Google+ Learning

Google is an amazing platform for social interaction.  Since its origination in 1997, Google has grown into a company that incorporates a search engine, email, finding flights, payment options, Google for Education and everything in between.  A company that started in someone’s garage has grown to a company that employs over 40,000 people (Google Company, 2016).  Not only has Google made everyday life easier, they have also made professional learning for educators easier.

Google Plus (also known as Google+) is a social networking service from Google (Karch, 2016).  Google+ is a service linked with your Google for Education account.  This service allows you the opportunity to find groups or communities you find interesting or areas of expertise where you might want to grow.  Communities range from education to technology to math and reading.  This provides individuals the opportunity to learn more about a topic at their convenience.  Educators can create a Google+ community and invite students to join.  In their community, one can post videos, links, questions, comments, etc.  The possibility of discussion after class are endless.      

This past summer I was asked to become a certified eMINTS trainer.  This is  a professional development program for educators from the University of Missouri.  During the initial training, we were asked to join the AL FY 17 eMINTS Affiliate Trainer Google+ Community.  Throughout our training we have asked fellow trainers questions, worked on a book study, posted documents we have created and participated in discussion groups within our Google+ Community.  This type of interaction is relatively new for me.  It has been a fun and eye-opening experience.

According to Hicks,  “Being intentional with the writing, we need to ask: What is the purpose of the message (p. 146)?”  One of the main features of the eMINTS Google+ classroom allows the users to chose a discussion field to help keep comments organized.  This has proven beneficial when I am needing to go back and look up information or find answers to specific questions.  The layout is user friendly and easy to manipulate.

Another key feature I have enjoyed using is the video discussion post.  Our trainers will record a training session in Missouri and post it to our Google+ community.  Along with the video, we are able to ask questions to clarify or post comments about the video.  This is extremely helpful when our schedule does not allow us to view the video at the time of recording.

Google+ is just one option in using social media for education.  Hicks quotes Steve Johnson (2010) in our text saying “ it is our duty as educators in the twenty-first century to guide our students toward responsible use of social media (p. 138)”.  This is the future of our education and we need to be familiar with as many aspects as possible.  The following video is a simple introduction in starting to use your Google+ community.  

    

References:

Hicks, Troy (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Karch, M. (2016, October 7). What Is Google Plus (Google+)? Retrieved November 15, 2016, from https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-google-definition-1616721

The people behind Google - Company - Google. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2016, from https://www.google.com/about/company/facts/

Redo anyone?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a redo in life sometimes?  I know there are times throughout my life I would like to go back and try to do better.  Unfortunately, it is not possible to travel back in time like Marty McFly and get another chance on life.  However, when it comes to technology, we do have the opportunity to redo somethings.  

When I began this journey from books to technology, I thought “how hard could this be?”  I completed high school and two college degrees already, going back to school won’t be that bad.  Then I realized, things have changed.  Technology has changed.  My first assignment was to create a video introduction of myself.  I went to a completely separate part of the house and begged my kids to be silent until I was done videoing myself so the background noise would be at a minimum.  I was quite proud of my little video and submitted it on time.  Over the past couple of months, I learned how to make that video better.  I now get a redo!  

When considering what needed to be done to make the original video better, I decided to look at what story I wanted to tell. Using the ideas from Troy Hicks book Crafting Digital Writing (p. 115, 2013) I created a storyboard of pictures I felt represented the story I wanted to tell.  This process was a difficult one.  I love my family and choosing a few to represent my life was not an easy task.  Once the pictures were chosen, deciding the layout and how I wanted to enhance the video provided endless possibilities.  Oh the choices…  Finally, the pictures and visualization of the pictures was complete and the entertainment part was next.  The program WeDo offers templates already set with background settings, fading of images and music.  I chose a template based on the music.  I wanted something upbeat to keep the viewer’s attention.  

The final component of my video redo included the narration.  Using the assessment considerations suggested by Hicks (p. 121, 2013), I considered the key elements needed to make my story entertaining, the speed of the transitions, and music as I narrated the video.  This was not as easy of a task as I though it should be.  After several attempts, I finally had a complete redo of my original introduction video.  Watch the video and see what you think. I know the final is not as professional as I would like it to be.  I am hoping as I continue on this journey from books to technology, I will fine tune my video and digital editing abilities.  However, I hope you would agree, this redo video is more entertaining and provides an entertaining introduction to who I am.  

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Why Less is More

I have attended my share of professional development sessions and teacher trainings over the twelve years I have taught.  Many, if not all, of these sessions or trainings have had a presenter using some form of presentation to assist in their speech.  During the first half of my career, most of these presentations were created with PowerPoint. Powerpoint does not have a limit on the amount of text per slide. This can create a presentation referred to as "death by PowerPoint".   I remember one training where the speaker used a PowerPoint presentation that had so much text on each slide it caused the type to be tiny and nothing could be read by the audience.  To make matters worse, he attempted to read each of the slides.  You can only imagine the excitement of the audience.  As a contrast, I attended a session this year where the speaker used a presentation during the session as support.  He simply told us what he wanted us to remember.  The presentation had very little text, but was full of images that substantiated what he was revealing to us. Needless to say, this training held my attention.  

