Final Blog

While I was creating my IGNITE presentation on my teaching philosophy, I learned a lot about me as a teacher. As I was going through what I believed in, I found myself being really passionate in some areas. When presenting, I could have talked a lot longer on some of my views because they have grown very strong. Also, through this project, I was envisioning my future classroom. I also heard a lot of amazing philosophies. One thing I would add to mine would be integration between subjects. Although I put integration of technology, I believe it is equally important to incorporate integration between subjects, especially for subjects like Social Studies that may not have as much time during the day. Another thing I would add to my personal philosophy is making the content relevant to students' lives. I did mention this when I talked about meaningful work, but making the content authentic is significant to students engagement and learning. 

Overall, I learned a lot through CI 302. The most important thing I learned was how to efficiently integrate technology into a lesson. I have learned about it through other classes, but this class really made the connection for me and I feel confident about writing technology lessons. This is important because when I use technology in my future classroom, I want it to be beneficial and not just thrown in. Another thing I learned was how to write and find grants. This is so important to my future because I want to be able to fund activities and technologies for my classroom. Now that I have an introduction to grant writing, I believe I could write a grant and potentially get technology for my classroom. This class has prepared me well for my future not only in the classroom but if I want to extend my career to another area in the technology field. I really enjoyed this class and I feel more confident with technology in the future. 

Week 12

After watching these interviews, I personally think the tech integrationist job is the most appealing to me. I found their job description really fun and the aspects of that job are something I could see myself doing one day. I really enjoy working with a variety of new technologies and integrating technology in classrooms, so this job sounds exciting to me. I think it would be fun to show teachers available technology and help them use it efficiently in their classrooms!

One common trend I noticed throughout the videos was integration. It seems as though all of these positions have one focus and that is helping teacher integrate technology into their classrooms in the most efficient way. This spoke a lot to me because if there are people who specifically focus on integrating technology, it reinforces how strong of an impact technology has on education. Another common trend these people discussed was Google for Education. Before taking this class, I only used Google applications when I was assigned to. Now, I use Google applications for everything. Since all of these people talked about it, it is something I need to continue to use and learn more about.

Overall, I learned a lot from these four presenters. I was unaware of the many different job opportunities in the education field and now that I have learned more about them, I am more aware of the opportunities for me. Although I plan on starting in the classroom, and being there for a while, technology integrationist may be a career I consider in the future. It was fun and beneficial to hear all these people talk about their jobs.

Iowa 1:1 Conference

I was lucky enough to help at the Iowa 1:1 Conference and also attend some sessions. When I got there in the morning, I worked on helping set up the speakers and projectors in every room to ensure the presenters had all the equipment they needed. Also, I stayed after and helped put some of the stuff away. This volunteering experience helped me understand everything that goes into making these events such a success.

The first sessions I attended was my favorite one of the day. I learned about how to incorporate technology into the Daily 5 reading rounds. The presenter gave great detail and examples of how she used certain tools in her classroom. She also brought in examples of Osmos, Google Cardboard, and iPad apps to look at. This is the first time I have ever seen Google Cardboard and it is awesome! Another presentation that stood out to me was titled, "Maps for Critical Thinking." The presenter in this was from Heartland AEA. She did an awesome job presenting and I learned so much about interactive maps. Before this presentation, I was skeptical of how she could talk about maps for an hour, but I learned so much and got some great resources for my future classroom. All the presenters were great!

This experience will impact my growth as a future educator because I got to learn about new tools and ideas to bring to my classroom. Also, I learned how to efficiently use these tools to integrate them into my teaching and the students' learning. This was also a great networking experience for me. I was able to talk to some of the presenters and make some connections. A few teachers even followed me back on Twitter! Overall, this was an amazing learning experience.

The Teacher ISTE Standard I fulfilled by going to this conference was number 5, Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership. This conference helped me become a better educator. Between the tools and resources I learned about, and the connections I made, I expanded my knowledge as a future educator!

**I forgot to take a picture at the event, but Jamie saw me there :)

Technology Presentation

When I was preparing for this presentation, I had to make sure everything I included was easy to understand for people who haven't heard of the tool. It would have been easy to just talk about what I know about it, but since there were people who haven't heard or used it because it was essential to show pictures, examples, and talk about the details. This really got me thinking about my future classroom. When I am preparing and teaching a lesson to my students, I need to take into account that many of them have never heard the content before. Since this is the case, I need to ensure I provide examples and details that fit all learners.

