Throughout the lecture, I found myself nodding and agreeing with several of Mishra's points, including "technology changes how we teach" and "technology changes what we teach". I also found my own thinking about education and the way we can and should be innovating it with technology to be enhanced. Mishra points out that "most technology was not designed for education" and that "as users we are always defining technology". The biggest takeaway about technology in education was "only re-purposing makes a technology educational technology". We are using technology tools not for their original purpose, but in new ways to enhance, supplement, differentiate, etc. our lessons to students. In order to showcase re-purposing, we as students in CEP 810, were challenged to re-purpose kitchenware and utensils in order to complete a cooking task aka "Cooking with TPACK." We were challenged to have someone randomly select a plate, bowl, and utensil from our kitchen and a number was randomly selected. Each number corresponded with a cooking task/creation. I was tasked with making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a plate, bowl, and spoon. Throughout the process, the plate acted as an excellent holder for the flatbread as I lathered on the contents. The spoon was re-purposed as both the scoop and spreader for the peanut butter and jelly. The bowl did not serve a direct purpose in the creation of the PBJ, but it was able to serve as a holder (not it's original use) for the dirty utensil upon the completion of the PBJ. This brief yet effective exercise expanded my thinking into what I types of technology I re-purpose everyday in my class. What do you find to be the oddest piece of technology that you re-purpose either for the everyday tasks or in your classroom? Let me know! References:
Mishra, P. (2012). Keynote speaker @ 21st century learning conference - hong kong 2012. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/9bwXYa91fvQ
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One should never underestimate the power of one's network. Only a few weeks ago, I was clueless about how to tie a bow tie. With a little motivation, I have acquired a new skill after watching YouTube videos and practicing the craft of tying a bow tie.
Learning in this networked way was unique. Upon posting my initial blog post about the project, I had multiple comments from family members and students telling me that they would be happy to show me how to tie a bow tie. I declined for the integrity of the project and stuck to YouTube.
YouTube proved to be the best way to learn how to tie a bow tie. Despite my last reflection's plan of going back through to verified accounts to continue learning, I found the videos from WhoSeesThis and PursuitYourself to be the most helpful. I watched both of their bow tie videos multiple times as I tinkered with the process. I found this project to be extremely helpful in more ways than just learning how to tie a bow tie. As Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown reference in their 2011 book, A New Culture of Learning, learning environments are expanding for all. The Internet and technology's capabilities are opening up doors for learners of all types. Thomas and Brown place value on the importance of play when learning. As I was learning to tie a bow tie, I found myself tinkering and playing around with the process as I went. The authors also value the process of knowing where to find quality information rather than just the information. The Network Learning Project gave the learners parameters for where to find information, and then allowed us to find out what was good and bad, helpful and hurtful to our specific learning needs. Moving forward, I plan on perfecting my bow tie skills. Hopefully, I can speed up the process and continue to make bow ties full of character and pizazz! I am also looking into how I can incorporate Network Learning Projects into my English classroom. This project and the process associated with it has students work with 21st century learning skills and devices. The positive potential of networks no matter what the size has great results. Any tips or insight for my bow tie skills or incorporating Network Learning Projects into your classroom? Reach out and let me know! Revision is an essential component within the writing process. It takes time, but often clears up the focus and meaning of a piece of writing while also working on the flow and organization. Many teachers have complicated revision even more with the ARMS and CUPS acronyms, red-blue pencils, cutesy Pinterest-inspired or TPT lesson plans, etc. What good does this do? Will these steps be remembered and followed when students leave the classroom? Why do teachers have to place their own spin on an already difficult process? How are we moving forward and connecting our classrooms to the digital spaces? Rather than complicate the matter, we can show students how to use various tools to integrate into their practice and writing process.
One of my graduate courses this semester, CEP 810 - Teaching for Understanding with Technology, provided me with the opportunity to seek out and tinker with a new technology that I have never used before and write a lesson plan integrating it into my curriculum. Hemingway Editor is an application ready for download, but it is also a website one can use for quick revisions. The website version would be utilized by students, as outlined in this lesson plan. The lesson plan allows students to play with their writing (a summative assignment in the Article of the Week [AoW] unit) using feedback from Hemingway Editor. Play, according to Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown, is been an important part of the learning process and culture, especially with the rise in technology and the Internet. In their 2011 book, A New Culture of Learning, Thomas and Brown define play as a way for students to both generate a new understanding and be prepared for an ever changing world (91-99). The lesson plan also connects to Renee Hobbs's, message of her book, Digital and Media Literacy: Connecting Culture and Classroom (2011), and that is to have our practices include five fundamental communication competencies - access, analyze, create, reflect, and act. This component of the unit, revising with Hemingway Editor, gets students to think beyond their initial analysis and creation and move into a more flowing reflection and will, hopefully, lead to action in a later project. The screenshot above shows how a student's sample of writing appears in Hemingway Editor. I liked how the writing is assessed based on grade level, has a word counter, and provides immediate feedback with color coding.
I am looking forward to integrating Hemingway Editor into my lesson plan with students in the upcoming weeks. Have you ever used either the app or website? How did it workout for you and/or students? References: Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy: Connecting culture and classroom. Thousand, Oaks, CA: Corwin/Sage. Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, Ky: CreateSpace?.
As predicted in the Screencast I made in the original post, YouTube has been the best teacher for learning how to tie a bow tie. I clicked through a few message boards, but none seemed all that helpful with my bow tie learning process. I also pointed out in the Screencast that I refer to verified accounts first, so I watched two videos from Howcast and one from the Gentleman's Gazette. All three talked more about fashion associated with the bow tie and then dove right into the process. I became very frustrated early on with the process because I did not have the bow tie set up correctly. There are numbers and a small clip in the middle of the tie by the tag. I had no clue what these were for, so I continued without the bow tie being set up properly. What were these numbers for? Why did my bow tie not appear correct? The questions and frustrations continued. I switched over to a non-verified account by the user WhoSeeThis and found the answer!
