Wordle families

At first, I toyed around with my readers finding the main idea using cut and paste and seeing what words pop up the biggest and most frequent, but it turns out there are not that many places where they are cool with you copying the text of a children's book.  :)  So I did what all teachers do when in need of an idea, I Googled it!

I will confess right away that I stole this idea from someone else.  And since I am not really a thief, but a teacher who appreciates sharing, I will give credit where credit is due!  This teacher suggests that first graders could use Wordle to create a word family poster.  She had an example on her wiki page, but I thought I should put a little effort in, so I made my own.
Love the idea and THIS is something my 6 year olds could do.   In fact, we just started rimes and this might be a great, timely assignment they could use that would also provide a grade in the technology line of their report cards.

A second fun idea she shared was using Wordle in math.  The students could make a Wordle that shows all the ways to make ten.  This is a little more confusing and I have not quite figured out how to get the symbols to show up.  More on that later.

Wordle - what are you trying to say?

I made this first Wordle (is that the correct term?) using the most recent iste.nets-t standards.  Since I cut and pasted the standards directly into Wordle, and Wordle automatically emphasizes those that occur most often, I can see that learning is a huge focus of these standards.  Resources, digital, tools, students, technology, professional, support  and use are also words that occurred frequently.   Student shows up more than one time in this Wordle, but if you look at the next one, from the older standards, the word teacher shows up more than the word students.  Interesting. Look carefully, you probably can't find the word teacher in the first Wordle using the current standards.

In addition to the focus on the teacher, the words use, learning, resources and apply were important focal points in 2000.  I think my favorite statement from the older standards was in the first section, it stated that teachers require "introductory knowledge, skills and understanding."  The word introductory takes a lot of pressure off the teacher, despite the fact that the teachers are a huge focus of the standard.  .
We have definitely progressed from 2000 and I think it is safe to say that teachers are expected to stay as close as to the cutting edge of popular technology as possible.

Zoom Chat - forgot to blog about this one!

Looking back through my posts, I can see that I forgot to blog about my chat with Melinda on Zoom this past Saturday.  I have used Facetime, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, and Skype in the past.  Zoom was just as easy to use as all of these, although initially I had a bit of difficulty with my camera, which I had inadvertently turned off in the Zoom program. Got it up and running and it was nice to check in with a classmate about the assignments.  Talking in person is one of the things that I miss when I take an online class.  In the future, I am going to check with my fellow classmates to see if they use a program like this and want to "meet up" for a visit.  Face to face conversation is easiest...

Which is why programs like Zoom are very handy for facilitating conversation when people are unable to be in the same place.  It is especially handy when the topic would benefit from both parties being able to use and see facial expressions.   A large percentage of my students' parents work and coming to school when it is convenient for me (before 7 am or between 2:50 and 4 pm) is often highly inconvenient for them. I think they would love an opportunity to have a quick "face to face" without leaving their office.  Meetings with colleagues and communicating with pen pals are two other possible uses for this program.  I don't envision using it with my six year old students, but I suppose it would be fun to check in with one who were out sick for an extended period of time or on a 3 week trip to India, which is quite common with our students.

iste.nets-t standards

Zoom certainly lends itself to standard 3b which demands that educators collaborate with others using digital tools and resources to support student success.  It also supports standard 1d: model collaborative knowledge construction... in face to face and virtual environments.  Zoom might also work well in pursuit of satndard 5a: participate in ... global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

Self Portrait

Well, here is my work of art.  Here is the link so you can visit my work of art among other works of art.  If you would like to create your own picassohead, you can do that as well.  I am a bit at a loss as to why anyone would want to do this, but I am not going to question people's motives.  I did it because I had to, and now I will ponder the value of it in terms of the iste.nets-t standards...

This tool offers an opportunity to be creative in a limited way. So, I can see the argument that using it fits with standard 1: to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. Certainly if a class were studying the style of Picasso it would be a handy and perhaps fun tool for students to engage in an authentic learning experience about this topic which would address standard 2 as well.  Now that all applies to the tool itself, but the assignment did force me to learn some new things and as a teacher I have a responsibility to continue to embrace new skills using web tools and share them with my peers, so in that I have become familiar with a new tool and practiced using it, standard 5 is addressed.  I just don't know how I could use the tool, so I think I will read some of the other blog posts and see what my peers are thinking.

