Educational Illusions

Professional Blog #3

2009-12-14T05:51:00.000-08:00

http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2009/12/10/do_you_see_what.html
Over the weekend I read the article "Do you see what I see? Visibility of Practices through Social Media" by Danah Boyd.
I thought her article was right in line with the idea of security and made me think about it in a different way. I made me think of how social technologies (web 2.0 tools) can also be misinterpreted. It was a very good article and made me realize you have to be careful who sees these things and they interpret them.

Professional Blog #2

2009-12-14T05:20:00.000-08:00

Recently I read the 10 changes in social media for 2010 article on the read write blog.
It was a very good article that talked about the major changes that will be taking place in 2010 with social media and defintly worth a look.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/10_ways_social_media_will_change_in_2010.php#comment-174377

Blog #4 Planning & Implementation of web 2.0 tools:

2009-12-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

Blog #4 Planning & Implementation of web 2.0 tools:

Over the course of the last few weeks we as a class have learned about many web 2.0 tools. There are a lot of very exciting and useful tools that can be used in the classroom. The question is; how do you choose the right web2.0 tools to use and how do you implement them in the classroom?

The first thing that a teacher needs to do is their homework so to speak. The teacher needs to use the curriculum and find a web 2.0 tool that will help drive it and not the other way around. There are many web 2.0 tools that can really help to explain and help students to learn what is being taught. The teacher needs to make sure that the lesson is about the topic and not about learning a new tool in order to be successful.

The second thing is the idea of implementation. After a teacher finds the right tool, how do they implement it without it being too much for the students? Simplicity is key. The implementation needs to be laid out with one thing in mind, the objectives. What do you want you students to learn, what will they be able to do when this lesson is over?
If you stick to these objectives the implementation will go smoothly.

Through my research I found a website that helps to explain how to implement a web 2.0 tool in the classroom, check it out:
http://www.slideshare.net/ast3v3nson/session4-web20-implementation-performance-measurement
It is a little wordy but as you go through the slides there are some very good ideas for both education and web 2.0 tools in the business world.

Professional Blogger 1

2009-12-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

Recently I visted Joyce Valenza who is an expert on web 2.0 tools (also from my high school) and commented on her blog about a day in the life of web 2.0
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334/post/1530049753.html

Blog #3 - Safe Practices with Web 2.0

2009-12-08T04:39:00.000-08:00

Blog #3 - Safe Practices with Web 2.0

Each time we learn / use a web 2.0 tool part of the discussion and some of my thoughts are how safe would these be to use in the classroom? How safe are they for myself and my students?

With each new web 2.0 tool there is always a risk of putting too much information out there. There is the risk that someone or something will get hacked and my own personal information will get stolen. So what can be done to protect yourself?

By reading chapter 7 in Solomon and Schrum new ways and common sense practices became obvious. A user can switch / using multiple usernames and passwords, so that there never the same and if one online site becomes unsecure all of your personal information will not be. Don’t open emails from people that you do not know as they are often spam/spyware/or worse.

The other day as a class we used 2nd Life and I wondered how secure this website was to use especially in the classroom.
It seems as though if you alternate your password and username from the norm that it could be a secure “place” to be. Also it is important that in your travels though 2nd life that you don’t give out information to strangers. It is ironic that as kids our parents told us not to talk to strangers but some people will tell you personal information and there whole life story in a web-based world. The same thing your parents told you about life applies in 2nd life, don’t talk to strangers. If your going to don’t give out personal information.

With common sense practices and doing some research on your own all of these web 2.0 tools can be effective in and out of the classroom and safe.

