Thing #11.5 - Evaluation

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
There are a few things about which I particularly enjoyed learning. Simple things like Wordle and Glogs are so quickly applicable to any classroom application. There might even be a way to incorporate either of those into an ActivBoard Flipchart. My students are already using Animotos but it was nice to learn Animoto has new formats available. I had fun using Voki to engage in a back-and-forth Voki chat with friends, something that would be fun for my students and easy enough to find ways to implement.


2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
The humbling aspect of the Library to Play programs, both this summer and last summer, was that I used to think I was fairly competent using the internet as a tool. As it turns out, I'm just a rookie, maybe ahead of many of my teaching peers, but still a rookie. I have an awareness of the speed at which the digital world is evolving and it will take continuous conscious effort to keep abreast of the techno evolution. I feel as if my skill set is greatly improved as I progressed through these courses and maybe now I know enough to be a danger to my computer. LOL

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
The best take-a-ways were the Glogs, Wordle, Animoto, Bookr, and Voki apps. They were totally fun for me, easy for me to learn, and just as easy to help my students learn. Their application to curriculum limited only by the imagination of the users.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
A suggestion for improvement would be to offer grade-level options/components with some of the 'Things'. For instance, the Second Life application just seemed too extreme for my middle school students, it really was better suited for secondary and post-secondary learners. Keep the numbering structure in the existing sequence, the structure of the 'Things' is designed so the intensity level seems to ebb and flow, none of the highly involved apps are next to each other, but are sandwiched between easier apps. That works well. The only other strong suggestion I have is that this training, or some semblance of it needs to be a required teacher training for all teachers.

Thing # 11 - Digital Citizenship

Digital citizenship is still an evolving concept in education. Something of which every teacher needs to begin to have a working knowledge. As more and more digital equipment finds it's way into the classroom, we will see such a difference in the look of the 'traditional' classroom setting. The digital era in the classroom completes the morph of the teacher from "sage on the stage" but rather the "guide on the side"(as was stated in one of the blogs....).... Something that will be a major philosophical shift for some....

What would I tell my middle school students...

1. literacy - the internet is like being afloat in outer space. there are things you know about and things that are unfamiliar. the universe has no boundaries. experience may give you a head-start. inexperience just means that you will need to be open to exploration and maybe a little extra support from teachers or trusted peers.

2. learning strategies - just because information comes from a computer doesn't mean it is valid and/or truthful. the internet is open to everyone and there is no head-librarian checking information for accuracy. be aware of what sources you use. very aware.

3. etiquette - be aware of everything you say/write. use school appropriate language. report any abusive language or uncomfortable situations you may encounter.

4. safety - the internet is a very cool place and at the same time a potentially dangerous place. things may not always be what they seem. never ever give personal information of any kind. you may not actually be talking w/ another 7th grade student on the other side....

5. do your best to stay within the boundaries and parameters of the assignment given including recommendations for websites and links.

Thing #10 - Virtual Worlds

Don't know where to start - except to say that I am incredibly disappointed, unnerved, and overwhelmed by this app. I kept looking into this 'Thing' over a three day period thinking it would somehow become fabulous. It didn't.

Starting with overwhelmed - soooo many commands. Yes there are drop down menus with icons - but there are still tons of options. It would require loads of time to get to a point where I was somewhat smooth in operating my poor avatar. My students would literally cognitively teleport into their avatars and it would be difficult to retrieve them (remember, I work with Autistic and Asperger's students...)

Unnerved - I know this sounds dorky, but when I saw other avatars approaching, I got creeped out, as if they were actually in my living room. One time, when I was in virtual China, somebody came running across the barren plain and I was worried they might want to talk to me so I flew away. Yep, dork. My students would also freak out at 'strangers' approaching. There is too much here that is not 'concrete' for my students to comprehend. They are still working on the subtleties of the real world, no sense in confusing the issue with virtual worlds (beyond the Wii and XBox games they are already hooked into....)

Disappointed - the graphics are really not all that great yet. My movements are still not fluid and the software loads slower than my little 'DeNayNay Yuhara' can walk. Also found that the destinations were not 'all that' and that there appeared to be many destinations that were just not for me. It may make me sound like a jerk, but I laughed at the 'weekly therapy group on interpersonal relationships'. Ya THINK you might just step away from your computer and maybe go to the grocery store and simply say hi to real people? I know, I know, harsh.

