ISTE Standard 4 Digital Citizenship Poster

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Teacher Leadership Standard 4-End of Course Reflection

End of Course Reflection

Teacher Leadership Standard 4: Engage in analysis of teaching and collaborative practices.

10 weeks ago I officially took that big step and began the whole "getting your Master’s Degree" thing. I had begun my third year of teaching 4th grade and it felt like the right time to start this whole process. When I started this course, I really did not know what to expect. I knew that I was extremely intimidated by the whole writing papers in APA format, writing/sharing ideas on discussion boards, and the biggest challenge of balancing being a teacher, teammate, a student, a daughter, a sister and a friend all at the same time. This course’s goals were to have us really reflect and analyze our own teaching practices and collaborate in a variety of different settings-such as partnerships or small groups, which I never really gave much thought to beforehand. I knew about the importance of collaboration, just not the depth of reflection that really goes along with it.

I remember at the very beginning of this quarter, I sat at my computer with anxiety of pushing “reply” to our very first discussion board. Bracing myself for the possible critiques that may have followed, or the possible perception that I really do not know a whole lot in areas of teaching. However, that was never the case. Through our courses reading I gained a lot of knowledge about how to reflect and approach collaboration and working with others. I posted in our second module about the fundamentals that I would like to work on throughout the course/at work and those two things were “Being Open” and “Viewing Learning as Mutual.” The first one of Being Open (York-Barr, Pg. 38): Taking and considering multiple perspectives. Was not something that I struggled with in the sense of needing or wanting to be right all of the time within a group. It was more in the sense that I needed to be open to hearing responses that are going to help me and allow me to grow. I have always had the challenge of hearing critiques and responses to my own personal thinking.  I have always been shy and have the fear of saying or doing something, and having someone harshly respond to it. However, with pushing myself out of that restrictive box, I have been able to really show my grade level teammates that I am a part of the team, I have these ideas, resources, and opinions in which they have been very complimentary of. They have never once responded in a way that has hurt me. Which leads me into the next area that I really took on the perspective of, viewing learning as a mutual thing.

 We are all teachers and have things to learn every single day. I think that is one of the great things about the field of Education, there are always new developments, skills, resources, and theories to try. Our textbook states that some schools take on hierarchy structures of individuals based on age, years of experience, degree held or even the grade level taught (York-Barr, Pg. 40).  Being the youngest on my team in age and in the experience department definitely has made me think that I cannot offer as much as my teammates can who are older and have more experience than myself, however, my perspective on this has changed over the last 10 weeks. It also helped that this course gave me the opportunity to work with a partner during our lesson plan collaboration project that works in a completely different area of education than I do. Immediately I got hit with that fixed mindset of, I am not sure what I can offer to my partner that would be helpful for his lesson and students. After reading the article “Developing a Growth Mindset in Teachers and Staff” by Keith Heggart, I made a realization that I need to practice what I preach to my students. He states that “the crucial point for individuals is that these mindsets have a large impact upon our understanding of success and failure. Fixed mindset people dread failure, feeling that it reflects badly upon themselves as individuals, while growth mindset people instead embrace failure as an opportunity to learn and improve their abilities” (Heggart, 2016)  I am always telling my kids to take their mistakes and learn from them. That it is okay to make them because we learn so much more and become stronger learners. Just as James Morehead states “That struggling means you’re committed to something and are willing to work hard” (Morehead, 2012). I have really had to embrace that growth mindset as a teacher-student within this Teacher Leadership program and in the work environment. After working with my partner for this lesson, the results were wonderful. My lesson offered a lot of supports for my students-visuals, working with each other, helper rings, which my partner really helped me access. I walked into our first meeting with a skeleton of a lesson, and my partner really helped me add the meat to my lesson in essence of resources, more vocabulary to focus on, and differentiation ideas.

The overall impact of this class has had a great impact on me personally on the way that I reflect and collaborate with others.  Before this course, I still really struggled with voicing my opinions/thoughts, being self conscience of people coming in a seeing me teach, and asking for help. I have always had the mentality that I want to do great things and do the best I can for my students so they can be the most successful. Little did I know, that in order for that to happen, I have to enter that whole process of self reflection and search for feedback in order to grow. However, that feedback cannot just come from anyone. You must pick collaborative partners that produce a positive energy, not drain it. They must have a similar purpose to you in the sense of having a growth mindset and open to the feedback. It has only been 10 weeks of this program and I have felt that I have already started to grow more in my teaching practice. I am looking forward to the rest of this program and the knowledge and experiences I will gain throughout. I feel that I am now in a better growth mindset then I was before, and willing to take those risks in order to continue to grow as a learner and a educator. 

