April Course Journal

Although this is very similar to my post about the Guided Learning Experience assignment, here is another look at my perspective of giving my first lesson plan!

Dead Week Reflections

Although I've never understood why exactly we call this week 'dead week' (considering we still have full classes, and most professors treat it as a week to cram in everything they haven't been able to finish yet), it is here nonetheless, and yet another semester draws to a close. As I sit down to reflect on my semester in this class, many things strike me. We've learned about so much that it is almost difficult to synthesize, and I greatly appreciate that. There were aspects of the class that were extremely frustrating, but there were more parts that were incredibly enlightening and educational. Covering everything from the Universal Design for Learning, to the TPACK framework, to how to make a lesson plan, to what a 'one button studio' is, this experience has truly made me think about how I view technology. Although I still have reservations about the benefits of technology in the classroom, I can safely say that I no longer fear it as much as I used to. I view technology extremely differently than I did at the beginning of the class. I now have ideas about how I want to incorporate it in my future classroom and I (finally) agree that it can be very important to education.

I had a love- hate relationship with how free flowing the class was as well. The lack of instruction we had about most of our projects was stressful, but, upon their completion, it always became clear why the door was left so wide open. I loved the opportunity to learn how to think and create for myself, and I loved how we learned about different teaching techniques through having to be taught by them. After almost every assignment, I could see how the different styles we had been learning about were being applied directly to our learning, and THIS WAS INCREDIBLE! I was able to learn a vast amount while also seeing how the things I was learning could work effectively. 

All in all, I would say this has been a very good semester. There was always a unique learning experience to partake in. I know that I will use the skills and knowledge I gained here to enhance my teaching in the future! So, amidst the stress, overwhelming exhaustion, and inevitable crabbiness that dead week has come to embody, I still can not think of this class as an inconvenience-- only an incredible learning experience (which, lets be honest, is an accomplishment during this time of the year!) Here's to a great semester! *drops mic*

Baby Steps

I taught my first lesson today. Granted it was only in front of two of my classmates and lasted a grand total of 20 minutes, but it was still a start; in hindsight, I was way to stressed out about it. I planned what I wanted to teach carefully, but every time I sat down to work on it my stomach tied itself in knots. That is probably one of the biggest things I would change for the future, because, as it turns out, there was not much to be worried about!

Although far from perfect, the lesson went smoothly. I decided to 'teach' ELL level 2 students how to write a formal outline. I started by having my classmates write a paragraph about their ideal vacation spot. After that I introduced the format of an outline via Prezi, and walked them through step by step with examples. Next we went over some vocabulary quickly, and I ended with an activity where they arranged strips of paper with a point per strip of a pre-made outline. First off, the classmates who helped me were great. Overall, we kind of had fun with it, and that helped with the nerves a lot.  The best part of the lesson was probably going through the Prezi. I would ask them lots of questions as we went and they would ask me lots of questions too. The worst part was the activity at the end. I think the idea was good, but it was way to hard. I hope to change that part so that it is simpler for next time.

Another great part of this experience was that my technology ran smoothly, and I think that I used an appropriate amount. I purposely didn't use a lot of technology, just because the demographic of students that I was aiming to teach would have probably been overwhelmed by a new writing concept as well as foreign technology at the same time. I liked using the strips of paper at the end, and I think it even got the classmates who were watching/ being students for me were more involved.

Overall, I really appreciated having to do this. It was stressful and scary, and the whole time leading up to my presentation I was dreading it. However, I did see the value in it from the start, and once I did get started I found it to be very enjoyable!

Break

This last week, our TEAC 259 class did not meet as usual, and the lightened load couldn't have come at a better time. I feel like I stand with the rest of campus when I say that I feel over-run, overwhelmed, and exhausted; having the afternoon off was a blessing.

