to have Jane send feedback about the student’s progress as she checked their engagement. One of the links below mentions how Tim King would project the Assessment Tool on his screen during class and this motivated the students because he provided instant feedback. Another article describes how to be notified when there are updates made to projects.

 The following are some links that would help Jane learn how to use wikis more effectively. 

http://blog.wikispaces.com/2015/09/wiki-tips-and-tricks-creating-a-table-of-contents.html

http://blog.wikispaces.com/2015/08/wiki-tips-and-tricks-notifications.html

http://blog.wikispaces.com/2014/07/get-your-class-in-your-wiki-painlessly-new-join-code-for-your-students.html

http://blog.wikispaces.com/2013/12/wikispaces-classroom-tour-with-tim-king-shared-notes-and-assessment.html

Post # 12

 

Section I:

#edleaders

 

I chose this hashtag because I am seeking to get my degree as a Principal. Therefore, I am interested in any piece of advise that will help me become a principal that is an advocate for the students, the teachers, and the school community. I found a tweet by Wolfgang Soeldner that caught my attention.  It says that, “Education is a team sport.”  This quote is telling us that everyone in the school is responsible for their job, if someone doesn’t do their part, then we all look bad. Every person who works in a school is responsible for creating that safe environment for our students, we have the power to make it magical and unforgettable or we can make it horrible. Therefore, it is important that we take responsibility for every student that sets foot in the school. In order for us to work together as a team, a principal needs to have the staff and faculty believe in the school’s vision and goals. This was another article I found that states the roles and responsibilities of a principal in integrating technology.  Technology is the present and future, and principals need to not only support the use of technology but also model it. Just like we need to model for our students, principals need to model for the faculty and staff. Faculty and staff need to feel that the principal believes strongly in the use of technology and is not just using it to compete with other schools. Another interesting article, “The 5 Behaviors that Derail Executive Careers,” can be tied up to the first article about education being a team sport. The first mistake that many leaders make is being oblivious to an employee who creates havoc. The employee will look deficient but the executive will be blamed for keeping him there. The other type of behavior that derails executives is arrogance. In education there is no room for this behavior because as was mentioned before we need to work as a team in order to have students succeed. An arrogant leader will cause employees to hesitate in giving opinions or ideas because the leader is always right. Therefore, being aware of our own weaknesses and strengths allows a leader to develop and grow. The hashtag #edleaders gave me advice on what is expected of a leader. It goes to show that being a leader isn’t about always believing one is right but about supporting and advocating for your team in order to accomplish a goal. 

Education is a Team Sport  

Roles & Responsibilities of a School Leader in Technology Integration

The 5 Behaviors that Derail Executives

Section II

There are many ways in which Twitter can be used in the classroom. In my case, I would use it with 5^th grade students for Science or Social Studies. I would have the students create a Twitter account. Then depending on the topic we were covering that week or in a unit, I would have the students do some research and do a small presentation on Prezi explaining their findings. In their presentation, they would have to include at least one link. Since Twitter is a social media that allows communication between people all over the world, I would have my students use it to communicate with others. This activity would be for students in 4^th grade and they would use it in Social Studies. Students would have their own Twitter accounts and they would be asked to communicate with people from different cultures in order to learn the different life styles of other students. I think this would be better than just doing research because it would be information coming from an actual person who can explain how things work in their culture. The third way I would use Twitter would be to do research for the sake of learning. Now that I’ve used Twitter and searched hashtags, I would be able to look for different topics that are of interest for me. I could look for activities for students, or new research on technology. Using Twitter for research would also let me share interesting links, or videos that I found.

            Twitter is about sharing and expressing thoughts in 140 characters or less, to make an impact. A few years ago, I attended a training where it was demonstrated how important the choice of our words was in creating an impact. I would have my students in 4^th grade us Twitter in Language Arts. After reading a story or poem, I would ask a question and have my students choose their words wisely in order to answer the question and make the greatest impact. This could be done weekly and one student could be chosen each week as a winner. I think this would engage students and help them look for better words to express themselves. I think Twitter can be used in many ways to help teachers and students learn. I’m sure there are many other ideas on utilizing this social media. These are just some ways in which I would use it in my classroom.

Post # 11

Edmodo is a social media site similar to Facebook that allows the community to share files and communicate with. The teacher can post reminders, which comes very handy especially if you forget to send notes home. This site also lets you create quizzes, assignments, polls, notes, and snapshots. I had not heard of this site but I know it will be extremely useful once I start utilizing it in my classroom.

            The first idea I have for using Edmodo is to communicate with the parents in my kindergarten class, especially when I need to send reminders. Sometimes I am in such a hurry that I forget to pass out the notes reminding them of some event that is going on. Edmodo can help me remind the parents about any events going on.  These reminders could be sent weekly so that parents are informed of what is going on in the classroom.

