Aug. 2 - digital citizenship response

In my opinion, digital citizenship is a topic that needs to come more into focus into the school systems. With the advancements in technology use into the classroom, the rules, laws, expectations, and etiquette is something that is NOT being talked about as much as it should be. When I think about it, it is like playing a new game, and trying to dabble in it, without even knowing the rules of how to play. It just doesn't work and pretty soon, you are going to get thrown out or cut from a game if you don't know exactly how to play. I think the same could be true of not instructing our students on how to be an effective digital citizen.

*Two elements of the discussed nine elements that stood out to me were digital law and digital etiquette.
DIGITAL LAW: Students have entered a school age where they need to know what a good digital citizen is and how to construct safe spaces within the spaces they occupy their time in. Students need to be aware and have a strong foundational understanding on how to successfully keep track of personal information that exists about them, especially when this information is so easily captured by others looking for an easy target. Just like there are rules and laws about how to conduct one's self in public, there are rules and laws that need to be followed in the technology "world" as well. It becomes pertinent for our young children to become very familiar with the laws that exist and how they affect them.
Parents should be one group within a child's life that educates their child/ren on the laws that exist and how to be an effective citizen within this technologically advanced world. Below is a website that talks about how parents can educate their children on this topic.
http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/technology/using-technology/raising-good-digital-citizens
I also feel that a large part of education about digital citizenship needs to come through education that is received at school. Students are spending more time with different types of technology and some of those lessons need to begin with digital law.
www.teachingcopyright.org, http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/lessons/digitaldivide/, http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/forms-and-norms-6-8 all offer curriculum and lessons to help instruct students on this very subject.
DIGITAL ETIQUETTE: Teaching good manners online and throughout conduct on the world wide web and other forms of technology is also very important. Students need to be taught on how to have good manners with replying to emails, responding to a blogpost, creating blogposts, and even text messages or other forms of communication. Students are beginning to use technology as soon as they can physically hold and operate a mouse or move their finger over the mouse pad on a laptop, so it is so important that they learn the "in and outs" of etiquette when using technology just as much as learning good manners when talking to someone on the phone or face to face. These items to keep in mind may be very easy, but all to important as they communicate with someone. Something as small as remembering to type in lower case letters unless they are intending to "yell" at a person. This is something that needs to be taught and again it falls on the educational staff and parents.
One site that falls into both law and etiquette is: http://www.janinelim.com/bc/4thur/ethics.pdf  Parents need to realize that the rules and etiquette needs to start at home as well. Making rules such as not texting during dinner or after a certain time at night are great places to start. Another website to help with lessons to teach children is http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum/mannersbullyingethics/lessons/2-3/good_manners_everywhere
WHAT DO I THINK NEEDS TO HAPPEN?
I believe that once again, it starts "top down". I know there are administrators that have not been properly taught the digital law and the digital etiquette that exists. Sure, some of them are easier to know and something that could just be "figured out", but some of the laws are more difficult to know. Then, in turn, teachers and staff need to know these very well so that they can, in turn, be taught correctly to the students. I think technology departments from districts need to hold meetings for parents on how they can effectively help their child as they become more technologically advanced.  Parents also need to be aware of these rules and they need to become more familiar with these rules as well. I do believe that digital law and digital etiquette lessons need to be part of the curriculum right from the beginning. Starting in Kindergarten, students can learn the simple rules and then it can be built upon in the years that follow. I believe that this would be a start in creating a stronger student that has this knowledge to pull from.

Michigan online learning requirement response

Next, create a blog post describing how your district is addressing the Michigan Online Learning Requirement for K-12 students (PDF) (such as Moodle, BlackBoard, MIVU, GenNet, TWICE fieldtrips, ePals, Read Across the Planet, etc.).

This is also a very difficult post to write/make.  Because I teach in the elementary level, my world is completely different than what happens in the middle/high school level. I often say that we need to have opportunities to have teachers rotate between buildings/levels to get a feel of each other are doing. Many high school teachers may think we still spend our time counting blocks and coloring pages. At the elementary level, we get frustrated because we study the comprehension strategies so hard in elementary, but then they go to middle school and just drop them. We do share at least one thing in common, we do realize that education is changing in the area of technology and how our teaching methods need to change because of that.

I know that our school offers online credit to earn towards college credit. I don't know too much more information about that, but it is offered.
When I went through the list, I could not write on what is offered or used at the middle school or high school, and the article on Michigan online learning talks about grades 6-12 for many of the areas, however, some of the areas that were mentioned are being used by the elementary teachers.

