#13 - wrapping up

EDMD 7216 was one I was apprehensive about!  Though I was an ed tech specialist for an elementary school in the late 90's and early 00's...  MUCH has changed and I was leery!

However, this class was a refreshing and invigorating experience!  I enjoyed the varied assignments and discovered many new tools for my professional toolbox as well as many I can pass along to my faculty audiences!

I've been stretched and challenged by this first semester in my program to complete a Ph.D. in early Childhood Education.  This process will certainly be worth the time invested as I revamp my pedagogy and derive new strategies for more effective instructional processes.

Thank you, Dr. Jung Won Hur!

haiku deck

Though most classrooms have access to PowerPoint in today's techno environment, Haiku Deck is also an easy format for presentations.  This web-based format is free for the basic package and makes the process of building a creative presentation more feasible by offering a plethora of free images.

I found this tool to be worth the time of my faculty and will use this for future professional development training.  I especially like the fact that students can begin a piece in the classroom and log on from home (even if they have an Ipad and no Word pkg) in order to build upon and expand the project.

This is also the tool I will use for one of my final assignments for this course.  I find this "find" to be valuable and pertinent to today's classroom.

https://www.haikudeck.com/p/0cd20bd638/edmd-7216

makers

I enjoyed the info and sites on the "makers' move".

Two years ago I attended Southern Makers in Montgomery.  This is not an education event but, rather a festival with exhibitors from all over the state of Alabama who "make" something...  soap, tshirts, cards, candy, jam, furniture, honey.

At this event I realized that we don not teach our students ot "make" anything under the current structure.  This was a turning point in my personal pedagogy as I began to push towards this objective.  Thus, the inofmation presented this week was especially intriguing to me.

The video I appreciated was the young man who soldered and created electronic.  He was inspirational is all he had created but moreso for his willingness to teach peers these skills.

What an extraordinary environment we could create if we could steer education, not just isolated pockets, in this vein.

How do we?  

Now, I'm pondering.  

Hmmmmmmm.....

Note: the following video clip is for Southern Makers...  the inspiration I spoke of above:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48BeVL_vMYQ

Padlet

This was new technology for me and certainly one that I will incorporate for my personal teaching experience!


I sampled both Padlet (for the copyright assignment for this course) and Lino (for an online collaborative presentation for a CTEC course) and found that I preferred the tools in Padlet.

This is a nice piece for putting all resources in one location for a class lesson on a topic and a great way to archive info for reteaching the same lesson. I also find the collaborative feature useful as I was able to create a class presentation with another student easily.

This was something I shared with the CTEC students as a possible feature for their usage, also.

http://padlet.com/charlenewoodham/copyright

copyright

Copyright is an area where I feel ownership as I own a copyrighted screenplay: The Road to Natchez. Historically, I have been protective of other's copyrighted materials since I know the value of the created product.

That being said, I learned much from the material in this week's assignment.  For example, the transformative projects were surprising to me.  I am presently reading and scouring the info on Fair Use and examining educational usage of copyrighted materials.

The one area where I have stood firm is in not allowing teachers to show full movies for entertainment/reward only.  That seems to hold up and I am glad of that.

Back to the literature...

coding

I approached the coding assignment with trepidation.  This is not an area where I am familiar and did not feel confident as I don't consider myself a math person and have always associated the latter as necessary for success in the former.

Choosing Angry Birds helped me to feel a bit more confident as the format was that of a video game and yet had a puzzle/logic format.  I was surprised at the ease of the process due to the user freindly tools and I quickly adapted to the pattern of repetitive movements required for an animated character to arrive at the required destination.

Before this I would not have approached using coding with my elementary aged students and now I have a differing view.  The gifted program (WINGS) at my most recent campus will be using this for an upcoming unit on logic.  This is a site where I was an administrator and have recommended the site to the two educators in charge of these students.

I believe it to be appropriate for the regular education and yes, special education populations, also.  However, this site has been historically resistant to change and knew that my gifted ed teachers were my best shot at having this implemented in this school year.  Once they can report success then I will be able to use their positive reviews to encourage other educators under the same roof to participate.

Many, many possibilities...  hmmm...

evernote

I used Evernote in creating a research file for my lit review for an upcoming assignment in this course.  Cyberbullying was my chosen topic and this tool proved to be an effective way to bank the articles I chose and work through the research elements.

As I have several other research projects in process I am now using this storage system as a method of gathering/keeping useful info.  I believe it will prove more helpful to me as I learn to use the tools more effectively.

The web clipper was a bit difficult for me to maneuver...  I need to force myself to use that feature so I can become more confidant in the application.  I'm thinking that it could prove to be one of the most useful features once I become more comfortable with it!

cyberbullying

This week's assignment was on the topic of cyberbullying.  I personally enjoyed this topic as it is an
area of interest for me.  I chose the same area for my literature review for an upcoming assignment for this course as this is an area I am currently considering for my dissertation.