Even though there was a small afternoon of reprise, the majority of my time between class periods has been spent in mayhem. When I'm not physically going somewhere I'm working on homework, and as a result I have probably spent a record breaking amount of time staring at a computer screen. It hit me this week that out of the dozens of hours I have spent doing homework, only about 30 minutes of those have been spent on something off of my computer. I've even started taking all of my notes on the laptop-- a habit I have always avoided. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed the things we have learned about technology this semester, I can undoubtedly say that I am very excited for the day that the semester is over and I can 'unplug' for a little while. As beneficial as technology can be in a learning setting, at the present moment it is sequestering; it is the place where stress and doubt and a surplus of work reside and I am ready to be rid of it! At least for the summer, because when I return, I will have had a few months to only continue to gather great ideas of ways I can use what I've learned from this semester in my life-- present and future.

March Course Journal

Since I'm sure everyone loved watching me be awkward on camera the first time I posted a video blog, I figured I'd try it again! Here is a video summarizing the things I've learned in class this month! Enjoy!

Flipboard

I'm a little late on the draw here, but here is another link to a really great resource for teachers. Flipboard allows you to pin different ideas and articles to boards for your personal and professional life. Check it out here!

Maker Month Madness

As the month of March draws to a close, so does one of the most unique experiences I've had in education thus far. Our last week of class dealing with 'Maker Spaces' was incredible! We got to spend the majority of the class period playing with virtual computer games that were controlled by the movement of our hands instead of a mouse and these crazy little things called 'Makey-Makey's' (pictured below) which allowed us to hook up random items like marshmallows to your keyboards to control certain keys. From there, we were able to do crazy things like play a virtual piano or a game of Tetris with said random items. It was so amazing! The entire class period sparked an interest that I didn't even know I had, and I found myself learning things through exploration rather than direct instruction. Nobody told us how to use these things, and as a result, everybody had different outcomes (none of which were more or less correct). It was a great lesson on the importance of curiosity and the value of new technology in the classroom.

I would love to try and incorporate these kinds of things in my classroom someday. However, at this point, I'm not entirely sure how I would do it. A lot of the things we learned through the process were more science related, and I have been having a hard time thinking outside the box enough to come up with an idea for how to use these things in an ESL classroom. I think that integration between subjects is very important though, and I would love to try and do something that helps students learning English to better understand the science concepts embedded in these games. This may be a lesson on the vocabulary associated with electrical circuits followed by class time that lets my students play with something like a Makey- Makey, or trying to create a virtual game/ world that allows the students to learn the vocabulary through exploration as well-- I don't know yet. Regardless, I think the possibilities are endless and this activity once again shows the importance of trying to incorporate various technologies into any classroom setting, even if it is not something that directly ties to the subject you are teaching.

Field Work

I missed my first Instructional Technology class this last week, and, in true 'Abbie' fashion, I possibly picked the worst week possible. While my classmates were experimenting with electric circuits and maker spaces, I was making a boring drive to a middle of nowhere Nebraska town to talk about technology. Just like I had been doing in class every week before this. In hindsight however, I wouldn't have changed a thing.
You see, I was headed to this small town in order to interview its school's teachers and administration about their technology policies and practices, and the experience couldn't have been more intriguing. It was in this place that I was able to see how just about every concept we have discussed in this class effected an actual school, and it was amazing! The school was very proactive about technology. They debatably had one of the most 'cutting-edge' technology programs in the state, with fully implemented one-to-one policies (every student had their own chrome book), digitally controlled security systems, a trendy website, and excited teachers. The principle painted a picture of an ideal system-- one that this class would greatly benefit from learning about.
On the other hand though, the teachers I talked to gave this picture a more realistic angle. Some of them didn't use the technology properly, and some of them really didn't like it. Others were simply having a hard time keeping up with the rapidly changing policies and expectations, especially with the limited training they received. They were excited about the technology but also allowed me to see the ways in which it can also hinder education when not used correctly.
I wouldn't have changed this experience for the world. Although I was missing a really great time in class, I was able to see the ways in which the concepts we have been debating so heavily mattered. I have been having a hard time really engaging in this class and the content that we discuss because it seemed so irrelevant at times. Getting to talk to educators and have them embody and express many of the concerns and ideas we have talked about though really helped me realize how important understanding technology is.

