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Booms PDF that is mentioned throughout this Padlet

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Here is a link to buy the textbook for the class.

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Overview of three theories. https://www.montereycoe.org/programs-services/ed-services/ed-tech/theory-frameworks/

Overview of TECH model: http://www.litandtech.com/2013/11/turning-samr-into-tech-what-models-are.html

Neebe and Roberts. Power Up. “Chapter 1: We have 1:1. Now what?”

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Chapter 1 in the textbook mentions “shooting for the moon,” to envision greater possibilities for teaching and learning when all students have computers or tablets at hand. What are your long-term goals for infusing technology effectively?  Post your thoughts to the Chapter 1 Reflection discussion group. Please comment on the postings of your classmates if you have information to share with them.
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Hello fellow classmates. My name is Joe Sylvester and I am an English teacher at Old Forge High School. Besides being a teacher of 9th and 12th grade, I also teach a creative writing, Journalism, Drama/Writing course, as well as PSSA/Keystone remediation. I also am chair of the department as well as the moderator of the school's newspaper. I do have quite a busy schedule and it keeps me on my toes. My school is small, we graduate about 50-100 students a year. This year we are on the lower end of that figure. The school is in need of more technology. We have 2 laptop carts and 2 Chromebook carts that are shared between the 31 teachers we have in the school (grades 7-12). As you can see we are lacking the availability of computers. If I had my way the school would be 1:1, for now the best we can do is allow students to bring their own device. This does tend to be problematic since it is more difficult to monitor what students are doing on their phones and it has to be a challenge to type full essays this way (although the students seem fine with it). I agree with the chart that is provided in chapter 1 of the textbook (location 240, I am using the Kindle version). This chart sums up the struggle I face with the BYOD method. Not every student has a device to bring, students forget to bring it, there is a range of devices that can do more than others. It is not a perfect solution for the lack of computers but it something.

I recently began using Google Classroom with my students; I was the test pilot last year and have become the go-to for my fellow faculty. I like the ease of use Google Classroom provides and I use Google Site to host the newspaper. The school is looking into grants for new computers and I optimistic that we will be improving our technology in the years to come. My long term goal, with regards to technology, is to build upon the technology we currently have and make technology a common factor in my teaching. I would like that the majority of my lessons use technology to enhance the lesson or to make day-to-day tasks more streamlined. I would like to make my students proficient with computer programs they will need in college and in their everyday lives. Basically, my long terms goals can be summed up by what Diana Neebe and Jen Roberts, authors of Power Up say about technology, "technology in the classroom creates the opportunity for students to experience authentic learning, to explore as well as implement ideas, to collaborate and problem solve with peers, and to hone skills critical for their success (Location 240-241). Until we have more technology in the classrooms of my school, this might be a lofty goal but it is one that I know I will reach soon.

References:

Neebe, D., & Roberts, J. (2015). Power up: making the shift to 1:1 teaching and learning.

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Assignment: Create a matrix/table of all four pedagogical models you researched and studied about. (It would be best to use a Word table, not Excel.) Put the pedagogical model names in columns two through five of the matrix. Come up with row labels for column one that would allow comparisons among the four, such as “student-centered”, etc. Do not quote from the models, but outline each one based on the row headers you come up with. Create at least 4 rows of comparison criteria.
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For the first assignment I reviewed four pedagogies. I was familiar with one, the SAMR model. I have used this in the past to help integrate technology into my lessons. This model allows there to be a progression from little to no technology to complete use of technology in the classroom. This, I found, helps both the teacher and the students ease into the daily use of technology for lessons and learning. I like this model for the fact that there isn’t a swim or sink aspect to it, this allows the teacher room to grow more comfortable with technology in the classroom and it does not require a complete overhaul of the curriculum, just more of an enhancement. I also like this model because calls upon the community to interact with the school. I feel that too often the school and community are two completely separate entities that never interact. An example from my own teaching, that best exemplifies the SAMR method, is a lesson I did with my journalism class. In previous lessons the students would simply write articles and then submit them for me to grade. As I used more of the SAMR method, the lessons called upon students to go beyond what was previously done. Students were assigned partners for an investigative news article. They would have to email local authorities (police, fire, even the mayor) to gather quotes and statistics. They would then work collaboratively to create a news article and present it to the editor of a local paper for feedback. Both the students and the community members enjoyed this assignment. There was plenty of positive feedback from everyone involved.

The next model, the TPACK model, is proving to be quite handy as I help to write the district’s comprehensive plan. In writing the plan we need to assess areas that the teachers are in need of. Overwhelmingly the majority of the teaching staff has mentioned the need for professional development with technology being a main focus.  Where the teachers are comfortable with both their level of pedagogical and content knowledge, they are not so comfortable with their technological knowledge. In the weeks to come we will be asking teachers to look at the curriculum they teach to see where they can integrate more technology. Although the teachers are happy to infuse their lessons with technology their grasp of what is available is limited. Professional development, both school wide and department wide, will be sought after as part of the five-year plan. Having the teachers look at their curriculum to see where the three areas of knowledge: pedagogical, content, and technological can overlap is a good starting place. Copies of the TPACK Venn Diagram can help teachers visualize how to enhance their curriculum.

With the Balanced EdTech Integration Model students are exposed to several types of technology and I like that this model recognizes that not all technology is long lasting or has a vast usage across curriculum. There are often times where I am suggested to use certain apps and programs and I know, full well, that this app or program will not be useful to everyone or it won’t be something that anyone will be using in years to come. I also like that this model focuses on giving students more ways to experience learning. In the past I have moved from simply showing a detailed diagram of the Globe Theater on paper, to being able to use the Smartboard to take a virtual tour of the theater. With this tour, the user can move the mouse around to mimic what it would be like to be on the stage and move your head around. This gives the student a better representation of what it was like in Shakespearean theater at that time. I am also a fan of Collaborate and Communicate section of this method. I have recently implemented Google Classroom for all of my classes and have found wonderful results with it. This week we are preparing to go into midterms. In the past I would have to make copies of the study guides, this could be up to 20-30 pages for each student. Now, all I have to do is upload the document to Google Classroom and everyone has access to it. I no longer have the need to stand by a copier on my prep hoping that it does not break down (because it will). I like that once lessons are completed students not only gain the knowledge of the material but also the skills needed to use new technology. They can carry over these skills for projects later on.

Lastly, the TECH model is SAMR but more student focused. I like that the student and technology are the central focus because, I feel, it gives the student ownership of their education. This would then make the student more interested in the lessons and drive the student to achieve more. This also helps students discover what it is that they like and can help with later career choices. The TEACH model is something that is new to me, but when I see this model compared to others, I can see how it can be effective in shaping curriculum.