Blog Response #2 Research & the Reflective Practitioner

2009-11-30T10:49:00.000-08:00

Research & the Reflective Practitioner

When I think of research and reflective practitioners I think of the ability of a professional to reflect while in action. Meaning that while a teacher (etc) was researching a topic they could stop and think about what that particular research means to them and to the topic they are searching about. More importantly the can examine how it has impacted their own life and professional experiences through reflection.
After each part of the process the person can reflect on what they have learned and what was successful about the process itself and the new information. In many ways a reflective practitioner is a person who is not afraid to use trail and error and learn from their mistakes.
As I reflected on this topic I realized that I have been a reflective practitioner many times over the past few years. When designing (and redesigning) our school’s moodle culture web page I often would look back at what worked from the previous attempts and try to figure out how to make the new design better based on prior results. I would also ask around and try to get other people reflections and input while I was in the middle of the redesign to make sure that I was able to capture what worked while fixing what did not work.
A good practitioner is able to use the things they have learned (reflections, insights) to improve how they do things in the future.

Response Blog #1 “Creating My Own Social Network”

2009-11-06T12:37:00.001-08:00

The idea of creating my own social network seems like a vast and challenging task. There are so many different and new tools out there that can be used to manage and facilitate classroom content. The key is not only identifying the tools but to me the most important part is having a centralized area that will allow each web tool to work cooperatively together.

After reading about and using open source programs like “Open Office” I have realized that there are many useful and inexpensive (in this case free) tools that can be used. Open office is essentially Microsoft Office programs. All of the popular Microsoft applications (Word, Power Point, Excel, etc) are available through open office. The programs work almost identically and if you know how to use one you can certainly use the other.

Our Culture Committee has also begun using Moodle and wikis to collaborate online meetings with face to face meetings. I am currently running the Moodle page for this group and so far the inclusion of this web-based tool has been very helpful when it comes to keeping multiple tools in one location for easy use. I honestly believe that having a centralized location is the most important piece for having educators correctly use web 2.0 tools and use the efficiently.

Project Reflection

2008-10-17T10:40:00.001-07:00

After creating my Mindtool, I made several discoveries about the tool itself and the implementation of the Mindtool.
The Mindtool itself was the use of a student created database worksheet. Each student had to create a 4 question quiz based on the content they just mastered. Other student would then take the assessment and it would be graded. After they results were shared students would go back to the student drive (where the worksheets were stored) and make comments about the other users database. This makes the Mindtool interactive and allows for constant revision and peer sharing.
Student responded well to the worksheets. They seemed to have a good time coming up with questions based on what they just learned, and mastered. Students still have to answer the questions and comment on the corrected versions. They also have to comment on what they liked or disliked about the Mindtool.
I predict that the students would like the commenting portion best. The ability to go into the students shares portion and continuously check on the comments made by other students will fuel the original student to edit his/her work to make it better.
Overall the implementation and the response to the Mindtool is going well. Students seem to like the idea that they can make their own assessments.

Action Plan Spreadsheet

2008-10-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the link for my action plan spreadsheet

Action Plan Presentation

2008-10-07T15:55:00.001-07:00

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by jmellon34

Blog #3 What is the future of technology in the classroom?

2008-09-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

Not so long ago (several months) I read an article about handheld computers and their place in the classroom. The article http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech083.shtml (which was several years old) how hand held PDA and computers have and their use has shifted from the business world to the education world. The article discusses school such as Walery School District which purchased hand helds for each student to achieve a one to one ratio for the students. They said it was less expensive and more practical for them finically.
They go on to talk about palm pilots practical uses in the classroom in middle school, how it was used in Kentucky and Seattle. All of this made me start thinking of how this is/was an excellent idea. I say is/was because since the article was from 2001 things have changed. Don’t get me wrong I think it is an outstanding idea but has the technology passed by the idea? What I mean is, over the last 5 years many students have the “I-Phone”, the “I-Touch” “Blackberry’s” so know introducing the PDA’s in class would still be practical but many of the students would already be ahead of the “curve”. I still think it would be an excellent idea but maybe scaled down to a business class where a teacher can use the technology to show the students how they would use a PDA in the business world and then have practical applications for those students. However, when those students get into the business world they might be using a brand new technology that doesn’t even exist right this second…

