Another View of the "mousinator"!

Here's my attempt using MS Word Drawing tools!

The Mousinator!

Monster Blog Entry!

Beware of the Monster!

Shaking like a leaf, the boy slowly opens the creaky closet door.  The beast has been making noise and now he’s close to it!  It’s dark in the cavernous closet, but as his eyes adjust, the brave boy can slowly make out the beast!

It has soft fur like the smoothest silk, but its’ teeth and claws look razor sharp. The monster’s pink and white ears are like triangles and the radar dishes move sharply and efficiently to detect little feet pattering near some boxes in the back of the closet.

The monster creeps quitely across the floor and settles into position near the back of the closet.

Patiently it waits…The Monster stares, its long smooth black and white tail slowly twitches from left to right and from right to left.  Its’ green eyes are riveted on the pile of games.  The Monster ignores the boy as he calls.

Minutes later there is a crash in the closet.  Kitty has struck again!  The cornered mouse didn’t have a chance.

Final Project Reflection

Whew!  It got late too fast...

At last I've finished my final project and it's time to reflect.  I ended up creating two lesson plans and a training for Diigo.

My first lesson plan is on the Columbian Exchange and students will use Voicethread to answer questions about the Columbian Exchange in their Social Studies Class.  I have been and will continue to work with our Social Studies teacher on this project.  This is the part I like the best about my job, when I can work with a teacher and build a great lesson!  We are a bit frightened as this is the first official Voicethread project ever at our school.  I'm also a bit nervous about our bandwidth, but either way, we'll learn from at and have challenges to overcome.

The second lesson addresses my frustration of not having a good lesson to teach students about Google Docs.  Our 7th and 8th graders all have school gmail accounts and I really want them to use this wonderful tool.  My hope is they'll use it in all of their classes at our school and beyond.  The lesson has them collaborate writing a poem online.

I've never taken education classes, so I'm hoping I've done my lesson plans the "right way".  That's one of the reasons I enrolled in the program.  I've got some "street smarts" from being a tech coordinator for nine years, but I have a lot to learn still.

My final piece of the project is creating a lesson plan for an hour long Diigo presentation during a staff development day on March 21st that  I've volunteered to do.  I'm just learning about Diigo, but preparing a lesson drops you right into it!  At the very least, I'd like to be able to share exciting discoveries I make on the web with some of my colleagues who get into a neat website as much as I do.

Thanks to Holly and the class for a great experience!

Marty

Teaching Tech-Savvy Kids - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 is entitled "Remix Culture".  The basic idea is to take something in its original form and alter it to your own tastes and preferences.  Reading this chapter made me really wish I had this technology when I was growing up.  Cutting edge for me was going from a reel to reel tape player to cassette tapes!

I know kids today love this, because I see it in my classroom.  Several of my 8th graders are creating elaborate musical pieces using GarageBand as an independent project and they are teaching me quite a bit!
 This chapter discusses the role of the teacher and it's something I'm still getting used to..."We have to participate  as well as produce alongside our students and to become facilitators of their learning...It is not about providing all the answers or giving them specific directives but instead giving our students a map for them to achieve (p. 159)." I've been leaning this way in my thinking and I'd really like to explore this approach some more.  I'm so used to being "the resource" and it seems the adult and kids in our school are happy to keep relying on me for help.  I know my students will be better off if they learn how to "figure things out" but I'm not used to it and easily slip into providing too much help when asked.  It's a tough shift and I'm trying to work my way through it. 

The author raises the legal issues remixing brings up.  "Remixed creations use material that has some type of copyright from the original author; however remixes recontextualize the original source and create new meaning and are highly eligible to be a fair use of copyrighted material (p. 155)."  I feel I would need to understand this issue better before diving into remixes in my class.  I'd need a better sense of how to balance copyright protection and fair use.  Who decides if it's recontextualized enough?

I found it interesting that two thirds of online teens are content creators.  One thing this book does very well is give us information on what kids are doing online now and tries to help us connect learning to their passions!  A great ideal to strive for.  I look forward to checking out some of the links in the chapter to learn more.  

Teaching Tech-Savvy Kids - Chapter 6

Virtual Worlds

The last chapter was about role playing and this chapter is about virtual worlds.  I can't help but wonder if the author is an escapist or something?  Did she grow up with her door closed reading novels and not socializing anymore than she had to?  