While the term bully has been around for many years, the advent of technology allowed this to change forums to the virtual world.  The reality that most young children have access to smart phones and other tools which will access the Internet made for a landscape where children and adolescents can interact in a forum that requires no face to face interactions and therefore denies the aggressor from seeing the victim.  These factors coupled with little to no supervision have created a dangerous situation for today's young person.

Schools are behind the learning curve on this issue. The students who we are attempting to discipline for inappropriate actions are much more versed on the apps and therefore capable of staying not one but several steps ahead of those of us in the older generation.

Education is required...  for students, parents and yes, for educators.

week 5

This week was the assignment concerning Chrome extensions, special needs or ELL/ESL apps and PicMonkey.

The Chrome extension portion was helpful to me because this is not an area where I have invested time.  I discovered an extension which is capable of grabbing and storing quotes.  I'm excited about this tool as it is helping me in my research process.  I'm on the front end of choosing reference materials which align to my kid empowerment piece and need all the help I can get in organizing existing information so as to determine my path of action.

Voxy was my ELL/ESL app of choice and that was because of the live help feature.  I am a firm believer that the human element is critical for success in education.  I also explored features such as text enlargement and contrast changes in order to provide assistance to students needing these accommodations.

PicMonkey is a user friendly tool which allows the user to add filters, frames, etc. in order to edit photos and graphics.  I generally use Picasa (Google) but, will certianly remember this one as it is free and easily accessible.

week 4

This week's assignment centered around Symbaloo.  This was a new platform/app/experience for me
and in that I discovered a tool that I will certainly employ in my current and future teaching settings.

As a current adjunct instructor for Early Childhood courses at a small junior college I needed a place to consolidate resources for my students.  Symbaloo groupings were the answer to this dilemma.  I enjoyed gathering these links for tiles and my students have enjoyed exploring these riches.  They assisted me in choosing groupings and categories.  They have expressed appreciation for the info but more importantly were motivated to create their own versions.  Since my courses are for new students I am encouraging them to use it as a live portfolio.  They can save resources as they are accumulated but, also create links to their own work samples.

Further, I appreciate the flexibility that this tool offers in creating student work areas, professional development areas, research banks, etc.

week 3

I've been sick for a few days and coughing/hacking plus grad school and a job equals great frustration!  

I have been delving into the assigned videos and readings for this next week's assignment and I'm quite intrigued by Puentedura's SAMR model.

As an administrator I see teachers who merely use the bottom rung of this ladder: simulation.  They never seem to reach the next rung much less the upper levels.  I have always been a proponent of not using technology like typewriters alone.  Historically we have spent too much money and training on lower level thinking in this arena.  I have always encouraged my staff to use technology as production tools.  This was not an effective way to communicate my intended outcomes.  Puentedura has created terminology which communicates this in measurable ways.  This is a model I will now employ.

McCandle: The beauty of data visualization is an amazing new way of creating charts 

(think old style pie charts) with more added depth.  The examples of military staffing/spending 

were very helpful for a visual learner such as myself.  This Ted talk has challenged my view 

of data and will, in the long run, allow me to create more usable formatting for my research model.

Charlene

Week 2

Week 2 was a bit calmer as I settled in to a routine of checking my day planner every seventeen seconds as I obsess about what I have completed, turned in and completely forgotten to address!

The Khan Ted Talk was my favorite assignment for the week from all of my classes.  First, I love the format of Ted Talks and find them to be "public friendly".  Also, I am a fan of Khan Academy's website.  It has allowed me to assist students when the math was above me (yes, I'm a writer) and it also allowed me to prepare more fully for the GRE!

In the discussion we were to post a video link for a flipped classroom.  I chose a Ted Talk delivered by an educator I have had the pleasure of meeting.  Her work is a bit too "granola" for my style but she stretches me immensely!

I'm looking forward to being stretched more fully in this process.

Signed -

a gal who is doing the hardest thing she has ever done (and she has done a lot of hard things)

Week 1

Week 1 was a time of trying to get organized as I tackle coursework to begin the road to an advanced degree in Early Childhood Education.  I am seeking a Ph.D. and am both excited and terrified!

This week's assignments included making a study plan.  The assigned videos incorporated demonstrations of Whole Brain Learning techniques and a Ted Talk from a chemistry teacher speaking about engaging students in meaningful ways.

As both a teacher and an administrator I am a firm believer that student engagement is critical.  One of my most valuable tools in this vein is creating an atmosphere of community in my classroom.  If all participants feel like hey belong they are more likely to collaborate.

I'm excited to see what is ahead in this course and know that I will be introduced to new technologies which will support both my students and myself in academic endeavors!

Charlene M. Woodham, Ed.S.