Interesting article in the NY Times- Worth reading it as we move to the new STAAR Test.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/the-times-and-the-common-core-standards-reading-strategies-for-informational-text/
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tool #11
1. Any tool that simplifies my life is well received! :) I started playing with Prezi and I think once I master it (many, many months from now), it will become one of my favorites, leaving behind the old power point presentations! I also really like ANIMOTO- an easy way to incorporate a slide show with music.
2. I think these tools go beyond transforming my thinking, they transform teaching methodologies, a more student centered approach to teaching and learning.
3. I enjoyed the process. No really unexpected outcomes, but I do realize education is moving to the digital age and the content is moving from traditional text-based learning to multimedia. I have a lot to learn and incorporate in my every day life just to keep up with the way our students learn and their all digital environment.
2. I think these tools go beyond transforming my thinking, they transform teaching methodologies, a more student centered approach to teaching and learning.
3. I enjoyed the process. No really unexpected outcomes, but I do realize education is moving to the digital age and the content is moving from traditional text-based learning to multimedia. I have a lot to learn and incorporate in my every day life just to keep up with the way our students learn and their all digital environment.
Tool #10
As a campus administrator, I will not only advocate but will also expect for all of us to be good digital citizens and always practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology. SBISD is very clear in Staff and Students Acceptable Use Guidelines for Technology Resources.
Tool #9
The core standards or TEKS are what we are legally bound to teach. The different technology available to us in schools are instructional, problem solving and productivity tools or vehicles to teach those standards. In my opinion, the integration of technology will facilitate critical thinking and higher order learning through the assignments and projects done by the students. A way to improve student achievement. Technology if integrated correctly, is a powerful tool and goes well beyond a conveyor of information or a communication tool. The use of the technology must be purposeful- Do we want to use this tool to improve writing skills? Math reasoning? problem solving? to summarize?
Technology will allow students to be active participants in their learning. When it comes to accountability, all students must be held accountable for their learning at all times regardless if they use a 50c or a $600 tool. Same goes for teachers- they are held accountable for teaching all students regardless of the price of the tools they use.
Technology will allow students to be active participants in their learning. When it comes to accountability, all students must be held accountable for their learning at all times regardless if they use a 50c or a $600 tool. Same goes for teachers- they are held accountable for teaching all students regardless of the price of the tools they use.
Tool #8
Dell 2120
A compact, mobile and lightweight computer with webcam options that in my opinion will allow us and our students to collaborate virtually face-to-face" with others in any work setting. A quick way for students to access digital content!
Does anyone know if they sell a network hub/docking station (?) for teachers to update information in all netbooks at one time?
WACOM Intous
A graphic tablet for the creative mind! Wacom produces three tablets that come with digital pens. What a awesome tool for our high school students!
A compact, mobile and lightweight computer with webcam options that in my opinion will allow us and our students to collaborate virtually face-to-face" with others in any work setting. A quick way for students to access digital content!
Does anyone know if they sell a network hub/docking station (?) for teachers to update information in all netbooks at one time?
WACOM Intous
A graphic tablet for the creative mind! Wacom produces three tablets that come with digital pens. What a awesome tool for our high school students!
Tool #7
I am aware that my response to this question is in different format than requested in the assignment.
As someone who struggles to sit in meetings and in trainings for a long time, I find the tools under asynchronous learning easier to use for my own personal/professional growth and to communicate with others.
However, I believe we are not using some of these tools to the extend we could be using them (except for email). There are many live webinars for staff development that later are recorded so that teachers can view at their convenience (even from home!) and same is for discussion boards.
One of my objectives would be to bring throughout the year some of these webinars and even discussion boards to the different teams (of course, never to replace "real time" staff meetings :) )
As someone who struggles to sit in meetings and in trainings for a long time, I find the tools under asynchronous learning easier to use for my own personal/professional growth and to communicate with others.
However, I believe we are not using some of these tools to the extend we could be using them (except for email). There are many live webinars for staff development that later are recorded so that teachers can view at their convenience (even from home!) and same is for discussion boards.
One of my objectives would be to bring throughout the year some of these webinars and even discussion boards to the different teams (of course, never to replace "real time" staff meetings :) )
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tool #6
Skype-
I find Skype to be a great and easy tool use to not just keep in touch with family :) but also as a way for us educators to expand the walls of our traditional classroom and engage our students to share, communicate and even write with others. Even a tool to use with homebound students...Would you have thought just a few years ago that we were going to have a toold that was going to make inaccessible people accessible (ie. authors, students in other countries, etc?). A way to open our classrooms to a world beyond our school!
Blogger-
The keybord may be a pencil of choice for many students. I know it is for me! I see the use of Blogs in the classrooms as a way to develop writing fluency. A way to post open ended questions and have students respond, but also a way to move the lesson to the different levels of Bloom's Taxomy by summarizing, anylyzing, constructing et... As administrator, I see this as a tool to communicate with the different stakeholders and a way for us educators to reflect on our craft.