After reviewing what my peers said about my presentation, the first thing I learned was I didn't explain some of the details like I should have. I left the audience confused on some parts, so this is something I would work on for next time. Another thing I noticed in my comments was about my presentation having too much text on some slides. I learned I need to focus more on my presentation and less on writing everything down. For my next presentation, I will work on talking more about my content and not worry about writing it all down.

I can see myself using IGNITE style presentations in cases of review. If the students already know the content and have been already taught it, a quick presentation can be used for review. This would also work before starting a unit. For example, if I was doing a unit on dividing fractions, I would use a quick presentation to review what they have already learned about fractions. Another way I could use this type of presentation would be if I were speaking in a professional development meeting. If I was introducing a tool to teachers, I could use an IGNITE presentation to give them an overview. Overall, this was a great experience and I learned a lot about presenting new content in a quick and efficient way.

Twitter!

This week I followed a Twitter chat with the hashtag #flipclass. This chat was all about how teachers are using the idea of a flipped classroom in their schools. The main focus of the chat this week was how to keep classroom management under control when doing a flipped class, and also how teachers are implementing this in the classroom. One of the biggest take aways for me during this chat was that teachers were commenting about how much more class time they can use for discussions and they are really able to dive deep into the content. Most of the questions were based around resources teachers use. I believe this questions were brought up a lot because when teachers are implementing a flipped class, there needs to be clear organization and it can be intimidating to start. Having successful teachers share their resources is a great way to encourage other teachers to try a flipped classroom.

I really enjoyed this Twitter chat and I will be watching them, and eventually participating in them, in the future. I think they are a great way to get connected with other educators. When I was deciding which one to watch this week, I had a hard time picking because a lot of them sounded interesting. As a future educator, I will be watching these chats more frequently because it can help me connect with other educators and also provide me with great resources.

Here are the 10 people I decided to follow:

Dr. Justin Tarte @justintarte I decided to follow him because when I read his bio, I noticed that he was a positive family man. When scrolling through his timeline, I saw a lot of positive quotes and questions in his tweets.

Sir Ken Robinson @SirKenRobinson Although he does not have much information on his bio, I did notice that he had a picture of a book he wrote called, "Creative Schools". When I saw this, I wanted to learn more about him and what he stands for.

Rick Wormeli @rickwormeli2 I chose to follow him because I was seeing some retweets from other education people from his account. On his account, I noticed he adds a lot of graphics to his tweets which makes for a fun, educational, read.

Heartland AEA @HeartlandAEA I chose to follow Heartland because I did a technology practicum with one of the tech consultants there and learned so much. Their Twitter is ran by a lot of technology people so there are a lot of good resources and tips.

Amy Mascott @teachmama  The first thing I noticed about her was that she has a lot of followers and she follows a lot of people. This made me want to follow her because I can tell she is actively collecting ideas from other people as well. She followed me back! 

Be Kind People Project @BeKindPpl This one is a different kind of educational Twitter. This is all about how to promote kindness and community in and out of the classroom. My aunt runs this Twitter and I love all the inspirational Tweets she puts. This is a good one for all educators!

WeAreTeachers @WeAreTeachers I followed this one because I have heard a lot about it. This is a very popular educational Twitter that has a lot of contributors. I have gotten a lot of tips and resources from this account.

Bevin Reinen @TeachTrainLove I found this teacher through her blog. She posts a lot of fun videos with some great ideas.

Kathy Schrock @kathyschrock I chose to follow her because she is an educational technologist. She tweets about great technology resources.

Mark Brumly @markbrumley I chose to follow him because in his bio he states he is committed to 21st century learners and teachers. This really caught my attention and I wanted to see what useful stuff he has to post.

One tip I would give to teachers entering the Twitter world is to follow people who you agree with, but also follow a few people who may have different views than you. I believe this can be very beneficial to be exposed to other viewpoints. Along this line, another tip I would have is to follow people who have tips and resources to offer. Twitter is a great place to connect to other educators and share ideas. One last tip I would say is to have your own voice in your tweets. Don't be afraid to share your own personal ideas. Everyone has something to offer!

