Journal 7 - Personal Learning Network (NETS-T 3, 5)

1. My Personal Learning Network is comprised of professionals that I follow (#slpeeps and #edchat on Twitter) and those who contribute to my information-sharing network (Delicious). As a future speech-language pathologist, I need to keep up with latest in therapy techniques, technology applications, research and more. The speech pathology community is rapidly growing and there is an ever-expanding network of journals, websites and blogs that are applicable to the field. My PLN helps keep me current by bringing these new resources directly to my fingertips. Twitter and Delicious funnel topic-specific posts directly onto my homepage - it doesn’t get much simpler than that.

2. I was hesitant to get involved in Twitter, admittedly because I did not fully understand it. Fortunately some of the journal articles that I analyzed for ED422 were helpful in decoding the mystery of retweets, followers and hashtags. By the time I joined a live chat (#edchat) I felt confident enough to pose a few comments and second others’ ideas. I noticed that most of my time during the #edchat was either spent keeping up with the pace of tweets or thinking to myself, “That’s a good point!” each time the page refreshed.

The main topic during that session was the real and imaginary dangers of using technology in the classroom. The most intriguing ‘real danger’ that I saw was the the fact that students need to be taught how to use technology responsibly (which fit in great with NETS-T 4). Many people mentioned the widespread misconception that, since this generation knows how to operate technology, they must understand how to use it for good. Participants echoed similar responses to this real danger: Like a hammer or a knife, technology can be used to help or to harm. The chat quickly moved to other topics, but this concept really stuck with me. I so see the value in communicating with other professionals who clearly care about their profession. The resources and ideas that are shared so quickly and easily make Twitter a great tool.

I joined several speech pathology groups on Twitter with the hope that one of them had a weekly chat (like #slpeeps and #ASHA). There was not a published time for any group, but I did end up following several professionals in the field. I am following: SpeechBob, SpeechTechie, ASHAWeb, speechtx9, and SlpKelsey. SpeechBob is the user who started #slpeeps, and I find that he often shares very insightful resources. It’s great to see that I’m entering a field that freely shares thoughtful tips and invites new questions.

This assignment forced me to get out of my comfort zone by contributing to #edchat and following a new set of people. I am still somewhat intimidated by Twitter (especially when participating in live chats) but I know that practice makes perfect!

3. Given my interest in speech pathology, I tracked down several Delicious users and articles that connected speech therapy with digital tools. I tagged these articles with the keywords: slp, pln, education, ipad, speechtherapy, etc. Other PLN articles I tagged were more educational technology-specific, specifically related to the iPad. I am very interested in how educators are incorporating iPads in the classroom, so two of the articles I saved were about tablet applications in general education. Speech pathologists are also finding ways to utilize the iPad in therapy sessions, so I included an article on an articulation app that a speech pathologist recommended.

These articles (and the others I saved) all contribute to my PLN because they are specifically related to topics I care about. Now my Delicious homepage automatically pulls these tags from the Delicious network and shares them with me. This is a powerful research tool that enhances my knowledge and understanding of the field without spending a lot of time searching online.

4. The article I read on Classroom 2.0 was “Should teachers and students be ‘friends’ on social networking sites?” The original post asked readers to review an article on the topic. This article did not pose a clear opinion, but rather challenged educators to consider the pros and cons of ‘friending’ students online. The clear pros are connection with students in their real lives, the ability to drop a quick note or say hello, and to be reminded of events like birthdays. The cons are just as obvious and far more reaching: inappropriate relationships, private conversations, compromising pictures or posts about your social life, and more. Some contributors to the article even suggested that teachers shouldn’t be on Facebook at all. In my opinion, teachers can responsibly participate on social network sites, but they need to understand their public persona and make their profiles private. I do not think they should ‘friend’ students until the students have been out of the classroom for several years. Many of the Classroom 2.0 contributors had similar responses. The general consensus is that Facebook is not inherently wrong, but teachers need to exercise extreme caution when using it.

**This PLN assignment modeled digital-age learning because of the intense involvement in the online tools of Twitter and Delicious. I was stretched as an educator and, by establishing a PLN, I have a direct resource to continue my professional development.

Journal 6 - Change Agent (NETS-T 4, 5)

Rebora, Anthony. (2010). Change agent. Education Week Teacher PD Sourcebook, 4(1), Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2010/10/12/01richardson.h04.html?cmp=clp-edweek&intc=bs&sms_ss=delicious&at_xt=4cb7dc75d0303b73,0

Will Richardson is an acclaimed educational technology professional who shares his insights in his influential book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.  This article features a personable interview with Richardson that unpacks some of the biggest ideas in his book.  Firstly, Richardson stresses the importance of teachers modeling proper internet presence for their students.  The fact is that this next generation will have an online presence - good or bad - so it is appropriate that teachers show them how to be a responsible, contributing member of the cyber world.  By being visible online (being “Google-able”, as Richardson says) teachers not only model digital citizenship, but they also share resources with other educators.  This collaboration ultimately benefits the educational community.

In a heavily standards-based curriculum, is there room for technology education?

Absolutely!  In fact, technology education should not just be a unit, but rather a shift in the way all subjects are taught.  Teachers should be using technology to enhance content across the curriculum.  There is time for this because the focus shifts from facts to processes.  I appreciated Richardson’s distinction between learning and knowledge: Our current educational system focuses on knowledge – the ability to recall facts.  There is nothing inherently wrong with knowledge (in fact it is a major goal of learning) but to make it the focus is short-lived.  Our students are currently assessed on what they can remember when, really, if a random fact is needed in the real world, they could simply look it up online.  That is what stuck with me the most from this article – we need to teach our kids how to use the resources they have to access knowledge responsibly.