Kahoot

Want an easy way to make quizzes for a class or group project? Check out Kahoot at getkahoot.com! To see a sample of my first quiz, go to kahoot.com and enter the pin number 771585.

My Own Wonderful Idea

This weeks class was an interesting one. We are starting a unit on Maker Spaces (if you don't know what they are, look it up! It's super cool!), and the whole second half of class was spent in small groups trying to invent something totally new that would benefit education. Aside from that guideline, we were given very little instruction. It was seemingly simple: create!

The idea was cool. The implementation was frustrating. On one hand, it was extremely hard to simply come up with a completely unique idea; on another hand, it was even more challenging to try and make this idea come to life with a group. Aside from having people to split up eventual work with, I found that working in this group in particular was a bit stifling for the project. We had lots of cool ideas, but collectively we had a hard time expanding upon the ideas. Frankly, it was hard to get truly creative with a group of people who were bored, cranky, tired, and unfamiliar with each other. Ideas were thrown out... and shot down; everybody was equally at fault. We also did not seem to be seeing eye to eye on the purpose of the group either and that made progress slow. For me personally, a project that originally seemed really interesting became somewhat stressful, and I left the classroom feeling like what we had come up with wasn't good enough. It may have just been the day, but it will be interesting to see if my group can come together cohesively on this.

I would have preferred to work on the project alone, because that is just how I work best oftentimes. If it had been just me, I would have been able to pick the topic that I had the most ideas about and been able to run with it. I would have been able to make it fit into my interpretation of the project with my preferences for what the invention would do/ look like. I understand the genius behind having this be a group project, but it is not jiving with me for some reason this time. Further thought is required for how to get the creative juices flowing as a group.

Aside from that, I am terribly excited for this unit! I have done some research on Maker Spaces, and to be able to play with some of the cool things that these spaces include is awesome. I will be keeping you well updated on the banana keyboards and the likes, just so long as you don't mind my fan-girling!

February Reflections

This week I had to submit a video journal about the some of the coolest things I've learned in this class so far. I'm uploading it to this post so that you all can check it out as well! (And I'll let the video do the rest of the talking).

Evernote

Our Tech of the Week this week was an online note service. I don't particularly like taking notes on a computer in class, but I am a big list person. I like to write down all of the assignments and errands I have to do! I am also a disorganized person though and will sometimes lose the lists I make, so I thought I would try and make them on this website. You can view it here!  The things I have done are underlined, and the things I have yet to do aren't.

SOS

Technology is a funny thing and at the beginning of one of my classes last week it caused disaster to strike! We had a presentation from a grad student, who was required to present to us for a part of one of her classes and was being evaluated on it. When she got to the front of the class however, the projector would not turn on and the power point she had prepared could not be displayed. She called the colleges tech support but they would be able to come and fix the problem until at least halfway through our class period. Without missing a beat, she smiled and told us that we were going to conduct the class in an old fashioned manner, and proceeded to modify her notes and activities so that they were things that could be written on the board "old-school".

Although she handled the situation flawlessly, I have to wonder if I would have been as smooth. This incident got me thinking about what I would do in that situation, and I realized that I haven't taken many notes that weren't copied right off of a powerpoint. I've also never given a presentation like that without using powerpoint. Needless to say, I would have had a very difficult time continuing my lesson if I had been in the grad students boat because I wouldn't have thought to write my main points out on the board while I went.

This is one of the first times that it has really struck me that I am a part of the 'gamification' generation that we talked about in class this week. I grew up learning more information than I realized through games, power-points, and technology. The research we have been reading in class suggests that this may not be the best way to retain information, and the projector incident also goes to show that technology is not a "cure-all". This creates an interesting conundrum considering how much the younger generations have become accustomed to learning with technology, and there are no concrete answers on how to balance this problem. Nonetheless, the grad student saved the day by demonstrating an equal amount of skill in teaching with and without technology (which ties nicely in with the TPACK model I discussed in an earlier post), and I hope that by keeping in mind the occasional pitfalls of technology I too would be able to respond appropriately!
 