            Another way I would use Edmodo would be to create snapshots for my class. In this case, I would use it with third graders in Language Arts. This would be a great way to assess what standards my students still need help with. In this case, I would have them take one snapshot per week, after we have covered those standards for the week.

            Since Edmodo is similar to Facebook, I would have 4^th grade students sign up and post questions for Language Arts. Students would be read a book or chapter in a book, then they would be asked to post a question. This question could be about anything they wanted to analyze: the characters, his motives for doing something, an alternate ending, etc. Then they would all have to post a comment on at least two questions. Students could also post comments about something they learned that they found interesting.

            Edmodo is also another option to stay in contact and share information with colleagues. We could share ideas, lessons, and files. This collaboration is neat because I can work with my colleague when planning what are the Texas standards that we need to cover for the week. This would be a good way to maintain the communication and work on the lesson plan when it is convenient for both of us. It reminds me of Google Docs.

            Edmodo is a useful tool for the community. It is a great way to maintain communication with the students, parents, and other colleagues. Many things can be done with Edmodo and even though in my current grade level I can’t give my students Snapshots, I would use it if I were teaching 3^rd, 4^th, or 5^th.

           

Post # 10

Fostering Identity in School 

Fostering Identity Safety in School was an interesting article that I found in the Edutopia Technology blog. It caught my attention because I had just finished watching a documentary where teenage girls had been cyber bullied and harassed in their school. In order for us to foster that safe environment for our students, we need to make them feel that they are important because of who they are. This can only be done when we go above and beyond and not only teach students that bullying is wrong because it breaks a rule, but teaching them values. Students need to feel empathy for others, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, etc. Students need to respect others, even if they don’t agree with them. They need to learn how to be kind and honest.

This article covers steps to deal with bullying and since bullying is sometimes based on biases, I think this is the first step. We need to teach tolerance and understanding. Students need to realize that not everyone is the same and that they can learn from each other. Teachers need to model this behavior, and the values. After all, students are always watching teachers interacting with other adults, and how they interact with other students. This is a huge effort that needs to be made, but it is for the well being of not only the students but everyone who belongs to that community. 

Embracing Failure> Building Growth Mindset Through Arts 

No one really wants to fail, but it is an important step in the learning process. This is what they teach the performing arts students at New Mexico School for the Arts. Students are reminded constantly since day one that it is not the end of the world if mistakes are made. Making mistakes is part of the process and it allows for constructive criticism that will enable students to learn how they can improve. They are also taught that taking risks is how they can expand their abilities. They remind the students that it doesn’t matter if they can do great the first time or over time with practice and feedback, as long as it is done because in the end, taking risks will payoff.  In this school, students are taught that they need to appreciate this feedback and not let their feelings get hurt. They are encouraged to write down the feedback in a journal so that they can remember it and apply it later. Teachers need to be specific about where improvement is needed but also need to provide successes. Students need both in order to better themselves. 

I found that both articles provide suggestions to foster that safe learning environment that students need so that they can succeed. It is important for us show them that it is okay to be different. They also need to understand that making mistakes is part of the learning process and so is taking risks. Students learn to accept these and receive feedback on how to be better; at the same time they are also learning how to provide positive feedback to their classmates. These steps bring us closer to creating that identity safety in the school because students will feel safe and comfortable even if mistakes are made.

Post #9: Prezi: The Best Way to Present

Post #8

Blog Post # 8:  Google Drive

My experience with Google Drive was limited to working on a document and to saving my photos. I knew I could share and edit a document online while other people edited as well. That was what we learned in a class and I never thought about using it again. Now that I’ve seen the video, I learned that many things can be done: documents, spread sheets, surveys, and presentations.

My first idea for using Google Drive would be to use Google Docs. I would use it for my classes especially when I have to work in a team and we all have busy schedules and can’t meet. This way we are all able to access the document from wherever is convenient for us. This way we can all add, remove, and edit the document online.  I find this very useful because as graduate students we can all access the document when we have time.  

My second idea would be used with students in the third grade. I would have the students use Google Forms for a Math lesson. I would have the student get in groups of four. Then I would have them use Google Forms to create a survey so that they could post it in their blogs and have their classmates answer them. Then I would have each team view their answers and create a graph showing all the answers they received. Finally, I would have them answer questions based on the results.

My third idea would be to use Google Drive with 4^th grade students for Science. I would have the students create a Google account. Then I would create a folder with the information, notes, presentations, and lessons of the entire year. I would then share this folder with my students so that they can access them from home especially to review for a test. This can also be used for any other subject or content area depending on what is being taught.

Another idea would be to use Google My Maps. This idea can be used for 2nd graders in Math. In this case, I would create a math addition problem where they could use the map and find the sum of miles from one place to another. This would just show a visual and let them know how far it is. Google My Maps is nice because it tells you the miles from one place to the other.

            Google Drive is a great tool for teachers and students. It lets us do many things and save our documents without occupying your available space. This is a great resource to be used with upper grade levels they just need to be taught how to use the different programs.