Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Final Reflection for YouTube Class 533

I have absolutely loved this class and all of its specifics, standards and ethics surrounding digital citizenship and creating content.  I found myself very reflective after each video because I used each task/project to create content that I would absolutely use later either for my students or for other educators that I may be training.  YouTube is a powerful tool for educators!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Interactive PLN videos - Bringing It To A New Level

Another incredible learning journey with creating an interactive video on YouTube that links seven videos teaching others how to build their personalized learning network using the annotations feature that YouTube offers.  I also created a storyboard that gives specific information on how these interactive videos were created.  I chose the topic of Building Your PLN because there are so many ways that educators can become connected with others and the key is to find that platform that will enable you to connect, collaborate and share with others beyond your classroom walls.  This video gives examples of four ways to build and then two ways to organize your PLN.  This map gives you a visual of how these videos are connected to make it interactive.



mind mapping software



Here is a link to the STORYBOARD that gives a detailed description of these process.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

YouTube Videos with Animation, Green Screen and Instructions

This past assignment for YouTube was to create a special effect in your educational video that needed to be visible throughout 50 percent of the video.  I chose to create a science video introducing our new unit of Habitats.  The video is full of questions to ask children and I will use it, but will pause along the way as my students answer my questions.

I really wanted to use green screen again, but really enjoy speaking and recording my voice, not my person.  So I created an avatar using http://www.buildyourwildself.com/ and saw that I could change the mouth to 4 different stages.  I set out to create a talking avatar.  This is harder then you might think for an amateur.  As I used some free animated animals for this video, I had a new respect for those making animations.   I tried to create a gif, because I knew that it would show the mouth moving on the avatar but I couldn't upload it to Camtasia and have it showing the gif, also there was the white background that it recorded to and I would have to paste a lot of gifs in order to have the avatar speak throughout 50 percent of the video.

After downloading the avatars and using the loop on my Mac, I still needed to create my talking avatar.  So I used Google Presentation, using the green screen as the background and pasting every 4th avatar with different mouths in 48 pages on the presentation.  Then I opened Camtasia to a my project and recorded me clicking through that presentation from beginning to end about 8 times.  I wanted to get a full 5 minutes of my talking avatar to use in the science video without having to cut and paste in the video.  

As I recorded my video of all my pictures and information, I then dropped my avatar video above that on a track and used the green screen effect to drop it onto my avatar video.  Using the color picker, I easily matched my green to the green background of the avatar video and then it disappeared beautifully. It was extremely hard to match the avatars voice movement with my own, so that part needs improvement.  I do think, however, that I may use my avatar, Ms.Wild, in other science videos.  It is a lot of work just not to video my own person.  But now I realize how cartoons probably got started.  :)

Here is the video about Habitats:




Here is the video instructions:





Tuesday, October 22, 2013

YouTube Vidoes Galore.......

The past two weeks, I have produced some significant videos that are showcasing my students learning.  I feel so grateful for the YouTube 533 class that has me using Camtasia so often that I can actually find shortcuts to help me with the videos.

The assignment for the course this week was to produce a video using a powerpoint presentation, recording that with voice into a video that will teach something.  Again, I struggled with ideas of what to do.  I have so many ideas, yet I really want to produce videos that I can actually use again and again in my classes or presentations.  Because I have developed a presentation for blogging, I decided to use that as my idea.  My blogging presentation that I have used at various conferences was too broad and not visual enough, but it gave me good information that I could reference to while I was speaking during my recording of the presentation.

I wanted to use my students in this video because they are my best visuals.  I included a video that my students made last year as well as the poem videos that I just created with my students this year.  I used many annotations from Camtasia to highlight certain aspects of the video.

Timing is so very important and I continued to make sure that I put as much as I could in the video without rushing or extending the length of the video that may not be necessary in teaching my concepts.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Video Remix

    "No research supports decreased recess or P.E. time!"  - Becky Muller

Creating a video remix was challenging for me.  I understood that videos from Public Domain and Creative Commons were free to use according to their copyright, as well as pictures and music.  I, also, figured out how to download those videos in the appropriate context along with YouTube videos.  Adding, editing, cutting and remixing of the videos was good practice.  But those were not the challenging aspects for me.  The most challenging part was the idea of what I wanted to teach with this remix.  I watched hours and hours of Public Domain videos and YouTube videos waiting for inspiration and purpose.  I felt like a writer with writer's block.

