My Digital Story

https://www.wevideo.com/view/347381959

Podcast Numero Uno!

https://soundcloud.com/valerie-oneill-1/podcast-1

Maybe this will work?

PLN Reflection

            PLN… what does it stand for? Not just in the acronym, but what does the idea of a Professional Learning Network truly stand for? Throughout the semester we’ve learned so many “tricks and traits” of being a teacher. For example… I’ve learned just how much “Teacher Talk” each teacher writes into their lesson plans. (ha!) I’ve also learned how with the implementation of technology in the classroom, ANYTHING is possible.  Speaking as somebody who is constantly getting yelled at to “put your phone away!” “You’re always on social media!” “Do you really need to check your instagram right now!?” I’m not new to the world of social media, and the connections it can make for you. Just recently I connected with a girl I was best friends with before we moved to Glens Falls; with the click of a mouse we were able to pick up right where we left off 16 years ago. If it’s this easy for social uses, why couldn’t it be just as easy for educational uses?

One of the more difficult things of this experience has been forcing myself to use social media sites for educational and professional tasks. As I said, my guilty pleasure is keeping up on the latest “gossip”, the more effort I put in to school, week to week, the more excited I become to learn all the inside knowledge that these teachers have who have been teaching for 30+ years. Still, I often find myself struggling to close the gap between my personal life and my educational/ professional life. Instead of just being a creeper, and watching others from the outside, it’s very beneficial to reach out!

 I learned very quickly that if you reach out, very often others reach right back. Through communities that I joined in Google +, I followed three users that I never would have otherwise had the opportunity to follow and learn from. I also had the courage to post something without the fear of others reading it wondering what I was doing… these communities proved to be incredibly open and welcoming.

I’ve spent a lot of time preaching, throughout this semester, about how we must make learning fun and interesting for students. The more engaged the students can become, the better the chances of them having a deep understanding of the overarching lesson goal. That seems simple enough, right? Make it interesting and they’ll enjoy it more. With Google+ I took my own advice, and joined communities and began following people who I found to be interesting in areas other than just education. I joined communities such as “Common Core”, “Creating an Open Classroom”, “Google Apps for Education”, “Teachers Helping Teachers”, and “Project Based Learning”; I also joined communities that focused on Fitness, Healthy Living, Fashion, and DIY projects. Who’s to say I couldn’t incorporate any of those categories into a lesson plan, therefore enhancing my own excitement- which would show through my teaching. My best friend, who is currently an ESL teacher in China has been trying for months to get me on Google +, and for months I’ve been saying no. In the short time of this semester, not only have I joined Google +, but I’ve become a huge fan of it.

While Google + was entirely new to me, I also “began” using Twitter which was not at all new to me. In 2011 one of my friends created a twitter account for me and even began tweeting from my voice… in hopes that it would become something that I eventually took over for myself. It took a solid 8 months, but finally I did begin tweeting, and it quickly became SUCH an addiction! There is no faster way to keep up with everything, and anything, in “the know”. With 1,700 tweets, 130 followers, and 440 people that I follow… twitter was a walk in the park for me throughout this project. One important thing that I gained from the twitter section however was the idea that old dogs can learn new tricks… although I find myself constantly tweeting with hashtags

, retweeting

, replying

, and tweeting to others

 I’ve never looked at this as a tool that could be useful in my classroom. During the Twitter edchat I participated in (#sunchat)

there was one teacher from Wisconsin that has all sorts of sweet and inspiring quotes that would be such a wonderful addition to the “decorating” part of my classroom. (Don’t worry Matt, I’m about to tie this all together, because I’m sure you were hoping for me to gain more than decorating tips from that chat). During Dr. Grant’s curriculum class I created the idea of a Classroom Constitution to many of my lesson plans. One of the constitution “laws” I wanted to implement was the idea of remembering- and being nice to others because people remember how you make them feel. (Note: there was in fact more to the lesson-- the whole idea of “remembering” was covered by writing a short story about the kids day from start to finish). The quote that I had connected to this lesson was by Maya Angelou “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” The way my new Wisconsin teacher friend had her quote shown was such a genius idea to me. I loved connecting to somebody and seeing the way they viewed something so differently than the way I viewed the same idea.

Personally, what I think I’ll take away from this, and continue to use is Blogger. In all honesty, will I continue to use my twitter account for educational purposes? Probably not. I considered creating a new Twitter account that would be used solely for education, and maybe down the road that’s something I will do. Awhile ago I created a blog, and I was really into it for about 2 weeks. (Let’s be honest, I was fresh out of a breakup and thought I’d express my undying sorrow in a poetic way.) That didn’t last… but, I was always a big fan of blogs. While I’ve been working on my National Board Certified Teacher research project in Dr. Danna’s class, I’ve found that the one thing that most “seasoned” teachers do is reflect. After a lesson they constantly ask what they did well, what they could improve on, and what they should scrap all together. I think that a blog is the perfect tool for that… type up a quick note that will always remain accessible. Another benefit of blogging is reading other people’s thoughts. A blog is more personal, more detailed, and a more in depth look into somebody else’s ideas. I found Blogger to be the best tool to use when you’re looking for more than just a quick idea.

            Over the course of this month, I’ve learned more than I can put into a single blog entry. Some of it, I’ll take with me in classes next semester, interviews, and teaching… and some of it, I won’t use again after this semester. Whether it’s blogging, tweeting, google “plusing”, my PLN has been something beneficial to my growth and my boundaries as a teacher. Stay tuned and I may just be the next bloggin’ teacher.