I have used webquests with my students to give them an online activity to help them learn a particular topic, such as topics in social studies or science. There are teachers who use educational blogs to communicate with either the parents or students in their class. Virtual fields and other types of simulations are also used to enhance the lessons/topics being taught in the classroom.
There was  section mentioned on educational gaming - and at the elementary level, we use some of our ipad time to have them play games that reinforce outcomes that need to be learned.
Teachers also use websites such as unitedstreaming and teachertube that allow them to search for small clips or videos that aide in that day's lesson/s.  With the increased focus on standardized testing, at the elementary level, there are tests that are also taken online and students can participate in test prep to allow them to become more familiar with the layout of the online testing before it occurs.

Technology is not going away and as teachers, we need to knit the technology into each day to help our students become prepared for middle and high school, as well as beyond as they will be dependent on technology use in their future.

July 12 assignment on Technology tools and how they are used

I'm not going to lie on this one - difficult. Many of these abbreviations for the systems that were listed, it sounded like a foreign language. I tried contacting the ISD to find out some more information, but got the "run around" and it is quite difficult to find those education people during the summer months - "this person is on vacation" or "I think you may need to speak with.... and they are out today".  So, the only one that at the elementary level that I'm even remotely familiar with, is infinite campus. I learned that it was a SIS, student information system. We use this system K-12 in our district.
I then did an internet search on gathering more information on infinite campus online, however, that became a nightmare as well because many of the webpages were simply school's web login pages. The actual company did have a webpage as well, with listed information about the company, however, it did not mention anything about FERPA on that page. I thought it was funny that it didn't even mention it..
TYPE OF INFORMATION ON INFINITE CAMPUS:
In looking at infinite campus, from what I use of it, there are many valuable and useful tools for teachers on this particular SIS. Student profiles and information are listed: address, a picture of the student, past grades for all previous grades, important allergy information, any interventions that have been done on the student, and common things such as address, siblings, date of birth, parents' names and email, phone number, cell phones, etc.
As for the teacher aspect, there is a 'search' button that a teacher can search out any student in the building. Information is kept for five or six prior years so if anything needs to be searched on a prior student, it is available. Assignments and tests can be recorded in infinite campus. In turn, there is a parent portal that parents are able to login and view and see the grades of their child.
Our attendance in the morning and afternoon are also done on infinite campus.
FERPA COMPLIANCE:
I read on the infinite campus website that it is serviced in 43 states and by hundreds of school districts nation-wide. With it being so widely used and accessed, it is vital that they would adhere to the FERPA guidelines. One of the first things that I notice is that parents need to have a special login in order to gain access into their child's "account information".
HOW TO GAIN A LOGIN: Parents must acquire a form that needs to be filled out from the technology department, this form needs to be filled out and returned to them, the technology department will then email the parents back with password and login information.
HOW IS IT COMMONLY USED: Infinite campus is used much differently than in middle school or high school. In elementary school, we use it to take attendance each day. Some teachers use it to keep track of scores on assignments and tests. We use infinite campus to fill out grades on report cards, and any information that is needed from the student is looked up on infinite campus (ie. needing a student's address, names of parents, etc.)
I would like the assignments section of infinite campus to be more "user friendly" and then I think more teachers would use it at the elementary level.

Critical Evaluation process

Interesting.... that is the first word that comes to mind when I did the assignment on the critical evaluation of a web site. A couple of things come to mind.

1. I don't know of too many teachers that have the time to go through the evaluation check-off list with every website that they direct themselves or their students to.
2. However, with that being said, it was interesting to do this activity with the webpages that were given to us. It became apparent that it is very important for students and educators to become more aware of the validity of their webpages. 

The first webpage had me going for a little bit. Because Martin Luther was such an important key person in our history, one would imagine that it would be true facts. However, it was hosted by "Stormfront - White Pride" group. The #$ letters in the swear words also gave me a "heads up".
It was interesting that one of the questions on the check-off list for educators was whether or not the address ended in things like, k12, edu, org, gov....and this one did - but it didn't mean that it was a good resource for students to use.

It reminded me that just like youtube, teachers must preview the webpages and maybe "guide" the students through webpages where we would like them to go - especially as beginners at the computer/ipad.

I also feel as though students are not as skilled as what they need to be with internet searches. I think many students feel as though they are webpages that are valid - especially if THEY search and it comes up. Our computer teacher does several lessons on choosing "appropriate and helpful" websites. I think this has to happen a lot more than what is currently happening, but then again, I think teachers/educators also need to be instructed on this more than they currently are.

I think in order to get our students ready in the 21st century - this day and age of technology and all the ways that it is integrated into our lives, it must be shown to them the importance of really looking into a webpage and not just take it as truth because it is on the internet. It is a skill that must be taught, however.

It was an interesting assignment and learned a lot, something that our staff should look into for professional development throughout the school year.