The idea of teaching or sending message about the importance of exercise came from a conversation my cohorts were having about a school that eliminated recess.  We were all agreeing that this wasn't a good idea, yet we have heard that schools are doing this everywhere so that they can focus more on academics.  We then started to speak about the Wellness Policy that our state has adopted and how we are meeting those standards as a school.  I am pleased to say that my school is doing some great things around wellness and are even thinking about having recess before lunch, so that kids have time to eat.

 After this research, I am finding myself doing more "brain breaks" using exercise with my students.  I was very intrigued that conversations from the 50's were the same as conversations today.   Just as they had to fight for what they believed was good for kids, we are doing the same today.

I can appreciate the value of other's video, however, I really enjoy creating my own.  I love showcasing my students in a valuable way.  They have amazing ideas and thoughts that I love sharing.


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Video Vlog on Pros and Cons of YouTube in the Classroom

Assignment:

This assignment was to record a vlog (video blog), upload it to YouTube and add a closed caption track.  I didn't realize how popular vlogging is on YouTube, but many types of people vlog for many purposes.  This can provide users a great research tool for areas they want to learn about.

This assignment's topic was to create a vlog about the pros and cons of YouTube in Education.  This process involved creating a script, using key words to create a slide presentation through haikudeck.com, uploading that to a google presentation.  Then I added the script, recorded the presentation through Camtasia, and inserted it into my project.

I needed to add myself talking as most vlogging does and wanted to try a green screen.  This is something that I need more practice on.  I recorded myself talking about my presentation that I embedded into a mac book on screen.  This was difficult to get the timing down for the picture coming up and me talking about that pro or con.  Sometimes, it sounded rushed and often the next slide came up just as I was finishing up.  I am very excited about learning more about editing because I wish that I could have edited parts that I messed up speaking.  I realized that I sometimes don't annunciate my words well enough and it was hard to hear endings.

I very much enjoyed the closed captioning part.  I love typing so that part was fairly easy.  I really want to use that more with my student made videos.  That way they can read it!  :)

YouTube's editing features are wonderful.  I also like that you can send clips of videos and pictures to YouTube and create your video right there.

YouTube is trying to help teachers and I can't wait to share what I've been working on with them to help teachers find quality content faster.





Friday, September 6, 2013

Instructional Design 503 Job Posting

Rebecca Muller
EDTECH 503 ID Job Posting
PART 1 - 

Job Description:

Imagine what you could do here. Every day is a new challenge, and you are continually looking for ways to help our team get better at what we do, in the most efficient way possible. A team player at heart, you collaborate with our departments, advocate best practices and roll up your sleeves to pitch in when it is all hands on deck. You use your PLN to explore and discover new resources that can help us.  You move fast while keeping your attention to detail, and you tap into your problem-solving skills to support the district and each school's objectives.

The candidate will:

    The Associate Director of Instructional Design & Academic Quality is a full-time position. The ADIDAQ is an expert in instructional and media design with knowledge of child learning theory, course development planning using common core and state standards as well as process management. The ADIDAQ provides leadership and vision for innovation in online and classroom learning and effectively motivates the instructional design and quality assurance teams to collaborate on creating innovative, high quality student learning experiences.

    Required skills/knowledge/background:

  1.  A minimum of five years of demonstrated experience developing curriculum in educational environment.
  2.  Working knowledge or experience in instructional design, instructional design and child learning theory,  development and delivery of instruction
  3.  The ability to communicate effectively and professionally, both verbally and in writing.
  4.  The ability to think critically in a fast-paced, quickly changing environment
  5.  Collaborates well and develops strong professional working relationships
  6.  Demonstrated leadership in instructional design, instructional technology,  and curriculum  development.
  7.  Proficiency using Microsoft Office, Google Apps for Education and the Adobe HTML5,  CSS, Fireworks  and Photoshop preferred.
  8.  Demonstrate a high degree of self-direction, initiative and motivation
  9.  Demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence and collegiality
  10.  Use multimedia and web-based applications to design training solutions

Job Duties:

