Cynthia Mills EDTECH 521 Reflection Journal Quotes from Readings, Class Tasks and Activities Thoughts Learning

Questions

Quote from Making the Move to k-12 Online Teaching: Christensen, Johnson and Horn (2008), in their book Disrupting Class, estimate that by the year 2019, 50 percent of all high school courses will be online.

This is shocking to me. 10 percent seems appropriate, but 50 percent? So instead of physical interaction with their kids, of our teachers are going to stay home or go wherever and jump on their computers? I dont think this is good for our kids. Traditional high school isnt for everyone; I totally understand that, and I actually am interested in the possibility of switching from a traditional teacher to an online teacher for personal reasons, but you cannot substitute the physical contact with the virtual contact. Do you know how many kids I have hugged in the 15 years I have been teaching? Do you know how many kids I have literally fed because they were hungry and didnt have any lunch money? What about all the tears I have wiped, the pats on the back, the high-fives? What about cheering for a kid down the hall because he passed his driving test, and the only reason I knew about it was because I heard it through the student grapevine? There are so many concerns I have with this estimate being so high. Therefore, I put this estimate on Facebook, and I am going to post the responses in this journal. (FYI: I asked if I could do this in my post). Larry Batt (Head-Custodian) What is going to happen to the teachers??? Carolee Hall (Accounting-State of Idaho) I think it is inevitable, however, computers will not/should not replace teachers. There needs to be some forward looking planning where the teachers are prominent and the computers are tools. Clarity about the use of computers with the support of teachers needs to be the priority part of the policies for the future education system. Teachers cannot be replaced by computers, otherwise I fear we are going to have a generation of people who may be socially inept when it comes to

communication and interactive skills. At the end of the day teachers will/should always be the ones who plan and move academics forward. Colleen McGuire Seabert(Mom) both of my boys took a couple classes online during high school. both are very different learners. While most high school students are proficient on a computer not so many have the discipline to follow an online class. One of my boys did fi ne but the other tried 2 different classes and we discovered he needs the actual teacher for lectures and support. We all learn in different ways and online isn't really a viable method for all! Phil Brady(Teacher) I agree with Vicki...too much to type...but...of course they will! and students will continue to fall below the line of education the rest of the world, excluding Mexico of course, seems to exceed. How can we possibly be surprised? Just look at people and their facebook responses (me taking a shot at truthful humor) filled with so many mistakes they are unintentionally ambiguous at best. Finally, the US is currently 36th in the world, and I think Singapore is first...at least in math. It its difficult to believe...but sadly true. DeeDee Bleskey(Insurance investigator) I don't like it at all. I think technology is damaging our worlds social behaviors. People barely have a conversation anymore because they text. Computers cannot replace human interaction and the motivation and enthusiasm of a teacher. Cheryl Laird Macy (Administrator) I believe most high school students will still benefit the most from a classroom teacher and the classroom setting. Online education - the format I chose for my master's - requires a great deal of self-regulation, something many high school students are still developing. Not to mention, it is easier to cheat with online programs. Anne Fasano O'Neill (Teacher) Not everyone has access to the updated technology. We will have to deal with that. Cheryl Schopen (Student Teacher)Technology definitely has its benefits IN the classroom, not INSTEAD of the classroom. Vicki Wells (Teacher)We can talk all day about the benefits and draw backs, but the fact is I believe that district are turning to this method of instruction to 'save costs' and not based on student success or educational research about the effects of such. i have a hard time believing anything can match the personal connection between teacher and student in the classroom.

I shared my response on facebook. I enjoyed reading everyone's post, but I wish I had an online teacher friend whom I am sure would have argued these observations!

Class Task: Differentiated learning strategy-allowing online learners the choice to answer 1 of 3 questions and creating discussion groups based on the students choice. Class Activity: Responding and reflecting on 3 other classmates post (one from each group).