Jimg Image - getting closer to mastery

My Second Jing Attempt

So, I created this fun little graphic because we start matter tomorrow and after we review the states of matter, my students are required to make predictions about solids and liquids and design some experiments.  They need to understand the term dissolve in order to do this, and I think this will aid them in visualizing what it means.  I used the text, the text sizing, the arrows, and I also used a little chalk type feature that enabled me to cover up some of the text already in the graphic.  I will put this in a SmartBoard file and it will be pretty cool!

It saved it to Screencast and you should be able to check it out using that link.

As for the questions -
1. Jing screen captures result in a png file.
2.I save them in my pictures folder.
3. You can access your Jing history by rolling over the sun and selecting the middle icon.  Pretty handy.
4.As far as Screencasting your history, it seems like it just makes another copy of it, but I might be misunderstanding the question.
5. As mentioned in a prior post, I had a difficult time importing the Jing file, until I found the little image up in my tool bar.  Now I simply click on the image and import.

6&7. I can published my image using Screencast.  Screencast also allows you to share your image with others using the assigned url.

iste.nets-t standards addressed

I can see that Jing lends itself nicely to standard 3c because Jing allows a teacher to take visual content and add labels or comments that ensure the communication of relevant information and ideas.  Jing screencast videos can be used to collaborate on lessons or share successful ideas, two circumstances covered by standard 5 which demands professional growth and the use of digital tools and resources.

Small Victories - Jing Continued

Okay - sure it took me 15 minutes, but I did ALL BY MYSELF!  (I sound like a two year old.)  I kept hitting the old control v and getting nowhere trying to get Stacia's art into my blog post, but no luck.  I checked out some classmates' blogs, saw they were able to do it, and then applied my brain.  :)  Still working on my assignment, but learning little things along the way.

Jing - more new tools

I have to say, I was pretty satisfied with my snipping tool until I checked Jing out.  There is a bit of a learning curve, and I have a lot more to figure out...  like I assumed I would now need to sign up for Screencast account, but guess what, apparently I did that by signing up for Jing.... So much to learn.  I am working on my assignment using a graphic that could help in my classroom, but first I had to play around with Jing using a painting my daughter made yesterday.  You can check that out just below my links.  She entered it into a contest Maggie Stiefvater was holding and was a finalist!  Fun.

Add ons - do I want them?

A browser add on is a tool that adds new features to your browser.  I personally have never used a browser add on before, but being brand new to Diigo and a Chrome user, I thought it would make sense to accept when I was offered the Chrome extension add on. I followed the steps and acquired it.  So far, it appears to work as intended, although I have only played around with it a bit. I was able to successfully add the blog-post and article discussed below to my library with minimal effort.

Thinking add ons might be something embraced by the more millennial, I asked my 16 year old what types of add on she uses and her experience was fairly limited as well: she has a screenshot add on and a blacklist add on.  The latter she uses to make sure she is not the victim of spoilers for the TV shows she watches on her computer.

In an effort to learn a little more about these tools, I did a bit of research and learned that perhaps they are something that we should be leery of, or at least embrace in a limited way.  According to this WSJ blog  and this Technology Briefing add ons can be silently changed after they are installed and the updated code can be automatically pushed to those who use them.  The two add-ons removed last week by Google had been altered by new owners in order to insert unwanted ads in spaces ads would not normally exist.  According to the WSJ blog author, Rolfe Winkler, malware companies are actively seeking ownership of add-ons in order to make these types of modifications.  Google is not in the habit of reviewing changes to code after an add on is offered, and these two add ons were removed only because alert users notified Google.  Something to think about before embracing too many of these tools: how does the value of an add on compare to the possible danger of exposing yourself to malware?  Is the tool worth the risk?  I think I will stick with my one new add on for the time being and see how it goes.

As for iste.nets-t standards are addressed by this assignment, I would suggest that standards 1c & d, would be met using Diigo in the way that was described in the Educational Leadership article.  Diigo certainly lends itself to the type of collaborative work called for by these standards. Additionally, Diigo and similar social bookmarking tools facilitate locating, analyzing, and evaluating information resources, which is addressed by standard 3d.  Finally, the Digitally Speaking blog by William Ferriter described beautifully how educators in collaborative learning communities could use Diigo to their benefit.  This responsibility is addressed in standard 5.

Learning New Things... Like Diigo

Whew-  thank goodness for snow days.  I think I successfully joined Zoom and Diigo, although currently I have very little idea how to use either one.  That will follow,  I hope.  So far I have added one article, on measurement.  You can see my limited library here.