Overall, this week I learned a lot about Twitter. Before this, I was aware of what Twitter chats are, but I was not using them. Now that I have watched one, I understand these chats are places for teachers to communicate and connect. These chats are a great way to share resources and just connect to each other. I also learn about new people to follow this week. I evaluated my own Twitter and followed more educational people. My plan is to be more involved in Twitter chats and keep expanding my pool of educators to follow.

Just TACKK It!

What is Tackk?

Tackk is a website that allows people to create and share pages on the internet. People can be as creative as the want and they can include pictures, charts, graphs, text, etc. Along with creating, people can collaborate and communicate with other users. This is an awesome way for students to share research they have done or learned about. They can also collaborate and give feedback to one another and the teacher can give feedback as well. Tackk is a web based tool and is also an app for Android and Apple devices.

Website   Apple Store   Android

How to use Tackk!

Tackk is a fairly simple tool to use. The first step in using Tackk is creating an account. The nice thing about this process is you can connect it to your Google account, Twitter, or Facebook. This makes signup easy and painless! Now it is time to start creating. The first step in the creation process is choosing the type of Tackk you want to make. Some choices are, school project, blank canvas, blog, etc. There are also templates for certain uses that you can choose as a starting point and edit. Once this is selected, the fun begins. At this point, you are able to add text, pictures, and charts. This is where the students are able to be as creative as they want. On the side, there is a bar where they can change font and color. Also, there is a bar below the Tackk that has different buttons to add video, pictures, audio, and other options. Depending on what the assignment is, this is where students will put their information to share. When the Tackk is completed, there is a big green button that says "Publish Tackk" this is where students will make their Tackk public. 

When students have published their Tackk, they can explore other people's Tackks, or their own classmates Tackks. Also, when they are exploring other people's creations, they can add their input on the comments section. The comments sections serves are a conversation stream because all of the comments are posted in the same place. This is where students can create awesome discussions! 

Classroom Ideas

One idea for the classroom is for a 4th grade lesson about writing informational pieces. Students could do their own research and present it using a Tackk. With this, students could add photos about their information. For example, if they were researching an event that happened, they could include a picture of the event and maybe a chart with some data about the event. This would be very engaging and a way for students to showcase their learning in a creative way. Another way to use this is a classroom would be in a 6th grade math class about solving real-world mathematical problems. Students could create their own problem on their Tackk and include information about how they would solve this. Students could add pictures of the problem, or even a video of them solving it. By using Tackk for this lesson, students would be able to use real world events in their math. 

SAMR

This tool fits multiple parts of the SAMR model. First, this tool fits augmentation. A way I can see this fitting is by the teacher using it to convey information. The teacher could create a newsletter for parents and send it out to them. Although this could be done without the tool, Tackk makes this more efficient because parents can comment on it and give feedback or ask questions in a continuous feed. It makes communication more efficient. By creating and publishing a project, students are able to use video, photo and text all in one place to show their learning. Since this is all in one place, the is modification. The task is being significantly modified because the students are creating their project online and contributing many aspects that the tool offers. Tackk can also fit redefinition. One way I see this fitting is by having students give feedback to their peers. On each of the students projects, students can leave questions, comments, and also answer each other. This can all be on one place for everyone to see. Also, along with this collaboration, students can look at other published Tackks and learn from other creators. Without this tool, students would not be able to give this efficient and real time feedback. 

Connected Educator

One of the biggest things I learned this week was how essential it is to become connected as an educator. Along with the blog pages, I read an interesting article on Edutopia called Ten Tips for Becoming a Connected Educator. This article was a great read and I got a lot of takeaways from it. The first tip on the page really stuck out to me and it was "Embrace Making Mistakes" I know personally, this is something I struggle with sometimes and I am sure other people can relate. When it comes to being connected, or anything dealing with technology, we can sometimes feel out of our element and that can be scary. Making mistakes is a great way to learn and grow! I have a personal Twitter and I think Twitter is a great way to connect with other educators. One of the tips was to follow people who think the same as you and also people who don't. I really want to evaluate the people I follow on Twitter and follow more pages that can benefit me as an educator. I really like this tip because although following people who may have different view points as you seems strange, it can really help you grow as a person and maybe reevaluate your thinking or why you believe a certain way. It is important for us to see different view points and also expose our students to this.