 

Pinterest

Have you ever considered using Pinterest as a way to gather ideas about teaching or organize a classroom? Until today, I hadn't either! It turns out that this website has all kinds of resources and ideas for teachers and can even be used as a way to organize and share your students work and ideas. Check out a couple of my boards above (mind you, they are a work in progress)!

TPACK

Last weeks class focused a lot of a teaching technique known as TPACK. This acronym stands for Technological (use and understand of technology in your classroom) Pedagogical (ability to relate and connect to students and design lessons that are meaningful) Content (expertise in the subject area being taught) Knowledge, and represents an idea that incorperating all of these things equally in your classroom will help optimize your teaching ability. I really liked this approach, and think it can be extremely useful in the classroom. Below is a picture that I think helps illustrate the complexity of each topic and the challenge that educators face trying to merge all three!
 

The Teaching Channel

This week my TEAC259 class was asked to explore a website called the Teaching Channel. Upon further investigation, it appears that this website is a place for teachers and administrators to post videos and articles about the things going on in their classrooms. Everything from techniques and teaching strategies, to new projects and technologies are included. I found that, if applied correctly, this website could be very useful as a future educator.
One of the articles I found that was extremely interesting to me, and also applicable in my life right now, was about improving ELL (English Language Learning) programs in schools. This is a huge area of interest to me, and I found it very reassuring to see that there is progressive work being done in the area. It talked about ways to get these students involved in class discussion, and how to improve their language skills to the best of a teachers ability. It was very informative and useful to me, as I am currently mentoring an ELL student as well. Many of the strategies talked about here are applicable to our sessions, and this has given me a couple of ideas for things to change and improve upon!
The second article I found on this website introduced one teachers creative way of integrating technology in her classroom. She used google hangout to enhance her students learning by increasing communication with herself and other classrooms/ classmates. For example, she was able to spend more time talking with her students one on one in a private setting. She also had students' conversations and discussions recorded for them to look back on to see what they could do better. I found this helpful because it ties into what we are learning about in this class very well. I think it was a unique way of using technology, and it is awesome to see new and different ways that it can be incorporated into classrooms successfully!

Mobile Journaling

This weeks class brought yet another unique and challenging experience. The previous week we had been told that we were taking a field trip to UNL's library to check out a new resource called a One-Button Studio. My original reaction: Yay! Field Trip! This will be easy. As you may have guessed, this was not the case.
Upon arriving to class that day, an unexpected layer was added to the much anticipated field trip. We had to journal about what we were doing while we were doing it. We were split into groups and had to find a way to upload pictures, videos, and comments about our every move. This meant blogging on our way to the library, documenting what we were doing in the library, and uploading more things on our way back. Not only was the idea a little foreign, but I faced another challenge. My phone was too old to download any of the apps we needed to be uploading things to google-docs and canvas while on the road. I was completely at a loss as to how to complete the assignment. My group decided to let me just take pictures and try and upload them when I got back to class, but we soon decided to try something different because everyone was already posting the things I would have posted after the fact.
Instead of waiting to post what I wanted when I got back to class, I texted/ sent pictures to a classmate of mine saying word for word what I would have posted on our journal page. She in turn would upload those to our page; it worked out very well! I was able to participate in the project, albeit in a roundabout way, like I normally would have. This technique we used is called a workaround, and basically is exactly what it sounded like. (You can read about it in our mobile journal that I will post the link to at the end of this post.)
After that, mobile journaling was fairly easy. One of the challenges was trying to find significant and diverse things to post about. There is only so much a group of six people can say about how cold and snowy the walk to the library was, so we had to get creative with our content. I also realized how easily it was to miss out on something without the proper technology. The fact that I couldn't blog my thoughts after class because someone else would have already posted something similar was really eye opening for me. It is a good representation of how quickly information and ideas are shard in today's world!
I thought overall the activity was very interesting, but not particularly beneficial. I'm not sure I will ever use mobile journaling in the future, however the activity had some very good lessons built into it that will help me down the road!
Here is the link to my mobile journal: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-LrjRbsj8EqksG_nF18GRBDAa1X1jCXvfaNv-HCUUKY/edit
(Below: a picture of a "mobile journaler" in their natural habitat, taking a picture for their mobile journal #inception)

Too Much Technology?

