Blog Post #6 - Think Aloud

Inquiry learning is a practice I feel like I unknowingly practice daily.  To me...inquiry learning is learning through questioning, trial-and-error, or by solving problems.  I am always getting calls from teachers who have a technology problem that they need my help solving.  Many times the issue they are presenting me is an issue that I don't immediately have an answer to solve.  I have to use inquiry by questioning and reading forums on Google or by trial and error in creating a solution.  The Ted Talks video where Diana Laufenberg presented based on her experiences in teaching was amazing to watch.  I can imagine it was difficult for her step outside of the box with her students but I can only imagine how much they learned.  I know it will be an experience they will never forget.

https://www.ted.com/talks/diana_laufenberg_3_ways_to_teach?language=en#t-263701

In planning for the mini-lessons, I think I am going to cover volcano's specifically the currently erupting volcano Mount Kilauea in Hawaii using the 5th-grade standard:

I want to take the students on a virtual field trip to live videos of the site of the eruption, show them before and after pictures of different locations around the volcano to show them the constructive and destructive results of volcanos.  I want to include components that focus specifically on part C of the standard by discussing the types of technology scientists are currently using to predict the locations of the island that are hazardous as well as the seismic activity that indicates upcoming earthquakes.

Project: Students will create a written or digital journal from the perspective of a scientist studying the Mount Kilauea volcano.  Written journals can take the form of a scrapbook or notebook of journal entries while digital journals can take the form of presentations or movies.

1. Authenticity- This is a current event taking place in our country. 
2. Deep Understanding- Focus on the standard.  Create quality essential questions.
3. Assessment- Create a rubric for the project.
4. Appropriate Use of Technology- Virtual field trip to Hawaii; Device used for research; Video Interviews; Before and after photos; etc. 
5. Student Success-  Clear guidelines created for the project that allows for creativity while being adaptable to individual student needs.
6. Connecting with Experts- Video interviews of scientists on site.
7. Performances of Understanding - Exploring the events of Mount Kilauea
8. Ethical Citizenship - Plagiarism discussion and use of curated resources when building student project. 

Hmmm....Now I just wish I had a group of kids to teach!  This sounds fun!

Blog Post #5 Goal Reflection

Well, it has been a few weeks since I posted my Goals so I guess it is time to reflect back and see how I am doing.  Below are the goals I set for myself:

     1. Share what I am learning with the teachers in my district.

I feel like I am doing an excellent job of sharing things I am learning with teachers in my district.  There are so many conversations I am able to contribute to based on the topics I am reading about and researching.  I have even found some awesome new tools that I have shared.

     2. Complete all assignments by Friday of each week so that I can enjoy my weekend without stressing about schoolwork.

This goal may need to be modified.  I think it was an excellent goal and while I am getting a lot of my work done on or by Friday, I am struggling to get it all done.  Mostly because of the nature of the blog posts and the reality that summer semester is shorter so there is a good bit of time required for each of my classes.  If I were to modify this goal I would modify it to state that I will get the majority of my school work out of the way during the week.  I am planning to recommit to this goal now since school is now out for our district.

     3. Where possible, complete projects using new web 2.0 tool(s) that I have not tried before.

I have really enjoyed this goal.  This was the first time I had ever used Symbaloo.  I had heard of the tool before but never had an excuse to really learn it.  I LOVE learning new tools and it is so hard to find quality free ones.

I have always considered myself to have a growth mindset.  I am always listening to audiobooks and podcasts from the "self-help" genre because I love learning tips and tricks to make me a better "me".  What I learned from reading this weeks resources, however, is that while I enjoy learning new things...I don't always practice a growth mindset.  Even though I believe we all have the ability to expand our knowledge by learning to do whatever we put our minds to...I don't always believe that I am capable of learning things that I don't feel like I would ever be good at doing.  I love the point that the "Even Geniuses Work Hard" article makes when it tells teachers to "emphasize challenge, not success".  I wish I could have been taught this way as a child because while I LOVE a challenge, I tend to not take on challenges unless I am pretty sure I will succeed.

Now that I have recognized the need to adjust my own fixed growth outlook, I plan to make sure I that I catch myself if I try to limit myself on projects that I don't think I can succeed.  The website OpenColleges.edu contains 25 ways to develop a growth mindset.  I plan to focus on the following three as I continue through this course.

1. Acknowledge and embrace imperfections.
2. Disassociate improvement from failure.
3. Value the process over the end result.

