NETS-T I~Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Blogger:

Facilitating student inspiration in a creative learning environment while incorporating technology, is an essential teaching tool. Using Blogger, Google’s free blogging tool, I created a blog, which is an online personal journal that can be shared publicly, to house my technological course assignments. Virtually anything can be visually shared using this tool, making this tool a valuable asset to teachers and students alike.  In order to ensure visual appeal, I used Blogger’s built-in design layout, templates and advanced tools to create a customized, fun and creative blog. I used a combination of blog posts to hold my technological journal article responses, embedded codes to import media assignments, as well as pages to showcase my technological assignments such as my Diigo tagroll, classroom newsletter, and my NETS-S Prezi presentation. I was then effectively able to communicate with my classmates by reading their feedback on my posts and pages, as well as leave feedback for them. By generating this blog, I am able to create a virtual meeting place for students to collaborate with their fellow classmates as well as their instructor. I am now able to engage my students in a creative learning environment using different forms of communication to discuss virtually anything, such as real-world issues, while instilling authentic problem solving skills by making this virtual networking tool available to them.

Newsletter:

A teacher can easily generate a newsletter and give it to students and/or parents to provide them with information on what is to come in class. Using Microsoft Word I created a  newsletter that shared with my class a brief description of me as well as an introduction to my class,what we will be covering throughout the year and a description of how I will incorporate technology into my classroom curriculum. This one of a kind newsletter which will later be distributed to my students and their parents to let them know what is to come for the students second grade year. When creating my personal newsletter I utilized a table to create a masthead with the title incorporating word art, the date, my name, and a quote that I found personally inspirational which is surrounded by two pieces of line art. Within my Newsletter I organized my articles into two columns and included an array of different graphics and clip art that related the article, utilized the use of drop cap for emphasis of each article, a scanned drawing of myself in my introduction, custom bullets to emphasize on certain ideas maintaining organization as well as borders and other graphics that relate to the text. My creation of a Microsoft Word Newsletter demonstrates a creative process showing critical planning to inform the reader about what he or she is about to do in my class. Providing an innovative example of my technology use for students helps me promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness with something as simple as a classroom newsletter. 

NETS-T II~ Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

iMovie Public Service Announcement:

As a teacher it is vital that I know how to design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences for my students’ and when creating an iMovie I can incorporate contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning through this fun computer software. Using Apple’s iMovie video editing software I created a public service announcement (PSA) for any prospective students at California State University San Marcos, then learned how to upload this video to my blog using QuickTime conversion. I selected around 10 video clips and one still photograph of myself, created transitions between each slide, added four screen effects like ‘scrolling credits’, text on each slide including CSUSM facts, music that faded in and out and recorded a voice-over which is a little muffled in the beginning of the video due to technical difficulties. When editing, I controlled the length of each of the clips so I could limit the PSA to about one minute, which was the time allotted for the video. The design of my PSA demonstrates that I am able to adapt relevant learning experiences, such as editing video footage and embedding it to a blog page on a computer and learning more about a college campus, to incorporate digital tools and resources that I can then share with future students. By including my own statistics about the campus, selecting different video clips from what was provided for me, adding transitions and arranging clips, choosing a soundtrack and inserting fun screen effects, I can promote student learning and creativity that I will later be able to provide to my students through this customized digital experience.

Google Forms:

Google Forms allows you to create assessments that can evaluate and maximize a students learning experience, which is very important for teachers to continuously improve. I used Google Forms, a free web-based program that is offered through Google, with this I created an assessment/evaluation for my Prezi presentation assignment which I later attached to my blog page in order to receive peer responses to the assignment. In the Google forms assessment, I formatted an array of questions from multiple choice, sliding scale (1-10), short answer responses, fill in the blank, check boxes, choose from a list and more which I then shared on my blog page with my peers and was able to review subsequently the responses that were calculated through a spreadsheet. In Google forms, I have now created multiple assessments which allow me to attach a first and last name for each evaluator so that I can organize the results of my user responses into a systematic or alphabetical order. I have now used this assessment on my blog to have peer evaluations on my NET-S presentation by including the link to the Google forms assessment. Through creating a Google forms assessment to evaluate the NETS-S standards in my presentation, I corresponded  with NETS-T technology standards on multiple different levels. By assessing my own progress and using various formats when creating questions that related to the content I displayed, I designed a customized and personalized learning activity to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. 

NETS-T III~ Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Excel Crossword Puzzle:

An Excel Crossword puzzle is just as it sounds, a crossword puzzle that can be generated through using Microsoft Excel. I created a crossword for a Second Grade class with different vocabulary words by using Microsoft Excel which will be a fun class activity that can help my students review specific vocabulary by defining words within a crossword puzzle. In order to create a crossword puzzle I first watched a tutorial and then followed it step by step until the puzzle was completed. I used custom formatting as well as conditional formatting to complete the crossword and then attached a second sheet to include clues for the words in the crossword. I am now able to design and develop different crossword puzzles which my students can later solve using technology or even in print. This customized activity can be used in different subjects as well as for a fun review. By using Excel in this way and demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and work processes as well as fluency in technology systems which I have developed and can incorporate into my curriculum.