Overall, there is not one model I dislike completely, however, I do like the SAMR and TECH models the most. It might be due to the fact that I have worked with the SAMR model and TECH is very similar to it, or it is due to the fact that it makes the most sense to me. Either way, I plan on continuing my use of the SAMR model but also consulting with the other models for ideas. I feel it is important to keep an open mind and to use all the resources that are afforded to us.

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Topic 1: 2017 K-12 Horizon Report (https://goo.gl/oaqa6B)

2017 K-12 Horizon Report Discussion Questions (on file list)

Specific sections outlined in assignments.

Topic 2: 2017 K-12 Horizon Report (https://goo.gl/oaqa6B)

Specific topics outlined in assignments.

Topic 3: Neebe and Roberts. Power Up. “Part 1: Chapters 2, 3, and 4”

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Assignment: Create a useful and user-friendly resource for yourself (and others) as well as demonstrate your ability to track down resources that help qualify important ed-tech related questions.  Continue to use the 2017 K-12 Horizon Report for this next assignment. The PDF of the report is located in the file list below or can be found here: https://www.nmc.org/publication/nmccosn-horizon-report-2017-k-12-edition/ Review the 6 topics found on pages 40-51 Pick one question from each topic’s discussion questions, and create an updated list of 2 websites that address the answer to the question you picked. Provide a two to three sentence overview of the sites you find.  IMPORTANT: explain how these articles were helpful to you AND who (grade level/content area) should check them out.  You will do this for each of the 6 topics.
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MAKERSPACE

1. What kinds of materials, equipment, and technologies will we need? How can we plan for and budget for these investments?

https://www.makerspaces.com/makerspace-materials-supply-list/ - This site lists over 100+ items that are the most popular in a makerspace. The list is also available for download as a PDF. The lists have everything from Legos and Play-Doh to advanced technology and computers. It is a good list to get you started in the field of Makespaces.

https://ideas.demco.com/blog/5-tips-for-makerspace-funding/ This site offers the reader several avenues to explore when trying to obtain funding for a makerspace. Ideas include grant writing, looking towards the PTA for help, and asking the community, as well as other places to turn to.

ROBOTICS

Is there a role for robotics in our future STEM and Special Education programs?

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/education_futures/2017/05/how_can_robotics_bring_stem_learning_to_life.html This site offers insight on how robotics and STEM work hand-in-hand.  The website explains what skills robotics will enhance in the student, as well as exploring how states have implemented robotics in curriculum. This site does require a free registration to read the article.

https://www.roboticsbusinessreview.com/health-medical/robots_may_help_kids_with_special_needs/ This site offers a look at how robotics can be helpful in a special education program. The site mentions that children tend to find robots charming and nonthreatening, that robots are less threating and Anthropomorphize the robots as friendly, and how robots can be an autistic child’s best friend.

ANALYTICS TECHNOLOGIES

Are we making effective use of the data we currently gather? http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec08/vol66/num04/Why-Teachers-Must-Be-Data-Experts.aspx This site offers an overview of how to approach data in a way that makes the information most useful. It explains the usefulness of data driven evidence.

https://kappanonline.org/effective-data-use-teaching-mcdonald/ This site explains how data is as important as testing. It explains the kinds of data and how to use the data we gather.

VIRTUAL REALITY

Is VR a technology we should begin planning for and piloting now

https://thenextweb.com/augmented-reality/2019/02/19/the-vr-revolution-is-already-here-and-it-isnt-gaming/ This site offers a look at how virtual reality is more than just games and how it will be used in years to come. It offers a very interesting look at how virtual reality can teach empathy.

https://www.aarp.org/home-family/personal-technology/info-2018/vr-explained.html This site is not geared towards education in a direct manner but with the health field being a popular area of interest for students, it can show just how VR will play an important role in their lives. It also shows that VR is not something for just kids, it has a very serious application to it.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

How can we integrate AI explorations in our current STEM and STEAM programs?

https://www.gettingsmart.com/2019/02/how-ai-curriculum-can-prepare-students-for-success-in-a-new-world/  This site explains that AI is the core of the fourth industrial revolution. It talks about the role that AI will have in the business world and applications it can have in a STEM class. There is also a link for AI-in-a-box, a program that can be useful to teachers.

https://www.gettingsmart.com/2019/01/an-inside-look-americas-first-public-school-ai-program/ This site offers a look at how a school has successfully introduced  AI into their STEM/STEAM classes. The site also explores teachers as AI experts and the applications AI have in art.

INTERNET OF THINGS

Are there specific needs we have in terms of facilities and equipment operations and maintenance that IoT would support?

https://www.wbdg.org/facilities-operations-maintenance This site offers the beginners guide to IoT. The site offers manuals on how to organize and set up IoT.

https://builtin.com/internet-things/iot-education-examples This site offers a look at how IoT can be used within the classroom to address the needs of both the teacher and student.

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Assignment: For many years, a report titled “The K-12 Horizon Report” was published to provide information on the current and future impact of emerging technologies on teaching and learning. The last Horizon Report was issued in 2017, but still contains useful information for today.  The PDF of the report is located in the file list below or can be found here: https://www.nmc.org/publication/nmccosn-horizon-report-2017-k-12-edition/ (COSN is releasing a new series of documents, Driving K-12 Innovation, each focusing on a separate topic, so, as time goes on, those will be the ones to turn to. https://cosn.org/k12innovation)

However, this assignment uses the 2017 K-12 Horizon Report information.

Read and review pages 4-5 in the Horizon Report. Go to page 38, and no further, in the report, and pick one emerging technology from the list that interests you. Do not pick Makerspaces, Robotics, Analytics Technology, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, or The Internet of Things. Do some research about the technology, and write no more than a single page paper outlining why you feel this technology would be important for teaching and learning in K-12. Include links to useful sites for teachers. Please include a bibliography of sources used for your paper in APA format. Your writing should ALSO include how YOU plan to integrate this type of technology into your classroom teaching (content area/grade level).  Point to specific examples, dynamics, and anticipated outcomes.
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3-D printing was at one time thought of as technology of the future; things that only the Jetsons could do. Over the years 3-D technology has found its way into our homes and even on the international space station. 3-D printing use computer programs to create objects that can be printed and used in the real world. Costs of a 3-D printer have significantly dropped over the last year years. It is now at a price where it is feasible for schools to have several available for student use. In fact, schools all across the United States have implemented the use of 3-D printing with great success and little cost.

One big advantage of using 3-D printing is that it allows students to problem solve. Challenging students to solve problems that face a community using the 3-D printer students will: “learn empathy, teamwork, and problem solving as you set them loose on a real-world problem” (McConnell, 2019). These are all very important skills we want our students to have and using the 3-D printer to solve problems helps students hone those skills. This challenge will also call upon students to be creative thinkers. “3D printers encourage students to be innovative and creative because they can adjust their idea through trial and error. As a result, students are more likely to remember the facts and lessons learned” (Reid, 2018). Giving students the opportunity to fail is just as important as is succeeding; we learn from our mistakes. With 3-D printing we can physically hold both our failures and successes.

The use of the 3-D printer should be as common as a paper and pencil in a STEM/STEAM centered classroom. 3-D printing in a STEM/STEAM classroom will allow for project based learning (BPL) to flourish.  “PBL emphasizes the four Cs: creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication. A well-designed 3D-printing project requires all four skills. Students must communicate and collaborate to create an original object together” (Quillen, n.d.). 3-D printing will also enhance the A in STEAM. Art is a sometimes forgotten discipline, but with 3-D printing, it become just as valuable as any other subject.

In conclusion, 3-D printing in school is important because it can engage students while they are learning. It is also a great way to incorporate many disciplines in one lesson and work hand-in-hand with STEAM/STEM classes.

Resources

McConnell, J. (2019, October 30). 7 benefits of using 3D printing technology in Education: Makers Empire: Design Thinking: 3D Printing. Retrieved January 21, 2020, from https://www.makersempire.com/7-benefits-of-using-3d-printing-technology-in-education/

Reid, J. (2018, January 18). 4 benefits of 3D printing for schools. Retrieved January 21, 2020, from https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/technology/e-learning/4-benefits-of-3d-printing-for-schools/245670

Quillen, A. (n.d.). How 3D Printers Are Moving Classrooms Full STEAM Ahead for STEM Education. Retrieved January 21, 2020, from https://www.quill.com/content/index/resource-center/education/tips-resources/stem-teaching-with-3D-printers

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After reading Part 1 in the “PowerUp Book” write a short paragraph reflection for each of these questions in a single post to the Part 1 Reflections Forum. Chapter 2: The roles of teachers and students often change in a 1:1 classroom. What adjustments do you anticipate? Reflect on one concern, as well as one hope for how the shift might lead to improvements in teaching and learning. Chapter 3: Which of the five strategies for engagement are you most excited to try and why?

Chapter 4:  How could digital collaboration tools help you share resources and find time to work with your colleagues?
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With the advancements in technology there needs to be a paradigm shift among teachers and how they teach. Schools that are 1:1 will have opportunities over schools that are not 1:1. There will need to be adjustments to the daily routine teachers use. One of these adjustments is how teaching is actually done. Teachers will no longer have paper and pencil tests, all exams can now be done on the computer. This is something that I personally look forward to since our copier is out of order more than it is in order.  Another adjustment to the daily teaching is one that was explored in Power Up. In the book a teacher, Connor McGee, teaches a 7th grade science class. While some students are working on an assignment, there are others who are working ahead or are catching up. This would be an adjustment that I would have to make, since most of my students are all working on the same assignment at the same time. My one concern with students using computers to complete a majority of their work is the loss of interaction with my students.  Yes, teaching is about imparting information to students on a given subject matter, but it also about being there for a student when they need an adult to talk to. I build that relationship with the students and my students know that they can come to me with issues or problems. I fear that with more independent computer work, that connection will be lost. With that said, there are some hopes I would have for a 1:1 classroom. I would hope that I could meet the needs, level wise, of my students. I would like students who are more advanced to be able to work ahead and ones who need extra help get that help. I would also hope that it would streamline my classrooms and make it more organized while cutting down on the time I am chained to the copier.

As I was reading chapter 3 I was quite interested in several of the strategies. As an English teacher, I was very excited to use interactive texts. I am always having students annotate stories as we read. When I do Romeo & Juliet with my 9th grade, I make copies of the text for them to highlight, make notes, and write questions about what they don’t understand. Having a digital version of the story where they can click on words they do not know, or highlight and post questions about is awesome. I would love to have this in my classroom. I was happy that there are a few things I already do, despite not being 1:1. Neebe and Roberts, author of Power Up, discuss the use of message boards for an online discussion of the topics at hand, they also talk about interactive feedback systems. I am happy to say that I already have these implemented into my classroom. I use Google Classroom to have students post questions about what they are reading and then have other classmates have a discussion based on that question. I also use the site Kahoot, to pose multiple choice questions to my students. They then use their phones to answer the questions in real time. This gives me an instant snapshot of what kids know and don’t know.

About a year ago, I took it upon myself to learn and implement Google Classroom with my class. Once I was proficient with using Google Classroom and the Google Suite I branched out to others in the school to show them how to effectively use the programs that Google Provides. Since then, the entire school has gone Google. We use Google for almost everything, from discipline to daily announcements. When we began a new textbook series we found that, much like the teachers Neebe and Roberts mention, the English department were using similar resources. We found that by using consistent resources the students were better able to use them, since they used the same resources in previous classes. We created Google Docs and shared them among the department. This helped our students understand what was expected of them when they come to the school in 7th grade and when they leave in 12th.

Reference

Neebe, D., & Roberts, J. (2015). Power up: making the shift to 1:1 teaching and learning [Kindle Cloud version].  Retrieved from Amazon.com.

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Topic 1: Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy PDF

Topic 2:

Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything: Sketchnoting

(http://www.schrockguide.net/sketchnoting.html)

Schrock Sketchnoting Wilkes (PDF in file list)

Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything: Online Tools

http://www.schrockguide.net/online-tools.html

Video from Discovery Education (in file area with written transcript)

Topic 3: Part 2 of “PowerUp” book: chapters 5, 6, and 7

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Assignment:  After reading the introduction to Bloom's Digital Taxonomy, reflect on ways you might be able to use this document to support teaching, learning, and thinking skills. As always, please share specific ideas (e.g. lesson plans, activities, learning objectives, etc.) from your teaching practice that you plan on doing or have done that incorporate BGT.
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Reflection on this assignment
It has been a while since I had to review Bloom’s Taxonomy, but it is reassuring to know that each unit I cover, with my students in class, have each of the elements listed. I like that Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy has a place for creating. The creating level is something that I have to improve upon, myself. One of the ways I try to achieve this is by being on the lookout for new web sites or technology that can be useful in class. Classes like this one, and other I have taken in the program, have given me a plethora of sources to choose from. It is important that each student is, at the very least, exposed to the creation level since it the level where the information from the lesson is put to use. I like that this document uses verbs and action words to describe the steps that need to be taken. Education is something that is experienced, something where actions take place to translate into knowledge. Each one of the categories is a step closer to complete knowledge of the material. This document will be handy to reference when creating lessons. I can plan my lesson around the scaffolding this document illustrates.
The digital version of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy goes even further and adds in collaboration. Collaboration is so very important in today’s industries. Rarely are workers sitting in an office alone to complete a project. Workers are expected to take their knowledge and work with others to complete a task. Bloom’s Revised Digital Taxonomy addresses this and takes this into account. This, like creation, is an area that I still need work on. On page 6 of the document verbs are provided at each category on the map. This includes words for collaboration. These words are a good reference when creating lessons. I can use these words to give me direction when creating a lesson. Animating, filming, and video blogging are not things that I would naturally use in creating a lesson. It is great to have a ready-made list at the ready. The same can be said about the words in the Collaboration category. Things like net meeting, skyping, and networking are not actions that I would normally add into a lesson but seeing how important they are in reaching higher level of learning, it is important to implement them when I can. Overall, the complete document is good to have handy when creating lessons to ensure students are rising to the challenge and are meeting expectations.

Resources
Churches, A. (n.d.). Bloom's Digital Taxonomy.

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Assignment: For this assignment, you are going to sketchnote a TED talk. The first thing you need to do is to find an online tool that works with your device. If you have a touchscreen or stylus, the sketchnote will be easy. It can be done with a touchpad or a mouse, too, so please try. I have a list of online tools for sketchnoting on this page: http://www.schrockguide.net/online-tools.html

I would suggest

Awwapp https://awwapp.com/

Muro https://muro.deviantart.com/

You do not have to register for either of these tools, but be sure you know how to take a screenshot (Mac and CB) or use the Snipping Tool (Windows) so you can save the jpg/png of your sketchnote to submit to the dropbox and for another purpose in a later assignment.

Snipping tool for Windows: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4027213/windows-10-open-snipping-tool-and-take-a-screenshot

Screenshot in ChromeOS: https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/38066?hl=en

Screenshot on a Mac: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201361

INSTRUCTIONS

Watch the TED talk you will be sketchnoting. Do not take any notes. Just watch it through once.

https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days?language=en

Next, open your blank canvas and add the name of talk and the name of the speaker.  Now, start the video in a new window (you don’t actually have to be able to see it, just hear it.) As the video progresses, sketchnote the talk. After the talk is over, give yourself 3 more minutes to finalize your sketch.

________________________________________________________________________________Reflection on this assignment
This assignment gave me the chance to take notes without having to worry about getting every word down verbatim. I like this way of taking notes. It certainly is much easier than taking notes and, quite frankly, is more fun! I, as you can see, and not a drawer or artist in any way, but I think the ideas and spirit of the Ted Talk was captured.

I can see this being useful in a science class where diagrams and figures are common. This also provides students with a visual representation of the material, and for some that is the best way they learn. Also, by drawing, you are interpreting the material in a way that will help students to remember the key points of the speech. Students can then also compare notes to see what each student felt was the most important.

I will say that the site is probably best used with a tablet and stylus. I used an iPad and iPencil to draw the material I presented. I did try using a computer and mouse and it was not easy in to get the mouse to draw just exactly I needed to. This might frustrate students since most districts cannot afford an iPad and iPencil for each student.  This assignment can easily be done without technology. In a school like mine, this might be the only way that this can be achieved, sadly.

Overall, I can see the use of this not taking technique being very useful and very effective for students to quickly record information and then also easily recall that information. This might also appeal to students who find themselves bored in a lecture style class.

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After reading Part 2 in the “PowerUp Book” write a short paragraph reflection for each of these questions in a single post in the “Part 2 Reflections” discussion group. Chapter 5: Helping students reach a larger audience can also raise privacy concerns. What are the norms for student privacy in your community? What steps will you need to take, such as obtaining permission from parents and  administrators, before publishing student work for a larger audience? Chapter 6:  What are the challenges of creating lessons that reach all learners? Chapter 7:  Consider an upcoming assessment (formative or summative) for which you’d like to rethink the feedback process. Which of the six strategies identified in chapter 7 do you think can best support your students and ease your workload and why?

There is no need to comment on the discussion posts of others.
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Chapter 5: Helping students reach a larger audience can also raise privacy concerns. What are the norms for student privacy in your community? What steps will you need to take, such as obtaining permission from parents and administrators, before publishing student work for a larger audience?

At the start of every school year the school has the students and parents sign off on a few agreements. The first is the paperwork that allows the students to have access to the computers and their student email address. The second is a type of disclosure that is only retuned to the school if the parents wish to not have the students photographed or have their names released to the general public. The homeroom teachers use a shared Google Doc where they can check the appropriate boxes as the forms are returned. As the classroom teacher I can look at this Doc to see if the students in my class have everything they need to work and publish online. I do ask that the students do no use their last names in anything that would be seen by people outside of the school.

As a midterm assignment, I had students in my creative writing class finish a story they had been working on all quarter and then publish the story on a Google Site so it can be shared via the school newspaper ( I also run the online newspaper). For this assignment I had sent an email to parents informing them of the assignment and to contact me if they had any issues. The only feedback I he gotten was positive. Many told me it was nice to see what the class had been working on. It gave my students a sense of pride (although few will admit it) to have their work appreciated by people outside of the school.

Chapter 6:  What are the challenges of creating lessons that reach all learners?

The challenge to reach all students is one that is faced by every teacher, every day. There are over 150 students I see in one day, it is nearly impossible to have lessons that reach all 150 students 180 days a year; but as teachers we try. The biggest obstacle ( I would assume) is time. We barely have the time to create lessons for the classes we teach, let alone 150 different ones. Now, I do alter lessons to meet IEP, GIEP and 504 requirements, and I do try to vary the material to reach a broad range of subjects. As was described by Neebe and Roberts, I do take all the accommodations and create a spreadsheet to see who needs what. I also will create an email group where the students are BBC, to protect their privacy, and will email notes, PowerPoints, Google Docs and anything else they might need for the lesson we are about to do.  I also try to see where students are in the most need of help. I look at state assessment breakdowns to reinforce standards where they are weak.

Not being a 1:1 school does add the the challenge greatly. If students all had their own device, it would make differentiating a smoother process. I do try to appeal every lesson to students who are more hands on learners. who are visual learners, and who are audio learners. This is done by various means to engage students in the material. We read a story, listen to the story, outline the story, and at times have students draw parts of the story all to aid in the understanding of the material. In the end, I hope that the various methods reach each of the students on a personal level, as loft a goal that is.

Chapter 7:  Consider an upcoming assessment (formative or summative) for which you’d like to rethink the feedback process. Which of the six strategies identified in chapter 7 do you think can best support your students and ease your workload and why?

Of the six strategies outlined in the book, I feel Frequent Feedback is the one that best supports my students. As was the case with the teacher in this section of the book, I too, have my students use Google Docs for papers and I also have a list of pre-made comments right for the picking. These comments address things that students often do (Comma Needed Here, Run-on, and my personal favorite  I have no idea what this means). I like to be able to give feedback in a timely manner, so when I assign a paper I will tell students three areas that I will be looking for, for example and upcoming assignment will have my students writing a short research based essay. I will only be looking for proper citations, transitions, and strong connections. This means that if a student did not capitalize properly, I might make a comment at the end, but the majority of comments made in the paper will only be a bout those three areas. Doing this will not overwhelm the student and make my workload less.

Reference:

Neebe, D. & Roberts, J. (2015). Power pp: Making the shift to 1:1 teaching and learning. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

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Topic 1: Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy PDF

Kathy Schrocck’s Guide for Educators: EdTech blogs       http://www.schrockguide.net/edtech-blogs.html

Topic 2:  PowerUp book, chapter 9, pages 177-201

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Assignment: In this assignment, you will be subscribing to an online information aggregator (also called a newsreader) and locating and curating information in the reader. You will be using the online aggregator Feedly: http://feedly.com

Create a free account. To subscribe to a blog, so you automatically get any updates right in your Feedy feed, what you will be looking for is a little orange and white square, and/or the words, “subscribe to my blog” or something similar. When you click on that, you will probably get a pop-up box that asks if you want to add it to Feedly. Say yes. (This may work differently on different devices.)

Or, while in Feedly, you can look at the bottom left and you will see a plus sign. Once you click on that, you can search by topic or blog title, and simply follow the blog from within Feedly.  Here is the FAQ link for Feedly. https://feedly.uservoice.com/ You will be gathering information from 10 educator blogs that support the use of technology in the classroom. I have a list of edtech blogs you can start with on this page if you need them. http://www.schrockguide.net/edtech-blogs.html Once you have subscribed to 10 blogs in Feedly, I want you to create 2 categories in Feedly and file the sites where appropriate.  F or example, you may create a "Project-Based Learning" category or "STEAM" or "Ed Tech in the English & Social Studies Classrooms".

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Reflection on this assignment
The site Feedly.com offers tools to best help with managing blogs. With the demands of teaching all day, I can be difficult at times to stay on top of current trends and ideas in education. Feedly allows blogs to be housed in one convenient site. This cuts down on time going from one blog to another. This site will make reading blogs easier and less complicated. This site would be very handy to use with fellow teachers since it allows you to post chosen blogs and articles to a “board”. As the chiar of the department, I am constantly looking for new and interesting readings for my department to read. This can help organize and maintain sources that I use.  You can then invite others to view this board in the form of a group newsletter.

Feedly.com would be great to use in class with students as well. I can assign students material to read and then have them create a blog about what they read. As outlined in the document by Andrew Churches, blogging is an excellent demonstration of understanding. He suggests that students blog in a “reflective practice” where students can show their depth of understanding. They can also provide links to support their opinions and positions on different topics. This would be a great assignment for my freshman. They hate to share their opinions in class; however, I do believe that blogging about what they feel would be very appealing to them. A site like Feedly could help keep the student’s blogs organized for me. This would help when it comes times to grade and provide feedback.

Using feedly will certainly help streamline both my classes and my department. In a profession where free time is few and far between, anything that will reduce the amount of time completing tasks is always a welcomed addition.

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Assignment: In this assignment, you will be creating a floor plan of your classroom. (If you do not have a classroom, just design your dream classroom.) This exercise targets the Applying level since students are practicing their already-learned measuring skills and 3D awareness.  The online tool you will be using is Floor plan Creator: https://floorplancreator.net/ Once you pick to “Create a Project”, find the Settings button and change the measurements from Metric to Feet or Feet/inches and change any other setting you wish. Create the floor plan of your classroom and take 2 screenshots—one with the measurements and one in 3D. You will be including these two screenshots in the Word file you upload to the dropbox. In addition, create a Floor plan Rubric and include THREE criteria you would expect students to attain by going through this type of exercise.  Use QuickRubric: https://www.quickrubric.com/r#/create-a-rubric Remember, a rubric should always start with the “best” column (you can change the column names if you wish) and everything in every box needs to be instructive. Uses as few negative words as possible. For instance, restate “No measurements included” as “Student needs to add measurements to floor plan”
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After reading Chapter 9 in the “PowerUp Book” write a short paragraph reflection for this question in a discussion post in the “Chapter 9 Reflection” discussion group. "Imagine that the school bells are silent and the clocks are frozen. How would you spend your class period if time were not constrained?" Take a look at the discussion posts of your classmates for more ideas, but you do not have to comment on them.

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I am not sure I can even wrap my mind round having as much time as I wanted with my students. I am the ELA department chair of my school and recently met with all ELA teachers K-12. We were looking to see where there are gaps in the curriculum and trying to figure out why our 7th grade students do not have the best grasp of grammar when they come from the elementary. It was found out that there is so much material that students need to know by 3rd grade for the PSSAs, that they do not have the time to master everything. I almost feel that we NEED to have unlimited time to have students master the material we need them to know.

There are several things that I would love to have students do if there were unlimited time, but the one (and I think most important) thing is to have meaningful conversations with the students. I am not necessarily speaking of the curriculum, but I feel that many students need to know that there is some one there for them. As far as the material goes, it would be great to be able to read an entire story with out interruption. It would also be wonderful to have an in depth Socratic seminar where the students can really engage without the constraints of time. The unlimited time would be awesome for cross-curricular activates where my class could work with their science or history teachers to complete assignments that would fit both of our curriculum. It would also work well for students to work on research papers. They can conduct research and write the paper in class, where I would be if they had questions. Project based learning would also be something that could be done. Right now, it is difficult to do PBL since many of my students do not have technology at home. This is they the flipped classroom that was talked about in chapter 9 of the book might not work the best with my students. We are not a 1:1 school and assigning things for students to do outside of the classroom (that involve technology) simply can not be done. I know there are other ways to be a flipped classroom where technology does not have to be used, but it would seriously hinder the process.
References

Neebe, D. & Roberts, J. (2015). Power Up: Making the Shift to 1:1 Teaching and Learning (Kindle Edition).

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Topic 1: Bloom’s Taxonomy PDF

Topic 2: PowerUp textbook: Chapter 8 (167-175)

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Assignment: At the Analyzing level of Bloom’s, the user breaks information into parts/components to explore/develop/construct understandings and relationships. Read pages 27-30 in the Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy PDF file located in the file list below for more information.  In this assignment, you will be creating an infographic using a specified dataset and your choice of online infographic-creation tools.

Watch this video for a quick overview of infographics (no words, just music). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b-cBjPE0C0

An infographic is a visual representation of data. It requires research to gather the data, manipulation of the data to decide what aspects to include in the final product, and the creation of a visual to inform or persuade.
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Click on the image below to view the full Infographic
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Assignment: You will be creating an audio-only podcast about an online tool. Conduct research and find a Web 2.0 tool to evaluate. (Remember that a Web 2.0 tool is a browser-based, online tool.) Write a script for a 2-minute podcast explaining to teachers how students might use this online tool in a classroom for creating their assessment. Stay away from online tools that are assessment tools already (i.e. Socrative, Infuse Learning, Kahoot, etc.) or management systems (i.e. Seesaw, Google Suite, Schoology and Edmodo) and talk about an online tool that allows a student to CREATE and the ways you see that tool supporting student content acquisition. Use the Podcast Rubric for guidance. Use Anchor.fm for creating your podcast. You can create an audio file on your computer and upload it to Anchor, or get the iOS or Android app and record it with your phone or tablet (which is super easy and includes cool features!) Make sure you have a microphone on your computer (or attached to your computer) or plan to use your cell phone or tablet to make the podcast.
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Storyboard that Podcast Script Outline

Intro

1. Hello and welcome, I am happy you can join me this week.

1. Talking about web 2.0 tools/sites for the classroom.

2. You might know Kahoot, or Study Island even Anchor …

3. Talk about importance of creating/level understanding

2. Storyborad That

1. Allows students to create scenes of people and places using pre-loaded items to make  visual storytelling easy

1. Customizable and posable characters

1. Clothes

2. Skin tone

3. hair

2. Specialized Places

1. Island

2. Park

3. Beach

2. I use it in ELA and Drama class

1. Recreate a scene from a book, novel, play that is the depicts the climax

2. Create what a scene in the play your writing would look like

3. Use in foreign language classes

1. Create then label and describe

2. I use it with my ELL students.

3. According to the site it  has over 2000 lesson plans and activities

1. Offers a 14 day trial

Reflection

This website can be useful in the classroom. I can see having my drama students use it to create a radio show, where they can write a script and preform while recoding and uploading it for the class to share. I can also see my English class using it to discuss points of what we are reading in class.  I think that students will really enjoy an assignment like this since it is not the typical “write me a book report” assignment. The site, itself, is very user-friendly and I can see my students using it without many issues. The site offers a variety of music to choose from which is a nice finishing touch on the podcast.

I found that the podcast was much easier to do when the script was not word for word. The outline format was much easier to go by and it made the talking much smoother. I would suggest only an outline script to my students. I am not one to enjoy hearing myself recorded but I did feel that the quality of sound was impressive. I am using a desktop Mac computer and the built-in microphone was more than adequate. If I were to use this in a classroom, I might want to buy a microphone that can be moved closer to the student, since I feel that would speak in a softer tone.

References:

Clever Prototypes, L. L. C. (n.d.). The World's Best Free Online Storyboard Creator. Retrieved February 12, 2020, from https://www.storyboardthat.com/

Compton (n.d.). Retrieved from https://anchor.fm

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Reflect on the following scenario in a single post in the “Chapter 8 Reflection” discussion group. Go back to the second half of chapter 8 and review the process for design thinking. Which steps could you easily leverage in your classroom? What roadblocks might occur? Brainstorm some ideas about how to overcome the possible roadblocks.
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The topic of Design Thinking is coming at a perfect time. I am about to start the novel 1984 with my honor seniors. Before I begin the novel we explore the decade that was the 1980s. We look at what was happening at the time and read news articles and other literature that was written in this time period. One of these pieces is Ronald Regan's speech he gave after the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle. I was speaking, at lunch to my coworkers, about this event and where they were when this happened. The physics teacher chimed in to say he was reviewing something similar with the class. They are creating rockets in the class; I had mentioned that we can do a cross-curricular project. This is where the topic of Design Thinking came into the conversation. We had the students create a presentation that explains their rocket and address the issues that the Challenger had.

Students where first to talk about the problem they are challenged with; safer space flight. As was described by authors Neeb and Roberts (2015) Power Up the students needed to "connect the needs, desires, and motivations of real people to help to inspire and invoke new ideas (Location 3482) Students, in groups, read more about the Challenger disaster. They then saw what caused the disaster and what steps could be used to correct it. This leads to the define step in design thinking, “explicitly express the problem you are striving to address through your efforts” (Neeb and Roberts Location 3489).

Students then begin to brainstorm of ideas of how to solve the problem. In this third step of Design Thinking students work together to express ideas, no matter how “out of the box” they might be. My district seriously lacks technology, if we had working Chromebooks I would have them share a google Doc where all their ideas could be saved and shared. When we did this we had students use large writing pads that have a sticky backing to them. They had their papers on the walls and used markers and highlighters to create a plethora of ideas. This probably worked better without the computers, since students write faster and can draw better using pen and paper.

Students worked for a week on designing what their space shuttle would look like, they had to use mathematical equations (way above this English teacher’s understanding) to consider lift, thrust and other aerospace considerations. They then moved on to the prototype stage. They were asked to find household objects that could be used in making the prototype. A rubric with specific demotions was given out at the start of the project along with a list of items to collect (paper towel and gift wrapping tubes, pool noodles, etc.). The student spent another week in the construction stage. This was the most fun for the students and the models are on display in the lobby. Students needed to test their prototype by explaining how the mathematics of the project would produce the type of results they were looking for.

As the English teacher, I graded the students on the oral presentation along with a lab report that showed the math and equations; I graded on the explication part and the physics teacher graded the math).  Overall, this was a huge success and cannot wait to do this again next year. In reflection of the project, one roadblock (that ended up not being one) was the lack of technology. There are programs where students can input their calculations and the computer would say if it would work. The other roadblock was the lack of materials. Now that we know we are doing this next year I can save all the paper towel and gift wrapping tubes.  I can see time being a roadblock, we were lucky to have the classes back to back so students could work for two periods on the project each day.

References

Neebe, D. & Roberts, J. (2015). Power Up: Making the Shift to 1:1 Teaching and Learning (Kindle Edition).

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Topic 1: Bloom’s Taxonomy PDF

Topic 2: Lecture video and sample story video (See attached)

Topic 3: Neebe and Roberts, PowerUp, Chapter 10 (pages 201-216)

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Assignment: One of the popular platforms for educators is Twitter. I suggest creating a separate account for personal and professional Twitter use. Keep your professional account open to the public, not just your followers, since professional tweets should be transparent and available to all. If you do not have a Twitter account, please make one now. **Be sure to keep it public and not moderated.**

Twitter can be used for much more than just your own PD. Take a look at this image that gives some ideas on how Twitter can be used to support teaching and learning here based on the level of Bloom’s: https://d2wldp4wpenmih.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/examples-of-how-to-use-twitter-in-the-classroom-1.jpg

Once you have an account, it is sometimes hard to find others to follow. One way to learn about great experts in a topic you are passionate about is to attend a Twitter chat on the topic.  Each Twitter chat has a scheduled time (usually an hour), a special hashtag, a moderator, and a few agreed-upon rules. Open Twitter at the specified time, search for the hashtag for the chat, and sit back and watch. The hashtag keeps all of the Tweets in the chat together. The moderator will pose a question beginning with a Q and ending with the hashtag, such as “Q1: What tech do you think is best for PreK? #PreKchat” Then, everyone answers in this format, beginning with an A and ending with the hashtag. “A1: I feel that iPads are best because of the number of learning apps available. #PreKchat” (To make it easier as things move along, I usually copy the hashtag so I can just paste it at the end of my answers.) Here is a place with links to tons of Twitter chats: https://sites.google.com/site/twittereducationchats/education-chat-calendar For this assignment, you will attend one Twitter chat and participate by answering the questions. After the chat, post your Twitter handle in the “Twitter” discussion group along with the hashtag for the Twitter chat you attended in a single post. Provide a brief overview of the chat content and your overall experience in the same post.
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Reflection on this assignment
Twitter Handel: MrSylvesterOFSD. #UDLCHAT

When I began this assignment I looked at several different chat groups to join. Sadly, more than a few of them did not have active participants. I came across #UDLCHAT, a chat that is dedicated to Universal Design for Learning. This was something that my district was considering, in small test runs. I had volunteered to be one of those classes. It was important for me to try UDL because, as I mentioned in a tweet, my students didn't have ownership of the lessons and I felt as if I was teaching to drones who were there in body but not in spirit. I thought changing things up in my classroom would be something proactive that I can do to have my students engage in my lessons. I am still new to UDL and have many things to learn; I figured this would be a good place to find ideas and answers.

There were many teachers who felt the same way that I did, They were frustrated that they were teaching their kids but not engaging and many feared that lessons were boring. More than a few said that their own children were the catalyst to being UDL in their classrooms. It was suggested that we (the teachers) take a look at every day scenarios and find new and cleaver ways to solve them. This reminded me of an activity that I have done in the past; I would create a problem and ask students to solve it. There are no right or wrong ways as long as the problem is solved at the end. Some used technology to solve the problem, some relied on math, and others became very creative and thought completely out of the box. The reason for them to do this exercise was to have them see there isn't one method or way to do something so as long as in the end they have a solution. UDL mirrors this a lot.

There were many great resources that were listed in the chat, from web sites to podcasts (https://theudlapproach.com/media/). Many of the participants were new to UDL and had questions, a lot of their questions were questions I had as well. It was comforting to know I was not the only one who struggles to make this work correctly. As I assumed many teachers said that time was an issue and that there just isn't enough time in the day. My issue was the lack of technology that I have in the classroom. It was suggested BYOD but many of our kids are not well off and do not have the technology that others do.

A great Tweet from @AmyBoyden said "Also, ask your students. What do they want to learn? How do they want to learn? What works for them? They will surprise you! And it will save time! It isn’t always about many choices/ options, but just a two or a few can increase agency!" I feel this is key to this process. She really hit the nail on the head and brought the focus back to where it needs to be,

An overwhelming amount of participants all agreed on one thing, change your mindset. This was not easy for me, I had to give up some of the control in the classroom and allow students to experience the process. This is something that I still am not comfortable with but I am getting better at it. I will say that this Twitter Chat did make me feel a but better about being new to UDL and that it reassured me that it is a process that takes time. This is my first year of UDL in my classroom and as they said, "it doesn't happen over night". This is very very true.

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Assignment: You will be creating a single picture digital story using an online tool. Please view the sample of this type of story in the file list below. It is titled “robins_market_video.mp4”. There is also a PDF transcript of the video available in the list if you need that. You are going to pick a photo from the Discovery Education Streaming photo collection, and conduct research both in Discovery Education and outside of it on the topic of your story. ***Remember to keep track of the title of Web pages and URLs that you use to gather information for inclusion in your digital story’s bibliography.*** Download and save the image you have chosen to your computer. You will be using the online tool, Adobe Spark Video, for creation of your story. https://spark.adobe.com/about/video

If you do not have an Adobe account, please sign up for one. Here is a Adobe Spark training page you can use for instruction. https://spark.adobe.com/page/JJcZ3JQWIJPlc/ Scroll down the page using the slider on the right.

Once you open Adobe Spark video, don’t pick one of the types suggested. Scroll down and look for the button that states START FROM SCRATCH.

You are going to use the same single photo on each slide in your Adobe Video except for the bibliography page at the end. Since the limit of time for each slide is 30 seconds or narration, write your script in 30-second or less chunks.

Your story should be 2-3 minutes in length, so your script would be divided into at least 4 to 6 chunks. On slide 1, you should add the image and add text of the title of your story and your name. You will then put the same image on each slide, narrate over the slide, pick and repeat for all the slides. You can pick music for the background For the bibliography page, just use a blank slide, chose to use text, and copy and paste your short citations on the page. Don’t forget to state “Image used from Discovery Education with permission” for your image.
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Click on the link below to view the story
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The Script: It's fire—and it's crashing! It's crashing terrible! Oh, my, get out of the way, please! It's burning and bursting into flames, this is one of the worst catastrophes in the world. It's–it's–it's the flames, four- or five-hundred feet into the sky and it ... it's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. It's smoke, and it's flames now . Oh, the humanity and all the passengers screaming around here. it's just laying there, a mass of smoking wreckage. And I can hardly breathe and talk, and the screaming. Lady, I–I'm sorry. Honest: I–I can hardly breathe.” These are the words of newsman Herbert Morrison in 1937, as he reported upon the wreckage of the Hindenburg as it rained down around him in Lakehurst, New Jersey and this is the story of one of the most famous air ship disasters.

Before the Third Reich came to power the Hindenburg was the pride of the Nazi party. At 803.8 feet in length and 135.1 feet in diameter The Hindenburg was the biggest commercial airship ever built. It was more than three times larger than a Boeing 747 and four times the size of the Goodyear Blimp. It could reach cruising speeds of 76 mph and a maximum speed of 84 mph this according to Jessie Szalay of Livesciene.com

As Christopher Klein reports, the Hindenburg was designed with safety in mind, after the hydrogen filled airship, the R101 crashed, the designer of the Hindenburg, Hugo Eckener, looked towards helium as a safer alternative.  The United States had a hold on the world’s helium supply and did not want to easily give up that hold in fears other countries would use it in times of war. The US halted exportation of the gas causing a redesign of the Hindenburg so that it used hydrogen, a much more flammable gas. Klein goes on to say that the ship was made for comfort It offered its passengers a smoking lounge despite holding 7 million cubic feet of hydrogen.

According to Donovan Webster of Smithsonian Magazine, the ship of comfort left Frankfurt, Germany on May 3, 1937. It was to be one of ten flights crossing the Atlantic to a Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey. On the day of the disaster there was a storm that diverted the airship over Manhattan. This caused quite a show, the air ship was the size of the Titanic but was flying overhead.

The ship was a half a day late in its journey and had to face strong winds as it approached its destination. The landing mores were dropped and tied to the ground. Webster goes on to say that at 7:25 p.m. the Hindenburg erupts in flames ripping apart the stern of the ship. As the ship fell to earth the fire engulfed the nosecone, the entire disaster lasted only 40 seconds.  Of the 97 people on the ship (36 passengers and 61 crew) miraculously only 35 people lost their lives that day. Webster notes that there are several theories as to why the ship went up in flames. Some point out that the weather that day caused a large amount of static to be in the air, others theorize one of the cables punctured one of the hydrogen cells. Either way, this was the end of airships as we know them.

References

Herbert Morrison (Ft. Charlie Nehlsen) – Hindenburg Disaster Broadcast ("Oh, the humanity!").

(n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2020, from https://genius.com/Herbert-morrison-hindenburg-disaster-broadcast-oh-the-humanity-annotated

Szalay , J. (2017, May 4). Hindenburg Crash: The End of Airship Travel. Retrieved February 18, 2020, from https://www.livescience.com/58959-hindenburg-crash.html

Webster, D. (2017, May 4). What Really Felled the Hindenburg? Retrieved February 18, 2020, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/80th-anniversary-hindenburg-disaster-mysteries-remain-180963107/

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Provide a reflection on the following two topics in a single discussion post in the “Chapter 10 Reflection” discussion group.  What reservations (if any) do you have about using social medial for professional learning? What are your concerns (or passions) about using Twitter or other platforms? If you could pose a question about a classroom challenge to a wider network – beyond your school community – what would it be and why?
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What reservations (if any) do you have about using social medial for professional learning?

I cannot say that I have very man reservations about using social media sites for professional learning. It can be a quick and easy way of sharing ideas. There have been many professional development days that I have sat and thought, "This could have been an email". With sending out a tweet that is geared specifically towards a lesson or grade you are teaching would streamline things a bit. I know that I am always looking for new ideas, worksheets, practices for me to use in class with my students. Just today, I was looking for ideas to use with my students for A Raisin In The Sun. I found a teacher's website that had a plentiful amount of materials that she was offering to anyone who wanted to use them. Rather than spending time Googling "Raisin In The Sun worksheets" I could simply tweet "Raisin In The Sun worksheets" #Raisininthesun #worksheets #freshmanelaI like the idea of having a support group of teachers that freely share ideas and materials. I once had a teacher email me because they saw my website I used for my class. They asked if I had materials for a story they were working on or ideas of how to approach it. We emailed back and forth a few times and became quasi-penpals. This was great because he was teaching a novel that I never taught but wanted to. I just didn't have any materials to start out with. He gladly sent me many PDFs of the materials he used.

What are your concerns (or passions) about using Twitter or other platforms?

I would not say that I have either reservations or passions about using Twitter. My only concerns are the same concerns that we warn out students about. It would be imperative to keep a professional account and a personal account totally operate. There have been countless stories of business Tweeting things that are controversial, only to find out the person who sent the Tweet thought they were on their personal account, not the one used for the corporation. You can run the risk of putting your professional reputation on the line.

If you could pose a question about a classroom challenge to a wider network – beyond your school community – what would it be and why?

If I could pose a question to my fellow educators I would want to ask current college professors what do you see your incoming freshmen lacking? As a teacher of senior English, what skills or tools would you want the students coming to you to have? What can I do as their teacher to prepare them better for college? I would ask this because I felt very under-prepared for college and felt as if I was already behind my fellow classmates. I can empathize with students who enter college and are nervous enough about starting something new, let alone unprepared.
References

Neebe, D. & Roberts, J. (2015). Power Up: Making the Shift to 1:1 Teaching and Learning (Kindle Edition).

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Help files for Padlet: https://jn.padlet.com

The portfolio process: http://www.electricteacher.com/onlineportfolio/process.htm

Designing a portfolio program: https://www.teachervision.com/teaching-methods-and-management/experimental-education/4535.html

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Assignment:  Your final project for this course is to create an online portfolio of the work you have created during this course. You will be using the online tool, Padlet for the housing of your portfolio. http://padlet.com/  Create a free Padlet account. (Here is a link to the help files: https://jn.padlet.com/ur Title your Padlet with EDIM510 and your name. (i.e. “EDIM510 Kathy Schrock”)Set up your Padlet format any way you wish. On each note on your Padlet, label it with the topic name of the assignment. Include text of your reflections, your readings from the textbook, links to your Twitter handle, the online digital story, attachments of your infographic, etc. All items created in the course should be included.
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I am very much a fan of the use of portfolios in class. I teach a class that is creative writing for the first semester and journalism for the second semester. I had students create portfolios as a midterm assignment for the class.  The students put all of their work on a Google Site, and organized the pieces based on genre. They were able to add a “About the author” section where they could tell the reader more about them. They had to add a photo of themselves and any original art work they might have done in conjunction with their works.  I wish I was aware of the site we used for this assignment; it seems to be more professional than a Google Site.

I like using portfolios in my English classes where students are creating reflections on what was read as well as any academic research papers. Portfolios are a great way to show the community what is being done in class as well as perspective college and employers the opportunity to see what the student is capable of. Portfolios are also a great way to keep work that students have done in an organized manner. One assignment that I enjoy giving is having the students write a research paper in ninth grade, they then have to upload the paper to an online portfolio (again usually Google). I then have them revisit the paper their senior year. They need to edit the paper and make the work a stronger piece. This shows the students how much they have grown as a writer and how their writing skills have improved. A few years back we switched from having physical folders that house all the students’ work that is then passed to the next teacher; we now use online portfolios to house the work. This takes the burden of storing the portfolios in class. We use the Google Suite in various methods to do this.

Portfolios give students a showcase to display their work and an outlet for an audience. Portfolios also give the students an audience other than just the teacher. Using portfolios also makes the students think about what image they are presenting and how they are perceived by others. I find that this makes the students more diligent in their writing and forces students to go that extra step to impress the readers.