Do millennials (the Always-Connected Generation) really need training on how to use the Internet?

Most students know how to be socially involved online, but they need to be taught how to use the Internet as a learning tool.  This aspect of educational technology is what Richardson calls teaching “network literacy”.  The goal is for students to be able to discern reputable information on their own.  This skill starts in the classroom but extends much further as a lifelong ability.  Our world is only getting more technological, so it is necessary to teach in step with the trend.

Journal 10 - Things I Love!

1. My husband Jake
2. My parents
3. My brothers
4. The ocean
5. Chocolate
6. Mechanical pencils
7. Driving before rush hour hits
8. The color orange
9. Pixar movies
10. Google
11. Recycling
12. Manchester City football
13. Command+Tab (I use it ALL THE TIME)
14. Command+Z (yep that too)
15. Strawberries
16. My friend Erin
17. Video iChat
18. Ice cold Coke
19. My Timex
20. Peppermint mochas
21. Harry Potter
22. The fact that my old car lasted so long
23. The fact that my new car that actually runs
24. Snowboarding
25. Food Network
26. Garbage disposals
27. Walking the Mission Beach boardwalk
28. Yosemite
29. Skype
30. My adorable niece
31. Disneyland
32. Nalgenes
33. Paris
34. London
35. Rome
36. Berlin
37. Edinburgh
38. Florence
39. Brussels
40. Oxford
41. ...Traveling
42. Jackets
43. Altoids smalls
44. Polarized sunglasses
45. School
46. Christmas
47. Lunch with friends on Sundays
48. Crockpot chili
49. The Lakers
50. Pandora
51. Not touching the brakes when I roll to a red light
52. Airport food (yep)
53. Yellowstone
54. Point Loma Nazarene University
55. My Sonicare toothbrush
56. Chipotle
57. Socks when I sleep
58. Dancing at weddings
59. Good Friday service
60. Warm towels
61. Camping
62. December Nights at Balboa Park
63. Polish-free toe nails
64. Lavender
65. Coronado
66. Staying in hotels
67. Scarves
68. Talking to my grandpa on the phone
69. Baking bread
70. Jacuzzis
71. Apple products
72. Freshly mowed grass
73. CS Lewis
74. Hanging out with my dad
75. Driving with the windows down
76. Editing
77. Christmas music in September
78. Grilled cheese and tomato soup
79. Starbucks
80. Chicago-style pizza
81. Making my husband laugh
82. Laughing at my husband
83. Burts Bees chapstick
84. Nachos at the movies
85. Museums
86. Fresh and Easy
87. Finding an old friend on Facebook
88. Oyster crackers with Sprite
89. Snow
90. California Pizza Kitchen
91. Father of the Bride Part 2
92. Recalling the same stories at family reunions
93. Sleeping in
94. The idea of being a speech-language pathologist
95. Planning trips
96. Lotion
97. Walking downtown SD at night
98. Sour Punch straws
99. Road trips
100. ED422!

Journal 8 - The Always-Connected Generation (NETS-T 3, 5)

Bull, G. (2010). The always-connected generation. Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(3), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-november.aspx

Glen Bull characterizes the last few generations of Americans - the Silent generation of the Great Depression, the baby boomers, Generation X - and introduces readers to the first generation of the new millennium, the Always-Connected Generation.  Since the 1950’s there has been a sharp rise in subscriptions from newspapers to blogs.  Even the concept of personal computers has evolved from less than one per household to, on average, one per person.  A recent study found that 80% of the Always-Connected generation sleep with a cell phone, ready to digest the latest in text messages, music, and social network updates.  This 24-hour accessibility has a dark side, but there is opportunity to capitalize on the positive aspects in the classroom.  Technology is getting smaller, faster, and smarter, and education needs to keep up.  

How can teachers be part of keeping up with technology in the classroom?

Bull acknowledges the generation gap between teachers and students, but suggests that teacher preparation, regardless of age, is key for successfully implementing technology in schools.  Most adults are now capable of basic Internet use and social network sharing, so district technology programs would not necessarily be starting from scratch.  Scheduled training workshops and online demonstrations (like Atomic Learning) would be helpful in bridging the technology gap between instructors and learners.

What are some helpful tools that are easy to integrate?

The iPhone and other handheld devices are especially powerful.  They are capable of transcribing speech (which is helpful when taking notes), recording high-definition video (with the option of wirelessly uploading videos to YouTube), storing high volumes of reading material (without adding the weight of books), and so much more.  While these devices are relatively expensive, once districts make the switch, the convenience and connectedness provided will far outweigh the cost.

Web Tools 2.0 Wiki (NETS-T 5)

I contributed to a web tools wiki and shared a photo editing website called Mosaickr.  By participating in this collaboration of online resources, I helped other teachers become aware of a useful and creative web tool.  This contribution to the learning community ultimately strengthens my profession and improves student experiences with technology.

Click here to access the complete wiki.

CyberSafety Google Site (NETS-T 4)

This internet safety website was created collaboratively with my classmates.  We used Google Sites to independently work on our own pages.  The result is a multi-page, multi-contributor resource for educators that teaches proper internet use, both in and out of the classroom.

Click here to view the complete website.

iMovie PSA (NETS-1)

Here is my iMovie Public Service Announcement promoting CSU San Marcos.  This assignment facilitates student learning by utilizing an often underused application - iMovie.  I had to learn iMovie from scratch to complete the PSA, so now I am experienced with the program.  This assignment also inspires student creativity by incorporating a variety of unique requirements (transitions, music, etc.).  Every movie in the class is different based on individuals' use of creativity.



iMovie CSUSM PSA from Lisa Gilbertson on Vimeo.