I loved this strategy. I allow students to choose essay questions, or I jigsaw questions, but I have never set up a lesson this way, and I am going to use this strategy next week!!!! This is just another reason why I love learning! I like this activity because the learner is basically required to read his or her classmates posts which enhances understanding and promotes collaboration. I think it also affirms the students initial post in that often times another learner offers praise for the response. That happened to me today, and I really appreciate that my peers appreciate my insight. I like double-entry journals because I think that it is important to reflect on what you learn. I think this will actually be a great addition to our Portfolio. This activity was fun, and I think it is nice to have a little fun once in awhile when learning!!! My partner and I had different approaches to the instruction in that she described the monster and I gave a step-by-step, which was great because I think it just reiterates that we all learn differently! In fact, I think it is important to be aware of the fact that we all listen to directions and perceive instructions differently too because we need to constantly consider how our students learn and be willing to adjust when needed. This was actually more difficult than I thought. Initially, I was going to use what I normally use every year, but I was going to add to it. However, after I read through the resources, I realized that it wasnt sufficient, This was a good thing though because I really needed to update mine. I like what I came up with, but I can see me going back and revising after I use it because I know just because I think it may be good, Ill find things Ill need to edit to really make this tool 100% useful. Assignment: Community Building Strategies and Rationale I joined Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ and Edmodo http://www.edmodo.com/home previous to this assignemtn, and for this assignment, I joined Twitter.

Class Activity: Reflection Journal Class Activity: Build a Monster

Class Activity: Interview Tool

Reflect on your experience with online community building. In your reflection, discuss the following: 1) what community you joined or created and why, 2) a URL that references your online community, 3) a brief summary of your experience as a participant in the online community, and 4) your reflections on how online communities can be used to effectively support student engagement in learning.

Originally, I joined Facebook to reconnect with family and friends, but I also ended up connecting with former students. Then I realized that it would be convenient and beneficial to message students on FB for various reasons concerning assignments and grades. That has worked out great!! At first, students were a little surprised to be hearing from a teacher, but then they were so appreciative for the communication. What a great motivational tool it is too! Often times Ill message students with a grade and let them know how proud I am of their hard work! Then I decided that because I teach the publication classes at a huge high school, I would allow my editors to friend me on Facebook. This has been a great experience because we can all communicate at the same time if needed, among other advantages. The bottom line is that it is such a popular site and so utilized by students that I can always contact someone I need. This summer, I was exposed to Edmodo through this Masters program. I checked it out, and now I am using it everyday for my Honors English 11 classes and my Newspaper class. It is literally changing and improving the way I teach!!! I love it! Not only am I posting assignments and receiving assignments, I am communicating with my kids so much more. They message me questions, and I respond individually, but if I feel everyone can benefit from the clarity, I message everyone. This really nips any misunderstanding of the assignment in the bud. The kids love it too. I really feel that it motivates them to stay on top of their assignments because they are able to not only have access to their assignment document, but also they can see due dates as well. I havent used Twitter enough yet to comment on it, but I assume that it will be like FB and Edmodo in that students can easily communicate with me. Reflection of a Peers response Hi Arnst, Before entering into this program at BSU, I took a class that mirrored almost all of issues you described. For example, though the course was not supposed to be an isolating experience, it was because it was not set up effectively to generate collaboration, and because feedback was slow or nonexistent, it felt like students were just going through the motions to complete assignments. In addition, when you said that online learning shouldnt be an excuse for instructors to assign busy work, you could not have summed up the course that I took any better;