Resources:

 Heggart, K. (2015, February 03). Developing a Growth Mindset in Teachers and Staff. EduTopia. Retrieved December 4, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/developing-growth-mindset-teachers-and-staff.

 Morehead, J. (2012, June 19). Stanford University’s Carol Dweck on the Growth Mindset and Education. One Dublin. Retrieved from https://onedublin.org/2012/06/19/stanford-universitys-carol-dweck-on-the-growth-mindset-and-education/.

 

York-Barr, J., Sommer, W.A., Ghere, G.S., & Montie, J.K. (2006). Reflective Practice to Improve Schools: An action guide for educators (2^nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. 

ITSE5 EDTC6433 Resolution Reflection Module 5

ISTE Standard 5:

Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.

1. Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

1. 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.

1. Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.

1. Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching

My Triggering Question: What can learning communities contribute to support the use of technology in the classroom, which I can share with my 4th grade team that we can easily try and start to implement in our rooms?
Resource: PLC Hybird

Summary: Titled "Can online learning communities achieve the goals of professional learning communities? What Literature Says, the articles explains some research on the benefits and challenges of moving PLCs to a more technology base. As teachers we are always struggling for time to meet face to face, the space where to meet, and the pace at which the meetings go. I know within our district, we in the past have had district wide grade level meetings to share ideas. But these meetings never had a great turn out due to the distance and the time to meet. If we had the opportunity to move the meeting digitally, as the text suggest, it may help open the door to sharing more ideas across district. However, depending on the demographic of the teachers , could hinder the involvement. It states that "discussions of online PLCs generally focus on how to move traditional PLC activities and functions online to take advantage of the greater flexibility. The research makes the case for hybrid PLCs, which blend the online and face-to-face environments. As theory and research evolve, more consideration should be given to how the key characteristics of the online environment can transform traditional PLCs."

After this research, I believe that my question needs further research. I really do like the idea of the article giving the idea to use Skype or something like that to help bridge the gap between district grade levels. 

I think that my approach to this last module was slightly difficult for me. Technology and stepping into more leadership positions, these two things have forced me to step outside of my comfort zone. With this year being my 3rd year teaching and starting this leadership program I have had to really take some deep breaths and force myself to take some first steps and really trust myself about what I know/what I can offer to my grade level team and learning community. Part of ISTE Standard 5 is 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." I started this year with becoming a grade level representative for our school's Instructional Team-meeting with other grade levels to vertically align and dig deeper into our new reading curriculum. Our district recently adopted the Collaborative Classroom Making Meaning reading curriculum which offers a technology twist for teachers to use. As part of assessment, teachers are asked to confer with students during their independent reading time. With the CCC Learning Hub, we are able to take those conferring notes right on our tablets. On my team, I was one of the first members to start using this tool, of setting up a classroom and access the conferring notes section. With doing so, I was able to help my team members access this tool and help them through the other resources that this online curriculum has to offer. With using the the CCC Learning Hub, it helps achieve another part of ISTE Standard 5 of making "effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning." With easy access to these notes, we can guide instruction for independent students. 

In regards to PLCs, my team currently does an amazing job meeting weekly. We meet every Wednesday during our...wait for it....common plan time! This is the first year that all 5 of us have ever had the same plan time. When we meet we always have a set agenda on what we would like to hash out and come prepared for resources that we have found and would like to share for upcoming projects or lessons. My team currently uses OneNote/OneDrive as a place that we upload all of our resources to share with each other. Using OneNote and communicating through email throughout the week is about as much of technology integration my team currently uses to collaborate. With doing some research and looking through some of my learning circle's resources, there are a few things that I would like to explore more for possible team use. 

In the first resource that was shared by one of my learning circle members, Vanessa Oh, entitled "How Teachers Are Learning: Professional Development Remix" makes a couple great points and a list of categorized professional development products: Engage, Learn, Support and Measure. In viewing this source, I realized there are a few products that I already use and have not realized that it is considered part of the learning community realm, like accessing Teachers Pay Teachers or the Teaching Channel. These type of resources are easy to use within our grade level, some we have been using for awhile. 

The second resource that I found beneficial was the the article "Building and maintaining an online professional learning community." For this modules question, I think I narrowed myself too thin. I should have just stopped at the question, what can online professional learning communities offer? From this resource, I have found many different websites such as- Ning which allows its members to create their own social network site for professional development. Through Ning, I found Classroom 2.0, where there are webcasts, discussion forums for teachers to join in regards to implementing technology in the classroom. Another one being Etherpad- this allows for collaboration in real time. A grade level team could all be working on the same document, at the same time, through Etherpad. I thought this one was very interesting. My team could use this for when we create math tests, quizzes, or a literature test. Here is a quick video/tutorial on how Etherpad works: 

There are many different avenues that teachers can go down to collaborate with other teachers via digital tools. You just have to find which media type you prefer and which learning community is going to offer the support you are looking for. Throughout this modules research, I found that there are way more digital learning communities for teachers out there than I thought. I also came to the conclusion that for this ISTE standard that I do not have to have the technological source be used by all members of my team, that I can find the resource and then bring it to the table for my team to use. 