Reactions to Hattie's Research and IES research

In reflecting on the research websites, I have to admit, it has been awhile in THIS teacher's career that I have really had to dive into this deeper level of research. I will have to say that it is such a great reminder to look at the validity of the resource and the makings of the study.

I was quite surprised to say the least in this study's outcomes. There were items that I thought were critical for the success in school, and yet according to the research, it wasn't as I viewed the scale.  I was fascinated that student feedback was extremely high and even in the second study that was done later, student feedback remained pretty high and testing, which is SUCH a big thing right now, was towards the bottom of the list.

In the second study, self-report grades were very high, but something that kind of bothered me was the knowledge that the teacher had for the subject matter and the training that the teacher received was quite low. That doesn't quite sit with me well, seeing that I already hear that "anyone can be a teacher" and I tend  to believe that my training and education has molded me into a better educator for my students - but according to this study - it's not.

In the IES research, I was intrigued by the math achievement section. I am revamping my whole math journal this fall, making it more of an interactive journal and resource for my students. It is a ton of work, but I want it to be full functioning by the time the kids step into my room for the first day of school. So, I looked that up and was brought to a site that listed many different interventions that early education students could take part in and help increase math achievement. According to the study listed, the SRA - or Building Blocks intervention had a positive outcome on the achievement on students - however, other intervention programs did not do as well.

I think as educators, we can get very easily drawn into the "latest and greatest" and it is important to do additional research in order to show the validity in what is being presented to the staff and/or students. As far as the staff, it think it is important to bring in a sense of research to show the staff that what is being presented is backed up by current research and best practices for students. It is a good reminder for us, as educators/administrators to remember.

New assignment on the thoughts on UDL

I'm enjoying learning more about UDL. I felt the video segments were a great way of teaching more about UDL in a condensed way.
There are a couple of items that I learned from this assignment regarding UDL.
1. Starting with the goal in mind - the end goal comes first. Look at the outcome that you want learned and work backwards from there.
2. Another interesting aspect that I don't think about as much as I should is really pondering the barriers that exist with teaching this outcome that will hinder my students from learning at their highest potential. It is something that I need to pay more attention to - something that I will from now on.
3. I enjoyed watching the video segment where it talked about UDL being a framework that moves the students to be a successful learners and hopefully eventually expert learners. It mentioned how most lessons are taught with the "average" student in mind. However, the UDL will allow for flexible learning and hopefully reach more students.

Some of the key points regarding UDL is that it teaches the instructor to offer multiple ways for the material to be taught to the students. Another item that UDL focuses on is that it offers several different ways of the students expressing or even acting out the material that has been taught to them. Finally, UDL offers a variety of engagement for the students. This model is very flexible with your students and covers the what, how, and why of learning. All of these items make for better understanding for the students of the classroom.

Finally, the teacher should always begin with the end first so that the focus can be on what needs to be learned by the student. This helps the teacher by keeping the end goal in sight while writing the activities. Otherwise, it might be easier to become sidetracked by other lessons/activities that are not part of the end goal.

Do we really need technology in the classroom?

Technology - it is something that has evolved and now students will never know a world without technology. I look at my own life - how technology has slowly filtered in, something very slowly, little steps by little steps...but I look at the children now and I'm completely fascinated with how they aren't taking little steps in technology, but leaps, giant steps and it encompasses their whole world now. Little two year olds are holding their parents iphones and playing a variety of color recognition games, or counting games to keep themselves occupied while their parent cruises the cereal aisle.

As one of the videos mentioned, people/students can connect in ways that were never imaginable before and you can share those thoughts/ideas/items learned with the entire world. This is something that before the internet was not even conceivable.

I do believe that incorporating technology in the classroom is a good thing. I also appreciated one of the videos that mentioned that students can now learn at their own pace using the tools that are offered through the use of technology. The Common Core Standards mention how the students need to be self-directed learners. They need to be able to have the knowledge to seek out these resources to get them to be this self-directed learner. This would include the teacher, their own peers, printed documents, books, as well as digital reference materials. All of these will equip the students to be ready for life in a society that is wrapped in technology.

Now, the question comes up about a teacher or facilitator that may be reluctant to use/incorporate technology into their teaching/classroom. My first item on the agenda would be ask them WHY they are reluctant. It could very well be that it could be a fear factor with not being as familiar with the digital tool as what the kids are or other teachers around them. I think there may be many school districts that have incorporated laptops, ipads or something else similar for the students to use, however, to due many circumstances, the staff was not properly trained on how to use it or the best ways of incorporating that tool into the classroom for that particular grade level. With the demands placed on teachers, there may be some teachers who lack the extra time that is needed to familiarize themselves with the best methods of instruction using that particular digital too. Without that needed training and a support team that will help them work through the best ways of incorporating it into the classroom, there would be some educators that would push against using it in their classrooms until they feel more comfortable using that particular tool in front of their students.