I find Skype to be a great and easy tool use to not just keep in touch with family :) but also as a way for us educators to expand the walls of our traditional classroom and engage our students to share, communicate and even write with others. Even a tool to use with homebound students...Would you have thought just a few years ago that we were going to have a toold that was going to make inaccessible people accessible (ie. authors, students in other countries, etc?). A way to open our classrooms to a world beyond our school!
Blogger-
The keybord may be a pencil of choice for many students. I know it is for me! I see the use of Blogs in the classrooms as a way to develop writing fluency. A way to post open ended questions and have students respond, but also a way to move the lesson to the different levels of Bloom's Taxomy by summarizing, anylyzing, constructing et... As administrator, I see this as a tool to communicate with the different stakeholders and a way for us educators to reflect on our craft.
Tool #5
Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.
I really like this text-to-movie website. I have used it for over a year and has allowed me to use as part of staff development at different campuses. This would be a perfect tool for students to do creative writing, summarize concepts, and a way to use specific vocabulary. A great tool for Second Language Learners!
Does anybody know if you can have groups of students working on the same account at the same time?
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tool #4
Gotta love Google Docs! I really like this tool. The biggest thing is that my documents are "right there" accessible 24/7 365 regardless of the computer infront of me. From an administrator's point of view, this tool would be great for scheduling, preparing agendas, share notes from meetings, minutes, etc... Just imagine the paper we can save in schools!
The implications for the classroom are huge. It allows students to work together without having to be sitting next to each other, streamline presentations, go over the writing process... endless!
The implications for the classroom are huge. It allows students to work together without having to be sitting next to each other, streamline presentations, go over the writing process... endless!
Tool #3
In my opinion, the advantages to having videos on sites such as YouTube or TeacherTube, again is collaboration and a way for teachers to receive staff development. Furthermore, videos can be created for students to learn a specific concept or skill and have it available to view it as often as needed. When using YouTube teachers will need to be vigilant as the videos and comments are unfiltered, but I think that if one is careful, there opportunities to find a wonderful video to introduce a concept and/or to use as a writing prompt, etc are unlimited.
Tool #2
The internet and everything it has to offer at times a bit daunting, but I have no doubt that when used effectively it provides schools with an excellent opportunity to engage the community we serve. I am all about creating an online community in a school but not only for teachers. I believe in also using these tools to create opportunity for a school to connect with families and share information rapidly. I find that one of the great things about being a part of an online community is that all members can be flexible in how they participate in the activity... I am interested in moving from being a "lurker" to a more active member when it comes to people's blogs, the same way I am in my Facebook account. I really like that most social tools are free!
11 Tools...
Completed the 23 Things a few years back, now I am back for 11 more Tools. I am going to be adding to an existing blog! A slow start, but finally on track... I appreciated the simplicity of the Common Craft video, the quality of the production and of course the message- A very easy way to understand .... Connectivism in plain English!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Thing #23
Please give specific answers for each question.
1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
My favorite discoveries were those that allowed me to connect with others. For thousands of years we have learned through stories, today, we can tell our stories with creation tools on the web. The impact is deep. Our students have many different tools to articulate and represent what they know, why not allow them to use them all?
2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
No Future Left Behind by learning to survive in the 2.0 World. It exposed me to so many different things that otherwise I wouldn’t have discovered. All 23 Things presented me with fascinating opportunities and habits for lifelong learning.
3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
It was way more fun than I expected. I enjoyed expanding my learning by reading and writing blogs and interacting with others more so that I thought I would. A BIG aha, virtual communities are real!
4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
Convince the rest of the district to provide their staff development in a hands-on format such as this one. How about conversations taking place face-to-face, but also across platforms? I really appreciate the fact that this format of staff development allowed me (as the user) to develop my own style and preference around the different resources
5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
Yes! The emotion of learning new things in this format vs the traditional way of staff development has connected many of us and has made our ideas more contagious.
6. How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?
To try to describe this experience in one word is madness because it was beyond description. However, what about UNFOLDING?
7. Now go and comment on some of the other Players' blogs? ... Hmmmm ok...
My advice for those who will do it in the future- this process is not only about learning the tools themselves, but understanding what they are best used for. Learn the how and why and contexts of all of them. Your life will be changed! A huge thanks to VB for her patience, modeling, and sharing with me her personal and professional experiences when I first started doing this.
1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
My favorite discoveries were those that allowed me to connect with others. For thousands of years we have learned through stories, today, we can tell our stories with creation tools on the web. The impact is deep. Our students have many different tools to articulate and represent what they know, why not allow them to use them all?
2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
No Future Left Behind by learning to survive in the 2.0 World. It exposed me to so many different things that otherwise I wouldn’t have discovered. All 23 Things presented me with fascinating opportunities and habits for lifelong learning.
3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
It was way more fun than I expected. I enjoyed expanding my learning by reading and writing blogs and interacting with others more so that I thought I would. A BIG aha, virtual communities are real!