that is exactly what I thought the instructor was doing, and it made me angry because not only had I paid for the course, but also the instructor was being paid and seemingly didnt care about our learning. Im curious, have you had an online class like this? I ask because I felt like your responses to these prompts were very insightful. Take care, Cynthia Define online teaching and learning. Describe various models used in online teaching and learning (hybrid, blended learning, fully online, LMS, etc). Choose one model associated with traditional forms of K-12 education and describe how it fits into constructs of online learning. Online teaching and learning utilizes internet technologies to create a learning experience that is interactive, builds essential skills for 21st century learners, and requires the learner to be responsible for his or her learning through active participation (Rice 2-3). Although online teaching and learning is similar in nature to face-to-face instruction in that, according to Dr. Kerry Rice, author of Making the Move to K-12 Online Teaching good teaching is good teaching, regardless of the mechanism used for instruction, the online environment changes the way in which teachers deliver instruction and the methods involved in communicating with students as they work in an autonomous setting (2). Various models used in online teaching and learning include: online tutorial, self-paced, facilitated cohort, and blended. These models represent a spectrum of differentiated learning strategies from self-facilitated learning with no instructor interaction as seen in the online tutorial model to combining online and face-to-face learning with a community of peers and a heavily involved instructor as seen in the blended model. In my classroom, empowering students through differentiated instruction involves both traditional forms of delivery and integrating 21st century skills by teaching in as much of a blended environment as I can. For instance, I use Edmodo for communication, assignments, and class participation. In addition, my assessments are project based, including digital storytelling, webquests, jigsaws, interactive posters, and interactive presentations. When my students walk in my classroom, the first thing they ask is, Are we using the laptops today? Hi Deborah, I couldnt agree with you more about how essential student-centered learning is and that often times it is not implemented enough. I teach at the high school level, and the teaching strategies and styles of the instructors vary so much. On one hand, we have teachers who love

Reflection of a peers response

this model and couldnt possibly teach any other way, and on the other hand, we have instructors who only apply teacher-centered learning. You mentioned that your students are allowed to work at their own pace, which I think is great. My question is does this make is difficult for you to stay organized and on top of grading? I ask because I am curious how online teachers manage this. I know that if all my kids worked at their own pace all of the time, I would feel overwhelmed! Thanks for your insight! Take care, Cynthia 1 2 Attach a copy of your Community Building Strategies with a Rationale for each. Discuss potential issues that might need to be addressed when teachers choose to promote online community or activities that involve the use of the Internet in general (See specific information on Internet Safety). I teach Yearbook, Newspaper and Honors English 11, and I have 25 Macbooks, 2 iMacs, and a PC in my classroom; therefore, everyday, I am faced with the battle of online supervision. With that said, I wouldn't trade my computers for the world! I have all of my i's dotted and my t's crossed when it comes to policies and structure, (AUP's and Netiquette rules, etc), but I'm dealing with high school students, and they will push the envelope if they can. Interestingly, that is one of the qualities I like most about my kids! That quality, when harnessed a bit, allows me to challenge them and push them to be independent learners and mature and responsible young adults. I cannot police my kids all the time, but I can challenge them on assignments, offering the structure, guidance and personal gratification that comes with making a deadline, producing a digital story, or discovering the Harlem Renaissance via a Webquest. Through high expectations and assignments that are fun and engaging, I'm able to keep the off task time searching for inappropriate sites or playing online games to a minimal. Oh, and it definitely helps having the district block most of those sites! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Nxtz_4pztCRiNFL7jjIUIDC4iMCgBSurz4LVIHXzOc/edit Marci Smith Edtech 521 Ilene Reed 10/1/12 Cynthia Mills Shannon Foster

Community Building Strategies

Team Sapphire Netiquette Rules

Netiquette Rules: Sapphire Group

Online Classroom Expectations Netiquette refers to proper, professional, and acceptable online behavior or etiquette. We all need to follow these rules and guidelines to ensure that our online experiences are safe, educational, and ethical.

Synchronous Communication Tools

Chat Rooms:
1 Online chat rooms can be quite informal. Nevertheless, try to express yourself using proper spelling, capitalization, grammar, and punctuation. The use of an emoticon in a chat room can be quite effective in expressing your mood to the group. Consider your audience and use language that is appropriate. Excessive use of abbreviations or slang in a chat room can be bad manners and remember your peers may not understand your chat abbreviations. When joining an online chat, say hello to the other members so they may aware of your presence, then read the existing postings and dont repeat what has already been said. Watch your tone dont be accusatory or use all caps. Be courteous to the other members of your chat and show respect for their opinions and input. Think twice before you submit your comments on a chat. Once the words are submitted into cyberspace, there is no retraction for your actions. Be aware that what you type can easily be misinterpreted without the use of nonverbal actions.

