Web 2.0 Technology Blog: Lesson Plan

Web 2.0 Technology Blog: More Cool Tools

Web 2.0 Technology Blog: Audio and Video

Below is a video I created in conjunction with my team to present to all of our 5th grade families. I am so fortunate to be a part of a PLC with similar pedagogies and a willingness to be innovative and take risks. 

Web 2.0 Technology: Photo Sharing

Today it is a given that teachers provide auditory and visual cues to students. For many, t has just become a natural part of teaching. With the implementation of technology combined with 21st century skills, it is imperative that we provide opportunities for our students to communicate their reasoning through text and visual literacy.  We know that “students gain a deeper understanding of a concept when they are encouraged and enabled to create a nonlinguistic representation of that concept.” With technology and the wealth of visual representations available to students, it is important that we allow this opportunity to our students.

The importance of including visual literacy instruction for our students in the classroom comes from the discovery that students gain a deeper understanding of a concept when they are encouraged and enabled to create a nonlinguistic representation of that concept. When paired with linguistic -- or text-based -- literacy, visual literacy can multiply students' ability to recall and think about what they have learned. Flickr is a site that is new to me, but after perusing a few pages, I see how the site could appeal to a classroom. I like the idea of using Padlet in a similar way. Asking students to find a visual to represent an idea and then explaining how and why that visual supports their claim. Recently, I assigned this collaborative assignment.

Snapshot SlideShow

With your triad, please find an image that you feel represents what you have learned about Native American and Colonist relations. Once, you have that image, please paste it into the slideshow linked HERE. Please make sure you share the image on your assigned slide. Next, on the same slide, share what your image represents and why your triad chose to share it. You may write in paragraph form or bullets. It is up to you.

This activity is supported by the following ISTE Standard for Students:

Creative Communicator:
Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals. Students:
a. choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
b. create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.
c. communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.
d. publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.

Images I would share with students to prompt an online discussion:

What do these images represent?

Web 2.0 Technology: Social Bookmarking

While I am familiar with bookmarks and am very proud of my many bookmarks that beautifully decorate my bookmarks bar, the idea of social bookmarking was new to me. Some of the features of social bookmarking are new to me however a few things I read seem to be ideas that were innovative several years ago and have now been replaced by even more innovative ideas. For example, a key advantage of social bookmarking was that you can access your bookmarks from home and from work. Now with Google, I simply log in to Chrome and can access my bookmarks from anywhere! Another advantage of social bookmarking was that you can house websites on one place to share with colleagues. Today, that can be done through platforms like Pinterest. Another feature that was introduced to me was using social bookmarking as a marketing tool. Today, I feel Social Media sites like Twitter and Pinterest have taken over this market.

I think it would be fun to include a Pinterest Board on my class website for students and or parents as a way to share sites with them that I feel would be beneficial. This is a great example of the following ISTE Standard:

Model digital age work and learning: Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.

a. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations

b. Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation

c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats

d. Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning

Web 2.0 Technology Blog: RSS Feeds

I like the idea of including an RSS Feed to my blog. I’m thinking about creating two new blogs next year. One for parents and one for students. An RSS Feed would be a great place to share blogs that I feel would be beneficial for parents and/or students to read.

On this blog you will notice that I added two RSS Feeds:

1. My Classroom Website
2. TEDEd: Ideas Worth Sharing: The RSS Feed that I felt was worthy of adding to by blog was the TED-Ed blog. Here’s a quick description: “TED-Ed’s commitment to creating lessons worth sharing is an extension of TED’s mission of spreading great ideas. Within TED-Ed’s growing library of TED-Ed animations, you will find carefully curated educational videos, many of which represent collaborations between talented educators and animators nominated through the TED-Ed website (ed.ted.com).”

Using an RSS Feed in the classroom is supported by the following ISTE Standard:

Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes
d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments

Web 2.0 Technology Blog Wikis

Exploring the wiki sites was interesting because I remember being introduced to wikis about seven years ago. It felt new and innovative. It was really a launching point for me to bring technology into the classroom. As I transitioned into using Google Docs (before I even started using Google Drive), I remember I would post a link to a shared Google Doc on my class website for students to access and collaborate. At that point, I believe I still referred to the Google Doc as a wiki.

I liked accessing the PBWiki and seeing what others had posted. A feature I liked about this is that users had to create an account to access the wiki. While I could have been anyone, at least now the wiki owner knows who has access. One problem I am having with google Docs is that sometimes I do not know who is typing what. With wikis, I use to assign colors, so I would know who contributed what, but with Google, often my students show up as “Anonymous Animal.” Other times, their names appear. I need to figure this out. It might be a setting my school district has put in place.  

Here is an example of a “wiki” I created. It is actually a Google Doc that was used the same way a wiki would be used.

Thirteen Colonies Matrix Wiki Sample #1

Thirteen Colonies Matrix Wiki Sample #2

Creative Communicator:

Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals.

Students:

a. choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.

b. create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.

c. communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.

d. publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.

Google Classroom and Room 24

What is Google Classroom?

Google Classroom is a blended learning platform for schools that aim to simplify creating, distributing, and grading assignments in a paperless way. We will be using Google Classroom throughout the school day in all subject areas. You will notice fewer papers coming home in the Friday Folders which might make you wonder, "Where is my child's work?" The answer is, "It's in Google Classroom or Google Drive!"

How can I view my child's work?

To view your child's work, you will need to go to classroom.google.com. Once there, please sit down with your child and have him/her login to their Google Classroom account. Your child will know how to navigate throughout the Google Classroom platform.

I'm still a little confused!

Ask your child to show you how to do the following:

1. How do know when Mrs. Brubaker has given you an assignment?

2. How do you know when it is due?

3. How does Google Drive relate to Google Classroom?

4. What if you turn something in, but then realize you need to fix something. Can you get the assignment back?

5. How do you ask the teacher or another student a question on Google Classroom?

I still have some questions about Google Classroom!

Please watch the brief parent tutorial video on Google Classroom to answer any questions you may still have.