As I read the first description of virtual worlds, the author states, "Virtual environments are places, accessible by the internet, where people can discover, exchange, or share information opinions and ideas (p. 114)." Again, I'm slow to embrace something that distracts people, especially children from reality.

"Kalipea's Journey From Novice to Veteran in Final Fantasy XI (p. 116)" was frightening to me.  We have a shy young girl who takes to a fantasy game and is immediately immersed for twelve hours.  The author touts her engagement as a positive, confidence building thing but what happened to the real world she lives in?  What happens when she naively becomes friends with a sexual predator?  I have never been an online gamer and I acknowledge my skepticism may be tempered with some gaming experience.

However, I did a paradigm shift on gaming when I read the description of Quest Atlantis.  This is an online game simulating an ecological disaster in a fictitious national park.  Students interview different characters, analyze data they gather as well as historical data, consider socio-economic implications, and make recommendations to solve a water pollution problem.  They are then transported into the future and they get to see how their recommendations panned out.  Critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication...it's all there...engaging and based in reality.  I can see a realistic game like this as a great teaching tool that both students and teachers would thrive doing. 

There is a place for fantasy where someone's imagination and creativity can thrive.   I just worry about it being safe and healthy.  I wouldn't want my kid "checking out" for twelve hours in an online game.  It's a big world out there and I'm always concerned about encouraging students to meet strangers online.  Maybe they already are and I shouldn't worry about it, but I do...

 

Teaching Tech-Savvy Kids - Chapter 4

Teaching Tech-Savvy Kids Chapter 4 Wikipedia

 Our now retired librarian categorically said Wikipedia may not be used as a source.  She would say, “It’s no good, because anyone can write or edit the articles.” After reading this chapter, I’d still be reluctant to use Wikipedia as a source, however it can give a good overview on a topic and lead to good information sources.

In my other Lesley class I’m researching the use of technology in Project Based Learning (PBR).  From the Wikipedia article on PBR, I found several good sites in the external links section below the article.  I’ll have to consider the validity of each link, but I think this experience and this chapter have convinced me Wikipedia can be a helpful resource to get started on a research project.

From the Wikipedia homepage, I read Wikipedia’s “About  Wikipedia” page.  Currently, there are 17 million articles in 256 languages. It seems like this truly is the ultimate global web 2.0 collaboration tool.  As Wikipedia says, “our missiion is to bring free knowledge to everyone.”

Tammy recommended going to the page “Ten Things you may not know about Wikipedia”   The misconception I have is that you can change Wikipedia.  You can’t you can only add to it!

Webquest Reflection...

I had heard the term "webquest" before, but I didn't know what a webquest was.  It was great to try the Tanka Webquest and make my own.  I like webquests because they center around cooperation, investigation and are clearly organized.

The problem, the procedure, resources, grading...It's all there!

We're having a lot of discussion among our faculty about the use of iPods and cell phones in our school and this seems like a fun way to get input from our students and learn more about the issue.  I also like that I could find resources that advocate their use and some resources discouraging their use in the classroom.  Perhaps we could have our faculty do this webquest so we could all be a bit more informed on the issue.

From a technical standpoint, I'm somewhat happy with the actual website I created.  I wanted to try making my webpage using something I hadn't used before and I tried iWeb.  I found it very easy to use and figure out, but I didn't completely like the look of my page.  With any template you lose some control over your work.

I also uploaded my webpage to Bravehost.net for the first time ever.  Bravehost will host your website, but the downside are the advertisements appearing on the site.


http://tinyurl.com/6bss2hs

Teaching Tech-Savvy Kids - Role Playing Chapter 5

Teaching Tech-Savvy Kids  -  Role Playing Chapter 5

I continue to see things in a new way as I read each chapter of this book.  Often my knowledge in a particular area I never given much thought to is expanded.  This is good!

I never thought of role playing as an educational endeavor or a “third place” for students to feel safe in.  Parker discusses how Role Playing with online games can unlock a student’s empathy, creativity, story telling , collaboration and analytical skills.  Besides, many of the shy less socially skilled students are more at ease in this environment. 

One of the great powers of technology in education is the possibility for a teacher to connect with students on their turf and in a way that is exciting (and educational) for the students.  Anytime we can teach and have it be fun, it’s a “win win”.