How much technology is too much technology? Is there even such a thing? Should technology be allowed in classrooms? If yes, what kinds of technology? How should it be incorporated? Would limiting technology in the classroom be helping or hindering a students ability to learn? All these questions and more were central themes of our classroom discussion this last week in TEAC 259.
The answers to these questions are not black and white. There are many diverse opinions concerning technology inside and outside of the classrooms, and rarely are any of these opinions wrong. For example, we discussed how, when looked at with a broad perspective, technology dates back all the way to an invention as simple as a window. At the time such technology could be perceived as a distracting thing to have in the classroom. However, the human population learned how to adapt to this distraction until it reached a point where it wasn't even considered as such. It is possible that we may see a similar shift in the technology we tend to think as too distracting for a classroom currently.
This being said, the easiest way to decipher what should be allowed or not allowed in the classroom should be left to the discretion of the teacher. It should not be something ignored or tabooed by a teacher, but rather something welcomed and incorporated wherever it is helpful to prove a point. In a reading we did for class, it talked about using an approach called TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge). This encourages teachers to use their knowledge of their subject matter, students, and technology to incorporate technology in new and interesting ways in the classroom when it is applicable. I think this is a great way to go about using technology in a classroom. If a new idea for using technology becomes a hindrance in the classroom, then a different approach should be taken. If you think outside of the box and use technology in engaging and relevant ways then it will not be a distraction but will help students unlock the abilities they need to be successful in today's world.

Nebraska State Standards

We expanded the definition of "standards" further this week to include State and National education standards. Have you ever investigated just what is required to be covered in Nebraska's schools? Check it out at: http://www.education.ne.gov/academicstandards/index.html

A popular response from my class was that the standards were surprisingly, and almost comically, simple. In my opinion, this should allow for teachers delve further into each topic while adapting their lessons plans to fit the needs of their students best. Whether or not this is always the case though is debatable and no definitive answer exists. Did your teachers encourage further learning, or did they follow the bare minimum? Are the standards too simple? Too hard? What do you think?

Three, Two, One, GO!

Three, two, one, go! Starting the first day of my TEAC259 class-- a class centered on how to use technology in the classroom-- felt scarily similar to being thrown into the deep end of a pool with no instruction on how to actually swim (not that I'd know from experience...). In a flurry of activity and, frankly, chaos we were asked to make a power point slide with a picture of a common object. For somebody who is as technologically competent as a goldfish, even that seemingly simple task proved to be more difficult than expected. That, however, was nothing but child's play compared to the next activity.

After (finally) uploading the picture, two words were introduced to the class: affordances and standards. Mostly through self discovery, I learned that affordances are basically the things that new technology allows us to do that we couldn't do before, and standards (in this context) are the things that are consistently valued and strived for in a culture that promote the invention of these technologies. The concepts seem simple when written out, but they are not so simple when applied to something like a tote bag. Affordances of a tote bag can include anything from carrying multiple things at once because of a standard of efficiency, to allowing for more privacy because of a standard to privacy, to being environmentally friendly because of the standard of protecting our world.

Thinking of even the simplest technology in this way was very new to me and very challenging. This, combined with a teaching style that was extremely incompatible with how I'm normally comfortable learning, made the class interesting to say the least. However, I'm excited for the future. Much like being thrown into a pool and not knowing how to swim, this course could have several outcomes for me. I could very well drown. Conversely, as was the case with the 'pool incident', I could also learn more quickly and effectively than ever before only to find a hidden talent and interest. I'm hoping for the latter. Either way, I'm excited to see what this course has in store for me and am confident it will be a learning experience unlike any other.