Social media is an awesome connection tool if used correctly. I think it is really important to use social media tools like blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc, because it is a way for educators to collaborate and share ideas. For students, a school social media could be beneficial in connecting with other students or seeing what other classes are working on. Overall, social media is a great way to collaborate and communicate with a wide variety of people.

Personally, I am connected, but maybe not in the way I should be. I do have Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and a class blog, but I am not following the right people. In the near future I want to reevaluate who I am following and follow people in the education world. For me, this will be the first step of connecting with other educators.

Speed Geeking

I had a great experience exploring and learning about new technology that is available for the classroom. There were so many different resources ranging from engineering tools to websites. Some of them I have used and some of them were brand new to me. It was really eye opening for me to see all of the technology that students can use for educational purposes. It also made me excited to start my digital classroom!

In category A, we looked at different tools like sphero and the osmo. My favorite tool in this category was the osmo letters. In a primary classroom, this would be an awesome app and tool to use for learning letters and sound recognition. At first, I was a little hesitant about this tool because the pictures could be confusing, but then I found out you can upload your own pictures which would help a lot. My least favorite tool in this category was the Smart Kapp board. Although this is a good concept, I believe the struggles we experienced with it outweigh the pros of it. I believe the same thing could be accomplished if a student took a picture of the board.

The next category I explored was devises such as iPads and computers. My favorite tool in this category was the iPad or the iPad mini. iPads can do so much in the classroom. There are apps, both free and paid, for any subject you can think of. Also, iPads are easy to use at any level. Another great thing about iPads are they are small enough to be transported easily if needed. On the other hand, my least favorite tool in this category was the iPad Pro. Although they can do everything the smaller iPads do, they are way more expensive and also larger so they are not very portable. I do not think they are ideal in a classroom setting.

The third category I explored was tools to be used for coding and engineering. My favorite tool in this category was the Squishy Circuit. I think it is a great concept to use PlayDoh as a conductor. It can get the students involved in exploration as well. My least favorite in this category was the BB8 Bot. Although it looked really neat, I am unsure how I would use it in the classroom.

Category D also had tools for programming. My favorite in this category was the Makey Makey. I think this is an awesome tool! Students can get so creative with it and turn every day items into a piano or other things. Although I did not have long to look at this tool, there is so much that can be done with it. My least favorite in this category was the Snap Circuit, but this could simply be because I did not have a lot of time to look at it and I would need to do more research.

The last category was websites. My favorite website was Padlet. I love this website because it allows students to safely collaborate on a community board. It is easy to use and students can make comments that everyone can see. From the websites I looked at, I did not have a least favorite. I believe they were all good.

The one tool I would love to have in my classroom is the Makey Makey. I think this is an awesome for student to explore and be creative with their learning. This tool is very versatile and can be used in multiple different ways. One tool I do not believe I will be incorporating into my classroom is a Smart Kapp board. I think there are other ways to get information to students that are more reliable and easier to use.

Digital Classroom

I believe there are a lot of aspects to take into consideration when designing a digital classroom. Personally, I think the most important thing to consider is what technology will be available to your class as well as how you will utilize that technology. Also, another important thing to consider is how you, as the teacher, will play a role in the learning. With technology, pedagogy is really important.

The main things I considered when designing my classroom was what activities would be taken place and also how my classroom would be set up. It is important to provide students with rich learning activities so their learning is meaningful and they are engages. Also, it is important to set up the learning environment so it is positive for the students and the resources are accessible.

In my future classroom, I hope to be a 1:1 classroom with iPads. Although I believe computers are a great resource, in my experience students have had a more positive learning experience with iPads. I love iPads because there is a lot they can do. With millions of educational apps, students can create, present, and collaborate easily with other students in their classroom, or even around the world. Also, in my future classroom I would love to have the essentials like a smart board and elmo so presenting can be made easier. Any technology would be great in my future classroom, but this is what I wish for the most.

Here is a link to my digital classroom!

Toontastic

How can I access Toontastic?

ToonTastic is an App that can be downloaded to an iPad for FREE! Currently, it is just for iPad, but that may be changing. Here is the link: ToonTastic App

What is the purpose of Toontastic?