I like the idea of having some writing assignments  ungraded.  Give students a chance to write freely without worrying about a grade.  This will encourage creativity and be fun. And I also agree the most powerful feedback of student work is from peers.  I think students work harder on their writing if it is for a broader audience of peers and beyond rather than just the teacher.

Letting students play the roles of famous people in history or contemporary life seems interesting and thought provoking.  What would it be like to live in Cairo right now?  How would your life be if you were a citizen of the middle east?  Mubarak, Khadafi?

The story about Clarissa and her safe place in Faraway Lands reminds me of a gathering I had last year with a group of twenty year olds.  Every five minutes, they were texting or checking their phones.  “Hello, I’m right here…here and now”… I’m glad Clarissa has a “nurturing” place in Faraway Lands, but it makes me sad, she apparently doesn’t have one in real life!  Don’t these folks have homework to do?

I realize this is just part of the chapter, but I still feel a bit funny encouraging kids to play online games.  I’ve never done it myself, and I’m sure it would be fun, but is it a good idea for kids to be meeting strangers online?  Fantasizing with strangers online?  If I’m a online predator, I can see learning the lingo and customs of a game and “making friends” and then lmirl (let’s meet in real life…).  This brings me back to our wondering if the author has been in a class room?

Final Project Proposal

Final Project Proposal

My plan is to create three lesson plans for my computer literacy class and for projects I’m helping other teachers with. 

Lesson #1: I love Google Docs and I think it’s a great tool.  I’m not satisfied with the introductory lesson to Google Docs I currently use with my seventh graders and would like to create a new one focusing on the collaborative capabilities of Google Docs.

Lesson #2:  I’m very interested in trying a Voice Thread project at our school.  I’ve been discussing some ideas with a couple of our seventh grade english teachers.  We’re interested in using Voice Thread as a way for students to give eachother feedback on their writing.

 Lesson #3:  I was just given the teaching assignment for a quarter long 8^th grade computer literacy course.  The course centers around each student working on a major project of their choice.  I’d like to work to create more of a structure for the course as it is pretty undefined at this point.  Development of goals, objectives, guidelines, project proposal / approval, check ins, and a final grading rubric would be helpful!

Teaching Tech-Savvy Kids - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 YouTube…

It’s hard to believe YouTube started in 2005!

I really enjoyed this chapter and I was inspired to make a short movie for another class I’m taking.  Making a movie is always a “time pit”, but it’s easy and fun. This chapter helped me understand what a great resource YouTube is and how it can be used in the classroom. 

Before I read this chapter, I understood YouTube  to be a website where people post videos.  The videos can be about anything and if you want you can leave a comment.

I never considered YouTube as a online community giving feedback  and moral and technical support to people producing and posting the video.  Parker makes a point of how strong this peer to peer reinforcement is to our students. 

The vignettes of the three students “Wendy”, “Frank” and “Max” were powerful to me.  As I read them, I wrote “engagement”, “empowerment”, “creativity”, “activism”, “community”, and “belonging” in the column of the book. It seems like YouTube can be “ultimate engagement tool” especially for students struggling to belong!  It may be the hook they need to get involved and inspired.

Parker makes the  point, that we want to be sure the “tail doesn’t wag the  dog”.  As wonderful as making and posting videos is, the project needs to be based on a topic relevant to the student or a project already in place.  The video is a means of completing the project and receiving feedback from the teacher and possibly peers. 

At my school, we presently have our 8^th graders for a quarter of the year twice a week.  This works out to 14 – 16 classes.  Currently, we are asking them to choose a topic or issue that they are interested in or passionate about.  Once they select an issue they need to choose what medium they want to share their issue with (e.g. podcast, iMovie etc.) and then they create their project.  It’s my first time teaching this class and it will be interesting to see how it goes.  I may decide to focus it more and ask everyone to make a movie.  We’ll have to see…

Teaching Tech-Savvy Kids - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 is about Social Media and its place in society and in the classroom.  