Blog #2 Read Write Web

2008-09-23T14:42:00.001-07:00

There is no doubt that classrooms are moving “toward the future”. More and more teachers are finding ways to incorporate computers as learning tools in their classroom. They are using programs that help students collaborate, read, and write.
As Will Richardson explains in The Educator’s Guide to the Read/Write Web “thousands of teachers and students use the web to publish their work, collaborate on projects, and engage in online conversations.” That is only part of the transformation; teachers are learning more and more ways to use the Read/Write technology to educate their students.
Richardson explains how posting on blogs help students collaborate, how wikis help students exchange ideas and definitions, and how social bookmarking (RSS) helps students collect and sort information. After reading over the last few months about all of these innovations Richardson brought up a question I never really thought about; how should the curriculum change because of these new tools?
How should Math, Social Studies, English, and Science curriculums change to incorporate these new ideas? The question is a very complex one. If we choose to incorporate these technologies on a broad scope then something must be sacrificed in order to add a new element. What would each sacrifice? Teachers should be implementing these tools on an individual basis. As they feel fit, they should find ways to incorporate blogging, and wikis and RSS at their own pace. If we start trying to main stream these tools teachers will be forced and that almost never leads to positive results. I have begun using a form of blogging in my class so that students can exchange ideas about formulas and problem solving techniques. I believe that slow and steady is going to win the race, we will stake one step at a time and build on each success that we have!

Updated Action Plan Outline

2008-09-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

Assessments in the classroom

2008-09-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

We can discuss at length if standardized testing or teaching to a test is right or wrong but I have begun to think of assessment in another way as well.
To me assessment has really become a question of how can a measure if my students have learned what I have been teaching? And if they haven't, what do I do about the problem?
Most of the time teachers (and I have been guilty of this as well) will give a test and to a group of students and almost every time there are few students out of a hundred (give or take 50 ha ha depending on your class size) that do not pass the test. On a standard test we would say that they are "not proficient". Most teachers then go on with the unit and chalk it up to the student not doing enough homework, studying, or something else. What if you looked and saw that the student in question did do all of their homework and you know they studied because they came in multiple times for extra help, what do you do now? Sure you could retest them in another way - but what if they still fail? Most teachers do not have time to reteach a lesson until everyone passes that lesson. So how does reality meet proficiency?

My thinking about how I think...

2008-09-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

In class today I created my concept map. The process of working from an end result back to the beginning is one that I always enjoyed and found to help me in my creative thinking (which isn't my best attribute). Thinking about how I think in order to better help my students is a new approach. For the better part of a decade through college and teaching I have been integrated with the idea of differentiating my instruction to how my students learn. So when someone says but how does your thinking and learning influence how your students will learn I am a bit taken back. I am used to the notion of student first at all times at all cost. So the idea that someone else's thinking and learning is as important might be to much for some people to handle. Most people thought the world was flat for 1400 years so there is no telling how long it might take for people to catch on to this idea.

First week back

2008-09-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

As I enter my 5th year of teaching I find a new surprising eternal energy and excitement for this coming school year. This excitement stems from the fact that over the past 3 years I have seen my PSSA study skills class go from helping 65 students in grades 9 and 12 to helping 160 students in grades 9, 11, 12 this year.

The ability to work with more students always excites me as the school year starts. Making connections and getting those students to have an understanding of how I can help them to achieve at a higher level presents a new and exciting challenge. Don't get me wrong, I have and still do miss teaching history over the past few years. What I have discovered though is I love working and interacting with young people as much as I love teaching history.

The challenge this year will be to not only intergrate the technology software (PLATO) but to attempt to find new ways to use other Internet capabilities to help those students prepare for PSSA, PSAT, and SAT test.

I am excited for the new year and look forward to the challenge.

Technology Standards

2008-09-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

After looking over the new National Technology Standards for Educators it became clear to me that I would like to be able to effectively use standard 4-B. Promote & Model Digital Citizenship & Responsibility by addressing the diverse needs of all learners by using learner centered strategies and providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

Since each one of my students works on individual learner prescriptions, it is important to me to make sure that I know how to show each user how to use all the tools that are available to them. Also, to show them how to use each tool by incorporating these tools with the prescriptive program they already know.

In all aspects this would make my class very technologically diverse and benefit each student.