ToonTastic is an app that allows users to design their own stories with pictures, animations, voice, and sound effects. Also, they are able to save multiple stories and share them. This app also has many different story elements and is clearly laid out for the user to follow. This is a great way for students to show their creativity with their own stories. 

How do I use Toontastic? 

Toontastic is very user friendly. When you first open the app, you will be directed to the story arc page. This page has different sections with different parts of the story as shown below. You will click on the first section and follow the steps I have provided below. You will complete these steps for all of the sections. 

1. Choose a setting. This can either be a preset setting or you can make a custom one. After this is chosen, tap the arrow in the top right corner.
2. Now it is time to choose characters. Again, these can either be chosen from the preset ones, or you can create your own. 
3. Now it is time to record and animate the pictures. You will talk through the story while you click and move the characters around. Remember, this first box is only the setup and not the whole story. 
4. On the next screen you will choose the emotion. This is the music that will play in the background of that scene. 
5. Repeat all of these steps for each box of the story arch. 

How can I use this in my classroom?

One way to utilize Toontastic in your classroom is by doing a lesson on elements of a story. In 2nd grade, students begin to learn about the structure of the story including how the beginning sets up the story and the ending concludes it. Toontastic would be a great way to introduce this to students. On their story arc, there are sections for setup, conflict, challenge, climax, and resolution. When having students create a story, they are able to see how the different parts of the story flow and work together. 

Although we usually see Toontastic used in reading and writing, it can also be integrated into other subject areas as well. In a math class, at any grade level, students could use this app to talk about a story problem. Students would be able to write their problem as a background, and then use the slides to talk through it. They could also use the characters as a fun and engaging aspect. The students would probably not use the slides how they are intended (setting, conflict, etc) but they could use different slides to talk about each part of the problem. Students would be able to show their work on the background and also be able to talk through it. This could be used as a way to assess if students are understanding the whole problem and not just getting an answer. 

SAMR Levels

• Augmentation: Teachers could use this app to tell a story. Instead of having the students create their own, teachers could create on and present it to the students. This fits this level because the teachers are using the technology to tell a story. Although the story could be done without technology, teachers are enhancing it by making it visual and interactive. 
• Modification: Students could create a project retelling a story they are learning about. This would be a good modification to a book report. Students would be able to retell the story their own way and present it how they interpreted the story. Teachers could watch their stories to check their understanding. This would be a good way to conduct assessment in the classroom. 
• Substitution: Toontastic has a story arc with different story elements. Instead of just telling the students about the different elements, they could use this app to show them the different ones. This could be a way to present the information using technology. The same task is being performed, but it is using technology instead. 

ISTE Standards

Upon first look at these standards, I think they are very clear and beneficial. The standards focus more on the student using the technology. When reading them, they sound more student centered and less teacher focused. The main aspect missing from the old standards is having the students be able to trouble shoot technology. I did not see a section that specifically talked about the knowledge of how technology works, or what to do when it doesn't work.

Empowered Learner: This is a really well thought out standard because it focuses on students' goals and is using technology as a reflection. One suggestion I would make it more detailed when talking about the reflections

Knowledge Constructor: This standard is very specific for students to use technology to research. I would suggest to rewrite some of this standard and condense it more.

Innovative Designer: This standard is my favorite because it focuses on the creativity side of technology. This is really important for students to understand so they are able to make the learning interesting to them.

Computational Thinker: Personally, I think this standard is essential, but could probably be combined with knowledge constructor.

Creative Communicator: This standard is important because it is about students using their technology to show their work. Again, I believe this standard needs more work because it seems a little repetitive and can be combined with other standards.

Global Collaborator: I really like this standard because it is about using technology to work with peers. This is really important for learners because collaboration will be a huge part of their education and understanding how to use technology with this will be beneficial.

Digital Citizen: This standard is written well and is pretty straight forward. Students need to know how to use technology safely and responsibly.

• I like that the standards are broken up by how the learner should act. For example, empowered learner and knowledge constructor. When the standards are written like this, it shows what the student will be doing and how they will be acting within that standard. 
• I wish these standards were the original standards. Although I like the other standards, these new standards are easier to understand and they are more specific. 
• I wonder if this will be their final draft or if a lot of different changes will happen before it is published?