EDTC6433: ISTE Standard 1-Digital Storytelling Project

ISTE Standard 1:  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

i. Why did you select this topic and who do you think would be interested in viewing it?

The reason I selected this topic is because it is one that is near and dear to the heart. Katie and I have been through a lot of ups and downs in our friendship and this summer was a really exciting adventure for the both of us. I thought it would be a fun way to show our Disney Adventure. Since we have been best friends for so long, a lot of our friends and family know us as the dynamic duo. They and my students…who think that I don’t have a real life outside the 4 walls of our classroom would also really enjoy viewing it.

ii. Describe if and how this project might be used in a formal or an informal educational setting.

What I really like about this project, is that is combines a lot of different elements. This project allows for visual representation as well as auditory practice. With working with a large number of ELL students, this project would be perfect for them. We are currently working on personal narratives in class. Seeing my students struggle to find the ability to physically write what they are thinking is a huge challenge. I really like with this project that there is a way for students to TELL a story and then be able to HEAR what they said. It is a more comfortable way for my students to present their stories who are initially shy to speak out load.

iii. Describe how this video helps you demonstrate competency on ISTE NETS Standard 1 for Teachers.

ISTE Standard 1 for teacher’s states: teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation both face to face and virtual environments. This video helps demonstrate competency because it meets the criteria of using technology in a creative way that will engage students to advance their learning. Digital Storytelling provides a new innovative way to “tell a story.” It gives students who struggle with writing, language, and other learning challenges an opportunity to create something to communicate with others around them.  

iv. Describe the process you went through in completing the final project. This should include a list of all of the software programs you used, where the content for the project came from, what items in the project changed from the early stages of selecting the topic through completion, plus any other information that describes your work on the project.

The first part of the process was researching the different programs to use to create my story. I ended up using Puppet Edu. This app allowed me to create my story by uploading my personal pictures from my phone and allowing me to organize them, in the order I wanted them to be in. It also supplied a song that I could use, and then put in my personal narration.

Resources that I used for pictures that were not my personal images:

http://ex.mukilteo.wednet.edu/pages/ExplorerMS

http://ma.mukilteo.wednet.edu/pages/MarinerHS

http://www.factslides.com/imgs/911-planes.jpg via google search

http://www.kentucky.com/latest-news/ezdkr0/picture43553208/ALTERNATES/FREE_640/LopiP.So.79.jpeg via google search

http://66.media.tumblr.com/ccf917f56d7c17d4fa60aae77413d5bf/tumblr_nt0lk3rU5i1tk0udho1_1280.jpg via google search

v. Describe the major challenges you faced in creating this project and if and how you overcame them.

The biggest challenge I faced was finding a program that allowed me to do everything in one fell swoop. I did not want to struggle with fining images, then putting them together, then adding music, then adding narration. I had to trial run a few different programs until I found Puppet Edu really meet my needs. The song I chose for my movie ended a bit too soon, but I still managed how to get a song in there. I did not figure out how to put the song on a loop to finish the video. But I think for a first try, it turned out okay. 

vi. Discuss the most significant things you learned from completing the project.

That with enough research, and trial and error, you are able to produce something you did not think you would. I really did not know if the beginning of this project if I was going to be able to do this project. I really struggle with "techy" things and it was nice to actually overcome that fear and get the project done. I know it is NOT perfect, and for a perfectionist that is hard to accept, but I think with a little more practice, this will be a project I hope to have my students create for their own personal narratives. 

ISTE for Teachers Standard 4 - Trigger Question Reflection

ISTE for Teachers Standard 4 - Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. 

a.       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 

b.       Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources 

c.        Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information 

d.       Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital age communication and collaboration tool

Question: How can I teach/model to my 4th grade English Language Learners safe, legal and ethical use of digital information and technology?

Resource:  Technology Safety for English Language Learners (Links to an external site.)

Summary: 

On this website there is a variety of different resources for teachers and parents to access to help teach and support students with internet safety. The biggest challenge for my class is, that a majority of my students and their families speak different languages other than English. This website provides many different medias and resources for other languages. I really like NetSmartz Workshop which provides videos, games, activities cards and presentations for teachers and parents to use, and the website is available in Spanish, which will cater to a majority of my student’s families. I also really like iKeepSafe which offers videos in Spanish and Arabic-languages that are a part of my class makeup this year.

