The End...

The end of the semester in many ways marks a new beginning professionally. It is not often when a semester begin by asking yourself questions and ending the semester trying to figure out what is the meaning of those questions. More importantly, what do the answers mean to those questions. I guess in many ways this semester has been different from last two semester here at West Georgia because it has been more demanding and challenging that has allowed me reflect on my career and begin to focus on where will my education take me as a learner and as an educator. This is not a bad thing because it has finally made me focus on the things that are really important and not focus or become distracted by the clutter that often blocks my view of where I need to go.

As a result of this clearer focus it has allowed me to focus and reflect topics that in had the past avoid. These topics included what does leadership really means in terms working with others, developing a strong foundation and understanding of how collaboration prepares an individual to take their learning to the next level( in the past I would have never even considered working or collaborating with other to do a project or a proposal) and it is like chocolate the more try it the more you want it, determining what are the essential elements or characteristics that are within an individual and how those elements or characteristics effects my interacts with my students and colleagues.

In other words, I feel like I have grown in many ways that I was not prepared for or expected this semester. As I have said before learning does not always come from a textbook,instead it comes from within the individual. This was very important lesson to for me to learn as I progress through my program here at West Georgia.

Project Based Learning ....

The whole project based learning assignment has been an unique and extremely valuable learning experience for me. I have always been the person that does it all. I am learning how to work with others to share ideas, lesson plans and to collaborate with others. I know that several of teammates have experience technical issues related to being able to access google docs. But they have been persistence in their effort to be part of the collaboration process. I am grateful that no one has throw their hands and said "I give up".

As I go through this process with my teammates, I am learning what it means to be a group leader and to encourage others when it appears they want to give.

Being an effective leader does not mean that you are out of touch with those who you work and collaborate with during the group process. Instead it is about allowing everyone to play their part and assume their role within the group process that supportive and encouraging to everyone.
I am not saying this is an easy process but it is a valuable learning experience to have and learn from that will allow me to make the personal and professional connections that support my own learning experiences.

I hope and pray that I am given an opportunity to further develop my skills and expand my knowledge base beyond what I have learned from this class. This has been one the best experiences that I have had in a very long time.

What I learned from Movie Maker

When I first learned that we would be completing a digital storytelling assignment, I was excited because I thought that using imovie would be just like Microsoft Movie Maker. How wrong I could I be about using the two software applications. I have used Movie Maker countless times before without any problems. Many of the elements included in our assignment were simple compare to imovie.
This assignment was the first time that I used imovie and I was excited about using this new software because I convert from a PC user to a Mac user. I have enjoyed using my mac and I have to admit it has been a learning curve for me. I have need never been the one to shy away from learning something new. It has been an interesting experience learning how to incorporate itune and PowerPoint into an imovie. I hope that the final product is OK!
As I use imovie more and more I hope to become more proficient in the different elements goes into creating a great imovie but for now I am happy to have the opportunity to experiment with it and to receive feedback on what I created with imovie.

Lost track of time: Long period without a post

I know that it has been along time since I post a comment on my Blog but I have been extremely busy with work, my other class trying not fall behind and trying make sure that I keep with the assignments in this class. While I have not been blogging, I have learned alot from this class especially, in the area of digital storytelling and project base learning. I will share what I have learned in two post that follow this one. Stay tuned!

IMovie Experience

The movie project was an interesting twist for me this time around. Normally, I using Movie Maker is no problem for me but this summer I brought my first mac. It has been a learning curve for me. As a result this project was a challenge for me because I had to learn how to use IMovie and that is involved with using it. When you have been used to creating videos with Movie Maker then switch you get a different perspective on Mac vs PC.
My IMovie project focused on Respecting Students with Disability. I have always admired those extra special teachers who work with students have physical disabilities. These teachers are the true heroes of education. There two MOID classrooms at my school and fifteen students in grades Kindergarten to fifth. I see both classes when they come to Media Center for story time and everyday during their lunch time when I am on cafeteria duty. Students in general education class do not know how to relate to MOID students instead they often stare or laugh at them.
I hope this video which still needs work in my opinion will serve as a stepping stone to begin a discussion with general education students about the importance of treating their fellow classmates with respect and understanding regardless of their disability. This is not limited to just students but also to teachers. As we also have misconceptions, uneasiness and questions about students with disabilities but are often to afraid to ask because we might be seen as less compassion.
It has been my experience that MOID teachers and other teachers who with students with physical disabilities welcome the questions and welcome questions to address misconceptions and misinformation about students with disabilities. When it comes to students with disabilities there is such thing as a dumb question.