• Exemplifies transformational leadership characteristics and with the principal, motivates and inspires the Instructional Design team towards engaging and effective instruction steeped in quality and best practices.
• Creates the strategic plan for curriculum and course development under the direction of the principal, including the following of state standards, tools, and processes for increased quality and efficiency.
• Ensures strong alignment of learning outcomes among course design, assessment, and learning activities promoting greater content mastery by students.
• Articulates the culture of student engagement that will drive instructional design for all modalities (local schools, instructional site, online web-based, and mobile)
• Manages the prioritization of curriculum initiatives and course development activities as they relate to instructional design and quality assurance.
• Ensures the development and integration of interactive multi-media learning solutions in all courses.
• Extends leadership and support  to the greater curriculum and course development teams.
• Effectively communicates and collaborates with academic leadership, faculty and curriculum staff to develop and document the academic standards, policies and processes by which the curriculum team develops instruction.
• Supports and manages the quality review of all online courses to ensure that academic standards, policies, and processes are met.
• Manages work flow and troubleshoots situations that can arise related to technology systems and classroom maintenance and implementation of technologies.


Additional Job Duties (include but are not limited to):


• Remains current on best practices in online instructional design through the consumption of current research studies, attendance at educational conferences, and other professional development opportunities.
• Presentations and sharing of information that has been developed or worked on for the benefit of teaching others in the field of education
• Leading Change: To continually strive to improve organizational framework; to create a work environment that encourages innovation; and to maintain focus, intensity and persistence.
• Leading People: The ability to maximize cooperation of staff by fostering an environment that encompasses the organization’s culture and execute the mission, goals and core values. 
• Building Communication: This leadership  encompasses written and verbal communications of facts and ideas as well as developing a professional network inside and outside the organization. 
• Driving Results: This leadership stresses accountability and continuous improvement through decision making, execution and producing results.  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong project management experience
• Two or more years of supervisory experience
• Two or more years working with graduate level faculty
• Experience implementing large scale instructional design projects in higher education
• Two or more years experience teaching
• Knowledge of universal design standards
• Experience developing interactive instruction using current technology/software tools
• Experience as a teacher, trainer, and/or professional development instructor for learners


Education: 

• Master’s Degree in instructional design, instructional technology, educational psychology, new media design or a related field. 



PART II - REFLECTION

At the beginning of this assignment, I really don't think I fully comprehended the differences between instructional designers and teachers, but now have a much better understanding.  Because of my experiences in education for the past 25 years, I know that I  have great knowledge designing lessons and guiding curriculum towards the learner.  However, I do believe there is an instructional designer inside me as I have helped the district in the implementation of the Teaching/Learning Cycle and feel that with my experiences in providing professional development throughout our school and in other organizations, I have tapped into Instructional Design as an educator in the area of technology. I have great interest in moving towards  the design part of technology instruction and course building for online classes, so I am very excited to learn more of this methodology and theory to help me build my tools to expand my learning.  As our district has moved more to that Teaching/Learning Cycle, we are essentially building our curriculum using essentials questions, conceptual thinking and planning on how to help students best meet these standards.  With standards-based grading, we again are given a philosophy to pick and choose how we will know that our students learned the concept required and how can we assess it. With budget cuts, our trainers and coaches no longer exist and we as educators are having to fill in these positions which may have more characteristics of an instructional designer then a classroom teacher when planning our instruction.

Teachers are expected to implement the curriculum through units of study that include the standards.  Instructional designers are not asked to implement curriculum. The teacher's role is to facilitate the learning in a classroom through tools that are provided or tools they find imperative to deliver quality instruction to the students. Teachers are expected to be the subject matter experts and instructional designers can design without knowing the subject matter.  Teachers need to know it, before they can teach it.  However, a teacher who knows the subject matter, standards or objectives, and instructional design can ensure that content matches set objectives and can design a wonderful learning experience for their students and can modify their instruction to meet the diverse learner.  Teachers do design learning, but they rarely write curriculum from scratch because school districts and states have standards/objectives that are already written. Creating lessons and curriculum materials isn't instructional design, that is implementing the standards through teaching.

Instructional designers are expected to make learning more efficient and effective.  They are designing specific to the learner in mind.  They build learning objectives.  They build courses that meet these specific learning objectives.  Instructional designers develop programs of instruction that generate certain learner outcomes. Designers make sure this course design  has an alignment of learning outcomes that promote mastery of content by students which includes an assessment piece and learning activities.  They do this in a systematic and productive format which usually follows a specific design theory.  