Web Conferencing:
1. Audio a. Turn off any distractions like the TV, cell phone, music. b. Mute your microphone when you are not speaking to lessen background noise. c. Stay on the topic and listen to others.

2.

3.

Visual a. Dress appropriately. b. Use frequent eye contact to increase connection. Social a. Do not eat or drink during the conference. b. Use manners, raise your hand, dont speak over people, dont dominate the conversation, avoid flaming or negative comments that cause contention. c. Acknowledge other peoples opinions, be respectful, be short and concise, use emoticons. d. Use proper English, but be forgiving as this is a synchronous setting.

Asynchronous Communication Tools

Email:
1. Keep messages short and to the point. A good rule of thumb is to keep your email under 150 words. 2. Be aware that no email system is totally private - think of an email message as a Facebook post on your wall. Do not send highly personal or sensitive information through email. In addition, please note the following: like Facebook and text messages, email can be subpoenaed by law enforcement if a student is suspected of breaking the law. 3. While email is less formal than letters, people will form an opinion of you based on how you write; therefore, use correct grammar and spelling at all times and leave out text language and acronyms. When appropriate, you may use an emoticon to express a mood; however, use this application sparingly, for example, 1-2 per message is enough to convey your mood. 4. Be sure to spell check and read over every message before sending it. In addition, sign all of your emails with your name. If the email is being sent to a teacher, you should include your teachers name at the beginning of the email and your class period. The following is an example: Dear Mrs. Mills, this is

Cara Gillipsie from your 2B class. 5. Before sending a message, consider whether you would say what you have written to the person's face. The detached nature of email will sometimes embolden people to say things they would never say in person. It is much easier to delay sending an email than it is to try to repair the damage from a hurtful message.

Discussion Boards:
1 Emoticons are allowable in moderation, as long as they are not a distraction to the participants.. Emoticons can transfer feeling and emotions in a situation that would otherwise be observed in the body language, tone, and posture of a person. Acronyms are to be limited to those understood by all participating members. Use of acronyms can lead to confusion among participants who are unfamiliar with them or have different interpretations. Correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar should be required for all participants. They are practical applications and acceptable in any academic and professional setting. Proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar usage is best for communication and there would be no misunderstandings. Use of spelling and grammar checkers are part of most word processing programs and it does not take excessive amounts of time to edit work. Discussion boards should be kept to more professional standards than chats. They have a more professional atmosphere. With the asynchronous nature of discussion forums, students have time and opportunity to edit their work before posting. Think, reflect, and moderate your speech before posting. Being respectful is appreciated by peers and the tone of what is being said can affect how your comments are accepted.

**As a final rule of Netiquette, please always remember to protect your personal information. Never give out your name (use a username),

password, address, or phone number. Reflection of Messaging in Google Chat I really like Google Docs...I guess it is Drive now. I actually taught members of my group how to use it, and shared that I have used it in another class. Actually, my former classmate taught me! I like the fact that in this program we have the opportunity to help each other. The chat went well, but I can see how easy it is to be misunderstood, especially when telling a joke! That happened to me!! In order to ensure that every student has the same opportunity and access to education, it is imperative to have every aspect spelled out, and implemented. I took this quote for the web page: Our overall goal is to ensure that every student has access to the highest quality education available today. This is the first publication of K-12 online learning program quality standards to help evaluate and ensure effective oversight. Online program quality standards will help underscore how important effective management, administration, quality content and instruction, student and faculty support, and academic rigor are for K-12 online education, says Susan Patrick, President and CEO of iNACOL.

iNACOL Reflection

The following is an outline to meet iNACOL First Idea for Lesson: Got shot down because I had already created the Lesson Title: web page, but I hadnt done anything with it. I was disappointed, but I Introduction to Introductions created another web page. :) Learner Description: The target audience is high school juniors enrolled in English. Students are expected to read and respond to a variety of literature throughout their junior year. Concept-based units are often employed by teachers in this district and include unit topics and conceptual lenses, enduring understandings, and critical content. Learners are given guiding questions, instructional activities, and a performance assessment for each unit. It is up to teachers to determine what instructional strategies best fit with the literature for each unit. Moreover, teachers are encouraged to integrate technology to enhance student

engagement. Therefore, this lesson is designed to be uploaded to Edmodo as an asynchronous lesson that can be completed in class or at home. This lesson is designed to introduce students to the components of an introduction. Students should have already selected their essay topic and begun to formulate their thesis statements in order to complete this lesson plan; however, this plan can be adjusted if this prerequisite has not been accomplished by simply eliminating objective #4. Learner Needs: The first question for any writer should be, "Why am I writing?" "What is my goal or my purpose for writing?" For many writing contexts, a students immediate purpose may be to complete an assignment or get a good grade. But the long-range purpose of writing is to communicate to a particular audience. In order to communicate successfully to an audience, understanding the purpose for writing will make students better writers. This purpose is manifested in an introduction. Big Idea or Focused Investigation: Good writers develop and refine their ideas for thinking, learning, communicating, and aesthetic expression. Essential Questions: 1. How do good writers express themselves? 2. How does process shape the writers product? 3. How do writers develop a well-written product? Lesson Overview: Students have been taught what a thesis is and they have just begun to write their thesis statements. This activity teaches the components of an introduction and includes defining a thesis statement, which will reinforce their knowledge. KEY VOCABULARY: Introduction, attention getter, background information, thesis Materials Needed: Computers Access to the internet Access to Youtube Body of Lesson: (Im going to work on my specific objectives) 1 Students will go to the webpage, Writing Introductions/Concept Map 2 Students will complete the worksheet, Components of an

3 4

Introduction Students will share their answers with a partner. Students will choose an attention getter strategy, brainstorm their background information, and begin to formulate their introduction.

5 Learner Expectations: Through these activities, learners will understand their purpose for writing this essay. In addition, learners will be able to communicate that purpose to an audience in an effective way by writing an introduction that is not only well thought out, but it is also well planned out with a solid purpose in mind.

Here is my a screenshot of my new lesson Technology Use Strategies in the Module: 1. Webpage for easy access 2. Edmodo for turning assignment in 3. Youtube for Bio and uploading Powerpoint tutorial 4. Camtasia for videotaping Powerpoint. I think the strategies that I have implemented in this Lesson/module definitely hit the several of the following Principles: Principle 1: Provide Multiple Means of Representation What: Video clips Audio clips Pictures, graphs, or graphic organizers Video PowerPoints that have less than 50% text Interactive webpages like Google Earth Highlight critical information using smartboards or document cameras Audio Books Graphic libraries Newspapers or magazines Software that translates text (language and speech to text) WHY: pre-assess anticipatory set supplement materials create a low-readability, high-interest allow for interaction create switch-activated animations to engage the learner allow students to show knowledge remove barriers

Principle 2: Provide Multiple Means of Expressing Understanding What: The following can be created using any media Write a caption

 Why:

Song Report Journal Create a poll Create a skit Draw Write a letter Interview News report Photograph Exhibit Essay

Learners benefit from expressing their knowledge in different ways. Learners benefit when they have a choice Principle 3: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement Choice of content and tools Provide a learning stretch for all learners Provide individualized goals Utilize games that incorporate different levels Build on background knowledge in a variety of ways WHY: student buy-in engages all learners adjustable levels of challenge rewards students

Rubric for Lesson Synchronous Lesson

I still need to finish a few things. My peers pointed out a couple of things to fix. :) Im going to do an overview of the module. This is truly what I would want to do if I taught this because I think that students need an intro to what types of learning activities they are going to be expected to participate in.