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!