The three major differences between a teacher and an instructional designer are:

1.  Instructional designers are the creator of curriculum. They train and support educators on the use of the curriculum and then teachers are responsible for bringing it into the classroom.

2.  Instructional designers are "behind the scenes" and get feedback about their designs from teachers/educators and sometimes whoever assesses the effectiveness of the content.  Teachers are the forefront of the curriculum and get immediate feedback of the instructional model and implementation of curriculum from their students, administration and parents.  

3. Instructional Designers create all kinds of curriculum for many areas of study and teachers tend to be the expert in that field of study. The instructional designer needs to be an expert in the types of technologies being used when creating learning materials and courses. To be effective, they must know of the best practices and trends that engage learners. Instructional Designers are the catalyst of leading change.  Teachers can also lead change, but they are only effective in their school or classroom.

When the teacher is also the instructional designer, the whole process becomes faster and curriculum takes ownership. When that happens, the student is the winner. 

PART 3 - Job Posting URLs

  • http://tinyurl.com/BoiseStateID1

  • http://tinyurl.com/BoiseStateID2

  • http://tinyurl.com/BoiseStateID3

Monday, September 2, 2013

Creating Playlists on YouTube and Lesson Plans for Affective, Cognitive and Psychomotor Domains

Creating Playlists on YouTube is a teacher must have and must do.  Please follow my channel MrsMullerGrade2 on YouTube and see how many playlists I currently have.  Teachers are curators of great content for our purposes and standards.  Creating playlists helps you organize all the goodies that you find for your students.

Below is a quick tutorial for creating playlists on YouTube:

After learning how to create a playlist, you can now combine videos together and create lesson plans surrounding those videos.

Below you will find excellent examples of lessons created with playlists using affective, cognitive and psychomotor domains.

Affective Domain- Bullying Prevention - Playlist and Lesson Plan

Cognitive Domain - Science Inquiry - Playlist and Lesson Plan

Psychomotor Domain - How Things Work - Playlist and Lesson Plan



Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Reflection of Summer 2013

This summer I started my M.E.T. at Boise State after a year of looking into various programs.  I knew that this was a good program, but really just needed to dive in and a co-worker helped me decide on Boise State.  Thanks +Nathan Wendlowsky!  Then after speaking to a long-time friend,
+Denise Holder, she applied as well.  I wanted to set myself up for success because two people that I known very well are in this program with me.  I don't feel alone.  The small group circle that we had to make for 501, then added more Coloradoans.  It's been great getting to know Deborah Powers and I loved the connections I've had with others through both classes this summer.

I am very much like most people.  I am social and like to work with people.  The more people that I connect with, the more comfortable I am, and the more investment I will put into it.  This program so far has been exactly what I need.  People want to learn with purpose yet, we are still social beings.

It's been interesting watching my teenagers see me learn.  I'm not going to classes and all boys have "watched" me embark on coding webpages, which was all foreign to me.  They saw me work long hours on assignments for both classes.  My 15 year old said that he would really like to just do "projects," like I am.  He stated that I didn't have to listen to teachers talk all day and take tests.  But I did have to re-record everything I did for 501 about 5 times and listened to Lydia videos or watched the assignment videos for 502 stopping and starting for hours.  Honestly, I enjoyed the whole experience.  The boys watched that part too.

I've had a wonderful introduction to this program this summer, thanks so much to the teachers that helped make it a great experience, +Anthony Saba and +Lora Evanouski.  I enjoyed learning new tools to help me with the technology process and synthesizing my own information through research to produce a quality product was the higher level thinking that we want our students to do.  It was powerful to experience this first hand.

I loved the use of Google+ and Blogger and will showcase this learning at the Rocky Mountain Google Summit in August.,  I am ready to move forward!


Websites Created 
Portfolio Started - includes this learning log

Thursday, July 25, 2013

School Evaluation Summary



This has been a great assignment to end this course with as well as the summer.  I have enjoyed the fact that I have spent hours analyzing where our school is, what we need to do to improve and even have some great resources to put that plan into action in the upcoming school year.