Google Docs

My initial experience with Googledocs was somewhat challenging because it took me over a week and half communicating with Dr. B about not being able to access Googledocs. It took alot of time but I finally figure out on what was the problem. When my account was set up the registration process was incomplete. The result was a lot of frustration and time wasted. I hope going forward that it will be a much smoother process because I think that Googledocs offers teachers and others a great opportunity to share information, work together and learn from each other.

Lesson Learned from Voice Thread

I enjoyed working with first grade students on completing this Voice Thread learning activity relating to weather. The Voice Thread learning activity provided me with a different experience and perspective of using technology with first grade students. For me this project presented a challenge for me because I wanted to have the experience of actually creating a technology integration learning activity to work with primary elementary students. This learning activity provided me with a real-life opportunity to experience my program focus, which is developing online resources and training for early childhood educators, students and their caregivers.

I thought that I had created a learning activity that would provide first grade students with the right amount of rigor to challenge them to seek additional knowledge about weather. I quickly realized that I had forgotten an important instructional strategy when developing any type of learning activity for young children it has to be developmental appropriate for their age range and their cognitive ability. The critical thinking aspect of the question I presented to first grade students was answered based on their prior knowledge, interaction with their environment and experience of how weather impacts their lives. This is a very important lesson to remember when developing learning activities that support technology integration for primary elementary students.

Time..

This post is late. Due to the fact I had to redo my Voice Thread project. Originally, I had collaborate and planned unit for fourth grade students with the fourth grade teacher on What is an ecosystem? But it did not work out. Lucky, for me I was able to collaborate with a first grade teacher to incorporate Voice Thread into her science unit on weather. It work out good for me because it allowed me to see the challenges and rewards of technology integration for young elementary students.

Comic Life Experience

I truly enjoyed collaborating and working with fifth grade students on Revenge of the Printed Journal Comic Life project. The excitement and enthusiasm that students displayed throughout the project reinforces the importance of using the right technology to create authentic learning activities to meet the needs of student learners. Students were involved in the planning, creating, writing, designing and implementing the storyline for the project. I felt lucky to receive support and encouragement for the project on a daily basis from co-worker, who teaches first grade. This support and encouragement gave me extra motivation for the project and feed my excitement about collaborating with fifth grade students.
Using the right technology to engage and motivate students with learning activities that supports real-life connections is one of the goals of technology integration. For technology integration to be successful on the student level it must build on prior knowledge that is formal and informal. The comic life project meet this goal of technology integration for fifth grade students by providing them with a deeper understanding of what is narrative writing and what motivates characters and their actions.
Overall, I really enjoyed working and collaborating with fifth grade students on this project.

Project-Based Learning Reflection

As I read and reflect on Project-Based Learning model that we are currently reviewing in class there are a couple ideas that stand out to me based on my previous experience. I previous taught in a school where all the learning and teaching was based on project-based learning model. It was one of the best teaching experience I ever had because I could see students make connections to their learning and their personal lives. As an educator it provided me with the freedom to teach the curriculum in a manner that allow students to meet the standards and at the same time address student's learning styles and needs. When I taught in a project-based learning school there was not any high-tech equipment or any of the technology that I currently use. The environment promoted students learning and I enjoyed the freedom it offered me as an educator.

The two concepts that stand out to me are: 1. Collaborative teaching is an invaluable component of project-based learning. Time limitation for planning effect the creativity of teachers. As well as impacting the learning opportunities for students and teachers to make new connections on which they can build and develop new knowledge. 2.Project-based learning offer more freedom to teachers to create authentic learning activities and assessments to meet the needs and learning styles of our increasing diverse student population that exist in our classrooms. It is not a cookie-cutter approach to education and it limits the amount of pressure that students and teachers feel towards mastering the state standards and curriculum to pass the test.