I did watch the short video 3 times, and think I have a rough idea how the whole social bookmarking might work.  To use Diigo effectively, step one appears to be finding articles of interest and highlighting important content.  Step 2 would be to add a comment that will allow others to see what you are thinking about as you read, and step 3 would be to bookmark the article with tags, either those recommended by Diigo or your own so others can find the article.  It is only social bookmarking if you share it with others, so I guess a community is important as well..  Although I have never engaged in this using a tool like Diigo, I do share links with colleagues all the time.  We email them to each other. :)  I guess that is really rather old fashioned and time consuming.  I can see the huge benefit to sharing these links in a central location, and not limiting yourself to links, but to ideas by using tags.  Social bookmarking enables you to benefit from research and winnowing of research done by others and to share your own efforts within a community.  Rather than searching the whole web, social bookmarking provides a type of library where resources have been vetted to a certain extent and are organized by tags.  I think this sharing and sense of community is the hallmark of Web 2.0.  According to William Ferriter, writing on Digitally Speaking , Web 2.0 is characterized by "a spirit of intellectual philanthropy and collective intelligence" that allows for easy and effective collaboration.  My school has just embraced collaborative learning communities this year, and although I know that teachers shudder to take on new things, forming a community on a site like Diigo might make our lives easier in the long run.

I loved the classroom-use idea in the Educational Leadership article to assign students rolls like "Captain Cannonball" to pose questions to get conversations about shared reading started, and "Middlemen" who look for common ground in diverse answers. Fabulous.

How Millennial Am I? Not very....

Perhaps I should be embarrassed to admit I scored 11 on the Millennial quiz. but, I'm not.  I had my 16 year old daughter take it too and she scored a 73, which although significantly higher than my score, was based on only slight differences in our responses: she has a Facebook page, I don't have any social media presence  (unless this blog counts...) she described herself as liberal, rather than moderate, and she cared slightly about a high paying career; I had to confess I don't because I am a teacher.  Other than that, our responses were identical.  Something tells me that being 16 gave her extra points as well.  Either way, the fact that I lined up with people born between 1928 and 1948 does not bother me too much.

As for any implications for my teaching success or my students' learning, I think they are limited.  I teach first grade, which is made up of students who have very little control over their own access to technology and limited ability to use it independently.  Of course, they are adept at using many platforms and applications, but they can't read all that well and in most cases are under the supervision of parents who believe it sensible to limit "screen time."  Middle and high school teachers certainly don't have that luxury and can probably up their credibility by being a bit more "millennial."

As for the individual questions, I assume my biggest downfall was the one on social networking.  One reason I don't embrace social networking is because I am a teacher.  I am in my second year of teaching and it is a tremendously time consuming job. Getting my masters degree consumes significant hours as well.  I also have 4 kids.  I really don't have time to spend on something idle like Facebook.  In addition to that, I greatly value my privacy, and I know that the first thing parents do is go to Google when they find out who their child's teacher is.  I like to keep as low a profile as possible.

My reaction to Frand's 10 characteristics was mixed.

Number 1 - Computers Aren't Technology I have no control over this one.  I can remember using a computer for the first time.  It was a Commodore 64 and we played Lemonade Stand quite a bit.  None of my friends had one, we were quite the cutting edge family. When I went to college no one had their own laptop and I only used the computer lab if I was required.  I had a Brother word processor for typing.  :) So, computers are technology to me.

Number 2 - Internet Better Than TV: I have one foot in the door here.  I generally Tivo (technology to me!) or DVR (same) shows to watch, but lately have discovered a couple that I can only view on Netflix.  I love it.  I like that I can watch what I want when I want.  Great concept.  In fact, I was unreasonably annoyed when I finished the first season of Longmire and the second was not available anywhere.  Frankly, I still am annoyed.  What's the hold up? (see characteristic 9 Zero Tolerance for Delays)

Number 3 - Reality No Longer Real:  This I can agree with as well. In fact, confession time, I have taken advantage of this myself.  I created a gmail with a fictitious name in order to question some team decisions without exposing my child to blow-back.  Remarkably easy and effective.  What is not always easy is when you are trying to get facts, as Frand points out, the internet is chock full of information, but it is difficult to tell how much is true and who is writing what.  This last election cycle it was particularly challenging to sift the facts from the falsities and I found myself in numerous discussions where the participants were working with wildly divergent versions of "reality."