Knowing of these technology Master Benchmarks is a wonderful resource that I didn't know even existed.  Our district had formal technology plans as of 5 years ago because the federal government wouldn't allot monies if you didn't have each school provide them.  We complied beautifully.  However, when it's not "required," many schools didn't produce them.  At this same time, there were severe cutbacks to our technology teacher positions in our building and our district.  I think that is where the ball got dropped and never picked up again.  

Technology isn't a fad.  It isn't going away.  It is here and forming a plan is a "Must Do" for our staff at our school.  Regardless of what is required, after this assignment, I know that this is best practices for technology improvement.  We won't see 100% of the success we deserve and work hard for if a plan isn't in place.  I want to share my survey and my evaluation with my principal and people at the district level.  There is perhaps a district technology policy but I couldn't find one.  This probably should be shared at the school level so that we know the direction we are going in.  There is obviously a district budget that this year has provided additional monies to schools computers that are outdated and no longer able to run programs effectively.  They have also provided additional monies to bump up the wireless capabilities for all schools. And they have provided money for a cohort of "blended learning" classrooms to study this model and see where it fits within our district.  So I know that we are moving ahead.  I am sure glad that I am moving in the right direction as well.

School Survey

School Evaluation Summary



Monday, July 22, 2013

Technology Use Planning Overview

Defining Technology Use Planning


After reading through many definitions of technology use planning, I decided to combine what I thought best.  Dr. Larry S. Anderson, Founder/Director
National Center for Technology Planning states, “Technology planning is a comprehensive activity, centered on a robust process, that is, indeed, much more than computers. We must focus upon the plan, the planning, and the potential.”  

I loved the plan, the planning and the potential part of what he said.  He went on to say that this definition is a noun and a verb.  Most define it too narrowly.
It should be  planning document that is to be considered a “working” document:  one that is always under construction as new information is presented and new developments occur.  This plan should be about people not just hardware.  As planning occurs we need to seek evidence of progress.  This evidence won’t  be found in standardized testing, either.  An iPad or Chromebook will not make our test scores higher. Dr. Larry S. Anderson in Technology planning:  It’s more than computers, states:

    “Planners must commit themselves to shed any defensive feelings they
    might have, or be threatened to adopt, as they examine their particular situation.
    True, sustainable growth comes from facing the honest reality of a condition,
    then working together to build a strategy for guaranteed success.”

Among other things, a technology use plan should address the following:  Measurable goals and objectives behind purchasing and implementation.  We can’t just want the latest and greatest if it doesn’t fit our needs. We need a vision and philosophy behind technology use in the district, where are we going and how do we get there.
Setting aside budget for implementation of technology is important because the application is very important and can’t be forgotten.  Student and teacher uses for the technology and policies mapped out for those uses and expectations is a must.  Equipment to be purchasing and maintenance along with a sustained budget for upkeep and upgrades for infrastructures and devices should be stated.  Professional development for teachers to integrate new technologies and feel comfortable incorporating those within their classroom is one of the most important when planning for technology.

Effectiveness of the NETP 2010 as a Resource


The National Education Technology Plan 2010 can be a powerful resource to when designing and writing a technology use plan.  The NETP 2010 provides a foundation about the kinds of outputs that should be expected of students and educators.  It also gives clear guidance as to the kinds of infrastructure required to implement 21st Century technologies.  Another influential aspect of the NETP is the process that the writers utilized when brainstorming and drafting the report.  This collaboration piece could serve as a powerful model for any district or school that is working on their plan.  It is imperative that schools don’t wait for others to take action.  They must be proactive in designing and implementing a technology use plan.

John See’s Article Response


In Developing Effective Technology Plans, author John See states his belief that technology plans are more effective when written for shorter periods of time.  His belief is that technology advances too fast to try to draw up five-year plans.  His idea is that a one year plan is best. Well, I do agree that with the changes in technology and integration within a classroom is constantly changing, I think that in composing the plan, one could include the aspects of short and long term goals.  No one plans to fail, but many fail to plan.  Therefore, in having five year goals in mind can give the staff or district direction in which to move forward.  However, the details and changes that occur within a school should be flexible enough that change occurs in the plan and is even expected.  

