EDSS 530 - Scoop.It

Throughout my time developing my Personal Learning Network or PLN I have been introduced to an overwhelming number of technological resources including Twitter, Pintrest and Diigo. In all the technological resources I have been introduced to however one has stood out to become my favorite. Scoop.It is a digital resource that allows users to curate a personalized magazine. A user begins by joining the free site and downloading a tool to his or her browser. When the user finds an article, website or other resource he or she wishes to save the user clicks on the Scoop.It tool. The user is then prompted to choose a picture for the article and give a brief synopsis. The post can then be either Tweeted or added to the user’s Facebook before being added to the curator’s magazine. Users of Scoop.It can decide to follow other users and “rescoop” their posts.

I have discovered a passion for Scoop.It for a variety of reasons. First and foremost as a visual learner I enjoy the idea of adding pictures to articles I find interesting and Scoop.It makes choosing the pictures simple. Sites such as Diigo do not allow users to add pictures to bookmarks and in many ways Pintrest overdoes the use of visuals. Another reason I enjoy Scoop.It is its ability to track views. I have always enjoyed seeing how many views and followers my blogs, websites and social media sites receive. Scoop.It allows users to track various statistics about their magazines including views, rescoops and mentioned. These are tools not utilized by sites such as Diigo and Pintrest. The final major reason I enjoy Scoop.It is its ease of access. A newcomer of Scoop.It can easily figure out how it is used and, in a matter of minutes, be curetting articles.

There are countless resources on the web today and when found many have faults that prevent users from enjoying them. When I found Scoop.It I did not find these faults and instead have found a resource I will continue to use throughout my teaching career, both to develop my PLN and inside my classroom.

EDSS 530 - Texting in the Classroom

When Clinical Practice II started in March 2012 I found myself at Valley High School in Escondido, California. It should be noted that Valley High School serves as the continuation high school for the Escondido Union High School District, which is made up of three comprehensive sites. The students who attend Valley High School come from predominantly low socioeconomic backgrounds. However I ignored my findings and instead based my decision to implement technology into the classroom on my observations. During my initial observations of the classes I would eventually teach I noticed that a large percentage of students actively used their cell phones in class despite the strict rules against it. On my first day of instruction I gave my students a brief overview of my life and then stated that at one point the pencil was the cutting edge of technology, which was then surpassed by the calculator. I then pulled out my personal cell phone and stated that this could easily be the future of education as it can access 98% of the information I will give them during the course. I then walked them through the different types of tools I would use during the course including Twitter, PollEverywhere and Evernote. However I dropped the use of Twitter and Evernote as both require access to internet at home, which many students lack. Instead I have focused on PollEveywhere which I use on a near regular basis. Instead of always having students write quickwrites I allow them to text in their responses to questions which generates greater participation. In addition more discussion occurs because students are reading other responses and then talk about them. If I am ever placed in a school with a population coming from a higher socioeconomic background I will utilize additional technology in the classroom but at Valley High School I have quickly discovered the value of using basic technology in the classroom. After all if the students are already texting why not make them text something useful.

EDSS 530 - Oceanside Report

Prompt

After our visit to Oceanside, I would like a blog post reflecting on the experience.

Reflection

On March 12, 2012 I had the privilege of visiting Oceanside High School in order to witness how they are integrating iPads in their science department, specifically chemistry and physics. During my visit I witnessed how the iPads were integrated into the curriculum, used throughout the lesson and promoted student learning.

In order to answer the posed questions it is critical that an overview of what was seen is given. For the purpose of this post I will focus on the physics classroom as it was where I spent a majority of my observational time. The class began with students being given a set of questions that served as an anticipatory set using Moodle. While students worked on the problems the instructor walked the classroom to assist students. While walking the classroom myself I noticed that each student was given the same problem but with different numbers. During the direct instruction students followed along with the instructor using Moodle and during guided practice the instructor allowed students to show their problems on the overhead using Apple TV. Throughout the lesson the majority of students remained on task despite having the ability to play various games.

Question 1: How was technology integrated into the curriculum? Do you feel it promoted student learning?
While I do feel that in many ways the iPad program promotes student learning I do not feel it was fully integrating into the curriculum. The use of iPads promote student learning because they provide students with different questions then their partners, the opportunity to redo mistakes and revisit lectures through Moodle. However I do not feel the technology is integrated into the curriculum because while applications exist that reference the content the iPads are currently being used as a tool to demonstrate student understanding of concepts.

Question 2: Is there anything you saw that makes this classroom/school unique?
Other than the use of iPads in the classroom there was little that made this classroom unique from others. The class still followed the traditional lesson plan set up, beginning with an anticipatory set followed by direct instruction and concluding with independent practice. The classroom still revolved around the instructor in a teacher-centered setting.

Question 3: What did you learn and how does it relate to the class theme?
Upon viewing the use of iPads in these two classrooms I realized that in many ways this could be the future of education. While these iPads may first visit science, math and English classrooms they will eventually appear in social studies classrooms. When they do I hope to use them to a greater degree than the instructors I observed. I hope to use the iPads to create a flipped classroom and generate a more student-centered learning environment. This observation relates to the class theme because it is truly the direction schooling is going towards in the 21st century.

EDSS 531 - Reflective Journal

Prompt

Prepare a one-page written reflection commenting on the course readings, discussions, activities, etc. of the class.  make sure that your writings include personal connections, explanations as to how and why your perspective as an educator has changed, or is changing, as related to the course content.

Reflection

At the start of this semester I felt unsure of where I was going as a future high school instructor. I was unsure of my teaching style, how I would manage my classroom, where I want to find a job placement, what I wish to teach and where I want to see my career in forty years. In many ways these are still lingering thoughts that may never be fully understood. However, during the course of this semester I learned a great deal about other aspects of the teaching profession. These lessons include ITUs and integration of technology.

When my professor first introduced the concept of an Integrated Thematic Unit or ITU I was unsure of its usefulness in the modern classroom. In many ways I envisioned the modern classroom as detached from other curricular studies. The ITU forced me to collaborate with a prospective English teacher to generate lessons, a unit plan, a website, theme, art component and service learning component. Together we created a unit on heroism which combines content from both our curriculums. After completing the assignment I realized relevance ITUs can have in the modern classroom. There is no doubt that I will actively pursue opportunities to create and utilize ITUs in teaching career.

Prior to this semester I had prior knowledge of how to integrate technology into the classroom through a prerequisite. During this semester however I learned even more. I greatly developed my Personal Learning Network or PLN through the use of Twitter, Diigo, Pintrest, and Scoop.It. These tools allowed me to gather resources from educators around the world. In addition, I was able to spread my knowledge to others. Not only did I find these tools beneficial to my own learning but I also look to implement many of them in my future classroom. I look forward to having Twitter debates in the classroom. I look forward to having students create Facebook pages for historical figures.

I started this semester with numerous questions about the teaching profession and in many ways these semester gave me additional questions to ponder for years. However it did teach me a great deal about the use of collaboration and technology in 21st century education.