As an experiment I took my avatar to a place I'm familiar with, London. I found myself/DeNayNay listening to streaming radio from London, and it was about 4a.m. so the city was dark, which was impressive that the simulator followed the time zones. However, since it was dark, I couldn't tell how realistic the perimeter of Hyde Park was so I left my poor DeNayNay in London, standing on some street corner in Kensington. I will check on her later, in daylight hours, London time, to see the sights.

As for my middle school students - I honestly don't think I will promote this quite yet. Okay, not at all this year. The applications seem to be for an older student and the subject matter/involvement levels don't seem to justify the academic investment. Sorry.

Thing #9 -Slideshare

I'll have to admit, this is one of the least 'glamorous' of the Things. Honestly, from my experiences at school this year and this summer working on all the other 'Things' apps, I am of the opinion that PowerPoint presentations are on their way to the techno-scrap yard. Students still use PowerPoint, but they have been moving toward more dynamic apps like Animoto. PowerPoint really seems old tech.

HOWEVER, the point here is to find uses.... If there is something I would like my students to have available at home, or information to share with parents, I can make my PPt available from the Slideshare program. Families can then access the info at their leisure.

Sounds lame - but, I guess I'll check other players' blogs to see if there are other ideas that have a bit more punch.....

Thing #8 - ScreenCast

Teachers on my campus are always trying to figure out how to stop the email image auto-display when they receive new email. With Activ Boards in use, there is probably not a student in the room (except for the ones not paying attention LOL) who does not immediately drop their gaze to the bottom of the screen and read the first line or two of the email. This screen-capture 'tutorial' should take care of that....
There are so many opportunities to use this in my class. One of the most repetitive tasks I do is to remind students how to correctly save files to their Norway folders. Computers seem to always 'lose' files. Yah right. I'm going to create a snag-it or screen capture or whatever of the specific 'how-to-save-your-files-to-your-own-Norway-folder' tutorial.
I will have to admit to being a bit confused as to the relationship between Jing, Snag-it, and Screencast. Not sure what the trilogy is all about, but I was able to get the screen capture accomplished, so I must have some sort of a grip on this.

Thing #7 Video Resources

I discounted this 'Thing' when I saw the topic. My apologies. There is so much more available than I realized, I found myself getting lost in 'search mode' for quite a while. Ooops.
...What this 'Thing' did was help me realize that videos are not necessarily a bad thing, they've been vilified for so long as a lazy way to teach. I support students who are dealing with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. It took just a New York second to realize that search engines provide easy access to videos on the 'topics of high interest' for my students. (Some of my students have topics of interest which are so engaging to them that they will talk/read on nothing else. Of course students need to be able to engage in personal interests, but they are generally not effective at self-regulation and may become completely mesmerized and literally 'check out' of the school day.) We can regulate their access to the topic and the videos can be used as part of their incentive programs. Easily.
....A pleasant surprise when searching for ideas was the number of 'social stories' videos available. Social stories are a means of supporting some of our students, giving them concrete training in how to handle different social situations. The video I found embedded deals with handling changes in school schedules, a relevant topic for middle schoolers. You Tube had social stories on greetings, making telephone calls, working with groups. If we have an Activ Board this year, it will be so easy to use these QUICK videos to support our social skills lessons. Nice.

Thing #6 - iTouch Apps

SOOOOO glad my husband has an iPhone!

I'll have to admit that I've played with his iPhone a bunch. I guess 'played' is the word. Working on this 'Thing #6' opened my eyes, big time!

It was incredible the number of educational apps (and some questionable apps categorized as educational ...) in every subject, every subject. The number of free apps was remarkable, although I'm not sure if the quality of the free vs. for-$ale apps. The ranges of developmental levels was a huge surprise as well. I used to think the Y Gens who gave their toddlers an iPhone to play with were somehow neglectful parents. Actually, it might be the other way around. I've seen little kids at restaurants completely engrossed in an app and never ask a parent for help. If a child is not exposed at an early age to technology, the parents are doing the child a disservice. (What about the economically disadvantaged families who don't have all the techie gadgets? I think I'll save that topic for my closing post...)