Reflection:

The biggest challenge that I face with integrating technology into my classroom is finding the time to explicitly teach internet safety and how to cite sources when we research information for class projects. My students are of that age where they now own cellphones, have iPads, tablets, and access to video and computer games that connect them to other users all over the world. One of the articles that I really enjoyed reading was found by Conrado Julian, who is part of my learning circle. The article is titled “The Strategy forDigital Citizenship: Children in a Digital World.” What I really loved about this article is that it really hit upon the ideas that educators tend to overlook. That technology can be integrated into everyday lessons. The source states “In a school that prides itself on academic excellence and character development, digital citizenship needs to be woven throughout all core curricular areas. It needs to be relevant to students’ lives and integrated into their everyday learning and living” (Orth, 2013). As teachers, it is part of our job to make whatever we are learning in class, in any subject area, relevant to real world application and purpose. I have never really thought I integrating technology into a lot of my core subject areas, but can see how important it can be. I just wish that we had more resources here at our school to be able to do technology integration smoothly. Normally when we do so, to get students logged on, into the system or application we are using, it takes a lot away from instruction time. But I am definitely more aware and thinking more about how I can integrate to teach my students how to cite their sources during research, what is a reliable source, how to perform safe searches as we enter into informational writing. 

Another idea that I really liked about this article is having that school-home/parent connection. For instance in the source, it says “alignment between school and home with regards to digital citizenship and healthy digital usage is a hallmark of a 21^st century school. A community-wide understanding on norms, rules of engagement, and common practices is necessary for all schools in order to raise an ethical, digital (and real-life) citizen” (Orth, 2013). My school has really jumped on board with a lot of ideas to try and get parents more involved. Just after researching for ISTE3, our school is now jumping on board with getting the Remind App for school-parent communication. We as educators know how much parents really rely on us to help their students, this article fully supports that idea. At Horizon, we already have a group of parents, ParentNet, that connect with our Spanish speaking families to help close the gap. With information from this article, it would be nice to add that technology safety and cyber bullying component to their group conversation.

Another resource that I found that will be very helpful for my English learning kids is the resource that another fellow learning circle mate, Vanessa Oh found titled 13 Apps and Gamesfor Internet Safety Awareness. With English Language Learners, we are told that having visuals-such as drawing, sketches, and videos are great tools to help them understand concepts. These applications provide a way for students to visually see and participate in learning internet safety. An example of one of the games is below:  Carengie Cadets: MySecureCyberspace Game Demo 

After all the research I believe that my question has been answered. In order for my students to learn safe, legal and ethical technology practices, they must be integrated throughout core instruction and taught explicitly. As teachers, we cannot come to the conclusion that since our students have access to these gadgets that they know the proper ways to use them. We also need to help bridge the gap between home and school life. At Horizon, we constantly talk about how our PBIS behavior system can be transferred to home use, technology safey, is another thing we need to think about linking as well. With my question also being directed towards ELL students, that falls on how to approach the instruction of technology safety. When I teach these concepts, I have to have a lot of vocabulary practice and visual representation, which most of these resources found through research have provided.  These websites have given fun, hands on ways for our students to learn important concepts. 

Resources:

 C. (n.d.). Technology Safety for English Language Learners. Retrieved November 10, 2016, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-ells/technology-ells/technology-safety-english-language-learners

 G. (n.d.). 13 Apps and Games for Internet Safety Awareness. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/13-apps-games-internet-safety-awareness 

 Orth, D., & Chen, E. (2013). The Strategy for Digital Citizenship: Children in a Digital World. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.nais.org/Magazines-Newsletters/ISMagazine/Pages/The-Strategy-for-Digital-Citizenship.aspx

ISTE3 EDTC6433 Resolution Reflection Module 3

ISTE3 EDTC6433 Resolution Reflection Module 3

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

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.

My Question: What digital tools are available to educators to communicate grades, ideas, and other important information with their students, parents, and local community to support student’s success?

Growing up through the time where technology continues to make new developments, makes it extremely difficult to keep up and catch on to all the “newness.” I also think that because I am one of the youngest on my team at work, they expect me to be more tech savvy, which is not always the case. However, this class and with research, I have definitely come across and become more aware of what is available to create new learning situations for my students, colleagues and find ways to get parents involved, which is all what ISTE3 is about.

