Meeting the technology needs of our students

Technology is here to stay.  We as teachers and leaders need to embrace this change and start to include it in our lessons.  The newest episode of my podcast discusses how we can incorporate technology in our classrooms. Enjoy!

Let's Be Safe

Being responsible for what one says can be tough   Being responsible for what one posts or types online can be even more difficult.  Many educators are taking the challenge of teaching students how to be safe while online.  The term digital citizenship can be know as "the norms of responsible and appropriate interaction with technology." (Preddy, 2016). Technology can be anything from conducting research to sending emails.  As technology continues to change, digital citizenship lessons will also continue to be developed.

In our school system, the library media specialists have been given the task of implementing lessons and assisting teachers with the instruction of digital citizenship lessons.  When I first started planning these lessons, I thought, there won't be much to these lessons.  I can teach them about how to research, how to send emails, cyberbullying and what it looks/sounds like, etc.  But once I started planning and digging into the curriculum, I realized there was so much more to staying safe online.  According to the text (Whitehead, p. 129) there are nine themes of digital citizenship.  They include digital access, commerce, communication, literacy, etiquette, law, rights/responsibilities, health/wellness and security.  In an elementary setting, we may not need to go into great detail for all areas but the students do need to be familiar with all areas of how to be a safe digital citizen.  However, all students need to be aware of the dangers of cyberbullying.  The text mentions a great resource to help stress the dangers of cyberbullying to include the two websites www.stopbullying.com and the National School Boards Association website. (Whitehead, p.136) The dangers of cyberbullying are very real in all schools.  

The middle school media specialist and I decided we would use the same curriculum program to supply lessons for these topics of digital citizenship.  Thankfully, the program has an elementary and middle school age group which allows for different lessons but relaying the same message.  This helps us ensure all topics are covered but in an age appropriate manner.  

Why do we need to teach these lessons?  Shouldn't parents be the ones teaching their kids to be safe online?  These are some questions I have thought of myself as I prepare lessons.  However, just as in other areas of education, it takes everyone to ensure students are gaining the knowledge for all areas of life.  My own child is a perfect example of this.  I can sit and discuss with my daughter why or how she needs to complete her research and she will look at me like I have lost my mind.  Her teacher at school can say the same message and she believes her.  My goal as the media specialist is to give the students just one more reminder of how to conduct themselves online. If they won't listen to a parent, maybe they will hear it from me.  

There are so many curriculums available to educators now the task can be overwhelming when it comes to finding the "right" one.  We chose to use Common Sense Media. This video is an introduction to what is available through the program for parents and educators.  

 

Common Sense Media provides lessons for grades K-12, games and interactive activities, videos, posters for classroom display, ideas for families to reinforce, certification programs (who doesn't like a certificate of completion), and online professional development for teachers.  The lessons are designed to meet the interest level and needs of all age levels of students.  The videos are short but get the message across in an entertaining way.  So far, we have been pleased with the content and display of lessons.  I have already started planning to incorporate the Digital Citizenship Unit Assessment Badges and the Digital Passport components into my lessons for next year.  The Badges allow students the opportunity to achieve a badge once they successfully complete a unit of the program.  The Digital Passport provides self-led games to reinforce the unit being taught.  These will hopefully help the student fully understand why and how they need to be safe online.  

"We can't wait for problems to arise, but rather we need to be proactive and on the forefront of helping our students avoid those pitfalls and navigate the online world successfully."  (Preddy, 2016) Our goal is to keep our students as safe as possible while online.  

This is a daily task and ever changing but we are up for the challenge!


References:

Digital Citizenship I Common Sense Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-      citizenship.

Preddy, L. (2016). The Critical Role of the School Librarian in Digital Citizenship Education. Knowledge Quest, 44(4), 4-
     5.

Whitehead, B. M., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for technology: A guide for school administrators, 
     technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders.

Gone are the rows

When I was in high school, not THAT many years ago, we always picked the same seat to sit in daily in our nice and neat rows. The teacher stayed at the front of the classroom unless they went to their desk.  Our group discussions were done with the people sitting nearest us.  The only time we used technology was when we went to our Business Ed class, also in rows.  My senior year the school just opened a "computer lab" that teachers could sign up to go to.  Of course, no one ever went.

This is my 13th year of teaching school.  In my current school, we have two computer labs, one laptop and the other is desktop computers.  In the Media Center, I have two laptop computer carts where teachers can check them out for classroom use.  Most of the classrooms have students sitting in groups of 3-4 students. The teacher floats around the room and pulls students to a table in the back of the room for extra practice. This class setting is very different from when I was in school.

Which is setting is better?  According to the article, Do Seating Arrangements have an Impact on Student Learning?  "Studies have reported that seating arrangements impact the learning process.  Students occupying the front rows are more attentive than those in the back."  When I was in school, I saw this happen often.  I wanted to sit in the middle, not the front because I didn't have all the answers and not the back because I wasn't bad.  As a teacher, I like the option of groups to mix the students who are more likely to answer all the questions.  Is one way better than the other, I am not sure.  I do know that when I am working with students in a group setting, I seem to get more students to respond if they are in groups than if they are just in rows.  Maybe the students are more relaxed and comfortable to discuss the topic in a group rather than the rows.  Maybe distractions are not as prevalent when in rows. Maybe students feel like they can learn more from peers than from the teacher.  Whatever the reason is, when students work in groups, knowledge content is retained better.

Now that technology and 1:1 devices are becoming more common, students are able to collaborate on an assignment a lot easier.  The collaboration develops community and fosters social skills.  In order for these projects to work, students sitting in groups and participating in productive discussion is vital.  When this happens, sometimes the teacher loses full control of the class.  I don't mean behavior problems happen, I mean students are discussing and moving around and not just sitting and listening.  This can be nerve racking for a classroom teacher who thrives on control.  As technology becomes more prominent in classrooms, I see this being a normal routine for everyday instruction.  Students learn better when they can collaborate.  As educators, we might have to rethink our seating arrangements. 

According to the text incorporating technology into the classroom might have an impact on schools in 10 areas.  They include increased student writing, higher quality student writing, enhanced cooperative learning, integration of curriculum, learning applications, cross-age tutoring, increased teacher communication, greater parent communication, enhanced community relations, and global learner (p. 13 - 14).  Cooperative learning does not usually happen when students are positioned in rows.  Most of the time, students learn best by working in groups.  Whitehead states, "collaborative learning is linked with technology it is known to have a strong positive influence on student achievement." (p. 13).  Technology has the potential to open the world for our students.  All we need to do is figure out the best way to incorporate in in our classroom.  This will change as we feel more comfortable and the students become more fluent in using.  

The video linked below is a short video to explain different types of classroom arrangements and why they are important.  Not every classroom can benefit from these setups but maybe one will be beneficial to you.  

Classroom Setup | Teachers TryScience 

Reference

Classroom setup Teachers TryScience. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.teacherstryscience.org/ts/classroom-          setup

Does the Seating Arrangements have an Impact on Student Learning? (n.d.). Retrieved from
     https://k12teacherstaffdevelopment.com/tib/do-seating-arrangements-have-an-impact-
     on-student-learning/


Whitehead, B. M., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for technology: A guide for school administrators,      technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders.  Thousand oaks: Corwin sage.

You are broadcasting!

I  never imagined I had enough information about a topic where someone would want to listen to me explain my opinions on a regular basis.  I have listened to podcast before but not on a regular basis.  So the idea of recording my thoughts for someone else to listen is sort of scary.  Never the less, I am creating podcasts now!   The first entry is my opinion and findings on why school leaders should use various forms of web 2.0 tools.  I hope you enjoy.

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.