Blogging Experience So Far...

For me blogging has been interesting experience because of the responses to the blog reviews that were shared on the discussion board. A key element of the review was that everyone seem to share the opinion that format, background, layout and color are important to gaining insight into the blog creator. I think this is true statement about blogs. I think a challenge for me is how to turn this medium into a form for discussion as it currently relates to how I am using technology in the Media Center.

Right now, I am working with my fifth grade students to get them familiarized and assist them with setting-up to use their school email accounts. So far it going well with one exception. This student views the school email account like a Yahoo account for sending personal email. I have to make a decision about whether or not the student will be allowed to keep the account or lose it because this infraction. The purpose is to teach students how to submit their class assignments electronically. When the guidelines are broken how do I handle the situation. Do I give the student a second chance or not?

It is very important that for students are able to have access to their account not only for class assignment. It also provides access to the Media Center blog where they blog about the books they are currently reading. It is not an easy decision to make.

Wiki in the Classroom

I found the article on Wikis in the classroom to be a great article. Judging from the responses that I received that many of fellow classmates seemed willing to try to integrate Wikis in their classroom setting. This is a great first small and simple step start to integrating technology in the classroom.
The following is a summary to the article entitled:

A Wiki for Classroom Writing.

Writing for many students can be a means of communication that is personal, thoughtful and insightful process, which allows students to explore who they are as individual and as a person.
The challenge that teachers face is takes this form of interpersonal communication and turn into collaborative pursuit that allows students to express their ideas, opinions and points of view in medium that offers endless possibilities to mature as a writer and a content producer. Authors Brian Morgan and Richard Smith provide a general overview of what is a wiki and explains the difference between a wiki and blog.
The authors provides teachers with easy instructional tips on how incorporating a wiki into the writing process. In addition, the authors offer suggestions on the role of teacher as the facilitator, co-producer or conductor of the wiki. The key points are that wikis offer student writer many opportunities to engage in creating content and to collaborate with their fellow classmate and teachers to produce content that is meaningful and technology rich.
Reference:
Morgan, B and Smith,R.D.(2008). A Wiki for classroom writing. Reading Teacher, 62(1),80-82 doi:10.159B/RT.62.1.10

Reflection

I have included a link techteaching.net/teachers.html to an technology cartoon relating to integration. Scroll to the bottom of the page to view the cartoon. It sums up how important teacher's attitude towards technology integration and their skill level are the most important factors that determines the success or failure of technology integration. These factors are sometimes overlook or ignored when discussing technology integration. These two factors are critical for successful technology integration. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the cartoon.

Introduction and Technology Integration Definition

I currently serve in the position as a Teacher-Librarian(Media Specialist) in an elementary school. This is my fourth year as the Teacher-Librarian and I am a former classroom teacher. I enjoy being a Teacher-Librarian because I get work with the entire student population of 866 students. Besides my role as Teacher-Librarian, I also serve as the unofficial technology teacher. A role that I truly enjoy a lot because it allows me to introduce students to technology.

My definition of technology integration is using technology to provide students with opportunity to develop information literacy skills, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving skills that will allow them to develop knowledge that is informal and formal to meet the challenges of completing in a global economy.

Purpose of Tech Integration Blog

The purpose of this blog is to serve as my personal journal describing my experiences collaborating with students and teachers on how to integrate course materials and software into my local elementary school district curriculum. I will also address how technology integration can be used to assist teachers with meeting the Georgia Performance Standards.

I will provide the readers with my personal insights and reflections as they relates to the challenges and rewards of integrating technology in a elementary school setting. These reflections will focus on how educational technology can be use as a support tool for teaching and learning.

I hope to develop a better understanding of how technology integration is seen and how its impact is felt beyond the walls of school to allowing students to make real-life connections to their learning. I hope that by gaining this new understanding of how technology can be used to assist teachers with meeting the diverse learning styles and needs of students. I can better assist teachers with developing authentic learning activities and assessments that benefits all students. This is the goal of my blog.