I approach working at Horizon Elementary with a mindset that this school and these kids are my mission field. It is not the easiest at times. As I have mentioned in posts before, I work in an area of high needs kids. They come from families that are not always involved or want to be involved with their child and school. In an article that a fellow cohort member posted states how parent involvement in school correlates with student success. It is said that “Students who have parents who are actively involved in their education have higher grades, test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, graduate high school, and go on to post-secondary school” (Olmstead, 2013). Knowing how important parent involvement is, set forth my question of: What digital tools are available to educators to communicate grades, ideas, and other important information with their students, parents, and local community to support student’s success? Katie Adams, posted an article that I really enjoyed. In the article “Using Technology to Increase ParentInvolvement in Schools” brought up a point that really made me think of how to address parent involvement. Olmstead refers to parent involvement in two ways-reactive or proactive. “Reactive involvement in schooling includes activities such as attending meetings, family activities, or volunteering. Proactive involvement in children’s learning includes activities such as helping with homework, staying informed about school events, and following a child’s progress.” From that list, we would want parents to try and do all those things, but unfortunately there are situations where parents either cannot or wont. Continue to read the article, it brought up the point the convenience to access materials.

Through my research, I found an article ( 7 Free Apps for Keeping Parents and Teachers Connected) that introduced 7 phones apps that allowed parents to stay in the loop with their child’s teacher using their cellphone or tablets. The one app that I feel would be best is the Teacher App & Gradebook by Acedemically InformED. This particular FREE app offers a lot to parents who wish to use it to stay informed. This app offers access to grades, messaging, interactive class calendar, attendance records, a way to send assignments, and assignment grades and notes. I feel that this app offers a lot and is a great resource for parents that is literally in the palm of their hand. The other app, which I am looking into implementing in my classroom soon, is the Remind app. Horizon caters to a high foreign language community, Spanish, being the most popular. This app sends messages straight to parents phones AND has the ability to translate messages into 70 different languages. We often send home notes that are translated, but the odds of that paper getting from a child’s homework folder into the hands of their parent or guardian is slim, compared to the instant message sent directly their phone. Remind has the ability to send to a single person or to a group, and you can tell who is receiving them.

All in all, I feel that my question has definitely been answered. There are MANY different ways using technology that can get parents involved with their child’s classroom. I also really enjoyed Vanessa Oh’s resource of "SocialMedia for School Leaders : A Comprehensive Guide to Getting the Most Out ofFacebook, Twitter, and Other Essential Web Tools" offers a TON of insight as well. This book gave so many different ideas of how to use different technology formats to communicate and for students to display work-each chapter giving the benefits, best practices, and how to use.

 

                                                  Works Cited:

Dixon, B. (2012). Social Media for School Leaders : A Comprehensive Guide to Getting the Most Out of Facebook, Twitter, and Other Essential Web Tools. Retrieved November 5, 2016.

McCrea, B. (2013, June 11). 7 free apps for keeping parents and teachers connected. THE Journal. Retrieved from https://thejournal.com/Articles/2013/06/11/7-Free-Apps-for-Keeping-Parents-and-Teachers-Connected.aspx?Page=1

Olmstead, C. (2013). Using technology to increase parent involvement in schools. TechTrends, 57(6), 28-37. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.spu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=eft&AN=91587612&site=ehost-live

ISTE2 EDTC6433 Resolution Reflection

Triggering Question:  How can I use contemporary technology to create and assess authentic learning experiences in social studies for my 4th graders, in relation to ISTE-S 2-communicate and collaborate with others?

 Program Standards: 11. Utilize formalize and summative assessment in a standards based environment
12. Evaluate and use technology for teaching and learning

Incorporating technology into my 4^th grade classroom has seemed to be a more of a challenge than one must think. Even though in my room, I have a class set of Chromebooks and kiddos that have a want to be technologically involved. In order to meet ISTE 2 standards, as their teacher I really want to focus on section C: customize and personalize learning activities to address diverse learning styles, working strategies and abilities using digital tools and resources; and section B: develop technology enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own goals… My question for Module 2 was: How can I use contemporary technology to create and assess authentic learning experiences in social studies for my 4th graders, in relation to ISTE-S 2-communicate and collaborate with others? With this triggering question, I really wanted to find a way for my students to pursue their individual curiosities about the world and people around them. My students all come from many diverse backgrounds but are very unaware of the world around them. My goal was to find a way for my students to research the world around them relating to our social studies unit of Citizenship, and also be able to communicate and collaborate with others, connecting with our speaking and listening standards.

 In the first article I found “Pen Pals in the 21^st Century” is told by a 5^th grade teacher who started a Pen Pal activity and has shared many resources to get started, along with the benefits of her students being pen pals. The benefits of having students become pen pals is that it gives their writing a purpose. They have an “authentic audience” who will read their letter and then RESPOND, giving their work meaning. Not only does this project connect kids socially, but also helps improve their writing skills. Also offered though the blog was ideas on how to get your class involved with another classroom as pen pals. There are a couple different ways: Skype in the classroom, Global Read Aloud Project, and the Edmodo group titled “Pen Pals that WRITE” which allowed me to further research the sources available for my students to get globally connected.

