Are you TIRED of the....

....same old material being presented to you in class?? Blah blah.  Do you want some spice in your life and learn through others in your field and through technology?  Twitter is a great way that will allow you to stay connected to the outside world by ‘following’ others and seeing what’s important in your chosen field.  Twitter allows you to follow artists, educators, singers, athletes, and many more individuals as you can live with them throughout a day in the life of them.  

            You can use Twitter in the classroom in a variety of ways.  One way that I know I would use it is  in my classroom would be if teachers and students from around the world can collaborate on projects using Twitter as a communication tool that simultaneously educates students in different classroom and cultural protocols.  Since I know I will be doing something in the foreign language or ESL route, this would be a great way to incorporate communication into the classroom.  Not only would this allow students to use technology, but it would also let students use an ESL NYS standard for communication with other individuals and others from around the world.  In the web page titled, How to use Twitter for Social Learning, it states that Twitter allows portrays easy access, and there are many websites that allow viewers to use this tool in presentations, activities, and allows teachers and students to understand how to use Twitter. 

              Twitter can be successfully used in any classroom at any grade level and content area.  Some ways that teachers are using Twitter is for review of tests/quizzes, answering questions, instant feedback, communicate with professionals of individuals in your field of interest, set up a poll as with many other ways, as stated in the web page, 28 Creative Ways Teachers Are Using Twitter .  I think that any subject teacher can use in their classroom.  Math teachers can allow students to communicate with other mathematicians while in English class, students can catch up on authors of that time or poets from a different era.  

P.L.N.....Personal Learning Network

The Educators Personal Learning Network is a network in which ESL/EFL teachers can refer to when needs ideas and keep in touch with other teachers in around the world!

When exploring this website I noticed some really nifty things that would beneficial in any ESL/EFL classroom. Some of the major headlines on this site were as followed:

My Page:  Easy set-up! (all it involves is an e-mail address and a password)
Members:  Comment or "give a call" to over 11,000 members who can give you advice or ideas for your classroom
Videos:  Want to critically think about something?  The video headliner will allow you to access many different types of videos from Online Learning to Digital Learning in a Social Studies classroom
Forum:  Search, comment, and reply on several topics relating to learning
Events:  Attend or view events in your area (some of these events will allow you to stay home and attend right at your own computer!)
Groups:  Join groups that allow you to have say in several ideas.  Some groups I thought were important were Language Learners and  IPads in the classroom.
Blogs:  Blogs, blogs, and more blogs!  View several blogs posted by teachers, professionals, and parents of students!
Leaderboards:  Have a question of want to see the #1 video? Check it out!
EdChat:  Talk with members and see what's new!

A learner is like a.....

"A learner is like a human evolving from ape to humankind, you are able to see change and improvement over time"

When I first looked at this assignment it took me a while to comprehend the quote, “A learner is like a…”.  Some things that came to mind were words such as diverse, changing as the years pass, evolving, and improving.  Even though none of these terms fit into the quote directly; I thought that “A learner is like a human evolving from ape to humankind.  A learner is always learning at different speeds and the learning abilities of student are evolving and changing with time.  

  

“…Where we have come with computers, we are now at a point where an individual, can do significantly more with the aid of a computer which was never ever possible in the past..” This was stated by George Siemens in the video The Changing Nature of Knowledge, in which he explains his view on the changed nature of knowledge and his learning theory of connectivism.  Throughout this video clip, he used the word ‘connect’ many times.  One time that stuck out to me was when he said that individuals connect with others and form more connections with data bases that are the main forms of knowledge at this point in time.  The learning ability of the learner use to be in the minds of the individual, but with the complexity of our databases nowadays, students can connect to many outside sources that just solely are inside of their minds.  

As stated in the article Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, George Siemens, states that connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories.  With the increased use of technology nowadays, students, adults, and children stay connected through the use of social networking, news, media, etc.  When individuals stay connected through this process, they then have the ability to stay connected through different fields and continue to improve their learning process.  The connectivist theory is evolving in ways that individuals connect such as, going from telegrams, to letters, to emails, to phone texts!

Same video-clip, Similar IDEAS!

When completing this Mod I noticed that when I was adding my education blog feds, I saw that Meng Zhang had similar thoughts with regards to the 21st Century Education in New Brunswick, Canada video.  It was interesting that she shared the same thoughts and ideas as me and made me have a "Oh yeah" type response when reading her posts to the video. This idea was that in years from now there will be no textbooks for students, it will all be in a little gadget that holds all this material. So....I guess I have to start touching up on my technology!      