Technology in the Classroom Response

Sometimes it seems as if teachers are afraid to embrace technology, and everything it has to offer in the classroom! This particular blog is focused on struggles teachers face using games in the classroom. So often we focus on the advantages of teaching a lesson that is engaging and interesting to students; what is more interesting than video games?! However, no matter how available they are, they are still being implemented into classrooms as supplemental or rewarding work. One of the example teachers they talk about, a New York City middle school ELA teacher experimented with video games. Not only did he align it to a Common Core ELA Standard, but he had his students also do prior research!

I feel that with technology so available and engaging to students, why isn’t it used more?! Too few teachers know about the wide world of games that are no longer just games. Paired with a reflective conversation, essay, or test, games are such a great way to have total participation from students!

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/11/some-struggles-teachers-face-using-games-in-the-classroom/

The Innovative Educator

Lisa Nielsen’s blog “The Innovative Educator” is AMAZING. On Wednesday, November 19, she wrote a blog titled “Stop Letting Good Students Do Bad Presentations”. It was funny because it was all common sense stuff, however what made it funnier was that it was tips that even I still do, as a grad student. “DON’T USE HEADERS AND BULLETS IN PRESENTATIONS” Hello! I love bullets, although I think it’s safe to say my love for bullets has only grown since meeting Jenna this semester. “VIDEOTAPE YOUR STUDENTS” Just this semester Dr. Grant videotaped a mini lesson I presented and for the first time ever I watched myself at the front of the classroom; it was more informative than any feedback I had ever received before! “WATCH AND ANALYZE GREAT STUDENT PRESENTATIONS” so often the feedback students receive is on something that needs improvement, when what they really need is feedback on what is right-- this shows them exactly what you’re looking for, and gives them insight into what they should be doing!

Nielsen is a very active blogger, and one that I will continue to follow. She is both very informative and very inviting. Her suggestions, lessons, and ideas are amazing. To all teacher friends, teacher candidates, and even students, this is my advice for you: follow this amazing writer!

http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2014/11/stop-letting-your-students-do-bad.html

Welcome to the 21st Century

What do creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving all have in common? They belong in schools, and they belong in the 21st century.  In the article "21st Century Skills: Why They Matter, What They Are, and How We Get There", Ken Kay explains not only what the framework is for teaching 21st century skills in schools, but he explains WHY it is important. Just as students work better when they have a deep understanding of their purpose, we as humans can comprehend, and implement skills when we too have a deep understanding. 

Kay begins by stating that we, as public schools, are on the threshold of a tipping point-- "the moment when a critical mass of circumstances come together and sets us on a new and unstoppable course." (p. xiii). While we approach this tipping point, it is important we understand the three important answers to why we need a new model for education in the 21st century. First, the world is changing. Change or remain the same- sink or swim- those who can change with the world will be successful, and those that can not change, will be left behind. Second, US schools and students have not adapted to the changing world. Common Core, at the root of it, is to help our students "catch up" to the progress made from students internationally, and to help our teachers teach our students appropriately to what is available to them. In America, with the utilization of technology not at its fullest, students are not as eager to learn in the old fashion ways. These students are basically coming out of the womb with a cell phone attached to their ear, yet they're still taking notes out of a textbook. Thirdly, The United States has no clear sense of purpose or direction for securing our future economic competitiveness. Complacency, a word feared by many, but descriptive of more- especially in America. STEM is excelling world wide, yet the US seems terribly complacent with their status. 

Students, with 21st century skills will be prepared to think, learn, work, solve problems, communicate, collaborate, and contribute. The times are a'changin' and it seems the more time that passes, the answer becomes easier and easier to answer. America, public schools, students, teachers: should we sink or should we swim?

Digital Natives

"...the single biggest problem facing education today is that our Digital Immigrant instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language." (Prensky, 2. 2001). Education is changing, and unfortunately some educators are not. Is it their fault? Not necessarily.

In Prensky's article "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants", he takes a deep look into the ever changing role of technology in schools. This generation's students have never known anything other than technology-- referred to as N-gen (Net) or D-gen (Digital), these Digital Natives speak the native language of technology. They've grown up with computers in every household, televisions in more than one room of the house, and video games being the norm for after school activities. 

On the other side of the spectrum are Digital Immigrants; I am a digital immigrant. When I started school, computers were not part of the daily lessons, after school activities involved playing outside "until the street lights came on", and I did not have a cell phone until I went to college. Like me, many teachers are "immigrants"... they don't speak technology as a first language; they don't instinctly search online for the answer of a question, they call to see if their email arrived, and they print documents to edit instead of editing them on the computer. 

Digital Immigrant teachers do a  disservice to their students by thinking the way they were taught will still work for students now. That is not true. One point Prensky made was that Natives often have a hard time focusing in class- but maybe the fault doesn't lie in the students, maybe the fault lies in the lesson plans. If the teacher is not making a lesson plan that teaches as much, if not more, knowledge than what is being taught to them in real life situations, can they really be blamed for not paying attention? 

In this, lies the ultimate question: do the digital natives take a step backward and learn the way their successors were taught, or do the digital immigrants "get with the times" and learn how to properly teach the kids of today, using the technology available to them? To me, the answer seems simple... the times are a'changin' and it seems so should the ways of teaching. How do they do this? By going a little faster- having faith the students can and will keep up with you; less step by steps, and more parallels- how can you help the students relate?