Number 4 - Doing Rather Than Knowing:  I think that the shrinking half life of information may be less pronounced in education than in other fields.  Part of that has to do with funding, schools just can't keep up with the infrastructure that is required in order to embrace life at the "speed of technology."  Also, that little kernel of doubt that we all have about whether new indeed is better is a bit more pronounced in early years where we are working with young children.  There is a certain degree of push-back on screen time to allow for outdoor play, investigation, creativity, hands on work, and the like.  So, when Frand talks about events occurring in real time, with immediate effects and short reaction times, I feel as though schools are in a time warp.

Number 5 - Nintendo Over Logic: I am a logic person.  I feel that I will probably break things if I don't read the directions.  When working online I have a strong fear that I will hit the wrong button and lose everything.  It drives my husband nuts.  So, I am not quite up there with those daring millennial here.

Number 6 - Multitasking Way of Life - Not something I can claim to be capable of either.  I turn the TV off if I am on the phone.  I don't like music on if I am thinking.  One reason that I am successful as a first grade teacher is that I am unable to ignore anything.  My students behavior never escalates to chaos because I rarely ignore the little flare, I put it out and get it back on task way before it become a flame.  I am just happier with limited distractions.  If I do start multi-tasking, I resemble an ADHD sufferer far more than a successful millennial.

Number 7 - Typing Rather Than Handwriting -I find typing to be easier, more correctable, better for re-organizing.  I did hand-write notes while reading Frand's article because I can't type on one screen and read on another.  (I am sure it is possible...)  But, I still have that lingering feeling that a handwritten thank you is more appropriate than an email.  I also have my students practice handwriting, but that is partly due to the fact that I need to read it.  We have 4 computers for 24 first graders, no ipads or tablets, so we write.

Number 8 - Staying Connected:  I think this is one of the most dangerous aspects of this new age we are in.  Everyone wants to be connected all the time because it reinforces their feelings of importance to others. After all, if you can post that you went for a 5 mile run at 6 am, it implies that other people care that you did.  If people care, you feel better about yourself.  I worry about the impact of all these kids growing up thinking that everyone cares about what they ate, where they are, what they are doing, what they are wearing.  What if nobody cares?  Does it make the run less worthwhile?  I think connectivity shifts the way people think about themselves and their lives.  Having a platform to display yourself on is intoxicating, but as we all know: intoxication is only safe in moderation.  That being said, I only have a cell phone and email and I get frustrated when I can't get a hold of my kids, husband or friends immediately.  I ask myself what is the point of having a cell phone if you are not going to keep it by your side so I can reach you.  See, even without a Facebook account I have somehow bought in to the idea that my needs are very important.

Number 9 - Zero Tolerance For Delays:  As I have already confessed, I have embraced this for better or for worse.  Improvements spoil us and we quickly forget how things used to be.  How they usually are is how how we want to be all the time.  When the internet goes out, even if I am not using it, I know because one of my kids erupts from wherever they are.  Companies that don't have web pages or online ordering vex me.  7 -10 business days seems ridiculous after a year or more of Amazon Prime.  And having to wait to watch Sherlock when it already premiered in England seems absurd.  Like everyone else on Netflix, I want to know why season 2 of Longmire is not available NOW.

Number 10 - Consumer/Creator Blurring: I don't have a lot of experience with this, and maybe it is the graduate student talking, but frankly I can't understand how Frand touched on it so casually.  Perhaps when Frand wrote this in 2000, it was new and different than it is now, easy to get away with, tough to catch.. Today I think students of all kinds are drilled about plagiarism and the extra care they need to take to avoid it.  I even had one professor at SU insist we send all our writing to him through Turn it In so that he could ensure that we had created the work ourselves.

I think that my sad little score of 11 on the Millennial Quiz aside, I have embraced many recent developments in technology and I am uncertain that those I have snubbed would make me a better teacher.  I truly believe there is such as thing as "too accessible" for someone who is working with children and social networking is the one aspect of technology that I have made a choice to avoid.  The rest of the things I avoid I avoid due to fear.  I fear them because they are new and will take time for me to learn.  I don't have a lot of time, but when someone gives me a good reason to embrace something new (like it is a requirement for a class) I am able to force myself to push my fear aside and give it a try.  Like I said in my initial post, I fully expect to have a much more impressive blog by the end of this class.  Why?  Because I won't have a choice if I expect to do well in the class.  :)

Create Blog... check!

Well, I did it, I created this blog.  It is really unimpressive at this point, but it is a start.  Coming up with names and addresses and profile names was much more mentally demanding than I would have imagined. Hopefully, at the end of this class I will look back at this post and pity my poor new-to-blogging self.