4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
Convince the rest of the district to provide their staff development in a hands-on format such as this one. How about conversations taking place face-to-face, but also across platforms? I really appreciate the fact that this format of staff development allowed me (as the user) to develop my own style and preference around the different resources
5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
Yes! The emotion of learning new things in this format vs the traditional way of staff development has connected many of us and has made our ideas more contagious.
6. How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?
To try to describe this experience in one word is madness because it was beyond description. However, what about UNFOLDING?
7. Now go and comment on some of the other Players' blogs? ... Hmmmm ok...
My advice for those who will do it in the future- this process is not only about learning the tools themselves, but understanding what they are best used for. Learn the how and why and contexts of all of them. Your life will be changed! A huge thanks to VB for her patience, modeling, and sharing with me her personal and professional experiences when I first started doing this.
Thing #22
Thanks for opeNING my mind to all of this. I had a great time searching Educator Ning and Ning for Teachers. I learned that Ning, like Facebook and Myspace is another form of social media that can be used in the classroom to increase student learning and motivation. However, in my opinion, Nings would be more beneficial in education that Facebook or Myspace- Ning would allow the teachers/students to create a group based on special interests and learning topics vs Facebook and Myspace are more general networks with no specific interest other that people wanting to connect with people. The creation of a network in Ning would promote discussions beyond the social aspect- How about that for a new way of teaching and learning?
I found the sites above mentioned easy to navigate and that virtually anyone can use. At first I had a hard time getting my head around the concept that after you create a community, it can live beyond you, and that it connects diverse communities and demographics. What are the implications for business here? Someone’s money can grow very fast by using a platform such as Ning.
I found the sites above mentioned easy to navigate and that virtually anyone can use. At first I had a hard time getting my head around the concept that after you create a community, it can live beyond you, and that it connects diverse communities and demographics. What are the implications for business here? Someone’s money can grow very fast by using a platform such as Ning.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Thing #21
Podcasts a cool way to do book reviews or reports, interview people, and as another way to show results of research assignments. Techonology useful to enhance the students' experience and an aswesome and fun alternative to the pencil and paper...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Thing #20
I was pretty familiar with Youtube, so I decided to play with teachertube. Online video sharing site like Teachertube is a great way to engage students in learning . Students can do more than just watch videos- they can create them! Another value I see in Teachertube is that is another way for teachers all over the world to share materials (such as the instructional video here).
Monday, March 9, 2009
Thing #19
I had a great time experimenting and using Wufoo. This tool allowed me to effortlessly create a form. You can create surveys, contact forms, registration forms, and so on- will continue using it for sure! Once you have created the document you want, you can be notified via email, create graphs, view stats and email your form to a group of people, imagine that! I really liked this internet application as it was very flexible and it required little technical knowledge. I am sure that if I had been willing to go further than the free level of serviced provided by Wufoo, I would have been able to do more and see even more benefits. Lastly, one of the benefits I see is that as educators we work with a lot of data, Wufoo can help organize it and understand it.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thing #18
Open Office is pretty cool, especially considering its price- FREE! This site seems to be able to do anything that Microsoft can do and it supports a wide variety of formats. I will continue to explore this.
Google Docs- This was one tool that I had played with before, and remember thinking at the time that Google had so many “secret” functions (ha!) only to discover that it really does as I go through this 23 Things Journey. As always a question or two- how secure is it to store documents online? What kind of tech support is there?
Google Docs- This was one tool that I had played with before, and remember thinking at the time that Google had so many “secret” functions (ha!) only to discover that it really does as I go through this 23 Things Journey. As always a question or two- how secure is it to store documents online? What kind of tech support is there?
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Thing #17
Has anyone created a Top 100 web 2.0 for educators? Well, whatever the answer is, Rollyo should be included- In my opinion, a constructivist base tool for learning!
I imagine that personal search engine tools like Rollyo will gain popularity when other teachers realize how powerful they can be, or have they already discovered it and I am once again in the dark? I picture teachers creating a list of websites about any topic relevant to their content and students accessing them to do research or just take control of their own learning. The list of web 2.0 tool seems to be endless… Get ready, set, Roll…Yahoo!!!
I imagine that personal search engine tools like Rollyo will gain popularity when other teachers realize how powerful they can be, or have they already discovered it and I am once again in the dark? I picture teachers creating a list of websites about any topic relevant to their content and students accessing them to do research or just take control of their own learning. The list of web 2.0 tool seems to be endless… Get ready, set, Roll…Yahoo!!!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Thing #16
http://secondaryesldcs.pbwiki.com/
A quickie on Wiki- I created this Wiki with the intent to communicate and collaborate with SBISD’s ESL DCs (and teachers if interested). However, I have not had much luck! What’s getting in the way- fear factor, time, too complicated or other? One of my goals was to create valuable resources in a collaborative environment using this online database, but not there yet! …. Wanna a Wiki?
A quickie on Wiki- I created this Wiki with the intent to communicate and collaborate with SBISD’s ESL DCs (and teachers if interested). However, I have not had much luck! What’s getting in the way- fear factor, time, too complicated or other? One of my goals was to create valuable resources in a collaborative environment using this online database, but not there yet! …. Wanna a Wiki?
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