Image Source: https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/develop-a-growth-mindset/

Blog Post #4 - Letting Go

      This week I read an article from the TeachThought blog written by Grant Wiggins called Great Teaching Means Letting Go.  The article made a lot of sense to me and is similar to the way I try to raise my own children.  The author discusses the idea that if we are constantly doing everything for our children/students or teaching them material only in ideal situations, they won't actually know what to do on "game day" when the situation is not scripted.  He recommends stepping back some of the time and give them something that will allow them to flounder slightly so that they must figure out what to do on their own.  Everyday life is not scripted.  Some days go according to plan, while others can seem very "messy".   Just like Grant suggests, I believe it is important for students to know the "game" for which they are preparing.  Even in my own learning, I know that when I actually think through processes myself I tend to remember them better.

I also watched a recorded webinar by Chris Lehman on connected learning.  Mr. Lehman touched on a lot of major topics across a variety of issues related to technology as well as education in general.        One of the things that stood out in my mind was when he said "...what we’re really teaching in the Information Age (when a kid who has an iPhone in their pocket has more access to information than a teacher has in their head), we’re teaching them Wisdom."  That statement really stood out to me because it is so very true.  We don't have the ability to know everything but if we can teach students how to use the information they have access to wisely then we will be making progress.
       The other statement that really stood out was when he said, "...what else needs to be in place so that teachers can have access to technology “like oxygen,” where it just works?"  As wifi and devices continually improve, I hope to one day see this take place.

Sources:
https://educatorinnovator.org/webinars/chris-lehmann-inquiry-the-very-first-step-in-the-process-of-learning/
https://educatorinnovator.org/webinars/chris-lehmann-inquiry-the-very-first-step-in-the-process-of-learning/

Blog Post #3 - Reflective Searching

To say that we live in a time of information abundance is most definitely an understatement.  Our generation and the generations that follow have the ability to learn on the fly like no one that came before us.  We carry full computers in our pockets called cell phones that enable us to search and discover answers to anything that we can dream up...

The article "Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future" defines the Google generation as young people that were born after 1993.  According to this definition, I am not part of the Google generation, however, I can barely remember a time without a computer or Google.  I was born in 1988.  I have had access to a computer my whole life and I can remember typing...or rather "pecking" out my first "paper, which only consisted of about a paragraph, in the second grade over Yellowstone National Park.  I researched, mostly using Encyclopedia Britannica software that was loaded on my Windows 2.0 computer in our family living room.  It took me hours but I was so proud of that paper when I printed it off and handed it to my teacher the next day.

In my day-to-day life I am constantly using Google.  In fact, my job requires me to have good Google/research skills.  It is impossible for me to know all the intricacies of every piece of software and hardware that we have in our district...Google is my secret weapon.  Searching online is many times, the fastest way to troubleshoot.  I use Google for work, while cooking, gardening, or parenting.  While I use Google for a variety of things, I can also see some of the issues that arise because of our Googling habits.  I can relate to the article discussing the impacts of Google on the way students think.  The article states that Google creates the illusion of accessibility and that Google naturally suggests "answers" as stopping points.  In order to truly learn about a topic we must still utilize research skills to understand and master topics.  As well as discern wether what we are reading is even factual or not.

According to Wikipedia, "A filter bubble is a state of intellectual isolation that can result from personalized searches when a website algorithm selectively guesses what information a user would like to see based on information about the user, such as location, past click-behavior and search history." We can avoid creating our own filter bubbles by making intentional choices to evaluate and critically examine the content we are engaging in online.  I personally avoid articles written from sources I do not know to be credible.  I also fact check information using websites such as Snopes.

Photo Credits: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/information-overload-why-it-matters-and-how-to-combat-it Author/Copyright holder: SparkCBC . Copyright terms and licence: CC BY-SA 2.0

Blog Post #2 - Video/Article Review

After reviewing the 4 resources some commonalities I noticed was the overall depth and weight that the internet contains.  The resources seemed to highlight the wealth of information and how to dig through it to get the most out of it without getting buried.  They were slightly disconnected in the focus because the video focused on the overwhelming aspects of the internet and how it has changed our students but the rest focused on best practices for using it to our students' advantage.

My learning goals include one particular goal about practicing new tools.  In my line of work, I tend to get the information overwhelm that the video discusses.  I have tons of tools that I know of but I never have the opportunity to practice using.  This is where the final article, "The Journey from Digital Literacy to Digital Fluency" becomes important.  My goal moves me from simply having digital literacy to a more digitally fluent state.

Blog Post #1 - Learning GOALS!!!

It is the first day of a new semester at Georgia Southern.  I am making sure that I go ahead and get my work done ahead of time this week because I have a birthday party to accomplish by Saturday for my two babies.  :-P

I enjoy setting goals for myself.  They really help me to figure out what my end result should be beyond just completing a task or in this case a course.  I have decided to set three goals for myself this semester.

1. Share what I am learning with the teachers in my district.
2. Complete all assignments by Friday of each week so that I can enjoy my weekend without stressing about schoolwork.  
3. Where possible, complete projects using new web 2.0 tool(s) that I have not tried before.

Good luck to everyone this semester!