Overall, technology makes it possible for students to connect instantly with the world in a way that was never before done. There are topics on anything imaginable, which simply fosters the love of learning for students and help them absorb it to the fullest. If it is something that is fun and something that they enjoy learning about, they will want to explore that further. Exploring takes on a whole new meaning when digital media can be used within the classroom to facilitate the learning of all the types of students that are the make-up of any given classroom.

Vision Statement Assignment

For this next assignment for our class, I need to reflect on the question: “If I ran our school system”…

If I ran our school system, I would be under a whole lot more stress than I currently am, just running my classroom, that is for sure.  There are several layers that make up the school system, and they all need to be knitted together – all woven tightly into a single piece of “cloth” – and that is,  to all understand our common task. It would require everyone, from the bus drivers, to the secretaries, the janitors, the paraprofessionals, and all the teachers to understand where we are headed. They all need to be informed about the current news in education and the changes that are taking place. This would include safety, curriculum and assessment, happenings with teachers as well as students, and in the area of technology.

To start off with, the curriculum seems to be constantly changing for the teachers/staff right now. With the addition of the common core standards, there needs to be adequate training and understanding to these new standards. I would invite professionals in. I would allow the teachers to have time to have small break-out sections – first with their own teaching team, then with the teams below them and above them. I believe that this is important so that each teacher will not only understand their role in teaching the standards that they have been given, but also gain a better understanding of where the students have come from and where they will be heading next.  I would give teachers the opportunity to explore with these professionals as to the reasons why certain curricular aspects were changed, moved to different grades, or omitted altogether.  If teachers don’t understand the reasons behind the changes, then they aren’t going to be on board with getting the students taught the requirements that need to be mastered. Lastly, I think that teachers also need to meet with other grade level teachers across the county as well as given adequate planning time – if we are all out for the common good of educating today’s youth, then it should not be a “we against them” type of mentality, but rather, “all for one, one for all” thought process.

The teachers need to feel as though they are respected for their knowledge and the job they are doing. I know a lot of teachers that are feeling so defeated and losing their passion. I believe that this starts from the top – it will be a trickle effect.  Teachers are great support for one another and this should continue. Teachers who work well together, should continue to do so, knowing that their goal is to do the best job possible in educating today’s students. These same teachers also need to proper training in order to do their job well. Conferences and best practice seminars should be mandatory in attendance. Teachers should be able to pick an area of interest and explore that area – bringing it back not only to their classroom, but to their staff as well.

As these teachers communicate these vital lessons to their students, the students and parents need to keep up their part as well. There needs to be some follow-up at home, if the child is falling behind. It may mean that there will be an after school tutoring system in order to catch any misconceptions that the student may have. Personally, I would also like to see the school move to a year-round school calendar – same amount of time off, but spread more consistently throughout the year. There would be less time off during the summer months to help with the retention of the material taught.

 Assessments are a vital component to address the success of the child’s learning. However, there can be too much assessment as well. With teacher’s evaluations tied to student achievement, it must be done carefully as to not create an environment of “teaching strictly to the test”. Rigor does need to happen in today’s classroom, but too much assessment is not good either. In the elementary classroom, students are checked several times a year to make sure no child is being overlooked. Benchmark meetings that are scheduled sporadically throughout the year ensures that the entire teaching staff knows about these students and if the student warrants further testing. From this vital information, RTI groups can be assigned – however, adequate leaders for these groups must be maintained for it to be a success.

Technology is also an area that is so vital in today’s classrooms. However, before you can teach these students in the best methods that involve technology, it first must be taught to the teachers. There needs to be a system sin place for that before rolling out any type of technology. The teachers must be taught first. If there are teachers who understand, let them pilot what works best. There should be a technology coach that is required to meet with each teacher, identifying their strengths and weaknesses in the area of technology.  A certain amount of time in each staff meeting should be set aside to educate teachers in the area of technology. This coach should model lessons/activities/apps, etc. that work best and for which grade level it would be appropriate for. There should be professional development that is done throughout the year that allows teachers to dig deeper into this area in order to gain a better understanding about it – thus creating a higher level of confidence as they bring this into their classrooms and lessons that involve this technology.

“If I ran the school system” is such a dream statement – rather fun to think about – especially, when funding isn’t an issue. To me, it is amazing to see the growth that comes through students with the limited supplies that are given to the teachers – all the while engaging, motivating, and helping each of those students capture that love of learning each and every day.

TLA - TAL Getting Started

I definitely am getting started....
What I hope to gain and learn from this class is a better understanding of what exactly would help my students best in technology, within the classroom setting. There are so many new ways of teaching and methods involving technology, that this gives me a chance to explore and learn more about them. Hopefully, with the knowledge learned, I can adapt these into my classroom setting.