I believe successful technology plans include a balance between student applications and technological advances.  I worry that if application is the only concern then schools might hesitate in purchasing new devices or allowing a “BYOD” policy by saying they are able to work without the new adoptions.  This could leave students behind in terms of their competency for using new technologies. With the newest standards written and adopted by our state, we will be required to test all students on computers for any standardized test given.  We need to make sure applications are in place as well as hardware for this to happen.  


My Own Personal Experience involved in Tech Use Planning

I have currently served on Tarver’s Technology Team for the past five years.  During the first year, we did have a technology plan that was a five year plan.  I do remember it.  This plan was very much about inventory of computer and what we needed for replacements.  It was definitely not a plan of application.  Even though the past four years we haven’t had a plan, we have been using more of a one year plan and taking inventory of what teachers need when it comes to devices, training and knowledge.  However, we have made some mistakes because of this.  We bought 20 Aver Pens that no one ever used.  The training that the company provided was mediocre at best.  The staff didn’t see the value of that purchase.  But, we learn from our mistakes.  This past year, we have put together a very good technology plan for our staff.  We have kept in mind many factors so that we can provide technology leadership for our district.  This plan isn’t written down, it’s just ideas pulled together.  After this study, I will be able to stress the importance of a plan and the key components to make it successful.
Dr. Sanders and John F Perry Jr. make an important and vital point in their writing Technology Planning: Recipe for Success.  They bring up the point that there needs to be a progress report as to the success, or lack of success, in regards to the  implementation of the technology use plan.  Too often schools will adopt a program or educational tool with little follow up as to how it is working.  They state, “If we are going to allocate hundreds of planning hours and thousands of dollars in an attempt to modernize education, then we must be willing to report successes and failures throughout the process.”  Being honest and evaluating applications and roll outs, can be very powerful  in making sure everyone is doing their part in the “plan”.  It also allows for direction and next steps for the staff in regards to training, implementation, applications and devices. I think the reflection piece is an extremely valuable one, that my staff should find time to do.



                                                                Bibliography

Anderson, L. S., (1999). Technology planning:  It’s more than computers. Retrieved from

Anderson, L. S., & Perry, J. (1994). Technology planning: Recipe for success. Retrieved

See, J. (1992). Developing effective technology plans. The Computer Teacher, 19(8)    

National Education Technology Plan 2010. (2010).Transforming American education:
earning powered by technology.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education,
Office of Educational Technology.  
http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010-execsumm.pdf

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Digital Inequality

     Reflecting on this assignment of Digital Divide includes many parts.  I really wanted to study the relationship between the haves and the have nots.  I wanted to show how giving money to the Title I schools for technology and not to the working poor schools that don't get extra funding, made technology inequality very apparent to me.  However, after studying all the data on the education rate of Colorado, the test scores of 8th graders in Colorado, the state and federal spending of education in Colorado, I didn't come to that conclusion.  What I did come to conclude is that technology needs to reduce inequality within the haves and the have nots. We as a nation need to make sure that we consciously make efforts to bridge this divide because as I have learned in all this research, we certainly don't need to make it worse.  
     It's very apparent to me that we need to make sure to integrate technology into the lives of our students.  We will be having online testing in Colorado starting in 2014.  There will not be additional funding to make this happen.  If you only have a lab of 30 computers in your school, you will find that your technology integration will be very sparse with all of the mandatory tests our students will be taking online.  I was happy to see some solutions to these difficulties as I learned many resources that our state has in place to build this gap and get everyone access.
     The digital skills of our students need to be embedded as natural as picking up a pencil or turning on the lights in our classrooms. We need to use technology to create, curate and develop those higher thinking skills so that this innovative platform can live up to the promise of building the technology future with the lives of today.  
     As you will see in the video, I really focused on how we will be getting access to the internet to those that don't have it.  It was also very clear to me that the quality of access is as important as the access itself.  That will have to be another voice thread, another day.





Sunday, July 7, 2013

EDTECH Challenges

The challenge that educators are facing today because technology training is not available or put in the forefront of purchasing devices is a big one that can be addressed in various ways. While things are quickly being developed in the educational technology world, it is even hard for someone like me, who has a passion for it, to keep up.  It seems like we all need to change our mindset from a fixed to a growth mindset when it comes to technology.