Another challenge I was met with was transferring the knowledge from the videos to actually trying out the tying process. Usually when I tie a necktie, I am looking in a mirror. Watching a video on a computer and trying to mimic the moves without a mirror was nearly impossible. In order to remedy this challenge, I frequently paused videos, especially one from Pursuityourself, and used Photo Booth as my mirror. I would also have it side-by-side with the videos, so I could double check my progress with the videos. I am going back to the verified accounts and working on tying the bow tie better with more fluid moves. Here is a video of me working on perfecting the first knot. Based on the requirements for this project, I can only use forums and YouTube videos for this project. Any other YouTube videos I should check out? Thanks! References
Gentleman's Gazette. (2015). HOW TO TIE A BOW TIE Step-By-Step The Easy Way, Slow, For Beginners - WORKS GUARANTEED. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/2I3cfa0BOOc Howcast. (2008). How to Tie a Bow Tie. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/_AyaRGEDXAQ Howcast. (2013). How to Tie a Bow Tie | Men's Fashion. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/wxKA9be_3Gk Pursuityourself. (2013). How to Tie the Perfect Bow Tie | Lessons from a Men's Shop. Retrieved from: youtu.be/5X4aBSRt_HQ WhoSeesThis. (2016). How to Tie a Bowtie For Beginners. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/WDo6bRF0xKo
Workflow Workflow has been something I have been trying to organize and improve upon for a while now. Having work is not a problem yet I cannot get into a consistent flow to get it done in a timely manner. This week in my graduate course, CEP 810 - Teaching for Understanding with Technology, we were introduced to David Allen, a go-to guru for productivity. Through both his TED talk (below) and his book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (2001) we were able to learn about his five step system of stress-free productivity. David Allen's Five Steps Step 1 - Collect
My Current Workflow System
Tweak to My Current Workflow System I have decided to tweak my current system by adding a bit of technology to it. I know that seems to work against the analog approach of the bullet journal, but I need to have a space to both collect and review what I need to grade without spending the time to recreate the list every day, which is cumbersome. It just so happens that I recently upgraded my Evernote account from Basic to Premium. I can only sync notes with two devices on the Basic plan. An upgrade allows for unlimited devices. Fair warning if you are looking at Evernote and use more than two devices, i.e. home computer, work computer, and phone. Note: I have used Evernote here and there for the past five years for different projects, but never really incorporated the app into my daily life ... until now! Within each class note, I have made do lists with each unit's assignments, due dates, and side notes, as needed. Already this weekend, I have found this to be extremely useful. In my bullet journal, I have referenced it as "grading" or made a goal of how many boxes on Evernote to check off. I'm looking forward to this new tweak in the organization of my workflow. Do you use Evernote or a similar app in your workflow? How is it working for you? References:
Allen, D. (2001). Getting things done: The art of stress-free productivity. New York: Penguin My professional learning collection post has been moved to a new space. Check it out!
"Identify something that you have ALWAYS wanted to learn about or to do" This prompt for the Network Learning Project for CEP 810 - Teaching for Understanding with Technology had me stumped, but after going over a few options, such as calligraphy, organization (you don't want to see my desks), and how to make sunny side up eggs, I have decided to learn how to tie a bow tie! I received a bow tie a few years ago as a gift, but have not learned how to tie it. This project will be my motivation to do so.
While I have always struggled with knots, I have been able to tie a tie since high school. I perfected my craft during college and as I searched for my first teaching job. To kick start my learning process, I created the Screencast below to showcase where and how I am choosing resources for the Network Learning Project. This project is going to provide me with a few challenges and teach me in many ways:
By the end of this project, my goal is to successfully tie a bow tie. Do you know how to tie a bow tie? Is it difficult to tie one? Let me know in the comments! References:
International Society for Technology in Education (2013) ISTE standards for educators. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators
For my first week of CEP 810 - Teaching for Understanding with Technology, I was asked to reflect on my thoughts and understanding of the processes of learning and transfer after reading the first three chapters of Bransford, Brown, and Cocking's 2000 book, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School.
I invite you to review my full essay. The essay begins with how and why I believe in invitations and continues with valuing students' funds of knowledge and welcoming them into a collaborative space where their work is valued. I briefly reflect on how I have enacted Bransford, Brown, and Cocking's notions about teaching content and assessing students, which contradict many outdated directives. The essay wraps up with a reflection on the transfer process and my thoughts about my continued work in CEP 810.
It is time to introduce the future blog posts that will grace EduCollecTIONs - my graduate coursework for CEP 810 - Teaching for Understanding with Technology at Michigan State University! Within the course, I am required to share out my essays and blog posts, so stay tuned for those posts, along with other EduCollecTIONs sprinkled in.
Booktalks. That was the answer!
I've heard about booktalks at English education conferences and the positive impact they have building and maintaining classroom reading communities. I've also searched #booktalks on Twitter where tons of teachers are showcasing how and why they talk about books in their classrooms every day. So, I'm taking on a new endeavor for the 2017-18 school year - daily booktalks with my students. Prior to diving into the lesson for the day, I talk about three to five books with my students. The talk revolves around the genre, author, plot or backstory provided on the back or book jacket, and testimonials from myself or other students. I am sharing the books that I feature in a few ways:
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EducollecTIONsAs an educator and lifelong learner, I have a collection of "-tions" involved in my studies and practice as an educator. Archives
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