When we create a new presentation, we need to ask ourselves the following, "What is the purpose of the...presentation and, in turn what is the purpose of any particular slide in that presentation" (Hicks, 2013, p. 66)? If the purpose is to bore the audience, then by all means, use lots of text, small font size, and boring clip art.  If the purpose is to tell a story, then the presenter must utilize text and font that appeals to the eye and many real-life images.  As educators, we must teach our students to use digital presentations as a method of storytelling instead of simply restating information they have researched.  A powerful way to show our students the correct way to use digital presentations is by example.  When our presentations in the classroom are full of text, students tend to copy that same format.  While we want our students to have the correct format, we also want them to have creativity.  According to Hicks (2013), "We want to offer our students guidance, but we do not want to confine them to a particular set of rules that can destroy creativity" (p. 67).

http://tinyurl.com/z4xvbde

A wonderful program to show students how to create superior digital presentations is TED talks.  Carmine Gallio is a former news reporter for CNN and CBS.  He is a regular contributor for TED talks, and best selling author, but is probably best known for his workshops on how to improve communication skills.  His website contains numerous training tips and videos we can use to help improve our communication skills.  Gallio offers the idea that "our brains are wired to process visual information such as pictures very differently than text and sound" (2014).  He also suggests we do not completely eliminate text, but we need to use images and photos as much as possible (2014).  With this in mind, it makes sense why adults enjoy presentations from speakers who utilize more images than text.  As an educator, my goal is to teach students to start creating presentations with more images and less text which will allow them to grow their presentations to superior level presentations.  

Gallo, Carmine. (2014). Avoid the PowerPoint trap by having less wordy slides. Entrepreneur Business Public Speaking. Retrieved October 11, 2016. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232217

Hicks, Troy (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Digital Writing in Elementary School

In Troy Hicks book “Crafting Digital Writing, Composing Texts Across Media and Genres”(2013), digital writing is defined as “writing that is produced using various electronic media and shared online. (p. 4)  21st century students tend to use digital devices more as a method of gaming and entertainment rather than a tool for education.  As educators Hicks (2013) states, “we need to ask ourselves how we can use technology to teach, not should we use technology”. (p. 2)  Students still need to be taught the fundamentals of how to correctly write.  Once these fundamentals are mastered, the presentation of the ideas and research can be transformed from paper and pencil to a digital platform.  This is where the role of the media specialist can help assist the classroom teachers.  As a media specialist, I have an opportunity to share with students multiple formats where they can share their ideas online.

Digital writing is still a process that requires careful planning and instruction.  Students will still need to know how to craft their thoughts and put them into words.  An advantage of digital writing is collaboration.  According to Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, director of national programs and site development for the National Writing Project, “digital writing allows students to collaborate, and there is a variety of ways students can collaborate.  They can create a text jointly, through shared documents or wikis, or they can take turns posting on a collective blog.”  The idea of students working together to share/form their ideas in a digital format is something many educators will need to work on finding what works in the classroom and for the individual needs of students.  The earlier a student learns to collaborate, the better prepared they will be for the work-world.

Retrieved from http://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/600x600p/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/171/164/80704368.jpg

According to Liana Heitin (2011), “digital writing is almost always meant to be written for an audience”.  Most of the time, when a student is writing to express their own thoughts and ideas, it is written as a journal piece or for their own viewing.  For students, sharing their ideas on the web can be viewed as something fun and exciting.  The ease of accessing and creating a website, blog or wiki allows even the youngest elementary student a chance of becoming a digital writer.  I still consider myself to be fairly young, even if I am kidding myself, but the idea of creating the blog for this class is something that is a little nerve wrecking.  The idea of someone other than myself or an instructor reading and commenting on my ideas is a little bit daunting.  When elementary students have the opportunity to craft their writing digitally in an effective way, the challenge of becoming a digital writer is relative easy.  This will hopefully bridge the transition from student to career as they learn to use digital writing in their field of choice.  

According to Hicks, digital writing is a “creative way for students to present their text” (p. 60). Students will still need to know how to write and compose their thought and ideas, however the use of digital writing allows the 21st century student an opportunity to use digital tools in ways other than for entertainment.  As educators, we have a chance to make writing fun again.  

Robin WIlliams guide to digital writing

Hicks, Troy (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Heitin, Liana. (2011). Writing re-launched: Teaching with digital tools. Education Week: Teacher PD Sourcebook. Retrieved September 22, 2016. http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2011/04/04/02digital.h04.html