The first technology project that sparked my interest was the Global Read Aloud project. “The project was created in 2010 with a simple goal in mind; one book to connect the world. From its humble beginnings, the GRA has grown to make a truly global connection with more than 1,000,000 students having participated” (Ripp, 2016). This project picks a book that spans a 6-week period. Teachers pick how in depth they would like to take the project, connecting with either one class or multiple classes for the project. Classes connect and then begin communication amongst each other sharing personal narratives about their lives, where they live, and reactions to the book that they are reading together. Unfortunately the 2016 session began in early October and will end mid-November but this is something that I am going to try and get my students involved in next year. Through the GRA, it gave some suggestions for how teachers can use technology to connect their classrooms such as Skype, Twitter, WriteAbout, or Edmodo. Which led to my next area of research, Skype.

The second article I came upon in my researched was titled “A window on the world: Using Skype in theclassroom” by Cindy Phthisic. In the article Phthisic gives ideas on how to get started with skype in the classroom and different possibilities on how to actually use it. She talks about how important it is to make that initial connection with your Skype Partner and how finding a partner for your classroom may rise as a challenge. Offered are suggestions of starting out with a local partner or checking out Skype In Schools which offers teachers a place to sign up to look for other teachers in search of classrooms to connect with. “One of my personal favorites, Around the World with 80 Schools, is the brainchild of Silvia Tolisano. She challenges teachers to connect with 80 different schools. At the “Around the World” website, you can sign up to become a part of the project and connect with other like-minded educators, read technical advice, see where Skype fits in with national educational technology standards, and learn about simple practices to help you make the most of your Skyping experience” (Phthisic, 2010).  In searching, I went on to find Skype in the classroom which offers Skype Lessons (learning about a particular topic from an expert or another classroom around the globe), Mystery Skype (connect with a classroom from across the globe or in the same area, it’s a mystery!), and Virtual Field Trips (out in the field adventures without leaving the classroom).

Through this research I have found numerous ways for my students to get globally acquainted and found ways for them to connect and collaborate with students in various locations, really answering my question on ways to have my students experience an authentic learning experience in the subject area of socials studies, as well as, hitting upon those speaking and listening skills. Ideas such as reading with another class, reading buddies, polishing language skills, taking virtual field trips, and connecting with experts really allows my students to explore areas of interest and provide for those diverse learning styles. Where I believe I need to further research, is how to assess these experiences that is technology based. 

With connecting with my learning circle, we all seemed to have different outlooks on our triggering questions, but I found Conrado Julian’s link he posted to be a great resource titled "10 Best, Shockingly Good Apps for ESL Teachers." Again, my classroom has over 50% English Learners. His linked provided a variety of different applications that students could use to develop language skills, again, meeting those needs of diverse learning styles and needs.

Mims, L. (2013, November 6). Pen Pals in the 21st Century. Retrieved October 23, 2016, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/pen-pals-in-21st-century-lisa-mims

Phthisic, C. (2010, November). A window on the world: Using Skype in the classroom. Retrieved October 23, 2016, from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/6573

EDTC6433 Resolution Reflection

Starting this school year off in 4^th grade for the third time and co-teaching with English Learners, I have been on the quest to figure out how to support my learners in the best way. At Horizon Elementary we cater to a school population where 49% of our student population are English Language Learners. Being in the grade level that is also working with the co-teach model, servicing my ELL students within my own classroom with the ELL support teacher has become one of my main priorities. Out of my 24 students, 18 of them are ELL students this year. Through my research, I believe that I have found some great ways to answer my trigger question of “How can I use technology to support my English Learners in order to meet the expectations of 4^th grade rigor? With reading the article “Supporting English Language Learners through Technology” it states that students that are learning a second language benefit through reinforcement of vocabulary and concepts through visual representations such as pictures and videos, which technology provides. “Introducing or reviewing a concept while using manipulatives and props helps students gain a deeper understanding … The English language learner is able to see what is being addressed as well as listen to the information”(Brozeck, E., & Duckworth, D. 2011). Having worked with EL students previously and being GLAD trained, I was already pretty aware of this. When making anchor charts, I am one that has printed pictures as visuals, color chunking for new vocabulary/concepts, and draw silly sketches of things on the fly for visual representation for vocabulary support.

 What I really liked from this article was the concept of creating a Photo Story. I have never heard of that software before and like how it can be used as a tool for EL students as a support for presentations or to help process their own thoughts and ideas for a creative writing project. I know the difficulties that my EL students have in expressing themselves in writing. Having the support and reinforcing vocabulary verbally FIRST, the My Story software provides a fun and engaging way to do that. Instead of having my EL students sit in frustration with paper and a pencil at their desk with wandering eyes. I can see myself using this as a create station and be a great scaffold for my students. Then, as they get more comfortable and confident, move them into physically writing/typing their work instead of a verbal presentation. This idea is also reinstated in the article that a cohort member found titled “Digital Storytelling: A Powerful Technology Tool for the 21st Century Classroom.” In this article it reinforces that using this software it is allowing students to be able to work effectively and be prepared for future endeavors. “Digital storytelling can be a potent learning experience that encompasses much of what society hopes that students will know and be able to perform in the 21st century” (Jakes & Brennan, 2005).  It also states that as students develop these skills students develop students enhanced communication skills (Robin, 2008), which is the main goal for English Learners.

Another article I read titled “Technology in the English Language Learner classroom” written by Judith Rance-Roney talked about a group of teachers coming together for a conference to ask questions about how to use technology in an EL classroom and collect answers to those questions. Throughout the conference, they participated in a hands on exploration of four technologies that teachers have used in their classrooms to support their learners. The four technologies being 1) Digital Storytelling 2) Blogging 3) Pod casting 4) Google Docs. Throughout my research and discussions with my cohort members, they have talked about having great successes using Google Docs within their classrooms. One of the participants in the conference stated that “every single piece of this work puts the student at the center. There is no doubt that students are going to be active learning on their own and learning to be more independent and engaged learners” (Rance-Roney, 2008.) As teachers we want activities and learning in our classroom to be student centered and these outlets of technology really provide that.

In the end with answering my question of how technology can provide support for English Learners, I believe it comes down to me as their teacher in using technology for my lessons and providing the opportunity for my students to use it as well. EL’s can benefit from technology to keep up with 4^th grade rigor expectations, if I, as their teacher use it as a resource. Using technology for a way to retrieve photographs, videos, for visual representations to use during my lessons to keep them engaged and a way to learn new vocabulary. Also providing the opportunity for my students to use the technology. There are many articles that provide support towards students using software for digital storytelling to build communication and vocabulary skills. As well as, provide technology skills that they will need to know to be successful in the 21^st century work force. That blogs, podcasts and other applications also provide ways for English Learners to work with native English speakers to gain support. Using an app called “SeeSaw” provides a way for students to share documents with their peers. By using this app, students can work with group mates that will provide feedback, correct grammar, and help them use English vocabulary appropriately. Overtime, Seesaw builds a portfolio for each student that showcases their learning. Again, this provides a way for students to take ownership pride in their work. What a great way for students to look back and reflect on their own learning and see their personal growth over the year.

Works Cited:

Brozeck, E., & Duckworth, D. (2011). Supporting English Language Learners through Technology. Retrieved October 8, 2016, from https://www.nysut.org/~/media/Files/NYSUT/Resources/2011/March/Educators Voice 4 Technology/edvoiceIV_ch2.pdf

Rance-Roney, J. (2008, October). Technology in the English Language Learner Classroom. Retrieved October 8, 2016, from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/2728

Robin, B. (2008).  Digital Storytelling: A Powerful Technology Tool for the 21^st Century Classroom. Retrieved October 8, 2016 from https://canvas.spu.edu/courses/10314/files/271987?module_item_id=101733.

Initial Reflection

    Going into my 3^rd year teaching I have noticed that I am a very reflective individual, not just in my career of being a teacher, but in most aspects of life. As a teacher, I am constantly reflecting on lessons and conversations that I have with students and coworkers. I am the one that takes the job home and lays in bed at night thinking of lesson plans, creating anchor charts, which kids need to work on such and such strategy etc. My goal as a teacher is to be the best I can be, for my students. Working in a Title 1 school in a high poverty area, they NEED and deserve me at my best. Which sometimes causes my reflections of myself to be extremely high and criticizing. My strength in my individual self-reflection is that I am very goal and data driven. I am able to take the data and noticing’s I collected during my lessons and use them to drive my instruction further that would be best for my students. As for collaboration with peers, I find I do some of my best learning from my fellow teammates and colleagues. I love listening to their ideas and fresh perspectives. This year, I have recently taken on the role to be my grade levels Instructional Leadership representative. This role allows me to lead our grade level’s PLCs. I will be the one to receive extra Professional Development on the new reading curriculum our district just adopted and come back to my team and teach them. It will also be a place that my team will be able to analyze data to drive our team goal for our students. My strength in this role is I am extremely passionate in curriculum and analyzing data to drive instruction. I come to these meetings well organized and with a set agenda on what our team needs to accomplish during our time together, which I feel we don’t get much of. Taking on a leadership role is a little outside of my comfort zone. I am known to be a listener and an observer, rarely voicing my opinion and thoughts out of nerves or fear of being wrong. I am learning that even though I am the youngest and have the least amount of experience on my team, I still have a lot to offer.

    One of my strengths in teaching is my planning and organization skills. My classroom is well organized where my students know where materials are located and are easily accessible. I tend to have high expectations for my 4^th graders and work with them to be self-mangers and leaders within the classroom. In order for them to become that, it takes set procedures and expectations. I am known as the “sticky note” planner. I write all my plans on sticky notes, so that they are not “locked” in. You never know how a lesson is going to go. It may take two days, it may take another day to reteach and try and new approach. With my sticky notes, I am able to self-reflect and MOVE my day’s forwards or backwards depending on how each day went. I am the teacher that has the entire week and its materials planned and set in designated containers in case of emergencies and anyone could come in and find all materials and plans laid out.  Another strength I feel that I have is building a safe, positive, learning environment. I have had many peers tell me, “your class is like a family, and they all really love and care for each other. They support each other in their learning.” I always smile and think that this really does exist in my room. Each one of the classes I have had, we create this amazing bond. I am not really sure HOW I do it, but I am extremely proud that I am able to create that type of learning and supportive environment for my students. 

   Some challenges I have as a teacher is during some lessons following Gradual Release of Responsibility. Math is an area that I feared and “struggled” with as a student growing up. I had one teacher that instilled that fear and it has followed me up to my profession, where I sometime fear teaching math. Hoping that the strategies and skills I am teaching are reaching my students. So with GRR, I struggle with the “you do.” I have a hard time letting them go…knowing that they seem to be getting it with me. However, I am learning that letting them work together and on their own, is the time to gather evidence and data to guide further instruction for all or some students. I also feel that I struggle with differentiation with the wide span of learners that I have. I have to figure out how to offer the best support for my students who are new to America and just learning English to challenging my student who is at a 6^th grade reading and math level. Really setting those differentiated supports in place.

   The TPEP framework that the Mukilteo School District uses is the CEL 5D+ Framework from the University of Washington. Having been on this framework for the past two years, and entering my third year I have gathered more and more knowledge over the years. The rubrics and the language that is used is key to understanding how evaluators approach their observations within your classroom. I am one that really studies the rubrics and the verbiage that is used to make sure that I can get the highest marks---I am one of “those” teachers. Always striving to be “Distinguished.” I use the rubrics and evaluators notes to set goals and better my teaching practices.  

Professional

About Miss Davidson: 

I am a 26 year old, 3rd year, 4th grade teacher at Horizon Elementary in the Mukilteo School District. I come from a family of 4, who I love to death and have an incredibly close bond with. They are my three strong pillars in life. I love to travel: yet I have not gone many places. I have many destinations on bucket list. I love to do arts and crafts. Baking is one of my all time favorite things to do as well. I love to experiment with new recipes that i stumble upon in magazines or Pinterest. I truly believe my love for baking came from my mother and grandmother. Those two had me in the kitchen when I was 3 years old, rolling cinnamon roll dough...which I ate a lot of and would get sick from. 

Interest and Experience in Education:

My interest in teaching started when I was in 5th grade. My 4th and 5th grade teacher is who I owe my inspiration to. He challenged and truly believed in my abilities as a student. He was one of the first teachers to figure out that I was just bored in school-picking low level books, rushing through assignments just to get it over with, turning in sloppy work. He eventually morphed me into a student who would strive for straight A's, become sort of a "perfectionist" and become a student and person who craved new knowledge. 

I graduated from Saint Martin's University in 2012 with a Bachelors in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Reading. Funny to look back at my 4th grade self, who would watch the clock during SSR time, to becoming someone who loves to read and teach reading strategies and skills to my students. 

I have entered my 3rd year of teaching at Horizon and have experienced many things in those 3 years. Horizon is a Title 1 school in an area of Everett that does not have the greatest reputation. My students live in an area that local gangs tend to make themselves very well known. Many of my students come from homes and have experienced things that will break your heart. There are few in my class that have stories that WON'T break your heart. But I truly feel that this area and these kids are who need me the most. My years at Horizon have taught me a lot, but I believe that last year was my biggest learning year. Last year my team chose to be the piloters for a co-teaching model-having English Language and Special Ed services come in to our classrooms, instead of pulling out. Those teachers became equals and worked with all students. It was amazing to see my students create bonds and learn so much from my coteacher. I was so lucky to have the opportunity to work with a knowledgeable coworker, whom I learned many things about English Language Learners. I also have to think back to the beginning of the year and how we have to give things time to work and pan out. Taking things one day at a time. 

I am so excited to get started on my Masters in Teacher Leadership at Seattle Pacific! :)