This video was interesting in that it had no sound, however, was extremely beneficial because it showed the audience ways in which technology will advance throughout the years.  I am excited to see that as technology is improving in todays classrooms, how it will effect the learners that it surrounds.  Being a first year teacher, I want to incorporate as much technology in my classroom because years down the road, everything will be technology based.  In my classroom, I noticed that virtual tours are a great way in which students can first hand experience 'life' in that certain area without even being there. 

 

Technology, technology, technology!

21st Century Education in New Brunswick, Canada   

This what one of the videos that I thought was more interesting because a. there was no sound and b. it was really an eye opener to see how advanced technology will be in the next couple years.  From when I was in elementary school to the elementary school I teach in now , there are many uses of technology that students can use such as SMARTBoard, over head projectors, Elmo's , etc.  I can only wait and imagine the ways in which technology will change! 

This is one video that will make people pay attention to because there was no sound so that they will have to stay focused on the screen.  I found it interesting that they repeated the question Did you realize? several times as a way to show the audience how different technology will be in years down the road.   

Internet Safety

 Hello Students in Room 33 and Parents/Guardians.  This year we will be using the Internet in many fun and exciting ways.  Below is a list of ways that will keep your student safe from the Internet both at school and at home.  There is also information for the parents/guardians for protecting your child!

For the STUDENTS...there are some very important things that you need to keep in mind when you're on your computer at home or at school.....

1.  Never give out ANY type of personal information out on the Internet (name, home address and phone number, credit card number, school name, etc.)
2.  Never take a picture of yourself on a chat room or other sites that allow this
3.  Never write to someone that makes  you scared or uncomfortable
4.  Don't go and meet someone alone that you met online without the consent of you parent/guardian
5. Tell your parents right away if ANYTHING anybody says makes you uncomfortable
Remember:  Over the Internet people may say they are a 12 year girl when they really aren't!
6.  Don't talk to strangers

For the PARENTS...

1.  Become computer literate and learn how to block objectionable material
2.  Keep the computer in a common area, not in individual bedrooms, where you can watch and monitor its use
3.  Share an email account with your child so you can monitor messages
4.  Bookmark kids' favorite sites for easy access
5.  Spend time online together to teach your kids appropriate online behavior
6.  Find out what, if any, online protection is offered by your child's school, after-school center, friends' homes, or anyplace where kids could use a computer without your supervision
NOTE:  This link will show you what Notre Dame Academy (NDA) has to offer when protecting their students from the Internet
7.  Take your child seriously if he or she reports an uncomfortable online exchange
8.  Forward copies of obscene or threatening messages you or your kids get to your Internet service provider

Feel free to visit this link  which will give you more tips on Internet Safety and more specifically for teens and younger children:

Incorporating Blogs into the Classroom

1.  Students can create a blog where they describe a typical day at school. The teacher can invite other same aged students from different global locations to contribute the same type of information on the same blog.This will allow students to see the different ways in which their school days and similar and differ.  Students can ask questions and leave comments to gain cultural awareness. Students can then begin to share/compare thematic units being learned, novels being read, field trips being taken, etc.  This will be interesting to use in my classroom now because they are learning about different vocabulary in and affiliated with school.  This will heighten their awareness on schools around the country or schools that can be right around the corner.  This will cover the standards 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 which allows students to communicate in languages other than English.

2.  In my school, the 8th grade girls and boys need to make a portfolio to enter a high school of choice (usually a Catholic School).  Having students create an E-portfolio will not only display their student work but will also allow students to visually see their portfolio on the computer.  Students could add links to videos, presentations, podcasts, etc. which can show the viewer how that individual excels in their field (academically or in sports).  Allowing students to complete this type of portfolio will allow them to comment on their weaknesses and strengths as well.  This type of work shows others what work is highlighted in their portfolio.  Standard 1.2 allows children to understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics which is the standard that students will demonstrate while completing this task.  

3.  Creating a blog to communicate class/school information with parents will allow students, teacher, and parents/guardians to see important information that's happening in the community, school, and in the classroom.  Teachers can post field trip information, field trip forms, parent helper calendars, general classroom guidelines and more.  This will be extremely beneficial to those specific parents who don't speak English as a first language because the teacher can intertwine links that will allow parents to appropriately view and communicate with the other parents/guardians of the students.  Teachers can also show homework assignments, spelling words, test, quizzes, and projects on the blog which will allow for open communication between the teacher and guardians if questions happen to arise.  In my classroom, I can have students post a special fact about the Country of the week and students can post their thoughts about it. This will allow students to not only communicate with others but will also allow students to gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures.