Excel Crossword Puzzle (Nets-2)

I used Excel to create a crossword as a way of making a fun learning tool. Within Excel I was able to add hints to the crossword and it also has a cool feature that lets you know if the first letter is correct by it turning a different color.

iMovie PSA (Nets-3)

I used iMovie a tool on Apple that helped me create a public service announcement for CSUSM.

Classroon Newsletter (Nets-1)

DRnewsletters

This is a classroom newsletter I created using Microsoft Word. I used different tools on Word to create a creative and artictic way of communicating with my potential classroom students.

Wiki (Nets-3)

The wikki I created is for a learning tool called Kubbu. Kubbu is a cool tool for educators because it allows you to create quizzes that your students can take online. It also allows you to grade and give back feedback on the site. The wiki gives you access to many cool teaching web 2.0 tools. All of the ones I explored could be very helpful if implemented in the classroom and best of all they were free!

Cyber-Safety Website (Nets-4)

This is a website that I worked on collaboratively with some of my peers. It is a cyber-safety website created with Google sites. The site covers identity safety, cyber predators, cyber-bullying, inappropriate content, piracy and plagiarism, and social networking. This site has many tips for teachers, students, and parents in regards to cyber-safety.

Journal #10: No, Never Alone (Nets-5)

Conley, K. (2010). No, never alone. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/

This article is about the advantages of building a personal learning network. Many teachers feel that they need to do all their learning on their own which can be very limiting. With resources such as the Internet and Web 2.0 collaboration tools, like Nings, wikis, and video/photo sharing sites, no educator should be trying to do it alone.  With so many tools available it can be easy to be overwhelmed and not use any of the tools.  A great tool to help educators start up there learning network is Educator’s PLN which is especially designed for educators and provides an easy to use format. You can quickly learn how to view videos, photos, articles, twitter feeds, and forums that are accessible on the site. Sites like this one will allow you to connect with educators from all over the world and give you resources that you otherwise wouldn’t have at your fingertips. With all of the resources available educators need to take advantage in order to become more effective teachers.

Q1. Do you think there are benefits to having a PLN?

I do think there are great benefits from having a PLN because you have knowledge from so many people throughout the world. You can learn from people that have been teaching for many years as well as from new educators that have new ideas.

Q2. How does this change your view of teaching?

This makes me feel more comfortable with my decision to become a teacher. I was one of those people that thought I would have to learn everything on my own but since I’ve taken this course I have realized there are great avenues for information available. I now feel that my transition into the classroom will be easier because all of the valuable information I can get from other educators in my personal learning network.

Journal #9: Stop Making Students Type Nonsensical URLs (Nets-5)

Bellow, A. (2010). Stop making students type nonsensical urls. Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/

Adam Bellow the author of this article believes there is solution to the problem of not being able to share multiple links easily with students and teachers.  The solution is a website called Only2Clicks (www.only2clicks.com) which is a tool on the web that allows you to create a free webpage where anyone can access any number of links you put on the webpage. Within the site you also have the ability to create tabs to separate different types of links, like school subjects, grades, etc.  The site is easy to work with and is great for all ages.  It is especially helpful for young students or students with special needs who have difficulty reading.  Teachers can use this site in many different ways. Some teachers might use the site as a default homepage for student computers or they can post the address where all students have access to it. With this free online tool, students no longer have to suffer trying to type in long nonsensical URLs.  The site allows easy access to all the sites you want your students to locate by only two easy clicks.

Q1. Do I see myself using this tool in the classroom?

Although it seems as if this site is designed for younger students I think it’s a cool tool to be aware of because you never know if you might be able to use it in the classroom in the future, even with high school students.

Q2. What are the benefits to this site?

The benefits are that you can access many sites from one easy to remember webpage. You no longer have to worry about typing long nonsensical URLs. It also helps that this site is completely free.

Journal #8: Communicating and Collaborating for Studnet Success (Nets-5)

McAnear, A. (2010, November). Communicating and collaborating for student success. Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/

This article discusses how the category of communication and collaboration is the easiest of the NETS to meet.  According to the project manager for ISTE’s NETS Seal of Alignment program teachers focus on this NET early in their professional career.  Since students and teachers use these skills in their personal, professional, and academic lives it makes it easier to design learning activities that incorporate this NET than it might be for others.  Studies have shown that schools that implemented applications focused on communication such as administrator blogs, professional learning communities, and online interactive communication systems for parents were more effective in applying innovative technology. In Kannapolis City Schools they model great communication and collaboration. Administrators shared their vision with the teachers and they collaborated to create the lessons. The teachers helped each other create effective lesson plans that modeled the use of digital age tools for communicating and collaborating.  It is also important to keep the communication and collaboration focused on the students desire to learn by finding out what they like and encouraging them to seek that knowledge.

Q1. How can this information be used to better incorporate the other NETS?

Since this research shows how and why teachers are being more successful at incorporating this NET into the lesson planning maybe they can use the same model to help develop ways to incorporate the other NETS.

Q2. How will this information be useful to future teachers?

This will be useful to future teachers because we can be more aware of the NETS that are harder to incorporate in the lesson planning and make a greater effort to accomplish the NETS goals.

Journal #7: My Personal Learning Network (Nets-5)

What is PLN and will it help me as a teacher:

My personal learning network is something that I have created that is web based that will help me get valuable information from other people from around the world that share some of my same interests.  My personal learning network allows me to communicate with other educators, students, and parents.  It is away for me to share my ideas with other people and gives everyone access to whatever I decide I want to have on my PLN.  Having a PLN will help me once I’m a teacher because it gives me access to so many educators throughout the world.  Through my PLN I can easily learn about new and older ways of teaching that can be effective in my classroom.  With all of the tools and resources that are available it is difficult to keep track of everything but with a PLN you constantly have reminders so it is a great way to have fresh ideas for your classroom.  By having a PLN you are constantly learning how to be a better teacher.

Twitter:
I am new to twitter so it’s taking me some time to familiarize myself with this tool but I can already see the resourcefulness of it. I have started following kevcreutz, Ithumann, tonitheisen, smartinez, and jheil65. I chose to follow these people because I took a look at their profile and past tweets and I can see that they share information that is interesting to me as a future educator. I participated on #edchat on November 16^th at 4pm. The topic being discussed was is the education system broken or outdated. Most people believe that our education system is both broken and outdated. One of the major problems is that teachers have to teach inside the box because of having to teach to the test. Even with teachers being limited on how they teach education is slowly seeing improvements. If we are a product of bad education and we managed to continue to go to school then there is hope for students now and in the future. I think the twitter chat was interesting because you get live response from people that have knowledge on the topic being discussed

Delicious:

I am using Delicious to read information about educating so that I can learn to be a more effective teacher.  By adding people to my Delicious network that I find share valuable information gives me access to more resources I can possibly use in my classroom.  I have added these people (Elizabeth Wilson, Jeffery, JendeW, Karlene, & L) to my network because they are interested in education and they share information that is interesting to me.  There were several things that I tagged “PLN”

-Respect Essential In a High Poverty School/Connected Principals

-What is Good Teaching?

-Personal Learning Networks 101

-A Primer on Personal Learning Networks

-23 Resources about Learning Networks

-Jeff Goldstein: The remarkable Power of Twitter

The reason I tagged these is because I think they are either interesting topics to read about in education or they can help me improve my personal learning network.

I joined The Educator’s PLN because it has lots of useful information that should concern everyone involved in education. The blog post I read was about how immigration is an educational issue.  The teacher who posted the blog discussed how one of her students shared his concern about college and scholarship applications because his mother was deported last year.  The student is currently living with siblings and has no money for college.  This is an important topic because as future teachers we will encounter students that are facing these tuff situations, especially here in California where Latino students make up over 50% of student population and raids by ICE continue to separate families.  As future educators we need to be aware of the issues some of our students will be facing.

Journal #6:Change Agent (Nets-5)

Rebora, A. (2010, October 11). Change agent. Education Week, Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/

This article was about Will Richardson a former teacher turned technology expert and his ideas about transforming education.  He has written books on how to integrate Web 2.0 technology in K-12 classrooms.  Richardson argues that schools need to transform their teaching and learning models to meet changes in technology and the world. He believes teachers should be transparent and easily accessible.  To accomplish that he believes all teachers should be “googleable” meaning they can easily be found online.  If teachers build an online presence they can more easily build connections, share your work, share ideas, and become more effective teachers by collaborating with other teaching professionals.  He also believes schools need to take more responsibility for teaching students how to use the internet effectively to find information they need so that students can learn better.  Kids need to learn to collaborate to solve problems, exercise critical thinking skills, and learn how to handle failure instead of memorizing useless facts they can easily look up online.  If kids learn how to use the internet effectively they will know how to find the information they need and they can learn on their own.  He wants to see schools get away from teaching to the test and instead use curriculum that will show students how to solve problems.  Much of the learning going on in schools today is about content and not key traits they will need to be built up to be successful in the real world.

Q 1. How can you incorporate technology into your classroom?

I think a good start is for teachers to be “googleable” because my doing that they give themselves access to the world of education.  As teachers I think it’s important to be an example of what you are trying to accomplish.  By being an active learner teachers can learn from other educators how to effectively incorporate technology in the classroom.

Q2. What is one of the problems with transforming education?

As a teacher there is only so much you can do because you don’t have control over the curriculum in your classroom.  With federal, state, and local policies that require certain material to be covered and tests to be implemented it makes it difficult to make progress in changing education.

Inspiration (Nets-T 3)

For this assignment I used Inspiration an online tool that allowed me to layout my presentation and ideas. I showed my familiarity with the Nets T and how I have met those requirements. I chose some assignments done this semester that reflect the Nets T standards. I also placed pictures on the presentation that correlate with the topics.

Prezi Presentation Assessment (Nets T-2)

This quick questionaire was created through Google Forms as a way to get feed back from classmates after I presented my Prezi to them. It is a really useful tool because you get all of the feedback sent to you in an organized Excel format. You can even choose to share the information with others which makes collaboration on assignments much easier.

Journal # 5 : Twitter for Learning, 55 Great Articles (Nets-5)

Hopkins, D. (2009, May 9). Twitter tips: for teachers & educators [Electronic mailing list message]. Retrieved from http://www.dontwasteyourtime.co.uk/twitter/twitter-tips-for-teachers-educators-2/

This article gave many helpful tips that will help anyone that plans on using twitter. You first need to work out what you want to get out of twitter. Without a purpose twitter will be confusing and useless. You also need to find and follow people that have the same interests. That is one of the reasons it’s important to put relevant and interesting information on your profile so that you find like minded people. When you pass on information it’s important to re-tweet so that you give credit to the originator. It will also be helpful to use a URL shortening service so that you don’t use too many of your 140 available characters. A good way to find good contacts is by looking at the people that follow someone you are already following. Also don’t be afraid to block people you feel won’t be helpful to your purpose on twitter. Another helpful tool twitter offers is Hashtags, they are great for getting people together for a specific topic. If you use twitter to tweet about yourself and you don’t send valuable information to your followers you will quickly lose your network of people. Twitter has the capabilities to enhance your classrooms experience and add value to the contents of your teaching. Twitter allows you to follow people throughout the world which will help you get different ideas and techniques in teaching.
Q 1. What was the most useful tip from this article?
A. I think the most useful tip was to establish a purpose for using twitter. You need to know what you want to get out of it in order for it to have a purpose. I think it might be a good idea to create separate accounts for your professional and social life.
Q 2. How do you think you can use twitter to benefit your classroom?
A. I think I will use twitter to follow other educators so that I can get useful information I can incorporate in my lesson plans and assignments. By following other teachers the tips they offer can be instrumental in becoming a more effective teacher. I think I can also use it with my students by creating a Hashtag so that we can all communicate through twitter.

Nets-S Presentation Assignmnet (Nets-2)

I used a presenation tool called Prezi for this assignment. The Prezi tool helped me organize my description of teaching indicators for grades 9-12. This tool was fun to work with because it is much different than other presentation tools such as Power Point and Google Present. Once my Prezi was complete I presented it to several classmates which later gave me great feed back.

Journal #4:Computing in the Clouds (NETS-T 5)

Johnson, D. (2009). Computing in the clouds. Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved from http://iste.org

This article was about all the benefits that come with using the cloud. The cloud is basically tools on the Internet that let you store your information there instead of on your hard drive. If schools start using these tools they can save a lot of money by not having to purchase expensive programs. Working on the cloud allows you to do many of the same things you could do on other programs but it is free. Another benefit is that you can access your work from any computer that has Internet access. It is much more efficient because you don’t have to carry a flash drive or a laptop. On the cloud you can also have work that co-workers or students can all access and work on together which makes it much more efficient than other programs that you need to purchase. There are some concerns about the clouds security and privacy but from what is known it is secure and private. There are a few things that you cant do on the cloud but for the purpose of school it is more efficient that what is being used now and it will save schools lots of money.
Q 1. How long will it be before most schools start implementing this technology?
A. I think in the near future you will see school adopt these tools. They are cheaper and more efficient; it’s just a matter of training teachers to use them so they can implement it into the classroom.
Q 2. Who will benefit most from this technology in schools?
A. I think everyone will benefit; teachers, students, and administrations. The teacher and students will learn to use tools they can use in the future and the school will be saving lots of money they can hopefully invest elsewhere to improve the overall quality of education.

Test Survey (Nets-3)

Journal #3 - Bring the World into Your Classroom (Nets-T 1)

McDermon, L. (2010). Bring the world into your classroom. Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved from http://iste.org

This article was about the advantages of video-conferencing. Some schools around the country from K-12 are using this technology to do interactive projects with students across the country and in some instances across the world. Video-conferencing also allows classes to take a field trip without leaving the class. It is a much cheaper alternative that allows for more class time while at the same time getting valuable information. For example, the class can have a presentation from an expert such as a scientist or a historian from a museum or university. Some teachers have started programs that allow classrooms from all over the world share what they have been reading which makes the presentation more exciting for the students. With the technology available today there are several different ways you can set up your video-conferencing. This technology now available allows students to learn how to collaborate and share information with others. These are essential skills they will need to be successful in the future.

Q.1 How could I use this technology in my future classroom?

A. I think this tool could be really helpful in a history class. You can collaborate with a teacher in another country and both work on the same project and then share with one another. The students can see how one historical event can have several different perspectives and how people in different countries view things.

Q.2 How expensive would it be to get access to this technology?

A. I don’t know exactly how much it would cost but I know it is quite affordable. It is realistic to think that the school budget can afford to provide these tools and if not I think as a teacher I would spend the money necessary to have this technology in my classroom.

School 2.0 Reflection Tool (Nets-3)

I chose to investigate one of the topics from NETS-T Module: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.  I took a closer look at how to regularly communicate and collaborate with students and parents using different types of technology to support student learning.  I learned that there are lots of resources available to help teachers accomplish this goal. One of the tools I liked best is Google Groups. Google Groups is free and its a great tool for creating groups where they can have discussions, create custom pages, and upload all types of files. There are many other websites that are very helpful for teachers that need to incorporate technology into their classrooms.  There is also an article that shows you how to start a class blog.  Overall I was very surprised that there are so many resources out there to help teachers.  I’m relieved that these websites exist because I will need all the help I can get in the future when I’m a teacher and I find myself in need of incorporating these new digital tools in the classroom.  I also learned that much of the decisions to incorporate technology in the classroom come from the school districts administrations commitment to technology at the schools.  I chose to look further into this topic because I feel that communication between students, parents, and teachers is critical for the success of students.  With the technology now available communication and collaboration are now easier and as a future teacher I believe it’s important for me to learn how to take advantage of the resources available.

Journal#2: Twitter (Nets-T 3)

Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock!. Learning & Leading with Technology , 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org
McClintock Miller, S. (2010). Learning & leading with technology . Enhance your Twitter Experience, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org

     The first article basically gave you a rundown of how to use twitter.  First you need to set up an account and it is recommended to add an avatar or a picture of yourself with a little description about yourself.  Then you need to learn to follow people that have the same interests you do that way when they post something you will have access to it. You don’t need to be an active contributor to learn on twitter.  If you choose you can just watch and listen there is no need for you to participate, you can learn so much from just reading the posts. When you feel more comfortable you can began to retweet and even share your own ideas. Twitter is great way to build your professional learning network.  Once you have built a network it will help your teaching because you can get so much help from others that share your same passion.
     In second article the teacher writes about how beneficial twitter has been for her class and other teachers at her school. The article mentions tools and tips that can improve your twitter experience. Using a twitter organizer and managing tweets with a bookmarklet were the two big topics.  I see how twitter can open up a whole new world I just need to dive in and become more familiar because it almost seemed like she was talking a different language.
Q1.How can I use twitter in the future when I’m teaching?
A. I think I can use twitter by creating a network of educators throughout the world.  When I need help with a lesson plan or I need to figure out how to do something better they can be very helpful. I think just reading the different tweets that many of these educators that have a ton of experience can be very beneficial.
Q2.Twitter seems so foreign, how do I become more familiar with it?
A. I think the best thing to do is to dive right in and begin using twitter now. You could build a professional and personal account. The only way to get familiar with it is hands on so you can experience it for yourself. Hopefully by the time I’m teaching I’ll have a good PLN so that my students and I can benefit from it.

Journal #1: Taking Laptops Schoolwide (NETS-T 3)

Green, T, Donovan, L, & Bass, K. (2010). Taking laptops schoolwide: a professional learning community approach. Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved from http://www.iste.org

Summary: Many schools from K-8 have been successful at implementing laptops in the classroom. Where you see the most success is in schools where the teachers and administration collaborate so that everyone is on the same page. Students will learn how to use basic programs in lower grades and as they go up in grades teachers are aware of the student’s knowledge so that they can build on it, that way they aren't doing the same things over and over. The approach used is Richard DuFour's (PLC) Professional Learning Community where the teachers of the same grade levels meet and discuss student data, progress, and plan lessons. In the Fullerton school district some schools are participating in the program and they have already seen success on in teaching math skills to their students. To start the collaborative approach you need to consider school climate, communication, collaboration, and progression of use.

Question #1. The article mentions that 6 of the 20 schools in the Fullerton district implemented the laptop program, how do you think they decided what schools? And why?

Answer: I think they picked the six schools that best met the four factors; schools where the climate already encouraged innovation because teachers were already using laptops, also schools where parents were already actively involved in their children’s education. I think these schools were chosen because the school districts administration felt these schools had a student body that would most benefit and be able to succeed in the laptop program.

Question #2. Do you think some schools have an advantage over other schools at implementing the program and being successful?

Answer: I think schools with a higher percentage of white privileged students, of higher social-economic status are at a major advantage.  These schools four factors lend themselves to a more successful program. These parents will be more involved with their children’s education and there will be more support from the community. I think it’s great that these programs are now available it just concerns me that it leaves some children at a disadvantage that needs to be addressed.

Intro of Myself....David Rodriguez (Nets-1)

Hello Everyone,

My name is David Rodriguez and I am a senior here at CSUSM.  I will be graduating at the end of this semester with a degree in History.  I will hopefully be back in the Fall of 2011 for the teaching credential program.  I hope to teach high school in the future.  Some of my favorite hobbies are watching sports, playing poker, and home brewing!  I'm blessed to have been born and raised in beautiful sunny San Diego!   I grew up in Encinitas where I also attended school throughout high school.  I started school at Cardiff Elementary where I went from Kindergarden to 2nd grade.  I then went to Ada Harris from 3rd-6th grade.  I later went to Oak Crest for 7th-8th grade.  For high school I had the choice of San Dieguito Academy or La Costa Canyon.  Although I liked the location of San Dieguito better I chose to attend LCC because they had better sports programs.  After high school I went to school at Palomar College were I got stuck bouncing around from major to major for 3.5 years!  I then came to CSUSM for 1 year and then decided to take a semester off which turned into 3.5 years....yeah time flies!  My first semester back was last fall and i'm glad I finally made it back!

In regards to technology I would have to say i'm not very technologically savvy.  I feel that the last several years technology has been improving itself so rapidly and I have failed to keep up.  I don't own any of the latest cell phones, ipods, ipads, and whatever else is out there....I just don't feel the need for them although when I see what some of these things can do I think its totally awesome!  With that said though I did go out and purchase a new TV and an Apple laptop this weekend! lol  I needed a laptop and I had really gotten to like my sisters so I decided it was time to convert to a Mac.  Im not very much into computers I mainly just use them for school work, surfing the web, and playing poker!  I like the fact that computers can do so much these days but I dislike that i'm very limited on what I know how do with them...especially Macs.  I am excited about this class because I think I will get a lot out of it!

Although CSUSM/COE Mission Statement was not a factor in me choosing to apply here for the credential program it reassures me that it was a great choice.  I feel that the statement stands for many of the same reasons I have chosen teaching as a profession.  By becoming a teacher I hope to be a part of the changes taking place in public education so that all students have an equal chance of being successful!