It may be the author is from California and I'm from New England, but I disagree with some of her assumptions.  The author says on page 15, "Adults and especially educators have a powerful role to play in helping to facilitate the cultural transition taking place-as the public and private aspects of our social lives converge teens enter a public culture that is networked and mediated at every level"

I disagree that our public and private lives need to converge!  I really enjoy my privacy and don't want to share too much of my personal life with my school community.  When Tammy told the story of a student stopping by her house unannounced for help during her family dinner time, I was outraged!  Being an educator is a very demanding job as we continue to be expected to do more with less.  I feel it is critical to have a SEPARATE private life to survive the demands of working in education.

As educators, we should have access to and ongoing practice using the social media our students use like Facebook, iPods and cell phones, but I strongly disagree I should be lurking on Facebook and friending my students!  I feel like it's their space and I don't belong there.  It would be like walking into a crowd of my students on a Friday night and saying, "Hey, what's up?" - Awkward!!!  They have their social group and I have mine!

I'm also hesitant to buy into social media replacing a student's psycho-social development.   Is it really true teenagers don't have any unstructured time to hang out anymore?  Some of my best childhood memories are from walking a block to my school after dinner and kicking a soccer ball or shooting baskets with other kids until it got dark.  It was play, it was social, it was great!  I can't imagine online activity replacing that. I'm really sad, if that's the case...

I do acknowledge, as educators we need to be familiar with social networks and I agree we should continually have open conversations with our students about the benefits and drawbacks of online communication.  

The escalating “potato chip” scrape between Carla and Stephanie is a big concern of mine.  It’s so easy to say bad things to someone when it’s not face to face in a conflict.  Thank goodness the guidance counselor was able to intervene and help each girl work though and express her feelings and resolve the conflict.  Otherwise, the hurtful words may have destroyed a friendship over potato chips!

Teaching Tech-Savvy Kids - Chapter 1

My apologies to all for falling soooo far behind on my blogging.  Between my crazy job and another Lesley class I've been stretched very thin!  I have this week off and look forward to the opportunity to finally get caught up and enjoy all this course has to offer!

Tammie and I talked about Chapter 1 when we met last weekend.  The dominant theme of the first chapter for me is that we are teaching a very different student than ten, or twenty years ago.  The "digital native", the "multi-tasker" or the "Generation Y" student.

Our student of today has a very short attention span and responds best to visual presentation such as videos and pictures.  So how does this knowledge influence how I teach and what I do?

Without reading this chapter, it's clear the good old line up the desks and stand and lecture does not work anymore.  I'm dancing on the desks to keep their attention for ten minutes of instruction before I have them try something new these days.

Thoughts for teaching... I'm dying to try creating an instructional video of the next thing I teach one of my classes and then ask for feedback as well as assessing how much they learned.  Will they pay more attention to a video than to me in front of them?

The chapter also speaks of "peer based learning".  Digital tools make collaboration and student enthusiasm an easy mark to achieve.  "Thus youth can become heavily invested and committed to sharing their creative efforts and resources and providing feedback and critique to peers." One of the ISTE NETS Standards is "Communication and Collaboration".  Opportunities for students to work together online are a great training for life beyond school as these modes of communication continue to grow socially (Facebook etc.) and professionally.

I've attached a link about Generation Y that was shared with me in another Lesley class I'm taking.  It gives more details on where our students of today are coming from...

http://www.csuchico.edu/pub/inside/2_05_05/pause.html

In Plain English

I often search for "In Plain English" videos when I'm introducing a new web 2.0 concept to my students. The presentations are easy to follow and understand and are often funny!  It's all good...

Near home...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicholaslaughlin/1571633739/

I chose this picture, because it reminds me of Hanover, New Hampshire where
I work and close to where I live.  It amazes me that the busy college town of Hanover is surrounded by protected land and the Appalacian Trail.  In the Summer it's a daily sight to see "through hikers" in town looking for food and a shower. This picture is literally the back yard of our school!  One day I walked out around 5 and saw two baby deer and their mother.  I feel lucky to be where I am!

Post 2 - My Wordle...Thanks Bryan!

My First Post - What I'd like to learn in this class...

Welcome!  I'm excited to learn more things I can use in my job.  I teach computer literacy classes at our school and I also help teachers integrate.  I go to workshops and conferences but that hasn't been enough.  I feel quite overwhelmed by all that's out there and I hope by taking this class I can get a better handle on what tools are out there and how they can help instruction at our school.  Thanks for reading...more to come!