Education, Teenagers, and Technology (Feedly-Week 6)

Generation Text, as referred to in 6 Innovative Ways Students Are UsingTechnology, is currently using technology daily inside and outside of the classroom.  Long gone are the days of waking up to an alarm clock, students download alarms apps onto their Smartphones and tablets and start off their day using technology.  The only person in my house who still owns an alarm clock and uses it daily is my husband, who happens to be in his forties (LOL!).  Blended and hybrid classes are also being held across the country, which I think is a great idea.  Students are using technology to review lessons online, take quizzes which produce immediate results, and provide instant feedback to classmates and teachers.  I have seen teachers use applications which require students to reply to questions during the lecture using laptops, smartphones, and tablets.  I believe this makes each lesson interesting and fun while providing instant feedback, much like a game show.  Teachers ask questions during the lesson and students will respond to multiple choice and true/false questions and their responses are immediately provided to the teacher using this application.  An educator can them immediately assess if students are responding to the lesson being taught. Technology is also providing interactive learning labs which expose students to experiences and projects which may not be available to them otherwise.  Students are receiving hands-on experience through technology.

I have always thought of Facebook as a social media application and not an educational application.  Facebook for classroom use concerns me because of the content posted on Facebook accounts but Must-Have Facebook Guidelines for Teachers offers some suggestions which seem safe for classroom use.  Since everyone, from children to grandparents, seem to have a Facebook account this type of social media can make communication between teacher and parents easier and more convenient.  Educators can make a page and create a group completely separated from their personal Facebook account.  Facebook pages and groups can keep both parents and students up to date on assignments as well as showcase student work.  Facebook can also be a safe place where students discuss assignments and provide feedback to classmates and teachers.  Keeping parents and students connected is extremely important and 21^st century tools such as Facebook can help educators accomplish this.

Stores and Storage

http://www.edudemic.com/free-google-chrome-extensions-for-teachers/

Just when I thought Google couldn’t get any better, I find out they have amazing FREE web tools for educators.  Much link the individual writing the Blog, I have used Mozilla Firefox for some time now but slowly I find myself using Chrome because of the constant problems I have with Mozilla Firefox.  I know about the Google store because I have an Android phone but I have never explored it on my computer.  I started with the first app on this Blog called Class Dojo and it is an adorable, efficient, and effective way of tracking classroom behavior.  This is a great tool for teachers because it also gives parents access to view and track their child’s behavior.   I went in and created account on Class Dojo and played with it for a while and it is extremely user friendly and the little monsters and critters are adorable.   I also played with the Go Animation, an animation creation tool, for a while but I think I need at least a good couple of hours to explore and put together a short video animation.  My ten year old son could probably work with this app better than I can since he seems to me more tech savvy than I am.  I can’t wait to get home and share this with him.  You can choose from several different scenes, various people and objects, and numerous motions to create any type of animation video.

http://www.edudemic.com/dropbox-for-teachers/

I was just recently introduced to the world of Dropbox.  I first accessed it when I got my new Smartphone and the app was already installed.  I fell in love instantly because this created a space where I can access my work and homework from anywhere.  I was constantly emailing myself with my work as attachments because I don’t do go with small objects (Flash drives).  Now I am able to save everything to my Dropbox and it is always at my fingertips.  This article goes beyond that, it gives teachers several suggestions such as emailing to your Dropbox when not using one of your devices and how to get extra storage.  Dropbox can reduce the amount of papers headed home for grading but teachers can ask students to email their work to your Dropbox and when you get home, you can access your Dropbox and grade away!!!

Crazy about Collaboration: Wikis in the Classroom

The only Wiki I have ever been exposed to is Wikipedia, but I have never really paid attention to Wikis because every time I heard the term, I thought it was in reference to Wikipedia. I did not realize Wikipedia is just an example of a Wiki and once again I love this class for introducing Wikis to me. I was still unsure what a Wiki was even after reading the pdf document, the blog, and the chapter on Wikis. It wasn’t until I watched the YouTube video titled, “Wikis in Plain English”, that I truly begun to understand Wikis and their capabilities. Wikis would be a great asset to journalism students especially when they are working with their peers on news articles. For example, four students can be assigned a specific topic such as, recycling on campus. Instead of each student going out and writing individual articles, they can work together to create an article using Wikis. This way, no one’s article will be omitted from the school newspaper and a comprehensive article will represent the work done by four individual students. Collaboration helps to build a stronger, well rounded news product versus an article that is written by only one author.

Journalism students can also collaborate on journalism projects, such as a “He Said, She Said” type segment. There is always more than one side to each story and this kind of controversy attracts readers. When asking students to write articles about the same subject with different viewpoints, it is important that they know what is included in the opposing article. By using Wikis, students can ensure articles are written using opposing viewpoints. The two student authors can make sure the two articles mesh by contradicting each other. Controversial articles will draw in more readers and make the school newspaper more successful.

Superhero Survey.....I was working on this assignment with my 10 year old son, I wanted to show him how neat Google forms is....Have fun!!!