Prezi:

Through Prezi, a free and easily accessible web-based multimedia presentation software that is way more interesting than your typical PowerPoint, I created a presentation that displays my individual ideas to integrate the National Education Technology Standards (NETS-S) for pre- kindergarten to second grader ages 4-8, into my classroom curriculum. Along with creating a Prezi presentation, I learned how to insert videos from YouTube, pictures, text into multiple sized frames, and how to create effective intricate paths that communicate relevant information about the curriculum that meets the NETS-S standards. I presented, twenty-five separate frames, with four main frames that included a NETS-S performance indicator, an idea for a web-based lesson, images and examples to represent each lesson, and a Youtube video about implementing technology in the classroom. All of the frames are linked by a “path” that I created as a guide for the user to move throughout the presentation by zooming in and out on the main ideas and effectively communicating the material I’m presenting throughout the entire presentation. Creating a Prezi allowed me to facilitate the communication of relevant information, NETS-S performance indicators, and web-based lesson ideas, to students and peers using digital-age media and learning. As a result, I can now share and model to my students the knowledge of this digital tool and communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats such as Prezi.

NETS-T IV~ Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Cyber Safety Website:

Creating a website is easy when using Google sites, a free structured wiki and web-page Creation tool offered by Google. In a collaborative group I designed and created a Cyber Safety website that covers awareness of safety concerns, ethical practices and legal issues that continuously arise in the use of new technology and as a teacher this is now my responsibility to model appropriate practices for all my students when accessing computers. In order to use this program you must first have a Google account then click on the tab titled sites and from there the process is simple. On the website, we each created our own page on a safety topic. My focus was piracy and plagiarism.  Other topics on our site include: cyber predators, cyber bullying, inappropriate content, identity safety, and social networks. My web page defines and states the differences between piracy and plagiarism, the consequences of committing such act and much more.  I provide statistics, tips for students, tips for educators, tips for parents and resources that can be used in prevention.  Through the use of Google Sites, I embedded a video clip that I also created myself as well as graphics to help promote awareness on my topic. This Cyber safety Website allows us as educators to advocate, model and teach safe, legal and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources. At the same time it also promotes digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

Diigo:

With technology constantly changing the way the world interacts it is absolutely necessary to collaborate with colleagues around the globe to ensure that students receive appropriate and equal opportunities within education. I created an account with Diigo, a social bookmarking website, to collaborate with colleagues and share and develop an understanding of education from a diverse perspective. After creating a Diigo account I searched and found several Diigo users who paralleled my searches in education and technology and then followed them. On Diigo, I researched and bookmarked an array of topics from technology, special education, mathematics, Spanish, general education, to education 422 and added them to my Diigo Tag roll which then allows me to share them with my followers on Diigo. When using Diigo, I collaborated with peers to share valuable resources to help with research studies in subjects like progressive education as well as multiple other topics. Using Diigo I can continue to promote through networks and groups by addressing the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools resources. Diigo does such for teachers and helps by sharing information in such an organized structured manner such as book marking and even provides a downloadable toolbar,which makes collecting research and interesting sites easy. 

NETS-T V~ Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

PLN (Personal Learning Network):

Utilizing a social media and web-based tools I have created a Personal Learning Network (PLN).   A PLN is any collection of people, who have similar research interests and/or professional goals, with whom one engages and exchanges information with online through different networks. I became a member of different social networking web sites online such as Diigo, Twitter, and the Educator’s PLN communities by reading and following other member’s postings and joining chats that would interest me. On Diigo and Twitter, I added people interested in education as well as my professors and some classmates to my network, and I joined the Educator’s PLN community to become more informed on current national educational issues. Becoming an active member in the education community and establishing a PLN with different groups of global educators that I can collaborate with, requires me to be open to new and exciting ideas around the world, and is a definite example on how I can be sure to model to my future students how they can use the Internet to learn. My students' will also actively be involved in creating their own PLNs to be sure to increase their intelligence by asking questions to diverse people from different countries. My Personal Learning Network allows me to exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others. 

Journal Articles:

Continuing my Education will always be as important for me as important as my own students education. As a requirement for my class I subscribed to Learning & Leading with Technology (L&L), a journal obtained through membership in the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE.)  I continue to regularly read current and archived issues of L&L, as well as other educational publications that interest me, and documented my reflections of the material on my blog page. Each of these articles have exposed me to new emerging digital tools that can be incorporated into my classroom to improve all student learning. For example the journal article "Join the Flock," by Hadley Ferguson & "Enhance Your Twitter Experience," by Shannon McClintock Miller from Learning and Leading with Technology,  June/July 2010 introduced me to using Twitter as an educational social network that will virtually help me to connect with other educational figures to establish connections with people all over the world. Through the constantly exploring articles and later writing reflections of the journals centered on technology and education, I can support student learning by incorporating current research within the classroom. My continuous effort is important in order to improve my professional practice and will allow me to find and implement the most effective methods for improving student success in the classroom.