Last year, our district adopted Google Apps for Education in the spring.  We had one training on email and that was it.  I created my own PLN, watch this video to see explination, and started to build it using twitter and googgle+.  I then attended the Google Rocky Mountain Summit and my eyes to Google Apps for Education became wide open.  I embraced the new technology and learned as much as I could, even applying to the Google Teacher Academy in December.  My own drive and dedication to this new process was not embraced by my peers in the same way that I had embraced it.  I then realized that the training we didn't receive on Google Apps, didn't make people run out there to discover it on their own.  In fact, they just were not educated about the tools that could help them in so many ways in their instruction and in their student's lives.  They didn't know, what they didn't know.

Overcoming this challenge that everyone is facing is tricky and there is no one solution.  Teaching about PLN, EdCamps, and other various resources that are available will get some to discover many incredible strategies used in technology,  However, I believe that choice is the way to go.  Giving people choices of what they want to learn is imperative in creating a growth mindset.  There is that other challenge though of "you don't know, what you don't know".  To overcome this, you must have your lead teachers, technology team leaders, Google Certified Teachers, and anyone who can showcase what new tip or technique they are using with technology to others.  This sparks interest and gets more people to move forward on the technology train.

My plan of action is clearly stated in the video.

NMC Horizon Report K-12 2013


Friday, June 28, 2013

EDTECH Research

My reflection of this assignment is again of amazement.  I absolutely believe in best practices and making sure those are based upon updated research.  In my own classroom, I had specific goals that I wanted to do next year in the area of reading.  This assignment made me put them into objectives and will enable my principal to evaluate how I am doing in this area.  I would love to be evaluated on something that I want to show growth in and to be able to showcase the technology used to meet that objective.

I found myself not being able to stop reading these articles or papers, especially since they were so current.  Once I read Julie Coiro's article about "new literacies", I had to continue reading another one just to understand more.  Understanding that all children that are proficient readers aren't necessarily proficent online readers.  Knowing that all testing will be going online for evaluation of students and of teachers, these "new literacies" need to be in our basic instruction of reading comprehension.  

Doing this research, made me realize how important it is to evaluate our tools that we use, find the current research on it and move forward accordingly.  Sometimes in education, we will stay on a path that is "comfortable".  In this movement of technology, this is not a time to be comfortable.  It is a time of growth and learning for students and teachers.  

I know that many reading this are already the innovators in their classrooms and schools because of the nature of this program we are in.  However, it is our responsiblity to help others in our quest.  

Friday, June 21, 2013

RSS in Education

After this assignment, I feel very satisfied.  One, I really needed an easier way to compile all of my notifications with all my little 2nd grade bloggers.  Two, I have wanted to try out Camtasia since December, when I learned the great benefits from others.  I just could never find the time. Three, I have known Google Reader was phasing out and knew I had to transfer everything to Feedly and now I got all that stuff done.  The only thing left is for me to categorize all that I transferred and I am going to do that tonight!

I knew what needed to be done, but didn't have the time to learn or just didn't have the time to complete it.  This assignment helped me bring my To Do list a little bit closer to completion.  Hopefully next week's assignment can help me tackle more!

Please note that I could have recorded my voice 5 or 10 times over, but I didn't.  I wanted to have a good first authentic model to show people how far I've grown as we go through this program. :)  Please excuse my dog as she thought I wasn't at all busy.

RSS in Education Screencast


Sunday, June 16, 2013

Elements of Educational Technology

Rebecca L. Muller
June 14, 2013
EDU 501



After reading all of the elements, of which I found all to be very important, it was very hard to pick just one to write about.  Then I narrowed it down by the one that I am most passionate about and that was learning.  I think that if learning wasn't present for all the elements, they wouldn't be effective for anyone.  

My feelings about learning comes from layers and layers of experience, testing of theories and my own beliefs built over time.  Some things don't change, and some things do.  This definition for me hasn't changed from surface to deeper, I have always known it was the deeper that I had to bring my students to.  Working with technology hasn't changed my definition, but sometimes we are caught up in the surface of how great things work and look and forget to be focused on the how.  How can they show me what they learned?

Monday, June 10, 2013

Welcome

Just a little information about me:
Colorado Native
Educator 25 years
Married
Three teenage boys
Passionate about Technology and Teaching
Google Certified Teacher
Applied to become Google Certified Trainer
Love learning and teaching best practices