Trying to Keep up with Technolgy

I consider myself to be a member of Generation X and I try to stay up to date with the newest technology, not necessarily the newest technology applications, but none the less at least I am an owner of a Smartphone and a tablet.  The article How 3 Different GenerationsUse The Internet discusses the technology divide between three generations:  Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials.  After reading this article I was surprised to see the Baby Boomers with such high percentages:  30% use social networking, 51 % use their cell phones to text, and 79% use the internet.  I think these are high percentages for a generation who grow up with very limited technology and watched only 3 channels on a black and white TV.  I am even impressed with parents of Baby Boomers who seem to be using technology on a daily basis.  For example, both my grandmothers are in their 80’s and both of them have cell phones and tablets.  You can find both my grandma’s on Facebook, posting pictures and making comments on their people’s profiles…how cool is that?!?!  They both also play games on their tablets, granted they are casino games, but they are still using technology as a form of entertainment.  My favorite thing to see is when my ten year old son sits with my grandma, he’s great-grandma, and teachers her how to use different applications and change settings on her Kindle.  It melts my heart for some reason.  My grandma and my son don’t even belong to any of the generations listed above; they come before and after these generations.  There is great table in this blog which is a must see, just click the link above to visually witness the technology divide.

 

So I consider myself moderately tech savvy, but I have yet to dive into the world of Twitter.  I had a MySpace approximately 6 years ago and I love to read the posts on Facebook, but Twitter has always seemed like app for my teenage children, but after reading A RefreshinglySimple Guide To Twitter For Teachers I think I will set up a Twitter account today.  Something about the hashtag seems so fun and fresh.  Teachers can use their twitter account to share classroom ideas and to communicate with students.  Teachers can create continuous communication with students which will require students to provide input and feedback on subjects, lessons, and assignments.  Since Twitter is a fun, new tool students may be more lightly to give feedback via Twitter versus the old pencil and paper approach.  This article helps teachers get started on Twitter and I will consider using Twitter as an educational tool once I am in the classroom.

EYE...HEART...GOOGLE

Once again, I had very little exposure to Google Drive before this assignment.  There was a time last year when I was exploring my Gmail and I accidentally came across Google Docs and its sharing and collaborating capabilities.  I invited a coworker to explore with me and we were amazed that we were able to collaborate on an existing document and actually saw the progress happen right in front of our eyes.  Since then, I haven’t been back to explore it’s capabilities until this week.

The possibilities seem endless with Google Drive and its many tools make me wonder why we pay such a high price for Microsoft Office when we have the same tools for free at the click of the mouse.  The collaboration component of Google Docs is probably my favorite tool in Google Drive because it can be widely utilized in a high school journalism classroom.  Students can collaborate with other students to write an article without keeping track of multiple drafts.  Students and teachers can also edit potential news stories and add comments in order to help enhance the article.  Students can also research within the application to find statistics, quotes, etc. to supplement their article.  The research component also allows students to directly add this information to their Google document with proper citation. Not only will this benefit my future students but it will greatly benefit me in my current profession.   Using a shared Google Spreadsheet will also help to keep students on track by recording and revising deadlines, listing editing that has occurred, and collaborating with students responsible for supplying photos. Students will use a shared Google Spreadsheet to record their article development in order to meet deadlines.  This will help me keep track of students’ progress to ensure they meet deadlines.

Google Forms is also an amazing tool! Students can use Google Forms to create a survey for students, faculty, and staff in order to determine what types of articles and pictures they would like to see in the campus newspaper and yearbooks (digital and hardcopy).  A newspaper and yearbook tailor-made to reflect campus requests will increase distribution making it more successful.

Captivated by Feedly

Charger Victory!

Family Vacation

Are you ready for some football?!?!

I opened up a blog on Free Technology for Teachers because the title “Resources for Teaching and Learning About Classical Music” caught my eye since I have a fifth grader who just joined orchestra.  I clicked on two of the resources for teachers and saw that they were aimed at an older audience, but then I clicked on Classics for Kids and discovered fun and exciting activities for young children.  For example, children can learn music by composing their own music through a fun activity using notes and rests.  Teachers can also introduce students to a Note Name Game which will help them to identify notes and become familiar with music.  Students can also be introduced to classical composers in fun interactive ways.  Orchestra is exciting for children because it is a hands-on activity versus sitting in a classroom all day.  This free technology brings classical music to life and gives students the opportunity to learn about composers and music in an interactive way versus handouts and lectures.

Resources for Teaching and Learning About Classical Music

 

I have decided that Free Technology for teachers in my new favorite blog because there are some absolutely amazing ideas posted on this blog.  I ran into an article called “Three Mobile Blogging Activities for Students”.  This blog gives teachers ideas for mobile blogging while on a field trip.  Some schools do have access to iPads and iPods in order to participate in mobile blogging but why not make use of those nuisance devices you are always telling students to put away.  Most all high school students and middle school students have Smartphones in their pockets or backpacks so why not put these items to good use.  Smartphones can contribute to a student’s education experience by taking pictures, interviewing other students, and recording videos and audio files while on a field trip.   Students can then use all the photos, audio clips, and footage to create educational podcasts, collages, slideshows, and edited videos using such apps as Animoto, Audioboo, Soundcloud, and PicCollage.  These apps are amazing and students can create a masterpiece which reflects their educational field trip.  I use PicCollage all the time to create fun pictures of my family and friends to post on Facebook.  The pics in this blog were made using PicCollage, every parent needs to try this app!

Three Mobile Blogging Activities for Students