SAMR

"Teaching above the line" in regards to SAMR means using technology to transform the learning and not just enhance it. Although the sections below the line, substitution and augmentation, are important, we want to be creating lessons for modification and redefinition. It is essential that teachers are using technology in the most beneficial way.

I do believe SAMR is a good technology to use when talking to teachers about technology. However, for teachers who do not have a lot of experience with technology, SAMR may not be clear enough and may be a little confusing. In SAMR there are a lot of things that can overlap. With new technology teachers, it may be more clear to have the integration set out. On the other hand, it is nice that some of the topics overlap because that allows for flexibility. For example, one teacher may use a powerpoint for substitution, but for another teacher a powerpoint may be modification. I believe it all depends on the experience of the teacher using it. This is similar to the grounded integration approach because the learning goal is defined first and then the technology is used. With SAMR, the reason for using it, or the outcome, is defined first, then the technology is chosen after.

I evaluated the Arizona model. Like SAMR, the Arizona model had different domains to classify the technology, but I believe Arizona and SAMR are very different. SAMR leaves a lot of room for flexibility and some overlap, but in the Arizona model, it is very clear how and where the technology is used. Personally, I can see myself using the Arizona model more because it is more clear cut. Although I do like flexibility, the Arizona model is easier for me to follow and I also like that the matrix gives clear examples and definitions of how that technology is used in that domain.

Both of these models link back to TPACK. SAMR and Arizona use the content being taught and linking it with how the technology is being used. The pedagogy comes in when we talk about how we are using the technology to teach the content. Therefor, all aspects of TPACK are being represented and these models help the teacher incorporate all of them in the most beneficial way.

TPACK

TPACK = Technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge.

The TPACK framework has three parts. Each part plays a huge role in teaching. For content knowledge, it is important for teachers to understand this part of the TPACK framework because content is what the students are learning in the class. If teachers do not have a clear understanding of this, they cannot pass the knowledge on to their students. The next part is pedagogy. This is also essential in classrooms because this is how the teacher is teaching the lesson. The third part is technology. This is the use of technology integrated in the lessons and not just there as a side resource.

To be a TPACK teacher, you must use all three of these aspects together for each lesson. Each lesson should have the correct content, good pedagogy, and integrated technology the correct way. In the article "What is technological pedagogical content knowledge" it discusses that the understanding of TPACK is not using each of these elements individually, but creating a lesson where understanding the content using technology and understanding how to use the technology in a constructive way to teach the content. TPACK is not individual, TPACK is bringing all the parts together cohesively.

As a future educator, understanding TPACK is very important to me. I need to understand how to teach using this framework the correct way. In the article "Too Cool for School? No Way!" it discusses how technology, specifically social media, is seen as a negative thing by some people. In a TPACK classroom, I will be able to take that technology and repurpose it to be beneficial in my classroom. One example the article gave that really stuck out to me was using Twitter to have social interactions with people from all over. Instead of the traditional pen pals, I believe it would be beneficial for students to interact via Twitter with other students their age. This could be talking about their culture, or maybe even a book that both classes are reading.

Personally, I believe the strongest aspect of TPACK for me is the technology. While going through the learning technology minor, I have gained a lot of resources to use in my classroom. I have also learned that a successful lesson does not start with the technology, instead it starts with the learning goal and the technology used is the last piece of the puzzle. On the other hand, the area I could use more work in is pedagogy. Although I have learned a lot of strategies, I still am unsure at times what will work well and what won't in regards to lessons. I do believe this will come with experience and one way will not always work for each student. As I finish my education and start my profession, I will continue to grow and learn how to be a TPACK teacher.

What do I hope to learn?

In CI 302, I hope to learn more about what technology I can bring to my future classroom. I am really excited to learn about technology that will help me enhance my lesson and be beneficial to my future students. I know some websites and apps that I could use, but this class will hopefully teach me more and also teach me how to incorporate technology in my classroom in the best way possible.

One specific technology I would like to learn more about it iPads and apps. Growing up, I only used computers in the computer lab for research and I was never really exposed to technology as a learning tool. I am familiar with some apps, but I know more and more schools are converting to one to one technology with iPads. I would really like to extend my knowledge in this area. I am excited for this class!